Title: Bested
Author: knightshade
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own Knight Rider or its characters, branches, divisions, or wholly owned subsidiaries. This is just for fun.
Bested
Michael could feel his calf muscles twitching -- flexing and relaxing while trying to keep his body poised on tip-toes. He knew that if he lost his balance and bumped into the stone wall, the alarm system would give him away.
He scanned the vast yard in front of him, looking past the perfectly manicured lawn and the expertly pruned trees, intent on his quarry. His eyes settled on the path he knew all too well and followed it back toward the house. But no one was outside.
Being too short was rarely a problem, but right now Michael wished he could get just a little bit higher to get a better vantage. He glanced around for something to stand on and cursed the fact that the yard was perfectly tended with no landscaping rocks in sight.
His comlink beeped. “Michael, this is ridiculous. The case is over, it’s time to give it up.”
Any illusions Michael had that Kitt might let him stand on his hood went right out the window. Not that he didn’t already know that – his partner had been complaining non-stop since they got here. But he was relieved that Kitt bought his story that they were here to try to beat the system again.
Of course there was some truth to that little white lie. He did hate the fact that he’d been bested. He tried to break into Rick Becker’s estate five times and each time he got caught, despite having more knowledge about the security system than most burglars would be able to get their hands on. But the system was sound. Nothing was foolproof, but this came awfully close. Case closed. He’d done his job.
Michael approached the wall again and stretched his neck to peer over.
“Really, Michael, what is this going to prove? If you get caught …”
Kitt left the threat hanging and Michael to ponder it. He didn’t want to get caught, that was true. His chest tightened at the thought of having to explain. In part he was frustrated at even feeling like this. He should have been over it years ago. Maybe he was just jealous of Becker. The man had everything -- wealth and all its trappings. The expansive estate, a garage full of cars, perfectly fitted expensive clothing, and the tan of someone with too much leisure time on his hands. He was charming and cultured in a relaxed, easy way that Michael even admired. Becker was what Michael might be like if he’d grown up wealthy.
And he wasn’t even bothered by all that, really. But Becker had managed to snag something that Michael had always wanted. Granted, it had never been a constant desire – it waxed and waned over the years. But lately he’d gotten the impression that things were starting to go his way. And then along came Becker. Michael had been surprised to find himself irrationally jealous.
“Michael?”
“What?” he asked curtly, glaring down at the watch.
“If you’re just going to stand there, then perhaps we should leave. This is fool-hardy. I’m sure Mr. Becker would not be happy to find out that we made an unscheduled sixth attempt to break into his estate.”
Becker was not the one Michael was worried about, but maybe Kitt was right. It was time to cut his loses before he made a fool of himself. If he left now, he’d still have his dignity. Reluctantly, he backed away from the wall and started to trot over to where he’d left Kitt.
But then he heard it.
A familiar peal of laughter floated over the wall and before Michael knew it, he’d skipped a step. Or maybe that was his heart skipping a beat. His mind was over-run with ideas of turning back to spy over the wall again. But that would betray his intentions completely. He was still clinging to his flimsy excuse – hoping his partner hadn’t figured it out.
Michael tried to ignore the laughter and voices that he could hear but not understand. He also tried to ignore the inner green-eyed monster that was mystified at how someone so smart could fall for a dumb line like ‘Let me show you my gardens sometime.’ But Becker was charming, attractive, and rich. There was no reason why Bonnie shouldn’t go out with him.
Finding himself back at the car, Michael pulled the door open and tried not to sigh as he sat down. Now that he was out of earshot, he just wanted to get out of there. He wanted to escape back to his carefully built façade of only caring about her as a friend.
“Michael?”
He froze. “Yeah, pal?”
“You did the right thing. Sometimes you lose a battle, but still win the war.”
“Thanks, pal,” Michael said, softly, certain they weren’t talking about security systems anymore.
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-knightshade
June 19, 2006
