Disclaimer: Glen A. Larson and Universal own the Knight Rider characters in this story.
This is another oneshot I wrote a long time ago and posted on Live Journal back then.
This story takes place shortly before the beginning of Season 3
Undecided
"Devon, I need a break".
She only said four words. Four simple words. Words which had changed everything and which she had pondered upon for a long time.
Even now, almost a year later, Bonnie still remembered every detail of her conversation with Devon when she had told him that she wanted to leave the Foundation. Devon was surprised and wasn't happy with her decision. Bonnie remembered the look on his face very well when the word had sunken in and he almost begged her to reconsider choice. He was disappointed and sad. Sad to see her go and leave their team.
The decision wasn't easy for her. She loved her job more than anything else in the world. KITT was everything to her. She enjoyed working with him and with Devon and Michael. But suddenly she felt that she had to leave them and take a break. A break from them.
Why? Devon wanted to know. She couldn't tell him why as she didn't really know back then. She still didn't know. How could she walk away from a job that she loved so much and from people who meant so much to her? Part of her assumed that it was because of her fear that something could happen to KITT and Michael and she could not do anything to prevent it. There had been the incident when Graham Deauville had brainwashed her and made her reprogram KITT. Bonnie hated herself for tampering with KITT's programming. It happened once and she was scared that it might happen again. She shuddered to think what could have happened if Michael hadn't stepped in and stopped her and Deauville. How could she have been so mean and manipulate KITT while he trusted her? Of course, there was also another reason. One that was handsome and had blue eyes and usually drove her crazy with his reckless and disrespectful treatment of his equipment. One for whom she cared more than she allowed herself to admit.
She let Devon believe that the offer from the university was too good to refuse. It was a chance for her to do research and to be a part of the post-graduate program. It was an answer that sounded reasonable and made him stop his questioning. She couldn't tell him she was worried she might put the team in danger again and she didn't want him to know that she was scared her feelings for her co-worker would continue growing.
But was it right to leave the Foundation because of her fears? What would happen if "the other woman", KITT's new technician, was brainwashed and Michael wouldn't be able to help her? What if KITT was damaged and she couldn't fix him? Was she willing to do anything for KITT? Did she love him as much as Bonnie loved him? How was KITT doing anyway? How had her leaving FLAG had affected him? How she could have abandoned him?
Was it time to come home? She had been gone long enough. She missed her FLAG family. And she missed her job. Although she liked working at the university and pursuing her research, she was not fully committed to it. Her heart was not in it. It did not make her as happy as working at the Foundation had.
Bonnie sighed and put away her research notes. She wasn't able to focus on them anyway. All she could think of was her old life. She had tried to ban it from her mind, but suddenly she couldn't stop thinking about how much she missed it. This was Devon's fault. He had called her a few days ago and had mentioned that they would be in San Francisco soon. They. Him, Michael and KITT. He had hinted that they wanted her back. But Bonnie had turned him down. Again. Now she wondered if turning him down was the right decision. It seemed reasonable to her as she was about to submit her project to MIT. But was staying at the university really her future? Would it make her as happy as work with KITT? Maybe she was ready to come back. Maybe her break was indeed over.