Chapter 1102

Their Hang Up

Cameron wanted to tell the girls to take it easy while John and her were on the cruise. She didn't know how that was going to go over. She checked on where Savannah and Young Allison were at. She was aware of the incident with the dog. They were still out running and doing their exercises. It wasn't the right time to speak with them. She wondered how long Savannah was going to stay with Young Allison. She expected her to come back today.

It was only one day until John and her would go on the cruise. She really wanted Savannah to come with them. It would be the perfect setting for John and Savannah to 'bond'. Maybe it would also be the perfect setting for Savannah and her to 'bond'. It all needed to happen at some point.

The union of Savannah and her nearly occurred on multiple occasions. There was something that always got in the way. Usually it was Skynet related. It wasn't always. She still remembered the time that Savannah jumped off the pier into the ocean to save the small child that was being swept out to sea by a rip current. She knew that Savannah risked her own life to do that. She did it without hesitation. It saddened her some to know that Savannah had done the same thing and stayed with her at times when she didn't need to. She didn't want to think about those times right now.

It only reminded her Savannah was the best of the lot. Young Allison was going to be just like her as well. The 'Chosen Ones' were a cut above the rest of the humans on the planet.

She'd sent Sheila and Ally out to follow up on the lead they found for the female motorcycle rider.

Cameron knew Claire wanted to spend some time alone with Jesse. She asked John Henry to send Hanna and Gail with Sheila and Ally. She liked to see everyone happy. The more that Jesse and Claire became involved with each other, the less Claire would worry about Young Allison.

She didn't think it was a form of manipulation but somehow it seemed that it was. She didn't know if it was intentional or not but all of the females were 'controlled' by a female Terminator. She didn't know if 'controlled' was the correct term or not. Maybe 'influenced' was a better term. She'd put the Metal girls there to assist the human females with everything. It appeared that most of it was of a sexual nature. She was painfully aware that that was a common Skynet tactic. It was to use a Terminator to control a human with sexual favors. Research indicated that was a human shortcoming that it existed.

It made her wonder if that's how she treated John at times. There were times when she'd purposely 'held out' and he needed to use 'Rosie' to meet his needs. She didn't think that she'd done anything different than she'd seen Sarah or Riley do with Kyle and Derek. It was clear that sometimes they needed to motivate them when they were hesitant to do something or agree to something.

She'd read in Cosmo that it had been a traditional tactic since the beginning of time for females to withhold their sexual favors in exchange for something that they wanted or to get their way. She really wondered at that point what the difference between that and prostitution was. Wasn't sex exchanged for something? It didn't have to be money. It was still sex exchanged for something specific.

She was glad that most of her 'withholdings' were based on correcting John's negative attitude and unsafe behavior if he went out on a field operation. She didn't want to be thought of as a 'Metal Whore'. That was something that she'd been accused of being enough already in the future. Even some of the anti-Metal faction that they'd taken down in the present said the same thing. She felt a slight glitch impulse. She didn't want to think about that right now.

Cameron wanted to follow up on the lead about the motorcycle rider herself but didn't want to chance getting shot up before the cruise. She wouldn't allow John to see her if she was shot up for their honeymoon. She wanted to turn John on, not off. She decided that if she was damaged before they left that she was going to 'borrow' Cam's or Cammy's chassis as her own chassis. She actually liked that idea. She would be able to provide John with a virgin chassis for their honeymoon.

The idea and concept intrigued her the more she thought about it. Now she wanted to bring both of them along and force them to do a chip swap anyway with her. Maybe she should contact Camille as well. She could also put the grab on Ally. It wouldn't take her that much longer to make Ally's sheath look tight. It would take longer though. John could have five different versions of her that were identical. The best part would be that four of them were virgins. John deserved the best.

She contacted CamNet and made sure everything was going to be in place for tomorrow. She wanted extra Terminators on the ship to help protect John. She decided on a few things. She made all the arraignments for the ports along the coast they were going to visit. She wanted John to have a good time. She wanted John to have a good time with her. She wanted to have a good time with John. She always wondered what it would be like to 'get away from it all'. Maybe this was her chance. Maybe this is what the saying meant.

Cameron thought about the Metal girls. She was going to have a good time using each of their virgin chassis to be with John. It would be the best honeymoon ever for anyone. She was positive the Metal girls would know what she wanted for John. The Metal girls surely understood by this point in time that everyone sacrificed for John Connor. She smiled to herself. She was very pleased.

Savannah and Young Allison finished their run and their exercise. There were no further incidents along the trail. She wondered if that was because one of the Detail moved in front of them after the incident with the dog. They would make sure nothing was in their path.

Young Allison noted Savannah's earlier worry about the German Shepherd and its teenage owner. She specifically and quietly told Cammy, Anna and her Detail that there was to be no further action against the owner and the dog. She was very aware that sometimes Terminators liked to tie up loose ends. She remembered that any of the men who used to look at her when she was younger disappeared and she never saw them again. She was sure they were buried in a grave somewhere. She doubted it was a shallow one either.

Savannah felt the workout taxed her some. She knew she was a little out of shape. All the combat disrupted her routines. Maybe Vanna's baby inside of her was a factor as well. Her body needed to work a little harder. It all added up and took its toll.

Young Allison could see Savannah looked a little beat. She thought a visit to the pool would boost her up some.

"Do you want to go for a swim?" Young Allison asked.

Savannah wanted to rest. She also wanted to please Young Allison.

"Do you mean right now?" Savannah asked.

Young Allison wanted to increase her endurance and stamina. She didn't like to take an easy out if there was a more complicated or strenuous alternative. She was aware that was how she made herself better. She could always improve herself. Cameron told her that. No matter how good she thought she was at something, she could always make herself better. She was aware that that's what it came down to. Everything that she did fell on her shoulders, it wasn't on anybody else. Her future depended upon her and her ability.

"Yes. I want to go swimming right now." Young Allison said. "I'm going to. I want to push myself."

Savannah wondered if Young Allison really wanted her to swim naked or something. She hadn't prepared to go in the water. If they could have the pool to themselves she wasn't really opposed to that idea. It actually intrigued her. There were times when she'd gone swimming naked before but they were always under isolated conditions. Cameron was usually nearby so she wasn't worried about being 'discovered' by any interlopers. She wanted to see what Young Allison was after.

"We didn't bring our swimsuits." Savannah said. "I didn't anyway."

Young Allison tried to cover all the bases. She'd quietly made sure Anna packed them in her backpack.

"They're in Anna's backpack." Young Allison said. "I asked her to bring them for us. You can wear Hanna's one piece or Allison's bikini."

Savannah could tell Young Allison really wanted to go swimming. She didn't care for a two piece bikini. She felt it was like wearing less than underwear and too much of her body was exposed. She'd tried on a few and felt as if she was basically naked. She knew that would make her feel very uncomfortable in public. Maybe it was because that's how Vanna always dressed her. Maybe it was the leering eyes of males that disturbed her. Maybe it was because Vanna always tried to keep her away from any contact with males except for John, the Reese brothers or Mr. Ellison. She understood Vanna's uneasiness around males. There'd been times when Vanna or Jesse looked like they were going to kill someone because of the way that they looked at her. They'd both specifically told the Terminators with them to stand down while they confronted the offender themselves. She could see how angry they were. She always expected to see one of them kill someone but they never did. At least they didn't do it in front of her. She was pretty sure that it probably happened elsewhere or later on. The girls from the future weren't going to be abused anymore by anyone nor were they going to allow anyone else they cared about to be abused. She didn't want to think about this right now. She was with Young Allison and she wanted Young Allison to have a good time.

"We can go swimming then." Savannah said. "You do plan ahead."

Young Allison planned for a few things to happen.

"I try." Young Allison said.

Young Allison hoped for another 'look' at Cammy topless or nude. She planned to watch them as Cammy and Savannah changed. She knew Savannah and her needed to shower first. That was part of her plan.

Savannah touched her arm. She could see she was a little sweaty. She was also a little dusty from the trail. She didn't want those contaminants introduced into the pool. Maybe other people weren't quite as thoughtful as she was but there was a certain etiquette that should be followed. Cleanliness was very important.

"I think we need to use the shower before we go into the pool." Savannah said.

Young Allison loved it when a plan came together.

"That's fine with me. We use it after we're done sometimes anyway." Young Allison said.

There were a few other issues on Savannah's plate. She wanted to make sure that there was a time frame established before they went into the pool.

"I don't want to stay too long." Savannah said.

She wanted to get back and see Cameron and John off on their cruise tomorrow.

Young Allison felt there was some of the 'spark' missing from Savannah. It made her worry about Savannah a little. She wanted to address the issue. She felt that was her right to inquire about Savannah's well being.

"You seem a little more beat than usual." Young Allison said.

Savannah did feel beat. A lot happened the day before.

"Yesterday was a long day." Savannah said.

Cammy hurried over and began to scan Savannah.

Savannah looked at Young Allison as Cammy scanned her.

"Now look what you've done." Savannah said.

Young Allison forgot how protective the Metal girls were of them.

"I'm sorry." Young Allison said.

Savannah brushed Cammy off.

"Cammy, I'm fine." Savannah said. "You know what, Allison, let's go to the pool."

Cammy seemed like she was a little upset that Savannah didn't want to be scanned.

Young Allison wanted to have some fun.

"Cammy and Anna can watch us swim." Young Allison said.

Cammy didn't want to be excluded. She felt she would have better control if she was inside the pool. She felt she could better watch over Savannah that way.

"We can go in the water too." Cammy said.

Savannah winked at Young Allison.

"We'll hang out in the deep end." Savannah said.

Anna didn't realize they were messing with Cammy.

"Cammy can use the flotation devices Allison bought for me." Anna said. "They work surprisingly well."

Cammy smiled at Anna.

They headed into the pool area and then to the ladies locker room.

The girls all stripped down. They all eyed each other without trying to be obvious about it. They all wanted to look at each other and they all wanted to be seen, except Anna. That shyness of course drew the most secret glances.

Young Allison looked at Cammy's perfect figure with her nipple rings. She knew she was going to look exactly like that one day. She really wished she looked like that now. Seeing Savannah naked was something she always looked forward to when they went swimming. It made her long for the 'Natural Order' and her place in it with Savannah. Savannah was the most beautiful person in the world to her…. Well, there was Cameron too. She knew that Cameron shared her DNA but she didn't think she could ever look that good herself.

Cammy knew Young Allison wanted to 'see' her again. She wanted all of them to 'see' her. She made a point of straightening her nipple rings before she put Allison's borrowed bikini on. The nipple rings clearly stood out through the bikini top. She looked down and was very pleased with the way she looked.

Anna looked at the other three girls and was glad that she stopped her age regression when she did. She saw how beautiful Cammy and Savannah looked. She wanted to look like Savannah again. At this point in time she wanted Young Allison to go on her temporal mission so that she could look like Savannah again. She knew that Cameron wanted her to take any of the 'looks' or 'attention' away from Young Allison in the past. She was to be the lightning rod to help keep Young Allison safe. Scavenger types didn't exist only in the future.

Savannah checked everyone out too. She was able to see Cammy and Young Allison almost side by side. She knew it was only a few more years until Young Allison would look exactly like Cammy. She knew Young Allison was infatuated with Cammy's nipple rings. It was much the same way she was when she saw Isabel-Cameron's nipple rings. She only looked at females on the internet after that.

She believed the rings made a much louder statement than studs or barbells did. In reality, they weren't that much different from regular earrings if one thought about it. There were all types of places on a body people received piercings now. There were several different versions of each type as well.

Savannah and Young Allison washed off in the shower and put their swimsuits on. This time Young Allison was going to wear a bikini. She only put the bottom piece on. She was getting ready to exit the locker room.

To see Young Allison about to go out to the pool topless was unacceptable to Savannah. She wondered what was going on.

"What about your top?" Savannah asked.

Young Allison wanted Savannah to challenge her about it. It drew more attention to her and she could stand before the others topless as she explained herself. No one needed to peek now.

"I only have a couple of puffy 'mosquito bites'." Young Allison said. "I don't really need one."

Savannah was sure Young Allison was messing with her. There was plenty there now.

"Yes you do, just like Anna needs to do." Savannah said. "Some people may complain."

Young Allison knew it gave her more exposure to the girls with this conversation. All of their eyes were on her. It was what she wanted. She'd wanted to make a 'statement' and was sure that she had.

"That's their hang-up, not mine." Young Allison said. "It's no big deal in most countries."

Savannah thought it was more about setting habits than anything. It was also the type of people that may be attracted to her if they were to view her like that. There were a lot of Scavenger types that hadn't quite evolved yet.

"That's true in some countries." Savannah said. "You know things are going to be more restrictive in the past."

Young Allison decided to push some of the fashion trends by a few years.

"I've studied up on everything." Young Allison said. "I'm going to make 'see through tops', mini skirts and go-go boots the talk of the town. Maybe I'll be the one to invent the micro skirt."

Perhaps all those trends really were started by Young Allison and Cameron. Savannah wondered where that desire came from. It sounded like it came from Cameron. She wanted to know for sure.

"Is that your idea or Cameron's idea?" Savannah asked.

Young Allison made a bold statement. She wanted to see how Savannah reacted to it.

"It was my suggestion." Young Allison said. "Cameron said she would start the trends a few years earlier than they'd started."

Young Allison's statement confirmed Savannah's suspicions. Maybe Cameron did change the past. She figured if anyone was going to attract attention to mini skirts, go-go boots and see-through tops it was definitely going to be Cameron.

"I'll need to discuss this with Cameron." Savannah said. "I don't want her to change anything."

Savannah was aware Cameron was in the past in 1963 when the bank was built that contained the TDE. There was more than one location that was built like that. It made her wonder if Cameron would attempt to interact with herself during that time, if they overlapped. She thought maybe she should mention to Cameron that there should be widespread use of the razor in a particular area. Perhaps she could get that trend started a few decades early. Wait, what was she thinking? They weren't supposed to change anything.

Young Allison led the way out to the pool.

Savannah followed behind her. She made sure that Young Allison's bikini top was on and told her that she wanted it to remain on. She told her that included the bottoms as well.

Young Allison felt she'd made her point, for now anyway.

Anna and Cammy were already in the pool when they arrived.

Cammy looked thrilled that she could float and swim a little.

"Look, I can swim." Cammy said.

Young Allison decided to set up a challenge. She'd done that with Anna and Sheila before. She'd put restrictions on the Terminator which usually gave her the advantage. She didn't take into account Cammy was a 'Cameron clone' without any moderating influence. It was a mistake.

"Let me set the rules and I'll race you…." Young Allison said.

Savannah and Anna knew Young Allison was about to 'set up' Cammy.

They both wondered if Young Allison forgot Cammy was 'Cameron' even if she was 'out of date'. That meant Cammy would play by her own rules too. Neither one of them mentioned it to Young Allison. She needed to learn the hard way. All things needed to be thought through and every factor considered. They knew that Young Allison needed to learn to not be too overconfident. To be overconfident or complacent could lead to drastic results in the future. That could happen in the present as well.

Every moment could be a teachable moment for everyone.

Claire waited in her room. She only wore a robe. It hung loosely open. She'd been looking at herself in the mirror. She was a little worried about what Allison's baby was going to do to her figure. She'd been very lucky so far with the first three children she'd given birth too. This was something she needed to do for her daughter and probably for Cameron too.

She'd been very apprehensive about going into the future. She'd heard stories from Allison, Vanna and Jesse. She didn't want what happened to them to happen to her. Cameron assured her that she would be protected all of the time. Hanna was to be alongside her in Holly's chassis. Cammy was there as well in Ginger's chassis. She did it to help her daughter. It was another version of her daughter. Future Alison was very different from Allison and her Allison, Young Allison.

There was a knock at her door. She looked down at the front of her nude figure and closed the robe. She knew that however she looked on the outside that she was still going to be the same on the inside. That was where her focus needed to remain.

"Come in." Claire said.

She held the two halves of the robe together as the door opened.

It was Jesse.

Jesse turned and closed the door. She locked it. Normally she'd welcome a visitor or two. Right now she wanted Claire all to herself. When she turned and faced Claire again, she was naked. The robe was on the floor in back of her. She could see where this was headed and it was headed in the direction she wanted it to go. She liked a woman who knew what she wanted. It was clear that Claire wanted her.

Before either of them could speak Claire moved forward and kissed Jesse. She held the kiss as he helped Jesse strip. There was a small trail of clothing strewn along the floor on the way to the bed.

The two women were hungry for each other. Their Metal lovers were great for getting the job done. They never failed but there was something special about the human girls. There was always unpredictability to the love making. Things happened spontaneously and could change rapidly. There was never any aggression from the Metal girls. Sometimes the human girls were more aggressive and dominant to the other human girls. It was all something they liked, especially when they were told what they could and couldn't enjoy.

Claire hoped Jesse would give her one of those sessions now. Jesse had done it before and she liked it a lot.

She'd learned to enjoy sessions like that. Both Jesse and Vanna would give them to her at times. Savannah never did.

Claire was sweet on Vanna as well. She knew that if Allison wasn't there she probably already would have been partnered up with Vanna a long time ago. That was until she was with Savannah. Savannah only ever gave her love. It was the most beautiful love too. If she could have only one choice, it would be her daughter's future lover, Savannah.

Right now Jesse was there. Jesse knew how to make her feel good. Jesse always seemed to have something new to show her. She certainly knew a lot about the female body and how to deliver pleasure along with the pain. She was close to a 'finish' just thinking about it.

Sheila wanted to go to the nude beach at the private club that was for females only. She couldn't get the thought out of her mind. She wanted to see what the biggest attraction would be on a female. Would it be solely based on breast size or what was attached to the breasts, regardless of the size? She was mindful of their location. She needed to refocus.

"I think we're nearing the location." Sheila said.

Ally would rather be back at the base. She would rather be sharing with the girls.

"I don't know why we have to do this." Ally said.

Gail wondered why Ally was confused.

"It's our function." Gail said. "We're to protect the Resistance."

Ally glanced at Sheila and rolled her eyes. It was a very 'Allison' gesture.

"What a stiff." Ally said.

Hanna wanted everyone to remain focused. The nature of the threat could be more serious than normal. It was certainly much more dangerous than going on one of Cameron's 'off the books' operations. Those individuals didn't know what a Terminator was. Whenever they dealt with someone from the future, they did. That made a big difference in regards to their safety.

"Everyone needs to pay attention." Hanna said. "I don't want to get shot up or worse. I don't want to be blown up by these nut job Fanatics."

Hanna really wondered what kind of imbeciles would worship a machine as their god.

Gail wanted to disperse their force. A single bomb wouldn't be able to damage all of them if they were divided.

"We should be in two different vehicles then." Gail said.

Ally could see that both Gail and Hanna were on edge. She didn't think it was so much the nature of the operation as to why they were there in the first place. She understood what really troubled Gail and Hannah.

"You're both worried Jesse and Claire won't need you two anymore." Ally said.

Hanna tried to downplay it some. She wondered if her words were only to comfort herself.

"They need to share with others." Hanna said. "It's good for them."

Gail didn't see what the issue was with Sheila and Ally. They all got a piece of the action.

"You two share with them too." Gail said to Ally and Sheila. "It's no big deal."

Ally was ready to switch with either one of them. She would like to have a full time assignment with a human female. She didn't care which one it was either.

"Maybe we can trade." Ally said. "We can swap 'assignments' or chassis and assignments."

Hanna didn't care for Ally's tone or inference.

"We all share." Hanna said. "Nobody has been replaced."

Sheila didn't want to get distracted by the conversation. It seemed to be turning into that type of discussion. She was about to comment when she spotted something.

"There it is." Sheila said.

Ally looked in the direction Sheila indicated.

"I don't see anyone." Ally said.

Gail wondered if that was by design.

"I think that's the point." Gail said. "They don't want to be seen."

Hanna wondered about the make up of this specific group.

"Maybe they have more females in this operation." Hanna said.

Sheila instantly perked up. She'd been almost as unenthusiastic as Ally had been until she heard that reminder.

"I'd better investigate." Sheila said. "If we get some additional prisoners we can gain additional information about this operation."

Sheila would like the opportunity to interrogate a female prisoner 'her way'. She was still a little upset she didn't get to 'work' on the last female prisoner.

Ally didn't want Sheila to get too distracted. It would have been better if Hanna hadn't given them all that reminder.

"Oh, brother…. You really needed to say that." Ally said. "Now Sheila wants to put the grab on one…."

Sheila hoped Ally would have been more supportive.

"Fine, we can just take them out. I'll terminate them myself." Sheila said.

Gail didn't know what was at this location. None of them did. They were supposed to check things out first. This should be a recon followed by surveillance.

"We don't even know what's here." Gail said. "We need to use caution and discretion until we do."

The thought of interrogating captured hostile females still intrigued Sheila.

"I guess we're going to find out." Sheila said.

Ally would have preferred the 'Sheila' that Savannah wanted Sheila to be. That clearly wasn't going to be the case. The quicker they could resolve this, the quicker they could be away from there.

"It doesn't get done thinking about it." Ally said.

She was highly motivated right now.

"Let's get started." Sheila said.

Allison and Holly finished up.

"I need to check on Vanna." Allison said.

Holly wondered what for.

"She's with Cam." Holly said.

Allison already knew that.

"I know." Allison said. "I want to see how she's doing."

Holly wanted Allison to understand any time she wanted to spend with Vanna was fine with her. She wanted Allison to be happy. Love was about sacrifice. Vanna was Allison's true mate.

"You can spend the nights with her." Holly said. "You know I don't sleep."

Allison didn't like to tie up Metal doing nothing other than watch her sleep. That's what they did too. It didn't matter which Metal girl she was with. After she fell asleep, they would just watch her as she slept.

"I feel bad about you spending the whole night." Allison said.

Holly wanted to be with Allison every second she could now.

"I didn't want to disturb you." Holly said.

They both knew Holly could get up at any point in Allison's sleep and not disturb her. She did it almost every night. That was except for the two nights a week she switched with Hanna.

Allison wondered if there was a deeper issue. It seemed to be the case. She wasn't really sure how to address it other than to just say it.

"You're worried about me being around Vanna all the time now." Allison said.

That was a concern Holly felt. Maybe it was actually a fear.

"Yes." Holly said. "You won't need me anymore."

Allison tried to explain it. Vanna was very dear to her.

"We've been lovers over half our lives." Allison said. "Vanna is a part of me."

Holly believed there was a different motive now. It was something that Allison mentioned to her on multiple occasions. It usually came up when Allison started on a new pregnancy.

"You're worried you will need Vanna to take care of your baby for you." Holly said.

Allison felt that was true. She didn't think she would be a good mother. She also thought it was more than that. She hoped it was anyway. There was something deep within her that gripped her like a vise. It didn't matter if it was in the future or in the past, the present, she always felt drawn to Vanna. She never felt so alone in her life as the time when Vanna was gone. She didn't know where she went and she didn't think she was ever going to see her again. That was when John arrived later on in her future. She was drawn to him. She wanted him to help replace the crack in her soul and hole in her heart from her loss of her beloved. Vanna was her everything.

"I NEED her." Allison said.

Holly wanted to hold her ground. She could do whatever Vanna could except nurse.

"I can do almost everything she can." Holly said. "I can help you too."

Allison could feel a 'fight' brewing. She'd experienced enough of them with Vanna to see one coming. She didn't want that. She thought there could be a solution. She hoped that there could be one anyway.

"I don't want to fight about this." Allison said. "I'll try and share my nights equally with you and her."

Holly saw a lot more competition around.

"What about Jesse and your favorite, Savannah?" Holly asked. "They are all here with you now."

Holly was aware there were a lot of Metal girls around as well. Ally and Sheila would be more than willing to fill in whenever they could.

Allison didn't want to argue about any of this. She didn't want to create problems. She didn't want to be a problem. She didn't want her life to be a problem. Her first instinct was to run. There weren't a whole lot of places that she could run to.

"Maybe I should go back to be with Allison in Palmdale." Allison said. "She's going to be all alone."

Holly could tell Allison where she was at right now. There was a much better selection that was available to her. She didn't think it was a shortcoming on her part. She thought it was a matter of what was there and available. She wasn't the only one.

"That isn't what you want." Holly said. "You like it here."

Allison was done with the conversation. She didn't want to argue with Holly. Their relationship was already strained enough. Nothing seemed simple. It never did. It never had.

"I'm going to find Vanna." Allison said. "I don't want to fight with you."

Allison just wanted to get away from it all for a while.

Vanna arrived in the nursery.

Samantha softly knocked and entered from Riley's room.

They exchanged greetings.

"You arrived just in time." Samantha said.

Vanna left early so she wouldn't be late.

"I thought I was way early." Vanna said. "That's why I didn't knock."

Samantha didn't want Vanna to feel anything was her fault.

"Riley is already out." Samantha said. "She seemed to have even less today."

That didn't sound good to Vanna. Something must be wrong with Riley. They already knew of her physical development problem.

"She ran out soon?" Vanna asked. "Is Riley OK?"

Samantha didn't want Vanna to stress out over Riley. The base problem was beyond any of their control.

"Yes." Samantha said. "Jesse was by earlier for most of the night."

Vanna wanted to see Precious. It was always the high point of her day.

"I'm here to help." Vanna said. "Where's my little darling Precious?"

Samantha noted Vanna's choice of words. She didn't comment on that part.

"Riley will bring her in a few minutes." Samantha said. "She wants to do as much as she can."

Vanna thought that was a big improvement.

"She seems a lot less stressed out." Vanna said. "You've helped her a lot."

Samantha wondered what would happen to her. The more Riley improved, the less she would be required to assist. The better she was able to do her job, the shorter the time on the job would be.

"She may not need me at all soon." Samantha said.

Vanna thought it was a good thing. It would give better protection to Precious.

"I think you being around is a good thing for all three of them." Vanna said. "The tenseness is gone and everyone seems a lot more relaxed and happier."

There was a knock and Riley entered with Precious.

Riley and Samantha saw Vanna's face light up when she saw Precious.

They exchanged a quick glance but didn't say anything.

Riley wasn't sure she'd ever look that happy when she saw Precious.

Their Hang Up

When some try to get ahead in life
It seems they always get beat-up
If they try to strike back
They end up in a lineup

They try to reach out
Their feelings buildup
What looks like a sure thing
Ends in a breakup

When they should move forward
They hesitate and backup
What should be a smooth ride
Ends up in a messy pileup

Others try to help them
They give them a heads-up
It doesn't seem to matter
It all turns into a foul-up

Things never work out
Everything ends in a tossup
It's with themselves
That's their main hang up

Nobody