Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers Jungle Fury. Don't believe me? My real last name (for those of you who don't know) is Bacon. Watch the credits. I bet you won't see anyone with my last name. I wonder why that is…
A/N: This features the return of my OC from "The Tiger and the Cheetah" that I think everyone loved to hate and hated to love, Lacey. Since she appears in this, that means you know we're pretending she is still alive and all. This is dedicated to tennisgal456.
Fate Twisted
One week later, and Jungle Karma Pizza was continuing the fund raiser they started last week—an auction. Only this time, it wasn't Casey and Dominic that were getting auctioned off. It was Fran and Lily. Of course, Fran and Lily weren't aware of this.
"So this time, I took an extra precaution, and withdrew money on two separate days. Now I have four hundred dollars in cash. That should be enough. Don't you think, Fran?" Lily asked.
"I don't know. If some of the people here were here last week, then they might have brought more money with them this time too," Fran replied.
"Whoa! Who said anything about Dom and me being put up for auction this week?" Casey inquired.
Fran and Lily exchanged nervous glances with one another. It looked like a little of the color had drained from Fran's face.
Casey turned to Dominic and RJ and gave them a knowing look. The two old Pai Zhuq buddies were both smirking, and this worried Fran and Lily.
"If you and Dom aren't being put up for auction, then who is?" the yellow ranger asked.
"Why, you two of course," the rhino ranger said gesturing to both Lily and Fran.
"Yeah, and since you're not superstitious, Lily, you can call this karma," Casey remarked.
At this moment, a girl around Lily's height and age entered Jungle Karma Pizza. She was wearing a small denim jean jacket that looked more like a girl's jacket as opposed to a woman's jacket. The female also was wearing a tank top that looked at least two sizes too small as it was exposing her midriff. She was wearing a black mini skirt, and a pair of black Stilettos. She had a bunch of make up on, and was wearing ruby red lipstick. She had shoulder length curly brown hair, and green eyes.
"Who is that?" Dominic asked as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
Fran elbowed him in the ribs none too pleased that he was practically drooling over another girl, a girl that wasn't her.
"That's Casey's stalker, Lacey," Theo said inserting himself into the discussion.
"Shut up Theo! She's not my stalker!" the tiger exclaimed.
By now, Lacey had made her way over to the group. As she neared, the rhino ranger saw firsthand just how low cut Lacey's tank top really was, as a bit of cleavage was showing.
"Lacey," Lily greeted her voice full of contempt.
"Lily," Lacey replied her voice oozing a similar level of disdain.
"Lacey," Casey said not pleased to see her himself.
"Hey, Casey," Lacey responded as she batted her eyelashes at the red ranger.
Dominic shoved the tiger to the side and took one of Lacey's hands in his own, bent his face down, and kissed the back of her hand.
"Hi, I'm Dominic," the rhino ranger said.
Fran let out an irritated groan, rolled her eyes, and had her hands on her hips. She couldn't believe Dominic. He definitely got distracted too easily.
"Gross! Tell me you did not just kiss me!" Lacey said to a flabbergasted rhino ranger before she pulled out a little bottle of hand sanitizer and proceeded to clean her hands.
"What are you doing here?" the yellow ranger asked her nemesis.
RJ took a step forward and raised his hand in the air.
"That would be my doing. I thought we needed a third female to auction off. One, so I…er, we could make more money. Two, because an auction really should have more than two things to be auctioned," the Jungle Karma Pizza owner explained.
"Things? I am not a thing? I'm a woman! The nerve!" Lacey remarked.
"I can't believe this! So you actually invited her to take part in the auction?" Casey asked.
"What? I thought you were all friends!" RJ replied.
"Hardly!" Casey, Theo, Lily, Fran, and Lacey said in unison.
Lacey was disgusted when she caught Dominic staring at her chest area. She started to regret not wearing a bra underneath her tank top.
"My bad. Well, the auction's about to start, so places everyone," RJ stated.
PRJF-PRJF-PRJF
Lily, Fran, and Lacey were standing behind the curtain in the stage-like area awaiting their big reveal. Well, really Lily and Fran were standing next to one another completely away from Lacey.
"I can't believe the guys did this to us out of revenge," Fran commented.
"I can't believe she is here!" Lily said glaring daggers at Lacey.
Much to Fran and Lily's dismay, Lacey walked over to them. Lily's blood was boiling. She had enough of Lacey flirting with Casey and trying to steal him from her. Once upon a time, Casey and Lacey went on a date, but Casey had the worst time ever. Their first date had consisted of him having to buy a brand new tuxedo, paying for dinner for two at a new five star restaurant, and her making him uncomfortable by gawking at him and trying to make a move on him.
"You better leave Dominic alone!" Fran warned.
"What are you going to do about it, Four Eyes? You know, I'm surprised he's even into you. Ha-ha! Actually, I take that back. If what happened earlier was any indication, he isn't into you, and who would be? Do you actually think someone is going to buy you at the auction? Puh-lease! Don't make me laugh!" Lacey remarked.
Lily noticed that Fran's fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were turning a pale white color. Apparently, Lacey saw this as well.
"Aw, did I make you mad? I'm so sorry. Not! What are you going to do about it? Throw a paperback book at me? Ooh, I'm quivering in fear!" Lacey said sarcastically.
What happened next, no one expected—not Lily, not Lacey, and definitely not Fran. She had slapped Lacey in the face so hard that it sounded like a gunshot had been fired. Lacey fell to the ground due to the sheer force of the blow. She massaged her cheek with her hand shocked by what had just transpired. Lily was holding a squirming Fran back from doing any more damage.
"Fran, stop! She's not worth it!" Lily exclaimed.
Even though this was probably the most inopportune time, this was when the curtains were raised.
PRJF-PRJF-PRJF
"Whoa, did Fran just hit Lacey?" Dominic asked.
"See, you should just be thankful that it wasn't you that Fran hit. She may not look it, but she is someone you shouldn't cross," Theo stated.
"So, what's the deal with you and Lacey?" the rhino ranger asked Casey completely ignoring what the blue ranger just said.
"Me and Lacey? There is no me and Lacey! She is way into me, but I am not the slightest bit into her. End of story," the red ranger replied.
"Why not? She's hot!"
"She's also a Jezebel!"
"Come on. I'm sure she's not that bad."
"Want to bet?"
RJ walked to the center of the stage-like area and he was holding a microphone in his hand.
"Okay, up first is Lacey," RJ announced.
There was a good deal of cheering and wolf whistling from the crowd, including Dominic. Theo and Casey shook their heads in disapproval. If they only knew what Lacey was like.
"Let's start the bidding at twenty dollars," RJ said.
"Twenty dollars," bid a blonde surfer dude.
"Twenty-five dollars," called out a redhead guy who barely looked old enough to be a freshman in high school.
"Thirty dollars," said a black fireman.
"Thirty-five dollars," said some lawyer guy with glasses.
"Forty dollars," Dominic bid.
Fran's eyes bore into the rhino ranger at this. If looks could kill, then the rangers would be back to being a team of four.
"Fifty dollars," bid the fireman.
"Sixty dollars," called out the redhead.
"Seventy-five dollars," bid the surfer dude.
"One hundred dollars," said the lawyer.
"One hundred twenty dollars!" shouted Dominic.
By now, Fran was absolutely livid. Granted, she and Dominic weren't a couple or anything, but she had bid on and won him last week. She expected him to return the favor.
"One hundred and fifty dollars," bid the lawyer.
"One hundred and seventy-five dollars," said the fireman.
"Two hundred dollars," bid Dominic.
"Two hundred and fifty dollars," called out the lawyer.
The crowd grew silent. It looked as though the lawyer would end up winning Lacey. This wasn't what Lacey wanted though. She only wanted one guy to win her, and that guy was Casey, yet he wasn't even bidding on her.
"Two hundred and fifty dollars going once," RJ announced.
"Hey Casey, do you think you could spot me some money?" Dominic whispered.
The red ranger gave the rhino ranger a 'you've got to be kidding me' look that was answer enough for Dominic.
"Two hundred and fifty dollars going twice," RJ stated.
"Theo, what about you?" the rhino ranger asked.
"No way! I may not know Lacey like Casey knows her," Theo said earning him a punch in the shoulder from Casey. "However, you are much better off without her, Dominic."
"Sold for two hundred and fifty dollars!" RJ exclaimed.
Lacey was mortified. When RJ had called her and asked her to take part in this auction, this wasn't what she had envisioned happening. As the lawyer came up to claim his prize, Lacey fainted.
PRJF-PRJF-PRJF
"Up next is Fran," RJ spoke into the microphone. "Let's start the bidding at twenty dollars."
There was dead silence in the room. No one was bidding, and this only made Fran start to believe what Lacey had said to her earlier; no one would want her. She wasn't anywhere near as pretty as Lacey or Lily for that matter.
"Twenty dollars!" Dominic called out in a last ditch effort to rectify a wrong.
The rhino ranger flashed a smile at Fran, but she just averted her gaze letting him know she was still ticked off at him.
"Three hundred dollars," Theo bid.
More than anything else, the fact that Theo bid at all shocked everyone who knew him—Casey, Lily, Fran, RJ, and Dominic. The blue ranger was probably the most frugal person they had ever met. The more they thought about it though, it wasn't so surprising. After all, Theo was a great friend.
Dominic was in full-fledged panic mode. He only had two hundred dollars on him. The rhino ranger knew what he had to do.
"Hey Casey, will you please spot me some money?" Dominic asked.
"I would, but then I wouldn't be able to win Lily, and I don't want her mad at me like Fran is mad at you, so I think I'll pass," the red ranger replied with a slight smirk on his face.
"Three hundred dollars going once," RJ said.
Theo and Casey took pleasure in seeing Dominic squirm. Out of all Dom's teammates, the red ranger and blue ranger were the ones Dominic got along with the worst.
"Three hundred dollars going twice," RJ announced.
"Sold for three hundred dollars!" RJ spoke into the microphone.
Fran wanted more than anything to rub the fact that she went for more than Lacey in Lacey's face, but the lawyer had already whisked her away.
PRJF-PRJF-PRJF
"Last but not least, Lily," RJ said into the microphone.
The yellow ranger got a comparable amount of cheers and wolf whistles as Lacey had received, and Casey was among those cheering and wolf whistling.
Lily blushed by how the red ranger was acting. She just hoped that he hadn't kept the rope from last week. She remembered fondly what happened that fateful Friday night one week ago. Let's just say that the relationship between the red ranger and yellow ranger was taken to the next level, and Lily revealed to Casey a side he had no idea she possessed. Apparently, she liked being…in charge of him, which is where the rope came into play last week.
"Let's start the bidding at twenty dollars," RJ said.
"Twenty dollars!" called out a blond lesbian.
"Thirty dollars!" Casey shouted.
"Forty dollars," bid the surfer dude.
"Fifty dollars!" Casey countered.
"Sixty dollars," said the redhead.
"Seventy dollars!" Casey called out.
"Eighty dollars!" Dominic exclaimed.
The red ranger turned to the rhino ranger and shoved him. Dominic wasn't really surprised by this reaction, but the rhino ranger didn't want to go home empty-handed.
"What are you doing?" Casey asked.
"Hey, Lily's fair game," Dominic replied.
"Since when have you been interested in her?"
"Come on, who's not? She's Lily!"
"One hundred dollars," called out the fireman.
"Two hundred and one dollars," Casey bid knowing that Dominic couldn't top that.
The rhino ranger started to wonder if he should just go and stay at a hotel or something for the night. It was bad enough that Fran was mad at him, but now he had made an enemy out of the team leader as well by bidding on his girl.
A chorus of "You suck!" was directed at the red ranger by practically all the guys (and the blond lesbian as well) in attendance.
"Two hundred and fifty dollars," bid…RJ?
Casey was beside himself. What was with guys who were supposed to be his friends bidding on his girl?
"Three hundred dollars," Casey called out trying to outdo his master.
RJ walked over to the cash register, opened it up, and removed all of its contents down to the last penny.
"Five hundred eighty-three dollars and thirty-three cents," RJ said smugly.
"Six hundred dollars!" the red ranger exclaimed.
RJ lowered the microphone from his mouth, and walked over to the edge of the stage-like area.
"Psst, Dominic. Can I borrow some money?" the wolf master whispered.
"I'd be more than happy to help out," the rhino ranger said thinking back to how Casey refused to help him out earlier in the evening. Dom gave RJ all he had, two hundred dollars.
"Seven hundred eighty-three dollars and thirty-three cents," RJ said proudly, sure that he had Casey beat this time.
"One thousand dollars!" Casey exclaimed.
Lily was about to have a heart attack. She had no idea where Casey was getting all this money from. It hadn't been too long since he had finally paid off the raise he had given Fran when he rehired her (at the expense of his own paycheck). Plus, they only were paid minimum wage at Jungle Karma Pizza.
"One thousand dollars going once," RJ said bitterly not liking how the student surpassed the teacher.
If Lily had any doubt about how much Casey cared about her, she didn't anymore. If anything, she started to feel guilty for only paying three hundred and one dollars for him last Friday night.
"One thousand dollars going twice," RJ announced.
The crowd was stunned. No one expected a bid that large from anyone. It was safe to say that every guy in attendance was jealous that Casey was going to win Lily for the night.
"Sold for one thousand dollars," RJ said rather unenthusiastically.
Casey and Lily ran towards each other a la old school Hollywood romance movie style. She leapt into his arms and straddled him as he caught her.
"I love you," Lily said kissing Casey on the lips.
"You better, because now I'm broke," the red ranger replied.
"That's just what every girl wants to hear her boyfriend say," the yellow ranger replied sarcastically.
The End