________________________________________
When John woke up again, it was cooler. Tonight was different from other nights, though. The window was open and a breeze chased away the heat of the day. Even though it was dark outside, his room was illuminated by the propane lamp hissing away softly on the bureau. Bugs banged into the screen on the window, the twanging sounds making them sound bigger than they probably were.
And there were voices coming from the other rooms. Familiar voices. And more lights.
"Mom?" He hadn't been dreaming after all. He sat up shakily and grinned at his mom as she came in.
"Hey." She sat down next to him, pressing her hand against his forehead. "How do you feel?"
"Tired. Weak. Better."
"Headache?"
John nodded.
"You still have a fever. Think you can manage a bit of soup?"
He wasn't the least bit hungry but right now, for his mom, he'd manage anything. He gave another nod, and she gave him a smile. "I'll be right back."
Stuffing pillows against the wall exhausted him but at least by the time his mom came back with a mug of steaming broth, he was sitting up. He took the half-filled mug and sipped slowly, listening to the bugs outside while his mother took his temperature.
"Nearly 102."
The broth warmed him up and he shoved the blankets off his legs. "Feels good," he said, laying his head back against the pillows, enjoying the breeze.
"Not too long. You'll catch a chill."
John nodded lethargically. He could sleep right here, right now. "I'm fine."
"You're still sick. Cameron said you're fighting pneumonia. That's serious."
John yawned deeply. He didn't want any more broth and didn't want to argue with his mom.
"Do you want some cookies?"
John opened his eyes at the bright and cheery, high-pitched voice and smiled at Savannah. "Hey, there."
"Hello. Do you want some cookies?" She was holding a bag of Oreos, her mouth smeared with dark crumbs.
"Thanks, not right now. Maybe later, though."
"Sarah says you're sick."
"Yeah, I was. I'm better now."
"You don't look better."
"Out of the mouth of babes," his mom agreed softly. "How about you go ask Cameron to wash your face?"
"Okay." She skipped out of the room; John envied her her energy.
"You took her with you."
"She had nobody but me and Ellison."
"So you took her."
"We took her. Ellison's off doing some research."
"You teamed up with him? Mom, you can't trust him." Anger made his head pound.
"I haven't teamed up with anybody yet. It's only been a week since you went after Cameron. We need a safe place to stay; this is okay for short periods but it's not the best place for you to recuperate."
"I'm fine here."
"With mid afternoon temperatures of 115 in the shade with a fever?" His mother snorted, "I think not."
John lowered his gaze to his mug as he ran a finger around the rim. "Ellison was helping you in the future."
"Good. See? He's trustworthy."
John hesitated, not sure how to bring up the subject of his dad. "I, um... met my dad."
"Kyle?" His mother leaned forward eagerly. "He was still alive?"
"The future I went to was different; he hadn't gone back yet to save you so..."
"And you met him. Did you talk to him?"
John nodded, still not sure what to tell her about that future. "He was everything you said he was." He glanced at his mom and saw she was smiling widely.
"I'm glad you got a chance to meet him. If nothing else, that must have made the whole trip worthwhile."
"Yeah." He was done talking about his father. Maybe later, but not now, not with the pain still so raw. He shoved the mug at her and slid down the mattress, pulling the blankets back up. "I'm cold."
________________________________________
"Cameron thinks you're cured." Sarah carefully pulled the IV port out of John's arm and pressed down on the seeping blood with a tissue.
"Wish I felt cured." Voice hoarse from coughing, John wiped the sweat pouring down his face with the bottom part of his tee shirt.
"The minute you get a bit of strength back, we're getting out of here." She continued to put pressure on his arm. "Savannah, could you open that band-aid for me, please?"
Both of them watched the little girl struggle with the wrapping. John's wheezy breathing filled the room. Savannah, frowning in concentration, finally got the band-aid out and Sarah took it from her and deftly put it on John's forearm.
"I'm hungry." Savannah fiddled with the string from the wrappings.
"Well, you know what? So am I? How do pancakes sound?"
"Great!" She grinned up at John. "Are you having pancakes, too?"
"Is there syrup?" John asked, his demeanor serious.
"I don't know. Is there syrup?" She looked anxiously at Sarah.
Sarah couldn't help but smile. "Yes, there's syrup. Cameron bought some along with the pancake mix. Can't have pancakes without syrup."
"Can I have some pancakes now?"
"Of course." Sarah took a moment to run her fingers over John's forehead. The fever had dissipated as the sun came up, but he looked tired. "Feel up to eating pancakes?"
"Sounds good."
Sarah stood up and held her hand out to Savannah. "Want to help?"
"May I?" She literally tugged Sarah out of the bedroom.
Savannah was busy eating the first pancake and Sarah was flipping the second one when John came out. He was wobbly and pale and sat down heavily in a chair.
"Should you be up?"
"You said I need to get my strength back. That won't happen with me lying in bed."
Sarah wasn't going to push. He was right, she just wished he had the luxury of being able to take it easy a little longer. "Hungry?"
John eyed the pancake, and Sarah slid it into a plate. He buttered it, buried it under syrup and seemed to be taking his time cutting off a bite-sized triangle.
"I can make you toast instead." She poured more batter into the pan.
"No. This is fine." He chewed, swallowed and cut up another piece. It was more than obvious John was forcing himself to eat.
"Where's Cameron?" He held a dripping bite of pancake, staring at it without apparent appetite.
"Perimeter check.
"I'd kill for a shower." He stuck the piece of pancake into his mouth as Sarah poured him a glass of orange juice.
"I can empty some bottles of water into a bucket and you can have a sponge bath."
John rolled his eyes. "Not the same," he said with his mouth full.
"End result would be the same." Sarah quirked an eyebrow at her son, grinning.
"I stink, huh?"
"I didn't say anything." Sarah slid the second pancake into Savannah's empty plate.
"Yeah. Thanks, Mom."
"There's clean clothes in the bag on the bureau."
John finished his pancake and juice. It was more than Sarah had expected. He stood slowly, using the table for leverage. He started coughing as he walked back to the bedroom, coughing so hard that he had to stop and lean against the wall. Worried, Sarah started to go to him but detoured to grab the garbage can when his coughs became punctuated with retches.
Her poor son who'd struggled so hard to eat for her, lost his breakfast in a fraction of the time. She got him back into the bed and sat with him, supporting him until the coughing spell passed. He leaned against her, spent, soaked with sweat.
"How about we deal with that sponge bath a little later?" She pulled up the pillows so he could lie back with his head and shoulders supported.
He nodded weakly.
"Get some rest; I'll bring in some toast when you wake up."
"I'm sorry." He tried to clear his phlegmy throat and started coughing again.
"She brings IVs and antibiotics," Sarah grumbled as she helped John turn onto his side, "you'd think she'd have thought of getting cough syrup."
John waved his hand in the direction of the bureau.
"Cameron brought cough syrup?"
Red faced and unable to speak, John nodded.
She found the bottle half-hidden beneath a discarded tee shirt in one of the drawers. She glanced at the directions, placed the opened bottle to John's mouth and held it while she watched him take two swallows, pulling it away when she deemed he'd taken close to the recommended dose.
"It says it'll make you sleepy." She used the sheet to wipe the sweat from John's face and neck.
"Water?"
"I'll be right back."
"Is John all right?" Savannah had moved to the far end of the room, looking worried. She had a small stuffed toy clutched in her hands that resembled a stunted giraffe.
"He'll be fine. He just coughed too much. It made him sick." Sarah grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and wiped the excess on a dishcloth.
"He threw up."
"I know." Sarah knelt before her. "How about you? How's your tummy?"
"I'm okay."
"Good girl." She tweaked the stuffed giraffe's tail and Savannah gave her a bright smile.
John watched her come back in, looking thoroughly exhausted. A touch to his forehead at least showed his fever hadn't gotten worse. She handed him the water. "Sip it slow."
"I know," he croaked. He took just enough to wet his mouth. "I hate being sick."
Sitting on the edge of the mattress, Sarah sighed softly.
"Do you want my Raffey?" Savannah asked from the doorway. She held out the little stuffie. "When I'm sick, Raffey makes me feel better."
Sarah saw John's lips curl in a smile. "Thanks. But I think your Raffey would be happier playing with you. But you know, you could draw me a picture of your little guy." John waved lethargic fingers in Savannah's direction.
Savannah's face brightened. "I can do that." She turned to Sarah. "Can I have my crayons, please?"
________________________________________
It was stiflingly hot. John was pretty sure the headache that was pounding away wasn't due only to fever but had help from the oppressive heat. Too drowsy to even contemplate getting up but not tired enough to drift off to sleep, John tossed and turned in bed. The linens were damp with sweat and warmed from his body heat. He inched to the edge of the uncomfortable mattress, searching for any bit of space his body hadn't touched.
There was a childish drawing stuck on the bureau. He'd woken up a few hours ago and had seen Savannah's attempt to cheer him up. The little giraffe held in the little red-haired stick figure was an orange smear. The bed with the stick figure lying in it was him. Two other stick figures were in the background, the one with the longer hair had to be Cameron, otherwise they were identical.
His mom stuck her head in the doorway. "I made sandwiches. Are you hungry?"
He wasn't, but he sat up anyway. She came in with two cheap white paper plates with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
"Where's Savannah?"
"Sleeping," his mom answered as she sat next to him on the bed. She handed him a bottle of lukewarm water. "There's no more ice." She looked at her sandwich and took a tentative bite.
"You couldn't send Cameron for more?" He took a long swallow of water before taking a bite of the cloying sandwich.
"She went to check on Ellison."
Mouth full, John raised an eyebrow. "So you don't trust him?"
"No."
"But you're letting him do our business."
"I think finding out what Catherine Weaver truly was, changed him."
"But learning about Cameron, Cromartie and John Henry didn't?" He took another bite.
"I think he trusted Weaver. I don't think he'll turn on us but he has his own agenda."
John ate, contemplating the difference between now and the future he'd visited. "What's going to happen to Savannah?"
"She's staying with us." His mother's tone of voice made it final.
"Ellison's not going to have a say in that?"
"He can say what he wants, but until I can find someone who I can trust to take care of her..."
John ate the last bite and took a sip the water.
"Unless you know something I don't."
John slowly screwed the cap back on the water bottle. "I had the impression Savannah was closer to Ellison than you. Although she did call you Aunt Sarah."
"Okay, good to know. I won't give the guy too hard a time when he asks again to take her." His mom took the empty plate from him and stacked it on top of hers. "And what about..." Her hand moved to her abdomen. "Is there anything I should know? Something to prepare for?"
"He's not me." John's tone was harsh.
"Of course he's not you."
"I'm sorry."
"This baby doesn't have the time to get the training you had."
"I know."
"But he survived."
John nodded.
"Now that I know it's a boy, I was thinking... What do you think if we named him Charley."
John's throat tightened suddenly. "I think it's a wonderful name."
"Is that what I named him? In the future?"
"Charley Dixon. You carried Charley's last name also."
"Really?" His mom gazed at the shaded window. "I just wish..."
"I know. Me, too."
"How did you get Cameron's body back? Ellison and I destroyed it."
"This was Cameron before Future John sent her back. No, wait." His headache made it hard to think. "This was another Cameron because it wasn't the same future."
"So she's not our Cameron?"
"She's got her old chip in her but a brand new body." He thought about Allison and felt a pang of sorrow that he hadn't gotten a chance to get to know the original person.
His mother blinked at him a few times, then made a face. "I won't even lie and say I understand what you're talking about."
"Would you love me less if I told you I didn't understand it myself?" God, it was so hot. He was so hot.
"What does Cameron have to say about it all?"
"We didn't really talk about it." He felt old and tired. Maybe this was how he'd feel in the future, supporting all those lives on his shoulders. He began to think there wasn't any way he'd be able to live up to being the man everyone said he would become. "You were the driving force. In the future. You're what kept everyone together."
His mom rubbed the back of her neck. John could see how the hair there was curling, damp with sweat. "I would have probably tried to set everything up until you showed up and took over."
John wanted to roll his eyes. "Would you really have handed over the resistance to a sixteen year-old?"
"You'd have grown into the role."
"Really? I think maybe Kyle and Derek as well as Charley might have had a say in it."
"John." She lowered her hand, letting it fall heavily on her thigh. "All of that doesn't matter. That's not your future anymore."
"I know that. It still doesn't change the fact that Judgement Day is only a few years away and that I'm far from ready." He slid backwards so his head and shoulder were resting on the pillows. The pillowcase was just as hot as the air in the room. "God, it's so damn hot in here."
"You'll be ready. And you'll have me and Cameron to help."
Long-time fears he'd struggled with most of his life had settled themselves front and center ever since he'd seen the future for himself. He was going to fail humanity, he just knew it. All the training in the world wasn't enough – there was just too much for him to know, for him to do. "You're not supposed to live to Judgement Day, are you?"
His mother's face paled slightly. "I don't... I don't know what's going to happen."
"You were going to leave me with Charley." He sat up so quickly he saw sparks when his headache flared. "You didn't know you were pregnant and you thought you were dying. How could you do that to me?" John didn't know where the hurt and anger came from. The words were out of his mouth before his brain registered the change in his emotions.
"Charley was the only person I could trust to take care of you."
"And what about you, Mom? Who was going to take care of you?"
"That doesn't matter."
"Hell, yes, it matters. It matters to me."
"I needed you to be safe."
"Safe? I would have spent my time searching for you. I told you once that I'd find you, no matter what." Tears prickled at his eyes and when he blinked, the moisture mixed with the sweat on his face. "I will. I'm not facing Judgement Day without you." Part of that bravado was from his love and worry for his mother and part of it was his fear of failure. He needed her. No matter what she said, he couldn't do this on his own.
"We'll face the future together." She cupped her palm around his cheek; her fingers cooler than his skin. "I promise."
"Don't. Don't make promises you can't keep." He turned his head, pulling back away from her touch. He'd seen the hurt in her eyes.
"John, I know the past few days have been hard. Derek, then Charley—"
"Hard doesn't even begin to cover it," John mumbled. Allison, Kyle. "Derek's girlfriend was pregnant."
It took his mother a few seconds to register what he'd said. "Jesse?"
"Pregnant. They were going to have a family." He pressed his lips together, trying to find compassion for his uncle and failing.
"I'm sorry."
John wondered if the sorry was for what he'd gone through or because she hadn't gone with him. He shrugged with one shoulder, closing his eyes when his mom got up off the bed and handed him the bottle of water which he'd barely touched.
"Make sure you drink the water. You still have a fever."
"I know." He waited until she left and put the bottle down on the floor. Lukewarm water was totally unappetizing.
________________________________________
Sarah paced the small room, constantly peering out the window towards the road, on the lookout for Cameron. They were getting the hell out of here the moment the tin miss drove the truck back. She'd packed everything, even John's stuff. At least he was sleeping and hadn't woken when she'd gone through his room.
He needed half-decent lodgings; air conditioning; running water; a bed that was more comfortable than a sheet of plywood with a thin mattress over it. And a shower. Hell, she wanted that shower.
She'd piled their stuff near the door; one small suitcase with their few belongings and a garbage bag with most of the remaining food and medicine. Despite the oppressive heat, Sarah either paced or stared out the window until she saw the truck approaching.
It wasn't until she'd stepped outside and was nearing the dirt path that she saw there was someone in the truck with Cameron. She'd left her gun inside but she wasn't worried. Cameron wouldn't bring anyone here who was a danger to them. She couldn't make out the person through the tinted windshield but she didn't think it was Ellison.
So when their visitor slowly stepped out of the truck, Sarah's jaw dropped.
"Hello, Sarah."
"Derek," Sarah managed to say. She stared at the supposedly dead man in shock. "What? How?" She turned to Cameron. "How's this possible?"
"I told Derek Reese we needed him. John needs him."
"But Derek died. I saw him die."
Derek waved a finger at himself. "I'm not that Derek. From what I can figure out, there's another timeline going."
"Derek came through before Catherine Weaver destroyed the time machine. She brought him back several days after John, to give John time to recover from the virus. I told Derek I'd meet him. I got him clothes."
Sarah stared hard at Derek. He looked thinner, leaner than what she remembered. The clothes he was wearing looked brand new but the skin on his face, neck and arms was dirty.
"Clothes? You just got here?"
Derek glanced around nervously. "Yeah. Couple hours ago. It found me, like it said it would. Gave me clothes, food. Told me it'd bring me to John." He looked towards the opened door of the cabin, where Savannah was watching them curiously. "It said John was recovering."
"He's getting better."
"What about my brother?"
"Kyle?" Sarah said stupidly. "Kyle..." She'd been through this once already, she didn't want to go through it again.
"They sent a T-800 to 1984. Kyle went after it."
She shook her head, hating to see the pain register in the man's eyes as comprehension registered. He recovered quickly.
"What about Charley?" Derek asked, his eyes scanning the horizon.
"Charley?" Sarah glanced at Cameron for clarification.
"John's brother hasn't been born yet."
Derek's gaze went to Sarah's abdomen and it took everything in her power to not put a protective hand over it.
"That's right." Derek gave her a slow nod. "John didn't know about Charley."
"You'll meet him in about seven months." She turned on her heel, went to the cabin and took a second to curl a hand around Savannah's nape before grabbing the suitcase and garbage bag and tossing both at Cameron. "We're leaving."
"Savannah, right?" Derek crouched next to the young girl.
"Yes." Savannah glanced up at Sarah nervously.
Sarah put a hand on Savannah's shoulder, reassuring her. "This is Derek Reese. He's a friend."
"Like Mr. Ellison?"
"Yes, just like him."
"You are going to be a beautiful young woman when you grow up."
"I'm six. I'm almost grown up."
Derek gave a soft laugh. "Yes, you are."
"I have to go to school first." She squinted up at Sarah. "And gymnastics. I miss gymnastics."
"I can teach you," Cameron offered.
"No," Sarah snapped, trying not to picture images of Cameron accidentally flipping the kid onto her head.
"Please?" Savannah whined as Sarah went inside.
"No," Sarah repeated firmly as she went straight to John's room. She hated to wake John but in an hour's time they'd be in a motel somewhere down the road. This time when she entered the bedroom, John woke up, his eyes tracking her sleepily.
"You feel up to leaving here?"
John yawned and stretched. "Where are we going?"
"Motel. Air conditioning. Shower."
"Works for me." John turned his head, his lips curled up slightly when he saw Derek, then moved his gaze back to Sarah. The moment his brain caught up, however, he popped up into a seated position so fast that he nearly fell off the bed. "Derek!"
"Hey."
"But you're dead," he blurted, his eyes wide as saucers, his rapid breaths sounding wheezy.
"Not me. That was your Derek. I'm Charley's Derek."
His breathing slowed and John's face slowly recovered its color. "You followed me."
"Your friend gave me an ultimatum."
"Cameron?"
"About that. Do all triple eights have names?"
"They do if they have to integrate themselves into society," Sarah answered as she handed John the bottle of water that felt warmer than the air in the room.
"What ultimatum?" John took the bottle but didn't drink.
"Either I jump right after you and help you and Sarah and Charley in your past, or the time machine gets destroyed and nobody ever gets to come back."
John swallowed visibly and his eyes filled. "Thank you."
"You came back because of Kyle," Sarah said. "You wanted to know for sure what had happened to him."
"Mom, he left his wife and unborn child—"
Derek put a hand up, stopping John from continuing. "I'm a soldier. I follow orders."
"But you said Cameron gave you an ultimatum," John said.
"And your mother gave me options. Said you were our hope if I wanted my baby growing up in a better world. Rather have her grow up without a father than in a world empty of hope and color." Derek cleared his throat and John couldn't tell him that his baby would never be born, at least not in this reality. "We got water in the trunk. And ice. Gotta be better than that." Derek motioned to the bottle John still held in his hand.
Sarah plucked the bottle and waved at the clean clothes she'd put out for John. He stood slowly, still shaky.
Sarah went to leave to give John some privacy but Derek blocked her way. "How're you feeling?"
John stripped his tee shirt and pulled the clean one over his head. "I'm doing okay." He threaded his arms into the sleeves. "Cameron says I'm over the worst of it."
"You're one lucky bastard. That virus is killing people left and right. They can't find a cure for it."
"What did Cameron do?" Sarah grabbed the dirty shirt, glanced around the room one last time as Derek and John walked out of the room, and left the dirty linens on the bed. "What did Cameron do that let John survive but not everyone else?"
"I didn't do anything," Cameron stated as she walked through the front door. "John survived because he was meant to."
They all brushed past her, piling into the truck. Sarah got behind the wheel, immediately turning on the air conditioning. John sat next to her while Savannah, Derek and Cameron shared the back seats. She wasn't worried they'd kill each other, they'd made it this far earlier with just the two of them in the vehicle. It was John who worried her. Despite the ten miles of sandy trail leading up to the cabin that taxed the truck's suspension and springs, John fell asleep a few miles into the trip. She wanted to reach out and check for fever but she needed to keep both hands on the wheel. Cameron, apparently, had the same worries. She skimmed a hand across the back of John's neck.
"How is he?" she hissed when Cameron wasn't forthcoming.
"His core temperature is 99.8 degrees, saline output decreasing—"
"Is he getting better?" Sarah demanded, keeping her voice low.
"He's getting better."
Buoyed by Cameron's statement, Sarah drove to the highway with a lighter heart. She passed the first motel, not wanting to appear too desperate, but pulled into the second one that came up.
John opened his eyes the moment she stopped the engine.
"Go get us a room." Sarah handed Cameron enough cash to cover their night's stay.
Ten minutes later she had the keys to their room. She drove slowly around to the back, out of sight of the main road, and parked in front of their room.
Cameron brought in their suitcase while Derek looked around, taking everything in.
"I haven't seen one of these since I was a kid." Bouncing lightly on the edge of one of two double beds, Derek appeared almost shell-shocked.
Sarah checked out the bathroom, switched on the light, and motioned to John. "Shower."
She dug up some cash from a back pocket and handed it to Cameron. "Get us something to eat. Something half-healthy."
"Chinese?"
Sarah nodded. "That'll do," she said as she handed her the truck's keys.
She went through their clothes, tossed the dirty items into a pile to wash once they were all clean, and made sure she and Savannah would have something to wear after their turns in the bathroom.
When John started coughing and didn't let up, she went to the bathroom door and waited. It felt like a long time but he finally stopped. The water turned off shortly after that and he came out, looking pale and shaky but clean.
She ran a bath for Savannah, made sure the child had everything, and went back to check on John, who was lying on top of the bed. She sat down next to him. "How're you feeling?"
"Tired."
She couldn't help but press a hand against his forehead. He was slightly warm to the touch but not enough to worry about. She glanced up at Derek, who was examining the TV's remote. "What about you? Did Cameron say you were free of the virus?"
"She wouldn't have sent him here if he'd been sick, Mom."
"Are you so sure?"
"I'm not sick." Sarah kept catching Derek staring at her, and he looked down at his feet when she caught him again. "And John's right. It wouldn't chance me coming back here and infecting people."
"She'd better not have," Sarah growled as she stood and went to help Savannah finish her bath. She led the little girl back into the room and when Savannah scrambled onto the bed next to John, he removed the towel wrapped around her hair and started rubbing it dry. Sarah figured it was safe for her to jump in the shower now, at least before Derek got in because he'd probably not come out for a long time.
Sweat and dirt shampooed and lathered out of her hair and skin, Sarah felt like she was rolling in luxury when she got into clean clothes. Savannah was curled up next to John on the bed, both of them looking half-asleep as they watched Nickelodeon on TV. Derek was mesmerized by the cartoons but he got up when Sarah waved him to the bathroom.
She'd been right about Derek; Cameron arrived a few minutes later with supper and they'd pretty much finished eating by the time Derek joined them. He sat at the table and grabbed an egg roll. From the way Derek gobbled up the food, Sarah got the impression that food was going to be a scarcity in the future.
"I almost forgot what egg rolls tasted like." Mouth full, Derek checked each container.
For once food didn't nauseate Sarah and she was able to enjoy her meal.
Cameron stood at the window the whole time, staring outside at the darkening street. "We need a laptop," she said over her shoulder.
"I've got John's laptop in the truck." Sarah glanced over at John who looked like he was fighting sleep. "Why do we need a laptop?"
"I need to recreate John Henry's virus." Cameron walked towards the door, pausing with her hand on the doorknob when John spoke.
"How'll that help us now?" John got up and went to wash his hands in the bathroom.
"We can make several copies and store them in places that won't be discovered before Judgment Day."
"We can't use it before?" John came back out, wiping his hands on his jeans.
"If we can find Skynet and get into its security system, yes. But the odds aren't in our favor. We'll have a better chance defeating Skynet once it takes control."
"So millions of people have to die before we can stop it?"
"Maybe there's a way of programming the virus with a safety feature that'll release it when the time is right," John said sleepily as he slid back onto the bed. "Something we can think about between now and then."
"You can recreate the virus?" Sarah sat back on the chair, watching Derek scratch the bottom of the fried rice container for the last granules.
"Yes. It's in my memory banks," Cameron said as she went outside.
Sarah felt like she was too full of nervous energy to contain in this small room. She held herself together, clearing a space on the table for the laptop, and then looking over Cameron's shoulder as she typed what looked like gibberish. Normally John would have watched Cameron work but he was barely able to focus on the cartoons playing on the TV. She guessed in less than a half hour, he'd be sleeping soundly. And Savannah probably wouldn't be too far behind.
Derek was staring at Cameron but without the malice she was used to seeing in his eyes. Obviously this Derek didn't trust her any more than the other Derek but he was more willing to accept her. Or maybe he was just better at hiding his feelings.
It was too late to search out a Laundromat and they didn't have the space to hang up all their clothes in the room, not with them living in it. Instead she walked around, putting a little order in their living area. By the time she finished, she was able to turn off the television without waking the two slumbering kids.
"You should get some sleep," Cameron said, still typing away. "You need your rest."
"I'm not tired." The words were barely out of Sarah's mouth when all the nervous energy she'd had left her, leaving her drained and tired.
"Kyle always said he had to drag you to bed because you never admitted you were tired. I see things never change." Derek scrubbed at his face. "Or never will change."
Sarah's jaw dropped at Derek's words. She'd never expected this; she and Kyle not only knew each other but had been together?
"What?" Derek looked at her in bewilderment. Then he seemed to realize what he'd said. "You didn't know?"
"I suspected, but I wasn't sure."
"He didn't say?" Both of them glanced over at John.
"He didn't quite come out and say it but he sort of hinted." She gave Derek a quick smile. "You're right, I am tired." A little embarrassed at his scrutiny, she sat at the edge of the bed. She pointed to the empty bed. "Knock yourself out." She curled up next to Savannah, her small body reminding Sarah of John when he'd been that young. She reminisced until she dozed off.
________________________________________
John tried to pretend his legs weren't shaking as he walked back to the truck. He showed their new room number to his mom as he got inside and she drove down the rows of identical doors until they came to number 54.
"It's got a view of the ocean," John said as he got out of the truck, repeating what the person in the motel's Office had told him.
"Ocean's three blocks away." Derek reached into the trunk and pulled their suitcase out.
"Doesn't mean we can't see it," John's mom said as she went to grab the large duffel bag that held what didn't fit in the suitcases. John made a grab for it and was a second too slow. "I got it." His mom hefted the duffel bag over one shoulder and motioned for John to go open the door.
Savannah skipped alongside him, waiting impatiently as he opened the door. But once he got the door open, John put a hand in front of her to stop her from running inside first. Cameron brushed past them, and only when she gave them an almost imperceptible nod that all was clear did he remove his hand to let Savannah through.
Another motel, same as the last. John sat heavily on the edge of the bed; the two-hour drive out of the city to this place had pretty much taken everything out of him.
Derek walked to the window and pushed back the curtain just enough to peek outside.
"Well?" John's mom asked.
"You can see a sliver of water between two buildings."
"Ocean view," John mumbled as his mom's cell phone rang.
"Is that my mommy?" Savannah asked, eyes big as saucers as she moved closer to John.
"I don't think so, honey." John wrapped an arm around her and leaned against her back, offering support. Savannah had been good about her missing mother but one day soon it would probably hit her, and hit her hard.
She leaned against him as his mother listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone. To his surprise, she gave them their address and hung up.
"James Ellison," she said, pocketing the phone.
"He's coming here?" John rocked Savannah slowly from side to side, and she giggled.
"He's got information. He was checking out Danny Dyson's disappearance."
John glanced over at Derek, who was rubbing his jaw. Their eyes met and John knew Derek had pertinent information about Miles Dyson's son. His mom caught their gaze and gave him a nod. They'd have to talk when Savannah was out of earshot.
________________________________________
John stopped next to the heavily chlorinated pool and stared down into its watery depth. The ceramic tiles were chipped and worn, testifying to the age of the place. Cameron, who'd been dogging him around the motel's property, stopped next to him and looked around. Savannah gave the pool a quick glance and moved on to examine the stunted and dried out garden.
"Shouldn't there be other children playing here?" Cameron spoke to John even though she kept her gaze on Savannah.
"The children are in school." He squinted up at the hazy sky.
"Ah," she said softly. "Jesse Flores lost her baby," she added after a pause.
"What? When?" John turned to Cameron in shock. "Does Derek know? She looked healthy when we left."
"Not his Jesse. Your Derek's Jesse."
John sat on a rickety deck chair underneath a faded umbrella and closed his eyes. Maybe this was part of the reason why she'd done did what she did.
"He didn't know," Cameron added.
John stretched his legs out in front of him and slunk down in the chair until his neck was resting against the hard metal frame. It was hot but nowhere near as hot as it had been in the desert.
Cameron canted her head to the side as she looked down at him. "You should be resting."
"Isn't that what I'm doing?"
"You'd be more comfortable in bed and away from the heat."
"Yes, I probably would." But he was fed up being cooped up inside. "Ellison will be here any second." Even as he said the words, a black sedan pulled into the motel's parking lot and parked next to their Dodge truck. "Speak of the devil," John muttered as Ellison stepped out of the car.
He stood and was about to get Savannah when he saw his mother and Derek step out of the motel. His mom greeted Ellison even as she looked around, searching for him. Spotting John and with a nod of her head, the three of started walking in his direction.
Savannah watched Ellison approach with both a frightened and hopeful expression. John felt bad for the kid; she probably associated the guy with her mother and he figured she was hoping for some sort of news. Ellison walked past John and went straight for Savannah, crouching down to her level and speaking with her for a few minutes.
Derek pulled two more deck chairs and dragged them under the umbrella's meagre shade. He and his mom sat, watching as Savannah stared down at her feet, nodding dejectedly a few times in response to whatever Ellison was saying to her.
Finally he offered her his hand and she took it. He led her back to the table where she let go of Ellison and leaned against John.
"Are you okay?" John put an arm around her as she buried her face against his shoulder.
She shook her head.
"What did you say to her?" John's mom demanded angrily.
"I told her I hadn't seen her mother." Ellison glared at each and every one of them. "You have to stop giving the child false hope."
"Like hell." As tired as he was, anger fueled his actions and he was on his feet with Savannah in his arms. "I came back; Catherine Weaver might just surprise us as well." John looked pointedly at Derek as an example just as Savannah started to cry.
"She doesn't need to hear any of this." He gave Ellison a parting glare before storming back to their room. He was angry, furious, but he made sure his hold on Savannah as he carried her back was gentle.
Once back in their motel room, John wasn't sure what to do. He sat on one of the beds and held Savannah as she sobbed. "I want my Mommy," she hiccupped.
"I know you do." John sighed as he tried to think of something to tell her. "But your mom had an important mission to finish. With John Henry."
"But I miss her," Savannah wailed in his ear.
"And she misses you."
"I want to go home."
"I know."
Not sure what more to say, John let her cry herself out. The sobs eventually turned to hiccups and the hiccups to shaky breaths. As she sat there leaning against him trustingly, he felt rage against the machine that had taken this little girl's mother in order to achieve its agenda.
A car door slammed outside and a moment later, John's mother and uncle came back inside. Cameron stood in the doorway for a moment and John caught a glimpse of Ellison's car backing up and driving away. Then Cameron shut the door and took her usual spot by the window.
His mom sat on the bed next to John and ran a hand down Savannah's long hair. She raised swollen eyes towards his mom.
"How about we go wash your face?" She held a hand out and Savannah slowly reached for it, sliding away from John as she followed his mom into the bathroom.
"What did Ellison have to say?" John kept his voice deliberately low as the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
"Lead he had on Dyson didn't pan out."
John stared at Derek. "But you know where he is."
Derek's eyes flashed towards the bathroom.
"Did she find him?" John wasn't surprised it was his mother who had and not Ellison.
Derek's gaze met John's. "Yeah. Working for Kaliba. Pretty much brainwashed the kid; she had no choice."
He'd already known his mother would be the one to end Danny Dyson's life, but knowing didn't make the information any easier to digest. In the name of Skynet, the Connors had and would continue to decimate the Dyson family. John shut his eyes at the knowledge of what his mother would have to do. Everything was just so fucked up.
"Hey." Derek's voice was soft as he smiled at Savannah, whose eyes were still red and puffy as she came out of the bathroom. "I'm going to go get supper. Want to come help me choose?"
Savannah gave Derek a tentative nod.
One handed, Derek caught the keys John's mom tossed him.
"Take her with you." His mom inclined her head towards Cameron.
Derek's lips tightened but he didn't argue. Savannah followed him to the door then turned back to look at John nervously.
"Do you think we should get some dessert?" John asked in a falsely bright voice.
Savannah's smile was instantaneous. "Ice cream?"
John made a face, pretending he was thinking about it. "Hmmm. Chocolate?"
"Strawberry," Savannah declared.
"Strawberry it is." Derek put his hand out and she took it without hesitation and followed him out of the room.
The motel room felt empty with half their group gone.
________________________________________
Sarah was watching John, trying to gauge whether he was just tired or his fever was starting to spike again with the setting sun. He looked tired, but his eyes were clear when he glanced her way.
"Why didn't you tell me about you and Charley?" John's voice was soft, and it took her a moment to decipher exactly what he was asking.
She remembered the night in question vividly; the one that had led to her immediate predicament. She found herself gently rubbing her abdomen and deliberately stilled her hand.
"It wasn't supposed to happen." She tried to smile but it felt forced.
"But it did happen. You didn't even tell me you'd gone to see him."
"I wanted to make sure he was safe."
"You wanted to make sure there was a safe place to dump me if you got sick."
The hurt and anger in John's voice was painful to hear. Sarah wished he hadn't come to this conclusion, at least not so soon. There had been enough hurt without dredging this up. "I thought I had cancer—"
"And you didn't think I'd want to be there for you?"
She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "You had more important things to worry about."
"Nothing's more important than you—"
"Everything's more important than me."
John shook his head slowly. "Not to me." The anger faded and he looked almost defeated. She hurriedly sat next to him and he leaned his shoulder against hers. A quick touch to his cheek showed that his skin was a bit warmer than normal. "I'm okay." He leaned his head against her shoulder, belying his words.
Sarah brought up one of the things she'd been worrying over the past few days. "We're going to have to do something about Savannah."
"Do something about her? You're talking like she's some sort of animal or pet."
"She can't stay with us. It's too dangerous."
John pulled away from her and gave her a lopsided smile. "Mom, you're going to have a baby. It'll be no more dangerous for Charley than it will be for Savannah." His face paled suddenly as his eyes widened. "You're not thinking of—''
"No!" Sarah exclaimed. "No." This time she spoke more softly. "I'm keeping the baby. Charley," she amended.
"We're keeping the baby," John said determinedly. "And Savannah."
"You said something about in the future, she was with Ellison?"
"So now she'll be with us."
John stretched his neck and Sarah realized his fever-headache was starting. She got up and dug through the bag that held the Tylenol. She handed him two along with a bottle of water and he drank it down without complaint.
"Do you want to talk about what happened to you?" Sarah asked tentatively. They hadn't had much time alone, this might be the only chance they got to talk for a while.
John glanced away from her. "Nothing much to talk about."
"I know it mustn't have been pleasant."
John pursed his lips together. "It was, and it wasn't. You'd done some amazing things, Mom. I'm not sure if I'll be able to build half the things you did with what you had."
"Well, hopefully we'll build these things together this time."
John smiled at her weakly.
"And we've got Derek. Go figure."
John swallowed. "Yeah." His voice thickened. "Go figure."
"I'm sorry about Kyle. Sorry you didn't get to spend more time with him."
John's throat worked and his chin trembled as he tried to hold in his emotions. "Me, too."
"I think we're going to lay low for a while. Take a breather and try and figure out what to do about Kaliba."
John nodded.
John's next breaths were shaky but they evened out quickly. They sat there for a few minutes, until John spoke, his voice low.
"There was a girl there." He sighed softly. "She was Charley's girlfriend. Her name was Allison."
________________________________________
Only Savannah and Derek truly enjoyed the fast food they'd brought back for supper. John had picked at his and Sarah had been fighting nausea from the moment the smell of greasy French fries had filled the room. She sat in the far corner next to the air conditioning unit, far away from the leftovers still sitting on the table.
She stared at Cameron, trying to imagine the cyborg as a human, or rather, a human with the cyborg's face, voice and body, and came up lacking.
John was stretched out on one of two king-sized beds, watching television with Savannah, who once again was curled up against him. He was so good with children, she had no worries about how he'd take to the brother she'd be giving him.
Derek was sitting in one of the chairs, legs stretched in front of him, eyes on the television but he didn't have the same rapt attention he'd had the first time he'd watched. Not that the novelty had worn off, Sarah thought his mind was somewhere else. Most likely on Danny Dyson and how to take care of the problem Miles Dyson's son had now created.
Her nausea got worse and she hurried to the bathroom. She hated morning sickness with a passion, and it was worse now, living under the same roof with four others. At least she no longer had to hide it.
Five minutes later, feeling slightly better, she was surprised to come out of the bathroom to find Cameron and Derek missing.
"Where'd they go?" She went to the window and saw the truck was gone.
"They went to take care of something." John sounded distracted, but he was watching her and she realized he'd kept his tone light in deference to Savannah.
"What? What did they go take care of?"
"They were going to go look up an old friend's son. Derek had a pretty good idea where he was."
"Do I know this friend?" Savannah piped in.
"No, I don't think so," John answered.
"Is he my age? Can I play with him like John Henry?"
"They're just going to go say hello, sweetheart." Sarah pulled out the girl's pajamas and handed them to her. "How about you get ready for bed."
Sarah waited until the bathroom door closed behind Savannah. "Why did you let them go?" she hissed.
"Because Derek knew where Danny was."
"She's going to kill him," she said in an accusatory voice when she realized that this Derek probably knew more about her immediate future than the other Derek.
John met Sarah's gaze head on. "Yeah. Probably."
She was feeling on edge; she wanted to pace but the room was too tiny. Instead she emptied out their bags and repacked everything carefully, taking inventory at the same time. Savannah was fast asleep by the time she finished, curled up trustingly against John, who was watching her, his eyes heavy with fatigue.
Her nervous energy disappeared nearly as quickly as it had come, leaving her shaky and tired. She got ready for bed, slipping next to Savannah.
John turned onto his side to look at her. His eyes were glassy with fever.
"You shouldn't have let him go," Sarah whispered as she touched a hand to his hot cheek.
"They know where he is."
"They can't stop Skynet."
"Derek felt they needed to stop him."
Sarah rubbed John's temple with her thumb. "He's different. Derek. And yet the same."
John smiled. "Your influence."
"Scary thought." She pulled her hand back, trying to relax while listening for the sound of their truck returning. She dozed off and on, waking every time John stirred restlessly. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that his fever finally broke and he fell into a deep sleep. She was just drifting off herself when she heard the truck pull up.
Sarah was out of bed and out the door just as the two were getting out of the truck. "What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded, getting into Derek's personal space. He stared at her with wide eyes, surprise all over his face. "What if you'd gotten caught?"
"We didn't get caught." Cameron's reply was matter of fact.
"They were using the kid; he needed to be terminated."
"And you decided that all on your own?"
"No." Derek seemed to have regained his composure, staring at her with a calm expression. "You did. In the future."
Sarah almost gasped in surprise. She turned to Cameron, who gave her a short nod. She drew a shaky breath and stepped back, only to see John standing in the doorway.
"What's going on?" He looked half-asleep but moved aside to let Derek access to the room. "What did Mom do in the future?"
"Sarah asked Derek to take care of Danny Dyson," Cameron said as she walked past.
"I would've done it. I would've taken care of what was necessary." Sarah shut the door behind her and leaned against it, next to John. "We don't even know if it was—"
"It was." Derek glanced at the sleeping child in the bed, and kept his voice barely above a whisper. "You did take care of it and it gave you recurring nightmares. Kyle always said that was one thing he'd wished he'd have been able to have done for you. Consider this a gift from my brother."
"Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment," Sarah said with a deliberately cold voice as she stepped away from the door, "but next time you decide to take care of something, it would be appreciated if you discuss the matter with me first."
"Mom. Derek and I talked about it."
"And what? You decided to take care of a problem without thinking things through first?"
"No." John straightened his shoulders minutely and the look he gave her was pure Kyle. She had a fleeting hint of what John would be like in the future. "Derek told me what happens to Danny in the future and why you did what you had to do. He decided we needed to change that particular event in the future. I agreed with his decision."
Sarah was pretty sure once she'd thought this over, she'd agree with John regarding Derek and Cameron's actions. Right now, though, she was angry that they'd acted without consulting her. "This isn't a committee," Sarah spat at him before turning tail and going back outside.
________________________________________
John had expected his mom to come back into the room after cooling off. Cameron was watching her through the window, sitting at the edge of the pool by herself. She'd been there for the past thirty minutes.
Finally John couldn't take it anymore. He slipped on his boots and walked across the motel's property, the morning air damp and cool, causing goose bumps to rise on his bare arms.
Footsteps crunched behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Derek following. John sat in the chair next to his mom.
Derek moved around them and stood facing them. "You know, I always thought you were the way you were because you survived Judgment Day."
"You mean a bitch?" His mom's voice was sarcastic.
"Yeah." Derek smiled, his eyes shining in the slowly brightening day. "The tough bitch on the exterior with the soft heart. Didn't realize you were always that way."
"Don't let the exterior fool you. I'm just as tough inside." His mom's words sounded harsh but there was a hint of a smile.
Derek's smile widened. "Kyle says otherwise. Said otherwise," he amended quickly. "I saw you with Charley and with John. With Savannah. You loved them. You still love them." Derek's glance met John's.
His mom lowered her head, averting her gaze. John reached a hand out to her and waited until she looked up at him. "Let's go inside."
She nodded slowly, took his hand and they stood.
"John."
He paused, turning to look back at Derek. "What can I do for you, Derek?"
Derek shoved his hands in his pockets, but remained still, letting John's mother walk a few steps ahead of them.
John became uncomfortable under his uncle's scrutiny and was just about to take off after his mom when Derek finally spoke.
"You're a lot like your brother."
John's smile was instantaneous and he gave a sideways glance at Derek. "Is that a good thing?"
Derek began to walk and John joined him, stride for stride, a mere two steps behind his mother. "Yeah, it is."
"The future's going to be different, you know, from the one you came from."
"I know."
His mom went into the motel room leaving the door opened in her wake but John and Derek stopped just short of stepping into the room.
"Mom won't be the one in charge. My father, not your Kyle, but the one my mom remembers, said I was the one to lead people in the resistance."
Derek gave him a quick nod, and held out his hand. "Well since that's the case, I'm very glad to meet you, John Connor."
The End
