While Bonnie quickly fell for Austin Templeton, I think she would be more hestitant with Michael because their relationship was important. Bonnie also isn't someone who makes decisions based on her feelings. In chapter 22, she listened to her heart and of course, the next morning her mind is taking over again.

Rating: Though not quite explicit, the rating is T for this chapter due to adult situations.

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 23

Her head was resting comfortably on Michael's bare chest as the bright sun woke Bonnie up the next morning. She remembered that she had forgotten to fully close the blinds last night because she had been distracted. Distracted first by her desire to be with Michael and then by the view of Michael leaving her bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his lower body after having made love to her. Her heartbeat rose quickly as she thought about the course the night had taken before they finally succumbed to sleep. She had thrown caution to the wind and ignored the voice of reason in her head which told her to slow down. Instead, she had followed her heart and told Michael that she wanted to make love to him. Reliving every tender moment, they'd shared and all the amazing emotions she'd experienced the night before, made her suddenly feel shocked by her own courage and guilty because she feared they had gone too far too fast.

She had known that she would start questioning her courage rather sooner than later. She was a scientist. Someone who trusted facts and not instincts or feelings. She never acted just because something felt right or good. Usually, she outweighed the pro and cons and then based her decision on reason. However, last night she hadn't let reason win and she had been rewarded with the best night she'd ever spent with a man. She didn't regret having given in to her feelings. No, this was what she had wanted, what she had longed for ever since Michael had kissed her. But why was she now overwhelmed with feelings of guilt? Why was her courage frightening her?

She hated these feelings, but she was unable to rid herself of them. Her heart was full of happiness, but her brain was now working overtime after having been put to silence the night before. The thoughts in her head now made her wonder how she should react when Michael woke up. Cuddling up to him and enjoying being close to him was what her heart and her body yearned to do. However, her nagging conscience caused her to feel uncomfortable with this idea. New possibilities entered her mind. Should she get up, take a shower and start preparing breakfast to avoid the awkward moment of the morning after? Should she even go to the extreme and pretend that nothing had happened? This option would be the easy way out and would help her get rid of the awkwardness she felt. But it wouldn't be fair to Michael and their relationship. It could endanger everything they had, and it would hurt Michael. And hurting Michael was the last thing Bonnie wanted to do.

She closed her eyes and remembered again every intimate moment they'd shared. She didn't want to ignore what happened. There was nothing she wanted to erase them from her mind. Their first night together had been perfect, breathtaking, and too wonderful to even consider pretending it hadn't happened. Even in her wildest dreams and fantasies, Bonnie had never imagined that being with Michael would be so fulfilling and unbelievable. She didn't want to undo it. She just wished she wouldn't feel so awkward.

Michael was still asleep, unaware that Bonnie's mind was working overtime and driving her crazy. She carefully untangled her arms and legs from his body and rolled away from him to the other side of her bed. She hoped her movements wouldn't wake him up. It was still too early to get up and Michael needed his sleep. Just like she needed time to think and to process the events of last night.

He woke up soon afterwards, missing the warmth of her body next to him. He opened his eyes, looking for her and being afraid last night had only been a dream. Finally, his eyes found her, and he noticed that she was lying far away from him, her face being turned to the other side. He reached out to her, but her body tensed up when he touched her. She hadn't done this the morning before when she had woken up in his arms. It almost seemed like she didn't want him to touch her. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

She hated how she felt. Her behavior was silly and immature. She shouldn't be so far away from him, let alone avoid looking at him. But now that her mind had won, she couldn't bring herself to forget about her fears.

"I…I think we made a mistake last night. We shouldn't have done this." Bonnie stuttered. Oh no, she thought. This wasn't what she had wanted to say. It hadn't been a mistake. Without looking at Michael, she quickly got up and fled away from the bed as it was on fire. She couldn't lie next to him anymore. She felt naked in her thin nightgown. Naked. He had seen her naked. Without clothes. Her face was turning red as this thought entered her mind. He was looking at her, but she couldn't face him. She shouldn't have listened to her heart. She had asked him to take things slowly and he had been fine with her decision. He desired her and was yearning to be with her intimately, but he had respected her wish. She knew that. Why had she suddenly changed her mind and told him that she didn't want to wait any longer?

Bonnie's words felt like a slap into his face. Why was she saying that them making love had been a mistake? Had she changed her mind about them?

He sighed. This behavior was typical of Bonnie and didn't surprise him. There had been several occasions when they had shared a moment of closeness and then the next minute, she had pushed him away. Usually, he had played along to make it easier for her. Not this time. Michael wouldn't allow her to push him away this time. "Bonnie, don't do this. Don't run away from us." He jumped out of her bed and followed her into the bathroom. He found her sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her head resting in her hands.

"Don't regret what happened. Last night was magical. I haven't felt as alive in years." He kneeled down in front of her while his hand reached out for hers.

She still looked down on the floor. "Michael, I don't regret what happened. But somehow I now feel that we should have waited. You told me to set the pace. And I did because my brain told me to wait and not rush anything. Because our relationship is special and important. But last night, I didn't want to listen to that voice in my head anymore. I wanted to be with you and to make love to you." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "And you are right, it was magical. And perfect. But why am I now worried that it was too soon?"

How could she tell him that a part of her was scared he'd lose interest in her, now that she'd been in bed with him? He'd be offended if she told him and he would have every right to. She knew he wouldn't do that to her. But deep down in her heart the old fears and worries kept coming up that somehow Michael would no longer desire her once she'd slept with him.

"I can't stop thinking about what will happen if for some reason we realize that our relationship won't work. That we confused friendship with attraction and love. What happens then? There is so much at stake, Michael. We would end up hurting KITT, Devon, and even RC. Our friendship would suffer even if we now promise that we are mature enough to continue working together." Bonnie confessed. This was another thought which kept haunting her. She didn't want to feel forced again to leave. "This was one of the reasons why I thought it was better if we waited a bit until we took the next step and became intimate. That and because I didn't want you to think that I'm someone who'd quickly jump into bed with a man."

"I've known you long enough to know that you don't sleep around." He reassured her. He would never understand why she felt so insecure sometimes. She was Bonnie Barstow, an expert in her field, one of the most intelligent women he'd ever met. And yet, when it came to accepting compliments and allowing herself to show feelings, especially for him, she became insecure. "We will make our relationship work. I'm convinced that this won't be a threat to our work. Because what we have isn't something that happened out of the sudden. We've known each other for a longer time than most other couples. You know me better than anyone else. You've seen me without clothes before, you've spent nights with me when I felt miserable after Stevie's death. You've touched my body before, though not as intimately as last night. We've been through so much together that one could believe we've been married for years." He noticed this made Bonnie smile. "And I've already met your parents."

Bonnie nodded while she listened to Michael. He was right, they were already so familiar with each other that it felt normal being together.

"Don't worry that we've gone too fast too soon. You were ready. You wouldn't have slept with me if you hadn't been."

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. She saw that he knew that she didn't regret what happened.

"And if you worry that I'm now going to lose interest in you because I got what I've been waiting for ever since we've met, you are wrong. I would never do that. You are way too important to me, Bonnie. And you are not a fling."

"These feelings of insecurity are driving me insane." Bonnie mumbled. "I never feel like this. I do questions things and usually prefer to do what my mind considers to be wiser. I guess having fallen for the wrong men more than once in the last few years has left me burnt."

"My track record on relationships gives you enough reason to doubt me. But this is no longer me. There is only one woman I'm interested in. You." He paused for a moment, pondering about whether he should tell her those three words that he had been wanting to tell her for a long time. "Because…. because…. I love you, Bonnie."

Her heart melted when she heard him say that he loved her. She had never doubted that his feelings for her were sincere. Hearing him say it out loud however made all her worries disappear at once. She slid down on the floor next to him and took his hand. "I love you too, Michael."

Her answer was rewarded with a huge smile on Michael's face. For how long had he longed to hear her tell him that she loved him and returned his feelings? He lifted her chin and kissed her deeply. "Stop worrying, Bon. What we have is good. And it will work."

She trusted him unconditionally. He believed they could make it work. And why shouldn't they? As Michael had stated before, they had been friends for such a long time, ignoring the growing feelings and attraction between them. Unlike other couples, they had a common ground, a steady basis, for their relationship. It felt natural to be with Michael, as if they had been together for a long time. And she loved when he kissed her.

He broke off their kiss, his hands combing through her long her. "It is normal that you are afraid. Trust me, it's freaking me out too." She looked at him in surprise and he explained why. "This is new to me too, Bonnie. The only real, grown up relationship I had was when I was engaged to Stevie. And this was a long time ago. In a different life, when I was Michael Long. Michael Knight never had a serious relationship. He's had dates and was involved with a few women but apart from you and Stevie, none of these were serious. As I told KITT once, I was only looking for companionship because I was lonely and didn't want to be alone." He looked into her eyes. "But this is how I want to wake up every day until the rest of my life. With you. You are the first woman I can see myself have a future with."

"We should have woken up happily in each other's arms. Not sitting in my bathroom and crying." Bonnie sighed. "I'm really sorry. I ruined this morning with my silly behavior."

He smiled at her and pulled her closer. "There's no need to apologize. Like I just said this is new for us. We have to get used to the change in our relationship. That we are together physically. That I'm finally allowed to see what is hidden under these coveralls."

He always knew how to lighten up her mood. "I could tell how excited you were."

He grinned. "Dr. Barstow, you completely surprised me last night. I was hoping you wanted me to stay for the night. I wasn't expecting you to have changed your mind though. Not that I'm complaining." He kissed her again. "This was the perfect ending to our trip and a wonderful start in our new relationship."

"I was surprised by my courage too. I realized that it was time to listen to my heart." Bonnie admitted.

"Speaking of that, mine tells me that we still have some time before we are supposed to meet Devon. Why don't we go back to bed for some more cuddling?" He proffered his hand to her, helping her up.

"I'd like that very much." She smiled at him and followed him back to her bedroom, wishing this morning wouldn't have to end soon.