THE RULES:
Location: Bobbi's Bar
The relationship: know each other from work/school
The trigger: playing pool

She takes a sip of the red wine and looks around the crowded bar. Only Felix would be able to pull it off: gather people from every department in the local pub to celebrate his birthday. The company's PR always had the ability to move between every group without much fuss, which is really ironic, considering the young man's extravagant personality.

However, if it's true that he managed to put everyone under the same roof, that doesn't mean the self-appointed groups are dismantled. The interaction between the several departments is virtually non-existent, the only time they make any effort to talk between each other is when they absolutely have to without falling into the realm of rudeness. So they exchange a few words when they are elbow to elbow at the counter or in line to the bathroom. That's it. After they are done, everyone gets back to the group where they fit and feel more comfortable. Who would have thought that work can feel so much like high school?

Cosima is the exception to the rule. Since day one she never fit the scientists group. Six months ago, when she joined DYAD's employee sheet, the ink on her master's degree still not dry, Cosima immediately realized she would not get along with her fellow scientists. The company's policy to always look for the very best resulted in a bunch of squares, dressed in crispy clothes under their lab coats. It doesn't take a great mental exercise to come to the conclusion that the young woman, with her dreadlocked hair, pierced nose, wrist tattoo and mismatched clothes does not feel at ease among the other scientists.

That being said, it doesn't mean she isn't more than willing to work with them. When she's at work she can almost (almost) forget how they are outside their work place: looking down on others and believing they rule the world. So generally she gets along with them as much as her work requires, but outside office hours the young woman prefers the relaxed company of Sarah and Tony, from the security department, and Felix's of course, than the one from the people she shares the lab with.

"I like it Fee." Cosima says to the host. "I really do. Very British!"

"Yeah, party boy." Tony adds with a sly grin. "You've really pulled it off this time." He throws down what's left of his third drink of the early night. "I could almost kiss you."

"You come back to me later, dear." Felix is not the type to shy away from a challenge. "But for now I want to keep my options open. It's too early in the night to get tangled in something like that." He finishes off with a wink, his hand going to Tony's blazer lapel, giving it a gentle smooth.

"They're gonna be all wrapped up on each other before the night ends." Sarah whispers in the other woman's ear.

Cosima looks her way, nodding discreetly with a wide smile and brings the glass to her lips, finding it empty. "Damn, I need more fuel." And starts to walk in the bar's direction.

She looks around the counter, looking for a free space she can fit in to order her drink, the free drinks causing a long wait for one of the three bartenders to attend to every request. Felix probably didn't count on having such a big tab at the end of the night. Cosima almost has to run to take the spot left vacant by one of the lawyers, who is carrying too many drinks to reach his destination safe from spilling. As she reaches the free area she hesitates for just a moment, before trying to get the attention of one of the busy bartenders, deliberately turning her back to the woman on her left.

"Hey, Bobbi! Regular client here!" Cosima says loud, waving her hands to get the bar's owner attention. She comes here almost every night and she will take full advantage of that fact to get away from the other woman as fast as possible.

Bobbi looks in Cosima's direction as soon as she hears her name being called and excuses herself from the costumer she was attending to. "Hi Cos!"

"Why the hell does she get special treatment?" The guy to Cosima's right starts to protest.

"Well, for starters, she is not being rude!" Bobbi throws back, before returning her attention to the small woman. "When Felix said he was going to invite some people over I..." She takes a deep breath. "I am going to kill his sorry ass!"

Cosima laughs slightly. "Yeah, you should... But before you do that can you give me a refill, please?" She pushes the glass in Bobbi's direction.

"Red wine, right?"

"You know me well."

"While you're at it, perhaps you wouldn't mind do the same for me?" And carefully manicured fingers push a glass over the counter to stop next to Cosima's.

"Sure!" Bobbi then turns to the guy. "See... It doesn't hurt being polite, dickhead." She takes the two glasses and walks away without give him the chance to answer.

"Where is she going?" The other scientist asks Cosima when she sees Bobbi going through a door that leads to a restricted area.

"I guess you're in luck." Cosima finally turns her head to the other woman. "That's where she keeps the good stuff and apparently she will serve you that as well by association."

The somehow wild blonde curls move around the other woman's face as she nods. "Listen, about this afternoon..."

"Delphine, stop!" Cosima cuts her off harshly. "I don't want to talk about work, okay? I'm here to celebrate Fee's birthday and that's all."

"But we should talk about it." Delphine insists.

"Would you stop talk about work, Dr. Cormier?" The brunette says. "Jeez, just... Can't you just... I don't know... Have fun?"

"Of course I can." The blonde raises her voice, a little annoyed. "I'm here, am I not?"

"If you say so..." Cosima takes the glass of wine Bobbi just sat on the counter. "Thanks Bobbi!" And walks back to her friends, feeling the French's stare trailing after her.

"What was that about?" Sarah asks immediately.

"What was what about?" Cosima pretends she doesn't know that everyone had been looking at her the entire time she was talking with Delphine.

Felix snorts. "Right! Play dummy, Cos, why don't you? That woman is so under your skin that you..."

"Was!" Cosima says fast. "I admit I might have been a little... Interested when I met her."

"A little?" Tony jokes. "I could fucking hear you squirm the first time you saw her."

"She's hot, okay!" She is moving her left hand, trying to make her words sound more trustworthy. "I am only human. But that was before we started working together. I swear, she's gonna drive me crazy."

"Even more?" Sarah asks, laughing. "What did she do now?"

"I don't wanna talk about it!" The scientist's mood is turning for the worst and she's letting her friends know.

"Okay, okay..." Felix says in a pacifying manner. "Forget about her. I'm gonna get some shots to ease your temper."

Cosima's eyes follow his happy strides, but on the way back to her group they stubbornly make a detour to find Delphine's impossibly bright brown eyes on her, the lean woman's bottom lip stuck between white pearls. Cosima can feel the pit of her stomach heating up, but by now she is used to it. She might have made up her mind about Delphine these last six months - she is a square, boring, lives for her work, like every other scientist in the department - but that doesn't change the physical effect she causes in Cosima. The brunette has learned to dismiss it, just hormones, physical attraction has an obvious scientific explanation and she holds to it for dear life.

Truth be told, apart from the fact that the mere presence of the other woman causes Cosima's brain to temporarily shut down, she never had problems with Delphine, or at least no more than she had with the other scientists. Both women developed their work without saying much to each other and it was just fine. Except two weeks ago they were teamed up together to develop a new gene therapy and since then their relation has been struggling. They seem not to be able to agree about anything, from the initial approach to the methods to be used. Everything seems to be a reason to be at each other's throat.

This afternoon was the worst episode though. At some point they were screaming at one another so much that everyone else in the lab stopped what they were doing to watch them and they didn't stop until someone threaten to call security. At the end of the day they were called for a meeting in Dr. Leekie's office, the head of the department, where they were scolded for acting like "two five years old kids fighting for a toy."

Cosima is not sure why that happens, she has worked with several of her colleagues before and it was never a problem, but something in the blonde's patronizing way pushes her off the edge. She knows she is still working in her doctorate, but Cosima has proven more than once that she is capable of handling herself and Delphine seems not to take her opinions seriously. And if there's something that Cosima hates is to be treated like she's less than others.

"Here you go, grumpy." Felix says, shoving a shot glass in her face. "See if this improves your mood."

It didn't, not until she drank three more and had a couple more refills of the wine. Then Cosima started to loosen up, making her way to the improvised dance floor and shook the tension away with a few swings of her waist. She really isn't sure how she ended up dancing with one of the guys from the financial department, but more importantly, with Delphine's swaying body right next to hers, so close that they occasionally brushed. And with every soft touch a little vibration hummed inside her.

She had to get away before the brewing alcohol in her system starts to gain over her mind. Thinking that, she leaves the guy dancing alone and walks to the counter, which is a little more empty since the late hours means that only the more determined remain in the party.

"Can I get some water?" Cosima asks Bobbi.

"Sure, Cos. Are you okay?" The other woman says with a raised brow, probably surprised by the choice of beverage.

"Yeah... Just thirsty." She replies with a dismiss wave of her hands and taking the bottle of water.

"May I have one too?" Delphine asks right next to Cosima, way closer than necessary since there's so much more room now.

The brunette stares at her, the eyes focusing on the movement of the blonde's throat as she drinks half the content of the bottle and finds herself swallowing as well, even though her own water is yet to be open. Delphine's eyes catch her gawking and smiles just a little, to have something else to do, Cosima takes her water and drinks it.

"You are thirsty?" Delphine's voice has a teasing tone Cosima didn't recognize in it.

"Shouldn't you be already home?" Cosima says back. "It's passed ten in a school night." She jokes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The French's voice is a little dragged and her accent is much more noticeable. She is obviously not in her best conditions either.

Cosima narrows her eyes, looking at the other woman. "I have a challenge for you." She stops, curious to see how her words will be received by the other woman.

"Oui, I'm listening." Delphine says unfazed.

"I will play you the right to have every direction of the our work." Cosima proposes.

"You will play me?" The blonde asks amused.

"Yep! You win and we will do it the way you want it." The smaller woman's hand finds its slightly drunk way the lower edge of the other woman's shirt. "But if I win..."

"I think I know how this goes." Delphine doesn't need her to finish her plan. "And what game will we play to settle our war."

"The pool table's in the back." Bobbi, who has clearly been paying attention to the conversation between the two other women, says.

Cosima opens up a huge smile, she plays it almost every night when she's here. "That's perfect, Bobbi! Thank you!" Then to Delphine. "So... What say you?"

"I'm in!" The fact that the French doesn't hesitate should be a big red flag for Cosima, but she is too drunk both in alcohol and in pride to notice it.

They make their away to a door in the back and Bobbi let's both women in, softly closing the door before she leaves. Not locked, Cosima notices.

Cosima moves around the familiar table with the green felt, her hand feeling the smooth polished wood at its edge. "So... A best out of three?" She asks, reaching the rack where the cues are and finding the one she usually plays with.

"Sure! It's only fair I give you a chance to recover." Delphine replies, getting closer, inspecting the cues she has at her disposal and eyeing the one the smaller woman picked up. "You're sure you want to play with that?"

Cosima looks at the cue she's balancing between her hands. "It's my lucky one."

"If you say so." The blonde has picked one of the longest, after a close examination of its tip. "It will just make my job that much easier." She is moving around the table, taking the balls from the pockets. "It's a shame, really. I was hoping you would give me a run for my money."

Cosima's slightly inebriated brain is starting to tell her this might have been a wrong move. The other woman's self-confidence is getting to her and Delphine's steady movements around the table shows that she is no stranger to it. "Your mind games will not work on me." The brunette says instead, collecting her thoughts.

"No mind games." The taller woman reaches for the triangle and arranges the balls fast. "But the cue you choose it's too long for you, Cosima. You won't be able to take precision shots." She explains.

Cosima stares at the cue with different eyes. Delphine's probably right, she considers, but she won't change it now, it will be an admission of her mistake and that's just unacceptable.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Delphine asks, a smirk on her lips, a cocked brow, at the end of the table that she had prepared.

"Oh... No, no. You break." Cosima says and watches Delphine get ready.

One dry, strong shot scatters the balls all over the table, while pocketing one of each. Delphine looks up at Cosima and snickers before returning her attention to the game and quickly decides to make the next shot, an easy on a stripe to the top left corner.

"I'm solids, then." Cosima says, approaching the table.

"Sure..." Delphine goes all the way around, only to stop next to the smaller woman. "It won't serve you any good, though." And a smooth stroke sends the white ball to travel the entire length of the table and the number 12 is in with a soft roll.

The forth striped enters with Delphine giving an hard stop shot, leaving the cue ball in perfect position to attack the number nine, which enters without much fumbling. The table is getting stripped fast of Delphine's balls, but that leaves her with a problem. The 13 is hidden and in contact with one of Cosima's solids, making Delphine stop to look at the table carefully.

"What are you gonna do now, big shot?" Cosima provokes.

The blonde looks at her as she applies a bit of the blue chalk to the cue tip, but doesn't say a word. Instead adjusts her position and gives a little stronger shot and the ball she had free makes a difficult pocketing, hitting everything on its way in, but, more importantly, it makes the cue ball hit the two that were touching, releasing Delphine's last ball, before she can go to the black.

This is the moment Cosima knows she has lost the game and she's right. It doesn't take long for Delphine to pocket the last two and sets the end of the cue on the floor next to her, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips, staring at Cosima, who doesn't know how to react but to swallow down the lump in her throat.

The French aims at the table covered with all solid balls except the one she had pocketed with her opening shot. "Billards... French invention!" She says with a large smile. "Americans might have changed and popularized it. But the concept is the same." She then lifts the cue. "Stick hits the ball to fall in the hole.

"Shall I rack them again?" Delphine is yet to lose her smug and that is seriously getting to Cosima.

"Sure, do that." She answers, moving around the table and taking some balls out of the pockets. "I believe is my turn to break."

Cosima is confident that she just needs to have the luck to get one ball in with the break and then focus to make her game, after all she has been playing almost every night, she's got this!

One hard hit sends the cue ball to fly over the table and spread the other balls evenly, while sending two solids immediately into the pocket.

She looks up at Delphine, a pleased smirk on her lips. "Guess which are mine again?"

The blonde staring at her as she moves around the table. "Just play!"

Cosima quickly gets rid of two more, however the brunette isn't careful about where the cue ball ends up and now her only option is to go for the ball in the far end of the table. She hesitates, closely inspecting how far she needs to make the white ball travel. Cosima lowers the cue to the edge of the table, but reconsider and starts to move around it, stopping close to the number four ball and leans to be sure she has an unobstructed path to knock it down. During all this Delphine stays put, watching the small woman make her difficult decision.

"I don't think you've got it." The blonde says with a serious expression.

Cosima looks at Delphine as she approaches her. "Did I comment on your game?" Her words are harsh, but her voice is low, since now the Frenchwoman is leaning right next to her, staring in the same direction as Cosima.

"I didn't need your advice." Delphine says, shrugging.

Cosima's eyes remain on the table, but she can feel Delphine's moving from the green felp to her face.

"Cosima?" She says low.

The brunette turns her head to find Delphine looking straight at her. "Huh?" She clears her throat.

"I can give you an hand." The blonde says and the other woman can see the brightness in her eyes getting a little more distant. "Would you like that?"

Cosima swallows loudly and becomes very aware that their shoulders are pressing together, their eyes at the same level. "What makes you think I need your help?" She forces her voice to come out steady.

Delphine's hands go without warning to Cosima's glasses and she removes them. "I think they are getting a little foggy." She stands and cleans the lens with the edge of her shirt, giving Cosima a perfect view of her toned stomach, even without the aid of the spectacles. "There! Much better." And she hands the glasses back.

Shaky hands put the glasses back on top of her nose. "Thanks." Cosima says and moves fast to the other side of the table to take her shot, breathing heavily.

Cosima stops and forces her breathing to ease as she takes aim, loosening her left hand grip on the end of the cue, she's incredibly aware of the blonde on the other side of the table, staring at her with such intensity that Cosima can feel her body temperature rising. She's starting to believe that Delphine's very conscious of the effect she causes in the brunette.

She gives a long, soft hit on the cue ball, making it roll on the table slowly until it knocks the target perfectly, sending it directly into the pocket.

Cosima lifts her head to look at the other scientist, beaming. "Thank you for your help with my glasses." She says, adjusting them on her nose deliberately. "It made all the difference."

Delphine narrows her eyes, but answers with a very polite. "You're welcome."

The younger woman gives a few steps around the table, approaching the side where the cue ball is waiting for her for a simple shot. The huge smile not leaving Cosima's face the entire time. She lowers the cue and fires one hard stroke. The number one ball, after being hit with such violence touches everything near the hole and leaves, spinning uncontrolled over the table. All the while Cosima watches agape the result of her stupid move.

"Too eager, ma chèrie." Delphine says chuckling and getting ready to start her own series of knocking down balls.

In no time she has three balls inside the pockets and Cosima is getting restless with that development, regretting to put so much on the line with a game of pool.

"It's not fair." The brunette says under her breath, as she watches Delphine evaluate her next shot.

The golden eyes leave the table and go to her. "Why is that?"

"I didn't know you are such a good player." Cosima answers.

"But if I was terrible it would be fair, right?" The blonde asks with an annoyed expression.

"That's not what I meant." The smaller woman's defends herself. "But, c'mon... You're really, really good."

"I know." Delphine answers with a playful cockiness and prepares the next shot. "I started to play when I was about thirteen. Would sneak out of the house in the middle of the night... Until I got caught, of course." And she gives a soft laugh.

Cosima takes that opportunity to observe the other woman. She has a casual posture, gracefully hitting the ball, finishing with a pleasant smile. The younger scientist never thought about Delphine in a relaxed environment, in her mind the blonde was always the way she acted at work - formal and professional. She has obviously seen the French smile, but it was a small thing, usually directed at someone who complemented her work, which happens often, or out of politeness. But now, watching Delphine move around the table with light steps and getting ready to kick Cosima's ass again, she can see that, perhaps, she judged her too hastily, blinded by a misconception she had since she set foot in DYAD.

She decides that she likes this Delphine and she wants to see if there's more from where that came from. It might have a lot to do with the amount of alcohol in her system and to the fact that Cosima needs a way to throw Delphine off her game.

She moves around, getting behind the blonde as she gets ready for another shot. "You know... For such a square, you have a really nice ass." And she tilts her head, to appreciate the view better.

Delphine straightens her back immediately and looks over her shoulder. "You think I'm a square?" It's what she asks after the brunette's comment.

"Well..." Cosima gets closer, her eyes moving up to meet the clear brown orbs, carefully examining her. "You are always so... formal."

Delphine spins and looks down, facing the smaller woman head-on. "And you think you have the monopoly in bad behavior. Is that it?"

"Take your shot!" Cosima says with a smile. "I was enjoying the view."

The blonde moves back around and after a few seconds of hesitation bends over the table and takes her shot. But it's too fast, she doesn't take enough time to prepare her move and the ball misses the target wide.

"My turn!" Cosima says happily.

Her shot is an easy one, the cue and the other ball are close and the path to the pocket is a direct one. Cosima inhales and starts to aim. But before she has time to do it, there's a body pressed against hers and a hand covers her left one, holding the cue.

"You don't want to miss this opportunity to get ahead." It sounds like an encouragement next to her ear.

"I won't!" And she takes the shot. The ball miraculously finds its way inside.

"Merde." Delphine says, getting back and giving Cosima room to move.

"I admire your investment in winning this game, though." She says and moves to for her next hit.

Like she expects, as soon as she gets in position, Delphine is on her again, but this time, instead of putting her hands on the cue, the blonde finds her way around Cosima's shirt and makes contact with her waist.

"I'm not sure about the rules, but I'm pretty certain that touch the other player it's against regulations." Cosima's voice comes out low.

"Hips are very important in the hitting movement." Delphine explains her theory against the skin of her neck. "I just want to be sure you don't miss it."

"Alright! That's it!"

Cosima throws the cue to the table and turns around fast, her hands instantly going to Delphine's neck, pushing her down and crushing her lips. The hands on her hips, move to her back and pulls them together, as the taller woman's lips receive her own greedily.

There's an urgency in their kisses, their mouths are molded and soon their tongues find each other in a slightly drunken sloppiness. Meanwhile their hands start to pull at each other clothes, Delphine working faster and having Cosima in her bra first.

"You think this is a good idea?" The smaller woman asks, pushing the shirt down from the Frenchwoman's shoulders.

"Shut up and kiss me!" Delphine says, her mouth already reaching for Cosima's.

That's the last moment of any try at a sober decision on Cosima's part, because what she feels next is long fingers quickly undo her belt and attempting to move inside her jeans, even before the button is released. Her own hands have an hard grip on the other woman's ass that she, not so long ago, was contemplating, and she's trying to pull them closer. Finally Delphine realizes that it will be much easier to just remove Cosima's pants and she gets to it fast, the brunette helping along the way by kick them free of her feet, making her shoes fall in the process.

Once the blonde is back up, Cosima moves her hands to her back and searches for the clasp of the bra, finding none her hands move to the front for a rough squeeze of Delphine's breasts, her left palm finding something foreigner, even taking in consideration the lacy fabric that stands between her hands and the other woman's soft skin. She stops the kissing and looks at Delphine, who has a beautiful playful smile on her lips. Cosima then looks down, taking longer than she would, had she been sober, to notice the hook of the bra between the two perfect mounds.

"Oh my gawd..." Her interjection is deep. Her smile wide as her eyes lay on the little silver bar that crosses Delphine's right nipple. "This is fucking perfect!" Cosima says, her left thumb immediately starting to softly play with it.

Delphine grins. "You like it then?"

Cosima answers with her mouth going to it, giving a gentle suck, before her tongue circles around the piercing and her teeth pulling lightly. Delphine arches her back and her hands find purchase on Cosima's dreadlocks, when the brunette's teeth push a little harder, the Frenchwoman's moans deeply. Cosima's hands are now pulling her skirt up and fast find their way back on the other woman's ass, while her naked thigh pushes between Delphine's legs to find a wetness noticeable even with the panties still on.

In that moment Delphine's own hands leave her head and go to the back of her thighs and, with a strength Cosima didn't know she possesses, finds herself being hiked up to the table and the blonde following right after her.

"Shit!" Cosima complains when her back lands on one of the few balls still left on the table.

"You okay?" Delphine asks, concerned after seeing the ball rolling away from under the smaller woman's back.

Cosima laughs. "Yeah, yeah... Don't worry." And she moves her mouth back to the nipple she was working on.

Meanwhile Delphine's has one hand in the back of her head and the right one is pushing Cosima's underwear aside, her index and ring finger opening the lower lips for the middle finger to give one long stroke on the wet flesh. The woman underneath her moans her appreciation against the skin of her breasts and soon is giving the same treatment to Delphine's panties, moving her hand under the skirt.

Somehow the two women decide to push inside at the same time and that's the moment Cosima's mouth leaves the sensitive skin of the nipple to release a groan, immediately swallowed by Delphine's lips. Eventually another finger is joined at both sides and they start to thrust faster, the blonde sitting up and bringing Cosima with her with a hand on the back of her shoulders.

The fact that both still have their underwear on doesn't stop them from keep increasing the fast pace, Cosima's left hand holding tight Delphine's ass and the Frenchwoman's free arm wrapped around the other woman's neck for balance. The two women so wet that their fingers slide in and out easily at the same pace.

In the back of Cosima's mind resurfaces the notion that she has to win something today, so her thumb goes to Delphine's clit, finding the hardened nub fast, and starts to tease at it lightly. With that the blonde loses her rhythm and her hips start to swing forward, meeting Cosima's thrusts. Soon she's losing control on account of the smaller woman's low blow, who grins to herself.

It doesn't last long however, since after a few seconds of it, Delphine's fingers inside her start to curl, finding the sweet spot that makes her lose control fast.

"Fuck, Delphine..." Cosima breaths out, her hips propelling upwards with erratic movements. "I'm gonna come."

"Good!" The voice is strained and husky against her ear, before the mouth which spoke it goes to her shoulder and bites down hard enough to leave a mark.

It's all it takes to push Cosima over the edge, a lightning bolt making her shake with it, along with her thumb still pressed on Delphine's clit, who follows fast along with her. They hold each other tightly, both their lips crashing to prevent the sounds from leaving the back room they are in and announce to everyone what's going on.

Cosima and Delphine stay like that, quiet, not exchanging a word until the effect of the orgasm passes completely. When it does, they both find themselves extremely sober and, still not talking, awkwardly move from the top of the table and start to get dressed, suddenly shy with each other's barely nakedness.

Leaving everything as it is, they get out of the room to find the bar empty with the exception of Bobbi and Felix, who are settling the damage.

"So... Who won?" Felix asks, exchanging an amused look with Bobby.

"It's a tie." The two women answer immediately at the same time.

And not waiting to hear any other questions about what happened inside, the two make their way to the door with fast steps, almost knocking on each other on their way out.

Inside Felix and Bobbi start to laugh uncontrollably.

"What I said?" Felix comments off handedly. "Those two just needed a little push."