A mass of something cold and wet landed heavily in Michael's lap. He jumped to his feet and frantically swatted it away, toppling the beach chair he'd been dozing in.

"Seaweed?" Bonnie's incensed voice snarled from behind him. He spun around guiltily. He'd seen Bonnie angry before. She'd even thrown a wrench at him when he'd somehow managed to tear a circuit board from its home. Now, however, he feared for his life. He hadn't considered Bonnie capable of murder, but now he wondered if he'd been wrong in that assumption. She glared up at him, tightly clenched fists trembling at her sides. Her carefully controlled breathing hissed through clenched teeth as she waited for him to explain.

Except he had no explanation this time. Only excuses. All the other damage he'd ever caused KITT had been in the line of duty. Saving lives and catching criminals was dangerous work, after all. The seaweed was there because KITT had mentioned during a particularly nasty thunderstorm that his circuitry was water resistant. The urge to drive KITT through the shallows of the ocean had possessed Michael then and there and haunted him during the long drive back to California from the plains of eastern Colorado.

He'd filed the paperwork, answered the questions, and clarified what needed clarification, then asked for the weekend off. KITT had no reason to suspect there would be trouble when Michael told him they were going to the beach. Michael chose a rarely visited section of beach, drove KITT down to the water line, then into the shallows. When the water lapped over Kitt's hood, Michael apologized and gunned the engine.

Water shot up around them like a peacock's tail. Michael whooped in pure, unadulterated joy as KITT cut cleanly through the water. After maybe 50 feet, he returned KITT to dry land. Michael was too exhilarated to notice KITT's furious silence or the arrival of the semi. Water resistant circuity didn't mean a waterproof engine bay…

"KITT didn't stop me!" Michael blurted. It wasn't fair but it was true. KITT had stopped him from doing stupid shit before, so he figured KITT would stop him if this oceanic stunt was too stupid. Bonnie glared at him in slack-jawed shock, and Michael knew he'd really, really fucked up this time. "Bonnie, I'm sorry! I didn't think –"

"You never do!" she spat, turning on her heel and storming back to KITT. Michael sank quietly down to the sand, suddenly cold despite the heat of the day. What had he done? He prodded at the drying seaweed dejectedly, wondering what else he'd damaged. Bonnie was right about him not thinking. Molecular shell and advanced AI aside, the Trans-Am was still just a car. He never would have done that with his old car. What had made him thing it was okay to do that to KITT? Oh yeah… water resistant circuitry. Shit shit fuck shit!

He looked over to where Bonnie fussed under KITT's hood. She seemed calmer, at least from where he sat. There'd been no panicked run to the semi to suggest critical damage, and she hadn't killed him yet. Maybe the seaweed was the worst of it? Unless… The turbines. KITT hated sandy or dusty roads. Michael always thought that KITT was just being a bit of a princess about the dirt. He ducked his head when Bonnie glared over at him. It was the first time she'd acknowledged him since dropping the seaweed in his lap, so he figured the look was in response to something KITT said. The guilt returned with a wave of nausea. Michael hoped KITT wasn't trying to defend him. This was entirely Michael's fault; he knew better than to go pulling stupid stunts like that!

The slamming shut of a hood snapped Michael to the present. He had to assume KITT was okay now. The commlink beeped from his wrist. "KITT, I'm so sorry," he said. "I swear I'll never do anything like that to you again. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"You're lucky Bonnie had the prescience to make my engine as Michael-proof as possible," came the tart reply. Michael wondered at what point Bonnie realized that she'd need to Michael-proof KITT. "Your heart rate and breathing are elevated," KITT continued, softer. "Michael, I'm fine." Of course KITT was fine. Michael wouldn't be alive to talk to KITT if the AI hadn't been fine.

Still… "KITT… gods, I'm so fuckin stupid."

"You're only human. Mistakes are to be expected. The err is human, after all. However, since forgiveness is divine, I wouldn't expect Bonnie to forgive you anytime soon. She's the one you need to apologize to."

"I know, I know," Michael groaned. "I think I'll wait until she'll let me apologize without killing me first, though." He dragged himself to his feet and toward the shelter KITT provided. "You think she's ever gonna talk to me again?"

"To give you her exact words?" KITT asked. He keyed up and replayed Bonnie's expletive-laden response. "Not for the next week, at least," he summarized at the end of the tirade.