DISCLAIMER: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and its characters are the propert of James Cameron and Fox. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I didn't spend any time explaining how a machine an have feelings. There are so many ways it could have happened and I believe everyone has their own thoughts on this; so I'm leaving it up to the reader to decide how Cameron has managed to have feelings. This story is from Sarah's POV.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Trust
By DarXe
Cameron ran as fast as she could, rounding the corner and up the street. She ran across the street then jumped over the fence and ran through the yard; skipping the steps, she jumped up onto the front porch. When she reached the door, she turned the knob breaking the lock and throwing the door wide. She scanned the room then using her heightened senses she ran up the stairs to the two sleeping occupants.
"Sarah, John," she called.
Cameron walked quickly down the hall and knocked on the first door; because Sarah hated it when she didn't; before opening it. Sarah was sitting up with her gun pointed toward the door, "Sarah, we have to leave."
Sarah blinked at Cameron then got up. Cameron left the room to knock on John's door but he was standing in the hall looking at her. "What's going on?" He asked as he pulled a shirt on over his head.
"Get dressed and I'll get the truck. I'll explain on the way." Cameron said as she turned to get the truck.
Sarah, dressed and at the door now, grabbed Cameron's arm and asked, "No, tell me what's going on."
"Three terminators are on the way here, I'll explain more on the way. I promise." Cameron turned and left and Sarah and John went back into their rooms and quickly finished getting dressed.
The sun was still hours from coming up. Sarah was in the front seat and John was in the back listening to Cameron as she drove. "I was looking around the warehouse that we talked about yesterday. I had just located the safe and was about to open it when I heard a loud noise. I left the safe and went back to the hall. It sounded like it came from down the hall so I went that way. Instead of a room was an entrance to a railed hall that over-looked the main floor. There they were, three terminators, all T-888's. They had just arrived. They looked at each other as they stood and said in unison – John and Sarah Conner."
John spoke up, "That's new, why three at a time?"
Cameron looked at him in the rear view mirror for a moment then back to the road, "I don't know. I guess Skynet is getting tired of chasing you," she turned her head and looked at Sarah, "and you."
Sarah took a breath then asked, "So why did we leave the house? They don't know where we live?"
"No, they don't. But they are different somehow than the others. It's the same type of model but there is something different. The house isn't safe, you aren't safe," she said as she stole a quick glance at Sarah. Cameron turned off the main road onto a smaller one and picked up speed.
"Cameron, where are we going?" Sarah asked again.
Cameron slowed down and turned onto dirt road, if you could call it that, and said, "When I first arrived in the past I found you, made sure you were both safe."
"I need to call Derek," John said. He dug out his cell phone and called his uncle. The phone rang and rang. "There's no answer. Mom, do you know where he is?"
"No, he just went off," she sighed, "try again,"
"I am, nothing. I'll leave him a message." He waited for the voice mail to answer, "Derek, it's John. There is trouble and we are on our way to a safe house. I'm turning off my cell after this and since we can't seem to reach you just stay away from the house until we can contact you in a few days." He hung up the phone. "Well, let's hope he checks his messages before he goes back to the house.
Cameron slowed the truck once more as she drove around a patch of trees, then down past some bushes. She drove a few feet more then stopped the truck, leaned over Sarah and grabbed a flashlight from the glove box before she got out and rounded the truck. Sarah and John followed her lead as Cameron went to a thick patch of bushes surrounding three trees.
She gave the flashlight to Sarah, reached under the dirt, and pulled out what looked like a stick. As she lifted the stick, the bushes also lifted to reveal a round metal hatch with an electronic lock. She punched a code then pressed her hand to the lock. The hatch clicked and Cameron turned the handle and lifted. Once it was open, she stepped back and motioned to Sarah to climb down the ladder then waited as John followed. Cameron climbed down closing the hatch behind her. When she got to the bottom she moved passed both mother and son to push on the wall in front of them. The wall moved back about six inches then she slid it to the side as she stepped across the threshold, which caused lights to begin flickering on. Sarah and John looked at each other, and once again followed her through the wall.
They were in a large room; to the left of where they stood was arch that lead to a dark hallway. On the wall about a foot from the doorway was small closed door. Just past the door and fully covering the back wall began a ceiling to floor bookshelves stocked with books for all kinds and all ages and all subjects; including coloring books with boxes of colors, markers and color pencils, game board boxes were stacked neatly on the bottom row. Along the wall to the right of the shelves was a series of five doors.
John walked farther in and turned taking it all in, "Cameron, how long do you expect us to be here?"
Cameron looked at John then Sarah and said, "As I was saying before, after I made sure you were both safe, I found several records of old fall-out shelters. I then made several upgrades." She walked to the arch leading to the dark hallway, when she reached the doorway the lights behind flickered on. "There are plenty of supplies. Anything you could want is here."
She went back to the entrance where Sarah still stood. "I need to see what the new T-888's mission is. It's more than just finding you. There is always more. I'll be back as soon as it's safe."
She turned to leave but Sarah caught her arm as she was about to climb the ladder. "You can't leave us down here. I can't stay here. I have to do something."
Cameron turned to her fully and said, "It's not safe for either of you. I will be back; I promise I won't leave you here. I have to check them out and although John can hide alone, you have to protect him if anything happens to me. I'll be back in five days no matter what to let you know how things are going. Hopefully I'll have good news."
Sarah still had a hold of Cameron's arm. She understood what Cameron said and it rang true, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "Fine, but if you aren't back in three days, I'm leaving this place. I'll find you and those new terminators."
Cameron was silent then relented. She knew Sarah would do just as she said. "Three days. I'll be back within three days. I promise."
Sarah nodded her head but she couldn't seem to let go of Cameron's arm. She looked into her eyes as if to memorize the way they were looking at her. Sarah felt as if for the first time someone had finally seen the real her. Funny that the person to finally do that was a machine.
"You better come back." She hesitated not wanting to admit what she was about to say but knowing it was true she said it anyway, "I can't do this alone; I need you. You better come back."
Cameron lifted her free hand and cupped Sarah's cheek. Sarah stiffened a little then relaxed into the hand. "I promise, Sarah, I'll come back. I'll never leave you."
She slowly leaned close to Sarah, watching as the woman's eyes closed, and she touched her lips to Sarah's. It was a chaste kiss, meant to seal a promise.
"That's a promise I plan on holding you too." Sarah leaned into her and kissed her back. A soft short kiss, a peck really, but the fact that Sarah kissed her made Cameron smile.
"Three days."
"Three days." Cameron again promised then climbed the ladder, closing the hatch and leaving mother and son alone.
Sarah turned to see John looking at her with a smile on his face. "Come see what I found."
Hoping he hadn't seen what had just happened between herself and Cameron, she nodded to him and followed him back to the large room, through the doorway to the left and into the hallway. She stopped as she took in everything before her, then she slowly walked down taking it all in. The hallway must have been 100 yards long. The back half filled with guns of all kinds and ammo boxes behind them. The front half filled with rows of shelves full of food and bottled water.
"Why do you think she did this?" He asked.
Still looking at the supplies she shrugged and then turned to him. She crossed her arms and said, "I guess this is a just in case. If we have to live through Judgment Day it's better to be prepared than have nothing when it happens."
"I guess." He gazed at her with a question in his eyes. "Do you think she is really trying 100% to help stop Skynet?"
"John, I think she is protecting us the best way she can. She is helping us to stop Skynet but at the same time she knows the statistics of us succeeding." She looked at her shoes then spoke to her son again, "I'm glad this is here. I'm going to do everything I can to stop Judgment Day but it does make me feel a little better knowing we have a safe place." She walked past him and said, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."
Sarah woke from a dream and sat up. Waking because of a dream was not all that unusual for her but this dream was different. In this dream, she was the Sarah she was going to be before she met Kyle. She had a job and a cat. She had friends and a life that didn't involve guns and knowing extreme survival skills. There was no Skynet, no killing machines chasing after her, no Cameron and there was no John. Is that what would have happen if Skynet didn't exists? Would her life change over to how it would be if time travel was never invented? She didn't always show it, she didn't know how to show most of the time, but she loved her son with all her heart. She got up from the bed and walked to the door. She would need to think about this some more but not right now. Right now, she needed to see her son.
She saw him as soon as she stepped through the door. He had a book open on the table, a bottle of water in one hand and a can of Vienna Sausage in the other. He looked up as she came closer and he smiled.
"Did you enjoy your nap?" He asked.
"It was okay. What are you reading?" She asked as she sat down on the left side of him glancing at the book. What ever it was, it had colorful pictures.
"It's a pictorial history book. There are lots of them and they cover from the beginning of time to the year 2000. They take up the whole top shelf." He looked at his mother.
"I didn't realize anyone was around to take pictures at the beginning of time," Sarah commented.
John smiled, "Not all are photos, some are drawn or computer generated, those are pretty cool." He paused, "Do you think she did all this on her own or did I tell her to do it?"
Sarah grinned and shrugged in answer. "So what else did you find in here?"
"The door between the storage and the bookshelves is a washroom. There is a toilet and a sink, even a mirror. There's a small tub also, but I have no idea how she gets water in here, but there is water … and it looks clean. All the doors on that wall are bedrooms. The three down there at the end have bunk beds in each corner, so they each fit eight people." He pointed to the door next to one she had taken a nap in, "That one is mine, there are clothes, a desk with tools; the room has just about everything I have at the home. I'm guessing the room you were in is yours. Did you look around before you lay down?"
Sarah looked at the room she recently left, the door still half open. "No I didn't." It wasn't like her to not take in her surroundings when she first entered a new place. Why didn't she look around?
"Well, come on; let's see what she's got in there for you?" He got up and led his mother back to her room. He pushed the door fully open and stepped inside.
Sarah slowly passed John as he moved to the side of the room. She looked first to the wall beside where John was standing. There was a dresser with five drawers. Beside the dresser was a wardrobe with two doors that swung out and one long drawer under them. She walked over and looked inside each drawer. She found all her preferred clothes in the top three drawers. In the bottom two drawers, she found clothes she would never wear, however they did look just like Cameron's preferred clothing. She closed the drawers and went to look in the wardrobe. Two-thirds was filled with her clothes and the rest what she guessed were again, Cameron's.
She looked at John and he just smiled. "Looks like she plans on sharing the room with you, Mom."
Sarah ignored him and moved along down the wall. There was a desk and a chair facing the room so her back would be to the wall when she sat down. The back wall had a small bookshelf with memorabilia, pictures of her and John, small trinkets from different places she had been. Sarah looked at each knowing she had never bought anything like them. It wasn't something she did really. All these things were things Cameron put in this room to make it more comfortable for her. She was annoyed that Cameron knew her so well and at the same time it made her smile.
Sarah turned to the right and there was a full size bed with plain sheets and a blanket. There was another shelf at the foot of the bed, by the door to the room, this one empty. She looked over to John, sat down on the bed, and looked around the room again. John pushed off the door and walked over to his mother. He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her.
"Why did she put her things with mine? It doesn't make sense to me." She said softly.
"Mom, it makes perfect sense."
Sarah snapped her head up and looked at John. "What?"
"Come on, think about it. If we need this bunker, she won't be able to have her own room. Being with you will be the safest place for her. Mom, she is showing you how much she trusts you. She will protect you out there while she can and even in here; but when we have to move in here, she will need us more than we need her. Whomever we bring with us will be afraid of her. Although she will be able to take care of herself, she won't 'fight' back against anyone without really scaring or hurting them. She is putting herself in our hands." He hugged his mother to him for a moment before continuing, "Besides, have you seen the way she looks at you?"
Sarah pulled back from John and said, "Don't be silly, she doesn't look at me any different than anyone else does."
John laughed, "Mom, you are the most observant person I know. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. You have to know I saw the kiss before she left. She kissed you and you kissed her back. I've been wondering what you were waiting for."
"John…"
"No, I mean it. I've seen how she looks at you when she thinks no one is looking. I've also seen you watching her; and how when she is around you are a little calmer. You know that when she is with us you have someone you can trust to watch your back." He tried to assure her, "I'm alright with it."
Sarah sat for a moment and absorbed what he said then nodded and stood up. She walked to the door and said, "I'm hungry, are you hungry?"
John would drop the subject for now, but not forever. He got up and followed her.
Later that evening found Sarah looking at the books on the bookshelf ; she turned her head slightly and saw John staring at her. She smiled and asked, "What time is it?"
He walked over, looked at the books with her, and said, "About 6 pm. Bored?"
Sarah snorted, "Just a tad." She glanced at him out the corner of her eye. "Aren't you?"
He reached out and took a book before answering her, "Yeah, but I'm mostly just enjoying the break. This is kind of like a mini-vacation." He took the chosen book and went to the table, sat down and started looking through it.
Sarah turned and leaned back against the bookshelf and watched her son, the future savior of humankind. Her thoughts went back to her naptime dream. If she did manage to stop Skynet, would she be as she was in her dream and be as ignorant as the rest of the world; would she remember it all and be alone; or would she still have John and wonder what life would throw at her next? She took a deep breath and asked herself, "What do I want?"
John looked up and asked, "What?"
Not realizing she had spoken aloud she went over and sat down beside him. She looked him in eye, watched his face as he watched her in return. "Mom, what's going on?"
She smiled sadly and shook her head. She used her nail to scratch the table top, "Just pondering the whole time travel thing I guess. I had a dream earlier where we did manage to stop Skynet, stopped its creation. Only it was as if the past 17 years never happened. No running from machines, no Cameron…" she looked up from the table to look at John, "No you. What if that happens, John? What if we stop Skynet and Judgment Day but I don't have you? You are the reason I get up in the morning. You are the reason I fight. John, if we win do I lose you?"
John sat there and thought about what she said for a few minutes. He then got up and went to kneel beside his mother. He took her hand from the table and held it, and said, "I read a quote in one of the books earlier. It said 'The more precisely you plan, the harder destiny will hit you'. It got me to thinking about all this. Maybe … maybe if there is no Skynet you end up meeting someone about the same time you meet my father but I still get to be born. I may look a little different but … we would still have each other. Maybe in that future we actually get to be a normal, happy family rather than the weird, always on the run, and know way more than anyone should kind of family."
Sarah laughed and pulled John to her hugging him tightly. "I love you John. I don't want to lose you."
He hugged her close and said, "I love you too, Mom. No matter what happens, I believe we will always be together. It's fate, right?"
She pulled back and looked into his eyes through her tear-filled ones, "Yeah, and it is what we make it."
John reached up and wiped her tears, "Mom, I want you to know that I am really okay with you and Cameron being together, if it is what you want." He held up his hand to stop her from interrupting, "I mean it." He pulled a chair closer to him and sat down still holding her hand. "Close your eyes."
"John," she sighed.
"Please, just close your eyes." She waited a moment then closed her eyes. "Now, I want to think of Cameron." He waited a few seconds then said, "Now open them. Look."
He held out his cell phone to her. At the question in her eyes he said, "Look at it."
She took the phone from him and looked at the screen. John said softly, "This is you thinking about Cameron."
There she was, eyes closed with a small, soft grin on her face. She kept starring at the image. Did she really do that when she thought about Cameron? John had to be playing a joke on her. She doesn't smile when she thinks about Cameron … does she? She looked back at John, he had a big smile on his face. "You're pulling my leg right? You took this picture a few days ago or something?"
"No, I took it just now. You don't do that much … smile. I'd like to see it more. It makes you look younger, healthier, and happier. I worry about you sometimes. If Cameron can put a smile on your face I'd like to keep it there."
Sarah smiled at him and shook her head a little. "I just don't know, John."
"Come on, I know you like her. She's hot,"
"John!" Sarah said in exasperation.
John just laughed and stood up. He went back over to the chair his book was in front of and sat down. "Just think about it. You don't have to do anything, but if something comes up, if an opening happens, just let it. Go with it. Be happy for as long as you can."
"Yeah, I'll think about it." With that, Sarah got up, pushed her chair under the table and went back to her room.
Sarah blinked awake. There were no dreams haunting her, no sounds in the outer room to wake her. She didn't even remember falling asleep. She sat up and swung her legs over the side on bed. She put her face in her hands then ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it a bit. She looked around the room again. Her room. No, her and Cameron's room. "Right, I'm going crazy for real this time." She said softly to herself.
She walked to the door and opened it to find the outer room empty. She looked around slowly, eyes finding small things she didn't notice before. There was a clock on one of the shelves. The walls were painted a light blue. Between each of the bedroom doors was a small sofa that would sit two to three people. Cameron really thought about everything for this place. She walked the perimeter of the room a few times, glancing at the book titles as she passed, touching the chairs at the table, the walls, the texture of the sofas. Cameron must come often because there was no dust, and it didn't smell like it had been closed up for long. Many of the books were new releases and she even remembered seeing that some of the food had recent dates on them.
"Hey," John said as he yawned and walked over to the table.
She turned around and smiled at him. "Hey. Sleep well?"
He shrugged, "I guess, the bed is more comfortable than the one at home. And it's so quiet down here."
"Yeah, that's true." Sarah turned back to the bookshelf she was standing in front of and began walking again. "I'm getting a little restless though. It's taking all I have not to go out there now. But I promised I'd wait three days and I believe I have a day and half left, right?"
"Yep," he looked at the clock on the shelf, "19 hours and 35 minutes." He rubbed his face then stood up. "Oh, come see what I found last night. Should make you happy; at least for a little while."
She followed him into to the supply room. He disappeared between the rows of food and guns. Sarah frowned and followed him between the tight rows of shelves to the last row she saw John walk down; and down at the end she saw another door. Walking through she said, "Damn, how big is this place?"
John laughed and watched his mothers face light up as she saw just what this new room was.
"Okay, why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"I found it last night. I went to get you but you were asleep. You looked too peaceful to wake so I let you sleep." He said.
"Thanks," She walked further into the room admiring the exercise and workout equipment. In the back corner was a punching bag, speed bag, and a small rack of gloves and mits.
Sarah didn't even notice as John shook his head and left his mother in the heaven she now found herself in. She walked around the room inspecting every piece of equipment. She took a moment to stretch then got on the treadmill. She ran slowly at first and then increased her pace. After almost two hours she was dripping with sweat and slowed to a jog. She got off the treadmill and decided to try out a few of the other machines. She made her way around the room trying each one, some longer than others. She finally made it to the back and put on a pair of gloves. She began working out on the punching bag. She smiled as she realized all the pent up tension she felt for the last few days was finally draining away.
Sarah didn't even realize it, but she had spent most of the day in the exercise room but she felt much better for it. She sat down on a bench along the side of the wall when she noticed she smelled like she'd just spent all day in the exercise room. "Guess I didn't think this all the way through."
"Didn't think what through?"
Sarah jerked her head up at the sound of Cameron's voice. "Cameron? You're back early. Or did I miss a day?"
Cameron gave a half smile and said, "No, I had a little luck. I told you I would come back for you when it was safe to go back to the house." Cameron walked slowly closer to Sarah until she was standing right in front of her. "Would you like a bath first?"
"I know there is a toilet and a small tub but really, how much water is available?" Sarah asked.
Cameron knelt in front of Sarah so she was level with her. "There is a reservoir that is designed to catch rain water and store it. When you turn on the faucet, it goes through a big filter system so it comes out clean. It's filtered so clean you can drink it if you wanted."
She felt Cameron take her hand and looked up. "You're really here?"
"Yes, just like I told you. Sarah, I will always come for you. You are the reason I came to the past." Cameron said.
Sarah wasn't sure she had heard correctly. "You came back to protect John."
"No, I came back to meet you. John told me so much about you. He said you taught him everything he knew. He spoke about you as if you were a god on earth and nothing and no one could ever tarnish your memory. I was with him when he found out Skynet was sending a terminator back to find him in school at a time when he thought he was safe. I told him to send me back. I would protect him and you. Nevertheless, I came back to meet you. I had to meet you in person. I asked if he would send me back at least a year before I needed to meet him for the first time. I found you and after seeing that you both were safe I found this place and made the upgrades. I slowly filled it with everything you see now. I'll keep coming back until I know it isn't needed." Cameron looked down at her hand as she held Sarah's. As she spoke she felt Sarah's thumb rubbing softly up and down. It was so soft.
When Cameron looked back up, Sarah was looking directly into Cameron's eyes. Sarah wondered about the emotions she was seeing there; and why she was seeing it and what it really meant. When did Cameron start having emotions?
Cameron asked, "Would you like to take a bath now?"
Sarah blinked out of her haze and said, "As much as I would love a bath, I really want out of here. I'll take a shower at home. You can fill us in about what happened on the way."
Cameron stood up but didn't let go of Sarah's hand. Instead, she helped Sarah up from the bench and led her back into the main room where John was waiting. When he noticed the joined hands, he covered his face to hide his growing smile. Sarah pretended not to notice his antics and followed Cameron to the entrance.
It was dusk as they drove back to the house. Sarah rode with the window down enjoying the fresh air. It had been less than two full days but it felt like she hadn't breathed fresh air in over a year. She took another breath and when Cameron turned onto the main road she asked, "Okay, so tell us what happened."
Cameron flipped the blinker on and eased into the correct lane then began telling them her adventure. "After I left you here I went back to the house. I knew that with three of them I'd need a way to immobilize them at the same time. I also knew I'd have to work fast once I got them down. So, I went to the back yard and set up a trap. I was planning on electrocuting them and taking their chip before they had time to reboot. The problem was finding a way to get them without getting me at the same time. I found a thick pair of electrical gloves, a generator and some extra long jumper cables. In back of the house, I set up a pool of water on each side, in case they split up, and covered it. I hooked it up to the jumper cables and set it up to send an electric current when I flipped a switch. Then I went to the warehouse and left clues for them to find."
"How is any of this a little of luck?" John asked.
"I got back to the house to wait. This morning I heard them. I had the generator on all night so everything was ready. However, only two came around the house, one on each side. I had to set off the trap. Once they were down I went to the first and got his chip, then went to the second. The second was just starting to reboot early, these reboot at 90 seconds. I had just reached the chip when he started to reboot; I managed to pull it out just in time. The bit of luck was the puppy." Cameron said. She had just exited the main road. They would be at the house soon.
Sarah said, "The little brown one that followed you home a few weeks ago … barking the whole time?"
"Yes, I could tell it was hurt so I fed it and managed to put some medicine on it's leg. I guess it decided I was an okay machine because it never really left the house. This afternoon I named him Lucky."
John nodded, "I think I saw it the other day. He's cute."
"It was less than a minute that I had the second chip when I heard Lucky barking. I was able to get back to the shed. That is when the third terminator came around the corner. I was just able to get to switch on the generator as he stepped into the water. As I said, I had a bit of luck." Cameron smiled then looked at John through the rear view mirror. "There is a bag under my seat. Can you reach it?"
John bent down and began to search. "Found it."
Cameron said, "Open it. There are three small pieces from each of their chips. I think it holds the missions for each terminator."
Sarah had turned around to look at the pieces in John's hand. They were about the size of a dime and were octagonal in shape. She asked Cameron, "Why did you save these? What did you do with terminators bodies?"
"I burned the bodies before I came to get you. I kept these because they are new. I've never seen them in a chip before. John, I put a cable in the bag that you should be able to use to hook into the playbox. Keep them away from the modems as a precaution, but you should be able get a list of all the missions they were given. It may give us a list of people that will be influential in the resistance, we will be able to protect them; or it may have a list of people the terminator was sent back to protect, someone that helps create Skynet." Cameron said as she turned the truck into the driveway of their house.
They got out of the truck and walked to the house. "John, call Derek. Tell him we're back and it's safe to return if he wants."
John nodded and grabbed his phone. "Okay, I'll set the playbox up also; see what I can find in these chip pieces."
Sarah turned to Cameron and was slightly surprised that she wanted to take Cameron's hand again, but instead, she turned and walked to her room. She said, "I guess I'll get that shower now."
Cameron followed her, and at the door asked, "Sarah, are you alright? Is there anything you want, or anything you need?"
Sarah thought a moment. What did she want? What did she need? She didn't dare say, not yet. "I'm fine. Thanks Cameron." She turned, opened and went in the door.
"If you need anything, just call."
Sarah smiled and closed her door.
Sarah turned the water on and undressed. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself while waiting for the water to warm. She heard the faint sound of her cell phone ring from her jeans pocket. She picked up the jeans and dug until she found and pulled out the phone. The display told her she had a picture message. She hit the button for the message to load and noticed it was from John. Once the picture had fully loaded, she opened it. There she was with her eyes closed with a small smile on her face. It was the picture that John took in the bunker when he asked her to close her eyes and think of Cameron. She again wondered if she really did smile when she thought of Cameron. She looked up at the mirror and there is was again, a small smile.
"Well hell. He's right. I do smile when I think about her."
She put the phone down and stepped into the shower. She let the hot water rinse the sweat from her body. She let the spray beat down on her muscles for a moment longer then washed her hair and then her body. She reached around to clean her back. She remembered Cameron's last words to her, "If you need anything, just call." 'Well, I could use some help washing my back.'
She shook her head again and said out load, "I did not just think that. What is going on with me?"
She stood under the spray and let the water rinse the soap from her body then turned off the water. She pushed the shower curtain to the side and stepped out; grabbing the towel from the rack and dried off. She stepped out into her bedroom and put her clothes on. She padded barefoot back to the bathroom to get her cell phone and dirty clothes off the floor. As she turned, she slipped in a small puddle of water. She tried to catch herself with her left hand on the bathroom counter but missed; the corner of the counter caught part of her arm between her elbow and her hand leaving a long angry scratch. She landed hard on the floor. "Shit! God that hurt!" She said aloud.
"Sarah, are you alright?" Cameron asked at the same time as John asked, "Mom, what happened?"
She looked up to see two sets eyes looking down at her. She reached her right hand up and Cameron reached for her and helped her up from the floor. "I'm fine, just slipped on some water."
"I'll go find the first aid kit for your arm." John said as he backed out of the small room.
Cameron walked her to the bed.
"I'm fine, it's just a scratch." Sarah said. "After seeing Cameron looking intently at her arm she reaffirmed, "Really, I'm fine."
Cameron went into the bathroom and got the wet washcloth from the tub and went back to Sarah. She knelt down in front of her and began wiping the blood gently from the scratch. John came in with the first aid kit and placed it beside Sarah.
"You sure you're okay?" He asked a little worried. It wasn't like his mother to be clumsy.
She smiled at him. "I'm fine, I promise. Just didn't see the water. Hurt my pride than more than my arm. Did you get the playbox set up to the read the chip pieces?" She asked to get his mind off her scratch.
"Just about. I need to tweak a few things but it should be easy enough. I should have it figured out by tonight." He watched Cameron open the first aid kit and take out the bandages and the ointment she would need for Sarah's arm. "I'm getting hungry. Mind if I call out for pizza?"
"Sure. Don't forget the breadsticks this time." She said to his retreating back.
"Yeah, yeah," she heard from down the hall.
Cameron was using an alcohol swab to clean the scratch. She pointed to one part at the top, "It looks like you might need a few stitches on this part; four will do. The rest isn't as bad."
"Is the thread still in there? Might as well get it over with." She said with a grimace. She couldn't believe she had been so careless.
Cameron got the thread and the needle and as gently and quickly as she could, she put four stitches in the deepest part of the wound. She tied it off and cut the extra string then put the needle and thread down. She put some ointment on a long bandage large enough to cover the scratch and then placed it on the arm. She then wrapped the arm in gauze to help keep it clean.
Cameron stood up from where she was kneeling and sat beside Sarah on the bed. She took Sarah's right hand in her left and rubbed her thumb over the back of Sarah's hand.
Sarah smiled at the soft touch in wonder. How could she be able to bend steel and yet be so soft and gentle? She looked at her companion, watching as Cameron looked at their entwined hands. "What are you thinking?" She asked Cameron.
"I'm sorry you were hurt. I'm sorry I had to hurt you to put the stitches in. I don't like it when you get hurt." She said.
"I'm not a fan of getting hurt either. But it happens." She replied. "Thanks for helping me."
They sat there for a moment in silence. Sarah thought back to her dream. She also thought back to what John said about the dream, and about him telling her that he wanted her to be happy.
"I had a dream while in the bunker. I dreamed there was no Skynet, no running, no you, no John. If we prevent Skynet from being created, and stop Judgment Day, will that happen? Will you and John cease to exist? Will I remember any of this?" Sarah asked.
Cameron looked up into Sarah's eyes and said, "I don't know. It could. Skynet created the time machine. Without Skynet no one would be able to travel back in time. Every time a person or machine is sent back, things change in the future. Everything we do now to stop Skynet is changing a little of the future. I don't know if anything we are doing now will stop Skynet, or just change the date that Judgment Day occurs. I don't have any answers Sarah. All I can do is promise you that I will do all I can to help you. Be it to keep Skynet from happening to helping you and John with the resistance." She reached up and cupped Sarah's cheek. "I'll die to protect you. I promise you, I'll do everything I can to see that you get to see John win the war … one way or another."
Sarah leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. She heard John's voice in her head, "If an opening happens, just let it. Go with it. Be happy for as long as you can." She opened her eyes when she saw that Cameron was watching her intently, she leaned closer to her and pressed a soft kiss to Cameron's lips. Cameron leaned into Sarah and returned the kiss. Cameron opened her mouth and Sarah deepened the kiss, sucking Cameron's bottom lip into her mouth. Sarah wrapped her arm around Cameron's neck, keeping her close.
They jumped when a cough sounded from the door. "The pizza will be here in twenty minutes. Just thought you'd like to know. I'll umm … I'll be in my room until the pizza arrives." With that, he turned and left for his room.
"I didn't hear him," Cameron said.
"We were kind of preoccupied. It's okay Cam." Sarah said.
"But I should have heard him. I've never not heard anyone walking up on me before." Cameron looked like she failed at her most important mission.
"Cameron, look at me." Sarah said. "If we had been in danger I'm sure you would have heard it."
Cameron still looked shocked. "Cam, do you trust John?"
"Yes," Cameron said without hesitation.
"If it had been anyone other than John I'm sure you would have heard. You knew it was safe, you know his steps, its okay." Sarah said and caressed the side of Cameron's face.
She leaned in and kissed her again. Cameron was stiff at first; not wanting to let anyone or anything surprise her again; but when she felt Sarah's tongue graze across her bottom lip, she gave into Sarah and kissed her back. She wrapped Sarah in her arms and lifted while she turned, pulling Sarah to her. Sarah let out a surprised gasp when she felt Cameron lift her and pull her so that she was straddling her lap. Sarah deepened the kiss even more, sucking Cameron's tongue into her own mouth. She was breathing hard and she tangled her fingers in Cameron's hair.
Suddenly Cameron pulled away and stiffened. Sarah pulled back slightly, "Cam, what's wrong?"
"Someone coming up to the door." She paused for a minute.
"Maybe the pizza is here early." Sarah said.
"No, it's Derek," Cameron said.
Sarah laughed. "See, I told you would hear anyone you didn't trust."
Sarah leaned down and kissed her again quickly then got up. She went to the door and called out, "John, I think Derek's here. Will you go down and keep him downstairs? We'll be down by the time the pizza is here."
John walked out into the hall and went to his mother. "Sure." He stopped in front of her and gave her a quick hug. He whispered in her ear, "I'm happy for you." He smiled at Cameron then went downstairs to find his uncle just coming inside the door.
Sarah closed the bedroom door then picked up her dirty clothes and put them in the hamper while Cameron packed the supplies back into the first aid kit for the next time it was needed; and unfortunately, it would be needed again.
Cameron looked over at Sarah and said, "The pizza is here."
"See, it's all about trust." Sarah laughed and they both moved to the door.
Sarah stopped Cameron from turning the handle by covering her hand. "Wait."
Sarah turned Cameron so they were facing and she leaned in for one more kiss. Sarah felt Cameron's hand move from the handle to the back of her neck. Sarah ended the kiss with a few small pecks to the lips and smiled. "I just wanted one more."
Cameron nodded, her eyes still closed, and she leaned her forehead against Sarah's. "I'm glad."
"Cameron, for now let's not let anyone but John know about us. Our cover is you are my step-daughter, and I'm not in the mood to fight with Derek." Sarah said with a sad tint to her voice.
"I understand." Cameron leaned in for one last kiss and she opened the door.
Sarah stepped off the last step just as John turned from the door with a pizza box in his hand. He grinned when he saw his mother and Cameron walking in the room. "Hey, I was just about to call up to you. Pizza is here."
Cameron went to the kitchen to put the first aid kit away and Sarah walked with John to sit on the couch in the living room. The TV was on low and Derek was on the chair facing the TV but at an angle to the couch. He looked up as mother and son sat on the couch.
"I hear it saved the day," he grumbled.
Sarah looked over at him and choosing to ignore his attitude said, "Yes, she did … again." She looked over to the kitchen door and while reaching for a slice of pizza, she called out, "Cameron, can you bring some paper towels in here please?"
John took a bite of his slice of pizza and glanced at his uncle, "You want some?"
Derek crossed his arms and looked back to the TV.
Cameron came in and handed the paper towel roll to Sarah then sat beside her. She looked at the TV and gave a smirk, "I like this movie."
Sarah looked at the TV but didn't recognize the movie. "What is it?"
John looked up and said, "I don't know, I had just turned it on when the pizza guy showed up."
"It's Elektra. She kicks ass." Cameron looked at Sarah, "She reminds me of you, only in a different way. Plus you are way hotter."
Sarah coughed and John laughed. Derek snapped his head around and stared at her in disgust. "What? How can you let it sit beside you and talk to you that way? It's just going to turn on you as soon as it gets a chance. I swear it's just waiting… biding it's time…."
"Derek, she gave me a compliment," She turned to Cameron, "which we will talk about later." Turning back to Derek, she said, "If you don't want to be here you can leave. She lives here. If you don't like it, tough. I've put up with a lot from you because you're family but I'm tired of hearing it. Your rhetoric is getting very old. I understand you don't trust her, I get it, but guess what? I trust her more than I trust you. She is dependable … She is always here. Where were you the other morning? We tried to call you, but you didn't answer. I'm not asking you to go on a mission with her, she hasn't done anything to deserve the punishment or torture of being alone with you. So either stop your talking or stop coming over." Sarah grabbed another slice of pizza and went to the kitchen.
She put her new slice on a paper towel and stood looking out the kitchen window. John came up and stood beside her. "You okay? You kind of lost it for a minute there. This is the second time today I've seen you do something not very 'Sarah Conner-ish'. First, you slipped in the bathroom and just now you lost control to Derek. I mean I get why, and trust me, he needed to be ripped a new one. I wanted to say it myself but… I'm not used to seeing you do that. Are you okay?"
She chewed a little longer on her food, gathering her thoughts before she answered. "I'm fine. I'm just tired of his broken record. He needs to learn a new tune."
John looked at her for a minute and asked hesitantly, "Is it because of Cameron?"
"Is what because of Cameron?"
"Your losing control … Cause as long as I know you're okay, and this will settle after you and Cameron get more settled with each other, I can deal. You've always been my rock, and I don't want to see you crumble. I just need to know that you're okay." He looked sheepishly away from her.
She turned more fully to face him and grabbed his shoulders. "John, I'm fine. Yes, I'm still getting used to the idea of there being a me and Cameron, which I didn't really give any thought to until you and I talked in the bunker this morning. But me losing it with Derek, that wasn't about Cameron. Well, other than he keeps referring to her as 'it'. I let it go on for as long as I did because, as I said, he is family. Also I once believed the same way. I understand how he feels"
"You seemed to get along with 'Uncle Bob' faster than you did with Cameron. Why do you think that is?" He asked.
"I looked at him and I saw that thing that chased me before you were born.; the machine that killed your father. Then he was helping you and me; and I saw you responding to him. I realized that he would always stand by you and protect you. But when I saw Cameron, I'm not sure what I thought. I couldn't believe that Skynet would build a machine like her. She was … is so different from any other machine. She has even said so. I still look at her and I'm not sure what I think. I have a cycle of things that go through my head. She is a machine. She is a girl, a beautiful, graceful girl. She is here to help, but in the back of my mind was always the thought, 'help how?'"
He interrupted her, "So what changed?"
"I don't know." She turned back to the window and looked out. "When she first showed up I saw the machine first. Then little by little, I started seeing the girl first. She has a personality." Sarah smiled to herself, "She has a sense of humor. It's dry and sometimes it's hard to tell but she does have one. I find it hard not laugh at what she does and says sometimes."
"Mom?"
She looked at him once again.
"Do you love her?"
She blinked back at him a few times not knowing how to answer. Her mouth opened then closed. She looked back out the window and stared blankly outside.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." He said.
"John, I didn't say anything, I don't know." She started.
He held up his hand to stop her words, "You didn't have to. You might not be ready to say it yet, or to even admit it, but I see it coming. Antoine de Saint Exupery said, 'Love doesn't require two people look at each other, but that they look together in the same direction.' Something else I read in the bunker."
"When did you get so smart? Are you really my son?" She poked him in the chest a few times.
He laughed and grabbed her finger. "Yes, it's me. It's just if we can't stop Skynet I'll have to 'man up' so I might as well start now. Besides, I've recently realized that I've been very selfish. I can't expect you to do everything; you need a little help from me."
Derek left for parts unknown soon after he realized John was in agreement with his mother about talking bad about Cameron. John was in his room trying to figure out the chip pieces, Cameron was locking up the house, and Sarah was standing in her room looking out the window.
"Do you need anything?" Cameron said from the door.
Sarah heard the click as the door was closed then the soft tread of Cameron as she walked over to stand behind her. She waited to see if Cameron would close the remaining foot of space separating them but she never did.
Without turning around, Sarah reached behind her; finding Cameron's arms; she pulled them back to her and circled them around her hips to rest on top of her stomach. Then she leaned back into the soft body of the girl standing behind her. "Now I'm good."
Cameron stood in silence behind Sarah enjoying the feeling of having Sarah in her arms. "Is the house locked?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, John fell asleep at his desk. I woke him and he moved to his bed. He finished getting the playbox hooked to the chip pieces. I expect he will have the names for us in the morning. Lucky is under the house, there is no word from Derek." She said as if she were giving a report softly in Sarah's ear.
Sarah closed her eyes and ordered her thoughts. She felt Cameron kiss her below her ear and all thought left her. She was surprised when she heard herself humming, then she started moaning as Cameron changed from kissing below her ear to gently sucking.
"Where did you learn to do that?" She asked in a bare whisper.
"Research," was all Cameron said.
Sarah turned her head so she could look at Cameron. "You learned to do that while doing research on Skynet?"
"No, I learned that by doing research on the dynamics of the home and family." Sarah just looked at her and Cameron gave her a smirk. "I had to write a paper for school on how the family has changed in the last ten years. I found many sites on all different kinds of families."
"What else did you learn?"
"That there are many single parent homes; and that there is also many same sex family homes. That was when I had my first dream."
Sarah interrupted her, "I thought you said you didn't sleep."
"I don't, but nonetheless I did dream."
"What did you dream?"
"I dream that I kissed you."
"Really?"
"Yes, but the real thing is much better than the dream." She leaned in and kissed Sarah's lips. "Your lips are softer." She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and Sarah did the same. Cameron teased her by running her tongue over Sarah's lip, enticing Sarah's tongue to come out and play. When she felt Sarah's tongue, she gently sucked on it. "You also taste much better than I ever imagined."
Sarah turned around so she was facing Cameron and wrapped her arms around her neck. She pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. She reached down and slid one hand under the short shirt Cameron was wearing, feeling the soft skin of her back. She pulled back just enough to speak, "Did you learn anything else from your research?"
Around Sarah's kisses Cameron said, "I read as many web sites as I could find. Did you know that many of the sites are for people to post stories to?"
"Really? Did you read anything interesting?" She kissed the corner of Cameron's mouth, then down her neck. Cameron tilted her head to the side exposing more skin.
"I read many stories about two women kissing, and then I found many more where they were doing much more than just kissing."
"Sounds like you found some really educational reading. Care to see how much you learned?" She asked Cameron.
Cameron pulled the shirt up Sarah's body then helped her lift it over her head. "Yes."
They helped each other undress while separating as little as they could manage. Sarah walked Cameron backwards until she bumped into the bed. Sarah pushed a little more and Cameron sat then crawled backward to the top, middle of the bed; Sarah crawling with her, making sure to never break the kiss. Sarah was straddling Cameron, her legs on either side of Cameron's hips, and her arms to the side of Cameron's head. Sarah slowly moved the continuous kiss from Cameron's lips making a trail down from her face to her neck. She inched down Cameron's body leaving kisses in her wake.
She looked up at Cameron and gave her a feral smile, "I've also had dreams, about doing this. I've had them for a while now."
She cupped a breast in one hand and brought her lips to its tip kissing then licking as much skin as she could reach. She pulled the hardening tip into her mouth and swirled her tongue around it. She released the nipple and sucked the skin on the inside of the breast into her mouth hard making sure to leave a mark. When she heard Cameron moan, she moved up a little and left another mark.
"Mine," Sarah said, "You're mine now."
"Sarah, I've always been yours."
Sarah looked into Cameron's eyes. John's quote from the kitchen came back to her, 'Love doesn't require two people look at each other, but that they look together in the same direction.' Yet looking at each other, they could both see the future; they were looking in the same direction.
Sarah blinked and shifted positions to give the other breast the same treatment as the first. Giving homage to the nipple then worshipping the tasty skin and leaving a few marks there as well.
Sarah started her travels again; kissing, licking, sucking and sometimes nibbling on the skin as she made her way further down Cameron's body.
"Sarah?" Cameron called softly.
"Shh, trust me."
"I do."
Sarah gently helped Cameron move her legs apart and she lay between them. She trailed small kisses on the inside of smooth legs getting closer and closer to Cameron's center.
"Tell me, did you happen to read any stories where they did this?" She leaned in and placed kisses on Cameron's sex as she slowly teased the opening with the tip of her finger.
"Yes … I didn't think I'd … ever get to … experience it though …" She panted.
Sarah twirled her tongue around the nub and slowly pushed her finger into Cameron. She began sucking on Cameron's clit and pulled her finger back her opening. She slowly began thrusting in and out, and with the same pace, she sucked on Cameron's clit. She could feel Cameron try not to move under her.
"It's okay Cameron, I've got you. Move with me." She increased the speed of her tongue and finger. She added another finger and sucked hard on her clit.
"Sarah … Sarah, please."
Sarah hummed into Cameron and she called again, "Sarah, you should stop. I'm … I think I'm breaking. I think I'm going to explode… I don't want you to get hurt."
Sarah chuckled. She kept the movements of her hand steady and said, "It's okay, you won't hurt me. Let go."
Cameron shook her head no, her eyes closed, "Please, you have to stop or I'll explode."
Sarah once again leaned in and kissed her clit, "That's the idea. Don't you trust me?"
Cameron still had her eyes closed and trying hard not to explode remained silent.
"Cameron, Baby, look at me. Cam, come on." She slowed her thrusts but didn't stop.
Cameron opened one eye then the other and looked into Sarah's eyes.
Sarah smiled and asked, "Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"Then believe me when I say I'm not in danger. Neither are you. When we are together like this, exploding is okay, and fun. Just go with it, give in. Let it fill you … that's it." She leaned down, still keeping eye contact with Cameron, and sucked her clit back into her mouth. She flicked her tongue across the hard nub and increased her pace again.
Suddenly Cameron shut her eyes and her head flew back. "Sarah …."
Cameron went still and silent. Sarah pulled her fingers free and licked them clean as she crawled back up the sweat-slicked body under her. Cameron opened her eyes and found Sarah looking down on her.
"I did explode. And I saw fireworks." Cameron said in wonder.
Sarah leaned in again and kissed her softly on the lips. "I told you exploding this way was good."
Cameron rolled over until she had reversed their positions. "Can I make you explode now?"
Sarah groaned and said, "Dear God I hope so."
She pulled Cameron's face down and kissed her hard. They fought for control of the kiss. Sarah sucked Cameron's tongue into her mouth and then released it when she felt Cameron's right hand slip between their bodies. She felt Cameron cup her sex, then slip a finger into her already wet core.
"More, Cam I need more." She grabbed Cameron's hand and pushed two more fingers into her center. "Yes … right there … harder." She panted.
Cameron moved her head down and sucked Sarah's nipple into her mouth, sucking and licking, then moving to the side to mark Sarah's breast as she had done to hers' moments before. She thrust harder and faster until Sarah arched her back into Cameron. She held onto her, her fingers digging into Cameron's back. She pulled Cameron's head back up to hers and cried out into her mouth as she came. Cameron froze a moment just watching all the emotions run across Sarah's features.
When Sarah came back to herself, Cameron pulled her fingers from Sarah and drew lazy patterns on her skin. "Did you explode too?"
"I did." She lifted her hand and caressed Cameron's face. "I think I even saw a few fireworks."
Sarah brought Cameron's face down and they shared a kiss. This one was soft and gentle, sweet and caring, and full of wonderful promises. They pulled apart and Sarah pushed some hair behind Cameron's ear.
"Cameron, do you want to bring some clothes in here? Get a start on sharing a room before we move to the bunker?"
Cameron blinked in surprise, "Really?"
Sarah nodded and ran her hand through the long, dark, silky hair. "The bottom three drawers of my dresses are empty, and there is room in the closet. Bring whatever you want … bring half of your clothes or all of them, bring everything from that room to this one; what ever you want."
Cameron started to get off the bed.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"To get my clothes."
"Cameron, get back here." She laughed, "I'll help you move your things in tomorrow."
"So this means we can explode again now?" Cameron asked in a hopeful tone.
Sarah laughed and pulled Cameron down into another kiss. "Yes, I have a feeling we will be exploding a lot tonight."
Tomorrow would be a time for hunting down people to save and to stop. There would be bullets and explosions that would bring destruction. But tonight all the explosions were the kind that helped two bodies share one soul.
The End