Screw it, I'm on a roll!
Thanks to reviewers olischulu, meanoldmoe, Steel_Dragon_64, jojobevco, Nyrki, TCandBTVSluver, Icemanss, kaotic2, ElusiveSanity (I think), KageOkami-Kogo, morded, darkfinder and Dragon_Seraphin.
"Uh, Amy…we could use some help"
Hollering in the general direction of Derek's truck, Sarah eyed the four men advancing on Derek and herself warily. Quickly assessing their situation and putting to use her years of paramilitary training, she decided their best chance was to take cover behind the truck belonging to these thugs, the only problem being the guy directly between them and the relative safety of the truck.
"Amy…getting a little nervous here…"
One of the men, probably the only one that understood English, also the one blocking their path, looked around for any signs of who the impudent Senora was talking to. Finding no-one, he turned back to face the pair.
"Who you talk to eh? Nobody here, nobody gonna save you"
To his surprise and confusion, both Derek and Sarah actually smiled at his statement. Derek held his hand out palm upwards and rotated his other index finger around it while mouthing 'turn around' and nodding to something behind him. He looked around at his compadres to find them staring behind him, their frowns almost matching each other's. Slowly turning around, his eyes locked on to a small girl, a mere child, her hands clasped behind her back and a sweet smile on her face, her pigtails gently blowing in the wind. Not quite knowing what to make of her, the man simply stood and stared, his frown now equal to those on his friends faces.
"Hi"
Before he even had a chance to comprehend why she was there, or how angelic her voice sounded, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and had a sudden struggle breathing. Looking down, he saw a long spear emerging from the little girls hand and penetrating his chest. He dropped his gun to the ground with a clatter and looked back up at the little angel, a sweet smile still present on her face as she stared, fascinated, at the spear slowly robbing his life from him.
Feeling his knees go weak, the man dropped to his knees. As he felt he was sucking in his last breath, he looked at the girl once again, this time through darkening eyes. He decided then and there that she was no angel. Angel de la muerte, the angel of death suited her more.
Amy's little display had proved enough to distract the remaining three goons as they watched their fourth slump to the ground. Both Sarah and Derek took the opportunity to pull their guns and started firing vaguely in the direction of the three targets while sprinting behind the cover of their enemy's truck. Hurling themselves behind their makeshift cover, deftly dodging the return fire now peppering the side of the truck. They hunkered down, both breathing somewhat heavily…and both somewhat surprised to find Amy sitting on her ass with her back to one of the tires taking cover next to them. She looked at their confused faces, Derek leaning past Sarah to gawk at her, and crossed her arms defensively.
"What? They're shooting at us"
That only served to baffle the human pair as the peered sidelong at her. Derek was the first to shrug it off as he checked how much ammo he had remaining in his gun.
"Whatever, where are they?"
Sarah turned away from Amy and shrugged.
"I dunno, I was too busy ducking to notice. Amy, you see anything?" she asked.
Amy shrugged in reply causing Derek to roll his eyes.
"Fat lot of good you are"
Amy shot a glare at Derek while he flinched as a a bullet pinged off the other side of the truck just above his head.
"I could have stayed as the backseat you know. I didn't have to bail your ass out" she accented her statement with a teasing smirk, one which Derek returned to both his and hers surprise.
Sarah observed the exchange, finding it slightly surreal and a little creepy.
"You mind taking a look?" she asked Amy in her most sincere tone.
Amy gave her a quick nod and shuffled around on to her knees facing the truck. Slowly raising her head up, she tried to peer over the top of the truck. As soon as she poked the top of her head out from behind cover, a bullet impacted the metal of the truck right in front of her head. Evidently these guys weren't as bad of a shot as they looked. Quickly ducking back down, Amy resumed her position sitting against the wheel. Derek and Sarah looked across incredulously at her, however she didn't seem to notice their reactions and spoke anyway.
"Fuck that…" she shifted her gaze to Derek "…you take a look"
Derek stared at her incredulously, unable to fully comprehend her behaviour. Sarah meanwhile had a slightly different reaction.
"Language young lady" she scolded.
Wait, did I just tell off a Terminator for swearing?
Finding the whole situation ludicrous, Derek rounded on and vented his frustration at Sarah.
"Did you just tell a Terminator off for swearing?"
Sarah chuckled lightly to Derek's surprise.
"Yeah, I did…" she nodded her head in the direction the bullets were coming from, their cover now closely resembling swiss cheese rather than the truck it was less than a minute ago "…you go take a look"
With little more than a frown in Sarah and more specifically Amy's direction, Derek did as he was told and slid along the side of the truck. He poked his head around the side only to withdraw it quickly and slump against the truck again. He started banging the back of his head against the solid metal.
"Fuck…" bang "…fuck…" bang "….fuck"
Amy and Sarah shared a quizzical look with each other before simultaneously directing their gaze towards Derek. At their questioning looks, he elaborated.
"They're taking cover behind my truck" as if that was all the explanation they needed.
Amy and Sarah kept up their confused looks, making Derek squirm slightly.
"Anybody who puts a hole in my truck will get a hole in their leg…I love that truck" he muttered to himself.
"Ooookay" Sarah chimed in.
"Okay, here's the plan. Short Round, you take them all out while we stay here and avoid getting shot" Derek wasn't usually one to avoid a fight, but when you had 'friendly' metal on hand you may as well use it.
Short Round?
"Hey, how come I've gotta go out there and get shot? This is a nice dress" Amy protested while smoothing the front of her pretty blue dress down.
Derek was two steps short of shooting her himself, if he wasn't so sure that Sarah would cut his balls off he probably would have.
"It's not even a real damn dress, and you're fucking bulletproof anyway" he argued.
"Doesn't mean it's not still pretty. Anyway, I don't like getting shot any more than you do…I have a thing alright, just let it go"
Sarah looked over at Amy's sad expression. She was just about to reach over when a bullet penetrated the metal just above her head and hit the ground in front of them, kicking up a puff of dirt as it did. The three stared at it and simultaneously realised they had to do something about these guys, and quick.
"Remember, don't shoot my truck" Derek hollered as he stood and took aim at the first poor sap that happened to stick his head out from behind cover.
Sarah quickly followed suit, efficiently picking off one man to the left of the truck. She quickly ducked back down and double checked her ammo. Derek hunkered back down and huddled next to Sarah.
"Did you hit it?" he asked, slightly breathless.
"Yeah, I got the guy on the left"
Derek shook his head.
"No, I meant, did you hit my truck?"
"Dammit Derek, fuck your truck…where's Amy?"
The pair looked around to find the little machine girl nowhere to be found. Simultaneously they both peeked out from above the truck in time to see something silver slither along the ground towards their enemy. They watched as it slithered under the truck. The next thing they saw was one of the guys slump to the ground. His partner, seemingly unaware of what was transpiring next to him, kept on firing in their direction. He got off a lucky shot, a shot that grazed Sarah's upper arm.
Amy, having quickly dispatched the first goon had reformed in to her usual shape, just in time to hear a pained cry from Sarah's direction. Amy froze, not quite sure how to react to knowing that he charge had been hurt. The shooter ducked down behind the truck to reload. Catching sight of a little blonde girl, he jumped back slightly, startled. Then upon seeing his compadre with blood seeping from underneath his crumpled body, he immediately aimed his weapon at Amy. She didn't give him a chance to fire as she immediately wrapped a long metallic tentacle around the outstretched hand pointing the gun at her. With a quick flick, she snapped the mans wrist as he cried out in agony and dropped the gun. He stumbled backwards and tried to use his legs to shuffle away from his attacker. He made it a few yards, Amy having released his mangled wrist, just far enough to emerge from behind the cover of the truck when the same tentacle that broke his wrist snaked out and wrapped around his throat and tightened. Amy watched the man struggle for breath with fear in his eyes. He choked out a few terrified sounding words.
"Por…favor, por favor"
Please, please, he kept on repeating to Amy's deaf ears. She advanced on him, all the while keeping her tight grip on his throat.
"You hurt my Sarah"
The man watched with terror in his eyes as Amy formed her other hand in to a sharp metallic blade. Her eyes remained locked on his with a blank, impassive expression on her face. The man croaked out more words at the sight of this abomination in front of him.
"Ay dios mío"
Amy heard his words and it gave her a moments pause. 'Oh my God'.
"You hurt my Sarah" she repeated while tightening her grip around his neck, so much so that he started turning a distinct shade of purple.
Not hesitating any more, the man's eyes widened in fear as Amy aimed the blade at his head, right between his eyes. With no warning, the spear shot out and hammered in to the ground, kicking up dirt like the bullet had done a few moments ago. Amy loosened her grip on the man's neck and reformed her tentacle in to a hand. The man however remained perfectly still, impaled on Amy's other arm, blood slowly seeping down the length of the blade and mixing with the dirt and sand on the ground.
Sarah, who had managed to crawl, despite Derek's protestations, to the end of the truck, watched as Amy slowly withdrew the blade and reformed it in to a hand. She looked on as she casually stepped over the man and moved around the the near side of Derek's truck. She calmly opened the back door and climbed in. Sarah saw her pulling the seatbelt around herself, apparently they were going home. She looked back at the crumpled heap of the man with a large hole in his head and felt a shiver run down her spine. If ever she needed a reminder what Amy was, there it was, lying in the desert to rot.
"Come on, let's get you back in the truck" Derek said, concern evident in his voice.
Sarah nodded distractedly, keeping her eyes locked on the dead man. Derek helped her to her feet and guided her over to his truck. Discreetly checking for bullet holes and finding none, Derek opened the passenger seat and guided a shellshocked looking sarah inn to the seat. He opened the back door and carefully, all the while keeping an eye on her, reached under Amy's seat for the first aid kit. Amy seemed not to notice him, she simply sat and stared at her hands. Derek flinched when she suddenly reached one hand up and brought it to her chest, just below the neckline of her dress and gripped at something beneath.
Shrugging off her behaviour, Derek grabbed the first aid kit and closed the door. He returned to the passenger door and handed Sarah the kit.
"Here, patch yourself up for now, we need to get out of here"
With that, he dashed around to the drivers side and jumped in. Silently thanking whatever deity he prayed to that his precious Dodge Ram was unharmed, he floored the accelerator and sped off, leaving only a dust cloud in their wake.
Idly flipping through the pages of his third magazine, John couldn't quite remember the last time he'd actually read any of the words on the page. Instead he merely sat there in a very uncomfortable but highly fashionable chair, clearly out of his comfort zone and trying to blend in as best he could. This wasn't his scene, this wasn't how he wanted to spend his Saturday afternoon. Hell, this wasn't even a place he'd ever been to before in his life, and yet, he continued to put on a brave albeit bored face. Setting his current magazine down, he picked up another one, only for a movement to catch the corner of his eye. He looked up to find Cameron approaching him with a beaming smile on her face. Examining her body starting from her feet, his eyes trailed up her long, denim clad legs and up over her slim figure to finally settle on her beautiful face. She settled herself in to the seat next to him and leaned over to plant a friendly kiss on his lips. He sat there, slightly dumbstruck, barely remembering to kiss her back. Instead he was transfixed on her hair…and all the bits of silver foil stuck seemingly in random places throughout its length.
"Uh, what's this?"
He started to reach out a hand to inspect the offending items until he felt her slender hand close around his and gently push it away. He looked at her quizzically for a moment, only for her to respond with a customary tilt of her head.
"Susan told me not to touch it" she stated.
"Who's Susan" he asked, still in something of a state of disbelief and not really focusing on anything.
Cameron nodded her head in the direction of a middle aged woman rinsing her hands in the sink at the other side of the room. Bringing his eyes back to Cameron's, John scanned the rather stylish and expensive looking salon on the way.
"I thought you were just getting it cut, what's all this about?" he asked, nodding at her hair.
He thought back to her guiding him towards the salon as soon as they'd entered the mall. She surprised him by announcing that she had an appointment to keep. He'd argued that her hair was fine, she countered that it was too long, he fought back once again with 'it's fine', desperate to avoid having to sit there for hours in the unfamiliar and, to him, hostile environment. As far as he was concerned, that salon may as well have been post apocalyptic L.A with hoards of roaming Terminators. Actually, he'd rather it had been. He'd have preferred that to the torture of having to sit there, flipping through magazines, listening to annoying upbeat dance music and being forced to listen to every woman in the place surrounding him prattling on about so many inconsequential things. He'd eventually relented when she pouted and twirled a few strands around her finger. The way her puppy dog eyes pleaded with him and the way she'd asked him if he didn't like her hair would always crack his resolve. The smile and kiss he got when he agreed made up for it…for a while. Now though, evidently she'd decided she wanted a change and had opted that hair dye was the way to go.
How come Skynet couldn't think of some way for Terminators to change their hair colour on their own? Surely that would help with infiltration?
Forcing those thoughts down and silently admonishing himself for thinking of his girlfriend as a Terminator, John refocused on her face when she opened her mouth to reply to his earlier question.
"I did just come in for a cut, but then she offered to 'liven it up a little'. Are you mad?"
John paused a moment to consider her words before a slow smile crept up his face. He had to admit, he was a little upset with her. Not only had he been dragged to the mall in the first place, but now he had to endure almost twice the length of torture he would have had to otherwise. But after thinking about it, he realised that she probably was doing all this stuff for him anyway. Why else would she go to all the hassle of dying her hair?
"Do I really look that bored?" he asked.
"Yes, you do…" she smiled seductively at him before leaning in again once more to kiss him lovingly and teasingly "…I'll make it up to you later"
She sealed the deal with a smile and a wink. John's brain just about turned to mush.
Damn, how does she always manage to do that?
"Cameron sweetheart, would you like to take a seat"
Just as John was about to reply, a kind voice called out from across the room. His eyes followed Cameron as she stood to find Susan waiting for her near one of the hairdresser's chairs. John caught her eye in the mirror and made sure to smile as she sat down, eagerly anticipating what she had planned to make it up to him.
About two hours in to their drive, Derek glanced across towards the passenger seat to see Sarah looking quite pale with her head lolled back on the headrest with her eyes closed. He also noticed blood seeping out from under the poorly applied bandages on her arm wound. To be honest, Derek just wanted to get out of that damn truck. Amy hadn't said a word since she'd set foot in the car and neither had Sarah. If he wasn't so familiar with the occupants or the situation he would probably have put it down to an oestrogen overload or something. Finally snapping, he pulled the truck over rather abruptly in to a small gas station. Bringing the truck to a stop, he switched off the engine and leaned over towards Sarah. He shook her awake, careful not to touch her wound. She roused and looked at him, slightly confused as to where she was and what was going on. That was until the pain from her arm flared up and it all came flooding back to her. She hissed in pain as she watched Derek climb out of the truck and walk around the front of the hood and opened the passenger door. He reached in and surprisingly gently pulled Sarah's injured arm towards him and gave it a quick inspection.
"It looks like this'll need a few stitches. Stay here, I'll go get you something to eat"
Sarah watched him as he walked off towards the gas station store, totally taken by surprise with his concern and tenderness. She turned in her seat and caught sight of Amy in the back. She looked miserable, and that thought alone slightly unnerved Sarah.
"Are you alright?" she croaked in Amy's direction, hampered by her parched throat.
Amy didn't reply, instead she sat there staring off in to space and playing with something unseen underneath her dress over her chest. Slumping back in to her seat, Sarah admitted defeat, she'd tried, but apparently if a machine didn't want to talk then they didn't want to talk. She idly wondered how John managed to hold a conversation with his future bride.
Wait, did you just refer to Cameron, the machine, as your son's future wife? What is wrong with you?
Sarah then wondered if having an asshole monologue was genetic and John suffered from the same affliction. Nah, he couldn't…could he? She snapped out of her little internal debate and looked down at her injured arm and the blood seeping out from the bandages. She sat up to avoid getting blood on Derek's precious truck, apparently he was quite fond of it. She removed the hastily applied bandages and inspected her wound. If this little scratch, by her standards, had incited Amy to do as much damage to the guy that shot her as she did, then she dread to think what she would do to someone who really hurt her.
Stealing another glance towards the back seat, Sarah found Amy still sitting there in silence, seemingly completely out of touch with reality. She wondered what it was she was playing with underneath the layer of clothing. Truth be told she was worried about her. She'd never seen her be quite so…sadistic before. She could have dealt with this guy in a quick and efficient manner, but it appeared that she wanted to make him suffer for what he did to her. Whether or not Amy was aware that Sarah could see what she did or not, she didn't know, but it made her feel decidedly uncomfortable to know that someone or something would go to such lengths for her. Now she had an inkling as to how John felt whenever he had to watch someone die for him.
She was shaken from her thoughts when she saw Derek returning towards her across the forecourt with an arm full of what she was assuming was food. He reached her and dumped a veritable banquet of sugary and chocolatey treats on her lap before grabbing the first aid kit. He opened it and picked out a needle and thread.
"Eat, this won't take long"
She opened the wrapper of a chocolate bar and nibbled at the contents while she watched him thread the needle carefully.
"This might sting"
At Sarah's nod, he jabbed the needle through her skin and started to stitch her wound shut while Sarah gripped the seat a little tighter and tried not to flinch too much. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Amy shift slightly. Chancing a closer look, she subtly spied her and found a look of slight concern on her face. But just as soon as it had appeared, it was quickly removed and she turned away when she noticed Sarah observing her.
Damn, this is going to be a long drive.
Laying flat on his back on the couch with his nimble fingers dancing over the smooth surface, John had to admit he was delighted with Cameron's efforts at making it up to him. After forcing him through the hell of waiting for her in a salon, she'd really gone all out to get back on his good side. He admired the smooth lines and delicate curves as his fingers continued to their expert exploration. Getting lost in the sight before him, he was startled slightly when Cameron spoke.
"John?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you like my gift?"
"Oh yeah, you're amazing"
John looked up from the screen of the brand new iPhone Cameron had bought him. He looked up and found Cameron standing in front of the mirror in the lounge inspecting her new hairdo. She'd decided to go with an overall lighter shade of brown, the very tips almost appearing blonde. The stylist had cut, blow dried and straightened her hair, evidently Cameron found her new look pleasing as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror. John couldn't help but find it cute the way she idly played with the lighter parts and gave her head the odd flick. It was such a girly thing to do, and he often wondered where she got her sense of style and fashion from. He obviously always found her to be attractive, right from the first day they met he always thought she was one of the prettiest girls alive, or, existing to be more precise. Her fashion sense had at first left a lot to be desired, after all, what was up with those fingerless gloves she always used to wear? But over the last year or so her clothing and appearance had changed and she generally looked older than the sixteen years she was made to resemble. Going with a more generic style of jeans, boots and a jacket was even more pleasing to John's eye than many of her earlier attempts. But now it appeared that she had also developed a distinct taste in the way she wanted to appear, she always looked pristine, even that morning after their first 'exploration' session. John looked a mess but she didn't have a hair out of place.
How does she do that anyway?
So now, as a thank you for putting up with her beauty regimen, i.e waiting for her in the mall, she had bought him a brand new phone. He'd been hinting at Sarah that he needed, or rather wanted a new phone for months. Apparently Cameron had been paying attention and had decided to treat him. He was sure she did it just for the sick pleasure she took from dragging him to the phone store and falsely guiding him towards every lingerie shop in between the salon and there only to veer off at the last second and watch him breathe a huge sigh of relief.
"John, do you like my new hair?"
Shaking his head slightly, John looked up from the phone to find Cameron had turned away from the mirror, but still twirled a few strands of hair around her finger playfully. He was just about to respond when an app finished downloading and his phone beeped, tearing his attention away from her.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's gorgeous sweetie"
Sweetie?
Evidently finding his reply less than satisfactory, Cameron took a step closer and examined him as he seemed focused on the small device in his hand. She huffed and folded her arms dramatically.
"I think you love that mechanical device more than you love me…" she accused, somewhat seriously "…you are aware of the rather limited security features of that particular model and the many issues it has with signal degredation?"
If John didn't know any better, he was sure she was a little jealous of his new phone.
"Oh come on Cameron, it's me you're talking to. I can have this thing hacked up so much I could probably even use your chip to run it" his grin faltered when he looked at her slightly hurt expression.
"Hmph, that stone age hardware couldn't handle my chip"
John looked up and saw her pout. Once again he melted from one simple action and had a sudden ingenious idea.
"Hey Cameron, c'mere and sit down"
She eyed him sceptically for a moment before taking a few short steps and primly perching herself on the edge of the couch.
"Now smile"
She tilted her head, confused at his sudden and seemingly random request.
"Why?"
"Because I want to take a picture of you"
"Why?"
John rolled his eyes and smiled, his eyes sparkled as he launched in to another one of his favourite activities, explain something to Cameron.
"Because, I'm going to set it as my phone background picture"
"Why?"
"You know, considering you're supposed to have a highly advanced CPU you really are slow sometimes aren't you…" he smiled and chuckled a little, but sobered up when he saw her slightly hurt expression "…I would like to take a picture of you and set it as my background so that whenever I use my phone I'll see your beautiful face. Seeing you makes me smile, I'd like to be able to smile whenever and wherever I am"
She ran his explanation through her head. Finding it logical and actually a little flattering, she smiled and leaned in to kiss him, a kiss he gladly returned. She pulled back and smiled.
"Thank you. You may take your picture"
John grinned and held up his phone and centred her in the viewfinder. Her lips quirked up in to her usual faint smile and he snapped her image and set it as the background. He turned the phone around and showed it to her, eagerly awaiting her opinion.
"There, gorgeous huh? What do you think?"
She frowned and used her optical sensors to zoom in on the image.
"There are 4 strands of hair across my face on the image, it's unacceptable. Take another one" she commanded.
John merely chuckled and reached out to tuck the offending strands behind her ear.
"Sorry Princess, I like it, it stays"
He sat up, planted a kiss on her cheek and watched her frown melt away. He loved that he had that effect on her.
"So, whaddya say we put on some crappy movie and snuggle on the couch for a while?"
As quickly as her frown had disappeared, it returned just as fast.
"Snuggle?"
"Uh yeah. It means cuddle, mom and Amy aren't due back for a while. Plus, you never know, it could give me another chance to find out something you like" he rand a hand up the inside of her thigh suggestively and watched as her eyes followed his hand.
She considered his suggestion for a few seconds before her face suddenly lit up with an idea.
"Could we watch The Lion King?"
"Ugh, you've seen that movie like fifteen times already"
"Seven…" she corrected "…but I enjoy it every time"
John didn't want to be forced in to watching it with her again because he knew it made him cry like a baby every damn time, but he once again took one look at her face and relented.
Damn that girl, why does she have to be so good at doing that to me?
"Alright, alright, we'll watch it…" he smiled at her and climbed off the couch "…you go get the movie and I'll go get something to eat"
John wasn't quite sure what he'd just let himself in for, but he swore he wasn't going to cry this time.
Cameron wasn't quite sure why, but she'd carried on munching on the big tub of popcorn long after John had drifted off to sleep with his head on her shoulder. Evidently he didn't feel like indulging in sexual relations with her tonight. Either that or he found the Lion King to be truly boring. She assumed it was the latter, after all, he couldn't be bored with her sexually after only a day could he?
Dismissing that thought as ridiculous, she looked down at her boyfriend who was currently drooling on her shoulder. They'd spent an enjoyable day together, or rather, she'd had a rather enjoyable day with him. After all, they were a couple now, and she felt that they should do couple like activities. Hence why she'd dragged him to the mall, why she'd been pestering him for his opinion on her new hairdo and why she'd bought him a tight present. Although she did slightly regret that last action based on the way he was still clutching the device in his right hand like it was the most precious thing in the world to him.
Just as she was about to rouse him and suggest engaging in some R rated activities, she heard the telltale signs of Derek's truck pulling in to the driveway. She heard two doors open and close and the truck pull away. Apparently Derek wouldn't be joining them tonight.
"John" she whispered softly.
John didn't stir, if anything he buried himself deeper in to her shoulder.
"John" she repeated a little louder this time.
Once again he failed to wake up. When she opened her mouth to speak to him again, Sarah walked in to the house and yelled immediately, giving no concern to who was doing what and where.
"JOHN?"
This time John certainly did wake up, in fact he almost jumped clean off the couch. If it weren't for Cameron holding him down he might have. He swivelled his head around to find his mother looming large behind him. If he'd paid careful attention to her eyes, he'd probably have noticed that she was staring at John's hand which currently resided on Cameron's thigh possessively. Instead he focused on Amy as she stalked up the stairs without a word. Finally looking up at his mother, he noticed she was holding her arm.
"Mom, are you okay?" he asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a scratch" she smiled to try and ease his worry and was relieved when he nodded.
"So how'd it go?" he asked, referring to the meeting with the arms dealers.
Sarah shrugged and tried her best to hide the grimace of pain the movement caused with a smile.
"Not that great"
"Why, what happened?…" he looked at the stairs for a moment before looking back at Sarah "…What's up with Amy?"
Sarah turned and looked up the stairs much in the same way John had done a moment before. Her expression which remained hidden to John betrayed her worry for her little friend.
"I don't know exactly…" she turned back to face her son "…We'll talk about the meeting in the morning…" she took a glance around the room, in particular the TV "…how was the movie?" she purposefully lightened her tone.
"It was good, John cried" it was Cameron who spoke this time in response to Sarah's question.
"I did not" he countered playfully.
"Yes, you did" she deadpanned.
"What were you watching?" Sarah asked, quietly observing the interplay between them.
"The Lion King. John cried when Simba's father died"
"Did not"
"Did too"
"The Lion King? John, you always cry when you watch that, stop denying it" well that was it, Sarah quickly and efficiently silenced the argument in the way only a mother can, through sheer embarrassment.
She leaned over the couch and kissed her son on the top of his head.
"I'm going to bed…" she paused and pointedly looked between John and Cameron "…don't stay up too late. We'll talk in the morning"
Taking the hint, John nodded.
"Night mom, I'm glad you're home"
Sarah smiled and John watched as she wearily climbed the stairs. He turned to face Cameron who had a certain sense of eagerness in her expression.
"Uh Cameron, listen. Maybe you should sleep in your own room tonight"
She tilted her head in confusion, and she had to admit, slight disappointment.
"I don't sleep, you know that"
"What I meant was, I don't think we should be together tonight, at least not until we have a chance to break the news to mom about us. I can't imagine what she'd do if she found out about our relationship while we were, you know…'exploring'"
He looked at her disappointed expression, but he knew he was right, and he hoped that deep down she knew it too. Apparently she did as she slowly nodded.
"Okay John…" she leaned forward and kissed the corner of his lips "…when will you tell her so that we can have sex again?"
The way she talked so unashamedly about sex would always embarrass John, despite the fact that he should have been used to it by now. This time he leaned forward and kissed her lips, the exact same way she'd done to him a moment ago.
"I'll see if I can work up the courage to do it tomorrow…and you're gonna be right there with me"
He smiled and kissed her again before standing up and moving to pick up his phone when Cameron suddenly stopped his hand from reaching its goal. His eyes followed her outstretched arm to find her frowning at him disapprovingly.
"What?" he enquired, mystified as to her intentions.
She ran her hand along his own arm and followed it to pick up the phone off the couch.
"You're in a relationship now John, I won't let you take any other electronic device to bed with you. You will remain faithful to me"
If it wasn't for the tiny ghost of a smile on her lips, he would have been certain that she being serious. Instead he merely chuckled and kissed her outstretched hand.
"Good night Cameron, love you"
"Good night John, sleep well"
John started to climb the stairs when a thought occurred to him.
"Hey, uh, are you okay with being alone tonight?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.
While she'd only spent one night in bed with him, he didn't want her to feel like he didn't care about her. He wanted to make sure she understood that it was merely due to circumstances at the moment that stopped him sharing his bed with her. He remembered her saying last night that she was cold while wandering the halls on patrol, he didn't want her to feel cold or alone any more.
"Yes John, I'll be fine…thank you" she accented her answer with a reassuring smile and watched as he smiled in reply and carried on up the stairs.
She sat down on the couch and picked up the bowl of popcorn, intent on finishing it off. She also picked up the remote control for the DVD player and pressed play to start The Lion King again. She liked that movie, and if she couldn't be in John's bed then she may as well do something to pass the time other than patrolling in the cold.
Derek Reese had never been more nervous in his life. He'd hid from Terminators, he'd stood up to torture, he'd killed men in cold blood. But nothing rattled his nerves like what was going on now. To top it all off he felt stupid, here he was feeling totally uncomfortable and out of place, and he was pretty sure he was being mentally undressed by the old cougar sitting three seats down from him at the restaurant bar. Wearing a suit and tie for only the third time in his life, he had to laugh at himself for how out of place he felt.
Checking his watch for what felt like the thirtieth time since he'd sat down, he wondered why he was so nervous. It wasn't like he hadn't done this before, albeit in entirely different surroundings and circumstances. Usually he would take one look at a fancy place like this and run back to the park and order a hotdog, but tonight was different. He had resolved a while ago to treat this night like a mission. Secure appropriate attire, check. Ensure personal hygiene, check. Don't punch the valet, check. Keep calm and try to blend in, still working on that. Not that he exactly stuck out like a sore thumb, the rather expensive suit saw to that, but he did feel distinctly out of his comfort zone. He told himself it would be worth it, that the rewards would outweigh the drawbacks, but now that he was sitting here he was starting to doubt himself. The way the Maitre d' had took one look at him and subtly signalled for security with an almost imperceptible nod of his head had put him in a bad mood to start off with. Seeing that Derek did in fact have a reservation, albeit in someone else's name, a name he very much recognised soon changed his demeanour and he was personally escorted to the bar and given his first drink on the house while he awaited his companion. No better way to draw attention to yourself than by being cordially greeted and treat like royalty by the restaurants staff.
As he checked his watch again, Derek felt a distinct presence over his right shoulder. Casually taking a sip of his drink, he reminded himself where he was and willed himself not to react the way he was programmed to do. He felt a hand slide on to his shoulder and a soft, feminine voice speaking.
"You're early"
He looked over and watched as a lithe, female figure slipped on to the seat next to him. Her black dress shimmered under the lighting of the bar. Derek took note of the way the dress wouldn't have looked out of place on the red carpet, and yet still clung to all the right places. Stopping modestly just below her knee, a slit in the side allowed an ample view of her milky thigh. He snapped his eyes upwards and looked at her hand which still rested on his shoulder. Allowing his eyes to follow it's slender length, his eyes settled on her face. Her distinctly uncommon features stood out from a mile away and made her all the more beautiful. Her features convinced Derek that she was of foreign descent, but hadn't plucked up the courage to ask her where from yet. Her face was framed by a mane of long dark brown hair, lightly curled and draped over one shoulder. She smiled at him as he appraised her, apparently not caring that he was one step short of drooling. He smiled and gently took hold of her hand and lifted it off his shoulder. He brought it around in front of his face and kissed her knuckles and watched as she smiled shyly in response.
"Hey Jess"
I WILL finish A Mother's Love...eventually! :)
Also, be sure to check out my profile to see how I picture both Amy and now Jessica.
Huge thanks as always to Dekardkain for providing valuable input in to, well, pretty much everything!