Calculated Risk

Disclaimer: Power Rangers is not mine.

Chapter 12: Introspections of the Jaguar and Cheetah

"Hey babe!" RJ greeted Fran as she slipped into the storage room intent on finding a new register key card for Theo. His last one had snapped when he'd tried using it that morning.

She smiled at her boyfriend. "Hey there, handsome," she giggled before continuing her search. "What are you doing in here?"

"Inventory," RJ replied. An intrigued light came into his eyes as a realization hit him. "Hmmm…"

"Hmm, what?"

"We're alone."

"We're in a supply closet," Fran pointed out in a wry tone. "This doesn't exactly seem like the type of scene for a party."

"Maybe not for a party," RJ conceded as he walked over to Fran and slid his hands over her hips.

She looked up at him, brow arched. "What are you up to?"

"Wanna make out?"

"In a supply closet?"

"C'mon Fran, we're alone," RJ cajoled. "We haven't been alone in forever. Between your schoolwork, my training the cubs and our running the restaurant, we've been too spread thin to just be a couple beyond random kisses that always seem to get interrupted."

"Who's to say one of the three won't walk in here anytime soon?"

"The door does lock you know."

"From the outside," Fran snorted though she found herself turning toward her boyfriend despite her half-hearted protests.

"Details," RJ dismissed. "C'mon. Don't you want to give in to your inner hormonal teenager for a little bit?"

"You do realize that your students would kill you if they heard you say that, right?"

He leaned in close, his nose brushing hers. "I won't tell them if you won't."

She grinned before pressing her lips to his. "Okay."

RJ sat down on a step stool not far from the door, pulling Fran down with him. As she settled onto his lap, she found it harder and harder to remember what she was doing before she ran into RJ in the supply closet. Each drag of his lips against her own, each time he tangled his fingers in her hair, gently pulling the ties out; made it harder to remember that she was at work and that they should probably get back out there.

But it had been so long since they had been alone together…

And when RJ deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers? Oh…all logical thought went out the window and all Fran could concentrate on was the moment.

Perhaps giving in to her "inner hormonal teenager" wouldn't be so bad for a little while at least.

RJ laughed as he grabbed Fran's hands and whirled her around the loft, glad to be spending time with her again, this time on an actual break. This for the couple never really seemed to be any stretch of time that would line up between their schedules. At least, not while they were at work. "C'mon, princess! Dance with your humble knight!"

"RJ, I was hoping to use this time to study!" Fran laughed as she did her best to allow her body to move to the beat as the song that was blaring from RJ's speakers enthusiastically suggested.

"Can't I just help you with that after work?" Her boyfriend asked her as he moved his arms in a "pop and lock" motion.

"Actually I was thinking about doing something else tonight," Fran hedged.

"Oh?"

Stopping her dancing altogether, Fran smiled a bit bashfully as she said, "I was hoping I could steal Lily for the night and get to know her better with a little one on one girl time."

"She'd probably love that," RJ admitted. "It's been only a few months since coming here but I can kinda see that Lily's reaching her breaking point by being surrounded by guys twenty-four seven."

"Then it's settled, I'll take her to the mall if she's not too tired after work." Fran was about to move on to a different subject when a huge yawn escaped her instead.

RJ grinned teasingly. "Maybe you should say if you're not too tired after work."

She laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well actually."

Her boyfriend frowned at that. "Oh?"

Fran sighed, "Y'see, RJ, the thing is, I—"

"RJ!"

The couple jumped at the interruption though for once Fran found herself slightly grateful for it.

Lily bounded up the stairs and headed right for her mentor. "You need to talk to Theo. I've never seen him so upset."

"What happened?" Fran asked, concerned.

"He got beaten in combat," RJ answered for Lily with a little too much enthusiasm for either woman's taste. "It was ugly. Saw it on all five screens. Rewound it, watched it again with popcorn, still ugly!"

Fran scowled and smacked him on the arm. "RJ!"

To her annoyance, he only laughed. "I'll go talk to him."

Lily frowned and crossed her arms. "Now I'm not so sure if that's a good idea."

"I'll go talk to him," Fran volunteered. "I might not be able to say anything useful in terms of Pai Zhuq or being a Ranger but surely I can try to lift his spirits a little."

"Maybe it's better if Theo hears from someone who's not so deeply involved," Lily considered. "Granted, he chewed Casey out when he tried to help, but at least coming from Frannie any attempt to cheer him up won't sound rehearsed."

"Yeah, Casey does need a little help in the social skills department," RJ admitted.

"That'll be something to work on for another time," Fran said as she headed for the stairs. "In the meantime, Lily please go see if Casey needs any help with customers. RJ, to the kitchen with you!"

"Ooh, someone's being bossy," RJ teased yet he couldn't find it in himself to mind.

Fran huffed a laugh and shook her head as she made her way down the stairs. She walked over to the booth that Theo had yet to move from. "Mind if I sit here?"

He shrugged and kept his eyes on the back of the booth across from him.

Fran nodded and sat down. She pulled out her order notebook along with a pen and began doodling in it. Silence rang between the two for nearly fifteen minutes before Theo finally broke it, his voice heavy with skepticism. "You're really going to sit there wasting time?"

"You can call it wasting time, but I call it drawing," Fran replied. "You know, where one would use their imagination to turn lines of ink into art."

Theo snorted at that. "I definitely see that RJ's been an influence on you."

Fran smiled softly. "Maybe. Look, Theo. Just because you don't want to talk, it doesn't mean that I'm going to leave you alone. I may not know the specifics of what you're going through, but I'm here if you want to talk. I can listen."

Theo was silent for a long moment before finally nodding as he mumbled, "Thank you, Fran."

Ten minutes passed in silence, the only sound being the scratch of Fran's pen against her notepad as she continued to absently doodle. She glanced up when she saw Theo shift in his seat, his mouth opening and closing before he shook his head, seeming to give up. Apparently the Jaguar Ranger's strengths did not lie in opening up on an emotional level.

'Teenagers' RJ's wry voice floated through her mind. Yeah, but as if either one of the adults were really ones to talk?

She put down her pen and sat up straight, ensuring she had Theo's attention. "Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded warily.

"I have no idea what happened today," Fran began. "The only other person besides you and your friends who knows what happened is RJ. What I am beginning to know however is that you're rather hard on yourself. Why is that? Last I checked you were part of a team; you're not meant to carry everyone and be the sole warrior. Not even Casey is meant to do that and he's the red Ranger."

Theo dropped Fran's gaze and pressed his lips into a thin line. Fran patiently waited for him to either say or do something when he blew out a heavy sigh. "I thought you were studying to be a librarian, not a psychologist," he griped though there was no hint of scorn in his voice.

Fran smiled innocently. "Reading people isn't always too different from reading books so long as you know what contextual clues to look for."

Theo huffed out a weak laugh and Fran was hard pressed to not count the small smile that cracked across his face as a victory…yet. "I've kinda…always been hard on myself."

She didn't say anything, letting Theo be the one to set the narrative to his own tale. "I have a twin," Theo admitted and that bit of news sent her eyebrows into her bangs before she winced.

"Did your parents compare the two of you often?"

"Oh yeah," Theo confirmed. "I know that they love me, but that never really stopped them from putting my brother Luan, on a pedestal. 'Theo why can't you get grades as high as Luan's? Theo why aren't you musically inclined like your brother? Theo why don't you have ambitions as high as your brother's?"

He sighed heavily before looking somewhat sheepish. "I thought I was finally out of his shadow once I started attending the Academy of the Order but I think the damage was already done."

"You felt like you had to work that much harder even though your parents sent you to a school they would largely be shut out from?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

Fran remained silent and Theo didn't seem to be all that inclined to keep the conversation going. It seemed to the JKP manager that Theo pushed himself to his limits and when he met those, most likely went beyond them. Or at least he tried to; she mentally amended as she recalled her boyfriend cheerfully telling her that Theo had gotten his butt kicked in battle.

She bit her lip in worry. It seemed to her that Theo was giving up after one defeat in battle. Casey had been angry and upset when Camille had gotten the upper hand on him several weeks ago, but as far as RJ had mentioned, he didn't considering walking away from the war against Dai Shi.

So why was she reading that exact intention in Theo's doleful eyes?

Fran tentatively reached out and gently patted Theo's hand. He didn't look back at her but he didn't pull his hand away either. A victory in her book.

"I'm going to see if RJ needs any help in the kitchen. Do you want me to send Lily over to just sit with you?"

He shook his head. "I'll be fine."

She nodded once and stood before silently making her way over to the kitchen.

RJ glanced up from where he was making a "Banana'Rama" pizza in time to see the door swing open allowing his girlfriend to walk in. "How's he doing?"

Fran looked deeply concerned. "Not good," she admitted. "Granted, I might be jumping to conclusions, but RJ, I don't think he wants to be a Ranger anymore."

"After one bad fight?" He asked her incredulously.

"He's very hard on himself," Fran revealed. "It's stemmed from pressures placed on him from his family when he was a child; pressures he's carried his entire life."

RJ snorted and Fran smiled sympathetically. She knew without question that he could relate.

He headed for the door. "I'll go talk to him."

"Be nice."

His jaw dropped, a look of offense on his face. "I'm always nice!"

Fran looked at him pointedly. "You, my love, have a 'charming' habit of giving people backhanded compliments!"

RJ let out a theatrically scandalized gasp. "Name one time!"

Fran held up a hand and began ticking off examples. "When Casey questioned his worth of being the red Ranger and your response was 'well, you are the one the morphing grid chose'; when Lily was nervous about handling a delivery on her own you told her she was the best person for the job because she was literally the only one available; when—"

RJ clasped his hands over his girlfriend's and sent her a bemused smile. "I believe I requested only one example Your Royal Sassiness."

She gave him the haughtiest look she could muster. "And don't you forget. Now go help Theo and be kind."

"I will."

'Well,' RJ thought to himself wryly as he scanned the dining room for his despondent student. 'It would be helpful if I could actually find Theo.'

Yet Theo was nowhere to be found. The seating area of Jungle Karma Pizza wasn't that big to begin with and with a mere two minutes of searching RJ came to the conclusion that the young man definitely wasn't there.

Concern settled into his stomach. Theo wouldn't actually leave, would he? The poor kid, one bad fight didn't mean that he wasn't worthy—

RJ jumped when Casey interrupted his thoughts, speaking from behind him. "If you're looking for Theo, I saw him head upstairs as soon as Fran went into the kitchen. Probably brooding in his room."

RJ clapped a hand on the Tiger Ranger's shoulder in thanks before making his way up the stairs. He quickly found his missing student kneeling on the largest training mat in the center of his loft. A cat toy was in his hand, he teased Smoky and Gouda with the toy's feathered end before deftly snapping it away from their reach.

The kittens seemed enthralled with the game, their bodies coiled, poised to pounce, their eyes completely focused on the feather. Theo himself was calm as if this was merely a game, yet the precision with which he used to flick his wrist to send the toy away and the concentrated air about him as he timed his movements was a complete reflection of the cats in front of him.

'Stealth of a jaguar', RJ thought with a hint of pride.

He allowed himself to enter Theo's field of vision and sat down, folding his legs into the lotus position. "Fran fears you're giving up," He addressed his spiritually wayward student without preamble. "Is she right?"

Theo shrugged, keeping his attention on Smoky and Gouda.

"You're embarrassed about the battle from earlier, aren't you?"

Theo shot him a heated stare that all but demanded from him, what do you think?

"It was ugly," RJ agreed with a sage nod, only to earn a snort from Theo. "It doesn't mean that you shouldn't be involved anymore."

"Says you."

Ah, so his student did remember how to speak. "Yeah, says me. I'm the one who gave you your morpher, remember?"

"Yup."

RJ tilted his head, trying to catch Theo's eye. "And you really don't think you're worthy of the morpher?"

The look in the Theo's eye was dull, resigned. "You could probably find someone else better to be the blue Ranger."

Hm. Perhaps tough love would be the way to get through to the kid. RJ nodded and held out his hand. "Okay then. Give it back."

Ah, that had gotten Theo's attention as he looked at RJ startled. "Wh…what?"

"I'm serious," RJ said. "If you think I can find someone better suited to be the blue Ranger then I'm going to need that particular morpher back in order to give it to your replacement." He waggled his fingers in emphasis.

Theo slowly slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the pair of sapphire blue sunglasses that doubled as his morpher. His hand trembled as he held them out to RJ. He didn't know what to feel when RJ didn't take them.

"Do you remember when nearly three months ago I handed you that very morpher? What was it you said?"

Theo hesitated, a flush coming to his cheeks as he remembered the words that RJ wanted him to focus on. Without looking at his mentor he quoted himself; "I always wanted to be a Power Ranger."

"Exactly," RJ said. "You wanted to be a Power Ranger, probably since childhood, right?"

When Theo nodded he continued. "Being a Power Ranger isn't some sort of symbol of perfectionism. Being a Ranger means that you have the passion, the skill, and the commitment to do your part in protecting the city and possibly the world.

"In the case of a Pai Zhuq student, being a Ranger helps emphasize what you already embody in terms of the balance between the human and animal spirit realms as well as being partnered with the Jaguar spirit specifically."

RJ reached out and closed Theo's hand over the morpher, keeping his hand over his student's. "The morphing grid may have decided that you were best suited to become the blue Ranger but I'm the one who thought that you were worthy of the Power to begin with. I have faith in you. Casey and Lily—"

Whatever RJ had been about to say was interrupted by the sound of Lily's cry of pain blaring through the televisions. Both men stood up and hurried over to the city monitors just in time to witness both Lily and Casey being quickly overpowered by Dai Shi's newest pawn.

"When it comes to your decision on whether you want to remain a Ranger, I have all day to wait," RJ told Theo grimly. "Lily and Casey do not."

Theo looked down at the morpher that he still held, tightly clenched in his hand. RJ believed in him, Lily and Casey believed in him; heck, he knew that Fran also believed in him. He was part of a team and it would be okay if he couldn't carry everyone, he would learn to rely on them.

Eventually, he supposed, he would also learn that being a Power Ranger didn't mean that his team would automatically win a battle. Defeat was a bitter tasting thing to consider, but it didn't mean the end of the city, the end of the war.

Now to get to his friends so they could win.

"I'm on it."

RJ watched the battle, noticing the shift in the proverbial tide toward his students' favor with the beginnings of a fierce pride as Theo seemed to quickly come into his own as a warrior who was part of a team and who didn't need to shoulder the burden of defeat on his own.

As RJ continued to watch while ruminating over the day's events, his mind snagged on the memory of Casey also suffering for taking on too much, which he felt that he needed to do as the team's leader even though he was also part of a team.

The young mentor frowned.

Seriously was Lily the only one who understood the meaning of being a team player?

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking me to the mall, Frannie!" Lily gushed as she hugged her friend tightly.

"You're very welcome!" Fran laughed as she returned the embrace.

"I can't remember the last time I've been shopping!" Lily spun in a circle, taking in the stores before her. "Probably before entering the Academy!"

"Really?"

"Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration," Lily admitted. "But I know it's been a long time since the last time I went with a friend!"

"I'm honored to be the friend you're with for your first time back," Fran said. She nodded toward a large boutique for young women around their respective ages. "Want to look around here first?"

"Sure!"

The pair perused the aisle, Lily flitting from clothing rack to shoe display while Fran moved at a slightly more sedate pace, taking in each of the fashion items. Fran was in the middle of examining a faux-leather messenger bag—her own backpack was a little more than worn around the edges—when Lily bounced over with a wide grin on her face and a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Fran's own smile was bemused. "Yes?"

"What if we had a small contest to see who can pick out the craziest outfit?"

"Who's going to be the judge?"

Lily opened her purse and pulled out a small camera. "The boys, eventually."

Fran shrugged. "Works for me!"

"Okay, so we take two minutes to make an outfit," Lily explained. "Top, bottom and any accessories and then we change so we can take the picture."

"You're on!"

The friends split off, darting around the store to try and create the craziest outfit possible. Fran snatched random clothing items and all but threw herself into an empty changing room. She giggled as she changed into her outfit, hardly aware of what she was putting on. She had never done anything so odd and random, not even when she was spending time with the girls from Briarwood!

"Ready when you are, Frannie!" Lily called from outside of her dressing room.

"That was fast."

Lily laughed and seconds later Fran heard her phone buzz with a text notification. Fishing it from within her purse, she flipped it open to read a message from Lily.

Speed of a cheetah ;)

Fran bit her lip in a desperate attempt to hold back the guffaw that bubbled up in her throat. Shaking her head, she tossed her phone back into her purse. She took a breath and stepped out of the dressing room. Upon laying eyes on Lily, the laughter that she had tried holding back burst out in full force. The Cheetah Ranger was clad in a loud outfit straight out of an eighties music video: A cheetah print tank top that was so bright pink one could consider the shade to be violent was overlaid on a nearly equally loud purple long sleeved shirt. Her legs were clad in a denim miniskirt that was threaded with a neon green tiger striped belt while her feet remained in the sneakers she had worn earlier. A blue beret sat jauntily on her head, completing the look.

"So?" Lily spun in a circle. "Is this crazy or what?"

"So crazy that the nineteen eighties called and they're demanding that entire outfit back."

Lily snickered before looking at Fran. "Your outfit looks a bit more like proper clothes than mine do."

"You think?" Fran glanced down at her own fashion concoction. She wore a black top that sat across her shoulders, a vintage-looking fairy perched on a log was the image displayed in a circle in the middle. A dark pink knee-length skirt edged in lace and decorated in roses flared from her hips. A chain belt wrapped around her waist with a bedazzled teacup sitting on the dangling end. Like Lily, Fran opted to keep her sneakers on.

"It's cute!" Lily declared. "Maybe not altogether, but definitely individually. Like, that top with jeans or the skirt but with a solid colored shirt." She tilted her head, musing. "What would you call that look?"

Fran studied her outfit again, pondering. "Punk rock Wonderland?" She ventured.

"I like it! But it's missing something."

"What?"

Lily spun around and headed over to an accessories table, Fran following and feeling semi-self-conscious in her clothes. Lily perused the various necklaces, earrings and bracelets before pulling out a pewter choker with an antique finished heart-shaped lock.

Fran looked at it and arched an eyebrow. "Off with her head?" She quipped.

"It does fit the Wonderland theme," Lily cajoled.

"I already have on two necklaces but what's a third?" Fran asked rhetorically as she reached for the choker and snapped it around her neck.

"Ooh, this too!"

Seeing that Lily was holding up a small, plastic tiara Fran deadpanned, "Really hammering home this theme, eh? I regret saying anything about Wonderland."

"Aw, c'mon Fran, it's cute!"

Fran let out a long suffering sigh but allowed Lily to place it atop of her loose chestnut curls. "There, now your look's complete!" Lily declared while fishing her camera out of her bag. She turned the device on before flipping it around so the lens was focused on her and Fran whom she pulled close. "Smile!" she encouraged before offering the camera her own beaming grin.

Fran laughed, her wide grin captured when Lily snapped the picture. She then turned the camera over so the pair could look at the digital image. "I dunno about you, Frannie, but I think we look fabulous."

"Absolutely."

"I'll ask the boys their opinion tonight," Lily went on. "But we should probably either pay for some of this stuff or put it back because I think we're getting looks from the staff."

Glancing around, Fran saw that Lily was right and that they were getting a mix of amused and annoyed looks from the cashiers. Blushing slightly, Fran started heading back toward the changing room. "I think I might get the skirt," she admitted.

"You should get the top too."

"I dunno…" Fran said doubtfully. "It's kinda revealing, isn't it?" She gestured, making note of the fact that her bra straps were exposed by the top's cut.

"Wear a camisole underneath," Lily advised.

"That's a good point," Fran agreed with a laugh. "What about you? Keeping anything?"

"I do like the beret. Everything else seems kinda loud."

"What, you don't wanna 'blind' the boys?"

Lily guffawed and shook her head. "Nah, I'll play nice just this once. I'll meet you at the register?"

"See you there."

Once Fran and Lily were in line to pay for the clothes they decided to keep, Fran's attention was grabbed by a rack of skirts that were nearby the cashier station. The skirt was black satin covered in red roses that looked to be dripping with blood. It was of a tighter fit than what Fran was comfortable with but she was searching through the rack anyway.

"It's not for me," She explained when she caught Lily's surprised look out of the corner of her eye. "My friend Vida seems like she'd like something like this." She paused and frowned when she remembered a fact about her vivacious, rebellious friend. "Never mind, it'd clash horribly with her hair; it's pink."

She ran a finger over the skirt's smooth material, considering. "Leelee though…her birthday is coming up." Fran laughed then shook her head. "Nah, she'd kill me."

"Why's that?"

Fran hesitated before smiling apologetically. "That's not something I can tell you unfortunately."

Lily pouted at that. "Aw, why not?"

"It's not necessarily my story to tell."

"Boo."

Fran chuckled. "Yeah, that was pretty much RJ's reaction when it came to a similar story."

Lily gasped theatrically. "You're keeping secrets from your boyfriend?" She lightly swatted her friend. "Francesca!"

"Maybe one day I can tell you guys everything," Fran offered. "But right now I don't have permission so my lips need to stay sealed."

Lily acted particularly put out by her friend's words. "Fine." She glanced at her warily. "RJ hasn't given you any grief over that has he?"

Fran snorted. "The only thing RJ has given me grief over in the entirety of our relationship thus far is when I manage to beat him to the last of the rocky road."

"A devastating betrayal to be sure."

"Right?!" Fran laughed as she placed her items on the counter to be rung up.

Once their purchases were made and they headed out of the store, Lily continued the conversation. "Is there anything you give him grief for?"

"Constantly beating me to the remote," Fran replied immediately. "It's those damn long legs of his!"

"Oh tell me about it!" Lily complained. "Beating him in DDR is nearly impossible! He always gets those complex combinations."

"That doesn't surprise me. I'll be he even practices when he's actually supposed to be keeping an eye on your battles."

"I don't think he does," Lily laughed. "But let's not put it past him either!"

Fran giggled for a minute before sobering up. "I guess I should stop throwing the man I love under the proverbial bus, eh?"

"Yeah probably."

They walked in companionable silence, heading toward the food court. "What're you in the mood for?" Fran asked Lily.

Lily's eyes lit up when they landed on a Japanese kiosk. "Sushi?"

"I'm more of a teriyaki girl myself, but okay."

Twenty minutes later, Fran was halfway through her meal when Lily asked her a question. "So how long were you and RJ friends for before you became a couple?"

Fran paused, chopsticks halfway to her mouth as she mentally calculated the time between she and RJ became friends and when they became a couple. "About…two and a half months give or take a week."

Lily looked at her in surprise. "That's practically a whirlwind romance!"

"I think that only applies if we're getting married," Fran pointed out before laughing. "And that's definitely a conversation that won't be happening any time soon."

"Why not?"

"Well for starters, RJ and I have only been dating since last July and it's the middle of March now; that's only eight months. Besides, the last time marriage was brought up, it was because his mom was teasing him but RJ definitely looked like he was seconds away from passing out."

"Too much too soon?"

"Exactamundo." Fran examined Lily curiously. "Why are you asking?"

Lily laid her chopsticks across her empty plate before twisting her fingers together, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Do you remember when we first really talked and I asked you if it was okay with being in a relationship with someone who had studied Pai Zhuq?"

"I remember."

"Well, I…might have feelings for someone who has studied Pai Zhuq."

Fran grinned at that. "Oh? One of the boys?"

Lily nodded, a shy smile spreading across her face. "Theo. We've been having some really…nice moments that just fill me with warmth and excitement when we talk and spend time with one another but it also makes me kind of nervous."

"Crushes do evoke those kinds of feelings."

"Yeah but it feels more complicated than that," Lily continued. "He's been one of my best friends since childhood and what if something goes wrong in the relationship that causes me to lose him altogether?"

She lowered her voice and added, "What about the Ranger bit? What if all of those books and movies are right and I end up focusing on watching his back instead of Casey's and vice versa? We're a team and I don't want to knock any of us off balance."

Fran hummed in contemplation as she bought herself time to find the best advice she could offer Lily.

"Take things slow," she began. "You've only just discovered what you believe to be romantic feelings for Theo. You've got to be sure that what you're experiencing really is a crush. Once you're sure with your heart, then talk to Theo. Really talk to Theo about how you're his friend but you also want to see if it's possible to move forward with a romantic relationship.

"Make sure he's on the same page with you and that this isn't unrequited. If you two do end up going forward then talk with him about remembering to keep Ranger duties and the partnership that is your relationship as separate as possible."

Fran took a sip of her drink before continuing. "And if you two start dating, you're gonna need to speak to HR."

Lily was bemused. "H…R…?"

"Human resources," Fran replied, completely serious. "You two work together and you work for RJ. As your friend who is also your manager, I need to let you know that this could be a liability to the company."

Lily stared at her with wide blue eyes and a suddenly nervous expression on her face. "Really? A liability? But you and RJ are…" She trailed off when she saw the laughter in Fran's eyes and narrowed her own. "Oh!" She huffed. "You're just messing with me!"

"I am," Fran confirmed with a laugh. "Seriously though, RJ will probably be happy for you guys and just give you more or less the same Ranger spiel that I gave you."

Lily groaned into her soda, annoyed that she had fallen for Fran's charade. "You and RJ are made for each other."

"Yeah," her friend beamed. "We are."

It was nearly eleven o'clock that night when Fran and Lily returned to JKP. "I don't know about you Lily, but I had a lot of fun tonight!"

"I did too."

Fran wrapped her in a hug. "Get some rest darlin' and I'll see you tomorrow."

Lily pulled out of the embrace with a startled expression. "'Darlin''?"

Fran smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's one of the random sweet nothings most of my friends and I give each other whenever we say hello or goodbye. Too weird?"

"It's not weird," Lily assured her. "I actually really liked that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The two exchanged another hug. "Good night!"

"Night!"

"Text us when you get home!" Lily called to Fran as she continued to walk back to her car. Fran waved her agreement over her shoulder.

When she arrived home, Fran indeed texted both Lily and RJ to let them know that she had made it home safely. Her boyfriend texted her back immediately. Great! Thanks for taking Lily out, she had a blast. By the way, my queen ;) we need to do a random costume contest on our next date.

Fran snorted at RJ's words and replied: Shall our next date be at a Ren Faire or a convention then dear knight? :P 3

Both was RJ's answer. Fran laughed and shook her head. Her phone then vibrated with Lily's response. Glad you made it home safe Frannie! We need to hang out again soon! Love you! Good night! 3

Fran's heart was filled with light and glee at Lily's text, glad to have made their friendship stronger. She would definitely be having a good night.

Well…Fran would be having a good night, if she didn't find herself hurtled through her subconscious and back in the mysterious oasis she had found herself in over a month ago. She was nearly assaulted by the screams and cries of the animal spirits, the sounds coming from nearly all around her, all but bowling her over from the sheer force of their desperation. Their need.

The problem was that Fran couldn't see any of the animals, had no idea where the source of the cries were coming from. She was standing in the oasis, she knew that but instead of it being a gorgeous, sunny day, this dream had the environment shrouded in a rolling white haze.

She ran forward, plunging herself into the foliage, trying to find someone, anyone who could give her answers. Someone she could calm down long enough to tell her what the hell was going on; to explain why she of all people was the one they were demanding to stand up. To rise and fight. Most importantly she wanted to know why the spirits felt the need to harass the aspiring librarian and not RJ who actually had experience as a Pai Zhuq master and would more than likely be the best fit to help.

"Hello?" Fran yelled. "Hellooooo?! Is anyone really out there? Who are you! Please tell me what you want from me!"

Fran continued to call out to the animal spirits until her throat ached as she ran yet she still could not see a soul no matter how far she ran; the haze thick enough to conceal her sight from everything. She was powerless to do anything to actually help them.

All she could do was hear their cries and commands; feel their pain and desperation as real and as solid as the haze that clung to her clothes and skin that threatened to swallow her whole.

Finally something forced Fran from her subconscious, forcing her back into reality. She awoke with a strangled gasp as she shot upright in her bed. She fought to catch her breath as tears pricked her eyes, the despair of the animal realm falling around her like an ethereal cloak that threatened to smother her. It felt like hours had passed before calm and silence returned to her mind once more.

Fran lived alone, her apartment dark and empty. She was awake and yet she felt compelled to somehow reach out to the animal spirits, to say something, anything.

"I don't know what it is you want from me," she began in a frank yet quiet voice. "I don't know how it is that I can even begin to help you; but I want to. Somehow, some way I will find you and I will help you."

Fran released a long, shaky breath. Deep down she felt that despite her boyfriend's best intentions and hopes, she was about to be dragged into this war against Dai Shi and she would fight to help save the world of the animal spirits. She looked down at her hands which were still knotted in her blanket, same as the last time she had woken up from such a vivid dream. She smiled resignedly.

It was time to talk to RJ.

A/N: I don't know why I keep hammering home on team work, I really don't. I'm sorry if that annoys you guys ^^'

I'm also sorry if you were expecting the training scene in the woods. I was feeling very lazy and didn't want to watch the show. Terrible, right? ;) However even I wasn't expecting RJ to tell Theo to give back his morpher. Some scenes just write themselves. Like the random outfit competition, that definitely wasn't planned.

Fran joining the front lines of the war? But how? Why? Only myself and one other know the answers to that but soon you guys will know too. Just a few more chapters, promise :)

Please read and review! They encourage and inspire me!