�It�s a private emotion
That fills you tonight
And the darkness falls between us
As the shadows steal the light�
- from �Private Emotion�, Ricky Martin
 

�Endless Night�
by elfin
 

Almost falling from the back of the Limo, the two women giggled as they wove their way across the moonlit drive toward the illuminated mansion.
�You never could hold your drink,� one accused the other, teasing.
�You were the one who dropped your glass on that poor man�s foot!� came the sharp retaliation.  There was a moment�s silence before the laughter erupted between them once again.
Suffering in silence, one of the maids opened the front door and admitted the two drunkards, who found their own way into the back living room.  The fire was burning in the grate but there was no one else about.  With a few well-chosen, polite words to the maid who had let them in, one of the women arranged for their supply of wine to continue now they were home.   The other sat down on the arm of one of the two long sofas and let herself fall back along the soft leather cushions.

A few minutes later, Bonnie lay down on the deep carpet, her fingers resting around the base of a crystal glass filled with an expensive Chardonnay.  Kathleen�s glass hung from her hand as she turned to lie on her side, studying Bonnie carefully.  It had been at least a year since they�d last seen one another.  They�d been at MIT together, and become firm friends.  Kathleen now ran her own, highly profitable Computer Games company.  She didn�t pretend to understand why her wildly intelligent friend hadn�t gone in the same direction.

�So�� she slurred the word suggestively, �how�s that madly handsome man of yours?�
Bonnie had to think for a moment.  Then the light dawned.  �You mean Michael?�
Kathleen�s eyebrows furrowed.  �Of course.  Who else would I mean?  Don�t tell me it�s all off?�
Bonnie nodded, rubbing her black hair in the luxurious white carpet.  �It�s all off.  He�s not mine anymore.�
�He dumped you for someone else?� Bonnie didn�t respond.  �What a bastard!�
�It�s� not what you might think.�  It wasn�t a simple question.  The answer, of course, was yes.  Michael had dumped her for someone else.  But it had been a someone else who had more claim on him than she�d ever had.  A someone else who could probably have asked for and received his affection at any time over the last two years but hadn�t done so.  Michael had reached for Kitt, not the other way around.

�Then what is it?� Kathleen was regarding her friend now with curiosity.
�You remember I told you, about the neuro link developing between Michael and his partner?�
�Yes.  You were worried but you said he was getting used to it.�  She tried to guess where Bonnie was going with this and found herself incapable.
�Well� he got used to it, and found in the end that he couldn�t keep Kitt� at a distance any longer.�
Kathleen tried without success to wrap her mind around what her friend was saying.  �I�m sorry, you�ve lost me?  Define �at a distance�.�
Bonnie sighed.  �When Michael and I used to make love, he�d block Kitt, keep him out of his mind and cut off.�
�And Kitt didn�t like that?�
�Michael didn�t like it.  They�ve always been so close�.�  She let the bittersweet emotions into her voice.  �The link just gave them something they�d been missing but not known about until it was there.�
Finally, Kathleen caught on.  Her mouth dropped open.  �He left you for Kitt?!�

Bonnie chuckled.  �Don�t sound so amazed.�
�Bon, Hon, you�re a beautiful woman.  Kitt�s� well, a car, to put it bluntly.�
�But not to Michael, not before and especially not now.  Kitt�s a� another presence in his mind, a warmth that�s always close to him.  Having that feeling must be addictive.�
�So Kitt�s an obsession?�
Bonnie sat up, sipping her wine, reaching one hand out behind her to balance herself.  �They are one another.  Michael shares everything he is with the other person in his mind.  I understand how difficult that must be to hold back when he doesn�t want to.  And I love Kitt.�
A knowing smile curved Kathleen�s lips.  �But� you still resent him.  That tiny, tiny piece of your heart that loves Michael, that craves his touch, his passionate kiss�.�  She lowered her voice.
Bonnie shook her head.  �You don�t have to rub it in!�
�You should fight back!�
�I can�t!  It�s not another woman here, it�s the one person in this world I love more than Michael, I could never hurt him in a million years.�
Kathleen gazed at her.  �You don�t think he�ll start longing for a woman?  You know what men are like!  If they don�t have a hot, willing body in their clutches once every three days they de-evolve!�
Bonnie laughed, but she shook her head.  �I seriously doubt I, or anyone else, could convince him he needs a woman right now.�
Kathleen�s eyebrows rose.  �And how much would you bet on that?�

*

To be fair, Kathleen had contacted Devon Miles to assist her in finding the person stealing her game code from under her nose before she�d made the wager with Bonnie.  But she was enjoying herself immensely.  It was a fresh challenge that was making her feel like a woman again after ten years of playing the hard-nosed businessman in this male-dominated world.

She and Michael had made progress in finding her internal leak, and over the last two days she�d found her worries lifting and her feminine side kicking back a little to enjoy the pleasures life had to offer.  She�d changed her style of attire - that had raised a few eyebrows in the office, not to mention other things.  She had a damn good figure and this personal goal she�d set herself had reminded her of that fact among others: she was a woman, and there was more to life than work and money.

Bonnie had tried to call it off, of course, and when she�d told her old friend not to be so defeatist she�d had to start taking up most of Michael�s time to stop him from answering Bonnie�s calls.  She�d worried at first that Bonnie would simply tell Kitt, and the AI would make Michael aware of what she was up to.  But apparently Bonnie didn�t want to burden her baby with the knowledge of the bet she�d made while under the influence of drink.  Kitt was, in a way, her child.  What parent wanted their kids knowing of all the naughty things they got up to while drunk?

She�d had to work fast though, because of that, and so she�d turned up the sexual heat and snared him within an hour of their first meeting.  He was handsome.  She�d only seen photographs before, but he had a dark something she couldn�t put her finger on.  He was fairly tall, although not as tall as she�d imagined him to be.  His dark, wavy hair hung just above the top of his spine although she guessed he�d worn it longer at some point.  He smoked, but she�d been with him almost constantly for forty-eight hours and she�d only seen him light up once.  His features were defined yet soft, and he carried himself under that long winter coat with a confidence that turned her on like no other man had.  She realised she would want him even if there wasn�t a fifty dollar bill in it for her.

She�d expected to have been introduced to Kitt, but although she�d had the pleasure of travelling in the sleek black car several times he hadn�t spoken a single word and Michael hadn�t bothered to try to draw him out.  She�d originally felt elated by this unexpected turns of events.  Yet when she thought about it she found herself wondering if he and Michael had spoken without her knowing about it.  Bonnie had told her last year that they were able to communicate using the link, with words and feelings and thoughts.  Perhaps Kitt hadn�t wanted to talk to her.  Perhaps he was suspicious of her after all.  She didn�t try to restrain herself from her open flirting when they were in the car, in fact she�d poured it on as subtly as she could.  Simply throwing herself at Michael wouldn�t have worked.  She needed to gain his interest and then make him an offer he simply couldn�t refuse.  A small part of her felt cruel doing this, but she had something to prove.
 

Kathleen flicked the light switch, plunging her office into darkness.  She looked up at Michael as they stepped out into the reception area.  Like the rest of the public areas of her company�s building, the large, open reception area had high, dark ceilings, black marble walls and a grey marble floor.  The semi-circular reception desk was manned between eight and six by a blonde with a doctorate in theology and the ability to speak seven languages.  The security systems were all electronic, there was no human guard for the bad guys to crack over the head in order to gain entrance.

�So?�
Michael let his eyes wonder over Kathleen again.  He couldn�t help it.  He hadn�t been able to help it since he�d first seen her two days ago when Devon had introduced them.  Someone was stealing new code from the multi-billion dollar games company she�d started nine years ago in her father�s garage.  He understood she was an old friend of Bonnie�s, but Kathleen�s case had kept him busy over the last forty-eight hours and he hadn�t had a chance to call Bonnie and get all the gossip on this woman.

In his mind�s eye he could imagine himself taking her by her long, thick blonde hair and kissing the hell out of her perfectly defined lips.  And from the moment they�d met he�d been convinced she was seducing him with her large, green eyes.

Of course, these thoughts had done down like lead balloons with his ever-present lover sitting in the back of his mind.  It hadn�t prevented the idea from plaguing him whenever he was around this woman.  It wasn�t love or need or anything deep or serious.  It was lust, plain and simple.  Michael recognised it within himself and thought he saw it in her too, in her actions and her eyes, heard it in her words and her voice, whatever the topic of conversation.

Tonight she was wearing a black suit, a black jacket over a low-cut, white lacy camisole, a short mini-skirt over black-stocking�d legs, black high heels tapering to vicious spikes.
And she might as well have been wearing pheromones in place of her Channel Number 5 perfume.  He�d been bordering on the wrong side of arousal all evening.  Those emerald eyes were flashing at him now, pining him in place, holding him breathless.

Aware of his regard, as she had been all night, Kathleen decided it was time to stop teasing and starting taking advantage of the deliberately created sexual tension between them.  Every move planned like a well-choreographed dance, she parted her lips and licked them, one single movement of her tongue across the bottom lip, around and over the top as if inviting him to do the same.

Hiding her smile, she moved to face him, a good foot shorter than him yet able to control him without a word.  She put her perfectly manicured, red-painted fingernails against his shoulders, amazed when even then he hesitated to put his hands on her slim waist.  And finally, when it became obvious he wasn�t going to ravish her without permission, she suggested, �Let�s just fuck one another.�

Michael�s eyes widened, his pulse rate speeded up and if he�d been taking any notice he might have felt the distressed whimper in the back of his mind.

He didn�t have to answer.  Two steps forward and she had him back against the cold marble wall, her head tilted up to meet his passionate kiss.  His hands tightened around her waist and she smiled into his mouth.  �It�s about time,� she murmured when they came up for air, but he answered by resuming their kiss, deeper than before.  He felt her leg come up to hook around behind his knee.  He surged forward and turned her, pressing her back against the marble, sliding his hand under the tight material of her skirt, find the top of her stocking.

When his fingers brushed the naked skin of her thighs he was rock hard.  She was holding herself up against him, one hand gripping his ass, the other working at his shirt.  Following her example, he unfastened the two large buttons of her jacket and pushed the material aside, cupping one hand under her right breast, lifting it over the top of the camisole.  She groaned low in her throat, hips thrusting once toward him, forcing his hand higher.

His fingertips didn�t encounter the skimpy material he was expecting and his arousal soared.  Smiling to herself, Kathleen tilted her hips, her hand moving to unfasten his jeans with difficulty.  He leapt forward into her hand, his thick length sliding through her fingers.  Groaning, Michael grabbed her, palms cupping her tight buttocks, fingers gripping her as he lifted her up and across, depositing her onto the low, black marble reception desk.  At the same time, he pushed her skirt up and slid her to the edge of the cold surface, thrusting into her in one smooth motion.

She gripped him, clasping and unclasping, her nails scraping down his back, sliding herself forward and back over the slick marble.  Michael drove into her, his strokes long and smooth, his lips and tongue caressing her neck, dipping to her breast when she leaned back, one arm supporting her, the other wrapped around Michael�s neck.  His hands gripped her, assisting her thrusts against him.

He felt like this had building for forty-eight hours.  Now they were here, it didn�t last long.  They climaxed together, shuddering in each others� arms, clinging to one another as the orgasm faded quickly and the cold of the reception hall hit them.  Kathleen pushed him gently away with a kiss and dropped down off the desk, easing her skirt back over her thighs.  She hid her triumph behind a mask of satisfaction.

Michael fastened his jeans, straightening himself up as she tucked herself back into her camisole.  They looked at one another.  �Listen,� he started, but she held up a silencing hand.
�Michael, no strings.  Okay?  We should have done this two days ago, it would have been a great way to break the ice.�
He smiled gratefully.  �We might have had an easier time getting some work done.�
The tension was indeed broken.  He glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows into the dark parking lot.  He turned to the link in his mind, and found himself unsurprisingly blocked.  Kitt wasn�t a voyeur.  He leaned forward and kissed Kathleen, initially just a peck but it deepened into an acknowledgement of what they�d just shared.  When they parted, Michael followed her to the tall glass door and with an agreement to meet at a caf� for breakfast, they went their separate ways.
 

Parked a hundred yards away, the TransAm�s scanner tracked slowly back and forth, a quiet, haunting sound accompanying the motion.  In actuality, the red lights did nothing.  The scanner itself worked without the aid of the visual, but Kitt had, in the past, found that humans reacted better when they had a focal point.  He used it also to communicate expression.  But tonight, the slow sweeping was impossible to translate.

Michael stood in front of the car for a few seconds, fingers hovering barely an inch above the warm body.  �Kitt?� he was surprised at how nervous his voice sounded.  �Kitt?�
He�d expected a response the first time, but not the second.  When he moved around to the door he half expected it not to open for him.  But it did, without hesitation.

He dropped into the seat, looking at the dash.  The surveillance mode was fluctuating as Kitt kept up a continuous scan over the nearby building, the surrounding parking lot and grounds.  The engine control was on standby, ready to fire instantly if Michael called for help.  Everything was as it should have been, except for the block in his mind and the darkened voice modulator.

�Kitt?  Talk to me?�  When the silence remained, Michael glanced out of the car window, the afterglow of sex vanishing in the face of his partner�s reaction.  �Okay.  I�m sorry.  It� it just happened.�  He sighed.  �It didn�t mean anything.�
The centre-top light of the three-pronged voice modulator lit up for a moment, as if Kitt were waiting a beat before speaking.  Michael felt his heart beating just a little bit harder for the second time that night.  �And when it just happened between us, did it mean anything then?�

Michael dropped his face into the palm of his hand.  �Kitt, you know it did.  But I never promised to stay faithful to you!�  He could hear the anger creeping in, despite knowing it would do more good than harm.  He immediately replayed his own words in his mind and thought he felt an echo of the stab through Kitt�s heart.  What he hell had he said that for?  �Kitt�.�

Cursing himself under his breath he reached forward and started the engine.  It flared into life and he backed the car out from the parking space, swinging around and heading out.  In a matter of five minutes he�d gone from satisfied elation to a deep feeling of dread.

*

Bonnie turned from her laptop to see Kathleen standing in the doorway of the office.  She looked her friend up and down once.  �Wow.  This is a new look for you, isn�t it?�
Kathleen flashed her friend a stunning smile.  �I kinda like it.�
Bonnie continued to watch the other woman, suspicion rising within her.  �I wanted to talk to you about that bet�.�
Kathleen titled her head, allowing the triumph to set her expression.  �Me too.�  She grinned.  �You owe me fifty bucks.�
Bonnie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.  �Why?�

�Because I�ve just had a quickie with a certain handsome individual on the reception desk of my building.�  She watched Bonnie�s face fall.  �Look, Bon, it was sex, nothing more.  I just wanted to remind him what he was missing!  He�s all yours, Hon.�
Rubbing her face, Bonnie closed her eyes, unable to pin down one emotion.

She was hurt.  Kathleen had had sex with Michael.  Although she had made the bet in the first place so in a way she�d known that her friend would at least be making a play for her ex-boyfriend.

She was angry.  Michael wouldn�t sleep with her but he�d sleep with a woman he�d only known for two days?  Yet that too wasn�t totally unexpected.  He�d had a reputation in passed years for doing just that.  He�d always been better at one-night stands than he had been at long term relationships.

She ached for Kitt.  She wondered how her baby was feeling right now.  Had Michael blocked?  Had he asked his partner about what he was going to do?  Asked if Kitt minded?  Surely he wouldn�t have deliberately hurt his partner?  She felt terrible for even starting this, because she knew men too well.  Once they started thinking with their genitals, their hearts and mind seldom got a word in edgeways until it was far too late.

*

Michael resisted the temptation to slam the car door.  Kitt had refused to say another word to him and he was still blocking.  It was so rare they blocked one another now that his head was started to ache from the unusual quiet.  Nick and Karr weren�t back yet from whatever it was they were doing.  He could have done with the company.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and leaned over the balcony railing, eyes roaming the sleek body of his car.  They�d known it wouldn�t be easy, known that their unique relationship would never give them the true satisfaction of what they really wanted and needed.  If he closed his eyes he could remember holding Kitt as they stood in the cold room at the R&D facility, sitting with him on the hood of the car, kissing him for the first time.  He missed the feeling of a warm body close to him, being able to hug someone, hold hands with someone.  He�d meant what he�d said, that the link he shared with Kitt was more intimate than anything he�d ever known or could know.  But sometimes the basics were just� needed.

He was driving himself mad, going around in circles, and he knew it.  He had been for a couple of months now.  After Sachias, he and Kitt had drawn closer, each as frightened as the other by what they�d experienced.  The memories were still fresh in their minds, and Kitt hadn�t yet lost the stain of Sachias� abuse through his once stunning bright, white presence.

Yet through that closeness, Michael had started to sense an unease settling into his mind.  He was involved in a sexual relationship with a computer, an Artificial Intelligence, and however real Kitt was, the facts were the facts.  Reality here was in conflict with his feelings, with feelings that he�d had for many years.  Kitt was more human to him than anyone he�d ever met.  Kitt was more to him than anyone ever had been in either of his lives.

Sighing, he headed back into the kitchen for a second beer.  He needed some space so he took the bottle out passed the silent TransAm onto the docks, leaning out to look over the dark, murky water.  He turned when the familiar sound of the Stealth�s engine caught his attention.  Karr pulled into the warehouse and ten minutes later, Nick joined him with a third beer and a coffee for himself.

Michael glanced at him, nodding his silent thanks.  They stood in silence for a time before Michael murmured, �Bit of advice?  Never, never, argue with your car.�
Nick chuckled.  �Want to tell me what happened?�
The taller man sighed.  �Kathleen happened.�
�Kathleen?�
�Kathleen Sands, owner of Yllusion Gaming Incorporated.�
�How did she happen?�
Michael swallowed the last of his second beer and started on the third.  He tried to think of when he�d last had alcohol and couldn�t.  That would possibly explain why he felt drunk after two bottles.  �On the reception desk of the Yllusion offices.�
Nick rolled his eyes.  But his expression was serious.  �And� Kitt?�
�Blocked me.�  Michael nodded.  �He�s still blocking me.  And no ordinary block, this is a full-frontal no-assault block.�
�You deserve it.�  There was no real accusation in the words, but Michael knew he meant it.  He was right.
�Yeah.  Thanks.  Now what do I do?�
Nick almost laughed, �You�re asking me?!  I have no idea.  I am not an expert in these things.  I would make one suggestion?�  He met Michael�s questioning eyes.  �Avoid Karr until you sort this out.�
The other man snorted.  �Of course.�
 

Michael opened the door of the TransAm and slid inside, pulling it closed behind him.  �Kitt?�  There was no answer and he hadn�t really expected one.  �Okay, I�ll talk you listen.  I�m sorry, Beauty.  What can I say?  It happened.  I don�t feel anything for her, I don�t want to be with her.  I don�t particularly want to see her again.  It was sex.  I warned you, I wasn�t sure I could stay physically celibate.  But I swear to you Kitt, whatever you think, I love you.  I�ve never loved anyone as strongly, as intensely as I love you.�  He waited.  It took a few, long seconds but somehow he knew he would get a reply this time.
�I was jealous,� Kitt said quietly, as if ashamed of his own admission.
Michael didn�t expect the heartache that simple confession caused.  �I�m sorry.�  He meant it.
�You won�t ever touch me like that again.  I�ll never have that side of you, instead you�ll have other women who don�t mean anything.�  There was no response.  There was no simple answer.  This was the nature of their relationship simply because Kitt was who and what he was.  The same went for Michael.

�You have more of me than anyone else will ever know.  You�ll always be here with me.�
�Michael� tonight, I wish I hadn�t been.�
Although he knew Kitt hadn�t meant to hurt him, his words struck home.  He supposed it was fair play.  He could still hear the words that he�d spoken to his partner in the parking lot; he�d been vicious, more vicious than Kitt was being.  He felt like a shit.  �Please drop the block, Kitt.�
�I don�t want to feel what you�re feeling right now.�  Michael swore he could hear tears in Kitt�s voice when he ended with, �sorry.�

*

The following morning, Nick looked up from the coffee machine when Michael came to stand next to him, empty mug in his hand.  It was only just gone five.  �Can�t sleep?� but he had his answer as soon as he looked his friend in the eye.  �He�s still blocking.�
Michael smirked.  �That obvious, uh?�
�You haven�t slept.�
�I can�t remember the last time I slept without him in my mind or in my arms.�  The last words were spoken quietly.
Nick considered the situation.  He was out of his depth.  �I hope she was worth it.�
�I obviously thought so last night.�  He heard the sigh in Michael�s voice and decided to let up.
�Kitt�s not talking to Karr either.  He�s blocking him.  Karr�s not a happy AI.�
Michael slammed the empty mug down on the kitchen work surface.  �I can�t believe this!  This can�t happen every time I have sex with a woman!�
�Michael� when I said you had to accept everything that came with being linked to Kitt, I meant everything.  You can�t shut him out whenever it suits you, not now.�
Michael leaned his hands flat on the surface.  �I know, I know!�
 

�Michael?�
Both men looked up at the sound of Bonnie�s voice.  Michael was the first one out of the kitchen.  He leaned out over the railing.  �Hey!  What brings you out here at this ungodly hour?�
She looked up at him, glancing at Kitt who stood silently in the diagnostic area.  Karr was close by as usual, but he was further away from his brother than Bonnie was used to him being.  �Michael� I have to tell you something.�

He wandered quickly down the wooden steps, meeting her at the bottom.  Up close, she looked even worse than Michael did.  Sleepless night all around, he thought, a little surprised.  �What�s up, Bon?�
She glanced at the two black cars again.  �Kathleen Sands.�
Michael rolled his eyes.  �Don�t you start.�
�Listen.  Three nights ago, she and I� went out, got drunk.  We� made a bet.�  Michael could already feel the dread rising.  �She basically bet me that she could make you sleep with her.�  Michael stared at her.  �I�m sorry� we� she asked me about the two of us and I told her.�
He was looking at her, accusation clouding his features, glazing his eyes.  �You bet her that she couldn�t get off with me?�  He could barely believe what he was hearing.  �Why?�
Immediately she was on the defence.  �I was jealous!  Michael, you dumped me!�
�Bonnie, it was five months ago!�
�And you think it gets easier?  I still love you!�
�Bonnie�.�
�I was drunk!  I didn�t ever think you would have sex with a stranger!  I didn�t think you would do that to Kitt!�
Michael fought down his anger.  He wanted to break something or someone, but he reigned in that urge, turning from her and heading out across the empty concrete floor to the side doors of the warehouse.  Bonnie watched him go, sighing to herself.  She didn�t notice the gentle turbine hum of the engine of the car now close to her.  She looked down.  �Kitt?�
�I don�t understand,� he murmured, hurt.  �Why?�

*

For once, just for once, he wished at least one part of his life could be simple.  Suddenly the �no strings� that Kathleen had promised had turned into a ball large enough to keep a tiger occupied on a cold evening.  So she�d seduced him for a bet, what did it matter?  Bonnie was pissed because he�d had sex with Kathleen and wouldn�t sleep with her because of his relationship with Kitt.  Kitt was understandably pissed because he�d basically cheated on the AI.

He didn�t hear Kitt pull up to him until the prow of the car was touching the back of his leg, startling him.  Bonnie and Justin really had improved the silent mode.  He turned, and in the next moment the block between them dropped and Kitt was wrapping his arms around Michael�s neck.
//Beauty�//
//Sorry//
//No, I�m sorry, I am so sorry.  I love you so much//
//I love you too, that�s why�//
//I know//  He stroked long caresses over Kitt�s presence.  //We�ll figure something out in time.  But not now, not yet//
There was a hesitation in Kitt�s reply.  //Don�t leave me//
Michael gathered his lover up into him, sitting on the hood of the TransAm as he went deeper into the link between them.  //Like I ever could�//  He felt Kitt so close to him, upset and unsettled.  //Talk to me//

Kitt was uncertain.  He had very few people left in the world that he loved and trusted.  He didn�t want two of those important people turning against one another.  Yet� he was confused.  //Bonnie challenged Kathleen to take you from me//
Michael took a deep breath, letting his own anger go in the face of his partner�s hurt.  //She didn�t mean it like that� I don�t think she meant it at all.  She was drunk// he managed a smile //we�ve all done things we regret when we�re drunk//
//I took you from her//
//I was never hers.  Kitt, you and I were made for each other//

They sat for a long time together, hanging on to one another, Michael feeling his headache ebbing away under Kitt�s gentle pressure in his mind.  Nothing else in the world felt like this, nothing felt as natural or as beloved as this feeling of his partner�s mental embrace.  There wouldn�t ever be a time he wouldn�t want this.  Yet� to give up the physical pleasures of the flesh, to never make love to a woman ever again�.
//I do understand// Kitt murmured.  //But I don�t think I want to be there.  I just want to be sure you�ll come back to me.  I couldn�t lose you//
//You won�t ever lose me.  I�ll remind you of that every day until you believe me//
Kitt�s shy smile went some way to reassuring Michael that everything would be okay between them.  //Will you accept me?//
//How�.//  But his brain worked it out.  He�d accepted Kitt a long time ago as a friend, as a partner.  Now he had to accept him as a lover.  He nodded, drawing Kitt to him closer, deeper.  //I do accept you//
He felt the smile.  //No you don�t//  He knew what the other was talking about, he�d thought it would take time but something within him was telling him it was okay.

Caressing over Kitt�s presence, Michael changed his touch slightly.
Kitt felt the change, felt the sensuality flowing in his lover�s presence.  //hey�//  He kept his tone playful, not quite ready to accept Michael�s advances.
//I do accept you.  Whatever it takes to prove that to you, I�ll do it//
Kitt frowned.  //I can feel her� touching you, feel you touching her//
Michael was careful not to concentrate on any emotion he actually felt.  //You didn�t enjoy it?//
//No!//  Kitt backed away slightly, but Michael caught him and held him, not threatening, just wanting to talk this through.
//And if she�d been touching you, through me?//  It was a thought Michael had entertained now and again over the last few months.  But he didn�t need Kitt to answer, he could feel it.  There was no direct translation but roughly his partner was telling him, �no one else but you�.

This was acceptance.  For now at least, Kitt wasn�t ready to share.  //I can�t.  I�m yours. You�re a part of who I am, a part of my soul//
Michael felt his heart skip a beat.  Suddenly all the guilt over what he�d done flooded back, magnifying ten-fold.  He threw his mind open, all but begging his partner to come to him.  This time, Kitt was ready.  He moved closer, touching the core of his lover�s presence, kissing Michael deeply.  Stretching a part of himself, Michael reached across the link and found Kitt as open to him.

The kiss was a physical touch, a deep caress more sensual than any he ever could remember a woman bestowing upon him.  //Michael�//  Like this, his name was like a breath over his skin.  He could feel himself growing in the confines of his jeans.  It was the first time, he realised, he�d acknowledged the physical effect that Kitt�s sexual presence had on him before he climaxed.  There was a different quality to his partner when they were like this, an increase in heat and energy.  It was difficult to try and understand what arousal meant to the AI and Michael wanted to know everything.

//It�s a surge//  Kitt answered his unspoken musings.  //Just as it is for you//  Michael regarded the presence.  He found something stunningly beautiful about the grey shimmer that ran through his lover�s usual white glow.  He knew Kitt hated it, a constant reminder of Sachias� violation.  //Don�t�.//
Michael smiled softly and changed his touch to Kitt�s core, turning it from a passionate kiss to a long, desire-filled stroke, setting the AI on a course toward climax.  He would never know how they knew to do this.  There wasn�t a manual that came with the implant and although Nick had taught them a lot, he hadn�t gone anywhere close to what they were doing now.  This was self-taught.

Kitt returned the touch, releasing his need, his desperate plea for reassurance of Michael�s love and desire.  They were beyond words now.  Thoughts and feelings translated into sensations; physical for Michael, pulses and strains of energy for Kitt.  They continued to touch one another, Kitt searching constantly for the right nerve endings, the right pleasure regions of his lover�s mind.

Michael caught his breath as he felt a long, powerful caress along the length of his erection.  �Kitt�� he could only breathe the name, feel its shape on his lips.  �Beauty�.�
He felt a shiver run through the body of the car beneath him before his body became swept up in the ever-increasing flow of energy passing between them.  Kitt was everywhere, surrounding his mind, his body, touching him, kissing him everywhere.

Outwardly, he seemed to be mediating on a selection of erotic thoughts.  Inwardly, he was only aware of himself and his lover, melded as one being, their shared climax crashing down on them suddenly as the waves of orgasm hit.  He clung to Kitt, riding the surges of pleasure as they passed over him.  He came hard, soaking the inside of his jeans, his fingers suddenly tightening on the warm car.

The aftermath rolled over them in a soothing tide.  Michael let himself drift, feeling closer to his partner at that moment then he could ever remember being.  How he could have jeopardised this he had no idea, but he let it go for now.  Slowly, they separated, falling back to their usual level of connection, still wrapped around one another, snuggled close into each other�s arms.

Only then did Michael�s body start to complain.  Sitting cross-legged on Kitt�s hood wasn�t the most comfortable place to do what they�d just done.  It gave a whole new meaning to sex in public.  He opened his eyes cautiously and found that the sun had risen.  �How long were we� together?� he asked almost in a whisper.
Kitt hesitated.  �An hour and fourteen minutes.�
�Jeez�.�  //wow//  Kitt looked away.  //You are something else// Michael added affectionately.
//thank you//  Kitt�s embarrassment faded and he settled again.  //I love you//
//I love you too, Beauty.  More than anything or anyone.  Always believe that//

They stayed outside for a while, Michael enjoying the cool of the night air on his heated body.  �The inside of the car is infinitely more comfortable than the outside,� Kitt eventually reminded him softly.  Michael had to agree.  He unfolded his legs, rubbing some blood back into them before sliding off the hood and moving around to drop into the driver�s seat.  Kitt pulled the door closed as he driver curled against the back of the seat and the door.  Reaching out, he hooked his arm over the steering column, setting his fingers on to the sensor there, touching in strokes that were partly soothing, partly teasing.

Closing his eyes, Michael settled back with his lover, leaning into his warm, beautiful presence.
�Are you okay with Bonnie?� he asked gently, his voice quiet in the cabin.
�I think so,� Kitt told him.  �I understand how she must feel.  She�s angry at you, angry at herself.�
�And you?�
�I shouldn�t be so possessive.�
Michael smiled.  �You have every right to be.�
�I understand how this isn�t enough for you�.�  But Michael coaxed him into silence.
�You have my word, I won�t touch another woman without talking to you first.�
A shiver passed through Kitt�s mental presence, but he agreed for now.  It was a peace between them that would suffice until the next temptation came along.

*

By the time they returned to the warehouse, Bonnie was sleeping on the seats downstairs, an empty mug beside her.  Nick was nowhere to be seen but Karr�s silent form remained.  Michael got out of the car, stroking his hand over the warm black body as he closed the door and watched when Kitt moved to be with his brother.  He perched on the coffee table next to her, and immediately she opened her eyes.

�Michael�.�  She sat up, facing him.  �I�m sorry.�
He nodded.  �Accepted.  And I can understand why you�re angry.�
She looked at him, deciding to be honest.  �I thought� why her and not me.�
�What she wanted and what you and I had are two different ends of the playing field.  With Kathleen, it was a one-off, just sex, nothing more.  You and I� it was much more than that, you know it.  It was love, a love I couldn�t share between you and Kitt any longer.�
Bonnie accepted the explanation as the truth.  �Do you know what she feels for you?�
Michael shook his head, eyebrows furrowing.  �It doesn�t matter.�
�She wants to see you again.�
He felt Kitt�s spark in his mind and he reached back for his lover.  �I�m already seeing someone,� he told her certainly.  Kitt�s thankful hug was pure joy.
Bonnie nodded, then smiled.  �I might draw some small pleasure from telling her that.�  She looked over at Kitt, and Michael followed her gaze.
�He understands.�
She refocused on the man in front of her.  �I hope so.  I didn�t ever mean to come between you two.�
Michael nodded.  �I know.  Kitt knows.�  It was enough.

*

Michael knocked on the door of Kathleen�s office and waited for her to invite him in.  He dropped his report to her desk, smiling.  �Javi Valdez,� he told her, �was selling your code to your rival companies for ever-increasing amounts of cash.�
She smiled, that stunning smile that had had Michael hooked from the first time he�d seen it.  He felt Kitt�s unease in the back of his mind and reached for his partner, reassuring with a firm touch.

She was still smiling, coming out now from behind her desk to sit up on the front of it, long legs crossing almost indecently.  �So now you�ve finished your work here, is it playtime?�
He looked at her.  The animal attraction was still there but somehow her offer was no longer even tempting.  He could feel the soft pulses of Kitt within his mind and smiled openly, shaking his head.  �I don�t think so.�
Lifting her right leg, she drew the edge of her stiletto heel down the side of his thigh.  �Come on.  We�re not hurting anyone.�
He almost laughed.  �I�m not a toy, Kath.  And I�m already seeing someone.�  He leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek.  �Sorry.�

She watched him leave with a deep sigh.  �What a waste,� she murmured softly as the door clicked shut.