Disclaimer: I don't own anything, please don't sue me!
A/N: I'm making up places as I go, given that I don't know jack about LA. Also, some parts of this fic may reference or even bear resemblance to Tonight by 13percenter and Cameron Gets a Virus by Metropolis Kid. To the plot !
October 29, 2007 19:00
Los Angeles, California
John Connor and Cameron Phillips left the house they, Sarah Connor, and Derek Reese had just moved into. He knew that he and Cameron should be tucked away safely in their little enclave, but the fight with his uncle had driven him to escape, if only temporarily. 'Still, I have Cam with me. It's not like I'm totally alone... and vulnerable.' "So, Cam, where are we going anyway?"
"Wong's Palace. It is the nearest Chinese restaurant."
Fortunately for John, Cameron spoke loudly enough that he could hear her. Her electronic ears had no trouble distinguishing his voice from all the other sounds they heard. A convertible with the top down drove by, stereo blaring heavy metal. John recognized the song. 'Holy Wars... good to know there's still some Megadeth fans out there.'
19:05
John and Cameron arrived at Wong's Palace and she parked the motorcycle near the entrance in case they needed to make a quick getaway. They dismounted the bike, and he asked her, "How did you know this was the closest place?"
"I possess several forms of wireless networking abilities. I used my satellite uplink and Google to find this facility."
"Oh." Then a thought hit him. "Cam, you sure you won't pick up a virus or anything when you do that?"
"Yes. The Resistance was known to try and use viruses to destroy SkyNet. It never worked, and only led to the inclusion of firewalls and anti-virus subroutines beginning with the triple-eights. The older units had the code applied in a system update."
'System updates? I guess SkyNet's not perfect after all.' John shook all thoughts of the future from his head; tonight was for he and Cameron. He offered his hand and asked, "Shall we?"
'Shall we? What does... oh, shall we enter?' She took his hand and they walked into the restaurant.
As the two walked in, Cameron scanned the building in infrared. She didn't say anything to John due to the fact that she didn't find any signatures resembling Terminators. Satisfied that John's personal safety was not in danger, she decided to let her various sensory apparatus scan for Terminators in the background while she enjoyed John's company.
John saw Cameron as she did her scans and thought to himself, 'I wish she'd relax. She may not sleep, but she needs a break... especially after today. Yeesh.' His train of thought took a detour when he saw the sign that said, 'Please seat yourself.' He grabbed two menus, then turned to Cameron and said, "Must be busy in here."
"Yes. Let's find a place to sit down." She led him to a window booth in the event they needed a quick escape.
John noticed her choice of seating and thought, 'A window booth, not far from the bike... I should've known.' He asked her, "Do you ever relax?"
"Not often. I've always been on duty, except when you're sufficiently removed from danger."
John was about to say something, but just then a waiter arrived and asked, "What would you like to drink?"
Cameron looked at him with her signature blank face. John mentally kicked himself for not coaching her on social customs and said, "Water for both of us, please."
"OK, and do you need a minute to look at the menu?"
Cameron replied, "Yes."
"I'll be back."
John said, "Thanks," then picked up his menu and looked it over.
Cameron imitated his actions, then asked him, "What would you like to do after we eat?"
"How about we go bowling after this? Like we planned back on the ship?"
She smiled and answered, "Sounds like fun."
The waiter returned with their drinks and asked, "Are you ready to order?"
John took the initiative. "Yeah, could I get the Kung Pao chicken with fried rice and won ton?"
"OK, and for you ma'am?"
Cameron said, "General Tso's chicken with chow mein and hot & sour soup."
"Anything else?"
John replied, "Could we get some pot stickers please?"
"Sure, is that everything?"
He said, "For now, anyway."
Cameron piped up, "Thank you."
The waiter replied, "You're welcome," and went to put their order in.
John asked Cameron, "Are you into music much?"
"I have a complete database of selections from when music was first recorded to Judgment Day."
He chuckled and asked, "Anything in particular you like?"
She mulled over her entire musical database, then answered, "My favorite is Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor. He wrote it in 1830."
'Classical girl. Huh.' "Cool. How about rock and roll or heavy metal?"
Cameron looked a little sad as she replied, "I have a database full of files, but I haven't had the chance to hear most of them played on external equipment."
Fortunately for John, he knew just what to say. "Sounds like something we need to remedy when we get home."
She asked, "What about your musical taste?"
"Well, my favorite band is Megadeth, but Metallica and Guns N' Roses aren't far behind them."
"I'll need access to your computer when we return. I can transfer the files to the hard drive over the wireless networking systems."
John chuckled and said, "You know, most guys would be freaked out to know that their date can hack computers with her brain and that she knows, what, ten different ways to kill someone with her bare hands?"
Cameron felt complimented in a manner similar to when other girls were told they were beautiful. "More, but what about you, John?"
"Did I freak out when you got me out of the parking lot after running over Cromartie?"
"No, you appeared to gain an understanding of your situation. You adapt well, for a teenager."
"Thanks. I guess someone has to."
The waiter returned with their orders, put them on the table, refilled their drinks, and left to take care of other customers. John and Cameron ate with a minimum of conversation, what with he being rather hungry and she too engrossed in the sensation of taste to say much of anything.
19:40
John paid for the meal, then left the restaurant with Cameron in tow. As they made their way over to their bike, he asked her, "So, what did you think?"
Cameron considered providing a complete description of the experience, but knew that John might become bored if she went on at length. "I like spicy food."
"I'll have to keep that in mind." Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, John asked, "Now, would you like to go bowling?"
"Yes. I'll drive." They mounted the bike and sped off toward the nearest bowling alley.
19:50
John and Cameron arrived at the Super Lanes bowling alley filled with anticipation. He had gone bowling a couple of times when he was in foster care, and she had never gone at all, given when she was built. That, and the promise of being able to spend time with each other was more than enough to have both of them feeling elated.
After they dismounted the bike, John asked her, "Between the two of us, who do you think would win?"
Cameron calculated the odds and smiled as she told him, "Unless I allow you to win, your chance of success is 0.556 percent."
He smirked, gave her a peck on the cheek and said, "We'll see about that."
They strolled, hand in hand, into the bowling alley. As they did, John noticed the large lettering on each door that read, 'NO SMOKING.' He said to Cameron, "It's sad that I remember when people were allowed to smoke in bowling alleys."
She curiously asked him, "Did you prefer it?"
He snorted and replied, "No. I don't know if you've been around anyone who smokes, but damn, it stinks."
"I have, and it does stink."
They went in and John said, "We're gonna have to rent shoes."
Cameron tilted her head and asked, "Why?"
John knew that she wouldn't know the reasoning behind specialized shoes for bowling, therefore he elaborated. "So the floor near the lanes doesn't get scratched up."
"What's makes bowling shoes different?"
"Smooth soles. They aren't my first choice of footwear when running, how's that?"
Cameron put her arm around his shoulder and quipped, "Thank you for explaining."
John wrapped his arm around Cameron's waist led her over to the counter.
19:55
Now equipped with shoes, bowling balls and a lane to themselves, John asked Cameron, "Do you want to go first?"
"I was going to let you do that, but I accept." She picked up her 10-pound ball, lined up her shot, then imitated the actions of other bowlers and set the ball rolling. She was rewarded with a strike for her efforts.
John saw Cameron make her strike and made up his mind. 'She may win, but I'll put up a hell of a fight!' He quipped, "Nice shot." Then he grabbed his own 12-pound ball and strode up to the floor, fully intent on doing his best. He lined up his own shot, then let loose. He made a 7-10 split on his first frame, and knocked down the 10 pin on his second.
Cameron teasingly asked him, "Think you can do better?"
John felt up to the challenge and declared, "It's on now!"
23:02
John and Cameron walked out of the bowling alley arm in arm, several hours, almost 100 and a trip to the snack bar later. The young man had a small grin plastered on his face, and asked her, "Did you have fun, Cam?"
Cameron's vocal modulators took on a sweet sound as she answered, "Yes I did."
John was curious. "I'm just wondering, why didn't you aim for a strike on every frame?"
She didn't keep the affection out of her voice as she responded, "I wanted to give you a chance. Also, don't be a freak."
John felt humbled as he said, "Well, thanks."
She pulled him closer and whispered, "I love you, John."
John gathered her into a full embrace as he replied, "I love you too, Cameron."
Cameron noticed that John was fatigued and asked him, "Do you wish to return home?"
"No offense Cam, but I think I'm ready to call it a night."
"Get on." They mounted the bike, then Cameron drove them home.
23:25
Cameron maneuvered the motorcycle into the garage, then shut the door. She and John got off the bike, then went into the house proper. Sarah was still awake, and she rather rudely asked the two of them, "So, what were you two doing all night?"
John retorted, "Obviously not each other, but that can wait."
Cameron filled in, "We went to a Chinese restaurant, then spent two hours and forty-eight minutes bowling."
Sarah sighed, then asked, "Who won?"
Cameron answered, "Our cumulative scores indicate that I won by 92 points."
Sarah was curious about her relatively slim margin of victory. "I thought you would have wiped the floor with him."
"Since he allowed me to cut his hair, John is no longer a suitable mop."
John laughed at the mental image of Cameron using him with his old hairstyle as a mop for cleaning up the blood from his fight with Derek earlier. Aloud he explained, "Cam, she thought you would have won by many more points."
"I reduced my efficiency to blend in, and to give John a chance of winning."
Sarah's features softened as she remarked, "Well that was sweet of you."
"I'm only a meatbag, and my arms are gonna be sore later."
She smiled at her son as she playfully asked, "Still, beaten by a girl?"
John's eyelids started to droop as he quipped, "In Cameron's case, I don't mind."
Sarah raised her eyebrows as she said, "Cameron, you might want to tuck him in before he falls over."
"Mom, I can get there, just let me... whoa!" John nearly smacked into the railing of the stairwell as he tried to ascend it.
"John, you weren't drinking, were you?"
"No, even though I'm technically 23, I kinda skipped over eight of those years, so that makes me still 15."
"Neither of us consumed any alcoholic beverages tonight."
"Comforting. We'll talk in the morning. Night." With that, Sarah went to her bedroom, crawled under the covers and promptly fell asleep.
Cameron gently picked up John and carried him to his room, where she noticed bedding laid out for him. "You need to stay awake a few more minutes to make your bed."
"Working on it." With Cameron's help, 50 seconds later, his bed was made and waiting for him. "What about yours, Cam?"
"I don't sleep."
"I'll help you out with your room in the morning, OK?"
"OK."
As they embraced one another, John whispered, "I love you Cameron."
"I love you too John." She kissed him, tucked him in and and bid him good night before starting her patrol of the house.