The Element of Surprise

The Date - Part 2

"Hey," Hotch's voice interrupts his thoughts. Averting his eyes from Estella at the bar, he looks at Aaron. "She'll be fine. If she can handle an unsub with a gun, she can handle a date."

"You think I'm worried about her?" The senior agent scoffs.

"She's the latest addition to the team, has the lowest case count, and everyone sees her as the youngest member although Reid holds that title. Trust me, I know you're concerned. With the work we do, you're probably thinking whether this date can be trusted and if he harbors any hidden agendas -"

"Or if he could be a serial killer," Reid cuts him off, "Did you know one out of ten sex offenders use online dating to meet other people and that three percent of online dating men are psychopaths? In 2005 alone, twenty-five percent of rapists used online dating sites to find and lure their victims. Each year internet predators commit more than sixteen-thousand abductions, hundred murders and thousands of rapes and -"

"Reid, not helping!" Derek exclaims and elbows him in the ribs.

"Great," Rossi huffs, "Now I worry about her. Thanks, doctor." Truth be told, he wasn't worried about her when he learned she dressed up for someone other than the team. All he felt was annoyed and resentful. But now, with those facts out in the open, he feels he has to watch Estella at all times.

"Darlings, relax," Garcia eases the tension before someone might pop a vein, "I did a background check on this guy and he's clean. The only criminal record he has is for being smoking hot illegally. Because ooh la la, si magnifique!"

"Okay, guys, behave," JJ murmurs to the team, "Here she comes."

Estella reunites with the group with a Milano-Torino and claims her seat next to the blonde. However, the table is uncharacteristically quiet upon her return which she finds strange considering Reid and Derek always have something to say. Taking a sip from her drink and swallowing, she says the first thing that comes to mind, "Either somebody died or you all just swallowed your tongues. Although, the latter isn't possible since bodily tissue firmly connects the tongue to the mouth, which prevents people from accidentally swallowing it. And even then, some people still believe a person can swallow their tongue during a seizure, while asleep, or if they fall unconscious."

Derek and Emily both crack a smile at her rambling. During her first week on the team, she would randomly burst out rambling facts while she was still nervous being around them. She almost over performed to show them her worth, something Prentiss could identify with since she, too used to be in Estella's shoes once. But then came the second week and Presley found her place among them. Now she would randomly burst out rambling because she feels comfortable around them. There is but two sides to her, it seemed.

Even Hotch's lips tugs upwards at her quirkiness while Rossi can only smile feebly, too busy battling his inner emotions. On the one hand, he finds her rambling vastly entertaining and could sit and listen to her talk all day. Ont the other hand, he feels a tinge of annoyance after hearing how Garcia described her soon-to-come date. Si magnifique? Why is French considered the language of love when obviously it should be Italian?

Dave can't help but sulk throughout the rest of the evening, not noticing the time dragging on until Garcia suddenly gasps and nudges Estella across the table and frantically nods towards the bar, "Sweet child o' mine, he's here. At the bar, second guy to the left."

Like one man, all heads turn towards a tall, dark-haired man dressed in a pair of designers jeans, and a preppy polo shirt. He can't be older than thirty-five and carries an air of confidence that's evident all the way across the room.

"He's even hotter in real life," Penelope purrs.

Estella inhales slowly to build up some courage before standing up, "This is it, I guess."

"Good luck," JJ smiles.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Emily adds.

"Use protection," cue Derek.

"And if he gives you any trouble, just show him your badge," Hotch has the last word.

With those motivations, she squares her shoulders and strut towards the bar. The team watches her greet the guy, they hug and he places a kiss on her cheek - real charming. They talk for a minute, probably getting the introductions out of the way before he finally orders them some drinks.

"We shouldn't be watching this," JJ mutters to the team.

"I agree," Spencer nods, "Shouldn't we start heading home anyway? We still have to work tomorrow."

"You go if you want," Emily smirks, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I really wanna know how this goes."

"Dying to profile him, aren't ya?" Derek eyes her knowingly.

"Aren't you?"

"Guys," Hotch cuts in before they might do something unprofessional, "This is Estella's personal life. Respect it." Prentiss and Morgan slouch back in their seats with looks of pure dismay on their faces. And then Hotch adds, "But he is totally flirting with her. His eyebrows are raised, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders straight, and this is the third time he's stared at her lips in little under two minutes."

Realizing what he did there, the rest of the doesn't need to be told twice to start profiling the guy, Jacques, from afar - he's active, he's a runner, he cares a lot about his appearance, he's clearly charismatic, he's rich, he has expensive taste, he owns a cat, he's cultured, and...

"...and he's a player," Rossi makes his first deduction, interrupting JJ mid-sentence. When everyone looks at him, he elaborates, "The guy's too smooth. He's literally sucking up to her. This is a regular thing for him, go on dates, meet new women every weekend, get in them in his bed, and forget they exist the very next day."

"No, that can't be right," Garcia leans to the side to peer across his shoulder at Estella having a good time at the bar, "Look how clean-cut he is. See, he even gave her his jacket and now he's escorting her out."

"To a bed," the senior agent remains adamant.

"Or to take a stroll?"

"Listen," Dave fires back a bit too sharply than he intended, "I know guys like him and this is what's going to happen; let's say they do go on that stroll, the tension grows and they end up kissing. And where does an excessive amount of kissing lead to? Correct, the bedroom. You can bet on it if you want, tomorrow she'll come to work and tonight will mean nothing to her. Ask her tomorrow, I dare you." With that, he stands up and chucks a bill on the table before leaving. He had enough for one night.

For a moment, the team is dead silent until Derek says to Hotch, "And I thought you were intense."