Hey dudes and dudettes,
As always thanks to reviewers jojobevco, RachelJones648, olischulu, Steel_Dragon_64, Ralmidaz, Dragon_Seraphin, EvilTheLast, XxDeathStarxX, kaotic2, joesmith, darkfinder, TCandBTVSluver, CloudyShadows, Shikyo-sama and greg3952.
"Hey Jess"
Derek eyed the beautiful young woman whose hand he was currently kissing as she smiled shyly, her cheeks tinting a delightful shade of pink.
"Mr. Baum, it's only our second date. My name is Jessica, a little brash of you to presume I like to be called Jess isn't it"
Her bright smile told him she wasn't serious with her statement in any way. Grinning more to himself than anything, Derek released her hand.
"Well, it's a pretty name either way"
"Wow, brash and a charmer…have I made a mistake in meeting with you again Sir?' she asked coyly, her blue eyes narrowed, barely visible behind her long dark lashes.
Derek chuckled. "The only mistake you made was not seeing me again sooner"
She nodded, remembering the last time they met and their rather steamy encounter in a hotel room.
"Confident too. Is there anything I should know about you? Are you James Bond when you're not too busy being a software developer?"
They both chuckled as Derek summoned the bartender over to them. "James Bond? Please, I'm more like Jason Bourne, less suave but so much more realistic"
"Dazed, confused, doesn't really know where he is or what he's doing?" she deadpanned, still with a slight smirk.
Chuckling again, Derek fidgeted with his tie while looking at Jessica fondly. "Yeah, that's me…" he turned to address the bartender who patiently waited to take his order "…could I have a…" he turned back to Jessica who answered his unspoken question.
"White wine"
"…A glass of white wine please" he completed his order to the bartender who looked at Jessica.
"Will your usual be okay Miss Grey?"
"Yes, thank you Stephen" she answered with a kind smile.
Derek watched as the bartender trooped off to prepare her drink and then looked at her quizzically.
"Stephen? Your usual? Miss Grey? If I didn't know any better I'd think you'd been here before" he joked.
She nodded in reply and looked around the finely decorated restaurant.
"Yeah, this is Daddy's favourite restaurant, I've eaten here for years"
Just as Derek was about to reply, a waiter approached them. From the looks of him he was the head honcho.
"Excuse me, Miss Grey, your usual table is ready" his accent heavily laden with what Derek assumed was Italian, or maybe French, he couldn't quite tell.
Derek watched as Jessica gracefully slid out of her seat and followed the waiter across the room to a table for two by the window. While his first reaction was his brain screaming at him that it was a security risk to sit by the windows like that, his body couldn't help but stare at his date as she slinked away in front of him in that amazing dress.
He stood up and followed her, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the judgmental stares he was receiving from the restaurant's other patrons. It wasn't an odd sight for the enigmatic young Jessica Grey to be dining here, but for her to have a relative scruff like Derek, despite the fact he'd shaved that day, in tow was quite irregular. The waiter took up a position by the table and made way for Jessica. Derek, thankful for whatever manners his mother had managed to teach his sixteen year old brain before the bombs dropped, remembered to pull the chair out for his date at the last second. She smiled up appreciatively at him at the gesture. Despite her smile Derek had a feeling she would have kicked up a stink if he'd forgot the small action. He took a seat opposite her with a smile and accepted the napkin from the waiter. All of this rigmarole would normally have grated on Derek, after all he was more used to takeout Chinese food and a six pack of beer than the fine dining he was about to experience. The only thing that stopped him from getting up and walking out was the thought of his date…pressed up against him…in that dress.
Shaking his head and forcefully getting rid of those thoughts…at least for the time being, Derek refocused when the waiter handed him a menu, still maintaining his professionalism despite his obvious disdain for Derek and his ilk. Opening the menu, Derek's eyes bulged when he realised it didn't even have any prices listed. Apparently it was just expected that if you were eating in this place that you were so loaded that you didn't really care how much you paid. Stealthily peeking out from above his menu, he noticed Jessica didn't seem perturbed in the slightest and perused the menu like it was a magazine.
To Derek's eternal surprise, the meal went quite well. He ordered politely for them both, kept up a casual conversation and she hadn't ran away yet. All in all it was a pretty successful appetiser and main course. He managed to not only avoid spilling half his meal down his shirt, what little of it there was, but he'd also managed to avoid punching every passerby who gave him an odd look. When he ordered his steak he was expecting half a cow to turn up, instead he received a grand total of six mouthfuls, and while each bite was delicious, he couldn't help but feel a little unfulfilled.
Having successfully negotiated dessert, the conversation turned towards Jessica.
"Well, I'm a model"
"Yeah, I remember you saying" Derek couldn't help but hide his smirk.
"I mostly do runway work and the occasional photo shoot, you know, for magazines and designers"
"Uh huh" Derek nodded along, trying to look interested.
"I live in L.A, I have an apartment in Beverley Hills" she stopped and took a sip of her wine and didn't appear to want to carry on.
"And?…" he prompted.
"Well, that's about it, everyone knows the details of my life. Travel here, travel there, get paid to keep myself pretty…" she shrugged to cover what Derek assumed to be embarrassment "…Whereas you strike me as the interesting type. I'll bet you have a few stories to tell" she gave him a tiny smile which he found irresistibly sexy.
Derek swished a mouthful of beer around before he launched in to his well rehearsed cover story. "Well as you know I'm a freelance software developer. Oh yeah I've worked for all the big companies, Microsoft, Apple, Nintendo, you know, the usual" he said, trying to sound nonchalant about it all.
"Wow, so what does being a software developer involve?" she gave her eyelashes a quick flutter of encouragement.
"Well uh…" he stammered, usually people don't pay this much interest "…I spend a lot of time working with the server…in the matrix. AI is massive with the…virus and the uh…mainframe"
Derek looked up to find her looking a little less than impressed.
"What?" he asked, shuffling nervously in his seat.
"Derek, would you please stop bullshitting me?" Derek looked around to see if her louder than a whisper outburst had attracted any attention.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on, you're not a software developer. In fact, I know you're not who you claim to be"
Alarm bells started ringing in Derek's head, 'what does she mean by that?' 'who is she?'.
"What makes you say that?" he asked guardedly.
Jessica scoffed a little. "Would you like a list? First of all let me explain something to you. I grew up being surrounded by pretentious assholes who discussed the size of their trust funds like they were arguing about dick size. I kept getting dragged to this restaurant when I was little by my daddy, when all I wanted was a damn happy meal…" she paused to make sure she had his full attention "…I know money Derek, and you certainly aren't the man you claim to be"
Actually feeling a little crestfallen that his charade had ended, Derek couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Derek, you wanna know the reason I asked you out tonight? The reason I asked you out is that I needed to know if I was right about you…and it turns out I am"
Derek nodded resignedly to himself. "What gave it away?"
"Well, a few things. First off you looked terrified when the menu arrived. You ordered a beer, in this place. They probably had to blow the dust off that bottle before they handed it to you. You keep fidgeting with your tie like it's the first time you've ever wore one, you did it at the party too. You kept looking towards the kitchen to check if there would be more steak coming eventually. Oh, and The Matrix is a movie"
Derek slouched back in his seat, no reason to keep up the pretence any more. "Is that it? Wanna get any more digs in there while you're on a roll?"
Surprisingly, Jessica smiled a sexy and confident smile. "Yeah…and you haven't been able to keep your eyes off my dress all night, it's not polite to stare" she smirked behind her glass.
Derek looked at her, trying so hard to keep the 'busted' look off his face. "Okay, you got me. I'm not a software developer. I used that as a cover to crash that party where we met. I don't drive a Ferrari or wear Rolex watches. I drive a truck and wear a crappy Timex divers watch. I don't drink fine wines or eat somewhere as nice as this place every day. Jessica, I'm not rich, I don't have a trust fund, or an apartment in Beverley Hills. I'm just some bum who got lucky by hitting it off with a girl like you"
Jessica took a moment to consider his words. "Remember I said I wanted to see if I was right about you?"
"Yeah"
"Well I was, and you know what? I'm glad I was right"
Derek looked at her, slightly shocked.
"I said I grew up with people who thought that popularity was based on how much money they had. Well let me tell you something. Daddy is richer than all of them put together, and yet here I am talking to a bum like you…" she tentatively reached out a hand and laid it on top of his hand grasping his beer "…Derek, I don't care if you aren't rich or if you don't drive a sports car. I like you because you don't have all that, it means you're more likely to care about me than being preoccupied with how much you're gonna earn from this date. People with money have one big annoying trait. They usually have an overwhelming desire to have more money"
She lifted the bottle of beer from his hand and took a sip. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she slowly lowered the bottle and handed it back to him.
"Derek, I knew you weren't rich the first time you ran those calloused hands over my body…" she shook her head with a smirk "…If I hadn't enjoyed it, why would I have asked you here tonight?"
Derek shrugged and did his best not to smirk. "I guess it must be my animal magnetism or something" he answered with a grin.
She sat back in her chair and took a sip of her wine, trying oh so hard not to let him see her devilish grin.
"So tell me about yourself, the real Derek Baum this time, no lies okay" she flashed him an encouraging smile, hoping to coax the truth out of him.
"Yeah…" he scratched behind his head with a resigned look on his face "…well, I live in a small place in East L.A with my brother's widow and her three kids. I moved in about a year ago to help her out of a rough spot.
She smiled appreciatively. "Wow, such a gentleman, there must be something bad about you. You must have some sort of shady past" she grinned, but faltered slightly when she caught his pensive look.
Derek shrugged and took a sip of his beer to calm himself. "I didn't always crash corporate parties in search of beautiful women"
Jessica smiled shyly and took a sip of her wine to hide her slight blush. "Tell me about it" she asked sincerely.
"I said I live with my brother's widow…" he looked down towards the table where he turned his beer around in his hands "…He died fight…he died in the war. I didn't. Funny story right?" he asked with a sardonic grin.
Jessica for her part actually looked flustered for the first time that evening. "I, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"No, you didn't. It's fine…" he gave his head a quick shake "…I just wanted you to understand why I don't usually open with that"
"How far back was it? I mean, I'm sorry, I'm doing it again aren't I?" she felt guilty for once again inadvertently putting her foot in her mouth.
"I guess it depends on who you ask…" the corner of Derek's lips quirked up in to a strange little smile "…To his son, a lifetime. To me? Seems like yesterday"
"Were you close? Your brother I mean?" she looked down and idly played with her napkin.
"I basically raised him…" Derek couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably, he wasn't used to opening up like this "…Best soldier I've ever seen"
Jessica, sensing his uncomfortableness, deftly changed the subject. "So tell me about your family…in law" she plastered on her best comforting smile.
"John and Cameron are seventeen, and just about as annoying as you'd imagine…" he rolled his eyes dramatically "…Amy is eight going on thirty five"
She couldn't help but smile at his description. "So are you their favourite 'Uncie Derek'?" she asked with a smirk.
Derek frowned, somewhat against his wishes. He shrugged it off however and took a sip of his beer. "Not exactly. John's a good kid, but he lacks focus. Cameron is…an automaton that lives in John's shadow most of the time. Amy decided a few days ago that it's her mission in life to drive me insane. So yeah, lots of fun"
"Ouch…" she said through a chuckle "…must be hard for poor Amy though, being the only girl with two boys, John and Cameron, must be tough for her"
"Cameron is actually a girl…" Derek smiled for the first time in a few minutes "…John's…twin sister"
"Oh. Sorry…" she blushed a little "…What about their mom? You said she went through some tough times?"
"Sarah is…Sarah…" he shrugged to cover his discomfort "…She took Kyle's death really hard. She's really protective of her kids and can be a little…intense"
"Intense how? She's not one of these angry at the world kind of women is she?"
"It's not really the world…just, all the people in it"
"Wow…" she examined him with a certain fondness in her eyes "…You're a good man Derek Baum"
"Not really…" he frowned, was he really going ahead with this? "…You want to know me, no bullshit?"
"Derek, I didn't ask about you because I wanted you to keep lying. If I was going to run away I'd have done it already and security would be throwing your bum ass out of here"
"Fair enough. Like I said, I didn't spend my time crashing corporate parties. Before I moved in with Sarah I wasn't the kind of guy you had drinks with. I spent most of the last ten years fighting non-stop. I've killed more than my fair share of people for reasons you probably wouldn't agree with even if you understood them"
She couldn't help but be unnerved by that statement. "So, you're a dangerous man?" she ventured.
Derek nodded with a sigh, he couldn't help but feel she was about ten seconds away from going through with her threat of calling for security. "Yeah, I am. I'm not exactly one hundred percent 'here' Jess. I had to stop myself from punching the valet twice, and when you snuck up behind me my first impulse was to fire off an elbow"
Jessica took a sip of her wine, all the time keeping her eyes locked on his. "So why didn't you?" she kept her eyes on him and flashed him a tiny smile.
"Because I could tell you weren't a threat…" Derek zoned out momentarily while he replayed the moment she entered in his head "…the clicking behind me meant high heels, you're wearing the same perfume you were the night we met, and frankly…" he ran an appreciative eye over her with a smile "…there's nowhere in that dress you could hide a gun"
All of a sudden, Derek felt a high heel clad slender foot run up the length of his lower leg. His eyes snapped up to find a seductive smile on her lips and a mischievous sparkle in her eye. "Good observations. I like a man who pays attention to a woman. So tell me, what would you do to me if I did sneak up on you? Surely a big strong guy like you wouldn't hurt little old me?" she fluttered her eyelashes playfully.
Derek couldn't help but squirm a little under her intense gaze while he struggled to maintain his train of thought. Derek really did like this girl, he wanted to make sure she knew exactly what she was getting in to if they carried on the way they were going. "I couldn't help it if you surprised me, Jess. You need to be careful. When you do what I do for as long as I have, the reactions come before you think about it…" Derek paused and frowned, seemingly deep in thought "…I could've broken your hand, wrist, and elbow before I even realised it was you"
Jessica hesitated as she considered his words. "Well, you didn't, I guess that's got to count in my favour right?" she asked with a smile.
"I just...don't want you to get hurt. Especially by me. So be careful, okay?"
"Careful how? What did they train you to do that made you so dangerous to everyone?"
"I was Tech-Com, 132nd S.O.C. Part of a forward recon brigade. Deep infiltration, sabotage of enemy production facilities and targeted demolition. Basically, they let us loose and told us to blow shit up"
She leaned forward in her seat "Uh huh, explosions, go on"
"Really?" Derek couldn't say he wasn't surprised "…you want to hear this?"
"Mmmhmmm" she propped her elbow on the table and laid her chin on her hand.
"Umm...okay…" he took a long swig of his beer while he considered how to word this without letting the wrong info slip "…Basically, Command would issue us a list of targets rated Alpha through Gamma priority. We would choose our own search patterns and target order, either gathering intelligence or if we had the opportunity, destroying the enemy facilities. If we got lucky, all we had to do was call in the target's co-ordinates for a bomb run. If we weren't lucky, which we usually weren't, then we"d have to find a way to destroy it ourselves"
"So what you're saying is you're a bad, bad man?" she flashed him a sexy smile and ran the tip of her finger around the rim of her glass.
"Well, yeah…" he couldn't help but smirk "…but only to other bad, bad men"
"Only?" she pouted for added effect.
Derek shrugged, he was trying to pull off the nonchalant look, but he fell just that little bit short due to the quiver in his voice. "I do have extensive training in... interrogation"
Jessica shivered a little with excitement. "So you're used to getting what you want from people?"
"Eventually…" he conceded, leaning back in his chair "…how much and how long is up to them"
"I can be very stubborn when I want to be" she leaned back, mimicking his posture.
"That's fine…" he smiled, wishing he hadn't shaved off his stubble as it would have made his upcoming look so much more dramatic, "…hostile subjects are always the most entertaining"
That was all it took for Jessica to finally snap. She picked up her glass of wine and drained the remaining liquid. Placing the glass down with a firm thud and grabbing his hand, she stood, toppling the chair in the process. She tugged him along behind her as she walked through the restaurant towards the exit. She spared a glance over her shoulder. "I can be very stubborn"
"Shouldn't we... pay?" Derek asked as he was being pulled along behind her.
Just at that moment, a young waiter came bustling over to them.
"Uh, ma'am, the bill" he pointed out.
Jessica stopped in her tracks and turned to face the young man.
"You must be new here, Daddy has a tab" she left it at that and carried on towards the exit, stopping only to speak to the maitre d' "Where do you find these staff Lucas?"
"My apologies Miss Grey, enjoy your evening"
Derek watched and marvelled as his date effortlessly put down the snooty maitre d' who had treat him like dirt earlier. He kept his eyes locked on her until they were out on the street and her chauffeur was pulling the back door of her limousine open for her to climb in.
"That. Was. So. Hot"
She smirked over her shoulder as she climbed in to the back. Derek couldn't help but give the chauffeur a knowing smirk to which he replied with a disgusted shake of his head. Derek brushed it off and piled in to the limo anyway.
Not usually one to allow herself to sleep in, Sarah Connor drifted from the land of jumping sheep and pleasant dreams at a very un Sarah Connor like eleven AM. Her eyes fluttered open to find a soft light radiating from behind her closed drapes. For once, her dreams had been filled with pleasant thoughts, rather than the usual terrors of a post apocalyptic wasteland populated with hordes of Terminators that regularly haunted her nightmares.
Feeling surprisingly well rested, Sarah rolled over and examined her bedside alarm clock. With a quickness that belied her appearance, she leapt out of bed in a frenzy. Hastily throwing on the first set of clothes she could lay her hands on in the semi darkness, she cursed herself for sleeping in so late. She regularly 'woke up' around 6 AM each morning without fail, woke up being a figurative term, the fact being she rarely slept at all. So what was different today, and yesterday for that matter?
Realisation hit her as she was stumbling around her room with one leg in her pants.
No, it couldn't be because of that…could it? No Sarah, it is not because of Amy's presence.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she resumed her struggle with her pants.
Dammit, how the hell does Cameron squeeze herself in to those tight jeans she wears? Does she like, roll them on?
Lamenting her inability to perform a usually simple task, and quashing the slight hint of jealousy at the young cyborgs almost perfect physique, Sarah finally managed to force her leg through the hole in the bottom of the jeans. Quickly dashing out of her room and almost sprinting barefoot down the hallway, she descended the stairs practically at a gallop only to find that neither the world had ended nor the house had been burned down in her absence. Instead she found only her son and his protector sitting on the couch, looking quite cozy with John's laptop spread between their legs. They both looked up in unison at the sight of Sarah bundling her way down the staircase and staring at them breathlessly.
"Uh, mom, you alright?" John asked with a slight smirk.
Sarah looked at her son with a flabbergasted expression on her face. Seeing her son looking clean, well fed and generally just happy actually made her feel a little disappointed, then guilty at her disappointment. It seemed that her little baby boy was growing up.
"Uh, yeah. I'm gonna grab some coffee. You want anything?"
John arched an eyebrow at his mother's odd behaviour.
"No thanks mom, I'm good"
Sarah took a few paces towards the kitchen when a sudden thought occurred to her. She turned and totally out of the blue asked a question none of the rooms occupants were expecting.
"How about you Cameron? You want anything?"
Once again, both John and Cameron looked up in unison, this time however their expressions were markedly different. John seemed astounded and the tiniest hint of an appreciative smile graced Cameron's lips.
"No thank you Sarah. I'm good" she replied, mimicking John's response.
Sarah nodded and padded in to the kitchen to prepare her morning coffee. She could almost feel her son's eyes on her back and see his brow creased in confusion. She pulled her favourite cup out of the cupboard and switched on the coffeemaker and stood looking out of the kitchen window at the back garden. For some reason she found the overgrown lawn to be fascinating that morning. Perhaps it was the vision of her dreams still vivid in her memory. If any shrink ever got his hands on this one they'd have a field day and probably assemble a crack team of psychologists to examine her brain. So sparse were her good dreams that they were usually very surreal. Sarah Connor would never be seen skipping through a field in a white dress, she'd rather die than do that. So why did she do it in her dreams last night?
"I am so mowing that lawn today" she said to no one in particular.
As she finished pouring the steamy black liquid in to her cup, she heard the glorious sound of her son laughing. It was so rare these days that she made a point of savouring it every time it happened. She picked up her cup, not bothering with cream or sugar, too time consuming. She took a few short steps to the dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room and stealthily poked her head around the corner, just enough to observe John from behind cover. She watched him as his laughter died down. Evidently Cameron had a sense of humour, either that or John was laughing at her and not because of her. Sarah doubted that for some reason. The twinkle in her son's eye as he smiled and looked over at Cameron told her everything she needed to know. This wasn't just a physical thing with him.
While Sarah was not above admitting that Cameron appeared to most as a very, very attractive young girl, she had always hoped that John's obsession with her was not based on a purely physical attraction. Now as she watched him watch her with a genuine fondness, she felt a slight pang of fear hit. That was until she saw Cameron's face. She knew that Cameron was able to almost perfectly mimic human expressions and emotions, but this seemed different, more somehow. As far as she knew, Cameron wasn't aware of her presence. There was no reason to fake anything, no reason to blend in, no reason to smile. Yet there she was, grinning like a Cheshire cat at some comment she'd made and the reaction it garnered from John.
As Cameron turned back to look at the laptop, Sarah watched as her son, still smiling, leaned over and placed an affectionate kiss on her cheek. Cameron's smile grew and if anything she snuggled closer to John. Such a human and girly reaction, but Sarah was under no illusions that her son was in love with this machine. After all, why would he be destined to marry her if he didn't love her?
Sarah ducked back around the dividing wall and cleared her throat loudly to give them ample warning she was coming before emerging fully from behind the wall with her coffee in hand. She walked over and took a seat in the chair opposite them. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence and both John and Cameron pretending she wasn't there and that they weren't snuggled so close, Sarah couldn't take it any more and just came right out with it.
"Are you two a couple?"
"Yes Sarah, there are two of us" Cameron looked over at John with a 'has your mother finally lost it?' expression on her face.
Sarah just calmly sipped on her coffee and ignored her comment, instead choosing to focus on her suddenly guilty as hell looking son. "John, are you a couple?"
"Well…" John hesitated "…I suppose it would depend on your definition of 'couple'.
Sarah merely stared impatiently at him. "Are you having sex with Cameron? That defined enough for you?"
No point in denying it now Johnny Boy.
"Um, yeah" John subconsciously shuffled away from Cameron a little and felt his cheeks turn bright red, earning himself a confused head tilt from Cameron.
"Okay…" her face worked it's way in to a frown "…I appreciate you being honest. How long?"
"Well actually um..."
Cameron chose that exact moment to join in the conversation. "Thirty six hours and fifteen minutes"
Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. "I think I would have preferred a vague answer there, Cameron"
"It was an important occasion. Our first time" she reasoned while smiling at a cringing John.
Sarah took a long, deep breath to steady herself, not totally blind to the fact John is already embarrassed. "And this…" motioning between them "…how long had it been going on before your 'first time'?"
John shuffled in his seat awkwardly. "Um, I guess since just after Amy arrived. She kinda...told us a few things"
She grumbled to herself. "You're not the only one"
"Dammit John!" she stopped and closes her eyes for a second to calm down, making it a point to lower her voice "John, when were you planning to tell me this was going on behind my back?"
"Mom, it's not like we were sneaking around...well maybe we were a little. It's just that I didn't know how you'd take it...I still don't know how you're gonna take it"
She folded her arms over her chest, finally finding a very familiar 'mom' argument to go with. "And it never occurred to you that I might be a little more reasonable if you'd come to me like a man rather than running around behind my back and me finding out about it later?"
John's face scrunched up in obvious confusion. "Are you serious? I'm surprised you're not getting the thermite for her and the scalpel for me" he said in a deadly serious tone.
Sarah couldn't help but frown, thinking back to her altecation with Amy. "Would it do any good if I was?"
John smiled humourlessly. "I don't think Cameron appreciates thermite"
"No, I don't" she chimed in with her 'scary robot face' in place.
"Which is why we're all here having a friendly conversation…" she eyed them both like it should have been obvious "…I may not like this, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to make you choose between us John"
John looked a little stunned at her insight. "Good. So...what does this mean now? Are you mad?"
"Well, yeah John! You lied to me…" she shook her head "…BOTH of you"
Cameron spoke up. "I didn't lie. You didn't ask"
John couldn't help but facepalm at her reasoning. "That's not what she meant Princess"
One of Sarah's eyebrows drifted slightly higher of it's own accord. "Princess?"
John's cheeks turned impossibly redder at his slip. "Um yeah, anyway..."
Sarah looked at Cameron "You let him call you Princess?"
Cameron gave her customary small smile. "It's his 'pet name' for me" she stated as if it was totally obvious and a perfectly acceptable thing to happen.
Deciding to leave the talk about demeaning pet names for a less stressful occasion, Sarah ploughed on. "So, how many recon missions have you two blown off to make out? Do I even want to know?"
"Come on mom, it's not like we've been going at it like rabbits" realising what he'd just said, John buried his face deeper in to his hand.
"Yes, we've always put the mission first" Cameron confirmed.
"Oh, like you were focusing on the mission while you were having sex at Weaver's?" she crossed her arms over her chest smugly and stared at John "…you should really teach her not to give the exact time with questions like that"
John looked sidelong at Cameron, remembering that night. "Yeah, I guess we got a little distracted on that one" despite the situation he couldn't help but smirk.
"See John…" she shook her head "…this is why this is dangerous! You're a teenager, and when sex gets involved your brain just stops working!"
"Hey, I'd done the hard work. I had to sit listening to Cromartie Henry for like 6 hours. Anyway, it's not like I've totally lost sight of what we need to do" he argued.
"Okay…" feeling slightly put in her place, she nodded "…you did your job"
"What about her?" she locked eyes with Cameron "…you were in the field, alone with John. You could have been the only thing standing between him and Skynet if Weaver had turned on him. Does that seem like a…" she paused for emphasis "…logical time to have sex?"
Cameron tilted her head in confusion. "I believe I was close enough to protect him in the event of an attack...I couldn't get much closer than..."
The next thing they both knew they heard John coughing and spluttering beside her. Cameron reached out a hand to rub his back which only seemed to make it worse for some reason.
After letting out a long sigh, Sarah continued "The point is that this is a distraction. Apparently for both of you, which I can't for the life of me understand"
"Why? What's so hard to understand? I...we..." John hesitated for a second while he considered the correct words "…we care about each other"
"Wait…" she held up a hand "…John, I don't doubt for a second that you're in love with Cameron. Why do you think I told her to keep her clothes on when she first arrived? A blind man could see the way you look at her"
She pressed on before he could get his hopes up. "But do you honestly expect me to believe she feels the same way?"
"Okay, first of all…" John replied, getting a little defensive "…It's not just a physical thing alright, lets get that straight for a start. Second, does she feel the same way? I guess you'd have to ask her. There are three people in this discussion right?"
"Fine…" that seemed reasonable to her, she turned to Cameron "…do you love my son?"
Cameron lowered her head slightly and looked if anything a little ashamed. John realised his mistake after remembering their discussion about love right before they had sex for the first time, she doesn't know love yet.
"I care for John. I would die to protect him" she answered, not particularly wanting to get in to this any more than John did.
"John..." she sighed, trying to think of words for things like this wasn't exactly a Sarah Connor strong suit "…I'm trying to be supportive. Can't you see that? But you're in love with her, I can see it. You two have slept together! What is it going to do to you if she can't return those feelings?"
John paused for a moment to consider her words, looking over to see Cameron looking decidedly unhappy about all this, John replied. "You know what mom, that's something for us to work through together...and we will"
Feeling pretty defiant, John snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.
Sarah's face dropped in resignation. "John... no matter how much you loved him, the T-800... Uncle Bob, could never cry"
"He didn't have to"
Cameron chimed in. "Sarah, I don't know if you'll ever truly understand our relationship. But that's not what we're asking. I believe all John is seeking is your acceptance"
She looked back and forth between the pair, eventually settling on John, seeking to at least reign his anger back in. "It's been brought to my attention I don't have much choice in the matter. How would you... like me to handle this, John? How should I treat Cameron, now?"
John looked at her, a little stunned at her acceptance. "Uh, well, she's my girlfriend, how about we start with that?"
"I can accept that she's your girlfriend…" she nodded, almost as if trying to convince herself "…I'm willing to go that far. Cameron, is this what you want?"
"I'd like things to be different than they are now" she replied, somewhat cryptically.
Sarah looked at John a little exasperated. "Does she do this to irritate me or does she never give you a straight answer either?"
John chuckled for the first time in a while. "It's part of the reason I like her, so mysterious"
"I guess I'll take that as a 'yes' then, Cameron…" she frowned "…no moving in together…" she grumbled to herself "…I'm not that understanding"
John stared at her incredulously. "What?"
"I thought that was pretty clear, John…" she took up her 'not budging' posture "…you each have your own rooms, it stays that way"
"But moooommm" he whined.
"Little tip John…" she smirked a little in amusement but quickly covered it up "…when trying to convince your mother you're mature enough to share a room with your girlfriend, whining like a 6 year old doesn't help your case"
John pouted and folded his arms across his chest. "Any more rules?" he asked disappointedly.
"Since you asked..." the corner of her lips twitched up almost automatically, her face clearly taking on the 'I'm not only going to make you uncomfortable, but I'm going to enjoy it' look John had feared since he was a child "…you two are sexually active, obviously. Are you being safe?"
John turned purple from embarrassment. "What? Come on mom, it's not like we could catch something or she could get pregnant…" he looked sidelong at Cameron "…can you?"
"Oh, isn't this nice?" she glowered "…you see what I mean about your brain not working?"
Cameron looked at him and answered. "No, I can't get pregnant or transmit diseases…" she smiled sweetly "…you're safe"
"But he didn't know that!" she argued with a shake of her head "…I taught you to be smarter than that, John"
"So…" she eyed Cameron "…are you his girlfriend or his bodyguard?"
Cameron returned her look with practiced ease. "Both, protector first, then girlfriend"
"Fine…" nodding to herself, a plan brewing in her head "…you've officially got a bedtime. After your nightly patrol, you go to bed, YOUR bed. I'll be along to make sure you find your way" she said with a barely contained grin.
"I know the way to my room. We've lived here for a year…" she deadpanned with a tilt of her head "…why would I need you to show me?" she failed to notice John frantically shaking his head.
"It's a figure of speech…" she smiled a sickeningly sweet smile "…it's a nice way of saying that I'll be verifying your whereabouts"
"Oh, thank you for explaining…" she frowned in realisation "…but how are we to continue our relationship if I'm in a different room than john?"
"Hey, I'm just following the rules…" she motioned to John "…he wants me to treat you like his girlfriend. John's a teenager, living in his mother's house"
John, from behind his hand spoke up. "She wants to stop us having sex Cameron. At least not in her house"
"I'm impressed, your brain hasn't completely shut down yet…" Sarah said with a smirk and a shake of her head "…no making out on my couch either, I don't need to see that. I'm sure Derek would appreciate it if you kept it out of his truck too…" she frowned "…he's very protective of that truck"
"Yeah, we've noticed…" he finally emerged from behind the cover of his hand "…so, no sex, no making out. Is there anything we can do to further our relationship?"
With a sigh, Sarah looked at her son with a patient expression. "…I didn't say you couldn't take her out, did I?"
Cameron replied. "But I thought I had a bedtime now. Do hotel beds count?"
"See…" she responded with a glare "…I remember saying YOUR bed"
She turned to John. "I thought she had a perfect memory?"
John groaned and hid behind his hand again.
"I will obey your rules Sarah. I will stay in my bed. We will not make out on the couch or in Derek's truck. We will be safe at all times" Cameron stated monotonously.
"Well...good…" she nodded, a little surprised they gave in so easily. in fact, suspiciously surprised "…like I said, you two can go on dates, but the old rules apply. I want to know where you'll be and when you'll be back. Both of you keep your phones on you at all times…and Cameron…" she figured at least the cyborg would agree with her on this much "…I'm trusting you to make sure that this new... development doesn't interfere with John's training and preparation"
She paused and then repeated. "I'm trusting you Cameron"
"Thank you Sarah. I appreciate your trust. I'll ensure John's safety...and John will ensure mine" she smiled at John, seemingly satisfied with this new development.
With a nod, Sarah slouched back in her chair and looked at John. "Well, seeing as it's almost midday, why don't you make your old momma some lunch?" she asked with a good natured smile.
John, thankful for the opportunity to simply get out of the room literally jumped at the opportunity. "Uh, turkey sandwich okay for you?"
Knowing it was pretty much all the boy was good at making, she smiled and nodded. "Hey, c'mere" she beckoned him over to her and puled him down towards her. She placed a kiss on his cheek when he leaned down and pulled him in to a warm hug.
Turning an even deeper shade of red, John smiled appreciatively and trotted in to the kitchen. Sarah watched as Cameron's eyes followed his back out of the room.
"I'll go help" she said while moving to stand.
"Wait…" Sarah held up her hand to halt her movements. Just at that moment, a pissed off looking Amy trudged through the living room destined for the front door without a word or even a symbol of acknowledgement to the rooms other occupants.
With a sad sigh, Sarah watched Amy disappear for her daily patrol and turned back to face Cameron who bore a similarly concerned expression.
"Cameron…" she started when the cyborg cut her off abruptly.
"I thought we all had an agreement, Sarah? Shouldn't John be here if we're going to discuss..."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Relax girlie, I need to ask you a question"
"I promised we would be safe" she replied with her cyborg mask in place.
"No it's not that, it's..."
Cameron cut her off again.
"John rarely initiates physical contact on the couch, it shouldn't be a problem"
"Would you shut up!" she glared a little, annoyed with the constant interrupions.
Cameron frowned. "But you said you needed to ask me question. That usually requires a verbal response"
Sarah sighed impatiently. "What the hell does John see in you? Now listen, this is about Amy"
With a nod, Cameron replied. "Amy doesn't initiate physical contact with John on the couch either"
"God dammit. Shut up and listen to my question, don't answer me until I'm finished. Understood?"
Cameron stood, silent and unmoving.
"Well, do you understand?" Sarah asked, growing increasingly impatient.
Still nothing.
She stared at her confused for a second. "That wasn't my question by the way, you can respond to that one...and then shut up. Do you understand?"
"I understand…" she looked at Sarah a little perturbed "…it's not a difficult concept"
Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose, her poor nose would be sore after this morning. "Cameron, you know Amy probably better than anyone. How...I mean what..." she sighed, trying to come up with the correct words "…what does she like to do? What does she enjoy?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Cameron answered. "She enjoys annoying Lieutenant Reese quite a lot"
"Well yeah, we all know that. I meant what does she like to do for fun, what cheers her up besides annoying Derek?"
After taking a short time to think about it and with her head tilting to the side, she replied. "She likes to play with things"
"Things?" she asked, clearly confused.
"Yes, dolls, stuffed animals, other children"
"Other children? Who?"
"Savannah Weaver is a preferred playing partner. I believe they 'hit it off' when they met"
"So she spends time with other kids?"
"Yes…" obviously unsure what part of this is giving Sarah trouble, Cameron clarified herself "…she likes to play"
"I see. Um, thank you Cameron" she smiled, a little uncomfortably it had to be said.
"Can I see John now?" Cameron asked, feeling just as uncomfortable "…or is that in violation of the rules?
"Yes you can, go, just remember the rest of the rules okay?"
"I will follow them to the letter" Cameron walked towards the kitchen with a small smile gracing her lips.
Sarah eyed her back suspiciously. "Good" she said to no one before wandering off to find Amy.
Huuuuuuuuge props to Dekardkain for providing me with an eerily descriptive insight in to Derek's love life and history and for generally just having an awesome input in to this story :)