Thank you for the reviews. Chapter 16 is finally uploaded. Sorry that it took longer. I hope I'll be able to upload Chapter 17 soon. It is already finished but not yet edited. Hope you'll enjoy Chapter 16.

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 16

Bonnie hurriedly walked out of her bedroom once she was dressed. She peaked into Lauren's room and noticed disappointedly that it was empty. Michael must have already headed downstairs. She wondered whether he had sensed that she wanted to talk about the kiss and had therefore left quickly to avoid a conversation with her. She shook her head trying to get rid of the doubts in her head. There was a simple explanation for this. Michael was probably starved and was already having breakfast. He hadn't waited for her because he didn't want to give her mother any reason to believe they had spent the night together.

She headed for the kitchen, a smile on her lips. She had left the house last night upset and unhappy. The evening had taken a pleasant turn when Michael had surprised her at the symphony. However, their argument at the bar had almost ruined their budding romance. Bonnie was relieved that her stubbornness hadn't prevented her from realizing that Michael was worried about her.

Michael turned around when he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. She looked gorgeous as always. No one would have guessed she had almost cried herself to sleep and had barely slept. Even when she didn't sleep enough, she was always able to hide any traces of it. He smiled at her as she walked into the room. "Your mother outdid herself. The breakfast table can compete with the breakfast bar at the Foundation." He handed her a mug of coffee. "I thought you'd want your coffee first."

As she reached for the mug, their fingers touched and again, Bonnie felt butterflies in her stomach. Their hands had touched so many times before when she had handed him a mug, a soda can or a file or when they had walked hand in hand. She'd never experienced such an intense reaction before because she hadn't allowed herself to have any feelings for Michael. But these past few days and especially their kiss this morning had changed everything.

Their eyes met, her hand still touching his. Did Michael feel the same? Was he going to kiss her again now?

His eyes lingered on her while he still held on to her coffee mug. He wanted to kiss her and continue the magical kiss they'd shared this morning. He saw the expecting look in her eyes which showed him that he hadn't misinterpreted anything. Bonnie had feelings for him, and she had finally found the courage to listen to her heart. They were, however, standing in her parents' kitchen where Emily or Jack could walk in any minute and therefore this wasn't the best place for a private, intimate moment. He couldn't kiss her again, even though he wanted to so badly. Not now.

"Careful. The coffee is hot." He said forcing himself to let go of the mug and her hand.

Hot. Had he chosen this word on purpose? It had suddenly felt hot in the kitchen and Bonnie was certain that Michael was going to kiss her. But he hadn't. Her gaze still lingered on him as she felt his hand pull back from the mug and she silently cursed herself for having gotten her hopes up. She had misinterpreted the signals. It was merely a friendly gesture as he knew how desperately she needed coffee in the morning.

She signed inwardly and wished she wasn't so cautious when it came to Michael. Any of the other women who Michael met on his assignments wouldn't have hesitated and would have seized the opportunity to kiss Michael. But she wasn't like them and she would never have the courage to make the first move.

She forced herself to smile as she took a sip from her mug. She didn't want Michael to know that she was disappointed. She was used to hiding her feelings and to pretending as if everything was fine. She quickly filled her plate with fruit and toast and followed him to the breakfast table.

XXX

Emily waited until Michael and Bonnie were finished with their breakfast before she walked into the dining room. She had watched them from the open door to the kitchen for a while and couldn't help but notice the longing glances whenever the other wasn't watching. There was no doubt that they were in love.

Michael finished breakfast and got up to refill Bonnie's coffee. He smiled at Emily as he spotted her in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Michael." He was surprised that she smiled back at him as she followed him to the dining room.

"Bonnie, can I talk to you for a second? Alone?" Emily asked her daughter as Michael handed Bonnie the mug.

Michael sensed that it was important for Emily to talk to Bonnie, so he happily gave them some privacy. "I'll get our bags." He squeezed Bonnie's shoulder gently before he headed upstairs to get their bags and put them into KITT's trunk.

"Um, sure, Mom." Bonnie signaled her mother to sit down at the table, wondering whether she was going to give her another lecture on her love life.

Emily sat down on the chair next to Bonnie. "Bonnie, before you tell me to stay out of your life, I have to apologize to you."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow while Emily continued with her apology. "I was so glad to see you, but as you might have noticed, I wasn't happy when you mentioned that you had brought a guest and that Michael would stay with us as well."

"This was obvious." Bonnie mumbled.

"I didn't know him, and I didn't care that he was the reason why you were here. I was worried that his presence could ruin my plan to reunite you and Scott. You see, Scott's mother and I have always dreamed about you and Scott getting married one day. It would have been a perfect match - you are both intelligent and smart and our families have been friends for a long time. I was reminded of our dreams when I ran into Scott a few weeks ago and when I found out he was still in love with you." Emily explained. "You only talk about your work whenever I call. You always dodge the question when I ask you if you are seeing someone. Therefore, I assumed that there wasn't a man in your life and that you'd be willing to give Scott another chance."

Bonnie had never talked about her feelings or boys who'd liked her with her mother. She was always closer to her father, though she also shared some of Emily's interests. No one knew, however, what was going on inside her. She never allowed anyone to look into her mind and therefore she never felt the need to discuss boyfriends with anyone, neither with her parents, her sister, her girlfriends nor with Michael, Devon and KITT.

"All I could think of was that I was hoping you would finally realize what a wonderful man Scott is. That's why I invited him for dinner and why I asked him to go to the symphony with you. He still loves you, Bonnie, and he would be good for you. I don't know what happened between the two of you in college. Maybe you were too young for a relationship or too focused on your studies." Emily remembered how devastated she had been when Scott's mother informed her that Bonnie had broken up with Scott. Bonnie had never told her what had happened. She hadn't even found it necessary to let her know that she wasn't seeing Scott anymore.

"Mom, this is my life." Bonnie was ready to defend her decisions and to tell Emily to stay out of her life when Emily interrupted her.

"Please let me finish, Bonnie. Scott knows that you don't love him. We talked and he told me that you won't give him another chance. I'm not happy about it. But I have to learn to accept it. It won't be easy, but I'll try." This was very hard for Emily. She hated to admit that she was wrong, and she was sad that Scott wouldn't become a part of her family. "I'm very sorry, Bonnie. I shouldn't have tried to play matchmaker. And I'm sorry about the way I treated Michael." Emily hoped Bonnie would believe her.

"Mom, I've always told you that Scott is just a friend." Bonnie told her mother hesitantly. Her mother's change of heart had surprised her, and she wasn't sure whether she could believe her. "He is a nice guy, but he's just not right for me."

"Bonnie, as I said I was hoping you would change your mind once you saw him again. I tried even harder after I noticed how close you and Michael are. I was worried that with Michael being here you wouldn't have time for Scott. That's why I didn't want to like him, and I didn't treat him nicely. I'm really sorry about this." Emily explained. "I've seen the way you look at him. From the moment I saw you with him I knew that you were more than just friends and co-workers. I became worried. I remembered how often you complained about him and therefore, I tried even harder to set you up with Scott." Emily sighed. "I still don't think Michael is right for you and I worry that you could get hurt, but I know that I can't tell you who you should like and how you should live your life."

Bonnie gave her mother a questioning look. She wasn't convinced that Emily had had a change of heart. "Are you really serious about this, Mom? I find it hard to believe that you've suddenly decided not to worry about my life anymore, especially after what you did yesterday." Bonnie was still angry that her mother had set her up and had forced her to spend the evening with Scott.

"Fine. Don't believe me. I apologized to you." Emily snapped. She immediately regretted her outburst. This wouldn't help convince Bonnie that she was truly sorry.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Mom. I know how much you've wanted your dream to see me with Scott come true." When she was younger, Bonnie had always done what her parents expected her to do. But not when it came to her career and her happiness. She wouldn't be with Scott only to make her mother happy. "It's Michael you insulted. You should apologize to him." Bonnie said when Michael walked into the kitchen and interrupted her.

"Are you ready, sweetheart? Lauren just arrived to say goodbye." He smiled at her, then remembered that he had just walked into a private conversation and that Bonnie and her mother might still be in the middle of their talk. "Or do you need more time?"

"No, it's okay. We've just finished our conversation." Bonnie looked at her mother. She saw tears in Emily's eyes, and she hoped Emily would apologize to Michael before they left. "I'll see you outside, Mom." She smiled at her mother, then took Michael's hand and followed him outside.

"What was going on in there? You weren't fighting, were you?" Michael whispered on their way to the garage. He had noticed the tense atmosphere when he interrupted Bonnie and Emily.

"Well, no, we weren't." Bonnie whispered back. "She apologized for her behavior. She says she is sorry that she gave you a hard time and that she tried to play matchmaker between me and Scott. I didn't believe her first, but she has really changed her mind."

"Emily Barstow realized that she was wrong?" Michael was surprised. "Why the sudden change?" They had reached KITT and Lauren interrupted them before Bonnie could answer.

"It was so good seeing you, Bonnie. I'll miss you." Lauren hugged her sister tightly. "I told Scott last night to give up on you. I think he already knew that you weren't interested in giving him another chance." She whispered into Bonnie's ear. "But you should give Michael a chance."

Bonnie looked around to see if Michael overheard Lauren. She was relieved to see him standing next to her father who had joined them outside.

"Don't let him slip away." Lauren added. She let go of Bonnie and walked over to Michael and Jack. "And you, Michael Knight, you take good care of Bonnie, okay? Don't let her work too much."

"I promise." Michael grinned. "Come visit us soon, okay?"

Lauren nodded. "I already told Bonnie that we'll visit you soon."

Jack said goodbye to Bonnie, then turned to Michael. "It's was good seeing you again, Michael. Wilton was right, one man can make a difference. And that's what you did. Thanksgiving wouldn't have been the same without Bonnie. Thank you for making sure she was able to spend it with us, Michael." He paused briefly. "You are always welcome here, Michael. Why don't you spend Christmas with us if Devon doesn't make you and Bonnie work during the holidays? I'm sure Bonnie would like that."

"Um, Jack, thank you very much. But are you sure that's a good idea?" Michael said hesitantly. He liked the thought of spending Christmas with Bonnie, but he didn't want to upset Emily again.

"It's a wonderful idea." Emily had walked over to Michael and Jack and had overheard Jack's invitation. "We would love to have you here over Christmas."

She turned to Michael who was completely surprised by her reaction. "Michael, I have to apologize to you. I didn't treat you very nicely and I'm sorry for the way I behaved. This was out of line and I hope you accept my apology."

"Thanks, Mrs Barstow." Michael could tell it wasn't easy for Emily to apologize. Therefore, he decided not to make it harder for her and to accept her apology. "Apology accepted."

"It's Emily, Michael." Emily said with a relieved tone in her voice. "And thank you."

"Okay, Emily." He smiled at her, wondering what had caused her to change her mind about him. "Looks like we are good to go. You are ready, buddy?"

"Yes, I am ready, Michael." KITT replied. "Goodbye Mr Barstow. It was a pleasure seeing you again. Bye Lauren. Please tell Lily that I said hi. Goodbye, Mrs Barstow."

"Goodbye, KITT." Lauren, Jack, and Emily said while KITT secretly snapped a photo of Bonnie and her family.

Bonnie hugged her parents, then slid into the passenger seat. Michael started the engine and backed out of the driveway. "Ready to go home, beautiful?"

"Yes, I am." Bonnie smiled at him and leaned back onto the seat as they slowly left her parents' driveway and headed towards the interstate.