Calculated Risk

Disclaimer: I own nothing beyond this fanfic.

Chapter 15: Francesca Rossi's Day Off Part II—Truths Revealed

Twenty minutes after dealing with the smoke alarm fiasco and settling down three incensed teenagers, RJ was finally able to make his way upstairs. He was greeted by the scent of pancakes sizzling on the griddle and bacon crisping in the frying pan. Fran had her back to him, as she focused on what she was crafting in the kitchen. RJ grinned as he watched Fran expertly flip the pancakes with one hand while cracking eggs into a different pan with the other. As Fran added salt and pepper with a deft flick of her wrist, RJ stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist.

Fran froze at the unexpected contact before smirking and lightly smacking RJ's arm. "You do realize we're standing near rather hot surfaces, right?"

RJ buried his grin into her shoulder, inhaling her floral scent before he casually replied, "Well, obviously. I've got my arms wrapped around one." His grin became wider as he listened to her embarrassed huff and earned himself another swat on the arm.

"Oh..." Fran floundered for a sassy response. "You."

"Me," RJ agreed with a chuckle, before popping a kiss on her cheek. He observed the full stove before them. "You got a lot done fast."

"Breakfast food hardly takes any time to make," Fran said as she flipped the eggs before shutting off the burner to the frying pan cooking the pancakes while snapping off the griddle. "Help me with the plates?"

"Sure."

RJ gently squeezed her once more around the waist before stepping away to grab the plates from his cabinet above the sink. He fished the silverware out of the drying basket that had been placed on the counter before passing Fran the plates, allowing her to slip the food onto them before they burned from lingering heat. He stole a kiss before making a stop at the fridge to grab syrup. Both he and Fran enjoyed a healthy amount of maple goodness on their pancakes, the more sugar, the better.

Once seated at the table, RJ proceeded to nearly drown his pancakes in syrup before passing the bottle to his girlfriend knowing that while she also doused her pancakes, Fran had a more elegant approach. He took a large forkful of breakfast and shoved it into his mouth, chewing happily. As he did, he heard Fran trying to stifle a giggle. He turned to her, an inquisitive look on his face. "I, uh, take it that the phrase 'wolf it down' applies literally here?" she asked lightly, unable to hide the large, teasing smile from her face.

RJ blushed and swallowed his food. He grabbed a glass of orange juice Fran had poured earlier and took a gulp of it before explaining himself. "One, your food is awesome, and I was starving-"

"Right," Fran smirked.

"It's true!" RJ mock protested. "Anyway, two, I always practically inhale pancakes. I think I've been doing it since my time at the Academy."

"What, would the other kids threaten to steal your pancakes or something?"

"Dom would, without hesitation." RJ paused, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. "Actually, I think Jarrod started to do that too. Inhale his food, I mean. After all, he was roommates with Dom too, and as fun as my friend is, he knows little about boundaries."

Fran looked at him confused. "Who's Jarrod?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"No...?"

RJ had the grace to look embarrassed. "Whoops. Jarrod is..." He grimaced at the thought of having to explain. Honestly, the whole thing felt messy and complicated.

Sensing RJ's discomfort Fran prompted, "Not exactly a friend of yours?"

"We were roommates," RJ explained. "At the Academy, along with Dominic. Sure, Jarrod and I got along well enough but..."

"You two weren't as close as you and Dom are."

"No," RJ admitted before taking a huge breath, gathering his courage of the Wolf in order to continue the conversation.

"There's a theory that Casey and I share," RJ revealed. "But it's not one that we've shared with the others just yet."

"Alright...what is it?"

"Do you remember how I told you that Dai Shi was an ancient spiritual being?"

Fran smiled wryly at her boyfriend. "How could I forget?"

"Well...he would need a body to inhabit in order to actually wreak havoc and destruction, wouldn't he?"

"That would be the most logical option for him," Fran quipped. She was silent for a minute as she thought over RJ's words, RJ giving her the time she needed to come to the conclusion herself.

Her amber eyes went wide as it hit her. "No way," she breathed. "You're saying that Dai Shi possessed your former roommate?!"

"I'm not a hundred percent certain," RJ admitted. "But the theory is definitely a strong contender for whatever the truth might be."

"I see."

Fran twirled a strand of hair that had fallen loose from its pigtail style as she glanced up at her boyfriend. "I guess it would be weird and rather sad to think of someone who was more or less...I don't want to say ordinary considering the school you went to, but someone who was human and who was innocent is now the vessel of this dark and terrible being who is known to cause devastation."

"And all because we're sitting here eating pancakes," RJ agreed as he eyed his fork with a sort of grim expression. He sat there contemplatively before throwing down his fork with a snort. "They're just pancakes!" He burst out.

"One would think they wouldn't lead to such a deep conversation," Fran offered lightly.

"Nope. And yet, here we are."

Fran leaned back as she took in the hard, frustrated set of RJ's jaw, the tightness of his mouth, and the fire in his eyes, so full of sadness and defiance.

She slowly reached for his hand, RJ's fingers curling tight around hers once she made contact. "Are you alright?" She asked gently.

"I'm angry," RJ admitted.

"About?"

RJ licked his lips as he thought about how to best phrase what was on his mind. "Do you remember around New Year's when I told you about all of this? About Pai Zhuq and Dai Shi and how I was meant to train the warriors that were destined to take him down?"

"How could I forget? I assume you're referring to a specific moment in that conversation though."

"I am," RJ nodded. "Do you remember the vision I had about Master Mao?"

Fran had to think back to several months ago. "You just brought up talking about becoming the Rangers' mentor..." She blinked as her memory latched onto a specific detail. "Are you referring to Master Mao calling himself about the catalyst to Dai Shi's return? And how he passed a few days later?"

"Yep."

RJ toyed with his fork as he tried to reign in his anger at the whole situation. "Jarrod and I may have been roommates, but I was a little bit older, and I graduated earlier. Granted, he and I had different life paths and therefore I could leave to make my way in the world while he still needed the Order. There was this position, an honored one; guardianship over the Sacred Box."

Fran stared at him. "You're kidding me."

He huffed out a slight laugh. "I'm not. Three students were then chosen at the end of a series of tests to become the newest Guardians, Jarrod among them. Unfortunately, while the guy possessed a lot of admirable qualities, there were times when his arrogance got the best of him, and he could well...act like a dick."

A disbelieving snort slipped from Fran's lips. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, he could be a bit of an ass," RJ admitted. He made a face, "Forgot about that when talking to Casey about him, which I suppose makes Case right about Jarrod. It's up in the air as to whether or not I'll be telling him that.

"Anyway, according to Casey, he and Jarrod clashed, Casey's tiger spirit decided to make its debut and because of his behavior, Master Mao threw Jarrod out."

Fran blinked. "He was expelled over one petty fight? Why not just remove him from the Guardian position? Or I dunno, suspend him? What, is the tiger spirit better than whatever spirit Jarrod had?"

"Jarrod has the lion spirit," RJ explained. "Though, one could argue that thanks to Dai Shi's presence, he also has a dragon spirit. Anyway, lion versus tiger wasn't entirely the reason for Jarrod's expulsion, at least, not how Casey and I see it."

Fran straightened in her chair, giving RJ her utmost attention. He shrugged before giving his theory without preamble. "Dai Shi was foretold to escape the box. That it was destined. Apparently, something needed a push."

Fran looked at him in horror. "Or someone."

RJ nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Exactamundo." He took a large breath before continuing. "Jarrod was so angry and hurt by his expulsion that, according to our friends, he charged into the Forbidden Chamber and attacked Master Mao, unleashing his lion spirit who had been charged by its partner's wrath."

Fran grimaced. "Did he...kill Master Mao?"

"According to our trio, no. Not exactly, in any case. From what they've told me, the Lion barreled into Master Mao, yes, but the spiritual rage that it had from feeding off Jarrod's own anger, was enough to unlock the Box and set Dai Shi free."

Fran paused with a look that could probably be described as confused horror. She was mortified by the whole situation and clearly wanted to say something but couldn't settle on anything that wouldn't come across as an empty platitude. Yet silence didn't seem like it was enough.

"Oh," was all she could offer.

RJ reached for her hand and squeezed it, needing the grounding contact. "Oh."

Fran bit her lip before venturing to ask, "It gets worse, doesn't it?"

Her boyfriend sighed through his nose, tightening his grip on her hand ever so slightly before continuing his story. "Apparently when he was freed, Dai Shi used ten thousand years of wrath to tear through Master Mao's spiritual energy all but eradicating it, after all, Mao used the last of it to instruct the others to come find me.

From what is purely speculation, not too long after Jarrod fled the scene, Dai Shi must have followed him thinking he would be the ideal vessel for him to use to plunge the world into darkness."

Fran was silent for a moment as she digested her boyfriend's tale, gathering her thoughts on the whole thing. "Hey, babe?"

"Hmm?"

"Remember how you told me that you had some of the best scary stories?"

He looked at her, bemused. "Yeah?"

"You were right."

RJ barked out a laugh and pulled her to him. "Hope you're not ready to go running for the hills. At least, not without me."

Fran smiled and tugged him to his feet. "C'mon, up," she said when he remained in place, a confused expression on his face.

When RJ rose, Fran began to lead him over to his recliner. "But the dishes..." RJ half-heartedly protested as Fran sat them both in the old chair.

"They can wait," Fran replied as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, cuddling closer when he returned the favor. "They're just dishes after all, a little soap, a little water and then they dry. Easy."

"But you cooked, I should-"

"Hey." Fran gently tilted RJ's head up, allowing her to look him in the eye. "Never mind the dishes, we're talking about you thinking if I'm gonna run for the hills. Whether you're joking or not, I'm not going anywhere. We're partners, RJ. Maybe officially this is your battle, but don't forget-"

She lifted her pendant and swung it lightly. "Once I have this all figured out, I'll be expected to join the fight. Even if I didn't have this... mystical destiny thing, I would still be by your side, no matter how scary things get."

RJ gave her a tight smile. "Not going to lie, part of me wishes you didn't have to get anywhere near the battlefield."

She arched an eyebrow and smirked. "I'm sorry, would you like to tell potentially hundreds of animal spirits if not more that they won't be getting to help take down Dai Shi?"

He held up his hands in a show of innocence. "Thanks, but no thanks, I'm good."

"Good."

She pressed her lips against his briefly before getting up to head to the table to grab the dishes. She squeaked when RJ surged up from the chair and had her back in his arms within seconds. "You call that a kiss?" He asked in mock disbelief.

She pointed to the table behind her. "Dishes, then homework."

Her boyfriend leaned in slightly. "Can't that wait a little?" He brushed his lips against hers.

Fran feigned annoyance. "Five minutes."

RJ grinned wickedly and closed the distance.

The couple shared several heated kisses before Fran eased back. "Homework," she informed him pointedly.

"That was definitely not five minutes!" RJ pouted.

Fran lightly poked him in the chest. "Last I checked, this was my day off, not yours and I'd like to graduate before I turn twenty-five."

That caught RJ's curiosity. "How much longer do you have?"

"If I'm diligent enough with my coursework? One more year."

"Well, you'll definitely be done before you're twenty-five since you turned twenty-three about eight months ago and you're still three months out before finals."

Fran smirked and gently pushed him away. "That won't be the case if we keep making out."

"You make it sound like we're gonna make out all day," RJ scoffed.

"We could if the Rangers defeat Dai Shi before summer break," Fran offered absently as she managed to spin out of her boyfriend's arms and grabbed the dishes off the table. She bit her lip, holding back a laugh as she walked toward the kitchen, practically feeling RJ's giddiness at her words.

She had been kidding—mostly.

"I could go get on their asses about that right now," RJ began. "But I have homework of my own to do."

She threw him a teasing smile over her shoulder. "Didn't you graduate several years ago?"

"I did," he confirmed. "But actually, this is for you."

"For me?"

"Thought I'd do some research on this mysterious pendant of yours and what it has to do with the animal spirit realm. Gotta be honest, it does ring a few bells." A beat. "Kinda."

Fran placed the last dish on the drying rack. "Shouldn't I be doing that?"

RJ waved her off. "No worries, I can at least get the ball rolling since you did say that the spirits have been quieter as of late."

"They keep talking about connecting the pieces," Fran said as she walked back over to him. She threw her hands up in exasperation. "I assume they mean literally but so far they've offered me no clues as to how to go about doing that."

RJ gently squeezed her shoulder. "Then let me do that while you handle your homework."

Fran smiled softly. "Thank you."

"Any time."

An hour into their respective tasks and the couple found themselves interrupted when Casey suddenly shouted, "I knew it! You two are having sex!"

The only contact shared between them was Fran's legs draped over RJ's lap as he studied the first in a pile of books next to him while Fran tapped away at her laptop.

Fran shot him a bemused stare before rolling her eyes when she took in the mischief twinkling in Casey's dark brown ones. RJ in the meantime kept his own gaze on his book as he deadpanned, "Really? Fran, why didn't you tell me? I'd have put my book down."

"Funny," Fran snorted, causing Casey to snicker at the pair. "A real classic." She shifted her gaze to her temporary replacement. "How's it going downstairs? Need any help?"

"I do," Casey confirmed with a nod. "With advertising!"

He lifted an adult-sized, cheaply made pizza costume with a flourish. "Who wants to try it on?"

Fran scoffed before turning to shoot RJ a warning look. "You make me wear that ridiculous thing and on my day off no less and you're sleeping on the couch."

"Please," RJ smirked. "I have my own room."

"I don't even want to know," Casey gagged.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" The couple snapped in unison.

"Anyway," the red ranger continued blithely, waving the costume. "Who's gonna be our new mascot?"

RJ rolled his eyes as he gently moved Fran's legs from his lap. "We don't need a mascot," he said. He studied the costume. "But I could make that work." He took it from his student and held it against him. He waggled his eyebrows at his girlfriend. "I could make it sexy."

"You wish," Fran snorted.

"Could you two please stop talking like that?" Casey begged; face flushed with embarrassment, seconds away from clapping his hands over his ears. "I swear, it's like listening to parents talking about sex!"

"We're not necessarily talking about sex!" Fran protested.

"Yeah, and you should be so lucky!" RJ taunted as he chased after his student who made a beeline for the stairs. He upped the embarrassing behavior with exaggerated kissing sounds, the action causing Fran to topple over with laughter, shaking her head at her mate's shenanigans.

RJ grimaced slightly as he took in his reflection while wearing the costume that had been dubbed "Pepperochinito" according to the plastic packaging Casey had fished it from. Maybe making it look "sexy" was a bigger reach than he had originally joked about. The foam body was bulky and was too large for him, leaving it to hang awkwardly off his naturally lean frame. 'Well, at least the crust is actually sitting on my head and not over my eyes.' He glared at the foam toppings. 'There aren't even any banana peppers on here, the name doesn't make any sense!'

'Now,' he turned to contemplate the bathroom door. 'How to actually fit through the doorframe.'

It took a few minutes of wiggling, grunting and a few bruised limbs before RJ managed to free himself from the bathroom. With a groan, he shuffled himself along the hallway toward the door. Casey had wanted him to stand outside in the suit to drum up business, passing out paper menus and interacting with the passerby. He was a few feet away from the door when he found himself practically assaulted as a bright flash attacked his eyes and the sound of a camera shutter snapping sounded in his ears.

"What the hell?!" He demanded while scrubbing the dancing lights out of his vision.

"Sorry, RJ!" Lily's voice chimed from somewhere ahead of him. "Frannie had texted me asking for a picture."

"A little warning wouldn't have killed either one of us," RJ retorted. 'Can't believe I'm gonna have to start using the Swoop technique outside of Pai Zhuq matters now.'

"But where would the fun be in that?" Lily snickered. RJ rolled his eyes.

"I doubt you got a good shot."

Lily shrugged. "Guess we'll find out."

"Yeah, yeah," RJ waved her off. "Get back to work."

His student stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't be such a grump when trying to get the word out about this place."

"I'm fully capable of doing my job," RJ replied. "Now you go do yours or we're doing another round of Swoop Technique sparring."

That got Lily moving. "No need for threats," she said innocently. "I'm going." She headed for the kitchen.

"Wait!"

Lily turned back to face him, curious. "Yes?"

He smiled sheepishly and gestured toward the door. "Could you maybe open that for me? It's a little difficult to maneuver in this thing."

"I've got it." Lily slipped past him and held it wide open. "Be careful out there!" She teased. "Some weirdo could think you look a little too good!"

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," her teacher deadpanned.

"I try."

RJ lasted about an hour in the stifling heat, doing his best to garner interest in the nearby locale when he decided to retreat inside for a few moments to at least grab a bottle of water. It took him a couple of minutes to struggle past the door frame when he stumbled across his students unsurprisingly in the midst of an argument. He made his way over to the trio, catching the last bit of Casey's rant. "Then maybe we should all be managers for the day and stay out of each other's way!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

RJ pressed his lips together in an attempt to hold back the laughter that threatened to bubble forth. "Is everything okay?"

"IT'S FINE!"

With that, Casey, Lily, and Theo all split off in different directions, determined to handle the restaurant in their own individual manner. Once they were all out of earshot, RJ gave in and cracked up. "Yeah, like that'll work," he murmured to himself as he wriggled out of the stupid costume and unceremoniously kicked it into a supply closet. "I give that maybe, ten minutes tops."

He walked into the kitchen to grab himself a water bottle when he came across Theo who was hard at work organizing his orders, double checking what he had written on the paper tickets before grabbing what he needed to make each meal. RJ drained nearly half his bottle before addressing the otherwise dedicated younger man. "Need help?"

"One second…" Theo replied absently as he ensured that he had grabbed the alfredo sauce and not the marinara. Glancing up at his mentor, Theo grinned. "Sick of being our mascot already?"

"I can't even remember when I even bought that ridiculous thing or why."

"Halloween?"

"Please," RJ scoffed. "I could do a lot better. You good here? Need a break?"

"I'm okay," Theo assured him. "I kinda like being back here if I'm going to be honest."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Theo smirked. "Let's face it, I don't have the best social skills but in the kitchen; I don't have to worry about that. I can be precise while being given a chance to explore my creative side. For example!" He held up a finger before moving swiftly to the ovens where he extracted a pizza with a near flourish. Theo then fluidly brought it over to the counter where he presented it to RJ. "My entry for the contest!"

RJ looked at the pizza. He took in finely cut meat that had been stewed in a sauce that both looked and smelled familiar. "Is this adobo?" He asked while glancing up at Theo who nodded with a grin.

"My family is from the Philippines," he explained. "I thought I could attempt some sort of Italian-American-Filipino fusion style pizza."

"This is awesome!" RJ enthused as he continued to study the pizza, taking in the creative sort of pattern the toppings had formed on top of the pie, recognizing some of the vegetation and spices his student had used. "Can I try it?"

Theo nodded and went to grab the slicer when his morpher went off. Pulling the sapphire framed shades out of his pocket, Theo slipped them on to see what the problem was. "Uh-oh, there's an attack downtown."

"You grab Lily and Casey," RJ instructed. "I'll handle things in here."

"Thanks, RJ."

As Theo ran out of the kitchen, RJ picked up the pizza slicer and cut a piece of the Filipino fusion pizza. He bit into it and was instantly greeted with warmth and spice, but not so much that the other flavors were overpowered. "Definitely a contender," he mused to himself as he went about continuing Theo's other orders, proud of the growth and comfort his usually stoic student had been exhibiting in the moments before.

Two minutes passed before Fran joined him in the kitchen with more orders to be added to the growing pile. "Well, at least I can finally hear myself think," she teased.

"You heard all that yelling from before?"

"I thought about coming down to see what was going on," Fran admitted. "But considering that its my day off and nothing was on fire, I decided to keep studying."

"A wise decision," RJ laughed. He tilted his head as he watched her add a few pizzas to the oven. "Why aren't you still studying now?"

"I'm almost done with my paper, and I wanted to help," she explained. She turned to shoot him a grin. "I told you we're partners, I'm not about to leave you to run the whole show yourself when that hasn't been something for you to worry about in about five months."

RJ smiled gratefully. "Thank you for that, Fran. Truly."

She pressed a kiss to his cheek as she passed him, headed back toward the dining area. "Of course, babe."

It was in the late afternoon when the Rangers finally returned to Jungle Karma victorious. Fran and RJ were in the middle of getting the pizzeria ready for the dinner crowd when Casey approached them. "RJ…is there anyway I can give Fran back her managerial position? I don't think I'm meant for this."

Fran spoke before RJ could despite the latter being the actual mentor in the room. "I think you actually have potential, Casey."

He eyed her dubiously. "You do."

"Well, sure. I mean, you're the de facto leader of the Power Rangers, aren't you?"

"I mean, I guess, but what does that have to do with being in charge of this place?"

"What I think Fran is trying to get at," RJ interjected. "Is that you can think of being a manager as like being a team leader, just see the restaurant as a different battlefield."

"And that's a true comparison on certain days," Fran added.

"Definitely," RJ conceded with a grin. He looked back at Casey. "You know where the balance lies within the team, everyone's strengths and weaknesses. Where they would grow and thrive the best. It's just a matter of putting them in that particular spot."

"A good manager also knows when to ask for help," Fran continued. "You don't have to shoulder running this whole place by yourself. Especially when it comes to dealing with any difficult customers. RJ is the one with the final word at the end of the day after all."

RJ clapped a hand on Casey's shoulder. "Do you understand what we're saying?"

"Yeah," Casey nodded, managing a small smile. "I think I do."

"Great!" Fran beamed. "I can take back the manager's position for the dinner rush if you want, while you cool down from the battle?"

"Nah, I think I can handle tonight," Casey assured her. He turned to his friends. "Do you think you guys can give me another chance?"

"So long as you're actually in charge and we're not splitting everything three ways," Theo replied.

"Yeah, it would be nice to feel stretched thin," Lily said, completely missing the amused and exasperated look RJ and Fran shared.

"I promise, I'll put in all my best effort to be a good manager for you guys," Casey vowed.

"Well, if you guys are all settled," RJ began. "Should I reopen for the dinner crowd?"

"Let 'em in, RJ!" Casey agreed. He turned to Lily and Casey to start handing out assignments. "Lily, could you fire up the ovens?"

"Actually, Case," Theo interrupted. "I'd like to handle the cooking tonight if you don't mind? I enjoy being back there."

"Okay, sure thing, Theo," Casey nodded. "Would you mind if Lily or myself stepped in to help out if things got crazy? I know you tend to move to the beat of your own drum and have your own system for things."

"I wouldn't mind," the jaguar ranger assured him.

"Nice. Lily, could you then handle serving while I took care of hosting and dishes?"

"No problem, Case." She moved to grab her apron and a serving pad from the back.

Fran stood up straight, with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "Got any assignments for me, boss?" She asked, grinning, a cheeky twinkle in her eye.

"Your assignment is," Casey started, gently clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Is to continue enjoying your day off."

She blinked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?"

He winked at her. "I'm sure. Besides, if we really need the help, RJ's right here."

"Indeed, I am here," RJ replied. He then pointed his finger at Casey, pretending to be stern. "But don't think you'll be running me ragged, mister."

Casey rolled his eyes. "I won't."

"If that's the case," Fran began. "I think I'll head off. Gotta go get ready for class tonight anyway."

"I'll walk you out," RJ offered. She smiled her thanks.

"Don't get too sappy, you two," Casey teased.

"Zip it," the couple shot back in chorus.

Laughing, Casey dropped an arm around Theo's shoulders and began herding him toward Lily, most likely to both complain and laugh about their older friends.

Fran slipped into her class five minutes before the professor was due to walk in. She was hard pressed to keep the large smile off of her face as she desperately tried to smooth her hair that had been tangled by her boyfriend who had been rather determined to extend their "goodbye" for as long as possible. She swore her lips still tingled from having RJ's pressed against them.

"Having a good time over there?"

Fran jumped at the sudden appearance of the low, almost velvety voice that reached her ears. She turned to her right to find a blonde young woman with ice blue eyes and a smirk that managed to be both carefree and smug wiggling her fingers at her. Fran did a double take, blinking to make sure that her apparently new classmate wasn't in fact, Leelee. She shook her head, remembering that Leelee was in fact, going to a community college in Briarwood with her something of a boyfriend Xander.

Forcing a polite smile onto her face, Fran replied, "I'm in my favorite class. I'm having a great time."

Her classmate smiled, a grin that was just a little too sharp and calculated. She held out a hand. "I'm Cam...ryn. Camryn."

Noting the stumble over her name but deciding not to comment on it for the moment, Fran held out her own hand. "Fran."

They shook hands and then faced the front once the professor walked into the room. The lecture began and the time for socializing for Fran came to an end as she studiously began taking notes. It was an ancient civilizations art history class, the lecture starting off on an artifact from Romania; delving into the lore of Vlad Tepes III A.K.A Vlad "the impaling prince".

Biting back a smile over the subject matter, Fran recalled a time she had been in Briarwood visiting her cousin and her friends. A fictional book with a vampiric cast had been open in her lap. Nicki had slipped up behind her and peered at the book over her shoulder. "Please," the former queen of vampires had scoffed. "There's so much they get wrong no matter who the author is and no matter whether they try to be factual or not."

Fran had smiled wryly as she held up her book. "Or not."

Nicki plopped down next to her. "Anything you wish to know about vampires, you come to me. I might not be queen any more or even inclined to that sort of life but," she tapped her head. "It's hard to be rid of ten millennia worth of memories. I still have them."

Admittedly, Fran had been intrigued. "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer one day."

Looking off into the distance where Leelee appeared to be arguing with Xander, yet anyone who knew them also knew that it was their way of flirting. "She's more like her aunt than she realizes and not just in appearance." Nicki murmured.

Fran arched a brow at her words. "You have a sister?"

"I haven't seen her in ten thousand years," Nicki admitted. "We had very different lives to lead." She snorted. "Very different beings to serve."

Fran shook away the memory and forced herself to focus on her class. In the margin of her notes however, she made sure to pen a reminder to call Nicki to discuss her lessons in any case. Nicki's last words about different beings to serve along with Leelee bearing a strong resemblance to her aunt lingered in her mind. As casually as she could, Fran flicked her gaze over to Camryn, still only seeing Leelee when she looked at her. She tried to stare harder without making it seem obvious, trying to see who the woman was beyond the surface. What she wanted others to see.

Very different beings to serve…and it had been ten thousand years since the woman who had once gone by the identity of Necrolai, Queen of the Vampires had seen her sister…

Frowning at the familiarity it of it all, despite the pieces not quite clicking in place, like an itch she couldn't scratch, Fran submitted herself to paying attention to the rest of the class in half a daze. Her pendant was warm, as if it was trying to point her in the direction of the answer, yet the spirits were silent.

Fran perked up at the mention of a research project. They were meant to work in pairs on a five-page double-spaced essay on three artifacts from a civilization of their choice. Fingers tapped her shoulder and she found herself staring into the cold, analytic blue depths of Camryn's gaze. "Partners?" She asked, holding her hand out once more.

Fran glanced down at the proffered hand, before studying the face that was so, so familiar and not just because it looked like the twin of her friend's.

Camryn smirked. "Something on my face?" No, but that didn't answer Fran's question about why she looked so familiar, like she had seen her before. She took in Camryn's poise, the almost manicured way she held herself. So familiar.

Suddenly her memory replaced the blonde hair with black, almost naturally and just like that, everything made sense. Fran had seen this woman. A number of times, actually. Both she and RJ and undoubtedly the Rangers had seen her before. She couldn't scare her away into another partner.

Aware that her smile was a touch too wide to be genuine but uncaring, Fran shook Camryn's hand with a firm grip. "Partners." She agreed. "And sorry for zoning, I had a long day at work before I came here."

"Now that, I can understand completely."

Fran offered to meet up at the library with Camryn the following afternoon. Watching the woman sashay away, she immediately whipped her cell phone out of her pocket and slammed the speed dial button that corresponded to her boyfriend's number. When he answered, she willed her voice not to shake. "Hey…can you come pick me up from school? I took the bus…it was a nice evening out. A-anyway…We need to talk."

"Well, that's something every boyfriend wants to hear," RJ joked but Fran can hear the worry in his voice anyway and it's honestly enough to make her own worries dissipate a touch.

"We're fine," she assured him. "But still…there's something we need to discuss, and I'd feel much better if you were here now to do so."

"I'm on my way."

Not twenty minutes later, Fran saw the JKP delivery jeep pull up to the front of the history building. RJ jumped out and swiftly moved to her side. "You okay?"

Wordlessly, she jumped into his arms, heaving a sigh as she sank into his embrace. RJ wrapped his arms tight around her. A minute passed before he broke the silence. "Fran, you're shaking." Leaning back, he brushed a stray hair from her face. "What's wrong?"

She opened her mouth, but paused, unsure of how to tell RJ what was going on without sounding crazy. "I think my school, my art history class specifically, was…infiltrated."

RJ looked shocked at that. "Meaning?"

Taking a breath, Fran shared her theory with him. "There was this new girl in my class, her name is Camryn. But when she introduced herself, she kinda stumbled over her name. Like her real name is something else but she decided to call herself Camryn at the last second. Not to mention that she looked familiar, like really familiar. Honestly, I thought she was my friend Leelee from Briarwood but she's not. Then the lecture turned out to be about Romania and vampire lore which of course had me thinking about Nicki because—"

"Fran," RJ interrupted, an amused smile on his face. "Breathe."

Fran took a deep breath, laughing slightly as she exhaled. "Been a while since you've told me that."

"Been a while since I needed to. Now, why were you thinking about Nicki?"

Fran winced as she looked up at him. "Did I ever tell you that she once went by the name of Necrolai? And that she was the Queen of Vampires?"

RJ stared at her for a full moment in complete shock. "Um, no," he spluttered. "You definitely did not! How in the world did you even know that?"

Fran bit her lip, pondering over her options before deciding to bite the bullet and beg her cousin for forgiveness later. She threw her hands up as she blurted out, "Because I'm friends with the Mystic Force Rangers!"

Well, if her boyfriend wasn't shocked before, he was now. "Come again?"

Sighing wearily, Fran confessed, "My cousin Chip is the yellow ranger. Vida, Maddie, Nick and Xander make up the rest of the team."

Another moment of stunned silence passed before RJ finally squeaked, "I think we need to have the rest of this conversation in the car."

Nodding meekly, Fran followed him to the jeep and hopped in when he held the door open for her. He drove them to a secluded part of the parking lot before turning the vehicle off and pulling her into a hug. "Thank you for telling me," He murmured. "That must have taken some huge amount of courage."

"You have no idea," Fran sighed. She leaned away and eyed him warily. "You're not mad?"

"Not really," RJ shrugged. "I remember you telling me that there was a secret that you were aware of but at the same time not one that was yours to tell. I take it that was it?"

Fran nodded.

"Then we're good," RJ grinned. "Now, what does the former, I'm hoping former in any case, queen of the vampires has to do with your classmate Cam but not really Camryn?"

"She looks exactly like Leelee, Nicki's daughter," Fran began. "Like, identical to her. But deep down I knew it wasn't her and as the lesson went on, I remembered Nicki remarking that Leelee looked and apparently acted like her aunt. It was the first time she had ever mentioned her sister. She then went on to say that she and her sister led very different lives and served very different people.

"Nicki also mentioned that she hadn't seen her sister in about ten thousand years."

"That's about for how long Dai Shi had been sealed away for," RJ remarked thoughtfully.

"That's also for how long the Master was sealed away for, according to Chip," Fran commented.

RJ glanced at her. "You think this Camryn is Nicki's sister?"

"I don't just think that, when I got a good look at her, my mind immediately pictured her with black hair. What black haired woman do we know that has been freed from a ten millennia prison?"

"Camille," RJ breathed.

"Exactamundo."

"Well," her boyfriend bit his lip. "Shit."

"Tell me about it."

RJ glanced at her, and Fran could tell he was about to either lecture her or warn her off. She headed him off. "We've been assigned a research paper that requires partners." She smiled wryly at him. "She asked to be my partner. I said yes. Figured it was the best way to keep an eye on her. Meeting at the library tomorrow afternoon." She nudged him playfully, an attempt to alleviate their moods. "I'm gonna need to leave work a few hours early."

He huffed out a laugh at that. "You can stop working early but you might want to consider moving your meeting place."

"Oh?"

"Tell her to meet you at Jungle Karma tomorrow."

"I doubt a villain like her has a cell phone, let alone know how to use one."

"Well, when you meet her at the library, walk over to JKP."

Fran frowned. "Are you sure we should be inviting the enemy into the lion's den?"

"Tiger's den," RJ corrected with a smirk. "And yeah, I'd feel much better having her on home turf if she's going to be around you. I know you're getting better at handling yourself but please humor me?"

"Okay." Truth be told, Fran was relieved to have RJ and the Rangers close at hand while she apparently worked on homework with Dai Shi's right-hand woman.

She smiled sheepishly when a huge yawn escaped her. "C'mon," RJ said gently. "Let's get you home."

As the jeep drove off into the night, Fran's pendant grew warm once more and this time, ancient voices whispered to her, warnings that curled around her very being.

'Do not trust the chameleon young one. Stay close to your pack. The time is coming. Soon, it will be our turn to join the battlefield. Your turn.'

A/N: I'M BAAAAAAAAACK! And this story is back! Oh it feels so good to be able to continue this story. I was stuck for so long! But, ah, you know what pushed me to get back to this? Outlining a brand new story in its entirety. I'm not even kidding. However I'm determined to not touch that story for a long while and I don't necessarily have to worry about it because I have the next few chapters of this story outlined! At least four chapters! Woo!

Might need to watch some episodes to connect the dots but hopefully this all means that I can update sooner rather than later. ^^'

This chapter got away from me twice, but I think it worked out in the end. Giving some perspective on some characters and answers for others.

THANK YOU THANK YOU to ChibiDawn23 for putting up during this entire hiatus, you've been a great friend and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Same to the rest of my readers, I hope you haven't given up on me! Read and review as always please! It helps me keep going! 3