"Come in, Brooke." Stephanie's voice sounded somewhat strange from the other side of the door. There wasn't the overwhelming exhaustion from before, nor was there the desperate emotional turbulence that had been so bad, Brooke had actually been barred from seeing her.

She managed a small smile, but it was fairly transparent and it never met her eyes. When she saw the other person, though, she frowned slightly.

"Can we be alone, Brooke?" It was phrased as a request, but it wasn't one to be denied or taken lightly. She had no desire to have some stranger in the room right now.