Part XI

Kitt Knight reclined back on the rocking patio chair, putting his feet up on the bar that went diagonally between the legs of the table. Taking a quick sip of his tea and then opening up a book he found in the house's small library, Kitt relaxed to the simple sound of the birds that were perched somewhere in one of the bushes that surrounded the patio area. The day was perfect—cloudless sky, a warm January day, and not a disturbance of sound could be heard for miles. It was quiet. It was peaceful. And Kitt felt that after the past week, he and his friends deserved it.

The wind blew gently, sneaking its way under the roofed section of the patio that extended from the back of the mansion. Kitt looked up from the fourth page of the novel; he reached for his mug and took another sip.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Kitt looked over his shoulder, a little startled from the suddenness of a visitor, but couldn't help but smile nonetheless. "Yes, actually."

Nadine smiled; instead of sitting on one of the chairs already at the table Kitt was seated at, she pulled the chair from the next table over and brought it next to him. Kitt watched her and closed his book, not to mention being a gentlemen and taking his feet off the bar of the table.

"You don't have to sit up straight for me," she joked as she looked straight ahead at the path that led to the heated pool.

"How are you holding up?" Kitt asked, looking at her still broken arm.

"Its getting there, I suppose," she said looking down at her purple-cast. "You?"

Kitt nodded slowly. "My head's a little sensitive, so that's why my hair is out of shape."

Nadine shook her head and looked at the mess of brown hair on his head. "It doesn't look bad," she told him.

There was a very long moment of silence. Kitt eyed the mug of tea on the table, but felt it rude if he sat there and drank when Nadine had nothing. His index finger lightly taped the top corner of the book in his lap, his mind running through a few possibilities of conversation starters. Luckily on his part, though, Nadine fixed that thought for him.

"You know, I never really got a chance to thank you personally for what you did last week," she blurted out.

Kitt looked at her a little confused. "Not that I kept count, but you thanked me nine times since Tuesday, not to mention the four times that day after the police arrived."

Nadine shook her head and looked at her feet. She looked a little anxious, but couldn't get the words to form right in her mouth. "Actually, it's not just about that. I mean, I wanted to thank you personally for everything since I've met you. I had started that night when you were in the middle of you procedure, but I felt so embarrassed; then I was happy you didn't remember anything from that night 'cause I thought it was just nonsense that I was saying. But then when you came back, I wanted nothing more than to tell you everything again."

Kitt looked at her with a little surprise. He didn't expect her to go on like this. "Nadine, there's no need for anything else. You've thanked me; but I was happy to do it for you."

"I'm serious, Kitt," she said giving him big brown eyes. "I really don't know how you could put up with me. I mean, I was terrible to you—"

"And I understand you're reasoning behind it," he interrupted.

Nadine shook her head. "No, Kitt, I was completely out of line. Especially when I was saying you stole Scott's life and stuff. I had no right to say that. I didn't even know your story. And you know what? Until we were being chased by Robert did I even consider that you should be given a chance. But honestly, I never liked you more than the fact that you and I were both in the same car accident until you went into the hospital for your memory. Kitt, for some reason, just hearing your voice soothed me, and I forgot all of my problems. And since then I've been really thinking about you."

"Thinking about me?" Kitt repeated.

"Yeah," she said, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "You have no idea how happy I was to see you jump out of that car. And not because of the rescue….I was actually taken when I saw you trying to save me at first, instead of Michael."

Now it was Kitt's turn to blush madly. He could feel his ears getting a tad bit hot. "I don't know what to say."

Nadine shrugged. "You don't have to say anything…." She paused and looked directly at him. "Kitt…can I thank you personally now?"

Kitt turned his head to find that she was moving in her seat so she could lean over. He couldn't find his voice; his body was paralyzed for the moment. Nadine leaned closer, her eyes staring straight into his, which closed automatically when he could feel her breath on his lips. He felt her mouth brush up against his own ever so slightly; then she leaned in a little bit more to make the kiss complete.

Nadine backed away slowly, both their eyes opening to stare at the other. Kitt's heart was beating a mile a minute and he knew he must be as red as a tomato. Yet there was something in the back of his mind that bothered him. He looked away from her, his eyes resting on the faded picture of a mountain on his mug.

"Please say something," she practically whispered in a tense voice.

"Nadine," he started softly. "You know I admire you; you're brave, bold, smart, and very pretty. But I have this nagging feeling that you're still seeing me as Scott and not as myself. I'm can't pretend to be him for you."

"I know that," Nadine said, but not even in the slightest bit of defense. She had a feeling he'd say something like that. "Kitt, I'm being one-hundred percent honest when I say that I've fallen for that personality of yours." Kitt smiled. "You know, I heard what you and your girlfriend were arguing about. I was a terrible person and listened to the whole thing. And I have one thing to say to her—she couldn't have been more wrong."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely," Nadine replied with a large white smile. "I never believed you about the whole computer thing at first—I never thought it was possible. But you're more human than some humans are."

"I've heard that somewhere before," Kitt said with a small laugh.

"So," Nadine said after a moment passed. "Can we extend our acquaintance to a better friendship?"

"I couldn't have put it better myself."

Michael Knight carried the remaining mini-duffle bag Nadine had packed, wondering how he got stuck carrying all of her luggage while Kitt escorted her to the terminal. Bonnie would have joined them, had she not forgotten about her dentist appointment the previous day and had to reschedule it for the following morning.

Nadine watched the people entering the terminal for the plane bound for Phoenix, Arizona; once she arrived there, it was a two hour wait for her next flight that would bring her to Frankfort, Kentucky.

Nadine turned on her heels and looked at her two friends. "I know I've said this millions of times, and I'm sure you're sick of hearing it, but I can't thank you guys enough for everything you've done for me."

"You're more than welcome," Michael said with that friendly smile of his. "You come back soon, ya hear?"

"As soon as I sell my apartment and settle everything back home," she said with a nod. "Grandma is already for me to move back into her house with her."

"They said her house will be set by the end of February," Michael told her. "You better be back by then." He held out his arms for a hug and she walked right into them, putting her arms around his waist. "Bye Nadine."

"Bye, Michael." She turned to Kitt and picked up his hands. "I'll call you when I get there."

"I'll be waiting," he said with a small smirk. "As the French would say, bon voyage."

Nadine leaned her head up and gave him a quick kiss and then smiled as she stepped away, realizing that Michael wasn't aware of their stronger friendship. She gave him a challenging expression as she took her duffle bag from him, then turned to head down the terminal.

Kitt and Michael waited until her plane was off the ground and out of site in the distance. They started back for the car, the Knight Two Thousand since Michael was still without a set of wheels of his own. On the way Michael looked over to Kitt with a slightly confused face. "You and Nadine?"

"Hmm?" Kitt asked, pretending he didn't hear what he said.

"She kissed you good-bye? After hating you a few weeks ago, she's found the guts to kiss you like that?"

Kitt smiled. "Michael, I don't know what the fuss is all about. You always kissed the girl good-bye at the end of our missions."

"Yeah, but you're not one that believes in the same ritual," Michael said dryly.

"I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice, Michael," Kitt said with amusement as they arrived at the black t-top.

"Me? Jealous of you? C'mon!"

They got in the car and Michael revved up the engine. He pulled out of the parking spot, headed out of the lot and waited for the light to turn green at the exit. "I'm not jealous…just surprised."

"We've come to an understanding of each other," Kitt said simply, staring out the window.

"An understanding?" Michael asked with a laugh. "Kitt, just admit you like her."

"Michael, you're beginning to sound like my mother," Kitt told him with a small smile, although he still stared out the window to look upon a plane being backed out of its terminal.

"Kitt," Michael said with a rolling of the eyes, "you don't have a mother."

"Which is exactly my point," Kitt said only getting a reaction of laughter from his friend as the light turned green and they headed back to the Knight Foundation.

The End