The Element of Surprise

The Date - Part 2

"Does he know the difference between difference between phycomycetes and ascomycetes? And does he know that during the seven minutes of neural activity you will have before dying, you will see your memories in a dreamlike pattern? Or that studies show that information could last longer in the mind of a person evaluated for it than if it were only examined without the need for instant recall?" Reid continues where Rossi left off.

And cue Derek, "Does he workout? Can he handle a gun? Or better, can he handle a woman who knows how to handle a gun?"

"If he can answer yes to all those questions and no to having a criminal record," Rossi has the last word, "only then is he good enough for you."

Estella's brows are sky high by the time they're done questioning her. Not having any idea what to say to those questions, she excuses herself to get a drink - she'll need it more than ever tonight it seems.

Rossi watches her from across the room, admiring how the dress compliments her figure. It's modest and yet it demands attention - just like the woman who wears it. He thought he had a clear understanding of Estella Presley's character the day he first met her, it's not every day someone comes at him with a Halloween mask who coincidentally also turns out to be an attractive woman. At first, he only saw her for what she was that moment; the bright-eyed, optimistic, and innocent profiler who probably hasn't seen enough death and trauma to know what sorts of evil exists in this world.

It was one of the few times he was wrong.

It turned out Estella Presley knows and has seen more than he gave her credit for. He knows what kind baggage comes with someone with her degrees in psychology, the kind of people she most likely worked with, the things she's experienced. And although he was aware she's smart, he wasn't completely prepared for exactly how smart she truly is. He quickly learned her greatest strength lies in her communication skills towards both witnesses and unsubs. She can use her words to both calm a traumatized woman and manipulate an unsub into thinking she knows everything about them. Then there is the random facts about random matters, much like Reid, and yet nothing like Reid. Unlike the young doctor who frequently bombards the team with his intellectual conversations and facts, she keeps hers quiet until the opportune moment when she deems them useful - which explains why her some of areas of expertise comes off a bit shocking.

Cough, cough - medieval torture methods - cough.

But then, while she's so experienced in her fields of psychology and profiling, as well as being a near match for Reid's intellect, she's also uncertain somehow. One moment, she contributes a brilliant piece of information for the team to solve a case, only to crawl back in her shells afterwards. It's like something is holding her back from embracing who she truly is.

It strikes Dave that moment that, despite knowing she's intelligent, caring, and dauntless in the eye of danger - being held at gunpoint - he doesn't really know that much about her. And he kind of wants to. Because, like he thought earlier, she's an attractive woman and he finds his eyes wandering towards her more often than is considered normal. Or professional. No, really, he shouldn't find her as attractive as he does. First, he thought it's just her carefree personality and dazzling eyes that had him staring. But seeing her in action when working on a case, having her always paired up with him, and seeing her in that dress at the bar while the light gives her skin a golden glow... he begins to realize how deep his infatuation actually goes.

He's never been really good at keeping things professional with colleagues.

The only thing that keeps him from pursuing these feelings is the part where she's years younger than him. He saw her file in Hotch's office, he did the math; he's old enough to be her father. And while he usually didn't care for age gaps or trivial matters as such, he doubt she shares the same point of view. A woman like her most likely wants someone her own age. And it would do him good if he keeps that in mind every time his eyes wander towards her.