Author's note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Shaty – Yes, I'm continuing it; it's a multi chapter fic. Glad you liked the video. I had a better version that was a whole lot smoother but I couldn't upload it to YouTube. So, yeah, I know it's a little choppy.

RubyFresh – No, you've never told me, but thanks for the compliment! I love inserting Firefly references, so I'm glad you like them too. There's actually a couple more in the later chapters. :)

You Seem Different

"She's in."

He'd watched the laptop as images flashed, holding his breath. A small part of him doubted that Cameron could do it. A small part of him agreed with Derek, that she could essentially create Skynet.

He hated that part of himself.

He'd sighed in relief when he finally saw that she had succeeded. Derek had calmly reached over and plucked the chip out of the port. John scrambled to his feet, heart thumping wildly as he saw his uncle studying the chip, as if contemplating if he should throw it under the wheels of a passing car.

"Derek, don't," he choked out, eyeing the chip. What Derek held in his hand was the essence, the very life of Cameron. Her core. The irreplaceable part.

"I want you to hear this in no uncertain terms," Derek said, holding up the chip. "Someday one of these things is gonna kill you."

John reached out, eyes filled with confidence, and plucked the chip from his uncle's grip. "It's not gonna be this one."

John tiredly stepped out of their beat up jeep and headed to the door, almost falling when his vision blurred. Cameron caught him by the arm. Sarah looked at him worriedly.

"John, are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

"It's just a fever," he replied. "I'll be fine."

Derek slammed his car door and came over and grabbed John's arm, telling Cameron to let go. She did obediently, with a look of confusion on her face.

"Derek, what are you doing?" John asked.

"I'm keeping you away from it," Derek replied, glaring behind him at Cameron.

John scowled. "She's not going to hurt me. She's programmed to protect me."

"Sometimes they go bad," Derek said with a purposeful look at Cameron. "No one knows why."

Cameron seemed to react to his words, and John glanced at his uncle. "Who told you that?"

"She did," Derek replied, nodding towards Cameron. "You've grown too attached to it. It's not a person, remember? It's a machine. Metal. Nothing more."

John maintained an angry silence.

Derek shook his head in disbelief. "See what I mean?" he said to Sarah. "He's already too close to it."

"I have to be close to John," Cameron spoke up. "I must be able to protect him."

"But you get inside his head!" Derek sputtered. "He thinks of you as a human girl!"

"Reese!" Sarah said, voice ringing with finality. She looked to Cameron. "Why don't you go to your room?"

Cameron cast a long look at John before heading down the hall. Derek gave a dry laugh.

"Like it even needs a room," he muttered. "It doesn't sleep!"

John yanked his grip free from his uncle's. "Would you stop it?" he demanded. "I know what she is! Yes, she's a machine! I know what you've told me, but it's not gonna be her. Not her. She won't betray me. She's one of our allies! One of your allies!"

"She's a machine," Derek shot back. "She doesn't have a soul and she never will."

John's mouth dropped open at the familiar words. He'd said them to placate his mother and uncle. Cameron had heard his words, he knew that much. He couldn't have imagined what she'd been thinking then.

Derek continued staring and John gritted his teeth and turned around, heading to his room. He found Cameron standing just outside her bedroom, close enough to have heard everything. She'd heard what Derek had said. Could Terminator's feelings be hurt? Provided that they even had feelings.

"I'm sorry about Derek," he said to her.

"It's not just Derek," Cameron replied. "It's everyone. You said," she switched to John's voice. "'she doesn't have a soul and she never will'. I believe you are correct."

John winced at hearing his own words. He wasn't even sure he believed them anymore.

Cameron turned to walk away.

"You've expressed emotions before," John called after her, tone almost accusing. "Back when we first time jumped, you…" He blushed. "Well, you touched my neck…"

Cameron turned to stare at him, face devoid of any emotion. "I was taking a scan of your pulse and stress levels. There was nothing emotional about it."

John flinched as if she's slapped him.

Do you lie to me?

Sometimes.

For the first time in his life, he prayed she was lying to him now.

*****

John brushed his teeth dutifully in the bathroom, with Cameron standing in the doorway, keeping watch. He sighed. "You don't have to keep watching me," he reminded her. "I'm not in danger anymore." He sneezed violently.

"You have a cold," Cameron stated. "You need cared for. I'll make you pancakes if you want."

John cracked a smile. "No…I don't want pancakes."

"Hot chocolate?" she suggested.

"No, Cam," John said. "I just…want to sit and relax, watch a movie or something."

"What would you like to watch?" she asked.

He had to check his thoughts. She was acting so…human. Saying things his mother would say, things someone who truly cared for him would say. Maybe he'd been right earlier, when he said she expressed emotion. She certainly seemed to care about him. More than a machine? Maybe…

Movie…what movie did he want? "How about…"

Before he could finish, he saw Cameron jerk her head up and look down the hall towards the front door. "Someone is coming."

Hypersensitive hearing. Must be nice. John heard a knock on the door about five seconds later and heard his mother answer it. "John!" she yelled down the hall. "It's Riley!"

John had been staring at Cameron and he saw…literally saw her face fall. The light in her eyes was gone.

Human reaction.

"Cameron," he began.

"I will go to my room," she stated. "I will refrain from any violent behavior towards your new friend. I promise I will not kill her."

John felt flustered. "Well…that's good…but…"

"John!" Sarah yelled again.

John hesitated. Riley or Cameron? Who did he want to spend time with tonight? The machine who could never return his affections, or the real live human girl who had taken a liking to him? John glanced at Cameron's crestfallen face. She'd stayed put, hanging onto his last word.

"But what?" she asked.

"But…tell her I'm not feeling well," he said. "I don't want company tonight."

She didn't smile, but she did look content when she walked down the hall to the doorway where Riley waited.

Riley looked a little confused that Cameron was answering the door instead of John. "I'm here to see John."

Cameron didn't move to let her in. "John is ill. He needs to rest and does not wish to have company. It will disturb his sleeping patterns."

Riley frowned. She'd always thought John's sister was weird, but this was new. "If he's sick, then he should have his girlfriend by his side."

"John doesn't have a girlfriend," Cameron replied bluntly.

Riley looked a bit taken aback. "Then what would you call me?"

"Riley," Cameron replied emotionlessly.

Riley frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Cameron stared hard at Riley. "You should leave. It's not safe for you here."

"Are you…threatening me?" Riley asked, stunned.

"Yes," Cameron replied bluntly.

"Cameron!" Sarah shouted.

Cameron looked up to see Sarah coming back over. "Riley wishes to disturb John while he's sleeping."

Riley's mouth dropped open. "No! I was just…I just wanted to…" She trailed off when John's mother turned to stare at her.

"I think it might be a good idea if you would go home tonight," she said. Her tone was polite, but there was no mistaking the underlying message. Riley finally decided that seeing John tonight wasn't worth the trouble, no matter how sick he was.

Cameron watched, feeling a bit of satisfaction, as Riley turned and walked back down the driveway, looking defeated.

Sarah glared at Cameron as she closed the door. "You can't go around threatening people."

"John made me promise not to kill Riley," Cameron replied. "He never said I was forbidden to threaten her."

"Well, I'm telling you," Sarah said.

"I take orders from John," Cameron said.

"If John told you to jump off a bridge would you?"

"Yes," Cameron replied automatically. "Though I don't know of any good that would come from such an order. It is highly unlikely that I will be severely damaged in the fall. Also I would be unable to protect John if a Terminator were to show up on the bridge if I was jumping from it. I can't fly."

"Really?" Sarah asked sarcastically. "I'll keep that in mind." she sighed, putting a hand to her head. "Just…go to bed."

"I don't sleep," Cameron replied. "I cannot 'go to bed'."

"Fine. Go to your room and do not bother John unless he needs something," Sarah ordered.

Cameron obediently went down the hall and turned into John's room.

******

John stared at her, the pretty girl who had saved his life. Twice. The one who ended up being a Terminator from the future sent to protect him from getting assassinated.

Cameron Phillips.

"What model are you?" he asked, looking her over. "Are you new? You seem…" he hesitated. "Different."

She smiled slightly, seeming so human as she reached over and plucked a potato chip out of his bag. "I am," she said simply, popping the chip into her mouth.

It wasn't until later he would find out the true extent of her meaning.

John was lying on his kid-sized bed thinking about how unfair it was that Cameron got the queen sized if she didn't even use it. He sat up when Cameron entered his room, yanking his headphones off his ears.

"Sarah says that if you do not need anything, I must go to my room," she said.

John glanced around. Did he need anything? "I could use some company."

Cameron walked over to sit upright on the edge of his bed. "What would you like me to do?"

John was silent, staring into his lap. "Why was it you? Why were you the one I sent back in time? Why'd I pick you?"

"You didn't," Cameron replied easily. "I volunteered."

John looked up, confused. "Wait…what?" Volunteered? Could Terminators do that? He let his Terminators volunteer in the future?

"There were several reprogrammed Terminators in the Connor Camp," Cameron explained. "You spent time with us, talked to us. Just making conversation. Some were too primitive to understand. I went on many missions for John Connor. He considered me a friend, even though several of his underlings didn't appreciate it."

"Derek?" John asked.

"Yes," Cameron agreed. "Your uncle never did like the fact that you reprogrammed Terminators. One day, you asked if anyone would volunteer to go back and protect your younger self."

John felt his words catch in his throat. "And you…"

Cameron stared at him. "I want you safe."

"Because of him," John deduced. "Future John."

"Yes. Future John."

John smiled. "He knew you'd volunteer. He knew you had emotions, were more developed than the others…" his voice trailed off. "…different."

"Yes. I am different."

"I know," John whispered softly. Cameron remained sitting upright at the end of his bed and John was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Do you have to do that?"

"Do what?" she asked, not comprehending.

"Sit like that."

"How would you prefer I sit?"

"I don't know…relax a little. I can't sleep with you sitting there like that."

"I can leave."

"No!" John sputtered quickly, perhaps too quickly. "No, you don't have to go. Don't go."

He shivered involuntarily. Maybe I really do have a cold, he thought. Cameron came around and lay down next to him on the bed. John was a little uncomfortable for a moment, but he soon discovered it was much easier to sleep with her so close… keeping him safe.

No where is safe. He heard his mother's voice in his head. He agreed with it. Nowhere….

Except here.

He fell asleep quickly, hoping his mom or Derek didn't come into his room in the morning.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

author's note: The last scene with Cam lying down on his bed I actually wrote before "Mr Fergusen is Ill Today." So it was kind of cool to see a similar scene in that episode. Anyway, happy Friday "Terminator" night! :)