You want John and Cameron to find each other? Here you are! In this chapter they are finally back together again. But not like you might expect. No more words … read it and tell me if it's OK.
Chapter 14 – The Rescue
John was slowly beginning to get less cautious and few times he just only avoided accidents. But his stubbornness wouldn't allow him to stop, so he continued. With fatal consequences … Just as he yelled out Cameron's name again, he suddenly felt how the ground vanished from beneath his snowboard and he began to fall. Christ! This is not going to end well! Shot through his brain and in the next moment he crashed down and for a second a world went black. After he regained his senses, he found himself in an impossible situation; his board was stuck between the branches of a fallen tree and he was lying on some branches on his side with head pointing down, unable to reach his bindings. He waited for a second and after he realized nothing was broken, he sighed. Damn! For the second time today! How am I going to get out of this situation? How am I going to continue my search for Cam? You really screwed it big time John Connor!
Cameron was like in trance since she heard John's voice and she raced in the direction from where it came. She determined his location as being about half a mile down the slope and she gave her best to get to him as soon as she could. Then his voice suddenly changed. He yelled her name, but his yell abruptly ended and was replaced by a cry. Her systems suddenly froze as she registered fear and urge in this cry. Something happened to him! I can't let anything happen to my John! She accelerated even more and was almost flying down the slope. With each passed second that she couldn't hear John's voice, her feelings grew more frantic. Her HUD suddenly began to display an array of nonsense data, a scenario of John, lying broken in the snow. Her vision blurred again. No! This can't be true! He has to be all right! He has to! I need him!
John was trying every possible move to get to his binding. After he assessed his situation, he had to admit, that it was really dangerous. His snowboard was stuck behind a branch of a fallen tree, his feet fixed to it, but he himself was lying sideways on few branches over a steep slope, with nothing but a free fall beneath him. He could see that the ground where he would land was about 12 feet beneath him. Luckily it was covered with thick layer of snow, so he was quite confident he wouldn't hurt himself should he fall down. At least not seriously. Not that it would be his intention to fall at all. He was trying to reach the bindings and unfasten them while clutching at one of the branches to avoid falling down.
He grunted in effort as he finally managed to reach the binding. With his other hand he grasped the branch and tried to unfasten the binding with just one hand. It wasn't exactly the easiest job and he cursed the developers of the binding to make it a two handed matter. After few tries and slips, he finally managed to get one foot free. He clutched at the branch even more fiercely than before and moved on to the second foot. This time it went better, for he already knew how to do it and in a matter of few seconds, his second foot was free too and his other hand moved hastily to grab the branch too. His feet, now free from the snowboard, fell down and he dangled from the branch. He smiled relieved and tried to come up with a plan how to get up the tree trunk. He was beginning to swing himself as he heard a proverbial cracking of the branch on which he was dangling. He only had time to look up in horror as the branch suddenly broke off and he fell into the small abyss, together with a branch still clutched in his hands and followed by a now freed snowboard. Oh dear … He didn't manage more as he crashed again, this time feet first into the heap of snow and like a drill he penetrated deep, too deep for his taste, into the snow layer. He tried to keep the branch away from his head and even succeeded at it, but there was another danger lurking. Or better to say: following his fall; his snowboard wouldn't listen to his wishes and it crashed on his shoulder mercilessly. "OWWWW!" He cried as he felt its impact on his shoulder. But he was again being lucky. The snowboard hit him flatly and the only result was a sore shoulder. Well, the main problem wasn't his now painful shoulder. He was stuck in the snow up to his chest and he'd have a hell of a work to dig himself out of it.
After the situation settled down and everything that he broke off the tree trunk finished their fall so that nothing more came flying down from above, he looked around. He threw away the branch, which broke off and caused his fall and gave it an ugly look. He saw that his snowboard was lying right beside him and sighed relieved, even though he knew he'd have significant problems getting himself out of the snow. He looked up and sighed again, this time in disappointment. The border of the slope was almost 18 feet above him and getting there was nearly impossible, due to the vertical drop of about 12 feet. Well … this wasn't exactly how it was supposed to be. I guess this might change my plans a bit. Should I yell for Cameron or for help? He couldn't decide at first, but after few seconds, he made up his mind. "HEEEELP!"
Cameron was getting frantic. John wasn't yelling anymore and she could only locate his last position. Suddenly, she heard a yell "HEEEELP!" and after she in a nanosecond identified the voice as John's she suddenly felt something what could be best described as panic. Or at least a terminator equivalent of sheer panic. She could detect clear distress in his voice and if she had a heart, it would now be racing. There was only one positive aspect: she could now locate him precisely and she determined his location as being perhaps a quarter of a mile down the slope. If someone would see her in this moment they wouldn't believe their eyes. She made no curves at all, she directed herself in a bee line towards John's position. Luckily the slope was completely straight and in a few seconds she reached the position. While she was racing towards him, John yelled for help one more time and then remained silent. As much as his yell shocked her, him being silent was far more disturbing. What if he's unconscious? What if he's dead? NO! He can't be; he may not be dead!
After few seconds she reached the location, from where John's voice came. She stopped abruptly and scanned her surroundings, but couldn't see anyone there. Then her eyes noticed a trail, leading directly over the border into the abyss. Suddenly her fear flared up and she swiftly took off her snowboard. She actually threw it off her feet, not taking care where it landed. She was focused on the trail leading into nothing, fearing the worst but still hoping for the best. After all … only few seconds ago she still heard him yelling for help. In a second she jumped to the edge of the slope, just where the trail ended and looked down, panic almost taking over her feelings. She didn't need more than a split second to notice John, being stuck in the snow. If she'd have a heart, it would have stopped in this moment. John was seemingly unconscious, his head tilted to the side and his arms spread across the snow, not moving.
"JOHN!" She screamed at the top of her inexistent lungs and it came out more than just loud. It almost resembled a cry of a wounded predator. If someone would ask her how she felt in that second, she would probably answer that she was completely in panic. Her John, the essence of her existence, her reason for living was seemingly dead and she couldn't do anything. Her eyes were wide with fear and stared intently at John.
Suddenly John's head moved and his face turned up to look at her. He recognized the voice and in a second he felt relief and bit of anger at the same time. "Cam?" He asked quietly, facing Cameron's frightened face, her eyes twice as big as normally, staring at him from the heights. After he was sure that his eyes didn't deceive him, he smiled broadly: "CAAAAAM!" His voice was this time full of happiness and his eyes sparkled like new snow in the sunshine.
As John's head moved and his face turned to her, Cameron felt like a Half Dome would fell from her heart. He smiled at her and called her. She couldn't help but smile back at him, relieved, that he was still alive. "Are you all right John? Are you hurt? Can you get out of the snow? Do you need help?" She rattled the questions so quickly that John had to stop her: "Hey, hey, hey, Cam! Stop! One question at a time, please! Yes, I'm all right, but I can't get out of this darned snow. I guess I'll need your help."
Cameron grinned at him, forgetting that she was hurting just few minutes ago. "Just like always … you get yourself into troubles and I have to help you getting out of them." She looked around and noticed the fallen tree which first cushioned but later also caused John's fall and dismissed the idea of using it to come to John: "I'll find something to help you get out. Don't go anywhere, just stay put!" Her grin grew even wider noticing that she just made a joke.
John's mouth opened in shock upon hearing Cameron making a joke. Before she could start searching for something to help to get him out, he managed to cry at her: "Cam, wait! Why did you run away? I was looking for you everywhere and couldn't find you. Why?" His eyes looked at her inquisitive yet a little confused.
Cameron's face suddenly got serious again. He reminded her of what she saw. But at the same time she began to question herself if she didn't misinterpret the whole affair. John definitely didn't give the impression of being with someone else. His eyes, staring at her and requesting an answer were as kind as they've been before. Maybe I really misunderstood it? I should ask him what really happened. But she had to get him back to the slope first, so she slightly shook her head: "We'll talk later John, I promise. Now I have to get you out of there." She stood up and began to scan the countryside for something useful. Suddenly she noticed a trunk of a fallen fir, not far away from her position. She turned to look at John, measured the depth and then turned to scan the tree trunk. It will be long enough! She smiled at herself and turned back to John: "I've found something. Just stay there and don't move. I'll be back immediately."
John was a little suspicious about her sudden good mood but knew better than to try to stop her. She was on a mission, a mission to rescue John Connor, and he knew perfectly well that there was nothing that could change her mind until she got him out of his situation. He sighed and waited. After a minute or so, he heard something happening atop of him and as he looked up, the first vision he got, was the snow, falling towards him. He quickly closed his eyes and turned his head back down. In the next second he felt how a good portion of snow landed behind his collar and began to pour down his back. Gee, thanks Cam! As if I weren't deep enough in sh … snow! Then he looked up again and he could see how a giant fir tree trunk began to slip over the edge and down into his direction. Trust Cameron to find something that big and simply bring it here like it would be a toothpick. I guess she'd even dismantle a ski lift tower, should it be necessary to help me. He grinned and waited. After a substantially long portion of the tree trunk was over the edge, Cameron's face appeared. She was completely concentrated and aimed her long and thick spear near to his position. He smiled at her, but she didn't notice it. After few seconds the tree trunk was firmly sat beside him and she leaned it to the edge. "I'm coming down now, John." She announced in a neutral voice, while climbing on the tree trunk and began her descent to him.
She's climbing like a squirrel! Is there anything she doesn't do with grace? John could only finish this thought before she descended all the way down and stepped to him. She stopped above him, legs slightly spread and her fists on her hips, scowling at him: "What were you doing to land down here John? Were you trying to learn to fly?"
John grinned up at her, feeling that his neck began to hurt for having to tilt his head so much to look into her face: "No, I tried to fly before. Unsuccessfully. This was just a result of my carelessness."
Cameron's face relaxed and she smile slightly at him: "So you WERE trying to fly. Now … let's dig you out of the snow." She began to dig around him and John tried to help her as much as he could, what was close to nothing. In a little more than one minute she removed enough snow to pull him out without danger of hurting him: "I'm going to pull you out now. Hold still!"
She stepped behind him, circled her hands under his armpits and around his chest and squeezed him firmly. In the next second she pulled him out of the snow like a doll and set him on his feet aside. As he felt her strong arms around him, John suddenly blushed slightly and thanked God that Cameron couldn't see him. It was so good to feel her arms around him, to feel her body pressed to his back. So natural! What he didn't know … Cameron had her troubles concentrating too. As she felt his body, pressed tightly to hers, emotions, feelings, unknown to her before, coursed through her systems. She enjoyed his proximity and forgot completely that a little more than one hour ago she saw him kissing someone else.
After he was safely on his feet and free of the snow tomb, John turned to her and did something that left Cameron completely shocked. He leaned to her, snaked his arms around her and pressed her tightly to himself. It was good that she was a terminator in this moment … had she been human, her breathing would be made almost impossible, with such strength was John squeezing her to himself: "Don't you ever do something like this again, Cam! Don't you ever run away again! I was so worried something happened to you!" If possible he squeezed her even tightly and murmured into her ear: "I thought I'd lost you Cam! I thought you'd left me!"
Cameron was taken completely off guard as he launched himself onto her and for few seconds she just stood there like a statue, mouth agape. After few seconds she finally got her processes under control and she hesitantly rose her arms and hugged him back: "I'm sorry John. I was …" She broke off, unsure of how to explain to him why she ran away. He still cares for me! He was worried for me! He went looking for me! I must have really got it wrong. She managed to distance herself slightly from him and looked into his eyes. He looked at her with a mixture of happiness, fear and tenderness and as she looked into those green eyes, gazing at her, she cast her ones down for a second. "I promise to explain everything to you John. But not here. Please, let us go to the hotel and I'll tell you everything." She looked at him pleadingly and he could see only sincerity in her liquid brown lake-like eyes. So he nodded, happy that he finally got her back.
"So, shall we climb up now? I guess that will be no problem for you. But for me …" He released her from his hug and smiled at her.
"Right. I'll take your snowboard too." Cameron grinned at him, feeling an irrational sense of loss after he removed his arms from around her body.
"Yeah, right. I almost forgot that it shared my unwilling descent." John grinned back.
"John?" Cameron looked at him questioningly and after John tilted his head and rose his eyebrows, she continued: "Really … how did you get down here?"
John grinned at her: "Well, I'll tell you after you tell me why you ran away."
Cameron furrowed her eyebrows in irritation, but after a second her face relaxed: "OK, in hotel then. Now," she pushed him gently in the direction of the tree trunk, "get up and wait for me there."
John snorted: "I only just found you! I'm not letting you go away again!"
Cameron felt warm inside and smiled tenderly at him: "Well, technically it was ME who found YOU." She tilted her head in slightly challenging way and gazed at him warmly.
John swallowed heavily: "OK, you're right … as always." He fiddled with his gloves: "I'll …. go up … yeah … I'll climb …" Suddenly he felt at the loss of words, gazing into Cameron's deep eyes. He swallowed again and forced himself to turn away from her and went to the tree trunk. He missed Cameron's self-satisfied smile, directed at him. I think I was really wrong. He still likes me.
While John was climbing along the tree trunk he couldn't stop thinking how lucky he was to have Cameron. Not only that she found him when he needed help the most, she was also able to haul such a big tree trunk here to use it as a ladder. "Ahem, Cam?"
Cameron had meanwhile packed his snowboard and was climbing after him, using only one hand, while she held his snowboard in another. She looked at him questioningly: "Yes, John?"
"Thank you for saving me." John smiled at her apologetically. He knew that it was the least he could do.
Cameron smiled back thankfully: "You're welcome John. You know it's my mission to protect you."
"Is it? I mean … is it only your mission?" John was suddenly feeling sullen and down.
Cameron gazed at him for a second: "No … not only a mission. I want to protect you." Her gaze softened.
Upon hearing her words John's foul mood lightened immediately and he nodded smiling at her.
After they reached the edge of the slope, they saw that there were some skiers and boarders, standing and watching them while discussing vividly. One of them turned to John: "Is everything OK? Do you need help?"
John waited until Cameron joined him and put his arm around her waist. He looked at the man, who addressed him and failed to see Cameron's surprised look, pointed at him, after he laid his arm around her body. "Thank you, but we're OK. I had luck to fall into a heap of soft snow and my girlfriend was there to save me. Luckily there was this tree trunk at hand to climb back." He was trying to avoid any further questions, by covering all possible issues in shortest possible version. He again missed Cameron's shocked face. He said I would be his girlfriend! Did he mean it? Could it be true? Her eyes gazed confused and slightly insecure into John's face, desperately trying to read it.
Although John didn't see Cameron's face, he could feel how she tensed under his arm upon hearing him calling her his girlfriend but interpreted it completely wrong. She doesn't want me to hug her and call her my girlfriend. Well, maybe I'm really rushing things. We'll talk about it in the hotel. He carefully took his arm off of Cameron's waist.
Disappointment was the best description of what Cameron felt. For a second she even wanted to grab John's hand and put it back around her waist. Maybe he didn't mean it like he'd said it. She felt sadness creeping into her mind again and she looked sadly into John's face. But he still didn't want to look into her eyes. He continued to look at the man, who at that moment nodded: "Well, if everything's all right, then I'll be on my way again. But I would like to suggest you to take better care of where you're landing. Maybe tree trunks and your girlfriend won't be around next time." He grinned at John, who smiled back: "Oh, somehow I doubt it. She's always with me." He looked at Cameron and noticed a strange look in her eyes. "OK, almost always." He nodded to the man and stretched his arm to take his snowboard out of Cameron's hand.
After Cameron surrendered his snowboard, he threw it on the ground, sat down and began to fix his binding: "We should go down Cam. We need to talk. Some things happened that I have to explain them to you and I'm not thrilled about them. But I want us to be alone and undisturbed."
Cameron felt that it must have been important things. Suddenly her fears returned. Maybe he wants to tell me that he decided to be together with Andrea? She looked at him and did her best to show him her blank terminator face. "OK John, let's go then." She didn't wait for him to follow her. After few curves she remembered that she should probably wait for him and she stopped for a second so he could catch up with her, but refused to look at him.
John was completely confused upon seeing her reaction and only stared after her. What the … ? What has gotten into her head now? Did I say something wrong? He shook his head and tried to replay his words, only to be left baffled even more. He sighed heavily and stood up to go after his confusing protector, friend, girlfriend ... He noticed that she was expertly curving the slope and his mood lightened significantly. If she continues with such a pace she'll freeze waiting for me at the ski lift. He pondered if he should ask her why she was so sullen all of a sudden, but decided to wait until they'd be at the bottom of the slope. He only hoped that his mother wouldn't wait there for him. He wasn't in a mood to see her yet.
They descended swiftly, with John wondering how did Cameron get so good in such a short time and Cameron brooding over what was that John wanted to talk to her about. No one talked to another and so they reached the little hut where they would return their gear in complete silence.
After they stopped there, they took off their snowboards and went into the hut to return them. As they entered, John noticed that the guy, with whom he talked before was still in there. As he noticed John and Cameron coming in, he grinned broadly at John: "Oh, I see you've found your girlfriend." He turned to Cameron, who looked at him surprised: "This boyfriend of yours, this John, had been here before, completely distressed to have lost you. But as I see, you've found each other."
Cameron couldn't answer him, her eyes shot between the man's smiling face and John's slightly embarrassed eyes. How … did he really say to this guy that I was his girlfriend? Then … he maybe really means it? Really?
John coughed discreetly and answered to the young man: "Yeah, we found each other." He put his arm around Cameron's waist again: "And I'm not ever letting her go away again. No, sir, never!" He turned to look into Cameron's eyes, which gazed at him with such emotional charge that he felt he could drown in them. Suddenly he decided over something, stretched to her and gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, confusing her even more. He smiled at her eyes going crossed as she tried to look at the tip of her nose and retreated with loving look into her eyes, which returned to look at him questioningly.
Cameron had never felt so confused in her entire existence. On one hand she still carried the picture of John kissing Andrea in her mind, but on the other hand John was showing her quite openly that he cared for her. No, cared wasn't the right expression. He obviously wanted her to be by his side, he showed tenderness unseen before towards her. She suddenly found herself rewinding the whole scene that sent her into the forest and watching it again, this time paying specific attention to John's face. And she noticed something she missed all the times before: John's face was showing clear signs of anger, irritation and revulsion. He didn't want to kiss her! It was her, who was trying to kiss him! Not my John! He doesn't want her, he wants … me? She looked into his smiling eyes and smiled back slightly shakily: "And I'll never leave him alone again."
TBC
A/N: It might take a little longer for the next chapter to be posted. At the moment I'm furiously working on my Andromeda story, which has to be finished before Christmas, so I really have no time to work on this one, as much as I would like to. I hope to be able to write during the holidays, but I really can't promise anything. I hope you all understand and have patience.