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 24

Breakfast at Bonnie's apartment had always been a meal Michael enjoyed immensely. The smell of freshly brewed coffee combined with delicious pancakes or bacon and scrambled eggs made him briefly forget the grief he had felt whenever he had spent the night on Bonnie's sofa. Oftentimes, he had wondered if she prepared these breakfast items only because she knew how much he liked them. It wasn't only the food Michael enjoyed. Sitting at the breakfast table with Bonnie meant he wasn't having breakfast alone. Her keeping him company, watching him devour and praising the food she especially made for him was what he needed and what helped him get through the dark months after Stevie's death.

He took in the smell of coffee as he left the bathroom to join her into the kitchen. Coffee was what kept Bonnie going. There were days when she practically lived on coffee. Handing her a cup of coffee when she was fully immersed in her work showed her that he was aware of how hard she was working for him.

She felt his eyes on her while she was busy preparing pancakes for their breakfast. Blueberry pancakes. One of Michael's favorites. He had never told her, but she knew what he liked to eat. This was a characteristic he loved about Bonnie. She paid attention to what he ordered when they went out to a restaurant or ate at the mansion and to everything he mentioned in a conversation. Even she had to pack his bags for an assignment, she made sure to pick clothes he liked and needed and items that made him appreciate her attentiveness in his bag.

His heart was full of love as he watched her. How could he have been so blind and not seen what had been right in front of him all these years?

The stack of pancakes was waiting for him at the table. Bonnie had already poured coffee in his mug. She was still in the kitchen, rummaging in the cupboard to find some cereal for her yoghurt.

His eyes were still fixated on her as she finally sat down across from him. Although they hadn't gotten much sleep, Bonnie looked radiant and as beautiful as always. He wondered how she managed to function on only a few hours of sleep most nights.

Hungrily, he devoured the first pancake, then helped himself to a second one while Bonnie refilled her mug with coffee.

"I'm sorry about this morning. I really am." He heard her say after she had emptied her mug again. She still felt embarrassed about her reaction caused by her being surprised about her own courage. If Michael hadn't woken up shortly after she had left his arms, she would have had enough time to ponder about what had happened the night before and to reevaluate the situation instead of panicking and overreacting. Luckily, Michael knew her well enough and wasn't offended by her reaction. However, she felt she owed him another apology and an explanation. "After Austin had fooled me, I swore that I'd be careful the next time I'd get involved with a man, even if I trusted him. No matter how long I'd already known him."

Austin Templeton. The magician Bonnie had been so fascinated with that she'd believed him and even defended him when Michael accused him of being a murderer. Michael had always wondered how intensely Bonnie had been involved with him.

"When we finally admitted to each other how we felt, I was torn. I wanted to be with you so badly, wanted to feel you and to be close to you. However, I didn't want to break my own resolutions either, although I knew that you weren't like Austin and what we have is real."

This was hard for her. Bonnie wasn't someone who talked about her feelings easily and Austin Templeton was still a sore spot for her. Michael didn't need to hear more. He took her hand and pressed it gently. "Bonnie, it's okay. You don't have to apologize or explain."

She shook her head and refilled her mug. Again. Michael noticed that it was third mug since they had sat down. He assumed that she had already had at least one mug in the kitchen. "I want you to hear this. It's important to me that you understand why I overreacted and was freaked out. Trust me, it wasn't because of you. It was because of me and my guts. Because I was longing for you and I didn't want to ignore it. Last night, I was impulsive and I'm usually not like that. But when you have been burnt before, you get careful. I was so surprised by my own courage that I panicked. And then you doubt your courage. Even if what happened was good and you deserve to be happy."

She paused and took a sip from her coffee. "I've never doubted how you feel about me. I don't regret that we made love and I can't wait to make love to you again." She saw his face light up. "I didn't mean it when I said we should have waited and that what happened was a mistake. It was me being freaked out. And it wasn't fair to you." How she wished she could undo her what she said and make her words disappear from her and his mind. "You have been so wonderful and so patient with me. Only few men would understand that I was afraid of my feelings."

Michael bent over and kissed her. It meant the world to him that she opened up to him and explained her worries. It was important for their relationship that neither of them would keep anything a secret. "This is good, Bonnie. Us being honest about everything." He smiled at her. "I would lie if I said I wouldn't have wanted to make love to you at the inn. But it was okay and I truly enjoyed just holding you in my arms."

"I bet none of the women you've been with in your past would have asked you to wait." She said quietly while avoiding his gaze.

"Maybe. But that doesn't matter. You are not like them. You are special. You are the woman I love. I haven't been as happy in a long time and I would have been fine with waiting. You are worth waiting for." He reached over and lifted her chin. Why was she always selling herself short?

His words made her face light up. "I'm glad we didn't wait. And I should have listened to my heart and not the voice of reason in my head and should have never asked to take things slowly and wait in the first place."

She reached for her coffee again while glancing to the flowers Michael had given her on her birthday. They still looked pretty, even though her birthday had been days ago. "What would have happened if you hadn't remembered my birthday this year and hadn't come by?"

Michael propped his elbows on the table, his chin resting on his left hand. "Hard to say. It was odd. Usually, I'm gone the minute Devon tells me that he'd giving me time off. He's cut my vacation short so many times and therefore I leave before he has a chance to change his mind."

She nodded, aware of what he was talking about. She'd been witness to Michael returning angrily to the semi or to the mansion from a cancelled trip several times.

"This time however I felt no rush to leave. Maybe it was because I knew that Devon was on a plane and couldn't ask me to come back." He continued, explaining how he and KITT were cruising through the street without knowing where to go. "I had no plans. The beach was an option, or the mountains. But no destination felt attractive to me. It was as if something was holding me back."

He hadn't realized it until now. The feeling that something was stopping him from leaving Los Angeles was his heart who had been trying to tell him that Bonnie was still there. That he should be with her and not alone on the beach or in the mountains.

"When KITT told me that you were still in town, I knew what to do. I didn't want to be alone and I didn't want you to be alone either. Maybe I was still in denial about my feelings for you and wasn't aware of them, but I felt that I wanted to be with you." His mood had changed the moment he had made the decision to take Bonnie to Boston. The restlessness had been gone. Even if she hadn't insisted on him staying at her parents' house, he wouldn't have regretted his decision to make sure she was home for the holiday. "How would you have spent the week?"

She had asked herself this question on several occasions this past week, had wrecked her brain about what she would have done on Thanksgiving if she had stayed in Los Angeles. "Honestly, I have no idea." She admitted to Michael. "Probably nothing except for sitting here, moping about having nothing to do and hoping that you wouldn't damage KITT or come up with crazy idea again such as paragliding."

Remembering his creative way of entering The Retreat more than two years ago, he grinned. Bonnie had been furious when KITT had complained to her how Michael had abused him.

"Part of me would have wondered whether you would be having too much fun on the beach. You know what I'm referring to." She quickly got up to put their plates to the kitchen. Admitting that she had feared he could meet someone during his vacation and have an affair or even fall in love with another woman made her feel embarrassed.

Her confession surprised him. Occasionally, especially during their early days at FLAG, he had seen her jealous when he showed interest in other women. Most times, he had assumed it was because she was worried he could neglect KITT while being distracted. He hadn't noticed any feelings of jealousy when she returned to FLAG. She had even introduced him to her neighbor Jean after she had moved into her apartment. Had she only pretended not to care so that he wouldn't notice? Or had their growing closeness after Stevie's death caused her to worry he might find someone else before she had the courage to tell him how she felt?

He followed her into the kitchen, carrying their mugs to the dishwasher while she was rinsing their plates in the sink. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back closer to his chest. "Were you jealous?"

Jealous? No, she hadn't been jealous. Concerned was the right word. And afraid. Afraid that he wouldn't need her anymore. That another woman would take her place. That he would never know that she loved him. "No, not jealous. I was worried that you would meet someone before I could admit to myself and to you how I felt about you." She leaned into him. "I think this was also the reason why I didn't tell you that I wasn't going home on Thanksgiving. I didn't want you to change your plans just because you felt sorry for me. I didn't plan on mentioning it to KITT either. It just happened. I guess I hated the thought of being alone."

He bent down and nuzzled her neck. "To be honest, I didn't want to be alone either. And I was happy when I found out you hadn't left. Now I know that you were the reason why I was so undecisive about what to do with my vacation. Because my heart wanted to be with you."

"That's why my heart made sure I told KITT. It knew he can't lie to you." She turned to him and kissed him. "I love you, Michael."

"I love you too." He whispered and kissed her back trying to ignore the beep that came from his comlink.

"Michael?" The sound of KITT's voice interrupted their kiss. "I'm sorry to disturb you. However, you seem to have forgotten about the time. Devon expects you and Bonnie soon. You shouldn't keep him waiting.

Michael sighed. He had briefly forgotten that their break was over. "We'll be right with you, buddy."

"I'll get Devon's Sloppy Joe's." Kissing him one last time, Bonnie slowly pulled out of their embrace and opened the fridge.

"I hope this case won't be too complicated." Michael mumbled as they grabbed their jackets and left Bonnie's apartment, his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. He wanted to be close to her for as long as possible before he would be forced to leave her for the next few days.