They had to open all the windows so as not to suffocate from the smell of burnt chicken. "Mom, what possessed you to cook chicken?"

"Shut up, John. Tin Miss, you're coming with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To get food."

"We can order a pizza."

"Not tonight. Let's go. John, keep an eye on Savannah."

John and Cameron looked at each other as Sarah headed for the door. Something bit his mom in the ass, and she was in one of her moods. That was never, ever good.

Sarah took the driver's seat and started the car. As they drove down the driveway, Cameron asked, "what kind of food are we getting?"

"I don't know yet."

Cameron looked out the window, scanning the area as they drove by. It wasn't safe for them to be out, but again, arguing safety with Sarah Connor wasn't the most productive idea.

"Did you ever think about my question?"

"What question?"

"Why are you here? Especially now, more than ever."

"I told you, I'm here to protect John."

"Well you haven't been doing a very good job at it, have you?. You get yourself destroyed, and then you just give your chip to some unknown machine. You have my son so attached to you, that John just chases after you to the future where he could have gotten himself killed. Then, in the process of trying to get you back, he gets himself shot. Where were you when THAT happened? How did a machine manage to shoot him if you were there to protect him?"

Cameron looked at the floor, not really knowing any way to argue with her at the moment. Sarah was mostly correct in her assumptions. She just refused to see the whole picture.

"There's a reason John sent you back; why he didn't want you around him anymore. Maybe Jesse was right. Maybe you're just not good for him."

Sarah pulled in to the drive-thru of a McDonald's, and ordered.

A lone tear rolled down Cameron's cheek. She wiped it away before Sarah could see.

Neither of them said anything more until they pulled up to the house. Before Sarah could open her door, Cameron spoke.

"You're wrong. John didn't send me away from him. He sent me to himself, to a time when he needed someone the most. Not just a machine protector, but a friend. I was a friend to John in the future. He didn't have many friends. It's lonely being John Connor now, and it'll always be lonely… If future John didn't want me, he would have destroyed me. I was the only one he trusted enough to send. If he didn't, he wouldn't have sent me. If he didn't trust himself, he would have sent another."

Cameron opened her door and stepped out. She turned to look at a silent Sarah. "You should ask John what happened at the factory." At this, she slammed the door and walked away, leaving Sarah in the car alone.

Sarah rested her head against the steering wheel. She really didn't know why she was being such a bitch. She was sick of hiding, sick of Skynet, scared for her son, and just damn tired of it all. It wasn't an excuse to take it out on Cameron, but she was there, and seeing the two of them walking down the stairs holding hands… She liked living in denial, and that wasn't helping her do that.

Sarah sighed, and grabbed the bags. She'd have to face her son now, that was for sure, and probably have to apologize to the tin miss. What a freaking lovely evening this turned out to be.

*******

Cameron stalked through the door, letting the door slam shut behind her. John looked up from his game of Guess Who? with Savannah. Cameron's face showed no emotion, but her eyes did. She was pissed. Without even looking at John, she walked up the stairs. Instead of walking into the room she was technically "sharing" with Sarah (for Savannah's sake), she went into John's room and slammed the door shut.

Savannah looked at John. "Cameron's mad."

"Yeah, I know. My mom's back with dinner, so why don't you go wash up, ok?"

Savannah nodded, and headed for the bathroom.

John stood and crossed his arms, as Sarah walked in the door.

"What the hell did you say to her?"

"John…"

"No, don't you DARE "John" me! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY TO HER?"

Sarah set the bags of food on the table. "We had a discussion."

"What… kind… of discussion?" John asked through gritted teeth.

"About you. About her. About you and her."

"That's not your business or concern."

Sarah's fuse blew. "IT IS MY BUSINESS! YOU ARE MY SON, YOU ARE MY BUSINESS. I DON'T CARE HOW OLD YOU ARE, I DON'T CARE WHO YOU BECOME SOME DAY. RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE JOHN CONNOR, MY 17 YEAR OLD SON, AND YOU ARE EVERY BIT MY BUSINESS. AND SHE IS MY BUSINESS. I DON'T CARE WHO SHE IS, OR WHAT SHE IS. IF SHE'S HERE, IF SHE'S WITH YOU, SHE'S MY BUSINESS."

John was speechless. His mother had never screamed at him like that in his entire life. He suddenly felt like he was five years old, and he didn't like it. He turned to walk up the steps.

"What happened at the factory?"

John stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. "What are you talking about?"

"Cameron told me to ask you what happened at the factory."

John turned around to look his mother in the eye. "A terminator came around the corner and aimed at her. I saw it first. I pushed her out of the way..." John turned and started up the stairs. He stopped on the third step, and without looking back he said, "If I had to go back, I'd do it again." At that, he continued up the steps to his room.

************

John lightly knocked on the door. "Cameron?"

There was no answer, but he opened the door anyway. He found Cameron sitting on the bed looking out the window. He sat beside her and took her hand.

"Cameron, I'm sorry for whatever my mom said to upset you."

"It's not your fault John," she replied, without removing her eyes from the window. "What she says is not your responsibility to apologize for."

"It doesn't matter. Whatever she said…"

"It does matter John. She's right. I put you in danger." She stood up and walked to the window. "I put you in danger when I'm supposed to protect you. You care too much for me. You risk yourself for me, and I can't let that happen anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"I have to go John. I can't be around you anymore. I can't let you risk…"

"STOP!" John jumped up from the bed and moved to Cameron's side. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, forcing her to face him. "Just stop it right now! You're not going anywhere." John's breathing was heavy, and his face was flushed with emotion. He cupped her face with his hands. "I can't let you go anywhere. I won't let you go. I traveled eighteen years into the future just to find you, and I'm not about to lose you again. I love you, Cameron, and if you haven't figured that out by now, there is something seriously wrong with you in there." He tapped her head above her chip. "I don't give a rat's ass what my mother says. If you walk out that door, I'll follow. If you ever leave, I'll find you. I did it once, and I'll do it again."

Cameron stared at John as tears flowed uncontrollably down her face. There was that odd warm feeling again all over her body, and she was starting to figure out what it was. John gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Looking into her eyes once more, he whispered "I love you," before leaning in to kiss her on the lips.

Sarah, wiping tears from her own eyes, quietly walked to her own room and shut the door.

**********

Her lips were surprisingly soft, and John felt a pleasant shock run through his body. Cameron, for her part, was a little unsure of herself. It was a lot to process at once. It wasn't the kissing part; that she'd done before. Future John had taught her well. But it had never made her feel like this. This was something entirely new, and her body was reacting in strange ways.

John slowly pulled away and smiled. He wiped the remaining wetness from her cheeks with his fingers, and clasped her hands.

"Come on, McDonald's French fries are disgusting when they're cold."

He turned and started walking towards the door, but was stopped, when the hand he was holding didn't budge. He turned to Cameron questioningly, but before he could even ask, her lips were on his. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waste as the kiss deepened. Cameron her arms around his neck, her right hand lightly clasped in his hair, pulling him closer as her mouth opened, granting his tongue access to hers.

John slowly pulled away nearly gasping for breath.

Cameron lightly caressed his neck, feeling his pulse raise under her touch. "I think I love you too, John."

John raised an eyebrow. "You 'think'?"

"Yeah, I think. I have a lot of analyzing to do… we'll need to do that again to be sure." Cameron grinned.

John laughed, and poked her in the side. "This sense of humor you've developed is evil."

Cameron flashed her eyes blue, which only served to make John laugh harder.

"Come on, let's go make my mom uncomfortable." He took her hand again and this time, they made it to the door.

*****

They sat outside at the patio table watching the sun slowly set. John picked the pickles off his Big Mac before taking a bite.

Sarah was doing her best to avoid them, but as the house still reeked of burnt chicken, she wasn't having much luck. She was leaning against the wooden backyard play set, watching Savannah swing.

Cameron ate her sixth French fry, and checked her HUD for the time. "It's late. Catherine should be home by now."

John thought about that. Was it really just this morning that Cameron made breakfast? God, this was the longest day of my life.

"Yeah. John Henry said she had already secured a location to move, though. She's probably working some kind of magic to get us the hell out of her house as soon as possible. Her and mom aren't exactly best friends."

"They can't stay here either, though. Savannah already had a terminator sent after her. They'll have to relocate as well."

John hadn't thought about that. "That really sucks for her." He looked at Savannah. "She's just a kid. She's not going to understand."

"You were just a kid, John. You understood."

"I was raised from the cradle on stories of killer robots and being the leader of mankind. I wasn't suddenly thrust upon this life when I was seven years old. That'll be a lot harder for her."

"I'm sure she'll survive. She'll have everyone around her who cares for her, and we won't be moving far. The resistance starts in L.A, and in only a couple of years if we don't stop Skynet. It would be a hindrance for us to move very far. We have too many leads to follow here. As for Savannah, she'll be with us."

"What do you mean she'll be with us?"

"We're not moving separately, John. At least, it's not what I would do." Cameron took a sip of John's now melted chocolate milkshake. She paused, looking at the cup thoughtfully, and didn't give it back. "Catherine Weaver is a T1001, not her mother. Her purpose is not to raise a child. She and John Henry are here to help you stop Skynet. If that's not possible, to help you win the war. Savannah is obviously important to the future, so it's necessary to keep her safe. If it wasn't, she would have surely killed her with the rest of the family."

John felt a little nauseous. The idea was cold and heartless. But John new better than that. He had seen Weaver's behavior in the future when it came to Savannah, and he found it a little difficult to believe that she didn't feel at least some small attachment to the child. "Well, it will definitely be an adventure."