Author's Note: I need to thank my absolutely wonderful reviewers. First thanks go to my very first reviewer Anja, cheers darling. Secondly, I have to thank L.C. Brotherton for the kind words. And lastly, to my most enthusiastic reviewer silver-midnite, you rock sweetie! Thanks for all your support. Here's another chappie for your enjoyment. Sorry it's a bit of a short one.

Lost Souls & Changing Fate Part One: Lost Souls

Chapter Six: Drifting into Love

"There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness."

- Nietzsche

Arianna moaned as she stretched, mornings were not her best thing. As she padded barefoot to the bathroom, contemplating how she was going to spend her day, her companion slept on.

"Anna?" he mumbled, reaching a hand across the bed and finding it empty.

The shower was on and he could hear the strains of an old earth song. Debating whether or not to join her in the shower, Rhade stretched, for the moment perfectly content.

It had been a whirlwind three weeks since Arianna was released, reluctantly, from the confines of medical. Since that day there was scarcely a moment when Rhade and Arianna weren't seen together. When Rhade had to work, Arianna could almost always be found either reading in her quarters, across the hall from Rhade's, or in hydroponics with Trance, catching up on old times. Life was definitely good for the Andromeda's two resident Nietzscheans.

Rhade shifted into a sitting position as he heard the shower turn off. He had the day off work as the Andromeda had docked with a drift station during the night. Arianna came back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her.

"Morning sleepy. Having pleasant dreams were you?" she said with a smile.

"My dreams are always pleasant when I am dreaming of you." he replied teasingly.

As Arianna turned to get dressed, a well muscled arm reached out and dragged her back into bed.

"Telemachus Rhade, what on earth do you think you are doing?"

"I am taking my beautiful lover to bed. What does it look like I am doing?"

Arianna couldn't think of an argument good enough, so she decided to surrender. The nights, and days, spent in bed with Telemachus were the most poetic and beautiful of her life. She never could have imagined that she would find a man so...so...Rhade. There was really nothing in any of the languages Arianna knew to describe her man. Just as things were starting to heat up, Andromeda's hologram appeared, back tactfully turned, to tell them that Dylan wanted everyone to meet at docking bay five in twenty minutes.

Having frozen mid motion, Rhade now shook in silent laughter at the look on Arianna's face. She had gone very still when Andromeda popped in, and now she looked quite aggravated.

"Well that really buggers my morning, or rather doesn't bugger it." she said looking rather unamused with Rhade's poor attempt to contain his laughter.

"We do have a whole twenty minutes you know."

"Not enough time."

"We could make it enough time" he said, dipping his head to nip her collarbone.

"We could..."

It was nearly thirty minutes later that they arrived, flushed and late, to docking bay five where everyone was waiting.

"Why did I have to get out of bed to be here on time, when these two come in all freshly sexed and no one says boo?" demanded Beka, as Dylan just laughed at Rhade and Arianna.

"Freshly sexed?" said Harper, looking confused as always.

Rommie leaned over to whisper to Harper, presumably filling him in, as the assembled crew prepared to go aboard the drift.

"Does everybody have a list of what they need?" Dylan asked, waiting for the doors to open.

"Captain, is there anything I can do to help while we are here? I am beginning to feel quite useless." Arianna asked, she really was starting to feel useless.

"Nothing at all, but see me when we get back to the Andromeda, I might have a use for you."

Rhade and Arianna walked aimlessly around the drift, occasionally poking into some shop or another, hand in hand without a care in the world. Little did they know they were being watched. Someone on this little drift was very interested in the Nietzschean walking by.

Trance was in a small shop specializing in plant proteins when was struck with the most curious sensation. Turning, she thought she saw...no. It was not possible.