Playing Games by JuliaBC
A/N: I suggest looking up Mastermind before getting into the game, because it can be hard to visualize how the board looks.
"Abductions always freak me out," Kate announced, as Reid walked into the BAU bullpen after hours. He looked around, surprised to see it empty besides her.
"Where is everyone?"
"You're late," Kate said, a smile growing on her face. "What happened to you? JJ and Morgan came back from the rescue, and you were nowhere."
"I wanted to help Agent Loker clean up the apartment," Reid said. "I don't know, it seemed like it'd be a lonely job to do alone. I don't like stakeouts," he confessed.
"They're tough," Kate admitted. "Having had more than my fair share. I think the worst is when you're just waiting and nothing even happens, it was the wrong day, you know?"
Reid shrugged. "I think the worst is being told to stay back when...things happen."
Kate fell silent for a moment, considering what he meant, and nodded. "That is the worst," she agreed, then changed the subject. "We've got the rest of the day off."
"So why are you here?" Reid asked curiously, stepping forward. "It doesn't look like you're leaving."
"I'm really not," she said, crinkling her nose. "But Meg is in school, Chris has double-shifts, and I'm actually not that tired, even considering this," she said, patting her now visible baby bump.
"How've you been doing with that?" Reid asked. "You almost never talk about it."
"I don't want to overshare," Kate said. "I guess I may end up undersharing at times."
"Well, how are you?"
"Middling," Kate said. "Almost no morning sickness, thank the Lord. I've had so many horror stories about it, but now I feel guilty that so many of my friends had a hard time, and I'm not." She shook her head, sitting down again. "But I tire more easily, and my feet hurt." She pointed down to show orthopedic shoes.
"And yet you aren't going home?" Reid said.
"Not yet," Kate said. "There's something I'd like to finish, and then I'll go home at lunch, maybe, and nap until Meg gets home."
"What are you finishing?" Reid said suspiciously, putting his bag down and, grabbing his own chair, sat next to her.
"None of your business," she said, yanking it away. "I told you, you cannot do my job. But thanks for the offer."
"This isn't like you," Reid said. "I'm suspicious as to your intentions. Get up. It's time to go."
"Why?" She protested.
"You're an expectant woman," he said. "Take care of yourself."
"I'm doing fine!" She said, but got up when he grabbed her purse and the badge that hung from it.
"We're leaving," Reid said. "And we're stopping for breakfast. I don't have any groceries currently."
"Then let's do that, instead," Kate said, snatching her bag back and slinging it over her shoulders. "If there is anything that makes me sick, it's restaurant food. Just, the smells." She shuddered, and pressed the button for the elevator.
They went to Trader Joe's, and Kate was almost bouncing on the way in. "I love this store," she said, turning to him and grinning.
"You have actually already said that," he returned. "I've never actually been here before."
"Do you actually have no groceries right now?" Kate asked, pausing by the produce. "Wow, look at these tomatoes!"
"Besides coffee," Reid said, "I have half a package of sliced cheese and a stale loaf of bread. Plus, some canned food that I hate."
"I know the feeling," Kate said, putting the tomatoes in the cart. "Look at this asparagus. I should have a brunch, or something. All this produce is amazing. Does the team get together at all for Easter? Or Passover. But no one is Jewish."
"I've celebrated both over the years," Reid said. "As more of a tradition then a belief. As for Easter, we stick to our own gatherings. JJ usually goes down to New Orleans to see Will's family, and Morgan spends it with his current girlfriend, who is now Savannah."
"You think he'll ask her to marry him?" Kate asked. "They've been going out for a few years now, right?" She continued to dance with the produce, cooing over some red potatoes and placing them into the cart with flourish.
"I don't know," Reid admitted, a smile coming to his face at the thought. "I think the idea of marriage may be too much for him still. I know he loves her, but it's like marriage doesn't even occur to him."
"You'd be the best man, right?" Kate asked. "He just has sisters, so there's no brother to get in your way."
"Of course I'd be best man," Reid said. "If he didn't choose me, then I'd sabotage the whole thing."
"Good for you," Kate said, and paused before a shelf. "Cookie butter."
"What?" Reid said, as he was looking at the coffee.
"It's like peanut butter made with cookies," she said, looking longingly at the jar. "But I promised to reduce my sugar intake during my pregnancy. I can't get it."
"It's not like you'll be eating the whole jar," Reid said.
"Who says?" Kate grumbled, but placed it into the cart. "I'll leave it at your apartment. Then you can eat it."
"I don't necessarily like overly sweet foods," Reid said. "I can leave most candy sitting at the store."
"Me too," Kate said, dancing onto the next aisle. "Except this store. And Aldi."
"Wait a minute," Reid said, halting the cart. "Who are we shopping for, me or you?"
"I'm getting things for my Easter brunch, during which my mother-in-law will judge me based on how tender my potatoes are," Kate said. "And you are getting staples."
"Staples?" Reid said. "This isn't an office supplies store, you know," he teased.
"Ha ha, sir Genius," she said. "Food staples. The bare minimum. Organic eggs and milk," she said, placing them into the cart. "Wait, are you lactose intolerant?"
"Slightly, but I drink milk anyway," Reid said.
"Cheese and lunch meat," Kate said, placing them into the cart with a flourish. "Now onto their rigatoni. They have this one that's stuffed with tomato and goat cheese, and it's amazing."
She picked it out, and few more things, then they had a complicated shuffle with the cart to try and figure out whose groceries were whose.
"Thanks for bringing my bags in," Kate said. "It would have taken me about three trips."
"You only ended up with two bags," Reid said. "How would it take you three trips?"
Kate just winked, leading him into the kitchen of her house.
"This is nice," Reid said, looking around. "Very light and breezy."
"I'm really glad the snow last week melted again," Kate said. "And today is almost warm out."
"Almost," Reid agreed. "Yesterday wasn't nice."
"No, it wasn't," Kate said, shaking her head. "What do you want for brunch?"
"Coffee, and more coffee," Reid said simply, placing the bags down on her counter. "Where do you want these?"
"I'm feeling competitive," Kate said, her eyes narrowing at him, and he startled.
"How exactly did that answer my question?" He asked, pushing his hair back from his face, but Kate, ignoring his question, left the kitchen in a hurry, and in a few minutes, returned holding a box.
"Mastermind." Reid read, raising an eyebrow.
"I changed my mind," Kate said, placing the box on the counter next to him and sitting on the stool there. "Don't you want to cook? Because I don't."
From the box, she pulled a gray frame that was filled with colored pegs on either side; black and white smaller pegs on one end, multicolored larger pegs on the other. To play, one player picked out four multicolored pegs and placed them in a covered place on the board, and the other player had to guess the colors used and what order they went in.
It was a code breaker.
"I know how to play this," Reid said in delight. "Are you setting it up and I'm guessing?"
"Yes," Kate said. "And don't look at the colored pegs, because I wouldn't put it past you to count the exact number and each and subtract from that the pegs that are missing when I set up."
Reid flushed. "I wouldn't do that."
"Not intentionally," she said. "What are you cooking?"
"Who said I'm cooking anything?" He said, but removed his jacket and sweater vest, carefully hanging them on the hooks by her door. "I do want to get home this morning," he said. "So I'll just make something for you, play two games of Mastermind, and then I'm leaving."
"Rats," Kate said, and finished setting up. "So you have to guess what I did."
"Blue on the end, red, yellow, black," he listed, and she placed his guess on the board accordingly, as he beat two eggs together.
The small black pegs signified that the color was correct and in the correct place. The small white pegs signified that the color was correct but in the wrong place. There were four spaces to fill in next to each guess, and Kate placed three white pegs there.
"Okay," Reid said, turning on the skillet and looking at her. "What do you want in the skillet, coconut oil or butter?"
"Butter," Kate said.
"Okay..." Reid said, trailing off and squinting at the board. "Yellow on the end, white, black, red," he said, and Kate placed the pegs there.
One black was set down, two white.
"Yellow on the end, black, red, green," Reid said, pouring the eggs into the sizzling skillet.
Two blacks were set down, two whites.
"Yellow, black, green, red," Reid said triumphantly, and Kate showed her code.
"Correct," she said. "In four guesses. Pretty good."
"I bet," Reid said, putting the eggs onto a plate and popping up the toast to butter it. "I bet that you can't guess mine in five guesses."
He slid the board away from her, and she covered her eyes while he set his up.
"Ready," he said, she removed her hands from her eyes and tasted the eggs.
"Good," she said, motioning to them. "I would never have added the oregano, but it tastes amazing."
He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed.
"Um, white, black, red, green," she rattled off, and he placed the pegs accordingly.
Two white.
"Red, green, yellow, blue," Kate said haphazardly.
"Try," Reid scolded, placing two white pegs down.
"Red, white, blue, yellow," she said.
One black, two white.
"Red, blue, white, green," she said, stretching out the last syllable.
Needless to say, she didn't make it in five rounds.
She didn't make in six, either.
Or seven.
"You're horrendously bad at this," Reid said, when the combination was finally revealed.
"Yes, I am," Kate said, placing her place in the sink. "Thanks for playing. And for the eggs., Oh, and Meg finished Around the World in Eighty Days already. Let me go get it."
"She'd probably like other Jules Verne books too, if she liked this one," Reid called after her. "Should I bring Journey to the Center of the Earth next time?"
Kate came back down the stairs, a bit slower this time. "I'm suddenly feeling this," she said, holding her stomach. "Um, yeah, Meg would like that. Thanks for letting us set up this book exchange."
"We should start a club," Reid said. "Include the whole BAU."
"Alas, I'm not up for such an undertaking," Kate said. "Organizing it would be hell."
"We'd meet on the plane, silly," Reid said. "Perfect time."
"That might be a really good idea," Kate said. "First book?"
"Great Expectations," Reid said immediately, and Kate snorted.
"That's where you lose me. Goodbye, Doctor."
"Goodbye, Kate."
A/N: You can find Mastermind on amazon using the keywords mastermind.
Personally, I recommend getting the 1981 edition. The newest has fewer colors, and would thereby be easier.