Playing Games by JuliaBC

A/N: This is a tag to S11E01: The Job.

"I called Hotch today," JJ mentioned, cooing over the baby on her lap. "He's hired my temporary replacement."

Kate paused, Jamie tight in her arms. "I thought…"

JJ looked up at Kate, her face gentle. "I know. You thought he was replacing you but no, Tara's taking my place during my maternity leave."

Kate just shook her head. "How do you handle it?" She asked. "Or when Section Chief Strauss pulled you out of the BAU five years ago? How on earth?"

"It was hard," JJ said. "But I let myself go. I could have fought Strauss but I didn't want to tear the unit more than it already had been…" She trailed off and looked up at Kate.

"How did you leave?" Kate asked.

"I didn't want to," JJ said. "But having it be my choice and in my hands…it made it easier."

"This was my choice and it's anything but easy," Kate said, looking down at Jamie, whose tiny head was snuggled against her breast as he nursed.

"I take comfort in the fact that I'm going back," JJ said. "I wish I was there but there's no way I'm trading a day with Michael for a day with the BAU…that's what you have to remember. It's not really a trade. Both are worth it and I'll always have time for both."

Kate sighed, sinking down in her seat. "Did he tell you anything about Tara?"

"Dr. Tara Lewis, forensic psychologist," JJ mused. "Penelope told me a lot. She's smart and patient and has a killer sense for lipgloss. And she waited for thirty-six hours during her interview." She looked up at Kate with a smirk on her face. "I don't think either of us had that kind of balls or patience."

Kate snorted. "I barely survived a two minute interview," she said. "It was really hard and Hotch was just staring me down as if determining just by how I looked whether I'd be a good fit. How was your first interview?"

JJ blinked. "Wow. It's been a long time since I've thought about it. Um. Hotch was interviewing me but he wasn't Unit Chief at the time; Gideon still was. Gideon was off with Rossi though, testifying in a trial with him." She paused, a far away look coming to her face. "It was a really long day," she began. "I do remember that. Not thirty-six hours long, but Hotch was just busy all day and my interview kept getting pushed off. It was past five and I'd just stood up to go home; I was planning on just coming back the next day to try again. And then Hotch was there, he materialized in front of me looking tired as hell and said, 'come into my office'. So I did."

"And then what?" Kate asked. "Was it immediate?"

"Definitely not," JJ said. "He had concerns about my age; I think he didn't want to drive me to an early nervous breakdown. But I was qualified and seemed like the best choice. I still remember the look in his eyes when he told me I got the job. It was like he didn't want to give it to me because he wanted to give it to me so much. If that makes sense."

"I think it does," Kate said. "Concerning you, it makes perfect sense. You must have been young and blonde and innocent. Of course he didn't want to age you the way he knew this job would. But you, dear friend, seem to be immortal as far as I'm concerned." She gestured to the family picture of JJ on the wall behind her. "You look just as you did then…when was that?"

"I was eighteen," JJ said. "Just graduated."

"You still have the same look to you," Kate said. "In your face. It's barely aged."

JJ looked up at Kate with a funny expression. "What's with all the flattery, Kate? Because it's nice but it's not like you."

"I just had a nasty bout of jealousy and want to make it up to you," Kate said honestly. "You and Emily and Penelope are so close. It hurt for a moment."

JJ stared at Kate. "Ohmygod. And we were talking right in front of you about how we were going out for a girls night...shit. I'm sorry, Kate."

"No, don't be!" Kate exclaimed. "I had no reason and no right to feel that way. You were being happy and celebrating with your best friends. I don't fit into that circle and that's okay," she said. "I realized that later. It's okay."

JJ just kind of halted at that line, freezing in motion. "I just wish Emily hadn't gone back already," she said simply. "But everyone on the team wishes that."

Kate left JJ's house feeling dissatisfied, and not sure why. With Jamie in her arms, as she strapped him into his car seat, she felt a sudden urge to swing by the BAU on her way home.

"Come on," she mumbled to herself. "They're too busy to have old team members tramping in all of the time."

But the urge continued to press, until she reached an intersection and, sighing, moved into the right turning lane.

Jamie was making funny noises in the back seat and Kate listened to him intently as she drove. He made such a difference in her life.

She hid Penelope's number on her car's speeddial and listened to it ring.

"Hello, hello, this is Tech Goddess's number one, here to take your call," Penelope's voice rang through the line.

"Hey, Pen, I was wondering if now was a good time to make a quick visit," Kate asked. "I've got Jamie with me and just wanted to say hello. I went to see JJ too, and have some very sweet pictures to show you. I just wanted to check first."

"Well, no one's here but me," Penelope giggled. "They finished a long case and went home. Kate, we have a new member!"

"I know, Hotch texted JJ about it," Kate said, happy that she could now be happy over the news. "Dr. Tara Lewis?"

"Mmhmm," Penelope said. "Damn, she's good at her job. There was just this moment earlier when Tara just blew everyone away, especially Hotch. She got this case closed for us."

"She sounds amazing," Kate said honestly. "I'm guessing Hotch hired her on the spot?"

"Well, there was perfunctory interview but I'd already dismissed the other applicants," Penelope answered. "It was like Mary Poppins. The qualified applicant went in and everyone else was blown away in the magical wind of rightness."

"Oh-kay," Kate said. "So it's an okay time?"

"It's a great time," Penelope said warmly. "So bring Jamie to my cave and I'll admire him."

Kate agreed and hung up the phone. The drive went by faster after talking to Penelope; she was glad she'd called ahead.

"I want to show you something," Penelope said after she'd finished admiring Jamie. "Well, suggest something. Catan. Settlers of Catan."

"To play?" Kate asked.

"Yes," Penelope said. "I had someone recommend it to me as a really awesome board game so I am recommending it to you. Do you already own it?"

"I do not," Kate said. "But Meg's played it a few times. It's very popular with college students, too."

"Yeah, it was actually someone who is a college student right now who recommended it to me," Penelope admitted. "Will you think about it?"

"Yeah, of course," Kate said. "Are you suggesting a game night with it?"

"That would be awesome," Penelope agreed. "There are different versions. The original one has only four players but I think we could make that work without offending anyone."

"I think Hotch would be glad to miss a round of Catan," Kate said drily.

"Oh, that's right, you weren't there," Penelope exclaimed. "When Reid got Hotch to play Blokus...it was utterly hilarious!"

"What happened?" Kate asked.

"They both utterly destroyed me and Rossi," Penelope said. "Hotch was utterly cutthroat. But they ended up tying. It was a good night."

"It sounds like it," Kate said a little wistfully.

"It wouldn't have happened without you, you know," Penelope said quietly. "You're the person who made it a thing. Just know that."

"You can see it too?" Kate asked. "God, I feel like such an idiot."

"It's okay to miss people," Penelope said. "Now. It's time for me to show you something else."

"What?" Kate asked.

"I found this game on the internet...well, it's really old. I've been to it before but not recently. I rediscovered it and I'm playing it like crazy. Akinator."

"Are you serious?" Kate said. "Even I've heard of it. It really is old, Penelope."

"I know," she said. "But it can guess the craziest people! And I did Barack Obama and it was hilarious! And he got him in, like, ten questions!"

"Okay, okay," Kate said. "I'll do one round."

"Great!" Penelope said. "Who do you want to try?"

"Um..." Kate began. "Emma Watson?"

"Let's begin," Penelope said. "I cannot even begin to say how much I'm looking forward to seeing her in Beauty and the Beast."

"Did you like Disney's live action Cinderella?" Kate asked, distracted. "I didn't see it so I don't know how much to look forward to Beauty and the Beast."

"It was okay," Penelope said. "But honestly, that was directed by Kenneth Branagh and wasn't so much Disney as...him. Beauty won't be a thing like Cinderella. Which I did like. Okay, first question. Has your character ever really existed?"

"Yes, of course," Kate said. They went through the questions quickly. "You know, you can see the pattern," Kate said on question #9. "You can see what he's eliminating and who that leaves."

On Penelope's computer screen, Akinator the Web Genie carefully considered before coming up with a picture of Emma Watson.

"And he got it!" Penelope crowed. "Awesome!"

"It is good," Kate said. "I mean, he goes from asking if they are a youtuber to asking if they were Harry Potter in just a few questions. It's probably all math, isn't it?"

"It's a form of binary search," a voice from the doorway said. "It is math. Though their specific algorithm is secret, it's basically taking your answers and getting an even split in half from them. You say she's female, really existed, not a youtuber, and they ask if she was in Harry Potter."

Kate turned to stare at the woman speaking to her. "Sorry, I should have introduced myself," the woman said. "I"m Tara Lewis."

"Kate Callahan," Kate said.

"I guessed that, from your baby carrier to the fact that you don't have a BAU badge like JJ would if she were visiting," Tara said. "Sorry. Am I being too profile-y?"

"It's okay," Kate said slowly. "You seem to know a lot about the unit already."

"Just the members, past and present," Tara said. "I left my bag here yesterday, Garcia, but I didn't see it in the bullpen when I looked."

"I snagged it," Penelope said.

"I thought that might be the case," Tara said, smiling. "And you were the only familiar face I could think to go to."

"My door is always open," Penelope agreed. "Your bag is over here. Any reason that you forgot to take it?"

"My excitement over getting the job," Tara said, taking the bag and smiling again at Penelope and Kate. "I'm going home again. Nice to meet you, Kate. I hope we get to know each other?"

She smiled and slipped from the room.

"Perhaps over Catan?" Penelope fake whispered. Kate just shrugged.

A/N: I'm missing JJ this season more than I thought I would so it felt good to write her. And yeah! She's coming back in 11x07...just two episodes away. I can't wait. While the team is *technically* doing okay without her, you still miss something with only one female agent prominently present. I'm liking Tara but she doesn't cut it regarding female presence.

Also:

The 2015 Profiler's Choice Awards are on! Calling all CM readers and Authors! Join us in the annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards; help us choose the best of the best Criminal Minds fanfiction and let your voice be heard. Check out the nomination ballot and rules at the Profilers Choice Awards 2015 Forum. All rules and information can be found there. Nominations begin November 14, 2015 and end December 31, 2015 (please note: ballots received before November 14 will not be counted. Thank you). All entries with ten (10) or more categories filled out are eligible to win an Amazon gift card!

Please keep Kate Callahan in mind this year when you nominate fics and vote on them. I know there are other authors who write her, and write her well so I'm not just asking for nominations and votes for myself. There are several good fics with Kate in them, and please think of them when you nominate and vote this year.