Title: A Quiet Morning's Musing
Author: Mina Robins
Fandom: Sarah Connor Chronicles
Pairing: Camerah
Rating: G
Summary: A moment of peace in the Connor's dangerous lives.
First time writing these two, hope they are in character in the most part. No Beta, all mistakes are my own, please inform me if you find any.
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Sarah Conner saw herself as a lot of things. Once upon a time she was a dreamer, but of course when she had become a woman and then a mother. She lost the starry eyed gangly teen in her small safe hometown and became the protector. She guarded over her son, taught him to have no attachments, to never take a day off, and to never ever put one's trust in a machine. The future had taken her son's childhood and his innocence.
She knows he has lost so many things that a normal teen doesn't see as a privilege. They can have the hope of keeping a pet alive, to have the dog or cat as a friend and not a burden, to building snow forts in the open un-shielded backyard, to dream of going camping for the fish and sun and not for the shelter and solitude provided by the wild. Normal citizens who don't spend each moment in a constant state of painful awareness, to always keeping a keen sense for the slightest unknown movement; for the shine of a sniper's scope or the crackle of a police walkie talkie.
Sarah knows she clutches onto her son too hard at times, but it serves the one purpose and goal she has lived and breathed for, for the last 18 years. To keep her flesh and blood safe, to have him remain in her vigilant watch.
As she leans on the cold stone counter and drinks her bitingly hot black coffee she sees her son have a fragment of peace. A moment of a normal childhood.
Seeing a terminator and the Saviour of mankind floss while watching reruns of old Scooby Doo mystery inc. cartoons, on a Saturday morning was remarkably domestic and yet enduringly weird.
John had wound too much of the mint flavoured floss around his fingertips, tangling the string clumsily over his digits. He's focused on the cartoon, laughing at the right moments and even awkwardly mimicking some of the character's voices. It had taken Cameron weeks of pestering to get him to start flossing. She had patiently printed out detailed, full coloured pictures at their school's library for the entire month and half it had taken to get John to agree. Each photo depicted various preventable diseases that can attack one's mouth and gums without proper cleaning. The printed pieces of horror found their way taped on John's close bedroom door, alarm clock screen, on the inside of his wallet, and even on a recently misted bathroom mirror. The latter mentioned photo had caused showered cleaned teen to slip on the dripping wet bathroom tiles.
Seeing blackening gums and cavity filled teeth first thing in the morning, every morning, can get even the stubbornness skeptic to start up a new healthy habit.
Dental hygiene for the Connors had never really surpassed a mandatory 2 minute brushing and the quick rinse of Listerine. When bullets are whizzing by the side of your car, flossing isn't the top priority in one's mind.
The ding of the toaster caused Sarah to languidly pull the bread out and turn to the stove. A warm skillet held a sunny side egg just the way she liked it. She carefully slid the egg onto her toast and buttered the other piece of bread. When she was done she sat back onto the counter stool.
The first time Cameron had made breakfast for her it had freaked her out to an un-measurable extent. The tin miss had gone as far as making sure her bacon pieces, eggs and sausage were arranged in a way that smiled back at her. When she was about the question whether the un-eating robot was trying to poison her she had faced a Cameron who was comically chewing on a bowl of frosted flakes.
She had asked why Cameron even needed physical supplements when a terminator surely just ran on electricity or diabolical evil juice.
The robot… The girl… had tilted her head and pouted. Asking how she could properly integrate herself into a human colony if she refused to eat any of her meals in the cafeteria for the entire duration of her stay.
When Sarah had questioned her on her cereal of choice Cameron had seriously replied "Because, they're grrrreat." In a perfect repeat of the cartoon tiger's catchphrase.
Sarah had laughed so hard she had choked on her lightly cinnamon flavoured coffee.
One wouldn't say it was anything near erotic to see a terminator floss. But it was freakishly adorable.
Cameron could be ridiculously adorable. Sarah spluttered out her mouthful of toast when she found her mind wondering back to last night, when she was done brushing off the crumbs she saw her tin miss's eyebrow raised questioningly at her.
Cameron had a perfectly quaint amount of dental floss carefully wrapped around her index fingers. She was meticulous in cleaning but a hell of a lot faster than John was at the chore. He was grudgingly doing his molars when Cameron had gotten up to wash her hands and discard her floss.
When the terminator returned, Sarah had finished her toast and was sipping on the remnants of her coffee. Cameron reached over the counter top and gently brushed her fingers at the corner of Sarah's lips to rid the woman of the clinging crumbs. The girl then reverently stroked her thumb over the still kiss bruised lips, moving on to caress Sarah's cheek. Enjoying and treasuring her new privileges into her permanent memory.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Her voice making no more sound than the dripping of their kitchen faucet.
Sarah blushed and found her eyes dancing up to worriedly glance at John but saw her son still completely absorbed in his cartoons. He had started refusing to watched them at a very young age and it wasn't till Cameron started tuning onto the children's channel did he curiously join her on the squeaky living room couch.
She looked back up at Cameron and tilted her head into the cyborg's hand. Letting herself enjoy the simple comfort of another's touch. Cameron made her feel dangerously close to that dreaming, hope filled, lanky teen of her past. She had to admit that at moments like these she liked to be a little head rushed and in… to feel again.
The terminator suddenly stilled her movements as her eyes glazed over. When she blinked back Sarah had placed her hand cautiously on top of the cybernetics' fingers.
"My automatic scans have alerted me to the location of our latest Skynet potential." Cameron whispered, reluctantly she retracted her hand. "I'll pack the van."
Sarah nodded her thanks and took one last glimpse at her son enjoying the fleeting peace. The Saviour of mankind, wrapped in a light tartan blanket, dressed in boxers and a tee. The dental floss still wound a tad too tightly around his fingers.
She waited till that chicken of a Great Dane finished joyfully belting out a 'Scoooooby Doooooby Dooooooooooo.'
"John it's time."
Her son frowned; nonetheless, he promptly got up from the couch and sped to his room with practiced precision.
Cameron came down the stairs soon after and threw Sarah's favourite leather jacket at her "You can drive when we head back." She then began walking out to their van.
Sarah dug around in the pockets, trying to fish out her keys in vain. When her fingers wrapped around a tooth shaped plastic container, she sighed.
Cameron always insists on getting the funny assorted shapes instead of the practical cases John intentionally buys from the corner store, and their local dentist happens to be overjoyed in supplying his most eager and charming patient with whatever was to her fancy. Stupid, paediatric orthodontic offices.
"Girlie, this better not be banana flavoured."
….
A/N: Those two need a break and have a moment, hoped you enjoy the one shot. Please review, I am giving out imaginary tooth shaped floss containers. (Only until supplies last, comes in both strawberry and banana flavours.)