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

Chapter 7

While Scott was helping Emily in the kitchen, Michael went to his room to change into a clean shirt and his tie. He grinned at his image in the mirror as he tied it carefully around his neck. He rarely wore ties and he usually hated having to dress up, but he didn't mind tonight because he did it for Bonnie. The more time he spent with her the more he realized how much he enjoyed being with her and how close they had become. This was where he wanted to be. With her. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy again. He hoped he would have a chance to find out of her feelings were the same. But how would he be able to find out?

XXX

Luke followed Bonnie and Lilly to the dining room after he had watched the last quarter. Even though she had complained about all the work in the kitchen, Emily had outdone herself. The table was full of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, a broccoli casserole, and yams.

"Wow that smells great. And it looks amazing." Michael walked into the dining room and admired the food. "I'm starving."

"You are always hungry." Bonnie laughed. Secretly, she stole a glance at Michael and noticed how handsome he looked. "You'll love the turkey. The food in Luke's restaurant is very good. We can go there tomorrow if you want."

"Sure, I'd love to. From what you told me, I bet I'll like it." Michael smiled at her. She had also changed into a blouse and a matching skirt and he thought she looked beautiful. He hoped Scott wasn't the reason why she had dressed up. "Bon, can I ask you a question?" She nodded, and he continued. "Who's this Scott guy?"

"Are you jealous?" Lauren joked as she told Lilly where to sit. She could tell that Scott's presence seemed to bother Michael.

"He's an old friend of the family. Scott and I went to school together, then he moved to Florida with his family. He came back to Boston recently." Bonnie explained quickly. She felt the need to tell Michael that he didn't have to worry about Scott. "My mother really likes him. He's the son she never had. But I didn't know that she invited him."

"I'm not surprised your mother likes him." Michael mumbled quietly and looked into her eyes. "He's everything I'm not."

Before Bonnie could tell him that she preferred Michael over Scott, Luke walked over to her and Michael. "I don't like him. And I somehow think he doesn't like us either."

XXX

"Thanks again for inviting me for dinner, Emily." Scott said as he helped Emily in the kitchen. He was genuinely happy to be a guest in their house.

"I'm glad you are here, Scott. It's so nice that you are back in Boston. We missed you here." Emily smiled at Scott. He was handsome, friendly, and came from a good family. Emily thought he was the perfect man for Bonnie.

"Well, Bonnie and Lauren didn't seem to be too excited to see me." Scott opened the wine bottle. His brows furrowed and he wondered why Bonnie hadn't been more welcoming.

"Don't worry about it. You know Lauren. She is not polite because she knows it upsets me. And Bonnie is overworked and tired. She worked long hours before her break and spent the last days in the car. She may have been overwhelmed and surprised to see you. I didn't tell her that you were coming." Emily explained Bonnie's behavior.

"I was looking forward to seeing her again. I feel like it's been forever since we went to school. I barely hear from her." Scott regretted that Bonnie didn't stay in touch when she had moved to California.

"She works a lot. I doubt she has much time for anything else. I can barely get a hold of her either." Emily hoped to remember to tell Bonnie that she should work less.

"Emily, who is this Michael Knight?" Scott finally asked curiously. He had noticed the glances that Michael and Bonnie had exchanged earlier in the living room. "Jack mentioned he was a friend of Bonnie's. You didn't say that she was bringing a friend."

""Don't worry about Michael, Scott. He's just someone Bonnie works with. Nothing more." Emily put a hand an his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. "I didn't know that he was coming. I have to admit that I'm not too happy that he is here as I don't like having unexpected guests. But he drove Bonnie to Boston and it would have been rude not to let him stay. Apparently, his car is really fast."

"I hope you are right." Scott remembered the time when he and Bonnie had been in school and had gone on a few dates. "Maybe Bonnie will give me another chance. We were perfect for each other."

"I am right. A mother would know, wouldn't she?" Emily said encouragingly. "Bonnie was too young back then and only interested in getting perfect grades. She made a mistake. Maybe we can change her mind and make her realize that she should give you another chance." Emily looked around and handed Scott a few wine glasses. "I think we are done here. Come on."

XXX

"Sit down everyone. Lauren, you, Luke and Lilly are sitting on this side. Scott, you are sitting next to Bonnie and Michael. Jack, please carve the turkey." Emily said as she and Scott walked into the dining room.

"I want to sit next to Bonnie and Michael." Lilly protested as she had to get up from her chair again. "Michael is really cool, Grandma."

"I think she has a crush on you, Michael." Lauren laughed. "Sweetie, he's too old for you. Besides, you don't want to make your Aunt Bonnie jealous, do you?"

"No, of course not." Lilly shook her head and Bonnie blushed again. She wondered if anyone had noticed. "Lauren, I told you…"

"Sit down, Lauren." Emily looked at her daughter while she rearranged a bowl on the table. Lauren's comments seemed to make Bonnie feel uneasy while Michael enjoyed Lauren's teasing.

"So, Michael, is this the first time you've been to Boston?" Scott asked Michael as both men sat down next to Bonnie.

"Yeah, it's my first time here. I've always wanted to visit Boston, but I never had time. I have to thank Bonnie that it finally worked out." Michael smiled at her. Without anyone noticing it, he put his hand on her hand which rested in her lap. It was worth the risk. If she pushed him back, he'd know she didn't want him to.

Bonnie smiled back at him as she felt Michael take her hand. Her heart was beating faster when he gently pressed it.

"Emily said that you and Bonnie work together. Are you a cyber technician too?" Scott didn't like the longing look Michael and Bonnie exchanged.

"We work together but I'm not a computer freak like Bonnie. She's the brain. I'm doing the field work." Michael was getting annoyed. He didn't like being questioned, especially not by someone like Scott. "So, you and Bonnie went to school together?"

"That's true. We've known each other for a long time. We went to high school together and later we both went to MIT. We were inseparable." Scott smiled at Bonnie. "Remember our prom, Bonnie? I'll never forget that night."

"I actually forgot it." Bonnie mumbled. Maybe she wouldn't have forgotten if she had already known Michael and gone with him instead of Scott. She could have accepted other invitations. But she didn't as she felt obliged to go with Scott. Instead of dancing, Scott had started a discussion on the statistics of accidents on prom night. Bonnie pretended that she needed to use the bathroom several times, then told Scott she wasn't feeling well so that she could go home.

"Who wants turkey?" Jack was finished carving the turkey and looked proudly at his family. Bonnie was relieved that Scott was now busy with his food and had stopped talking about the past.

"Mmm, this tastes wonderful." Michael said to Emily and Luke.

"Thank you, Michael." Emily replied. "I'm sure it's a bit fancier than what you usually eat. I heard that you are quite fond of junk food and hamburger joints."

"What?" Michael almost choked on his turkey. He raised his eyebrow at Bonnie. What had she told her mother about him?

"Don't look at me. I didn't tell her anything. Maybe Devon told her. Or she's guessing." Bonnie whispered.

"What's wrong about hamburger joints?" Luke quickly came to Michael's defense. "My restaurant was first a hamburger joint and people loved the food. You've got taste, Michael."

"I like hamburgers. They taste a lot better than turkey. Can I have a hamburger, Grandma?" Lilly asked her grandmother.

"This is Thanksgiving. It's about tradition, Lilly. That's why we are eating turkey." Emily explained. Hamburgers on Thanksgiving. She shook her head. What was Lilly thinking? "And we tell each other why we are thankful. We should have done that before we started eating." She cast a stern look at Luke, Lilly and Michael who had all already begun to eat. "Do you want go first, Lilly?"

"Ok." Lilly squinted her eyes and thought very hard for a moment. "I'm thankful that I get to eat hamburgers often, that we are happy, and that Bonnie is here and that I got to meet Michael and KITT."

"That was good, Lilly." Lauren chuckled and bit into her biscuit. "Bonnie?"

"Um, ok. I'm thankful to be here. Without having to fly." She started, then paused. "Therefore, I especially thank you, Michael, for everything you've done for me in the last few days. Thanks." Bonnie kissed his cheek and whispered. "I'm also thankful that you didn't wreck KITT this year."

Michael grinned. He carefully touched his cheek where Bonnie had kissed him. He could still feel the touch of her lips. "Well, I'm thankful that you are happy, Bonnie. And I'm also thankful for you, Devon and KITT. I wouldn't have survived this year if you hadn't been there for me." He remembered how Bonnie, KITT, Devon, and also RC had helped him after Stevie's death. He would have been lost without them. "And thank you, Jack and Emily for letting me spend Thanksgiving with you."

"We are happy you are here, Michael." Jack smiled at him. "Scott? It's your turn."

"I'm thankful that I ran into Emily last week and I'm thankful to see you again, Bonnie. I missed you." Scott said hoping she'd give him a kiss too.

"You are welcome, Scott. We are glad to have you here." Emily and Jack smiled at him while Bonnie didn't react.

Lauren rolled her eyes and changed the subject even though she, her parents and Luke hadn't yet said what they were thankful for. "I really have to visit you and Michael in Los Angeles again. This weekend was so much fun. Well, not for you, Bonnie."

Bonnie hoped she could stop Lauren from sharing too much information about her last visit. "This time you have to bring Luke and Lilly."

"Do I really want to know what happened, Lauren?" Jack sighed. His youngest daughter always liked to be adventurous and wild.

"It wasn't that bad, Dad. Let's just say we had a very good time. Didn't we, Michael?" Lauren would have loved to talk about everything that had happened. She knew however that this wouldn't help Michael.

"I remember, Lauren." Just like Bonnie, Michael didn't want to talk about that evening in front of Bonnie's parents. He tried to make Lauren understand that it wasn't a good idea to go on.

"I wish you moved back to Boston, Bonnie. California is not the right place for you." Emily interrupted Michael and Lauren and Bonnie quickly sighed a breath of relief. She'd rather have her mother complain about her work or her being so far away than discussing Laurin's visit any longer.

"Mom, it's my home now. And I love my job. Bonnie replied. She had left FLAG once and when she returned, she vowed not to leave again.

"California isn't that bad, Mrs. Barstow. I've lived there most of my life." Michael told Emily. "And don't worry, Bonnie's apartment is in a good and quiet neighborhood and Devon and I always make sure she's safe."

"Well, if you think so." Emily said. "Who wants dessert? We have pecan pie and pumpkin pie. And ice cream too."

XXX

"Well, this wasn't so bad." Michael laughed as he and Bonnie took a walk after dinner. It was a cold but beautiful night. Snow flakes were falling down and the stars were shining brightly.

"You must be kidding. Were we sitting at the same table?" Bonnie cast Michael an apologizing look. "I'm really sorry, Michael. I had no idea that Scott would be there, and I should have told Lauren before not to mention her visit."

"You warned me. I knew that your mother wouldn't be thrilled to have me here. But it's okay, Bonnie. It's nice to be in a family for Thanksgiving. And you are happy. That's what is important." Michael put his arm around her shoulder.

"You don't know how much this means to me." Bonnie enjoyed being outside with him. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that she didn't want hide her feelings for him any longer.

"My mother actually is quite nice. But I complained a lot about you when we started working together because I didn't know you back then and I thought you weren't serious about your job and about KITT." She explained. "That's why she is so unfriendly. She thinks you are not good enough for me and that you are irresponsible. I need to have a talk with her."

"It's okay, Bonnie. I doubt she'll listen. She seems to be a bit stubborn – just like you." Michael pulled her closer. "And you were right, I was a bit irresponsible when we met. And I loved to tease you. Besides, I complained about you too. I thought you were arrogant and bossy. Poor KITT had to listen to my rants. Of course, he defended you. You know you almost drove me crazy because you always turned me down. I wondered why my irresistible charm didn't work on you."

"It did work but…but I didn't trust you. You were seeing so many women, I didn't want to be one of them." Bonnie almost whispered. She had wanted to go out with him, but she had been afraid to get hurt.

"You would have never been just one of them. You would have been the only one." Michael now faced her and looked into her emerald eyes. He would have loved to kiss her and show her how much she meant to him. But how would she react? Would she believe him now? "But you trust me now, don't you?"

"Of course, I do. I trust you with my life. I already trusted you when KARR and Tony had kidnapped me. I knew you would save me." Bonnie admitted. He was so close now that she could smell his cologne. She was still processing his words. She would have been the only one.

"Well, who would have fixed KITT if I hadn't saved you?" Michael teased her, hoping he hadn't scared her with his confession. He knew he had to be careful. Bonnie wasn't just any woman and he was aware that she was afraid of getting her heart broken.

"Oh, that was the real reason ... I see." Bonnie laughed. They were still looking at each other and Bonnie was wondering if one of them would be brave enough to do what they both were longing for when the door of one of the neighbors' houses was shut loudly. Both were startled by the noise and the moment was gone and they continued walking to the driveway where KITT was still parked. "Hi KITT, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine, Bonnie. I'm a bit lonely though. I was hoping you and Michael would stop by." KITT replied.

"Sorry, buddy, that we didn't come by before we left for our walk." Michael sat down in the driver's seat after he had opened the passenger door for Bonnie. "But you know that I would never forget you."

"I know, Michael. I also know from the information in my databanks that Thanksgiving is about food and family and I assumed that dinner would take a little longer. Bonnie, your niece is very nice. I like her." KITT told Bonnie.

"She likes you too. And Lauren and I think she has a crush on Michael." Bonnie laughed.

"Really? But Michael, you are too old for Lilly." KITT said quickly. "Judging from my observation, the average age of the women you usually go out is…."

"KITT, stop it. They are kidding. Lilly likes me because I'm not as boring as Scott." Michael interrupted KITT. He didn't want him to talk about the women Michael had gone out in front of Bonnie. "Bonnie, I'm starting to worry about your taste in friends."

"Is that the young man who came for dinner? Is he a friend if yours, Bonnie?" KITT had noticed Scott's arrival and had searched his databanks if he was a relative.

"Well, we used to be friends, but I haven't seen him in years, KITT. I'm sorry that he made you feel uncomfortable and wouldn't stop asking you questions, Michael." Bonnie apologized again.

"Bonnie, it's fine. He's just insecure. That's why he's so arrogant. I also think he's interested in you." Michael wondered how Bonnie felt about Scott. Was he the type of man Bonnie was interested in? He barely knew anything about the men in her life. She never talked about relationships or dates and if he hadn't worked on the cases, he doubted he would have known about Simon Grant and Austin Templeton.

"He's not. And even if he is, I'm not interested in him." Bonnie slid out of the passenger seat and closed the door. She noticed that Michael seemed to be relieved to hear this answer. "KITT, my dad said that you can park in the garage over there. It's more comfortable than the driveway. "I'll let you guys alone for a while. Good night, KITT." She walked around the car. "I'll see you later, Michael."

"Good night, Bonnie." KITT said. "Please tell your father that this is very generous of him."

Bonnie nodded, then walked towards to house. She hoped Scott was going to leave soon. She didn't like the thought of having to listen to his anecdotes for the rest of the evening.

"Ok, buddy, give me all you have on Scott Saunders." Michael asked KITT as soon as Bonnie was out of sight.