MERRY CHRISTMAS to my account co-owner 3 I miss playing this with you... it felt right to include it in a story. Love you!

A Christmas Eve rainstorm… not necessarily a winter wonderland fantasy. Serena was glummer than Bernie about this, a sucker for all the Christmas stereotypes despite the mild English winters.

"Cheer up," Bernie said in a light tone. "Maybe we can't walk around and look at Christmas lights, but we can find something fun to do around here. How about a movie?"

"We've watched them all already," Serena grumbled.

"That's because you started them in October."

"Is it my fault bloody Hallmark puts out three dozen a year? I need time or else I'd need to take every December off from the hospital."

Bernie shook her head. "American streaming services have been the death of you."

"I won't deny it."

"Why not a game?" Bernie suggested.

"You know I hate board games."

"I don't mean Monopoly or Scrabble. Ever played Trivial Pursuit?"

"I've heard of it," Serena said, a bit intrigued. "You've got it?"

"You can have anything with the internet," she said with a sly grin.

Serena agreed. "I feel I must warn you; I am a trivia expert."

"Are you?"

"I've won a couple of drinks in my time."

"Ah, so you want to stake this game," Bernie nodded, always amused by Serena's competitive side. "What'll it be?"

"Winner gets to open a present tonight."

"Ah," Bernie hummed. "I should have known this was all a rouse to get under the tree early."

Coyly raising an eyebrow, Serena questioned, "Afraid you'll lose?"

"Never," replied with determination.

The game proved to be quite comedic. Serena started in the lead, answering every question correctly without more than a second or two lost. However, cockiness was her downfall. She answered too quickly, not reading the questions and/or not reading the answer options. Bernie swooped in and took the lead, leaving however it was, strangers or robots, in her dust.

"Perhaps, Serena, you'd like to take your time with this one."

"I don't need any advice. You've just got lucky, that's all. What kind of history question was that, anyhow? Asking me celebrity trivia and calling it a historic event? The actor couldn't be older than you or I!"

"Temper…"

Serena started to react but caught the malicious glint in Bernie's eye. "You almost had me there. I know what you're up to."

Just then the buzzer went off, the question moving on to the next person.

"You sneak!" she quipped.

Bernie maintained her smirk. "Sometimes you've got to play dirty to win."

From then on, Serena blocked out Bernie's heckling as best she could, managing to catch up to her opponent for the most part. Still, Bernie held on to her first place standing, frustrating Serena to no end.

"You're only one wedge ahead of me. Entertainment is my category. I'll get this one then it's neck and neck."

"True as that may be, if we both win the wedge the round after I'll still win."

"I beg your pardon?"

Holding back a chuckle, Bernie pointed to her screen. "I have a higher score. Say we have science next — a medical question. We'll both get it right, but you'll be second."

"I'm bad at geography, not math," Serena grumbled. "I got it."

Science was, in fact, the next question, making Serena question if there was more to the secret of Bernie's success. However, the topic was space, neither of which were all too knowledgeable. Their luck ran out by the fourth 'this or that' question, the wedge going to whom they presumed at this point was artificial intelligence.

Serena cursed, leaving Bernie as amused as ever. "I've never seen someone so bent on winning a friendly game of trivia."

"It's not friendly, it's war."

"The prize is a Christmas present twelve hours early. Is it really worth this angst?"

"You know bloody well you give the best gifts. You hide them well, too. I've searched everywhere around here."

Endeared, Bernie smiled. "Obviously not everywhere or else you would have found it. You can be such a child – both sweet and obnoxious."

"Sod off, it's the last question. Losing to you will be bad enough but so help me if I lose to a bloody robot."

The round went on, history being the grand finale. Though not super sure of the answers for this one, Bernie and Serena did fairly well up until the very last question, both realizing their mis-tap as soon as it was locked in."

"No, no, no!" Serena panicked.

Bernie was aggravated, however, enjoyed Serena's display far too much to feel gutted.

"That blasted robot!"

"Serena, calm down," she laughed. "It's a computer. Of course it's going to know the answers."

"Always knew those things were evil. They'll take over someday, you know. Then we'll be out of the job."

"We're a long way from total domination."

"You can't be so sure."

Clicking off of the game, Bernie shrugged, "Well, all that matters tonight is that we both get to sleep and dream of those shiny boxes under the tree."

Slyly, Serena said, "What makes you so sure I'm going to adhere to the rules?"

There was a thick and sudden silence, both frozen in place. Bernie's army instinct allowed her to position herself to catch Serena as soon as she started to dash toward the tree. Taking her as prisoner, she shoved the other woman down on the couch, giving her as sincere a glare as could manage despite wanting nothing more than to break out laughing.

Serena surrendered, hands in the air. "I underestimate you sometimes, Bernie."

"And that," Bernie said, smugly twisting her lips, "will be your true demise."

"Well then," Serena started with a grin of her own. "I'm so glad I let you win."

"In your dreams."

"I mean it. You might have the one-up on the battlefield but there's something to be said about the art of deception."

Bernie stood back, intrigued though unconvinced. Several seconds passed before she said, "I don't believe you."

"You should."

"… I think only a rematch will tell."

"Oh?"

"Fair game. No talking, no wishing death on technology, no bluffing, not hinting."

"I can't promise the well-being of any of the technology present, but I will abide by the rest in keeping with a jolly Christmas spirit."

"What spirit have you been showing here so far, Jacob Marley?" Bernie chuckled.

With narrowed eyes, Serena said, "Very funny. Start the game."