A/N: Since I couldn't sleep this morning, and since this is the first of December, I decided to make a little Jameron Christmas one shot. It's written from John's POV, so enjoy, and happy holidays :)
December 24th, Connor Safe House, Northern California
22:08
I was pacing around nervously. I didn't know what to get Cameron for Christmas. Cameron had obviously gotten in the Christmas spirit, as revealed when Derek and I had come home to a house fully dressed up in Christmas decoration, complete with a giant pine tree in front of the house wrapped in hundreds of lights. Inside, Cameron had put up another tree, along with hundreds of decorations in the house. The previous Christmas neither Mom or her were home, being out scouting a Kaliba lead. I had spent the day with Derek, both of us getting smashed on Derek's homemade eggnog, which had a very high alcohol to eggnog ratio. Downstairs I heard the door close, so I left his room to see who it was. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs I could make out Derek's muttered cursing as he stumbled on the living room furniture.
"Derek, what're you doing?" I asked, flipping the living room light on. Derek was standing in the doorway, holding a large bag.
"Did some late Christmas shopping." He rummaged through the bag, pulling out a Desert Eagle. "For you. There are a couple clips in here as well, all loaded with my thermite bullets. To kill terminators." I noted how when he said terminator, he was most likely referring to Cameron. Derek rummaged through the bag again, pulled out a can of some sort. Holding it to the light, John saw it was a can of WD-40. "For the metal." He said, dropping it back into the bag.
"... That was thoughtful of you... I'm sure she'll appreciate it." I rolled my eyes, and Derek shrugged defensively.
"At least I got it something. Speaking of which, where is it right now?"
"She is out patrolling. I think." I looked at my uncle, who shrugged again, and went into his room. I sighed, and made my way back to my room, jumping as I opened the door. Cameron was standing in front of the window, observing the clouds drifting across the nearly full moon. "Uh, Cam, what are you doing?"
"I was watching the clouds travel across the sky." She turned slightly, a small smile on her face. "It's supposed to cloud up more within a few hours, and the weather says there is a eighty percent chance of snow."
"Oh, so we may have a snowy Christmas?" I walked over to my bed, and sat down, patting the spot next to me in a invitation for Cameron to join me on the bed. She smiled and sat down, eagerly looking out the window. "Er... Cam, are you excited for something?" I asked, half laughing at the childish look of delight on Cameron's face.
"Yes, I am anticipating the snow. I've never seen snow before, and I want to see if it is nearly as wonderful as various books describe it." She flashed a rare grin at me, showing off her perfect white teeth. Her head whipped around as she noticed something outside. She leapt up off the bed, and ran to the window.
"What is it?" I asked, alarmed. To my surprise, Cameron turned, beaming. My stomach fluttered seeing her look so happy. I got up, and joined her by the window.
"I just saw a snowflake." She turned back to look out the window, beaming still. She grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the room, and dragged me outside into the cold night. We both looked up at the sky, my teeth chattering slightly, as small snowflakes fluttered down from the heavens. Cameron looked down in wonder as a snowflake landed on her hand. She watched in disappointment as the snow melted in her hand, leaving a drop of water behind. I shivered, but still laughed.
"Don't worry Cam, there are more snowflakes." I shivered again. This time Cameron seemed to notice my discomfort, and that I was cold.
"You're cold." She sounded slightly surprised, but pulled me back into the house. "You should go to bed John, tomorrow is a important day."
"How?" Despite myself, I was curious to know why she thought tomorrow was important.
"It's the celebration of the birth of Christ. Isn't that important?" She tilted her head, slightly confused.
"I suppose. I don't know, I'm not a very religious person. You'd have to talk to someone like Ellison about it." Cameron pursed her lips for a second, before trying another tack.
"Well, I have big plans for tomorrow, and it will be easier if you're well rested." She smiled at me, and gently pulled me along to my room. She hesitated for a second, then hugged me. I was surprised, and slightly confused by the sudden closeness of her, but eagerly embraced her back. She had been much closer to me, and more willing to make contact with me after Mom had died. "Good night John." She whispered into my ear softly. "Sleep well." She pulled out of the embrace, and leaned forward slightly, before pulling away, her cheeks red.
"Good night Cam." I told her, mystified by her strange behavior. I climbed into my bed, and pulled the covers over myself, noting how she made sure I was safely in bed before soundlessly closing the door behind her.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT MACHINE DOING!" I bolted upright. Downstairs I heard a dish smash on the floor. Outside, snow was falling heavily, leaving my room oddly lit by the light that filtered through the snow. I climbed out of his bed, and looked out the window, and roared with laughter. Outside Cameron was happily building a small snowman from the snow, wearing a woolen cap and bright purple mittens with her t-shirt from last night. I quickly pulled on some warmer clothes, and pulled on my boots, then ran downstairs. In the kitchen, Derek was standing, looking out the window, his mouth wide open, his eyes bugging. Next to his feet was a dropped coffee cup. I chuckled as I took in my stunned uncles appearance. His hair was sticking up randomly, and he was still in his boxers. Derek turned to me, gaping still. "She's... She's out there... building a snowman?... Why is she building a snowman?" I shrugged, grinning widely as I skirted around Derek, and went outside.
Cameron looked up eagerly as I opened the door, getting up faster than I had ever seen her move before, and bounding over, throwing her arms around my neck. "Merry Christmas John!" I laughed at her. This was the first time I had actually seen her so worked up over a holiday. "Do you like my snowman I made?" She bubbled excitedly, before pulling me over so I could inspect it properly. Our feet crunched through the soft snow, which was a couple inches deep.
"It's missing something." I said, feeling really bad as I watched her face fall. I bent down, and brushed some snow off the ground, and plucked a handful of rocks from the pathway buried under the snow. I grabbed her hand, and set them into it. "It needs a face." I told her, laughing. Her face lit up, and she bent down next to her small snowman, and tenderly pushed the rocks into its 'face', giving it eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
"Thank you John." She squealed excitedly, wrapping her arms around me again. She stepped back, beaming, then embraced me again. "I don't know why, but I'm really excited today."
"Yeah, I noticed." I chuckled again, glad she was enjoying herself. Looking back at the house, I could still see the stunned form of Derek frozen in the window. "Derek seems a little shocked at you." Cameron looked at the window, and grinned.
"He's lost for words." She said, laughing. Her laughter was incredible, like the best sound you had ever heard, multiplied by ten. I watched as she gave me a quizzical look, the corner of her mouth lifted upward slightly in amusement. Her gorgeous chocolate eyes were asking me what I was staring at.
"You look really good today..." I fumbled out. She looked down at herself, smiling, then back up at me.
"Thanks! You look really good today as well." She reached over, and straightened out my jacket hood, before beaming up at me. I laughed, feeling elated as she joined in. "Tell your uncle to get dressed, so he can take the two of you out for the day."
"What? Why?"
"I have something I'm going to do. Just make sure you guys have a some room for supper when you get back." She smiled crookedly, and pet my cheek, before turning back to her snowman. I watched her for another minute, smiling, before going inside to get Derek going.
"So, why was she building that snowman?" Derek looked at me over his mug of beer. We were in the towns local bar, enjoying the festivities in general. Well, at least I was. Derek seemed to be trying to forget what had happened this morning. I shrugged merrily.
"I don't know. She just was. She had never seen snow before, so I think she wanted to have fun with it." Derek just shook his head, and mumbled something that sound suspiciously like 'fucking machine'. I just smiled, and sipped my soda. Even Derek's normal despondent mood wasn't going to put a damper on my spirits today. I just grinned at him, causing him to shake his head.
Derek and I both inhaled deeply as we entered the house. The incredible aroma of ham wafted through the house, subtly enhanced by the smell of fresh baked biscuits, and the smell of a baking apple pie. Derek looked around incredulously. "What's going on with her?" He whispered. I shrugged. I didn't know, and I didn't care. All I knew was that she was in a good mood, and that was all I cared about.
"Smells incredible Cam." I told her as we walked into the kitchen. She was busily attending to the ham, cutting it up. She beamed at me over her shoulder. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at her. Her hair was pulled back into a casual ponytail, with a few random pieces of hair floating down in front of her face. She was wearing one of my moms old aprons, a floral patterned one. She looked beautiful as she smiled at me, her chocolate eyes warm and caring.
"Why are you doing all this?" Derek asked, his eyes wide. "Why do you care?" She turned, and looked at him, her lips slightly pursed.
"Because I can. This is my first Christmas really, and I want it to be perfect." She waved the large knife she was holding in front of his face, giving him a stern look. "So don't you ruin it Derek Reese, or there will be hell to pay." With that, she turned back to the ham, and resumed cutting it. I grinned at Derek's bewildered expression before he left the room, sitting down heavily on the couch in the living room. I joined him after a few seconds of watching Cameron.
Derek was fiddling with his fingers as he watched the TV. "John... I don't know why, but I feel like my present for her is now kinda inadequate. I'm not sure why, but I feel like I should get her something better, but I don't know what to get her."
"You could apologize to her for how you've treated her over the last two years. I'm sure that would be a good start. And no shit your present is inadequate, it's a can of WD-40." Derek looked at me, before staring back at the TV.
"I feel bad for how I've treated her, after seeing how much effort she's putting into today. I don't know why, but... I don't know." He trailed off. I patted his shoulder.
"Just tell her your sorry about how you've treated her, and that you won't do it anymore, and I'm sure she will be happy with that." Derek nodded slowly, before looking over as Cameron walked in, holding a ladle.
"Supper is ready guys." She smiled widely, and I got the feeling she had heard every single word of our conversation. We followed her back to the table, and sat down. She dished out our food, and to my surprise, got a dish for herself.
"Thanks Cam, it looks amazing." She smiled at my compliment.
"It looks really good... thanks for making it." Derek gave her a small, hesitant smile. She smiled slightly in return.
"Your welcome." We ate in silence for a few minutes, before Derek spoke up.
"Uh... I wanted to apologize for the way I've treated you for the last couple years... I'm really sorry." Derek swallowed nervously, before continuing. "I haven't really paid any attention to how hard you try to fit in with the rest of us... and, I'm truly sorry. I promise I will treat you better... Cameron."
Cameron gave him a careful calculating stare, before smiling. "Apology accepted."
Cameron and I were sitting on the couch, close to each other, watching Rudolph. She gave me a sly look, before resting her head on my shoulder. I smiled, and wrapped my arm around her. She snuggled in a little closer. Derek was softly snoring in his recliner, oblivious to us. Cameron looked up at me. "I'm sorry... I don't have a Christmas present John... I didn't know what to get you." She pulled away, and got up, walking into the kitchen. I could tell she was upset. I followed her. She was standing in the doorway to the hall, with her back away from me, but I could tell from the way her shoulders were shaking she was crying. I walked over to her, and gently turned her around, and hugged her.
"It's okay Cameron, today was a present for me. This was one of the best days I've had in a very long time... so thank you." I hesitantly brought my hand up, and gently brushed the tears away from her eyes. "I didn't get you a present either..." I trailed off, looking up. Of course. You sly machine. Above us was a branch of mistletoe. "But I think I have a present for you know." She looked up at me hopefully. I leaned forward, and pressed my lips against her soft lips. She responded back, kissing me gently. I wrapped my arms around her, before I broke the contact. Leaning back slightly to look into her warm brown eyes, I grinned. "You led me here intentionally, didn't you?" She blushed and nodded. I leaned in, and pecked her on the lips. "That's okay. Merry Christmas Cameron."
A/N: Just a simple little Jameron story, but hopefully you enjoyed it.