Fyd818 – Don't worry I'm sure Michael will get what's coming to him. Good to know you like the John and Elizabeth scenes and Carson being a therapist. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Steph7085 – Thanks for the review, I'm really glad the flash back scene worked out, I was a little worried cos I wanted to make it as realistic and true to life as possible. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Whirlwind-2005 – Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

- - -

Chapter 9

Teyla was just getting ready to leave for the hospital having been unsuccessful in completely hiding the bruise. A knock at the door made her jump and then freeze completely. It wasn't until there was a second knock that she forced her body to move toward the door. She opened it slightly and was partly relieved when she saw Adam standing there.

He looked at her in concern for several moments before she sighed and opened the door fully to let him in. He walked past her into the house and she kept her face turned away from him hoping that she could keep him from seeing the bruise. Unfortunately she just wasn't that lucky right now.

"What is that?" he asked reaching for her face and she took a step back.

"It's nothing, I walked into the door."

"That's not going to work with me Teyla, I was there the last time you used that excuse remember," Adam informed her. "Michael hit you didn't he?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"He followed me home, it was my fault I provoked him," Teyla explained.

"I heard that one last time too."

"Adam…"

"Don't do this again Teyla, don't fall into his trap. Your husband and one of your best friends are cops…"

"No," Teyla stated adamantly. "I don't want them to know."

"You can't just let him get away with this," Adam told her frustrated. "I knew something was wrong when you didn't show up for work."

"Adam, I know what you're trying to say but please let me deal with this my way, please," Teyla pleaded and Adam stared at her for a moment before reluctantly nodding his head.

"I'm watching you, if I see one more bruise or even suspect that he's getting to you again I'm going to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, understood?"

"Understood Adam," Teyla responded.

- - -

Ronon walked into Elizabeth's room to see Teyla sitting in the chair beside the bed. She sat there completely silent as she stared at the floor. Her posture was slouched and he couldn't see her face through the light brown hair that had fallen in front of her it. He didn't need to see her face though to know the sad expression that would be present there. His heart ached for her in that moment and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and help her with whatever it was that was making her so sad.

He stood in the door silently for several minutes just watching her. She barely moved and she never made a sound, she was so different to the person he knew. Teyla was always so energetic and for the most part she was always smiling. When she was upset she had always talked to him, he'd had to battle with her in the beginning to get her to talk to him but it had become second nature to her.

He took a step into the room and she finally registered his presence. She tilted her head slightly in his direction but did not look up enough for him to see her face. A second later she was standing up and grabbing her bag to leave.

"Sorry Ronon I have to go, I just remembered I have something to do," she stated and her voice sounded somewhat panicked. It also wasn't lost on him that she never looked at him the entire time. When she raced out of the room he had yet to see her face.

He started to go after her but when he made it out into the corridor she was almost running out of the door at the end. He sighed and walked back into Elizabeth's room, knowing John would bet there any minute. He'd had to go and drop some stuff off at his house before he could come today.

As if sensing his thoughts John walked in only moments later and took his seat beside Elizabeth automatically reaching for her hand. Ronon watched as John smoothed back his wife's hair and whispered his greeting to her.

"Did you see Teyla on your way in?" Ronon asked him.

"No, why?"

"She was here when I got here, she wouldn't look at me. As soon as she realised I was here she got up and ran out of the room faster than I've ever seen her move. She never looked up at me once."

"Something is seriously going on with her," John stated. "I know she'll probably kick my ass for this later but maybe you should go talk to her. Whatever it is she obviously isn't going to tell us and I've respected her privacy until now but if it's as bad as we're thinking it is then we need to find out what it is."

Ronon nodded his head in agreement and turned to look at Elizabeth. It had been a few days since he'd been able to come and visit her and he regretted he couldn't come more often. Work however had kept him busy and he'd been subtly doing more than his fair share of the case so that John could spend more time at the hospital.

"Ronon, you're not going to be happy until you talk to her so go," John said the slightest hint of a smile on his face and Ronon nodded once again and left the room.

- - -

Teyla got out of her car outside her house, she caught sight of a movement in the corner of her eyes and she didn't need to look to know who it was. She quickly went inside and locked the door praying that Michael would either stay where he was or go away, preferably the latter.

Why had Ronon been at the hospital so early? She knew her hasty exit and poor excuse would have made him suspicious but she had panicked. When she'd realised he was standing behind her she had panicked. The bruise was still visible on her face and the last person she wanted seeing it was Ronon. He'd start asking questions and he wouldn't stop until he was satisfied that he had the truth from her.

She heard a knock at the door and stared at it in fear, she knew who it was. Ignoring it seemed to only make it louder and she sat on the sofa desperately hoping he would leave. There was another loud knock and Teyla shrank back into the sofa hoping it would swallow her up. She heard the tell tale signs of someone trying to open the door.

"Teyla open the door!" Michael shouted and Teyla flinched at the obvious anger in his voice. Her conversation with Adam that morning echoed in her mind and it was one of the only things preventing her from doing what he wanted.

"Teyla!" he shouted again.

"Teyla open this damn door!" Michael called clearly getting angrier with her refusal to let him in.

"Please go away, please go away, please go away," Teyla whispered repeatedly as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees. The knocking finally subsided and silence blanketed the house. She didn't dare check to see if he was gone, she just sat there in silence.

Somewhere in her mind she registered the phone ringing but she made no move to answer it. A tear escaped her eye and slowly slid down her cheek despite her efforts to hold them back. She needed to do something about this; she couldn't remain this way, afraid to move in her own house. Michael had been part of another life and she couldn't let him ruin this one or rather what was left of this one.

TBC