The Knight is Still Young

Chapter 45

After their ice creams Bonnie and Ashley finished off their shopping, buying a couple of new clothes and other things for Ashley, such as a couple of new novels, which the young girl was very happy to have.  When they got back to the Foundation mansion, Miss Barstow was very happy to see her boyfriend and she threw her arms around him when he came to meet them.

'Hey there, how was shopping?'  Michael asked.

'It went very well and there's something I'm just dying to tell you.'

'Oh really?'  He asked, raising a brow.  'Well do tell.'

Bonnie was about to explain when she had a thought.  'Maybe we should discuss this in your room?'

'If that's what you want then let's go.'  He took the bag she had been holding in one hand, and with his free hand he held hers.  He led her up to his bedroom and once there he deposited the bag on the bed and sat beside it.  'Alright, so what's got you so excited Bon?'

'When we were out, Ashley started talking to me about, well, us.'

'Us?  Hold on Bonnie, I thought she was happy for us, is she not?'  He asked, concerned that maybe he had been misreading his daughter and maybe he hadn't seen that she wasn't as happy as the thought.

'That's just it.  She said she really is happy and she wants me to be her mother.'

Michael's eyes widened in surprise, his brows shooting up at the news.  Smiling, he gently pulled Bonnie into his arms, hugging her as he looked into her eyes.  'Bonnie that's great!  What did you say?'

'I said I'd love to be her mum.'  She replied with a beaming smile.  'I'm really happy.'

'So am I.  I love seeing my girls get along.'  He leaned in and kissed her softly.  'But there is something I need to tell you.'

'Hmm...'  Bonnie's brow furrowed slightly.  'The way you say that makes me think this isn't something good.'

'Well...  It's not bad, it is actually a good thing.  Devon thinks he found a lead on Durant.'

'When did that happen, why didn't you call and tell us?'

'Because, it means that we're going to have to go back to work stations and I'm a little concerned on how this is going to affect Ash.'

'You'll need to tell her soon so that you can go after him.'  She looked into his eyes.  'Just promise me that you'll come back to us, and that you'll make sure that they're put away in jail.  Don't do anything rash.'

'You have my word Bon.  I promise.'  He nodded his head slightly, keeping eye contact to let her know that he meant what he was saying.

'Thank you Michael.'  It worried her to think about him going after Durant again, but she knew he had to do it.  Someone had to bring him to justice for all that he'd done.

'I'll always come back to you Bonnie.'

'And I'll always be here for you.'  She kissed him tenderly.  'But you know, you should tell Ashley so that you can get out there and solve this case.  The sooner this is over things will be better, for all of us.'

'I agree.  I just...'

'Don't want to hurt Ashley's feelings.'  Bonnie supplied, knowing what he had been going to say.

'Yeah.'  He sighed.

'But she will take it better from you if you tell her now and give her a little time to process rather than asking Devon or I to tell her after you've gone.'

'You're right.  So I'll go do it now.'  He kissed her temple.  'Thanks Bon, I love you.'

'I love you too.'  She smiled softly then gave him a gentle shove.  'Now go on and stop stalling.'

'Alright, alright.'  He laughed and went downstairs to find Ashley talking with RC3.  'Hey you two.'

'Hi dad.'  The young brunette beamed at him.  'Did Bonnie show you what we bought?'

'Not exactly, but you mind if we have a chat?'

Michael didn't want to have to tell her that he was going out to face the monsters they'd been chasing for so long, but he knew Bonnie was right.  He couldn't keep this from her forever so it was easier to be up front about it.  He just hoped that she wouldn't panic.

'Sure dad.'

'Great.'  He forced a smile and took her hand, leading her into the sitting room so that they could talk alone.

'So what did you wanna talk about?'

'Well,' Michael breathed a quick sigh and reached out to take her hand.  'I'm going to have to start working again soon.'

'Work?'  She asked, her brow knitting together.  'You mean it will be back to the way it was at the start?  With you barely ever around?'  She didn't like the sound of that, not one bit.  No way was she letting him start running off again.  'No.  No I don't want you to.  Why can't you stay with me?  Why can't we be a family?  Like we are now.'

'Ashley, we will always be family.  No matter what.'

'But how can we be a family if you're not here?'

'I will be here, I won't leave you.'

'What if you don't have a choice about it?  What if...  Someone gets you.'

'No one's gonna get me.'

'But how do you know?'

'Ashley, you can trust me.  I know what I'm doing, and you can count on KITT to protect me.'

'I...  But...  I want you to come home.'

'I will come back home I promise you that, sweetheart, but I've got to bring the bad guys to justice.  So that they can't hurt people again.  So they can't hurt you.'  His blue eyes were like stormy seas, reflecting his worry for her.  'I can't let them take you away from me again.'

Ash kept her gaze trained on his, her own eyes reflecting his emotions.  She felt just as worried for him as he was for her.  However, she didn't like the idea of being taken from him anymore than he did, and if he got the bad guy then he would be saving other people too.  'Ok daddy...  Just come back.'  She wiggled over and snuggled with him, allowing him to cradle her in his arms.

'I will Ash.  I will.'