Alternate universe. Inspired by the CM Elle Greenaway fanfiction stories, "Anger Guilt Pride" by itonlytakesOneShot (involving Haley's funeral) and "No One Likes Funerals" by Kathryn Claire O'Connor. (involving Prentiss' faked death) What if Elle Greenaway attended Gideon's funeral in Season 10?

It was January 30, 2015. In Brooklyn, New York, Elle Greenaway was driving home from her waitressing job in a bar. She stopped at the local supermarket to buy her weekly groceries and she walked by the newspaper section. Glancing at the headline of the USA Today newspaper made Elle stop in her tracks. She picked up a copy and looked at the headline again unable to believe what she thought that she had seen. Elle quietly gasped.

"Former FBI Agent Jason Gideon Murdered."

The obituary section in the newspaper told Elle when and where Gideon's funeral would be. The Brooklyn brunette asked her boss for some time off and she booked a round trip flight to Washington DC.

On the day of the funeral, Elle watched from a distance in her rental car the three limousines arriving at the funeral home. She saw her former boss, Aaron (Hotch) Hotchner coming out of the first limo with his son, Jack. Elle couldn't believe how much Jack had grown. Jack was just a newborn baby the last time she saw him. Elle recognized Agent David Rossi coming out after Hotch. She saw him at a couple of guest lectures during her time in FBI Academy 14 years ago. A young woman Elle didn't recognize came out after Rossi. It was his daughter, Joy. She took Rossi's right arm. Elle saw a young man whom she never met before coming out after Joy. It was Gideon's son, Stephen.

Elle noticed Agent Derek Morgan coming out of the second limousine with Penelope Garcia and two women whom she didn't recognize. It was Dr. Savannah Hayes, Morgan's girlfriend and Agent Emily Prentiss. Savannah took Morgan's right arm. Prentiss took Garcia's right arm and followed Morgan and Savannah.

"Derek Morgan has a girlfriend?" thought Elle to herself. "He's finally grown up!"

Agent Jennifer Jareau came out of the third limousine with a man Elle didn't recognize. It was JJ's husband, Detective Will LaMontagne Jr. Elle noticed the wedding rings they both were wearing. JJ took Will's right arm. Dr. Spencer Reid came out next holding the hand of a little boy who looked just like JJ to Elle. It was JJ and Will's son, Henry.

"JJ is married now with a son?" thought Elle to herself.

Agent Kate Callahan and her husband, Chris came out next. Elle heard about Callahan during her time in Sex Crimes but they've never met before. After all of them entered the funeral home, Elle discreetly entered herself ten minutes later and she sat down in the last row to watch the funeral unseen.

Gideon's coffin was closed. Rossi stood up at the podium and said some nice things about Gideon that brought tears to everyone's eyes. Reid couldn't take it anymore and he got up to leave the chapel to cry alone. In the last row, Elle tried to hide her face but Reid saw her.

"Elle?" said Reid.

Elle tried to leave the funeral home, but Reid caught up with her in the hallway and he took her arm.

"You're here," tearfully said Reid.

"I...I didn't mean to intrude," blushed Elle. "I read about Gideon in the newspaper and...I shouldn't have come here. I should just go..."

To Elle's surprise, Reid hugged her and she slowly put her arms around him hugging him back. Reid started crying on Elle's shoulder and Elle started crying as well on Reid's shoulder. Until now, Elle was unable to cry over Gideon's death. They held onto each other tightly sobbing uncontrollably. Garcia, Morgan and JJ came into the hallway to check on Reid and they all saw him hugging Elle. Garcia gasped.

"Elle," said JJ.

"Elle?" tearfully said Garcia.

"What are you doing here?" asked Morgan.

"I...just wanted to pay my respects to Gideon," tearfully answered Elle. "I...I don't know why I came here. I didn't mean to intrude. You don't have to throw me out. I'll just leave peacefully."

"Throw you out?" said Garcia. "Uh-uh!"

Garcia embraced Elle in a big bear hug. Elle couldn't help but hug Garcia back.

"You came here because you need us just as much as we need you," tearfully said Garcia.

"You loved Gideon like a second father," said Morgan.

"You called him, 'dad,'" recalled Reid.

"You deserve to be here just as much as we do," said JJ.

Elle and JJ hugged each other. Hotch walked into the hallway.

"Greenaway," said Hotch.

"Hotch," whispered Elle. "Now, I know that I should just leave..."

"Elle, wait," said Hotch. "Can you guys leave me alone with Elle for a minute?"

"Okay, Hotch," said Morgan.

Garcia, Morgan, Reid and JJ left the hallway. Elle lowered her head.

"I read about Gideon in the newspaper," tearfully said Elle. "I know that I shouldn't have come here considering how I left you guys nine years ago..."

"Elle," said Hotch. "I understand now."

"Understand what now?" asked Elle.

"I understand now how you felt after the Fisher King, Randall Garner shot you in your own home," answered Hotch. "Three years after you were shot, our team returned home from a bad case in Canada. I was attacked in my own home by a man named George Foyet, aka the Boston Reaper. He stabbed me in my chest several times, violating me. Then, he dropped me off at the hospital pretending to be Morgan so I would live."

"And, Jack and Haley?" asked Elle.

"They weren't there," answered Hotch. "We...divorced over a year after you left."

Hotch told Elle that after his attack, the BAU team discovered that Foyet kept Hotch alive because he wanted to kill Haley and Jack to make him suffer. So, Hotch put them both into witness protection. But, a few months later, Foyet found them by brutally torturing Marshall Sam Kassmeyer. And, before the Marshall died in the ambulance, he told Hotch that Foyet used his phone to call Haley to trick her into returning to their family house to be relocated. Hotch drove to the house as fast as he could with the rest of the team coming as well. Then, Foyet called Hotch to let him know that he had both of them. Hotch saved Jack's life with a game they both made up called, "working the case." But, the entire BAU team heard Foyet shooting Haley three times over the phone.

Hotch concluded, "I wanted Foyet dead just as badly as you wanted Lee dead, Elle. I entered the house and found him. I tried shooting him dead, but he was wearing a vest. We fought and fell down some stairs and he vowed to kill my son. I beat Foyet to death with my bare hands. Morgan had to pull me off of him to stop me. I found Jack hiding in our trunk safe and sound. JJ took him outside for me. I then went to see Haley. He had killed her and...I held her in my arms crying."

"Hotch, I'm so sorry," tearfully said Elle.

Elle hugged Hotch tightly believing that he understood how violated she felt after getting shot in the Fisher King case. Elle forgave Hotch for sending her home to get shot and for him following her to her dad's grave just before she quit the BAU. Hotch forgave Elle for telling him off during the William Lee case and for her shooting Lee dead. Reid came back and knew from seeing Elle hugging Hotch that she would stay now. Reid and Hotch took Elle to the front rows with the rest of the BAU family. Hotch went up to the podium and said some nice things about Gideon. Elle silently cried on Reid's shoulder.

At the cemetery, everybody put a rose on Gideon's coffin. After watching the coffin get lowered into the ground, everybody except Elle and Reid headed over to Rossi's mansion. Reid and Elle were walking down a road talking about what else had been happening since Elle left the BAU.

"So, you almost got married, Elle?" asked Reid.

"Yeah," answered Elle. "I almost got married, until I caught Brad sleeping with Julie, my maid of honor."

"I'm sorry," said Reid. "But, that was a long time ago, Elle..."

"That was two months ago!" snapped Elle.

Reid looked at Elle. She lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Reid," said Elle. "I'm still pissed off about it. I promised myself that I would never get married because no man I've ever dated was as wonderful as my daddy was. And, that asshole almost made me break my promise!"

"Well," said Reid. "What matters is that you didn't marry him, Elle. Maybe, we should talk about somebody else."

"Yeah," agreed Elle. "Garcia said that Gideon quit the team a year after I did because a killer named Frank Breightkoff broke into his apartment wanting to murder him, but he murdered his girlfriend, Sarah instead. And, that JJ met Will on a case about four months after I left. And, she got pregnant with Henry a year later and married Will almost three years ago. And, that you and Garcia are Henry's godparents. And, that Morgan's been dating Savannah for almost two years. And, they've just bought a house together. And, Garcia's been dating a nice guy named Sam for three years. And, that Hotch just broke up with a nice lady named Beth Clemons after dating her for three years. Well, what about you, sweetie? Any girlfriends?"

"Yes," answered Reid. "Her name's Maeve Donavan."

"Well, where was she?" grinned Elle. "How come she wasn't here today, Reid? I would have loved to meet her."

Reid stopped walking and lowered his head.

"Uh, no, Elle," sniffled Reid. "Maeve was here today."

Elle looked down where Reid was looking and she quietly gasped.

The tombstone read: "Dr. Maeve Donavan - February 12, 1981 to January 16, 2013 - Geneticist, Beloved Daughter and Resident Genius - Greatly Missed Forever."

Elle knew something was hurting Reid besides Gideon's murder, but she never would have guessed that he was hurting from a lost love.

"She's been right here for the last two years," tearfully said Reid. "Elle Greenaway, meet Maeve Donavan."

"What happened to her, Reid?" asked Elle.

Reid told Elle about his bad headaches in 2012 that led him to meet Maeve over the phone. And, his different payphone calls to her for months because of her fear of being stalked. And, how Dr. Alex Blake tried to help them meet face to face on a dinner date. And, after Maeve didn't answer his payphone call one day, Reid asked the BAU team to help him find Maeve and save her from her stalker. And, how the team discovered that the stalker was a woman instead of a man named Diane Turner. And, about Diane's obsession with suicide theories and her wanting Reid to love her instead of Maeve. And, how Reid tried to trade himself to Diane for Maeve's freedom by pretending to love Diane instead of Maeve. And, how after that didn't work, Diane held a gun to Maeve right in front of him and the whole BAU team.

Reid tearfully finished, "...and Maeve said that Thomas Merton was the one thing that Diane could never take away from us, and Diane said, 'No!' She...pointed the gun to her forehead. I yelled, 'WAIT!' But, she fired. That bitch killed herself and Maeve in a murder/suicide and...broke my heart forever. Dammit! Why didn't I just let her shoot me dead instead?!"

"Don't say that, Reid," said Elle. "Don't ever say that again!"

Elle's heart poured out to Reid. She hugged him tightly. She wished that Brad and Julie were both dead and Gideon, Haley and Maeve were all still alive.

"Oh, Reid," tearfully whispered Elle. "I'm so sorry. Neither one of you deserved this."

A week after Gideon's funeral with Garcia's online help, Elle moved back to DC. The entire BAU team helped her move into an apartment close to Reid's apartment building. Elle got a job as a waitress at O'Keefe's bar. Elle visited her dad's grave from DC before and she could do it again. After calling off her wedding, Elle felt that there was nothing else left for her in Brooklyn. Nobody had been a better friend to Elle than Reid. Nine years ago, Reid tried to help Elle through her pain from getting shot during the Lee case. Now, Elle wanted to return the favor and help Reid through his pain of losing both Maeve and Gideon to murder.