Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Jungle Fury.

Shaken

Fran and Casey were closing up at Jungle Karma Pizza after a busy day. Theo and Lily got off work a couple of hours earlier. They said something about dinner and a movie. Strictly platonic of course. Fran, RJ, and as of late, Casey, loved to tease Theo whenever he and Lily would spend time alone together.

"You can go ahead and go home Fran. I'll finish up here," Casey said.

Fran's facial expressions registered a mix of surprise and gratitude. She pushed her eyeglasses up with her right hand and gave Casey a warm smile.

"Oh, okay. Thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Fran replied.

"Later," Casey stated returning her smile.

Once Fran had left, Casey walked over to the entrance and flipped the sign from 'Open' to 'Sorry, we're closed.' Just as he was doing so, a man walked up to the door. The customer was an imposing figure to say the least. He stood at six feet four inches and weighed over two hundred pounds. His head was bald and he had several tattoos on both of his exposed arms. For all intents and purposes, this guy looked like a biker.

In spite of what the sign now read, the biker pushed open the door which had yet to be locked. In the process, Casey was nearly knocked over by the biker.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're closed," the red ranger said as politely as he could muster.

"Don't mind me. Just go about your business," the biker answered as he took a seat in a booth.

The customer, if that's what he was, made himself at home. He put both of his feet up on the table. He had his arms folded behind his head and was reclining back as much as the booth allowed him to.

"Got any beer?" the biker asked.

"This is a pizza parlor not a bar. Besides, even if we had alcohol, which we don't, I'm underage, so I'm not allowed to serve alcoholic beverages," Casey responded.

"Tough. Fetch me some beer."

The red ranger had a bad feeling about this guy. There was something about him that didn't sit right with Casey. Quite frankly, the tiger was somewhat intimidated by this guy. Plain and simple, he looked like someone you shouldn't mess with.

Casey debated whether he should go ask RJ for help in dealing with this guy or if he should just handle him himself. If he left to get RJ, he'd leave the pizza parlor unattended, and there would be no telling what this biker guy might do in such an occasion.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Like I said before, we're closed," Casey said his voice starting to lose conviction.

"Get me some booze and then I'll consider leaving," the biker answered.

Casey unconsciously ran his hand over his pant pocket inside of which was his morpher. He thought that maybe as a ranger the biker wouldn't be so intimidating. Plus, he'd probably be more likely to do what Casey's asking of him.

"I already told you that we don't have any alcohol here," Casey said.

"Then, I'd advise you to go and get some," the biker replied.

"And leave you here alone? Think again."

"What? You don't trust me?"

"I have good reason not to."

"Why? Because I look like trouble?"

"…"

"Just because I look like trouble doesn't mean that I am trouble."

Casey took a quick peek at the watch around his wrist. He wondered if Theo and Lily would be coming back anytime soon. Maybe they could help him get this biker guy out of Jungle Karma Pizza.

The red ranger decided to just finish up closing up all the while keeping an eye on the biker to make sure he didn't step out of line. So, Casey proceeded to wipe down the tables with a rag. It was unnerving to Casey because the whole time the biker didn't take his eyes off of him.

After that task was complete, Casey briefly stepped into the supply room to get a mop and a bucket of soapy water. When he returned to the parlor, much to his dismay, the biker was still seated in the same booth. From the looks of things, he hadn't moved an inch.

"Here's a thought. If you want booze so bad, why don't you leave and go get some yourself?" Casey said out loud.

"You best not be giving me lip, kid!" the biker retorted.

The red ranger bit his lower lip so as to not say anything else that might rile up the biker further. He averted his gaze and focused on mopping the floor instead.

When the floor was mopped, that just left one thing—putting the cash register drawer in the safe. Casey walked over to the cash register and opened the drawer.

With a speed Casey never knew the biker possessed, the biker was now standing behind the red ranger. For someone the size of the biker, he sure moved quietly too. Casey didn't hear him get up or walk over at all.

A chill went down Casey's spine as he felt a barrel of a gun pressed up against the back of his skull. The red ranger heard the distinct sound of a gun cocking.

"Is this all the money there is? And don't you dare lie to me!" the biker said menacingly forcefully pressing the weapon against the back of Casey's head to prove he meant business.

The red ranger's adrenaline was flowing and his heart rate had drastically sped up. The gravity of the situation was so terrifying that Casey could hardly give a response.

"Yeah. At the end of the day, we always put however much money we made that day in the safe," Casey said faster than he would normally speak.

"So there's nothing in the safe?" the biker demanded.

"Nothing."

"In that case, I'll be taking this money."

Casey couldn't even see what was going on. His body was trembling and the only thing he could think about was the fact that he had a gun to the back of his head.

After the biker stuffed his pockets with the cash in the drawer, he made a hasty exit out of Jungle Karma Pizza.

PRJF-PRJF-PRJF

A little while later, Theo and Lily got back from the movies. They were laughing and smiling when they entered Jungle Karma Pizza. That is, until they saw Casey. He was still rooted to the same spot where the biker had put a gun to his head. His body was shaking just as severely as it had been when the biker was actually present.

"Casey, are you all right?" Lily asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

Casey flinched away the instant physical contact was made. This gesture had Theo and Lily worried.

"Is he gone?" the red ranger said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Who?" Theo asked.

"The biker."

Theo and Lily exchanged confused glances with one another. They were certain that something had to have happened since they left for the movies. They just didn't know what. What they did know though was that in all the time that they've known Casey, they have never seen him like this before.

"Case, there's no one here but us," Lily answered.

"Are you sure?" Casey asked timidly.

It was like he had been reduced to the little boy who was afraid of monsters in the closet. Only this time, it wasn't monsters Casey was afraid of.

"It's just the three of us. What happened?" Theo inquired.

"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to forget that it ever happened. The trouble is that I can't forget because it still feels like he has a gun pressed up against the back of my head," Casey said.

Lily let out a soft gasp. Out of all the things that might have been responsible for Casey being spooked, never in a million years would they have guessed this was the reason.

The rangers were used to danger. They put their lives on the line day in and day out to protect the citizens of Ocean Bluff. However, the danger they were used to came in the form of Dai Shi, Camille, and Rinshi, not guns.

Lily's protective nature shifted into overdrive. She wrapped her arm around Casey's shoulders and placed his head on her shoulder. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she stroked Casey with her thumb.

"It's okay. You're safe now. Everything's going to be all right," Lily said her voice cracking towards the end.

PRJF-PRJF-PRJF

While Lily stayed with Casey in the pizza parlor, Theo went up to the loft to confront RJ. Upon entering the loft, the blue ranger saw his master on a yoga mat meditating.

"I'm ignoring your negative energy," RJ said waving his hands to and fro.

"Where have you been?" Theo demanded.

"Meditating. Why?"

Theo scoffed. He raised his right pointer finger and looked like he was about to say something, but then he turned around and walked away from RJ. A few steps later, he spun around on his heels and stormed over to his master.

"Unbelievable! Casey just went through a traumatic experience while you were up here meditating the whole time!" Theo exclaimed.

RJ opened his eyes. He didn't need to have a Zen balanced mind to know that Theo sounded pretty ticked off with him right about now.

"Traumatic experience? What are you talking about?" RJ asked his voice laden with genuine concern.

"A guy put a gun to his head and robbed him while he was closing! That's what happened!" Theo yelled.

"How is he?"

"How do you think he is?! He's terrified! No, that's not even a good enough word to describe how he is!"

RJ couldn't believe his ears. Ever since he opened Jungle Karma Pizza, nothing bad had ever happened. There was never any vandalism, and there certainly was never any robbery. That is until now.

"Theo, I had no idea something like this would happen. Had I known, I would've—"

"You would've what? You know what? It doesn't even matter what you would've done! It's a moot point now, don't you think? Casey may never be the same again all thanks to you not keeping an eye on him!"

"Look Theo. I know you're upset, but this isn't my fault. I didn't put a gun to Casey's head."

Sure, Theo's friendship with Casey had a rocky start, but the more time they spent together, the more they got to know one another, the closer the two had become. Lily was Theo's best friend. That fact would never change. However, Casey was Theo's best guy friend.

"Whatever, RJ. I can barely even stand looking at you right now," Theo remarked before he stalked off.

PRJF-PRJF-PRJF

That night, Lily had insisted on Casey sleeping in the same bed as her. That way, she could keep an eye on him. Ever since Casey dropped the bombshell of what happened to him, he hadn't spoken another word. The only good news was that he wasn't trembling quite as badly as he was when she and Theo got back from the movies.

(Casey's dream)

Casey was alone in Jungle Karma Pizza. The power was out and only the luminescence came from the full moon in the night sky. There was the distinct sound of the front door opening to Jungle Karma Pizza.

"Who's there?" Casey asked.

"Remember me?" an all-too-familiar voice questioned.

The red ranger's breath caught in his throat. He unconsciously backed up a few paces. Casey could hear the biker's voice, but he couldn't see him because he was not in the area of the parlor where the moonlight was shining through.

"Leave me alone!" Casey pleaded.

Suddenly, he felt something up against the back of his head. It was the barrel of a gun. Casey heard the gun cock just like the last time.

"So long, kid," the biker said.

The sound of a gunshot reverberated off the walls of Jungle Karma Pizza.

(End dream)

"No!" Casey shouted sitting up in bed throwing the covers off of him as well as Lily.

Beads of sweat streamed down the sides of Casey's face. However, that was not the only part of his body that was sweating. His neck, chest, and stomach were sopping wet with sweat as well.

The second Lily heard Casey shouting, she was awake and had enveloped him in a comforting hug. She could feel his ragged breathing as his chest was against hers.

"It's okay. You just had a bad dream. You're all right now," Lily said as she rubbed his back in circular motions.

"It seemed so real," Casey stated in a barely audible voice.

His body was trembling just as severely as it was when Theo and Lily found Casey hours ago. In fact, now Casey might be trembling more than he was then.

Pretty much all the lights in the loft were turned on, and the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard. Soon enough, Theo and RJ were by Casey's bedside.

"What happened?" Theo asked.

"Is everything all right?" RJ inquired.

"It will be. Casey just had a bad dream," Lily answered.

The red ranger they all knew was no more. Before them, sat a shell of the Casey they once knew.

"Is the front door locked?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. I made sure it was locked before I went to bed," RJ responded.

"I need to make sure it's locked," Casey said getting out of bed.

"I'll go with you," Lily said.

"Me too," Theo added.

"We'll all go," RJ stated.

As it turned out, RJ had told the truth. The front door was in fact locked after all. After finding this out, Theo, Lily, and RJ could see some of the tension in Casey's body go away.

The four returned to the loft. RJ was in his recliner. The rangers pulled over three beanbag chairs and were sitting in front of him. Lily sat to Casey's left, and Theo sat to Lily's left. The yellow ranger held the red ranger's hands in her own.

"RJ, I think I should quit," Casey said.

"Quit being a ranger or quit JKP?" RJ replied.

"The first one."

Casey's teammates and master looked at him incredulously. No doubt about it, Casey had a rough evening, but no one expected this.

"You can't quit! We need you!" Lily exclaimed.

"Yeah! You're our leader!" Theo added.

Casey picked a spot on the floor and fixated his gaze on it refusing to look any of his teammates in the face.

"I'm of no use to you anymore. No matter where I am, no matter what I do, I spend every waking moment feeling like I have a gun to my head," Casey explained.

"That's no reason for you to quit! We'll help you through it," Lily replied.

"That's right. As far as that feeling is concerned, it will pass in time," Theo said.

RJ was beside himself. This wasn't like when Casey wanted a new master. Make no mistake. To hear Casey say that hurt RJ. This though, this was far worse. This wasn't about RJ being replaced. This was about RJ losing Casey altogether.

"Let's not make any rash decisions. How about you sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning?" RJ suggested.

"Sleep on it? I won't be able to sleep at all."

Even though Casey insisted that he wasn't a cub, RJ, Lily, and Theo still thought of Casey as a cub. It was that newbie status that made all three of Casey's teammates feel compelled to protect Casey and watch over him. Hearing the red ranger so ready to give up was heartbreaking.

"I could've died tonight, and in my dream, I did," Casey said.

"But it was just a bad dream. You're okay," Theo pointed out.

"Yeah, you could've died, but you didn't. That's all that matters," Lily stated.

"That guy's never going to come anywhere near you again. Not if we have anything to say about it," Theo remarked.

"RJ, I'm sorry about the money. I promise you I'll pay it back. You can take it straight out of my paycheck if you want. Or I can go and make a withdrawal and pay you that way," Casey said.

"Relax, Casey. Don't worry about it. It's no big deal. I don't care about the missing money. I'm just glad that you're okay," RJ replied.

The fact that Casey was freaking out over how to make up for the lost money brought an ever so subtle hint of a smile to the faces of his comrades.

PRJF-PRJF-PRJF

Thanks to some sleeping pills RJ gave Casey, he was able to sleep a peaceful sleep. By the time Casey woke up, his teammates had already been up for hours. They had watched the footage from the security cameras, and were able to identify the biker. They filed a police report, and the cops arrested him.

Casey had slept a peaceful sleep, but it wasn't a dreamless sleep. He did have a dream, but it was a good dream this time not a bad dream. Actually it was more of a vision. Master Mao had come to Casey in his slumber and convinced him to remain a power ranger.

Casey knew that he may forever be haunted by the events of the previous night, but Master Mao urged Casey not to live his life in fear. Master Mao reminded Casey that he wasn't alone. He had friends and teammates behind him who were more than willing to help him through his time of need.

Once Casey discovered that the guy who put a gun to his head was behind bars, the feeling that a gun was to his head started to become less and less frequent. It may or may not ever fully go away, but at least it wasn't like it was. At least Casey didn't always feel like a gun was to his head.

Even though no shots were fired, Theo, Lily, and RJ almost lost Casey that fateful night. However, they didn't. There's a saying. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That's exactly what happened. The near-loss only solidified the relationships between Casey and each of his comrades. Now, they were closer to him than ever before. Maybe Lily's not the heart of the team after all. Maybe Casey is.

The End