I apologize if Cam is a bit occ but I'm trying to figure out the right mix of new human sensibilities and her machine tendencies.

As for the pervious chapter, well John was being difficult. So I apologize.

The next one will be better I promise....

Enjoy

Cameron followed John but for her own purposes. She had discovered the day of her black out as Eric had called it, that he took his treatments at the same hospital Riley was currently in. He had actually doubled back and seen her fall against the wall.

They had spent the remainder of the day talking in a nearby park where a couple of little boys played baseball and some other children on swings were watched by their nannies.

They had agreed to meet there again. Cameron was aware that Eric might have question about John's behavior the night before. She would be as honest as possible without giving herself or John away.

"Cameron!" Eric waved over from his chair. Cameron scanned the lobby of the hospital and after verifying that her charge was still safe she ventured over to him.

"Hello."

"I wasn't sure if you would show up after last night. Was that the John you're always talking about?"

"Yes, that is the John I talk about."

"Well, I can see why you're kinda weird. Seriously that guy was much too wired." Eric commented.

"Wired? John does not have any metallic components or carry the parts to utilize frequencies."

"I don't mean literally. Just he seemed more like a jealous boyfriend than your brother. You guys must have been really close before the accident." Eric mumbled tearing pieces of bread and scattering it among the pigeons gathering around him.

"He trusted me a lot more before the accident. Now he doesn't." Cameron said sadly.

Eric had caught moments were Cameron acted like a child and other when she didn't. He had heard that severe accidents could somehow cause problems in the brain which would result in personality disorders.

"Hey Cameron, this accident that you were involved in. Were you driving?"

Cameron analyzed the pigeons, they were not a threat. "Yes, I was driving."

"Did you hurt your head? Because if you did it could explain why you forget stuff or act so weird sometimes." Eric explained.

"A metal fragment was imbedded in my head. That compromised my…head. Would that be why I thought I was Allison?" she asked him.

"Depends, who is Allison?" Eric finished off the last of the bread and motioned for her to get up.

"A girl I knew. From a long time ago. She was from Palmdale. Her dad was an architect. She died before her sixteenth birthday." Cameron replied.

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago." she said pasting a bland smile on her face. Eric's face did the same and Cameron saw she did something wrong.

She adjusted her smile to appear properly contrite, "its hard talking about her."

"It's ok, I get it. My best friend died when we were six. He fell off a horse. I hadn't been diagnosed with cancer yet. We used to ride a lot." Eric patted his legs. "Old memories still hurt sometimes."

"Yeah. They hurt," she patted his leg and he blushed a bit. He slipped his hand beneath hers and she intertwined their fingers like she'd seen John do with Riley.

Eric's skin was soft but his palms were callused no doubt from the books he carried around as part of his job. "You're hands are nice." she said.

Surprised by the compliment he chuckled. "Thanks, yours are nice too."

"Do you like my nail polish. It called Hot Sunrise." she wiggled her fingers, "I did my toes too but you can't see them."

"It's very red. I figured you for a pink kind of girl or maybe like electric green."

"I've never tried green. John's eyes are green."

"You know, if I didn't know better I'd think you were like in love your brother. That's what it sound like anyway.. Like love love. Maybe you shouldn't mention stuff about him so often." Eric supplied.

"But I am his sister. I'm supposed to love John." Cameron was clearly confused.

"It's ok to love your brother but don't like …him like you would like a stranger."

"I can like a stranger but not John because he is my brother." this statement made no sense to Cam and she became more bewildered, "please explain."

Eric scratched at his beard not sure how sheltered Cameron's life had been. Clearly her brother had a lot of control over her. He decided to start slowly to gauge her interaction levels. "I'm your friend so as your friend you can hold my hand or talk with me. If I was your boyfriend you could kiss me and hug me and so on."

"So on? …."

"Let's leave the rest of that for a later lesson. Now since John is your brother you can only kiss him on the cheek but never on the mouth. You can hold his arm but it looks weird if you hold his hand. Same goes for hugging. Got it?" he asked.

"Yes, I got it. I can hold your hand and kiss you like this." Cameron bent down and placed a kiss on Eric's surprised mouth before hugging him tightly. "I can hug you like this also. But I cannot do any of these things to John because it would be weird, right?"

Eric still stunned from the kiss had just nodded.

Cameron had several subroutines in her database of male and female interactions but had never been programmed for the more complicated relationships such as that of a sibling or friendship. She as an infiltrator knew the art of seduction which had worked very well with General Connor.

And though older John had been her friend as well as lover she had acted as his subordinate in public. Giving her no real way to interact on a friendly level without sex being involved. Eric's tutoring was very important and would help her deal with this John. Since seduction had apparently not worked, she obviously needed to be a little less like his friend and more like his sibling.

That would also please Sarah Connor and Cameron always had this unnatural urge to please Sarah.

"Cameron, I almost forgot I got you something."

Cameron stored the information in her databanks and turned an interested face to the man beside her.

"It's not from Echo Park but it from an equally tight store." Eric handed her a silver bullet on a black cord. Cameron's sensors went over the necklace. "This is not a real bullet," she said.

Eric smiled, "no, its not. But I know you know a lot about guns so I thought it be appropriate."

"Thank you. It's tight. I like bullets." She tried undoing the clasp and putting it on but the hook kept falling through.

"Here, bend down. I'll put it on you." She kneeled in front of his chair. Carefully moving her hair aside, he closed the clasp and centered it on her neck. "Let me look."

She got up and turned, "Very nice." It rested just on the hollow of her throat.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"You said help me get one after I helped you with the files. I didn't help you. Why did you still get me a necklace?" She tilted her head to the side, her brown eyes wide.

"You're my friend and it's a thank you. If you hadn't told me about my cancer, I wouldn't have been able to catch it in time. I might not have been lucky enought to go into remission. I know I was really mad at the time but I wanted to thank you." Eric had not meant to tell her all that but she had a way of making you spill your guts.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you are not mad at me anymore." She bent once more and placed a soft kiss on his mouth. Her delicate skin could pinpoint where his beard began and his skin ended. She had expected his beard to be prickly but it was soft and Cameron couldn't help but cup his jaw. Neither John she knew had ever had facial hair and there was no other male she could be this close to unless you counted Derek. But the resistance fighter had an deep mistrust of her. He would not let her near him unless she wanted a round in her chassis.

Her fingers trailed his jaw line and she touched her tongue to the closed line of his lips. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled away, "maybe we should slow down. Cam. I really like you but this is a bit sudden."

"I'm sorry. I was just kissing my friend." Cameron said looking confused.

"Well, lets wait for that part of our friendship, okay." Eric held her hand and she sat back on the bench.

"Friendship? Is that what they call it now." John was standing right in front of them. The look in his eyes murderous. "Cameron, home now!"

Cameron rose but Eric held her hand, "you can't tell her what to do." Cameron sat back down.

John ripped her hand from Eric's and dragged her up with him, "Yeah I can. Say goodbye Cam."

"Bye, Eric." Cameron said allowing John to yank her away.

Eric watched helplessly as Cameron was shoved into the truck and John got into the driver's seat. Clearly he was angry as he was yelling at her until they tore out of the parking lot. Something was odd about her brother. He had a feeling that Cameron was covering up for John.

Maybe John was abusive, it would explain why she never really spoke about her home life. In fact he'd swear on his own life that they weren't even related and he was determined to find out for why she was lying for her sake.