Hello!

Yes, another update! *gg*

Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad that you guys like this story because honestly, I wasn't sure about the concept.

Thanks to Red Hope for making me aware of the Cameron/Allison-thing. Well, Cameron looks just like Cameron (Summer Glau), but Allison looks different. I simply borrowed her name. Yet, I'm planning to describe her appearance in one of the next chapters. Sorry, if this may have caused confusion.

Moreover...yes, John and Cameron are both 16. I know they're acting a bit childish, but it'll change soon. Besides, John isn't that mature in the series, is he? ;)

Cellen8: Thank you so much for your reviews and compliments. :) I think for a writer, the greatest tip of the hat is when somebody re-reads his/her stories. As a little thank you, I made your alert buzz twice today.

Oh, and Kyle...yap, he's an ass, but he loves his kids. Yet, he won't survive my story...probably...maybe... LoL

Episode 3; Lessons

Sarah Connor was standing in front of a bimetallic double door, waiting for the allowance to enter. After a few seconds the doors opened to both sides with a soft hum, revealing a pretty big apartment. But in spite of its size and the modernness, it looked really welcoming. The living room was the biggest room, bordering an open kitchen. Warm colors, a matching dark carpet, personal stuff like pictures everywhere.

"Good morning, Sarah." Cameron, who was working in the kitchen section greeted the raven-haired.

Smiling, Sarah replied, "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Very good. Thanks." Now the Reese woman prepared a pan. "Will you join me for breakfast? I'll make some pancakes for you too."

Both knew that Sarah would never refuse the invitation. "With pleasure."

Cameron and Sarah were eating together at the breakfast table as a reporter showed up and informed his leader about the newest events. The whole time he glanced at the eating and smiling terminator. His disgust was clearly readable on his face. Cameron thanked him and sent him away. Afterwards, the two looked at each other and shrugged. By now they didn't care about what others thought of their friendship.

"What's on the agenda today?" Cameron asked, using the usual morning line of her deceased father.

Sarah swallowed her bite before she answered, "Patrolling."

"I know."

"I know you do."

They smiled at each other.

"You'll visit me afterwards?" Eyes, full of hope and affection.

"I always do, Cam."

_______________

"When John and I were little, before bed dad used to read us fairy tales. One night he read us a folk tale called, 'The Golem of Prague' the story of a clay monster made by a Rabbi to protect the Jews of the city. What he failed to remember was that end of the story the Golem turns on its maker and kills him as well as the rest of the town. We didn't sleep for months. Dad went to us and tried to tell us it wasn't real, that he'd made it all up. Somehow, that made it all worse."

Two days ago, at the city dump, a garbage man picked up what looked like a skull. Yet, it was obviously not the skull of a human. This thing was made out of gleaming metal and seemed to derive from a sci-fi movie. The man kept it as a novelty item, nevertheless. He had no clue that it was a terminator's skull. Cromartie's, bare of human flesh. It had traveled through time with the Reeses and Sarah. The following night Cromartie's head would re-activate and send a transmission to its headless body, which would go about the process of murdering two people in order to successfully retrieve its skull, thus enabling him to resume his hunt for the Reese siblings.

Cameron Reese was sitting at the kitchen table, doing her homework. Once in a while, she looked out of the window and then she always sighed heavily, because of this beautiful, bright afternoon. An afternoon, which she spent inside. She could have enjoyed the sun outside, lying in the grass, hanging out with her new found friends, and all the other things her brother was probably doing right now.

But the female Reese sibling, wise and reasonable, refused to have fun and did maths instead. Besides, some people in this world actually thought that it was quite amusing to juggle with figures. Well, Cameron was certainly not such a freak. If anything, she was pissed off with all the digits. The calculated results were incorrect, no matter how often she tried to do them. Finally, her frustration culminated in throwing her pen away and swearing like a sailor.

Fortunately, her father wasn't present, but getting some transactions done. He would have been highly disappointed with his good daughter. Again. Whereas more than a whole week had passed since she and John had sneaked out, Kyle was still a bit peeved about this. However, he had allowed them to go out, although on condition that they took a weapon with them if so. Or their protector Sarah Connor alternatively.

Of course, John didn't want to meet somebody with his official mother in tow. That's why he had left the house with a gun in the waistband of his jeans. Despite his occasional dullness, Cameron hadn't really assumed that her brother would do somethings stupid with it. Yet, she had warned him.

"All right?" Sarah asked all of a sudden, standing directly behind Cameron's back and causing her to startle once more.

The teenager turned her upper body around to face the terminator. "I told you not to sneak up on me! I truly hate it when somebody does that. So please, make a noise next time. Or even better, approach me from the front."

"I'm sorry." The raven-haired apologized, stepping beside her target. "I'll try to put you on your guard from now on."

Cameron rolled her eyes at Sarah's response before she demanded, a lot more harshly than she had intended to, "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to ask you if something is wrong, because I heard you groaning and cursing." Sarah answered, holding out a pen to her. "Here's your writing utensil. I picked it up."

Immediately, Cameron felt guilty for her rather 'unfriendly' words. After all, it wasn't the terminator's fault that the bloody maths was driving her crazy and making her moody. Oddly embarrassed, the girl took the pen from Sarah, avoiding her sparkling eyes. "Thanks..."

She watched how the raven-haired turned to leave. But before Cameron knew what she was doing, she already called after her, "Can you help me with my homework? It shouldn't be a problem to you. I mean, you've got a super computer as brain."

Sarah shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's not part of my mission. You'll have to do it on your own."

"Excuse me?" Cameron's eyes were palm-sized.

The teenager was shocked and speechless until Sarah flashed an almost roguish smile at her, saying, "Just kidding. Of course I will help you."

Cameron glared at her for a few seconds before she cracked a smile too and teased her protector, "One day, you'll bring me to laugh myself to death. And then you'll get into a lot of trouble. But for now, come and have a seat. I need you."

She chuckled softly, not noticing Sarah's expression at the last sentence. However, the terminator walked over to the table and finally sat down on a chair next to Cameron. "What's your problem?"

"Well, this all is my problem." The girl sighed dramatically, showing Sarah the sheet of paper with the different tasks on it. Many calculations were crossed out and a few pictures and patterns were scribbled on the margin. "I can't do it. Obviously, I'm way too dumb for it."

"Don't say that." Sarah told her firmly and Cameron noted that somehow, Sarah didn't seem to like it when she cheapened herself. "You're not 'way too dumb for it'. In fact, you have absolutely no problem with doing such things in the future. Right now, you're simply thinking too complicated. Hand me another piece of paper and a pen and I'll show you how to solve this. You'll see it's very easy."

A bit stunned, Cameron gave the raven-haired a blank sheet of paper and her pen. Sarah thanked her. Afterwards, she wrote the first task down and started to explain the first step to do it. Cameron watched attentively and barely recognized how close she was to the terminator at the moment. Subconsciously, she smelled the perfume though, winding down more and more at its scent.

Patiently, Sarah did the task and explained everything to Cameron while it. What she was doing. Why it had to be done the way she had done it. She'd do it twice if the Reese girl didn't get it the first time. And after every finished task, Sarah wanted her to explain it to her and to do it on her own again to check if she had indeed understood it. So they worked off the entire homework together. When they were done, Cameron was exhausted, but happy nevertheless. "I got it. I really got it. Thank you, Sarah. I owe you one."

"Forget about it." Sarah replied, shrugging and showing her learning about human idioms at the same time. "You should relax now, have an airing. But take a gun and your cell phone with you."

"I have a better idea." Cameron declared seriously, yet smirking. "I'll take you with me."

The terminator tilted her head. "Why? Your brother said a gun is 'cooler'."

"My brother is an idiot." The girl grimaced. "Don't listen to him. I think you're much cooler."

Sarah smiled warmly at Cameron, who swallowed at the sight. "Thank you."

"You... You're welcome." The teenager stuttered. "Besides, I don't like guns. Can't even handle one. In fact, I do hate them."

"I know." Sarah stated, nodding, causing Cameron to wonder once again. "You reject to practice violence. Nevertheless, you have to be aware of how to use weapons. For your future it is quite important to have knowledge about. Not because you actually take part in fights on the battlefield, but because you develope the resistance arms further all the time. It wouldn't do any harm if you knew to aim and shoot now, though. In case, I'm not near you. You should know how to protect yourself."

Cameron wasn't exactly sure what to say. She was mostly astounded by the terminator's avowal about her future self and her future self's skills. Apparently, the prospective Cameron Reese was pretty intelligent and had to do many signifying things. However, the present one was worried and simply felt overwhelmed, scared to underachieve and to fail the entire world.

"Did you listen to me?" Sarah requested after noticing the teenager's absent look.

Blinking in confusion for a few seconds, Cameron snapped back to reality. "Sure... You said that I should learn how to use a gun."

Sarah nodded. "Yes. As early as possible."

"And who's going to teach me, eh?" The girl wanted to know, frowning. "I don't wanna ask dad for help. He probably thinks that I know how to handle every kind of weapon. After all, me and John almost spent our whole life in the presence of soldiers. Neither can I ask my brother, because...well, because I would be afraid of being shot. So I've got no one to teach me."

Puzzled, she watched Sarah raising an eyebrow, before the raven-haired suggested, "What about me?"

"Would you do that for me?" Cameron was surprised at Sarah's offer. Yet, she wouldn't decline.

"Of course." Again, the terminator showed her captivating smile.

The girl licked her lips, nervously. "Alright, but I'm bound to say that I might screw up. Seriously, the last time I held a gun in the hand, someone got winged."

"A male German sheep dog." Sarah determined. "You hit its paw. It wouldn't let you pet it for a week. You used to call it 'Derek'."

"How the heck do you know all of that?!"

Sarah's answer was short and simple. "You told me."

Not sure of what to think of this disturbing situation, Cameron folded her arms, snorting. "Is there anything I...my future self did not tell you?"

"Yes."

Sarah didn't keep on talking. Instead she looked rather intensively at the female Reese who became more and more upset. It didn't please her that the terminator knew so much about her. Moreover, her past and her upcoming future. On the other hand, her future self seemed to trust Sarah enough to tell her such personal things. Was it possible that they were indeed close to each other?

"So?" Cameron cleared her throat. "You're going to teach me or not?"

"Of course." This time, Sarah didn't smile. She didn't even smirk, causing the teenager to feel cold inside, somehow. "Fortunately, the house is a bit outlying. No direct neighbors. We can use the backyard to practice. Do we have empty tin cans? They'll serve as aims."

Cameron grimaced. "Can't we use apples? Tin cans are...gross."

"So says your father." Sarah commented coolly.

Confused, Cameron stared at the terminator, before she opened her eyes wide in consternation. "No! I didn't mean it like that."

The raven-haired nodded. "I know."

"Sarah, I'm serious." Cameron instisted. "They're gross, because they're sticky and smelly."

Taking apples out of a bowl on the kitchen counter, Sarah told her once more, "I know. You'd never say such things about a terminator."

Cameron wasn't completely convinced that Sarah believed her. However, the raven-haired went already past her to the back door. "Let's go."

All of a sudden, Cameron was doubtful if it was a good idea to let Sarah teach her how to handle a gun, despite that the teenager had been excited and elated at first. Not because of the bloody gun, but the terminator's company.

Five minutes later, Cameron and Sarah were standing in the backyard and the raven-haired pulled out her Glock-17, holding it out towards Cameron, saying, "This is a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. It's quite simple to use. It's not very effective, though, but you'd need a Milkor MGL to really harm a terminator. A very unwieldy, complicate rifle. So the Glock is a good start. You can use it for distraction and to gain time until I arrive."

Cameron took the gun in her hand and turned it around to view it from every side. It was matt black-painted and looked rather unspectacular. Yet, she knew it was deadly and could kill someone in a split second.

Sarah explained, "The features include a "Safe Action" Trigger System, the overall lenght amounts to one hundred and eighty-six millimeter, the height to one hundred and thirty-eight millimeter, the width to thirty millimeter, the line of sight to one hundred and sixty-five millimeter, and the barrel length to one hundred and fourteen millimeter. If it is unloaded it weighs six hundred and twenty-five gram, and loaded it weighs nine hundred and five gram. The magazine can either be a seventeen, nineteen or thirty-three one. To pull the trigger two point five kilograms pressure are needed."

"You don't expect me to keep all that in mind, do you?" Cameron folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, skeptically.

The terminator smiled down at her, reassuringly. "No, not yet."

Cameron inhaled deeply as she noticed that suddenly Sarah appeared to be 'happy' again. As a result, she herself relaxed a bit at the easing tension. If the raven-haired was in a good mood, the girl indeed enjoyed and appreciated her company. Yes, she believed that a terminator - at least this terminator - could be in a good mood, just as in a bad one. After all, her laptop had its good and bad days, too.

"Now, give it to me. First, you'll learn how to unload and load the magazine, how to handle the safety, and how to rack the Glock, finally."

Slowly, Sarah demonstrated her student the things she had just said and afterwards, she assigned the teenager to do the same. This was the easy part, which came naturally to Cameron. Without difficulties, she managed to drop out the magazine, to put it back in, and to rack the first bullet. Yet, she was tied up in knots the whole time, fearing the impending tough part.

"Very well." Sarah nodded in approval, before she went to an old bench a few meter away and placed one of the apples on the backrest of it. "Turn off the safety. I'll show you how to hold the gun and how you have to position yourself."

Cameron did as she was told and waited with the Glock-17 in her hand, until Sarah returned and came up behind her, sounding amused when she said, "Please, don't startle. It's just me."

The Reese girl assumed that Sarah hinted at the whole 'Don't-sneak-up-on-me' thing. She snorted softly, yet suppressed a grin. But it qickly faded once Sarah grabbed her hips and adjusted her. She carefully kicked her feet in the right position and Cameron allowed the terminator willingly to do this all. She was too distracted by the hands on her waist, anyway. To her own surprise, Sarah's grip was gingerly and tender.

"Raise the gun." Sarah lowered her head so that her mouth was next to the girl's ear. "Your hold on the handle grip is too tight. You have to loosen it."

"Like this?" Cameron's voice was husky.

"Exactly." The terminator answered. "Try to aim at the centre of the apple."

Nervously, Cameron licked her lips and pointed the barrel at the fruit. She didn't even recognized that she held her breath, until Sarah instructed her, "Breathe. Your tensed. Relax your muscles and nerves."

"Easier said than done." Yet, she tried. But a few seconds later, she heard Sarah's voice once again, saying, "Do you shut your left eye?"

"Yes." Cameron replied. "So you aim better, right?"

She sensed the terminator shaking her head. "Quite the opposite. It skews your vision. Open up both eyes."

Cameron nodded brifly, before she aimed at the apple again. "Okay."

"I want you to shoot now. So release the safety catch." Sarah ordered. "But you must not quiver your hand if you feel the tremor from firing. Otherwise, your sight will quiver. You have to keep the sights straight in line."

"Okay..."

Finally, Cameron fired for the first time in three years. The shot rang loudly in her ears, and she quashed the urge to flinch. However, she cheered as soon as she saw that she had struck the apple, perfectly. "Oh my...I hit it! I hit it! Get an eyeful of this, Sarah!"

The terminator looked affectionately down at the beaming teenager. She knew that it was nothing special that the Reese girl had hit the target this time. After all, Sarah had helped her a lot. And the next apples would be more difficult. Yet, Sarah wouldn't ruin one of Cameron's far too few lifts. The teenager needed them to grow in confidence and to stop running herself down. "Good job!"

"Thank you." Slowly, Cameron settled down. "May I try again?"

"Yes, of course. Wait a sec." Sarah nodded and took another apple in her hand. Afterwards, she went to the bench and placed the second apple on its backrest. Then she positioned herself some meters away from there and indicated to Cameron to shoot.

Confident at first, Cameron released the safety catched and raised the gun, just to realize that she missed Sarah standing behind her. It had been easier with the terminator, who had whispered the introductions into her ear. Yet, she decided to give her best, because she wanted to impress her teacher. She tried to make sure that she did everything like earlier, like Sarah had told her. The position, the relaxing, the aiming. Everything.

Therefore, it was pretty frustrating that she missed the bloody apple. "Fuck! Alright...that was bad luck. I'll try again. So watch out."

Once more, Cameron attempted to hit the bloody apple. Once more, she failed to do so. She tried it several more times, execrating her target, the red apple. But she never succeeded. By now, she was annoyed, disappointed and any enthusiasm had flown away. She felt insecure and uneasy. Moreover, she was sure she had made a fool of herself...in front of Sarah.

In the meantime, Sarah detected the girl's sad expression and her sulky-looking. "Come on, Cam. Give it another shot."

Cameron wasn't sure about the strange feeling that flooded her from head to toe as Sarah used her nickname, she liked it, though. She looked at the raven-haired and nodded. She would give it another shot. She would give the apple a shot. And finally, she hit the damn apple.

"Hallelujah!" Cameron sighed heavily. "About time!"

Smirking, Sarah went towards the girl until she stopped next to her. "Well done!"

"Nonsense. I hit two apples, but needed seven bullets to do so." Cameron snorted. "Absolutely miserable."

"Well, at least you didn't shoot a dog." Sarah laughed and soon Cameron joined in, before the terminator got serious again, declaring, "You just have to practice. That's all. But let's call it a day for now. Agreed?"

"Yes!" Immediately, Cameron handed Sarah the Glock-17 back. Latter put it into the waistband of her jeans.

Cameron watched her movements and murmured, "Hopefully, you'll always be with me."

"You never can tell." Sarah replied, somehow thoughtfully. And then she did something that boot the tension between them extremely; she placed her right hand fully on the side of Cameron's neck, touching the back of it with her fingertips while her thumb rested on the girl's jaw.

Instantly, their eyes met. Black-brown and jade-green. Swallowing hard, Cameron noted that the terminator's were glistening again, appearing so profound. Further, she realized that it was the very first time their skin touched and that Sarah's was amazingly warm and soft. In the meantime, Sarah acquired data about the Cameron Reese's vital functions. Raised blood pressure, fitful breathing, excessive body temperature, and salt content. But mostly, she was fascinated by the feeling of Cameron's aorta pulsating under her palm. It had been a long time.

Cameron was shocked to feel this way, but at this very moment she just wanted to reach out for her protector and kiss her. She frowned at her own thoughts. Wait, what? No! She couldn't possibly want to kiss a terminator. A machine. It would have been soooo wrong, for soooo many reasons. Yet, she was somehow drawn to Sarah.

"Did... Did I also tell you that I cried?" Cameron asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Because of Derek, I mean."

She gasped softly when Sarah nodded and spoke under her breath, "Yes. You felt horrible. Not even John could cheer you up."

"Why do I tell you all this?" Cameron asked, desperately wanting to know it.

Sarah hesitated, but opened her mouth, finally. "We..."

"CAMERON?" John yelled all of a sudden, causing his sister to flinch and Sarah to withdraw her hand. Three seconds later, he came through the backdoor. "There you are! Hi!"

Cameron forced herself to smile, despite the fact that she could have strangled her brother right now. "Hi, John. What's up?"

"Not much. I was in the mall." He shrugged. "But later you have to take a look at the stuff I bought, okay? Uhm...whatcha doing out here?"

"Sarah taught me how to handle a gun." His sister answered a bit too quickly. "So nothing special. Nothing strange or disturbing."

John raised an eyebrow. "Aha... Nah, whatever! What about dinner?"

"Yeah, right. Give me fifteen minutes, okay?"

Cameron was about to go inside the house when Sarah stated with a monotone voice, "As far as I know about human manners, you say 'Please' and 'Thank you' if somebody does something for you."

The Reese siblings stared at the raven-haired. Finally, John turned to his sister, shamefacedly. "Sorry... Would you cook dinner, please?"

"Yes, no problem."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, John."

John, Sarah and Cameron went into the house. Each of them lost in different thoughts. In the last two weeks, John had noted that Sarah was rather protectively over his sister. Way more than over him. Sarah was confused and worried that she allowed herself to care that much for the young version of Cameron Reese. Even so much that she had almost told her about the things between the years 2024 to 2027. And Cameron was convinced to find out those things.

"Not every version of the Golem story ends badly. In one, the Golem's maker destroys his creature before it can destroy the world. In another, the monster is even a hero, destroying all those that seek to harm his maker. Somehow, the foolish pride of mankind makes us believe that anything we create we can control. We animate them with magic and never truly know what they will do. Often they oppose us. But now and then, they remain with us until the end."