We Found Love In A Darker Place

Chapter 18 - Underestimated

"Are you sure you want to go? I mean, after all he did to you, are you sure you can handle it?" J.J. asked me, putting Mackenzie in my arms.

I bounced her on ny hip and she giggled. "Yes. I am going to make sure that he can't do this to anyone else ever again." I said quietly.

"What are you going to do about this little bound of love?" She asked me.

"Already covered. Penelope is going to watch her until I get back. Then I am going to take her myself." I didn't say the word 'adoption center' because I knew it was bound to scare her.

"Ok. Is Spencer going with you?" J.J. asked me.

"Going with you where?" Reid asked me, coming up to my side and stealing Mackenzie away from me. I hesitated at first but let her go.

"To the place for special little boys and girls who lost their mommy's and daddy's to fill out some paperwork." I said, looking at him to give him a message within my hurt eyes.

"Oh, yes. I had planned on going with you anyway." He smiled at me then at J.J.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion but that flex out the window when I heard Hotch say "Let's go."

I took Mackenzie from Spencer and ran to where Penelope was still sitting behind her army of computers and placed Mackenzie in the chair I sat in earlier. "You be a good girl for Miss Penelope, ok? And when I get back, we are going to go for a special ride." I said, kissing her nose.

She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. "Will you be safe?" She asked me, finally pulling away.

I held my breath and bit my lip, I didn't know how to answer that question. I was safe witg my team but who knows what Mills had in store for us when we got there. "I will be as safe as I can be sweetie." I gave her a smile.

"We gotta go Clarity." Derek said from the doorway. I hugged hee once more and turned to Derek. We half jogged through the police station and out the doors to the waiting SUV. "Why don't you take her?" He finally asked, looking me in the rearview mirror as I sat in the middle of the backseat with my head in my lap.

I popped my head up and looked at him. "You're joking, right?" I asked him, almost laughing.

"No. Why would I joke about a motherless child?" He shot back.

"I am never home and she isn't even old enough to start school yet. I'm not married. They wouldn't give me a second glance if I even asked.

He shook his head and smiled at me. "You work for the BAU. You do know you have a little pull in that situation. Plus, you have your own home, a steady job, and a family who would help out no matter what." He threw the suburban in park in front of the house. "And I'm not just talking about your mom and brothers either." He smiled.

I closed my eyes before I opened my door. I looked at the numbers in the side of the door and it brought me back to the night they took me to the bridge. "Clarity. You stay towards the back. I don't want either of them to see you until we have them in custody." Hotch said, tightening my vest. "Seeing you might send either of them into a panic. They are unstable and we can underestimate them."

"Ok Hotch. I got it." I said, knowing it wasn't worth the fight.

Derek went to the door and knocked. "FBI, open up!" He yelled at the closed door. He hit the door a few more times. "FBI, open up!" He yelled again. This time, after he said it he kicked the door open and went in first. He scanned the door and made sure it was before yelling "Clear."

The rest of the team went in and cleared the rest of the house. "He kept me down there." I said, pointing to a stairway that led to the basement. Derek went down first and I stayed above while everyone else went down. J.J. stayed at the too so she could still see me. I held my gun at my hip and tensed up when I held Derek yell for medic.

J.J. looks at me and raised her gun even with my head. The next thing I saw was her pulling the trigger and I could swear I saw the bullet go in slow motion towards me. I closed my eyes and I saw everything flash before my eyes. I heard the impact and opened my eyes. I didn't feel a shot in my head, but in my arm. I grabbed where the bullet had hit me and turned around.

"You ok, Clare." J.J. asked me. I couldn't stop staring at the body that laid at my feet before me.

"I thought you were going to shoot me." I said bluntly.

She looked at me and laughed. I walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. Wincing when she touched my arm, I took the pain anyway. "Let's get that looked at." She said, holding it to get a better look.

I put my good arm around her waist and walked to the medic that was outside. I sat in the edge of the ambulance bumper as the EMT patched my arm up "You're lucky, the bullet just barley nicked your arm. Just a flesh wound."

Hotch walked over to me and and sat beside me. "Are you ok?" He asked.

I turned my head to look at him, meet in him eye to eye. "Are you serious?" I asked. "I am great. The one person who I hated more than myself is now dead. I don't have to look over my shoulder for him anymore." I let out a laugh of relief.

Derek walked over and put an arm on my shoulder, "Now you have some more important business to attend to." He said, pointing to Spencer who was standing about five yards in front of me, dangling the keys to the SUV in front of him.

I frowned at the thought. "Oh yeah, how could I forget." I said, almost in a whisper. I walked over to him and got into the passenger seat, buckling up and slumping in my seat.

Spencer got in and smiled, "Ready to go?" He asked cheerfully.

I looked out the window and let a tear drop. "I guess." I answered him.

He looked at me, confused but didn't question it.

Once we arrived at the station, Penelope was waiting for us with Mackenzie in arm. There was a car seat at her feet, my guess is from one of the many the station had for when they took away infants and toddlers. They both waved dramatically when we pulled up to the curb. "Miss Clarity! Miss Clarity!" Mackenzie yelled, holding her arma out for me to take her.

I got out and ran to her, taking her in my arms and hugging her tight. "I miss you too sweetie." I said, holding her head to mt shoulder. "Are you ready to go?" I asked her.

She raised up and nodded excitedly. It broke my heart because she had no idea what was in store for her. Spencer put the car seat into the back seat and grabbed Mackenzie from me, putting her in and buckling her up.

Penelope hugged me and kissed my cheek. "Good luck." She whispered into my ear. I let go of her and got back into the passenger seat. Was I ready to let her go? Could I let her go?