Discovery of the Spirit

Title: Discovery of the Spirit

Chapter: 7/?

Author: Wesleys_Lady

E-Mail: brutal_howell@hotmail.com

Rating: R (for Violence)

Category: Romance/Angst/Drama/General

Pairing: Archer/Original Character

Summary: Old enemies have come for Archer, but he and Katie foil their plans. Unfortunately, everything comes with a price.

Spoilers: See Chapters 1 – 6

Disclaimer: See Chapters 1 – 6

Archive: See Chapters 1 – 6

Feedback: I am begging you. I am still a little nervous about how well people will receive Chapter 6. I have never tried to write an NC-17 scene before. And I’m not sure if I captured emotions of what these two characters were feeling. If I offended anyone, I apologize. I will try to make it up to you here. For those who like what I’ve done with the magnificent characters in this story…I will try to continue the ride for you.











Discovery of the Spirit

Chapter 7



By



Wesleys_Lady





Kathleen woke up pleasantly sore. She smiled at the memory that taking showers could be so fulfilling. The solid presence behind her reminded her that she wasn’t alone. He loved her! Jonathan Archer loved her! They had sure come a long way from San Francisco, fifteen years ago. She gently turned to look at him, being careful not to wake him. She could see his eyes moving under his eyelids in REM sleep. A light sheen of sweat covered his brow as he began to breathe heavily. His lips were moving as if he was talking, very softly. As she heard a tiny moan escape his lips, curiosity got the better of her. Kathleen leaned in closer, hoping to get a clue as to what he was dreaming about. She heard one word, over and over, interspersed between the moans – her own name. She leaned back…astounded at what she had just heard. Jonathan Archer seemed to be having an erotic dream about her. Her body reacted enthusiastically to that notion. When she moved her hand up to his brow, his eyes blinked open. As she smoothed her hand over his features, he decided not to move. If the woman of his dreams wanted to explore, far be it for him to stop her.



"Kat," he whispered. Jon silently cursed himself when her touches stopped.



"I’m sorry," Kathleen mumbled. She seemed embarrassed about being caught. He quickly gathered her in his arms and rolled her under him.



"Don’t…don’t ever be sorry." He picked up her hand and placed it against his cheek. "I love you. And if you want to touch me…I’m not going to stop you." She was about to respond when the ship violently pitched to the side – throwing them both off the bed to the floor. The air was knocked out of her lungs when Archer landed on her. He scrambled over to the comm panel. "Archer to the Bridge, Report!" he barked. As he waited for a response, he looked back to make sure Kathleen was all right. She was on her hands and knees trying to force some air into her lungs.



*"Captain, we have intruders on E Deck."* Kathleen’s head snapped up and their eyes met. They were on this deck. Jon watched her spring to her feet and head for a panel on the wall. She pulled back the false wall, and behind it was an arsenal of weapons. There were knives, staffs, throwing stars, numchucks, and swords of various kinds. *"The ship that has been following us, punched a hole through the hull near your quarters. Lieutenant Reed went to intercept,"* The voice explained. Kathleen was implementing a plan Starfleet and Malcolm had worked out months ago. In the event of intruders, whichever of them was closest to the Captain’s location would get him to a specially designed safe place aboard Enterprise. She began putting her clothes on and arming herself from the arsenal. She put a communication piece in her ear, knowing that Reed would have put his in before he went to intercept the threat.



"Malcolm, report!" She called into the mic. She heard phaser fire both in her earpiece and outside the door. Archer spun to face the door as he heard footsteps approach. He released the breath he had been holding when they passed on by.



"I’m inputting my codes to lock down the bridge. Sorry, but you’ll be stuck up there. Get a hold of Sub-Commander T’Pol and have her do the same." He ordered.



*"Understood. Bridge out."* He stepped toward the door, only to have his arm grabbed by Kathleen. She shook her head. ‘You’re not going out there,’ is what she was telling him. She shoved an earpiece in his hand to allow him to listen in on Malcolm’s report. He put the piece in his ear.



"ANDORIANS, SIR. I’M COUNTING 8 AT THE MOMENT – ALL ARMED TO THE TEETH. THEY’RE AFTER YOU, CAPTAIN. SECURITY SAW PORTHOS ESCAPE WHEN THEY ENTERED YOUR QUARTERS." They could hear the phaser fire that littered Reed’s report. "THEY’VE GOT US PINNED DOWN IN THE HALLWAY."



"Stay there, Malcolm. We’ll come and help," Archer began to order. But he was interrupted by Kathleen moving to block the door.



"NO! SIR, YOU STAY WITH KAT. THE ANDORIANS ARE ALREADY FIT TO BE TIED THAT YOU AREN’T HERE. NO MATTER HOW BAD THINGS LOOK, STAY WITH HER. WE HAVE PREPARRED FOR THINGS LIKE THIS. IF YOU DON’T TRUST ME, TRUST YOUR GIRLFRIEND." They could almost hear the smile in Reed’s voice. "LT. KANE, YOU HAVE MY ORDERS TO IMPLEMENT PHASE ALPHA. PASSWORD: ZED10091954." Archer was confused…an official plan? One that required a password to implement?



"Implementing Phase Alpha…orders confirmed." Kathleen replied. "I’ll be in touch, Malcolm. Kane out." She dreaded looking into Jon’s eyes, almost sure of what she would find there. He was worried about the members of his crew fighting on his behalf – less than 200 yards from where they were standing. He was curious as to how big that arsenal behind the panel was. He was furious about a plan being devised for his protection – without his knowing about it. But he was positive that Kathleen was just as big a pawn in this as he was. He put up a hand before she was able to speak.



"When this is over…I want answers." She nodded. She had dreaded this moment from the time Admirals Forrest and Markham, and Lieutenant Reed had brought her in to their confidence. Being the first ones out this far, they were concerned that Jonathan Archer would become a target. They wanted to utilize her skills to protect him, but only Lieutenant Reed could authorize her to initiate the plan. But Kathleen knew something they hadn’t taken into consideration…Jon would die before he hid, as long as his crew was in danger. So she was resolved to being his bodyguard and helping him get the damn Andorians off of Enterprise. Using whatever force necessary.



"Come on, we have to get out of here." She pressed a button on the inside of the false panel and a hole opened up in the ceiling of her quarters. She saw the look on his face and sighed, "I know, you want answers. Later, I promise. Right now, we have an unknown number of unfriendlies out there that want to invite you to a private party. So unless you plan on taking them up on their invitation, you better get dressed." As he dressed, she picked out some weapons she was sure he could use. She removed her single phase pistol for him. She handed them over when he finished. He stared at the phase pistol in his hand. "Like Malcolm said, we prepared for a few things." She shrugged her shoulders. With the phase pistol tucked into the waist of his pants, he headed for the opening in the ceiling. Kathleen topped off her own weapon supply with some Stun and Flash Grenades. She pressed another button and the panel reappeared over her "armory." He pulled himself up through the ceiling with her right on his heels. Just as she pressed another button and the hole closed, the door to her quarters exploded. She put her finger over her lips – telling him to stay quiet. She pressed a combination of buttons next to his head and energy buzzed all around him. A dampening field? Despite his irritation, Archer was impressed. They listened while her quarters were being torn apart.



"Where is he?!" Voice #1 asked. Kathleen smiled, she could hear the fear that colored the man’s voice. "We traced the communications from the bridge to these quarters! Archer’s not here!"



"Calm down, Reyna! We’ll find him!" Voice #2 responded. Jon smiled himself as he typed in the name on the data padd. ‘That’s one,’ he thought.



"D’Mar is going to kill us!" Reyna whined. ‘That’s two,’ Jon and Katie grinned at each other. "He said if we don’t come back with Archer, don’t come back at all!" If she knew the two idiots down there were the only ones, she’d drop down and dispose of them herself. But they couldn’t risk leading more of them to Jon.



"So, let’s go find him!" Voice #2 answered. The dim one of the group, obviously. The first one considered this a good idea, and they left in a hurry.



"Two names. Malcolm said there was eight…but there could be more." Archer whispered. She was making a note of the two that tossed her quarters. She’d get them back later.



"Well, since I know you’re not going to sit here and wait patiently, why don’t we go find out." She sighed. He gave her the lopsided grin that always sent her heart racing. "But, I go first." He nodded at her. "Jon, before we go out there, I need you to promise me you’ll do exactly what I say until we get the Andorians off this ship." He didn’t know what that would entail, so he didn’t answer right away. "I mean it. I won’t hesitate to stun you and leave you up here – if it’s the only way I can keep you safe. If those overgrown smurfs want my Captain, they’re going to have to come through me first." That was part of what Jon was afraid of. But since he had no other choice, he agreed.



"I promise," he conceded.



"Alright, let’s go organize some pest control."









CARGO BAY TWO



Mayweather couldn’t understand how they were staying so calm. Over 70 of Enterprise’s crew were locked in the cargo bay, while the Andorians were trying to take over the ship. T’Pol had ordered him to make the rounds of the shuttle bad to determine which of the crew was still unaccounted for. The answers disturbed him even more.



"Sub-Commander, there are the 5 crew from Beta shift still on the bridge, Dr. Phlox, Ensign Marks…and The Captain and Lt. Kane are still unaccounted for." He reported back to her. At the mention of ‘The Captain and Lt. Kane,’ Trip and Malcolm grinned evilly. "How can you two be so calm?" he almost yelled at them. Reed held a hand up.



"Relax, ensign. I’m calm because our intruders have already made their fatal mistake. It is only a matter of time before they will be gone." Even T’Pol was surprised that the Lieutenant was so sure of the future. Malcolm noticed Hoshi walking up to them. "Travis," he gave the man a knowing smile, "We still have people out there." Everyone knew he was referring to Captain Archer and Lieutenant Kane. "They know this ship better than our blue friends here. They’re better armed," he leaned forward and whispered, "and I’ve been feeding them any info I could gather for the last two hours." He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes – listening to the report from Kathleen that was coming through his earpiece. When Trip started to ask him a question he held his finger to his lips. "Shhhhhhh….."









JEFFRIES TUBE



Archer rushed through the hatch first, followed quickly by Kathleen. She shut the hatch and set the dampening field.



"Just how many of these are set up?" This was the fourth one in two hours.



"Thirty," she replied without facing him. Archer took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. With thirty of these "hiding spots,’ they were relatively safe. He wanted the Andorians off Enterprise…it was time to organize a plan. She pulled a ration pack from a case on the floor and tossed it to him.



"Thanks," he sat down on a stool by the wall. "I want my ship back, Kat." He stated calmly. She just nodded. "Do we have enough information to develop a course of action?" She shook her head ‘no.’ Jon was beginning to get irritated with the whole situation.



"We know we have seventeen Andorians on board…all looking for you. For whatever reason. According to Malcolm, they are armed to the teeth…but as of yet, he hasn’t been able to offer anything more specific." She pulled the case in front of Jon and sat down on it. "We’re going to have to grab one, and question him."



"Can we isolate just one?" from what they had seen so far, the Andorians seemed to be traveling in pairs – sometimes more. She sighed; there was a significant risk, but yes, they could grab one. She just had to make sure she would be the one taking the risk.

Her heart leapt when he smiled at her. Jon’s thoughts seemed a bit distant for a moment. She touched his leg to get his attention.



"Where did you go? Just now?" He was a bit embarrassed at getting caught. If it was anybody else but Kathleen, he would have avoided the question.



"I was just thinking about last night." He began.



"I never knew taking a shower could be so … fulfilling," she purred. He felt all the blood in his body head south. ‘Not now!’ he reminded himself. He had to remind his heart to start beating. Kathleen saw his dilemma and grinned.



"I meant what I said, I love you." Archer grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. Now it was her turn to blush. "When this is all over…" he trailed off, not sure of where he wanted to go with this. It was entirely possible that one – or both – of them wouldn’t make it through this alive. She put her hand over his lips.



"I know, Jon." She wanted to change gears in a hurry. She pulled a data padd from her pocket. "Let me show you where all the posts are. Maybe we can figure out where we can grab one of the Andorians. Kathleen had seen the sadness in his eyes at not being able to find the right words. She stood in front of Archer, and sat down in his lap – holding the padd where they could both read it. As she glanced back at him, she was happy to see the sparkle had returned.











CARGO BAY TWO



Despite Malcolm’s earlier assurances, Trip couldn’t help being nervous. Three of the Andorians had returned, and they looked pissed. He tried to stand in between them when he noticed they were heading straight for T’Pol. He crumbled to the ground when he got a rifle butt in the midsection for his trouble.



"What the hell was that for?" he recognized Malcolm’s indignant yell from the floor. The aliens just ignored the Brit anyways. The one in charge got nose to nose with the Vulcan.



"Give me the codes to get to the bridge," he seethed. T’Pol didn’t even bat an eye.



"No." The Andorian didn’t hesitate. He brought his weapon back and slammed it into T’Pol’s head. Much to her credit, she forced herself to stay on her feet. Trip was worried when he saw the green blood that landed next to his hand on the deck. She just stared as the alien brought the weapon back for another strike.



"Wait!" Trip called from the floor. He got up and stood between T’Pol and the Andorian. The alien was about to hit him instead, he tensed for the blow that didn’t come. Malcolm had grabbed the weapon before it was brought forward. And he got knocked to the floor by the two other Andorians behind them. "It won’t do ya no good, even if you had T’Pol’s codes. They don’t work without the Cap’n’s codes as well." He yelled at them, trying to draw their attentions. "Face it, D’Mar… without the Cap’n, you can’t do much." He pasted on a smug smile, knowing it would probably get him hit again. He was surprised when it didn’t. He looked to see the alien wasn’t angry. In fact, he had a very satisfied smirk on his face.



"We will have your captain all in good time. When our reinforcements get here in 48 hours, we will have enough men to find Captain Archer. Then I will have him and this ship." He looked at Enterprise like he was smelling onions. "Maybe I’ll give it to my son to blow up." When Trip took a step forward, the man laughed in his face. "You have no need to worry, human. All of you will be sold into slavery. You will not see the destruction of your beloved Enterprise." He turned abruptly and walked away…his laughter ringing in Trip’s ears. His anger forced him to start after the Andorian. They couldn’t talk about his baby like that! Thankfully, two arms restrained him before he got far. Reed shook his head at Trip.



"Commander!" Malcolm jerked his arm to get his attention. "We have to warn the Captain and Kat." Tucker forced himself to calm down. He nodded at him.



"All right. I’ll keep an eye out while you go make your call."









JEFFRIES TUBE



Archer and Kathleen were already stalking their prey. They had followed two of the aliens to the aft part of the ship. There were two spots in that section that had a dampening field in place. The plan was not only to extract information from both Andorians – but to also take them out of commission. Jon put his phase pistol on stun as they heard the two approaching. They waited for them to pass the junction as Kathleen counted silently. On the count of three, she grabbed one from behind – slapping her hand over the alien’s mouth. His friend never got to turn around before Archer landed his shot in the center of his back. They pulled both their captives in through the hatch and Jon reengaged the dampening field. He took the cuffs from Kathleen’s belt – along with ten feet of rope – and bound and gagged the unconscious man. As soon as the prisoner was secure, she slammed her foot in the back of the other one’s leg, bringing him to his knees. The nervous Andorian looked up into the face of a very angry Jonathan Archer.



"What the hell are you doing on my ship?" he asked, remaining dangerously calm. The alien looked up in his eyes and practically boiled with anger. He started to stand up, but crumbled when Kathleen punched him in the kidney.



"We’ve been looking all over for you, Captain Archer," he groaned through the pain. It took a second for the voice to click…but she recognized it as one of the men that ransacked her quarters. She grabbed one of his antennae and pulled his head back.



"The Captain asked you a question, Reyna!" She hissed. The man’s angry façade fell, only to be replaced by fear. ‘How did the human know his name?’ Archer was about to ask the question again…but his and Kathleen’s earpieces beeped. Another report from Malcolm coming in. She mouthed the words ‘Go on,’ to Jon…telling him to worry about the report – she would see to the prisoner. As soon as his back was turned, the Andorian pleaded with Kathleen.



"Help me!" he begged. "You’re stronger than him. Help me capture him, and I will split the bounty with you!" She smiled menacingly, ‘Bounty, now they were getting somewhere.’



"What about your sixteen other partners, Reyna? You’re willing to double-cross them?" The Andorian’s eyes went wide. Not only did she know his name, but she knew how many of them were on board. This one was good, he thought. If he could convince her to work for him, he could take charge – and D’Mar would be powerless to stop it. "Whatever Archer is paying you, I’ll double it." She pretended to consider his offer.



"I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me about this bounty? Then I’ll tell you if I’ll help you." She was getting into this. The alien nodded.



"We pick it up on Kronos…at a lawyer’s place. Said Archer dishonored his family. Guy wants his head on a silver platter." He explained. Kathleen caught Archer’s eye.



"Who have you pissed off on Kronos, Captain?" she asked him with a wry smile. He just shrugged his shoulders. ‘Could be anyone,’ he was saying.



"I never said they were FROM Kronos… I said they’re using a lawyer on Kronos. Have to admit, surrounding yourself with a bunch of Klingons is a good was to keep unwanted visitors away." He was trying desperately to get Kathleen to join him. ‘If he only knew,’ she thought.



"Who put up the contract?" She tugged on his antennae again, and he cried out in pain. The Andorian just kept shaking his head. "I owe the Captain a debt for keeping me out of jail…so I want to know who I’m selling him out for." She added.



"I don’t know!" the alien cried. "But D’Mar does. Capture him, he’ll be able to tell you." The two humans caught each other’s eyes. They had heard Malcolm’s report. Reinforcements! That was a piece of info she could get from Reyna. The Captain gave him a sad smile.



"Reyna, you have a big problem, my friend. You see, the quarters you destroyed when you came looking for me…" he was going to enjoy the look on the man’s face when he broke the bad news. He pointed at Kathleen, "they were her’s." She added to the fun by picking him up by his collar and driving her knee into his abdomen. The alien crumbled back to the floor. "She is very angry with you…answer my questions and I guarantee she will let you live."



"I don’t know who wants you dead!" he yelled back, in fear. Archer clucked his tongue in disappointment.



"Wrong question." Kathleen pulled the man’s head back, wrenching on his antennae. "How many men are on the two reinforcement ships coming to meet us?" When he didn’t respond, she pulled a knife and held the blade to the base of his sore antennae. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she would indeed cut it off.



"Twenty! Twenty on each!" he replied. The humans smiled at him.



"See, that wasn’t so hard." Archer looked up at Kathleen. "Fifty Seven Andorians? We can’t survive those numbers." She nodded. "We’ll just have to retake Enterprise before their friends get here."



"So what do we do with tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb?" The Andorian wondered if the humans were going to kill them – that’s what he’d do. Kathleen smiled down at the trembling alien.



"I was hoping you might have an idea for that," ‘Why not, they had planned for everything else,’ he thought. When she winked at him and nodded, Archer looked down and Reyna began to tremble harder. "Relax. You Andorians really know very little about humans. We only kill if we have no other choice. And stop looking at her like that, she won’t kill you, either." The alien watched the looks between Kathleen and Jon and thought he figured it out.



"She is your bodyguard?" He couldn’t understand it. And decent bodyguard always had a price. So why wasn’t she taking his offer? "I’ll give you 80% of the bounty…just leave me in command of my ship." Kathleen gave the alien a sad smile. She squatted down in front of him.



"You don’t get it, do you? You could offer me all of the money on a million worlds…it still wouldn’t be enough for me to sell out my Captain." When Jon put his hand on her shoulder, the picture came together for the Andorian.



"She is your mate, Captain?" If that were the case – he was terrified. Most species would do anything to protect the ones they loved. Guaging from the reactions of the female, humans weren’t any different.



"Yes, I am," she stated proudly. Jon’s heart soared to hear her say that with such conviction. ‘His Mate,’ he really liked the sound of that. "Lucky for you, he doesn’t want you dead. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t live through the night," She barked at him like a rabid dog – and laughed when he flinched. Kathleen pulled a hypospray out of her pocket and pressed it to the alien’s neck. "Nighty-night, sunshine." She made sure he was unconscious and began to secure him like his friend. She took a moment to admire her handiwork. "All trussed up like a Thanksgiving Turkey." She turned to see Jon looking at her with the oddest expression. "What?"



"My mate?" His grin got bigger when she shrugged her shoulders.



"It’s the closest he’ll ever come to understanding what’s between us." She jerked her thumb over at Reyna. "Besides, after last night…it’s true. And I wouldn’t have it any other way." She gave him the smile that sent his heart racing. Jon stepped close and gave her a kiss that turned her knees to jelly. "Uhhhh…." Kathleen cleared her throat, "I’ll show you where we can put these guys as we catch them." She started putting the Andorian’s weapons on her own belt, Archer did the same with the other one.



"So you planned for this too?" he teased her.



"The only thing I didn’t plan for, Jon…is you." She smiled, and for the first time, he saw it. The love in her eyes took the breath right out of him. "Come on, we have less than 48 hours to get your ship back." They both picked up their loads and exited the hatch.









CARGO BAY TWO



Tucker had finally gotten T’Pol to sit down. He didn’t know Vulcan anatomy…but it wouldn’t surprise him if she had a concussion. Travis and Hoshi had joined their group. All we’re waiting for Reed to relay Kathleen’s report. A couple of Malcolm’s security teams were hanging around the group. Trip smiled…A little added muscle for when D’Mar comes back.



"All right. The Captain and Lt. Kane have neutralized five of the Andorians. That leaves a dozen or so to go. Kat wasn’t sure when they would be able to come for us; But we have to be prepared. They will give us a signal of some kind." He took a breath, "The bad news is that the two reinforcement ships are bringing a total of 40 Andorians…maybe more. If we can’t retake Enterprise in 48 hours, we’re dead." He knew the success of this, rested heavily on Kathleen Kane’s shoulders. He touched his hand to his ear (where the earpiece was), "God Speed, Kat."







HALLWAY – E Deck



Archer had been stunned to see Kathleen’s ‘holding cells’ for the Andorians. She had completely stripped four escape pods and removed their propulsion systems. Each one held four, as long as they were packed in like sardines. They had managed to secure seven of the aliens without the use of force, thanks to the three hyposprays Kathleen had the foresight to pack. Now that they were empty, this was the dangerous part. Jon had used his codes to tap into the internal sensors to get locations on the last ten intruders. Malcolm had informed them that there were four of them guarding Cargo Bay Two – which left 6 for them. Three of them were wandering the halls around his quarters. It took nearly thirty minutes of arguing to get Kathleen to allow him to be the bait. If they were looking for him, he figured he might as well use it to his advantage. Besides, he argued that he needed her skills to keep him alive. One he could take…three, definitely not. He could clearly see that she didn’t like it…but they had no other choice. Kathleen waited at one end of the hall while Archer walked around to the other end.



"You fellas looking for me," she heard him call out. She took a deep breath and stepped into view.



"Hey!" She yelled. The three Andorians between them were confused…they were also trapped. Assuming that Archer was the biggest threat, two of them headed toward the Captain. Kathleen wasn’t taking any chances. She withdrew one of her throwing knives and let it fly. It pierced the alien’s eye socket, and he fell backwards on the deck, Dead. She took off after the other two going for Jon. Archer was busy bracing himself for the attack. She pulled another throwing knife and planted her feet to throw. The knife went through the alien’s knee from the back – and he crumbled to the deck. Jon was already going to be mad that she killed one, she really didn’t want to kill another one unless she had to. The alien reached out for his dropped weapon, but Kathleen kicked it away from him and delivered a punch to his head…knocking him out. The third realized his mistake and turned to correct it. The threat wasn’t Archer, it was the female. He never got a chance to see if he could do anything about it, before his world went black. She smiled at Jon.



"Thank You," she said, warmly. She flinched when he looked past her to the bodies.



"Are they dead?" he asked. She could hear the annoyance in his voice.



"The one at the end of the hall is, but the other one is just unconscious." She was grinding her teeth. "I won’t apologize for putting your life above their’s." she added, defensively. "I’m not in love with them." Archer’s eyes went wide. It was the first time she said she loved him. He just nodded.



"OK," he smiled. "Try not to kill anymore." He walked over to the body and glanced down. A Knife through the eye socket? He gave a long whistle of appreciation. "Nice throw." Kathleen secured the two unconscious aliens while Jon moved the dead one into his quarters. She smiled when he emerged with a frazzled Porthos in his arms. "Look who I found," he smiled. This day was looking up. The little dog wagged its tail when it saw her. She rushed to pat the dog on its head.



"Hey, buddy! Poor little guy." She suddenly got an idea she was sure Jon wasn’t going to like. "Jon, Malcolm wants us to give him a sign we’re in the area." She glanced down at Porthos.



"NO! Absolutely not!" He was not going to use his dog like that.



"You don’t actually think I’d let him get hurt, do you?" she tried to sound hurt. She could tell from the look on his face that it had worked.



"No, but…"



"Come on, the crew see Porthos, they’re gonna know we’re in the area. The Andorians already know he’s been wandering around." He had to admit it, she was right. Kathleen held Porthos while he checked the sensors for the location of the three others.



"The others are on C Deck. They’re in the lift trying to get to the bridge." This is where the big gamble came in, and they both knew it. Either they loose sight of the three on C Deck – that in itself was dangerous – and they free the rest of the crew. Or they go after the last three, and risk them tipping off the Andorians guarding them. Which could be worse for them. Neither scenario was that appealing. Jon made the decision. "We go after the crew." He scratched the dog behind the ears. "You ready for this, boy?" Porthos just licked the end of his nose. "I guess you are." He looked up at Kathleen, "How about you?" She chuckled.



"Let’s go get your ship back, Jon."









CARGO BAY TWO



Hoshi just happened to be glancing out the bay door at the right time. She saw Porthos run down the hall. She nudged Trip to get his attention.



"Trip, what was it that Malcolm said about a signal?" she asked. When he looked at her, she motioned toward the door and his eyes followed. Porthos was standing in the doorway, wagging his tail.



"Malcolm…" he called, "They’re here." Reed and Travis got to their feet.



"Showtime." The Brit approached the two guards at the door. "Excuse me, gentleman…may I have a word with you?" When the Andorians turned their weapons on Malcolm, Kathleen and Archer came up behind them. "You’re about to take a nap," was all they heard before their world went dark. Jon felt the fire rip through his shoulder as one of the two remaining aliens shot him. He never got a chance to get a second shot off. The crew in the cargo bay converged on both Andorian’s locations and beat them into unconsciousness. Reed and Kathleen helped the Captain out of the doorway.



"Damnit. I hate getting shot!" Jon was more angry at himself for not ducking. "Kat, you take Malcolm, and Trip and find those other three Andorians." She was hesitant about leaving him, but an order was an order.



"Go on, we’ll keep an eye on him," Travis touched her arm. She smiled gratefully. As they made it to the doorway, a phaser blast singed the bulkhead right near Trip. They used the frame as cover and fired out into the hall. Kathleen had an odd feeling. Something wasn’t right. She was timing the phaser shots, and they didn’t add up. Suddenly it hit her: There were only two attackers out there. That left one unaccounted for. Her eyes scanned the cargo bay as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It took her several seconds to find him on the balcony. The Andorian drew a phaser of some sort and pointed it at Archer.



"D’Mar!" She called out as she ran back toward Jon. T’Pol, Travis and Hoshi all looked for the Andorian Commander. They saw him a split second before he got the shot off. Kathleen threw herself into Archer, knocking him back – away from the shot. She grunted when the force of the shot impacting on her, threw her on top of Jon. Everyone in the cargo bay that had a weapon aimed for D’Mar and fired. The alien disintegrated within seconds.



"Kat! No!" Jon scrambled forward. This was his worst nightmare. Kathleen was laying on the floor gasping for air. There was a 5 by 6 inch hole in her abdomen, and blood was just pouring out of it. He cradled her in his arms. "Not again! God, No! Not again!" His own wound forgotten, he just held her and rocked back and forth. He tried to staunch the flow of blood by pressing his hand over the wound. Travis took off his uniform shirt and pressed it over the hole. "No, no, no, no, no, no…." Archer just kept repeating. Reed and Trip were furious, and ran out into the hall to finish the last two aliens. When they returned, T’Pol was trying to take a pulse on Kathleen.



"Captain, the Lieutenant still has a pulse. We should get her to sickbay." The Vulcan explained. He didn’t want to let go. Trip went over to his friend and started to pry his arms away from her.



"Jon, she’s still alive! Let Malcolm and Travis take her to sickbay," the tears in Archer’s chants were excruciating. He just kept shaking his head back and forth.



"No, no, no, no, no…" T’Pol helped Tucker pull the Captain’s arms apart. As soon as they forced him to break contact, Malcolm and Travis picked up Kathleen and carried her to sickbay. Trip wrapped an arm around Jon’s chest and pulled him back away from where she had gone down. They could see a puddle of her blood on the deck. T’Pol thought the Captain needed his privacy here, so she quickly sent everyone back to duty. For once, they left without arguing with her. She left with Hoshi to return to the bridge.



"No, no, no, no no…" Archer was crying. His knew now, firsthand what his dad had seen. "No, she can’t die now. Not now!" Trip just leaned back against the wall and held him as he cried.



"She loves you. And she’s tough…she won’t leave without one hell of a fight." He tried to comfort. Truth is, he wasn’t holding it together any better than Jon.



"I can’t lose her, Trip. I just can’t" he cried. Tucker squeezed his arm around his friend’s chest…anything to let him know he was there for him.



"I know, buddy. I know." This was going to be rough for all of them.













Note: Sorry if this is a lame ending. One more chapter left in this series. These characters will continue their saga in Shadows & Spirits. I would appreciate at least three reviews before I post the last chapter.