Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Kaitlyn Donovan.

This story is the sequel to All's Fair in Love and War.

Query: What sacrifices must be endured by those that secure our freedom?

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, bina W, and IrishBug74, LoyaulteMeLie, Lupinesence, jeangreyten, and Belen09 for the reviews, and to everyone that is following this story and adding it to their favorites!

A/N - So sorry for the delay. I've been a bit occupied with a Sherlock story I've started and then I went to the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas last weekend - it was so awesome!

Chapter 7 - Out of the frying pan (A bit of a mature scene at the end of this chapter - nothing more than on prime time tv).

The Price of Freedom

Chapter 7 - Out of the frying pan

0830 - Starfleet Shuttle

Malcolm sat back on the bench as he finished typing up his report. They had gotten copies of everything from the other bombings and had the remnants of this bomb to study back at Starfleet Weapons R&D. They had too many questions about who was behind these bombings. No group had laid claim to them, so it made him think they were waiting for something big - then the group would announce they'd been behind all of the bombings. He sighed softly as he ran his hand through his dark hair. And the completely messed up thing about all of this is they didn't know if Harris was involved, or if Harry and Mardock were alive. What kind of crap was Harris up to now? Or did all of these bombings go back to Terra Prime?

Kaitlyn stood up as the shuttle landed at Starfleet Headquarters. She picked up the huge sea bag with all of the evidence they could bring back with them. She and Malcolm walked directly to Morrison's office and started laying everything out.

0845 - Starfleet Command

The group of Admirals had been reading over the report that Reed and Donovan had sent in. Ambassador Soval waited for them to finish reading and closed his eyes, his hands steepled under his chin.

"So, is this Terra Prime - or some other radical group?" Gardner questioned as he looked around the table swiftly.

Admiral Stevens looked up slowly as he sat his PADD down on the table, "I think that is something that you, Commander Morrison, and Lieutenant Reed need to research more this morning." he directed.

Gardner narrowed his eyes at Stevens. He knew exactly what the man was doing. Stevens was keeping him away from Archer's Debriefing and from Captain Donovan at the same time. "Fine. I'll send you our findings this afternoon." he left the room.

Ambassador Soval raised an eyebrow at the exchange between the two Admirals. Something was definitely going on behind the scenes, the undercurrent of hostility from Gardner was evident.

Admiral Stevens looked at Admiral Forrest, "Reed and Donovan think that something big will happen, then the group will announce themselves." he pointed out.

Admiral Forrest nodded slowly, "We'll make sure we step up the security at high volume events." He sat back in his chair and looked at Ambassador Soval, "We will take extra precautions at the Summit on Vulcan."

Ambassador Soval thought carefully, "I would suggest that Captain Donovan be in charge of the Security Protocols for the Summit. She has proven her resourcefulness, and I believe she has mentioned that she would like the opportunity to visit Vulcan and train there." he suggested.

Forrest smiled, he was sure that Donovan would want the opportunity. "I'll speak to General Casey about it."

Stevens agreed, "She needs a break from Earth - she's been cooped up her for a year, she usually doesn't stay anyplace that long." His thoughts immediately went to all of the first hand intelligence that she could gain from being on Vulcan herself. They had second-hand intelligence, but nothing concrete. Administrator V'Las was a bit of a mystery to Starfleet Intelligence at the moment. Perhaps she could learn more about him.

1030 - Conference Room, Starfleet Command

Jonathon Archer had finished his debriefing and answered the rest of the Command Council's questions with relative ease and not an ounce of hostility.

Captain Kaitlyn Donovan smiled softly at the change in Archer's demeanor and nodded as he looked to her briefly.

Williams cleared his throat. "The details of this debriefing will remain classified as ordered by the Command Council."

"If there are no further questions?" Forrest looked around the table. Seeing none, he dismissed the panel and the audience.

Captain Jonathon Archer stood up and waited for the room to start clearing out. "Ambassador, I want to apologize for what I said to you the other day - I was out of line." he apologized.

"Yes, you were." Soval nodded.

Archer winced slightly, "I'm glad we can finally agree on something."

Soval took a deep breath, "Captain, your actions- while being morally questionable, were necessary." He watched as the younger human looked a bit surprised by his statement. "I opposed your appointment to Captain of the Enterprise, but it is obvious now that I was wrong. T'Pol has told me the Expanse would have one day encompassed hundreds of systems - even Vulcan. You've done a great service for both of our worlds." He extended his hand to the human, which Archer quickly shook. "Thank you."

Archer gave him a brief smile, then headed out the door.

XXXXX

Captain Kaitlyn Donovan looked up as she stepped out into the corridor and was greeted by Corporal Goetz.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry I wasn't able to get in contact with you earlier." he quickly apologized.

"What's happened, Corporal?" she asked and demanded herself to maintain control, no matter what came out of his mouth next.

"0102 and 0103 went to Vulcan a few days ago. Lieutenant Robbins tried to get permission for their guards to go, but it wasn't approved." Goetz explained.

She nodded as she recalled everything she remembered about the security on Vulcan. "I understand, Corporal - it's not a request that would be easily approved so quickly." Kaitlyn patted his arm to reassure him that she was not going to blow this out of proportion. "What's on my agenda the rest of the day?" she questioned the young MACO.

"Nothing scheduled for the rest of the day, Ma'am. Tomorrow you have the demonstration of the new weapons with Commander Morrison at 0900." he reported.

Donovan looked up as Ambassador Soval came out of the Conference room. "I'll speak you tomorrow, Corporal." she dismissed him and made a bee line for the Vulcan Ambassador. "Ambassador Soval?" she approached and bowed slightly.

Soval raised an eyebrow and nodded. He waited for her inquiry.

"I have just learned that Commander T'Pol and Commander Tucker have travelled to Vulcan. I know that crime is low and security is high on Vulcan, should I try and get a few of my MACOs there to watch over them, or do you believe they will be fine?" she asked quietly, so as not to draw any unwanted attention.

Ambassador Soval thought for a few moments, "I do not think you need to send any MACOs to guard them. The Earth Embassy is there, if Commander Tucker needs any assistance and Commander T'Pol knows her home world. They will be fine." he stated.

Kaitlyn nodded. She thought as much, but it was nice to hear it from someone of authority. "Thank you for recommending Lieutenant Reed and I investigate the latest bombing."

Soval clasped his hands behind his back, "I did not think Admiral Forrest would mention that I had recommended the two of you."

She smiled, "He didn't mention it, I just had a feeling it was you. Thank you." Kaitlyn couldn't tell him thank you enough - because if he hadn't put them together for the investigation, they wouldn't have remembered that they had worked together and regained most of their memories. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell the Ambassador any of that, because there were still too many unanswered questions about that mission.

He nodded, "You are welcome. You and Lieutenant Reed's reports were very detailed." Soval glanced around the corridor, "I have recommended you to lead the Security Protocol for the upcoming Summit on Vulcan, I hope you will consider taking the offer when it is presented to you."

Kaitlyn grinned, "Of course I will! You know how much I've wanted to go to Vulcan. It would be a fantastic opportunity."

The Vulcan Ambassador looked slightly pleased - well, as pleased as a Vulcan would allow themselves to be seen. "Very well. I look forward to working with you again." With that, he turned and left.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn headed for Morrison's office and went in. She faltered slightly as Admiral Sam Gardner turned and looked at her as she entered the room. "Good morning, Gentlemen." she tried to act unruffled as she came over to the table.

Commander Morrison nodded, "We've gone through and logged everything in the database and it's all being crossed referenced with the rest of our database to see if we can find any connections." he explained as he input a few more notes on his PADD. "Are you still able to do the demonstrations with me in the morning, Captain?" he checked.

She smiled, "Yes, it is on my schedule of the day. Wouldn't miss it." she reassured him.

Gardner watched her and frowned slightly. How could she act like nothing had happened between the two of them the other night? He glanced at Morrison, "If anything pops up, make sure you notify me as soon as possible."

They watched as Gardner left.

"Something up with between you and the Admiral?" Morrison questioned her.

Donovan shrugged slightly, "A misunderstanding."

Malcolm raised an eyebrow in question, but he would ask her about it later.

Morrison nodded. He knew not to question. "Well, I'll keep you apprised if anything comes up - but it's highly unlikely."

Reed and Donovan thanked the Commander, then headed out.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" Malcolm questioned her.

"I have nothing scheduled for the rest of the day - any suggestions?" she gave him a small smile.

Malcolm nodded, "I'm catching a ride to the Enterprise with Captain Archer. Want to come and check out the Armory?" his voice lowered to the tone that made her insides do flip flops.

"I would enjoy a tour of your Armory, Lieutenant Reed." she tried to keep her expression even as they walked out of the building and headed to the shuttle.

Captain Archer smiled as he met up with Reed and Donovan, "You coming up to the Enterprise?" he asked her.

"If you will allow it, Captain - I'd appreciate the lift." Kaitlyn smiled.

"Come on." Archer grinned and quickly started the engines and the pre-flight check. "I think the debriefing today went well - don't you?" he asked her.

"I think you did very well, Captain. Ambassador Soval seemed agreeable." Kaitlyn watched as Malcolm sat in the co-pilot's seat. She sat down on the bench seat and pulled out her PADD and went over the latest updates from Robbins and Tebbe as Archer flew the shuttle up to the Enterprise.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn smiled inwardly as Malcolm showed her around the Armory. He obviously was very proud of his department. She kept her hands firmly clasped behind her back as they walked through the Enterprise as he gave her a tour of the rest of the ship. She was happy that he'd found a place that he loved to work that didn't involve the Section.

The last stop on the tour was Sick bay. He hesitated at the doors and looked over her carefully. He'd do anything for her and he didn't want her to be harmed. He still wasn't sure that they should tell Doctor Phlox, because it would put the kind Denobulan Doctor in danger.

She noted his hesitation. "He deserves to know that he wasn't the cause of my amnesia." she reminded him.

Malcolm nodded and walked through the doors with her.

Doctor Phlox was puttering around his creatures' cages and humming to them. He looked up when they entered. He almost did a double take when he saw who it was and what he was sensing from them. "How can I help you two?" he asked hesitantly, glancing between the two officers.

Kaitlyn smiled softly, she could sense that Phlox had picked up something about them - probably her pheromones. "Could we sit down and talk to you for a few minutes?" she suggested and indicated the chairs along the counter.

Phlox nodded and sat down. They were both acting very curious. Especially Lieutenant Reed - for him to come to Sick Bay and not be injured to the point that someone ordered him to come was almost unheard of.

Kaitlyn glanced at the doctor, "Phlox, you know I consider you a friend. You saw me at my lowest point when I came back from that mission."

Phlox looked at Reed quickly, wondering why she was bringing this up in front of him. "I don't understand why you are bringing this up now." He raised his eyebrow at her, concerned.

"You didn't cause me to lose my memories, they were repressed - it wasn't your fault." she started. Kaitlyn saw Phlox's disbelief and she quickly stopped him. "That whole mission was a mess. Phlox, Malcolm was the Starfleet Officer that was with me. We just recovered some of those memories yesterday and I had to tell you."

Phlox looked slowly between the two of them and his smile grew to epic proportions, "You two were on that mission together? So, he didn't die. What in the world happened?" he was so happy for them, but something had seriously gone wrong for someone to repress their memories of each other and come up with that elaborate cover up.

Malcolm frowned, "Doctor, we can't tell you what happened, but we do remember everything up until that last meeting when everything went to pot. Since we don't know what happened, we must request that you don't tell anyone anything about this. If they find out we remember, it will put all of our lives in danger." he explained carefully.

Phlox nodded, "I understand." He smiled once again, "Not to pry, but do you still care for each other as much as you did back then?"

They smiled at each other and nodded. Malcolm glanced at the doctor, "Yes - but that too, has to remain between the three of us."

Phlox was delighted, "I will keep your relationship in confidence. I can not express how happy I am for the two of you. I know that Kaitlyn was devastated when she came back from that mission. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow, "Actually, is there a medical reason why I shouldn't have my communication implant put back in for a month?" she questioned.

Phlox thought about it as he rubbed his chin, "An equilibrium imbalance should do the trick." He knew she could be tracked by her implant. "I will make the necessary annotations in your record."

Kaitlyn smiled and hugged the doctor gently, "Thank you, Phlox."

"You are welcome, Kaitlyn." Phlox grinned as they left Sick Bay.

Malcolm smiled as they walked down the corridor and he led her to his quarters, "You really don't have anything else to do today?" he wanted to make sure before he got too carried away. He entered the code for his door to open.

"I really don't - which is highly unusual, so don't expect it to happen again." she stated as she walk through the threshold.

"I will remember that and I will cherish this time that I have with you." he smiled as he stepped in and had the door lock.

Kaitlyn smiled and wrapped her arms around him, then kissed his lips gently. "A month is a very short amount of time." she sighed softly.

Malcolm nodded in agreement, "But, it was about the same amount of time we had before." He kissed her again as she started taking off her weapons and dropping them on the floor. They quickly helped each other shed the rest of their clothes. He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. He promised himself that he was going to take his time and not be so rough. He was sure he'd hurt her, and that's certainly not what he wanted.

She cupped his face, "You didn't hurt me, really - and the bruises will all go away." she tried to reassure him.

He quickly scanned her body and noticed the bruising at her thighs and hips from his hands. He shook his head - he'd acted like a sex crazed loon.

She chuckled softly, "No, you didn't." She pulled him closer and kissed him slowly, enticing him with her tongue.

He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He pressed her against the wall and kissed her deeply. "Bloody hell, I promised myself we'd go slow this time!" he cursed himself because he could feel himself starting to wind up.

She ran her hands over his strong back muscles, "I'm not going anywhere - we've got all afternoon and all night." she projected calmness to him.

He could feel what she was trying to do for him - trying to calm him down, to allow him to do what he promised himself. "I don't know if it will help, but thank you." he smiled softly and kissed her gently.

She smiled, "Just trying to help."

XXXXX

Kaitlyn sighed and tried to go to sleep. She turned over on her side and watched Malcolm sleep peacefully. She smiled ruefully, he'd been good to his word and taken his sweet time. He'd teased her relentlessly, almost to the point that she was going to scream at him and tell him to hurry up - but she hadn't. He'd finally fallen asleep a little while ago, but she couldn't quell her racing thoughts, and her blood felt like it was coursing through her veins like a speeding train.

"Why aren't you asleep?" he asked softly, his eyes still closed.

She frowned, "I didn't mean to disturb you, I just can't sleep."

Malcolm opened his eyes and watched her carefully, "I can hear you, even though you're not touching me." He thought about it, "That happened before - didn't it?" he questioned her.

She nodded, "We didn't even have to be in the same room - it came in handy."

He pulled her closer and offered his chest for her to sleep on, "If I remember right, we couldn't sleep well if we weren't together. I assume that's why you can't get to sleep now."

Kaitlyn laid her head on his chest, "I didn't want to wake you up with my thoughts."

He kissed her forehead, "You were really going to yell at me to hurry up?" he smiled devilishly.

She narrowed her eyes as she lifted her head, "Yes, I was."

"And you can't sleep because you're still wound up?" he questioned her softly and ran his hands through her hair.

Kaitlyn bit her lip and nodded slowly. Her face felt hot.

Malcolm rolled them over and kissed her lips gently, "Just wake me up, luv. I'll be happy to oblige." he grinned.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!