Memories of Tomorrow

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles fanfiction by LeeT911

DANCE
For some reason, Cameron's dance is not mechanical or stilted, it's elegant and fluid and graceful; and she's beautiful (of course) but Sarah hates herself for noticing.

TEARS
Cameron heard once that evil didn't cry, so on those days when Sarah's short with her - calls her "just another machine" - she sits alone in the shed and there's only a slick wet face left fuelling her hopes.

INSTINCT
Cameron's done a lot of research, so she knows that in these moments when Sarah is pressed close, she's supposed to follow her heart, but she's not sure what to do if you don't have one.

RAIN
Sarah complains every time it rains, but Cameron likes the feel of water on her synthetic skin, the way it reminds her of the time they stood together in the shower and Sarah held her tightly.

MAKEUP
Cameron doesn't really understand lipstick, but it reminds her of candied lips, moist streaks, and soft kisses trailing down her neck.

MUSIC
The truth is, Sarah doesn't even like sappy love songs, but when Cameron sings to her in that perfect haunting voice, she can't stop the shivers that run up and down her arms.

FLOWERS
Machines are not supposed to appreciate things like seasons, so when Cameron brings home hand-picked wild flowers on the first day of spring, Sarah has to tell herself not to cry.

SMILE
Cameron's smile is perfectly practiced, utterly charming, and completely fake, except when it's for Sarah.

DOUBT
Sometimes, late at night, when Cameron's curled up against her, Sarah feels weak, and she thinks maybe the world would be better off if she just let it end.

MASKS
Sarah hates that Cameron can read her so easily, can discern how she feels with just a touch or a glance, and so she tells herself not to smile too much because that would be obvious, but she can't help it.

BREATHE
Often, when they're together, Cameron's eyes close and she forgets to breathe - which is meaningless for a machine - but that just makes the fact so much more powerful to Sarah.

OPPOSITES
It scares her when Cameron goes completely still, because it reminds both of them of how different they are; but every time Sarah starts to get nervous, Cameron looks away and smiles shyly.

CALM
Cameron is eerily calm among bullets and explosions, but when they're alone in Sarah's bedroom, she doesn't notice that her hands won't stop moving.

SKIN
Cameron has a fascination with skin, her own flawless exterior and Sarah's slightly more blemished one; she's fascinated by how fragile it is, how smooth it is, and how much of an effect it has on Sarah when she touches it just so.

MISSION
Sarah worries about the day their mission will be over because that'll mean terminators aren't needed anymore, and she isn't sure she's ready for that yet.

LIES
Sarah tells herself that what they have is not love; it can't be, because what they have is unique and complicated, not something that can be distilled down to just one word - and the lie sounds good in her head even though she knows it's not true.

HAPPINESS
Sarah runs her hand over a bare shoulder and wonders if machines can be happy; Cameron can't remember what she's ever done to even slightly deserve this.

SOUND
Sarah places her head against Cameron's chest, and even though she knows the heartbeat there is fake, it's still reassuring enough to lull her to sleep.

BEAUTY
Cameron doesn't understand beauty, and Sarah can't really put it into words, but when they stand in front of the mirror with the their hands entwined between them, they both think they see it.

PEACE
Sarah wakes before dawn to watch the sunrise with her sleepless robot; and in those early mornings when they're alone with the virgin day, she can almost believe that the world is not falling apart around them.