A/N: Only virtual chickens were harmed in the writing of this chapter.

I've learned more about Georgia law than I ever wanted to during the course of this story. If you are a Georgia lawyer who knows better than I do -sorry, I tried my best.

Chapter 73: Eye of the Storm

"There's a full moon rising high, filling up my empty sky.
Oh wash me clean and light my way
Take me back to yesterday."
-Darrell Scott

Friday, July 4th, 1986 - Nighttime

Enos sat alone on the dark roof of the Hazzard County jail, drenched in the pastel lights of the cinema's marquee. He'd wanted to be alone; to escape from the seemingly inexhaustible stream of well-wishers that had 'just popped in to say hi' and had filled every horizontal surface at the station with pies and baked goods. Technically, that was a lie- there was one person he would gladly share his vantage point with, but she was still 100 miles south of him.

They had spoken earlier when she called the station, but there had been little to talk about that they didn't both know. It had been nice to hear her voice, though, even if she didn't accept "fine" for an answer when she asked how he was doing. Enos had been honest with her; recounting the flood of memories the ride in Rosco's patrol car had dredged up, and about all the fuss over him that he hadn't wanted.

"You've always been good to them", she reminded him, "and they have long memories. They can't help but love you, Enos, just like me."

The rest of the day, his heart had been lighter, knowing that she was thinking of him. Now, as he sat alone watching the showers of exploding colors against the sky, he thought of Daisy and wondered if coming home might not be just as strange and confusing for her as it was for him. She had given up everything that day to save him, never expecting to see her home or family again. He and Daisy needed each other in a way that no one else could really understand. He thought he would probably take Uncle Jesse up on his offer to stay at the farm.

After all, his...wife?...was there.

When they had agreed that being married in the eyes of God was just as good as a piece of paper, they had been fugitives, never expecting to return home. Now, well, he didn't question their commitment to each other, but he suspected others would have some questions. They had agreed to play it low key until everything was a least back to semi-normal.

After the fireworks had ended and the smell of burnt sulphur lingered in the air, he unrolled his sleeping bag and lay back, staring up into the night. Rosco had called him several of his old pet names when he had asked to sleep on the roof, but he felt more himself up here, under the stars. He didn't want to sleep in a cell, knowing that waking up to bars might beckon the demons that roamed just beyond the reach of his imagination.

As the old day ended and the next began, he whispered a prayer and for the first time in almost a year, fell asleep beneath a Hazzard moon.

"Enos!"

Enos rolled over to see Cletus standing at the edge of the roof, looking down over the road. He had heard the scrape and bang of the fire escape door opening, but he'd played possum, figuring if it was something important, he'd know about it soon enough.

"Hey, Cletus," he said, wearily, "What's going on?"

The deputy, still looking over the side, ignored him. "Buzzard on a buzzsaw!" he exclaimed. "Sure is a long way down there! You think one of them ninjas could get up here and into the jail if they wanted to?"

Enos groaned. He hadn't seen Cletus in nearly a year, and he was already trying his patience. "There's a ladder over yonder, Cletus," he said, pointing towards the alley. "And what the heck would ninjas want with the Hazzard jail?"

Cletus moved away from the side and walked over to where Enos still lay on his sleeping bag. "Well, I don't know," he said, scratching his head, "Boss brings some awful strange people around sometimes."

"Was there a reason you came up here?"

"Oh, yeah!" he said, "You've got a phone call."

"Ding dang it, Cletus!" said Enos, jumping up. "You coulda told me that before you nearly put me back to sleep!"

He made his way down through the records room and up to the lobby and picked up the phone on his old desk.

"Enos Strate, speakin'"

"Hey Enos, it sure is good to hear your voice!"

"Gary! It's good to hear from you, too," he said. "I sure want to thank you for all the hard work you did on my case. Never did get to say it after the trial, guess I wasn't really...myself."

"You're welcome, Enos. Though I'm of the opinion that Heaven helps those who help themselves. You and Daisy really pulled it off with finding Candy's address. We figured out what happened, or at least we had a good idea, after we found out Allen Kincaid's grave had been robbed, but there was nothing we could do about it without the evidence."

"Somebody was smiling on her, for sure, that day."

"Well, whatever it was, I wanted to bring you up to speed on what's going to happen between you and the State of Georgia."

"There ain't a problem, is there?" Enos kept waiting for the other shoe to fall, everything seemed like it had been a mite too easy for his tastes.

"No! No problem, actually the opposite," he assured him. "I actually got a call from the Governor himself yesterday evening. He wanted me to pass on to you that, not only is the Georgia Parole Board issuing you an immediate pardon with restoration of all rights, but he's also going to propose to the State Legislature that you receive a generous compensation."

Enos, who had never been too concerned with money didn't know what to say, "That's...that's awfully nice of him, Gary, but I don't really need -"

'You do need," he told him. "Not only did you miss out on a years worth of salary, but you had plenty of pain and suffering." There was a pause. "I read the medical reports from Augusta, Enos. You're damn lucky to be alive."

Not hearing a response, Gary continued, "Besides, the only other way you're going to get your back pay is suing Hazzard County or the GBI."

"I don't want to sue them, Gary. It wasn't their fault." It really wasn't, and he knew that. Like Wilburn had told him, given the facts they had, it would have been nearly impossible for him to have been found not-guilty. "If there's anyone to blame, it's Darcy."

"Yeah, I thought about suing Darcy, but that's a can of worms you don't want to open," he said, "Even if the court ruled in your favor, you'd probably never see a penny, in the end, if he didn't have the money. The legislature drafting a bill for compensation is a rare move, but they'll do it. The State of Georgia embarrassed itself in the eyes of the nation by wrongly convicting a police officer and sending him to death row, and they'll do just about anything to make it go away. Besides, they're lumping your court costs into it. That would be me, and I still have to file a motion to vacate your conviction with the district court, otherwise it will stay on your record."

Enos laughed. "If it means you get paid, I'm all for it."

"People think all lawyers are rich, but I'm just a lowly public defender, and my car exhaust needs fixed. Oh, I almost forgot," he added, "they're extraditing Darcy back to Georgia on Wednesday, to the Tri-County jail. I wanted you to know, in case you hear about it on the news. The state is demanding no bail, since they feel he's a flight risk. His arraignment is on Friday, so we'll know more then."

He had secretly been hoping for Fulton, but he supposed just having Darcy behind bars was good enough. "Thanks for letting me know, Gary."

"Sure thing. I'll try to get up there sometime next week."

They said goodbye and Enos hung up the phone, thinking over what Gary had said. Compensation hadn't crossed his mind, because he didn't want to sue anyone. He still had money left from the jar Daisy had dug up from his mother's house back when he was in Fulton, but a year's back pay would mean he didn't have to worry about finding a job, yet – a prospect that he hadn't had time to really think about. He didn't know how to do anything other be a police officer and be a hobo. One he wasn't ready for, and the other didn't make any money.

On Monday, after receiving the call from the Parole Board that he was officially a free man, Rosco deposited Enos at the Duke farm. As he climbed out of the car and threw his ratty backpack over his shoulder, the years seem to melt away. How many times had he walked up this house after coming home from the Academy? Now, like then, it was the only home he had, with the family who had long ago adopted him as one of their own. Daisy even waited for him on the porch, but unlike the old days, she was physically unable to run out and meet him.

Knowing she was watching him, he took his time. He kicked rocks along the driveway, watching them skitter along the ground, and keeping one eye on Daisy and waiting for her to get impatient. Meandering over to the barn, he sat his backpack down and looked across the field; it was still morning, and early enough for there to still be dew on the grass, glittering in the sun which would be hotter than ever in a couple hours. He turned to go past the house, grinning to himself at baiting her like he used to when they were kids.

"Enos Strate," she yelled, "get up here right now! Don't think I don't know what you're doing, trying to ignore me and wandering around like a lost chicken."

With a laugh, he turned back towards the house as the rest of the Duke clan made their way out the door and down to him, past a now disgruntled Daisy who was slower than her usual self. It was the first time Enos had seen Bo and Luke since he'd been back, having missed each other at the hospital. Bo met him first and grabbed him in a bear hug.

"Dang, Enos, it sure is good to have you back!" he said, clapping him hard on the back.

"Good to be back, Bo."

Luke and Uncle Jesse hugged him, then stepped back to let Daisy through. She grinned shyly up at him, but made no move to hug him, and for a long minute, they stared at each other, oblivious to the amused looks the guys were throwing at each other.

"Hey, Daisy Mae."

"Hey, Enos."

"How're you feeling?"

With a laugh, she threw herself into his arms. "Better now."

They stood wrapped in each other, as Bo, Luke, and Uncle Jesse made their way back inside. "Come on, sugar," she said, taking his hand, " The doctor says I'm supposed to walk to get my strength back up and stretch my muscles, and the weather man says it's gonna be scorcher later."

They set off towards the trail which led down through the woods to Hazzard Pond. It would be too far to go all the way, but it was more interesting than walking through the field. Enos was quiet, slowing his pace to match hers. The temperature was at least ten degrees cooler here, beneath the thick canopy of trees. He led them off the path, and over to where a large tree had fallen and sat down. Instead of sitting beside him, she stood in front of him, running her fingers through his hair as he studied her face, seeing in it the telltale signs of deep fatigue he had come to recognize over the last several months.

"You ain't been sleeping good."

"I'm sleeping fine."

His thumb brushed at the dark smudge beneath her eye. "No, you ain't."

She leaned closer, tilting his face up towards her. "I've just missed you, is all."

When she kissed him, he knew she was trying to change the subject away from herself. He had missed her, though, and let himself be drawn into her diversion. She tasted like home, and freedom, and nights beneath a sea of stars, and - for a moment, he did forget. He missed her most in the mornings, waking up alone on the thin edge of panic until he remembered where he was and what had happened. "I miss sleeping with you," he murmured, and felt her laugh against his lips.

"Sorry, sugar, the doctor said three more weeks."

"That's not what I meant," he said, giving her arm a playful whack. "Not that I..don't. I..that's not... Quit lookin' at me like that, you're gettin' me discombobulated." She grinned down at him without empathy, enjoying his plight, until his face turned serious. "I forget where I am in the mornings." It wasn't libel to get better anytime soon either, since they had decided he would sleep in the guest room until things settled down and they had a chance to hash everything out with Uncle Jesse. He'd probably make them go down to the courthouse first.

She sighed and frowned at him, smoothing a scar above his right eye that told him she was worrying. "I'll be okay," he assured her, standing up. "We'd best get back before they send out a search party."

They walked back the way they had come, Daisy chatting happily about Bo and Luke and how they had hit a pot hole last week and bent the left front tie rod on the General Lee. "Neither one will own up to who was driving," she told him. Enos listened to the soothing rhythm of her voice, not paying much attention to what she was saying. There was always something wrong with that car, anyway. Next week, it would need a new crankshaft.

"So how're you doing from your surgery?" he asked, "I remember I felt like I'd been run over by the Mean Green Machine after I had appendicitis."

"Oh, not bad at all, actually. I've almost got my full range of motion back." She stretched her arms up as far as she could over her head. "It just gets a little sore if I'm in one place for too long. Doesn't really hurt anymore."

"That's great, Daisy. Don't go taking it too fast, though." They were back to the driveway now, the sun already beating down without mercy.

"What time is it?" she asked him.

He glanced down at his watch. "Almost 10:30."

"I guess I'd better start on lunch pretty soon."

"Say Daisy," he said, giving her his best smile, "you know, I reckon I kept my promise with all the fish dinners we've had last three months. I was wondering..."

She laughed and shook her head. "If you want fried chicken, Mr. Strate, you have to get the chicken."

"I'll be right back," he said, with a grin, and turned towards the coop behind the barn.

"And you have to pluck it!"

"Okay," he called back, without turning.

"And not the white one, I've already named her!"

July 7th - 20th

As the days passed, Enos helped Bo mend fences in the back 40, beginning to feel more like his old self. As the physical labor of building the barn had been at Jack's, the repetitive task of digging holes and wrapping barbed wire helped his mind to heal. On Friday, Gary called to let him know Darcy was denied bail on account of being a flight risk.

Enos would have been truly happy, if not for Daisy.

As the days went by, the smudges of fatigue Enos had noticed beneath her eyes on Monday had not gone away, in fact, they had gotten worse. She was constantly snappish and moody. Bo laughed when he mentioned it, saying it must be some womanly thing.

Enos wasn't so sure. The guest room was adjacent to the bathroom and he had woken to the squeak of the old medicine cabinet's door several nights in a row. Even more alarming to him, she had overslept Monday and Tuesday of that second week. She hadn't complained of having any pain since he had come to the farm nine days ago, and yet every morning, there was one less pain-killer in her prescription bottle, and he worried that she was taking them to sleep. On Saturday, he woke to find there were two missing from its dwindling supply. On Monday, he picked up the bottle with sweaty, shaking hands, to find it full once more with a new refill.

Knowing there might be hell to pay later, he flushed them down the toilet, and waited to see what she would do.