Michael watched as his parents walked along the reflecting pool.  Hearing
the familiar engine behind him, he hopped up onto the hood. Sitting in the
middle with his legs crossed, his elbows on his knees and his chin in his
left palm, he continued to watch, lost in his own world.
 "What's on your mind Michael?"
 "I'm thinking."
 "About?"
 With a smile, Michael responded without lifting his head from his hand,
"you said the other day that you were trying to equate who I was before with
who I am now.  I guess I'm trying to equate my life before to my life now."
 "How so?"
 "Look at them," his parents were standing arm in arm, obviously still in
love, enjoying the beautiful grounds, oblivious to the goings on around
them. "That was what I used to want."
 "And it isn't now?"
 "No," Michael's immediate answer surprised himself.  "It's no where near
what I want now.  I...I love where I am.  The connection we have.  If I were
to become involved with someone, I'd have to share you and I don't think I
could share you."
 "Dealing with this situation has been difficult for me in many aspects.
Especially at this juncture in out lives.  But seeing you interact with
them, realizing the impact this is having, I realized.....I don't want to
share you either."
 Michael's head snapped around to look inside at the dark voice modulator.
The deep feelings he'd been trying to hide for Kitt were suddenly at the
forefront of his soul.  He'd never thought about the impact introducing his
parents to Kitt would have.  He'd failed to consider his best friend's
feelings.  And that disturbed him, that he'd been so self absorbed.
 "Michael," Devon realized he was interrupting an intimate moment between
the partners and hated to intrude.  "Jason is here."
 Jason had not failed to notice the look on his brother's face.  He'd never
seen that expression before.  He began to wonder just what the hell he was
doing.  Sighing quietly, Michael slid off the warm hood to join Devon and
his brother.  The Longs, having heard Devon's call had made their way over
as well.  They had been watching Michael for a few minutes and were greatly
disturbed by his actions.  Passing the Trans Am, they simultaneously threw
evil looks at the car.  Kitt shrunk inside. 'I am going to lose him and
there is nothing I can do about it.'  Discontented, he watched as the group
walked away.
 "What have you done?" The only female spoke up when she believed they were
far enough away from the car.
 "Excuse me?" Devon replied to the nasty question before anyone else could.
 Ignoring the surprised reactions, Dorothy continued, her blue eyes ablaze,
"teaming my son with that machine.  It's not natural."
 "Do I get a say in this?"  Michael was trying to keep his temper in check.
She was treating him like he was a child.  He glanced disbelieving from his
mother to the man he respected most in his life.
 "How can you?  You where thrown into this.   That.. That machine..."
 "Is my best friend."  He finished before she could continue her tirade.
"What is it about me you can't approve of?  Why can't you accept my
decisions?"
 "Have you're decisions considered what you're going to do after all this??"
Michael dropped his eyes guiltily.  " I see. What about your own needs,
starting your own family?  You certainly left this one behind in a hurry."
Eyes wide with shock and hurt, Michael turned away before something else was
said that he'd regret. Walking towards the woodland, he hoped to dispel the
gloom that had suddenly surrounded him.
 Devon was shocked beyond words.  He had never imagined anyone speaking to
Michael in such a manner.  He wasn't too surprised to see the black car roll
up behind them.
 "How could you do that to your own son?"  Kitt had listened in, getting
angrier and angrier as his driver's stance changed from the self confident
man Kitt knew, to the badly stung and shaken person who had walked beyond
the tree line.
 "Do what?  Keep our son from making another life ending decision??  I can't
believe I'm talking to a machine."  She finally turned to face the car.
 Kitt's scanner was tracking madly from side to side.  He'd never felt rage
like this before.  These people were supposed to care for Michael, not shoot
him down  "You're tearing him apart.   What is it about his lifestyle you
cannot approve of?"
 "You!"
 The car visibly reacted backwards before Kitt gunned the engine and tore
off across the grass.
 Turning to the small woman Devon let his feelings be known, "you have just
stricken the two most loving and trusting personalities I've ever known.
Maybe it's time for you to consider your son's wishes before you speak to
him again."  Dismissing them, he left to gain some control over his own
temper.

 "Michael?"  Michael barley heard the call through his comlink.
 "Kitt," he found his own voice lacking.
 "Please meet me at the road."
 Michael looked up through the trees to see his partner waiting for him.
 "It's no use Kitt.  It seems like everyone is out to get me."  Michael
literally fell into his car.
 "I didn't expect your parents to reject us both."
 Michael frowned, not understanding Kitt's statement.  "What do you mean 'us
both'?"
 "After you walked off....They claimed the reason they couldn't accept your
life, was me."
 His jaw dropped.  "Ohh Kitt, I'm so sorry for all of this."  He dropped his
head to the dash, closing his eyes, not wanting his partner to see just how
badly this was affecting him.

 Michael spent the rest of the afternoon and night with Kitt.  They had
parked in the garage at nightfall.  Bonnie had come in once, seeing Michael,
the far away expression, she decided leaving them alone would  be the best
course of action. Kitt wasn't sure if Michael had seen her.  He just kept
staring off into space.
 "Michael, you need to sleep."
 "I can't Pal.  My mind won't slow down enough to let me."

 In the early hours of the morning, Michael started the car and drove back
to the beach.
 "I'm gonna take a walk Kitt.  I just need some time."
 "But..."
 "Please Kitt.  I need to deal with this and I'm not getting anywhere at the
moment.  I won't go far.  I'm depressed, not suicidal."  His attempt at
humor failed miserably.
 "I'll tell Bonnie where we are."
 Michael nodded before closing the door.

    Kitt did not like this.
 As soon as he notified Bonnie of their whereabouts, she had come with the
semi.  Kitt needed some work, he knew, but Michael....
 If only they could find some kind of lead, something to lead them in the
right direction.  Something to stop the attempts on Michael's life and
possibly show his parents what a great team they were together.  He *was*
losing Michael.  Slowly but surely in the past thirty six hours he'd watched
Michael retreat more and more into himself.
 He conducted his quick scan of the area, as he had been doing every five
minutes.  The view from Michael's comlink showed he was still walking a fair
distance away.  Scanners showed no life signs in the area other than Bonnie,
Michael and the semi driver.  Kitt wished he wasn't cooped up in the semi,
he couldn't keep an eye on Michael like this.
 Michael was just too tired and emotionally strung.  Even when he could doze
off, his mind was too active to allow full unconsciousness.
 Kitt jumped inside his CPU, Michael's vitals had skyrocketed.  He quickly
ran a scan through the comlink.
   "Jesus, God no!" Before Bonnie could turn around Kitt had fired out of
the semi and spun off through the sand.  She walked to the edge of the ramp
with a feeling of dread, she had never heard Kitt swear before.  What she
saw, on the concrete roadway made her knees give way.

    "Hello Michael."
    "Hello Tanya"  Michael was doing everything in his power to not show the
fear causing his body to remain rigid while being faced by this woman, again
with a gun in his face.
    "Stop right there." She never took her eyes off Michael as the black car
approached.
    "How is this possible?" Kitt voiced the question that was running
though Michael's brain.
    "He isn't the only one who can survive a gunshot wound.  But I chose to
keep my natural assets."  Her eyes flickered to Kitt.  "I said not
another inch or I'll shot him.  You know I can."
    "If you do, the only thing between you and my wheels will be gone."
    "I've learned about you K.I.T.T..  I know you can't take a human life.
But I can."  The malicious smile on her face sent chills down Michael's
spine.
    Kitt took in Michael's vitals, his stance.  Everything that said he was
terrified. Just as Kitt was.  His thoughts of losing Michael sprang forward.
But he couldn't let this happen, not by the
woman who had brought them together.  But she could, and she might.  "You
don't seem to realize the conviction of my threat." Kitt's voice had taken
on a frightening tone.  One Michael had never heard before.  "You wouldn't
be the first to die under my wheels."
    This brought a small glimpse of fear into her.
    "Now, now my Dear.  Don't you think you've had enough for one day?"
Michael's eyes snapped from where they had been locked on Tanya to the man
now behind her.
    "But Cameron, I do enjoy watching a grown man die."
    "Not today."  With that he calmly turned around and lead her to the
waiting limo before driving off.
    Michael's body gave out on him.  Kitt was just fast enough to catch his
friend as his legs collapsed.
    "Michael?" It was more of a plea for forgiveness.
    "Would you?  Really Kitt, is it possible?" Michael's voice was full of
emotion.  Kitt just wasn't sure what kind.
    "I think so, under the circumstances I could have, I would have.  If she
had killed you, there would be nothing left..."  Kitt trailed off, not
wanting to continue down that train of thought.  It hadn't happened.
Michael was sitting, trembling badly in his hood.  Kitt prayed he hadn't
just crossed the line.
    Michael stood. Hearing Kitt's whimper, he slowly made his way to the
door.  Kitt popped it, hoping his friend would get in.
    Michael fell into the seat.  "Thank you."
    "For what?"
    "For standing behind me, and letting me know that you do feel as I do.
My life would also end if yours did."  With that, Michael placed his head on
Kitt's steering wheel, finally letting exhaustion claim him, knowing he was
safe.

part seven