*Ding*
The elevator sounded, announcing its arrival in the lobby. Stella was on vacation from New Orleans for a week and is spending it in New York. Her coworkers believe she is visiting her family, which in a way, is the truth. Stella boarded the elevator, pressed the button to the 35th floor and waited for the doors to close. As the elevator ascended the building, the nervous feeling in Stella's stomach continued to grown until if felt as if a boulder had taken over her body.
*Ding*
Stella demounted the elevator looking around; surprised Mac wasn't in his office. Figuring he was in the field, she continued her hunt down the hall to her old office shared with Lindsey, who now shared it with her replacement Jo. "Where is everyone?" Stella wondered aloud as she saw no one in said office also. Continuing on, the break room came into view. Everyone was turned away from her, talking with each other. Lindsey and Danny bragging about Lucy's first steps, complete with Danny's wide gestures. Mac and assumingly Jo were laughing at the enthusiasm of Danny. Hawkes and Sid discussing the newest publication of some medical magazine, critiquing the science along with debating their view points. All was complete with Flack and Adam bickering about some new topic. From her spot in the hallway, Stella could observe them without anyone in the room seeing her. Stella continued to watch, mesmerized, until the group started dissipating to continue on with work. At this, Stella was snapped out of her trance, turned on her heels and ran down the hall and down the stairs one flight, concluding the elevator would take too long and she would be spotted. Once safely on the 34th floor, she stopped to take a breath, letting the reality that she really is here in New York, in the crime lab sink in. Still breathing hard, she decided to scrap any plans of reconciling with her slightly estranged friends. Now riding the elevator back to the lobby, thoughts bombarded Stella's mind. "Why am I here?", "Why am I doing this?", "What was I trying to accomplish?" and maybe the most important, "Why did I run away?"