Disclaimer: I have absolutely no legal right to claim this as my own.

Checkmate?

This was it, the final scene, the epic moment that would ultimately prove who was strongest and who would fail miserably…

"Checkmate," Elizabeth's smug voice echoed through the empty lab, interrupting Rodney's train of thought and causing him to look down at the ebony and ivory pieces on the checkered squares with astonishment.

"What?" he asked, dumbfounded, "but that's not possible…I clearly had the advantage, I mean I was winning and there is no way you could have…but you did and I…" He stopped his broken speech pattern and glared at her, "Okay that was pure and total luck; either that or you cheated."

Elizabeth sat with her hands folded serenely in front of her, an eyebrow raised at the accusation and resolutely trying not to grin. This was the fourth time in a row she'd beaten him, and each time he'd found a different excuse as to why this unthinkable think could have happened. The first time had been 'beginner's luck', in spite of the fact that he had seen her playing with Carson and Sheppard several times; the second he'd got something in his eye and of course hadn't been able to think properly. The third time, when it was apparent that she would be the winner, he had 'accidentally' knocked all the chess pieces off the board when taking a drink of his coffee.

Still gazing at him with a raised eyebrow, she drawled, "and just how do you figure I cheated, hm?"

"You were looking at me funny," he said immediately, "it ruined my concentration."

"By my looking at you funny?" Her tone suggested that she didn't at all believe that, which was entirely true; she didn't. "Rodney, why don't you just accept that I'm a skilled player and leave it at that?"

She rose as she spoke, intent upon leaving him sitting there, pouting like a little kid. Which, of course, didn't explain why her heart was doing that strange hammering that it always seemed to do when she was around him. As usual she simply ignored the sensation and walked towards the door.

"Wait!"

Rodney jogged up to her, taking a hold of her arm. "Just one more game," he pleaded, "and I promise, whether I win or lose, it will be the last one."

His tone held a strange note of desperation, as if he would be devastated were she not to agree to a rematch immediately, and Elizabeth had to wonder why this was suddenly so important. It was just a game…and yet, she had sensed after the first time she'd gained the upper hand, it had ceased to be that simple.

"All right," she relented, "I'll play one more time, but then I've got to get back to those reports."

She was rewarded with one of the lopsided smiles that seemed reserved only for her and felt her heart lift in elation. Really, what was one more game? If it made him happy, then it would be doing the rest of the base a gigantic favor, because Rodney in a bad mood was not something most people wanted to deal with. Granted, Rodney in any sort of mood wasn't someone most people wanted to deal with…but that wasn't the point. The point was, she was responsible for the safety and happiness of everyone on base, and if playing one more game of chess meant that much to the head of the science team, then who was she to deny him?

As she sat down in the chair she had previously vacated, a small portion of her mind gave her quite a shock. Rodney's happiness seemed to matter a great deal to her, and it wasn't just because he was a member of the expedition. It had something to do with that fluttering she got whenever he was around, and how just seeing him smile made her heart lighter. And, as they began to play this final game, she realized something else.

She was in love with Rodney McKay.

The End!

And yes, I do mean, the end. This was just a short pointless piece that came from out of nowhere. So, please enjoy!

M.A.