The crew of 51 was just getting ready to start the shift, and as usual Chet came skidding in…last. The guys were finishing their coffee before roll call, and doing the morning chit-chat when they heard a loud snapping sound coming from the locker room, followed by a small yelp of surprise. The smell of burnt hair wafted out along with a hushed gasp of shock.

"Aw, man! How do I fix this?!"

Rounding the corner of the doorway and stopping suddenly with the guys on his heels, Gage braced himself for the impact of the other crew members. Marco bumped into him followed by the second smaller collision of Roy into Marco. Mike and Cap safely avoided the pileup.

Peering through the thin veil of smoke, Johnny could see the reflection of his nemesis in the mirrors. His mouth dropped open as he realized what he saw. Then he snorted, "Wow Chet! Just…wow! That is the most half-assed…"

A loud AHEM! growled out of their captain.

"Sorry Cap!" After catching his breath, Johnny wiped his eyes. "That's gonna take some…some real talent to fix that Chet!" He reached for his tools. "Hey! I've got some scissors right here!"

Chet gave him the stink-eye. "Not on your life Gage! I can only imagine what you would do to it!"

Looking sadly in the mirror at the ruined left side of the once-champion mustache, Chet said in a reflective murmur, "This was the Phantom's work, and he sure goofed it up this time!"

His singed ego very evident in his movements, Chet brushed the ashes off his shirt and winced as he surveyed the damage more closely. The award-winning mustache, so lovingly trimmed and combed, was a complete mess. What a catastrophe! The little gag item he was readying for Gage was only supposed to give off a bang and then some smoke. He would have to go talk to his "supplier" about the faulty popper. He certainly wasn't happy about what had happened to his mustache, but the thought of injuring his crew mate OR setting fire to the station had very much subdued his demeanor for the morning.

Captain Stanley crossed his arms in front of him. "Does The Phantom need some latrine duty for the rest of the year?" he asked, with a distinct frown on his face. "Because water on Gage and grease on Big Red are bad enough, but hell, Kelly, you're a FIREMAN for gosh sake and of all people The Phantom should know better!"

"No Cap." Chet said slowly, "I will make absolutely sure that The Phantom will have some down time for a while." He wasn't positive if that got him out of a long sentence of latrine duty or not, but no matter what he was going to have to send The Phantom on vacation for a while. This was NOT how it was supposed to have played out at all!

Laughing and shaking their heads, the rest of the men turned and headed back to the kitchen, with Cap muttering something about children and their toys. Johnny turned to go with them, but then hung back.

Leaning one arm against the door frame he said, "Do you want some help with that Chet?" He gave a half-grin, "I really do think you can salvage some of it with a little trimming to balance it out."

Chet turned away from the mirror and saw the sincerity in Johnny's eyes. He gave a sheepish smile. "Yes please?"

A little while later, Chet walked out of the locker room and into the kitchen, looking down at his shoes and trying not to make eye contact with anyone as he entered the kitchen.

"Let's see the damages!" someone said with a cackle as all of the guys were watching for the poor man's entrance.

Chet raised his head slowly, his face contrite as he looked straight into Johnny's eyes, "The Phantom and I had a chat, and he says he will lay off for a while for bad judgment. That was certainly NOT supposed to happen, much less to me!"

Johnny smiled, "Well now, that's mighty hospitable of him isn't it? Please thank him for me!" He turned back to face the other men.

"I think it looks just fine…like he just groomed it a little more vigorously than usual!" Johnny nodded his head slightly at Chet, seeing the smile of gratitude on his face. "Wha'dya think guys?"

Marco said, "Chet! You look like Zorro now!" The rest of them laughed.

"Guy Williams' got nothing on you now!" Mike said quietly, "You should get an agent or something."

"You look like a real, hot-blooded swashbuckler, Kelly!" Cap said with a lifted eyebrow. "Even more of a lady killer than you were before, I'm sure!"

Thank you John! Chet thought to himself, knowing now that Johnny was quite skilled with the scissors. He had managed to save a good part of his mustache and with the shape of it now, the whole situation might just turn out to be a boon for his dating reputation.

The klaxons sounded and the crew jumped up to head out, with Chet smiling and crossing himself with a "Z" motion.