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

Warnings: Angst, Disturbing subjects

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 7

Luke's head jerked up at the sound of Bo's moan, looking into his cousin's eyes, he could barely believe what he was seeing. Reaching up to wipe the tear from Bo's cheek, he hardly dared to breathe, afraid he would find it was all a dream, "Bo? Are ya awake now?" he finally asked.

"lu...luke, how...?" Bo rasped out in a voice made weak with disuse.

"Hush Bo, don't try to talk right now. Let me get you some water, there'll be plenty of time for questions later." Standing up, Luke headed to the door, turning back to look at Bo several times before he got there. Just as he put his hand on the knob, he remembered Dr. Appleby's warnings, opening the door he hollered for Jesse and Daisy.

"What is it Luke? Is something wrong with Bo?"

"No, nothing's wrong, everything's right. He's awake Uncle Jesse, Bo's awake!" Luke told Jesse, feeling like his face would crack in half from the grin he could no longer contain. "I'm gonna get him some water, be right back," Luke explained, stepping out of the room as Jesse went in.

Walking to the bed, Jesse looked down at his nephew and couldn't help grinning himself, at the sight of Bo looking back at him. "You back with us now, sprout?" Jesse asked, sitting down on the bed and taking Bo's hand in his, a moment later drawing him into a hug "Thank you Lord for giving my boy back to me," Jesse whispered against Bo's hair. "It's alright Bo, it'll be okay," Jesse reassured, as his nephew began to shake in his arms, tears welling up in his eyes as he felt Bo's tears soaking into his shirt.

"Here you go cou...," Luke trailed off when he saw Bo holding onto Uncle Jesse like his life depended on it, the tears streaming down his face. Sitting down on the other side of the bed, Luke tentatively reached out and placed a hand on the back of Bo's head, softly stroking his hair. "Bo, I brought you some water, think you could take a drink now?" Luke gently asked. When Bo drew back from Uncle Jesse and gave a small nod, Luke gave him the cup, keeping ready in case Bo needed help. Though Bo had been up each day, going to the barn with Jesse or Luke, sitting on the porch in the swing while Luke worked on the General, he was still weaker than normal. Between his injuries and the lack of physical activity, Luke wasn't at all sure he would have the strength to hold the cup. He was relieved when Bo had no trouble holding onto it. After several sips of water, Bo felt ready to talk, though he wasn't sure he was ready for the questions he was afraid they would have.

"How long have I been home?" Bo asked, still whispering, it had been so long since he'd used his voice, it actually hurt to talk. Bo couldn't help thinking that was kind of funny, after all if he hadn't been talking his voice should be well rested, didn't make any sense to him. Not that he was surprised, he wouldn't expect to be able to figure something like that out, or be able to understand it.

Luke looked at Uncle Jesse, not sure what he should say, wondering if Bo's memory had been affected by all of this, and hoping that there were some things he would never remember. "Before I answer that Bo, I need to ask you something," Jesse answered, before Luke could. "Bo, son I know this is hard, but what do you remember?"

"I...I remember everything Uncle Jesse, up until...I remember Kathy Sue making me go with her, and I remember her hurting me...then," Bo paused, not sure what to say. Do they know what I let her do? Do they know what I did? Did Daisy tell them? What do I say? I don't want to tell them about that if they don't know, don't want them to know what I did. " I remember being in the hospital and Luke feeding me, I remember y'all talking to me sometimes...I guess I probably don't remember everything. It's like I was in this fog, and sometimes the fog would clear and I could see and hear what was around me, then the fog would creep back in, does that make sense?" Bo asked, not sure he'd explained it good.

"Yeah that makes sense Bo," Jesse answered, hoping that meant Bo didn't remember being assaulted by Kathy Sue. "You've been home from the hospital for two weeks sprout, Luke and Daisy found you the day after Kathy Sue took you. Now don't you worry none Bo, she ain't gonna get near you again, I promise," Jesse rushed to reassure when he saw Bo begin to shake at the mention of her name. " After you'd spent a couple of days in the hospital and Doc Appleby was sure you'd be okay he sent you home and we've been taking care of you here since then. Speaking of the Doc, I better go call him, let him know you're awake, he'll probably want to come out and take a look at ya," and Jesse stood up, coming back once to give Bo one more hug before going to call the doctor.

Several minutes after Jesse left the room, Bo asked the question he dreaded to ask, but he needed to know, "Luke, where's Daisy?"

"I don't know Bo, in the kitchen I guess. You want me to get her?" Luke asked hopefully, knowing what the last two weeks had been like for Daisy.

"Not yet," Bo replied, picking at the edge of the blanket, finally finding the courage to ask. "Is she...does Daisy hate me?"

"No! Bo why would you ask that? Why would you think Daisy hated you?" Luke nearly shouted, shocked that his cousin could be thinking something like that.

"Then why isn't she in here? I mean you were here soon as I woke up and Uncle Jesse come in right after you called him, but you called Daisy too and..." Bo trailed off, not sure how to continue without saying more than he was ready to.

"Aw Bo, Daisy only stayed away because of...Bo you haven't let her near you since you got to the hospital. Everytime she got close to you, you'd start to shake, we figured you was afraid of her, cause of her being a girl. Do you want me to get her for you?" Luke carefully asked, not wanting to pressure him in any way.

"Not yet I guess, ...I'm kind of tired Luke, maybe I could talk to Daisy later?" Bo asked in a small voice, the sound of fear in his voice breaking Luke's heart.

"Sure Bo, whatever you need. ...Just don't put it off too long Bo, don't let Kathy Sue ruin your relationship with Daisy. You know Daisy loves you Bo and she would never hurt you, you need to remember that she's not Kathy Sue they're nothing alike." Hesitating, not sure what was the right thing to do, Luke absently picked up Bo's hand and began rubbing a thumb across the knuckles as he considered things. He didn't know what all Bo remembered, and he didn't want to upset him, but if it was him, he'd want to be told straight out what was going on. Deciding that was the way to go, Luke finally looked up at Bo. "I don't know if you remember this or not Bo, but when we found you, Daisy was the first one in the room. She was searching the house while I kept a hold of Kathy Sue and kept her from interfering, that's how come Daisy was the first one to see you. I was so scared Bo when I heard Daisy scream for me, thought from the sound of her that Kathy Sue had killed you, I was terrified that we were too late. I was so relieved when I came into the room and saw that you were breathing, that I was caught completely off guard when Daisy attacked Kathy Sue. I promise you Bo, the only person Daisy is angry with is Kathy Sue, and I know I probably should've stopped her, but when I saw you cuffed to that bed and saw that look on your face. Well I'm not gonna say I'm sorry, that would be a lie, so even though I knew it wasn't really right, I let her beat Kathy Sue while I was looking for the key and getting you loose. I finally pulled Daisy off of her once you were free, then I had her call Rosco and an ambulance, while I stayed with you and kept an eye on that witch. Is that why you been acting like you have whenever she'd get near you?" Luke asked, beginning to see what was behind Bo's reactions, at least he thought he knew now.

"Something like that, Luke I know I need to talk to Daisy, and I will but please can I have a little time first? There is one thing you could do for me though, could you tell Daisy that I'm sorry, that I didn't mean to upset her?" Bo asked, looking down, unable to meet Luke's eyes, ashamed as the memories of his time with Kathy Sue assaulted him.

"Sure I'll tell her, why don't you get some sleep now, I'm just gonna sit over here and read, okay?" Luke asked, as he casually stepped over to his own bed, sitting down and taking up a car magazine to read.

It was the next day before Dr. Appleby was able to come out to the Duke farm and check on Bo. Afterwards he went to speak with Jesse, asking Daisy to sit with Bo for awhile knowing after his own talk with Bo that the cousins needed the chance to repair their relationship. Stepping into the kitchen, he accepted the cup of coffee Jesse handed him and took a seat at the table. "Well Jesse, Luke, you'll be glad to hear that Bo is recovering fine physically, but then you can see that for yourselves. He will be a little weak for a while yet, he's had much less physical activity than he's used to and it will take him time to gain his strength back, but other than that his injuries are fully healed. The real concern is his emotional state, though the fact that he's come out of his catatonic state is an encouraging sign, just remember he's going to need time to heal and y'all still need to keep an eye on him, don't leave him alone for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Other than that, there really isn't anything you can do, except be there for him, let him talk if he needs to, but don't force him to talk about it for now. He's young and strong, he just needs the chance to heal," Dr. Appleby told them, finishing his coffee he said his goodbyes and headed back to his office.

"Bo? Doc said you wanted to see me?" Daisy asked softly, coming into the room, fighting the urge to run when she saw Bo begin to tense at her presence.

Nodding nervously, Bo motioned for her to come into the room, Lord this is hard, help me, give me strength. "Daisy," Bo barely managed to whisper, licking his lips and taking a deep breath, he tried again. "Daisy, I need to ask you something...are you going to tell Uncle Jesse and Luke what I did?"

"What do you mean Bo? What did you do?" Daisy asked, completely confused by Bo's question, as she sat down on Luke's bed, not wanting to spook Bo.

"You know what I mean Daisy. You saw what I...what I let her do. I was...what kind of man does that with somebody who treats them like she did me? Please Daisy don't tell Uncle Jesse or Luke, I don't...want them to know what I did. I couldn't take it if they were ashamed of me too."

For several minutes Daisy sat staring in shock at her cousin, wishing she had Kathy Sue in front of her one more time. Raping him, torturing him wasn't enough, she had made him think it was his fault, and Oh no he thinks I blame him too, oh Bo. Jumping off of Luke's bed, Daisy hurried to Bo's side, grabbing him in a fierce hug, she tried to reassure him. "Oh honey, no you didn't do anything wrong. Bo, Kathy Sue is the only one who did wrong, nobody is blaming you for what happened. Not Uncle Jesse or Luke and certainly not me..." noticing the look of fear on Bo's face she stopped. "Bo what is it?"

"Uncle Jesse and Luke know, you already told them?" he choked out, the fear nearly overwhelming him, as he considered the possibility of punishment from his family. He knew he deserved it, they had every right to be angry with him, to be ashamed of him and if Uncle Jesse thought he should be punished then he'd take it. He could handle any punishment his uncle thought he should get, just as long as he didn't send him away, losing his family was the one thing he knew he could never handle. Realizing that he hadn't heard Daisy's answer, being so lost in thought , he had to ask her to repeat what she'd said.

"They do know Bo, Dr. Appleby told them, but they know it wasn't your fault, that witch is the only one to blame for what happened," Daisy told him, brushing the hair back from his eyes as she spoke.

"How can you say that Daisy, I...I responded to her...that must mean I wanted her to..." Bo rolled onto his side, away from Daisy, unable to go on and wrapping his arms around himself, desperately trying to get warm.

"Oh Bo, I wish I knew what to say to you, I think maybe you need to talk to Uncle Jesse and Luke. I'm gonna go get them, and Bo, I promise you it wasn't your fault, please believe me," Daisy pled with him, before going to get her cousin and uncle.

A couple of minutes later, Luke and Uncle Jesse were sitting with him, trying to get him to talk to them, afraid he would close himself off from them again. Finally, unable to take the concern he heard and knowing he didn't deserve it, Bo turned to them. "How can you even stand to be near me after what I did?"

"What are ya talking about Bo, you didn't do anything wrong? There wasn't no way you could have known that girl would turn out to be crazy," Luke spoke, the anger he felt toward Kathy Sue coming through clearly.

"Luke's right Bo, the only one to blame here is Kathy Sue, she's the only one that was in the wrong."

"But...Doc told you what happened didn't he? Daisy said he told you and if he did then you know what I did...what I let her do. How can ya say I ain't to blame? What kind of man does that make me?"

"The human kind kiddo. Bo you ain't but eighteen years old, you think cause you responded to her it means you wanted it. Well that's just not true Bo, you're a man Bo and that means your body is gonna act a certain way if...it don't mean you wanted it," Luke told him, hoping he was getting through to him.

"Luke's right sprout, I know you're having a hard time believing that, so let me ask ya this. If Daisy got raped, do you think it would be her fault?"

"Of course not, but that's different she's a girl. I'm a man, if I didn't want it then why did I respond when she touched me?"

"Bo you responded cause your eighteen and a man, ya can't help that response anymore than you could help...sneezing if I blew pepper in your face. Don't mean ya want me to blow pepper in your face does it now?" Jesse asked, wishing for the first time in his life to be given the chance to hurt a woman, hurt her as badly as she had hurt his boy.

"N...no sir...are you sure Uncle Jesse? I didn't do anything wrong? I'm not bad for letting her..."

"Stop that right now Bo, you didn't let her, she had you cuffed to a bed and naked," Luke interrupted angrily. " She had already hurt you badly, there was nothing you could've done to stop her. Please believe me cousin, I ain't never lied to you before have I?"

"Nah, ya ain't never lied to me Luke, guess if you , Daisy and Uncle Jesse all say it ain't my fault, I ain't go no choice but to believe it. At least I'll try to believe it, but...I won't promise that I won't forget sometimes, okay?" Bo asked, looking at them both for the first time since they had entered the room.

"That's a start, just remember this too Bo, if you need to talk I'm always here for you, anytime."

"Same goes for me and Daisy sprout," Jesse told him, "now why don't you get dressed and you can go outside with Luke, maybe give him a hand with the General, I know he's missed having your help."

As the Duke family went about their routines over the next few days, trying to get back to normal and doing what they could to help Bo, they were unaware they had an audience. From the trees at the edge of the property, Kathy Sue watched them, hating them for taking Bo from her again. She wanted so badly to talk to Bo, to feel his arms around her again, but she couldn't get near him. They wouldn't let her, she didn't miss the way they never let Bo out of their sights, probably they knew he'd come to her if they did. How dare they keep Bo away from her, he was hers, they belonged together and she was going to find a way to get to him. "We'll be together again darling, I promise I won't let them keep us apart," Kathy Sue whispered as she watched Bo move around the farmyard. Wait, what was Bo doing, "oh thank you God," she smiled in anticipation, heading to the back of the barn to meet with Bo.

When Bo stepped around the corner of the barn he was surprised to see Kathy Sue waiting for him. "What are you doing here Kathy Sue?" he asked nervously, trying and failing to keep the fear from showing.

"What do you mean Bo? I'm here for you of course, we belong together, I thought you understood that."

"Kathy Sue you need to leave, just go away and leave me be, we don't belong together, you've got to accept that," Bo told her, starting to back away from her.

"No you're wrong Bo, you belong to me, and I can prove it," she denied as she stepped forward and ripped his shirt open. "I marked you Bo, you can't deny the truth, it's here on your chest so you'll never forget who you belong to. You'll never be with another woman after me darling, no woman would want a man who has been claimed by another, a man who would let himself be marked like that," she said, stabbing a finger at his chest.

"Bo!"

"Damn him, he's always showing up at the wrong time, I've got to go darling, but I'll be back. As long as you wear my mark, I'll never let you go," giving his chest a quick slap, she turned and ran back into the trees.

"There ya are, what are you doing back here Bo?" Luke turned to look in the direction that Bo was staring, wondering what had caught his attention. Turning back to his cousin he noticed for the first time that Bo's shirt was hanging open and there was an angry red mark on his chest. "Bo? What happened? She was here, wasn't she?" he asked in sudden realization.

"It's okay Luke, she didn't hurt me or anything. She just, she was trying to convince me we belong together, but she took off when she heard you coming," Bo tried to reassure him.

"That's it, I'm calling Rosco, she can't be coming up here like that, maybe they can lock her back up for coming around here." Luke hesitated, not sure how Bo would take his next words, "Bo, I don't think you should go anywhere alone until after the trial, not even here on the farm, okay?"

"Yeah okay," Bo agreed, not wanting to upset his family any further, and truth be told he didn't want to be alone right now anyway.

Reaching out for Becky Lee, Bo tilted her head up and lowering his own he gently brushed his lips across hers. As the kiss deepened, he found his hands running up and down her body, of their own free will it seemed, enjoying the feel of her small hands as she carressed his chest through his shirt. Gently lowering her to the picnic blanket, he was surprised when she pulled his shirt open and suddenly pushed him away. "How dare you try to be with me when you already belong to somebody else," Becky screamed at him, slapping his face and jumping to her feet. Standing up and running after her he came to a stop when he saw who was in front of him. "I told you Bo, you belong to me, you're wearing my mark, no other woman will ever want you, not knowing what you let me do," Kathy Sue purred in pleasure, as Bo looked at her in terror. Opening his mouth to deny her claim, he found no words would come, when she came towards him he tried to step away, only to find his feet frozen to the ground. As Kathy Sue began to kiss him, he couldn't stop the tears when he found himself unable to stop her. Pushing him down onto the blanket, Kathy Sue began to remove his shirt, tracing the marks on his chest with one finger as she did so.

Jerking upright in his bed, it took Bo several minutes to get his breathing under control. Looking at Luke he was relieved to see his cousin was still asleep. Throwing back the covers, Bo made his way to the bathroom. After cleaning up, he found himself drawn to the mirror, staring at his chest. Slowly tracing the marks on his chest, Bo remembered Kathy Sue's words. The ones she spoke behind the barn and the ones in his dream, and he knew she was right. No woman would ever want him, knowing what he had let Kathy Sue do to him, seeing the marks. Marks he would have to live with for the rest of his life. The more he stared at himself in the mirror, the more he thought, the more he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't live knowing that Kathy Sue had given him a constant reminder of what had happened. Couldn't take never being allowed to forget, thanks to the marks she had branded into his skin with her knife, but would he be able to do what was needed? Working up his nerve to carry out the solution to his problem, Bo headed to the barn, determined to take care of everything tonight. He knew it would upset his family, but better this than living the rest of his life being constantly reminded of what she had done to him. They would realize eventually that it was for the best.

Something had woke him, but Luke had no idea what, looking to Bo's bed he was surprised to see it empty. Remembering the doctor's warning, Luke went in search of his cousin, after searching the house and not finding him, he headed outside. Noticing a light coming from the barn, Luke headed in that direction, hoping that Bo was okay. Opening the door, he froze in shock at the sight before him, "NO!" he screamed in horror as his mind registered what he was seeing.

TBC

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