A tag for the episode "Peace Pipe." Have you ever wondered how it came to be that Chet stopped teasing Johnny about his heritage? Offered here is one possible explanation.

Treaty

"A storm is on its way. Mark my words; as sure as I'm breathing, things are about to get hot." Johnny Gage murmured while his deep brown eyes warily scanned the horizon through the windshield of Squad 51.

Johnny's troubled voice spoke of churning grey clouds streaked by vicious lightening with ominous rolling thunder echoing from cavernous canyon walls foretelling the imminent arrival of torrential sheets of destruction.

Roy DeSoto looked out the window noticing only a cheerful, clear blue sky. "What? Did you get that from your psychic this morning? There's not a cloud in the sky Johnny."

Roy chanced a hasty glance toward his partner. Furrowed brows, a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes indicated the tempest to which Johnny's ominous words had referred.

Dark eyes turned to regard Roy then. "I wasn't talking about the weather Roy." His inflection spoke of blistering rage spawned from darkest oppression.

Johnny blustering was not an uncommon thing. But such an obvious show of strong genuine emotion was, and common sense told Roy to approach this discussion with caution.

Carefully Roy nodded affirmatively, then turned back to concentrate his vision on driving. "Apparently not. So what's up then?"

Johnny's glare bore into Roy then. An exasperated sigh wooshed from Johnny's lips before he again gave voice to his feelings. "Chet!"

A slight smile crept to Roy's lips. Eyebrows flicked upward with dawning understanding. "Ah, he's getting' to you isn't he."

Johnny actually growled then and turned to face Roy's profile. "Yes! And I can't figure what 'ta do about it."

"You know he's just lookin' for you to react Johnny." Roy offered.

"Yeah well, if he's not careful that's exactly what he's gonna get too!" Johnny declared smacking his fist into his palm.

"You're just gonna make it worse if he see's he's getting' to you. Can't you just ignore him?"

Johnny's shoulders slumped, and his head bowed. "I'm tryin' Roy, but he just won't let it go."

Silence fell between the two men for a few moments while Johnny brooded and Roy pondered.

"I guess you could take it up with Cap." Roy suggested.

Johnny sighed heavily. "Nah….I don't want ta' get the guy in real trouble. I mean, it isn't like he's being malicious or something. I think he's just messin' with me. He would have no way of knowing for sure something like this could really bother me."

Roy stole a quick look at his partner. Chet's teasing was incessant, and he could see where it would get annoying to anyone. Johnny never seemed bothered by most of it. But this, this was something different. Johnny wasn't just annoyed, he was angry and, it seemed to Roy maybe even a little hurt.

"Couldn't you just come clean with him Johnny? Tell him to lay off. I mean, deep down Chet really is a good guy. I don't think he realizes just how offensive he's being."

"I tried that Roy, remember. All it got me was that ridiculously decorated ax, and Chet want'in to make a treaty. Remember?" Johnny glowered at Roy while nervously carding his fingers through his hair.

Roy shook his head. After a moment of silence he offered; "Yeah, but Johnny, honestly I think he thought your protests were just part of the gag. Like the joke you made about his 'Indian princess' relative. I mean, it was pretty funny. And, if I do say so myself, you do that movie Indian voice pretty good there pal. But, if he's offending you, I mean for real….. Tell him. But when you do, you can't come across as anything but serious and sincere."

Johnny listened silently, ripples of anger still coloring his demeanor.

Roy peeked at his partner, and seeing his face still bore signs of immanent war offered up his own exaggerated sigh. After another long pause Roy finally spoke. "You know partner, you contribute to the whole teasing about heritage thing with Chet. I mean, you were the one who joked about that sandwich handed down from Indian fore fathers. I mean, come on…. "

Johnny huffed indignantly. "I never started any of that Roy!"

Roy raised a hand in silent surrender. "All right, all right… I never said you did. It's just, if you sat Chet down and told him straight out what your problem was with all his teasing about your heritage, I'm betting he'd understand. I'm not saying the guy teasing you is any kind of right, but you encourage him when you respond with a joke of your own."

Johnny thought to consider what his partner was saying. He supposed because he attempted to deflect Chet with humor it was conceivable Chet might have thought Johnny was playing along with the gag. It was a reasonable assumption. It still didn't make Chet's derogatory remarks about Indians right.

And if Johnny were really honest with himself, perhaps it wasn't just Chet he was angry with. Maybe the strength of the response had more to do with Johnny's own resentments. Life for his people on the reservations was often times harsh. Crushing poverty, unemployment and hostility from the communities surrounding the reservations contributed in equal parts to make a bad situation worse. To add insult to injury, the sociologists and paleontologists treating the inhabitants of the reservation like lab rats only stirred bitterness from a people who had faced generations of wanton disregard for their rights.

Roy backed Squad 51 into the apparatus bay, and after killing the engine, he turned to face his now silent partner.

"Johnny? You o.k.?" Roy's voice was warm with genuine concern.

Johnny exhaled a long breath before turning to face his partner. "Ya know Roy, I was just thinkin' about what you said. Maybe you're right. I really haven't been straight with Chet. And, when I stop to consider things, it might not even be Chet that's makin' me so mad. Him joking about something that has ticked me off all my life just fans the embers of a fire that's been there for me since I was a kid."

"So tell him Johnny." Roy supplied while opening the truck door to disembark.

Johnny opened his door and climbed out of the squad. He inhaled a deep cleansing breath and allowed the rage that had been bubbling within him to slowly seep away. Yeah, he needed to have a serious chat with Chet.

The conversation between Roy and Johnny was cut short when the tones dropped summoning the entire station to a structure fire.

Roy climbed back into the squad beside his partner and turned the key to start the engine. As he pulled from the station, Roy couldn't help but wonder if this structure fire might not just be the calm before the storm he expected to occur later between Johnny and Chet.

Authors Note: As she so often does, Ginger inspired this story with one of her challenges. The prompt here was to begin a story with the line "A storm is on its way." When she first tossed this one out, I had visions of writing a descriptive adventurous scene with a wonderful water rescue involving out boys. But, because I love descriptions of that sort, there wouldn't be much challenge in such a piece. So, I cast about for other ways in which to employ that challenge while getting to work on something to help my writing grow. I don't do angst well, so I thought I'd give that a go here. Fear not, I can still write a water rescue story using the same prompt.

Please enjoy, and if the spirit moves you let me know what you think.