THE SCENT SEPARATING NIGHT AND DAY

Night's darkness.

Enos opened in his eyes and felt a presence in his room: in the darkness someone was looking at him, hiding somewhere inside the room. He felt that presence as totally real, not a nightmare but pure reality.

He tried to move but his body didn't answer; mind and body were disconnected.

The presence was still there, a man hiding in the darkness and staring at him.

If he couldn't move, maybe he could talk. Vain attempt, from his throat just a whisper.

The air inside the room turned cold, a cold entering his body and reaching his bones, while the shadow moved and came closer the bed. The more the shadow came closer, the more the piercing cold entered his body, icy breathe on his paralyzed body.

He closed his eyes, praying for his safeness, and the darkness swallowed him.

When he opened his eyes again, everything was normal: no shadow in his room, his mind and body was still connected, and the cold was gone.

He sat up and rubbed his face.

Was it just a dream, or a strange consequence of his previous coma?

He needed to talk with someone. He couldn't stay there.

When his bare feet touched the floor, he shivered; he walked to the door and opened it.

In the living room, he looked around at the silent and dark house.

His naked body was pressing on her one.

She liked it, she liked the feeling of his skin on her; his fingers, ten curious creatures, explored her body, every part on her body, giving her an exciting pleasure.

When his lips and tongue helped his fingers in his exploration, she arched her back and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight.

"Enos"

She whispered his name in his ear, ready for the conclusion of that exploration, but his body parted from her.

She felt like choking and the pleasant warmth on her skin turned into a burning fire, devouring her.

"I am sorry Daisy. But… you have to choose."

She tried to control her breath, "Choose?"

"Choose between my body and heart. You can't have both of them. If you choose my body I'll give my heart to another woman, and if you choose my heart I'll give my body to another woman. You can't have both my body and heart."

"WHAT? I want both of them, Enos. You are MINE. Another woman? I want to know who is this woman."

The fire was burning her; she grabbed his shoulders and she tried to pull him to her, her nails scratching his skin, but he didn't move.

"ENOS!"

Daisy sat up and stared at her bedroom, in confusion.

She glanced at the clock on her night table: 1 a.m., deep night.

She shook her head and she wondered why that strange dream, in her mouth a bitter taste.

"Just a matter of jealousy"

She spent the whole day talking about jealousy with uncle Jesse and the boys, so, was the burning feeling of her dream "just a matter of jealousy"?

"If you choose my body I'll give my heart to another woman"

Another woman: she hated her even if she didn't know her. In her dream, she hated that woman 'cause she was going to have a part of Enos.

Was it jealousy? Somewhere out there, did a man want her as much as she wanted Enos in her dream? Somewhere out there, did a man hate Enos as much as she hated that woman?

The strength of that burning feeling and hate scared her.

She lay down and washed away that pesky feeling, trying to sleep.

Before to fall asleep, a sudden thought: did Enos want her as much as she wanted Enos? Did Enos hate the guys she dated in the past as much as she hated that woman? Did Enos know what jealousy meant?

When the mattress gently swung, Luke opened his eyes.

"Luke," a whisper.

Luke sat up and rubbed his eyes, "Enos! What's goin' on?" He glanced at the clock on his night table, "it's deep night!"

Sitting on Luke's bed, Enos whispered again, "Luke, sorry to wake you up this way, but I need your help."

"Are you feeling sick? How's your headache? Do you want me to call Doc Appleby?"

In the darkness, Enos' figure shook his head, "No, I am fine, I just want to talk."

"Talk?" Bo sat up and yawned, "Enos? What's goin' on?"

Enos turned to Bo, "Hey Bo. I'm wondering how we can find who tried to kill me. I know 'bout your idea, but… do you really think it's someone who hates me just because of Daisy? I don't like it! What if that man decides to hit Daisy too? I - "

"Enos. Enos, stay calm, please." Luke caught the panic in Enos' voice, "We are goin' to protect you, and Daisy too if necessary. We're goin' to solve this thing, some way or another, don't worry."

Enos nodded and remained silent.

Bo yawned, "Go to sleep, Enos. You need to rest."

"There's something … in my room."

"WHAT?" Bo and Luke's voices fused.

Enos shook his head, "I mean… I had a nightmare 'bout a dark presence in my room. I'm a bit confused, sorry."

Bo and Luke looked at each other, their eyes meeting despite the darkness and sharing the same worrisome about Enos' anguish.

Bo rubbed his face, "Do you want me to sleep in your room while you sleep here in my bed?"

The darkness masked Enos' blushing but not his nervous voice, "Of course not, Bo! I'm not a child scared by the bogeyman."

Luke got up and walked to the closet, he opened it and he took a sleeping bag, "You can sleep here, if you want to."

Enos lowered his head, "May I stay here?"

Bo smiled, "Of course, Enos. If it could help you to sleep without nightmares, well, stay here. If you prefer, I can sleep in the sleeping bag while you - "

"I don't want to steal your bed, Bo!"

Luke had a deep sigh and walked back to his bed, giving Enos the sleeping bag.

Finally inside the sleeping bag, on the floor between Bo and Luke's beds, Enos had a deep breath, "I don't like the idea the culprit is someone living in Hazzard, a folk. I have always done my best to help and protect folks."

Luke folded his arms behind his head and looked at the ceiling, "I know you are disappointed and angry, Enos."

"It isn't a matter of disappointment or anger, Luke. I can't blame the whole town for just one person. But now, every time I meet someone, or I talk to someone, I can't help but thinking if the man in front of me hates me to the point to want me dead. I don't like to look at people this way. I trust people, and I have always been honest 'cause I want people trust me. It's a matter of… lacking of trust. I'm not disappointed of people, but I am sad 'cause I have to change my attitude toward people in order to defend myself; I don't like to be so… prejudiced to people. Do you understand what I mean?"

Bo and Luke whispered in unison, "Yeah," then they remained silent thinking of Enos' words, until Enos' breath became deep and regular.

"Luke?" Bo whispered.

"Yeah."

"Are you still awake?"

"If I were sleeping, I wouldn't answer you, Bo!"

Bo sat up, "We have to find who is trying to hit Enos, as soon as possible. I can't stand him talking this way and having nightmares so terrific to the point he can't sleep. And I don't want to see him again in the Hospital, or worse."

Luke stirred, "Me too, Bo. Having Enos in Hospital means having you not sleeping at night, and having you not sleeping at night means I can't sleep."

"Come on, Luke. Yeah, when Enos was in Hospital I woke up during the night 'cause I couldn't sleep, but you were already awake when it happened, and uncle Jesse and Daisy too."

Luke rolled on his side, "Ok. You weren't able to sleep, neither I. Now, please, sleep!"

Few after, Bo and Luke's breath fused with Enos' one.

When the mattress gently swung and someone started to shake him, uncle Jesse opened his eyes.

"Uncle Jesse! Uncle Jesse! Wake up! Enos isn't in his room!"

Uncle Jesse sat up and rubbed his eyes, then he looked at Daisy, "Daisy, it's…" he glanced at the clock, 6 a.m. "early morning. Maybe Enos is in the bathroom."

"No, he isn't there. I have already checked it."

Uncle Jesse got up and walked to the open door of his room, sighing, "And why did you enter Enos' room so early in the morning?"

Daisy blushed, "I needed to ask him something, and to check if he had a good night despite his headache. But it isn't the point, he isn't in his room!"

Bo came out his room, stirring and yawning, "Good morning."

Daisy walked to Bo and grabbed his arms, "Enos left the farm; he isn't in his room."

Bo smiled, "He didn't leave the farm. And he isn't in his room 'cause he's sleeping in our room," he pointed at the door of the bedroom he shared with Luke, "he woke up because of a nightmare and came to our room to talk, then he decided to sleep in Luke's sleeping bag, on the floor."

Daisy punched Bo's shoulder, "Why did you let him sleeping on the floor?"

"Hey, Daisy, it's Enos' choice. I tried to convince him to sleep in my bed while I slept in the sleeping bag, really!"

"Just a matter of jealousy"

"And why didn't he come to MY room if he wanted to talk 'bout his nightmares? He could sleep in my bed, it's large enough for both of us."

Bo and uncle Jesse raised their eyebrows, both in surprise and discomfort, and stared at Daisy, making her blush when she realized the possible and embarrassing implication of her words and, through that implication, she recalled her dream.

Uncle Jesse shook his head and walked to the kitchen, "He isn't sleeping in YOUR room 'cause that boy has enough respect for me and my house," he turned to Daisy and had a brief amused laugh, "and also enough fear of me; I prohibited him to enter your room when he changed from a child to a teenager."

Bo sniggered.

"And now, since you are awake and it's morning, Daisy, help me to cook breakfast. And you, Bo, dress up and go to the henhouse. I need some eggs." He turned to Bo and his features turned serious, "Then, you'll explain me what happened exactly, and what kind of nightmare Enos was having; everything could be useful to understand what got lost in his memory."

Bo and Daisy nodded at their uncle's orders, "Yes sir."

SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA

"This is your wallet!" … "What's the problem with your darn wallet?"

Jo woke up, her husband's voice resounding in her ears.

She looked at the room around her and she calmed down; she was in Atlanta.

The strong and aromatic scent of coffee woke her up, definitively.

She smelled the coffee's scent and she glanced at the clock, smiling.

Ellen was back from her night shift.

The scent of coffee woke Enos and Luke up.

Luke got up and walked outside the room, stirring, and Enos followed him, rubbing his eyes.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in your sleeping bag, Luke."

Luke turned to Enos, rubbing his face, "You're welcome, buddy. It was a long time since the last time you stayed for the night, sleeping in my room. I recall when we were younger, spending the night to talk about cars and girls." He smiled amused, "No, wrong, I talked of girls and you just of Daisy: what's the ice cream's flavor Daisy likes the most? What's the color Daisy likes the most? What's the flower Daisy likes the most?" He shook his head, keeping on smiling, "You drove me crazy."

Enos blushed, "Shucks, Luke. I wasn't so annoying."

They looked at each other with a friendly smile and they inhaled the strong scent filling the farm, the scent that separates night and day.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed and to everybody who is reading.

Beside the main plot, I'm trying to shape Enos/Bo/Luke relationship: I was going to add a funny flash-back about their childhood, but the chapter would have been too much long (maybe I'll add it in a future chapter). Any hint or opinion is welcome.