Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

Rhyno304 – Do androids dream of electric sheep? I don't know. That's actually something I would like to explore. What goes on in an android brain? As for slipping in a blade runner reference, come on, in chapter 4 I borrowed a bunch of characters from the Police Quest series. This is turning into a 1980's/Early 90's retro-fest!

Tpolich – Yes, it's a little jerky. But hey, remember that the second they step out the front door, they are brother and sister rather than 'boyfriend and girlfriend'. Plus, Sarah complicates things.

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Tonight…

Chapter Six

Sarah Connor smacked her hand down to turn off her alarm. She rubbed her eyes, slid out of bed, and pulled on a pair of nearby khaki slacks. John would probably still be sleeping, like many teens; he was not a morning person. She stretched and yawned on her way down the hall. She pushed open the door to John's room and froze. 'Jesus Christ!'

John was lying on his back, one arm wrapped around Cameron. She had her back to Sarah, one arm across his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. Sarah's face contorted in a silent scream. Questions raced through her head at the speed of light 'Why? What does he feel for her? What does he see in her? Is he dreaming about her? Why her? Why? Why? Why?'

John shifted slightly, she could see his face more clearly now, the corners of his lips were twisted up in a smile. She often watched John while he slept, but he almost never smiled. No, not almost never. Never. She backed away, closing the door as silently as she could. She felt like she was falling. Her shotgun was under her bed, she could grab it, load it with slugs instead of buckshot, and fuck up that 'bot pretty bad. No. She headed to the kitchen instead.

Sarah reached under the sink, pulling out a bottle of vodka. Not bothering with a glass, she unscrewed the top, tossed it on the table, and took a swig. The taste was…Well it was a cheap brand. She took another gulp before slamming the bottle down. 'What now, Sarah?'

She knew John would become a great leader some day. She knew he had sent Cameron back. She knew he probably had his own reasons. But how could she trust the machine? She couldn't. But she trusted John. And John trusted the machine. And John was…Happy with the machine. As screwed up as the rest of his life and the future would be, this was almost normal. Fine. She would tolerate it. If this made John happy, she could overlook it, but there would be a few rules. She eyed the bottle and decided against another drink, before quickly stashing it away.

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John yawned as he came out of his deep sleep. He couldn't remember sleeping that peacefully in a long time. Not since Uncle Bob had been there to watch over him. He grinned, Cameron was snuggled close to him, he could feel her warmth in his arms. He glanced toward his clock, know that mom would be cooking breakfast. She looked peaceful, like any other girl, the fact that she was a terminator was their own little secret. Sarah was the only other person who…'Oh shit! Mom!'

John's heart began to pound as adrenaline surged through his veins. Cameron's eyes snapped open. "John? Is everything okay?"

"No! Everything is NOT okay! My mom is going to fucking kill me!"

"I could never allow that to-"

"Well she's gonna try to fucking kill you!"

John untangled his arms and legs from Cameron, and stood up. He paced around his room. He knew his mom would think the worst. There was no way around it. Time to face the firing squad. "Come on Cam."

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John, followed closely by Cameron poked his head into the kitchen, Sarah turned to greet him. The way they were walking in made Sarah chuckle. John looked as if he was waiting for something to cut his head off. She sipped her coffee, "Why don't you two sit down."

John gulped before sitting on the opposite end of the table; Cameron took a seat beside him. "So" Sarah began "You two have been rather close lately."

"Uhm…Yes"

"Did you sleep well, John?" She smiled

"Ah…Yhea…"

"I see." She sipped her coffee, her expression was deadly serious "Do I need to give you 'The talk' now John?"

"No! No, we didn't do anything like that!"

John squirmed, and Sarah smiled "I know, your clothes are too wrinkled, you've been in them all night. So. Let's just make a deal, shall we? We can do that, right?"

"I guess…"

"You two can pursue your…relationship…however you like, but, you remember to lock your damn door and you don't ever do anything intimate anywhere except for when you are locked away alone somewhere. Got it."

"Yes" Cameron nodded

"Okay mom."

"And I don't know where you got that idea, tin man, but that includes wearing his clothes around the house. Now, it looks like your going to miss the bus, so, eat breakfast here or go out, shower, and I can get a ride to work so you can take the jeep. Cam, you had better drive."

"Oooooookay." John didn't think she was acting…normal…Then again, what was normal?

"Good" Sarah pulled out her cell phone and started to dial "Now, get moving…Hello, Jenny? Yhea it's me. Can you give me a lift on your way in? Thanks, that'll be great…Okay, I'll be out front." She headed for the door "Have a good day John."

"Uh, right." John turned to Cameron "So…I'm gonna take a shower then."

"Okay." She headed for the refrigerator "Would you like me to cook you breakfast?"

"How about we just stop somewhere on the way to school?" he shrugged "There's a McDonald's on the way."

"That food is…Bad for your health"

"Hey, I'm active enough, and with robots trying to kill me everywhere I go, what I'm eating probably won't be the end of me. Besides, you'll never get chubby no matter what."

"Fine, just this once"

---

John waited while Cameron showered and dressed, she didn't take long. John ordered for both of them and they ate on their way to class. Class was the closest any of his days got to normal. Teachers bombarded them with questions, he was usually clueless, and Cameron knew everything. All the time every time. He would have to remember to explain to her that sometimes it was OK to miss a question. No, he shook his head: 'To err is human.'

In her own way, Cameron hated classes with a passion. Nothing she learned would help her, in fact, she had learned nearly nothing. With a perfect memory and incredible data storage, she could remember everything she ever saw, heard, smelled, or felt. Felt, that was an interesting parameter to consider, she mused to herself. Previous models were far more archaic than her. Of the humans here, only John knew how…human…She truly was. A question interrupted her thoughts for a moment; she had the answer immediately but paused for a moment to blend in, and went back to her own world. Every time John talked about her like she was more than a simple robot, she felt a sense of pride, belonging. She sighed, and smiled. She couldn't wait for the weekend to spend time with him. 'Impatience? Hey, that's a new one Cam…You go girl!'

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After their last class, John's cell phone rang. It was his mom, so he answered "Hi mom"

"Hello John, look, I'm going to be getting home late tonight, since you have my wheels could you get some things for me?"

"Yhea, sure"

"We're having hamburgers tonight, so a pound of ground beef, grab an onion, a package of burger buns, and go ahead and get yourself something to drink. We're low on milk, so grab a gallon of two percent."

"Okay, anything else?"

"No, that's all."

"Okay, bye" John sighed "Damn it, she's cooking again."

"Home cooking is usually more nutritious than fast food or carry out."

"Not when my mom makes it…"

"Hmmm" Cameron mused "Agreed."

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Cameron quickly checked left and right before pulling out of the school parking lot. The supermarket was on the other side of town, about a ten minute drive away. She tried to make idle conversation with John, and it worked, she was getting better at it, more human, over time. But she never let down her guard.

John noticed her stiffen in her seat. "Cam? What is it?"

"The van behind us has been following us."

"Shit…Maybe he's just heading the same way we are?"

"No. I've intentionally taken three detours."

"Terminator?" He casually looked around, not wanting to tip them off.

"No. They look federal. FBI, it's the FBI for sure, one of them is in my files."

"Well fuck me." John rested his head on his hand

Cameron flashed him a crooked grin "I think that would be taking things a little fast, and this is neither the time nor place. We can talk about that subject more a little later on. Until then" She reached over and squeezed his hand "Let's play it cool."

"I never thought I would hear a terminator make a joke like that, or suggest playing it cool."

"I told you. I'm different."

He squeezed back "Yhea, you are."

"I'm going to loose them at the next light." She accelerated to barely catch the yellow... 'Lots of teens make stupid moves when driving, right?'

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Coming Soon – Chapter Seven

Life on the run again, if not from killer robots, then from the FBI. Can John and Cam slip away from their tail?

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter