Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 1 - Asylum

She weighs nothing. That was Ronon's only thought as he cradled Teyla in his arms, sprinting to a cave he knew was a distance back. He spared her a moment's glance and was grateful for her unconsciousness. She was a mess, barely recognizable for the contusions and cuts marring her normally flawless skin.

He ran recklessly through the dark, leaping over fallen logs and willing himself not to trip and injure her further. He jolted her in his arms as he ducked under a low branch and she moaned softy. He ignored the scraping of the branch on the side of his face, caring only that it did not touch her.

Ronon kept her solely in his mind, keeping a tight reign on the urge to run back into the village and level it for playing host to her mistreatment. He had to grit his teeth and occasionally glance at her battered face to remind him of the urgency. It made him angry to see the bruises, to see the blood seep from some of the fresher wounds, to see her tangled mess of hair and too thin form.

He slowed down slightly and skimmed the area. He would not stop completely until they were safe, until she was safe but he recognized the area and knew that a cave he had scouted earlier was near. It was hard to make out the dark entrance at night but he would not risk a light out in the open. He squinted and spotted a patch of perfect darkness in the distance. He glanced down at Teyla and again quickened his pace, not even feeling his lungs burning from the effort of the half hour of dead sprinting.

The mouth of the cave would have been large enough for Teyla to walk through easily but Ronon had to duck and angle his body carefully so she did not bump the walls. The cave opened up just inside. He shifted her body higher on his arm and used the other to quickly find the flashlight he had slipped into his pack. Cradling her again, the light held in his hand under her body, he picked his way slowly through the spacious cave. He shined the light around, mindful of any rocks that could cause him to stumble. He walked through a narrow hallway-like room and moved into the larger space at the back of the cave. There were other small openings that he had examined earlier but none were large enough to get through.

He had planned this all out. If she could walk or run, they would head straight to the gate. If she couldn't, they would wait until it was light out so he could carry her more easily over the unfamiliar terrain. He hoped he was doing the right thing but he knew he could keep her safer if he could see what was coming.

Ronon held Teyla tightly and shined the flashlight around before settling her onto the ground gently. She cried out and arched her back slightly when it made contact with sharp pebbles that littered the ground. He tried to sooth her with a comforting word and a brief touch to smooth back her hair. He would make her comfortable as soon as he built a fire and scouted the area.

He combined the tasks, gathering wood as he looked around, stopping and straining his ears when he heard a branch crack. He kept his eyes squinted, looking for movement, for light, for anything that might indicate that they had been followed. He grinned briefly when he heard thunder. Rain was good. Rain would wash his tracks away. Rain would conceal the smoke from the fire.

The first drop hit his skin as he ducked into the opening of the cave. He made his way again to where Teyla lay and stacked the firewood nearby. He reached for the fire starter in his pack and lit the tender at the base of the stack. Satisfied with his handiwork, he turned again towards Teyla and suddenly felt incredibly overwhelmed. Where should he even begin?

As the fire began to illuminate injuries he hadn't seen in the darkness, he pushed himself into gear. He stripped off his long coat and folded it into a pillow, placed it under her head. Ronon upended his pack, grateful he had packed well in hopes that this would be the time he found her. He spread out the supplies, organizing as he did. The extra set of clothes that he had been carrying for her in his pack for a month were placed close to her head, along with the medkit and bottles of water.

He pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wetted it slightly before moving to settle in next to her. Both yellowing and fresh bruises were revealed under the blood and grime as he wiped gently at her face. A long cut ran down the right side of her face. It was a deep and angry looking knife wound. Her lip was split and a thin cut ran down her eyebrow giving way to a very puffy left eye. He prodded the bones around the eye slightly, feeling for obvious signs of breaks. He ran his hands as gently as possible through her tangled hair and felt for bumps. Clotted blood at the base of her skull stilled his hands and he probed slightly, pulling his hand free to look for signs that the wound was still seeping blood. His hand came up clean and he left the injury alone and reached for one of his knives.

She was wearing some kind of shift. It was dirty and tattered and he was so thankful for the change of clothing. He cut the garment carefully off her, his eyes widening at the sight of her naked body underneath. He gritted his teeth and had to force himself to again remember the urgency of his task. The rest of her body made it apparent that they had gone easy on her face. She was painfully thin and the parts of her skin that weren't covered in dirt or blood seemed to be in various stages of bruising.

Ronon again felt overwhelmed. He rocked back on his heels and listened to the rain pound outside. An idea formed and he unhooked the weapons from his back and hip before stripping off his shirt and dropping it carefully among his items. He picked up a small box from his pack and tilted it until he found the bar of soap he kept with him on long missions. He slipped it in his pocket and lifted Teyla's naked form. He walked through the cave and moved into the pounding rain. It wasn't ideal but it was the fastest way he would be able to get her wounds clean.

He washed her quickly, not lingering any longer than he had to. She moaned over the sound of the rain as he stepped back into the cave and he looked down in time to see her good eye fluttering open. She winced and shut it tightly before opening it with a start. She struggled against him with a strength he was sure she shouldn't have.

"Lemme go!" She slurred.

"Teyla. Teyla, it's me!" He ducked back into the cave, away from the loud rain. "It's Ronon."

Her struggles stilled. "Ronon?" She whispered, her swollen lip slurring her normally precise speech.

"Yeah," he whispered as she raised a hand to his face gently. She squeezed her eyes shut as her hand touched his familiar features. He watched her, wondering if she would cry, certain that would be the toughest thing to handle. True to the Teyla he knew, she opened her eyes and kept the tears firmly banked.

"Clothes?" She asked, wincing now at the effort. He knew that the Athosians weren't overly shy about their bodies like the people from Earth could be but he knew it must seem strange that he was holding her like this.

"I brought some for you. They're in the cave." He angled his head toward the back of the cave as an explanation.

"Put me down?"

He looked her over briefly, glanced at her injured legs. "No."

She didn't protest as he moved through the cave. "'m cold." She slurred.

"I know. I'll get you dried off."

He walked swiftly through the cave noting her closed eyes, wondering if she was tired or slipping again into unconsciousness. He wrapped her in his thin blanket and placed her near the fire. He rubbed his hands over her, drying her off.

He pulled the medkit over and whispered her name. She opened her eyes and sighed as if wishing this were all done.

"I need to see to the wounds."

She nodded and used her right hand to help her turn over. "My back first."

He tugged the blanket to her waist and had to fight the urge to swallow and look away. Her back was simply etched with marks. Old and new whip marks criss-crossed angrily, some curving around her sides a bit.

He wanted to say something. He wanted to punch the thick stone wall behind him. Instead he applied salve to the wounds, knowing he had no bandages large enough to properly dress the torn flesh. He turned her over again gently and worked on her front, bandaging here, wrapping there. He was correct in his previous assessment, she was a mess. One leg was obviously broken, the other leg had a deep gash in the calf. She had broken ribs and shallow scratches marred her stomach and breasts. He said nothing as he grabbed her arm and popped her shoulder back into socket but apologized quickly when she cried out. He continued down her arm and found broken bones in her hand and wrist. Her right arm had a burn mark from elbow to wrist. Whoever the men were, they had been creative.

Satisfied that he had done what he could, he helped her into her clothes. She kept her eyes closed when he slipped her underthings on. He couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or closing her eyes against the pain of being moved. Her clothes hung off her thin frame as he helped her sit up. "Are you still cold?"

She shook her head carefully. "I feel better already."

"Clean clothes and a warm fire make a big difference, huh?" He made a crude sling out of his shirt and slipped it into place, gently helping her arm into a comfortable position. He broke apart a cold compress and placed it to her mouth to help the swelling there.

"Yes." She sighed. "Big difference." Her words were slurring less already but her voice still sounded tired and husky, as if she hadn't used it the entire time she had been away. She watched him pull a brush out of his belongings. "You have a brush?" He could hear the smile in her voice and suddenly his anger gave way to inexplicable sadness. It flooded through him. Something about hearing her try to make a little joke, realizing that her spirit was still intact, realizing she was probably more worried about him than herself made him want to cling to her and weep, made him want to stalk outside and kill something. Anything.

He choked it all down. "It's yours."

She looked in his eyes, knowing, as she always seemed to, exactly what he was thinking. "Thank you."

He shrugged and sat behind her, his legs at her sides so she could lean against him if she got tired. He worked the brush gently through her damp tresses and took a second to part her hair and examine the injury there.

"It is old." She whispered.

"What?" He started brushing again.

She cleared her throat. "That injury. It is from the beginning."

He laid the brush down but did not move away, content to sit close to her for a moment more. She placed a hand on his leg and squeezed gently. His hands felt big and clumsy as he adjusted her sling. "Do you think you can sit up for a while longer?"

"I will try."

He moved away from her and stood, pausing a moment to make sure she could support herself. He moved a couple of MRE's next to the fire and opened a bottle of water for her.

He moved to a darkened corner of the cave, stripping off his soaked pants and wrapping the mildly damp blanket around his waist. He spread his pants out near the fire and took the opportunity to add some more wood.

She drank her water deeply and tried to smile as he handed her the MRE. "Thank you."

He grunted and sat across from her, diving into his own meal. She ate clumsily, not accustomed to holding utensils in her left hand. When half of the meal was gone, he noticed her pushing it around, as if she was trying to disguise the amount that was left. When she felt him watching her, she looked up and smiled guiltily. "It is too much food."

It wasn't but he nodded and took it from her. "Do you feel any better?"

"It feels like a dream." She admitted as she fiddled with the bandages on her hand.

He looked in the medkit again and pulled out two bottles. Pain relievers and sleeping aides. "Take these. They'll help with the pain. We can talk tomorrow."

She took the pills from him, held them in her good hand. He felt her eyes on him as he moved to discard the empty food containers. "I did not tell them anything."

He turned to face her. "I never thought you would."

"I still do not know who they were." She sighed heavily and he moved close to her. He handed her water and gestured toward the pills, pleased to see her comply. "They asked…" She touched her aching lips and again pressed the compress there for a second. "They asked many questions."

"You fought them?"

She was starting to slump a little and he grabbed his empty pack and made a lumpy pillow for her before helping her to lie down. He helped her settle onto her side and covered her with his coat. She looked mildly surprised when he reached a hand to smooth her hair back from her face. "I fought, yes."

He knew the fighting had made things worse for her but he understood. Fighting allowed her to keep her spirit, her identity. "I looked for you."

She waited, silently and for a moment he wondered if she had drifted to sleep. He glanced down and saw her staring at him calmly. "We all did at first but, after a time…"

"I understand."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry that we got separated."

Her brow furrowed as if trying to remember how it had actually all happened. "It was not your fault."

Ronon laid down on his back, listening to the sounds of the rain. "I left the team." He swallowed and turned on his side to face her. "A temporary leave."

"I will be forever in your debt." Teyla whispered wishing she could move to comfort him. Instead she moved her good arm out from under her and held it out to him. He looked at her briefly, considering the gesture. With a nearly imperceptible little hitch in his breathing, he covered her small hand with his large one.

He watched her eyes start to droop. "Tomorrow, we can go home."

"Home." She whispered softly. Her small hand turned over in his and gripped his fingers as sleep claimed her.

Note: Please review! New chapter on Thursday! - Brynna