Author's note: This is the next segment of Changing Seasons. I'm pretty sure I'll have one more chapter after this one. However, if you've read the first chapter when I first published it, you'll have some idea of how long it'll probably take for me to put that one up. I was a little unsure about posting this, because I wanted to extend it out a little more with some of that lovely UST, but it's already been so long...and I've had no other new ideas for this. Yeah, also, I really couldn't stop myself from using the whole pregnant practical joke. I was dying to use it on this one drool worthy guy that teases me on a regular basis at work, for April fools awhile back (yeah, that's a hint as to how long ago I wrote this). Unfortunately, I am way too nice for my own good. Besides I would still have to work with the guy. Talk about awkward. Anyhoo.

Music suggestions: 'If you want me' by One Less Reason, 'Gotta be somebody' by Nickelback, 'All I ever wanted' by Shinedown.

Disclaimer: The answer never changes despite all my category jumping. I don't own T:SCC either.

From Kyle to Derek

She would never be able to sum up all the reference points that led to the position they were currently in. She could honestly say that she had no idea when Derek started looking at her differently, but the first time she did, she chose to ignore it. It was something she had no time to decipher, especially when she could hardly stand him. There were bigger and more pressing issues that were continually dealt their way on a daily basis. A new threat that would bring about Judgement Day.

Then she couldn't stop seeing it, getting a glimpse out of the corner of her eye. It lingered in her mind, refusing to let her forget. The look...it grew into something that was dark and full of intent. It was similar to the way Kyle had looked at her...and yet, different. She couldn't even say if he wanted her to see the change. And what was worse: she was actually battling over whether or not to acknowledge the fact that their dynamic may be taking a new and uncharted route. And, she was loathe to say it, but it was a nice enough distraction in her mind from the day-to-day chasing leads and killing machines.

It would seem that the process known as fate would be making that decision for her. As if she didn't have enough problems with that life quandary.

"Take off your shirt." Derek stated once he joined her in the kitchen, pulling his gun from the back of his jeans and placing it on the table. He made eye contact with her briefly as he walked past her to retrieve the first aid kit under the kitchen sink. Sarah could only stare at his back incredulously.

The stare turned bland and her arms were crossed when he stood back up with the kit in hand.

"Sarah." Derek said lowly with a penetrating glare.

"Reese." Sarah returned in an equally flat tone, wincing when she uncrossed her arms to place her hands on her hips.

"You won't be the first woman I've had to patch up." Derek said in a firm, matter-of-fact tone as he took a step towards her.

Sarah snorted derisively in response.

"Regardless of what you may think of me, I wasn't sent back through time to try and get into every woman's pants." Derek said tersely, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around to assess the gash in her shoulder.

"Of course not," Sarah said quietly in agreement, looking over her shoulder at him. She couldn't hold back the bitterness as she continued. "Just the manipulative, deceiving ones."

"Touche." Derek replied flatly, his face impassive when he met her gaze. His head tilted down and the trademark 'Derek look' stared her down. "Well?"

She turned her eyes away and nodded her head once in acquiescence.

"Can you lift your arms over your head?" Derek asked in an inquiring tone, his head tilting to the side for a moment in thought. He shook his head negatively a moment later and continued speaking without waiting for her answer. "Don't answer that. I hope you didn't like this shirt."

Sarah frowned warily before she rolled her eyes when she heard scissors cutting. That sound was quickly followed by a loud ripping sound as he tore the shirt in half up her back. She held her arms open slightly and suppressed the shiver that went up her spine as his warm fingers pushed the fabric down her arms.

She blamed it on the fact that the last man she'd been with had been Charlie. She'd seen this man naked, after all. Sure, she'd been pissed at him for interfering with something he had no business doing, but she was still a woman. Needless to say, the man kept himself fit. Sure, it was kind of a job requirement, and she may not be all that big on all the tattoos...but he might, might, have crept into her subconscious a night or two to help her out with her, well, "frustration". It wasn't as if she could help it anymore than hallucinating she was in a sleep clinic.

He worked diligently as he cleaned the wound before stitching it closed. She supposed she was lucky that her opponents were more likely to cut her then catch her with a bullet.

"Should I even bother trying to tell you to keep away from doing anything strenuous with your arm for the next few weeks?" Derek asked in a light tone, slightly reprimanding.

"That depends. Are you going to stay here at home and play Mr. Mom while I'm forced to take it easy?" Sarah retorted sarcastically when she turned around to face him, forcing the light bantering tone she'd wanted to use down deep.

"That's it." Derek bit out, his patience reaching an end. "What is it that you want me to do, Sarah? I'm sorry I messed up and didn't see through Jesse from the start. I'm sorry I wasn't here when Sarkissian blew Cameron up and attacked you and John, forcing one of you to kill someone. I'm sorry Cameron went homicidal and almost killed us all. And most of all I'm sorry for killing a man that created what was to become Skynet, getting caught up in you, and being the most spectacular failure to ever grace your presence. Is that everything? Or is there something else I've fucked up and forgot about?" Derek finished angrily, his eyes blazing as he stared down at her, waiting for her to answer.

"Yeah, there is something actually." Sarah began defensively, her temper flaring. She noticed one of his eyes twitch as he forced himself to stay quiet. Truth was, she didn't really have anything else. But she was in a real dark mood at that point and she was in the mood to really pull his leg. Keeping the serious expression, she said, "I'm six weeks pregnant."

He frowned as if he were actually thinking about whether or not it could have been him. Men were, if nothing else, predictable when it came to knocking someone up. There was always, always, that one night they couldn't remember.

"You're kidding, right?" Derek asked in an unsure tone a minute later, head tilting to one side as his gaze burned through her.

"You mean you don't remember?" Sarah asked, dropping her gaze and adding an ounce shakiness to her tone just to see if he'd take the bait. She brought up one hand as she "unconsciously" rubbed her stomach. He didn't know she'd had her tubes tied a year after John was born. She didn't want to reproduce any more children into a world when she already knew the outcome of the human race.

"Sarah," Derek began in a warning tone, bringing his hands up to clutch at her forearms. "This isn't funny."

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut to keep from laughing. She hadn't done anything like this since before...well, before. "It kind of is, actually. Considering how you can't even remember for certain whether or not we've actually had sex." Sarah retorted, opening her eyes and looking back up at him. He looked as if he wanted to shake her.

"Well, there is one way to find out for certain." Derek said matter-of-factly, the look in his eyes shifting into something a little more predatory. He removed one hand, keeping the other on her good arm as he tugged her down the hall in the direction of her bedroom. She followed behind him blindly for a few moments before she regained her senses.

"You're out of your mind. I am not having sex with you." Sarah said forcefully, yet only half-heartedly trying to yank her arm from his grasp.

"That's what I thought." Derek said, releasing her arm. "You'd never willingly have sex with me. Even if I was drunk enough to ask or you being drunk enough to say yes."

"Regardless of what you may think of me, Derek, I'm not a frigid ice queen. I do still get the urge to get naked with a man. And how do you know I wouldn't want to have sex with you? It's not like you even remember asking!" Sarah retorted defensively, her eyes narrowing the moment she stopped speaking, pissed off at herself and hoping to all hell that she hadn't actually just said what she thought she said.

The confused expression returned to Derek's features. He really had no idea what Sarah was playing at. Was she being serious or not?

"Do you want to have sex with me?" Derek asked in a bemused tone, disbelieving that this whole conversation was even taking place.

"Why do you even care?" Sarah exclaimed angrily, brushing past him as she tried to dart into her bedroom.

Grabbing her arm as she passed, Derek swung her around and into the wall. Stepping up into her personal space, he leaned on one arm and pressed the rest of his body into hers. Bringing his mouth centimeters from hers he asked huskily, "Do you want me, Sarah?"

Wincing as she brought her free hand up to the back of his head, Sarah pulled his mouth down to hers hungrily.

"I can't get pregnant." Sarah stated when they broke apart, a small teasing smile gracing her lips.

"I'm glad we cleared that up." Derek said in reply. And there was the look. That soul-deep, yearning, hungry look that had been plaguing her dreams for weeks.

She was about to do it again. She was about to fall for another Reese. She only hoped she could hold on to this one better than she had the first.

ooooooaooo*oooooorooo*ooooouoooo

What can I say? My other long-term story, The Color Spectrum was stressing me out, so I took a break and released this. Like I mentioned in the first note, I had some of this story already created, I just needed to finish it off. I was going to draw it out some more, but I kind of got impatient. Yeah, I haven't had much of that in any area of my life recently. So Sarah is totally OOC, but she kind of had a good sense of humor at the beginning of the first Terminator movie before the fit hit the shan, as it were. I think that she could pull it off if she really wanted to. And, besides, I'm totally unhappy with how the show ended, so I'll do whatever the hell I want in retaliation. ;-) Yeah, I'm going to stop talking now. Until next time...