Hi!

just me: Yeah, at the moment you can't help feeling sorry for Cameron, but Sarah too has a hard time... Well, i guess after this chapter you'll hate Derek once more.

What goes around...

"I've got no idea what happened between the two of you. " Derek stated. "I'm not even sure if I want to know it, but something clearly happened."

Sarah had long left. She had gone into her room to get some rest. And Cameron still sat at the kitchen table, watching Reese who had come to grab himself another beer, the fourth, and had suddenly started to speak. "You're suffering from paranoia."

"I'm not." He hissed, looking daggers at her. "And just for you to know, you walking piece of metal, if I were indeed paranoid, I'd have every reason to be because of you and your accomplices."

Cameron always felt offended by his daily accusations. She had never said anything though. This time she did, stressing each word . "They are not my accomplices!"

"Keep telling the Connors that." He opened his beer and took a big gulp of it, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand afterward, before he placed the bottle on the kitchen counter. "He might believe you, but it'll change once you're pointing a gun at him."

The terminator jumped to her feet, propping her hands flat on the table top. "I would never harm John! He's my best friend! I love him!"

"Of course you do! That's why you tried to kill him, right!?" One swift of his hand and the bottle of beer shattered on the wall. "You're not able to love! You're not able to feel anything in general! The only thing you're able to is to kill!"

"Says a man who has no heart and kills innocent people!" Cameron yelled at him. "You pretend to care about John and Sarah, but in actual fact you just care for yourself! You're a hypocrite, Derek Reese!"

In less than a second his fist collided hard with her cheek bone, causing a blazing red mark and hurting knuckles. Cameron's systems told her that she was being attacked and that she had to defend herself by attacking back, but she didn't. She watched a panting Derek instead who looked like he was ready to rip her into pieces with his bare hands. Well, he should try, then the girl would follow her wire's orders.

All of a sudden another slap resounded in the kitchen. Now it was Derek whose cheek went red. Sarah stood in front of him, obviously boiling with rage. She hissed, pure venom in her voice, "If you dare to hit her once more, I swear I'll kill. I said that before, but this time it's no joke. Now get out of my sight!"

Derek was too perplex to respond. He simply left the kitchen and went upstairs, cursing and rubbing his burning cheek. The raven-haired gazed after him, before she turned around, facing a confused looking Cameron. Immidiately her expressions softened, eventhough she didn't realize it. The terminator did of course.

"Why did you slap him?" It was a pretty dumb question, the girl knew, but despite the fact that she was, or at least had been one of the most intelligent machines ever built, nothing other came to her mind.

Sarah smiled weakly. "He hit you."

"Thank you for explaining." Obviouly said hit had been bad for her brains.

"Does it hurt?"

"Just a bit."

"We should put some ice on it."

"That's not necessary."

"I know, but it won't harm either." Sarah sounded desperate in her own ears. "Moreover, you have to go to school tomorrow."

Both were aware of it, that the mark would have completely gone by then, albeit it didn't seem to matter, neither for Sarah nor for Cameron. So Sarah fetched an ice bag and placed it on Cameron's red cheek. She was so gently as if the girl's skin would have been made out of china. Sarah felt somewhat stupid to do so, but couldn't help it. She cupped the other cheek with her left hand to hold the girl's head in place, caressing it with her thumb.

They realized that this was the first time in almost four months that their skin touched. The electricity which rushed through them felt as good as it hurt.

"I'm sorry." Sarah said.

"For what?"

For everything, the woman thought, especially for the way I treated you the fatefull morning. I should have held on to you instead of kicking you out.

Sarah had been scared, that was why she had chosen the easier way out. She shrugged.

"Why did you do that? Why did you help me?" Maybe Cameron would get an answer on this question.

The woman stared at her. "Because I care for you."

No!, Cameron yelled mentally, not like this, Sarah Connor!

She knew that Sarah said that, because she wanted her back as some kind of friend, or even as a 'fuckbuddy' perhaps, but the terminator wouldn't let this happen. She wouldn't let the raven-haired use her again. She wouldn't let Sarah take advantage of her love for her ever again.

"Thank you." Cameron simply stated.

"For what?"

"For patching me up. After all I have to look good for Kevin."

These words felt like a knife for Sarah. A knife, stabbed right trough her heart. Cameron immediately felt regret as she saw the bad hidden hurt on the woman's face. Yet she remained to look unaffected. Sarah had to understand that she was no tool. At least not anymore.

Somehow it verged on irony. At first it had been Cameron who had been rejected by Sarah in every single way. Trust, friendship, love. And now it was Sarah who was rejected by Cameron in every single way.

It had been Cameron who had suffered and had gotten hurt over and over again, while she had tried to approach Sarah. Now it was Sarah who suffered and got hurt, while she tried to approach Cameron.

...comes around.