Spoilers:very minor for Letters From Pegasus
Disclaimer:I do not own these characters. This is written for fun or something. I make no money, etc.

Summary: Elizabeth tries to get Rodney's attention, using a cunning plan. It works, and she wins.
Author Notes: For weirfan, who prompted me with dragons, chocolate and chess. The double exclamation mark (!!) is a deliberate use of some chess notation, indicating an excellent move ;) Also suitable for the McKayWeir Prompt Party – prompt "dragons" !!

Elizabeth was getting just a little impatient. Rodney was always working – not that she should object - she was, after all, his boss, and his work saved their lives on a regular basis – but there never seemed to be time for them. Never mind first base, she hadn't even put on the baseball glove yet, or whatever crazy sporting analogy signified that the two of them had done little but pat each others hands, albeit fondly.

Despite one shared evening meal alone, one southeast pier walk (how was she to know it would rain?) and a rather close encounter in a transporter (that should have ended more steamily, only, as he had boasted, he'd just identified the power enhancement pathway and decreased transit time by fifty percent, and she'd barely had time to lick her lips), things were just not moving fast enough.

So, the Plan had been formulated. All had been set in motion a few days ago. She had known Radek wouldn't mind, not really – he was a friend, first and foremost. In any case, as soon as Rodney had got wind of their 'lessons', he had piled extra tasks on the Czech, but it had been more than enough for her purposes. Radek had even been kind enough to shield Rodney from any distractions for the evening. Not an easy task, but Radek knew that she wanted to make Rodney happy, and a happy Rodney was a happy lab. And besides, he'd also said he'd understood, which was kind of him, considering, and she'd felt better about the Plan after that.

She found him in the lab, no one else in close earshot. "Rodney, let's have dinner tonight." Leaning over the bench, she batted her eyes a little at him.

"Huh?" Naturally, he didn't look up from his laptop.

"You, and me," she purred, "in my quarters. A little pasta, a little wine, maybe some chocolate for dessert..."

"Chocolate." He glanced over at her. "Dinner, did you say?"

She smiled. Bingo. "Yes, dinner. You and me. Eight o'clock?"

He glanced around, and she knew he was checking what might need his attention in the lab tonight. She knew there was nothing, of course. He wasn't looking for an excuse, she knew that, but his diligence to his work always came first.

"Uh... sure. Eight. That'd be great." He smiled, happy, but so uncertain of himself. Anything that wasn't completely his idea tended to made him nervous.

That's why she had made the Plan.

"Good. I'll see you then." She pressed her hand to his shoulder, and left, knowing his expression without having to look back.

It was, though, rather flattering to be able to see his expression when she had opened her door to him that night. She'd chosen a knee-length navy skirt, and a crisp white blouse. More formal than she preferred, but she'd seen the way he'd looked at her in her suit once at the SGC. What she'd chosen tonight had had just the right effect.

He'd been a little nervous, taking most of the first course to relax and settle into his usual self. She found that the most flattering - that he would, given some time, become himself with her when they were alone. Like friends, good friends. She knew they couldn't be more without that first.

With dessert out of the way (Peter's last ration of chocolate, given selflessly when she'd told him the Plan – 'for your sake, mind, not his'), she was ready for more.

"I thought we could play a game of chess now," she said lightly, as she poured a little more wine.

He gave a short, amused laugh. "Chess. You? I thought you said you didn't know how to play?"

She smiled knowingly. "I know, but I know you like to, if you can find someone worth playing against, so I thought I would learn. Radek has taught me a few moves."

Rodney's face went pale as he pouted. He mumbled gruffly, "Yes, well, he said you'd asked. I could have shown you."

"Well, it seems you have kept him too busy to help me any more. I trust that was not deliberate, Rodney?"

He shrugged, his face still indicating he was a little put out. "It's not that I don't want to play, it's just..."

"I'm not good enough?"

"Something like that," he muttered.

She got up from the table and went over to the couch, taking a box from under a small table. "Why don't I show you what I know, and you can give me a few pointers. Please, Rodney?"

She looked pleadingly at him, and he huffed, folded his napkin carefully and following her across, sitting opposite her on a chair.

He watched, sighing from time to time as she laid out the pieces, occasionally pausing as if she was unsure of where they were placed on the board. She placed the white pieces in front of Rodney. When she had finished, and the gameboard was ready to play, she stood looking at it, arms folded.

"What?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Could you just...?" she held his arm and pulled. "Could you move to the couch? I need to sit here. I'm white."

Rodney opened his mouth, then shut it again. Sighing, he rolled his eyes, stood up and moved across to the couch.

Elizabeth sat down, smiling. "There. That's better." She settled in front of the white pieces. "I go first, you see."

"Oh right, of course. I see," he responded sarastically.

She frowned at the board with great seriousness. "Oh dear," she said quietly.

He sighed again. "What is it now?"

She smiled apologetically. "I seem to have forgotten how the dragons move."

He blinked. "The what?"

"The dragons. You know, the ones that move in a sort of weird way."

Rodney placed his face into his palm. "What did Radek tell you?" she heard him mumble into his hand.

She lifted a knight. "This is a dragon, right?"

He peeped through his fingers. "No," he said stiffly, "That is not a dragon."

"Oh," she said, feigning puzzlement, and picked up a pawn, "And is this not a hobbit?"

"Oh god," Rodney groaned, hiding his face again.

Elizabeth smiled, watching him. He was almost ready, she was sure.

"Oh dear," she sighed. "I think I need you to teach me." She placed just the right emphasis on each word, slipped just the right amount of honey over the phrases.

Rodney looked up from his hand. Something, somewhere, deep inside his brain, had figured out just what was going on. She was right. If he could find the right opponent, then there were some games he really, really liked to play.

His eyes narrowed, as he took in her crossed legs, her large eyes, her inviting smile. "Forgotten some of the moves, huh?"

"Mmm." She uncrossed her legs, and crossed them the other way.

"Hmm." He got up and stood behind her chair, leaning his chin on her shoulder. She could feel his breath on her neck as he whispered, "Let's see now... This is a knight..." he explained, took her hand in his own, and guided it to the small horse-shaped piece. Or dragon. Whatever. "And it moves like this." With his hand over hers, they lifted the piece and placed it down again, "Or like this," his lips were now against her cheek as he continued to show her all the ways a knight could move.

"Oh," she breathed, a little more moved herself than she had even anticipated. "I see," she gulped.

"You know what I like about chess...?" he asked, kissing her cheek, his arm on hers conspiring to gently pin her to the chair.

"What?" she asked, her pulse quickening, her Plan complete, and now finding herself adrift in some gameplan of his.

"You can play me deflections, decoys, and sacrifices," he murmured, "but you'll never get me with a discovered attack."

Elizabeth had no time to ask what any of those chess terms meant as she felt herself being lifted off the chair. She responded instantly to his hungry kiss, as he pulled her to him, his hands reverently running through her hair, stroking her neck.

"At last..." she breathed, as he ran kisses along her collarbone and unbuttoned his shirt.

"Yeah, and you win," he growled, before he made his best move.

FIN