The Greatest Gift
by iluvaqt
Disclaimer: I don't have ownership of any of these characters. They belong to Josh Friedman and 20th Century Fox Studios. The story is written solely for personal entertainment of Terminator: TSCC fans. No money is being made from the use of these characters.
Summary: Spoilers S01E09 "What He Beheld". John reflects on what he values.
Rating: PG
Code: Short
Author's Notes: Please don't archive anywhere else without consent.
To think, he thought his birthday this year would go unnoticed and without consequence. This one by far, blew all of them out of the water.
After his mother dropped the bombshell that he had an uncle. His first thought was, 'I'll do everything I can to make sure he lives'. It didn't matter the risk or the cost. Money, they could get and they could always run again later. It wasn't new to them. But family. That was something you couldn't buy, replace or even begin to appraise. For the longest time he thought it'd just be his mom. And then he learned from a cyborg of all people that before he even hit 21, he'd lose her too.
He didn't want to dwell on that. He knew his mom was taking every precaution she could but death was inevitable. It could be cancer, or it could be a stray bullet or it could be protecting him from the hands of a terminator - the nightmare she had raised him with.
Another thing he tried not to think about too much were timelines and the future. If he thought about it for long enough he'd give himself a migraine every time. All that mattered was the mission. Destroy SkyNet, preserve life.
So when Derek Reese had crossed their path, their mission had gained an ally, he'd found his uncle and their family had grown a little bigger. At first their relationship had been a bit testy. Derek realized that he'd have to share a roof with the very thing he fought to evade or destroy every day. And the most bitter truth to swallow was that his little brother was lost forever. Fallen in battle. Died a hero but that didn't fill the void his absence created.
Grief was something they couldn't afford to indulge in for very long. Heavy emotions clouded the mind, dulled the perceptive ability and hurt too much. He'd never grieved for his father. He'd died long before he was born and he'd never had any other family to speak of. He'd been bounced around foster homes when they'd declared his mother insane, and the only people he'd been around long enough to consider caring about were killed. Spending life on the move didn't afford you much time to make attachments.
So when fate threw you a life preserver, you held on with all you were worth. He hadn't second guessed his decision to grab Charlie. Giving blood - did he mention he loathed needles? Enduring the odious glares he gave Cameron, and remembering the harsh tones he taken with his mother now paled in memory to what his uncle had done for him now.
"...the younger one, is that--"
"Kyle. Throws pretty good for a five-year-old huh? Your father always had a nice arm."
The ice cream forgotten, he stared blinking back a strange burning in his eyes. His throat tightened as he watched the two boys happily oblivious to their captive audience.
His father. It was bittersweet. This kid hopefully would never know the horrors of the future. And if they succeeded in their mission, this Kyle would never travel back in time and die.
His father had died a long time ago, but it was nice to believe that Kyle of his mother's past and this kid were the same. A wistful thought, that in some way, his father could some day be a part of his future.
John bowed his head and let out a ragged breath and took a deep one before turning back to his uncle. "Thanks," he said softly, briefly meeting Derek's intense blue eyes before breaking away.
He felt his uncle's eyes on him as he walked back the way they'd come. The moment had passed. It would be selfish and unrealistic to expect anything more. It would have to be enough to know that there was a Kyle and Derek Reese that would never see Judgment Day and would grow old together. Never knowing the evils of a machine created to do one perfect thing - destroy the world of men.
The hint of a smirk played on his lips as he walked back to the house. He'd met his father as a kid. He'd watched his father play baseball. How many people could claim they'd done that? This set a new benchmark for birthday presents. His mother had her work cut out for her in trying to top this. Not that he could tell her. She'd have a fit if she knew where he'd been and what they'd done. Not to mention that Derek knew their 'secret'. He smiled again. Some secrets were fun to keep.