Hah! I have conquered! I win! She cannot keep me down!

For those of you who didn't hear the news, my handwritten copy of chapters 3 and 4 was callously torn to bits by a teacher who wouldn't listen to me.

I know, it's been a little while, but this chapter was harder to write than expected, especially with the little delay that I had and the stupid writers' block that followed. So, without further ado…capitulo tres (that's Chapter 3 for you non-Spanish speakers)

Take My Hand

Chapter 3: Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Needless to say, Casey's interview went well, and she was hired on the spot. The next day, she settled in to life in the lab. Her schedule, though incredibly hectic and sleep-depriving, was one she was hoping to enjoy. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays she had various classes during the day at UNLV. Tuesdays and Thursdays she worked nights in the lab. Somehow, she managed to get Saturdays and Sundays off, although she realized that was probably because she was still a student and they thought she needed the time for homework and sleep.

She enjoyed getting to know the people she worked with, but at the same time, she kept her distance. The one person that she did not care to get to know was the one that she shared "office space" with.

"Hey, Casey," Hodges greeted her as she walked in the Thursday one week after she was hired. "How's it going?"

"Same as on Tuesday, Hodges. And no, I am not going to get a coffee with you after this shift. I have to go home and get a few hours of sleep before class." Casey sat down at her tiny desk, which was wedged between the wall and a filing cabinet, and glanced at her in-tray. It was almost overflowing with all kinds of paperwork. "Ew." She sighed. "It's going to be a very long night."

"Then maybe you'll need that coffee anyway." Hodges sounded, if anything, hopeful.

Casey rolled her eyes as she grabbed a pen from her pencil cup. He irritated her and he just never got the hints she dropped, either…and they had only been working together a few days! "Well, if I do, I don't think I'll get it with you," she muttered under her breath as she began filling out the form she pulled from the top of the stack.

A knock on the open door jolted her from her thoughts of a plot to suffocate Hodges with bendy straws and Kleenex. "Hey, Casey, got a minute?" Greg's voice called from the doorway.

"Sure." She swiveled her chair around to face him. "What's up?"

"Well, I have some evidence from that house fire last night that I need you to process." Greg held up a large evidence bag containing a red, partially burnt hoodie. "We found this on the property last night and were wondering if there was any trace of accelerants on it."

"Okay." She jumped up from her chair at once and walked with Greg to the lab.

"So, do you like it here?" he asked once they were clear of Hodges' prying ears.

She nodded. "Everyone's curious about that. I am really enjoying my life here in Vegas. It's much better than the life I had before."

"What did you have before?"

Casey felt like he was prying, although his tone suggested otherwise. "I just had a really bad family situation and other things going on and stuff. It's great here."

"What's the rest of your family like? Other than Sara, I mean?"

She hesitated. "My dad's great. He was all I had when my biological mom walked out on us. He got remarried to my stepmom when I was twelve. She had two girls, Alicia, who was ten, and Ashleigh, who was eight. They thought we'd just be the perfect little family and that we'd have the happily-ever-after fairy tale ending."

"And you didn't?" Greg sounded almost amused.

"No," Casey whispered, "we didn't. Everyone started acting like I was the servant, even Dad. And just because I have an IQ higher than Ashleigh and Alicia's combined didn't mean that I wanted to 'help them with their homework', either." She shuddered. "It's good to be here, like I said."

She left him at the lab door after taking the evidence bag from him. Casey was so confused about Greg. She wanted to be his friend, she really did.

But she was afraid that their friendship might turn into something that she wasn't ready for yet.

At the end of his shift, Greg smiled to himself, and not because he was getting off work. "Phase 1" of his "plan" seemed to be going well. At least, he thought to himself, she hasn't shot me down like Hodges yet. Casey was sort-of interested in him, he knew that much. And she seemed like she needed a friend who would just listen to her first. Maybe, just maybe, she would accept his invitation to dinner if he promised that it was just as friends.

But he wanted to be certain she would accept. And to be certain, he needed inside information.

Luckily for him, Sara was just outside the locker room door, talking to Catherine. "Hey, Sara, can I talk to you?" he asked, hoping to draw her away from Catherine. He really hoped that the fewest number of people possible would find out about his "plan", and Catherine was unfortunately one of those people he hoped would not find out.

"Is it about a case, Greg?"

"Um…"Greg paused, afraid of how she might respond. "Well, not particularly, but I was hoping to ask you something."

Sara and Catherine both laughed. "If this is about Casey," Sara said, "you'd better rethink if you want to ask it or not."

"What do you mean?" Greg tried to act as nonchalant and unconcerned as possible.

Evidently, the two females saw right through it. "C'mon," Catherine laughed. "You think after Grissom and Sara slipped together under our noses I was going to just turn a blind eye to any of the rest of you? I'm trained to observe people, habits, and patterns for a living. I see the way you look at her."

"Oh," was all that Greg could respond. He could feel the blush rising in his cheeks and took a breath to steady himself. "Would she ever be interested in going to dinner with me…just as a friend, you know?"

Sara nearly cut him off. "Greg, you've only known her for about a week. Give her some time to adjust. I don't think she's ready for anything at all. And if Ecklie found out, you both would be in huge trouble."

"Right. See you later." Greg hurried off and left, hoping to hide his embarrassment.

"Casey's become quite the popular one already," Sara commented as soon as Greg was out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" asked Catherine, instantly curious. "What's been going on?"

"She has her mother's good looks and her father's stubbornness, and the combination is making her very attractive to some of the guys. Hodges, Nick, Warrick… and now Greg." Sara grinned.

Catherine's eyebrows rose. "She's only been here a week! What'd you tell them?"

"To wait."

"Why?"

"Because she's only been here a week. She's not ready for a relationship, anyway. Not after her last boyfriend, from what I can tell. But give her a week or two more and I'm sure she'll be flirting with half of them. She's just not ready yet."

"Well, if you were to pick one of those four, who would it be? Who do you think would have the best chance with her?"

Sara snorted. "Hodges wouldn't have a chance even if hell froze over and pigs sprouted wings. And Nick and Warrick know that they're a little too old for her."

"So you think—?"

"Yup." Sara cracked a grin. "Greg's totally got the best chance with her…as long as Ecklie doesn't find out."

Okay, once again, the review button is begging to be clicked. Ideas, comments, and questions are always appreciated and encouraged. Chapter 4 coming soon...if said review button gets its wishes. It looks like it shall be a very interesting chapter indeed...stay tuned!