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Description
Sarge was awake, as usual, a few minutes before his alarm clock rang in the morning.  He flicked it off and stretched his axles, then left the bedroom, where he headed into the small living room, which contained an old black and white television and a few shelves filled with neatly arranged items.

On one of the shelves was an old radio with a tape player, which he rewound and then started, cranking up the volume until reveille was blaring loud and clear through the speakers.  He quickly (or as quickly as the old Jeep could travel) headed out to his immaculately kept lawn and started raising the flag as fast as he could.

It was about to reach the top when another song started to play, screeching and wailing over the blaring trumpet.  Sarge winced and faltered in his flag raising, managed to finish, then rode to the fence that separated his property from Fillmore's, yelling.

"Hippie!  How many times have I told you not to play that terrible music!  It's completely disrespectful to our country!  Turn it off!"

After a pause, the bus rolled from his dome next door, parting the beaded curtain.  He rolled up to the fence and grinned at Sarge.

"Hey man, it's not my fault your music playing schedule clashes with mine, and you don't hear me complaining."

Sarge bristled and, unable to think of a reply, turned away from Fillmore without another word and headed behind his hut.  Fillmore went back inside as the Jeep switched on a hose mounted on the outside wall and drove under it, giving himself a cold shower and waking up fully.

Shaking himself off, Sarge drove back to the front yard, only to come grille to grille with another, larger Jeep.  He jumped back with a startled cry, then scowled.

"Tyler!  What's the big idea?"

"I was just here, uh, dropping off those entry papers you wanted.  I slipped them under the door."

Sarge scowled at her.

"I asked you to bring me those papers before class started today, not slip them under my door."

There was a brief tension between the two of them, and Sarge was surprised to find himself faced with a snarl not unlike his own, the ugly scars on Tyler's grille adding to the effect.  But the old Jeep was used to being disobeyed - and also used to nipping any mutiny in the bud.  He rose on his axles and glared at her.

"I think it would do you some good to listen to detail now, before you get into the field and have to learn the hard way that what your leader says, goes!  Technicalities can mean the difference between failing and succeeding, and the fact that you didn't listen to me carefully only goes to prove your inexperience!  Don't start getting cocky on me now, because I'm under no obligation to train you!"

Tyler's eyes fell to her hood.

"Yes, sir."

"That's better.  Now, today at 1500 I'm going to be giving T.J. some extra training.  He's been lagging behind too much.  I know he probably seems like a wimp to you, but he's improved quite a bit since he first joined the boot camp - just not enough.  As punishment, it's you that's going to be training him, not me.  And if you're as much as a second late, I have absolutely no problem holding the rest of  my classes without you.  Understood?"

"Er..."

"I said, understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!  It's just..."

"Spit it out, soldier."

"When's 1500?"

Sarge rolled his eyes.

"What do they teach you kids these days?  Three pm. That's twenty minutes after class."

"Yes, sir.  I'll be there."

--------------

The rest of Sarge's morning was uneventful.  He mowed his lawn until every blade of grass was at the perfect height, then went inside and inspected his shop to make sure everything was still in alphabetical order.  It was then that the doorbell rang, causing him to jump slightly.

"I'll be right there!"

He went to the front room and pressed the button to raise the garage-style door, and was surprised to find the mint-coloured face of the neighborhood hippie smiling at him.

"Hey Sarge."

Sarge only gave him a skeptical look, and Fillmore chuckled.

"Is that any way to treat a customer?  Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Suddenly remembering his manners, Sarge turned to the side to allow Fillmore to enter.

"Of course, come in.  Er, what are you looking for?"

Fillmore coasted into one of the aisles, and Sarge watched the bus with an expression akin to a grocery store clerk watching a small child play around an easily toppled display.

"Some camping stuff.  I'm going camping this weekend, s'been so long since I've gotten out and communed with mother nature, y'know?  I heard there's a good spot around here..."

"Camping?  You?"  Sarge smiled and rolled closer to the bus.  "Since when?"

"I used to do it all the time, but I've kinda been neglecting the great outdoors these past few years - woa, sorry dude!"

Whether it was his missing rear-view mirror, his size, or something he had been dabbling in that morning, Fillmore misjudged the distance between his rear end and the shelf behind him, resulting in him hitting a shelf containing travel lamps, which clattered to the floor.  Thankfully the bulbs were well protected and built for such abuse, and none shattered.

Sarge dove forward in a delayed attempt to save them, his grille colliding with the bus' back end with a dull thud, causing Fillmore to jump with another "Woa!", this time hitting the shelf in front of him with his flat face and making another mess, this time with empty fuel cans.

"Watch what you're doing, hippie!" Sarge snarled, and Fillmore chuckled, blushing.

"Sorry man, really, my bad."

The both of them started to collect the fallen items and replace them back on the shelves.  Curiosity overcoming moodiness, Sarge asked:

"So what is it that you need?"

Fillmore replaced the final can on the shelf.

"Well, I need one of those lights you've got, for starters - oh, thanks man - and I need a tent, I dunno what happened to my old one, and, uh, I think that's about it, most of the other stuff I got already."

Sarge helped him find the items he needed, then waited patiently as the hippie went home to hook himself up to his old wooden trailer to carry the things in.  When he came back, trailer in tow, Sarge was just adding a radio to the pile.

"You should bring one of these.  You never know."

Fillmore looked hesitant, and Sarge guessed it had to do with financial issues.  Neither of them made a lot of money.

"It's on me.  Every camper should have a radio."

Fillmore grinned.

"Thanks, man, really appreciate it."

Sarge's grunt served as a 'you're welcome,' and Fillmore paid for the gear and turned, carefully this time, to leave.

"Where did you say you were going?"

Fillmore's brake lights came on.

"Y'know that trail off the highway about half an hour from here?  Kinda hidden-like? I heard if you follow that trail for about an hour you come to this really awesome camping area up in the hills - not many people go there anymore but it's got a great view, 'least that's what I've heard.  Great place to chill."

Sarge's normally down-turned bumper curled upward in a smile.

"Yes, that's true, I've been there.  Years ago.  Very nice spot.  When are you going?"

"Sometime Sunday... tomorrow."  He paused for a moment.  "... You wanna come with?"

There was a long pause.

"...No, no, I can't, I've got so much to do, you know that hippie."

The bus put on a smile.

"Sure thing sirdude.  Thanks for your help.  Peace!"

--------------

The sun was at it's highest point in the sky as the SUVs started arriving for Sarge's boot camp.   T.J. was the first to arrive, and he hung close to a hill, reluctant to socialize, as the others drove up.  Tyler was one of the first, followed closely by the big yellow Hummer, Jane, who gave her another one of her 'friendly' shoves, one again sending the smaller vehicle skidding a few feet.

"So, how did the old man treat you when he kept you after class yesterday, Tyler?" she said, chuckling.

Tyler laughed nervously.  "Oh, he just told me I should have registered before coming into his boot camp, you know..."

"Well why didn't'cha, anyway?"

"I didn't know you were supposed to.  I've never been a member of this sort of thing before, but I just wanted, er, to brush up on my off-road skills.  The sergeant acts like I'm getting ready to join the military or something."

Jane guffawed.  "Don't go acting stupid and tell him you're *not* planning on joining!  You'll get an earful then, no mistake!"

"Here he comes!"

All chatter stopped as everyone fell in line, Sarge driving up and down the ranks, inspecting them as he did at the beginning of every class.

"Well, looks like I'm going to have to put up with you lazy lot for another day!  I hope none of you are thinking of going the same speed you were going yesterday - you wouldn't have gotten away with that in my day, and you're not going to get away with it today!  Don't let me catch anyone lagging, and that includes you, T.J.!  Now move!"

Class went as usual, with Sarge yelling insults and encouragement the whole way.  Jane and Tyler always held the lead, usually driving next to one another.  Here and there one would pull ahead of the other, and Sarge had to remind them more than once not to use underhanded tactics to slow the other down.  T.J. managed to shake his position as last place more than once, to Sarge's silent approval.

When they were all dismissed, Sarge headed to Flo's for a quick re-fuel before heading back to the boot camp to wait for Tyler and T.J. to show up.  Both were five minutes early, and Sarge nodded, satisfied, as they both stood at attention.

"Tyler, meet T.J..  Today you're going to be showing him all you know.  He's a bit slower than the rest of the SUVs at learning new things, but I trust he has potential, otherwise he wouldn't be in my class.  Don't go easy on him, but remember: this is a chance for him to learn away from the atmosphere of boot camp.  I don't often say this, but it might do him some good."

"Sir, yes, sir!"  they said in unison.

Sarge allowed himself a small smile.   "I'll be watching the both of you as you move along.  I think it would be best if you explored the area over there," he gestured with a tire "by the river.  We haven't had some rain in quite some time, but it's still muddy enough.  T.J. has a bit of trouble with keeping his traction, so you should start there."

They both tipped there hoods and headed off, though Sarge didn't miss the slightly worried expression on Tyler's face.

The three of them mounted a large hill.  At the bottom was the river, rocky and muddy, and on the side it immediately rose into another hill again, blocking the rest of the coarse from view.  Sarge hung back while they rolled down the hill, Tyler giving instructions as they went.

When they reached the river, a good ten feet across, though not running very strongly,  Tyler paused.  Sarge cleared his throat loudly from the top of the hill, and she seemed to break out of a trance before almost tip-tiring into the water.  She let out a barely audible "Ugh!" and pulled herself, slipping and splashing, to shore, where she stood shaking.

T.J. looked on, concerned, as Sarge rolled down the hill in a cloud of dust, yelling.

"What in the name of Ford was that?!  You call that showing him the ropes?  T.J., I hope you know better than to imitate that pathetic display."

Tyler scowled, but Sarge didn't seem to notice.

"Hmph.  I'm disappointed in you, Tyler, I thought you were better off-road than that.  Fancy a Jeep being afraid of a little water.  Embarrassing!  You're going to have to get over that, missy, and fast."

"Sir, yes, sir," Tyler muttered, and Sarge shook his hood and headed back up the hill.

T.J. lumbered across the river.

"You okay?" he said quietly.

"I'm fine!"  Tyler snapped.

T.J. fell silent.  The rest of the training went as predicted.  With no more water present on the course, Tyler fell back into her expert off-road driving.  They both lined up in front of Sarge as the coarse was completed.

"Well, that went well enough.  Looks like T.J. learned a thing or two.  Tyler, since you're new, I suppose I should let you know that I don't hold boot camp on Sundays and Mondays - that's your weekend.  Alright, you two are free to go.  See you on Tuesday."

He drove off, T.J. and Tyler hanging behind.  The green Hummer rolled up to Tyler and offered a shy smile.

"Hey, thanks for all that.  You're a lot more helpful than Sarge has ever been."

Tyler offered an awkward smile, and they both started to head back to Radiator Springs.

"Eh, no problem.  Sergeant's orders."

"So... how come you're afraid of water?"

"I'm not afraid of water!"

T.J. sunk low on his axles.  "Sorry..."

Tyler sighed.  "No, I'm sorry.  You're right, I am afraid of water.  I slipped once and ended up tipping... most embarrassing moment of my life, and now I just get so nervous when I feel water under my tires I end up acting like an idiot.  I'll get over it."

T.J. bumped his huge tire comfortingly against Tyler's.

"If you go slow when you're in the water, you should be alright.  I know how it feels to be embarrassed in front of a group.  Heck, that's every day for me.  But if it makes you feel better, if you ever tipped over I would help you up, even if Sarge made me scrub all four of his tires for doing it."

Tyler laughed loudly.  "You're a good guy, T.J..  Thanks, I'll remember that."

"Well, I gotta head home," the Hummer said as they neared a fork in the path.  "I'll see you on Tuesday!"

"Bye, T.J."

--------------

Back at Flo's, Fillmore was just settling down for his afternoon tea.  Across from him, Mater was telling a tall tale to a bored looking McQueen.  Fillmore chuckled at his antics, and was about to put in a few words of his own when a large, yellow Hummer pulled up next to him.

Never one to be intimidated by another vehicle - even Jane, Fillmore smiled up at her.

"Hey."

The Hummer, surprised that someone would greet someone like her out of the blue, smirked down at the bus.

"Hey bus."

Fillmore chuckled.  "You're Jane, right?"

"Yup.  And you're Sarge's hippie friend, Waldmire?"

"Fillmore."

They both watched as Tyler drove by, headed to the Cozy Cone.

"The old sergeant seems to have taken quite a liking to her," Jane said, and Fillmore thought he caught a small hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah.  She's been staying after class these past two days."

Fillmore's usual dopey smile faded, and he suddenly forgot his drink.

"Really...?"

Jane snorted.  "Yeah.  Makes you wonder what those two are up to.  What a girl like that would see in that old Jeep..."

Fillmore, though usually slow on the uptake when it came to logic, was generally in tune with the feelings of others.  He blinked up at Jane.

"You like her?"

The big Hummer shifted uncomfortably.  "Don't mess with me, bus.  She's alright.  Good at off-roading, not the best.  I'm thinking Sarge just has some issues with Jeep favouritism or something like that.  He must miss being around other Jeeps."

Fillmore gave his tea a half-hearted sip.  "Maybe..."

Jane finally caught sight of one of the Miata twins and raised a tire.  Mia drove over and smiled sweetly.

"What can I get you?"

"Coffee.  Black."

The Mazda nodded and went back inside.  Fillmore finished his tea, and looked back up at Jane.

"Well, I better get going.  I gotta finish packing for tomorrow.  I'm going camping."

"Yeah, sure sure.  Nice meeting you, Waldmire."

Description
Sarge was awake, as usual, a few minutes before his alarm clock rang in the morning.  He flicked it off and stretched his axles, then left the bedroom, where he headed into the small living room, which contained an old black and white television and a few shelves filled with neatly arranged items.

On one of the shelves was an old radio with a tape player, which he rewound and then started, cranking up the volume until reveille was blaring loud and clear through the speakers.  He quickly (or as quickly as the old Jeep could travel) headed out to his immaculately kept lawn and started raising the flag as fast as he could.

It was about to reach the top when another song started to play, screeching and wailing over the blaring trumpet.  Sarge winced and faltered in his flag raising, managed to finish, then rode to the fence that separated his property from Fillmore's, yelling.

"Hippie!  How many times have I told you not to play that terrible music!  It's completely disrespectful to our country!  Turn it off!"

After a pause, the bus rolled from his dome next door, parting the beaded curtain.  He rolled up to the fence and grinned at Sarge.

"Hey man, it's not my fault your music playing schedule clashes with mine, and you don't hear me complaining."

Sarge bristled and, unable to think of a reply, turned away from Fillmore without another word and headed behind his hut.  Fillmore went back inside as the Jeep switched on a hose mounted on the outside wall and drove under it, giving himself a cold shower and waking up fully.

Shaking himself off, Sarge drove back to the front yard, only to come grille to grille with another, larger Jeep.  He jumped back with a startled cry, then scowled.

"Tyler!  What's the big idea?"

"I was just here, uh, dropping off those entry papers you wanted.  I slipped them under the door."

Sarge scowled at her.

"I asked you to bring me those papers before class started today, not slip them under my door."

There was a brief tension between the two of them, and Sarge was surprised to find himself faced with a snarl not unlike his own, the ugly scars on Tyler's grille adding to the effect.  But the old Jeep was used to being disobeyed - and also used to nipping any mutiny in the bud.  He rose on his axles and glared at her.

"I think it would do you some good to listen to detail now, before you get into the field and have to learn the hard way that what your leader says, goes!  Technicalities can mean the difference between failing and succeeding, and the fact that you didn't listen to me carefully only goes to prove your inexperience!  Don't start getting cocky on me now, because I'm under no obligation to train you!"

Tyler's eyes fell to her hood.

"Yes, sir."

"That's better.  Now, today at 1500 I'm going to be giving T.J. some extra training.  He's been lagging behind too much.  I know he probably seems like a wimp to you, but he's improved quite a bit since he first joined the boot camp - just not enough.  As punishment, it's you that's going to be training him, not me.  And if you're as much as a second late, I have absolutely no problem holding the rest of  my classes without you.  Understood?"

"Er..."

"I said, understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!  It's just..."

"Spit it out, soldier."

"When's 1500?"

Sarge rolled his eyes.

"What do they teach you kids these days?  Three pm. That's twenty minutes after class."

"Yes, sir.  I'll be there."

--------------

The rest of Sarge's morning was uneventful.  He mowed his lawn until every blade of grass was at the perfect height, then went inside and inspected his shop to make sure everything was still in alphabetical order.  It was then that the doorbell rang, causing him to jump slightly.

"I'll be right there!"

He went to the front room and pressed the button to raise the garage-style door, and was surprised to find the mint-coloured face of the neighborhood hippie smiling at him.

"Hey Sarge."

Sarge only gave him a skeptical look, and Fillmore chuckled.

"Is that any way to treat a customer?  Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Suddenly remembering his manners, Sarge turned to the side to allow Fillmore to enter.

"Of course, come in.  Er, what are you looking for?"

Fillmore coasted into one of the aisles, and Sarge watched the bus with an expression akin to a grocery store clerk watching a small child play around an easily toppled display.

"Some camping stuff.  I'm going camping this weekend, s'been so long since I've gotten out and communed with mother nature, y'know?  I heard there's a good spot around here..."

"Camping?  You?"  Sarge smiled and rolled closer to the bus.  "Since when?"

"I used to do it all the time, but I've kinda been neglecting the great outdoors these past few years - woa, sorry dude!"

Whether it was his missing rear-view mirror, his size, or something he had been dabbling in that morning, Fillmore misjudged the distance between his rear end and the shelf behind him, resulting in him hitting a shelf containing travel lamps, which clattered to the floor.  Thankfully the bulbs were well protected and built for such abuse, and none shattered.

Sarge dove forward in a delayed attempt to save them, his grille colliding with the bus' back end with a dull thud, causing Fillmore to jump with another "Woa!", this time hitting the shelf in front of him with his flat face and making another mess, this time with empty fuel cans.

"Watch what you're doing, hippie!" Sarge snarled, and Fillmore chuckled, blushing.

"Sorry man, really, my bad."

The both of them started to collect the fallen items and replace them back on the shelves.  Curiosity overcoming moodiness, Sarge asked:

"So what is it that you need?"

Fillmore replaced the final can on the shelf.

"Well, I need one of those lights you've got, for starters - oh, thanks man - and I need a tent, I dunno what happened to my old one, and, uh, I think that's about it, most of the other stuff I got already."

Sarge helped him find the items he needed, then waited patiently as the hippie went home to hook himself up to his old wooden trailer to carry the things in.  When he came back, trailer in tow, Sarge was just adding a radio to the pile.

"You should bring one of these.  You never know."

Fillmore looked hesitant, and Sarge guessed it had to do with financial issues.  Neither of them made a lot of money.

"It's on me.  Every camper should have a radio."

Fillmore grinned.

"Thanks, man, really appreciate it."

Sarge's grunt served as a 'you're welcome,' and Fillmore paid for the gear and turned, carefully this time, to leave.

"Where did you say you were going?"

Fillmore's brake lights came on.

"Y'know that trail off the highway about half an hour from here?  Kinda hidden-like? I heard if you follow that trail for about an hour you come to this really awesome camping area up in the hills - not many people go there anymore but it's got a great view, 'least that's what I've heard.  Great place to chill."

Sarge's normally down-turned bumper curled upward in a smile.

"Yes, that's true, I've been there.  Years ago.  Very nice spot.  When are you going?"

"Sometime Sunday... tomorrow."  He paused for a moment.  "... You wanna come with?"

There was a long pause.

"...No, no, I can't, I've got so much to do, you know that hippie."

The bus put on a smile.

"Sure thing sirdude.  Thanks for your help.  Peace!"

--------------

The sun was at it's highest point in the sky as the SUVs started arriving for Sarge's boot camp.   T.J. was the first to arrive, and he hung close to a hill, reluctant to socialize, as the others drove up.  Tyler was one of the first, followed closely by the big yellow Hummer, Jane, who gave her another one of her 'friendly' shoves, one again sending the smaller vehicle skidding a few feet.

"So, how did the old man treat you when he kept you after class yesterday, Tyler?" she said, chuckling.

Tyler laughed nervously.  "Oh, he just told me I should have registered before coming into his boot camp, you know..."

"Well why didn't'cha, anyway?"

"I didn't know you were supposed to.  I've never been a member of this sort of thing before, but I just wanted, er, to brush up on my off-road skills.  The sergeant acts like I'm getting ready to join the military or something."

Jane guffawed.  "Don't go acting stupid and tell him you're *not* planning on joining!  You'll get an earful then, no mistake!"

"Here he comes!"

All chatter stopped as everyone fell in line, Sarge driving up and down the ranks, inspecting them as he did at the beginning of every class.

"Well, looks like I'm going to have to put up with you lazy lot for another day!  I hope none of you are thinking of going the same speed you were going yesterday - you wouldn't have gotten away with that in my day, and you're not going to get away with it today!  Don't let me catch anyone lagging, and that includes you, T.J.!  Now move!"

Class went as usual, with Sarge yelling insults and encouragement the whole way.  Jane and Tyler always held the lead, usually driving next to one another.  Here and there one would pull ahead of the other, and Sarge had to remind them more than once not to use underhanded tactics to slow the other down.  T.J. managed to shake his position as last place more than once, to Sarge's silent approval.

When they were all dismissed, Sarge headed to Flo's for a quick re-fuel before heading back to the boot camp to wait for Tyler and T.J. to show up.  Both were five minutes early, and Sarge nodded, satisfied, as they both stood at attention.

"Tyler, meet T.J..  Today you're going to be showing him all you know.  He's a bit slower than the rest of the SUVs at learning new things, but I trust he has potential, otherwise he wouldn't be in my class.  Don't go easy on him, but remember: this is a chance for him to learn away from the atmosphere of boot camp.  I don't often say this, but it might do him some good."

"Sir, yes, sir!"  they said in unison.

Sarge allowed himself a small smile.   "I'll be watching the both of you as you move along.  I think it would be best if you explored the area over there," he gestured with a tire "by the river.  We haven't had some rain in quite some time, but it's still muddy enough.  T.J. has a bit of trouble with keeping his traction, so you should start there."

They both tipped there hoods and headed off, though Sarge didn't miss the slightly worried expression on Tyler's face.

The three of them mounted a large hill.  At the bottom was the river, rocky and muddy, and on the side it immediately rose into another hill again, blocking the rest of the coarse from view.  Sarge hung back while they rolled down the hill, Tyler giving instructions as they went.

When they reached the river, a good ten feet across, though not running very strongly,  Tyler paused.  Sarge cleared his throat loudly from the top of the hill, and she seemed to break out of a trance before almost tip-tiring into the water.  She let out a barely audible "Ugh!" and pulled herself, slipping and splashing, to shore, where she stood shaking.

T.J. looked on, concerned, as Sarge rolled down the hill in a cloud of dust, yelling.

"What in the name of Ford was that?!  You call that showing him the ropes?  T.J., I hope you know better than to imitate that pathetic display."

Tyler scowled, but Sarge didn't seem to notice.

"Hmph.  I'm disappointed in you, Tyler, I thought you were better off-road than that.  Fancy a Jeep being afraid of a little water.  Embarrassing!  You're going to have to get over that, missy, and fast."

"Sir, yes, sir," Tyler muttered, and Sarge shook his hood and headed back up the hill.

T.J. lumbered across the river.

"You okay?" he said quietly.

"I'm fine!"  Tyler snapped.

T.J. fell silent.  The rest of the training went as predicted.  With no more water present on the course, Tyler fell back into her expert off-road driving.  They both lined up in front of Sarge as the coarse was completed.

"Well, that went well enough.  Looks like T.J. learned a thing or two.  Tyler, since you're new, I suppose I should let you know that I don't hold boot camp on Sundays and Mondays - that's your weekend.  Alright, you two are free to go.  See you on Tuesday."

He drove off, T.J. and Tyler hanging behind.  The green Hummer rolled up to Tyler and offered a shy smile.

"Hey, thanks for all that.  You're a lot more helpful than Sarge has ever been."

Tyler offered an awkward smile, and they both started to head back to Radiator Springs.

"Eh, no problem.  Sergeant's orders."

"So... how come you're afraid of water?"

"I'm not afraid of water!"

T.J. sunk low on his axles.  "Sorry..."

Tyler sighed.  "No, I'm sorry.  You're right, I am afraid of water.  I slipped once and ended up tipping... most embarrassing moment of my life, and now I just get so nervous when I feel water under my tires I end up acting like an idiot.  I'll get over it."

T.J. bumped his huge tire comfortingly against Tyler's.

"If you go slow when you're in the water, you should be alright.  I know how it feels to be embarrassed in front of a group.  Heck, that's every day for me.  But if it makes you feel better, if you ever tipped over I would help you up, even if Sarge made me scrub all four of his tires for doing it."

Tyler laughed loudly.  "You're a good guy, T.J..  Thanks, I'll remember that."

"Well, I gotta head home," the Hummer said as they neared a fork in the path.  "I'll see you on Tuesday!"

"Bye, T.J."

--------------

Back at Flo's, Fillmore was just settling down for his afternoon tea.  Across from him, Mater was telling a tall tale to a bored looking McQueen.  Fillmore chuckled at his antics, and was about to put in a few words of his own when a large, yellow Hummer pulled up next to him.

Never one to be intimidated by another vehicle - even Jane, Fillmore smiled up at her.

"Hey."

The Hummer, surprised that someone would greet someone like her out of the blue, smirked down at the bus.

"Hey bus."

Fillmore chuckled.  "You're Jane, right?"

"Yup.  And you're Sarge's hippie friend, Waldmire?"

"Fillmore."

They both watched as Tyler drove by, headed to the Cozy Cone.

"The old sergeant seems to have taken quite a liking to her," Jane said, and Fillmore thought he caught a small hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah.  She's been staying after class these past two days."

Fillmore's usual dopey smile faded, and he suddenly forgot his drink.

"Really...?"

Jane snorted.  "Yeah.  Makes you wonder what those two are up to.  What a girl like that would see in that old Jeep..."

Fillmore, though usually slow on the uptake when it came to logic, was generally in tune with the feelings of others.  He blinked up at Jane.

"You like her?"

The big Hummer shifted uncomfortably.  "Don't mess with me, bus.  She's alright.  Good at off-roading, not the best.  I'm thinking Sarge just has some issues with Jeep favouritism or something like that.  He must miss being around other Jeeps."

Fillmore gave his tea a half-hearted sip.  "Maybe..."

Jane finally caught sight of one of the Miata twins and raised a tire.  Mia drove over and smiled sweetly.

"What can I get you?"

"Coffee.  Black."

The Mazda nodded and went back inside.  Fillmore finished his tea, and looked back up at Jane.

"Well, I better get going.  I gotta finish packing for tomorrow.  I'm going camping."

"Yeah, sure sure.  Nice meeting you, Waldmire."