Terminator doesn't belong to me.

Not What You Expected

Sarah Connor eyed Kyle Reese. She couldn't believe that he had finally appeared in her life. After all those years of hearing Pop's stories, of knowing her destiny had already been mapped out for her she couldn't believe that Kyle Reese aka father of John Connor, was finally here, with her.

She had tried to picture him, wondering if he would be tall or short, dark or pale, have blue eyes or brown eyes. She had asked Pop to describe him but while Pop knew when Kyle Reese was most likely to appear and that they would mate he had nothing to say about his physical appearance.

She couldn't help herself. She stole at glance at him. She knew that she was supposed to fall in love with him; and for that reason Sarah had told herself that she would dislike him on sight but after spending, what, she glanced at her watch, five minutes with him, she was imagining what it would be like to kiss him. It was all Pop's fault, he had put those ideas in her head and the fact that Kyle Reese wasn't an unattractive man was making her think about him in that way.

It was because she'd had an unconventional childhood, she told herself, she hadn't attended normal school like many of her age mates, she hadn't hang out at the mall, dated much or at all, or any of those things people did normally. She had been too busy hiding and running and preparing for what was to come. That was why she found Kyle Reese mildly attractive.

000

"I know I'm not what you expected," Kyle told her, "but I will do everything in my power to protect you, even if it means giving my own life."

Sarah stopped undressing as he spoke. He sounded so sincere and she knew that he meant it and based on what she'd been told she knew that he would do it and had done it, in fact. Her thundered against her chest. She was falling in love in this man inspite of her best intentions not to.

000

Sarah's heart almost broke for Kyle – almost but not quite. He was shocked to discover that John was their son and he was hurt that she hadn't told him. But, she reasoned with herself, how could she tell him that John Connor was his son; that he was going to die as soon as she conceived? It was impossible news to give anyone and she hadn't been ready to do it.

"Why didn't you tell me, Sarah?" Kyle asked her as soon as they were alone.

"How could I tell you?" she asked him. "Everyone who loves me dies."

"That's not true," Kyle said, angrily.

"And if you want to be angry," she told him, "you should be angry at John. I've only known you two days he on the other hand had years in which to tell you the truth. He probably held back the truth to ensure his own existence, to make you fall in love with me."

Kyle laughed mirthlessly. "He didn't make me fall in love with you. I did that all on my own."

Sarah had been ready to reply but his last words threw her. "What?"

"Sure, John told me stories about how brave and strong you were," Kyle admitted. "He didn't mention how stubborn you were though, but he didn't make me fall in love with you."

"What?" she asked again. She didn't even know what she was saying.

"You're beautiful," Kyle stated. "And that is also not why I fell in love with you. This is going to sound ridiculous but as soon as I saw you in 1984 it just happened. I had a mission – to protect you from the Terminators, to ensure that John Connor was born," he shook his head, "but even after seeing your picture and knowing who you were… are. I didn't expect this."

"Expect what?"

"To fall in love with you. To love you."

Sarah was about to answer…she didn't even know what she was going to say when Pop walked into the room.

"It's time to go."

000