What are dreams?
A short story featuring John and Cameron from "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." In a series of small chapters, using dreams as a basis for my story, Cameron and John begin a new relationship.
This story started off as a one-shot but has grown since the first chapter. I am considering this story as a possible alternative to "Ourselves Alone" and the two part "Today is the Day." (It might even grow into a replacement for a couple more episodes. who knows?"
I do not claim any rights to the characters or the TV series.
My thanks to everyone who has posted a review.
Summary: Not sure of what to do, and unable to concentrate on his studies, John takes Cameron out for a surprise to cheer them up. Sarah has a dream and realizes, maybe she is afraid of losing John, and not because anything to do with Sky Net or the future. She goes upstairs to speak with them, now that she's calmed down, only to find they are gone and some clues that may indicate they had sex. She also recalls, with a reminder from Kyle in a dream, that Derek knows a Jesse. Derek helps Jesse move her belongings to her car. She's leaving the apartment to find another place to live. Derek secretly observes her as she leaves, and she isn't limping. She's also said some things that make him question whether she is even his Jesse. John takes Cameron to buy her ballet shoes before going to pick up Riley. Before getting in the truck Cameron kisses him in thanks, and is observed by Kacy riding past them on the street.
Chapter 8: Derek's Nightmare
"How long do you plan to carry out your charade of being Riley's boyfriend?" Cameron asks as they approach the school.
"Only until we can draw Jesse out. We don't know where she is and, right now, Riley is our only link. Without her help . . ."
"I know." Cameron say softly. "We've gotten so much closer these last two days. I still think Riley could be a problem. You will be careful."
"I won't let her get between us, not now." John says taking her hand, which has been twitching as they've gotten closer to the school.
"Anyway, I don't think I'll be in much physical danger from Riley." John says as he pulls up outside the high school.
"If what Riley told us was true, to fight Jesse like she did would require either physical skill or prowess. Jesse is a soldier and an officer in the navy and knows how to fight. Riley is from the future too. You do not live to be Riley's age without learning strong survival skills. Over sixty percent of all children born just prior to and after Judgment Day have either died from radiation, malnutrition, or the machines. Don't let your guard down around her. We still don't know all that much about Riley."
John sees Riley beginning to exit the school. Dammit he thinks, she was supposed to remain inside until he went in to meet her. "Here she comes."
He turns to look at Cameron. "We'll talk about this more later. In the meantime, we'll just carry through like we planned. Okay?"
"Okay." She says with a frown. She sees Riley approaching. To exit the vehicle would mean crossing her path or giving the impression she opened the door for her. Deciding she doesn't want to give the impression of being friendly with Riley, Cameron crawls back between the seats to sit in the back.
Cameron pauses midway as she sees something. Her eyes focus on a gray van down the street. It looks identical to the one seen in town parked a few cars behind them when she kissed John. Her actions give John a clear view in the rear view mirror of Cameron's panty clad rear under her short denim skirt. She turns and sits down, removing the view John had of her panty clad rear from the mirror.
"Remember what I said." She says to his face in the mirror. "Girls are complicated."
"Huh," John says refocusing his eyes on hers in the mirror. "Right, keep my guard up. No problem."
Did Cameron do that on purpose? He wonders. Damn, if human girls are complicated, then Cameron is even more so. She certainly appears to be finding subtle ways to keep his interest on her.
Riley opens the door and gets in the truck.
"Hey there stranger! You're late!" she says quite cheerfully. "I'm hungry. How about we stop for something to eat?"
She turns and faces Cameron, "Hi, Cameron."
Cameron turns her head slightly and says with a firm expression on her face, "Hi."
Jesse watches from her rental car from the staff parking lot of the school. She saw John and the metal arrive. They seemed to be talking quite amicably until Riley exited the school, then Cameron climbed into the back. Unusual behavior for a machine. Perhaps it didn't want to open the door for Riley. If that's the case, the machine doesn't like Riley. But it seemed to pause quite a while before taking its seat. Jesse looks over her shoulder and the only thing she can see that it was possibly looking at is a plain commercial van with no markings parked down the street. When she turns back, the Dodge Ram is leaving. Starting her car, she drives out and follows. The commercial van not that far behind her.
"So, I was thinking that maybe we could go for some ice cream, maybe a smoothie, or something." Riley says, still sounding cheerful.
John glances in the rear view mirror and catches Cams's stern look at Riley. God! If looks could kill, he thinks.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Riley. I'm suppose to take you straight home. You are grounded remember."
"Yeah, for six weeks. Thank you very much Cam, for taking my pants off and letting my foster parents see me in that bikini."
"You did what?!" John asks glancing in the mirror, barely holding back a smile.
Cameron displays a small grin. "When I heard her foster parents returning, I flipped Riley onto the sofa and yanked off your pants. They didn't belong to her."
John is laughing out loud now imagining the scene.
"Hey!" Riley says. "It wasn't funny! I swear his eyes didn't rise above my chin the whole time he yelled at me."
John is trying not to laugh when he says, "Sorry, but you have to admit, it was funny."
"Maybe for you John, but that bikini was meant for you to see, not some 45 year old perv. You know he took my bikini. Said I couldn't have it back until I was eighteen and out of foster care. The bastard, I'm already eighteen, only I had to fake being sixteen to get into school."
"You're two years older than me?" John asks with surprise. Damn, he can't believe it, he's been dating a girl older than him. If he didn't break it off with her and was now seeing Cameron, and was still going to school, he'd really have something to brag about. He almost got lost in those thoughts when Cameron sees the wistful look on John's face in the mirror. She reaches around and punches him, gently for her, in his shoulder to get his attention refocused.
"Ow!" John barks but grins at Cam in the mirror and sets his eyes back on the road.
"What other secrets have you been keeping from John?" She asks Riley.
"Not as much as the two of you have been keeping from me. How long have the two of you been hiding the fact that you have emotions?"
"How do you know that?"John asks.
"The way she looked at me when we were dating John. How else? I've seen your metal bodyguards in the future. They always have a blank emotionless face. Cameron actually looked jealous."
Riley turns in her seat. "So, do you have feelings?"
Cameron looks at John's face in the mirror then at Riley. "Yes, I do." She says very coldly.
"What do your feeling say about me?"
Cameron never takes her eyes off Riley and says in a moderate tone without pause, "You are a threat to John. Your presence at this time is a distraction from our mission. You are a known associate of Jesse Flores a traitor, a rogue agent, and who is taking a clear path that puts John and the future in danger. If we did not need you to find Jesse Flores, I would kill you now. That is how I feel about you Riley Dawson."
Riley swallows and turns back around to face the front.
John glances at Cameron in the mirror and at Riley beside him.
"Hey! How about we go for that ice cream now! Huh?" John says trying to lighten the mood.
**
The rubber skinned T-600 leads Derek down the stairs into the basement of what was once a grand old house. How the house survived Judgment Day is a mystery, especially when all the buildings around it are rubble.
It leads him ever closer to a door, the music getting louder. Why the music? No machine would ever listen to music. There is no purpose, no logic for a machine to listen to music. Only humans listen to it.
The machine opens the door and waits for Derek to enter. It has been rough with him and the others, but considering what most people go through when interned by Sky Net, judging on what Kyle and John Connor told him of Century Work Camp, the T-600 has been rather easy on them.
He gets shoved forward, and he stumbles, grabbing a chair for support, so he doesn't hit the floor. He hears the door slam shut and lock behind him.
"Sit down." Comes a cold metallic voice that sounds slightly feminine.
The room is dark, but for a chink of light coming through a crack in the floor above. The only sound is that of the music. What is it? Something classical, he thinks. There hasn't been any music since Judgment Day
"Who are you?" Derek shouts into the dark, over the sound of the music.
"Sit down. I will not harm you." The voice comes back.
Derek looks around the room. No way out. Dark as a coal mine. And if that is a machine as he suspects, it could kill him and he wouldn't even be able to defend himself.
"All right." He says and sits in the chair he used to prevent himself from falling. "Whatever it is you want, I won't tell you a thing." Derek says defiantly. "Not a damn thing."
"That's where you are wrong, Lieutenant Derek Reese presently assigned to General Connor's Tech-com unit." The voice grows more human like as Derek sees a figure approaching from the dark. "Everyone who sits in that chair talks eventually." It says in a normal girls voice, that sounds vaguely familiar.
"How do you know who I am? Who are you?"
Silver straps extend from the arms and legs of the chair holding him in place. Derek struggles but it's like solid metal holding him in.
"It's no use struggling." The chair speaks. Morphing into a humanoid still grasping Derek by the wrists and ankles.
"No, there is no point in struggling Derek." The small figure approaches from the dark and enters the small pool of light coming through a crack in the ceiling.
"Allison?" Derek asks. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Allison is dead. I'm an advanced cybernetic organism built in her image." She says and her eyes glow blue. "But I have all her memories. Unfortunately, there is still one detail that eludes me." she says approaching Derek Reese.
"You fuckin' metal bitch! You killed Allison! I won't tell you a damn thing!"
"That's what they all say," She runs a cool hand gently across his face, caressing it, " but everyone talks eventually. Including your friends upstairs."
She grabs his head so he can't turn away from her gaze. "Where is John Connor's camp?"
**
John, Cameron and Riley are sitting at a booth in a quiet corner of an ice cream parlor. Riley sits across from them both. Cameron chose her position, not so much to sit beside John, but to keep an eye on Riley.
Riley is eating a large sundae on her own, while John bought himself the same but with two spoons to share with Cameron. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry.
Riley is about half way through her sundae, while John and Cam have barely eaten any, when Riley speaks.
"I want to ask you a question John. You told me you wanted to break up with me the day I showed up at your house and told you I wanted to have sex. Was it because of Cameron?"
"Riley, I . . ."
"Don't lie to me John. If it wasn't for Jesse, I . . . well let's just say that if she didn't pressure me into asking you to have sex with me to get you away from her, I would have eventually. So why did you want to break up with me?"
John reaches beside him and takes Cameron's hand. "I love Cameron. I only went out with you because, for a time I was afraid of the feelings I had for her. I like you Riley, I really do. If our three lives crossed at different times, then perhaps things might be different. But you lied to me Riley. You pretended to be my friend, and for a time I thought I might love you. But I didn't and I don't. I'll be your friend, but you've got a long way to go to earn my trust again."
Cameron appreciates the feel of John's hand in her own. She wasn't expecting it, but as soon as he took her hand, the uncontrollable twitching stopped. John was trying to show her he cared, yet he knew she could read his vitals, which were all good. Perspiration low, blood pressure and pulse slightly elevated, but then he is talking and he is upset. She was letting John do the talking as he was trying to set Riley straight as to what their relationship was to be from now on. Besides, the ice cream was interesting, cold, smooth, sweet, no nutritional value, but pleasant. She takes another spoonful.
"So, everything between us, all that we did together, is over?" Riley replies "John, I went further with you than anyone. Despite why I'm here, I do love you. Hell, we rounded three bases together and I wanted to hit that home run with you. What about you and her? How far has your relationship progressed?"
"Riley what was between you and I is over. We start fresh today. And as far as Cameron and I go, our relationship is none of your damn business. It's nobody's business but ours, Got it?"
"Yeah, I do." Riley slumps in her seat. "I suppose you won't trust me until you capture Jesse?"
"Perhaps." John pauses, playing with his spoon. "It depends on what happens between now and then."
There is a lull in the conversation and there is something that Riley said that Cameron doesn't understand.
"Riley, what did you mean when you said you rounded three bases with John and wanted to hit that home run? Were the two of you playing baseball on your dates?"
John groans. Why? Why couldn't Cameron have waited until she got home before asking this?
"I thought you machines knew everything. " Riley answers. "Baseball is often used as a metaphor for how far a couple have gotten with their physical relationship."
John was so hoping Cameron was going to say, "Thank you for explaining." but no she had to say. . .
"In what way is baseball used as a metaphor?"
Oh God!, John groans inwardly and sinks in his seat. He turns and looks out the window, still listening as Riley explains to Cameron.
"I never thought I'd explain something to you, but . . . how far one gets with their partner is often expressed as reaching each base as in baseball."
John glances at Riley and can see she seems to enjoy making him squirm. Payback for breaking up with her? Who knows, just let her get it out. He wouldn't be any less embarrassed explaining it to Cameron, but on the other hand, if he explained it to her privately. Oh damn! He thinks, as he gets physical reaction.
"Kissing or French kissing is getting to first base. If a guy gropes you under or over your clothes, to touch or fondle your breasts, that is second base." Riley explains to a very attentive Cameron.
John sees a dark green Toyota across the street. They parked there shortly after the three of them entered the ice cream parlor. Wasn't there a car just like that in the school parking lot?
"What is third base then?" Cameron asks.
John let's go of Cameron's hand, and gets up from the booth.
"Where are you going?" Cameron asks.
"Not far. Wait here a moment. There is something I want to check out." He says very seriously.
John walks outside following a hunch. Using a group of people as cover he slips outside then ducks behind a plain gray van.
Cameron watches him, then scans the outside. Two things she sees immediately. The car from the school parking lot is parked across the street, and John is using the plain gray van that was following them as cover.
Cameron stands up quickly. "Come on Riley. We're going." She says in a voice that means business.
Riley glances outside at John. He is presently making his way through the parking lot keeping cover.
Cameron grabs Riley's arm, and pulls her along through the parlor to the exit.
As John walks past the van, the side doors pop open and three men leap out and grab John. Cameron is still leaving the ice cream parlor when the attack occurs and quickly runs to his aid. Riley is just behind her.
John is still fighting them off when two shots ring out and the guy who has grabbed John from behind falls down inured. There is a sound of squealing wheels and the dark green Toyota disappears down the street with a flow of long black hair streaming out the window.
When the man got shot, it gave John an opening and he strikes one of the other men. He falls back and the other man steps forward. Before he can even attack John, Cameron strikes him from behind, knocking him unconscious. Riley kicks the other guy in the small of his back and he crumples. Cameron grabs them both and throws them into the van. They slam into the far wall of the van hard enough to dent it and render the other man unconscious as well.
John pulls the wounded man up from the ground by his collar. "Who are you?" he shouts.
There is the sound of sirens approaching.
"John! We have to go now!" Cameron says firmly.
John looks at her, then drops the man. He grabs Riley's arm and the three of them run for the truck and leave.
The dark green Toyota is long gone.
**
Derek is laying curled up on the dirt floor. For torture, the machines have certainly found new and interesting ways to get information out of people. He never felt such self revulsion and hatred for the machines. No wonder no one talked much after leaving the basement.
He opens his eyes. It is dark and very quiet in the place. Before him he sees some water and some food on a tray.
It could be poisoned. No, why do that? If they wanted him dead, they have much quicker methods for doing that, and he is very hungry.
Derek pulls the tray towards him and begins munching on an apple. God, that tasted good. He hasn't had an apple since those HK's torched the orchard. He finishes the apple and grabs the pitcher of water and drinks.
"It is good that you eat and drink to keep your energy levels high." comes that soft gentle voice that at one time made his heart melt for that young girl that brought so much light into their camps, but now fills him with revulsion.
As he lowers the pitcher, he sees the machine approaching him in the dark. The one built to look like Allison. The one that forced him to . . . he shudders just thinking about it.
"Where's your liquid metal friend?" He says with disgust.
"She isn't far. If you don't tell me what I want to know soon, she will take her turn with you, and I promise, she won't be anywhere near as gentle as me." The machine comes out of the dark and is dressed in the same simple gray clothes he last saw Allison wearing. It may look like the young innocent girl it replaced, but inside of it is a cold metal heart.
Derek doesn't respond and just slams the pitcher down on the ground. Some of the water sloshes out.
"So Sky Net's methods of torture has branched into using new techniques to get answers now?"
"We're not working for Sky Net." It squats down in front of him. "We've found that violence has its limitations, humans would rather die than give up their friends or information. Some of you even welcome it, wanting it, wanting us to kill you. Humiliating you like this gets better results. Your self revulsion and hatred for us will eventually make you talk to avoid any further" it grins "intercourse with us."
"You'll never get any answers from me, you metal whore!"
It leans forward and slaps the cheek hard that just yesterday it stroked so gently. "You will answer my question. Where is John Connor's camp?"
Derek rubs his jaw. Feels like his mouth is bleeding. "I won't tell you a damn thing you metal bitch!" Derek spits in it's face, blood and spit runs down its face, and without hesitation, the machine grabs the pitcher of water and throws the contents in Derek's face.
Derek wakes up in a whitewashed basement, water streaming from his head and upper body. His clothes are soaked. The floor is cold, hard concrete.
"Oh God. It was all a damn dream. Just a stupid, fuckin', dream!" He struggles to get up but finds his hands are tied behind his back with duct tape and his ankles are tied the same.
"What the hell?" Derek struggles to pull himself into an upright position.
Derek hears a loud bang and looks over to see Sarah standing there with an empty pail laying on its side at her feet.
"Sarah! What the hell is going on here?" He shouts.
She strikes him hard enough he falls back on the floor again.
"Answer my question you son-of-a-bitch!! Where's Jesse?"
Earlier that day
Sarah sinks down, sitting on the corner of Cameron's bed. It's worse than she thought.
Suddenly the sound of an engine starting in the driveway catches her attention. Sarah gets up quickly and runs down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. She arrives at the end of the porch just in time to see the black Dodge Ram disappearing at the end of the drive.
"John!" She yells to no effect.
Sarah returns inside the house. She still isn't feeling well. Sarah moves quickly to the kitchen sink and vomits again. This time there is some blood in the bile. An ulcer maybe, or something worse? An ulcer wouldn't make her feel nauseous and alcohol would make it burn.
After her insides settle down, she tried calling John but there was no answer on his mobile. Damn kid, he turned it off. She knows he has it with him as it wasn't in the charger nor anywhere in his room.
John's run off with Cameron. Have they run away? No, no, that's just the panic talking. They must be going to get Riley from school, but why leave so early and not tell her? Cameron must have told John she was drinking. He knows her moods just as well as she knows when he's lying. Damn. Why did she have to drink the tequila? It isn't like she drank that often. Not since that day she almost killed Miles Dyson after drinking. Why is John doing this? Why now? Why with Cameron?
If she's sick, if she's going to die in a few years time, is this why Cameron is here? Is there more to what Cameron said? Sarah doesn't know, but if John loses his trust in machines now, would this change the future as badly as Cameron indicated. It's possible. She knows John. John is very emotional at this stage. He's a teenager, mood swings are normal, but if Cameron killed Riley or if Jesse made John believe Cameron killed Riley. No, that mustn't happen. Kyle and John are right. She is afraid of losing John. Whatever life he has in the future, its because of what Sky Net and its evil machines have forced him to live. She will let them be friends, but she will not accept them having sex. Not while she is alive, and not under her roof.
But Derek knows Jesse. Is he in on her plan? Has he been secretly working against John? He hasn't been around much lately, not since they moved to the new house. And there was that strange phone call he got when they were coming back from staking out Bennet's home.
She's got some questions for Derek, and he's damn well going to answer them.
She than spent the next couple of hours leaving increasingly panicking, angry messages on Derek's voice mail on his mobile about John and Cameron running off.
Sarah knows Derek. Whatever secrets he may carry, he will come when he hears her messages. She hasn't got much time to get prepared. He will find a way to get here quickly. Derek is resourceful.
Sarah's been waiting in position for what feels like hours before she hears a vehicle stop outside on the street. She hears a car door slam and the faint sounds of gravel crunching as someone comes up the drive.
She left the back door open, obvious entry point that Derek would avoid. A moment later she hears someone at the front door. You can always rely on his experience in the resistance.
She waits poised, ready to strike. Sarah drew the drapes closed on the western windows to keep the sunlight out. She is relying on positively identifying Derek by his silhouette against the open door.
As he enters, he looks about carefully. It is Derek, she waits until he gets further inside. Damn! He's going for his weapon. Strike now!
Derek reaches behind his back to pull his gun out from his waistband, when suddenly a dark shape flies out of the shadows and the next thing Derek sees is stars. He lays on the floor unconscious.
Sarah grabs the roll of duct tape from the entry table drawer and begins wrapping his ankles and wrists. Once she is finished, she drags him down the stairs to the basement.
**
The Dodge Ram speeds quickly down some side streets until they put some distance between themselves and the ice cream parlor.
"It's quite exciting being a part of your adventures." Riley says almost breathlessly.
"Exciting! My adventures, as you call them, get people killed." John growls at her.
John takes some more side streets and then pulls over to the side of the road in a residential area. A few kids are about and bicycles and toys litter yards.
"You see that house over there?" John says pointing across the street.
"Yes. What about it?" Riley asks with a look of confusion.
"That's where I lived for almost a year . . . with my foster parents, Todd and Janelle.."
"You were in foster care, too?"
"Yeah I was." John says. "They were killed by a T-1000 terminator sent to assassinate me. That is what happens to people who know me!"
"Oh." Riley replies and Cameron looks at him sadly. Cameron thinks of what John has said and what he showed them. This is a piece of his past. A part of who he is, of what makes him John Connor. He was once in foster care just like Riley. Is that what drew him to her initially, the similar history. They are more alike than maybe John realizes. Both victims of Sky Net, both having to live a lie to protect who they are, but for different reasons.
John is still talking. "They died because of me. They didn't even know who I am going to be, yet they were victims of that war. You may think this is exciting, but this is a war Riley, with real casualties."
John pulls away from the curb and drives to Riley's home.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to say it wasn't. I saw the future war John. I was a tunnel rat all of my life. I saw the casualties. I smelled the filth of unclean people, burning and rotting corpses. I ran from the machines. All I've known is fear. I was just trying to say I like being a part of your adventures now, and not just some unknown girl in the future that no one ever gave a damn about. "
"Just be careful of what you want. A life knowing me gets people killed. Do you have any questions?"
Cameron knows how many people have died for John in the future. They put their lives on the line on his orders, but that isn't the true cause of their deaths, or for those who have died, now, in the past. The true killer is Sky Net, and John cannot take the blame for that. He will learn that in time.
"I have a question." Cameron says from the backseat.
John looks at her curiously in the rear view mirror. "What?"
"What is third base? And what must you do to get to home base?"
Despite himself, John has to laugh. Whether on purpose or not, Cameron found the perfect way to break the tension, but he wasn't going to have that discussion now. "Maybe later Cam. We need to get Riley home, then get home ourselves, before mom has a fit."
**
"Dammit! Sarah! I don't know!" Sarah strikes him.
"Don't lie to me, you bastard. The diamond merchant mentioned her name! You've been missing for long periods of time. Collaborating with her!" She hits him. "Betraying me." Hits him again. "Betraying John!" She punches him squarely in the jaw.
Derek spits out some blood. "Dammit Sarah, let me speak. I don't know where she is. I'd tell you if I knew."
"Cameron said that John had Jesse court martialled for disobeying orders, for sinking your damn sub. She's here now seeking revenge, endangering John, endangering the future. You know her! You know her! You are endangering my son. My son!" She goes to strike him again, when Derek suddenly swings his legs about and knocks her down .
Sarah twists around in her fall and lands partly on top of him. Derek can feel the heat just radiating off her body.
"Dammit Sarah, you're burning up. Just untie me and let me explain."
"This isn't the way to go about it Sarah." comes another voice in the room.
Sarah looks up and sees Kyle sitting on the clothes washer. "Reese?"
Derek looks at Sarah who isn't looking at him. Following her gaze, she appears to be looking at something by washer and dryer.
"I know Derek can be stubborn and not easy to get along with, but he wouldn't actively betray the resistance, you, or John."
Kyle disappears at the sound of the doorbell upstairs.
"Reese." She calls out plaintively.
Sarah struggles to her feet. "We're not through talking yet."
As Sarah disappears up the stairs, Derek begins struggling to release his bonds.
Sarah goes up the stairs and walks across the floor and looks through the peep hole. Kacy!
Sarah runs her hands through her hair quickly and opens the door.
"Hi Kacy. What can I do for you?"
Kacy's friendly greeting dies on her lips as she sees Sarah in front of her. "Ooh, you look kind of rough. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. I've just been working out in the basement."
"Oh okay. Um, I don't know how to say this, but I saw something when Trevor took me to see my Ob-gyn."
"Are you okay? Is it the baby?"
"No. I almost wish it were." Kacy looks confused.
"Would you like to come in? I've got some iced tea in the fridge."
"No. I'll just say it." Kacy leans in closer. "I saw John and Cameron earlier when I was out. They were kissing, and it wasn't the kind of kiss between a brother and sister. I know this is California and some strange things take place . . ."
Sarah sighs, at least John is okay, but damn his carelessness.
"Kacy, it isn't what you think. Maybe you ought to come inside so we can talk."
A few minutes later and Kacy is at the kitchen table with a glass of ice tea. Sarah is carefully sipping a glass as well.
"I told you about John's father dying before he was born. Well, he wasn't Cameron's father."
"So they are step-siblings." Kacy asks, with a look of a disgust.
"No. They're not even related. I married Cameron's father when we moved to Kansas. Despite John and I taking their last name, and them being legally brother and sister since the adoption, they fell in love. They knew it wasn't acceptable and haven't done anything about it. Before we moved out here to California, Cameron's father died in a tornado. That brought them closer for a time, but John has been doing his best to avoid any other kind of relationship with Cameron until this weekend."
"Oh. But why this weekend? What happened?"
"John broke up with Riley. Apparently Riley hadn't been truthful about many things and John didn't want a relationship with her based on a lie. They are going to try and remain friends, but the separation was hard. Which is why you probably saw John and Cameron kissing, he finally gave into those buried emotions."
Kacy sits back in her chair just taking it all in. "Oh wow. I'm so sorry then for what I said when you moved in. The look you gave me when I suggested that Cameron once was once inside of you. It makes sense now. I wished you had told me this sooner."
"Well it's not easy talking about family stuff to someone who was a stranger at the time. Besides, it's old stuff with us and we thought it was behind us until yesterday. So is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Wow. Your lives are like straight from television. This is just like story I saw on one of those Mexican soaps last week. Do you ever watch those?"
Sarah grins and shakes her head no.
They walk towards the front door.
"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about this. I want to have a few words with them when they get home."
"I hope I didn't spook John when I warned him about getting Riley pregnant when I checked on John and Cameron for you."
"I'm sure you didn't. I know that if John's relationship progressed as far as him having sex he would use protection. He's never been irresponsible." I hope he did anyway, she thinks.
Kacy is heading down the steps when she says, "Riley's foster aunt seemed very concerned about her. In fact, she asked me to speak with John."
"What kind of a woman is she, her foster aunt?" Sarah asks placing her hands on her hips.
"Tough, a little scary. About Cameron's height but with dark hair like yours, only longer. She has Asian features, speaks with an accent, and has a deep tan."
"Thank you Kacy. Please don't mention anything about John and Cameron to anyone."
"Oh no. I won't" Kacy says as she walks up the drive. "I know how to keep my mouth shut."
**
The Dodge Ram sits by the side of the street four blocks back from Riley's home. John and Riley sit in the front seat watching the activity around her home.
The bright flashing lights of police cars and fire and rescue vehicle and the smell of smoke fills the air. They get a bit of a shock when a hearse like vehicle drives past them with the coroner name and logo on the door for L. A. County goes past.
Riley is crying, more from shock and fear than anything else. Reluctantly, John takes her hand to try and comfort her some. A few moments later and Cameron suddenly gets in the truck. She approached from the rear and John and Riley never saw her approaching.
John is surprised when she gets in, carrying a damp green duffel bag. "So what happened? What's wrong?"
Riley is looking at Cameron her eyes bright with tears, "Tell me, please." she begs.
Cameron looks at John then at Riley. She says in a monotone, "Your foster family is dead."
Riley bursts into tears and buries her face in John's chest, much to his surprise. He shrugs his shoulders at Cameron and tries to show Riley some compassion, without showing too much, and pats her back gently and soothingly, trying to calm the woman.
"What did you find out?" He asks Cameron.
"Her foster parents were shot. The police think sometime this morning, before they left for work. The other kids were killed when they got home from school. The fire began only a short time ago. The police think it was to try and hide the murders."
"But why would someone do this?"
"I can only think of one possibility, Sky Net somehow found out about your relationship with Riley. They tracked her down and were going to lay in ambush to kill you. Maybe use Riley here as bait if you didn't show up."
"That doesn't sound like the behavior of a machine. They wouldn't try and cover their tracks, not any I've known before. It would distract them from their main objective."
"You're right, no machine from Sky Net would. I think Sky Net has human agents working for it."
"You mean the Greys that Derek mentioned?"
Cameron nods her head, "I overheard a witness saying she saw a plain utility van parked in the driveway all day."
"Like the one we encountered earlier?"
"Possibly."
Cameron notes Riley's sobbing. She's taken the deaths of her foster family hard. Riley must of liked them more than she let on.
John strokes the back of Riley's head, trying to sooth her. "Riley's in danger, and it's all because of me."
"No John." Cameron interjects. "You are not responsible for Riley being here, Jesse is. You are not responsible for anyone's deaths, Sky Net is. Don't ever forget that!"
"I know, but if your theory is right . . . we need to bring Riley home with us. We don't have a choice."
"I thought you would say that." Cameron says quietly. "That's why I grabbed her bag from inside the house."
John smiles at her. "You clever girl. I hope you didn't kill anyone to get it."
She smiles back at him. "No, but the police officer is going to wake up with a headache."
John gently pushes Riley back in her seat where she just sits staring out the doors window. He starts the truck and turns down some side roads to go back home. What the hell is he going to tell mom when he gets home? Hey mom, my sexy blond ex-girlfriend is going to be living with us now. And oh!, by the way I'm having sex with a hot cyborg now! No, not the best thing to say to mom when he gets home.
Cameron is worried. If Riley's foster family was killed by Sky Net then this is something more she has in common with John. Riley is still a threat, to John, to them. Her left hand begins to twitch again. She watches and analyzes it. Once again, the analysis doesn't reveal any cause. She buries her hand in a gap between the seats and can feel and hear the fabric tearing from her fingernails. Derek won't be happy about that, but then so little seems to make him happy anyway.
**
As soon as Sarah disappeared, Derek dragged himself over to a corner of a wall and began rubbing the tape, tying his wrists together, on the corner. He could hear muffled voices and the sound of footsteps. Whoever came by didn't stay long. He hopes he finishes cutting himself free before Sarah returns.
He is still working at his bonds, when he hears a loud thud from above.
**
Sarah closes the front door. Feeling slightly uneasy, she decides to lay down on the sofa until she feels better. Derek can wait in the basement for the time being.
Halfway to the sofa she begins to feel lightheaded. Sarah struggles, fighting against the waves of dizziness and nausea, to get to the sofa.
She tries to lay on it and misses, landing on the floor hard.
Sarah fights to remain focused but her vision blurs then returns as she sees the feet of someone in combat boots exit the kitchen and walk towards her.
The person kneels down beside her and she feels a cool hand caress her face then take her hand.
"Hold on. Keep fighting Sarah. It isn't time for you to leave yet. John will be here soon. I won't leave you until he gets home." Kyle's voice says.
Has it been minutes or has it been hours until she hears the sound of footsteps coming up the basement stairs. Then silence. Minutes or hours later she hears more voices, confusion, the sensation of being carried. But through it all she hears Kyle's voice and feels his hand clutching hers.
END OF CHAPTER
A/N - First let me say, that the nightmare sequence for Derek, does not imply that that is what I think occurred in the unseen torture sequence in the basement from Season 1. It's just a nightmare based on those events.
Second, I've been working on this chapter since posting the previous one. I had some new ideas and some previously discarded ideas, and I couldn't get them out of my head. So I wrote up this chapter, then rearranged it, rewrote it, rearranged it again, wrote new stuff, removed stuff, rearranged it again, then wrote some new stuff, and wrote a whole new ending to the chapter. I can't wait to use the stuff I didn't use.
I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.
The1Russter 01-25-2010