Sorry that it has taken so long to update! However, the story has improved over time, and I have had some time to really think about Cassidy's character…Hope it works out!

Greg stepped out to go bring the rookie into the building, leaving the rest of his team in silence.

"I feel like we should be betting on character traits or something," sighed Wordy, finally breaking the silence.

"Or size…" suggested Sam. "Ten bucks says she's taller than Jules."

"No fair!" moaned Spike. "Unless you're a midget, you're bound to be taller than Jules!"

"Guys!" called Greg, entering the room.

Spike turned to see Greg enter with Cassidy at his side.

"Crap!" whispered Wordy. "Sam, I take the bet. She's shorter than Jules."

Wordy was right. Spike was unimpressed by the young woman's stance, which didn't top 5'3". Not only was she tiny in height, but she was also willowy. Jules had been able to get away with a height disadvantage by being built like a mini-tank. Spike couldn't imagine the young woman taking down any suspect.

Cassidy couldn't be more than 22, in Spike's opinion. Large grayish green eyes that were almost too big for her face blinked up at him, surrounded by very long caramel hair. It was as he sized her up that he noticed her arms. They were perfectly proportioned, but horribly disfigured by jagged scars cutting across the inside flesh.

"I'm not a piece of beef to eye up, you know," she snapped at him, eyes flashing. Spike nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden intensity from her.

"S-sorry," Spike stammered.

"Cassidy," Greg interrupted, "Don't worry about Spike. He sizes people up, it's just his nature. His real name's Michelangelo, but just call him Spike. It's too hard to say his name, otherwise. Over there's Eddie. If you ever lose Eddie, just look for a shining bald head. You'll find him every time. Sam's our war veteran, and one of the best tactical guys in the whole SRU. I might've told you that you're actually replacing Sam's wife, Jules."

"Since Sam thought it was a good idea to knock her up!" shouted Lewis.

Sam just rolled his eyes, and Greg continued. "Big mouth over there is Lewis, he's the utility man. He shoots off his mouth a lot, but otherwise he's harmless. And last, but not least, there's Wordy. His locker is the one covered with little kids' drawings. He is also known to come into work with nail polish."

Cassidy snorted. "How many kids you got?" she asked.

Wordy smiled. "Three girls, and another on the way."

She smiled, and Spike liked how it softened her otherwise hard expressions. This girl's appearance was deceiving. She looked delicate, but had a hard and determined look to her. He didn't plan on crossing paths with her more often that necessary.

"Cassidy starts work tomorrow," said Greg. "Spike, she's your new partner."

Spike's jaw dropped. "We're partners?" He didn't like the idea of having to work with her constantly. He also didn't like the way his palms sweat at the thought of working with her all the time.

Greg nodded. "You're experienced, you can train her. I don't doubt it. Sam, you'll work with Wordy, and Lewis runs with Eddie. Pretty similar to what we've been doing."

"You have no training?" interrupted Eddie, directing his question towards Cassidy.

"I took a year on the streets before coming here, but not much else," she replied. She shrugged her shoulders, and gave a shy smile. This also surprised Spike, and worried him. He wasn't keen on working with an inexperienced kid who had major mood swings, which she had obviously displayed. In less than five minutes, she had gone from snapping at him to chatting with Wordy about his kids to becoming shy about her lack of experience. Complicated, and not his idea of an ideal partner. "Greg assured me that I'd learn on the job, though."

"So why is she here?" asked Eddie. Spike felt a sense of relief at the fact that he wasn't the only one who seemed opposed to this new girl. She seemed nice enough, but he could tell that working with her would result in some toes being stepped on. "No offense, sweetheart, but why on earth are we taking on a kid with next to know experience? And a female at that?"

Greg opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Cassidy. "First of all, I'm not anybody's sweetheart, buddy. And second of all, I beat out six other male applicants for the job, so don't give me any crap about being female. I'm sick of hearing it, and I don't need it. I can do this job as well as anyone else, I just need to get a gun and be given a freakin' chance to actually work."

Greg spoke up. "She starts tomorrow boys, not open for discussion."

"That's fair!" spoke up Spike, surprising himself. He wasn't exactly thrilled with Greg's choice, and yet he couldn't help but speaking up for Cassidy. He ignored the annoyed stares of Eddie and Lewis and continued/ "We'll give her a shot. If she doesn't cut it, she doesn't. But we don't cut her out because she's female, or inexperienced."

Cassidy shot him a look of surprise mixed with mild appreciation. A small smile curled her lips, and Spike fought the thump of his heart. This was not his kind of woman, not at all. So how come he felt so unsettled around her?

I have been awake for twenty straight hours, so I am beginning to doubt the quality of this chapter. Hopefully it works out ok and isn't all jumbled up. I will update again when I am not counting on Dr. Pepper to keep me awake at my keyboard. I also do love reviews!