Dani stood in the empty basement and heard the back door slam shut. She stared at the bikini top that lay forgotten on the floor. Quietly, she retied it and walked back up the steps.

There was no one around upstairs. She glanced out the front window and saw John sitting on the lawn by the sidewalk petting a cat. Sullenly, Dani made her way upstairs to the bathroom.

She turned around and shut the door, catching herself in the full-length mirror. Looking herself up and down, she frowned. She'd never been denied before. She wasn't even sure she would have been this time if the cyborg hadn't shown up and pulled that dramatic stunt, which sent Johnny boy running after her like his life depended on it.

Dani looked herself in the eye. It wasn't fair. She was a goddamn machine. She didn't deserve him. Why did he have to choose her… it over me? Swallowing, she slipped out of the swimsuit and stepped in the shower. She turned the water on and let it cascade over her body, the pulse of the water massaging her head and back. It relaxed her, and she let her mind drift… something she rarely let herself do. And for good reason.

"Look what we have here boys… Are you lost little girl?"

The three boys tagging along, all about sixteen, laughed at the apparent ringleader. A twelve-year-old Dani cowered in the corner, trying to ignore them. This sort of thing happened all the time. She was used to being picked on.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," the leader's tone became more aggressive.

Dani shyly looked up. "No."

"Well, you do speak. How about that?"

The four boys crowded around her, effectively trapping her in the corner.

"What's your name, girl?"

"Danielle," she whispered.

"Ah, what a pretty name for a pretty girl. Say, Danielle… are you hungry?"

Dani was starving, everyone was. She didn't bother to answer.

"I bet you are… Guess what? We have some food with us…" The boy pulled out a bit of dried meat. Like Pavlov's dogs, Dani began to salivate.

"I'll make you a deal… you can have this, if…"

Dani spit down the drain. She had learned long ago her body could get her what she wanted. She poured some shampoo in her hand and began working it through her hair. It worked on everyone. Everyone. Except one person… the one person she really ever truly wanted.

"Please, stop," a sixteen year old Dani pleaded.

"Shut up, *****. Don't act like you ain't never done this before."

"I said stop!"

The burly man pushed her hard against the wall. Her head slamming against the brick made a resounding crack in the empty corridor. "And I told you to shut the **** up." The man unbuckled his pants and let them drop to the ground.

Dani tried to scream, but the man punched her in the face, silencing her. She felt the blood drip down her chin.

"That'll teach you. ******* loudest ***** I ever did hear."

Dani's vision blurred as the tears filled her eyes. She began drifting away, into the part of her she kept locked up and hidden. Hidden away from reality.

She wasn't aware of how it happened, but the next thing she knew, she was in the arms of John Connor. Someone had obviously helped her redress. Was it him? He carried her to the infirmary and set her gently on the bed. She watched as he whispered something to the nurse, before turning back and standing over the bed at her side.

"When you're ready, you come see me. Immediately." With that, he patted her arm and left her alone, staring at his retreating back in wonder.

Dani felt the water turn cold and quickly turned it off, but made no move to get out of the tub. She stood there shivering, staring at the wet tile on the wall. One of them was cracking, and she idly traced it with her finger.

She had just been made Captain. It was the proudest moment of her life. John Connor himself had done the honors, which made it all the more special. She beamed as he smiled and shook her hand. Even better was when he pulled her into a hug. Dani could feel her body tingle, and an inner glow of happiness well up inside her.

After the incident, John had taken sort of a big brother role to her. He always looked out for her, which was why a lot of people claimed favoritism when word got out about her promotion. She didn't care, of course. Everyone who mattered knew better. Nobody got promoted by John Connor unless they earned it. And Dani sure did her best to get where she was. One way, or the other.

She made her way down the corridor towards her quarters. She paused, hearing voices she recognized around the corner.

"It's happened. They took her," Cameron whispered.

Dani couldn't help but peek. Took who?

She watched as John caressed her cheek. "Well, we've been waiting. It's about that time."

"I want to be the one to go."

John shook his head. "No, Cam. It's too dangerous. Catherine will go as planned and…"

"Yes. But I'm going as well."

"Cam…"

Dani watched Cameron place her fingers over John's lips, and felt a stir of jealousy in her gut. They'd always been 'the' couple. Hardly anyone looked at them funny anymore. Even the apparent age difference went unnoticed. Sure, Cameron aged a little. Skin was skin, and she supposed even cyborgs couldn't look seventeen forever. But she didn't really look a day older than twenty seven either, next to John's 40-ish face.

"Please, John."

That was all it took. John's shoulders dropped in defeat, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Fine. But anything happens to you, I'm running in and blowing the place up myself."

Cameron sighed dramatically and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

John grinned and pulled her closer. "Anything you like. Although, I have a few requests…"

As their lips met, Dani quietly turned away and began walking in the other direction, not bothering to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

Dani sat in the bathtub with her arms wrapped around her knees, silently weeping. She'd always used her body to get what she wanted. And it had worked, except on the one thing she really wanted. The one thing she really needed… love. Sex meant nothing to her. It got her what she wanted; it served its purpose. But she'd never had a real kiss. Never had a man touched her gently. Except one.

And she could never have him.

It wasn't fair.

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

"Okay, there is something seriously wrong here." Sarah sat on the hard metal bleacher, watching young Derek Reese pitch another strike.

"Nah, relax. I remember this one. We come back in the last inning and take them 10-7." Derek barely kept himself from jumping up and cheering as his younger self struck out yet another batter.

Sarah just gave him a dumb look. "That's not what I'm talking about."

Derek shrugged, not turning away from the game. "I know that. But what do you want me to say? We're unlisted, they can't exactly follow the old 'find Sarah Connor' tactic by looking us up in the white pages."

"Which is WHY we've been to every single baseball game you and Kyle have played in the past eight days."

"And your point is?"

Sarah wanted to push his annoying ass right off the bench. "My point is… WHERE THE HELL IS IT?"

Derek shrugged again. "Maybe it don't know I played baseball. Maybe it thinks I was in Boy Scouts or something, and it's hiking in the wilderness."

"You made front page in the sport's section of the local newspaper at the tournament last weekend."

"Maybe it can't read."

"Derek!"

Derek groaned and clenched his fist. The woman was really grating on his nerves.

"What… do you want… me to say?"

"Something isn't right."

"No ****. You're a basket case, and I'm watching MYSELF play baseball."

Sarah ignored him and hiked her foot up onto the bench in front of her. It was raining, so the crowd was low. Choosing to sit on the visitor's side helped their privacy as well.

"What if… what if Cameron was wrong?"

"OH COME ON! THAT WAS CLEARLY AN OUT!" Derek shouted, before turning to Sarah.

"Well, it's been known to happen on occasion. Like this one time…"

Sarah cut him off. "What if she's wrong about there being two?"

"What?"

"She said there would be two separate terminators. With two separate missions. What if there isn't? What if it's just one?"

Derek thought about that quietly. He thought about the times between the killings… "Well, it's possible. There's enough time between them all combined, but…"

"But it doesn't make sense, if we think about it like we have been. Because the first officers were killed before your group, right?"

"Yeah, a couple months before, actually." Derek's wheels started turning.

"What if… think. Skynet finds out about your little group jumping BEFORE it sends the machine back to start knocking off the officers. So, instead of sending two, it just sends one… with a little detour mission. It sends it back a couple months before you arrive, it starts killing off the officers, then finds your group…"

"Then goes back to officers. Sarah that's retarded. Why not just kill my group, then kill the offi…. " Derek paused, pieces falling into place in his head.

"Because…"

"It wanted us to think there was two," Derek finished. A stream of curses flowed from his mouth as he leapt off the bleachers and ran towards the car. There was no reason to question why, for there was only one answer.

Sarah followed closely behind, dialing John's number as she ran.

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

Three days. Three days, Cameron had not returned. John knew she was in the general vicinity, as he'd called her voicemail and kept it on long enough to track her cell phone. He just wished he knew where exactly. And that she'd come home.

He'd send Dani away shortly after Cameron left. He simply told her to get out of his sight, and if she knew what was good for her, she'd not bother trying to come back. So far, she was listening. He hadn't seen her since either.

So it had been just him and Savannah for the past few days. He couldn't really complain, he liked the girl, and it gave them a real chance to bond. He wasn't really sure, though, how to handle eight year old girls, but he thought he was doing a rather good job of it.

"Can we order pizza?" Savanna asked, as John reached for the box of froot loops. Dinner was the worst meal of the day without a capable person to cook in the house. After ruining a box of macaroni and cheese, he'd pretty much stuck to cereal and peanut butter and jelly.

"I wish, hon. But that was on my mom's list of forbidden activities." Not that he disagreed really. He'd witnessed a terminator hide a rifle in a flower box. He was sure pizza boxes would be great hiding places as well.

Savannah groaned. "Pleeeeeease? I won't tell, I promise."

John stared at Tucan Sam. He didn't really want to eat the crap again either.

"Hey, I think we have a can of chicken and stars in the cupboard. I think we can microwave that."

"Oookayyyy," she mumbled, her head resting on the counter in defeat.

John's phone buzzed on the counter and he nearly leapt on it like a lion. He quickly glanced at the screen hoping for only one name, and was severely disappointed when he saw it was his mother.

Deflated, he opened the phone. "Hi mom."

"John! You have to get…."

John pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. He had a full charge. He dialed his mother back, but it went straight to voicemail.

"Huh, must be in a dead zone." He set the phone down and went back to attempting to work the electric can opener.

****************************
"SONOFABITCH!" Sarah screamed.

"What?" Derek was driving 20 miles over the speed limit. He was trying to concentrate on not wrecking the damn SUV.

"My battery is dead! Give me your phone."

Derek's heart stopped. He didn't dare say a word. I'm going to die.

"Derek…"

"I don't have it."

Derek could feel the lethal energy coming from the woman next to him. "What do you mean 'you don't have it'? Where the hell is it?"

Derek sent a silent prayer to any deity that would listen. "I gave it to Dani."

He heard a cracking sound, and took a chance at glancing to his right. He swallowed hard.

Sarah had literally smashed her cell phone in her clenched fist. Jesus Christ.

"Look, I just figured with you and Liqui-Weaver I didn't need it. I thought it'd be better for John's safety if everyone with him had one, just in case." He thought his logic was pretty good, but in the current situation… how could he have ever guessed this would have happened? He scooted a little closer to the door, as if that would save him.

Sarah sat back in her seat, the busted phone still in her clenched hand. She closed her eyes and prayed her son was ready.

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

Cameron slowly walked down the street, making sure to keep out of sight of any neighborhood dogs. When she'd ran three nights ago, she made the mistake of running by a German Shepherd. She didn't want to give away her location again.

She never left the neighborhood. She couldn't risk leaving John alone with unknown terminators on the loose. She also kept her promises, and didn't want to break one she made to Sarah Connor.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and ignored the stupid alert message on her HUD. She knew it was probably just John calling. Again. She didn't want to speak to him.

She refused to play the memory of that night over again. She'd watched it countless times, and each time came up with the same logical conclusion.

She found her way to the bus stop she found Derek and Dani at, and sat down on the bench. How could John do that to her? She thought he loved her. She thought he was really different than he was in the future. That was really stupid of her. John was John, and logically, they were both the same person. Why would this John be any different?

She heard a dog barking in the distance, but didn't pay much attention. Dogs barked. It's what they did.

She had listened to John's voicemail over and over. He had explained the whole situation, begging her to believe him. His voice sounded sincere, but she knew voices could be deceiving.

That made her feel a little guilty though. She trusted John, or at least she did. She should still trust him. But she wasn't quite sure she could believe him from just a phone call.

Although, knowing Dani, what John described really was quite likely. She knew the girl's sad history in her own future, and assumed it was pretty similar in Dani's. Having an in depth knowledge of psychology, she could understand why Dani behaved the way she did. Unfortunately, without having met her beforehand, they'd never know to help her. Perhaps this time… they could prevent it all.

She heard footsteps approaching, and looked up to see a dark figure. Scanning it quickly, her HUD deemed it to be Dani. Crossing her arms and legs, Cameron nonchalantly leaned against the bus stop wall, waiting for the confrontation.

Dani stopped in front of the bus stop having spotted Cameron, but didn't say a word.

"What are you doing here?" Cameron asked.

Dani shrugged. "I've come to apologize."

"I don't accept," Cameron said venomously.

Dani copped an attitude of her own. "Not to you. To John."

"Stay away from him. You've caused enough damage."

Dani put her hands on her hips. "Oh? And what are you going to do about it?"

Cameron stood up and moved to within inches of Dani.

"Oh, go ahead tin can. Kill me. Kill me in the middle of the street for everyone to see."

Cameron stared her down until Dani looked away. "I will not kill you."

Dani gave her a cocky smile and walked away, heading towards the Connor residence.

Cameron briefly thought about following, but chose to sit back down instead. She knew John kicked her out of the house three days ago as well. There was a high chance her showing up would upset John even more, and that could work in her own favor.

She pulled out her cell phone and checked the messages. There was a text message now from John. That must've been what the last vibration was for. She opened it up and read it.

"Okay, I know you're pissed, and rightfully so. But could you please come back? Savannah is hungry, and I can't get the can opener to work."

Despite herself, Cameron had to smile. It was definitely like John. She opened up a reply message.

"No. Order pizza. You'll survive." She clicked SEND and tucked her phone back in her pocket.

She did feel sorry for Savannah. She had received a picture message from the girl of the macaroni and cheese John had butchered, begging for her to come back. She still wasn't sure how he managed to get it to look THAT disgusting. She didn't even have an appetite, and it still looked unappealing to her.

Little did John know, while he was brooding downstairs with his headphones on (and probably trying to track her location, as it was about the same time she received the voicemail), she had returned to the house that night to check on them, and left a box of Savannah's favorite PopTarts on her nightstand in apology.

Another dog barked, this time closer. Cameron stood up, her hand finding it's way to the gun in her waistband.

More barking.

Now a third dog.

Cameron pulled her cell phone back out and attempted to dial John, but got no answer. Without wasting another second, she turned and ran towards the house.

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

John looked out the window and sighed, before answering the door.

"Dani, what are you doing here?"

He looked at the girl standing on the porch, half lit by the street light. "It's kinda chilly, can I come in please?"

John toyed with the idea of slamming the door in her face, but in case a random neighbor was watching, he ushered her in and closed the door behind her.

Crossing his arms, he stared and waited. After three days, her clothes were filthy, and she smelled something awful.

"Look… I just wanted to say… I'm sorry."

John didn't move a muscle. Even his face remained etched in stone. Sorry? That was it? What was this, third grade?

"I know I crossed a line I never should have, and I regret putting you in that position."

She did look sincere, but John really wasn't buying it. It didn't matter, he supposed. It was what it was. He had more important things to deal with.

"Fine."

Dani, who'd been staring at the floor the whole time, finally glanced up to meet his eyes. "That's it?"

John snorted. "Absolutely not. You'll tell Cameron the truth. Every part of it. And then you'll apologize to her."

Dani looked as if she was about to argue, but something made her stop. Something in John's eyes that she'd never seen directed at her before. The look the General gave soldiers he was reprimanding, that let them know he meant business, and there were no ifs ands or buts.

Closing her mouth, she looked back down at the floor. "Yes, sir," she bit out.

John stared at her quietly for a moment longer, until he simply couldn't stand the smell anymore.

"Please go upstairs and shower. You reek something fierce, and I'm losing my appetite."

Dani flinched, and John mentally tallied a score for himself. Quietly, she turned and disappeared up the stairs.

John rubbed the back of his neck and headed back to the kitchen. "As if life didn't suck bad enough right now," he mumbled to himself.

"Your phone was buzzing," Savannah said, pointing to the device on the counter.

He sighed and picked it up, expecting his mother again. He was shocked to see Cameron's name instead. Before he could redial, the front door burst open.

"JOHN!"

Cameron suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway. "John, take Savannah upstairs. You have to hide, there's no time to run. NOW!"

John, who's face had gone from relief, to worry, to outright fear in 2.5 seconds stood completely still.

"Cameron…"

"NOW JOHN! JUST DO AS I SAY!"

Chastised, John snapped out of it and grabbed Savannah's arm. "Let's go sweetheart. We'll go up to my mom's room, okay?" That was where the majority of the weapons that were left were.

He pushed the girl towards the stairs as Cameron started turning off all the lights.

"Where's Dani?"

John pushed Savannah up the steps and turned around. "She's in the shower."

"Tell her to stay in there. Nobody comes down. Do you hear me? No matter what you hear John, you stay where you are. If it makes it up the stairs, use the shotgun. There's two depleted uranium slugs left in her nightstand drawer." They couldn't use the guns unless they had to, less they disturb the neighbors any more than what they would be already.

"Cam..."

"Go, John. There's no time." She pushed him, nearly pitching him face first onto the steps. "Keep Savannah safe." She turned around and walked over to the window, crouching down below it, unseen.

John was torn. Part of him wanted to stay. Part of him wanted to gush out his feelings. Part of him was scared to death. The tiny part of his brain that was currently devoted to logic told him he needed to turn his ass around and get upstairs ASAP. He actually decided to listen to this part for once, and ran up the steps.

He stopped at the bathroom and opened the door without bothering to knock. Dani stuck her head out from behind the curtain.

"There's a terminator coming. Now. Stay here. We're not to go downstairs. You're not to leave the bathroom. Understood?"

Dani nodded and turned off the water. John shut the door and ran down the hall.

Running into his mother's room, he pulled out the shotgun from under her bed. In the nightstand, he found the slugs right where Cameron said they would be and loaded the gun. Savannah stood in the corner frozen in fear.

"Come on baby, we need to get in the closet." He ushered the girl into the closet, glad it was rather spacious. He sat on the floor with this back against the wall, and pulled Savannah close to his side. He laid the shotgun across his lap and sighed in the silent darkness.

He could feel Savannah shaking against his side, and held her tighter to him. "Don't worry, it'll be okay."

"I'm scared," she barely whimpered.

"I know. So am I. But we'll be okay. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."

Savannah half turned and wrapped her arms around John's stomach, clutching his shirt in her hands.

There was a loud crash downstairs. It was here.

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

Cameron had intentionally left the front door open, to avoid the terminator from crashing through and alerting neighbors. When it had stalked far enough into the house, Cameron attacked. They landed on the floor with a loud crash. She began pounding its face with her fist, but it managed to throw her off. It was triple eight; it had the upper hand in strength.

Cameron tried to stand up but before she could get up, the T888 kicked her hard in the gut, sending her topping back over. He picked her up and threw her with all his might, sending her crashing right through the wall and into the kitchen. She landed on the table, splintering the wood and falling through.

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

Savannah was weeping. "We have to go help Cameron!"

"Shhh… we have to be quiet. Cameron will be all right. She's tough." John wanted to go just as badly, but he knew it wasn't a good idea. Neither is hiding in a closed space with no exits. John thought. Derek's closet was the one with the attic entrance, so even that wasn't an escape option.

There was another loud crash, this time sounding like dishes shattering.

He tried dialing his mother again, but there was still no answer. Sighing, he shifted his weight on the floor and felt something in his back pocket. Pulling it out, he realized he forgot he had put is iPod in his pocket.

"Here, put these in your ears," he said, handing Savannah the earbuds. He sifted through his music collection and stopped on Eric Clapton. Calm, soothing, and about the only thing that wasn't heavy metal on the damn thing. He hit play and turned up the volume until he could just hear it as well. It was probably a little loud for her, but that was the point. He didn't want her hearing anything else.

There was loud thud that shook the house, followed by a strangled cry.

"John! John, help me please!" It was Cameron's voice.

His heard stopped, and restarted at triple speed as he gripped the shotgun, feeling the smooth metal under his hand. He didn't budge, though. He knew better than to fall for the oldest trick in the book.

"JOHN! PLEASE! HURRY!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the sting of tears. He hoped with every cell of his being that he was right.