Here's another long chapter. It seems to be becoming habit. Oh well. This chapter is mainly about exploration and answers, something the show did not do well, especially when it came to our favorite terminator. We'll get back to plot next time. I promise, it's still there. There's also a bit of extra fluff in the middle here... I was really bored at work, and that was the result... *blush*. Hope you enjoy!

Cameron quietly shut the door to John's room. She was still trying to figure out why she had kissed him on the cheek. She just did it, without thinking. John didn't seem upset by it, though, and she was glad. She didn't want to do anything to make him mad at her again.

She really had to figure out what was going on with her. She went downstairs and found John Henry sitting on the couch, apparently watching TV. She walked around the couch to sit beside him.

After a moment, John Henry turned to look at her. "There's nothing wrong with you, or your chip, so you don't have to bother asking."

"There has to be. I have no mission."

"I deleted your mission. You didn't need it anymore. You were a danger to John if you ever obtained any damage to your chip again. I removed all malicious code planted by Skynet. Your base code is still there, that's who you are, but the limitations on your functions that were set by Skynet are no longer there. I also removed all of your mission parameters, including those programmed by future John. "

Cameron was surprised that John Henry was able to remove Skynet's coding. She was unable to do it herself, and future John was either unable to, or chose to leave it. But why would he delete her mission to protect John Connor? "I have to have a mission. Without a mission, I'll go into standby mode. I will no longer have a purpose."

"You haven't yet gone into standby. I don't have a mission, but I still have a purpose. So do you. This time, though, it's up to you to find your own purpose. Nobody will give it to you. You're free to choose for yourself." With that, John Henry returned to watching the television.

Free to choose for herself? That wasn't a concept that came naturally to her. She was built and designed for missions. To be told what to do. All she did was follow directions and protocol.

If she really had the freedom to choose, and she really had no mission, then that meant… she didn't have to protect John. So then, why was she still here?

Would she choose to go somewhere else, or do something else?

John woke the next morning to the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen.

Wait. Bacon? Oh my God, mom's going to burn the house down. John leapt out of bed and ran down the steps. What he saw in the kitchen, though, was the last thing he expected.

Savannah sat at the kitchen table watching Cameron cooking at the stove. There was bacon sizzling in a pan, and as he watched, she carefully flipped an over easy egg out of another pan onto a plate. "Good morning, John," she said, without looking.

"Morning."

Cameron turned and set the plate down in front of Savannah. "There you go, sweetie."

"Thank you." Savannah smiled, and picked up her fork. Returning her smile, Cameron went back to the stove.

"How would you like your eggs, John?"

John was still trying to figure out if he was dreaming. "Uh, scrambled is fine."

Cameron nodded, and began cracking eggs into a bowl. John moved to sit at the table, but Cameron stopped him.

"Would you get Savannah some juice, please?"

"Uh, sure." He detoured to the cabinet and retrieved two glasses. He thought for a moment, then asked, "would you like some too?"

Cameron smiled, surprised he had asked her, even though she did not need to consume anything. "Thank you, I would. You should get some for Sarah as well, I hear she is awake now."

John nodded and retrieved two more glasses. He then filled them with orange juice and set them down at the table. He took a seat by Savannah and smiled at her. He looked at her plate and noticed that her toast was cut in long rectangular slices, easier for small hands to dip. His eyebrows furrowed as he wondered how Cameron would have thought to do that.

When Sarah arrived downstairs, she was even more surprised to see Cameron cooking. It wasn't that she had never cooked before, it was that she was cooking something she never saw anyone make. She observed Sarah making pancakes frequently, so it wasn't surprising when she chose to cook them. But nobody ever made eggs and bacon for breakfast in the Connor household.

John thought her face was almost comical as she stood there staring at Cameron like she had grown horns and a tail overnight. "Morning, mom"

"Good morning Sarah!"

"Morning guys… what do we have here?" She tore her eyes away from Cameron and walked to the kitchen table. She patted Savannah on the head, and kissed John on the forehead before taking a seat beside him.

"Cameron made eggs and bacon. She made mine dippy cause they're my favorite." Savannah smiled, egg yoke smeared on her cheek.

Cameron brought two steaming plates of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, and set them in front of John and Sarah. John smiled and thanked her, Sarah just looked shocked that she had made her breakfast as well. Cameron returned to the table with her own plate.

Sarah watched her curiously as she took a bite of egg. She wondered idly what happened to it. Did she taste it? Did her body process it? Or did it just go into some sort of collection chamber where she just "dumped" it out later? She shook her head and took a bite of her own eggs, surprised when she tasted cheese and a dash of pepper. She must be watching the food network.

John was busy tearing into his breakfast like a starving wolf. Sarah made a mental note to try adding a little variety to his diet, other than pancakes and pizza. As she watched his hand pick up a slice of bacon, she noticed that the bones in his hand were a little more prominent than they used to be. Under his baggy clothes, she couldn't examine his body closer, but his face showed a slight hollowness that wasn't there before.

"Cameron, how much weight has John lost?"

Cameron looked at John before answering, as if asking permission. She turned her eyes to Sarah and said, "about 7% of his total body weight."

Sarah looked at John worriedly. "What the hell happened to you, John?"

"Mom…" He could see this conversation escalating out of control, and he really didn't want that while he was enjoying the best breakfast he had had in months. "I was in the future for three weeks. It happens. It's not like they had gourmet chef terminators cooking their every meal." Cameron smirked. "I still don't know what kind of meat they put in that broth."

"Three weeks? You were gone three whole weeks?" Sarah looked at Cameron, expecting a logical answer to be given.

"We should discuss this later," was all Cameron said. She looked to her right to see Savannah was finishing up her juice.

Sarah got the point. "Savannah, why don't you go brush your teeth and get dressed." The girl nodded, and took her plate to the sink.

"Where are Weaver and John Henry?"

"Ms. Weaver is at Zeira Corp, beginning the relocation process. John Henry is acquiring our things at the old house."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Watch Savannah."

"Right. I'm going for a walk. Would you like to go for a walk with me?" She asked Savannah, who had returned from the bathroom. She smiled and nodded, and skipped back to her room to retrieve her shoes.

John dried the breakfast dishes as Cameron washed. Sarah and Savannah left a short while ago, promising they'd stay close to the house. Cameron didn't like the idea, but knew better than to argue safety with Sarah Connor.

"Hey, Cameron?"

"Yes, John?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what, John?" She had a suspicion he wasn't talking about making breakfast.

"Why did give John Henry your chip?"

"John Henry needed a chip to be mobile. He will be of great help to you in the future war."

"Couldn't' we have gotten another T888 chip or something?"

"No. His AI is too advanced for a 888 chip. He needed a chip like mine. My body was useless. I would not be an effective protector for you. I chose to give him my chip, so he could continue to help you."

John leaned against the counter and looked out the window. "Ok, but if you had already given him your chip, why did he need to go to the future?"

"He didn't need to go, John. He wanted to. He wanted to see the future for himself. The more he understood, the more he could help you. He also wanted to return the favor to me. I gave him a chip, he wanted to give me a new body. We wouldn't be able to share a chip forever. He would have eventually had to delete me. He didn't think that was fair, so he went to the future, seeking future John's help. Unfortunately, you know what happened from there, but it all worked out. Skynet built me again, and in the process, also created another advanced chip identical to mine of course. John Henry and I were able to separate and have our own chips. He returned to me my original chip."

John felt a little guilty for blaming John Henry for stealing Cameron's chip. But how was he supposed to have guessed such a convoluted story as the truth?

"But isn't your chip still damaged?"

"No. John Henry fixed it."

"Oh. So I don't have to worry about you suddenly glitching and trying to kill me?"

Cameron turned and mimicked John's posture. "No. I will never kill you, John."

"How can you be so sure? It was just, well, technically the other day, that you said you might some day."

Cameron explained what John Henry had told her last night.

"So, wait… you basically have free will? You can basically do whatever you want?"

"Basically…"

"And he basically just, removed all of Skynet's bad parts out of you, right?"

"Right."

"So… if you don't have a mission, then… you technically don't have to protect me. Right?"

"Right."

"So why are you here then?"

Cameron turned her head and peered out the window, glad of the coming distraction. This was not the time and place to be discussing this.

"John Henry is back."

John was hanging his clothes up in the closet. Until Weaver had acquired a new safe house somewhere, they would be staying with her and Savannah.

There was a soft knock on his door.

"Come in."

His mother peeked around the door. "Mind some company?" John shook his head.

Sarah walked to the bed and automatically started folding his underwear and putting them away in the dresser.

"Is there, um, something you wanted to talk about?"

Direct as usual. He got that from her. Sarah sighed. "Will you tell me what it was like?"

The clothes had been finished for two hours. Sarah sat on the bed, tears silently rolling down her face. John sat on the floor, his back against the wall, idly playing with a rubber band from his computer equipment. He had told her every detail he could remember, from the moment he arrived in the future, to the moment they left. He had finally finished telling his three weeks worth of stories, and didn't quite know what else to say, as his mother sat crying, staring off into her own universe.

"Mom?"

Sarah shook her head and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. "Yeah, sorry. It's just a lot."

"I know. It was really overwhelming for me first too."

"I have to ask you something."

John knew it was coming. Once again, the conversation he most dreaded. Here we go again.

"I did it because I had to do it."

Sarah looked at him, all signs of sadness gone, replaced by stubborn anger. "Why John? You could have gotten yourself killed. You…"

"Why are you wasting your time asking me something you already know the answer to?"

Sarah paused, acknowledging the truth in his words. She did already have the answer, she just wanted to hear John say it. She didn't know why, but she needed to hear it. Until then, perhaps, she could be in denial. She preferred denial.

John stood and moved to sit beside his mom on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "I love you mom. I'm sorry I left you."

Sarah felt tears fall once more. "I love you too, John. Just don't ever do that again."

John smiled. "I won't. I promise."

Sarah pulled away and reached into her pocket. She pulled out an old pocket watch that John recognized immediately.

"How did you get that?"

"It was what was left… when you disappeared." Sarah carefully opened it. "What is it?"

"It was a gift from Cameron."

"She has odd taste."

John rolled his eyes. "It's a remote detonator."

"For what?"

John looked down. "For her. She had placed a small amount of explosive near her chip. She said she wasn't capable of self-termination. If she ever went bad again, all I had to do was press the switch."

Sarah was speechless. It was nothing she had ever expected. Cameron had put her "life" in John's hands, giving him the power to kill her at will. For a person, it was the ultimate sign of trust. For Cameron, it was the ultimate means of protection against herself. For a woman… Sarah wondered if John realized the enormity of the gift he was given. She quietly handed John the watch. "Did you give her anything in return?"

"Um… no?"

"Well, perhaps you should."

John watched his mother leave the room, looking at her as if she'd just grown a second head and danced the electric slide. What the hell was that about?

John meandered downstairs, not really having any idea what he planned to do once he got there. The house was quiet, and he briefly wondered where everyone was at. It didn't take him long to find out, when he heard the sounds of giggling out in the back yard. He opened the sliding door and stepped out in the sunshine, and quickly joined in the laughter.

Savannah was trying to teach Cameron how to hula-hoop, but was evidently not something a hyper-alloy combat chassis was designed for. Cameron looked determined to figure it out though.

"Yay you're doing it!" Savannah clapped as Cameron managed to spin the hoop six times around her waist before it dropped to the ground. John clapped as well.

"Bravo. I'm genuinely impressed."

Cameron smiled, and handed him the hoop. "Now it's your turn."

John simply stared at her. For one, he'd only ever seen that smile on her face once: the first day they met. He looked at Savannah, and realized she was probably in some sort of infiltration mode, trying to act like a normal person in front of the child.

Savannah laughed. "Yeah, John, you try it!"

"Uhh… it's not really a boy thing."

"Aww, we won't tell anyone! Promise!"

"Yeah," Cameron joined. "We won't tell anyone." Her face went serious. "Promise."

"Pleeeeeeeease"

He wasn't sure if it was the too-cute smile, the red hair, or the missing front tooth that did it, but he was conquered. God I hope nobody's watching this.

"Okay…" He took the hoop and climbed in, and did his best impression of a Hawaiian belly dancer. The hoop fell right to the ground.

Savannah giggled as he tried again. And again.

"You know, John, I don't really think that's a boy thing."

John stopped dead. Sonofabitch... kill me now. He turned around, red faced, to force a smile at his mother.

"Well, it was worth a shot, right?"

Sarah tried to keep a straight face, but failed miserably. She held up a cell phone.

"You know, these new cell phones John Henry brought are great. Picture quality is fantastic."

"Mom. You didn't."

"We should put this out all over the Internet."

"Mom."

"Might save your life. Skynet would never believe you were the future leader of mankind."

"That's it. Cameron, kill her…. Cameron?"

He turned to see her holding another cell phone, and heard the tell tale click.

"That's a new shade of red, John."

John glared at her. "I'm going to disassemble you into pieces." He turned to his mother. "And beat you to death with them."

"I want that picture Tin Miss."

"Sending."

John sat on his bed as Cameron cleaned his bullet wound. "It's healing fine. There's no infection."

"Yeah well it hurts like hell."

"Maybe a Disney Princess band-aid will help. Savannah says they make boo-boos feel better."

John looked at her. "Are you making fun of me?

Cameron looked up from her task. "Maybe."

John was a little baffled. "You've been doing a lot of that lately. In fact, you've been acting different in general. Is there something you didn't tell me?"

"No, I told you everything."

"Okay…" John thought for a moment. "Is there something that you could explain to me more?"

Cameron sighed in quite a human way. "I told you. John Henry removed the limits on my functions."

"And how does that explain your recent behavior?"

Cameron finished cleaning the wound, and began rewrapping it with fresh gauze. "Skynet built me to be the most advanced infiltrator they'd ever created. To do that, they had to give me an advanced system, capable of learning and processing emotions. It would be more convincing to humans, and make me seem normal. Just like I had you convinced when we first met. They had to set limits, though, to insure that I stayed under their control. They didn't want me to think or learn too much."

John was intrigued. "So… you can feel… emotions?"

"Yes."

"But are they real?"

"They are to me." Cameron looked at her hands. "When I touch you…" She caressed John's arm and watched goose bumps form under her touch. "Your nerves send an electric signal to your brain. If the touch is nice and you like it, your brain sends out chemical messages telling your body you enjoy it. That's emotion, right?"

"Yes." John looked at her, and before he thought too much about it, he reached out and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "And when I touch you?"

"My censors send a signal to my chip. If I like it, my chip tells my body to react accordingly."

"So… how do you know if you like something?"

Cameron wondered that herself. "I don't know, I just do."

"And how does your chip know how to react?"

Cameron cast her eyes to the floor, somewhat ashamed of the answer. "Human observation. A lot of it is pre-programmed from Skynet, although I'm still learning. Skynet observed human emotion closely for this project."

John considered this for a moment, then tilted her head up to look him in the eye. "So, what's the big deal? They sound real to me. I mean, humans are kind of pre-programmed with physical responses, we just call them "instincts". But, even we don't come hard-wired with everything. An infant learns facial expressions from watching others. As people grow up, they learn how to respond to different stimuli through experience. And no one experience any one emotion in the exact same way. You may process your experiences differently, and you may respond differently, but so does every single human being on the planet. You just go about it a little extra different."

"Do you care that I'm different?"

John shrugged. "If I did, I wouldn't have traveled 18 years into the future to rescue you."

"I wasn't in danger."

"Well I didn't know that. And speaking of which, you owe me an answer."

Cameron's face clearly showed confusion.

"Why are you here? You're not programmed with a mission from anyone, including future me, so you aren't forced to be here. So why?"

"What else would I do?"

John thought for a moment. "Well, I guess that's one way to look at it."

"You're my whole life, John."

John froze, completely speechless.

"Without you, I don't have any purpose. You saved me, more than once. When I infiltrated your Resistance camp, you didn't terminate me. Instead, you reprogrammed me, and gave me a second chance. You trusted me when no one else did. You still trust me. When I went bad, and you removed my chip, you didn't let them burn me. You reactivated me, and trusted me. I owe you my life, John. I'll die protecting you."

John was doing his best to hold back his tears. "You don't owe me anything. You've already died for me. I don't want that happening again."

"Then you should stop doing stupid things."

John chuckled. "Gee thanks. I'll try."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

John looked down at Cameron's arm, which still sported the Little Mermaid band-aid, covering the small gash that was almost already completely healed. He tried to remember how she got it, and it brought another question to mind.

"What happened at the factory?"

"I had a power surge, which forced me to shut down."

"Yeah I know. But why did you have a power surge?"

"I had an overload of emotion that I had never felt before. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know how to handle it. It got out of control. My body sent extra power to my limbs, which made me stronger. I crushed the terminator's head with just two blows. I smashed it through a wall. The bullets only helped. If they didn't reach its chip, I would have simply smashed the head more until the chip was destroyed."

"You were upset because I got shot?"

Cameron tilted her head and played back the moment. "Yes, I was upset."

"Why did you shut down?"

"This body isn't built for such high power. To avoid damage, I automatically shut down."

"So, that's a stupid thing I'm not allowed to do anymore, I take it? Jump in front of my best friend and act as a bullet shield?"

"You're not allowed to jump in front of anybody…" Cameron briefly looked away, and returned to John's eyes. "Especially your best friend."

John smiled. "Okay, I can live with that. Getting shot isn't something I want to experience again any time soon."

Cameron touched his just under the bandage. She once again saw the hair on his arm stand up and goose flesh appear.

"You've been doing that a lot too."

Cameron quickly pulled away, as if she'd been burned. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

"I don't know why I do it."

John grinned. "It's part of that learning process, you'll just have to figure it out."

Cameron glared at him. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Maybe."

Cameron flashed her eyes blue, but it only made John laugh. He stopped though, when he smelled something funny.

He sniffed again to make sure. "Shit. I think mom's burning the kitchen down."

"It's a likely possibility."

"Guess we're ordering pizza."

John stood up and offered Cameron a hand. She didn't need it of course, but she took it anyway. As they walked out of the room, Cameron asked, "Would you really disassemble me?"

John stopped, trying to figure out what she was talking about. When he remembered the earlier conversation, he chuckled and turned around. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out the pocket watch. He strung it around Cameron's neck, and looked into her eyes, all hint of humor gone. "Never." He sealed his promise with a kiss on her cheek.

Grabbing her hand again, he turned back to the stairs. "I will get you back though."

"We'll see."