AN: Now that I've finished the semester I expect to have the rest of this posted by early next week, if not even by the end of this weekend, depending on how often I go through it. I've tried to grab all the errors I've found, but if you find one again, please excuse it. After all, I wrote this several years ago and it's hard to catch everything while refreshing your memory of the story.

Reviews are very welcome—they make my day. Thanks everyone for your time!

Part II

Kitt was barely into the driveway of the Knight Mansion when he realized that he'd have more than his conscience to face once he got inside. Michael was just one of the people that'd start poking him to find out why he hadn't returned last night; there was also Devon and Bonnie, the other two people in Kitt's life that he respected and adored.

After turning the engine of the SUV off, Kitt remained silent in the driver's seat, staring at the round steering wheel. He tried to clear his thoughts before he went inside. It was only seven in the morning, so there was a chance that everyone was either still sleeping or busy starting their day and wouldn't notice him sneak into the entrance.

But finally he gave up, got out of the car and went inside. He opened one of the two front doors slowly and peered inside to see who was there to greet him. Cathy, the front desk receptionist of the foundation looked as if she had just gotten to work and was sorting through yesterday's papers. Other than her, the foyer was empty.

"Good morning, Kitt," Cathy said with a simple smile. "Did you enjoy your evening?"

Kitt gave a half, but unconvincing smile. "Evening for the most part, morning no." He didn't give Cathy a chance to ask anything further as he quickly made his way to the stairs. Luck was with him and he was able to make it down the hall and into his room without being stopped.

Kitt tossed his jacket on a nearby chair, and then pulled fresh clothes out of the bureau to change into after he took a shower. As he reached up to yank his present shirt over his head a dull pain gripped his shoulder. His face curled into a small expression of mild pain, but he ignored it as he pulled the shirt off and tossed it into the hamper. Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw the scar left by the bullet that was shot into him four months back. Once and a while it still hurt, but he was told it was to be expected.

Showers usually felt good, but for some reason this one was just a nuisance. The thought of what happened between him and Rachael was still present in his mind, as if he was standing there and watching it take place again. Kitt had always thought that as long as he was good to her she'd have nothing to say to him. He did realize that she wanted nothing but his own well being, but it was her tone that upset him and her choice of descriptive words. He didn't like to be lectured; or yelled at. Perhaps it was because he didn't do much of it himself, but he felt that there was no need to raise the voice.

He wished he could spend the rest of the day sulking in his room, but he knew that it would solve nothing. Going downstairs wasn't as feared as it had been when he first returned that morning, but he knew he still didn't want to answer—

"Morning, pal!"

Kitt forced a smile and continued on walking towards the kitchen. "Hello, Michael."

Michael Knight's sparkling blue eyes dimmed when he heard the dull greeting from his usually perky friend. "You all right?"

"What makes you think I'm not?" Kitt countered quickly.

"Well, for one, you answered me fast enough," Michael said as he too walked to the kitchen. "And two, that was a low greeting for you first thing in the morning."

Kitt shrugged as the entered the large kitchen and opened cabinets up to see what he could eat. Nothing looked appetizing at this point. "Michael…may I ask you something?"

Michael laughed and pulled down a glass from the shelf, then opened the refrigerator to get the orange juice. "Would I ever say no?"

Kitt ignored his attempt at humor. "Am I just a computer with little microchips?"

Michael had brought the glass up to his mouth to drink its contents, but before the liquid could touch his lips he brought it back down and rested it on the counter. "Where did that come from?"

"Rachael."

It was obvious right away that Michael wiped the humor and attempts to make Kitt laugh out of his mind when he said, "Oh." He waited to see what Kitt would say next, but nothing came. "You guys got into a fight?"

"You didn't answer my question, Michael."

"No, you're not," he replied while Kitt moved across the room with nothing but an energy bar and sat down on one of the counter's barstools. "You want to talk about it?"

"Yes and no," Kitt replied simply. "I want to know why she felt the need to lecture me."

"Well, what did you feed her?"

Kitt raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Kitt, women always go off on a tangent if you say the slightest thing the wrong way. You had to have said or done something to make her start lecturing."

There was momentary silence as Kitt unfolded the wrapper of his breakfast. He quickly thought over in his head what he should tell Michael, although he knew that eventually, Michael would get it out of him. Kitt could be stubborn if he wanted to, but Michael usually knew which buttons to push to get him to talk.

"Last night we were watching a movie and I fell asleep; but apparently I was talking in my sleep and woke up with start," Kitt explained, his eyes fixed on the bar in front of him. "Rachael wanted to know why she's heard me say the same things in my sleep as once before, I made the mistake of telling her, and she lectured me that I needed to have it checked out."

"That's it?" Michael asked.

"I didn't finish," Kitt said glancing up. He pulled the ripped wrapper back over the energy bar and put it down on the countertop. "I ended up staying over night…" Kitt waited for the reaction to come.

"Really?" Michael said in pleasing and interested tone. He tilted his head a little, a smile on his face, but Kitt shook his head quickly which put an end to that.

"Nothing like that, Michael, so spare me," Kitt told him. "Anyway, this morning she brought up the subject again, and when I said I wasn't planning on doing anything about it, she got mad at me. And…well, it turned into an argument with her telling me that I was just a computer in a human body and I…told her we shouldn't be together if she couldn't leave me be."

"Ouch," Michael said softly. "First off, buddy, don't ever tell a girl what you did. Second, you should let them think you're going to do what they want, and if you can get out of it, do so."

"Michael, she was being impossible. She was practically using words to beat me up. I never felt so belittled."

Michael bit his lip for a moment and drank his orange juice. "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be, ya know? Not many people stay with their first choices. I mean, look at me."

Kitt gave him a small smile. "No one can match up to the number of girlfriends you've had, Michael."

"You're just jealous that I got the girls at the end of our missions," Michael smirked.

"Ah, yes, but I remember many times when I had girls in bikinis lying on my hood," Kitt said with a wink.

Michael's smirk disappeared. "Look, I wouldn't worry about her. If she calls you, then I'd take it from there. If not, just think of it as an experience."

"Michael, for once I think you're right," Kitt said.

óóó

Kitt kept himself busy for the remainder of the weekend. Saturday was spent taking a two mile jog with Michael, and then lounging around watching a basketball game. Sunday Kitt agreed to tag along with Bonnie and go Christmas shopping for Michael and Devon.

This was the first time Kitt had entered a mall beyond the parking lot. He knew all about them, remembered pictures of the most prestigious, but he had never witnessed their glamour. People walked in every direction all around, babies cried, people talked, a few argued.

By the end of three hours, having hit thirteen stores, the food court, and watching some of the kids sit on Santa's lap and get their picture taken, Kitt was ready to head home. The only thing he could think of getting Michael was a gift card to his favorite sports store, and a pair of socks, recommended by Bonnie as a joke. Bonnie, however, finished all of her shopping, which Kitt found surprising and outstanding all at the same time.

Kitt's spirits were much higher than they had been Saturday; until that is Monday morning arrived. Kitt awoke and went downstairs in a rush, thinking he'd see Rachael walking by or standing behind the front desk. He felt a rush of disappointment when neither came as he went to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

As he ate the same breakfast he'd been finding for the past three days, his eyes kept glancing up to the door, hoping Rachael would walk in and apologize for everything and they'd be back to normal.

Kitt became discouraged by the time he left the kitchen and went to Devon's office. He knocked on the door, quickly hearing enter being spoken, and was greeted by Devon Miles's welcoming English accent.

"Devon, I was wondering if you've seen Rachael this morning," Kitt asked shyly.

Devon's gray eyebrows furrowed slightly and he tilted his head. "Kitt, I thought you of all people knew."

Kitt's heart paused for a split second. "Know what?"

Devon stood up and went over to his young friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "Rachael quit."

Kitt's blue eyes widened and his mouth opened a hair. "She quit? As in she'll no longer works here?"

"I'm afraid so. She didn't tell you?"

"No," Kitt said softly.

"Apparently she's going to New York to visit her parents for an unplanned amount of time," he explained.

"Thank-you Devon…" Kitt replied and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him slowly.

For two hours Kitt sat silently in the den, the television on, but not taking any bit of interest in the soap opera. If someone asked what was going on, he couldn't have told them. It wasn't until Michael came in and sat next to him on the sofa that Kitt realized what time it was.

"Devon told me you found out," he said. "I'm sorry, Kitt."

Kitt didn't reply.

Michael saw that he was heartbroken, and even he didn't know what to say, if there even was anything he could say that would make Kitt feel better.

"She claimed she loved me, Michael, yet she leaves the state without telling me," he said. "Is that common?"

"Afraid not," Michael said. "She's just not for you, pal."

Kitt sat forward and folded his hands on his lap. "I guess not." In a way, he looked as if he was going to cry, but tears didn't flood his eyes. Kitt's sympathetic or angry reactions always had been remaining quiet.