Title: Meticulous

Rating: Mature, sexual content (implied only; I don't mind reading smut but have a hard time writing it!)
Pairing: Gideon/Elle
Summary: When a stalled case just won't let her go, Elle seeks out the guidance and assistance of her mentor. This story would pre-date The Fisher King.
Note: As always, the characters do not belong to me, they belong to CBS and all the creators of Criminal Minds. I just like to borrow them.

Special Agent Jason Gideon stood with his hands in his pockets, staring out his hotel room window. His eyes took in the darkened courtyard below, the trees, and the occasional winking headlights of cars passing on the road in the distance; all were being dusted lightly in the snow that had been falling since the sun went down.

Gideon sighed and glanced at his watch: Almost midnight. There wasn't much he could do right now. The team was tracking a serial rapist in rural Oregon but they had done all they could for the moment. After a quick final briefing in Hotchner's room they had reached a stalemate for the day. There was nothing they could do until morning. With most of the team stifling yawns after an exhausting sleepless 36 hours, Hotchner had ordered them all to get some rest, cell phones at the ready in case of breaking news. Everyone hoped there would be no reason for their phones to ring, since it would only mean bad news.

The problem was that Gideon couldn't sleep. He often had trouble getting his brain to shut off long enough to let sleep overcome him anyway, and not being in his own bed never helped. It was the biggest pitfall of his work-related travels. Never-ending unfamiliar rooms and strange beds wreaked havoc on his ability to get even a little bit of sleep.

A sudden knock at the door startled him out of his reverie. Apparently he wasn't the only one battling with insomnia tonight. He wondered if Hotchner had heard from the local police force; tired or not, he liked the idea of having a good reason to use up some of his restless energy.

Gideon opened the door and was surprised to see it was not Hotchner after all. He raised his eyebrows at the beautiful woman standing in the doorway, bottle of water in one hand, notebook in the other. A pen was tucked behind her right ear, tangled in her long, dark hair.

"Elle," Gideon said, glancing past her and noting she was alone. "You're still awake."

"Yes," she acknowledged, "and so are you. I figured you would be." She took a step towards him, and then stopped, unsure. "Uh, can I come in?"

He backed up and extended his arm. "I'm sorry. Of course you can."

He shut the door as she brushed past him. He watched her cross the room and settle herself on a small couch across from the foot of his bed.

Gideon took in her tired eyes and her hands which shook just enough to rattle the pages in her notebook, a side effect of all the coffee she had been drinking. It seemed like every time he turned around that day, Elle was refilling her cup. He smiled at her and gently said, "Elle, you're clearly exhausted. You should lie down and try to get some sleep before we have to get going again."

"So should you," she countered. Elle rubbed her eyes and slumped against the back of the couch. "I can't. Believe me, I want to. I can't sleep. I tried but I kept getting up to pace."

"What's the matter?" Gideon asked, sitting on the bed to face her.

"I just feel like I'm missing something," Elle said. "I keep going over my notes and I know there's got to be something –"

"Elle," Gideon interrupted, "we went over everything five times." He reached out and touched her knee. "You can't do this to yourself, you'll make yourself crazy."

Elle rested her head in her hands for a moment, then looked at him with pleading eyes. "Gideon, please. Please look at this with me one more time. Just in case." She took his hand and squeezed it helplessly.

Gideon looked down and closed his fingers over hers for a second and squeezed them back. He smiled and took her notebook. "Of course. Let's see what we've got."

An hour later, papers lay scattered on the floor. Elle sighed heavily and leaned back. "You were right. There's nothing here. Dammit."

Gideon stretched and stood up. "Well, there's no harm in being thorough. I admire your persistence."

Elle smiled weakly. "Well," she said, "at least there's that. Look, I'm sorry I wasted your time Gideon."

"It's not a waste. You're very meticulous. I'm just sorry I couldn't help you more." Gideon stepped towards the bathroom. "Excuse me for a second."

Elle flopped back and kicked her long legs over the arm of the couch. "Okay," she said, tossing her pen on the floor in defeat.

Gideon looked at himself in the mirror as he washed his hands. What he had said was true; it wasn't a waste of time to look over the facts again. Had they caught some small detail that might lead to the capture of their rapist, it would have been time well spent indeed. What he had not said, though, was that he had enjoyed Elle's company, probably more than he cared to admit and definitely more than was appropriate.

As he exited the bathroom, he called out, "Do you think you'll be able to sleep –" He spotted Elle's limp body, closed eyes, and parted lips. "- now. Well. I guess so."

Not wanting to disturb her, Gideon pulled the comforter off the bed and gently covered her sleeping form. Reading down he brushed a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, letting his fingers linger just a moment longer than was necessary. Elle never even flinched.

Settling himself onto the bed, he dimmed the bedside lamp and closed his eyes. He knew he could use some rest too. Maybe if he was lucky, sleep would finally come.

At just a little past four in the morning, Elle sat bolt upright. "Oh my God," she said as she looked around.

Gideon sat up and squinted in the low light. "Elle? Are you okay?"

"No. I mean yes. No. I just – Oh for God's sake, I fell asleep." Elle laughed to hide her embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I'd better go back to my room."

Gideon slipped quickly off the bed and crouched down in front of her. "No, don't go."

Elle froze halfway to standing and slowly sat back down. She raised one eyebrow in confusion

Gideon felt himself flush slightly and was grateful that it was still dark enough to hide the fact. "You're at the other end of the hotel. By the time you get there, the bright lights will wake you up."

What the hell are you doing? Gideon wondered to himself.

Elle opened her mouth, then closed it, pondering for a second. Finally she said, "I … I guess you're right. I'm still so tired."

"Then just lie down," he said softly. He reached to pull the blanket back up and found her hand instead. Her fingers were so warm. He wondered if the rest of her body was as warm.

Don't, he warned himself. Workplace romances are so risky. So much potential for disaster. I can't do this.

Gideon realized he still held her hand. Elle was looking at him with curiosity. He noticed she was nervously chewing in her lower lip. She was so beautiful. It was the first thing that had struck him when they had met.

"Elle," he started, then found himself at a rare loss for words. He settled instead on resting his other hand on her shoulder. In silence they studied each other and Gideon knew all the logic in the world couldn't save him now. As he bent his head down against hers, he didn't care about complications anymore. He whispered her name again and kissed her.

He pulled back for a second and ran his fingers up into her hair. He wasn't sure if this could possibly be real. Elle put one hand on the back of his neck and brought his face back down to hers. "I was starting to give up believing this could ever actually happen," she whispered.

"You… What?" Gideon asked. He was the one in disbelief, that this beautiful woman who could likely have her pick of men was showing an interest in him. Elle didn't bother to answer him. She was too busy trailing her mouth down his neck, and suddenly Gideon found he had lost all interest in asking questions anyway.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her off the couch, both of them toppling to the floor. Rolling onto his side, he kissed her again, holding her tightly against him. He slowly slid his lips down Elle's jaw, along her throat, and kissed her collarbone. Elle moaned softly, as she slipped her hands down his back and tugged on the hem of his shirt.

Gideon raised himself up long enough to pull his shirt over his head, then slowly fumbled his way through the buttons on Elle's blouse. It was all so sudden and so fast, something he didn't normally do. Then he realized how long he had actually wanted this. As he slipped off her blouse and admired Elle's slim body, now clad in her black jeans and lacy bra, he hesitated and asked, "Are you okay with this?"

"If I wasn't I'd have stopped you by now," she said, smiling up at him.

"I just don't want to rush you into anything," Gideon insisted.

Elle placed a finger over lips to stop him from asking any more questions. With her other hand, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. "Stop talking and take me to bed, Jason."

That was all the encouragement Gideon needed. Without another word, he lifted her up off the floor and carried her over to the bed. As the first hint of sunrise started to streak across the sky, he realized he had found a way to deal with his restless energy after all.

Gideon woke to sunlight. The snow had stopped and the clock said it was almost 8:15. He closed his eyes as he remembered the amazing dream he had had. Behind closed eyelids, remembered soft skin, intertwined fingers, hot breath in his ear, and the way she had cried out his name. He sighed deeply. "Elle," he whispered to himself.

A stirring beside him and a mumbled, "Hmm?" made his eyes snap open. It wasn't a dream, he thought.

Turning over, he found Elle refusing to open her eyes as she stretched and groaned under a tangle of sheets. One impossibly long leg brushed against his and caused a stirring of his own. "You're really here," he said, stating the obvious.

"Did you think I was the type to tiptoe out after you fell asleep?" she asked, amused.

"No," he said, returning her smile. "I thought I was the type who could only possibly dream about you."

Elle slid closer to him and traced the flickering of the sunlight on his chest with her fingers. "I'm afraid I have to tell you I am very real and you're stuck with dealing with my frightening bed head."

"I don't see anything frightening here, believe me." Gideon pulled her against him and kissed her, running his hands down her back. He glanced back at the clock on the night table. "We have to meet the others in an hour. Do you want to get out of here and go down there early?"

Elle rolled on top of him and leaned down to kiss his neck. "Not really," she said, and pushed the clock onto the floor.

The End

(Or is it?)