Hi guys,
As promised here's the second part of the barbecue and more fluff you can shake a stick at!
Derek narrowed his eyes menacingly at the charcoal taunting him with it's very existence, "I'm telling you, it says on the bag that it's supposed to light without extra fluid!"
"And I'm telling you, it needs the fluid. Hell, you'd go up in flames better if you were coated in lighter fluid," John countered, leaning over the grill in a perfect clone of Derek's stance beside him.
Cracking open a fresh beer, Derek shook his head adamantly, "If you put too much fluid on it, when it finally does go up it'll take your fucking eyebrows off!"
"Good thing you're lighting it then isn't it?" John argued with a smirk as he leaned over and snagged a beer for himself, a little miffed that he wasn't offered one in the first place.
Derek shook his head, quickly looking around, "What are you doing? Your mom sees you with that she's gonna beat your ass…and mine too for that matter."
"Please! The world ends in a couple of years. A beer at a barbecue isn't going to hurt anyone." John smiled as Amy came bouncing over to the pair, coming to rest beside him, ignoring whatever retort Derek was about to come back with. The little machine seemed in an even better mood than normal, obviously thrilled with the prospect of a family day as much as Jessica was.
"Watch yourself Short Round, John is about to kick off J-Day early on the grill." Despite his earlier telling off, Derek couldn't help himself, a few beers and John's cheery attitude rubbing off on him despite his best efforts. He did not want to think about what happened the night before to put him in such a good mood.
Amy leaned forward, peeking into the barbecue in much the same way as the boys had been doing, popping her head out after a moment, "Needs more fluid."
"For the last time, it does not need more fluid!" Sighing in exasperation, Derek pointed towards the deck, "Shouldn't you be bothering Jessica, or mommy?"
"Shut up Derek!" Amy smiled despite her words to the contrary, "Fine, if it doesn't need fluid, how come it's not lighting, huh?"
"Because it's windy and the damn newspaper won't stay lit long enough!" Shoving his chest out defiantly, Derek knew he was right, although he had no idea why he was arguing with the mini metal. He knew it was idiotic, but she had this way of getting under his skin with every carefully chosen word and action, it was…uncanny, how much she could affect him. Still, he wasn't about to be beaten again, "Trust me, I was grilling before either of you were born."
"Well I was built, so that doesn't apply," Amy replied with a grin, sticking her pink tongue out between her lips in defiance, glancing at John who nodded in agreement, his grin matching hers.
"It could do with a little help, Derek," John added, clearly loving putting his uncle on the spot.
"Fine!" Derek threw his hands up in surrender, not used to finding himself being double teamed. He swivelled on a heel and grabbed the bottle of lighter fluid, spraying a healthy amount over the coals and stepping back, "Have fun John-boy. This one's allll yours!"
Glancing up, Jessica couldn't stifle a giggle at the sight of John trying to swat out the imaginary flames on his eyebrows while Derek smirked and Amy pointed and laughed, neither overly keen to let him know his eyebrows were still intact.
She did have a nice buzz going…until she glanced over at Sarah, the pair of them nursing a beer in the sun, "So, um…you look nice today."
Sarah cocked her head to the side, peering at the girl above her sunglasses. She knew fine well she'd just rolled out of bed and threw on yesterday's wrinkled clothes, "You too. I notice you skipped the ten thousand dollar dress today."
Looking down self consciously at her top, Jessica fought off a frown, "Well I thought I'd already had a chance to make a first impression, blew it. So may as well be comfortable, right?"
Sarah merely sighed, ditching her beer by the lounger in favour of something a little stronger, uncapping her gift of expensive liquor and smacking a few ice cubes from the cooler into her glass. Pouring the crystal clear liquid slowly over the ice, she glanced up at the model sitting across from her, "Looks real comfortable. You've got about what, half a millimetre of space between your skin and your jeans?"
"Less I think!" Jessica smiled, and yet still pinched the fabric of her jeans experimentally, "So, Amy and Cameron had a fun day at the park last week."
"Amy always has fun," Sarah responded automatically, making her doubt her own sanity momentarily. In a feat which would make most housewives vomit just watching it, she drained her glass in three long gulps, immediately refilling it to the brim, "Though I'm surprised you got Cameron to open up."
With her face still scrunched up in obvious distaste, Jessica had to shake her head a little before her mouth would start working, "Are you kidding me? I couldn't get her to shut up once she got going, yak, yak, yak!"
Leaning back in her lounger, Sarah took a moment to enjoy the tingling sensation now emanating from her stomach, "What did you two talk about?"
"Her boyfriend mostly," Jessica mimicked Sarah by slouching in her chair, smoothing down the front of her top, "She's a real sweetheart, a real sensitive girl."
"Oh yeah," Sarah snorted, taking another long gulp of her drink, "A regular Oprah watcher. Hold on…hey! John! That's enough fluid! It's already lit!"
Jessica smiled, meeting Derek eyes for a moment and breathing a small sigh of relief. For some reason just knowing he was there made her feel immensely better, "I think she really loves him."
"She…talks to you about that?" Sarah couldn't help but look and sound a little nervous, wondering just how much the sometimes quirky cyborg had revealed to this girl. Just because Derek was seeing her, didn't make her family…or trusted for that matter.
"She just seemed a little lost. I dunno if it's because I'm closer to her own age or," Jessica hesitated, debating how much she should say without violating Cameron's privacy, especially around her mother, "She told me she doesn't have many friends."
"Nope, just John." Sarah responded quickly, causing Jessica's eyebrow to rise up slowly. It was almost as if she knew and wasn't concerned in the slightest.
"That's a little…sad, I guess," Just as she was about to continue, Amy skipped her way over, bundling into Jessica's armchair, sloshing her drink a little. As was pretty standard practice for the little machine, she wore her best pout and a small sway, hands clasped innocently behind her back.
"Aunt Jessica, will you come play with me?" She asked in her most sickly sweet voice.
"Awww, the boys not being fun anymore?" Jessica asked, falling right into Amy's sweet little girl guise, fighting off the urge to take her into a hug and squeeze tight.
"No, they're busy playing with their stupid fire," Breaking out into a heartwarming giggle, Amy leaned closer, resting her hands on Jessica's knees, "John burned his eyebrows!"
Grabbing her beer, Jessica leveraged herself up from her chair with a grin, firing off an apologetic shrug to Sarah, "Boys will be boys. What are we playing?"
"Oooohh, can you do cartwheels?" Amy squealed, giddy with excitement, "I'm really good at them, watch!"
Taking several long seconds to compose herself, Amy then proceeded to pull off the most pathetic excuse for a cartwheel Jessica had ever seen in her life, the little girl tumbling over, barely getting her feet off the ground. But the way she came up with a beaming smile made Jessica's heart skip a beat, a huge smile flashing across her face, "That's great sweetie! Your Aunt Jessica would join you, but I have this problem with my top flying up. Wouldn't want to flash your brother now would we?"
Amy giggled, still bouncing from her cartwheel, "Yeah, John already has a girlfriend…and I don't think mommy would like that."
Pausing for a moment, a look of deep thought crossed her face…that was until an actual, genuine idea came in to her mind, a tiny frown creeping across her otherwise perfect happy little girl facade. "Do you know patty cake?"
"Um, I think so," Jessica replied with a smile, crossing her legs and sinking down to the grass, "I haven't done it since I was a kid though."
"I'll teach you!" Amy offered, sinking down opposite her. After all, her first ever friend, Jenny, had taught her. It seemed only right to pass it on to another friend.
Blinking quickly to stop his eyes watering from the smoke of the grill, Derek took a swig of his beer, drifting off into his own little world. He had to admit, he was sceptical about this barbecue idea, but it was paying off. He had a nice buzz going, Jessica had sprung for some pretty good quality meat, John's perky mood had rubbed off on him, and the sun was shining. Yep, pretty good day.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he caught sight of Jessica sitting down in the middle of the lawn cross legged with Amy, giggling with childlike glee as she tucked into a huge slice of melon, covering her cheeks with juice in the process. Just when his life had taken such a domestic turn he wasn't sure, but he knew for one thing that the girl sitting on the grass was the best thing to ever happen to him.
She was sweet, kind, funny, beautiful…and turned on by every little thing that made him, well, him. All he had to do was graze her cheek with his stubble and she'd pounce on him like a crazed rabbit. He couldn't believe his luck when he'd first met her, the best he was hoping for was maybe a quick lay, but what he'd ended up with was something else entirely. At first he thought she was just slumming it, and he wasn't about to stop her. But when she kept wanting to see him, kept taking an interest in his 'family', he realised this poor girl really was smitten with him, slumming it or not.
While he cared for her deeply, probably his protective instinct kicking in, he couldn't help but worry about her, about her welfare. Derek lived a dangerous life, being a resistance fighter from the future tends to have that effect on one's life. If she ever found herself in the firing line, Derek would never forgive himself, or the asshole who put her there.
He'd seriously considered breaking up with her for that reason alone, her own protection. But then he'd falter whenever she snuggled up to him at night, rested her head on his chest and snored softly. She loved him, and as much as it pained him to admit it, he loved her too.
So there he was, attending a barbecue with the most dysfunctional family in the world, all because the girl of his dreams had stuck out her bottom lip. Oh if only Skynet could see him now, it would probably be laughing so hard it would be metaphorically doubled over.
Shaking his head with a grin, he took another swig of his beer, reaching out to flip a couple of burgers, concentrating on enjoying the day without pain in the ass nephews or cybernetic killing machines to bother him.
He was so relaxed that he didn't notice Cameron's approach until she was right behind him. She even had the chance to tilt her head curiously at his lack of response, sloppy Derek. "Derek!"
Jumping a few inches at the sound, drops of beer sloshed out of his cup and onto the grill with a sizzle of protest. Trying to compose himself by flicking the rest of the liquid off his knuckles, he turned around to find Cameron standing behind him looking distinctly more serene than him, "John needs to put a fucking bell on you!"
Tilting her head to the opposite side, Cameron looked up at him curiously, eyeing the blush creeping up his neck. She was just about to get right to the heart of her reason for coming over, when a lighthearted giggle drew her attention from behind. Glancing back over her shoulder, she made sure to look at Jessica pointedly, then back to Derek, "Jessica is nice."
"Yeah," Despite his irritation, his earlier thoughts immediately sprung to life, a genuine smile creeping slowly across his face, "She's great isn't she?"
"It would be a shame if our lives…caught up with her." The way she'd said it immediately made Derek think that she could read his thoughts.
Nah…I hope.
Shaking his head, he watched as the cyborg calmly picked up a bun off a nearby plate, staring at him the entire time. Gripping the tongs in his hand so hard his knuckles turned white, Derek turned to face her properly, glaring from behind his sunglasses, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Cameron answered calmly, extending her hand out towards him with the bun opened, "Burger please."
Scooping up a hamburger off the grill, Derek didn't fail to notice the way she looked over at his girlfriend pointedly. He shook his head and slapped the burger down onto her bun with more force than necessary, "Trying to blend in, or just to impress your boyfriend?"
"Trying to impress yours," Cameron casually replied, picking up a bottle of ketchup from the nearby table, "How was your trip away with John?"
Suddenly realising why the cyborg seemed to be copping an attitude with him, Derek grimaced noticeably. He was still hoping beyond hope that she hadn't had the chance to see John with his shirt off yet, which in his defence was a safe bet based on the way they were fighting before they left. "Um…fine. Just camping, hiking, little training."
"Hand to hand training?" Cameron asked, not tearing her stare away from him as she poured a generous helping of ketchup over her burger.
"A little," Derek shrugged, trying to come off as nonchalant, putting on his best innocent 'I swear I didn't beat your charge to a pulp', face. "Why?"
"How is his training progressing?" Cameron asked, seemingly ignoring the guilty as hell look on his face, asking as if she was politely enquiring as to the time.
"He has a long way to go," Derek answered truthfully and thoughtfully, "But I think he understands that now."
"So he is improving, that's good…" Cameron took a moment to glance over her shoulder at John who was in quiet conversation with his mother. Then, like a switch had flipped, she slowly swivelled her head back and levelled a glare that would reduce Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger to shivering idiots, "Apparently he isn't improving enough. I don't believe he'd be capable of defeating you."
"Well no, of course not." Derek seemed confused and more than a little intimidated at the cyborgs sudden shift, "I've got a decade of experience on him and probably forty pounds.."
"Did you use all those forty pounds when you landed repeated blows to his midsection…or his spine perhaps?" Cameron's glare looked downright dangerous as she took a half step closer.
Despite her obvious anger, Derek merely let out a weary sigh, he knew this was coming after all, "Cameron…you don't have all the facts. John started that fight."
"And you finished it," Cameron finished for him, certain that was the case.
"A beating is better than him getting himself killed isn't it?" Derek set his tongs down and folded his arms across his chest defiantly, knowing what he was saying was true, "He needed a lesson in humility, and no one else was gonna give it to him."
Stepping closer, her eyes never leaving his, Cameron set her burger down, "If you'd landed any more blows, he could have suffered internal injuries. Were you aware of that when you were 'teaching him a lesson'?"
Derek's confident facade faltered when his face twisted into a frown. At the end of the day, he was there to protect John Connor, not beat the crap out of him, no matter how much he deserved it, "I tried to be careful. How…how bad is it?"
"Mostly superficial, he'll be fine with rest." Cameron answered mechanically, keeping her glare set squarely on him.
"Good." Turning back to the grill and picking up his tongs, Derek tried his best to avoid the scary robot face being levelled in his direction, "Um…burger any good?"
"Derek?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," Cameron sounded very, very genuine, letting Derek know just how much she meant what she'd just said.
"You're welcome…you know, he said the same thing."
"Good," Dropping her glare, Cameron picked her burger back up. As she was turning away, she stopped and looked back at him, making sure to keep her voice low, "If you ever touch my John again, Jessica will have more than bruises to take care of when she sees you."
With that, the cyborg turned away and headed back over towards John, casually taking a bite of her burger as she took a seat by him, bringing a smile to the young man's face. Derek got the distinct impression he'd just dodged a very real bullet…now all he had to do was escape the wrath of Sarah if she ever found out.
"I wish I had a little sister…babies are soooo cute!"
"Well sweetie, it could still happen." Smiling, Jessica reached out and wiped a gloop of ketchup off Amy's chin with a tissue, "Your mom is still pretty young."
"Mommy says there won't be any more," Amy plastered on an adorable pout before taking another bite of her hotdog.
After their playtime, from which Jessica was suffering a little, physical activity wasn't her thing, the pair had sat down cross legged on a blanket in the middle of the lawn to eat lunch. Well, Jessica ate, Amy chewed the food and stored it for later removal, but either way, it kept up the cover and didn't raise suspicions when she'd pouted about not being allowed ice cream first.
"Oh, well I'm sorry then," Jessica replied kindly, reaching out to give the little girl's back a rub, "You have your big sister though. I didn't even have that."
"You didn't?" Amy asked with a sympathetic frown, "I love my Cammy!"
"Nope, daddy decided to call it quits after I was born. I always wanted siblings though, probably why I like spending time with you and Cameron so much."
"That's sad…" Amy hesitated a moment before taking a small nibble of her hotdog, before innocently asking a question with her mouth full, "How many babies do you want to have?"
"I uh…" If she'd been chewing on something, Jessica would surely have choked. As it was, her cheeks did their very best tomato expression, a blush colouring her cheeks immediately, "I don't really know. It depends a lot on your uncle. Has he ever said anything about wanting kids of his own?"
"No, but mommy says he's great with kids," Amy answered with a devious little smirk, "She wishes he was around sooner."
"He wasn't around when you were little?" Jessica asked with a small tilt of her head, Cameron's habits rubbing off on her.
"I never had a daddy," Amy replied sadly, looking down at her lap, but still sneaking a glance up through her lashes.
Despite her best efforts, Jessica couldn't avoid choking up a little at seeing her friend so sad, rubbing in small circles on her back…paying no attention to how cold the fabric felt. "I'm sorry sweetie. Does John step up at all? He seems to take good care of Cameron." She nodded in the direction of said siblings, John laughing while leaning in to drop a kiss on Cameron's cheek while handing her a burger. Needless to say, Jessica quirked a brow at seeing that one.
"It's no fair!" Amy whined, snapping Jessica out of her daze, "John and Cammy are waaaay older, they never play with me."
"What about your mom?"
"She plays sometimes. That's why I want a little baby to play with!" Amy grinned up at her aunt, beaming with delight.
"I think uncle Derek would be a good dad, but he doesn't seem to agree, honey." Jessica shook her head sadly, agreeing with Amy's point of view.
"Why not? Doesn't he want babies with you?"
Jessica hesitated a little, searching for the right words to explain this to a small child, "I don't think it's me…he just kind of shuts down when the subject comes up. Like he's scared."
"Why is he scared?" Amy asked with a scrunched brow, "Does it hurt to have babies?"
"Well yeah, a little…for the woman at least." With a sad sounding sigh, Jessica glanced over at Derek for a long moment as he tended the grill, "I just don't get him sometimes."
Ignoring the far off look in her eyes, Amy glanced back over her shoulder at Derek too, a little grin creeping onto her face, "You know, I think he's silly. John says making babies is fun, so why doesn't he want to do it with you?"
Coughing hard into he hand, almost choking on her burger, Jessica looked down at the perfectly innocent curiosity present on Amy's face, "He says that…does he?"
"Yeah, but he won't tell me why. He says mommy will tell me soon," She looked up with a pout, "Will you tell me where babies come from?"
"Oh god…um, I think you'd better ask your mom about that honey, or your sister."
"Cammy won't tell me either." Amy looked up, her expression full of hopefulness, "Pleeeeeease Aunt Jessica, tell me!"
Taking a long swig of her beer, Jessica couldn't help but wonder if a barbecue was the right idea in the first place, "I…it's not something I should be telling you sweetie. Your mom might not like it."
"Well…we could keep it a secret." Amy replied after a moment's thought, "Pleeeease?" She flashed Jessica the ultimate card…her puppy dog eyes.
"Um…how much do you know already?" Jessica ventured, she had no intentions of having the birds and the bees talk with somebody else's daughter, especially one who's mother wasn't exactly enamoured with her.
"I know that when a man and a woman love each other very much…"
"That's pretty much all there is to it kiddo. You love each other, decide to have a baby, then the mommy grows it in her belly until it's born." Smiling happily, she sincerely hoped that would be enough to satisfy the little girl's curiosity…but she had a feeling it wouldn't be. That was confirmed when Amy plastered on an adorable pout.
"But, how does the baby get in your belly?"
"Um…well you see…the man kinda puts it there."
Oh shit, she's not letting this drop…you're in it deep now, Jess.
Ignoring Jessica's blush, Amy continued her prodding, "How? I wouldn't like anybody putting anything in my belly."
Finishing her beer in a few long gulps, Jessica blushed furiously, feeling her shirt starting to cling to her back in the hot sun, "The um, way that it…well it feels good to adults. Only adults!"
"How come?" Amy asked with a curious tilt of her head, clearly not satisfied with the answer, "And how can you get babies from hugging and kissing, without getting cooties?"
"This really isn't…" Jessica stuttered, clutching her beer tight, "I can't…CAMERON!"
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, voice starting to rise in irritation, "Why won't you tell me?"
Slowly making her way over after handing her drink off to John, Cameron crouched down beside the blanket, taking note of Jessica's blush and Amy's annoyed looking face, "Yes?"
"Your sister is asking about babies and where they come from!" Jessica answered so fast Amy didn't even have a chance to say anything, startling Cameron slightly.
Sitting down cross legged between the pair, Cameron tried to fight off a smirk in Amy's direction, "Have you answered her?"
"I…of course not! I just told her the basics," Pausing, she realised she was still being forced to talk sex with a Baum woman. She thought she'd gotten her fill of that the week before, "Man and woman love each other, decide to have a baby, grows in a woman's belly until it's born."
Cameron nodded, her face blank, seemingly satisfied with the answer as she looked over to Amy, "You require more information?"
"She won't tell me how the baby gets in her belly," Amy answered with a pout as she propped her chin up on her hands and slumped forward, "Or why John says it feels so good to make one."
Cameron couldn't fight off a smile at seeing Jessica squirm. It was odd, she liked the girl, surely it was an unhealthy habit to take pleasure from seeing one's discomfort…she'd ask John about it later, he'd explain. "Amy, remember when mom said you need to stop asking so many questions?"
Amy looked up at Cameron like she'd just been betrayed, "But you ask Aunt Jessica stuff all the time!"
"That's because I'm a grown up. We're allowed to talk about things like that."
"I'm very grown up," Amy countered with a very immature and unladylike huff, slouching even further forward in defeat.
"Not yet you're not. When you're old enough, mom will tell you everything." Cameron answered, indulging in the cover story. She was an infiltrator after all, and it'd been a while since she'd flexed her muscles in that regard, she missed the practice of blending in.
Amy let out a deep breath of resignation, all fight gone for the moment, "She wouldn't even tell me why I wasn't allowed to eat those little mints in her bathroom."
Jessica choked on her beer, having finally been let off the hook enough to chance a drink, which she was admittedly regretting now, "Honey, those weren't mints."
"Then what were they?" Amy whined, trying to keep the knowing smirk off her lips.
"They were…" Jessica shook her head, looking to Cameron for help on how to explain birth control pills to an eight year old.
"Grown up pills," Cameron supplied helpfully, smiling when Jessica nodded with a relieved smile.
"For what? Is mommy sick?" Amy asked, sounding panicked.
"What makes you say that, honey?" Jessica asked, reaching out to lay a hand on the girl's upper arm.
"Why would you take pills if you're not sick? Mommy takes pills all the time."
"They uh, make me feel better. They're vitamins, yeah, vitamins!" Jessica assured with a smile, proud of her quick thinking.
"Oooohhh," Amy replied with a relieved smile, deciding to let her friend off the hook a little. "Thank you Aunt Jessica. So, when am I going to have a little baby to play with?"
Turning to Cameron, her eyes full of innocent curiosity, Amy smiled widely, "She says she wants a baby! We could get another little sister!"
"I believe he or she would be your cousin, not your brother or sister, Amy." Cameron answered with a knowing smile, "That is, if Jessica and Derek were to enter into a marriage."
Before Jessica even had a chance to stumble out a response, Amy opened her mouth again, giving her the distinct impression she was being double teamed. "Soooo? It's a baby! When can I meet her?"
Again, before Jessica could answer, Cameron had already turned to her with a smile, "About nine months."
"Nine months?" Amy whined, "That's a long time! Can you make the baby hurry up? Poke your belly or something?"
Finally being given a respite to speak, Jessica looked from one girl to the other before finally settling on Amy, "Uh, Cameron?" She absently extended her empty beer towards the older girl, "Could you get me another drink please? A large one?"
"Of course, Jessica," Cameron answered, taking the empty with a smile and standing, leaving her to her fate with Amy. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Amy leaning forward and gingerly prodding Jessica's stomach, "Is it already in there?"
Shaking her head, Jessica straightened down the front of her blouse after giving the toilet a flush. Checking herself in the mirror, she looked decidedly worse than she had when she'd first arrived at the Connor's house. Several beers, playtime with an eight year old, a stare down by Sarah and a talk about where babies come from will do that, even to the fashion models among us.
Taking a break, she'd scampered off to the bathroom for some respite, leaving Amy in the loving care of her big brother. She liked Amy, she really did, but she was a handful, an overly energetic and inquisitive handful.
Sighing, she reached down and twisted the tap on and ran her hands under the stream. The day had started out so well, in fact it was still nice, just a little odd. Sarah wasn't warming up to her any, although she did seem to appreciate the gift of expensive liquor, it was a start. Derek was clearly relaxing, in his element over the grill with a beer in hand. John seemed less surly than he had been of late, exactly why she wasn't sure, all she did know was that it seemed to have rubbed off on Cameron too.
Those two really were inseparable.
Thinking of the siblings gave her pause and she flicked her hands off into the sink and made her way over to the nearby towel rack. They were so close, and yet, there seemed to be something a little…off, a little unhealthy about their relationship. It looked like one's emotional wellbeing was linked with the others more than should've been considered normal for brother and sister.
Derek had warned her Cameron was a little off, not exactly 'normal', but as far as Jessica could tell she was just a sweet, innocent, slightly unsure girl. John on the other hand, she couldn't get a read on. She was usually so good at judging character, but John was still something of a mystery. Whether it was just that she hadn't had as much contact with him as the others, or something else entirely, but she just wasn't sure what to make of him.
Aside from their initial meeting where he spent the majority of the time trying not to drool, while simultaneously avoiding Cameron's gaze, he seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. For one so young, it didn't quite sit right. Before his trip with Derek, he looked like he was on the verge of some kind of breakdown, based on the way he abruptly stood and left the dinner table.
Since the trip however, he seemed to be a new man. He was outgoing, friendly, wasn't staring, and he seemed to be on very good terms with his sister. He hadn't spent very long away from her, kept hugging her affectionately. It was sweet the way they seemed to bounce off one another, feeding off each other's good moods.
Smiling, Jessica returned to the mirror, her eyes sinking down to her belly for reasons unknown. Thinking of Amy probably caused it, the innocent prodding about a baby was one of the most embarrassing things she'd ever had to endure, and she regularly took most of her clothes off in front of a camera too. It wasn't that she didn't eventually want a family, but she couldn't get the little girls words out of her head.
She loved Derek, more than any other boyfriend she'd ever had, there was just something about him she couldn't put her finger on. But she was only twenty four, she reminded herself with a shake of her head in the mirror. She'd only been dating Derek a month, and here she was contemplating babies, it was crazy, ludicrous…but she was sure it would be gorgeous, and Derek would make an awesome dad.
Realising what she was saying, she reached up and gently slapped her cheek a couple of times and stared at herself in the mirror, "Stop it, Jess. You're being stupid!"
She had friends who'd gotten themselves pregnant before they were even old enough to legally drink, and she swore to herself she'd wait until she was ready. Besides, she didn't even really know what Derek did for a living. She knew the disability pay and retirement thing was a lie, but she'd let it slide at the time. She wasn't stupid, but she knew something was up, she just couldn't figure it out, something was still missing.
Sighing, she plastered on a smile, determined to enjoy the rest of the day. Pushing herself up from leaning on the sink, she turned to head towards the door, accidentally knocking the soap dish off the corner of the sink. Trying and failing to catch it midair, she cursed as it dropped to the ground.
Crouching down, she picked up the dish and the soap. She was just about to stand up, when something caught her eye against the white porcelain of the underside of the sink. Turning her head to get a better look, the soap went clattering to the ground again as she let out a yelp of surprise and scrambled backwards, landing on her backside on the other side of the room.
There, taped to the underside of the sink, was a freaking gun! What the hell was that doing there?
Crawling closer, she ducked her head to get a better look. She didn't know much about guns, but even she could tell that the handle thingy wasn't empty. That meant it was loaded, right? The Baum family kept a loaded handgun taped to the underside of the sink when they had an eight year old girl in the house. What the fuck was going on here?
Amy could just walk in here, touch that thing and have her head blown off. How could somebody as clearly intelligent as Sarah and Derek keep a handgun within reach of a small child, especially one as inquisitive as Amy. Jessica had never really had an aversion to weapons, respected people's right to have weapons in their home, but there was a line between rights and sheer stupidity.
Shaking her head, she slumped down, her ass hitting the floor with a thud. What was she going to do about this? Should she say something, should she move the gun to somewhere out of reach?
Don't be an idiot, Jess. You'd probably end up with a hole in your leg.
Forcing herself to stand up on shaky legs, she took a deep breath, trying to calm down from her mini freakout. She looked around the room, idly hearing Amy giggling from the open window to the garden. Then she looked down at the bathtub.
No rubber ducks, no other bath toys, no kids shampoo. Examining the sink, she noticed a distinct lack of a small toothbrush, in fact only two toothbrushes were in the room.
There were no kids things in this room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she realised, or rather, came to the conclusion that Amy mustn't have been allowed in this bathroom. That would explain the lack of kids stuff, and the weapon, but still, it was a risk to keep it loaded and taped to the sink of all places.
But Amy was a smart kid. If she was told not to go somewhere, she wouldn't go there, or at least, she hoped she wouldn't.
Jessica leaned back in her lawn chair trying to recover from her encounter with a handgun, a small pile of beer cans growing next to her chair. Jessica rarely drank anything but cocktails, so she wasn't exactly sure how much she can drink without getting wasted, but no matter how much she chugged, she still felt thirsty.
Cameron slowly sat down on the lawn chair beside her, eyeing the cans with a smile. "You look good."
Jessica opened her mouth to speak, however she was shocked and appalled when a huge belch boiled up, slapping her fingers over her mouth, "Oh God! I'm sorry."
Smiles and shaking her head, Cameron was unsure just why exactly Jessica was growing on her all the time, "It's okay...how many beers have you had?"
"I uh..." She leaned over the arm of her chair to count, "Five, six, sev... a lot."
"You seem to be having a nice day," Cameron observed, trying to ignore the beer breath emanating from her friend.
"Oh yeah…" Jessica tried not to grimace at how fast her nice day went downhill, "Perfect. You seem happy too. Don't think I've ever seen you smile this much."
"I am happy," Cameron confirmed with a nod, shooting a hand out to catch a clearly unsteady Jessica, "I made up with my boyfriend last night."
"Ooooohh," Jessica grinned, leaner closer, wobbling a little, the beer removing her modesty somewhat in front of the younger girl, "Follow my advice then and blow his uh…mind?"
"Actually, he blew my mind," Cameron replied, grinning like a big kid while thinking about her reconciliation.
"He…wha?" Jessica's alcohol clouded brain seemed incapable of analysing what was being said, so she settled for raising a brow in confusion, "Whaddya mean?"
"He accomplished something he's never been capable of before," Cameron smiled, replaying several of the sensations from the night before, "It was very, very good."
"Accompli…oh!" Looking very happy for her friend, she exclaimed a little louder than she intended, "He got you off, huh?"
Across the other side of the garden, John's eyes flew wide as he was squeezing some ketchup onto his burger, sending it spurting across his hand. Not only that, but he had to contend with the curious looks he was getting from not only his mother, but his uncle too. Trying his best to look nonchalant, he refocused on his burger, however he couldn't really keep the triumphant smirk off his lips.
"Yes, I believe that is the correct term…he blew my mind," Cameron confirmed with a nod.
"Well look at you!" Pulling the younger girl towards her for a hug, Jessica's smile stretched from ear to ear, "All grown up and having…fun!"
Tentatively, Cameron wrapped her arms around the other woman's shoulders, clearly not used to being hugged by anybody other than John, "Your advice helped, thank you for that."
"Hey, him being able to ring your bell probably has more to do with him than me," She dropped a sloppy kiss on her hair before pulling back too fast and almost sending herself tumbling out of the chair, "So you two are better now?"
Reaching out with inhuman reactions, Cameron managed to snake her arm around behind Jessica's back to prevent her from falling flat on her face, "Yes. He managed to overcome his issues, although he had to suffer some damage to make sure that happened."
Not really noticing how fast the girl moved, Jessica's face scrunched up in obvious confusion, "Damage? What kind of damage?"
"He kicked the bathtub twice in frustration," Cameron grimaced, her eyes flicking quickly over to her John, "He's limping today."
"You saw him today?" She followed Cameron's glance, quirking a brow when all she saw was her brother, "Your mom let him stay the night? She doesn't strike me as the type to give you that much freedom."
The cyborg's eyes stayed focused dead ahead, glaring at Jessica's forehead as she mentally kicked herself for slipping up like that. Thinking quickly, she came up with a semi plausible excuse. "He stayed here until past midnight, then he left...technically it was this morning."
Jessica smirked a little, "Sneaking a midnight booty call under mom's nose, huh? Naughty girl!"
Deciding on the most appropriate behaviour, Cameron leaned over and bumped Jessica's shoulder with a smirk. Then immediately regretted it when she had to grab her top to stop the woman from teetering over, "Yes, I am a naughty girl. But last night...was surprising to say the least."
"This can't be the first time you ever got off, right?" Brushing some hair out of her face, she reached into the cooler beside her for a fresh beer, hand dragging through the ice aimlessly, "I know teenage boys tend to... finish too early. But haven't you ever, ya know... brought yourself home?"
Slowly shaking her head, Cameron tried to ignore the way three heads turned to face them when Jessica asked that question, "No, never. What do you mean by that?"
Despite her being more than a little drunk, Jessica managed a blush, "Um... gotten yourself off. Masturbated?"
Cameron shook her head, looking more than a little intrigued. "No, I've never done that. Is it common? Have you?"
"Um... of course, sweetie." The older woman eyed her like she'd just admitted to never trying chocolate, "weren't you ever... curious? About how it would feel to have sex?"
"I didn't have much interest in sex before I met...my boyfriend." Cameron looked genuinely captivated by Jessica exploring this topic with her, "Why would anybody wish to do that without a partner?"
Jessica chuckled to herself, taking a long swig of her beer, "Because most guys are pretty bad at taking care of it for you, and it feels really good?"
"Sound reasoning," Cameron nodded her agreement. "It can be as good as sex?"
"If you do it right," she smiled a bit sheepishly while eyeing Derek, a blush running up her neck, "I haven't had the need for a while though."
Cameron followed her gaze over to Derek who looked like a deer caught in the headlights at having the two women staring at him. "Jessica? You're drooling on your jeans."
"Hmmmm?"
"I said," Cameron reached out and manoeuvred Jessica's head so that she was looking down at her lap and the damp patch on her jeans, "You're drooling."
Quickly swiping the side of her mouth, the older woman shook herself from her rather detailed plans for Derek, provided she had her way tonight, and could find a container of whipped cream in the fridge. "I was, uh... I'm hungry. Steaks look great!"
Looking more than a little surprised when Jessica stood up on wobbly legs, Cameron followed suit, steadying the woman with a hand on her back. "Steaks are good. Thank you for your help. I believe it warrants further investigation."
"Yeah." Jessica smiled widely, hugging the girl again and lowering her voice, "Just don't get busted by your mom, and be very careful."
Cameron tilted her head curiously at the surprising warning, "Why, could something bad happen?"
"Oh God." Slapping herself in the forehead, Jessica couldn't believe she'd never brought this up with the naive teen before, "He is, ya know... protected, right?"
Quirking a brow, Cameron had two choices that Jessica could be talking about. Given the circumstances however, she chanced her arm on the more likely option. "Yes...he carries...condoms?"
"Thank God." Smiling, Jessica patted her on the back, "still, we should see about getting you on the pill, sweetie. If you're too embarrassed to have Sarah take you down, I don't mind."
"Okay," Cameron replied, glad she didn't tell her John carried a 9mm at all times, "Thank you Jessica."
"Any time, girly!" Ruffling her hair just a little, Jessica wobbled a bit before setting off in Derek's direction, "Babe! My burger ready yet?"
Plucking the stiff drink out of Jessica's hands and frowning when she glared in response, Derek lowered himself down onto the lounger beside her. Saving her from having to drink it, he downed it himself and frowned when he realised it was pretty much all tequila.
Dropping her glare, Jessica snuggled into her man, staring straight ahead towards the fire pit he'd just been working on getting lit, bathing herself in the warm glow. "You know, you can get arrested for lighting a fire here."
Looking down at the woman clinging to his waist, Derek arched an eyebrow in silent challenge, "Well I won't tell if you don't!"
Smirking, she squeezed herself tighter and returned her gaze to the flames as they flickered in the soft breeze. Squinting, she could just about make out Cameron and John on the lounger across from them curled up beside each other in quiet conversation. Even through her slight hint of double vision, she smiled at the sight of the happy again siblings.
Another sibling was currently puttering around near the trees, seemingly happy with her little mini exploration of the back garden. It was a good thing too, because her mother was currently laying half comatose on a lounger, an empty bottle of tequila perched precariously against her fingertips on the ground.
Shaking her head, she tugged Derek down beside her and waited until he was set before snuggling herself in close, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Ya know, you have a fantsa…fantastic family, Derek."
"Yeah, you and Cameron seemed to be having an…interesting, conversation." He smirked, idly running the back of his finger along her jawline.
"Aww, she's such a little sweetie," She reached out and slapped his arm playfully, although tiredly, "You should take better care of her. She's so in love with her boyfriend he could end up taking adant, adv…abusing her."
"Abusing her?" Derek had to fight off a laugh at that one, but then suddenly sobered, "Wait, wait…you think she's in love with him?"
Rolling her eyes, she looked up at him with a 'duh', look. "I know she's in love with him. Just from the way she talks about him, trust me, I know."
"Well, I wouldn't worry about him beating up on her. He's a decent enough guy," Derek paused and smirked, taking hold her her smaller fingers in his, "Little dumb, but he takes good care of her."
"That's good," Jessica replied with a nod and a yawn, resting her head on his arm, "Sarah still hates me."
"She doesn't hate you babe, that's just Sarah." Wrapping his free arm around her shoulders, Derek leaned down and dropped a kiss on her hair, "I have to admit, I had my doubts, but I think you're fitting in just fine."
Jessica looked up at him upon hearing such kind words. That certainly was rare for him. She was just about to lean up and kiss him when Amy made her way over, gently prodding her in the back. Trying not to huff in annoyance at having her moment ruined, she turned her neck to face the little girl. "Aunt Jessica?"
"Yeah honey?" She answered with a tired smile.
"I'm tired." Without waiting for a reply, Amy then proceeded to climb up onto the lounger, over Jessica and snuggled herself down in the gap between her and Derek, facing Jessica and cuddling herself in tight. Firing off a quick fake yawn, she curled up and closed her eyes, ignoring the look she was sure she was getting from Derek.
Jessica merely smiled, wrapping the arm not tossed over Derek around Amy's shoulders, "Derek, put your jacket on her babe, she's freezing."
Releasing a low growl and grinding his teeth, Derek did as instructed and leaned over to grab his jacket off the back of the lounger and handed it off to her. No mater how hard he tried, he couldn't keep the scowl off his face when he caught Amy peeking up at him with a shit eating grin that was quickly removed when Jessica gently laid his jacket over her and cuddled the little girl in tight.
His grimace was removed however when his girlfriend leaned up and dropped a kiss on his jawline, lowering her voice so she wouldn't be overheard, "I think my uterus just skipped a beat."
She may have been sitting on the fence earlier, but Amy was just too cute for words.
Derek merely gulped noticeably, trying to put a little more distance between himself and the potentially unstable metal he was technically now spooning, "Um, whaddya mean?"
Jessica looked up at him from under her lashes, knowing the devastating effect that usually had on him, even when drunk, "What? Would it weird you out if I…wanted one someday?"
Watching as the love of his life idly ran her fingers through one of Amy's long pigtails while looking at him like she wanted to jump him right then and there, Derek couldn't help but wonder if this was what Amy had been planning for all along, death by uncomfortableness. "Someday, maybe. You uh…you're serious?"
"I never really thought about it before you and I got together," She smiled, looking far away and thoughtful, "But with you? Yeah, I think I'd like to have one or two. I don't get you Derek, you can stare down combat, but what, a dirty diaper scares you?"
"I'm not father material, babe." Derek released a sigh, trying not to get too deep bearing in mind Amy was listening to every word, despite the tired little yawn, complete with stretch and squeak she just let out, "I wouldn't want you to get your hopes up or anything."
"You're full of…" Jessica stopped herself mid sentence, remembering the young ears laying beside her, lowering her voice significantly, "You're full of shit Derek. You've helped raise three kids!"
"Raise is a very…" Derek sighed again, glancing over as Cameron stood, only to sit down again, this time nestling herself in John's lap, bringing a huge grin to the boy's face, "I didn't help all that much, Sarah did all the leg work. I only came along recently."
"Somehow I find that hard to believe," She looked over at a currently passed out Sarah with a snort.
"She's done alright, I mean, look at them," Instantly regretting his decision statement, Derek tried quickly to cover, knowing seeing siblings so…close, would probably make her start asking questions, no matter how drunk she was.
"Um…" Jessica paused for a long moment, mouth hanging open slightly. Even after seeing the gun hidden under the sink, seeing John and Cameron looking so cozy was easily the weirdest thing she'd seen today, "What's that about?"
"Um, they're just close is all," Derek reached out, and in a deft manoeuvre, swivelled her chin around to face him with his finger, diverting her attention away, "Look, we've only been together a little while, it's crazy to be talking about kids like this."
"I just…" She fought off the odd thoughts about John and Cameron long enough to focus on Derek, "Sometimes, I get the feeling that you and I don't have much time. That something is gonna happen to you."
"What makes you say that?" Derek asked warily, wondering just how much he'd been slipping up with his cover lately. Introducing her to the family probably didn't help in that regard.
Sighing, Jessica curled tighter against him, trying not to buffet Amy about too much, and trying not to let a sudden wetness in her eyes develop any further, "I'm not stupid, Derek."
"Whoa, hey," Derek instantly reached out and rubbed her shoulder in a manner he hoped was comforting, "Nobody is calling you stupid."
"You treat me like I am," She sniffled, shaking her head, "I have eyes. I have ears. Tell me this much, amI the only one you lie to, or do you keep your family in the dark too?"
"What are you talking about?" Forgetting all about the machine laying in between them, Derek reached out and gently caressed her cheek, "I'm not lying to you, or my family."
"You know I love you…right?"
"Of course I do but…" Derek shook his head, wondering just where everything had taken such a bad turn today, barely noticing as Cameron's hands started drifting up and down John's chest slowly.
"You know I accept you," Glancing down, Jessica confirmed Amy was asleep before continuing, keeping her voice deliberately low, "All of you, Derek. You're not gonna scare me off. I've seen your scars, I've felt the shrapnel under your skin…it's okay."
"Wha, what's okay?" Derek asked, his jaw flapping around in the air, just hoping Cameron wasn't listening to this, otherwise things could get messy, no matter how comfortable she looked at the minute, "I told you, I'm retired."
Jessica let out a sigh, really on the verge of tears by this point, "Will you please just stop lying to me? Derek, you disappear all the time, you pretend you support an entire family on disability pay, which we both know is total bullshit…"
"Shhh, just keep your voice down alright," Glancing around to make sure nobody was paying attention, he held his hands over Amy's ears to keep up the pretence, "I's not bullshit. What do you think I do all the time, where do you think I go?"
"I looked it up, Derek. Disability pay for a guy like you is practically nothing, even if Sarah is collecting widow's benefits too, it's not nearly enough to keep five people taken care of." She shook her head a little sadly, "You show up at my place smelling like Daddy after he goes skeet-shooting, you constantly have new cuts and bruises, and those stitched up wounds on your chest are definitely not years old."
"Jess, Babe…" Derek sounded almost pleading, wanting her to just drop it, mostly for her own sake.
Dropping her voice low and double checking Amy was still asleep, she leaned closer, "So either you're patrolling the streets of LA every night as some kind of super hero, or you have something you need to tell me, Derek."
"I, I…" Derek stalled. He didn't know what he could tell her that wasn't either a flat out lie or the truth, either way he was screwed.
Sighing, she leaned back to look him in the eyes, "The money, the disappearing act, the obvious combat injuries... I know what's going on here Derek."
"You do?" Derek asked with a resigned sigh, "I can explain."
"You don't have to explain," Jessica reached up, surprisingly cupping his cheek with a smile, "Just admit the truth…you're a mercenary."
Derek had never felt relief like it. In fact, it took several seconds after she'd said it for his brain to catch up and process her words, a broad smile breaking out on his face before he quickly schooled himself, "Yeah, I admit it. Look, I just wanted to keep you safe, protect you from my past."
"I'm not a little girl, Derek. I know how the world works," Returning his smile, she leaned up and dropped a slightly sloppy kiss on his lips, "You need to provide for your family, and this is what you're trained to do. I just don't want you lying to me. If you've gotta leave on some dangerous mission, tell me... I wanna know if you're in danger."
"You do?" Through all the stress of being put through the ringer like that, Derek had barely noticed his hand had inadvertently came to rest on Amy's upper arm, the little machine grinning like an idiot between them.
"Of course I do," Jessica answered, leaning up to nuzzle at his neck, oddly turned on by the idea of her man jetting off exotic places to kill bad guys, "And I won't lie and say I won't worry. But is that really so bad? To have someone at home thinking about you?"
Chuckling more in relief than humour, Derek tugged her closer, "I guess not. I uh…" Unable to bring himself to get emotional in front of Amy, or anybody for that matter, Derek settled for pulling her closer, 'Come here."
"Are you wanting to go upstairs, Mr. Baum?" Jessica asked, smiling up at him as she tried to shuffle Amy's weight around without disturbing her too much when he eyes landed on the pair across the fire, "Oh my God…is his hand…"
Derek glanced over to where she was looking and made a mental note to inflict more damage on John, despite Cameron's warning, "Yeah, let's head upstairs, great idea to sleep here tonight."
"Um," Keeping her eyes focused on the odd sight in front of her, granted, she was drunk, but she was pretty sure John's hand was gliding in slow circles over Cameron's belly under her shirt, "Wha…what about Amy?"
Thinking quickly, Derek stood, making sure to block her view of his idiot nephew, and heaved Amy up into his arms, trying not to stumble backwards form her weight. The hardest part though was trying not to freak out when a pair of small, freezing cold arms latched themselves around his neck, "It's past her bedtime."
"Shouldn't we wake Sarah up or something?" Jessica asked, looking a little lost and confused at the sudden movements.
"Nah, she's fine, the kids can take care of her, now come on." Doing his best to support Amy's weight with one arm, he reached out and snagged Jessica's hand and started tugging her towards the house.
"Um…okay," She followed behind him obediently, waving at the kids as she passed, "Night Cameron, night John."
Sighing with relief once they were in the house proper, Derek released Jessica's hand and wrapped it around Amy again, hefting her up higher for the trip up the stairs. Once they were in the upstairs hallway, he turned to face Jessica, "My room is down there on the left. I'm uh…gonna put this one to bed."
"Okay," Jessica stood on her tiptoes and dropped a kiss on his lips, then sank lower and planted another on the back of Amy's head, "Goodnight sweetheart," she looked back up at Derek, her smile sultry, "I'll be waiting."
Derek watched as she slinked away into his bedroom before barging the door to Amy's pink monstrosity of a room open. Once inside, he shoved the door closed with his foot, "You can drop the act now."
Amy opened her eyes slowly, still in his arms, clinging to his neck, "Awww, you loooove her!"
Suddenly releasing his arms from beneath her, he let her small body flop onto her bed with a growl, "What the fuck was that? Are you and Cameron trying to screw me over?"
"You make it so easy!" Amy looked up at him from the bed, giggling softly to herself, "Come on, you've got an angel next door, and you're blaming ME for trying to screw YOU over?"
"I'm too busy trying to convince her that John and Cameron aren't having sex down the hall."
"Nah," Amy cocked her head to the side, feigning that she was listening out of the open bedroom window, "They're having sex outside."
"Please God tell me you're joking…" Derek sighed, resisting the temptation to confirm it for himself, "If Jessica hears something tonight, I'm boned. I just dodged a huge fucking bullet as it is!"
"Oh please, she's so drunk she won't remember anything." Smiling, Amy sat herself cross legged on the bed, facing him, "Something tells me that's a good thing when she's sleeping with a bum like you!"
"And seriously, what the hell is with you pulling the cute little kid act around her? Is it not enough pretending Sarah is your mommy, you need another one too? You're giving her ideas!"
"I know," Getting what could only be described as a devilish grin, Amy stood up on the bed, bouncing gently in front of him, right in his eyeline, "'But Babe, I'm not daddy material'."
"Well…I'm not!"
"You're telling me! You're not supposed to growl when somebody tells you to give your niece your jacket," She pulled the jacket tighter around herself, "Thanks for this by the way, it's comfy."
"Gimme that!" Derek reached out and snagged his jacket back, ignoring the pout from the little girl. "I've got enough repair work to do with her without you putting babies in her head."
Amy rolled her eyes theatrically, flopping back down to the bed unceremoniously, "Relax, she meant everything she said out there."
Derek froze in folding up his jacket, eyeing the machine warily. "What's that supposed to mean."
"God you're dumb," Amy teased, before breaking out into a sincere smile, "Everything she said, she was telling the truth. You're really not gonna scare her off, she really doesn't care that you're a 'mercenary', and yes, she does want kids with you someday. She was drunk, very drunk, but deep down, she meant every word."
"How the hell do you know that?" Derek asked after taking a moment to process her words…babies?
Amy held up her hand, idly moving her fingers around, "Built in lie detector, Uncie D!"
Unable to completely fight off a smirk, Derek couldn't help but be overwhelmed by what he was hearing. Would Jessica actually be able to stomach learning about Judgement Day, machines, Skynet…her future? It was a tantalising possibility either way.
Focusing on the present, he found Amy patiently waiting for an answer, which he gave by subtly clearing his throat, "Um, thanks. You think you could go make sure Sarah gets to bed tonight?"
Breaking out into a smile, Amy hopped down off her bed, "Sure thing, boss!"
With that, she slid past him, grinning the entire way and leaving a very confused Derek alone with his thoughts. He had to tell her the truth soon…didn't he?
Aren't you glad it was split now?
I promise, there'll be some more Jameron in the next chapter. Thanks as always to Dekardkain for his help.