Playing Games by JuliaBC
This chapter is dedicated to XoxMountainGirlxoX. Hope you like it! Tell me how JJ and Henry worked :) This is my first time writing Henry, so I'd love some extra feedback on that!
Travis crouched down to look at Poe, a frown on his face. "He looks all right," he told Reid, brushing the puppy's head.
"I read a few things online and some other magazines and books on the subject," Reid said, still worried. "They said that dogs and cats often get minor colds their first few weeks with their new owners. I didn't want to make a big deal of it by going to the vet, since I've already had my free checkup, so I decided to take him to you instead."
Travis looked startled, but a smile bloomed on his face as he rose to his feet, now holding Poe. "It was pretty amazing that this same dog was waiting for you," he commented, leading Reid to another area of the animal shelter where he volunteered. "That's something I've never seen before but no one was interested, even though he was a chocolate lab."
"It was a beautiful coincidence," Reid agreed as Travis lifted Poe to stand on the counter and did a mini-exam.
"We have a few vets in-house," Travis said, meeting Reid's eyes. "I can have one of them take a look if you're really worried, but I think Poe should be fine. Also, they'd probably just prescribe an antibiotic and that's nasty stuff to give to pets."
"I read about that," Reid agreed.
"As long as Poe continues to eat and drink and exercise regularly, he'll be fine," Travis promised. "Just take extra measures to get him exercise, but I guess you don't have a problem with that?"
"He loves his walks," Reid said happily. "And I'm liking them too, even on the colder days. I wish I'd adopted a pet sooner but it took a little shoving to get me out of my shell."
"Uncle Spence!"
Reid turned around to see Henry running up and embraced the little boy. "Henry! I'm so glad you could make it!"
Following him was a pregnant JJ, looking tired but happy as she paused in front of the room with the cats in it.
"You brought your sister?" Travis asked, smiling at JJ as she approached.
"Just a close family friend," JJ said. "Close enough that my son calls Spence his uncle, because he does feel like a sibling sometimes. Jennifer. Or JJ." She stuck out her hand and Travis shook it.
"I'm Travis, just a volunteer here," Travis said. "I can get you started on the adoption process though, if that's why you two are here."
"We're just looking," JJ smiled. "Spence thought it would be a good time for me and a simple, fun outing for Henry. I have a busy schedule so this sounded good."
"Go ahead and browse then," Travis joked. "It's totally fine to just come in and visit. The animals, at least the cats and dogs, love company too and we've had a drop in volunteers recently."
"I'll be there in a minute," Reid promised and JJ nodded before taking Henry along to the first cat room they had seen.
"She works with you, right?" Travis asked, nodding towards JJ.
"How'd you know?" Reid asked, taking Poe from Travis with expertise. He'd only had the puppy a few weeks but he was already feeling much more confident.
"If both of you have busy schedules, but you're close enough that her child calls you uncle, you'd have to work together," Travis said, moving to check something on the computer.
"I should probably get out of your way," Reid said. "Hey, do you have somewhere I could leave Poe? Just long enough that I could visit the cats with Henry and JJ?"
"Of course," Travis said, moving from the computer. "I can take him."
"I don't want to put you out," Reid protested and Travis shook his head.
"It's been a slow day out of a slow week," he said. "And all of my classes are on break this week; some sort of professors thing."
Reid nodded and let Travis take the puppy back.
"You go look at the cats and I'll hang out with Poe...by the way, great name choice," Travis said, leading Reid from the mini-exam room and turning the opposite way Reid himself would be going.
"Have you read any Poe?" Reid asked.
"Every Halloween," Travis promised and walked off down the hallway.
Reid hurried to join Henry and JJ in the cat room, where Henry was staring in delight at all of the beautiful cats.
"There are so many," JJ grinned, moving to pet a large, sleepy orange cat on top of a cat tree.
"Uncle Spence, look at this one," Henry hissed, crouching down to look at a smaller cat who was hiding in one of the many cat trees and hidey-holes spread over the room. "He's hiding," he whispered.
"I know," Reid said. "But you found him."
Henry nodded his agreement. "Do you think I could pet him? He's really soft and cute looking."
"Why don't you try petting this big black one?" Reid said. "He's out in the open so he looks friendlier. Plus, he just asked me for a belly rub."
Henry's eyes widened. "Cats ask for belly rubs too?" He exclaimed before carefully getting up and walking over to the black cat sprawled on the floor. He reached out hesitantly, and when the cat flipped from one side to the other, he freaked out a bit.
"It's okay, that means the belly rub is being done well," Reid promised.
Henry reached out and rubbed the cat's stomach, a huge smile on his face when the cat started purring.
JJ was watching with a smile too, before going to sit on the bench situated near the door of the room. "I never really liked cats, but looking at these ones, I'm not sure why."
She grinned even wider when the large orange cat, who she'd been petting before, hopped down from the cat tree and jumped on the bench beside her, rubbing his head on her pregnant belly.
"What is this?" She asked, petting him.
Reid went to the door; the cats names were taped there. "That one is O'Malley."
"From The Aristocats?" Henry said, his head popping up from the fierce belly rub he was giving the black cat.
"And the one you're petting is Ghost," Reid said.
"That's a weird name," Henry said. "He's not a ghost."
"Maybe it has to do with his white markings," Reid said. "He's the opposite of a traditional ghost, which is white with huge black eyes in most drawings."
Henry nodded; he was used to getting that much information from his Uncle Spence.
"You're due soon," Reid commented to JJ.
"Next week," JJ said, her smile looking tired. "God, Spence, it's damned different the second time. It's so much harder."
He took her hand and she squeezed it before releasing it. "Will has been working overtime and we've barely had a moment together since he's working so much so that I can still travel with you and so that he can take some time off once Michael here is born."
"You named him?" Reid asked.
"Yeah, I didn't want to repeat Kate and Chris's dilemma," JJ laughed. "I got the news he was a boy, Will and I have been tossing names back and forth and this is what we picked."
"It's a strong name," Reid said. "Of course, it's Hebrew, meaning he who is like God."
"I know that," JJ said. "That didn't really factor into it though, but I know that Will appreciated it."
She sighed and rubbed her belly. "But it's still an amazing miracle," she said quietly. "Even with all of the stress and added aches and pains I didn't have with Henry...I've loved every minute."
"That's good," Reid said, meaning it.
"So what's up with Travis?" JJ asked, changing the subject. "Why not go to a vet?"
"Well, this humane society offers support for the first two weeks after adoption," Reid said. "For instance, they'll cover medicine up to that time."
"But it's past two weeks," JJ said.
Reid shrugged. "I see myself in him, except that I was a genius and he's apparently been told by everyone in his life that he won't amount to much. But he's a good profiler, JJ. He could tell that I was FBI and he could tell that we were coworkers."
JJ's brows hiked. "That's still not a terribly big jump to make," she said.
"It was when I last saw him. All I said was I had a busy schedule and he immediately knew I was FBI," Reid said.
"So you're trying to take him under your wing?" JJ asked, gently elbowing Reid.
"Just a bit," Reid said. "Anyway. Hotch actually texted fifteen minutes ago that he wants us to come in."
JJ's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"He said it wasn't an emergency; he just wanted everyone in this afternoon," Reid said.
JJ sighed. "We should probably get home then," she said.
Reid's phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out. "Okay, scratch that," Reid said. "We need to get there now. I guess I'll be swinging by Kate's to drop Poe off."
"How's that been working for you?" JJ asked as they stood up and pulled a reluctant Henry away from Ghost.
"Great," Reid said. "Kate likes dogs better so it's the best of both worlds that she has him a lot but not so many responsibilities. She likes the extra voice in the house too, for when Chris and Meg are away. Apparently Penny the Kitten never warmed up to Kate so she doesn't spend much time with her."
"And Poe likes her?" JJ asked.
"Poe adores her," Reid promised.
"Do you think she could take Henry too?" JJ said. "Just for the afternoon since I probably won't be flying out. Or if I do, just until Will can pick him up."
"I think Kate would be great with that," Reid said.
"I'll text and ask her," JJ said, turning to leave.
"I'm just getting Poe back from Travis," Reid said and JJ nodded before leaving.
"You're going already?" Travis asked, coming up with Poe a bit later.
"Work emergency," Reid said.
"Official business," Travis nodded, smiling. "Well, I send you off to get to work saving the country then. Remind your friend who takes care of Poe to make sure he gets exercise and plenty of food and water. You only need to be worried if he stops eating."
"Got it," Reid said; this was information he knew already but he liked Travis's earnest manner.
"Good luck," Travis called and when Reid looked back Travis was still watching him, a slightly envious look on his face; yearning, Reid realized.
"I've got two charges now," Kate told the sleeping Jamie. "Henry and Poe. You like Poe, right?"
She giggled before leaving Jamie in his crib and walking back into the living room to see Henry and Poe tangled up together on the carpet, Henry giggling his head off while Poe licked his face.
"It tickles," Henry shrieked, which only made Poe renew his efforts, delighting the boy.
This went on for some time, and Kate let Henry play with Poe in the back yard some, throwing sticks and running around, until Poe came in and curled up on his dog blanket.
"He gets tired quickly," Kate explained to Henry. "You know how babies sleep all the time. Puppies and kittens are the same."
"I guess," Henry said, but he now looked a little bored.
"Tell you what," Kate said. "You want to play a game?"
Henry shrugged so she led him to the living room and showed him the game cabinet.
"Whoa!" He said. "You have tons more than we do!"
"It's a habit," Kate joked. "See any you know? Ones you especially like?"
"This one my friend has but I don't," Henry said. "Hungry Hippos."
"You wanna play it?" Kate asked, poised to get it down but Henry shook his head.
"It's fun but kind of babyish," Henry told her earnestly. "Oh, I don't know that one. Guess Who?"
"That's a fun one," Kate said. "I've played that with your Uncle Spence." It felt odd to call Reid by JJ's special nickname but that was the name that Henry knew him by so she felt she could use it, this one time.
"Really?" Henry asked. "Okay. Let's play that one."
She got it down and handed it to him, about to explain the rules but he'd already opened the box and was very studiously reading the instructions.
"This is what you do before every game," Henry told her. "No exceptions. You have to know what you're getting into."
Kate wondered whose philosophy that was; JJ's or Will's but let him thoroughly read the instructions before placing them down to the side; satisfied.
"We can play now," he said, picking a face card and flipping his board to the correct position. Kate copied him and they played this way for several minutes.
Kate won most of the games but Henry stood his ground, guessing good questions; his only real problem was getting too specific. Asking if someone had glasses, for instance, filtered out quite a few, but asking if they had earrings didn't. He was obviously playing at trying to get the faces down one by one and it was not the best technique.
Still, he'd beat her twice before Jamie's cries interrupted them.
"I guess Jamie woke up," Kate said, pushing to her feet.
A series of yips sounded from the kitchen and Henry bolted to his feet.
"Poe's awake!" He cried.
"Let him get some food and water first," Kate said. "And let him outside to use the potty."
"Okay!" Henry promised, already running.
She watched him go with a smile, when the doorbell rang and she hurried to pick up Jamie so that she could answer it without him crying in the background.
"Will!" She exclaimed, pulling the door open and seeing JJ's husband standing there. "Are you here to pick up Henry? Was the case that important?"
Will shook his head. "It wasn't the case," he smiled. "JJ went into labor and is being rushed to a hospital as we speak. Hotch texted to me get Henry and bring him to the hospital on my way."
Kate gasped. "Whoa, the baby's coming already? He's not due yet."
"It's just a week," Will said. "It's not really an issue, he won't count as preemie or anything."
"Daddy!" Henry said, realizing it was Will at the door and running towards him.
"Hey, Henry, guess what?" Will asked.
"What?" Henry asked.
"Your new brother is coming today," Will answered.
The look on Henry's face was priceless.
A/N: ...aaaaaaand, this wasn't published last week.
But I got it up today! And I promise I will have something corresponding to 11x01 this week.
Speaking of, I loved the scene with JJ and Michael. And I adore, just plain adore, Aisha Tyler's Dr. Tara Lewis.
But why wasn't Kate mentioned? Last year got both Emily and Alex in the premiere. So I'm a little bummed about that.