Alright kids, so you got your dance and I didn't get lynched, like I've said I don't really know where this story is headed for sure. Be warned scraggly guy will be making an appearance in this chapter. He has some how managed to weasel into my story which started out in my mind as something kind of fluffy. This will be a short chapter cause the last one was long, I think the longest I've ever written. Sorry Kelly I know you are not a fan of scraggly guy but he needs to say his piece too. Oh and we have a little cross over with Gunsmoke and Marshall Dillon.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters-except for Keevler/Johnson, Quinn and Ethan. Dick Wolf owns the rest and of course someone else owns Marshall Dillon.

Max Johnson rolled over on the jail cot. He couldn't recall much from last night other than he had drank to much and now he had a splitting headache a swollen eye, and a swollen nose. He looked through his good eye and saw that he was in a jail cell. That happened to him a lot and he assumed that he had been drunk and gotten into a fight. He looked into the next cell to see if his opponent was there as well. He didn't see anyone so he called out, "Hey jail keep! When am I going to get the hell out of here?"

No one responed for several minutes until a young man stepped through the door. "What are you hollerin about?"

"I wanna know when I'm going to get the hell out of here!" Max said, standing and grabbing hold of the cell bars.

"Not until the sheriff feels that your fit for release. I expect he plans to run you out of town too." the young man said. "So hush up and just wait. If you would like I can go across the street and get you some beans and coffee."

Max only grumbled a response and sat down on the cot. He was suprised when a short while later the young man from before came in with a cup of coffee and a plate with beans, bacon and biscuits. He took the food and coffee only to find the food was barely warm and the coffee tasted like tar. He thought better of complaining though. He knew from experience that jails were not know for serving the best fare to prisoners.

Out in the main office the young man, Quinn Asper was going through the sheriff's wanted posters. It seemed to him that he had seen the scraggly fellow that they had locked up in back before and he wanted to make sure that they didn't release a wanted man when the sheriff arrived later in the morning. He was half way through the posters when the former sheriff, Elliot Stabler showed up. His eye was swollen and Quinn could tell the man in back had gotten in a few good blows as well. "Morning Elliot." Quinn greeted.

Elliot helped himself to coffee before he replied. "Morning Quinn. Has John been in yet?"

"No sir. Was there something I could help you with maybe?"

"Well I was just wondering if there was a way we could keep that fellow in back locked up or if we could get him out of town and make sure he stayed out. He had been bothering Ms. Benson and that concerns me." Elliot said.

"I was just working on that. It seems to me I've seen that man before so I was just going through the posters to see if I saw anyone in there that looked like him." Quinn said. "Your welcome to join me."

"Thanks I think I will."

The two men sat down and began scanning each poster. Finally Quinn looked up and said, "Here he is Elliot. That man in back."

Elliot took the poster from the younger man and looked at it. The poster was for one Max Keevler and he was wanted for murder, horse stealing and various other petty charges in Dodge City, Kansas. 'Well it appears to me, that we have found a reason to hold Mr. Keevler."

"Only he goes by Johnson here. I guess that means I'll be taking the train to Dodge City to return Mr. Keevler to the marshall there." Quinn said.

"Yes, I suppose John will send you and another person to take this Keevler to Dodge." Elliot said.

Max lay on the cot listening to the conversation going on in the main office. He couldn't believe that snot nosed deputy had recognized him. He didn't have a beard in any of the wanted posters that had been circulated around. He groaned to himself. How could this be happening to him? How would he ever convince Olivia Benson that he was the man that she needed not that damned Elliot Stabler.

Elliot and Quinn were having their second cup of coffee when John finally came into the office with Ethan in tow. Ethan instantly ran up to his father, looked at him and said, "Pa, what happened to your eye?"

"Nothing son. It will be fine."

"Morning boys." John said, making his way to the coffee pot.

"Morning John." Elliot replied.

"Morning Sherriff." Quinn said. "Sheriff, you need to send a telegram to the Marshall in Dodge City."

"Really? Why?" John asked, setting down behind his desk and propping his feet up on the edge.

"Well it seems that he's wanted for a string of various crimes, the most recent committed in Dodge City. It seems that his real name is Keevler not Johnson." Quinn said. He then showed John the wanted poster that he and Elliot had found earlier.

"Good work Quinn. I think I'll go down and send a telegram out right now." John said. He drained his coffee cup and set it back over by the pot bellied stove. "Elliot would you and Ethan like to join me?"

"No thanks John. I think we best mosey on home. The cow needs to be milked and Ethan has other chores that have to be done."

Elliot and Ethan went out to the their buggy and waved as they drove down the street out of town.

John went to the telegraph office and said to the operator Barney. "Barney, I need to send a message to the marshall in Dodge City, Kansas."

"Yes, sheriff." Barney said. Then as he wrote he said, "To Marshall Dillon."

"Have Max Johnson Keevler in custody. Stop." John said.

"Have Max Johnson Keevler in custody. Stop." Barney repeated as he wrote.

A few minutes later John walked out of the telegraph office after leaving strict instructions with Barney to come and find him as soon as there was a response from Marshall Dillon on what he would like him to do with Keevler.

He got his response shortly after he returned to the office from taking his lunch at home with his family. The message said that Marshall Dillon or his deputies would be coming by the train and then the stage to pick up Keevler and return him to Dodge City to stand trial. It said that the someone would be arriving in two to three days. John folded the paper up and put it into his desk, then he went into to Keevler.

"Keevler." he said.

The man in question rolled over away from the wall in response to someone using his given name. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Your returning to Dodge City to stand trial for your crimes." John said.

Keevler knew that he was beaten, once Marshall Dillon had a hold of him he was done for. He wouldn't see the light of day again, he would either be in prison for the rest of his life or he would be hung. He sat up on the bed and said, "Since I'm done for, you wouldn't happen to have a smoke would you?"

"No." John said. "I don't smoke."

"Damn." Keevler said. "So how long until Dillon shows up to take me back?"

"Two to three days." John said. "I'll have Quinn bring your supper to you later." Then he walked out. For a criminal who has just been told that he would be going back to stand trial for the crimes that he committed, Keevler seemed to be at ease with that.

Three days later a young man wearing a deputy badge along with a shabby fellow also wearing a deputy badge showed up for Keevler. "We really appreciate ya keepin hold of Keevler for us, sheriff." the shabbier of the two men said. He had introduced himself as Festus Haggen.

"No problem. I'm sure Marshall Dillon would do the same for me in this situation." John said. He showed the men to the cell that Keevler was in and told him to stand. He did as he was told and John watched as the two deputies from Dodge City went in and handcuffed their prisoner. He was happy to see the man go.