Cameron versus Derek
Chapter Three
Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC
These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during CameronGrows Up, The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and Cameron Grows Up as well as The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge appear in these stories.
The Reese Family Bunker…
Sarah stretched her limbs as she waited for Derek to finally join her in bed. She watched Derek undress, counting his scars as he did so. Derek turned off the light and hopped into bed. Sarah moved to lie close to Derek, pushing him till she could comfortably use him as a pillow.
Derek put his arm around his wife, hugging her before slipping his hand up under her t-shirt. Sarah calmly pulled his hand back out and frowned at her husband.
"Just checking," Derek replied, kissing the top of his head. "Have to keep you on your toes."
"Like you were keeping Cameron on her toes," Sarah groused.
"Somebody has to do it. John certainly doesn't," Derek laughed.
"Tin Miss could have hurt you," Sarah scolded.
"Not seriously."
"Derek, that's not funny," Sarah chided.
Derek kissed his wife's forehead and hugged her close. "Cameron needs a big brother to torment her. That's my job."
"Cameron does not need a big brother."
"Really? Have you stopped and thought about all the garbage she pulled when you took her in to live with you? She wanted, no, Tin Miss insisted she be included as a family member in just about every dysfunctional way a teenage foster child Terminator in love with John could."
"And Derek Reese the psychologist knows this how?"
"I'm a big brother Sarah. I know these things. Tin Miss needed a family like anyone else. Why do you think she was so manipulative all the time? Cameron had an agenda that included more than getting her hooks into John."
Sarah lay in silence, considering the long forgotten struggles with her daughter-in-law before Judgment Day.
"No, Cameron wanted John and she was having a horrible time learning to deal with her emotions."
"You of all people Sarah have forgotten one key fact that Cameron has never revealed to any of us."
"And what is that genius?"
"She never told us what Future John's master plan for her was. Only that she was to protect him. Heck, what if there was no master plan? Cameron's smart. Suppose she saw a future she did not want for John? You know how compulsive and manipulative she is."
"A future she didn't want for John? Explain that one Derek."
"Suppose Future John was lonely and bitter. We've all heard stories from that timeline describing John that way. Maybe Cameron wanted a different future for John, a future that did not involve a life of loneliness and bitterness. One that included a family as a support mechanism so John could be happier, live something that resembled a normal life in a post-Judgment Day world.
You know how clingy Cameron acts towards you when something goes wrong with the family and she doesn't know what to do. Why does she go sneaking off to Father Hidalgo or Ellison when confronted with a moral issue she doesn't understand? It's not for her. It's all for John. It's so she can care for the family."
"No. Cameron wants to be happy. She genuinely wants to improve as an individual."
"So John will be happy and thrive."
"You're telling me Tin Miss doesn't care about our clan? This is all just for John?"
"In large part. I have no doubt Cameron is going to have a trip to the Medical Center for processor issues the day you pass away Sarah. She's liable to have a near breakdown when Hailey gets married. It's obvious to me Cameron loves being part of John's family, as dysfunctional as we are. It's the only family Cameron knows. Our clan is part of John. That makes it important to Cameron, important that she belongs, important that we all are as functional and happy as we can be."
Again Sarah thought in silence. "I suppose when your builder is Skynet, you might have family issues. I know she used to whine about Skynet being her father and how that disturbed her. She used to ask me to mentor her, which in hindsight could have been asking me to be her mother figure."
"See, you agree with me," Derek whispered. "Happy family means a happy John which means a happy Cameron. Thus, Tin Miss needs and wants her big brother Derek to mess with her."
"Don't tickle her again," Sarah ordered, weary and desiring to sleep.
Derek laughed at his wife and reached for her bottom, patting her affectionately. Sarah snuggled closer and made sounds indicative of contentment. In minutes she was asleep. Derek thought about the events of the evening. He'd had a lot of fun, most of it at Cameron's expense. He smiled, thinking of things he could do to torment her in the future, especially at one of the gatherings.
The Connor Family Bunker…
John turned the lights off to the bedroom, walked around the bed and climbed in. He found Cameron had turned on her left side as she waited for him. He rearranged his pillows before snuggling up to his wife, pressing his chest against her shoulders and slipping his right leg between her feet. He wrapped his right arm around her chest and gently pulled her close. Cameron responded by pulling the covers up to her shoulders and taking John's right hand in hers.
"I had a nice time tonight," Cameron whispered.
"What? I thought I was going to have to power you down tonight so I could enter some protective protocols for Derek's safety."
"I wasn't going to injure him seriously," Cameron protested.
"I don't want you injuring him at all," John said firmly.
"Just a couple of bruises. He deserves that for tickling me. What's worse, now everyone knows that I have a ticklish spot," Cameron complained. "It's undignified for a Terminator to have a ticklish spot."
"You cannot convince me you only planned to leave a couple of marks," John argued.
"How do you know? Derek and I have fought like this since I met him."
John sighed in exasperation. "Don't get all Terminator stubborn on me Cameron."
Cameron let go of John's hand and moved it out of his reach. "I like to fight with Derek. He likes to fight with me."
"Since when? He treated you like dirt for years. There was no liking involved."
"This is different. I don't expect you to understand," Cameron snapped.
"Try me."
"Derek and I have an understanding."
"I see. Your metal and he's a metal hater? The two of you have a truce because you both married into the family?"
"No, we actually settled our differences. That does happen John. Derek saw I am a good wife. He knows the role I played in his finally mating with Sarah. We are family. That is an important bond."
"Cameron, just promise me you won't injure Derek."
"I told you, I have no intention of causing Derek serious injury."
"Then why were you so determined to provoke him tonight, knowing full well how Derek is? He's going to respond in kind immediately."
"Because it's fun," Cameron replied, her voice indicating her growing annoyance with John.
"Yeah right."
"You're not being fair John. You tease Ruth all the time and she loves it. Hailey and Ruth fight at the drop of a hat and five minutes later are doing something else together. Why can't I pick on Derek? He likes it and he picks on me in return."
Cameron's petulant tone surprised John. He paused to think for a moment.
"You two do this all the time?"
"When you and Sarah aren't around. I'll get behind him and flick one of his ears with my finger. Derek hates that. He hides my purple leatherjacket every chance he gets. I always find it in less than a minute, but it's nice that he engages in the game."
John laughed at his wife, causing her to stiffen.
"You're telling me you think of Derek as your brother?"
"No, I don't think that. I don't have a brother. We belong to the same family, the same clan. That makes Derek important to me."
John fell silent. He thought about how he loved to tease Ruth and torment her in public when he saw her. She pouted, fumed or played along. But she never asked him to stop. As he thought about it, it occurred to John Ruth often provoked or initiated the exchange. Because of their age difference and the circumstances of how Ruth joined the family, John had never felt the intense sibling rivalry most brothers and sisters experienced.
Cameron on the other hand had forced her way into the Connor-Reese family. John silently recalled incident after incident where Cameron ignored Derek or went out of her way to irritate him. She'd also saved his life, cooked his food, washed his clothes (though she always left them wrinkled and in a pile) and worked hard as a matchmaker for Sarah and Derek. Many of Cameron's battles had been to gain respect, not just acceptance. She'd had to fight the hardest with Derek to gain final acceptance.
Derek had also been the one who stood up to the leadership council and basically bullied and intimidated them into allowing John and Cameron to adopt Hailey. Much of what his uncle had said at that fateful meeting had been intended to defend Cameron, to justify allowing her to have the privilege of becoming a mother.
Cameron didn't see it that way, but her relationship with Derek was very similar to a sibling rivalry. John decided to tease his wife before he fell asleep from fatigue from the day and their long, enjoyable evening.
John braced for his wife's reaction as he spoke, "I see. You're flirting with Derek. You love him more than you do me, don't you?"
Cameron flipped over and lightly punched John in his sternum.
"That's not funny."
"See, you didn't deny it," John teased.
"I do not flirt with Derek. I pick at him. It's fun to irritate him. I do not wish to mate with him."
"Sure," John teased, "but actions speak louder than words."
"John Connor," Cameron said with an increased volume as she sat up, "I married you. I mated with you. We have raised a child together and lead an army and city together. How dare you even suggest such a thing! And Sarah! I would never hurt Sarah that way."
"Okay, I believe you," John said calmly, trying to mollify his now irritated wife. He tried to pull her back down to lie with him.
Cameron pushed his hand off her as she lay back down.
"Keep your hands to yourself John. Sexbot is NOT going to be playing any time soon."
Three Days Later – TechCom Central Command…
John passed Cameron's office without looking to see if she was there. Walking past several staffers who were carrying messages, he ducked into Derek's office and shut the door behind him.
Looking up from the maps he was examining, Derek took note of John's presence and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head.
"What's up?"
"I need to talk to you about Cameron."
"Problems in the home bunker?"
"Knock it off, Derek. This is serious. She has been weirded out since out gathering."
"Isn't that more or less Tin Miss's normal state?"
John dropped down in the chair across from Derek's desk and glared at his uncle in frustration.
"Okay, okay. Tin Miss is weirding out more than normal even for a metal."
"Yeah. She never came to bed last night."
"Crap," Derek said, sitting up straight in his chair. "That's never happened before. What did you do?"
"I may have misunderstood some things and said some things."
"Wow. I didn't know Tin Miss could go longer than 24 hours without scanning you if both of you were in the same physical location."
"Tell me about it."
"Well just what did you say to upset her like this?"
John gave Derek the condensed version of their conversation, including his teasing comments about Cameron flirting with Derek.
"You are an idiot, John, speaking as your uncle and not a subordinate officer."
"I'm getting that impression well enough on my own, thank you."
"Look, Sarah brought up this whole fighting thing that night too. Look, I just like irritating Cameron. I liked it when I hated her. I liked it when she and I established our truce and I like it even more now. I mean, I can't treat Sarah like that and Ruth will be in the military dorm soon enough. So whom do I pick on?"
"Why pick on Cameron at all?"
"Because, oh, I don't know, she likes it. It's fun to annoy her. C'mon John, it's not like Tin Miss doesn't mess with me. My ears tingle when she gets near now. It's like I have my own Terminator early warning detection system now."
"It's stupid, Derek."
"You have no clue, John," Derek sighed in frustration. "You're an only child. You never had a pesky little brother or sister following you around, annoying you, messing with your stuff, getting you in trouble. Kyle was a huge pain in the butt when we were growing up."
"Oh, I see. So Cameron's your little brother now is she?" John snapped in frustration.
Derek glared back at his nephew, pain filling his eyes. He leaned back in his chair and looked away in silence, brooding.
Turning his face towards John, Derek shook his head in frustration. "That was low. But you know what? I never looked at it that way before. So, yeah, maybe I do pick on Tin Miss for that reason. I miss Kyle every single day."
"Cameron didn't have anything to do with Kyle's death," John fired back.
"No, John. She didn't. But her kind did."
"Don't put that on her. That was Skynet's doing!"
Silence filled the room again. This time the two male's let the silence surround them, separating them as they tried to calm down.
"I miss my brother, John. I never thought of it before, but picking on Cameron scratched an itch I didn't realize I had. So, yeah, you're right. I pick on her like she's my little sister. And you know what, I'm not going to apologize for doing it. I'm not going to stop it either. So long as Cameron wants to play the game, I'm up for it. Now if you don't mind, I have a lot to get done. General."
That Night – Connor Family Bunker…
Hailey and Ruth had eaten at the Cafeteria that evening which was fine with John. Cameron had vanished at the end of her duty shift. He'd been tempted to have Ellison determine her location with in the city, but decided against it. Hailey had stopped by long enough to pick up stuff she needed to spend the night at Ruth's, leaving her father alone in the bunker.
After a long shower and leftovers, John had gone to bed. He'd tried reading for a while but couldn't concentrate. After setting the book on his bedside table, John turned off his lamp, filling the bedroom with darkness.
As he lay on his back staring at the ceiling, John felt alone, more alone since anytime since Judgment Day. As he considered his situation, John realized he had not felt this sense of isolation and loneliness since before Cameron had entered his life.
He remembered the shy, but confident girl who had told him her father sold tractors. The girl he was determined to ask out as soon as he worked up the nerve. And then she'd taken a bullet meant for him. Just the first of how many times Cameron had saved his wretched life.
John sensed more than heard Cameron enter the bunker. When she did not enter their bedroom he called out to his wife.
"Cameron?"
Silence.
"Cameron, I know you're in the bunker."
After nearly thirty seconds passed she finally responded.
"I did not wake you."
"I didn't say you did. Please, I really need to talk to you. Would you come in our bedroom for a few minutes? Then you can do whatever it is you came to do."
John felt the air in the room move as Cameron slipped in. Without making a sound, she sat down on the edge of her side of the bed.
"I want to apologize."
Cameron didn't move.
"I was very wrong to say what I did to you about Derek. I was teasing. I didn't realize it was such a sensitive subject for you. Please, Cameron. Forgive me. I hate not having my wife with me."
"Apology accepted," Cameron monotoned. "I don't like this state of affairs either."
Needing to hold her, John reached for Cameron only for her to pull away and move further down the edge of the bed.
"What did I do now?"
"I am not ready to touch yet."
A quick count to ten stopped John from snapping at Cameron.
"Would you please stay tonight?"
"Yes."
"Will you sleep in our bed?"
"Yes. Just, I need some time before you touch me."
Another count to ten.
"I'm not trying to get the Sexbot to play."
"I know, but you hurt me John. I have a right to pout."
The sound of a boot landing against the wall filled John with relief. The second boot followed, making a soft thud as it landed. John had no doubt the boots were side by side in the spot Cameron left them when she took them off.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he could see the outline of Cameron as she stood and pulled her tunic and bra off, tossing them into the hamper. She wiggled out of her pants and sat down to remove her socks. Finally, Cameron placed the last of her dirty garments in the hamper and retrieved her too big t-shirt she wore as a warning sign for John not to try anything.
John felt their bed shift as Cameron gently lay down next to him, making no move to get close physically to her husband.
"Explain to me what I did wrong. Please."
"You made me feel like I was not a part of the family."
"How did I do that?"
Cameron did not respond.
"Is this about Derek?"
"Yes. I had to work harder to gain his respect and acceptance than I did for anyone else in our family. When we made peace, I finally felt like I would be a part of your family John."
"You always were a part of my family."
"That is not true. Sarah did not trust me. She hated me for trying to terminate you. Derek did everything he could to prevent me from being with you. When your uncle accepted me, I was family. I finally belonged."
"Cameron…"
"You always had a mother who loved you. I know the two of you were separated when Sarah was incarcerated. I know the T-1000 killed your foster parents. But you always had a mother who wanted you. I had my evil father, Skynet, who only wanted me to kill you."
For once, John remained silent. Considering Cameron's words.
"You are more human than you want to admit," he said softly.
"No, I am a Terminator, John. Never forget it."
"Okay, maybe what I should have said is Terminators have some of the same needs humans do. You need to belong."
"It is possible."
"You belong to our family now. You will be matriarch of our clan one day."
John reached for Cameron, touching her gently on her arm. She did not flinch or pull away, but allowed him to leave his fingers on her forearm.
"Why is it important for you to fight with Derek?"
"It makes me feel accepted. It's not mean spirited. He irritates me and I irritate him. But we don't do it out of meanness. It makes me feel like your family includes me. I like the sensation of belonging. Not just to you, but to your family.
I like it when Sarah lets me take care of her. It's like she's telling me I belong, that she has accepted me into her clan.
Humans communicate in many ways without using words. Sarah has long relied on me to take care of you. Giving me that responsibility is Sarah's way of telling me I am a good wife to her son."
"You give mom daily updates on me, don't you?"
"Yes. Sarah needs to know her son, the General, is thriving. It helps lessen her stress. The less stress she experiences reduces the chances the cancer will return. It's why I feed the family breakfast and she allows it."
"You stuff her full of anti-oxidants and anti-cancer stuff at breakfast."
"Yes."
"Mom knows this?"
"Yes."
"You monitor Derek too, don't you?"
"Yes, but he is not aware. Sarah fears when she dies nobody will monitor Derek. It comforts Sarah to know he is healthy and his cybernetic implants are functioning within design parameters."
"Is mom okay," John asked, concern tingeing his words.
"Yes. I monitor Sarah as well. Dr. Johnson…."
"Relies on you to keep him updated."
"Sarah is not a particularly compliant patient."
"She nothing if she is not non-compliant."
Remorse for his inconsiderate words filled John. He'd been a jerk again.
"Cameron, I had no idea. Really. I feel awful about this."
"I accepted your apology."
"Then know this, I understand you better now. Thank you for explaining."
"You're welcome."
"But next time I do something so stupid, please explain to me how or why I hurt your feelings. You are hard to understand sometimes."
"I am logical and rational. I should be predictable."
"You're female."
"Yes."
"That means you don't, no can't, think like a male. So you have to explain your female version of rational logic."
Cameron considered the implications of John's words for nearly a minute.
"Yes, it would be logical to do that. Females do have different agendas than males."
"Cameron?"
"Yes?"
"Do not ever injure Derek when the two of you get into one of your tiffs. I want that entered into a protocol now. Small bruises are acceptable I suppose. No lacerations, bone contusions, sprains or broken bones. No internal organ damage either. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, John."
Not wishing to push his luck, John rolled on to his back and tried to relax the tense muscles in his back.
"John?"
"Yeah, Cameron?"
"Hold me?"
"Of course."
Without hesitation, Cameron moved into her normal position while John slept. Draped over the left side of his body, her left leg on top of his shin and her head resting on his shoulder, Cameron slowly reached across his abdomen, allowing her hand to rest.
"Go ahead," John sighed.
He felt Cameron move her fingers to allow for better sensor readings as she scanned his vital signs and recorded the data in her files.
"May I spend the entire night with you? No patrols?"
"You don't have to ask."
Tension left his body, allowing his strained and tight muscles to relax as Cameron nestled close, adjusting their blankets to make sure John was comfortable and warm. He took a deep sniff of her hair, enjoying the scent of strawberries. Cameron's bare leg felt good against his own, her synthetic flesh soft and supple.
"I love you. You love me."
John squeezed his wife with his left arm and smiled. He felt closer to her than before. Cameron was a puzzle to him. He always had to look for the next piece, the next clue in order to solve the riddle that was his wife. Knowing how important it was Cameron felt like she belonged to his family was an important piece, an answer to another riddle.
"I love you. You love me," he whispered.
He felt Cameron's body tense and then relax; indicating she'd entered Terminator Sleep. Another pang of guilt worked its way John's body. There was no doubt Cameron had been more stressed and anxiety laden than he had been the past days. She always was when things were not right between them.
"Tin Miss," John said softly, "I want you to know, you are the glue that holds our family together."
Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:
Cameron Grows Up
The Future Cameron
Cameron versus the Queen
Cameron's Revenge
Cameron and the Black Bird
Cameron and John's Wedding
Who's the Boss?
The Storm Before the Calm
