This is for talli b. since I read her work religiously. She asked, I happened to be paying attention, so here it is a little earlier than planned, but that's ok :-)

John froze, recognizing the voice. Cameron apparently did too, as she immediately walked to the next table, where Derek Reese sat, hidden behind the table divider.

"Well don't just stand there, sit down before people start staring," he said gruffly.

Cameron noticed John was still frozen in place, not quite sure what to do. She reached for his hand and gently tugged him towards the other table.

John sat next to Cameron and stared at his uncle.

It was Derek all right. He was a little older than he remembered, though, and his face had a fresh scar across his cheek.

"What are you doing here?" John finally asked.

Derek shrugged. "Helping you, I guess. Helping save humanity. Fight Skynet."

"Are you ready to order?"

John looked up at the waitress who had appeared. He hadn't even looked at the menu. "Um, yeah just get me a Grand Slam and an orange juice."

"How would you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled."

She looked at Cameron. "And you, miss?"

"I'll have the same."

The waitress nodded and looked at Derek. "I'll have the cheeseburger with bacon, and an order of cheese fries."

The waitress nodded and bustled off.

"Who sent you?" Cameron asked.

Derek fiddled with his spoon. "You did."

"She did?" John was surprised.

Derek nodded, and sat up straighter. "Yes, it was her last orders to me, before she… left us."

John felt his stomach drop. "Did I send her back?"

Derek sighed. "No… no that you did years ago. Well, my time that is. Skynet captured Allison on a raid, with 15 other soldiers. They made infiltrators out of all of them. She was good. They made her real convincing. Not as Allison, but as Cameron. Even you were fooled. I still don't know how you figured it out. She had you going for a whole, oh, five minutes. Then we all flipped out when you blew her head off. We thought you'd gone mad. But then, Cameron came around the corner, and we realized…" Derek cleared his throat.

John oddly felt relieved. Having to send Cameron back wasn't something that had actually ever crossed his mind until now. When it did, he suddenly felt panicked, realizing he'd have to send her back to his younger self someday. At least, it wouldn't have to be his Cameron he'd have to send back.

John felt Cameron rest her hand on his thigh, as he'd done to hers in the theater. Reaching under the table, he covered her hand with his and held it.

Derek continued. "You had died, John. The whole resistance was in mourning. Your wife kept us together. She led us forward till the day she died. We followed her as we followed you, and we won. Your daughter was left in charge when I left. People were beginning to rebuild."

John was quiet. It wasn't really easy to hear that he had died. Although everyone dies eventually, it wasn't a comfortable feeling. It was also a little disconcerting to hear details about his personal future. He had a wife, and a daughter? "So what does this have to do with Cameron sending you back?"

"Everything."

John was thoroughly confused. The waitress brought their plates, and gave him and Cameron silverware before retreating to the kitchen again.

Cameron was debating asking Derek to stop. There was a whole level to his story she wasn't sure John was ready to hear. Even more so, he'd find out that she knew, and kept it a secret. Asking Derek to stop, though, was going to be a little too obvious. She was just going to have to deal with everything as it came.

"So, anyway…" Derek said, his mouth full of fries. He swallowed. "She was depressed. She was doing her best, but regardless, you were gone. It was like her whole reason for being just disappeared. She did what she had to do, though. She took charge, and led us to ultimate victory, but not without a price. We were down to one last factory. She'd come to me, a piece of paper in her hand. She told me to come back; the exact time, place, etcetera. She said you needed my help, and I was the only one she trusted to send back. I didn't really mind. I didn't have anyone to stay for. My brother… had disappeared. My girlfriend died in childbirth years before. I didn't have any reason not to go. Besides, she had asked. When a Connor asked you to do something, you did it, and you were damn well honored to do it to."

John, no longer confused, pushed his eggs around his plate. He didn't just have a wife… Cameron was his wife. He stopped. How the hell did he have a daughter? He looked at Cameron, who avoided his gaze.

"You knew?"

"I found out this morning."

"How? And why didn't you tell me?"

John had let go of her hand, so she pulled it back to her own lap. "John Henry found a target list on the triple eight's chip. There was a primary target, Danny Dyson, as well as secondary targets left over from his previous missions in the future. The top two targets were Cameron Connor and Savannah Connor.

John let his fork drop to his plate with a loud clank. That explained the offspring at least. "And you didn't tell me this because…?"

"What was I supposed to say, John? How was I to know that was even our real future anyway? The future changes so much. There was no need to tell you."

John stood up without a word and left the table.

It was 20 minutes before John returned. He didn't say a word, just picked up his fork and started eating. When he did speak, it was to Derek.

"I called my mom. She's expecting you to come with us."

Derek nodded. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go.

Cameron got a box for her food; someone could eat it later. They paid the bill, and left.

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

It was an awkward drive home. John drove, as Cameron sat in the passenger seat. Derek insisted on sitting in the back, but was regretting the decision. He could feel the tension in the front seat, and was beginning to think he probably should have separated them.

When they got home, they found Sarah washing the dishes in the kitchen. She turned around, and immediately knew something had happened. Her son was brooding, and Cameron looked like she was about to cry. There was another matter to deal with, though.

"Derek, this is my mom, Sarah."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He shook her hand politely.

"You too, Derek.

Another awkward moment. Nobody was really quite sure what to say.

"I'll move my things out of John's room. He can share with Derek." Cameron then turned and headed up the stairs.

Sarah glared at John. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"What did I do to her? You have no idea what you're talking about."

"I don't care. Whatever it is, get your ass up there and fix it, cause I'm not sharing a room with moody Tin Miss. She's your problem." Sarah pointed up the stairs.

John turned furiously, and ran up the steps.

Derek just stood, watching the drama unfold. "Some things never change."

Sarah looked at Derek. "What are you talking about?"

"There are days when soldiers avoid the entire corridor their quarters are located on. Today… today is going to be one of those days."

Sarah didn't really know what Derek was talking about, but it didn't matter, as Catherine came up from the basement.

"Hello Mr. Reese."

"Derek, this is Catherine Weaver. Well, Taylor now." Sarah introduced him.

Catherine? Derek shook her hand, and it was cold, proving his suspicion. He knew who this was, although, he'd never seen her appear this way. "You're General Connor's T1001," he stated confidently.

Catherine tilted her head, as she never actually met Derek Reese in her future. The one this Derek came from must be drastically different. "Yes. But please keep that information quiet." She nodded to the couch in the living room, where a small redheaded girl had fallen asleep watching a movie. He knew who that was as well.

Looking back at the T1001, he realized what was going on. "She thinks you're her mother?"

"Yes."

Derek scratched his head. "Well that's just a little convoluted."

"Welcome to the family," Sarah said.

**********

John walked into his room, and saw Cameron pulling her clothes out of the dresser.

"You don't have to do that. Derek can sleep downstairs."

"I don't sleep, it doesn't matter where my clothes are."

John sat on the bed and held his head in his hands. "Cameron…"

"What, John?"

He sighed, and stood up. Pacing, he finally asked, "How could you not tell me something like that? I thought we were past telling lies!"

"What would I have said, John?"

"I don't freaking know! You're an advanced learning machine! You couldn't have come up with something? Like, I don't know, the TRUTH?"

Cameron slammed the last drawer shut so hard John heard the dresser crack. Cameron turned around.

"I did come up with something! I decided it was in your best interest not to tell you at this time!"

"WHY? WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU COULDN'T TELL ME? I'M NOT A CHILD ANYMORE! WHY CAN'T PEOPLE GET THAT THROUGH THEIR HEADS?" John was screaming now, his frustration clear.

"BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH, JOHN. I KNEW IT WAS BEST" Cameron raised her voice as well. She wasn't sure why. She knew logically it would just add fuel to the fire, but for some reason, she couldn't help it. It was the first time she had ever raised her voice in anger.

"OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T KNOW ME WELL ENOUGH!

"FINE! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY? "

"I DON'T KNOW!" John realized that sounded idiotic.

***

"What exactly are they fighting about?" Sarah asked.

"I'm assuming Mr. Connor found out Cameron was going to be Mrs. Connor in the future?" Catherine asked Derek.

"Basically."

"What?!"

****

Cameron stalked out of the room, carrying a handful of clothes. "Cameron, bring those back. You're not really going to share with my mother, are you?"

"I'd rather share with her, than you."

"UGH!!! Cameron this is ridiculous!"

"What's ridiculous, John? No, you're right, it is all ridiculous. It's ridiculous to think that the future leader of mankind would want to marry his girlfriend. She's just a piece of metal, afterall. I don't know why we're even arguing about it."

"What?? That is NOT what I'm mad about! HOW COULD YOU EVEN SUGGEST THAT THAT'S WHAT I'M MAD ABOUT? AFTER EVERYTHING, YOU REALLY THINK I LOOK AT YOU AS JUST A PIECE OF METAL?"

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK, JOHN?"

****

Derek was sitting on the couch, eating the bowl of popcorn that was sitting on the coffee table. Savannah woke up to the shouting, and was sitting in her "mother's" lap, trying to watch the TV. Sarah stood, staring at the ceiling.

"Sarah, relax," Derek said. "It'll all end up happily ever after. This is a mild one… I'm guessing it'll only be about another 10 minutes."

Sarah looked at Derek, still very uncomfortable looking at a man she had recently seen die just a couple weeks ago. "They fight a lot in the future?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Nah, not really. I think sometimes they just do it for the make-up sex."

Sarah felt nauseous.

****

John was leaning over the railing, his hands behind his neck. "I've told you I love you! I risked the entire human race to find you in the future! Every damn day I wake up and wonder how the hell I got so damn LUCKY! What are you supposed to THINK? HOW DARE YOU ASK THAT QUESTION!"

"THE MOMENT YOU FIND OUT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MARRIED IN THE FUTURE, YOU LEAVE ME IN A RESTAURANT! "

"UGH AGAIN WITH THE MARRIAGE EXCUSE! I LEFT BEAUSE I WAS UPSET YOU HAD LIED TO ME!"

"WE ALL THOUGHT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO JOHN!"

"ALL? ALL??? YOU MEAN EVERYONE ELSE KNEW TOO?"

Cameron knew she'd let it go too far. She should have just shut up and walked away when she had the chance. "Just Catherine and John Henry."

"OH, SO THE TERMINATOR TRIO KNEW THE SECRET. I GET IT."

John never saw the slap coming.

Cameron stared at her hand, as she couldn't believe what she had done. She hadn't really hurt John, having instinctively pulling back the amount of force she used, but it didn't matter. She shouldn't have slapped him. She looked at John, who was staring at her in shock.

"I'm sorry, John," she said, before she ran down the steps and out the front door.

******

John sat on the front porch, alone. It was 2 am, and Cameron still hadn't come back. After the initial shock of what had happened, he ran downstairs to chase her, but she was already gone. He had looked for over an hour, but he couldn't find her. Giving up, he had gone back in the house to find everyone staring at him. Savannah had gone to bed, leaving Catherine in the chair again. His mother was sitting on the couch, a little shell-shocked. The two had cornered Derek, forcing him to tell them everything. He'd told them a hell of a lot more than he got to tell John and Cameron, and even Catherine was a little surprised at what he had to say.

John had just looked at his mom with a lost expression. Sarah stood up and took him into a hug.

"I'm not going to say you didn't deserve that," she whispered. "But she'll be back." She headed back upstairs, and John came back out on the porch to wait.

"Still not back yet?" Derek's voice came from behind him.

"No," John said, as he turned to watch Derek take the chair on the other side of the porch.

"She will be. Just like always."

John raised an eyebrow. "You say that like this happens a lot."

Derek shrugged. "I don't know if I'd say a lot, but it's often enough… and loud enough… for people to notice."

John felt a little embarrassed. "Am I really that much of a dick?"

Derek grinned. "Yeah, sometimes. But we all are on occasion. She has a short temper too, with a bitch streak a mile wide, that everyone takes caution to avoid." Derek took a sip of his coke. "Except you. She could be harping like a banshee at some poor bastard who had the unfortunate luck to screw up on a bad day, and you'd walk in and calm the beast like you had some special fairy dust or something." Derek sighed, and looked at the stars. He saw them for the first time in years just 2 days ago. He'd never get tired of looking at them.

"You two never argued in public though. You always waited to get back to your quarters, then everyone would avoid the whole area. Sometimes, it'd be over in 5 minutes like it'd never happened. Other times, one of you would walk out, and you'd give each other the silent treatment for days. Those were dark days…" Derek chuckled at his memories. "Nobody walked within 10 feet of the Connors on those days. Even the machines kept their distance."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the crickets in the grass.

"You're not even really married, you know."

John looked at his uncle. "We're not?"

Derek shook his head. "I mean, to everyone you are. But, it's not like it was really official. You told a few of us what happened one night while we were just sitting around drinking and letting go of shit." He crushed the empty can in his hand. "You were left with Savannah. She was still really young. You knew who you were destined to become, and thought if she had your last name, if people thought she was your daughter, then she'd be taken care of. Sure, it'd put a target on her head, but she already had one anyway. You just took up the façade that Cameron was your wife, and you adopted this redheaded niece. Nobody questioned you, and nobody questioned your 'wife'. When Savannah grew up, nobody questioned her either. The daughter of John Connor, she was born and raised to lead humanity, right?" Derek shrugged. "It was probably the best decision you ever made, especially for Cameron. People eventually found out what she was, but by then, they had looked at her as your second in command… as your wife… for so long, most of them didn't really care. Some did, but honestly, they were dealt with. Not by you, but by those loyal to you and her. People fought for you, and they died for you. It didn't much matter who you slept with, so long as you led them in the right direction."

Derek stood up and stretched, yawning loudly. "Give her time to cool off. Chances are, she'll be back before your cheek finishes bruising." Derek grinned and went back in to the house.

John thought about how different this Derek was. He'd only known him for a few hours, but it was already obvious. In particular, his attitude toward Cameron. It actually seemed like he respected her, and didn't care that she was a machine. It was like a complete 360 compared to what the old Derek had told him about the future.

John also wondered why Cameron would have sent him back. He didn't think there was anything going on that was particularly dangerous in which they needed him. At least, not anything the three terminators they already had couldn't handle. That thought actually worried him. Was there something that future Cameron knew?

********

John woke to the sun shining on his face. It took him several moments to realize where he was. He opened his eyes to the front porch. His body was stiff, and his neck ached. He sat there rubbing his neck for a few minutes, trying to wake up. He noticed someone had covered him with a blanket at some point, and figured it was something his mom would do. John finally stood up and carried the blanket into the house.

He smelled pancakes cooking, and headed for the kitchen. His mom was at the stove of course, and Savannah and Derek were at the kitchen table, already starting on their breakfast.

"Morning," Sarah said, turning to look at her son. He looked like hell, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Morning," John grumbled back. "Thanks for the blanket." He folded it up and laid it on the back of the couch in the living room.

Sarah gave him a confused look. "I didn't do it. I didn't even know you slept outside until just now."

John looked at Derek, who had an "I-told-you-so" smirk on his face. "Maybe the blanket fairy gave it to you."

The blanket fairy. John looked around as if she'd appear out of nowhere, but he didn't see any sign of his "fairy".

"Sit down and eat, John," his mother instructed.

He hadn't realized how hungry he was, so he didn't argue. He sat next to Derek and pulled a couple pancakes onto his plate.

"You look like hell."

Sarah smirked, and John gave his uncle a look. "Thanks, Derek."

"No problem."

John was halfway through his second pancake when the sliding glass doors in the kitchen opened behind him. Cameron walked in, clad in her favorite dark gray cargo pants and a white tank top, holding her fluffy kitten.

"The kittens are weaning, we'll have to get them food soon."

Sarah nodded and looked at the cat. "We need to go grocery shopping anyway. We'll pick up some Kitten Chow while we're out."

Cameron nodded, and ruffled Savannah's hair. "Skittles is looking for you." Savannah smiled, and followed Cameron back outside.

John stared at his half eaten pancake. Cameron hadn't even glanced at him, as if he wasn't even there. He looked at Derek, who was finishing his glass of orange juice. He let out a belch, and looked at John. "Dark days indeed…"

*****

John cleared the table and joined the girls outside. He bent down to pet the mother cat, which Sarah had dubbed Queen Elizabeth (why the hell did she pick the dumbest names?). She was basking in the warm sunlight on her back. "How you doin, Lizzy?" The cat purred, and stretched under his hand.

"Savannah," Sarah called from the door, "go brush your teeth and comb your hair. We have to go to the grocery store in a bit."

Very subtle, mom. Savannah put her kitten down and walked past Sarah, heading for the stairs. His mom gave him a meaningful look, and shut the door behind her.

John looked at Cameron, who had put her own kitten down in the grass. "I need to check the perimeter," she said lamely.

"No, you don't."

Cameron just stood there, refusing to meet John's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cameron."

Cameron finally looked at John. "There is nothing for you to be sorry for."

John shook his head. "Yes, there is. I said a lot of things I shouldn't have. I didn't mean them, I was just upset. I overreacted. Instead of being glad you cared enough about me to want to protect me, my ego got in the way and I reacted badly."

Cameron looked back down at her feet. "I shouldn't have slapped you. It was a very dangerous thing for me to do. I shouldn't hurt you. I promised never to hurt you."

"Yeah, well…" John shrugged. "I kinda deserved it. Even my mom said so. I was out of line, and shouldn't have said what I did. Any girl would have done the same thing."

Cameron shook her head. "I'm dangerous, John. I can't control my emotions. I could have really hurt you."

John walked over to her and cupped her face in his hands. "The fact of the matter is you didn't hurt me. You had the ability to damn near knock my head off my shoulders, but whether you consciously held back or not, my head is still there, for better or worse. You couldn't hurt me, Cameron. You need to trust yourself." He brushed her hair away from her face. "Besides, nobody can control their emotions. It's a human thing. I'm almost 18 years old and I quite obviously can't control mine. You're not supposed to. That's the whole point of having emotions. You'll learn to handle them better in time, but they're new to you. Give yourself a break, okay?"

Cameron nodded, and John kissed her softly on the lips before pulling her into a hug. "No matter what happens, remember I love you, okay? Don't ever doubt that."

He took her hand and pulled her towards the house. "Come on, I have an idea."

"What kind of idea?" Cameron asked, as she wiped the moisture from her cheeks.

"You like ice cream, don't you?"

**********