I'm fairly certain it's been YEARS since my last upload. I'm so sorry, life is complex and chaotic and sometimes we don't get to keep up all the hobbies that we like. However, I've seen the reviews for this story and honestly, the fact that there are STILL people who wanted to see this finished is so incredibly uplifting.

The rest of this story was written in conjunction with the first few chapters; they have not been re-edited, and frankly I'm a little embarrassed about the quality of the writing now that I look back on it. But I know what it's like to find a story you love and never get to see the end of it. You guys deserve to have Cassie's adventures told to their close. So here it is, and thank you for the support you have given to her and to me.


Time passed. Cassie was getting better at managing the sporadic thoughts of grief and loss. Both Parker and Ed had told her it would get easier with time, and it was, it really was. Jules and Cassie were hanging out often, sharing stories and growing closer as only two females within a male world can. Cassie heard about Jules' fight for survival when a man named Petar Tomasic shot her. Jules heard more of Cassie's environmental escapades.

Of the other team members, Spike took a particular liking to the petite red-head. It was he who greeted Cassie first in the morning, and he who made sure she left alright. Though he often disguised it with playful insults and teasing banter, Cassie had come to appreciate the subtle protectiveness the techie had for her. Spike and Jules were truly her best friends, and the rest of Team One was slowly becoming like family.

Sometimes, however, she wished she could strangle them. Mainly Spike.

Today was one of those days.

"SPIKE!" Cassie yelled, marching into the male change room. She flung the very large, very rubber arachnid at the laughing techie's face.

"You know how much I hate spiders," she hissed, glaring at her hysterical teammate. "I swear... if I find one more..."

"Calm down, Officer Wellington," said Ed soothingly. "Spike doesn't realize his humor isn't-"

"Funny? Appreciated?" snarled Cassie. When Spike rolled his eyes, she leapt at him, spitting and scratching. Poor Spike had to use his weight and height advantage to keep the tigress at bay.

"Help!" he called out to Sam and Wordy. The former sighed, and wrapped his arms around Cassie's waist, heaving the girl away.

"Don't let him get to you," he told Cassie as Jules walked in. The brunette paused.

"Spider again?"

"Rubber," confirmed Parker. "Size of a tarantula."

Jules face-palmed, then as Spike was busy checking his body for signs of damage, swatted him with the newspaper rolled up in her hand.

"Hey!" Spike said indignantly. "Hazing the newbie is allowed, remember?"

"She's hardly a newbie," Ed reminded him. "Five months and not a single solitary mistake. Better than you, as I recall..."

Spike huffed as the others laughed. Cassie scowled, but was calm enough for Sam to release her.

"At least I do my own laundry," she muttered.

"Italian mother, remember?" Spike retorted.

"Hot call," came Winnie's voice from the front desk. The rest of the team gave a relieved sigh as the impending blowout between Cassie and Spike was averted.

"Team One, go," Parker said quickly. Jules grabbed Cassie's hand, dragging her out the door and far away. Sam did the same with Spike.

Ed whistled as he, Wordy and Parker followed. "You think those two will ever grow up?" Parker shook his head. "Nope."


Neon lights and brightly lit signs greeted Cassie and Jules as they pulled up to the giant mall. Already the mobile command unit and Ed's vehicle were there.

"Let's find out the situation," Jules said, and the two of them jumped out to join their teammates. Cassie purposely avoided Spike.

"Look, I'm sorry about the spider, alright?" he muttered. Cassie simply ignored him. Spike's chance to repeat the apology was lost as Parker motioned the team inside, where they proceeded to check the many areas of the sprawling shopping center.

"You know he doesn't mean it," Jules muttered to Cassie as they patrolled down a section displaying sports equipment, on their way to the bathroom where a wounded (but alive) girl had been found. "He's done that to every newbie. Even Sam."

"I know," Cassie said, averting her gaze. "It's just... spiders? He doesn't seem to understand that-"

"Boys are immature," Jules said wisely. "You know that, I know that, THEY know that." They finally reached the bathroom, and examined it closely to find out more about the subject. Jules was convinced this was some sort of bullying, and Cassie was inclined to agree. Blonde hair strewn on the floor? Blood?

Their suspicions were later confirmed when shots were fired near a gathering area in the mall. Wordy caught one of the fugitives (a young girl) who confessed to being part of Tasha's (the victim) "makeover".

"Fifteen year old girls," said Sam in disgust as he, Jules, and Cassie patrolled a hallway. "One minute they're playing with Barbies-" agreed Jules.

"-the next it's a semi," finished Cassie.

"Got them!" came Spike's triumphant call over their mics. "The other two girls!"

"That's great!" said Cassie as she, Sam and Jules turned the corner. "Hopefully they can tell us where Tasha is. She's obviously in pain, and scared."

"She's still armed," reminded Parker. "Caution at all times."

The trio replied in the affirmative, and Sam suggested they check a dimly lit clothing store - the perfect hiding spot for a frightened girl.

"Police! Is anybody in here?" said Jules loudly. When nobody replied, she signaled Sam and Cassie to move in, carefully threading their way around racks of sweaters and jeans.

When they reached the dressing rooms at the back of the store, Sam nodded for Jules to kick the doors in. In one stall, they found blood, and the semi.

"Tasha's been in here, and recently," said Sam. Jules took out her heat signature device. A handprint on the side of an air duct showed their target's path clearly. Sam sighed. "It's too big for me to fit."

"Allow me," Cassie said with a grin. "After all, I AM the smallest!"

"I'll be right behind you," said Jules. Sam pried open the grill, and gave Cassie a flashlight. She quickly crawled through, knowing time was of the essence. Leaping onto the floor of a small back storage room, Cassie barely grabbed her gun from the floor before ascending a metal staircase she knew the subject had gone up.

"Tasha, stop!" she said loudly, and the small figure in the distance merely sped up, climbing what Cassie realized was the communications tower.

"Tasha!"

"Get away from me!"

Cassie groaned in frustration, but as she rounded the corner, she slid to a jarring stop at the sight of Tasha climbing over the ledge. Only her grip kept the girl from falling.

Motioning quickly for Jules and Sam to stay out of sight, Cassie inched forward a little. "Tasha? My name is Cassie, I'm with the Strategic Response Unit."
There was no response, save for frightened breathing. Cassie moved forward another inch.

"Tasha? You don't have to talk to me, but I'd really appreciate it if you would."

"Right here if you need me," said Parker over Cassie's mic.

"Thanks, Boss," Cassie whispered. Reaching into a bag on her belt, Cassie pulled out a strong rope, attaching it to the railing.

"Can you tell me what happened, back there, with those girls?" she asked softly. Tasha shook her head.

"Why don't you ask them?"

"I'd like to hear it from your point of view," Cassie pressed. Then she slowly walked over to the railing where the subject held on for dear life.

"It's just me. I'm just here to talk." Gingerly, Cassie pulled herself up and over the ledge to stand beside the frightened girl. Glancing down at the traffic below, she spotted Spike and Wordy directing people away from the scene.

"You know, I've never seen someone so ready to die, fight so hard to stay alive," Cassie said with a smile in Tasha's direction. "Tasha, please just climb back over this railing."

"You don't understand," Tasha sobbed. "I've got no-one, I've never had anybody. At school, at work, at home... it was always the same! And I'm just-I can't do this anymore!"

Cassie pressed on Tasha's hand. "I get it, Tasha. I DO. You've been so brave. You're such a brave girl, to go through something like what happened, and have the courage to tell someone about it." Tasha looked at Cassie pleadingly.

"I killed a girl."

Parker replied in the negative, and Cassie said, "No, you didn't. The EMS have got her in their care, she's going to be fine. That girl will be alright, Tasha."

As Tasha remained unconvinced, Cassie drew deep to find words that would mean something to a long-suffering girl like the one that stood before her.

"Tasha, you are a fighter. I can see that. You are someone that has never given up, and a quality like that is something amazing to cherish. And I can tell you this, right now, Tasha."

Cassie looked the girl straight in the eyes. "If you can get through this, you can get through anything."

Taking a deep breath, Tasha nodded.

"Can we climb back over? Together?"

"Okay."

"Great job, Cassie," said Parker, and Cassie knew the man was smiling.

However, Tasha didn't have as firm a grip as they'd thought. Just as the girl's hand slipped into Cassie's, the slim ledge - slippery with early morning dew - caused the girl's foot to slip, and her weight to take Tasha over the side.

"Tasha!" Cassie gripped the hand she held, and swung an arm around the girl's waist, letting herself fall as well. For one terrifying second, she didn't feel the rope, and could only notice the hard concrete rushing towards them both...

And then with a jerk, the rope caught, and Cassie slammed into the hard metal of the communications tower. Wincing with pain - there would be definite bruising in the morning - the SRU officer adjusted her hold on Tasha, making sure the subject was safe.

"Cassie!" Spike's yell carried up to where the two were dangling. Parker and Jules soon followed with their own concerns.

"I'm fine," Cassie wheezed, winded. Her colleague's frantic chatter stopped. "Tasha's okay. You can pull us up, Ed."

"Alright, let's bring her up," said Ed.

As soon as Cassie - supporting Tasha and surrounded by Ed, Jules and Sam - exited the mall doors, she spotted Spike and Parker jog towards the group.

Parker gave a smile to Cassie. "You did perfectly, Cassie. Now, why don't you take Tasha to the EMS truck. And have them look at your shoulder - you hit that tower pretty hard."

As Cassie gently nudged the beaten girl away from her team, Tasha sniffed.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

"Don't be," Cassie insisted. "It's my job to make sure people like you get home safely." "Why did you do it?" asked Tasha. "Jump, I mean?"

Cassie grinned. "I don't give up without a fight, just like you." She pointed to the flashing EMS vehicle. "I think someone's waiting for you over there."

Tasha smiled at the sight of a dark-skinned, short-haired woman in a tan trench coat, standing and waiting anxiously. "Yeah."

Cassie patted the girl's shoulder, and handed her over to the care of the woman and the EMS professionals.

"Cassie!" There was barely time for the red-head to turn, before she was pulled into an embrace.

"Ouch! Spike, watch the shoulder!" Cassie smiled slightly as the techie pulled away with a horrified look on his face. "It's okay, Spikey. Just a little bruised, that's all."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Girl falls off a building, and jokes about her injuries. Only you, Cass, only you."

They shared a laugh, and Cassie scuffed her feet nervously.

"Look, I'm sorry for getting mad at you," she muttered. "It was a hazing joke, I know. Nothing personal."

Spike shook his head. "No, I should be sorry. I went too far. And... no prank is worth going into an assignment with your friend angry at you. Because today just proved that things can be gone in the blink of an eye."

"Spike..." Cassie touched her friend's arm. Spike's eyes looked haunted.

"It was a long two seconds before the rope caught you, that's all," said Spike.

Cassie grabbed the techie in a hug, shaking her head. "You worry too much, Spikey. How could I stay mad at you?"


One Year Later...

"And then, you'd think she'd ditch the guy after that first bad date, but my cousin is way too nice to even consider it," said Cassie with a sigh as she and Jules walked into command.

"I see," grinned Jules. "Has she dumped him yet?"

Cassie shook her head ruefully. "No. Apparently Dennis has 'hidden qualities' my cousin is only just discovering."

Both women laughed.

"Oh, no, here come the girls," groaned Sam as Cassie and Jules entered the locker room to check up on their teammates. "If I hear one more conversation about nails or shopping or-"

"Shut up, Sam." Cassie shoved her teammate's shoulder playfully. Over the year, Sam had become like a brother figure to the younger girl, just as Jules had become Cassie's best friend on the force. "We had a nice discussion about surburbian vs urban narcotics in the car."

Jules nodded, poking Sam in the side. "Yeah, Samtastic. Just because Cassie's on the team doesn't mean I've gone totally girly..."

"Besides," said Cassie with a sidelong look at Spike, who'd just entered the room with Wordy and Ed, "we weren't the ones screaming when we broke a nail."

"Hey," Spike said indignantly as everyone chuckled. "It hurt!"

Wordy clapped a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Sorry buddy. Cassie's one-upped you today."

"What's the score now," asked Ed. "Cassie up by seventeen?"

"It's seven," corrected Spike irritably. "And she's not going to be leading for long."

The other teammates exchanged long-suffering looks as Spike and Cassie sized each other up. This game of teasing insults had been going on since Cassie had joined, a year and a half before. Cassie's relationship with Spike was... well, different than what she had with the rest of Team One. Ed and Parker were fatherly figures (Ed, she had to admit was the scarier of the two) while Sam and Wordy fit the brother/uncle parts perfectly. Cassie and Jules had become fast friends very quickly: they carpooled to work, and hung out often when not on duty.

But Spike... it seemed a day couldn't go by without Spike and Cassie exchanging verbal blows. They were never enough to hurt, and everyone knew it was only in jest (otherwise Parker would have had to get involved for the sake of team dynamics) but still...

Cassie knew she cared for the lovable techie. He was smart, funny, and adorable in his own dorky way (a robot called Babycakes? Seriously?) and Cassie knew Spike cared for her too. He was always slightly overprotective of her in the field, ever since the Keely call - even if it was hidden by jabs and jokes - and always made sure Cassie was alright at the end of a tough assignment.

So what if they showed their affection for each other by insults and teasing? Cassie knew she'd rather have that than nothing at all. Even if sometimes Spike drove her crazy...
"So how's the baby, Ed?" Jules was asking. Ed smiled tiredly, the bags under his eyes showing.

"She's a little finicky, and getting her to go to sleep... well, I've never faced anything so difficult," he said, and Wordy chuckled.

"That's not going to last long," he reassured his team leader. "Treasure it. Mine is almost at the stage where boys come into the picture."

Ed shuddered. "Thanks for the good thoughts."

"Eww, boys," Cassie sneered, elbowing Spike in the gut, who retaliated by tickling the crisis-negotiator mercilessly.

"Team One, you've got a call." Winnie's voice called out from the command.

"What's the situation, Winnie?" Parker was asking even as Cassie and the others rushed to suit up.

"Hostage situation, downtown at the Metropublic Library. Witnesses say at least four armed gunmen, possible casualties."

"Alright, Team One," Parker said as the rest of his team grabbed the necessary gear. "Let's move out!"