Disclaimer: Glen A. Larson and Universal own the Knight Rider characters in this story.

A Knight's Christmas

Chapter 21

"He won't be alone on Christmas? Would you care to explain what this is supposed to mean?" Devon looked at April in surprise while Bonnie held her breath. Did April know about her and Michael? Was she going to expose their secret?

"Well, it means that he won't be by himself during the holidays. Isn't that what you wanted, Devon?" April eyed Devon questioningly. Wasn't it obvious what she said? Sometimes, she wondered whether there was a language barrier between her and Devon. She had used simple words, understandable for everyone. And yet, Devon looked at her as if she spoke a foreign language. He had reacted similiarly before and therefore, she tended to explain his confusion to her ideas, suggestions, or statements with the fact that he was British.

Devon's face still showed signs of uncertainty as he was unsure what April was implying. Her reasoning sometimes seemed a bit misunderstanding to him, and he could not always follow her immediately. Bonnie on the other hand fought hard not to jump off her chair and confront April.

"My dear, unfortunately, I can't follow you. I'm slightly confused about what you are trying to tell us."

April let out an exasperated sigh. She had told them twice that Michael wouldn't be alone on Christmas. Why was it so difficult for him to understand what this meant? A brief glance over to Bonnie was proof that she had expressed herself clearly. Bonnie knew exactly what April was implying and the fear in her otherwise angry look showed April that her suspicion was right. Bonnie was spending Christmas with Michael and now, she was worried that April might expose her secret.

It would be easy for April to inform Devon what was going in behind his back. She had no doubt that Devon would believe her. It wasn't her secret to tell though. They probably had a reason why they hadn't told Devon. Michael was her friend and although he had remained quiet when she had confronted him about his relationship with Bonnie, his silence had showed her that Bonnie was very important to him. April knew Michael well enough to be able to tell when he was serious about a woman. She had only seen him look at a woman as adoringly once before. This woman had been Stevie. And now it was Bonnie.

She wouldn't risk losing Michael's trust and their friendship. Both were way too important to her. April, however, could live with upsetting Bonnie. She doubted that Bonnie would seek revenge and plot against her. Bonnie wasn't this type of woman. But, deep down in her heart, April still hoped that one day she and Bonnie would become friends. She admired Bonnie's intelligence and her calm personality. Exposing her secret would bury even the slightest chance of a friendship.

"You said you are worried about Michael being alone on Christmas." She began to explain slowly. "And I explained that he wouldn't be alone. So there's no need to worry."

"And what makes you believe that he won't be by himself? As far as I know he will be driving up or down the coast by himself. He neither mentioned that he would have any company nor that he would have plans to visit anyone. " Devon tried to remember which information Michael had shared about his vacation plans.

"This is correct, Devon. You see, I noticed that you feel uneasy about this. And then an idea came to my mind." April leaned back in her chair, noticing that Bonnie secretly let out a breath of relief. "You remember that I'm spending Christmas with my sister Laura, don't you? Since Michael plans to drive up the coast, I decided to ask him to give me a ride to her house. That would give us lots of time to catch up on things. Knowing that Michael Knight is a gentleman, I was sure he wouldn't object. And he didn't."

April's words left Bonnie speechless and astonished. She felt the anger rise again and tried hard not to give vent to her feelings. Once again, she was close to tearing April apart.

Instead, she took a deep breath and leaned back into her chair. There was only one explanation for this. April was lying into Devon's face. Michael hadn't mentioned any of this to her and he had told her several times how much he was looking forward to the two of them spending some time together. He would never ditch her for April and he wouldn't lie to her.

Unless April, who was known to be quite determined when she had set her mind, hadn't given him a chance to say no. This was a possibility which Bonnie couldn't rule out. If this was the case when was Michael going to break the news to her that their trip had to be cancelled? And how dare April to simply decide over Michael?

April noticed Bonnie's severe gazes at her and ignored her. She had to continue what she started as Devon was waiting expectantly for her to go on.

"You know that Michael is practically family to Laura. After all he did to help save Becky's life. You remember my niece Becky, right? Becky adores Michael and she loves KITT. She will beg him to stay." Bonnie's eyes grew wider as April continued with her explanation. "Michael won't be able to resist Becky looking at him with her big eyes. And we all know how much he appreciates being in a family on a holiday. Devon mentioned that he spent Thanksgiving with your family." She looked knowingly at Bonnie. "So, no reason to worry. Michael won't be alone on Christmas."

It was a lie. A simple lie. A lie that would allow Michael to spend Christmas and his short vacation wherever he planned to do and especially with whoever he wanted to be. A lie that would protect his secret if there was a secret. A lie which would take a load off Devon's chest. And a lie which made Bonnie furious.

"I see." Devon nodded approvingly. "Once again, April, you're ahead of me. While I was still contempleting how to prevent that Michael will be alone, you already came up with an idea. Well done, my dear." He smiled at her. "There's no reason for me to worry anymore now that I know Michael will be spending Christmas with you."

He stood up from his chair and walked over to Bonnie and April. "I'm glad I asked you to come see me. Talking to both of you was very helpful. I'm positive that with your help Michael won't have a relapse this Christmas."

"I guess I chose just the right moment for my visit." April beamed excitedly while Bonnie snorted angrily.

She couldn't watch April's cheerfulness and her audacity any longer. She would explode if she didn't leave now. "Since I no longer seem to be needed here, I hope it's okay if I go home now. It's been a long day."

Bonnie's words made Devon feel guilty that he had kept her busy with the preparations and his worries. "Of course, Bonnie. You certainly deserve some rest. As I mentioned before, your work has exceeded my expectations today. The ballroom looks spectacular." Devon returned to his desk. "I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night."

Bonnie wondered if he even realized that she wasn't only tired but furious as well. He seemed to be blind when April was around. And he wasn't the only one. Why did so many men fall for April?

She shrugged as she left the office. There was no need for her to stay a minute longer. She'd return to her workstation where she had left her purse and her keys, then head to her apartment She wasn't going to stay at her room in the mansion tonight. Not with April sleeping in her old room, probably hoping for Michael to knock on her door or sneak into her room. Had this happened in the past when Bonnie wasn't around?

"Bonnie, wait." Bonnie heard April's voice behind her as she approached the garage. If April expected her to stop, she was wrong. There was nothing she had to discuss with her now.

"Wait for me. I need to talk to you."

Bonnie didn't slow down. April, however, was persistent and kept following her.

"I owe you an explanation, Bonnie."

Me? Bonnie looked at her in surprise. "You don't owe me anything."

April nodded vehemently. "Oh, I do. You see, I've watched Michael a lot today and I noticed how relaxed he's when you are around. He feels safe with you and it's obvious that the two of you are quite close. Therefore, I didn't want to do this behind your back. But I had no chance earlier."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"I just lied to Devon." April blurted out. "I've never lied to him before and I feel really bad about it. He didn't leave me a choice though." She paused again. "It was a lie when I told him that Michael would give me a ride to my sister's house. Not that he wouldn't do this. I just didn't ask him. I noticed how worried Devon was and this was the first thing that came to my mind. I didn't want Devon to worry. He may not believe you when you said that Michael is feeling better this year. But I do."

A lie. Bonnie felt relieved and guilty at the same time. Relieved because it wasn't true. Guilty because she had doubted Michael.

"When talking to him earlier, I had the impression that Michael has planned something important for his vacation. He didn't mention anything though but there was this sparkle in his eyes. He only vaguely told me the same he had told Devon. That he would be driving up or down the coast. To be honest, the Michael I know always bragged about his plans. So I came to the conclusion that he won't spend his vacation alone but he doesn't want Devon to know. He's probably afraid Devon might get a hold of him at some point and make him come back sooner than planned. Which wouldn't be the first time that his vacation got cut short." She looked at Bonnie knowingly. "Anyway, for some reason he doesn't want Devon to find out where he's going. So this idea crossed my mind and I told Devon he'd be with me. Which I think was brilliant thinking on my part. Michael now has the perfect alibi for his holidays plans. And Devon's mind is at ease because he believes Michael will be at my sister's house. Wasn't this a good idea, Bonnie?