Playing Games by JuliaBC
Chapter Four
"No, that's okay," Kate said, flustered. The deputy continued to follow her.
"I don't mind," he said. "You're hot. Let me take your bags."
"It's not needed," she said, a note of finality in her voice, and he backed off.
Shaking her head, she slung the heavier bag over her shoulder and walked out to the SUV. Because of time complications, she was the second last to leave, and stood waiting at the SUV for JJ to come out.
"Hey," she said, when the tall blonde finally emerged.
"You're all that's left?" JJ asked, surprised.
"Everyone's gone to the hotel already," Kate confirmed. "Hotch was going to wait, but remembered that he had to call Jack's teacher and had to go with the others."
JJ nodded. "Right. You want to drive?"
"Sure," Kate said, surprised, and walked around the car to the driver's seat.
JJ was already seated in the passenger's. "Here are the keys," she said, fishing them from her purse.
"Great," Kate said. She took a few moments to pull the seat forward, and saw how JJ noted it.
"I'm short, what can I say?" She joked, and JJ turned away.
Kate pulled away from the curb, and silence fell over the two inhabitants.
JJ was looking out the window, and Kate didn't know if she should say something, and turned on the radio.
"What station is this?" She asked, when rock blared. "Who was last driving this?"
"Me," JJ said tightly. "Heavy rock can calm me."
"Oh," Kate said, her hand darting to turn it off but she pulled it back. The music continued.
Kate again wondered what to say, but finally realized words wouldn't be adequate.
As luck would have it, all the team members had got their own rooms, something rare since budgeting rarely allowed for it.
Kate dumped her bags on the floor the instant she walked in, and then flopped on the bed, giggling when it bounced.
She wondered what JJ would say to that and sat up.
Hey, Meg, she texted, after finding her phone. I'm at the hotel. Wanna talk?
Homework, Meg replied. And I'm going to my book club next, remember?
Yes, Kate did remember. After showering and changing into jeans and a t-shirt, she slipped flip flops on and went to her bag, planning to grab a book.
Her hand bumped into a game box, and her brain perked up when she saw it.
Ask Reid if he wants to play, a little voice urged, and Kate took the box as well as the book.
Hotch, what is Reid's room number? She texted, and he replied in seconds.
243. Why?
I'm going to hustle him again, she replied.
Same game? He asked.
No, different. She replied, slipping her hotel key into her jeans pocket.
Good luck.
She walked down the hallway, and knocked on Reid's door. No answer. She knocked again, but gave up and headed for the stairs.
As luck would have it, she met Reid on her way down.
"You're wary of elevators too?" Reid asked brightly.
"Walking up and down stairs is very healthy," she replied.
"What's under your arm?"
"Our next game," she said. "If you want to play."
"If you don't plan to hustle me again," he said.
"Well, that's what I told Hotch but it wasn't meant to be taken seriously," she answered. "Want to play in the lobby?"
"Yes," Reid said. "I was going to find someone to come down. There's much better coffee down there."
They walked down together, and Reid held open the door. "Thanks," she said, walking through to the open, brightly lit lobby. Outside, the sky was getting steadily darker.
They made their way to a small table by the wall. Reid turned on a little lamp above it, then straightened. "I'm getting some more coffee. Want anything?"
"What do they have?" She asked, placing the game on the table.
"Coffee, tea, apple and cranberry juice," Reid said.
"Tea," she said. "Thanks."
"No problem."
She considered the back of the box for a moment, then placed it back down when Reid came returned, bearing two steaming styrofoam cups.
"For you," he said, handing it to her.
"Thanks again," she said, taking it. "I really hate styrofoam cups."
"Tell me about it," Reid joked. "So, Guess Who? What's this about?"
"Figure it out," she said jokingly, tasted her tea and burned her tongue.
He surveyed the two colored trays, upon which were twenty-four pictures attached on swinging doors. "I try to guess who you have, and turn down the ones you aren't," he said. "I'm assuming through the process of elimination. I ask whether your person has red hair, if you say yes, I turn down the ones that don't."
"Exactly," Kate confirmed. "But the version I have is terribly sexist. Out of twenty-four, only six of them are women. Therefore, Meg and I banned asking any gender related questions during your first three turns. And because I'm playing with a profiler, the choice will be completely random."
"Okay," he said, watching as she picked a face card from the box without looking at the picture side.
"You pick one too," she reminded. "We're playing against each other."
"Oh!" He exclaimed, and grabbed a card from the box. His alter ego's name was Sarah. She was African-American, with red glasses, brown eyes and white earrings, those being her distinguishing marks."
He studied the rest of the players on his board. Zachary, Matt, Justin, Sarah...
Kate cleared her throat. "You ready? How about first to reach five wins? That's what the little scoreboard on your tray is for."
"Sounds good," he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. "You can go first."
She glanced at him suspiciously, but then turned her attention to her board. "Okay. Does your person have...red hair?"
"No," he said cheerfully, and down went her red.
His mind whirring, he asked if her player had glasses and she said yes. Down went nineteen faces.
She looked at the number in dismay. Reid was obviously stifling the urge to laugh.
"Are you...African-American?" Kate asked.
"Yes, I am," Reid replied.
"What the hell kind of a question and answer is that?" Morgan asked, coming up behind them. "Oh, Guess Who? I get it." As before, he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Okay, Shorty. Who's winning this time?"
"We're nowhere near that yet," Kate answered.
"Do you have red hair?" Reid asked.
Kate hesitated before answering. "Yes."
Reid crowed as all the faces on his board went down but one. "Gotcha!"
"Wait til your next turn," Kate scolded. "You haven't won yet."
"I kind of have," Reid smirked.
Morgan crossed his arms, grinning. "He's getting you back sooner rather than later, eh?"
Reid waggled his eyebrows and Kate rolled her eyes. "That seems apparent."
Kate considered her choices. "Do you have glasses?"
"I do indeed, but it doesn't matter, Joseph," he said.
She nodded and picked up her card to show him. "Joseph indeed."
"Do you want to play until you guess mine?" Reid said.
"Oh, sure," she said, stretching the word out. "Do you have earrings?"
"Isn't that a cheat?" He asked. "Because it has to be a woman."
"This is my fourth turn," Kate said.
"Fine, then my answer is yes," Reid admitted.
"Sarah?"
"I am indeed," Reid answered.
As Morgan watched, still amused, they tipped their boards upside down to reset them, and picked new cards.
Reid moved his score marker up to one.
Kate gritted her teeth and prepared for the next round.
Five games later, Reid having won all but one game and now reaching five on his score marker, Kate leaned back.
"Let's put a Profiler's spin on it," Reid suggested. "We both specially select a card and have to profile who we picked."
Kate nodded. "Let's do it!" She watched as Reid picked up and discarded several cards, finally settling on one.
She then did the same, ending up with Ashley.
Reid's mind was obviously working double time, and he'd even put his fingertips on his temples.
"How many guesses do we get?" Kate asked.
"Three," Reid answered immediately. "Okay, I know you're a woman."
"That's the hardest to guess," Morgan cracked, laughing in the background. He leaned forward and Kate let him peek at her card.
"That's not fair," Reid protested.
"He's not playing," Kate answered, Reid opened his mouth but closed it again.
"Okay, you wouldn't pick Megan," Reid mused. "And with further profiling, it has to be Rachael or Ashley."
"My turn," Kate quickly interrupted. "I think you'd go as far from you as possible, but not too far because that would be too obvious, so it's not a woman. Then you'd have to not go the African-American route because you've already played as Sarah, Andy and James. That leaves Jake and Chris."
"It does?" Reid asked, his eyebrows hiking up. Morgan shifted his chair to look at Reid's card, but Reid jerked it out of sight. "Um, no!"
"Fine," Morgan grumbled.
"Further profiling tells me that you too would go out of the ordinary, so you wouldn't pick Rachael because she has brown hair, which is closer to yours than Ashley's, so I'm going with Ashley."
"Jake," she chanced, and he shook his head. Sighing, she laid her card down. "It was Ashley. Are you Chris, then?"
"Not in the least," Reid said, almost giggling.
"Shit," she muttered. "I was that far off?"
"You were," Reid nodded. "But keep guessing."
"Profiling," Morgan corrected.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Kate asked him.
"I even texted JJ to join us," Morgan answered.
"What'd she say?" Kate asked, interested. Reid also turned to face Morgan.
"She's talking to Will," he answered.
They turned back to the game. Kate inhaled a bit. "Okay.
She bit her tongue, considering things. "Okay. I think I got it. Brandon."
"You just made it," Reid said, laying down his card.
She sighed in relief. "Five more to go?"
Reid winked.
After their round of Profiler Who? had been exhausted, Morgan came up. "I have an idea," he said. "And it will let all of us play. I'll pick a card, and you guys ask questions from me. To make it harder, you can't hear the others' questions."
"That sounds good," Reid said. "Random pick?"
Morgan palmed a card, and checked out his choice. "Random's fine."
"That's such a tell," Reid said, but it didn't seem to bother Morgan as he sat down again.
"Wait, how are we doing this?" Kate asked. "Should I plug my ears when Reid goes, or should we whisper...?"
Morgan laughed out loud. "Whisper your little secrets to me, my children. I will give you the knowledge you need to find—Quick, Reid, what's a mythological precious thing?"
"Philosopher's stone?" Reid offered.
"Good enough," Morgan said, with a shrug. "The one who wins get a philosopher's stone."
Kate cracked up. "Where are you going to get it?"
"Well, you owe me money, Callahan. Maybe I'll extort it from you."
"I don't have a philosopher's stone!" She protested, as Reid got up.
"I'm going first," he said, checking with her and she nodded. He whispered his question, and Morgan cracked up.
"No, but good grief, don't stand so close. Are you trying to tickle me to death?"
Kate stepped forward. "Do you have red hair?"
Morgan nodded, and she returned to her seat triumphant. Reid's eyes narrowed at the number going down, compared to his four.
They played on. Morgan was obviously restraining himself from wild laughter every time they asked a question, and when Kate won, he exploded.
"You guys are hilarious," he said. "You obviously didn't plan it, but after his first question, he was repeating yours, Callahan."
Reid's eyebrows hiked up. "I most definitely was not."
Kate choked on her tea at his insulted tone.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Reid hurriedly assured her.
"I know you didn't," she said. "You just sounded so scandalized that that could ever be the case."
Half an hour later, after a few more rounds of Morgan Who?, they had switched places and now Reid was beating Morgan. She idly checked her phone and found a text from Hotch.
You still with Reid?
She texted back quickly. Yeah, now I've got Morgan, too.
You're starting quite a little harem, Hotch replied and she grinned. You playing in the lobby?
Yes.
Ready for dinner?
I'll ask Morgan and Reid, she replied, and lowered her phone, surprised to see them both looking at her as though she'd betrayed them.
"We're playing here," Morgan scolded.
"Sorry!" She exclaimed, holding up her hands. "That was Hotch."
Both their respective pairs of hands dropped to their phones immediately. "No, it's not the case," she interrupted. "He just wants to know if we're ready for dinner."
They both relaxed; she saw the tension melt from their shoulders again. "Sure," Morgan said. "Just as soon as I beat Pretty Boy here."
Reid snorted. "Come on, Morgan, we all three know that's never going to happen. I've beat you four times now."
"This is my lucky game," Morgan replied, as across the lobby, the elevator dinged and Rossi got out. Kate quickly texted Hotch, before she forgot. Come on down, Morgan just has to beat Reid.
Upon seeing them, Rossi headed for their table. "Guess Who? Who's winning? Don't say guess, that's a really bad play on words."
Morgan chuckled. "I am."
"He's not!" Reid mouthed, waving his hands to distract Rossi.
In a question, Morgan got his number of faces down to one. Reid looked at it in dismay.
"I have to guess," he said. "One guess to beat you."
"You won't make it," Morgan said, leaning back in satisfaction. Reid still had nine faces up.
His fingers on his chin, Reid was obviously concentrating very hard.
"If you're using math, that's cheating," Morgan warned.
"What? Who says?" Reid protested. Sighing, he looked at his faces. "Rachael?"
"Not even close, Matt," Morgan said, and Reid turned his face over obligingly.
"I was Matt," he sighed. "And you? Since we're leaving."
Hotch and JJ had just exited the elevator, and were walking their way.
"I'll give it up," Morgan said. "I was Emily."
"Oh, that's right, it wasn't random, we were choosing our faces," Reid said. His tone was soft, and Morgan's attitude was overly indifferent as he stood up.
"I'm ready to go," he said.
Kate jumped up. "I actually need to run up to my room for a jacket," she said. "Be right back." She picked up Guess Who? and started off, surprised when she heard Reid's voice behind her.
"I need to run up for something too," he said.
They both took the stairs again. Kate found herself pushing herself harder to make it up before he did, and when she passed his door, she was panting slightly.
By the grace of his long legs, Reid didn't even look tired. "Hey, Kate?" He asked, as she passed him, and she turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you so much for these past few games," he said. "And thank Meg too. I...you guys can borrow books from me anytime. I have a really nice illustrated edition of the Hobbit."
"I am so taking you up on that," Kate said. "And Meg will be even more delighted to hear that. Thank you, Reid."
"Spencer," he suddenly interrupted. "We've been working together long enough. Why not call me Spencer?"
"Maybe I will," she said, and they both went opposite ways to collect their things.
A/N: All the games are real. You can find Guess Who? if you use the keywords guess who on Amazon. If you want the exact edition—though it really doesn't matter!—you can use Guess Who Board Game from Milton Bradley by Athletic Connection. That will give you just one result, but this one is not in production anymore and is overly pricey. My current edition of Guess Who? is just from a thrift store.
And I am not conclusively placing this into the 'Hero Worship' timeframe. I'd like to think that before Morgan and Reid were called out to defuse the bomb they were able to have a good time playing Guess Who? and having dinner at a nice restaurant, but that might not fit into everyone's head canon.
It does fit into mine, though. Happy reading.
Shout out to ahowell1993.