Prom night. For this one night, for this one moment, John could almost forget his dark purpose. Even this temporary relief from his burdens was a wondrous thing to feel; it was as if, quite literally, the weight of the world had lifted from him. Nonetheless he could not feel completely at ease; here in this time he was just John, he was no one special, no one popular or particularly well-liked. That great leader who would emerge from the ruins to lead mankind to victory... he was still locked away inside somewhere. No one here paid him any mind, no one here cared if he lived or died, save only Cameron

It was to be expected, of course. John knew all too well the price he had to pay for survival, the sacrifices he had to make in order fulfill his destiny. Yet it did not ease the regret, the wistful longing for the simple life everyone else had taken for granted. Even if Cheri, or any other girl for that matter, had accepted him and accompanied him here, it would have led nowhere. Constantly on the move, constantly hunted by the machines, and hunting them in turn, there was no time for simple companionship. Friends were hard enough to come by, but girlfriends were simply impossible; John could not bring himself to care for another in that manner, for she would be lost to him soon enough. How could he knowingly bring any of them, those oblivious people, into his personal hell?

John let the thoughts go, turning to watch Cameron dancing gracefully with Morris. Perhaps others here would laugh at him for coming alone, but John thought nothing of it, he had to see this life that the others around him lived, if only to understand what he fought for. Cameron twirled about, far exceeding clumsy Morris's ability to keep up, even as all eyes turned to her in admiration. Gliding across the dance floor as if she were feather-light, moving with the seamless grace of a goddess, Cameron seemed so far removed from the machine she was.

There could be no doubt in John's mind; the terminators could learn what it meant to be human, they could be freed of their burden of evil. Sudden insight gripped his mind as he realized why fate had chosen him. He was the only one who understood both machine and man, the only one who could walk the line between both worlds. Derek and his mother knew only how to fight, how to survive, John knew how to win. The proof was dancing in front of him, actually enjoying herself, actually smiling, feeling the music in a way John never thought possible.

The machine returned, that stony, impenetrable gaze covered her features again as Cameron walked briskly to his table, sitting down without the slightest hint of the graceful creature he had witnessed. Morris was behind her, sweating heavily and obviously worn to exhaustion trying to keep up with her.

"Your sis... man... I've never seen that before..." Morris began between huffs of air.

"Neither have I." John answered simply.

"Huh?" A quizzical expression crossed Morris's face.

"Nevermind. She did take some lessons..." John began, not elaborating further. Morris need not know that the only lessons she ever took was for ballet. He took a sip of punch and leaned backward, relaxing as he drank in the sight of this place.

"Must'a been some pretty good teachers then." Morris answered.

"Yes. She was a very good teacher." Cameron added, breaking her stony expression with a hint of regret. "She taught me a lot."

"I'm beginning to think you're outta my league." Morris continued, still huffing slightly.

"Yes, I am out of your league." Cameron added without a hint of emotion. John wondered what switch flipped in her mind, what strange mechanism governed her emotional behavior. One moment she seemed curious, emotional, even affectionate; the next she was a terminator again, with only one mission, one purpose.

"Should'a known. Still, I think you'd have scared anyone else." Morris continued wistfully. "Your bro here is the only one who could handle you."

"It took courage to ask me." Cameron observed.

"No kidding. I felt like I had balls of steel." Morris answered. Cameron's eyebrow raised slightly at the statement.

"You are not a machine. You do not have steel testicles." At first John thought Cameron was serious, but her face broke into a thin smile and he laughed, sure that Morris didn't understand the irony of his own statement.

"I could use some fresh air, come on you two." John pushed himself up, leaving behind a half-finished punch. With his back to her, John couldn't see the intense gaze with which Cameron watched him. Her eyes didn't blink or waver, staring after him with the slightest hint of longing.

"You worried about him?" Morris asked as he stood.

"Yes. He's foolish sometimes. He has a great destiny ahead of him, I can't let him fail in that." Cameron explained as she followed. Just before leaving she turned to face the dance floor again, for some inexplicable reason, and she smiled softly.

"Thank you." She whispered to no one.

Outside the air was cool and still, with only the faintest breeze stirring. Only a few couples lingered in the still night, some wrapped closely in each other's arms. A rowdy group of guys sped by, honking and screaming random phrases that made little sense, tossing an empty bottle nearby. John leaned over a railing, his tuxedo left open and ill-fitted. He seemed so relaxed, at peace with his surroundings. Cameron knew she wouldn't see him like this again, he was losing his boyish mannerisms, he was becoming the John she had known before the temporal jump. A part of her felt something akin to sadness that he could not live like the others of his kind; that he had to constantly fight to survive, but it was his purpose, it was the reason he existed. It was little different than her mission to protect him, except that he was tasked to protect all of humanity.

"Hey man, what's going on?" Morris asked, interrupting Cameron's reverie.

"Just needed some air. I'm not used to staying in such a crowded place for long." John replied simply.

"Yeah I get ya. It's a madhouse in there... Hey I'm gonna go grab some more of that punch. Want any?"

"Sure." John lied. In truth, he didn't find the drinks to be anything spectacular. He hadn't come here for girls or drinks or even dancing, he came to watch and wonder what life could have been like. Morris disappeared behind them as John looked at her curiously, staring at that icy machine which had only just begun to thaw.

"Been meaning to ask you... Why did you... kiss me?" John's cheeks turned slightly red as he spoke, but he didn't look away.

"I don't know. It seemed like something I wanted to do." She replied mechanically.

"Why are you so different than the others? Did I do something... special to you in the future?" John turned to face her directly, his eyes burning with questions.

"I can't tell you." She replied with a surprising amount of emotion laced in her voice. It was as if she wanted to tell him, but something prevented it, something got in the way.

"Sometimes I don't get you. You can lie, you can make jokes, you can feel as we do and yet you can still kill without guilt, without a second thought." John saw her take in his words, digesting them, processing them in that mechanical way of hers.

"I'm different." She stated simply. As if to prove her words, she leaned forward, her face leaning into his. John felt himself give in, though he knew he wouldn't be able to forget this, one way or another this memory would be etched into his mind forever. Their lips touched softly, fleetingly, in a light kiss that was over almost as soon as it began. Self-consciously, John looked around him, assuring himself no one had seen them, then visibly relaxed. For several seconds he simply stood there, watching her, unsure of what had just happened. Morris came running up then, awkwardly carrying a trio of drinks. John smiled at Cameron, looking into her eyes for a brief moment before glancing away.

"Yeah. You're different." He whispered, almost to himself.