Title: Snapshots

Summary: Snapshots of the relationship between Cameron and Sarah, leading up and beyond "Her Choice".

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Part 5 - 120 Seconds

Time seemed to slow down as Sarah watched Derek and John carry Cameron's body over to the bed. She didn't even notice when both John and Derek left, the older man complaining about the terminator; all of her senses were focused towards the body on the bed.

The once flawless skin was marked up by multiple wounds: some gun shot, some from the blast Cameron didn't avoid. Cameron's eyes, once brown eyes full of life, were now dull.

It had been more than 120 seconds.

The thought that Cameron would wake with a damaged chip and terminate anyone of them floated through her mind, but she immediately pushed that thought away; the terminator had promised Sarah she had done everything to prevent that from happening again. And Sarah believed her.

"Mom? Do you want me to patch her up?"

Sarah looked at John - standing in the doorway, nervously holding a first aid kit - then back to Cameron. "No, I'll do it."

John went over to the bed and set the kit down, before turning and enveloping his mother into a hug. "She'll be alright."

"I hope so," she choked out, squeezing him back. John stepped back, giving her a weak smile, before leaving the room.

When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she focused completely back on Cameron. She bypassed the first aid kit for now; she couldn't repair the wounds with clothes in the way - what was left of them anyway.

The tank top was a lot easier to remove then the jeans; but, when Cameron was completely undressed, Sarah could finally see the extent of the damage. Forty percent of the skin from Cameron's left side was gone, most of on her side, arm, and back. The rest of Cameron's skin was riddled with random missing pieces, bullet holes, and bruises.

Once again bypassing the kit, she went into the bathroom and grabbed a small towel and bowel - which she had started keeping in there when the number of injuries increased. As gently as she could, she began to clean off the blood from Cameron's body as best as she could.

"Why did you do this?" She whispered. "Why didn't you stick to the plan?" Cameron didn't answer. It took her a good amount of time to clean the wounds and take out the many bullets, but she tried to be as gentle as she could. As she started dressing the wounds, she found herself hesitating when her hand touched the terminator endoskeleton.

"I should be flinching," she said as she ran a finger over the metal. "You are a robot." She chucked; she could hear Cameron in her head automatically correcting her. "Sorry, cybernetic organism." She resumed bandaging. "I shouldn't have said what I said the other day. I was angry, and confused. But now," she paused, setting a hand on Cameron's now covered chest. "Now I'm afraid I'm going to lose you."

It had been a simple mission: enter the guys house, gather as much info as possible, then leave. They had gotten in easy enough, but it was on their way out did they have a problem. Unknownst to them, Skynet had sent back another terminator to try and kill John.

Cameron was supposed to distract the terminator long enough for John to escape, Cameron was supposed to wait for further assistance. Sarah had gotten John to the stolen truck that was parked two blocks away when they felt, and heard, the explosion. Forcing John to go home, she had ran back to the house.

When she reached the house, it was completely engulfed in flames. Only one thought had flashed through her mind, and it was not the unknown terminator. She had no clue if Cameron had survived the blast. Her answer came when she found Cameron's body amongst the debris that littered the road; eyes open but lifeless.

And then they were back to here.

Sighing in frustration, she ran a hand through her hair - still covered in dirt from the earlier fight - and rummaged through her drawers for something Cameron could wear. Grabbing a random tank top and sweats, she turned back to Cameron.

The terminator was still lifeless, and Sarah grit her teeth at the helplessness that flowed through her. Dressing the terminator was harder than it looked, as the girl was heavier, but she managed to get Cameron dressed. She sighed and sat on the bed beside Cameron, her body half leaning against the pillows. Leaning her head against her hand, she closed her eyes, trying to get the images out of her head.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a different position and it was dark; someone had moved her and turned out the lights, but the sun was staring to come over the horizon. Sitting up quickly, her hand automatically grabbing for a gun, she looked around her surroundings. She was still in her bedroom, and Cameron's body was still in the same position. Looking closer, she found the eyelids closed, and Sarah was surprised to see the terminators chest moving up and down with each breath.

"Cameron?" She whispered, secretly hoping she wasn't dreaming.

Cameron's eyes opened and she turned her head to face Sarah; her eyes flashing blue before returning to their usual brown. She gave Sarah a small, hesitant smile. "Hey."

Sarah gave a watery smile in return. "You're awake. Are you okay?"

Cameron sat up slowly, as if gauging how much movement her body could take. "I am functioning normally."

Sarah winced, hearing the cold, robot voice she hadn't heard Cameron use in so long. "Why were you out for so long?"

"I…" Cameron hesitated. "I do not know."

"You don't know?"

"No, but I am functioning within normal parameters. There is no need to worry." Cameron moved to get out of bed, but Sarah forced her back down.

"Damn it Cameron! I'm worried about you!" Cameron's eyes widened, and if the situation was different, Sarah would have laughed. Instead, she slipped out of bed and moved so she was crouched in front of Cameron. "I waited 120 seconds. I waited 120 second for you to wake up, and you didn't. And the fear that went through my mind wasn't if you were going to kill one of us, it was that you were never going to wake up."

Cameron tilted her head to the side, her eyes swimming with confusion. "You…wanted me to wake up?"

"Yeah," Sarah managed out, biting her lip to keep the tears at bay.

"I thought I was just a robot."

Sarah shook her head venomously at that. "No, I should have realized it earlier." She raised her hand, as if to cup Cameron's face, but at the last moment she put her hand back down. "I'm sorry for treating you that way. You are more than a robot, you are…Cameron."

It was Cameron who initiated the contact; cupping Sarah's face, using her thumb to gently caress the woman's cheek, her eyes showing forgiveness. "And you are Sarah."

The sob that she had tried to hold back came out as she collapsed into Cameron. There was a brief moment where Cameron stiffened, but she relaxed and moved so Sarah could comfortably lay in her arms.

"Why didn't you stick with the plan?"

"The terminator was after you, Sarah, and I could not let that happen."

Sarah snorted. "Because I'm John's mother."

"No!" Cameron pulled away enough so she could look the older women in the eye. "Yes, John is my mission, and in turn that would mean you too, but I do not feel that way," she looked away.

Sarah's breath hitched. "What…what do you feel?" Cameron didn't say anything, refusing to look the older woman in the eye. "Cameron?"

Cameron shook her head, and moved away from Sarah. "I should go."

Before Sarah could stop her, Cameron was out the door. In the distance, she could hear a door open, followed by John's excited exclamation. Cameron had walked out on her, again.