Disclaimer: CSI:NY belongs to CBS, now that's a new one! And the lovely song is Cry by James Blunt, it's beautiful

Chords
by: Little Miss Sorrow

The chords echoed through the empty hallways, alternating between high and low, major and minor. At first it just sounded like chords, played randomly, then if you listened closer you could hear the melody. Moving closer a faint female voice could be heard over the music, singing the sad lyrics of the song.

…I have seen birth. I have seen death …

The voice held so much emotion in it, he almost believed the singer. He could feel her pain inside of him and he could understand it : in a big city like New York one could easily feel lonesome. She was a woman who did not trust easily, and when she gave her heart and friendship away it was always for life, to have that betrayed… he couldn't quite understand how horrible that must have felt for her. He followed the sound of her voice and the mellow chords and ended up standing in the doorway to the evidence vault. He could see her sitting by a black grand piano; he vaguely remembered the case in which he had brought the piano in as evidence, something about a socialite being found dead on the concert piano when the lid was opened for a performance at a hotel lounge. The whole lab had laughed when Stella asked for a bigger evidence bag.

…Lived to see a lover's final breath…

Now when he looked at her he wondered where the cheery woman who had first arrived in New York with bag in hand and high hopes of a life more important than the one of small village in Arizona had gone. She had dreamt of a world bigger than the four walls of her orphan bedroom. But the city had numbed her, made her jaded and mad her less cheerful. He had worked as a cabbie to pay his way through college back then and he remembered that she had told him when he drove the yellow cab from the airport that what she wanted most in life was a family. They had stayed in touch since then, and he had seen the boyfriends come and go in her life, no one seemed to be Mr Right, until just a year ago she had sashayed down the hallways of CSI with a big bright smile on her face. He had thought that 'finally her hunt was over'. He had been terribly wrong and during the last months she had started to draw back from him, hide in a shell and push everyone out. She worked longer and longer nights so she wouldn't have to go home to her flat, she had even brought over almost her entire wardrobe. He had found he clothes in her office one day when he was looking for a report and he didn't doubt that she had brought over make-up and shampoo as well and just stopped living in her flat all together.

…Do you see my guilt? Should I feel fright?…

At the piano Stella halted, she moved a hand to wipe away the tears that had taken form in her eyes. Moving to kneel at her side Mac touched her arm, making Stella turn to him. She cried harder now, and when she tried to speak only small gasps came out of her mouth. Stella stopped and wiped her mouth with her sleeve before whispering: 'I'm sorry' and collapsing against Mac's side.

Mac held on to his friend for dear life and when her sobs had quieted down a little he carefully helped Stella to her feet and guided her down the hall and out onto the street. Hailing down a cab he managed to get Stella inside hoping in after her. He gave the address to her flat, West 153rd, right by Trinity Cemetery, and sat back and observed his companion. She had gone into some sort of introspection and her eyes looked dead on the back of passenger seat's headrest. He worried about her and when he reached out to touch her hand she did not even react.

Standing on the pavement outside Stella's flat Mac reached for her handbag and fumbled around inside of it to find her keys. Upon finding them he opened the door, in the light from the streetlights outside he could see inside her flat. Furniture lay on the floor, thrown haphazardly around, there were pools of dried blood still on the floor. Mac felt something break inside of him, Stella had denied crimes scene cleanup, stating that she could very well do it herself, she had seen her fair share of blood and gore, this was nothing different. Now he felt bad for not stopping by her place to check up on her, to make sure she really was all right. Leading Stella through the living room and into the kitchen and seating her on a chair Mac scurried around to make coffee. When he had placed the hot black liquid in front of Stella Mac went into the adjoining room and started to clean up.

The sun was high in the sky when Mac was finished with his cleaning and he wiped the sweat of his forehead and walked into the kitchen only to find Stella asleep on the table with the untouched cup of coffee by her side. Mac smiled for probably the first time that day. Picking up the sleeping Stella, Mac carried her to her bed. Kissing Stella on the head he sat down by the bed and took a hold of her hand. Maybe he could give Stella the family she always had wanted, that is if she'd let him because Lord knows he was more than willing to give it to her.