Disclaimer: I won nothing, don't rub it in.
Author's Note: Season 5, Beka and Rhade in a bar. All dialougue. After Rhade quit drinking.
One-shot

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"Hey."

"Hmm…oh, hey."

"Think there's anything I can drink in here."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't want to."

"There's always a catch. A cloud to every silver lining."

"I think it's supposed to be the other way around."

"Beka, please, I would think that by now you would realize, that life, is a string of painful random events."

"It is?"

"Yes. Merely interrupted briefly by these sweet little moments of nothingness."

"Let me guess, drugs and alcohol?"

"And sex, mustn't forget the mind blowing sex."

"Of course, how could I dare to leave out the sex. I mean, it's an important part of everyday life."

"I like you Beka."

"Well, Rhade, I like you too."

"Why don't we ever hang out like we used to?"

"We hung out? When was this and where was I?"

"Back on Andromeda, when life still made sense."

"Hate to break it to you, but life has never, will never, make sense. And we didn't hang out. You stalked me. So the real question is, why don't you ever stalk me like you did before?"

"I wanted to know how you worked. I get it now."

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't understand how cold you could be, you would never let anybody in. I asked around, I was the only one that knew about your mom. And I figured since you shared a bit about her you trusted me and we would get closer. Well I was wrong. But I get it now. I see it. Why trust people, why get close, if at some point they're just going to be ripped away from you? Savagely torn from your life. And you spiral downwards into this thing you would have looked down upon before you ever knew the true pain of life."

"Um, yeah, well. ... Did you start drinking again?"

"No. Wish I did though."

"It's not all bad."

"Huh?"

"Life, the people in it, not all bad. Don't get me wrong; I'm not real big on trust. Except when trusting people to be who they are, which is usually someone who would stab you in the back without a second thought. But some people are ok. I mean, take me for instance."

"Hah, don't flatter yourself."

"I sit here night after night and listen you to whine and bitch. I never say 'you know what Rhade, I deal with pains and craving over flash every fucking day, but do you see me complaining about it?'. I never yell at you, or curse you out. That one time when you relapsed and got drunk I came and got you, took you home, didn't make you bleed when you tried to convince me to spend the night."

"Your neck tasted good."

"And I'm not going to hit you right now for that little comment."

"Would you hit me if I tried it again."

"Yes."

"You're bluffing."

"Try me."

"Mmmmm."

"Hey!"