Hi guys,

Thanks to reviewers meanoldmoe, Steel_Dragon_64, XxDeathStarxX, TCandBTVSluver, olischulu, Nyrki, sasha starr, TK-MR and .

"If you keep tapping your foot like that you'll end up going through the floor"

Sarah looked up from her nail biting, foot tapping exploits to find Amy kneeling on a chair with her elbows on the cabinet by the window, her chin resting on her hands.

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" she asked as she returned to trying to chew her entire nail off "They should be here by now"

Amy had to concede that she had a point. So far she'd been able to handle Sarah's obvious distress at this whole situation by turning on her little girl charm, but even she had to admit she was a little worried about the lack of an appearance. Still though she kept her faith in Cameron to keep John and herself safe.

"We'll give it another hour, then we'll call them. That make you feel any better?" she asked while peering back over her shoulder at Sarah perched on the edge of the bed.

They'd fallen back to their primary escape and regrouping plan and rented two rooms in a shitty motel just off the freeway. After they'd ditched Sarah's Jeep in favour of borrowing some poor guys classic Ford T'Bird he'd been unfortunate enough to leave the keys in. Sarah almost snapped when the guy behind the front desk of the motel asked her where her Pink Ladies jacket was and informed her there was a diner just across the road.

"No, it doesn't make me feel better, why should it? There's a fucking lunatic out there and he's gunning for us, for John. In fact, why the hell am I just sitting here? I should be out there"

Losing her calm, Sarah stood and grabbed her non pink jacket off the bed. Before she could even get halfway to the door Amy stopped her with a high pitched squeal.

"They're here!"

Sarah joined her in looking out of the window the see a black pickup truck pull up and Derek to hop out of the driver's seat. Just as quickly as she'd stopped, Sarah was out of the door and almost bounding over to greet them. That was until her ears picked up the sound of an argument already in full flow.

"Well I'm sorry I'm not fucking Rambo alright"

"Hey, I'm not asking for Rambo, all I want is someone who doesn't shoot at me when I walk in the room…I hate getting shot at" he grumbled as he rounded the truck.

"Ugh, are you ever gonna let that drop?" John countered petulantly.

"NO I'm not gonna let it drop, you shot at me. I've still got a chunk of hair missing" he argued, exaggerating, a little.

While the two were going at it, Cameron walked around from her side of the truck and stood between the two, her head bobbing between the two as if she was watching a game of tennis.

"Oh come on, I missed you by a mile"

"That's not the point, the point is you SHOT AT ME!"

Sarah walked up and stood beside Cameron, instantly quieting the two squabbling men, although boys seemed a more appropriate description at that moment. Cameron looked between the two and marvelled at the instant silence that accompanied her arrival.

"How do you do that?" she inquired, head tilted.

Sarah spared a sidelong glare at her son's girlfriend, trying to maintain her authoritative air.

"What's this about?" she asked, keeping her glare fixed on the pair.

"Nothing" they both replied, looking down to the floor sheepishly.

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked as Derek started making his way back to the truck.

"I'm heading back to the house. Hopefully I can get some useful stuff before the cops are crawling all over that place. We're just lucky that Kacy is on vacation"

With that, Derek jumped in his new truck and tore off, kicking up a small dust cloud behind him, apparently the parking lot wasn't very well looked after.

Sarah watched him leave before turning to her son who avoided her gaze.

"Are you…"

"Don't just don't, I've had enough of that from him" John interjected before she could finish.

"I was going to say, are you okay?" she asked as she reached out a hand to run through his hair.

John let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded, allowing her to do her mother thing for a moment before shrugging her off in typical teenage boy fashion.

"I'm fine, those rooms ours?" he asked with a nod to the two side by side rooms behind her.

Sarah nodded in reply and watched as John trudged past her, looking decidedly unhappier than a moment ago, his outlet mechanism in Derek having now departed. She joined Cameron in standing watching him as he entered the room.

The two shared a look that spoke more than any words could. They were both worried about him.

Derek sat waiting at the foot of the driveway to their now old house ensuring there was no activity for the past five minutes. Satisfied he wasn't about to be jumped by more goons or swarmed by fifty SWAT officers, he put his new truck in gear and headed up the driveway. Taking a moment to admire the increased power and torque of this engine over his last, he pulled up in front of the house in no time.

Double checking there was no activity, he jumped out of the truck and readied his handgun, the dead bodies still littering the driveway from earlier. He wasn't ready to be shot at twice in one day and wanted to make doubly sure it was clear before he got to work.

Quickly moving from body to body, the ones that weren't blown in half, he was satisfied that there was no threat and tucked his gun back in his jeans. Returning to his truck he pulled out a couple of duffel bags he'd picked up on the way over and took them in to the house. He started with the safe under the floorboards in the living room. Lifting the wood panels out from above it, he keyed in the code and opened the safe. He emptied the contents, cash, diamonds and USB sticks in to one of the pockets on the first duffel and closed it tight. Looking around, he saw nothing else of value in the room and couldn't think of anything on the entire floor that they'd need.

Quickly grabbing the bags he headed upstairs. He entered John's room first and immediately headed over to his desk where he slung his laptop and anything that was attached to it in to the bag. Following it quickly was any other computer equipment he recognised. A couple of hard drives and what he recognised to be the equipment John used to access the data on Terminator chips. Not realising how fragile the kit was, he dumped it all in the bag unceremoniously.

Next up he walked over to the closet and grabbed an armful of t-shirts and jeans and dumped them in the bag on top of the equipment. He then dug through a drawer and grabbed a few pairs of socks and boxers, just enough for a couple of days.

Stepping back out in to the hallway with one nearly full bag and an empty one, Derek briefly considered skipping Cameron's room all together. But then he remembered he'd already had one shouting match with John that day and was in no mood for another. Pushing the door open warily, not quite sure what he was expecting, after all he'd never been in the metal's room before. Half expecting to see torture devices and or something involving leather and possibly some sort of swing, he entered the room only to find a dresser, a closet and a bed, rather oddly with messed up sheets.

Brushing it aside, Derek focused on his task and started with the closet. He did the same as he'd done for John's and grabbed an armful of shirts and jeans, not being able to tell what she liked and not really caring. He stopped however when his hand came to rest on the purple leather jacket. He vaguely remembered retrieving it from their first house after the explosion and how much she was determined to get it back when it was stolen. Not wanting to be on the end of the cyborgs, and by proxy John's wrath, he grabbed the jacket off it's hanger and stuffed it in the bag.

Next came the decidedly unpleasant task of grabbing a handful of stuff out of her dresser drawer. He closed his eyes and pulled open the drawer, not wanting to see the contents. He dug his hand in and closed it in to a fist, grabbing a handful of frilly, lacy stuff in the process and stuffed it all in to the bag. Having successfully negotiated that task, he entered the bathroom joining their rooms. He picked up a few essentials, not realising that he'd also picked up Cameron's makeup bag and slung it all in to the duffel.

Next up came Sarah's room. He carried out much the same procedure as Cameron's room. Random clothes out of the closet and blindly fumbling around in her dresser and throwing a handful in to a bag. Doing the same in her bathroom, he was satisfied that he had enough crap to see them by for a few days. He made his way back downstairs and out to the truck. He placed the bags on the back seat and headed back inside.

Making his way around each weapons stash, under the sink, on top of the bookcase, he grabbed as many guns and as much ammunition as he could. Filling another bag almost to the top, he decided on a final sweep upstairs to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

Quickly scanning the rooms again, he once again failed to notice a pair of John's boxers hidden in amongst Cameron's sheets from their little get together that morning. He walked past what was once his room and stopped in his tracks.

What the hell has she done to it?

He stared at the awful and garish pink wallpaper that Amy had chosen and fought the urge to vomit. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a solitary stuffed bear propped up against one of the legs of the bed.

While he initially wanted to dismiss and ignore it, he suddenly realised he'd be better off applying the same policy to Amy's things as he had to Cameron's. That policy being that John doesn't like it when you don't treat the metal like a person, even a metal as deranged as this one. Huffing in irritation, he bent down and picked up the bear and stuffed it in the bag.

Throwing another quick glance around the room and finding nothing more of interest, he swiftly made his way back downstairs, out through the front door and placed the bags down in the bed of the truck.

Derek wasn't usually the sentimental type, but he cast one last glance towards the house before speeding off.

"Derek's back"

"What?"

"Derek's back"

"Oh…" Sarah dropped her chopsticks in the carton she was cradling and placed it on the nightstand. John had been drawn to the scent once it had been delivered. He'd came in, retrieved his carton and left just as quickly, not saying a word to anyone, even Cameron.

"…Does he still look pissed?"

Amy craned her neck just a little higher to get a better view out of the window.

"He has an arm full of guns…" she paused and turned back to Sarah "…That's not a good sign"

Sarah found herself nodding in agreement and taking a deep breath in preparation for an inevitable raised voice conversation.

The door clicked open and Derek backed in to the room like Santa Claus with an armful of presents. Even if his presents were assault rifles and shotguns the resemblance was striking, he even had the pudgy belly to go with it of late. Sarah watched as he gently placed the weapons on the closest bed, handling them as if they were fragile and precious. By contrast he unceremoniously swung the duffel bag off his shoulder and dumped it on Sarah's bed.

"I brought some stuff from the house, best I could manage anyway before an army of cops showed up"

Before Sarah had a chance to even move towards the bag, Amy had already bounded up on the bed and was digging through it like a kid on Christmas morning. Getting her entire head in the large bag, several items flew out as she raked for whatever goodies might be in there.

Yeah, like Derek actually considered bringing anything for you.

Just as Sarah was about to reach out to try and console Amy, her head raised from out of the bag and her eyes lit up. The next thing Sarah knew, Amy had leaped off the bed and charged towards Derek. Probably a built in reaction to anything metal coming at him, but still embarrassing and funny as hell, Derek backed off in a panic until his backside came in to contact with the wall.

Amy flung her little arms around his waist and squeezed him tight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you"

Derek held his arms up in the air, clearly not comfortable with being hugged by the metal, even a little cute metal like this one. Before he could respond however, Amy had detached from him and flopped down cross legged on the floor nearby to play with her favourite Barney Bear.

"Thank you Derek" she said, flashing a toothy grin up at him.

"Uh, don't mention it" he said before fixing his jacket on his shoulders as manfully as possible given the circumstances.

Meanwhile Sarah had begun digging in the bag. Derek sauntered over just in time for Sarah to pull a bra out and quirk an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, I tried to get a good variety" he replied sheepishly.

"Yeah, just don't let Cameron know you touched her stuff. I get the feeling she's a little protective about what's hers"

Derek frowned and looked at Sarah quizzically and then back down to the bag.

"She really is protective isn't she. Remember that poor guy who stole her jacket, whatever happened to him?"

Sarah thought back to that night in the bowling alley with a shudder. "I didn't think they were like that, you know, liking stuff"

"Neither did I…" he paused for a moment as something Amy had flung out of the bag caught his eye and he nodded towards it "…but then again I didn't think they wore little red panties either"

With a shudder, Sarah leaned over and picked them up off the nightstand where they'd landed. She held them out at arms lengths between her thumb and forefinger, examining them like they might spontaneously combust.

"Yeah, I wonder what John sees in her" Sarah though out loud.

Of course Cameron chose that exact moment to enter the room from the bathroom. She surveyed the scene and found Derek hovering over a pile of her clothes and Sarah examining her underwear like it was a holy relic. She herself clad in only a towel with her hair dripping wet having just emerged from the shower. Usually she could go for extended periods without showering, but having brick dust in her hair was entirely unacceptable, not when she put so much time and effort in to getting it to look just right. It's the hardest part to get right after all.

Quirking an eyebrow at the scene before her, Cameron took a step further in to the room. "Is there something interesting about my underwear?" she inquired.

Accepting that the embarrassment would never really fade, Derek sighed. "I brought some stuff from the house" Cameron's head tilted to the side as she looked at Sarah examining her fifth favourite pair of panties.

Trying ever so hard not to let a smile slip through, Derek subtly took a step backwards out of the firing line. "There's some more of your stuff in the bag too"

Padding barefoot over to the bed, holding her towel up precariously with one hand. She dug through the bag with her one free hand when suddenly her eyes lit up in a fashion similar to Amy's a few moments ago.

"You brought my jacket?"

If Derek didn't know better he could've swore that she sounded both surprised and grateful.

"Uh yeah…" trying to sound nonchalant about it "…It was the first thing I put my hand on in your closet"

Staying silent for a moment, Cameron fingered the purple leather where it still lay in the bag before looking up at Derek.

"Thank you" she said sincerely before picking up a pair of jeans, a shirt, her makeup bag and plucking the panties out of Sarah's still outstretched hand and disappearing in to the bathroom to change.

Sarah and Derek looked at each other with a similar expression on their faces. If it could be classified as one word it would be 'surprised'.

Finally not being able to handle all this any more, Derek slumped down on to the spare bed by the open bag. The next thing he knew, Amy had hopped up beside him. Derek barely registered his presence as he stared at the now closed bathroom door.

"Does she buy all that stuff for John's benefit?" he asked, kind of in a daze.

"Nope…" Amy replied, looking up from her bear having heard the full conversation from her spot on the floor "…Would it surprise you to hear she likes all that stuff. Plus, they've only been together a little while, and she has a…distinct sense of taste"

Derek shrugged out of his daze and eyed the little machine next to him sceptically. "You're saying that she bought that thing that leaves so little to the imagination that it'd make Hugh Hefner blush, puts it on, and it never occurs to her that John's brain would turn to mush the moment he lays eyes on it?"

"Well, she's not stupid, of course she knows that. All I'm saying is she likes it for her own reasons too. I believe those panties 'accentuate her hips nicely and aren't visible above her waistline'" she recited while hooking her fingers in quote marks, obviously mimicking Cameron's previously spoken words as if they were foreign to her too.

Thinking back to something Jessica said to him the other day, Derek couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, women are like that" he drifted off as he fondly remembered his latest encounter with her.

Amy meanwhile had leaned away from him and was currently eyeing him with a look that could only be called disbelief. "You called her a woman…" she leaned in closer and lowered her voice "…are you feeling alright?"

Shaking his head suddenly, Derek remembered where he was and what he was doing. Looking down, he noticed Amy still clutching her bear in her hands.

"So, uh, what's the deal with the bear? Hiding a grenade in it?"

Amy replied with a frown. "No, it's Barney Bear, he's my friend. Say hello to Derek, Barney…hewwo" Amy said in a high pitched voice for the bear.

"Uh uh short round. I draw the line at talking to stuffed animals"

With a huff, Amy returned to playing with one of the bears paws. "Oh, Cameron said you were looking for me back at the house?"

Lowering his voice to avoid Sarah overhearing and glancing back to make sure she was thoroughly engrossed in her food, Derek leaned a little closer. "Yeah, I had a question I thought you might be able to answer…" he paused, not quite able to believe he was about to ask this "…I could use a favour"

Amy pulled back from her conspiratorial lean and eyed him warily. "Uh huuuuh"

"Can we take a walk?" he asked with a nod towards the direction of the door.

"Okaaaay" she replied slowly, still unsure as to what he could possibly want, and more to the point, why he wanted to hide it from Sarah.

"Getting more stuff from the truck" Derek called to Sarah as he stood. Sarah however was far too engrossed in whatever crappy show was on the tiny TV to pay much attention to him.

"Don't argue too much with her, you'll never win" she said back in Derek's general direction.

Derek opened the door with a smirk and held it open for Amy to pass through. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll sick Bobby Bear on me"

The next thing he knew he felt a sharp pain in his leg where her small fist had made contact with it. He looked down to find her folding her arms with a huff and pouting.

"His name is Barney"

"Alright, Barney it is, jeez" he replied closing the door behind him and trying not to wince or limp.

Amy however still looked less than impressed. "You wanted something?"

"Uh, yeah…" he walked towards his truck just to ensure there was a safe distance between them and the motel "…you're from the future right"

"Well, duh" Amy replied childishly.

Derek took a deep breath and reminded himself who and what he was talking to. There's a way to deal with Terminators that didn't involve grenades and derek was just getting used to that.

"You come from a different timeline than me right?"

Amy nodded.

"Well, do you think you could identify someone from the future? Say, a traitor…a grey?" he asked, deadly serious.

"Yeah I guess so. What's all this about?" Amy asked, her voice just as level and serious as his for once. It wasn't often that Derek had a security concern, but when he did it was usually worth paying attention.

"Well, I've met someone recently, and I just think it's a little too coincidental that suddenly we're under attack don't you agree?" this was certainly difficult for Derek to be asking, but he had to admit that it was a bit too good to be true.

"Alright then. Who is it?"

With a sigh, Derek closed his eyes. "Her name is Jessica Grey. She's a wealthy heiress, but that's about all I know about her. I me her recently and we've gotten…close"

With a small nod Amy accessed her internal database and ran a query on the name.

"I don't know anyone by that name…" a sudden thought occurred to her "…It could be a fake name. Do you have a picture?"

"I thought you might ask that…" Derek dug in to his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He realised a name wouldn't be enough and had quietly snagged a photo off Jessica's desk before he left the last time he was there. He held it out to Amy who took it and examined it closely "…That's her. So, you recognise her?"

Amy looked at the picture and listened to his voice and understood why Derek was concerned, as evidenced by the hopefulness as he asked. The woman certainly was beautiful and he sounded like he really cared for her. She ran a facial recognition scan and looked back up at Derek.

"I've never seen her before. She's not on any of my Grey target lists" she replied evenly before looking back at the picture.

Derek breathed a sigh of relief. "You're sure?" he asked, wanting to be absolutely certain. He wasn't sure how he'd feel if he found out he'd let his feelings put the Connor's in danger.

"I'm sure…" she answered gently "…she's pretty, who is she?" Amy inquired.

Derek reached out and took the picture back. He scanned it quickly before putting it back in his wallet.

"She's uh…she's a friend" he replied cautiously.

"A friend huh…" Amy let him sweat for a little before the corner of her mouth quirked up in a mischievous smile "…does she always dress like that?"

Derek felt his cheeks turn crimson. In his rush he'd picked up a modelling shot rather than a personal picture. In hindsight he probably should've doctored it a little before displaying it to Amy, but he'd just assumed that a little lingerie wouldn't make any difference to the machine.

"Um, yeah, a friend. She's a model, that's why…you know"

"Oh, let me get this straight. You, Derek Reese have managed to bag yourself not only a wealthy heiress, but a one who is pretty enough to be a model?"

Derek couldn't help it any more. Now that he was in the clear with regards to this being another Jesse/Riley situation he allowed himself a smug smile at his good fortune. He'd found a girl who was rich, pretty, nice and she loved everything that made Derek, well, Derek. Now the news that she wasn't a plant to seduce him and gain access to the Connor's was the final cherry on the icing.

"Yeah" he answered through a grin.

"What does she see in you?" Amy inquired out of sheer curiosity. She wasn't exactly well versed in human mating rituals but even she knew that Derek was a bit of a stretch for any woman.

Finally remembering who he was talking to, Derek wiped the grin off hi face and turned around to pull a bag out of the bed of his truck. He dumped it unceremoniously in Amy's arms and hefted another over his shoulder.

"Come on Short Round, take this stuff inside"

Amy frowned and did as instructed. Half way to the motel door, she heard him mumble something mostly incoherent that sounded like 'fuck it'.

"Thank you…and do me a favour, keep this quiet?" he asked sincerely from behind her. Amy smiled and continued on her path to the door.

"No problem…Uncie Derek"

After pulling on a fresh pair of jeans, a shirt and the red panties her future mother in law had just been examining, Cameron exited the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Sarah inquired from her spot on the bed. Cameron was actually impressed with the older woman's senses as her eyes still remained closed.

"Next door. John needs me" she replied matter of factly.

"Oh no, I told you, girls in here, boys next door" she finally allowed her eyes to open and noticed Cameron dressed and with still damp hair, but didn't fail to notice the light application of makeup.

Uh huh…

"But John will be upset if I don't join him. I've decided that for him to become more proficient and to prevent him from losing sleep that we must make love every night before he sleeps"

If Sarah had been drinking something she'd have choked on it. She stared wide mouthed at the cyborg, outrage clouding her brain. But, she'd vowed to herself and John that she would be treating Cameron as her son's girlfriend and not just the metal, Sarah took a deep calming breath and spoke softly, although with a distinct aggressive undertone to it.

"I beg your pardon"

"I'm going next door to be with my boyfriend. I understand you laid out ground rules but these are exceptional circumstances"

Willing to concede that Cameron had remembered her rules and was willing to abide by them, Sarah decided a different tactic was necessary.

"What are you gonna do Cameron? Order Derek out of the room so you can have some privacy? Yeah, I can't see Derek going for that" she stopped short of adding 'young lady' on to the end of that.

Cameron tilted her head in that infuriatingly annoying way of hers. Sarah could practically see the hamster wheel or whatever it was that powered her brain working in overdrive.

"I had intended on asking him politely to leave"

"And if he refuses?" she inquired, still not allowing her irritation to boil over.

"Then I will ask him less politely. John is more important than Derek's ego"

Well, she had to give her that one. Cameron really did have John's best interests at heart. It still confused her though why she was so insistent on going to him right now.

"This is necessary right now, why?"

Cameron looked at Sarah like she was a small child, and spoke as if talking to one to Sarah's eternal annoyance.

"I've already told you. I've discovered that John sleeps deeply after we copulate. He's had a stressful day, I need to ensure he's fresh for the morning. We have a busy day tomorrow" sound reasoning on her part.

Sarah however wasn't moved.

"He's slept fine for seventeen years before he had sex with you, he can manage" she nodded, firmly believing that was the end of the conversation. Cameron however had other ideas.

"He sleeps deeper and longer whenever I'm with him. He also doesn't have nightmares whenever I'm present" her last statement was punctuated with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Sarah's train of thought became totally derailed upon hearing that. He always had nightmares when he was younger, she'd just assumed he'd eventually grow out of them.

"He has…nightmares?" she inquired, her voice small and timid.

"Yes, much the same as you do"

There it was, a simple comment from the cyborg brought Sarah's irritation racing back to the surface. She didn't much appreciate being spied on, or however it was that she collected her data. Either way it was decidedly unwelcome for Sarah.

"We're not talking about me" she practically growled.

Cameron wasn't phased.

"Would you prefer we had sex in here? You could tuck me in beforehand if it would make you feel better" she asked, admittedly not considering how much she was pushing Sarah. As far as she was concerned John's wellbeing took priority over everything else. He needed her, she'd be there for him, no matter the obstacle, even an obstacle as difficult as Sarah Connor.

Shooting an unamused glare at Cameron's direction, Sarah had to stop herself from yelling. "You're really pushing it Cameron…" she took a deep breath but was still simmering "…I understand that you're trying to help John, but the last thing he needs is more stress, which is what will happen if you and I start fighting"

Cameron found herself nodding at Sarah's logic and reasoning. After all, they were both concerned about the same thing.

"I don't wish for us to fight…what do you suggest?"

Taking a moment to consider, Sarah looked down at the cheap and nasty bedspread. Taking in to account John's foul mood when he arrived and the gravity of the entire situation she had to admit that spending time with his girlfriend was exactly what he needed. He didn't need his mommy at that moment, he needed his woman. She didn't know what went on at the house, but she was willing to bide her time and let John fill her in when he felt ready to.

However looking back up at Cameron and her appearance, it seemed the cyborg had only one thing on her mind and it didn't involve much talking.

"Are you sure it's the sex?" she asked as she shuffled about uncomfortably "…Can't we compromise?"

Cameron likewise took a moment to consider Sarah's suggestion. It wasn't unreasonable for her to want to protect her son but also enforce her rules. They were rules after all.

"I believe we can come to an agreement. Would you like me and Derek to swap beds? That way I can be close to him and not violate your wishes" she offered as an olive branch.

Thinking about it for a moment, Sarah had to admit, it made sense. She was still torn about the thought of her baby boy suffering with nightmares the way she did, knowing full well the effects it had on her mental wellbeing. She had no desire to see him suffer. If Cameron thought she could help simply by being close then she wasn't going to deny it.

"Listen, Derek will probably spend most of the night in the truck. He has some weird…thing going on with his trucks. Anyway, when he does come back in I don't think he'll care if you share a bed with John. But I do think he'd appreciate it if you both kept your clothes on"

Cameron couldn't help but be surprised at Sarah's reasonableness. She thought she wouldn't even accept her proposal, never mind make it even sweeter for her. Grasping at the offer before it was withdrawn, Cameron nodded.

"Very well. I promise we won't have sex…but thank you for allowing me to spend the night with him" she added, hoping to convey how sincere she was being and how much she did actually appreciate it.

"Good…" Sarah replied with a nod, actually moved a little by the cyborgs words "…and make sure he's up bright and early, like you said, we have a busy day tomorrow. Understand?"

"I do" with that, she turned gracefully on her heel and walked towards the door, stopping only to pick up an armful of clean clothes for John. Were it not for a deft dodge, she probably would've had her face smacked as the door swung open and Amy bounced in looking inordinately happy, closely followed by Derek. Cameron paid them no mind as she stepped out and closed the door quietly behind her.

Amy bounded over and crawled up on Sarah's bed after dropping her bag on the floor and sat back on her haunches. Sarah merely quirked an eyebrow at her exuberant behaviour and looked over as Derek ducked back out of the room.

"What?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Nnnothiiiing" she replied with a coy smile.

"Come on, it must be something. I know that look, it's the same look John used to get whenever he had a secret" Sarah said, her years of parenting experience coming to the fore on this rare occasion.

"Well…" Amy considered spilling the beans, but then thought about the immense fun she could have with her new six foot plaything known as Derek Reese "…nothing"

She hopped back down off the bed and skipped back over to the door. She cast a glance back over her shoulder before stepping out to guard the perimeter.

"Night night Sarah"

As she closed the door with an unnecessary slam, Sarah idly wondered just how her life had taken this turn in to something so domestic.

On the other side of the door, Amy continued her skipping along the path outside the rooms. While she wasn't happy with having to change from her preferred form for the night, it wouldn't do for an eight year old to be wandering around a shady motel, she was happy in the knowledge that she was protecting not only Sarah but John, Cameron and even Derek for the night. Making her way past what she was sure was once a flowerbed, she settled on her spot for the night, a high level security camera mount that would support her weight where she could keep an eye on the entire surrounding area.

When she made to change form to climb the pole, she felt a distinct discomfort run throughout her body.

What the hell?

Dismissing it as a minor glitch, she tried again and felt nothing as she extended her arm to slither up the pole and pulled the rest of her now liquid metal body up its length.

There, that's better.

Not quite knowing what had happened, she settled in to her watch for the night before turning her imagination to how she wanted her room decorating in their new house.

Tucking an errant pant leg back up in to the bundle of clothes in her arm, Cameron took a moment to compose herself before she entered the room where John was. She looked back over her shoulder to find Derek, or more specifically his ass poking out from behind the back door of his new truck. Apparently the back seat needed a close inspection before it met his exacting standards.

Giving her hair one last flick with her free hand, she reached out and knocked softly on the door in front of her before opening it slowly and stepping across the threshold. She closed the door behind her with a soft click and turned around. The room was a typical layout for a motel, two separate beds. On the one closest to her sat Derek's duffel bag, then her eyes drifted over to the far bed where John currently lay, curled up facing away from her.

"John?" she asked in a small, gentle voice.

Hearing no reply and seeing no response, she took the few short steps over to the dresser and laid the clean clothes she'd gathered for him down on top of it. She chanced taking a couple of steps closer to the bed.

"John?" a little more forcefully this time.

Once again she received no discernible response. She wasn't quite sure what she should do, after all, all this was decidedly new to her. She'd never seen her John acting this way, since they'd been together he'd always been generally happy and cheerful. While she was sure that was in fact because they were together, she now felt at a loss over how to help him.

Settling for what she knew best, her decision was made. Unbuttoning her jeans and letting them pool around her ankles with a small shimmy, she stepped out of them and picked them up. While most people including John would leave them there, Cameron was far more considerate of her possessions and cleanliness. She picked them up, folded them neatly and placed them on top of the dresser next to John's.

Standing there in only her shirt and panties, she was satisfied that she wouldn't violate any of Sarah's rules and that Derek wouldn't be offended by her state of dress. Returning to the side of the single bed, she lifted the covers and slipped in behind John and draped an arm over him.

"John?" her soft voice had now returned.

Instead of speaking, John merely rolled over to face her. Cameron lifted her arm off him while he turned and withdrew it back towards herself. She hovered and hesitated, not sure as to the next course of action. She was just about to open her mouth to speak when John moved towards her.

Instead of kissing her as she'd been expecting, which she would've been forced to put a stop to before it got too far, he encircled her in his arms and pulled himself closer to her. His legs tangled in hers and he nestled his head in her chest. Taken aback by his actions and clearly not expecting it, Cameron didn't know how to react. She held her arms out above her head, unsure if she should be touching him or not. She'd never seen this behaviour from him before, clinging to her as if he were a small child.

Finally deciding on a course of action, Cameron slowly lowered her hands and wrapped them around him in much the same way he held her. Gently moving her hand up and down his back in a gesture she hoped was comforting, she laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. Through the sensors in her fingertips, she detected his heart rate slowing and his breathing settle. Pretty soon he'd be asleep and she knew her job was done. Just before drifting off, John shifted and pulled her even tighter to him.

"Love you"

That was it, two little words before he fell asleep. It comforted Cameron to know that he appreciated her efforts and that she'd done the right thing, and it comforted her even more to know that he was in a better mental state than she'd anticipated.

A little shorter chapter this time, apologies for that. Props as always to Dekardkain for helping me out with this chapter.