𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓪 𝓳𝓪𝓷𝓮 ➢ 𝓼. 𝓻𝓮𝓲𝓭

𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓇𝓉𝓎-𝓉𝓌𝑜

Hotch redirected Mara to go to a fertility clinic, making sure she took her time inside. She flashed her badge to the manager of the clinic, taking him inside his office. To anyone else, it was just a normal session.

"Look, what's happening is just horrible, but the margins on the clinic like this are incredibly slim," he replied. "And if word gets out there's a connection to this rapist, my practice would be ruined."

"To be honest, I don't care about your practice," she said as she watched him flick through what looked liked surveys, the same survey the lady handed her when she walked in. "Three women were raped after coming here. That's not a coincidence, it's a pattern."

"If you're implying that I could be a suspect, I should let you know that I had a vasectomy twenty-five years ago."

"We just want to know if there's anyone in and out who fits the profile," Mara said to him. "Quiet, lives alone, awkward with women, yet hangs around the office a little too long just to be near them."

"No," he shook his head. "It's just a small clinic, I only hire women. My patients are just much more comfortable around them."

"What about somewhere else?" Mara suggested. "Computer support, janitor?"

"My daughter handles all of the technical business and I have a cleaning crew of two women."

Her eyes fell back down to the surveys he was organizing. "What is that, doctor?"

"It's just a questionnaire we hand out to learn more about our client base." He replied, handing one to her.

She read over it, pulling out her phone. "This is everything the UnSub knew about the victims."

"Who else sees these?"

"I don't compromise the medical privacy of my patients."

Mara leaned closer to his desk, meeting his eyes. "Who else sees these?"

The doctor sighs. "Well, I sell the forms to a direct marketing company called First Hand Media. They just target buying habits. No medical information changes hands. It's not illegal."

Mara rolled her eyes and stood up. "Yeah, but the margins on a place like this, word gets out, your practice would be ruined."

Mara reported back to Hotch after filling out her own survey, scribbling Stephanie Jacobs on the form. She ordered the doctor to make sure this form was the first sold to that company the same night.

While Mara went to the supermarket, just to be out so the UnSub could find her if needed, Garcia was going through First Hand Media records.

Mara set her groceries in the back of her car, which was just filled with snacks to hold her over for the night. When she got back into the car and drove off, towards her house, a car pulled out the parking lot and followed her.

She dialed Hotch's phone number, keeping her phone in her lap. "He's following me. He's acting quicker."

"Your persona and outfit is something bolder than he's used to," Rossi said through the phone. "So he thinks he needs to act bolder as well."

"I'm almost at the house."

"We're outside in the van."

Mara nodded, ignoring the slight shaking in her fingers. "Okay."

"Be careful."

When she got home, he parked outside and Mara acted like she didn't know he was there, she only went inside and pretended to go about her normal routine.

It wasn't until three in the morning when Mara sat in bed, gun underneath her pillow, pretending to be asleep. She started to fall asleep but Hotch's voice rung in her ear.

"He's moving in."

Reid sat in the van, leg bouncing with anxiety. He just didn't want her to get hurt.

Mara laid down in bed, her hand underneath her pillow and wrapped around her gun, her eyes closed.

Everyone in the van could hear Mara breathing, shaking and shallow. She was listening as she heard one of her windows pop open but she was supposed to be asleep.

"She's doing great," Rossi said to Reid. "We're minutes from an arrest."

"She's terrified." Reid answered him.

Mara calmed herself down as she felt the bed dip down and his mumbling filled the room. She grabbed the gun from the pillow and turned around, aiming it at their UnSub.

"FBI," she reached out and flicked the light on. "Put your hands up."

He moved forward and grabbed her gun, pushing it into the air as she squeezed the trigger, the bullet hitting the roof above her.

Hotch yelled from the van, "move in!"

The UnSub wrapped his arms around Mara and pushed her onto the bed, throwing her gun onto the floor, hitting her. She kicked him back and reached for her gun but he pulled her back by her feet.

She turned over, kicking him in the face. He fell back as blood came from his nose as Mara wrapped an arm around his neck and choked him out.

The team came into the house, their guns ready to be trained on their UnSub but Mara was already putting him in handcuffs.

Reid holstered his weapon and immediately moved over to Mara, one hand going onto her face. "You're bleeding."

"I'm fine."

"Tate, you did an excellent job." Hotch said to her.

"Thank you, sir."

After they handed over William Lee to the police and finished the paperwork, they arrived home at two in the morning.

"Drinks, drinks!" Morgan chuckled as Mara came out of the bathroom, dressed in her normal clothes again.

"I could use a drink." Reid said, eyes following Mara.

Everyone's eyes turned to Reid in confusion. His eyebrows furrowed together. "What? I can have fun."

"Yeah, right," Mara chuckled, throwing her arm over his shoulder. "Let's see who can hold their liquor."

"Actually-"

"Me, the answers me."