"Hello Rusti," Kitt knelt down next to his daughter. "What are you doing?"

"Playing with my presents."

"Oh, who’s this?" Kitt pointed to a red, white and blue plastic and diecast toy robot in her hand.

"Optimus Prime."

"Hmm," Kitt thought for a moment. "I think I remember him. Who got you that?"

"Devon."

"And what’s this?"

"Metroplex. Michael got that for me."

"Wow. Well, I have your present from me and I have one from both Bonnie and I."

Rusti grinned expectantly.

Kitt produced a hoop about a foot in diameter. It was covered in black suede leather, with a hang loop made from the same. A web of sinew weaved an intricate not-pattern inside the hoop. In the middle of the web was a silver wolf’s head, and small sparkling beads were scattered throughout. Hanging from the bottom of the hoop were three more suede leather strips, dove-knotted with both ends loose. An eagle feather was secured to each end with more sinew and a bead.

"Ooh, pretty. What is it?" Rusti reached out and touched the bauble, making it swing around slowly.

"It’s a dreamcatcher. According to Maija, you’re supposed to hang it in your window or near your bed. It catches bad dreams and lets the good ones through. When the first light of morning comes and touches the bad dreams, they dissolve."

Rusti touched the wolf’s head in the middle. "Did you make it?"

"Yes."

"Thank you Daddy. You’ll hang it for me won’t you?"

"Of course. And here’s your gift from both Bonnie and I. Happy birthday Rusti," Kitt held out a stuffed wolf at least half Rusti’s size.

Her eyes lit up like Christmas tree lights. "Thank you Daddy!"

"Optimus Prime, Autobot Commander my foot," Michael murmured to Bonnie as they watched. "She’s got ‘Daddy’."

Bonnie smiled. "I think it’s very sweet. He’s a very good father, Michael, and you know it."

"Yeah, a little protective sometimes, but, if I had a little girl, I’m sure I would be too," Michael stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Bonnie stepped out into the garage, approaching Kitt and Rusti.

"Hello Bonnie," Kitt greeted her with a gentle, almost inviting smile.

"Hi Kitt," she knelt down in front of them. "Hi Rusti."

"Thank you for the wolf Mommy! I like him very much!"

"You’re very welcome sweetheart."

"Daddy says it was your idea."

"Did he?" Bonnie reached out and lightly stroked Kitt’s cheek with the backs of her fingers.

Kitt closed his eyes and leaned into the caress. It had been ages since she’d even touched him while he was in human form, much less touched his face.

"You don’t do that often enough anymore," he informed her once she took her hand away.

Rusti looked from Kitt to Bonnie. "You guys don’t get all mushy on me now OK?"

"One of these days you’ll understand," Michael teased.

"Not on your life, Michael. Leave her alone. You don’t have to teach her anymore than she needs to know," Kitt warned softly.

Michael chuckled. "All right. I’ll say no more."

"Come on Rusti, show me where you want your dreamcatcher and we’ll hang it up," Kitt ruffled his daughter’s already tousled hair. "And then you and your mother can get your bath and I’ll come tuck you in. You’ve had a long day."

Rusti put her toys away, then followed Kitt out of the garage.

Bonnie smiled. "Daddy’s girl, that child is."

"Yeah, I think if the Foundation ever goes to shut him down, they’ll have a real battle on their hands when she hears about it," Michael agreed.

"I wonder if he’d take up on an invitation to spend the night at my apartment with me," Bonnie murmured. "Good company and an intelligent conversation would be a nice change."

"Hey, I’m intelligent, I’m good company!"

"Yes, and you can sleep in the parking lot for once," she teased.

Michael pouted. "Fine, be that way, see if I care," he stalked off, mumbling.

Bonnie laughed softly. She did need to be a little more affectionate where Kitt was concerned, at least for Rusti’s sake. Besides, he was very gentle with her when she did kiss or hug him, which was rare. She sighed and followed the path he had taken to Rusti’s room.

Garth Knight threw down the newspaper, frowning. "Just look at that Goliath. ‘Foundation For Law And Government Solves Another One’. How pathetic."

Goliath shrugged. "So?"

"You still want a piece of that car?"

"Always. I take it you have a plan?"

"Not just yet, but I’m working on it."

"Doesn’t that car have a daughter?"

"Yes, and she’s guarded by a year-old German shepherd and a six year old talking wolf when ‘Daddy’s’ away."

"Hm," Goliath grunted.

"And the German shepherd has been through attack training."

"It could present a nice challenge."

"Until one of them rips your throat out or bites your arm hard enough to make the electrical currents in your nerves shock you and knock you to your knees."

Goliath didn’t reply.

"Got anymore brilliant ideas?"

"Yeah, shoot the dog."

"If only it were that easy. Can you see a black wolf in black shadows?"

"Then you’re on your own. When you come up with an idea, let me know," Goliath got up from the table and stalked out of the dimly lit kitchen.

Garth looked back down at the paper, then sat back in his chair and closed his eyes in thought.

"Is the stuffed wolf taking my place on the bed?" Maija asked Rusti as Kitt tucker her in.

"No, there’s still room."

"Oh good, I was starting to get worried," Maija leapt lightly up onto the bed.

Kitt smiled and gave Rusti a kiss on the cheek. "You all set?"

"Yep."

"Good night then. If you need something later on, look for Michael. Your mother asked me to stay at her apartment tonight."

"Okay. Can I have another good night kiss?"

Kitt leaned forward and gave Rusti another kiss. "Good night my little princess."

"’Night Daddy. I love you. And don’t stay up past your bedtime."

Kitt smiled. "I love you too, and trust me, I won’t," he stood and gently pulled Indy’s and Maija’s ears. "Take good care of her ladies."

Maija mouthed Kitt’s wrist. "We will."

Indy just wagged her tail.

Devon sighed and put the phone back on its cradle. Michael and Kitt always had a full work load of cases that needed their attention, but people seemed to be calling FLAG with more and more trivial cases these days. He looked over at Michael and shook his head. Video games…again.

"Pac Man? Michael?" Devon asked. "A real intelligent challenge if I do say so myself."

"Sarcasm really becomes you Devon," Michael retorted. "Besides, I’m bored. Kitt put Trusty Rusti to bed and went to Bonnie’s apartment for the night."

"Trusty Rusti?"

"Yeah. You can always trust her to find something entertaining. She plays a mean game of checkers."

"Really Michael, if I didn’t know any better, you spend twice as much time getting her into trouble then you do anything else. I’m surprised she hasn’t started blaming you for all the spankings she’s gotten lately."

Michael grinned. "I get my own form of punishment. Kitt lectures me until I’m ready to cry. ‘Sides, Rusti and I, we’re partners in crime see."

"I know very well what sort of trouble you two can get into. I’m afraid to see what life will be like in a few more years."

"I bet she breaks a lot of hearts when she gets to be about fifteen," Michael gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath around them. "She’s a cute little doll now. Kitt’ll be training a pit bull to look after her when she grows up."

"Why?" Rusti’s tiny voice interrupted Michael.

"Because you’ll be a beautiful young woman, that’s why. What are you doing up anyway?" Michael sat his joystick aside.

"Daddy usually reads me a story and he didn’t tonight. Will you?"

"Why sure, I’ll read ya a story. Go pick one out. I’ll be right there."

Rusti shuffled back out of the office.

"She didn’t hesitate to do what Kitt said, did she?" Devon asked. "I must say Michael, you do make a superb babysitter where that little tomboy is concerned."

Michael made a face at Devon. "Don’t tempt me to tell her where you hid that paperweight that she likes so much."

Devon’s eyes widened, but he said nothing.

Goliath grumbled to himself as he stalked down the apartment building’s halls. "Go get this, go get that. I wish he’d gotten all this stuff beforehand, then I wouldn’t be a packmule."

He was so lost in his complaining to himself that he didn’t notice the slightly smaller, black-haired man trying to dodge him. As they passed, their shoulders met.

Goliath looked up as the other man paused to give him a hateful glare. The glare turned to a funny expression.

"What’re you lookin’ at Midnight?" Goliath growled, nicknaming the man for his hair.

"I’ll probably know long after our meeting," the stranger answered in a familiar Boston accent.

The soft voice almost didn’t fit the stranger.

"Funny voice," Goliath pressed. "It sounds familiar."

The stranger looked a little wary. "I don’t believe we’ve ever met."

"If you say so," Goliath turned and went on his way.

When Goliath got back to the apartment Garth had rented, he noticed his driver was on the phone; with a lady it sounded like.

He listened quietly from the doorway for a moment.

"So you say you have the stuff?" Garth was speaking.

There was a pause as the woman answered.

"Does it work?"

Another pause.

"OK, bring it over here, we'll try it on him. How long will it take you to get here?"

More silence.

"Good, see you in twenty minutes then."

"Who was that?" Goliath came out of the shadows and laid his stuff down on the table.

"A lady that thinks she can give us a hand."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. She's got some stuff that she thinks will keep Kitt from changing back to his vehicle form and we're going to test it on you."

Goliath growled. "Does it wear off?"

"She thinks so."

"Thinks so?"

Garth nodded.

Goliath growled again. "What if I don't want to let her put it in me?"

"You don't have much of a choice."

Goliath growled again and retreated to the back of the apartment to sulk.

"And so that's how it all happened," Michael closed the book. "That was interesting."

"You didn't read a word of that," Rusti accused. "That book isn't about a wolf wanting to borrow a cup of sugar when he had a cold."

"I liked it anyway," Maija lay her head on her paws. "Got any more good ones in your head?"

"No. If I told another, I'd have to read it."

"Would you read another?" Rusti asked.

"No, it's time you went to sleep munchkin," Michael pulled the covers up around Rusti and kissed her on the forehead.

"Michael?" Rusti whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what honey?"

"Daddy isn't where I can easily get to him if I need him."

Michael clapped his chest. "I'll be right next door. You come and get me okay?"

Rusti looked doubtful. "But you're not the same."

"Oh, I know, but I'm your only option at the moment."

Rusti sighed.

"Here," Michael sat her Optimus Prime toy on her nightstand. "Optimus Pinhead will protect you."

She giggled. "Prime. Optimus Prime."

"Oh, okay, anyway, he'll keep an eye on you."

"Sure Michael."

"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

"'Night Mikie."

Bonnie awoke in the middle of the night and reached out to put her arm around Kitt. Her hand fell on thin air. She sat straight up and looked around.

"Kitt?"

"I'm at the window."

Bonnie wrapped a sheet around herself and found him at the window overlooking the complex's courtyard. She paused and gave herself a chance to look at his profile. He looked young, no older than twenty-five. He had a strongly cut face, just like the rest of him. His bangs hung at all angles, giving him more of a rugged look about him. The moon shone in the window, outlining him for her.

"What's wrong?"

"Three people, down in the courtyard. I can't hear what they're saying, but they're having a meeting it looks like."

Bonnie moved to his side and looked down. Sure enough, there were three people there, huddled together. One was much larger than the other two.

"I've got a strange feeling about him," Kitt indicated the giant.

Bonnie nodded. For some reason, he was ringing warning bells in her head too.

"I saw him in the hallway earlier. He bumped shoulders with me. Called me Midnight. Was very rude about it."

Bonnie nodded again. "What are they doing? Can you see?"

"Looks like they're giving him a injection and waiting for something to happen."

Bonnie and Kitt both watched quietly for a minute. Nothing happened below.

"They're going back inside…should I go and see what they were up to?" Kitt asked.

"No, they weren't breaking the law…I don't think. Let's leave them for now," Bonnie shook her head.

Kitt looked out the window one more time, then allowed Bonnie to lead him back to bed.

"Daddy, daddy!!" Rusti ran into the garage as the black Trans Am pulled into the Knight Mansion's garage.

"Good morning sweetie. Did you sleep well?" Kitt greeted his daughter as Bonnie got out.

"Well, yeah. Maija sang me a wolf song. I went right to sleep."

"A wolf song huh? Are you sure it wasn't a spell?"

"I'm not," Maija padded up behind Rusti and bowed her head gracefully. "Good morning Kitt."

"Good morning Maija."

"Did you have a good night?" She asked.

There wasn't an expression on her face, but Kitt had a feeling she was insinuating something. "I slept rather well, if that's what you're asking."

The barest tips of her fangs showed in what Kitt assumed was a smile. "Good."

Maija's beautifully cut head rested on Rusti's shoulder, making the wolf look gigantic and the child much smaller than she really was. Her topaz eyes glittered. Kitt was suddenly glad they'd found Maija, middle-aged though she was.

Devon strolled into the garage, folder in hand. "Is Michael up yet?"

"No," Rusti answered. "I looked in his room when I got up and he was still asleep."

"Snoring loudly as usual?" Kitt asked, switching form and picking Rusti up.

"Yes. I missed you Daddy."

"I was only gone a night sugar."

"I know, but I still missed you," she wrapped her arms around his neck, putting her little face against his skin.

Kitt smiled a little and patted Rusti's leg. "What have you got there Devon?"

"A noticed informing me that Garth Knight has escaped prision…again."

Kitt groaned inwardly. Not again. "Oh? When?"

"About a week ago," Devon replied, handing Kitt the folder. "Our biggest problem will be finding him."

Kitt read the contents of the folder. "Help from a woman again?"

"Yes. Apparently she researched you and found out how you could manipulate your body. She built a GOLIATH AI and installed it in a truck for Garth."

Memories from last night rushed back to Kitt. His eyes narrowed and a softly growl escaped him. They had been right there!!

"He may not be so hard to find Devon. I think I saw him last night."