Checkmate fluff fluff fluff forgive me

"What are you doing?" Bella had entered the kitchen to find Dylan staring into space with concentration lined across his face. She recognised the look, "Oh wait, don't tell me, mental chess. You can't be that bored already? It's only 12 hours till we're back on shift."

Dylan blinked, "But it's been twelve hours already."

"Unemployent Bylaw number 17, Wyvern Council-"

Dylan looked up, giving Bella his warning look, "Bella."

Bella sighed, stopping herself from continuing, "I'm bored too. Look, I even made cookies. I don't even like cookies."

Dylan picked one off the tray and took a bite. "I do. These are good." His face became one of concentration again, obviously trying a complex manoeuvre against himself. Bella laughed.

Dylan frowned, "What."

"It's just so you. A game of chess. In your head. Against yourself." She shook her head, "I could never concentrate for long enough to get past the first move."

Dylan paused, "Play me then."

Bella shook her head, "I haven't played chess in a long time."

"Worried that you'll lose? Because you will."

Bella smiled, "I was taught chess by a master."

"I am a master."

Bella's initial laughter turned to a frown that lingered on her face for the moments that it took her to make her decision. She spoke softly, "I'll get the board."

Dylan followed her as she stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. He had never seen a chess board in Bella's house, and her house was so empty of ornaments and photos and clutter that he felt sure he would have noticed it if it was on display. Bella pulled out one of the four black A4 file boxes that were piled up on the bookcase. In fact the bookcase was the only item of Bella's house that indicated that there was a person living in the house at all. The row of CDs, a selection of punk, grunge and alternative rock occupied the first shelf, and then on the second shelf a row of medical journals, textbooks and dictionaries. The spines were worn and the pages curled, in contrast to the books that occupied the next shelf. They were mainly classics, Dickens, Hardy, the Bronte Sisters, Tolstey, Austen, the complete works of William Shaksphere and then a bible. All looked untouched. There were several photos on the shelf, one of Bella and Nick, two of Bella, Zoe and two other people that Dylan didn't recognise, a picture of Bella, Adam and Charlie looking far too formal and lastly an old looking picture of a woman that Dylan had always assumed to be Bella's mother just by the similarity in the face structure and the eyes, but had never asked. And then on the bottom shelf was the four boxes, again Dylan had never asked and had always wondered what was contained in them, but assumed it was paperwork of some kind. Bella opened the box, placing the lid next to her on the floor. And in the box was a folded chess set and board, an army patch, a shoelace and a collection of military unit photos. When Bella pulled the chess board out and handed it to him Dylan half expected to find a gun. Instead there was a green beret, a twist of electronic material and single photograph of an older man ruffling Bella's hair. Bella answered the question that had formed in Dylan's mind before he even had a chance to consider asking it. "Captain Mardsen." And then she shut the box, "Where did you want to play?"

Dylan sensed that there was more to that box, and indeed the chess set that Bella had just scooped out into his hands, but he also knew that Bella would not appreciate questions. She would rarely volunteer information about her past, but then neither did he. It was an arrangement that suited them and one that was never questioned. He took the board into the kitchen and began to set out the pieces. The set was complete, if not a little chipped. "White or black?"

Bella placed the white queen down, "I always go first."

"Fine." He looked at her across the board. She had lost the far away look in her eyes and it had been replaced by one of intense competitiveness. "Go on then."

Bella picked up the middle pawn and deliberately placed it two squares forward. "I hope you're not a sore loser."

Dylan raised an eyebrow, "Queen's Gambit?"

"You'll see."

.

They were about halfway through the game, Dylan had just place his bishop down when Bella let out a shout of glee. "You walked right into that one." She moved her castle in line with his king. "Checkmate."

Dylan looked at the board. "No." He had been sure that Bella was just rearranging her game-plan, he hadn't seen anything that looked remotely threatening. And then he saw it. The place where he had just moved his bishop gave way for her castle, and then her queen and then a knight that he had honestly not noticed to move on his king and the spaces around it.

Bella was grinning, "Okay then, try and move your king out of that one."

Dylan knew he had lost. He scowled, and then knocked his king over. She had read his game plan like a book, not that he expected any less. Bella only had to take one look at him to know what was on his mind, why would chess be any different? Her unique ability to understand what people wanted before they even knew it themselves, a culmination of years of quietly observing people and modelling her own actions upon them in order to appear normal. He took one look at her triumphant grin, he didn't need to be a gifted reader of minds to know that Bella wasn't going to forget this one in a while.