Lost and Found
by: Icecat62


Driving through the parking lot, Gage looked ahead of him, hoping to find an empty space. They had been driving around for what seemed like forever and he was starting to think they'd never find a place to park.

Roy's frantic yell caused him to jump.

"There's one!"

"Where?!"

"Over there! Hurry up!"

He saw the spot that Roy was excitedly jabbing his finger toward at the same time that he spotted a pickup truck racing down the next row over. The guy was going to take their spot!

Gunning the engine, Gage sped down the lane. Whipping the steering wheel around, he pulled into the parking space right before the pickup truck reached it.

Roy smiled at Gage. "Nice job Junior."

"Hey, I wasn't about to let Gomer over there take 'our' spot."

In the meantime, 'Gomer' was hanging out of the drivers side window cursing and waving his middle finger at them. Gage smiled and gave him a friendly wave back in return.

As they got out of the Rover, they were greeted by more curses and hand gestures before the pickup truck peeled wheels and took off.

Gage smiled smugly, his voice sarcastic. "That's what he gets for driving a pickup."

Making their way toward the shopping center, they weaved between illegally parked vehicles and crowds of people. Looking around, Gage frowned slightly.

"Can you tell me again why I'm here?"

Roy rolled his eyes. Gage knew exactly why he was there. If he hadn't been the one to promise Joanne that two certain Santa's would find all of the gifts for the kids this year, then they would have been home watching football games instead shopping on Black Friday.

Pushing their way into the center's entrance, they stood to the side. Roy pulled out Chris and Jennifer's Christmas lists from his back pocket so that they could review them before they began shopping. Gage started laughing at the abundance of items on both pieces of paper.

"I guess they think Santa is one rich guy, huh Roy."

"Who was the one that suggested they look through the Sears Wishbook?"

"Well...I use to look at it when I was a kid. I knew I wouldn't get any of the stuff, but it didn't stop me from wanting it."

From his tone of voice, Roy knew that Gage wasn't exaggerating about not getting anything. From the little he knew about his friend, life had been tough on the reservation he had come from. Come to think of it, Roy really didn't know if Gage had celebrated a traditional Christmas back home.

He wasn't about to start prying into Gage's personal life. Another thing he'd learned was that if Gage wanted him to know something about himself, he would tell him. Asking direct questions only ended up with him dodging the questions or ignoring them altogether.

Snatching Jennifer's list from Roy's hand, Gage pointed down the main hall toward a toy store. "I bet they'll have half the stuff that Jen wants in there."

Roy smirked at Gage's naive statement. Having no children of his own, his friend had no idea of the horrors of Christmas shopping.

Before he could voice any of his thoughts, Gage began making his way toward the store. Following him, they worked their way to the entrance. Gage stopped and stared at the complete and utter mayhem that greeted him.

Children ran about unsupervised, some laughing and playing with toys, others crying for their mother or father. Parents yelled at children, while others looked on the verge of collapse.

Leaning toward Roy, Gage whispered. "What in the hell is going on here?"

Roy smiled knowingly as he stepped forward. "Welcome to Christmas shopping as a parent."

As they squeezed their way through isle after isle, Gage began to grow frustrated. Half of the items on Jennifer's list were nowhere to be found. When he did find something, the package was torn open and the toy had obviously been manhandled.

With a shout of triumph, he spied a particular doll that Jennifer had babbled on and on about the previous evening at the dinner table. Between mouthfuls of stuffing and turkey, she had extolled every virtue of owning such a doll.

Clutching the prized doll under his arm, Gage looked around, trying to spot Roy amidst the chaos of kids, toys and parents. He finally found him standing in a corner, his face red, his expression angry, but Roy's demeanor was entirely lost on him. He had found the doll that Jennifer had wanted!

Threading his way over to him, Gage excitedly shoved the doll at him. "Look Roy! It's the Chrissy Doll that Jen wanted! I found one that wasn't torn open, can you believe it?!"

Roy glared stonily back at him, his lips tightly pressed together.

"Uh Roy...what's wrong?"

When he answered him, Gage knew that the rest of the day was going to be a trip and a half. He could tell that his friend was pissed.

Roy pointed toward the checkout counter. "That woman...I found the last G.I. Joe Special Missions action figure and she ripped it right out of my hands!"

"Now Roy, you need to calm down. Are you sure you didn't reach for it at the same time that she did?"

"No! I had it and she stole it from me!"

"Then why didn't you grab it back?"

Roy huffed a little. "Well...I was taken off guard. I didn't know what to do."

Gage snickered. "Roy, this is Black Friday. It's kill or be killed."

Roy narrowed his eyes, his voice miffed. "And just what do you know about shopping on Black Friday?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Gage smiled. "Nothin' really, only what I've seen on the news. I figured it can't be all that bad if so many people do it."

"You don't think this is bad?!"

Gage looked around them. "Roy, this is a hell hole, pure and simple."

That statement drew a small smile of agreement from Roy.

"We both know this stinks, but the faster we get it done, the faster we can stop at the Hook and Ladder for some beers and sandwiches. My treat."

The small smile that Roy wore, turned into a wide one. "You're buying? Then let's get this done."

********************************************

Juggling several bags in his grasp, Gage sighed tiredly. His feet hurt, his back hurt...he just wanted to get the hell out of the store and go eat.

Pushing through a crowd, he yelped in surprise, almost dropping his packages in the progress. Turning his head quickly back and forth, he scanned the crowd. Roy sidled up to him. His hands were overloaded with packages as well.

"What's the matter Johnny?"

Gage's face was red, his voice indignant. "Someone...Roy someone..." He lowered his voice. "Someone pinched me!"

Roy stared blankly at him, then sputtered his laughter. "You got pinched?"

Gage's voice rose. "Yes!"

Roy couldn't help himself. "Where?"

"You know where! Someone pinched me and I can't find 'em."

Roy snickered and pushed past him. "Maybe they made a mistake. Maybe they thought you were someone else."

Gage frowned, then followed him toward the entrance. He looked back over his shoulder several times, trying to see if he could spy the pincher.

As they walked out of the crowded building, Gage immediately calmed down. The sun was shining brightly and the air was brisk and surprisingly clean. Taking a deep breath, he picked up his pace and passed Roy.

"Hurry up Roy, I'm starving!"

They walked around the parking lot, looking from lane to lane. After a few minutes, Gage stopped and stood perfectly still. Dropping all of the packages at his feet, he motioned Roy to come over to him.

"You stay here, I'm gonna' look around. I know I parked in this area."

Jogging away from Roy, he began a methodical search of the lot. He knew it was big and it was crowded, but a white Land Rover wasn't exactly a common vehicle. It would be hard to miss seeing one of them.

Standing on his tip toes, he scanned the area. A small bit of panic began to form in the pit of his stomach. Tracing his steps back to the entrance, he made his way back to where he was sure he had parked.

The panic was now full blown as he looked at the red Mustang that was occupying the space that his Rover had been in. Running over a few lanes, he tried to keep calm, but he couldn't do it.

"They stole it!"

"What?"

"Someone stole my truck Roy! It's not there! It's not anywhere!"

"Now calm down. Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure! I should know what my own truck looks like and it's not there!"

Gage looked around the parking lot, his eyes squinting in the midday sun. "Man, I can't believe this!"

********************************************

After hauling all of the packages back up to the shopping center, Roy called Joanne, while Gage called the police. By the time all the reports were filled out, Joanne finally made it to the store. She felt her heart go out to Gage as she saw his dejected expression.

"Oh Johnny, I'm so sorry. If you hadn't volunteered to go shopping today, your truck would have never been stolen."

He waved a hand listlessly at her. "It's not your fault. Some scum..." He perked up. "Roy...that guy!"

"What guy?"

"The guy when we first came in. The one that tried to take our spot. You don't think...it had to be him! I be you that's the jerk that stole my truck!"

"Johnny, you can't be serious. There's a million people out here today. What makes you think he's the one who stole your truck?"

Gage looked at Roy like he was an idiot. "He was cussin' and giving me the finger that's what makes me think he stole my truck!"

Roy couldn't keep the teasing tone out of his voice. "I don't know Johnny. I've seen plenty of guys curse at you and your truck's never been stolen before."

Gage looked at him blankly before sneering. "Oh you're too funny. I wouldn't be making fun of you if your car was stolen."

Joanne could see that both men were tired and irritated. What they needed was to get home, have a nice meal and relax.

"Johnny, you can't do any more here so why don't you come back home with us and have dinner. You can borrow Roy's car until you find your truck."

A smile appeared on Gage's face and he directed it at Roy. "That's a good idea Joanne."

Grabbing the bags at his feet, he kept smiling as Roy gathered his packages up. He could tell that Roy didn't like the idea of giving up his Porsche and being stuck driving Joanne's old station wagon.

The moment they started walking out toward the parking lot, Roy sidled up close to Joanne. Keeping his voice low, he tried to not sound irritated, even though he was.

"Why'd you give him my car? Why not yours?"

"Roy, I can't let Johnny have the wagon, I need it."

"What am I going to drive?"

"Until Johnny gets his truck back, I'll either take you to work or he can pick you up on his way to the station."

Roy knew she was right so he didn't bother to argue, but it didn't stop a slight pout from forming on his lips.

********************************************

Chet looked up from the paper he was reading to watch Gage and DeSoto as they came into the kitchen. Their voices were raised and they were arguing. It was going to be a good day.

"Look, all I'm saying is you need to be easier on the clutch!"

"I know how to drive a shift Roy, I don't need you telling me how to do it!"

"Well, it's 'my' car and you're not doing it right!"

Chet sat up a bit straighter. What in the heck was Gage doing driving Roy's car?

"Whaddya' mean I'm not doing it right?! I'm doing it right!"

Cap walked into the kitchen and Chet frowned. There went his floor show.

"What are you two twits yelling about? I could hear you in my office with the door closed!"

Gage shot Roy a nasty look and Roy shot Gage an equally nasty look in return. Gage was the first one to speak.

"We went shopping yesterday, my truck got stolen and Roy's letting me drive his car and..."

"Joanne gave you my car, not me. If I had know you were going to be so hard on the clutch I would have made her give you the wagon."

"I am 'not' hard on the clutch, it's just the clutch in your car is sticky!"

"Sticky?! How in the hell can..."

"Enough! That's enough! I don't care if your clutch is sticky or not, I don't want to hear any more about it. Do I make myself clear?"

Cap eyed both men who glared at each other.

"Yes." "Yes Cap."

"Good. Now how about you two get dressed and ready for roll call. After that you can clean the squad."

Chet leaned back and raised the paper in front of him hoping to avoid Cap's wrath.

"Kelly, you get latrine duty."

Dropping the paper down, Chet frowned. He hadn't done a thing and he still got stuck doing the bathroom.

********************************************

Neither man spoke as they buffed and polished the squad. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Roy was thinking that by the time Gage got his truck back, that the clutch in the Porsche would have to be replaced. Gage was thinking how in the hell would he get his beloved Rover back.

As he went down a mental list of things to do, Gage didn't realize that he was talking out loud.

"Gotta' call Vince. Maybe he can trace the guy down."

He called over the hood of the squad to Roy, who looked up in surprise. He hadn't expect Gage to even talk to him.

"Roy, do you think if I called Vince, he'd be able to track the guy down?"

"Track who down?"

"The guy in the pickup that stole my truck."

Roy dropped the rag in his hand on the hood of the squad and shook his head no.

"Johnny, I told you...it could have been anyone who stole your truck. How can you be so sure that the guy took it?"

Gage placed a splayed hand on his chest, his voice sounding adamant.

"I know he did it. I have a feeling and when I get this feeling, I'm never wrong."

"Didn't you have that same 'feeling' about that girl Kimmie last month?"

Gage waved a hand at him, his face twisting in disgust.

"No! That's not the same thing, this is entirely different!"

"Okay. If you're so sure that the guy in the pickup stole your truck, then call Vince." Roy leaned over the hood and gave Gage a pointed look. "But what are you going to tell him? Hey Vince, some guy stole my truck. Then Vince will ask things like say...what color was the truck, the make, the year, a description of the driver..."

Gage tossed the rag in his hand to into bucket on the floor by his feet. Leaning over the hood of the squad, he stared back at Roy with a smug look on his face.

"The truck was light blue, it's a 1971 Chevy and the guy had dirty blonde hair, was skinny and he looked kinda' short by the way he was sitting in the truck." His voice grew a bit louder. "And the plates were from Pasadena. I can't remember the entire number, but it read PAU."

Roy frowned at him, half amazed that his partner remembered all of those things, but still doubting him. How could he have remembered small details like that when they only saw the guy that one time. "Are you sure?"

"Roy, the guy stole my truck, I wouldn't forget what he looks like!"

"And what if this guy didn't steal your truck?!"

Gage pushed back and grabbed the rag from the bucket. Glaring at Roy, he began to rub at a piece of chrome.

"Fine. If you don't want to help me, that's your choice. I just thought that with the both of us working on finding the guy, I'd get my truck back faster."

Tucking his head down, Gage tried to not peek at Roy's face through his hair. He knew that would get Roy to help him. Roy wanted his car back in the worst way and the only way to get it back would be to help him get his Rover back.

Roy stared at the top of Gage's head. He knew there was no way in hell that the guy in the pickup could have stolen the Rover. At least that's what he felt. Well...maybe the guy could have. He did stay a bit longer than necessary to yell at them. Oh hell!

"All right, I'll help you look for your truck!"

Gage's head popped up and he smiled brightly.

"Good deal!"

Tossing the rag to the floor, he made his way around the squad and headed toward the kitchen with Roy in tow. He had a few phone calls to make.

********************************************

Three days had passed since his Rover had been stolen. Between calling Vince, checking back with the police that he had filed the stolen vehicle reports with, searching the area around the shopping center and placing flyers on telephone poles in the area, he hadn't gotten one response or reply for his missing vehicle. He had begun to think he'd never see his truck again.

He lay slumped against the passenger side door of the squad, his expression dejected, his whole demeanor sad.

It was beginning to drive Roy up the wall. Gage's depression over the loss of his truck was understandable, but he thought his partner was being overly dramatic about it. It was a truck, not a girlfriend.

"Johnny, I think you may want to start thinking about filing a claim with your insurance company."

"Aw man Roy, don't even say that." He sighed heavily. "You know, I pay all that money every year for insurance and you know they aren't going to give me hardly anything. I bet I won't have enough to put a down payment on a piece of junk."

"I'm sure you'll find something."

"Yeah...sure. I have the perfect truck right now. Anything else will be a piece of shi...Roy!!! Pull over!!!"

Gage had jerked into an upright position, his yell startled Roy so much that he practically slammed the brakes on. Gage braced himself against the dash as they skidded to a stop. He cast a look of disbelief at Roy.

"I said stop, not kill us!"

Without waiting for Roy's reply, he jumped out of the squad. Roy watch him as he ran back behind the squad.

Getting out of the squad, Roy looked to where Gage was running and smiled. There sat the Land Rover in front of a bar.

Gage ran up to the Rover and around it, checking to see if there was any damage done to it. He sighed in relief, not believing that he found his truck and in one piece! As Roy walked up to him, he turned and smiled brightly at him.

"Can you believe it?! Man, I thought I'd never see my truck again."

Pulling a small set of keys from his pocket, Gage unlocked the driver side door and hopped in. He bounce up and down in the seat and smiled again. He went through the glove compartment and frowned. His insurance card and papers were gone.

He jumped as a loud thumping began on the passenger side door.

"Hey, what in the hell do you think you're doing?! Get the hell out of my truck!"

Without even thinking, Gage shoved the driver side door open and rushed around to meet the man who was yelling at him.

"Your truck?! This is my truck buddy!"

The man looked him up and down, at first thinking he was a police officer. His momentary silence didn't last as he figured out that Gage wasn't a cop. He took a threatening step forward as he pulled out a switchblade.

"Look asshole. This is my truck, got it?"

Gage looked at the knife and the man before him. They were about the same height, but the man outweighed him by thirty pounds. That and the fact that he had pulled a knife on him didn't help matters all that much.

Holding his hands up in a placating motion, Gage backed slowly away from the man and around the other side of the Rover. He caught Roy's eye and then looked at the open door of the Rover.

"Run!"

Gage jumped into the Rover and slammed the door shut. As he locked it, he could see Roy high tailing it across the street and down the road. The man with the knife now rushed around to the drivers side door, where he proceeded to pound at the window and jiggled the door handle.

Smiling at him from the safety of the Rover's interior, Gage inserted his key into the ignition. His smile grew wider as the engine turned over. The look on the man's face was priceless.

Giving him a happy wave, Gage pulled away from the curb, all the while making sure that Roy was safely in the squad. When he heard the siren sound off and saw the flashing red lights in his review mirror, he grinned. He had his truck back and Roy was following him.

********************************************

"And that's where I found my truck."

Gage finished his long narration for Chet, Cap, Mike and Marco, while Roy stood beside him grinning. He would finally get his Porsche back.

Chet gave Gage a confused look.

"Well John, you got your truck back, but that doesn't explain how it got in front of the bar. And who was the guy that stole it?"

Roy's grin turned into a smile. "Well, it wasn't the guy from the shopping center."

Gage turned to Roy all ready to start in on him, but he stopped as someone tapped on the door frame to the kitchen.

Vince strolled into the room. "I have a report that you have your stolen vehicle back."

"Oh yes I do. It's right there in the back lot."

"Well, I just received a report on a stolen vehicle a few minutes ago. A white Land Rover to be precise."

Gage frowned and shook his head.

"Don't tell me the guy that stole my truck had the nerve to file a report?"

Vince smiled slightly.

"Yes, he did file a report, but he didn't steal your vehicle. I have the name and address of the man who sold it to him. A one James Biddle who just happens to fit the description of the man you described in 'your' report."

Gage's face lit up in a big shit eating grin which he directed at Roy. Roy rolled his eyes.

"See, I told you he stole my truck! Didn't I tell you?!"

All eyes turned toward Roy, waiting to hear his apology. He couldn't believe that Gage was right. It was just a dumb coincidence.

"Okay...you were right."

Gage smiled again, feeling vindicated. He had his truck back and for once he was right about what had happened. Not that he was going to admit to Roy that he had only taken a wild guess about the guy stealing his truck, but what he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.

End