A/N: Season 4, Epsode 12 "Cletus Falls in Love" is one of my least favorite episodes. I really like Cletus and I just felt so horrible watching him get shuck and jived by Daisy.

Chapter 32: Road Trip

"...The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
but I have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep,
and miles to go before I sleep."
-Robert Frost

Enos raised his head, blinking against the thick, glittering flakes which fell into his eyes. The sun shone brightly through the lake effect snow: moisture scooped up by the wind from Superior and not a natural storm. The paradox still amazed him- how it could be a bright, cold, sunny day without a cloud in the sky then be suddenly pelted by blizzard-like conditions until the wind shifted, ending as quickly as it began.

He'd never seen it as heavy as it was this morning, but reckoned he was still a greenhorn when it came to the north. The NOAA weather radio station he tuned to in the truck made no mention of it on radar as he drove carefully down the hill. Bill Hodgkins, head of the County Works Department, was coming up the lane in a snowplow. He waved and rolled down his window as Enos pulled up alongside. Enos rolled down his passenger side, groaning as a large lump of wet snow splattered onto the seat.

"Hiya, Sheriff!" called Bill, in his thick accent. "I told da boys we'd best get a move on early this morning. It's comin' down quick, eh?"

Enos guessed there was roughly 4 inches on the hood of the truck, which by Tamarack standards was little more than a dusting. "Radar says there ain't much up there," Enos told him, pointing up at the sky. "Probably it'll stop soon, don't ya think?"

"I dunno about that," he said, craning his head to look towards the lake. "My grandma said her legs ain't ached this bad since the blizzard of '66. Best to be prepared, dontcha know."

"Well, keep up the good work," Enos told him. "Tell your wife I said 'Hi', and have a good Christmas."

"And you do the same, Sheriff." Bill rolled the window back up and they went separate ways.

Pete was shoveling the sidewalk when he pulled into his spot at the station, though the snow was falling so rapidly, the section he had cleared was already white again.

"Morning, sir."

Enos kicked his boots against the building next to the door. "Morning, Pete. I'm not sure it's worth doing that until after the snow stops."

"You're probably right," he agreed, "but it's easier if I keep on top of it. You never know how much you'll get with one of these things." He pointed up at the hazy sun. "The oldtimers are starting to talk. Nate said one of the kids at school opened up a 'witch bottle' they found on the beach last week."

Enos decided it was too cold to ask Pete for an explanation and went inside. Joy had dragged another rug flush with the one by the door and eyed his feet critically as he came in.

"I knocked them off," he assured her, already having felt the wrath of tracking dirty snow into the station. Even so, he made a show of stomping any remnants off onto the rug. "What's a 'witch bottle'?"

She waved his concern away. "Oh, just another excuse to make up a bad weather superstition. Instead of a letter in the bottle, there's nails and hair and other gross things inside. Supposedly they contain 'captured' evil spirits. They mostly wash up down in the Gulf of Mexico from South America. Someone probably thought it would be a funny prank."

Hours passed and the snow continued to fall, growing to white-out conditions by late morning. The radio stations were now abuzz about the freak snowfall. Soo's airport had delayed flights until 4pm and was going to reassess conditions that afternoon. All incoming flights had been redirected to Detroit.

Even Joy began glancing out the window every few minutes. Yoopers we're stoic when it came to snowstorms, even those that dumped several feet on them, and her behavior was making Enos nervous.

"I can't remember ever seeing it pile up so fast," she told him. "It keeps snowing this hard and the plows won't be able to keep up. The kids were hoping to ride the Santa train at the mall in Soo tomorrow.

To add to his stress, Daisy called to nag him about the airport canceling all flights for the rest of the day and wanted to know what she was supposed to do.

"That don't mean they'll be down tomorrow," he argued. "They're used to big snowfalls, even a couple of feet. Once this stops, they'll have the runways clear in a few hours. I don't know why everyone's making such a big deal about some snow. Everything'll be fine, quit worrying about it!"

"You're the one who sounds like you've got your knickers in a twist," she snapped. "Hey, I'm gonna need an extra bag for my clothes."

"If Joy'd stop giving you all her hand-me-downs, you'd have more room." He frowned at the offender who smiled sweetly at him. "There should be a black duffel bag in the closet you can have."

He hung up the phone and went to find an aspirin and pour himself another cup of coffee.

"She doesn't want to leave, you know."

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, not wanting to have this conversation with Joy, yet finding himself trapped. "She just doesn't want to face the reality of her amnesia and get to know her cousins and Hazzard all over again," he explained, "My dad tossed me off the dock into Hazzard Pond to teach me how to swim. It's the same thing."

"Do you know how mean that sounds?"

"I don't mean to be mean, it's just the truth."

"The truth is she's crazy about you. She doesn't want to leave you, and you know it."

He shot her the hard stare he reserved for unruly criminals. "Whatever it is you imagine Daisy feels for me, she'll feel for some other guy six months from now. Trust me on that, Joy, and I'd rather it happen in Hazzard than here. I don't aim to watch her run off with some smooth-talking, lowlife snake again."

"It's not fair to judge her based on who she's not anymore. She hasn't given any other guys the time of day, and she's had chances."

He blew out a frustrated breath and raked a hand through his hair, walking to the window to watch the snow. In the last hour, it had risen halfway up the tires of his truck with no signs of slowing. The memory of last Christmas came to him, of sitting alone in the dark at this very window.

Like the Strates, the Dukes never had many dimes to rub together, but that made Christmas all the more special. Not the gifts, but the camaraderie of family and friends. Of singing carols around the tree and listening to Bo and Luke fight over the last piece of pie. Even before his father passed, his family had been welcome guests on Christmas day at the farm. This year would be the first without Uncle Jesse, and it would be doubly hard on the boys if Daisy wasn't there. The three of them needed each other.

Unspoken were his own feelings. Confused, to be sure, for the woman who both was -and wasn't- the Daisy he used to know. Could he still move on and forget? He thought so. It was good that she'd come to Tamarack after all, he decided. His pain had dulled, and a spark of her old confidence had returned. Like before, she made friends easily, and they were charmed by her just the same. He knew she was nervous about going back to Hazzard, but she'd settle in just fine.

Joy laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let her stay up here until March," she suggested. "The airport's gonna close if it hasn't already. Refund her ticket, and give her some extra time to get used to the idea of going back. It's only three months, and she can run dispatch for me while I'm on maternity leave. Then you can ship her off to Hazzard and call it over."

"No," he murmured. "She shouldn't miss Christmas with family. If the snow stops soon, she'll still be able to catch her flight."

"Doc's been itching to get away from his wife's 'honey-do' list, and between him and the rest of us we can hold down the fort for a few days. You should go with her," she insisted. "The Dukes are your family, too, and I know you miss them."

He shook his head. "When the gossips of Hazzard learn who she's been with, someone's gonna tell her what happened between us. I don't want to be there when she finds out."

"You know what that sounds like?"

He raised a wary eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Running away."

Noon came and went without a change in the weather. Bruce called to let Joy know that he had picked the girls up from the sitter and that all three of her brothers: John, Jeff, and Brian, had made it into Tamarack safe and sound earlier that morning. The same couldn't be said for her sister, Gracie, whose family was forced to turn around north of Gaylord and go back to Ann Arbor after they shut down the Mackinac Bridge.

Enos happened to be watching out the window when a snowplow turned in for its second pass that day, pushing strip after strip of snow against the chest high mountains at the edge of the lot. Pete went out and moved their vehicles into the cleared area. As the plow completed the last row, it pulled off to the side and Bill jumped down from its high door. Enos, thinking he needed a bathroom break and a cup of coffee, greeted him as he walked into the station, but his smile died at the expression on the older man's face.

"What's wrong, Bill?"

The man shook his head. "You got time to come with me, Sheriff?" The joviality of earlier was gone. "It's important."

"Sure, I'll be right there."

Enos pulled on his heavy coat, shrugging at Joy and Pete on his way out. "I'll be back in a little while, I reckon."

He gripped the bar on the passenger side of the plow and pulled himself up the ladder and into the cab. Muggy heat and the smell of oiled machinery filled the cramped space. "What's going on?"

Bill threw the plow into gear and lowered the blade. "Ya' Sheriff, I gotta show you something. Figure you needs to know before people start panicking. Us Yoopers are used to snow, but we don't take kindly to snow surprising us."

Enos watched the road as they rolled down Main Street, then turned onto Whitefish Road at the edge of town and slowly made their way south to Highway 123, the blades throwing a steady avalanche of snow to their right. The further southeast they went, the deeper the snow became. Five miles past Tamarack, Bill turned the plow around at a wayside off 123 to face the way they had come and parked.

"You'll wanna see this for yourself."

They exited into the blizzard, staying close to the flashing yellow lights, and Bill pointed down HWY 123 South. "Believe it not, my guys just plowed this whole road 2 hours ago," he told Enos, "and now there's almost a foot of new snow on it. At the rate it's falling, we have to abandon 123 just to be able to keep up with the local roads in Tamarack so's people can get out of their homes, and we've got to keep plowing between Tamarack and Paradise to keep the clinic open. Thank the good Lord the Point Light's automated, and we don't have to plow up to the lighthouse."

"You don't think it's gonna stop soon?"

The man shook his head. "I managed get through to the Great Lakes Weather Service in Green Bay a little bit ago. The meteorologist I talked to called it a 'wall of snow' stretching all the way back to Thunder Bay. I'll be honest with ya', he even got this ole Yooper a little nervous. I told you dis morning about my grandma and the storm of '66? The guy at Green Bay said we could be looking at over 70 inches by tomorrow! Geez Louise, I ain't never seen that much snow in such a short time!"

"70"!? That's..." Enos tried to divide it in his head.

"That's almost 6 feet in 15 hours, and it's not supposed to stop until after midnight! We've already gotten about three, and it's been all me and the boys can do to keep up. Soo's trapped under nearly four. If we get another six inches on top of what's already here, I won't be able to get this plow down the highway. Luce County says Newberry's not bad and Highway 2 is clear all the way west to Escanaba, but we're looking at a damn short window if anyone needs to get out of Tamarack.

Bill looked at his watch. "It's 12:15 right now, if you think you can get it out on the police scanner to spread the word, I'll wait at the school at 1:00pm for anyone who wants to follow me down to Newberry. They'll have to go all the way through Wisconsin and Green Bay to get south, but it'll be the only chance they'll have to leave before Christmas. It's gonna take three or four days after it stops to get the dump trucks rolling and haul it into the bay, so let 'em know there's no getting back in until Monday at the earliest."

The web of news spread by the police scanner was almost as fast as the HazzardNet. Enos radioed Joy from the plow to make the announcement, and by the time they pulled up to the station, neighbor was calling neighbor and relatives calling friends until most everyone knew within fifteen minutes.

Joy practically threw Enos out of the station as soon as he walked in. Some of the phone lines were down, and she hadn't been able to reach Daisy. With no time to think about the ramifications of what he was about to do, Enos headed up the hill to his cabin, making a mental list of what he needed to pack.

He opened the cabin's door too hard, carving a divot in the wall, and tossed his keys onto the table. He didn't see her anywhere. "Daisy?"

"Yeah, I'm back here."

He ran into the laundry room, whacking his shoulder against the door jam and then his head as he turned. Exasperated, he gave the jam a good smack in retaliation, wincing as his hand smarted.

"Are you alright?" she laughed. "Let me know when you're done fighting with the door."

"Grab your stuff! We've gotta go!" He looked down at his watch and saw they had less than twenty minutes until they needed to meet Bill. "I've gotta pack." Not moving, she simply stared at him, confused. "You wanna get outta here or not?" he asked. "We've got fifteen minutes before it's too late. Throw your stuff in the back of the truck and let's go."

"Wait...so... What's the plan?"

"If you want to get to Hazzard for Christmas, I've gotta take you. Soo's buried and Tamarack's about to be. I'll explain more on the way, but I've gotta pack."

He ran out the door and opened the hall closet to grab his black duffel bag, then remembered Daisy was using it. At the back was another one that held his camo bibs and blaze orange hat and vest. Upending it, he tossed his hunting clothes back into the closet.

He didn't sense any movement yet from the laundry. "Daisy, I mean it, get your stuff!"

"Hold on," she shouted. "Does this mean you're coming to Hazzard with me?"

"Possum on a gumbush," he muttered, then yelled, "Ain't nobody going anywhere if you don't hurry!" He heard her squeal with happiness as he ran upstairs. Changing quickly out of his uniform, he dressed in jeans and flannel, grabbing his other holster and badge from his bedside table and the smaller 9mm, then threw his heavy Sheriff's coat back on. Into the bag, he stuffed enough clothing for a couple days.

When he came downstairs, Daisy was on the phone and it didn't take a rocket scientist to guess who she was talking to.

"...because of the snow...yeah, so tell Luke I don't need picked up...Oh no, I'll still coming. I'm catching a ride with a friend...Well, yeah...I don't see what it matters whether he's a guy or not...Oh for Pete's sake!...I am safe!...I...I...Listen here, Bo Duke, I'm not an idiot!...yeah, I'll tell him... Okay, love you, too. Bye."

"Don't gripe at Bo, he's just looking after you," Enos reminded her. "I'd be worried, too, if you were hitching an 18 hour ride with some weirdo."

"And who says I'm not?" she teased. "Bo says to tell you they want to meet you and that you can stay in the guest room."

Ten minutes later, they pulled into the school parking lot where the snowplow waited with flashing lights and exhaust billowing through the driving snow. Five cars with hastily cleared windshields idled alongside it. Behind Enos, another car pulled in with a loaded luggage rack.

Daisy was practically bouncing up and down in her seat like a kid at a candy store as Enos flipped all the truck's strobe lights on. "Sit tight," he told her. "I'm gonna go talk to everyone and tell them to go in front of us. That way I'll see if anyone gets separated or has car trouble."

Though shortly after 1:00pm, the daylight was already fading, and the clouds had moved in to cover the sun. Enos waited for Bill to pull out with the snowplow and the six cars to follow in a line before following in the patrol truck like a strange parade.

"It's libel to be a long, boring ride down to Newberry," he warned Daisy. "It's 35 miles and we're following a snowplow. You might want to get a nap in."

"I'm way too excited to sleep!" Instead, she sat and chattered happily to him. "Oh, Enos, everybody's gonna be so happy you're coming! I just know they are! They all said such nice things about you. Why the orphanage would try and steal you again if they had the chance. You'll have to go by and say 'hi' to them, the kids really miss you. And then there's Rosco and Cletus. Poor Cletus, I think maybe his momma dropped him on his head as a baby. He's got a good heart though, doncha think?"

"He thinks you're in love with him." Enos smirked. "Careful about leading him on."

Daisy, to his amusement, was absolutely mortified. "He what!?"

"I agree. He's got some sort of brain damage," he surmised, ignoring her question. "Don't worry, it was a short affair."

"I...we...WHAT?"

"I'm only telling you what I heard," he shrugged. "I was in LA when it happened."

"When WHAT happened!? Are you telling me I was sweet on Cletus Hogg?"

He laughed so hard, he felt tears welling up in his eyes and decided to let her off the hook. "No, it was a joke on ole Cletus. A shuck-n-jive."

"Start talking, Enos."

"Well, the way I heard it was that Cletus pulled the boys over to give them a speeding ticket, but your flirting charmed him into forgiving it. Then you kissed him on the cheek and told him you loved him. Except that he got the wrong idea from it and thought you were actually in love with him. Didn't help that you kissed Cletus to distract Sheriff Little the next day. Heard it took a week before you could set him straight."

"Well, what kind of idea was he supposed to get!? Why in heaven's name would I go kissing on a guy I didn't love?" she sounded truly confused. "I hadn't been drinkin, had I?" she whispered, concerned.

"Shucks Daisy, you flirted like that with every guy. We all knew you didn't mean anything by it. All except Cletus, of course, whose brains are scrambled."

She was silent for a long time, and Enos slipped back into watching the car lights in front of him. The pile of snow to their right was up to the windows and the trees barely visible over the top. His strobe lights flashed blue and red across the white.

"We."

"Hmm?"

"You said 'we'." Her voice was quiet over the sound of tires on slush. "Did I treat you that way, too?"

Too late, he realized he had set himself up for a subject he wanted nothing to do with. "Like I said, Daisy, it was just your way of doing things. That's all."

She turned away towards the window. "Well, I think that's an awful thing to do. Tricking somebody into making them think you love them. I'm never gonna be able to look poor Cletus in the eye again."

Enos glanced over at her, alarmed at the tears in her voice. "Hey, it's alright, Daisy. You cleared things up with Cletus, and last I saw he was just as dopey around you as he ever was."

"And...I'm sorry to you, too," she said. "If I ever made you feel uncomfortable."

Daisy watched Enos though the window as he filled up the truck's tank at the Quik Trip in Newberry. Her memory might be short, but she was sure she'd never been so mortified in all her days. Poor Cletus. What kind of person had she been before her accident that she would do something so callus? To Cletus or to Enos or any other guy?

She didn't like it. Not one bit.

No wonder Enos hadn't been interested in her! Who would want to marry someone who flirted with every guy? Again she thought about the woman who had stolen his heart. His 'ex-fiancee'. The phrase stood out like a marquee in the back of her mind, always lurking there to remind her of what she had never had. What was she like? Was she still still in Hazzard? What if he saw her and fell in love again? She wished she could lock him away and keep him at the farm.

She swiped at her damp eyes as he opened the door, handing her a hot chocolate and setting his coffee in the cup holder.

"You need the restroom?" he asked. "I don't know how long it'll take to get to Escanaba. Maybe two hours. The clerk said a Luce County deputy was in a couple of minutes ago and said Highway 2 was clear, but slushy."

"No, I'm okay. Thanks."

"Hey..." He reached out and pulled her hair from her face, revealing her teary eyes. "I'm sorry, Daisy. About teasing you over Cletus. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

She shook her head. "It's not your teasing me that's got me upset," she explained. "I just...I don't understand who I was. I makes me feel like a stranger all over again. It's gonna be even worse in Hazzard. Everyone expects me to be the person I was before, but I'm not. Sometimes, I don't even think I want to be."

To her surprise, he leaned over the console and pulled her into a hug. She squeezed her eyes against more tears, burying her face into his shoulder.

"It'll be alright," he whispered to her. "I promise. Just be the person you are, and stop worrying about everything else."

She nodded, silently, her heart spilling over with love for him before he released her. He pulled up the arm of the center console and rummaged around, pulling out a travel package of tissues. She took them gratefully, realizing he was probably used to carting sad drunken women to the slammer to dry out.

She took a deep breath. "So...," she began, changing the subject. "What's the plan?"

"Well, one thing I didn't think about," he admitted. "It being Christmas time and all, how in the world we're gonna find a vacancy at any motels that don't have 'roach' in their name. I ain't a fan of creepy crawlies."

She shivered. "Ugh. You and me both. If it's 18 hours to Hazzard, though, we've gotta stop somewhere."

"How do you feel about winter camping?"