This idea's been burning in my brain for a long time now, so let's see how it works out. It's planned to be the first in a trilogy, and I hope it works that way. Special thanks to TDCSI for support for the idea. This crazy idea made you laugh? Really?

Basically, Sara's cousin Casey comes to live with her and Grissom because of a lot of stuff that's going on in her life. She begins a job at the lab and tries to make a new life for herself. But when another CSI begins to fall head over heels for her, will she to allow what's happening to happen…or will she let the best thing that has ever happened to her go away?

Remember to read and review, because it really makes my day…and constructive criticism always helps, so long as it's constructive and not just criticism.

Take My Hand

Chapter 1: Arrival in Sin City

The taxi pulled up to the curb and the young woman hopped out. She grabbed her two bags and then paid her fare. It left her standing in front of 1139 Pebble Drive. She hoped her cousin would let her stay. She had to let her stay.

She was beautiful, with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail and intriguing chocolate-colored eyes. Her age was hard to guess but she did not look too far out of her teens.

She made it up the doorstep of Number 1139 but stopped. Everything was so different from what she was used to. It seemed so…normal.

She had no idea how she was going to tell Sara. She had no clue how her cousin would react. The reality was that this was the only place she had to go. She could not have kept living where she was and she was not stupid enough to stay out on the streets someplace. She had no other options; she never thought that she would have to scrounge a living in Sin City.

She had more than one good reason for coming here to Vegas. One was that her father and stepmother had finally done what they had been threatening to do since she had graduated at the age of sixteen: They had kicked her out of the house. Her biological mother wanted nothing to do with her, so she had no sympathies there. And the relationship she had been in…well, she had never had any choice but to get out of it. Although there was no time to dwell on any of that right now. All her energies had to go into convincing Sara to let her stay.

Her heart racing, her fingers trembling, she rang the doorbell.

Sara rolled over in bed and groaned as she heard the doorbell. Not even on her day off could she get a moment or two of peace. She had only been sleeping since six and it was now a little past nine. Quickly throwing on an old T-shirt and a pair of shorts that were lying next to the closet, she ran downstairs and opened the door.

Instantly, her mouth dropped open in shock. She would have never expected the person that was on her doorstep with a backpack and a suitcase to show up there. "Casey Layne Montgomery, what the hell do you think you're doing here?" Her twenty-two-year-old lanky, sheepish-looking cousin was standing there and Sara was utterly clueless as to why.

"Umm, it's a long story, Sara. Maybe I should come in and tell you?"

The inherent grogginess that comes from three hours of sleep notwithstanding, Sara was bewildered. So, she did the one thing that made sense: She let Casey come inside.

Casey plopped straight down on the oversized couch after leaving her bags by the door. Sara knew by the look on her face that something major had happened. "Okay, explain yourself. Why are you here? And please use small words, Case, I'm exhausted. It's my one day off and you woke me up."

Casey took a deep breath and began. "I was going to college and I had a job. I paid rent at home, so I don't know why she did it, but my stepmother decided it was time for me to move out. Dad agreed with her, so they kicked me out of my house. At any rate, they gave me fair warning so I was able to get out with what I wanted. I just need a place to stay until I get back onto my feet. I'll only be here a few weeks at the most, I give my word. I mean it." She gave Sara the puppy-dog eyes that Sara knew usually got people what they wanted.

Sara sighed. Her own situation was going to require a little explanation and her sleep-deprived brain was not functioning well enough yet to give Casey a satisfactory response. "Look, Casey, I want to help you, I really do, but this is going to require a lot of thought. I'm glad you came all the way out here, but I'm not a single woman anymore. I want to help you, but I have to run it by my husband first."

"When did you get married?" Casey asked her, looking for the ring on her finger. Sara showed it willingly.

"About a month ago. It wasn't a big wedding." Sara allowed herself a little grin at the memory. "But enough about me. Do your parents know where you are now?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Sara, I am an adult now and I don't need my parents to know my every move like I'm some stupid little kid." Casey looked a little upset at the idea of her parents knowing where she was.

"Why don't you want them to know where you are? Didn't they ask where you were going to go?"

"Well…"Casey hesitated. "Okay, maybe they didn't kick me out. Maybe things were getting bad between me and my dear stepmother and stepsisters. I was starting to feel a little too much like Cinderella minus her Prince Charming. My ex-boyfriend suggested a way out and I took it. And though I did mention Vegas before I left…"

"You did WHAT?!?" Sara cut her off. "What were you thinking? You never mention Vegas while leaving with a guy. Your parents know I live out here. They'll somehow think this was my fault! Your dad will have my head if you end up married!" Sara paused a moment. "You didn't get married, did you?"

"No." Casey held up her hand, revealing a complete lack of a ring. "If you need to know, I broke up with him. He has no idea where I am and I don't particularly care where he is. He was a total jerk to me. He thought since I left with him…well, you should get the idea of what his real intentions were."

Sara patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I see. So if they didn't kick you out, do you want them to at least know that you're safe here with me?"

"Can you be the one to tell them that? I kind of don't want to talk to them." The expression that Casey had was one of nausea. "I don't want to have to tell them what hell I've been through in the past week."

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Sara asked, finally voicing her other concern.

Casey shook her head no. "No, I'm not. But I don't want to go home. If I go home, they'll drive me nuts and he'll come find me. And then the cycle will start all over again."

Sara put her arm around her cousin. "First, I have to call Gil and your parents, although I'm sure you'll be able to stay here. Then we can get you set up in the spare bedroom, okay?"

Casey truly smiled for what Sara suspected was the first time in a long time. "Thanks."

Okay, so how was it? Likey? No likey? Want more? Well, drop me a line 'cause I wanna know what you think; plus, there will be more to come! Life and parents have been throwing me some real obstacles regarding scholarships, jobs, and whatnot, so I don't know how soon the next chapter will come up. But it's when Casey meets the rest of the gang, so it should be fun. :)