A Different Kind of Love

This isn't really a romantic chapter, but I thought it would be worth some laughs. Enjoy!

John had once described to Cameron what love felt like. The closest he could explain was a desire to be around somebody and to share in their moments, no matter good or bad. To be a part of their lives forever. In some cases, to make sure they are your first priority.

Cameron could see this love in her family members. She obviously loved John, not only for her desire to protect him, but from a need to be the only woman in his romantic life. She loved Sarah, as she had taught her so much about being human, especially after she warmed up to her and John's relationship. Even Derek was loved in a sense. Though he berated Cameron for her mistakes and mocked her constantly, it was interesting to watch baseball games with him or hear him talk about how his truck worked. All three of these people deserved her focus, her attention, and thus her love.

But she could not explain why she wanted to focus on Riley and Jesse.

The two had been caught planning a mutiny against John in an attempt to drive a wedge between him and Cameron. Not only did it fail, but it brought them closer together. When they had been caught, Cameron deduced they should be terminated. But Derek, who had feelings for Jesse, suggested they keep them on as consultants and help. Riley had reservations about working with the metal, but Jesse knew refusal meant death. And in the end, she felt bad for betraying Derek and wanted to make it up to him. She loved him, after all.

Now Jesse and Riley were staying at the Connor house as prisoners. Riley's foster parents were out of town, giving her a reason to move in temporarily. She and Jesse were locked in a spare bedroom until the morning. More often than not, Cameron would "forget" to unlock their door and let them use the bathroom.

This particular morning started like any other. Everyone was meeting in the kitchen to eat breakfast together. Cameron looked around the table. Derek sat opposite of John, who was seated between Riley and Jesse. Sarah was still cooking her pancakes.

"Good morning," Cameron said. Everyone was still tired and responded with a groan.

She walked over to John and towered over him, turned his head to face her. "And good morning to you, John."

She gave him a voracious, open-mouthed kiss. John responded with shock at first, but soon reciprocated the gesture. Jesse could be head gagging behind her newspaper. "HEY! Some of us are about to eat!"

"Yeah, keep it in your pants," Derek agreed.

Sarah came around with the plates and gave them to Cameron. "Would you mind finishing putting the sugar on here? I'm working on the eggs."

"Of course," Cameron said. Knowing Sarah, that could take an hour. Her new cooking skills left much to be desired.

Cameron inspected the freezer and fridge for butter and other condiments, as well as a personal project. She finished preparing the meals before placing her project in the back of the house. When she returned, Sarah had completed her cooking.

"Dig in," Sarah said.

"No thanks," Jesse said. "I've lost my appetite." She got up and went back to her room.

The rest of the group continued to eat in silence. After three bites of her meal, Riley put her fork down and began to breathe heavily.

"Are you okay?" John asked.

"My tongue," she said. "It's burning! Is there hot sauce in the pancakes?!"

"I didn't put any hot sauce in there!" Sarah said.

Riley shot up and ran for the fridge. She grabbed a glass of milk and drank it before spitting it out and screaming. "There's hot sauce in the milk too!"

Frantic, Riley grabbed a tub of ice cream from the freezer and looked for a spoon. Suddenly, a scream came from her and Jesse's room. Jesse stormed out with a pink, wet bra.

"Who froze my bra in the freezer?!" She demanded. "Are we in third grade?"

Everyone looked at Cameron, who was patiently eating her meal. "A better question would be why you put your underwear on without inspecting it first. It seems rather careless of a soldier."

"THERE'S HOT SAUCE IN THE ICE CREAM!"

…

Sarah had elected to drive the teens to class. She didn't trust the three to be alone in a car together. Riley sat shotgun with Jon and Cameron in the back.

"No funny stuff back there," Sarah said.

"In your car?" Cameron asked. "Sarah, you mistake me as a lewd temptress."

"Says the girl who walks around in her underwear," Sarah said.

Riley grimaced and prayed for the school to arrive in sight soon. Images of Cameron and John in their underwear danced through her head. She had never felt more grateful to see a school than she did that day.

"Now be good," Sarah said. "Act like mature adults for once."

The teenagers got out of the car and walked up to the school. As soon as they were halfway to the door, they heard a car horn honking behind them. They turned to see Sarah waving out of the window.

"RILEY!" She screamed. "YOUR MOMMY LOVES YOU, SWEETIE!"

Then she floored the gas pedal and burned rubber out of the parking lot. Kids began to point and laugh at Riley, like it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. Odds are, it probably was.

"And she calls us immature," John said, stifling a laugh.

Riley threw her hood over her head and briskly walked into the building. Cameron watched her go, staying to listen the laughter of the kids.

…

Swim practice was a welcome addition to physical education. The water felt cool and refreshing in the crisp spring day. Riley had never been swimming before and had to stay for extra lessons. It was humiliating, but at least she didn't have to worry about drowning.

After practice, she got out of the water, grabbed her towel, and headed for the women's showers. Nobody was there, which was perfect. It allowed Riley complete and utter privacy. She stripped off her swimsuit and took a long, relaxing shower. Clean of chlorine, she took her belongings and walked through the door into the locker room.

Right smack into the senior varsity water polo team.

Hoots and cheers went out among the boys. "Hey there, sexy!"

"What are you doing here?"

"She knows what she wants!"

Throwing the towel around herself, Riley screamed and raced back into the pool area. Once free of the boys' stares, she turned to see if she had misread the sign. It was clearly the sign for the ladies' room, but it seemed slightly ajar.

Riley picked at the corner of it and peeled it off. Someone had glued the women's sign on top of the men's room sign. Through the rage and embarrassment, Riley couldn't tell if the pool was draining too loudly, or if someone was snickering from underneath the bleachers.

…

Needless to say, Riley declined to talk about the incident once she got home. Unfortunately, John had heard the news from one of his buddies on the polo team, and he told the whole table over dinner.

"HA!" Derek said. "The old switcheroo! We used to do that constantly in the barracks under the general!"

Jesse found herself snickering. "Yes, I remember the privates did that a few times."

"Now, the question is, who did it?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, we know who!" Riley said, staring at Cameron.

"Do we?" Cameron asked. She placed her taco down and folded her arms. "Please inform us of whom."

"Its obviously…!" Something rumbled loudly from Riley's chair. She clutched at her stomach and groaned. "Um, I need to go to the bathroom!"

She knocked the chair over as she ran. Sarah glared disapprovingly at her son's girlfriend. "Did you have to ruin my food with hot sauce twice in one day?"

"I did not add hot sauce," Cameron said.

Jesse grabbed Riley's taco and took a bite of it, slowly savoring it to taste its ingredients. "Hmm. No hot sauce. Just the meat, onions, peppers, and…chocolate?"

"I didn't use chocolate," Sarah said. "Even I know chocolate doesn't go with tacos."

Now Jesse's stomach was rumbling. In a flash, she was out of the chair and headed for the bathroom. "Riley! Out of the bathroom! NOW!"

John looked at Cameron, barely holding back his laughter. "What happened to not being built to be cruel?"

…

"I hate this," Riley said to Jesse from her blow-up mattress. The two were locked in their room for the night.

"I do too," Jesse said. "But now this is our only chance of stopping Skynet."

"But that metal has them in her claws," Riley said. "Even Sarah has joined in making fun of me."

"She's just mad that we were manipulating her son," Jesse said. "She'll forgive us eventually. Besides, this John Connor is a young man with raging hormones. He just needs to get it out of his system and we'll be fine."

A creaking sound came from upstairs, just above the guest room. It started slow but began to increase in tempo. With it, two sets of sexualized moans could be heard. The two women suddenly remembered they were beneath John and Cameron's shared room.

"Not again!" Riley cried, burying her face in her pillow. "How long before it's out of his system?"

Jesse tried to plug her ears with her fingers. "Don't those two ever sleep?"

Unbeknownst to them, no actual sex was taking place. Cameron had analyzed the floor plan and learned exactly where the two were staying. She took to work shaking the headboard against the wall while John bounced on the bed. The two moans were completely fake.

"You know, I hope you don't fake it that way with me!" John said.

"I never fake anything with you," Cameron said. "The same cannot be said for our guests."

Studying his heart rate, Cameron could see that he was running out of breath. She decided to signal for a crescendo, releasing a loud, simultaneous scream alongside John. He flopped down on the bed, gasping for air.

"Even fake, this stuff is a workout!" John said. "How long can you do that for?"

"For you? All night." The implication was not lost on John. He took a deep breath and jumped up on the bed while Cameron set to work on the headboard again.

…

One o'clock in the morning. No doubt Riley and Jesse would be asleep by now. Opening the door, Cameron saw the two fast asleep in their own beds. Their hands were dangling over the side. She carefully walked inside and laced the bowls of warm water beside them, letting their hands slip into the water. Cameron waited until she saw the blankets by their crotches grow dark and wet. She then left their room and locked it behind her.

Maybe Cameron did love Jesse and Riley, she realized. She loved to drive them crazy.