Steph7085 – (Joins in throwing sporks at David) I hate him too. I'm glad you liked the Ronon and Teyla kiss. Thanks for the review.
Tiril Nordlie – Sorry I hope I got it right this time, thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter.
Fyd818 – Yep you will have to wait and see cos I'm not giving anything away. I'm so glad you liked the Spanky kiss, I've had that scene planned since I started writing this story. I want to hug Teyla too. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks so much for the review.
Izzles – Glad you liked the Spanky scene and you'll have to wait and see what David's up to. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Alex – Thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked the Spanky scene, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
- - -
Chapter 18
Ronon arrived back at his desk to where John was sat with a file in his hand clearly engrossed in whatever it said. He dropped into his seat with a heavy sigh he hadn't been able to suppress and his partner looked up from the file in his hands. John seemed to study him for a moment, probably debating whether or not to ask him what was wrong, apparently he decided not to.
"I got a call from Annie Davis, the victims' friend, apparently she neglected to tell us something the other day," John informed his partner.
"And that would be?" Ronon questioned patiently.
"That she also thought the husband was having an affair, though she thinks she knows who it was with," John stated and at Ronon gave him look that told him to spit it out. "Sandra Bartlett."
"The victims' sister?" Ronon asked only slightly surprised.
"That's the one, you know this makes me glad I have no siblings," John retorted.
"We didn't need siblings to ruin our marriages," Ronon replied bitterly.
"Well aren't we cheerful today," John stated sarcastically. "Though it all does kind of ruin your faith in happy relationships."
"I think we should bring both of them in and we should probably get warrants for their DNA," Ronon told his partner who nodded his head in agreement and picked up his phone.
Ronon waited for his partner to finish, he could still feel the tingle on his lips left behind by his kiss with Teyla. Why had he done it, why the hell had he kissed her? If things hadn't been awkward enough between them before they'd be unbearable now. He hadn't intended to do it, it had just happened. It hadn't been entirely one sided though, she had kissed him back but he wasn't sure that would help the situation at all.
"Let's go," John said as he stood up to leave, Ronon followed after him still lost in his own thoughts wondering exactly what he was supposed to do now. He'd just made everything far more complicated.
- - -
Sandra Bartlett had been less than pleased with being dragged down to the station for questioning but she had gone without much protest and grudgingly agreed to allow them to test her DNA. The husband however had been another matter entirely; they had almost had to arrest him to get him to go with them and then had threatened to pin him down in order to get the DNA sample.
He hadn't admitted to anything but John had a feeling he wouldn't have to, his DNA would most likely match the sample taken from beneath her fingernails and the scratch marks on his hand definitely supported his theory.
Ronon had been distracted all afternoon; no it had been worse than distracted. Something had very obviously upset him some time between him leaving for lunch and returning but he couldn't think what it could be. The only thing that ever made him visibly upset was when something happened with Teyla, though he didn't think anything could have happened in the hour he'd gone for lunch, but he could be wrong.
He arrived home and saw several files and text books on the table that told him Elizabeth was home. He searched the house locating her asleep in bed, it had been her first day back at work and he knew it had probably taken a lot out of her. He walked over to the bed crouched down next to her side where she was curled up under the covers.
She always looked so peaceful when she slept, no matter what else was going or what emotional state she was in when she was awake; she always looked peaceful in her sleep. He watched for a few moments his face filled with an affection he couldn't show her when she was awake. He brushed a stray curl away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She didn't stir at the contact and he continued to watch her for a minute before walking out of the room and leaving her to sleep.
He went back downstairs and sat on the couch, turning on the T.V and flicking through the channels finding nothing to watch. Leaving on a black and white movie that he wasn't really interested in he let his mind drift. Without realising it he fell asleep.
- - -
Teyla was sat in her office at the museum; she was exhausted having barely slept at all last night. She couldn't make her mind shut off and it had irritated her to no end. Ronon had kissed her, why had he kissed her? Even worse, why the hell had she kissed him back?
Just when her life seemed to be settling down again this had to happen. She seemed to go from one drama to the next right now; her impending divorce, Elizabeth's accident, Michael's reappearance and now she had made what was either the most stupid or best mistake she had ever made, possibly both.
Why did it have to be so hard? She knew her feelings for Ronon had not changed but for whatever reason loving him had not been enough. They had just drifted further and further apart until the space between them had been so big it seemed impossible to close it. It would be easier if she hated him, if they had been screaming and shouting at each other and going through an ugly divorce that had them battling viciously with each other. Instead they were perfectly pleasant with each other and sometimes the spark of what they had once had was visible again.
She wished things could be different but they weren't. This was how things had turned out and there was no sense in going back just to make the same mistakes all over again. People didn't change, Michael was a perfect example of that and if she and Ronon tried to go back the same thing would undoubtedly happen again.
There was a knock at the door that drew her out of her musings and a moment later Adam's head appeared. "Teyla, the new artefact for the Egyptian display has arrived."
"I'll be right there," Teyla told him and he nodded his head before it disappeared again. She took a deep breath pushing her thoughts away to be analysed in her own time and not when she was meant to be working.
- - -
Elizabeth had woken that morning to find that John had fallen asleep on the couch though whether that was by accident or choice she didn't know. He had woken up before she'd left and hadn't seemed to notice it had actually upset her but she had been busy getting ready for work. They hadn't even exchanged the usual 'good mornings' and forced smiles.
David had been hovering around between classes and she was sure he had something to say but she wasn't sure she entirely wanted to hear it. Nevertheless he was her colleague and she supposed she considered him a friend so if he tried to talk to her she would have to let him. That was if his constant hovering didn't force to pry whatever it was out of him first.
As if reading her thoughts David walked into the room. "Hey," he greeted and Elizabeth knew he wasn't going to talk.
"Hi," she replied before turning back to the text book she had been reading through.
"How are you doing?" he asked and she groaned inwardly, the idle small talk was getting on her nerves.
"The same as I was when you asked me an hour ago, look whatever it is you have to say will you just say it."
"It's none of my business and definitely not my place," he told her and she stopped herself from glaring at him.
"It doesn't matter, just tell me," she instructed and he took a deep breath before sitting at the opposite side of the desk.
"I just think that this thing you have with John, these problems don't seem to be going away. You've been miserable for months, since long before the accident and it's not getting better."
"They're just problems, we're trying to work them out," Elizabeth defended.
"Don't you think you should have worked them out by now or at least have started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel? You're both trying so hard to make it work but maybe what you had is gone, maybe you're holding onto something that isn't there anymore," David stated and gave her a sympathetic look before standing and leaving her office. Elizabeth watched him leave thinking seriously about his words, was it possible he was right, maybe they were holding on to something that just wasn't there any more, maybe it was time to just let go.
TBC