AN: THE LYRICS IN BETWEEN THE PARAGRAPHS ARE SONGS THAT MICHAEL 'MISSED' BECAUSE HE WAS SLEEPING. I FIGURED I SHOULD LEAVE THEM IN AS THE 'BITS AND PIECES' HE CAN RECALL. That is all.
I would also like to thank SadArticle for helping figure out which song for Kitt to sing. We decided Boats and Birds would be the best one. Thanks for the help and the idea of this fic. I had considered it but probably wouldn't have gone through with writing it if not for you!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this story.
Lullabies
"...Are you going to Scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to..."
Not too long after the discovery of Kitt's singing talent Micheal noticed that some nights were more peaceful than others. That he got a better nights sleep. Well, it wasn't some nights anymore. It was almost every night now. Slept like a baby. Which isn't something he would complain about except for the fact that nightmares usually prevent such sleep from happening (not counting the nights after a case had worn him out. He was practically dead those nights). Maybe he was just dreaming on those nights too because he was almost certain he could hear a voice. A very familiar voice. Singing. Humming on some nights. It sounded like he was hearing it through a deep fog. Micheal wasn't quite sure though because he only ever caught snatches of the songs before sleep reclaimed him.
"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you..."
Although he wasn't positive it was Kitt, if it was even real at all, he couldn't help but to just know that it had to be Kitt. Who else would care to sing him to sleep or to make sure he stayed asleep and got a goodnight's rest? Better yet, who could slip past his ever vigilante partner with his over protectiveness or the basic security of the Knight Estate? Who would get all the way to his room in the middle of the night just to sing to him? Kill him? Yes, quite a few. Ok, a lot of people would love to kill him. But sing to him? He knew it had to be someone who belonged on the estate and more than likely who knew him personally. Which shortened the list down to 4 people.
"Greensleeves...
I have been ready at your hand
To grant whatever thou would'st crave;
I have waged both life and land
Your love and goodwill for to have. Greensl..."
It couldn't be Devon because while he saw the older man as a sort of Father figure he knew Devon would never go out of the way to baby another grown man. He also knew for a fact it couldn't be Bonnie because the voice he heard in the night was definitely male. He liked to think it wasn't RC3. While RC liked to be helpful and make a couple of jokes here and there it seemed more than a little far fetched. As well as awkward and downright creepy. Which is why the only good suspect was Kitt. The only person who could be in his room without actually being there. Who would know when he was asleep. Who was very proud of, but a little shy, about his singing ability.
"Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys
Heave her head round to the weather
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay ..."
That's how Micheal found himself laying down on the bed and actually fighting sleep. He wanted to see if he could hear the singing again. He was almost completely positive it was Kitt. That is, if it was real. After what felt like hours Micheal slowly found himself drifting away unable to fight the urge any longer.
Waking up the next day proved to be disappointing because it signified he had failed to catch his midnight lullaby. Groaning a little as the sunlight hit his eyes Micheal considered rolling over and going back to sleep but reconsidered it once it occurred to him he had indeed fallen asleep and missed the singing again. Flipping the covers off Micheal swung his legs over the side of the bed and headed towards the bathroom. It was as he was removing his comm watch from his wrist that it occurred to him to just ask Kitt about his mysterious nightly singer. With this in mind he proceeded with his morning routine of shower, breakfast, and finding Kitt. Finding him was always the fun part. Kitt liked to roam the estate whenever he wasn't needed in the garage. Usually Micheal would just ask Kitt where he had deemed a good enough spot for the time to grace with his presence but he wanted to enjoy the walk while looking for his buddy. It would also give him a chance to clear his head and find a good way to 'accuse' his partner of the 'crime'.
Walking around the premises Micheal was surprised by the astounding lack of black super cars. Usually he would have found Kitt by now. Kitt seemed to prefer the garden. In fact, that had been the first place Micheal had looked. Alas, no Kitt. Kitt normally liked to stay in the front of the property and yet Micheal had checked all of the front and was heading into the back acres towards the small pond. He had just given up and was about to turn around when he rounded the corner of an tall stone fence and found who he was looking for. Parked with his prow facing the water Kitt appeared to be sitting in another of his meditative silences.
With a smile on his face Micheal picked up his pace and approached his friend. Giving the roof a gentle pat as a greeting Micheal walked around to the front to sit down.
"Do you mind?" Micheal asked while gesturing towards the hood.
"Not in the slightest. Just be sure to take off your shoes. They appear to be very filthy."
Micheal snorted a little and shook his head with a grin while complying with the request. "Well they should be. I had to look everywhere for you. Was about to give up actually. Figured if I couldn't find you than you must be in the garage." Relaxing against the windshield Micheal glanced towards the water.
"The garage? On a day like this? Not everyone likes to waste perfectly good weather inside sleeping in or watching television. What on Earth could you have possibly needed me for that you couldn't have contacted me via the Comm?"
"Oh nothing really. Although I do want to know why you're all the way out here." Micheal finished with a wide sweeping of his arms to indicate to their surroundings
"I decided a change of scenery was required. That and the gardener is due to be taking care of the rose bushes later. He finds me annoying."
"Fair enough." Micheal was content to leave it at that for a few minutes and watch the water in the pond ripple until he finally found a way to bring up the lullabies when Kitt suddenly spoke.
"Did you sleep well enough Micheal?"
This simple question had the ex-detective raising his eyebrows. 'So it was Kitt!' He couldn't help but think.
"Yeah, fine actually. Although I do seem to have an issue."
"And that would be?" Was that worry he heard in his partners voice?
"Well, there seems to be someone serenading me while I sleep."
"Serenading? Micheal I can personally assure to you that no one has gotten into your room while you're asleep if that's what you're worrying about." There was that note of worry in his voice again. "Unless they were bad or it was interrupting your sleep."
"That's not it Kitt. I'm not worried. You know at first I was sure I was dreaming or hearing things but now I'm sure that someone has been singing to me. And I'm pretty sure that someone" Micheal paused as he looked down at the hood. "is you."
"Who moi? Micheal I have been running diagnostic programs that Bonnie gave me and then entering my sleep mode to recharge my power packs every night. You can even ask Bonnie. While it is certainly flattering to hear that you dream of me singing to you I couldn't have possibly done it."
Not believing a word of it Micheal let loose a shrug and folded his arms behind his head.
"Whatever you say buddy. For what it's worth, even dream Kitt sings amazingly and the songs have been helping me sleep."
That was the last of the topic for the rest of the day. Shortly before going to bed Micheal bid Kitt a goodnight and went back inside and started to climb the stairs towards his room. After changing his clothes Micheal glanced at his watch and an idea struck him. No wonder he only heard the singing when he was mostly asleep. Kitt was probably monitoring his vitals the whole time. He would know the moment Micheal started to wake up. Grinning like the Cheshire cat Micheal proceeded to do something he had not done in at least 3 years. He took his watch off and set it on the night stand. Almost immediately it beeped.
"Micheal? Micheal are you alright?" Kitt sounded worried again.
Rolling his eyes a little Micheal picked the watch back up and answered "Yes, Kitt. I'm fine."
"Why did you take the watch off?"
"Bothered my wrist a little. Figured with all the security here I should be safe. Besides, you can still contact me if you need to."
"But how am I going to monitor you? What if something goes wrong You do know how many people have died in their sleep don't you? What if you fall and can't get up? You could die. Or what if-"
Trying not to laugh at the more absurd ideas Micheal cut Kitt off before he could worry himself out of his processor. Micheal even had to wait a second for Kitt to calm down a little.
"Kitt, I am perfectly healthy! I am not going to die in my sleep. If I fall, which won't happen, then I will stand up and if I can't then I'll drag myself. There is security everywhere so no one is going to get into my room." Micheal finished before deciding to add a bit that he knew Kitt would want to hear even more than the rest. "And you're here. If I need help you will be the first one I call."
It was silent for a moment before a quiet "Promise?" was heard from the speaker on the Comm.
Smiling widely "I promise." Micheal assured before they bid each other goodnight again with an extra "stay safe" from Kitt that Micheal didn't miss. After that Micheal proceeded to set the watch back down and settle down to 'go to sleep'.
It was barely an hour after Micheal had turned off the light that it started again. Micheal couldn't help but smile a little as it was very clearly Kitt's voice coming from the tiny little watch. Snuggling deeper into the blankets Micheal decided to enjoy the sound because he knew Kitt would deny everything in the morning.
"If you'll be my star
I'll be your sky
You can hide underneath me and come out at night
When I turn jet black
And you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine
But you can skyrocket away from me
And never come back if you find another galaxy
Far from here with more room to fly
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by..."
Around the middle of the song is when Micheal began to feel his eyes droop. Each word Kitt sang was soft like velveteen and flowed smooth like water. Emotion Kitt would deny could be heard in every note he sang. The kind of emotion that led the listener to believe that every single word was meant. As the last few words came they fell upon deaf ears. Micheal was peacefully asleep with that same gentle smile on his face.
"Goodnight Micheal."
AN: I figured that the song that get to make the cut should at least included as 'past' songs that Micheal heard bits of.
The Songs In Order: 1. Scarborough Fair 2. Daisy Bell 3. Greensleeves 4. Mingulay Boat Song. The very last song is Boats and Birds. All of these songs have multiple artists so I don't know who to credit just know that I do not own them.
Songs that didn't make the cut even as paragraph dividers. Edelweiss (I grew up with this as a music box) but the actual lyrics didn't work well. The Laidley Worm. Considered it but decided it didn't really fit anywhere.