Author's notes: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Molon Labe – Sorry about that. I was actually wondering if anyone else was going to be writing Christmas stories.

Jaf1079 – thanks! This is the first story where I've actually focused on writing Derek and Sarah's POV. I'm glad I'm getting it right.

vfergus – thanks so much for your awesome compliment! That was really cool. And don't worry. The BIG RED BOX is coming. :) I couldn't imagine writing a John/Cam Christmas story without it.

Chapter Two:

Jingle Bells

The Connor clan sat in the middle of the living room next to their newly set up Christmas tree. John and Cameron were hanging up all kinds of assorted ornaments, candy canes, and bows on the branches. It was nice, but John felt a bit strange hanging up such random items.

"This is kind of weird," he mused aloud.

Cameron paused and glanced over at him. "Weird? Why?"

John held up an ornament, examining it in the light. "Well, I guess Christmas ornaments are supposed to have some kind of meaning to them…sentimental meaning. Like this one," he said, picking up a teddy bear ornament. "Baby's first Christmas. I didn't actually have a baby's first Christmas."

"Me either," Cameron agreed, picking another teddy bear ornament out of the small pile.

Derek shrugged from his position on the couch. "They didn't have Metal's first Christmas."

John scowled at his uncle. "Derek…"

Derek leaned forward suddenly, glaring at Cameron's baby ornament. "We can't have an ornament like that for her," he insisted. "It's just…wrong somehow."

"We have to blend in," John stated. "What if Kacy comes over and notices that there's only one baby's first Christmas? It'll make you look like bad parents."

"It's wrong," Derek insisted stubbornly. "It's not human, it shouldn't have a baby ornament."

"If it bothers you, change it," John shot back. Why was Derek making such a big deal out of this? It wasn't as if Cameron hadn't pretended to be a human before. If Derek's hatred for machines ran that deep, was it good for him to be around their family? Why couldn't he just enjoy the holiday? His uncle reached out and snatched the ornament away from Cameron's hands, casting a glare in her direction. Sarah abruptly plucked the object away from him and stared at it.

"Well, we can't put baby's first Christmas," she began. "And we can't put cyborg's first Christmas. And Terminator's first Christmas sounds kind of eerie."

John couldn't argue with that. "Why not just put Cameron's first Christmas?" he suggested.

"It is my first Christmas," Cameron stated.

Derek tossed out the first ornament and picked up a plain red one, scribbling in 'Cameron's First Christmas' on the surface. He tossed it back at Cameron, a bit harder than necessary, but she of course had no trouble catching it.

Instead, she gave him a pleasant smile and said, "Thank you for my ornament."

Which only served to irritate Derek even more.

*********

Sarah absently hung up some garland and greenery around the doorway of their kitchen, listening more to what was going on inside. John had decided that he and Cameron would take care of making Christmas cookies, (Derek had muttered something about not wanting Christmas pancakes) and from what she was hearing from within, Cameron was doing a better job.

"It doesn't have to be perfectly round," John was saying, probably in an attempt to justify his lumpy cookies. Sarah positioned herself to be able to see into the kitchen. The two had just finished their first tray and John was sticking it into the oven.

"Now what?" Cameron asked.

John turned back to her after setting the timer, an uncharacteristically cheerful smile on his face. "Now, we wait nine minutes for them to cook in the oven." Sarah could almost imagine that Cameron was starting her own internal timer as well. John picked up the stereo remote off the counter and cranked up the volume of their new Christmas albums, playing the strangely familiar song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."

"And…" John added, tossing the remote back onto the table. "We get into the Christmas spirit."

He was grinning broadly when he took her hand and started to lead her in a dance, twirling her around.

Sarah watched them from the doorway, feeling her spirit lift as she saw the look on her son's face. He was smiling, not only with his mouth, but with his eyes. She realized it was the first time she'd seen true joy on his face in…a very long time.

She heard Derek's footsteps approaching long before he actually appeared. She turned to see a disturbed and disgusted look on his face. "I can't believe you're letting him do that."

"Reese…"

"He's too attached to it," Derek insisted. "He's been blinded to what she is."

Sarah shook her head, staring back at the scene, surprised to see a look of happiness paralleled on Cameron's face. Her reaction only served to make John's already brilliant smile even wider. "Look at him, Derek," she said in a whisper. "Have you ever seen him that happy?"

Derek's eyes softened as they followed John and Sarah observed his face, seeing a reflection of how much he truly cared for his nephew. "No," he admitted reluctantly. "And it won't last, you know."

"It doesn't have to," Sarah replied. And it wouldn't. Sooner or later, another Terminator would come, and they'd be on the run again, they'd have to fight again. But not now. "I just…have to make this Christmas special for him. We've never had a real Christmas, always on the run, just the two of us. But now we have a real family. He has you and he has Cameron." She saw Derek's eyes harden at the mention of Cameron's name. "If she can get through to him…I'm happy." She wasn't thrilled at the thought of him spending too much time with the machine, but he had been right the day they almost burned her. I need her…

He was right. John did need Cameron.

"Yeah…Cameron," Derek snorted, shaking his head in disapproval.

Sarah turned on him, suddenly feeling angry with Derek for doubting John. "He's not stupid. He knows, okay? And I don't want you saying anything to him about it. Not a word. I don't want you to treat Cameron like she's a machine. We're a family right now. He needs this."

Derek stared at her for a moment before giving her a faint smirk. "Fine…" he agreed, his eyes trailing to the decorations in the box at her feet. "But you may not want to hang up that mistletoe…"

**********

Derek stormed into the kitchen, his mood soured by Sarah's order to treat Cameron like a human. As if that was even possible for him. How on earth was he supposed to be friendly to a machine that not only takes over his nephew and the resistance, but also a part of the monstrosity of a computer program that blows up the world, leaving three billion dead?

Leaving Kyle dead?

It didn't matter that she wasn't directly responsible for his brother's death, she was still one of them. She was still just a machine. As he approached the counter, he could suddenly smell the sweet scent of the sugar cookies his nephew and it were making.

John looked up, seeming pleased, yet guarded to see his uncle enter his cooking area. Still, he picked up a cookie and held it out to Derek invitingly.

"Here, try it," he offered.

Derek picked it up gingerly by the very edge, checking for any weird discoloration or any added toxins. "Did you make these?" he asked, sniffing it suspiciously.

John frowned at his odd inspection. "Um, yeah, me and Cameron."

The hand holding the cookie suddenly shot out reflexively, holding the contaminated thing at arm's length. "The metal made them?" he sputtered. From the doorway, Sarah gave him a pointed look and Derek scowled, remembering his promise. "Cameron made them?" he corrected. John's eyes narrowed, and Derek lowered his voice, "What if she poisoned them? She may be trying to kill me…"

Cameron overheard. "If I was trying to kill you--."

John didn't wait for her response. He took the cookie from Derek's grip and ate a big bite, as if proving that it truly didn't have Derek's immediate demise on its mind. Derek sighed and reached to take the cookie back, but John defiantly stuffed the rest of it into his mouth and walked away spitefully. Derek glared over at Sarah, who gestured impatiently towards the cookie pile.

Derek reluctantly picked one up, inspecting it carefully before taking a small bite. To his surprise it was actually quite good. He wasn't sure if he had John or the machine to thank for that. Both of them were looking at him expectantly, with John's eyes still holding a hint of hostility. Derek chewed up the cookie thoughtfully. "It's alright," he said with a shrug.

*********

"What is our mission?" Cameron asked. John glanced around at the shops around the town, wondering which one they should hit first. Honestly, he didn't even know what he was actually looking for.

"We're shopping," he explained. "For Christmas gifts."

"How do you know what to buy?"

John paused. "Well, a gift is something special for someone special. Something that they like or something that will mean a lot to them."

Cameron cocked her head, appearing thoughtful. "What if the person is not special?"

John raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure why she would want to get a gift for someone who wasn't special. Maybe he hadn't explained well enough. "Like who?"

"Derek."

John laughed lightly, comprehension dawning. He really wasn't sure if Derek would even accept a gift from Cameron, seeing how he would barely eat the cookie she'd help make.

"I don't know what to get Derek," she repeated.

"It's okay," John agreed. "I don't even know what to get him. I wouldn't worry about it though. He probably won't get you anything either. Unless Mom makes him or something."

Cameron remained silent for a moment before asking, "What are you getting me?"

John chuckled, grinning. "Now that's a surprise," he said with a teasing smile. "You can find out on Christmas."

She frowned. "I'm not very good at choosing gifts."

"I'm not either," John agreed. In fact, he couldn't remember ever giving anyone a present. So it couldn't really be his fault, right? "It's not like we've had any practice," he reminded her. He felt some of his cheerfulness dissolve as his thoughts turned to his mother and the gift he was going to have to get for her. "I don't know what I'm going to get my mother," he said, shaking his head. What would Sarah Connor want for Christmas? "Do you think she likes diamonds?"

"They are a girl's best friend, but they are not Sarah Connor's."

He wasn't going to question how she knew that. "Alright, then what do you think she'd like?"

"She would like to stop Judgment Day," Cameron replied.

"I mean something material," John corrected.

"She likes the Wizard of Oz, tortoises, and weapons of mass destruction."

John sighed. He wasn't going to buy his mother a machine gun for Christmas. "Somehow that doesn't really help. I need something….special." He could hear his tone soften. "I mean, what do you give the woman who not only gave you life, but continues to save it, to fight for your future, to give you a future? What do you give a woman who would sacrifice her life for you without a moment's hesitation? What do you give a hero?"

"I don't know," Cameron replied. "What do you give a hero?"

"I don't know either." Deep down he knew exactly what his mother wanted. She wanted to see his father again, but he knew that was impossible. He'd already tried to find a picture of Kyle Reese but all records of his short two day existence had been erased, blown up by the first Terminator when it came for his mother the second time. And he couldn't exactly kidnap young Kyle Reese and bring him to Sarah. Which left him at a dead end.

He drew in a deep breath. "Well, since we're getting nowhere shopping right now, let's have some fun."

Cameron stared at him. "Like what?"

John glanced around, unsure. He spotted a horse and buggy down the road, giving rides to families. His eyes brightened.

"Christmas stuff," he said. "Let's check out that sleigh ride."

He took her hand and led her towards the carriage, paying the driver who looked at them with a friendly smile.

"Aw, takin' your girlfriend for a ride, eh?"

John didn't bother to correct him and neither did Cameron. He hadn't let go of Cameron's hand, and he soon found that all his worries about finding the perfect gifts were fading away.

The sleigh ride itself was fun, if a bit cold, despite the absence of snow. John exhaled, seeing his breath on the air. He shuddered involuntarily and spotted a small diner across the street.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" he asked Cameron.

He could almost see her mind working, and she opened her mouth as if to remind him that she didn't need to eat or drink. To his surprise, she closed it first, smiled, and said, "Yes. Hot chocolate would be nice."

He didn't get any of his Christmas shopping done that day, but he found it impossible to care.

**********

Christmas Eve finally arrived and so did the long-awaited snow. John bundled up and walked out into the white, the light snowfall dusting his jacket. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen snow, one of the disadvantages of living in warm climate places for his entire life.

Cameron came out not long after him, wearing a coat, though not as bundled up as he was. He recalled her telling him she could feel heat, so obviously that meant she could feel cold too, though maybe she could withstand more than the average human.

He watched as she scooped up a handful of cold snow and stared at it, cocking her head, as if analyzing the properties of it.

"Don't tell me you've never seen snow before," John teased.

Cameron's eyes looked up to meet his. "No."

His smile slowly faded. "There's no snow in the future?"

She looked down at the white fluff that was slowly melting in her warm, cybernetic hands. "No," she said. Her eyes rose to meet his, a bit condescending. He should already know this. "Everything burns. Even if it did snow, no one would see it. Everyone lives in tunnels, underground, in hiding. They eat garbage." Her words had taken a more emotional tone, something he'd come to recognize as her "Allison" voice.

"Most people don't even know what day it is anymore," she continued. "It doesn't matter. There is no Christmas, no gifts to give, no dinners to cook, no decorations to hang. No joy. Only pain, fear, sorrow, and…hope."

John slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. He understood. He was the hope. The only one who could lead the human race through the dark times. He looked away, his eyes locking in on his uncle who was standing at the window, looking out at the falling snow.

"So Derek's never had a Christmas," he mused, suddenly understanding some of Derek's disdain for the season. "No wonder he's so bitter."

"Derek Reese spent his last Christmas when he was fifteen."

And John realized why he wanted this celebration to be a success as much as his mother did. It would change them all, bring them all something they hadn't had in a very long time.

Joy.

He allowed himself a smile, scooping up a mound of snow and packing it into a hard ball. Then he quickly hurled the snowball through the air, waiting for it to hit Cameron. To his surprise, she deftly sidestepped and it went sailing past. She stared at him in brief confusion, probably trying to decide if he was attacking her.

"Snowball," he explained quickly. "It's something people do in the snow. They roll it into balls and throw it at each other."

"Is this supposed to be fun?" she questioned.

John shrugged. "I guess." He'd never actually tried before. He assumed it was more fun when you could actually hit your opponent, especially when they weren't expecting it.

He reached down to make another one, but right as he stood up again, something cold and wet smashed into his face. He blinked once, stunned as he realized what had happened.

Cameron was already scooping up another one. John scowled playfully and hurled his own at her. She sensed it coming and moved in time once more. She straightened up and her eyes locked onto him. Before she could throw her cold weapon, John dove to the side, but she followed his movement, landing her snowball exactly in his face again as he landed on the white ground.

He spat out a mouthful of snow. "Time out!" he called. Cameron paused in the middle of forming another snowball. John chuckled. "You're cheating. You're using a computer."

"I was not aware there were rules," she replied.

John shrugged. "Alright, well, I can't compete with you. You win."

She smiled, looking triumphant, and closed the gap between them. "You were right," she said. At his quizzical glance, she added. "That was fun."

*********

On Christmas Eve, John lay in his bed, trying to still his excited mind. His first true Christmas was tomorrow and he couldn't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when they opened their gifts. In fact, he was so wrapped up in imagining the scene that he almost didn't notice the door creak open and Cameron walk in. Without a word, she came over to his side and lay down on the bed beside him, causing his heart rate to instantly speed up.

"Uh…what are you doing?" he asked. He hoped his voice didn't come out strained as he tried to keep his raging emotions in check.

"Most children are too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve," Cameron replied, as if that gave her the excuse. Not that John minded, of course.

"Oh," he said, giving her a small grin. "Thank you for explaining."

He turned his head to see her smiling softly as well.