"Riley?" John asked with an air of despair. Ordinarily, he'd be happy to see his friend but after the revelations of Cameron lately, he didn't think it'd be a good idea for Riley to be around Cameron. He didn't want Cameron to feel hurt again and also that if Cameron decided Riley didn't need to be around, there wasn't really much he could do to stop her anyway. "What are you doing here?"
"What, no hi Riley, it's so awesome to see you?" Riley asked cheekily. "I'll forget your rudeness for the moment. I'm here on a little trip with my--well, I guess you could call her my foster aunt. She's sort of a friend of my foster family. Truth be told, I think my foster parents were happy to get me out of their hair for awhile. So, being a vacation for me as well, I decided to splurge and get a new suit for the beach. Anyway, enough about me. Care to tell me what you're doing hanging around the women's fitting rooms holding a purse? Seems kind of weird, but then again you're John Baum, everything you do is weird."
John scowled and put the purse under his arm, out of sight. He had been busily involved in a mental screaming match with himself trying to figure out how to get himself out of this mess. He decided to go with the truth, well part of the truth, he corrected himself.
"Uh, Cameron's trying on a few swimsuits. We left in kind of a rush on this last minute vacation and she didn't pack one. My uncle is out on the beach and my mom is back at where we're staying."
"Wow, swimsuit shopping with your sister, huh? Sounds like you're having a blast." Riley said, rolling her eyes. "You spend way too much time with her. Or maybe she wants to spend way too much time with you. Anyway, I mean I know she's like, socially deficient, or something but surely you can leave her on her own for a little while."
Something flared inside John. "There's nothing wrong with Cameron." he said through gritted teeth. "She is who she is, and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Woah, chill out. All I meant was that you should get to have some fun on your own too and not always be stuck hanging around her. You know, be around friends. You don't have to babysit her all the time or whatever." Riley prodded.
John sighed wearily. Cameron, I hope you stay put for the moment. If not, he might have a serious problem on his hands. Like how to prevent Cameron from murdering Riley in a store full of people.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cameron had just tied the purple bikini top and was standing in front of the full length mirror, examining her appearance when her extra sensitive hearing alerted her to a conversation outside the fitting room. Boosting her audio sensors, she clenched her fist upon hearing the voice of Riley.
"Wow, swimsuit shopping with your sister, huh? Sounds like you're having a blast. You spend way too much time with her. Or maybe she wants to spend way too much time with you. Anyway, I mean I know she's like, socially deficient or something but surely you can leave her on her own for a little while."
Cameron frowned. She was having a good time with John and Riley just happened to show up and ruin it. Why was she even here anyway? The beach house was at least an hour away from their home. A feeling of anger and hurt surged through her. Wait, this felt somewhat familiar. It felt like other times that Riley had shown up and taken John away and left her behind. What was it? She ran a quick diagnostic, entering what she felt into her CPU and patiently waited for the answer. Her search yielded one result: Jealousy. She blinked. Was she jealous? Was it even possible for her to become jealous? Cameron accessed her database and ran down the description. Jealousy: an emotion that describes negative feelings associated with insecurity over an anticipated loss. Cameron stood still, processing the result for a few seconds. Did she feel insecure that she might lose John? That didn't seem to compute. She couldn't lose him, could she? She was his protector. Was she more? Cameron wasn't sure why John felt the need to hang around Riley. Currently, she had insufficient data for that issue. More information was needed to solve this problem.
"There's nothing wrong with Cameron." She is who she is, and there's nothing wrong with that." She heard John say and felt something akin to pride start to fill her. John cared about her, what kind of care she wasn't entirely sure, nor did she know exactly how she felt. She needed to speak with him soon about it. She almost did earlier in the grocery store but was rudely interrupted. For now, something needed to be done about Riley. She glanced in the mirror and thought about teenage girls and their insecurities. She smiled as her CPU outlined a plan.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I'm just saying John, come hang out with me for a bit. You know, we can spend some time here together ourselves. You might even have fun, you never know." Riley said.
"Look Riley, ordinarily I might but this is a family vacation and it's really important to my mom. I can't just go running off because one of my friends happened to turn up." John explained.
"One of your friends? You have more that I haven't met? Besides, are we just friends anyway?" Riley asked sarcastically. "Look, I understand, ok? Just give it a thought. Don't you think you should be able to do some of what you want to do?"
John ran his hand through over the back of his head, trying to decide how best to word what he was thinking without sounding weird. Although how could I say, sorry Riley, I'd like to but I'd rather hang out with my cyborg protector from the future who is posing as my sister and is in the process of an emotional awakening? Oh and by the way, I haven't figured out whether she has true emotions or not but if she does, I'm pretty sure she hates you. He was pretty sure he couldn't think of a tactful way of putting that notion. Before he could, he heard Cameron call out.
"John?" Cameron's voice came wafting out of the fitting room. "I'm coming out and I'd like your opinion."
Oh crap. Crap, crap, crap. John thought. Cameron's coming out in a bikini and Riley is right here and thinks she's my sister. Why me? Why didn't the earth open up like I asked it?
Cameron opened the door and walked wearing a purple bikini that while tasteful by most standards, still caused John's jaw to drop slightly. If Riley wasn't here, this would have been a perfect moment for John. The suit fit Cameron's body perfectly, hugging her curves and the confident air that she carried herself with made it even more appealing. John tore his eyes from Cameron long enough to see Riley's mouth set in a thin line of annoyance of having his attention taken off her.
"So, from purple leather jacket to purple bikini? Good to see you're branching out. Surprised you're not wearing that over it." Riley asked with a note of scorn in her voice.
"It is too warm for my jacket." Cameron remarked stoically, though her eyes flashed daggers at Riley. John winced. Probably one of the worst ways to get on Cameron's bad side was to make a comment about her favorite jacket. Not that she really had much of a good side to anyone but him anyway.
"Riley, enough." John said. Wishing he didn't have to pretend Cameron wasn't his sister at the moment, John turned and spoke in what he hoped sounded like a neutral tone. "Looks good, Cam. Is that the one you want?" He sent a pleading glance to Cameron, hoping she'd understand why he couldn't tell her more at the moment. He saw a semblance of recognition in her eyes and assumed she'd gotten the message.
"Looks good?" Riley asked. "Look at her. I guess it's just as well you'll be around her so much so guys won't be constantly hitting on her."
"If guys start hitting on her, I'll start hitting on them." John said clenching his fists.
"John, there will be no need for that. I can take care of myself. Besides, I prefer to do the hitting." Cameron deadpanned.
"No, Cameron. Riley just meant that guys will think you're really attractive and start flirting with you, especially when you're wearing something like that. Not hitting, like fighting."
Cameron looked at John before replying. "I will still hit them if they do. To answer your previous question, yes, I believe this is the suit I wish to purchase. I believe it sufficient for my needs."
"Always so protective of each other, aren't you two?" Riley said sarcastically. "The brother looking out for his sister and the sister looking out for her brother."
Cameron looked at John. "You did not tell her?"
John started to sweat a little. What's she playing at? "Tell her what?"
"That you aren't really my brother." Cameron said nonchalantly.
John's mental screaming match with himself started anew. Oh crap! What's she doing?
"What do you mean he's not your brother?" Riley asked with her eyes narrowed.
"Just what I said. John is not my brother, not in a biological sense."
"So...you're like adopted or something?" Riley said slowly.
"Yes...something like that." Cameron responded with a glance at John. "John's family took me into their home in 1999. I have been with them since. I had nowhere else to go."
Riley narrowed her eyes even further until her irises nearly disappeared. "How nice of John and his mother." She remarked while shooting John a glare. "Whatever, I need to finish shopping. Call me when you're done babysitting, John." She looked at Cameron with the last remark.
Cameron returned her gaze and spoke up. "Riley, I have several suits still in the dressing room, would you like to try them on?" John thought he saw a spark of mischief in her eyes
Riley gritted her teeth slightly before speaking. "I don't think we wear the same size."
"Yes, you are right. I did not think of that. I believe I am slimmer than you are so they would be much too tight for you." Cameron said.
Riley let off a strained smile and turned to leave. "Perhaps you are."
John watched Riley leave. No denying it, she was ticked. "Cam, was that last bit necessary?" he asked exasperated.
Cameron looked at him. "She insulted my jacket. She is lucky I chose a verbal response. Next time I may not feel so generous. Perhaps she will consider her words first next time before speaking."
John gave her an incredulous look. "By the way, would you care to tell me why you changed our cover story, especially without consulting me? It wouldn't look good to get caught in a lie that we can't explain." he said trying to remain calm.
"There are plenty of places to bury a body here if she caught on."
"Cameron!" John hissed before lowering his voice and looking around to make sure nobody had overheard. "Let's not even joke about that. You may not like her but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be friends with her."
"Why is she here? Doesn't that seem strange to you?" Cameron asked, changing course.
"Cam, I really don't know. Maybe it's just a coincidence." John said.
"The odds of that happening..."
"Cam, seriously, I'm not really in the mood for calculations." Cameron's eyes fell a little and John could tell he had struck a nerve or the equivalent in terminators. Maybe he had been a little too harsh. Harsh with a Terminator, that's a good one. Still, he resolved to do better. "Ah Cameron, I just meant I think we should focus on having some fun. I mean, who knows when the next time we'll be able to, right?" John asked. Cameron looked a little more convinced so John tried a different approach. "You know, that bikini really does look great on you. It looks amazing, in fact."
That finally brought a smile to Cameron's face and slight blush to her cheeks. John couldn't help but stare. She always seemed to surprise him. He never knew she could blush or mimic one so convincingly. Deep down, he hoped that it wasn't a mimicry.
"So, are we good to go, or are you going to make me hang around outside the women's fitting rooms some more?" John asked with a smile.
"No, I believe I am done. I will change back." Cameron remarked offhandedly.
Within a few minutes, Cameron had reappeared carrying both the purple bikini and the green one she had been eyeing earlier. Looking at John, she spoke before he could ask the question. "I like this one as well so I will get both. Now you need to get a suit."
"I brought one." John replied.
"I have seen your old one. You need a new one." Cameron said as she guided him over to the men's area of the store.
John rolled his eyes and flipped through the ones available. He really wasn't sure why so many designers decided to put some kind of Hawaiian floral pattern on guys' trunks. Did they really think that's what they wanted? Finally, he found a pair of navy trunks that fit him well enough and didn't have any patterns on them. He looked up to see Cameron examining a pair of black Speedo briefs.
"Why would any man wear these to the beach?" She asked, holding them up.
Slightly laughing, John took them and threw them back on the pile. "I really don't know. It's certainly not my thing. Most people who do have a very distorted opinion of their own body from what I can tell. Let's go check out."
She stared at the briefs on the pile before shuddering slightly.
"Cam, are you ok?" John asked a little concerned. He really hoped she wasn't having a relapse.
"Nothing, it is fine. Just a slight glitch. For some reason an image of Derek wearing them came into my CPU."
John stared at her for a moment before making a face like he'd been sucking on a lemon. "Ah, Cam!! Now I've got that image stuck in my head, thanks a lot!"
Cameron smiled slightly before brushing past him. "You are welcome. I fooled you again. That was a joke. I am able to delete that image. It appears that humans are not so lucky."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Waiting in line with Cameron, still trying to get the image of Derek in a Speedo out of his mind, John spotted a bin of Frisbees and footballs. Why not? he thought. Grabbing one of each, he put them with Cameron's and his swim suits.
"What is a Frisbee?" Cameron read off the name on the toy.
"It's a plastic disk that you throw and catch. Just something for us to have fun with at the beach. I'll show you when we get there."
"Can we go later?" Cameron asked.
John checked his watch. It was only half past two. "Sure, let's take the groceries back first. Especially if you don't want chocolate ice cream soup."
As they walked back to the jeep, they missed Riley's eyes boring into their backs.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Derek walked back into the house in need of a beer. Shaking the sand out of his shoes, he headed towards the refrigerator. Jesse's appearance had been a surprise and not necessarily a good one. Whatever Derek had told Sarah or John, he was actually looking forward to relaxing a little. He might even have been able to since Sarah had turned the beach house into a veritable fortress with the arsenal she had brought with them. He hadn't argued with her about it either. Cromartie was still on the loose and they'd run across several other Terminators before putting them out of commission. There was no reason to assume they'd accounted for all of them out there yet.
Twisting the top off a bottle, he thought to himself. Why was Jesse here now? He was going to have to play this one by ear. As suspicious as it'd look if he was caught, he'd have to get in contact with Jesse again. He needed to know what she was doing and why she was doing it. She could be a valuable asset but he had a sinking feeling that her goals wouldn't necessarily be the same as the Connors. Her animosity towards Cameron seemed to confirm that notion. Plus, if Sarah caught her snooping around there'd be hell to pay. In the future, he would have put money on Jesse taking on any other female. After meeting Sarah Connor, it no longer seemed like Jesse would be the safe bet. Sarah would tear her to shreds if she thought Jesse was a threat to John in any way, shape or form and she'd have no qualms about doing it. So preoccupied with his thoughts, he missed Sarah walking into the kitchen.
"Did you have a nice walk?" she asked, slightly startling him.
Derek stared into the depths of his bottle before replying. "It was ok. It's a lot different now than the beaches you see in the future. You can actually see the sand here. In the future, there's rubble everywhere. The only way you know you're at the ocean is when your feet get wet." Derek stood there looking out the window before speaking again. "It's peaceful here, you know? More peaceful than anything I've experienced in the future. I only wish that it could have stayed like this."
Even as hardened as Sarah had become, she still felt sympathy for the future solider. "I can't even imagine what it's like." she said quietly.
Derek turned back from the window and looked at her. "Trust me, I think I have it better than you. You know it's coming. You can't even focus on how good you have it now. You know you have to stop it. I get a second chance, a chance to change the future for the better and I also get a reprieve from the constant fighting in the future. Once you've seen the sky on fire and the world reduced to ashes, you'll do anything to prevent seeing it again."
At times like this, Sarah could see the similarities between Kyle and Derek. Both possessed a fierce determination to their respective cause and would die for it. Kyle had already died for her and by extension, John. Derek was different than Kyle but she hoped he wouldn't have to die for them too. He'd grown on her somewhat and even John as well. She could do with less of his bashing Cameron, since it would give her more peace and quiet but overall he wasn't bad to have around. Looking into his eyes, she was reminded of what she had wanted to speak to him about.
"You seem like something's bothering you. Is there anything you want to tell me?" she asked.
Derek snorted. "Who are you and what have you done with Sarah Connor? You're acting sweet and nice and not that I don't appreciate it but you tend to have a more direct way of getting what you want. Nothing's bothering me, I don't have anything to tell you." Sarah continued to stare at him, her emerald eyes gradually taking on a hard edge. When she spoke again, her voice had gotten quieter but it didn't hide the threat beneath it.
"I hope you're telling me the truth. I'd hate to be you if I found out you were lying to me." Her gaze continued to bore into Derek until he was forced to look away.
John and Cameron entered the kitchen then, carrying bags of groceries. Derek glared at Cameron, remembering Jesse's words. Cameron returned the favor, dropping a bag inches away from Derek's fingertips. Derek snarled slightly at Cameron before rummaging through the bag.
"Hey, ice cream!" Derek exclaimed pulling out a carton. "Haven't had that in awhile."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he found the carton snatched out of his hands.
"It is mine." Cameron said coolly. "If you ask nicely, perhaps I will let you have some."
Derek stared at Cameron, knowing full well he could never win a staring contest with the Terminator but decided not to let that fact stop him from trying. After a several tense seconds, he sneered and moved away having lost his second staring contest in as many minutes but not before noticing the smug smile that spread across Cameron's face as she put her ice cream in the freezer.
"Chocolate, huh?" Derek muttered. "Were they out of Metal Tracks? Did they not have any Cyborg Crunch?"
"DEREK!!" John shouted. "Enough!" "Mom, Cameron and I are going to go down to the beach, interested in coming?"
Sarah looked at her son and noticed the distance between Cameron and himself had closed without her noticing. She sighed. Might as well get this out of the way now. "Yeah, I'll come. We need to talk first. Alone. Tin Miss can get changed in her room while we do." Sarah gritted her teeth when Cameron slowly directed her gaze to John, her doe-like eyes questioning him. John looked in his mother's eyes before looking back at Cameron and nodding once. Setting her face into a blank expression, Cameron brushed past Sarah on her way upstairs. Derek also took this as his cue to exit, following several steps behind Cameron.
John remained standing at the counter. Sarah took a seat at the table and looked at him. "We need to talk about you and Cameron."
A/N: Thanks for reading chapter 4. Next chapter, we hit the beach!