Summary: Sarah and Derek disagree about Cameron. Will a common thread bring them together?

A/N: Assume this one takes place after the first season finale. CAUTION: This story has what I've heard is a season 2 plot spoiler. I'm not going to say what the spoiler is but if you're completely spoiler free, don't read.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, have no money, you know the drill.

The Wrong Reese

For three days, they'd searched everywhere for her, quietly taking Sarah's Jeep out into the dead of night when no neighbors would be watching. Being very careful not to call her name so no one would notice and come ask questions.

By morning on the fourth day, Sarah Connor had to admit to herself that they had a very serious problem indeed.

Cameron was missing. She'd gone to get John's cake and still hadn't come back.

Not all that surprisingly, Sarah also noticed that John was growing frantic by the minute. Of course. Given their history, Sarah knew about John's tendency to get attached to terminators quite well.

They'd driven to John's school in almost total silence, Derek occasionally fiddling with the knobs of the radio. Sarah shot him a look and he scowled and stopped. He'd insisted on coming along to see where John went to school. Sarah couldn't help but wonder for the first time exactly what kind of education, what kind of normalcy, Derek and Kyle Reese had had. If they'd had any at all.

"I want to go search for her again," John implored as Sarah stopped the car in front of school. "She could be in trouble, mom. Please. I have to-"

"You have to go to school," said Sarah firmly. "No absences. We can't draw attention to ourselves, you know that."

"But-"

"No. Out of the car. Now." Catching John's reluctant look as he opened the car door and stepped out, her tone softened. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

Beside Sarah, Derek snorted contemptuously. "Good riddance to bad rubbish, if you ask me."

"But I didn't ask you," said Sarah coolly. She turned back to John, who was openly glaring at Derek. "Get going or you'll be late to class. And stop by the attendance office and tell them Cameron has the flu." She tossed John his backpack and he shuffled off toward the school entrance.

The silence as she and Derek drove back home was even more deafening than the car ride to the school.

"Let's get something straight, right here and now," snapped Sarah as Derek slammed the front door behind him. "This is my house. I make the rules here. And Cameron is-"

"Cameron is a machine," jeered Derek. "It's a machine, Connor! It's not a she. It's not a person. It's not a human being. I've been telling you since day one, that thing is nothing but trouble."

"You don't know that."

Derek's eyes narrowed. "I do know. I know. They're metals, that's all they are. They can't be trusted." Derek yanked open the fridge door and pulled out a beer can. "And one day they're going to destroy us all, if we don't destroy them first."

Sarah snatched the beer out of his hand and slammed it on the counter. "We are going to find her-"

"It-"

"Her!" snarled Sarah. "You may have a problem with her being here, but like I said, this is my house and what I say goes! Do you understand that? This is not a game! She is here to protect John, she's saved his life more than once and we're going to find her!"

Derek stepped forward, his face inches from Sarah. "You don't get it, do you? That's how they work. It's what they do. They make you think they're on your side. Hell, they'll make you think they actually care about you, about what happens to you. What happens to us." He gave a bitter scoff. "Then the minute, no, the second your back is turned, they'll turn on you." He picked up the beer and pulled the tab off with venomous force.

Sarah's eyes narrowed. She'd tried to find out what had happened between Cameron and Derek many times, but he always refused to answer. "Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but Cameron has saved John more than once. She's all we've got to protect him."

"He's got you! He's got me!"

"I can't fight terminators by myself-"

"You're his mother! And I'm-"

"Not his father!" yelled Sarah. "It's not up to you!"

Already regretting saying it, Sarah's gaze fell down. For a second, Derek was silent.

"No," murmured Derek. "But he is my nephew."

Sarah's gaze snapped up from the countertop. "How did you know that?" she demanded.

Derek's only response was an are-you-kidding-me? look.

"John told you."

"He didn't tell me anything. He didn't have to. He's got the Reese boys' look all over him. And I figured after Kyle disappeared and showed up in your time that he was more than just your bodyguard." Derek took a long swig from the beer can and looked away. "When John's angry…when he gets upset, he looks just like Kyle used to look at his age."

Sarah looked down at the countertop again, tears stinging her eyes.

"Look, I know I'm the wrong Reese." Derek's words slurred slightly. Was it the beer or grief over Kyle?

Sarah stared at him. "What?"

"I said, I know I'm not the Reese who's supposed to be here," mumbled Derek. "The one you wish was here." He wiped his hand across his mouth as Sarah's mouth fell open and she looked down again.

"But I'm here now," he continued quietly. "And John's the last piece of Kyle I got. He's all the family I got left.

Sarah didn't know what to say. He didn't know he wasn't the only one who desperately missed Kyle Reese?

Derek sighed heavily. "And I guess if she means that much to John…then okay." He gave a resigned smile. "I'll help you find her. If it makes John happy." He tossed the empty can into the trash.

Sarah grabbed his arm as he turned toward the door. Derek gave her a quizzical look.

"He's not, you know," said Sarah gently.

"Not what?"

"John's not the only thing you have left of your family," said Sarah meaningfully, putting her arm around Derek's shoulders as they walked out the door.