AUTHOR'S NOTES: I do not own the Andromeda characters. They are the property of Gene Roddenberry's brilliance, CanWest Productions and the other guys that I can't remember at the moment. All original characters do belong to me.

Rest In Peace

Dylan watched from the bar as Rhade and a cloaked figure left. As always, there was a bottle in Rhade's hand. There was something unusual about Rhade's obviously female companion and he wondered if Rhade even knew her name. He shook himself mentally and sighed. There was only so much that he could do to help Rhade out of the bottle and that's all there was to it.

Rhade closed the door behind his 'guest' and leaned against it. "So what exactly is it that you wanted to offer me?" he asked as the woman pushed her hood back. Deep blue eyes stared into his. "Something that you need though you do not acknowledge it," she replied, a soft smile curving her rosy lips. "You said that earlier." "Yes, I did," she said, crossing the room and stopping in front of him. Her gloved hand curled around the neck of the bottle and she easily tugged it from his grasp. "This will not be needed, Telemachus," she murmured and set it aside. His dark eyes widened at her use of his first name. "You know me?" She only nodded and took his hand, leading him toward the bed.

He smiled faintly. "Don't get me wrong but I always acknowledge this need," he said quietly. Soft, musical laughter filled the room. "That is not what I am offering you," she laughed and gestured for him to sit down. "You never did tell me exactly what you're offering. In fact, you never even told me your name," he commented as she touched the clasp on her cloak. "That is true. Though I do not recall your asking my name," she told him as she let the cloak slip from her shoulders. Rhade actually thought about it. "I suppose I didn't," he laughed softly, though the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes. He leaned back on his hands and regarded her speculatively. Beneath the cloak was a lithe body covered in soft pale grey leather. Auburn hair with copper highlights framed an almost pretty face and intelligent blue eyes looked at him. "While I am not pleasing to the eye, I do have some assets," she commented in her husky voice. He looked surprised. To his mind, she was definitely 'easy on the eyes', as Harper would say. "You have assets? What an intriguing thought."

She ignored his comment and asked him to lie down. He quirked a dark eyebrow in question but did as she asked. "What I am offering you is something that you haven't had in a very long time," she murmured, sitting down beside him on the bed and lightly touching his dark hair. "That could be any number of things." She smiled slightly. "Yes, but this is something that you need. There is a great deal of difference between what is wanted and what is needed. What I intend to give you is what is needed most of all," she murmured and lightly closed his eyes with two fingers. He made a soft sound in his throat and then sighed.

"What once was is now no more. Loneliness and pain are banished if only for a while. I take them from you now and I do it for the best. Let nothing disturb you and go now to healing rest," she whispered, her fingers gently stroking across his forehead from temple to temple. She whispered something unintelligible as her hand came to rest on his heart. The last thing that Rhade was aware of was the surprising fact that he was relaxing. Everything else simply faded away.

Dylan was stunned to see the woman emerge from the shadows of the bar alone. His eyes narrowed as she slipped the cloak around herself and fixed the clasp. She had a rather satisfied look on her face as she moved toward the exit. Getting to his feet, he quickly caught her before she could leave. "Who are you?" he demanded, his hand curled tightly around her slender wrist. Deep blue eyes peered up at him. "Telemachus knows and that is all that matters," she told him softly and easily pulled her hand from his grip. He stared at her for a split second longer and stepped back. Wordlessly, she turned and walked out of the bar, leaving only the hint of perfume in the air behind her. He mulled over what she had said and then decided to ask Rhade who she was.

Hurrying to the tunnel that led to Rhade's quarters, he hoped that the Nietzschean was all right. The woman made him nervous and he wasn't sure why. Rhade's door was closed and he couldn't hear anything from inside. That worried him and he quickly opened the door. "Rhade?" he called out and moved carefully through the cluttered space. He stopped in his tracks when he reached the bed. Telemachus Rhade was sprawled out on the bed, snoring. Dylan's brow furrowed. He'd never heard Rhade snore. He moved to the side of the bed and leaned over Rhade. "Rhade?" he said quietly and the Nietzschean muttered something in his sleep and shifted on the bed. He didn't know why but he was sure that Rhade should have woken up. But he didn't. "Andromeda, scan Rhade. I think something may be wrong with him," he said, using his subdermal comm link. "Scanning now. Aside from the fact that he drinks too much, he is quite well. In fact, he is sleeping quite deeply," Andromeda replied. "Thanks. I guess I worry too much," he murmured ruefully. "Perhaps but that is better than not worrying at all." With that, Andromeda broke off communication. Shaking himself mentally, Dylan left Rhade's quarters and returned to the bar.

Though he asked around, no one he spoke to could remember ever having seen the woman before. Hell, he'd never seen her before but that didn't really count for much. He sat down in his usual spot and stared off into nothing. Maybe then he'd think of something that would help him figure her out.

The next morning

Rhade stretched languorously as he opened his eyes. He didn't get up, deciding to just lounge in bed for a while. As he lay there, he realized that, for the first time in a very long time, he actually felt good. Normally, he woke up cranky and tired, as if he'd never been to sleep at all. He'd slept the night through without benefit of whiskey or sex. That was entirely too rare. So was the fact that it had been a dreamless sleep free of the pain and anger that haunted him in his waking hours. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. That was when he saw the paper. Reaching over and picking it up, he quickly read it.

"When your need is greatest, I will come to you again. Thera."

He smiled as he set it back down. Thera. Now he knew who she was. He also knew what she had given him. Enough peace of mind to rest without being disturbed. He didn't know how she did it or even why but he was strangely grateful that she had.

An hour later, he walked into the bar to find his shipmates waiting for him. "Beautiful morning, isn't it?" he said as he sat down. Harper's eyes widened at the smile on Rhade's face. They widened even further when he set the unopened bottle of whiskey on the bar. "Are you feeling all right, Rhade?" Dylan asked, watching his friend closely. "Of course." Beka lightly touched his arm. "What happened last night?" she asked curiously. "I slept like a baby," was all Rhade said before winking at her. "You slept?" Harper demanded. "I saw the woman you left with. No way did you just sleep." Rhade laughed. "Sometimes sleep is exactly what is needed," he told Harper cryptically.

Trance smiled at him. "A good night's sleep will do a world of good for those who need it the most," she murmured softly. He smiled back at her and nodded. "Yes, it will."

The End?