Title: Enough
Author: southoffebruary
Rating: K+
Summary: Stella was tough, but no one could be that tough. Post ep for 'All Access'
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue, ect, ect.
Notes: Thanks always go to Tracy for all her help, she rocks.

xXx

He knew as soon as he heard the knock on the door that it was her. She stood there in the doorway, her overnight bag in one hand, the other fixing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He offered her a smile as he wordlessly ushered her inside and took the bag from her.

"I don't know why I brought that," she said as she stood in the foyer, her eyes fixed on the ground. "I was going to go to a hotel."

"It's ok," he replied as he guided her through to his living room. "I'll make you some tea."

"I just couldn't stay there," she continued, not hearing a word he told her.

He knew that taking her back home wasn't a good idea, even despite the brave face she was putting on. Watching her go up into the apartment block and knowing what she was about to walk into made him feel uneasy. Stella was tough, but no one could be that tough, and no one expected her to be. He didn't expect her to be.

And now, as she scrunched herself up on his couch he barely recognized her. She looked like the same Stella he knew and cared about. But that sparkling aura that always seemed to surround her was missing. Her body was tense, on alert, as if something else was going to jump out of the shadows and attack her. Her eyes were lost, unfocused on anything around her and he could see the fear that was still hiding in them.

She was more like a shell of the woman he knew and his heart sank a little at the thought. He hated seeing her that way, scared and broken. He hated that he really couldn't do anything to help.

She had been there countless times for him and now he simply felt useless. He'd had plenty of experience dealing with situations like this. He knew how to be sympathetic towards a victim and offer some sterile words of comfort. But no amount of experience or training could help him now. Stella wasn't just some victim in a case file; she was his colleague, and more importantly, his closest friend. He needed to be there for her with whatever she needed. She had always been his rock, now he had to be hers.

He just hoped it was going to be enough.