Victory

Rory and Stephen had gone around to visit the others at the Waterloo flat in the morning. It had been decorated with cobwebs and skeletons for the day. It was, after all, Halloween. They'd even cut eyeholes out of white sheets and hung them up. Rory giggled as she saw them. As if they didn't have enough ghosts in their life. They had all decided to go out tonight since it was Halloween and they had all agreed to start at the flat in Waterloo and pub crawl back to Goodwin's Court. What the plan from there was was uncertain. Stephen and Rory would've happily put them all up for the night but there was simply not enough room. They had both agreed to get the three of them a taxi home.

Rory, Callum and Boo had sat for three hours watching Freddie and Stephen having a game of chess. Oh yes, they had moved around to the kitchen and out to the corner shop but they always came back. Stephen had played Rory first. She was a little bit better now but still no match for Stephen. She was determined to beat him one day. Then Stephen had challenged Freddie and she accepted with a crack of her knuckles.

Three hours later, they had all seen the outcome and stared, open mouthed. Callum had dared the pair of them. The winner had to stand on the couch and declare their victory. They had both laughed and agreed. They had also placed a £5 bet on it. They watched in shock as the Knight triumphantly took the King and Freddie climbed onto the couch. "Victory is mine Stephen Dene! Your £5 please."

Rory broke first and started giggling. She clapped her hands as Stephen sat staring at the board before glancing up at Freddie with a small smile. He stood slowly and picked up his coat from the couch, taking his wallet from the pocket. He removed a £5 note from it and slowly handed it to Freddie. "Congratulations. Very good game."

"Thank you," she said brightly. "I've been practising." She giggled happily as she jumped from the couch and walked into the kitchen, high fiving a plastic skeleton as she passed.

Rory stood and walked over to Stephen, putting her arms around his neck and stepping onto her tiptoes to kiss him. "Well, you'll always be my champion."

He chuckled at her. "I'm glad."

The hours passed as such, Freddie delighted by her victory over Stephen. When 6pm came around, Rory emerged from her old bedroom with Freddie. Freddie was dressed as a witch and Rory's long dark hair gave her the idea to be Morticia Addams. She'd picked up a long black dress in a charity shop. She actually quite liked it. She had darkened her eyes and walked, hips swaying, over to Stephen. He grinned as she walked over and took her hand, bringing it to his mouth and placing a gentle kiss on it. "Cara mia."

Rory giggled. "You should've been Gomez."

"I've never really dressed up for Halloween."

"That's quite sad."

"It never bothered me. Besides," he moved around to stand behind her, moving her hair so that he could see a patch of skin on her neck. He whispered against it, his breath hot. "I don't need to dress up to be your Gomez." He placed a small kiss on the exposed skin and she shivered.

"Get a room." Callum laughed as he walked passed, zombie makeup plastered over his face.

Stephen wrapped his arms around Rory from behind. He looked over at Callum. "We have one."

Callum chuckled as he put his jacket on. "Then use it."

Stephen smiled as he whispered in Rory's ear, still loud enough for Callum to hear. "We intend to."

Rory shivered again as she giggled. Callum rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Stephen," Freddie said as she walked to the front door, next to a batgirl Boo, her own jacket on now. "I'll buy you a pint. Cheer you up after my amazing victory."

Stephen chuckled as he pulled away from Rory and picked up his coat. "Just you wait, Freddie Sellars. Just you wait. Next time, I shall show no mercy."

Rory laughed at the pair of them as Stephen picked up her coat too. He opened it behind her and she slipped her arms into it. He held out his arm. "Shall we, cara mia?"

"We shall." She linked her arms through his and they left the flat with the others.

Rory had quickly changed into her pyjamas as Stephen locked up downstairs. She hunted out their chess set, hands fumbling from the drink. She had drank a lot. She was tired and yawning. But she was also a little horny. She lay the chess set on the bed and quickly set it up before lying on her side, head propped up with one arm, facing their bedroom door.

She lay like that for just a minute before she heard footsteps on the stairs. When Stephen opened the door, he stopped and raised an eyebrow at the sight. "What are you-"

"I was thinking we play a game."

"Of chess?" He came into the room fully shutting the door behind him.

"Not just any game of chess. There's a new rule."

"Oh?" He walked over to the drawers and opened them to pull out his own pyjamas. He stripped off his clothes and put on his pyjamas as she spoke.

"Everytime you take one of my pieces, you take off an item of my clothing. Everytime I take one of your pieces, I take an item of your clothing. We'll call it strip chess." She grinned at him.

He chuckled. "Strip chess?"

She nodded. "Yep. And you're a much better player than me. You're bound to be victorious."

He nodded, smirking. "Sounds like a fun game. Let me just go brush my teeth and I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting," she said seductively as he left the room again.

He went downstairs to the bathroom and brushed his teeth quicker than he had ever done before. It was still about five minutes before he got back to the bedroom. When he opened the door, he smiled lovingly at Rory. The arm she had propped herself up with now lay under the pillow, her head nestled comfortably into it. She breathed slowly and turned gently. He stood in the doorway, watching her sleep for a minute, before gently walking into the room and shutting the door. He quietly packed up the chess set and put it away. He slowly pulled the covers out from under her and wrapped her up in them. He put her bedside lamp off before walking around to his side of the bed and climbing in. He put his own lamp off and darkness filled the room. She stirred slightly and smiled in her sleep. He pulled himself close to her and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he whispered although he knew she was sleeping too soundly to hear him. He pulled the covers up over the both of them and watched her eyelids flickering in her sleep until sleep took him too.