The first man Sarah let into her life after Kyle was an ex-Marine named Jack Wilson. He was nice enough, but tough. He had a strict exercise routine that he never faltered from, and it wasn't long before Sarah joined him. That was, of course, the main reason she'd approached him in the first place; she'd seen his tattoo from across the supermarket, while picking up diapers and baby formula for John. He was a Master Sergeant, he'd explained, and then gone on to teach her the rankings for every military branch.
He was good with John, too. That was important.
So she stayed with him for a few years, learning everything she could, preparing herself to teach her son what he would need to know. Jack trained her in the basics of different firearms, loading, firing, cleaning. She was a terrible shot at first, but after several tries, actually managed to hit the target. When they moved on to shotguns, the recoil left her shoulder several shades of purple for over a week, but she refused to take a day off to recuperate.
After weapons training, which included some but little knife-handling, at her own request, Jack began to teach her different military strategies. Mostly ground work, because that was what Sarah was interested in, but she listened just as intently when he went into amphibious missions. Prepare for every possibility, Jack would say, and Sarah would nod, knowing how true the statement was.
Over the course of a few years, Sarah absorbed everything Jack taught her, from hand to hand combat to emergency medical procedures for any possible situation. When he'd taught her all he knew, he'd continue to quiz her every day, making sure she didn't forget.
While their relationship may have seemed like nothing deeper than a sergeant and his recruit from the outside, it was much more than that. Jack was a friend to Sarah, a sort of uncle to John, and very good to them both. But while he and Sarah shared a bed every night, and spent most of their time together, she never truly let him in.
He loved her. She knew that from the way he looked at her…it was the same way Kyle had. His eyes were sad, wanting, but he held back, just like Kyle, knowing he couldn't have her. Not all of her.
She never told him about John's father, and he didn't ask. It was private, hers to keep, and Jack respected that. So they lived together quietly, and somewhat happily, which Sarah was grateful for; happiness no longer came so easily for her.
But she never got comfortable. Never felt safe. She stayed alert, constantly looked over her shoulder, readying herself for a fight at any moment. Because she knew that they weren't safe. Nobody was.
Eventually the day came when they had to leave. John was three, getting used to having Jack in his life, and Sarah couldn't let that happen. They had to keep moving, and…as good as Jack was, in almost every way…he wasn't Kyle. And some small part of Sarah resented him for that. John deserved to have his real father in his life.
It would be better for Jack. Kinder, in a twisted way. He'd forget about them, move on, or so Sarah hoped.
So she packed the Jeep and she and John left their apartment, which Jack had moved into a few years before. It was a Sunday, hot, tranquil, and full of heavy thoughts.
She sped along the highway through the desert without a destination in mind, and told John all she could remember of Kyle, until she looked into the rearview mirror and saw that he'd fallen asleep in his car seat.
Sarah smiled to herself, but the look in her eyes was pained. It wouldn't last long…this innocence. To keep her son alive, she would have to tell him someday. About his destiny, Skynet, the war.
She placed her elbow on the windowsill and leaned her head on her hand as she drove, watching the road ahead. It took all her will not to stop the car and turn around, go back to Jack and try to feel safe for just a moment. Because every mile they drove…ran, really, that's what they did…brought them closer to a future she wanted no part of, for her or her beautiful son.
They passed another mile marker, and Sarah's stomach lurched. It happened every time.
With a sigh, Sarah pushed all thoughts of the coming war, and of Jack, from her mind, and instead began to go over everything she'd learned from him. She had to remember. For John's sake, for the future, she had to remember.