Title: Shadows & Spirits
Chapter: 2/? Author: Brutal_howell Email: brutal_howell@hotmail.com Rating: R Category: Drama/Romance/Angst/General Pairing: Archer/Katie Summary: Trip is livid and someone is making unauthorized transmissions off Enterprise. Someone doesn't like the Captain's lady. Spoilers: Second installment in my Jon/Katie Series. Continuation of the story started in "Discovery of the Spirit." Oh, and you might want to read Ch. 1 of Shadows and Spirits too. Archive: Ask, and I shall decide if you receive. Feedback: Please. Good or bad, I want to hear it. When I began my foray into my first fanfiction with Discovery of the Spirit, I never dreamed that people would come to like Kathleen Kane so much. It is the feedback I received that encouraged me to turn this into a series. Some of you pointed out that Jon and Katie's story deserves to be told. After some serious debating with myself, I've come to the conclusion that you are right. Disclaimer: Jon Archer and Crew belong to Paramount. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. Katie and her clan are all mine. I make no money off the use of any of them. This is strictly for the purpose of my pathetic attempt to entertain.
SHADOWS AND SPIRITS
Chapter 2
By
Brutal_howell
ENGINEERING
"Commander Tucker, calm down!" Malcolm pleaded with the engineer. He knew after the debacle in the gym, Trip would kill him if he wasn't notified of what happened. His friendship with both the Captain and Lt. Kane demanded it.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Trip shouted back at him. Malcolm hurried to close the door to the engineer's office when several crew members stopped dead in their tracks.
"The Captain is bruised, but he's fine," he explained, trying to placate the other man.
"How could you let this happen? You're supposed to protect him!" Trip hissed, trying to reign in his anger. Malcolm felt insulted.
"I did the best I could," he admitted, hanging his head knowing it wasn't good enough. "But you know the Captain. Lt. Kane suspected foul play from the start, but he coaxed her down. You know as well as I do, once he sets his mind on something." he continued. That seemed to take the steam out of Trip's anger.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "What would possess him to take on a vulcan like that?"
"I don't know. Perhaps some foolhardy notion of payback for what happened to the Lieutenant as a teenager? I can't begin to fathom what was going through his mind." He gave Trip a wry smile. "Trip, you should have seen what Kat did to him," he pointed out with a great deal of pride. The other man laughed.
"Yeah, well I told Jon she's hell on wheels when ya get her riled." He grinned, proud of his friends. Well, at least one of them. Jon had done a very stupid thing, for whatever reason. "I should go look in on him," and give him a piece of my mind, he thought to himself. He got to the door and felt Reed's hand on his arm.
"Let the Lieutenant deal with him. I'm sure whatever she says to him will have so much more impact than anything we might say," Malcolm reasoned. Trip rolled the thought around in his head then smirked up at the head of security.
"That boy is in trouble."
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS
"Of all the stupid, pig-headed." Kat trailed off in a string of curses in her native tongue. She was banging things around in the bathroom. Archer just lay on the bed, flinching every time he heard something bang particularly hard. He leaned up on his elbows, glancing around for Porthos. Finding his dog sitting over by the wall near the bathroom, he decided that Porthos was siding with Kat on this. He knew he screwed up, and it had nearly gotten him killed. She stormed out of the bathroom carrying a bowl. He had the good sense to lay back down when she glared at him. Captain of Starfleet's flagship, and he could be cowed by one cross look from her. She set the bowl on the nightstand and partially wrung out the cloth. Folding the dripping material, she placed it on his throat. The chill of the water immediately began to soothe the injury to his body, but not the one on his heart. He knew he had hurt her, and that was something he couldn't bear. He could feel her hands around his throat, trying to make sure the cool compress touched all the injured spots. Hesitantly, he placed his hand over hers. She just glared at their hands before lifting her eyes to meet his. He cursed himself when he saw the tears threatening to come. He saw the anger he expected to find, but he also saw fear - for him. "I am so angry with you," she managed to ground out, miserably. He managed to give a slight nod. 'I'm sorry,' he mouthed to her. He spotted the tear that slid slowly down her cheek and reached up to wipe it away with his thumb. She grabbed his hand, pulling it down off her face. He looked away, ashamed. "Jon, look at me." When he didn't respond right away, she repeated herself. "Look at me," he cursed himself when he heard the hitch in her voice. "You are the biggest of fools, but you're my fool." She finally let all the emotions come. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She rasped. She placed her head down in the middle of his chest, and allowed the sobs to consume her. He pulled her up on top of him, just holding her as she cried. After several minutes, he cradled her head on his shoulder.
"Forgive me?" He managed to whisper the plea in her ear. She picked her head up to meet his gaze, her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He felt like an even bigger jerk if that were possible.
"Why, Jon? Why would you take him on, knowing he was up to no good?" She really needed to know. Tenderly, he slid his fingers under the open button of her top and touched one of the scars at her collarbone. She felt her eyes well up at the sentiment. Even as incredibly stupid as it was, she thought it was sweet that he loved her enough to even try. Not that she'd ever tell him that.
"For me," it wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact. "Jon, the vulcans that did this to me are dead. And even T'Rel being as big an ass as he is, blaming him for their actions makes us no better than his views about me." She chided him. "I can take care of myself," she stated plainly. He knew should could. And it would always be an enigma to him. Granted her extra years of martial arts helped, he didn't know how she could dispatch a vulcan so easily, while he and Malcolm both got their clocks cleaned.
"How?" he whispered. As if looking right into his thoughts she picked up on his meaning.
"How do I fight them?" It was something she had never confessed to anyone. While gathering her thoughts, she took the cloth off his neck and re-wet it. Placing the cool compress back on his skin, she took a deep breath and continued. "I never told anyone this..not even Henry or Trip." She placed her hand flat against his heart and he held it there, trying to offer his silent support. "When I first woke up in the hospital in San Francisco, I was terrified. Even though the boys and Henry visited often, I always seemed to feel alone. I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for them to come for me." She reached up and slid her free hand along his jaw. "When I found out you and Henry took on Starfleet as well as The Vulcan Council, I still couldn't let my guard down. I got so tired of living my life in fear, so I learned." He began rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand. "I would sneak off to the Vulcan compound, and just watch them train. Between watching, I researched. I knew from experience that Vulcans were so much stronger than us, so I took all that martial arts experience my brothers taught me, and adapted it. From spying on the compound, I learned to anticipate their style. You know as well as I do, they're so regimented and strict, it would be unlikely for them to deviate from the styles I had seen. I studied all of their attacks, and developed blocks and counter attacks compensating for their superior strength. You might say I developed my own foil for our pointy-eared friends. It has served me well too. There were attacks, long after I got out of the hospital, but the work I had put in paid off. None of them ever got the best of me." His eyes widened in shock. She never reported any attacks afterwards. And if the Vulcans had reported anymore deaths, he would have known about it.
"How many?" he continued to whisper.
"How many attacks? Or how many have I killed?" She could see the question in his eyes. She sighed. "Not counting the four that came after your father, there were two dozen attacks between the time I left the hospital to when Enterprise was approved for this mission. None of them survived. There hasn't been an attempt since." He felt the tears well up in his own eyes. This woman, that had been through so much pain for his family, was forced to continue to fight for her life for so many years. "I would imagine being out here has helped. They can't get to me on a human ship with one Vulcan who seems to like us." Thinking the worst, anticipating more attacks against her in the future, he felt the fear wash over him. He hugged her to his chest tight. She felt the fear in his embrace. Pulling back slightly, she caught his gaze. "Now you know how I felt watching you take on T'Rel." she chided him, gently. "This, my love, is where we have to do what's best for Enterprise, regardless of our personal feelings. We knew there would be decisions like this to make. I know you want to protect me from this, but we can't alienate the Vulcans anymore than we already have. Most of their damned government would love nothing more than to take this ship from you. And a select few would like me dead. We can't give them a reason to succeed in either scenario. Enterprise needs you," She told him plainly, feeling herself calming a bit. Jon reached up and took her face in his hands.
"And I need you," he whispered, fiercely.
"I know. You just have to trust me. The safeguards I developed for myself have proven quite effective. And I'm always careful - especially now that there is something to live for." She slid off his body and settled next to him. Laying her head on his chest, she allowed herself to be comforted by the sound of his heartbeat. "You know that I'm right." She looked up at his face, resting her chin on her hand still on his chest. It hurt her to see the resigned sadness and worry in his eyes, but he gave her a slight nod. She laid her head back down, prepared to rest with him, and decided to get one last shot in. She was supposed to be angry with him after all. "Oh, and if you ever do something so stupid again, Captain. I'll put you in the infirmary myself. I'm sure the crew would prefer and injured Captain, then a dead one." He smiled warmly down at the head pillowed on his chest. He knew he should probably be annoyed that she just threatened him, but he wasn't. If they were going to do what was best for Enterprise, he couldn't distract her. She had no chance of defending herself, if she constantly had to pull his ass out of the fire. He ran his fingers through her soft hair, massaging the scalp underneath. As much as he didn't like it, he knew she was right. There were times, like this, where they would be allowed to be Jon and Katherine. But the priority had to be Enterprise. They both served such vital roles here, that his beloved ship had to be considered in the equations of their decisions. And quite frequently, what Enterprise needed, had to be more important that what they wanted. Hearing Kat's breathing level off in sleep, Jon finally allowed himself to follow.
CREW QUARTERS
He knew this was perfect. The crewman these quarters belonged to wouldn't be back for some time. Setting up the transmitter, he keyed in his access codes. Within seconds, he got a response.
**You have arrived without incident??**
"Yes, and met back up with both of them." He responded.
**Good. You will be there four weeks. Before that time has elapsed, we want the woman dead.**
"Why? Her presence doesn't influence your people in the slightest." The man asked.
**That does not matter. It is what we wish. You made a bargain to deliver. Those are your orders.**
"Understood." He replied, closing off the channel. Quickly, he stashed the transmitter and silently made his way out of the quarters.
BRIDGE
Hoshi's eyes widened at the fluctuations that crossed her panel. She took several minutes to check and recheck her findings.
"Sub-Commander?" She called, getting the ranking officer's attention.
"What is it, Ensign Sato?"
"Um..Someone just made an unauthorized transmission off of Enterprise. From the looks of the data, I'd say it was a communication." She reported.
"Have you compared it to any known frequencies in the database?" T'Pol asked her.
"There's a problem with that, Sub-Commander. The frequency doesn't look familiar to me, but the message itself is encrypted. In order to be more certain, I'll have to decrypt it." Hoshi explained.
"Very well, Ensign. That will be your priority until further notice."
"Yes, ma'am." She replied, hunching over her console, immersing herself in her work.
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - THAT NIGHT
Jon groaned as Kathleen fell into a fit of giggles. Truth be told, despite his embarrassment, he was enjoying hearing her laugh.
"All right, Jake. That's enough." Jon said softly. His voice was still a bit scratchy, but Kat's compresses and TLC, along with the medicine the doctor had given him had helped immensely. Admiral Prentis looked at him innocently, over his dinner plate. The Captain just rolled his eyes, and could hear his fiancé' still trying to stifle her laughter. "Must you?" he asked the older man.
"Sorry buddy, but you were a real knuckle head all those years ago, and earlier today. For that, she gets to hear the really embarrassing stuff," Prentis told him. He grinned wide, knowing it would be some time before Kathleen managed to collect herself.
"Pink.Daisies." She choked out between laughs. Jon had to give his old friend that. Even though he felt like his face would be red for the rest of this mission, it was a small price to pay to hear Kat laugh like that. He looked at her with a resigned look, but couldn't hide the mirth dancing in his eyes.
"Are you finished?" Gradually, she began to compose herself, sitting back in her chair next to Jon.
"Sorry," she replied, contrite. But he picked up on the snicker she couldn't tap down on.
"Let's see, what else can I tell you about your man," Jake smiled evilly when Jon looked up in concern, and Kat's just screamed 'Tell me more!' She looked over at her love and decided that his dignity had taken enough of a beating for the night.
"Thank you, Jake. But leave the man with some pride," she said, finally composing herself. Jon looked at her, surprised. One look in her eyes spoke of the depths of her love for him. He knew she was making the concession for his benefit, despite her thirst for more knowledge. In gratitude, he leaned over and kissed her.
"Hey, not at the dinner table," Jake teased his friends. They both broke apart, blushing. He met Jon's gaze across the table, and smiled. "She really has hooked you. I can see it in your face." It wasn't a condemnation. In fact, he was happy for the man. He had watched the rocky road the boy, and then the man, had traveled. He was glad that Jonathan Archer finally found the light in his soul. "I'm glad to see you finally came to your senses," he said, watching Kat lean into Jon. "Your dad would have been proud."
"I told him the same thing, but he won't believe me," She took a bite off of Jon's plate, pretending to be disinterested. He sat silent for a minute, seeming to be lost in his thoughts.
"Do you really think so?" he asked, and it tugged at Kat's heart to hear how much like he sounded like a little boy, in that moment.
"Jon, listen to me. The main thing your father wanted for the both of you was to get along. He knew many years ago what a gem this young lady was," Jake began, grinning when he noted Kathleen's blush. "He only wanted you to give her a chance. We both knew that once you did, this would inevitably be the result." He motioned to the both of them with his hand. "You've grown into a fine man, my boy. I think he would be tremendously proud. And he would be absolutely tickled that you found each other." Both he and Kat were elated when they saw Jon seem to sit a bit higher in his chair. "Though, God only knows why she decided to give you a chance," he teased.
"That, my friend, will be a mystery to me for the rest of my life." Jon responded to Prentis, but he was looking at Kat. They both looked toward the door when it chimed.
"Enter." Kat called out, and was surprised to see Danny come in. "Danny, sit down, please." Jon motioned for him to pull up an empty chair. He sat down and eyed his future brother in law, carefully. There were bruises circumventing the Captain's entire neck.
"You do know that that was a damn fool thing to do, right?" He asked the captain, who in turn just nodded. "Good, now that that's settled, I just came to see how you are." He spared a glance toward his little sister. "And to give you the rundown on the damage you inflicted." He added. Grinning slyly.
"And just how is young T'Rel?" Jake asked, wanting to hear this.
"Sleeping, now. Dr. Phlox gave him a sedative, under the Ambassador's orders. Malcolm put two security officers on the door so I could look in on you two. Little siestra broke his left leg in one place, right arm in three places, knocked out two teeth, fractured three ribs, broke his nose, and shattered his cheekbone." He ticked off each injury on his fingers. Jake whistled in surprised admiration.
"Yes, well, he did it to get a rise out of me," she grumbled defensively.
"Katie girl, no one blames you for what you did. Your family was being threatened. But if I hadn't called Joe to hightail his butt down to the gym, it would have been your word against his. The Vulcans are looking for any reason to hold both of you over the flames. Try not to give it to them, okay?" He gave her a warm smile. Getting up from the table, she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and hugged him. Her big brother came to the rescue today.
"I'll try," she promised. Danny turned his amused glance to Jon.
"And you.no more stupid stunts trying to defend her honor. In case you hadn't noticed, me and the boys took a lot of time to make sure she can look after herself." He chided the man. Jon knew from what she told him before, that the basis of Kathleen's martial arts skills were from her brother's teachings. But the fight for survival against a supposedly superior race, that was her own doing. Kat had told him that in love and confidence, and he would not betray that for anything in the universe.
"I noticed," he gave her a loving smile. The three men looked up at her when she cursed, softly.
"I have to go. My shift starts in fifteen minutes." She and Trip had redone both of their schedules so that at least half of her shifts overlapped with Jon's. And with them both restricting themselves to twelve-hour shifts - barring any emergencies, of course. Neither of his best engineers would burn themselves out. "I wouldn't want to give Captain Browne the impression that I'm shirking my duties," she commented, sarcastically. She stepped over to her fiancé and gave him a long, lingering kiss.
"I'm sorry about her."
"Luv, it's fine. You can't help it if you're irresistible," she teased. And laughed when he snorted in amusement. "I'll see you in the morning." She gave him one last kiss, and stooped to scratch Porthos behind the ears. "Now I'm counting on you to keep your daddy out of trouble till I get back," she told the small beagle. They all laughed when Porthos gave an affirmative bark. "Good boy." Kat made her way out of the quarters, leaving the men sitting there.
"She's got you whipped, boy." Jon smiled at his dog.
"He's not the only one my sister can get to jump through hoops," Danny chuckled.
"Don't I know it," Jon admitted.
ENGINEERING
Kathleen had pretty much ignored the possibility that one of the committee members might choose tonight to make a surprise appearance. Whether they came or not, she had a job to do. Coordinating her crews in the best possible way, after five hours, they had managed to finish over half the repairs on Trip's list. The muscles in her back groaned a bit, as she and Ensign Marks lifted the panel back into place and secured it.
"Don't sweat them, Lieutenant. We got ya covered," Ensign Marks told her as he used a rag from his kit to wipe his hands.
"Excuse me?" she asked, coming out of her jumbled thoughts.
"The Committee. Don't worry about them. Ain't no paper pushers gonna mess with you or the Captain if we got anything to say about it," He said, seriously. He continued before she could interrupt. "You and the Commander, you keep this ship runnin' better than the brass at Starfleet could have ever hoped for. I swear I learn a hundred new things a day workin' with you. And the Captain, I wouldn't trade him for all the officers in Frisco. Them tryin' to keep you apart, that ain't right." Kathleen was touched by the ferocity in the young man's voice. His determination to support them seemed to lift her spirits.
"Thank you, Jeff," she replied, offering him one of her rare smiles. They picked up their kits and headed to the next assignment - a conduit shorting out behind the bridge.
"You're welcome, Lieutenant. But, like I was sayin', they can ask us all the questions they want. We'll tell the truth. That no one they could send could do a better job for us, or Enterprise. And if they got a prayer of Enterprise succeedin' out here, they just got to let you be." She glanced at the young ensign, surprised that she had the loyalty of the crew like that. She knew without a doubt, that they would back Jon without hesitation, but she hadn't been so sure about herself. Now she knew. He laughed when she smiled at him again. "Might not want to do that too much, Lieutenant. It'll ruin your rep as a hard ass."
It took them about five minutes to get to their location, and another three to disconnect the panel and move it aside. Kat crawled in first, with Marks right behind her. The ensign smiled, in spite of himself. He knew Lieutenant Kane worried about how the crew would react to the committee being here. From day one, she had pushed them hard. And while they grumbled about her, they knew she was the best. In turn, her pushing them had taught them so much. As an engineer, he himself had grown more than he thought possible. He would put any single engineer, under Trip and the Lieutenant's tuteledge, against the accumulated brain power of any other engineering crew in the universe. What they didn't know seperately, they sure as hell could figure out together. Marks cocked his head to the side when he heard a beep, followed by a short whistle. He knew this juncture well, and knew the sound didn't belong there. Scanning the area quickly, he noticed a small silver colored device that the Lieutenant had just crawled by. His eyes widened in shock as the device pulled away from the wall and angled in Kathleen's direction. Crawling as fast as he could to catch up, he gripped his kit tightly in his hand.
"LIEUTENANT!" He yelled to her. The fear in his voice caused her to sit up on her haunches and turn quickly. The little device fired an energy blast, striking her in the shoulder. It was right where her head had been just seconds before. Marks watched in horror as she crumbled to the floor, and the device took aim again with that funny beep and whistle noise. With all his might, he swung his kit, smashing it into the device, knocking it off the wall of the ship. When it clattered to the floor, beeping again, he took his kit in both hands and smashed the device until it was in several pieces. He crawled quickly over to the unconscious form of his Lieutenant, cringing when he saw the scorching and blood on her right shoulder. He was about to call out to someone on the bridge when he heard the Sub- Commander's voice.
"Ensign?"
"Sub-Commander! Get some help, the Lieutenant's been attacked!" He called out, not wanting to leave his fallen boss.
T'Pol wasn't sure she had heard the frightened ensign correctly, but decided she couldn't take a chance. She went over to a comm panel.
"Bridge to Dr. Phlox," she called.
**Yes, Sub-Commander?**
"We require your assistance on the bridge. Ensign Marks claims that Lt. Kane has been attacked," she said, calmly.
**Oh dear. I'm on my way.**
SICKBAY - 1 HR LATER
Dr. Phlox hadn't wanted to make the call to the Captain, but he knew he had to. He wasn't surprised when Captain Archer arrived at the bridge the same time he did. The poor man looked scared out of his wits. Phlox had to enlist Commander Tucker's help to keep him out of the way while they extracted the unconscious Lieutenant from the engineering passageway. Now, an hour later, Archer and Commander Tucker had an exhausted, frightened Ensign Marks cornered in sickbay, drilling him with the same questions the young man had answered an hour ago.
"I told you, Commander. Lt. Kane was about 10 meters in front of me on the platform. I heard this noise that I knew didn't belong. It was like a beep and a whistle. Even though I was closer to it, the device was aiming for the Lieutenant. When I saw it angle away from the wall towards her, I called out, she turned, and it shot her. That's when I swung my kit and knocked it off the wall. Even then, I was right over it, and it still took aim at her. I just kept beatin' on it with my kit till I smashed it." Ensign Marks explained again.
"All right, Jeff. We got the pieces. Why don't you go on to your quarters. Take the rest of the shift off," Trip told him, really upset himself. The ensign looked toward the Captain, who had barely taken his eyes off Lt. Kane. Just as he got to the door, he heard the Archer call him.
"Yes, sir?"
"Thank you, for what you did," Jon met the young man's gaze, and his gratitude was clear on his face.
"Anytime, sir. You take care of her," he said gently, and made his quiet exit.
"Trip?"
"Yeah, Jon?" he walked close to his friend, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Get those pieces to T'Pol. I want to know what the hell that thing is, where it came from, and how in God's name it got on my ship!" He allowed a bit of fear to creep into his voice as he trailed off.
"You got it, buddy," Trip replied. Just as he scooped the bag containing the pieces into his hand, they both heard a groan coming from the bio bed. Kat opened her eyes to see two of the most important people in her life, standing over her.
"We gotta stop meetin' like this, darlin" Trip teased her, trying to lighten both hers and Jon's mood. "Every time ya end up in here, you scare ten years off my buddy." She looked over at Jon, worried. He looked awful, he was clearly angry, but she could also see that he was terrified for her. Dr. Phlox chose that moment to walk out of his office.
"Tell me about it. As much as I enjoy the Doctor's company, I'd prefer it wasn't as a patient," she grumbled, still a bit groggy.
"Well, Lieutenant, Captain. For the circumstances, I have good news. I'm releasing you to the Captain's care for the rest of the night. The energy blast passed right through the meat of your shoulder, and you are responding very well to the treatment." He added, cheerfully.
"Doc, the shot didn't.." she trailed off motioning to her abdomen, almost scared to hear his answer.
"Oh, no. The baby is fine, I assure you. Healthy and happy." He smiled seeing the three of them breathe a huge sigh of relief.
"Katie, you got any idea.?" Trip asked cautiously.
"Who wants me dead? That shot would have taken my head off if Marks hadn't called out," she said angrily. "That list is a long one, Trip. At the top, I'd probably put a certain Vulcan that recently came on board." When Jon growled, she put a hand in the middle of his chest, and rubbed.
"Jon, don't. It was only a guess. Besides, didn't Danny say T'Rel was sedated under orders?" She pointed out. He seemed to calm down, but Dr. Phlox had to put his two cents in.
"I merely gave him the sedative to take, it doesn't necessarily mean he did," Phlox said, not even realizing he would set the Captain off again. He took a step back when Kat and Trip both glared at him. "Sorry."
"Jon, take me home, please. I'm feeling a bit tired," she swung her legs over the edge of the bio bed and wobbled a little when she stood up. Trip knew what she was doing and loved her even more for it. He'd personally seen her take a much worse beating than this, and it not even phase her. So to keep Jon from doing something stupid, she was playing the only card she had left. She was playing 'possum,' pretending to be weaker than she was. He glared at the Doc while Jon walked slowly with Kat to the door.
"Trip, take care of that for me. I'll expect some news in the morning." Jon told him without turning around.
"You'll get it. Just take your girl home." He watched his friends leave, one supporting the other one. When they were gone, Trip whirled on the doctor. "You gotta learn when to leave well enough alone, doc!" He pointed out.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Jon don't think clearly where Katie and that baby are concerned. Try not to add fuel to the fire if you can help it. We're tryin' to keep him from doin' somethin' we'll all regret later. I understand you like explainin' things thoroughly - normally that wouldn't be a problem. But until we find out who's on board tryin' to take Katie's head off, you might want to start editing the things you say to the Cap'n." Trip explained.
"Understood, Commander." With a satisfied nod, Trip went to find T'Pol. He wanted answers almost as much as Jon did. He also made a mental note to check on the whereabouts of the Vulcan Kat had whomped on earlier.
BRIDGE
Trip found T'Pol just where he expected to, on the bridge. What he didn't expect was her first question.
"Is the Lieutenant all right?" She asked. Trip looked around the bridge, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that T'Pol genuinely seemed to care. He noticed that several of the bridge crew seemed to be leaning forward in their seats, anxiously awaiting his answer.
"She'll be fine, thanks to Marks' quick reaction," he smiled to himself, when he heard at least three relieved sighs being released. "Cap'n sent me up here to put you to work though. This is the thing that attacked Lt. Kane. He wants to know what it is, how it got on board, and if possible - who it belongs to. And he wants to know ASAP. You better have somethin' for him come morning, or he's gonna be a might cranky," he cautioned.
"I understand." She replied, taking the bag from him. "I shall get right to work." She set out the pieces on her console and began doing things that Trip didn't even want to try and understand. He saw Hoshi still bent over her station and frowned, looking at his watch.
"Hoshi? Aren't you supposed to be off?" Trip asked her. She gave him a frazzled smile.
"Yeah, but I'm kind of in the middle of a project. Can't really stop." She explained.
"Oh, okay." He shrugged. "I'll see ya in the mornin' then."
"Goodnight, Commander." She waited until Trip left before returning to her work.
Chapter: 2/? Author: Brutal_howell Email: brutal_howell@hotmail.com Rating: R Category: Drama/Romance/Angst/General Pairing: Archer/Katie Summary: Trip is livid and someone is making unauthorized transmissions off Enterprise. Someone doesn't like the Captain's lady. Spoilers: Second installment in my Jon/Katie Series. Continuation of the story started in "Discovery of the Spirit." Oh, and you might want to read Ch. 1 of Shadows and Spirits too. Archive: Ask, and I shall decide if you receive. Feedback: Please. Good or bad, I want to hear it. When I began my foray into my first fanfiction with Discovery of the Spirit, I never dreamed that people would come to like Kathleen Kane so much. It is the feedback I received that encouraged me to turn this into a series. Some of you pointed out that Jon and Katie's story deserves to be told. After some serious debating with myself, I've come to the conclusion that you are right. Disclaimer: Jon Archer and Crew belong to Paramount. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. Katie and her clan are all mine. I make no money off the use of any of them. This is strictly for the purpose of my pathetic attempt to entertain.
SHADOWS AND SPIRITS
Chapter 2
By
Brutal_howell
ENGINEERING
"Commander Tucker, calm down!" Malcolm pleaded with the engineer. He knew after the debacle in the gym, Trip would kill him if he wasn't notified of what happened. His friendship with both the Captain and Lt. Kane demanded it.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Trip shouted back at him. Malcolm hurried to close the door to the engineer's office when several crew members stopped dead in their tracks.
"The Captain is bruised, but he's fine," he explained, trying to placate the other man.
"How could you let this happen? You're supposed to protect him!" Trip hissed, trying to reign in his anger. Malcolm felt insulted.
"I did the best I could," he admitted, hanging his head knowing it wasn't good enough. "But you know the Captain. Lt. Kane suspected foul play from the start, but he coaxed her down. You know as well as I do, once he sets his mind on something." he continued. That seemed to take the steam out of Trip's anger.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "What would possess him to take on a vulcan like that?"
"I don't know. Perhaps some foolhardy notion of payback for what happened to the Lieutenant as a teenager? I can't begin to fathom what was going through his mind." He gave Trip a wry smile. "Trip, you should have seen what Kat did to him," he pointed out with a great deal of pride. The other man laughed.
"Yeah, well I told Jon she's hell on wheels when ya get her riled." He grinned, proud of his friends. Well, at least one of them. Jon had done a very stupid thing, for whatever reason. "I should go look in on him," and give him a piece of my mind, he thought to himself. He got to the door and felt Reed's hand on his arm.
"Let the Lieutenant deal with him. I'm sure whatever she says to him will have so much more impact than anything we might say," Malcolm reasoned. Trip rolled the thought around in his head then smirked up at the head of security.
"That boy is in trouble."
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS
"Of all the stupid, pig-headed." Kat trailed off in a string of curses in her native tongue. She was banging things around in the bathroom. Archer just lay on the bed, flinching every time he heard something bang particularly hard. He leaned up on his elbows, glancing around for Porthos. Finding his dog sitting over by the wall near the bathroom, he decided that Porthos was siding with Kat on this. He knew he screwed up, and it had nearly gotten him killed. She stormed out of the bathroom carrying a bowl. He had the good sense to lay back down when she glared at him. Captain of Starfleet's flagship, and he could be cowed by one cross look from her. She set the bowl on the nightstand and partially wrung out the cloth. Folding the dripping material, she placed it on his throat. The chill of the water immediately began to soothe the injury to his body, but not the one on his heart. He knew he had hurt her, and that was something he couldn't bear. He could feel her hands around his throat, trying to make sure the cool compress touched all the injured spots. Hesitantly, he placed his hand over hers. She just glared at their hands before lifting her eyes to meet his. He cursed himself when he saw the tears threatening to come. He saw the anger he expected to find, but he also saw fear - for him. "I am so angry with you," she managed to ground out, miserably. He managed to give a slight nod. 'I'm sorry,' he mouthed to her. He spotted the tear that slid slowly down her cheek and reached up to wipe it away with his thumb. She grabbed his hand, pulling it down off her face. He looked away, ashamed. "Jon, look at me." When he didn't respond right away, she repeated herself. "Look at me," he cursed himself when he heard the hitch in her voice. "You are the biggest of fools, but you're my fool." She finally let all the emotions come. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She rasped. She placed her head down in the middle of his chest, and allowed the sobs to consume her. He pulled her up on top of him, just holding her as she cried. After several minutes, he cradled her head on his shoulder.
"Forgive me?" He managed to whisper the plea in her ear. She picked her head up to meet his gaze, her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He felt like an even bigger jerk if that were possible.
"Why, Jon? Why would you take him on, knowing he was up to no good?" She really needed to know. Tenderly, he slid his fingers under the open button of her top and touched one of the scars at her collarbone. She felt her eyes well up at the sentiment. Even as incredibly stupid as it was, she thought it was sweet that he loved her enough to even try. Not that she'd ever tell him that.
"For me," it wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact. "Jon, the vulcans that did this to me are dead. And even T'Rel being as big an ass as he is, blaming him for their actions makes us no better than his views about me." She chided him. "I can take care of myself," she stated plainly. He knew should could. And it would always be an enigma to him. Granted her extra years of martial arts helped, he didn't know how she could dispatch a vulcan so easily, while he and Malcolm both got their clocks cleaned.
"How?" he whispered. As if looking right into his thoughts she picked up on his meaning.
"How do I fight them?" It was something she had never confessed to anyone. While gathering her thoughts, she took the cloth off his neck and re-wet it. Placing the cool compress back on his skin, she took a deep breath and continued. "I never told anyone this..not even Henry or Trip." She placed her hand flat against his heart and he held it there, trying to offer his silent support. "When I first woke up in the hospital in San Francisco, I was terrified. Even though the boys and Henry visited often, I always seemed to feel alone. I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for them to come for me." She reached up and slid her free hand along his jaw. "When I found out you and Henry took on Starfleet as well as The Vulcan Council, I still couldn't let my guard down. I got so tired of living my life in fear, so I learned." He began rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand. "I would sneak off to the Vulcan compound, and just watch them train. Between watching, I researched. I knew from experience that Vulcans were so much stronger than us, so I took all that martial arts experience my brothers taught me, and adapted it. From spying on the compound, I learned to anticipate their style. You know as well as I do, they're so regimented and strict, it would be unlikely for them to deviate from the styles I had seen. I studied all of their attacks, and developed blocks and counter attacks compensating for their superior strength. You might say I developed my own foil for our pointy-eared friends. It has served me well too. There were attacks, long after I got out of the hospital, but the work I had put in paid off. None of them ever got the best of me." His eyes widened in shock. She never reported any attacks afterwards. And if the Vulcans had reported anymore deaths, he would have known about it.
"How many?" he continued to whisper.
"How many attacks? Or how many have I killed?" She could see the question in his eyes. She sighed. "Not counting the four that came after your father, there were two dozen attacks between the time I left the hospital to when Enterprise was approved for this mission. None of them survived. There hasn't been an attempt since." He felt the tears well up in his own eyes. This woman, that had been through so much pain for his family, was forced to continue to fight for her life for so many years. "I would imagine being out here has helped. They can't get to me on a human ship with one Vulcan who seems to like us." Thinking the worst, anticipating more attacks against her in the future, he felt the fear wash over him. He hugged her to his chest tight. She felt the fear in his embrace. Pulling back slightly, she caught his gaze. "Now you know how I felt watching you take on T'Rel." she chided him, gently. "This, my love, is where we have to do what's best for Enterprise, regardless of our personal feelings. We knew there would be decisions like this to make. I know you want to protect me from this, but we can't alienate the Vulcans anymore than we already have. Most of their damned government would love nothing more than to take this ship from you. And a select few would like me dead. We can't give them a reason to succeed in either scenario. Enterprise needs you," She told him plainly, feeling herself calming a bit. Jon reached up and took her face in his hands.
"And I need you," he whispered, fiercely.
"I know. You just have to trust me. The safeguards I developed for myself have proven quite effective. And I'm always careful - especially now that there is something to live for." She slid off his body and settled next to him. Laying her head on his chest, she allowed herself to be comforted by the sound of his heartbeat. "You know that I'm right." She looked up at his face, resting her chin on her hand still on his chest. It hurt her to see the resigned sadness and worry in his eyes, but he gave her a slight nod. She laid her head back down, prepared to rest with him, and decided to get one last shot in. She was supposed to be angry with him after all. "Oh, and if you ever do something so stupid again, Captain. I'll put you in the infirmary myself. I'm sure the crew would prefer and injured Captain, then a dead one." He smiled warmly down at the head pillowed on his chest. He knew he should probably be annoyed that she just threatened him, but he wasn't. If they were going to do what was best for Enterprise, he couldn't distract her. She had no chance of defending herself, if she constantly had to pull his ass out of the fire. He ran his fingers through her soft hair, massaging the scalp underneath. As much as he didn't like it, he knew she was right. There were times, like this, where they would be allowed to be Jon and Katherine. But the priority had to be Enterprise. They both served such vital roles here, that his beloved ship had to be considered in the equations of their decisions. And quite frequently, what Enterprise needed, had to be more important that what they wanted. Hearing Kat's breathing level off in sleep, Jon finally allowed himself to follow.
CREW QUARTERS
He knew this was perfect. The crewman these quarters belonged to wouldn't be back for some time. Setting up the transmitter, he keyed in his access codes. Within seconds, he got a response.
**You have arrived without incident??**
"Yes, and met back up with both of them." He responded.
**Good. You will be there four weeks. Before that time has elapsed, we want the woman dead.**
"Why? Her presence doesn't influence your people in the slightest." The man asked.
**That does not matter. It is what we wish. You made a bargain to deliver. Those are your orders.**
"Understood." He replied, closing off the channel. Quickly, he stashed the transmitter and silently made his way out of the quarters.
BRIDGE
Hoshi's eyes widened at the fluctuations that crossed her panel. She took several minutes to check and recheck her findings.
"Sub-Commander?" She called, getting the ranking officer's attention.
"What is it, Ensign Sato?"
"Um..Someone just made an unauthorized transmission off of Enterprise. From the looks of the data, I'd say it was a communication." She reported.
"Have you compared it to any known frequencies in the database?" T'Pol asked her.
"There's a problem with that, Sub-Commander. The frequency doesn't look familiar to me, but the message itself is encrypted. In order to be more certain, I'll have to decrypt it." Hoshi explained.
"Very well, Ensign. That will be your priority until further notice."
"Yes, ma'am." She replied, hunching over her console, immersing herself in her work.
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - THAT NIGHT
Jon groaned as Kathleen fell into a fit of giggles. Truth be told, despite his embarrassment, he was enjoying hearing her laugh.
"All right, Jake. That's enough." Jon said softly. His voice was still a bit scratchy, but Kat's compresses and TLC, along with the medicine the doctor had given him had helped immensely. Admiral Prentis looked at him innocently, over his dinner plate. The Captain just rolled his eyes, and could hear his fiancé' still trying to stifle her laughter. "Must you?" he asked the older man.
"Sorry buddy, but you were a real knuckle head all those years ago, and earlier today. For that, she gets to hear the really embarrassing stuff," Prentis told him. He grinned wide, knowing it would be some time before Kathleen managed to collect herself.
"Pink.Daisies." She choked out between laughs. Jon had to give his old friend that. Even though he felt like his face would be red for the rest of this mission, it was a small price to pay to hear Kat laugh like that. He looked at her with a resigned look, but couldn't hide the mirth dancing in his eyes.
"Are you finished?" Gradually, she began to compose herself, sitting back in her chair next to Jon.
"Sorry," she replied, contrite. But he picked up on the snicker she couldn't tap down on.
"Let's see, what else can I tell you about your man," Jake smiled evilly when Jon looked up in concern, and Kat's just screamed 'Tell me more!' She looked over at her love and decided that his dignity had taken enough of a beating for the night.
"Thank you, Jake. But leave the man with some pride," she said, finally composing herself. Jon looked at her, surprised. One look in her eyes spoke of the depths of her love for him. He knew she was making the concession for his benefit, despite her thirst for more knowledge. In gratitude, he leaned over and kissed her.
"Hey, not at the dinner table," Jake teased his friends. They both broke apart, blushing. He met Jon's gaze across the table, and smiled. "She really has hooked you. I can see it in your face." It wasn't a condemnation. In fact, he was happy for the man. He had watched the rocky road the boy, and then the man, had traveled. He was glad that Jonathan Archer finally found the light in his soul. "I'm glad to see you finally came to your senses," he said, watching Kat lean into Jon. "Your dad would have been proud."
"I told him the same thing, but he won't believe me," She took a bite off of Jon's plate, pretending to be disinterested. He sat silent for a minute, seeming to be lost in his thoughts.
"Do you really think so?" he asked, and it tugged at Kat's heart to hear how much like he sounded like a little boy, in that moment.
"Jon, listen to me. The main thing your father wanted for the both of you was to get along. He knew many years ago what a gem this young lady was," Jake began, grinning when he noted Kathleen's blush. "He only wanted you to give her a chance. We both knew that once you did, this would inevitably be the result." He motioned to the both of them with his hand. "You've grown into a fine man, my boy. I think he would be tremendously proud. And he would be absolutely tickled that you found each other." Both he and Kat were elated when they saw Jon seem to sit a bit higher in his chair. "Though, God only knows why she decided to give you a chance," he teased.
"That, my friend, will be a mystery to me for the rest of my life." Jon responded to Prentis, but he was looking at Kat. They both looked toward the door when it chimed.
"Enter." Kat called out, and was surprised to see Danny come in. "Danny, sit down, please." Jon motioned for him to pull up an empty chair. He sat down and eyed his future brother in law, carefully. There were bruises circumventing the Captain's entire neck.
"You do know that that was a damn fool thing to do, right?" He asked the captain, who in turn just nodded. "Good, now that that's settled, I just came to see how you are." He spared a glance toward his little sister. "And to give you the rundown on the damage you inflicted." He added. Grinning slyly.
"And just how is young T'Rel?" Jake asked, wanting to hear this.
"Sleeping, now. Dr. Phlox gave him a sedative, under the Ambassador's orders. Malcolm put two security officers on the door so I could look in on you two. Little siestra broke his left leg in one place, right arm in three places, knocked out two teeth, fractured three ribs, broke his nose, and shattered his cheekbone." He ticked off each injury on his fingers. Jake whistled in surprised admiration.
"Yes, well, he did it to get a rise out of me," she grumbled defensively.
"Katie girl, no one blames you for what you did. Your family was being threatened. But if I hadn't called Joe to hightail his butt down to the gym, it would have been your word against his. The Vulcans are looking for any reason to hold both of you over the flames. Try not to give it to them, okay?" He gave her a warm smile. Getting up from the table, she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and hugged him. Her big brother came to the rescue today.
"I'll try," she promised. Danny turned his amused glance to Jon.
"And you.no more stupid stunts trying to defend her honor. In case you hadn't noticed, me and the boys took a lot of time to make sure she can look after herself." He chided the man. Jon knew from what she told him before, that the basis of Kathleen's martial arts skills were from her brother's teachings. But the fight for survival against a supposedly superior race, that was her own doing. Kat had told him that in love and confidence, and he would not betray that for anything in the universe.
"I noticed," he gave her a loving smile. The three men looked up at her when she cursed, softly.
"I have to go. My shift starts in fifteen minutes." She and Trip had redone both of their schedules so that at least half of her shifts overlapped with Jon's. And with them both restricting themselves to twelve-hour shifts - barring any emergencies, of course. Neither of his best engineers would burn themselves out. "I wouldn't want to give Captain Browne the impression that I'm shirking my duties," she commented, sarcastically. She stepped over to her fiancé and gave him a long, lingering kiss.
"I'm sorry about her."
"Luv, it's fine. You can't help it if you're irresistible," she teased. And laughed when he snorted in amusement. "I'll see you in the morning." She gave him one last kiss, and stooped to scratch Porthos behind the ears. "Now I'm counting on you to keep your daddy out of trouble till I get back," she told the small beagle. They all laughed when Porthos gave an affirmative bark. "Good boy." Kat made her way out of the quarters, leaving the men sitting there.
"She's got you whipped, boy." Jon smiled at his dog.
"He's not the only one my sister can get to jump through hoops," Danny chuckled.
"Don't I know it," Jon admitted.
ENGINEERING
Kathleen had pretty much ignored the possibility that one of the committee members might choose tonight to make a surprise appearance. Whether they came or not, she had a job to do. Coordinating her crews in the best possible way, after five hours, they had managed to finish over half the repairs on Trip's list. The muscles in her back groaned a bit, as she and Ensign Marks lifted the panel back into place and secured it.
"Don't sweat them, Lieutenant. We got ya covered," Ensign Marks told her as he used a rag from his kit to wipe his hands.
"Excuse me?" she asked, coming out of her jumbled thoughts.
"The Committee. Don't worry about them. Ain't no paper pushers gonna mess with you or the Captain if we got anything to say about it," He said, seriously. He continued before she could interrupt. "You and the Commander, you keep this ship runnin' better than the brass at Starfleet could have ever hoped for. I swear I learn a hundred new things a day workin' with you. And the Captain, I wouldn't trade him for all the officers in Frisco. Them tryin' to keep you apart, that ain't right." Kathleen was touched by the ferocity in the young man's voice. His determination to support them seemed to lift her spirits.
"Thank you, Jeff," she replied, offering him one of her rare smiles. They picked up their kits and headed to the next assignment - a conduit shorting out behind the bridge.
"You're welcome, Lieutenant. But, like I was sayin', they can ask us all the questions they want. We'll tell the truth. That no one they could send could do a better job for us, or Enterprise. And if they got a prayer of Enterprise succeedin' out here, they just got to let you be." She glanced at the young ensign, surprised that she had the loyalty of the crew like that. She knew without a doubt, that they would back Jon without hesitation, but she hadn't been so sure about herself. Now she knew. He laughed when she smiled at him again. "Might not want to do that too much, Lieutenant. It'll ruin your rep as a hard ass."
It took them about five minutes to get to their location, and another three to disconnect the panel and move it aside. Kat crawled in first, with Marks right behind her. The ensign smiled, in spite of himself. He knew Lieutenant Kane worried about how the crew would react to the committee being here. From day one, she had pushed them hard. And while they grumbled about her, they knew she was the best. In turn, her pushing them had taught them so much. As an engineer, he himself had grown more than he thought possible. He would put any single engineer, under Trip and the Lieutenant's tuteledge, against the accumulated brain power of any other engineering crew in the universe. What they didn't know seperately, they sure as hell could figure out together. Marks cocked his head to the side when he heard a beep, followed by a short whistle. He knew this juncture well, and knew the sound didn't belong there. Scanning the area quickly, he noticed a small silver colored device that the Lieutenant had just crawled by. His eyes widened in shock as the device pulled away from the wall and angled in Kathleen's direction. Crawling as fast as he could to catch up, he gripped his kit tightly in his hand.
"LIEUTENANT!" He yelled to her. The fear in his voice caused her to sit up on her haunches and turn quickly. The little device fired an energy blast, striking her in the shoulder. It was right where her head had been just seconds before. Marks watched in horror as she crumbled to the floor, and the device took aim again with that funny beep and whistle noise. With all his might, he swung his kit, smashing it into the device, knocking it off the wall of the ship. When it clattered to the floor, beeping again, he took his kit in both hands and smashed the device until it was in several pieces. He crawled quickly over to the unconscious form of his Lieutenant, cringing when he saw the scorching and blood on her right shoulder. He was about to call out to someone on the bridge when he heard the Sub- Commander's voice.
"Ensign?"
"Sub-Commander! Get some help, the Lieutenant's been attacked!" He called out, not wanting to leave his fallen boss.
T'Pol wasn't sure she had heard the frightened ensign correctly, but decided she couldn't take a chance. She went over to a comm panel.
"Bridge to Dr. Phlox," she called.
**Yes, Sub-Commander?**
"We require your assistance on the bridge. Ensign Marks claims that Lt. Kane has been attacked," she said, calmly.
**Oh dear. I'm on my way.**
SICKBAY - 1 HR LATER
Dr. Phlox hadn't wanted to make the call to the Captain, but he knew he had to. He wasn't surprised when Captain Archer arrived at the bridge the same time he did. The poor man looked scared out of his wits. Phlox had to enlist Commander Tucker's help to keep him out of the way while they extracted the unconscious Lieutenant from the engineering passageway. Now, an hour later, Archer and Commander Tucker had an exhausted, frightened Ensign Marks cornered in sickbay, drilling him with the same questions the young man had answered an hour ago.
"I told you, Commander. Lt. Kane was about 10 meters in front of me on the platform. I heard this noise that I knew didn't belong. It was like a beep and a whistle. Even though I was closer to it, the device was aiming for the Lieutenant. When I saw it angle away from the wall towards her, I called out, she turned, and it shot her. That's when I swung my kit and knocked it off the wall. Even then, I was right over it, and it still took aim at her. I just kept beatin' on it with my kit till I smashed it." Ensign Marks explained again.
"All right, Jeff. We got the pieces. Why don't you go on to your quarters. Take the rest of the shift off," Trip told him, really upset himself. The ensign looked toward the Captain, who had barely taken his eyes off Lt. Kane. Just as he got to the door, he heard the Archer call him.
"Yes, sir?"
"Thank you, for what you did," Jon met the young man's gaze, and his gratitude was clear on his face.
"Anytime, sir. You take care of her," he said gently, and made his quiet exit.
"Trip?"
"Yeah, Jon?" he walked close to his friend, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Get those pieces to T'Pol. I want to know what the hell that thing is, where it came from, and how in God's name it got on my ship!" He allowed a bit of fear to creep into his voice as he trailed off.
"You got it, buddy," Trip replied. Just as he scooped the bag containing the pieces into his hand, they both heard a groan coming from the bio bed. Kat opened her eyes to see two of the most important people in her life, standing over her.
"We gotta stop meetin' like this, darlin" Trip teased her, trying to lighten both hers and Jon's mood. "Every time ya end up in here, you scare ten years off my buddy." She looked over at Jon, worried. He looked awful, he was clearly angry, but she could also see that he was terrified for her. Dr. Phlox chose that moment to walk out of his office.
"Tell me about it. As much as I enjoy the Doctor's company, I'd prefer it wasn't as a patient," she grumbled, still a bit groggy.
"Well, Lieutenant, Captain. For the circumstances, I have good news. I'm releasing you to the Captain's care for the rest of the night. The energy blast passed right through the meat of your shoulder, and you are responding very well to the treatment." He added, cheerfully.
"Doc, the shot didn't.." she trailed off motioning to her abdomen, almost scared to hear his answer.
"Oh, no. The baby is fine, I assure you. Healthy and happy." He smiled seeing the three of them breathe a huge sigh of relief.
"Katie, you got any idea.?" Trip asked cautiously.
"Who wants me dead? That shot would have taken my head off if Marks hadn't called out," she said angrily. "That list is a long one, Trip. At the top, I'd probably put a certain Vulcan that recently came on board." When Jon growled, she put a hand in the middle of his chest, and rubbed.
"Jon, don't. It was only a guess. Besides, didn't Danny say T'Rel was sedated under orders?" She pointed out. He seemed to calm down, but Dr. Phlox had to put his two cents in.
"I merely gave him the sedative to take, it doesn't necessarily mean he did," Phlox said, not even realizing he would set the Captain off again. He took a step back when Kat and Trip both glared at him. "Sorry."
"Jon, take me home, please. I'm feeling a bit tired," she swung her legs over the edge of the bio bed and wobbled a little when she stood up. Trip knew what she was doing and loved her even more for it. He'd personally seen her take a much worse beating than this, and it not even phase her. So to keep Jon from doing something stupid, she was playing the only card she had left. She was playing 'possum,' pretending to be weaker than she was. He glared at the Doc while Jon walked slowly with Kat to the door.
"Trip, take care of that for me. I'll expect some news in the morning." Jon told him without turning around.
"You'll get it. Just take your girl home." He watched his friends leave, one supporting the other one. When they were gone, Trip whirled on the doctor. "You gotta learn when to leave well enough alone, doc!" He pointed out.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Jon don't think clearly where Katie and that baby are concerned. Try not to add fuel to the fire if you can help it. We're tryin' to keep him from doin' somethin' we'll all regret later. I understand you like explainin' things thoroughly - normally that wouldn't be a problem. But until we find out who's on board tryin' to take Katie's head off, you might want to start editing the things you say to the Cap'n." Trip explained.
"Understood, Commander." With a satisfied nod, Trip went to find T'Pol. He wanted answers almost as much as Jon did. He also made a mental note to check on the whereabouts of the Vulcan Kat had whomped on earlier.
BRIDGE
Trip found T'Pol just where he expected to, on the bridge. What he didn't expect was her first question.
"Is the Lieutenant all right?" She asked. Trip looked around the bridge, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that T'Pol genuinely seemed to care. He noticed that several of the bridge crew seemed to be leaning forward in their seats, anxiously awaiting his answer.
"She'll be fine, thanks to Marks' quick reaction," he smiled to himself, when he heard at least three relieved sighs being released. "Cap'n sent me up here to put you to work though. This is the thing that attacked Lt. Kane. He wants to know what it is, how it got on board, and if possible - who it belongs to. And he wants to know ASAP. You better have somethin' for him come morning, or he's gonna be a might cranky," he cautioned.
"I understand." She replied, taking the bag from him. "I shall get right to work." She set out the pieces on her console and began doing things that Trip didn't even want to try and understand. He saw Hoshi still bent over her station and frowned, looking at his watch.
"Hoshi? Aren't you supposed to be off?" Trip asked her. She gave him a frazzled smile.
"Yeah, but I'm kind of in the middle of a project. Can't really stop." She explained.
"Oh, okay." He shrugged. "I'll see ya in the mornin' then."
"Goodnight, Commander." She waited until Trip left before returning to her work.