Notes:

Hi guys, I think I've read all the Jack and Doug stories around here, as I still need to be filled with this beautiful couple, I decided to venture out to write something. As I explained earlier there is a little AU here, but I will try to adapt it to the original story as much as possible. Hope you like it.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
by Robert Frost

According to what I've read, "Robert Frost had been inspired to write the poem by Thomas's habit of regretting whatever path the pair took during their long walks in the countryside". My inpiration will be better explained along the road. hehe

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1

It was five o'clock in the morning and Doug startled awake, on an impulse he sits up in bed, his body is trembling he tries in vain to get up, every muscle in his body aches, the sweat caused by the ignoble dream permeated his young and virile muscles , in his chest his heart beats unevenly, finally still dizzy the Sheriff gets up and go dragged to the bathroom, his head is heavy, and despite his trembling body, all his senses are sharp, he turns on the shower and lets the cold water fall on his pulsating body.

The bathroom is not that big but is comfortable, the toiletries neatly arranged in the sink, the towels beautifully folded and the no stray or messy items betrayed his loneliness. The cold water should help him relax and forget about the dream… the same dream that, once in a while, haunted his sleep for 10 years now – "...the water of the creek was clear and flowed abundantly towards the city, the melody of its scour, gave to the characters an amazing life sensation, two young boys who played increasingly taken with the pleasure of that beautiful countryside landscape; the water spreads on all sides as they both throw themselves against it, and during that dance of falling, jumping, diving... the two see each other face to face, very close, their eyes roam over them both naked bodies and their desire is latent, it didn't take more than a few seconds before the lips touch each other, ardently and foundling intensify more and more..." then he wakes up.

The memory of the dream makes tears run down his face, firstly shy and a second later intense and abundant mixing with the heavy drops of water that comes from the shower. The blond man now sits on the cold floor hugging his knee and lingers for several minutes until his weakened heart allows him to get ready for another tiring day at the police station, but the scene from the dream remains in his memory… ardent and passionate. Oh God, How would he want to erase that day from his memory… why that had to happen? They were friends, just friends…

The Sheriff finished getting ready for his morning run, took one last look in the bedroom mirror before heading to the kitchen for his coffee, his house in a small condo was big enough for him, just a master suite at the back where a hallway led to the living room, dining and fully open kitchen, a lot like the New York lofts, which was very modern for Capeside, but a lot cheaper than the Big Apple lofts. Doug put the coffee in the coffee pot and went to his front door to get the newspaper. After took it he left it under the kitchen counter, took a banana in order to eat it while the coffee ran out, he looked at his watch, there was plenty of time for him to make his morning jog, this should make him forget the anguish he felt through his long nights filled with dreams and what that projected, yes a good jog and a hearty breakfast was all he needed to stay focused before starting his day at work.

Jack was driving his convertible as fast as he could, which on capeside roads meant slow... he had just crossed the town welcome sign and looked at his watch. "Damn it." he cursed, he was late and needed to go faster if he wanted to have time to prepare himself before the meeting. He pressed his foot on the accelerator but his misfortune was just beginning as it wasn't long before he saw the blue and red lights behind him. "Oh Common…" Jack sighed, already pulling the car over and slowed it to stop. He knew he was wrong, but he needed to make the officer release him quickly, so he already bent down to get his documents from the car compartment as he spoke without looking at the approaching man. "I'm sorry officer, I'm from New York, I came in town for a meeting…" but he was interrupted by the man.

"You know how fast you were, Sir…" Doug spoke with the firm, superior tone of a lawman as he reached the driver's door, but saw his voice fade and the blood of his face vanish as the man in the convertible turned with documents in hand. "Doug?! Ergh… Deputy Doug," Jack stammered. "Mr McPhee." The blond man managed to say. Doug couldn't believe his eyes... 'not today of all the days, today wasn't the day for this to be happening', he thought.

"Is Sherif, now." Doug quickly composed himself. "Of course you are." Jack replied without looking at the imposing man beside him. "Excuse me?" Doug couldn't help but feel outraged at the younger man's attitude. "I'm sorry Sherif, I have to get to school as I came straight from New York and that's why I ended up late, even though I left there very early." Jack emphasized the Sherif but his tone was softened as he explained the facts. Doug gritted his teeth and pressed his jaw to keep from letting out the moan he made as the dark-haired man took off his glasses and looked up to glare at him. "Aren't you old for high school Mr. McPhee?" Doug knew full well that Jack wasn't going there as a student, but curiosity got the better of him, just as he couldn't let go of Jack's petulance when referring to him as Sherif. "I'm not a student, I'm going to a meeting with Principal Smith." The Sherif shook his head, still trying to figure out what was going on, but not wanting to think too much about the possibilities of Jack's meeting. "Speeding is taken very seriously in Capeside, Mr. McPhee." The older man spoke, still not comfortable to talk with Jack in that particular morning, but his tone was milder, almost complacent. In his chest, a pleasant, blissful heat rose from his stomach that he deliberately chose to ignore.

"Sheriff... Doug." Jack tried to be as friendly as possible, which wasn't easy with the man in question, as was his reaction to Jack's attitude. "I understand the seriousness of my mistake, I sincerely apologize, but can you please reconsider and release me? This meeting is very important to me and I am definitely close to miss it." Jack spoke in his calm, sweet tone, the same tone that always made Doug's chest pound harder. "Very well Mr. McPhee, I will release you this time." The Sheriff finally spoke. "Thank you." Jack answered with a huge smile, easily tearing down all the walls that Doug worked so hard to build on a daily basis, and seeing Jack start the car again the older man felt the need to speak one more time. "Hey, Jack. Go slow, okay?" His tone was completely friendly this time.

"Of course, Doug." Jack replied, big smile in place, shifting gears and driving towards Capeside High School. He looked in his rearview mirror as he pulled the car away, taking advantage of the opportunity, he now had, to admire the Sherif's well-defined body. 'Oh God, this uniform really makes him hot'. Jack thought, feeling happier than he'd imagined he'd be meeting his teenage crush on his first day back in town.

Notes:

Okay, they meet each other with Sherif getting Jack for speeding is not very original I know, but since I saw the scene on TV it seemed to me that this was part of a certain romantic ritual of the two of them, so I decided to take the risk of getting you guys bored, sorry if that happened.

By now you must have understood what is the alternative part of the original serie, don't you? If you are still unsure, read the next chapter, which I hope will be very enlightening in many ways. And please review!

PS: I'm assuming that Capeside is close to Boston, which according to google Maps is only 4 hours away from New York, so I'm considering that a car trip from NY to Capeside is feasible, tiring, but possible. Am I wrong?