Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Violence, Angst

Rating: FRAO

Choices

Chapter 4

Twenty minutes after leaving Jud at the Boar's Nest, Charlie and the others pulled up at the Duke's driveway. Stopping at the end of the drive they climbed out of their cars. Gathering near Charlie's car, they began to discuss their next move.

"What are we gonna do now Charlie?" Henry Larson asked, his brown eyes reflecting his confusion.

"Well the way I see it, we got to get Bo somewheres alone. Somewhere nobody would ever think to look, cause it's gonna take time to convince him that this is wrong."

"Well how are we gonna do that? And what do you mean about convincing him that this is wrong?" Pete Gibbons asked, running a hand nervously through his hair.

"I don't know, let me think a minute will ya?" Charlie turned away from his friends and walked a few feet away. Standing at the end of the drive, he stared up the gravel pathway, wondering what to do next. From the corner of his eye he saw a flicker of the match Pete held to his cigarette. "I got it..." he began, walking back to his friends. "I know how to get Bo away from the farm..." speaking quietly he outlined his plan.

A few minutes later, the three men were climbing back into their cars and moving them to an area that would hide them from view. Quietly making their way to the edge of the Duke farmyard, they began to put Charlie's plan to work. Gathering a few things, they soon had a small fire built up near the barn. The fire wasn't so near the barn as to be a danger, however from the house it would appear the barn itself was burning. Picking up a green limb, Pete poked it into the fire until it was smoldering good and producing a fair amount of smoke. Taking his smoking limb, he slowly walked through the barn, waving the branch back and forth, allowing the smoke to waft through the barn. At the first scent of smoke the animals began to move about, trying to escape the danger, paniking when they found they couldn't. The sounds of their paniked cries awoke the Duke family, who ran outside a moment later. It was in the confusion of putting out the fire and making sure the animals were safe that Charlie and the others made their move. Sneaking up on Bo from behind, Henry hit him with a small log, knocking him out. Quickly carrying him away from the farmyard the three men made it to their cars. Placing Bo's unconscious body in the trunk of Charlie's car, they drove away, intent on saving their friend, no matter what it took.

"Uncle Jesse do you know where Bo is?" Luke asked, having not seen his cousin for several minutes.

"I thought he was helping you. Maybe he went in the house. You go check inside Luke, I'll look around out here."

"LUKE!" Jesse hollered for his oldest nephew, scared by what he had found. Just as he was about to yell a second time, Luke came running up to where he knelt in the yard.

"What's wrong Uncle Jesse? Is it Bo?" Luke asked, frightened by the tone of fear he'd heard in his uncle's voice.

"I don't think Bo is on the farm right now Luke. I found this laying here," Jesse said, handing him a small log. A log that had a smear of blood and a few hairs on one end. "And look over here, looks like someone was drug off towards the trees. I think Bo's been kidnapped."

"But who would want to take Bo and why? ...Jud! It's the only thing that makes sense. We have to find him Uncle Jesse, before Jud hurts him." Luke turned and ran for the General, thinking only of finding Bo and keeping him safe.

"Luke wait!"

"Wait?" he asked, turning to his uncle in surprise. "Wait for what Uncle Jesse? Wait until Jud has a chance to hurt him...or worse?"

"Wait and think this through. You go running off looking for Bo without a plan and you'll never find him. What we need is a plan and some help, the more people we got searching the better chance we got of finding him." Jesse watched the emotions flickering across Luke's face, hoping he would realized the sense of calming down and planning ahead.

"You're right, but who are we gonna get to help us look? Anybody we get is gonna be wondering why Jud would want to hurt Bo. If we tell them the truth, maybe they won't want to help." Luke said, his fear for Bo sounding clearly in his voice.

"You got a point there. Well, I think Cooter would want to help and I don't think he'd care about you and Bo's relationship. Enos'll help, even if he is bothered by you two boys, he'll do it cause it's the right thing to do. That's four of us, you go call Cooter and Enos, get them out here. While you're doing that, I'll gather up a few things. Flashlights, canteens...first aid supplies, don't you worry boy we'll find him. Go on now, call in the help we'll need." Jesse said, gently pushing him towards the house, as he headed in to gather the things they'd need.

Following Charlie down the dirt road, Henry and Pete were surprised when Charlie pulled into a hidden road. As they went up the road, more of a cowpath really, they saw a small cabin ahead in a clearing. Parking their cars, the three men went about getting Bo Duke out of the trunk and inside the cabin. "Hey Charlie what is this place? I didn't even know it was here." Henry asked.

"This is an old still site Henry. A still site that belonged to Jesse Duke, that's what makes it so perfect. nobody would ever think to look here for him, shoot this is probably where Jud saw him with that other man. See it's perfect, by the time we're done with him, Bo will see that being with that man is wrong. Then we'll find that man and make sure he knows to stay out of Hazzard and leave our friend alone."

"But what if we can't convince Bo?" Pete asked.

"Oh we'll convince him. Though we may have to get pretty rough with him, but that's what friends are for. It's our job as his friends to save him from danger, even if he is part of the danger. Come on now, we need to get him tied down before he wakes up." Charlie ordered, picking up a coil of rope and beginning to tie Bo to the bed. Knowing they would need to be able to give Bo food and water, but not wanting to untie him every time, Charlie placed him in a half reclining position. He then placed a rolled up sleeping bag behind Bo's back for support. Once he did that, Charlie tied one arm to the frame of the bed, motioning for Henry to do the same with the other arm. Moving down to his legs, where Pete had already begun to secure the ropes, they soon had Bo tied securely to the bed.

Several hours later Bo started to wake up, confused when he felt the sun on his face. "Luke, why'd ya..." Bo opened his eyes in panic when he was unable to move. "What the...Charlie? Why am I tied up? What's going on?" Bo demanded, covering up his fear with anger.

"Calm down Bo, we want to help you."

"Help me, what do you mean help me? And who is we?"

"Come on in here y'all, Bo's awake." Charlie called to someone outside.

Bo stared in shock when Henry Larson and Pete Gibbons walked through the door of the small cabin. "Henry? Pete? I don't understand, what are y'all doing?"

"We saw your cousin Jud last night Bo. He told us about seeing you with some man at one of Jesse's old still sites. Shoot probably this one right here. We can't allow that to go on Bo, it ain't right for you to be with another man. We're gonna stay here and help you to see that. Gonna help you see the light, that's what friends are for."

"You're crazy!" Bo yelled, anger overiding common sense.

The force of the slap whipped Bo's head to the side. "Don't say that Bo. I know you're upset but you'll understand soon that we just want to save you from this stranger and from yourself. I know it's probably a waste of time, but who was the man Jud saw you here with?"

"Nobody, Jud didn't see me here with anybody. He lied to you Charlie."

"Now Bo, why would he do that? He's your cousin. You expect us to believe that he would lie about seeing you with some stranger?" Charlie asked.

"Because he wants me out of Luke's life," Bo answered, hoping they wouldn't ask him why. He didn't want to lie, but he couldn't tell them the truth. He didn't dare take the chance with Luke's safety, afraid they would go after him too if they knew.

"You trying to tell me that he's jealous and lying? I'd like to believe you Bo, I really would, but I can't. I saw how upset he was at what he'd discovered, I don't think he's that good an actor. Well guess we might as well get started."

Walking over to the table, Charlie picked up the belt he'd laid there earlier. Returning to Bo's side, he began the task of saving Bo Duke from whatever spell the stranger had him under. "Being" SLAP "with" SLAP "a" SLAP "man" SLAP "is" SLAP "wrong." SLAP "Say" SLAP "it" SLAP "Bo." SLAP, Charlie ordered, punctuating each word with a lash from the belt. For the next twenty minutes, Charlie Dodson beat his friend repeating the same words over and over, stopping only when Bo passed out.

Two days later, and Bo still refused to break. He wouldn't admit that being with a man was wrong, wouldn't give them a name. Still insisting that his cousin Jud had lied to them, he suffered through the beatings they inflicted, never speaking except to ask for his freedom. "Charlie...please, this is wrong. You're my friend, please let me go home, please?"

"I can't do that Bo, not until you face the truth. What you were doing with that man was wrong and you have to admit that. It's the only way you can be saved Bo. Please buddy, tell us that you understand that." Charlie begged, hating what he had been forced to do to his friend. The beatings, the cuts and burns all in an attempt to save him from damnation, it tore him apart to do that to a man he called friend. "Please Bo, tell us the truth. Jud did see you with somebody didn't he?"

Nodding his head, too tired to continue that particular lie, Bo knew he needed his strength for other battles. "I won't tell you who though. Ain't none of your business Charlie, I won't help you to hurt the man I love." Bo wasn't really surprised when those words got him a fist to the mouth. Spitting blood from his lips, he went on. "Hit me all you want Charlie, it won't change anything. You can beat me until I'm dead, it won't matter. I'll still love him and I don't believe for a minute that God will send me to hell for it, no matter what you think. Why would God give me the ability to fall in love with a man and then punish me for doing the very thing he put into my heart?"

"How dare you speak like that about God!" Charlie roared. "The bible says it's an abomination Bo. It says that sodomites will go to hell, how can you say that God wants you to love a man?" Charlie demanded, as he pummeled Bo with his fists.

Trying to breathe through the pain, Bo was sure that at least a couple of his ribs were cracked, he tried a verse of his own. "It also...says that in heav...heaven there is...neither male or female...maybe what we...fall in love with...is the soul. That's why God...ain't gonna...send me to hell." Seeing the doubt on the faces of his friends, Bo kept on. "Please, let...me go home. Don't hurt...me anymore...just let me...go," he begged, swallowing back his tears.

"I can't do that Bo, what you're doing is a sin against God. You're my friend Bo, I don't want to know you'll suffer for eternity, when I could save you. It's my duty as your friend and as a Christian."

"Not...you...God...His job...to save...judge not...be judged," Bo slowly ground out, praying Charlie would listen.

"Charlie, what Bo's saying...it makes sense, maybe we should let him go." Pete said, laying a supportive hand on his Charlie's shoulder.

Looking at Pete and Henry, Charlie saw the doubt on their faces. Turning back to Bo, he sighed deeply, his own doubts beginning to show. "I don't know what to do Bo. I never really wanted to hurt you, thought I was saving you, but if we let you go. ...I don't want to go to jail."

"You won't. I promise...give my word as...a Duke. I won't...press charges..." Bo told them, just wanting to go home.

"How do I know you're not just saying that?" Charlie asked, doubtfully.

"Duke...ever lied?" Bo quietly asked, finding it harder to remain conscious.

"No, guess not. But how are we gonna do it? Not like we can just take you back home, heck your uncle and cousin would probably shoot us as soon as they saw ya."

"Call them...leave me here," Bo suggested. As he felt himself losing the battle to stay awake, Bo wondered if he would wake safe at home or still in this nightmare?

TBC

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