author's note:

Renderer - Derek may be a little more anti-Cameron/pro-Jesse than the show, but you just have to measure that against what happened in the first two stories in this trilogy. He's seen Cameron and John kiss during the play, they've been out of sight in Canada together for a week, and he's just found out some of what took place then. Derek does love John and he wants the best for his nephew, and he believes Cameron is corrupting him. So, that was just my thoughts when writing him this way.

cptlatnok - Don't worry, this is a Jameron story. No Jiley will be happening. :)

LadyKryptonite294 - I'm glad you see both sides of the argument. I'm hoping everyone will continue to see things from Derek, Sarah, and even Riley's point of view too, not just the whole John and Cameron aspect.

Chapter Four:

So Fair and Foul a Day

John walked into the main hall and stepped up to the registration desk. "John Baum and Cameron Phillips," he announced.

The counselor gave them both a friendly smile. "Welcome to Camp Jabez. I'm sure you both will have a great time here."

Cameron offered him a charming smile. "Yes," she agreed. "We will."

The counselor looked down at his list and handed them both a map, circling two of the cabins. "Okay, John, you're in Cabin B, right over here," he pointed to a place on the map not too far from the main building. "Your counselor will be Derek Baum…oh, your uncle."

John forced a smile. On any other occasion, he wouldn't have minded being in the same cabin as Derek, but with the way things were going between them right now, he wasn't looking forward to it.

"And, Cameron, you are in Cabin D," the counselor showed her Cabin D on the map. It was closer to the main building than John's was, and there was one cabin between them.

"Thanks," John said.

"The opening ceremony will start after breakfast," the counselor explained. "You both are welcome to head to the cafeteria."

John walked away from the counselor, grabbing his suitcase and stuffing the map inside.

Cameron looked utterly dejected. "I'm in a different cabin."

"Well, yeah," John replied. "This is camp. It's just like Canada. They don't put guys and girls in a cabin together."

"How am I supposed to protect you?"

John sighed. He should have known that question would come up. "I'll be fine. Besides, Derek'll be with me."

"Derek doesn't count."

John arched an eyebrow. "Why? You don't think he could protect me?"

"Not like I can."

John smiled slightly. "Well, I can't argue with that." He had to admit, he'd rather have Cameron at his back than Derek. He wasn't sure he could trust Derek anymore. Derek had been doubting him, Derek had been untrusting towards John. Derek didn't believe him.

Just like my mother, John thought bitterly.

********

John entered the cafeteria right behind Cameron, who instantly caught the eye of Jason Reynolds, their fellow classmate and John's roommate in Canada. John groaned. He hadn't even considered the fact that some of his schoolmates would be coming to camp too. Of them all, Jason was one of the worst. Despite Cameron's unnaturally fierce attitude towards him, Jason had taken it as a challenge and had been trying to gain her attention ever since. It was like Morris all over again.

It caused a twinge of irritation in John, though he knew Cameron would never befriend Jason. She wasn't one to make…or keep…friends easily.

"Hey, Cam!" Jason said with a pleasant and slightly hopeful smile. "Wow, what a wonderful surprise!" He gestured to a group of students from school. "Wanna sit at our table?"

Cameron barely acknowledged him. "I'm sitting with John."

Jason seemed undeterred. "Yeah, but you're always with John. Doesn't he ever get on your nerves?"

"No. He doesn't get on my nerves."

John almost didn't notice the blonde haired girl come up quietly behind Jason. His eyes widened with shock.

"Riley?" he demanded, a bit surprised and dismayed. He hadn't seen or spoken to her since Canada. What was she doing here? He felt Cameron stiffen beside him. Jason apparently felt the tension growing and quickly backed off.

"See ya later, Cam," he called, giving her a wink.

Cameron glanced over at John. "Can I shoot him?"

John scowled. "No. You can't shoot anyone."

Riley smiled weakly as she took a tentative step forward to address them. "Hi, John," she began softly. "Listen, I'm sorry for what happened in Canada. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

Hurt me. He scoffed. Riley had unceremoniously dumped him in Canada because she'd found out that Cameron was in love with him. John hadn't understood at the time, so maybe what Riley was saying was true. Maybe she really did feel bad about hurting him.

"You didn't," John said evenly. "Everything worked out fine."

"Not for me…" Riley muttered. John stiffened. If Riley was trying to get back together with him, she was in for a disappointment. He cast a glance at Cameron. Or a broken nose. At best.

"I mean, I'm happy for you and…her…" Riley corrected, seeming to struggle with her words. "But I…just wish we could be friends again. Can we do that?"

John took a deep breath. He hadn't been expecting that. Riley and Cameron hadn't exactly parted on good terms and for the entire Canada field trip, he had been serving as mediator between their petty war. He still wasn't sure if they were past that now.

"I don't know," he mused. "Will you two stop trying to kill each other?"

"Yes," Riley said immediately.

"No," Cameron stated at the same time.

"Cameron," John began.

"Yes," Cameron corrected.

"John, please," Riley begged. Her voice faltered and her eyes shifted to the ground. "I…I just need someone who understands."

John opened his mouth to answer, but Cameron grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him aside, out of Riley's hearing range. "She's lying," she stated bluntly.

John frowned. He hadn't exactly picked up on any sign. It was suspicious at the very least, but maybe Riley really did need a friend. "About what?" he asked Cameron.

Cameron glanced back over at Riley, who shifted nervously under the cyborg's intense glare. Not that John necessarily blamed her. He had not doubt that the Canada trip could have been traumatizing for Riley.

"I don't know," Cameron replied, looking back at John. "Girls are complicated."

"You've said that before," John reminded her.

"I'm saying it again," Cameron said simply. "Something's wrong with her, John. Fair is foul."

He frowned. Was she talking in code now? "What does that mean?"

"It's Shakespeare," she replied. "From Macbeth. 'Fair is foul and foul is fair'. It means nothing is as it seems."

He understood her point. "Meaning Riley, in this case."

Cameron studied the waiting Riley, eyes narrowed. "She's hiding something."

John sighed. Everyone was always hiding something. It could be something harmless. "Am I in danger? Is she going to try to kill me?"

"No," she replied.

He hadn't thought so. "Then I don't think it can hurt to be friends," John said with a shrug. Cameron remained silent and John felt the need to explain his feelings. "Look, she's a foster kid. She doesn't have many friends. She never has. I just…don't like to see anyone lonely."

"Empathy."

"Yeah."

Cameron cocked her head, studying him. "She reminds you of yourself."

John frowned in confusion. "What?"

"She's like you were. You were alone. You didn't have many friends."

"I didn't have any friends before I met you," John replied, giving her a smile. "This won't change anything between us."

Cameron seemed less sure. "Promise?"

"Promise. But you've gotta promise not to hurt her, or anyone else for that matter. No more staring contests, no more flushing hairbrushes down the toilet, no more tripping people into pools. Think of it logically: it would blow our cover."

Cameron nodded, complying. "I promise."

John walked back over to Riley and put on what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Okay, Riley. We can be friends again."

The stress and anxiety seemed to fade from Riley's face almost instantly. "Thanks, John. Cameron."

Cameron remained silent, not acknowledging Riley. John nudged her subtly.

"You're welcome," Cameron added.

********

When John and Cameron arrived at the serving station, John looked surprised to see his mother behind the counter, cooking what appeared to be pancakes. Big surprise there.

The real shocker was why exactly his mother was in the kitchen at all. "Mom?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"

Sarah flipped another pancake. She could only imagine how she looked to her son right now. Disheveled and disdainful.

"There were no more positions for female counselors," she replied, hearing a edge of bitterness in her own voice. "This was the only spot that wasn't filled."

"But you can't cook," Cameron pointed out.

John covered his mouth with his hand to hold in a laugh. Sarah glared at him, not finding it funny at all. Then again, John reacted to almost anything the machine said. John shifted uncomfortably, coughed, and gestured to the meal Sarah was preparing. "You plan on making pancakes for every meal?"

Why not? "Kids love pancakes," Sarah protested.

"They also love variety," John retorted. "Like pizza or chicken. Haven't we already established that you can only eat so many pancakes before getting sick?"

"I'll figure something out," Sarah shot back. Truth be told, she really didn't know how to cook anything else besides pancakes. And it was true, she wouldn't last very long in this position if she couldn't put out some more variety. She hated what she was about to ask, but she needed to be here. She needed to be here for Kyle. She glanced at Cameron. "Maybe Tin Miss can help me out."

"I don't eat," Cameron replied automatically.

"So that means you don't cook either?" Sarah demanded. Surely the tin cans could be of some use.

"I cook pancakes."

Sarah stiffened, hand frozen in the middle of flipping a pancake. "What?"

"I added a teaspoon of vanilla to your recipe," Cameron replied.

Sarah's mind was whirling with deja vu, but she dared to say it, "I don't have a recipe."

"The recipe on the box," Cameron replied coolly.

This could not be happening. Sarah gritted her teeth. Her nightmare could not be coming true. She wouldn't let it.

"Since when do you cook?" Sarah demanded.

"In the future," Cameron replied simply. "For John. He loves pancakes."

John scoffed. "Yeah, well, I'm getting kind of sick of them now."

Sarah was aware of the change in her own expression. A little disgust, a little anger, a little fear… "You cook for John?"

Cameron met her gaze with unflinching, almost cold, eyes. "Yes."

You know those won't be as good as yours…that terrible dream…John and Cameron together…the smile…her dream had predicted exactly what Cameron would say in that situation. Did that mean the rest of her dream had enough basis in reality to come true? Was John destined to fall for Cameron…was Cameron destined to take Sarah's place in his life? Don't forget…you're not her…

John stared at the two of them, momentarily confused and suspicious. "Is there something I should know?"

"No. Nothing," Sarah insisted quickly, too quickly. She had to change the subject. "Have you seen Kyle?"

"No, but we all officially meet today in the main hall. I'll find out then."

"Good luck," Sarah said.

John still seemed confused when he headed off. Cameron held Sarah's gaze for a few seconds longer. Sarah stared into the eyes of the Terminator dedicated to protecting her son. Was it just her or was there a sort of smug arrogance in Cameron's eyes, the edge of a cold smile on her mouth.

You're being replaced, Sarah. I take care of him now. John loves me more than he loves you. I'm taking your place in his life.

She blinked and the look on Cameron's face was gone. Instead, it was an almost cheerful smile.

"Good luck making pancakes," she said, before following after John.

Sarah looked after her, fearfully. Had she imagined it? But whether it had come from Cameron or not, the thoughts, the fears, were true.

She was being replaced by a machine.

***********

John kicked a stone across the gravel road. "This sucks," he mumbled. "It feels like we're just sitting around waiting for the Triple 8 to show up."

"We are just sitting around waiting for the Triple 8 to show up," Cameron replied.

John chuckled. "Thanks. I feel like we should be doing something to stop it."

"We're supposed to be at camp," Cameron reminded him. "Having fun."

John rolled his eyes. "Fun. Right. Kinda hard when you know you've got them on your tail. Sure, we're at camp, but what are we really supposed to be doing while we wait for the Triple 8?"

"What's a Triple 8?"

John froze at the sound of Riley's inquisitive voice. He spun around, eyes wide, to see her walk up, smiling almost cheerfully.

"Hi, John," she greeted. "What's a Triple 8?"

John tried to keep his breathing in check. This was bad, very bad. "A what?"

"Triple 8," Riley repeated. "You just said you were waiting for one."

Think, John! Think! "It's…um, uh…it's a – a battery."

Riley cocked an eyebrow. "A battery?"

But by then, John had scrambled a story together. "Yeah, you know like a Triple A? This is a Triple 8. It's for our truck, a car battery. We ordered one and we're...waiting for it to come so we can fix the truck and go home."

"Why would you want to go home?" Riley asked. "You're at camp."

"Yeah, but we still need a way home at the end of the week," John replied easily. "If it doesn't come, we're stuck here."

A bit of the fake happiness faded from Riley's eyes and he saw only disappointment. Could she tell he was lying? Had she been expecting something exciting?

"Oh. Well, I hope it shows up soon."

John forced himself to keep smiling. I hope the Triple 8 shows up soon. Oh the irony…

**********

She thought she'd had him. She'd thought that maybe he'd finally see fit to explain, to trust her with the knowledge of Skynet, Terminators, and Judgment Day. Maybe it was too soon for that.

She knew exactly what he was really talking about. She could tell she'd shaken him by saying, hope it shows up soon. His smile after that was forced.

Riley turned away from him, her own smile fading as she did. He was a good liar, she'd give him that. They both were – him and Cameron. Riley scoffed. The machine had probably taught him how. Did the metal lie to John? Undoubtedly yes. Did he still trust her? Yes. Stupidly, irrationally yes. It didn't make sense, not at all.

Riley frowned. Keep John away from her. She still wasn't exactly sure how she was going to accomplish that mission. But at least John had accepted her back as his friend, even if their relationship right now was uneasy at the least. Jesse had dropped the hint that someone else was on their side at camp. Someone else was fighting to stop Cameron as well. She didn't know who, but she hoped they could help.

Triple 8 battery. Riley snorted. Clever, John. He'd had too much practice lying; he was good at it.

But so am I.

************

As soon as John entered the main meeting hall, he spotted Jessica Duncan rushing up to him. "John, you're back from Canada!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad I decided not to go. I heard all about the shooting on the bus. That poor driver…you must have been terrified!"

John nodded, briefly remembering the incident. He had been pretty scared, but not from the Triple 8. At least not entirely. He'd been afraid that he'd lose Cameron. Lose her without ever letting him know he loved her. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the awful memory. "Yeah, it was pretty terrifying."

"Did it have anything to do with that guy who was looking for you at school?" Jessica asked.

John's head snapped up, all memories vanishing. Beside him, Cameron turned her intense, questioning gaze on Jessica. "Guy? What guy?" John asked.

Jessica seemed confused with his reaction, but shrugged. "I don't know. Some guy came into the school asking for you. It was right after you'd left on the bus."

John was sure he looked positively shell shocked. Someone was looking for me... "What did he look like?"

Jessica scrunched up her face, as if trying to remember. "He was tall, kind of creepy actually. He just kept walking from person to person asking for John Baum. And he looked familiar, like I'd seen him somewhere but don't actually know him."

John's mind froze. Who else could it be? Who else had been on TV, a semi-famous face? Who had come to his house searching? It made perfect sense that he would turn to schools next. How had he found them in Canada?

"Did you tell him anything?" he demanded.

"I said you were on the bus to Canada and that he'd just missed you," Jessica replied. John suppressed a groan. "He just said thank you and walked away."

"Thanks for the warning," John said hastily. He grabbed Cameron's arm and yanked her aside, leaving Jessica puzzled.

"Cromartie," he stated.

"That would explain the Triple 8 attack," Cameron agreed. "It only found us because Cromartie knew where we were going. We could still move to Canada."

John was only half-listening. "I've gotta tell Mom."