Disclaimer: Glen A. Larson and Universal own the Knight Rider characters in this story. Bonnie's family and her family background were created by me.

Chapter 6

As Bonnie had predicated, Lilly and KITT immediately became friends. Within minutes, she told KITT everything about her and her family while KITT enjoyed listening to her.

KITT was also happy to see Bonnie's father whom he hadn't seen him since Wilton's death. When Bonnie and her team had created KITT, Jack had often visited Bonnie in the lab. He had been impressed with her work back then and he was very interested in the new features she had added such as SPM and EBS.

Luke was at loss for words and fascinated with the beauty of the car and the features of the dashboard. When he saw KITT pass by his restaurant earlier, he didn't know that he was his sister-in-law's creation. "Hey Mike, do you think we could go for a joyride late? This car is amazing." Luke marveled at KITT who enjoyed getting so much attention.

"It's so cool that KITT is a convertible now." Lauren noticed surprised. "That was a great idea, Bon. I didn't expect you to make KITT cool."

"Well, I have to admit that it was RC III's idea. He thought a man has to have a rag roof and at least 400 horses under him or life is just regular." Bonnie laughed and quoted RC III. "I'm responsible for the 400 horses. RC surprised us with the C-button."

"Wilton would be very proud. KITT was very important to him and he would be happy to know you are fulfilling his dream, Michael. He thought very highly of you." Jack remembered how important it was for Wilton to have KITT ready for Michael.

"Thanks Mr. Barstow. I hope I'll never disappoint him." Michael smiled at Bonnie's father. He was relieved that Jack wasn't as distanced as Bonnie's mother was. Despite Emily's obvious dislike for him, he enjoyed being with Bonnie's family. He wasn't offended by her mother's behavior as it reminded him of Bonnie's resentment towards him years ago. And just like her daughter, he believed Emily would change her opinion about him once she got to know him better. Meanwhile, he was bound to make sure Bonnie had a wonderful time at her parents and wouldn't regret accepting his offer. It was important to him to see her happy. They had fought most of the time in the first few months after he had become Michael Knight and now, they were sharing a bathroom in her parents' house. He secretly wondered how she felt about having him in her childhood home. What did she think of Lauren's and Emily's speculations about them being more than just friends and co-workers? And why did he suddenly ask himself how she felt about him?

"Can I stay with KITT until dinner is ready? Please!" Lilly asked Bonnie and Lauren and looked at them with big, begging eyes. The admiration everyone showed for KITT made Bonnie proud of her creation.

"No, sweetie, we have to help Grandma. But KITT won't leave. He'll be here for a few days, right Bonnie?" Lauren looked at her sister.

"Um…I don't know…." Bonnie realized they had never talked about how long they would stay in Boston. "It's up to Michael. Devon expects us back at work on Monday."

"We can stay until Saturday, if that's okay with your parents." Michael assumed Emily would not be delighted to have him here until Saturday, but he knew how much it meant to Bonnie to spend time with her family.

"Really?" Bonnie said to Michael. Michael nodded and gently pressed her hand. She blushed lightly and hoped no one would notice.

"That's wonderful." Jack smiled. "I can't tell you how glad I am that Devon gave you some time off."

"It only takes you a day to drive all the way back to Los Angeles?" Luke asked surprised.

"Yes, thanks to the Super Pursuit Mode Bonnie developed." Michael laughed. "I'll show you tomorrow. If we could use it for the entire trip, we could even stay until Sunday. But we would have to spend the night again on the road and sleep in KITT. I doubt Devon would appreciate having me back on assignment after having spent the day and night before on the road."

"We better go back inside. I believe dinner should be ready soon. We don't want to upset your mother, do we?" Jack turned to KITT. "Happy Thanksgiving to you, KITT."

"Thank you, Mr Barstow. It was a pleasure seeing you again." KITT replied. "And I'm very happy that I finally got to meet you, Lilly."

"Me too." Lilly reluctantly followed the others back to the house. She had just discovered that Bonnie had programmed KITT with several games and was eager to play some of them.

"I'll see you later, buddy." Michael told KITT. "Care for some turkey?"

"Very funny, Michael." KITT said to his partner. "Enjoy the dinner."

XXX

While Jack, Luke, and Michael went back to the living room and watched football again, Bonnie followed Lauren to the kitchen to help Emily with the food.

"Your husband should better help us with that turkey. Isn't that his job?" Emily sounded annoyed because neither Luke nor Michael and Jack offered to help. Lauren wasn't much of a help either because she was more interested in the football game and therefore kept disappearing in the living room.

"Mom, he owns a restaurant. That doesn't mean he's a cook. He already brought the turkey and he deserves some time off. Please, can't you just try to be nice to him? Just for today?" Lauren looked at her mother hoping she'd give Luke a break.

"Why don't you like Luke, Mom?" Bonnie often wondered why her mother still criticised Luke whenever possible.

"You are wrong, Bonnie. I don't dislike Luke. It's his behavior and his manners which sometimes irritate me." Emily sighed. Even on a holiday like today she thought Luke failed to dress appropriately for the occasion.

"She thinks he is not good enough for me." Lauren answered Bonnie's question. "Just like she thinks Michael is not good enough for you, sis."

"But Michael and I, we are not….." Bonnie couldn't finish her sentence because her mother interrupted her.

"You are not in a relationship with this Michael Knight, are you?" Emily finally asked what she had wondered all day. It wasn't the right moment for a conversation like that and she knew Bonnie would find a way to avoid giving her an answer. However, from the moment she had opened the door and seen Michael with her daughter Emily had noticed how close Michael and Bonnie were. She saw the hidden smiles, the blushes and the small gestures which made her believe that whatever was going on, it was definitely more than just friendship. "Why did you bring him anyway, Bonnie? You know that I don't like surprises like that."

"Mom, I'm only here because Michael gave up his vacation which he had been looking forward to. So, please be nice to him." Bonnie tried to reason with her mother. "He doesn't have family and he hasn't had a Thanksgiving dinner in years. I know I should have called and told you that I was coming after all and asked you if I could bring Michael, but I wanted to surprise you and Dad."

"You still haven't answered my question." Emily said when she heard footsteps in the driveway. The guest who she had invited was here.

"And I'm not planning on answering it." Bonnie replied as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

XXX

Bonnie quickly left the kitchen and opened the door. She was surprised to see Scott Saunders, a friend of the family, standing outside. She hadn't seen Scott since her graduation from MIT. "Scott, what are you doing here?"

"What a nice welcome. Hello Bonnie, beautiful as ever." Scott's face lit up and he stepped closer to kiss her on the cheek. "You didn't know I was coming? Your mother invited me for dinner."

"She did what?" Bonnie was too surprised to step back. Her mother had always liked Scott and she still hoped that Bonnie would eventually fall for Scott. But Bonnie didn't. They had too much in common and Scott's endless discussions on science and his interest in golf had bored even Bonnie. She didn't mind talking about computers at work or at conferences, but she didn't want to discuss only research or golf on a date.

"Ask your mother if you don't believe me. I ran into her a few weeks ago, shortly after I had moved back to Boston." Scott explained. He couldn't tell from the look on her face if she was happy to see him or not. He assumed that Emily apparently hadn't told Bonnie that he was coming. "You might remember that my parents moved to Florida a few years ago. Your mother didn't want me to be alone on Thanksgiving and invited me for dinner."

"How nice of her." Bonnie faked a smile. If her mother didn't want Scott to be alone on Thanksgiving, then she should understand that Michael shouldn't be alone either. "Come in. Dinner is almost ready. You can help us in the kitchen or join the others in the living room."

"I'll opt for the living room. I want to say hello to your father." Scott smiled at Bonnie. "It's really good to see you again, Bonnie. I missed you."

Bonnie didn't answer. She led Scott to the living room, then headed back into the kitchen. She was about to have a word with her mother, whether Emily liked it or not. "Mom! Why did you invite Scott for dinner?"

"Oh, this is going to get good." Lauren grinned and sat down on a chair next to the breakfast bar.

"He's already here? Wonderful. And stop yelling, Bonnie. Scott is a friend of the family. I didn't want him to be alone on Thanksgiving, just like you didn't want Michael Knight to be alone today. This is my house, and I can invite whoever I want." Emily replied, then changed the subject. "Is the broccoli casserole ready?"

XXX

Scott walked into the living room where Michael and Luke were trying to explain to Lilly what a touchdown was.

"Scott, hello. Emily mentioned that you would join us today." Jack looked up from his newspaper and saw him walk in. "I heard that you are back in Boston."

"Hello, Jack, it's good to be back." Scott smiled at Jack, then looked over to Luke and Michael. He knew that Lauren was married and assumed of them was her husband. But who was the other man?"

Lilly sneaked over to him. She pulled on his sweater and stared at him. "Who are you?"

Jack smiled at the curiosity of his granddaughter and started to introduce everyone. "Lilly, this is Scott Saunders. He's a good friend of Bonnie's and of course of our family as well. Scott, meet my granddaughter Lilly. She's Lauren's daughter. This is Lauren's husband, Luke, and this is Michael Knight, he's a friend of Bonnie's."

"Hi." Luke and Michael mumbled and turned back to the TV. From the corner of his eyes, Michael could see that Scott eyed him curiously.

"Since when are you interested in football, Jack?" Scott turned his eyes away from Michael and sat down next to Bonnie's father.

"Oh, I'm just keeping Luke and Michael company. Emily doesn't want me anywhere near the kitchen. If I remember correctly, you aren't a football fan either." Jack replied. "Aren't you interested in golfing?"

"That's correct. I think football is stupid. The rules make no sense." Scott said loud enough for Michael, Luke, and Lilly to hear.

"They make sense if Daddy and Uncle Mike explain them. And it's not boring at all, it's fun.." Lilly decided not to like Scott. "I think you are boring"

"Lilly, Scott is our guest. Remember that we treat our guests nicely?" Jack told Lilly while both Michael and Luke giggled hoping that Bonnie's mother would remember that.

Before Lilly could say anything, Bonnie walked in. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Dad, get ready to carve the turkey."

"I'll be on my way." Jack got up and headed to the dining room.

"We'll be right there. The game is almost over." Luke told Bonnie.

"And we are winning." Lilly added. "Michael told me what a touchdown is."

Bonnie laughed and smiled at Michael. "That's….that's great, Lilly."

"Does your mother need any help?" Scott asked. He felt uncomfortable around Luke and Michael.

"You could help her choose the right wine for dinner." Bonnie suggested and Scott quickly left the room.

"Thanks, Bon." Luke shook his head in disbelief. "This guy is really a friend of yours?"

"I don't like him. He's boring." Lilly told Bonnie and followed her to the dining room. "I like Michael better. He is cool."

"I'll tell you a secret, Lilly. I like Michael better too." Bonnie whispered into her niece's ear. She was glad Michael was still in the living room and couldn't see her blush again.