Hello everyone. Here is the next chapter, sorry to keep you waiting, I hope all is well with everyone.

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Anyway on to the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy.

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Chapter 26: And Scurries Out the Other Side

"Don't remember who I am, John?" George asked wiping his mouth with his hand again after another bite of his dessert. He slowly tapped the spoon against the steel cup that held his pudding.

John watched the utensil make contact with the metal container, the sound of the two clashing entered his ears as he kept his eyes on the man they searched for in that small town not too long ago.

"I know who you are." John told him. "You're Zoe's father, you killed her boyfriend and his family."

"I guess this is the part where you call me a murderer?" he asked John sarcastically, he folded his arms, the spoon still in his hand.

"I would, but you already seem to know that." John spat. Not only was this guy on the "bad guy" side, but he was ruining his evening with Cameron.

"Necessary deaths I'm afraid, Mr. Connor." George replied to John. John gritted his teeth.

"No death is ever necessary." A wall of breath exited John's mouth, audible to George. "Why did you kill them?"

"Because they were a threat." He answered him. John had a hard time believing that. He had a hard time hearing words muttered often by Cameron come out of the mouth of a murderer.

"A threat to who?" he asked with a demanding tone.

"They were a threat to the cause, John." His vague answered tickled John's ears.

"The cause? What the hell is that?" John raised his voice and stood up looking down at George. He looked around and saw the eyes of the restaurant on him. He slowly sat back down keeping his eyes on George.

"You might want to keep your voice down; you wouldn't want people to attract their attention to you." He said with a vicious smile.

John gritted his teeth until he felt Cameron's hand on his; she stood up and sat down next to John. Her eyes burned through George. John smiled inside, it was the first time he felt some tension of the situation dissipate. Cameron could do anything, he was sure of that.

But his mind quickly wondered back to the man sitting in front of him. Why he was here and what he wanted? He couldn't be here to kill him, he could've done that already, but in a public place wouldn't be the most ideal. Besides, Cameron was with him. He had to probe further.

"For a cyborg you can really read human emotions, you realized I wasn't dead by the way my family kept their eyes away from my picture." George stated.

Cameron looked up. "How do you know what I am?"

"I have my information, Cameron. Now John, I bet you thought I was here to kill you." He stated.

"The thought did cross my mind." John answered with his arms crossed.

"Well I'm not. I'm sure you realized that, too crowded with people and your cyborg companion would kill me before any lethal intention could've taken place." He explained to the two. Cameron smiled at the mention of her. "I'm simply here to relay a message."

John stared at him, no words; his reply was in his face.

"I know your mother is sick, John. We know your mother is." He corrected.

John's mouth opened slightly in shock of his words. How did he know?

"Where did you obtain that information?" he tried to play it off, John tried to make it seem like his sources were wrong. His mother was fine, but John's face, his tell gave it away.

"When you were captured by us near Acton, we scanned her and found several symptoms of cancer. She is sick and she has been for a long time, John." He gave his explanation.

John was stumped, it made sense and how could he possibly make something like this up? It would be such a shot in the dark, they knew and John didn't know what to do.

"What do you want?" John spat.

"We know that your mother can't see a doctor, she's a fugitive, and a treatment from a doctor is out of the question." George stopped; he twirled the spoon in his hands. "We can give your mother treatment, John."

John's eyes opened in frustration, he didn't know what to say to that, but he knew it was a trap. This is the enemy he is dealing with.

"What's the catch?" John asked, taking the bait, he wanted to see where this would lead to.

George turned his head to Cameron. "Will you join us?" John's eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

Cameron's head jerked towards George. A familiar question for both Cameron and John, but this answer was written in stone for both of them, not just Cameron and for John to find out.

"What? Why would you even ask that?" John said as loud as he could without gaining any more attention. He found it utterly ridiculous to ask Cameron such a question, her loyalty and devotion in no state of doubt, she would never betray John. The mind games were starting to annoy him.

"Because she is can be a key to victory for either side of the war." He whispered. He leaned in closer. "Cameron is one of a kind, the only terminator of her model. She is in a class of her own and unfortunately, she is with you." He explained. "It is what we want in exchange for treatment for you mother, John."

"Why would she join you?" John replied gritting his teeth. The idea of Cameron joining Skynet again was infuriating and ludicrous to add to it.

"Let her answer for herself." They both stared at Cameron, who looked up from her reverie.

"Why would I join you? I'm with John. I'm with the Resistance." She told him, John smiled at her statement.

"Smile all you want John." He spat at John.

"Why are you doing this? Any person would probably stop at the realization of what they're doing?" John asked George. The idea of exchanging Cameron and his mother was something his mind couldn't grasp. He couldn't choose between the one who gave him life and the one that brings him life. He wasn't ready for such games from his enemy.

"I do what I do because I know what I am doing. I know what it can lead to. I'm here to ensure a genesis, to stop threats." He answered John.

"Threats, threats to who?" John asked.

"Not who, to what, a threat to Skynet." He told him, a small smile on his face.

Cameron's head tilted at that statement. "How do you know of Skynet?"

"You think I was just a blind employee of some evil corporation?" Cameron's eyes opened at George. "To answer your question." He cleared his throat. "I'm from the future."

John eyebrows scrunched together. "What?"

"I'm from the future, John. Just like her." He added to his previous admittance.

"So you're, you're a grey?" John accused, his eyes pointing fingers towards George.

"If you have to place a label on me, yes, I am a grey. But it isn't just me, every employee of Desert Heat and Air, in Kaliba is a grey."

John leaned back in his seat. A whole community of humans who betrayed their own species to ensure their individual survival, he couldn't wrap his head around it. He knew Brian was one, but how could so many simply switch sides? Sometimes he wondered if the machines had it right. Such fickle and selfish species they could be, complacent in their place on top of the world… until Judgment Day.

"So Skynet sent you back to ensure its genesis?" John asked.

"Doesn't it seem that way? You're smart; you're the leader of the human Resistance. You can figure that out on your own. It isn't just that, it's much more, General Connor." He played with his spoon again. "Sometimes it's the little things, like having a utensil to eat food. Not eating garbage for dinner is another reason."

"Spoons? You came here for spoons?" John joked.

"Paradise, John! You have no idea what it's like to live in a world where being underground is a sanctuary, and a die when someone you know doesn't die is a good day? I couldn't take it anymore, John. A lot of us couldn't. A lot of your Resistance soldiers would be the one to drive us away, discriminate against us because we weren't fighters; we just were vultures, leeching off their defenses and survival tactics." He explained.

John looked away. He couldn't imagine his men, his soldiers being cruel to civilians. He made a note of that, he wouldn't let that happen when the time came.

"You know that it won't last forever? You're creating something that will ignite the world in flames and the place you came to loathe will return? You do know this, don't you?" John asked him.

"Of course, but one minute in heaven, is better than none John." George stood up and dropped the spoon into the metal cup. It spun around several times, making the metal on metal sound travel through John's ears. "Time for me to go." He headed for the door.

"Enjoy your stay in heaven." John said to George, his eyes not leaving George's. His lips curled.

"And you enjoy yours." He answered walking out the door.

John slouched in his seat, glad the confrontation was over. Cameron scooted her chair over and placed a hand on his lap.

"You okay?" Cameron's voice filled with concern.

"I will be." John's thoughts ran wild. He had another level of chaos enter his mind.

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John sat on his bed, the covers disheveled. He rubbed his eyes. He thought the nap would help, but to no avail, his mind was still in chaos. It seemed Cameron sensed his awakening as she entered the room after he woke up. She opened the door just enough to let herself in and closed it behind her.

"How are you, John?" she asked as she took a sit next to him, the bed sank next to John as her frame dropped her total weight on the mattress.

"I really don't know anymore, Cameron." He looked at her. "He asked me to choose between my mother and you. The two people I love the most in this world." He shook his head. "How do you do that?"

"You can choose not to choose, I'm sure you thought of that." She told him.

"Of course I did, that was my first answer, but to have my mother die…" he was cut off by Cameron.

"Your mother would rather die than to be healed by the enemies of her son, of mankind." Cameron informed him, he knew it to be true.

She was right; his mother would rather die this way than to be healed by the creator of the war against the machines. She wouldn't have it. John smiled to himself; his mother would slap him if he even considered that option. It wasn't the choice that was killing him inside; it was the nerve that George tapped. He knew his answer once he uttered that choice, and it would be his mother's choice as well. But, he never considered such a tactic to come from them.

They sat in silence, John with his hands on his chin and Cameron sitting up straight with her hands on her lap. She stared intently at John, waiting for any word to come out of his mouth. He could feel her staring at him, he didn't mind. In fact, it was quite comforting to know she was devoted to him and it really did put him at ease. He moved his eyes to see her; she was still sitting close and still staring. She wouldn't move until he asked her, he knew this for a fact. John looked at her hands and saw the ring on her finger.

"I'm sorry, Cameron." He whispered.

"For what, John?" she asked. Concern painted the tone of her voice.

"For tonight, I wanted tonight to be special and not have anything to do with Skynet, the war, or my mother. But it all crumbled into that and I…" she cut him off.

"Shh…." She placed a finger on his lips and scooted closer towards him. "Don't be sorry, it isn't your fault." She removed her finger and placed her hands back on her lap. "What you did for me tonight was special and unforgettable John. I cherish this ring; it's thoughtful and full of love, something all girls love."

"All girls?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"I read it in a magazine." She told him.

He smiled at her and laughed. The thought of a cyborg reading girl magazines could make even his mother at least chuckle.

"I love you, John. I'm here for you and I'll always find you." She told him a smile ending her sentence.

"I love you too. I'll always find you, Cameron." The last sentence rang familiar, his mother spoke those same words, but he didn't frown at that, he smiled in return towards Cameron. She leaned in and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him she pulled her lips away and smiled back at him. John slowly opened his eyes from the lip embrace.

"Lay down with me." She whispered in his ear, her voice was full of a lascivious tone.

John nodded slowly and lowered her head onto the pillow, his eyes looking down at her.

They already told each other, but they said it again.

"I love you, Cameron."

"I love you, too."

Their lips met again.

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Cameron opened her eyes, she wasn't asleep. As she said to John, to everyone many times before "she didn't sleep". She just lied there, underneath the sheets. Cameron took her hand and rubbed it up the sheet. She opened her fingers and closed them, letting the fabric in between her fingers. Cameron closed her eyes as the smooth fabric enticed her skin. She smiled at the sensation. It was nothing new, but to feel so human made her "happy". She opened her eyes and focused on the ceiling.

Two hundred forty seven, two hundred fifty one imperfections on the ceiling. She continued to analyze the structural texture of the ceiling.

She felt the bed shift; she turned her head quickly to see John shift onto his side, the sheet moving underneath her hand, the fabric removing itself from her fingers. She turned on her side and leaned her head into her arm, resting on the pillow. Her eyes were fully focused on John as he let out a small sigh turning over onto his side, his face away from Cameron.

She moved closer, her body touched his under the covers of the bed. She could feel the heat he was giving off. She closed her eyes from the change in temperature. Cameron watched as John slept and wondered, if he was dreaming, and if he was, what was he dreaming about?

She hoped it was about her. If she could dream what would she dream of? She lied there and thought hard to herself, letting her CPU process possible ideas typical of dreaming. From what she researched and saw on TV and in magazines people dreamed about luxury, money, and other outlandish things, nothing that appeared to her. She looked at John still in a state of slumber. She knew what, well who she would dream of. A smile crept on her face.

She always wondered what it was like to dream, it was a question she never asked him. She'd have to remember to bring it up.

John moved again and another small noise escaped his mouth, he turned over again and faced Cameron, his eyes still closed.

Cameron placed a hand on his side, bare and uncovered, the sheets only covering from the waist below. Her finger tips traced up his side and moved to his arm. She watched his face as his eyes flinched underneath his eyelids and a smile appeared on his face. She smiled at him.

He shook his eyes and slowly opened his eyes; John looked up to see Cameron's face in front of him. The light from the window outlining her head, her hair was down and slightly disheveled. It covered part of her face and hid part of her bare shoulders. The humidity outside made her hair frizz and expand out.

"Good morning." She whispered with a smile on her face.

"Good morning to you." He responded rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It is nine seventeen in the morning, John." She answered, getting the answer obviously from her HUD.

"You stayed in bed and watched me?" he asked her again, throwing another question her way.

"I always do that, John. I protect you and watch over you. You looked quite peaceful. Did you dream?" she looked right at him.

Stupid question on John's part, his brain probably wasn't fully functioning yet, he did just wake up. "Did I dream? No, not this time, I just slept… like a baby."

"Like a baby? You're seventeen years old." She said perplexed.

"No, it's only an expression, Cameron." He told her with a smile.

Wait for it.

"Oh, thank you for explaining." Clock work. John thought, never bothered him though. He knew it was what made Cameron, Cameron.

John sat up and winced, he was sore and he knew what it was from. The thoughts from last night made him blush.

"I'm a little sore today, Cameron." He said with a shade of red completely visible on his face.

Cameron's eyes opened with concern. "I am sorry if I was… too aggressive last night." She placed a hand on hischeek, she could feel the heat rising from his face..

He shook his head. "No, don't be sorry. You were… you were amazing." He blushed again, talking about this was always a little unnerving, but talking to the person of his affection made it really embarrassing.

She smiled and a shade of red made its way to her cheeks. "Thank you, you weren't bad yourself." She winked at him and smiled.

"It was quite sudden of you last night." He commented leaning back on the wall.

"I wanted to thank you for the ring." She told him sitting up with him.

"You gave me thanks enough when you said 'yes'." He answered her.

"So… you didn't want that last night?" she asked him, a disappointed tone in her voice.

John's face lit up with panic. "No, I didn't say that… I uhh…" he was cut off.

"I'm kidding; I know what you mean, John." She leaned up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He smiled with relief. "You know, you're acting more and more like a teenage girl everyday."

Cameron simply smiled at him and stood up finding her tank top. She put it on and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked her, a little disappointed she suddenly stood up and headed for the door.

The door opened slightly, with her hand on the door knob her head turned back towards John.

"I'm going to make you breakfast. What would you like?" she waited for his answer.

"Whatever you want to make, I'll eat it." He answered.

"I'll prepare you something that provides you with all the necessary nutrients." She smiled and disappeared behind the door, John heard the door clicked. He lied back down and stared at the ceiling.

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The sizzle of the oils in the frying pan filled the kitchen with sound. Cameron turned over more strips of bacon as she analyzed how long they would take.

A few more minutes she deducted.

She had prepared quite the breakfast for John, well there was enough for everyone in the household, her main purpose was to feed John. On the table were scrambled eggs and toast accompanied by orange juice. She hesitated and thought meticulously about the bacon, but she caved. She knew John loved it and decided to prepare it; it would bring a smile to his face, a rarity these days.

She frowned at that thought. Today and last night were the most she seen a smile come from his face. Cameron couldn't complain about it, the recent events that had fallen upon him weren't exactly smile inducing.

Cameron turned her head towards the entrance of kitchen when the weak sound of bare feet entered her ears. She turned over more strips of bacon as she saw John enter the kitchen yawning. Another yawn exited his mouth as he sat down at the table.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get out of bed." She asked him.

"I smell food, I head towards it." He answered her stretching out his arms. He sniffed the air leaning his head back, eyes toward the ceiling. "Do I smell bacon?"

"Yes." Cameron told him. She turned around with the frying pan and spatula in hand looking at John, her face was blank. She gracefully slid several pieces onto the spatula and placed them on his plate.

"I thought you said something that would provide me with nutrients? Bacon is quite greasy." He joked with Cameron as he picked up the bowl of scrambled eggs.

"I know, but the eggs and toast provide a sufficient amount and I know you like bacon." She said with a back towards John. John looked at her as she stood there with the spatula and pan with a hip pointed to the left.

What a girl pose. He thought as he stared.

"John, you're staring." She faced John now. He lit up with a shade of red.

"Sorry. Sorry." He looked down at his food and took a bite of his scrambled eggs.

She smiled and turned around once again placing the pan in the sink. She took a seat at the table across from John and placed some food onto her plate.

"Is it good?" she asked as she poured herself some orange juice.

He swallowed his bite of bacon and looked up at her, fork in hand. "Excellent Cameron, everything tastes great." He said with a smile.

"It smells good too." John looked up to see his mother enter the kitchen with Savannah behind her.

Savannah smiled and ran towards the table, she quickly jumped up onto a seat and grabbed a fork.

"Did you cook, John?" she asked with a smile.

"No. No. No." he shook his head and pointed his fork towards Cameron. "Cameron did."

Sarah walked up to the table and looked at the food. She took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the breakfast on the table in front of her.

"Smells real good." She took a seat and grabbed some toast and eggs.

The sound of forks colliding with plates was the only audible noise in the kitchen as the three enjoyed the most important meal of the day. Sarah swallowed her bite and looked at John.

"How was last night?" she asked.

John's fork made his plate squeal as he looked up from his food. He looked at Cameron he was sitting up straight, her fork sticking straight up in her right hand. She stared right back at John, neither saying a word. Sarah looked at Cameron's right hand and saw the ring, she smiled.

"Do you want to talk about it later?" she asked him as she nodded her head towards Savannah as she continued to eat her food.

John nodded. "Yeah. That's a good idea." He played with his food a little before taking another bite.

Sarah cringed at the thought. She had typical mother thoughts, her son's level of intimacy with Cameron; where it took place, but she had a feeling it had nothing to do with that. What happened last night with John and Cameron? She could only wonder… she knew it wasn't a typical night of advancement in a relationship. Sarah took another bite of her food.

Cold already? She sighed to herself.

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John and Cameron found themselves outside with Savannah and John Henry. The two watched from the porch as John Henry gently tossed a ball towards Savannah who returned John Henry's smile. John watched as the sentient A.I. happily played with an elementary school child.

He turned his head towards Cameron who was clad in shorts and a white tank top, simple, but he couldn't remove his eyes. She was sitting up straight with her hands in her lap, her typical sitting position with her eyes on the two with the ball. He closed his eyes and slouched back in the chair and took a deep breath. Despite being surrounded by Cameron and a playful child filling the air with laughter he couldn't stop his mind from moving. Hoping his problems would go away when he opened his eyes he was disappointed when they didn't, but he wasn't disappointed at who he saw.

Cameron was standing in front of him holding her hand out in front of him.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked her, the sun being blocked by her body, he finally got to relax his eyes from the constant squinting he was doing.

"Let's go play with them." She said with a smile.

"Are you serious?" John's voice went up at the end of the sentence. "You want to play ball with them?"

"Come on, you're sitting here thinking, let's get your mind off it." She lowered her head and was that a pouty lip?

He took her hand and reluctantly stood up from content position. She smiled in response and the two headed towards John Henry and Savannah. As they stepped on the grass the ball bounced towards them followed by a little red headed girl. She looked up at them with a smile.

"Are you two gonna play with us?" her smiled revealed some missing teeth; she lifted the ball up towards her chin. John Henry had a smile on as well and waved towards John and Cameron. "Will you join us?"

Cameron and John smiled despite John Henry's choice of words. "Of course." Savannah's smile grew wider and ran back towards John Henry followed by John and Cameron.

Who would've thought tossing a rubber ball around would calm me down? John thought to himself.

It had been at least a half an hour of the simple game of catch, but it showed no signs of stopping. It was soothing, for John at least, he felt like a normal teenager, well… a normal kid.

"I have to tie my shoe!" Savannah announced, the three acknowledged her and paused waiting for Savannah.

She knelt down and grabbed at her laces. "The squirrel runs around the tree." She whispered to herself making a loop.

"He dives in the hole and scurries out the other side." She smiled to herself in pride, another perfect knot. She looked up to see the three of them just standing there. She focused in on John Henry and Cameron. She noticed similar they stood compared to John. She knew that John Henry was a robot underneath his skin and he was nice to her. Cameron was nice and stood just like John Henry, could she be a robot too? She tilted her head at her reverie.

The ball made its way towards Savannah bending down the grass in its way. She shook her head and picked up the ball.

"You day dreaming, Savannah?" John joked as she made her way back to the trio. She gave one more stare at Cameron and John Henry who answered with their own eyes with curiosity.

"Is something wrong, Savannah?" John Henry asked.

"Noooo…." She dragged out the vowels, typical aural habit of any child.

John Henry squinted with skepticism, but dismissed it and smiled at her. "Okay." He simply answered.

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Sarah heard laughter as she drank another glass of water in the kitchen. She slid open the glass door and observed the quartet playing outside. She squinted as the sun was out in full force. The sensitivity of her head and eyes was a common thing now, but she ignored and found herself leaning on the steel of the railing watching her son play ball with Cameron, Savannah, and John Henry. John's smile was contagious; Sarah couldn't help but smile as he stole the ball from Cameron and ran with it, Savannah and John Henry following behind him.

Cameron caught up to John easily and grabbed him taking him down to the ground. Savannah joined in the pile and John Henry had his trademark smile on as he picked up the ball from the ground. He turned and Sarah, he smiled at her and waved. She hesitantly returned his welcoming gestures. She stared off away from the cheerful four and lost herself in a distant patch of grass.

Her thoughts wandered.

Was this as close they were going to get to being normal?

Hope you all enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Review if you like! Thanks!

:)