Chapter 682

Goose Bumps

Cameron and Savannah were alone at the end of the pier. There was no one around them. There were only the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean. It was a very peaceful and tranquil location.

The setting and timing was perfect.

The moment seemed to feed and grow upon itself.

The long awaited first mutual kiss was finally about to happen.

Cameron and Savannah's lips were just about to touch. They each waited to feel the softness of the other's lips. From there, they knew the kiss would expand into a much deeper and heartfelt one.

Nothing could stop it now.

Suddenly, there was a shrill hysterical scream. It drew everyone's attention.

The moment between Cameron and Savannah was lost.

Cameron and Savannah turned towards the scream on the beach.

There was a thrashing, splashing noise near them. It was coming towards them. It was nearly below them.

"Help!" A small voice cried out.

It could be faintly heard much closer to where they were at.

"Help me!" The small voice cried out again.

Savannah and Cameron rushed to the side of the pier where the voice sounded like it was at, or came from.

It appeared one of the small children the inattentive mother was supposed to be 'watching', was now caught in a rip current and being swept out to sea. Based on the distress the small child was already in, it appeared they would drown in a very short time. They must have gone into the surf to play. It could have been a big wave which caught them in its grasp when they were getting wet sand for their sand castle.

Another shrill scream drifted toward them from the inattentive mother. She was in a total panic and unable to do anything but scream.

The thrashing child looked up directly at Savannah. Their eyes locked.

"Help!" The child gasped again as they disappeared under the water.

Savannah didn't have time to even think about it. There was something which needed to be done. It needed to be done right now. She pulled her shirt off to hide her weapons and phone, as she gave them to Cameron. She also kicked off her shoes.

"My Glock, Taser and phone are in my shirt." Savannah said.

Before Cameron could speak, Savannah was gone.

Savannah dove over the side of the pier.

It all happened in a flash. Cameron was impressed with Savannah's quick thinking and action. She was painfully aware there is absolutely nothing she could do to assist the small child at this particular point in time. All she would be able to do was pass them as she sunk straight to the bottom. If she grabbed them along the way, they would be terminated by the time she could walk back to the shore with them.

Cameron watched Savannah as she hit the water with hardly a splash and disappeared under the surface. She went in right behind where the child was last seen. She figured it was so she wouldn't impact the child in the water by landing on top of it.

Other people begin to appear and look over the side of the pier. They were all slow to act, or even comprehend what actually just occurred. The child would have passed several of them along the length of the pier earlier. She doubted any of them would have done anything, even if they would have been able to think about it first. It was evident none of them did.

Another shrill scream came from the inattentive mother. Other people on the beach ran to her to see what she was shrieking about. She was still jumping up and down and pointing out into the ocean.

Cameron was a little concerned as she looked at the unbroken surface of the ocean. Nobody was there. She wanted to take some preemptive action and make sure there was a medical response as immediately as possible. She hoped it wouldn't be needed for anyone. Right now everything looked a little bleak. She wanted to control the narrative from the start. She hoped it wasn't the finish.

"John Henry, cut all cell traffic, and dispatch 911. Send them to the west side of the pier at my location." Cameron said as she gave him the specifics. "I need you to fry some cell phones of anyone shooting video. Don't ask me any questions right now. Just do it."

John Henry was a little perplexed at the nature of Cameron's call. He immediately dispatched the closest ambulance to the location. It was from a county fire station not too far away. They should be at the location Cameron indicated within six or seven minutes.

"Assistance will be there soon." John Henry said. "What else can I do?"

Cameron looked intently over the side of the pier. She thought of something she heard more than a few times in similar situations. She knew it was illogical. She still didn't think it could hurt anything to try.

"Pray…." Cameron said as she ended the call.

Cameron waited for Savannah to reappear. She still hadn't come back up. She now started to worry. She was relieved when there was a splash on the surface of the water and a figure appeared. She was actually very surprised where they were.

Savannah came up to the surface with the small child. They were well past the end of the pier. She was actually surprised they were so far past it. It was clear they were still caught in the rip current. She knew what to do to get out of the rip current. She swam sideways to the current to free herself from its deadly grasp. She managed to hold onto the small child. She didn't plan to let go, no matter what happened. It was somewhat difficult to move with only the use of one arm and the extra bulk of the child. The child wasn't struggling anymore. They were already suffering from the effects of being under the water for so long.

Once she was out of the rip current, she would attempt to revive the small child. She knew it was going to be tough to do in the water. The water felt very cold to her right now. Due to the seriousness of why she jumped in the ocean, she didn't notice it at first as she searched for the child under the water. She saw the child reach for her as she came up under it. If it wasn't for the task she set out to do, the coldness of the water would have affected her more. It was a cumulative effect. She could feel it starting to draw her strength.

She realized she was no longer moving out to sea. We started towards the shore. She needed to attempt to revive the small child. She wouldn't be able to get back to the shore in time before it may become impossible to do so. It was going to take her more than a few minutes to reach the shore. The child could suffer irreparable brain damage by the time she reached it.

A surfer nearby saw what happened and went to help. He actually started on his way towards the pier when he deduced what the mother was pointing at as she jumped up and down screaming. He didn't see anyone go into the water to assist. He was a little surprised there was a redhead with the small child. He didn't know where she came from. It didn't look like she was wearing much either. He was there in a matter of moments.

"How can I help?" The surfer asked.

Savannah was relieved to see him. He was even more relieved to see what he was on.

"Help me put the child on your surfboard." Savannah said. "I need to get them breathing again. I need to do it now. I don't know how long they haven't been breathing."

Savannah knew it was easy to lose track of the time in situations like she was currently in. Sometimes what seemed like what could have been minutes, was only seconds. Sometimes it would work in the opposite direction.

She lifted the child onto the surfboard and performed CPR as the surfer held the surfboard steady. They worked as a team.

The child gasped and sputtered out water. They started to breathe again and began to cry.

The child looked at Savannah again. The crying stopped. Her face and her red hair was the last thing they remembered when they were under the water. Even in their panic, they recognized who it was before the darkness overtook them.

Savannah made sure her wet hair covered her face. Her back was to the pier. She didn't want to be identified.

The surfer wanted to get the child to the shore as soon as possible. He looked at Savannah. He could see she was cold and tired. He wore a wet suit. He was used to being in the water.

"You can steady the child and keep them on the board. I'll take all three of us in." The surfer said.

Savannah kept the child on the surfboard as the surfer propelled all three of them in with the surfboard. He was well built and muscular, with long blond hair. He was clearly no stranger to the ocean. It was probably one of the reasons why he acted as quickly as he did. It wasn't uncommon for Surfers to be hit in the head with their board and be knocked unconscious, or be on the wrong side of a wave and be driven into the ocean floor and have the breath knocked out of them. They all helped each other, even if they were rivals. They still all shared one thing in common, they were Surfers.

Savannah didn't want to be identified by anyone on the beach, or if anyone took pictures or shot video of the rescue as it took place. If any of those images got out, she could end up as a target of Skynet again. It was always their belief Skynet stopped looking for her when it was reported she was killed along with her 'mother', when the plane struck their building in a tragic accident. She quickly came up with a cover story.

"OK. Once we get close to the shore, you're going to have to take them in on your own." Savannah said. "I can't be seen."

The surfer rapidly propelled them along. He glanced over at Savannah.

"Why?" The surfer asked.

Savannah needed to think up an excuse fast. It seemed like a pretty good one.

"The mother of the child is my boyfriend's wife." Savannah said. "She knows who I am. She caught us once. I don't want her to blame me for this. I know she will somehow. I don't need any more trouble."

The surfer was in similar circumstances more than once. No one was 'married' though in his situations. Life at the beach offered quite a few opportunities, even when some better judgment might have been used first. Things just tended to happen. He could relate to her.

"Whoa! That's heavy, man." The surfer said. "I'm Joe - Surfer Joe."

Savannah didn't want to have to explain too much.

"I'm 'dead' if I get caught." Savannah said. "We're almost in. I need you to take it from here. If anyone asks, you can tell them you're the one who grabbed them from the riptide. Please, I need to go."

Surfer Joe was very impressed by her. He would like to get to know her a little better.

"No problem." Surfer Joe said. "Do you have a name?"

Savannah didn't want to seem rude, but she needed to go. She touched the small child who looked at her with wide eyes and smiled.

"Yes." Savannah said and disappeared under the water.

The small child watched her go. They knew who she was.

"I know what her name is." The small child said. "It's 'Ariel'…."

Surfer Joe looked at the small child for a moment and then quickly turned to look to where Savannah disappeared at. There was no sign of her. She was gone. He thought about when he first spotted her. Somehow he saw her come up from out of the water with the small child and now she just disappeared back into the water without a trace. He understood the reference the small child made. He could see it now as well. NO WAY!

"Dude…." Surfer Joe said in astonishment. "Heavy, bro, heavy…."

A small child spent more time looking at the water where Savannah went, than he did where his frantic mother was still jumping up and down and screaming on the beach. They knew who saved them. They would never forget either.

It was a Mermaid….

Savannah swam underwater until she reached the pier and came up for air. She passed underneath the pier to the opposite side. She knew it was something which was frowned upon. Based upon the circumstances she was in, she needed to do it anyway. She needed to get to the other side of the pier and away from where all the activity was on the other side with the frantic mother, the small child, and Surfer Joe.

She was pleased to see Cameron was waiting for her. She looked through the pier supports at the crowd which gathered on the other side, an ambulance could be heard. No one looked in their direction or paid any attention to them. Everyone was focused where all the action was at. The mother was still frantic, even though the child was now on the beach along with Surfer Joe. He stuck his board upright in the sand as soon as he handed the child to its mother.

Cameron looked at Savannah with total admiration.

"What you just did was amazing and brave." Cameron said. "I'm so proud of you, Savannah. You were magnificent."

Savannah was worried she messed up Cameron's time at the beach. She was a little concerned they lost the special moment they were about to share. Life seemed to get in the way of pleasure and desire. In this particular case a life really did get in the way between them.

"I'm sorry I ruined your day." Savannah said.

Cameron handed Savannah back her shirt.

"You saved the child from drowning. You just gave someone back their life." Cameron said. "You're a savior. The child would have died without you assisting them. You put yourself in danger to do it. You didn't hesitate. Savannah, you're a hero."

Savannah didn't think it was too big of a deal. At least it didn't seem like it at the time. There was actually no time to think about it, there was only time to act. She never considered the danger she could have been swept out further into the ocean by the rip current as well. The temperature of the water chilled her thoroughly. She could feel her body shake a little bit from the cold. She could feel 'Goose Bumps' everywhere. She tried to hide it from Cameron. She didn't want Cameron to worry about her. She was fine.

"Hardly." Savannah said. "I only did what anyone would've done."

Cameron was powerless to physically act at the scene. Instead she already began to calculate a temporal mission to prevent the incident from occurring in the first place. She wanted to point out Savannah was the only one who acted. It was Savannah who saved the child.

"No one else did. There were others there. Only you jumped into the water." Cameron said. "I was powerless to help. There was nothing I could do."

Savannah disagreed with what Cameron said. She wanted to point out Cameron was the one responsible for her being able to act as she was able to do. She thought it involved a certain amount of perspective to see it. Not everything was black and white.

"You did help, Cameron. You took me swimming starting from when I was young. You've always gone with me since." Savannah said. "Thank You. This wouldn't have happened without you."

Cameron tilted her head slightly and then smiled at Savannah. She did help, even if it was rather indirectly.

Savannah and Cameron both let their hair cover their faces as they left.

At the SUV Savannah removed her wet bra and put the shirt back on. Cameron watched her the whole time. It always sent a rush of excitement through her to see how pink Savannah's nipples were. She also noted they were somewhat erect from the cold water. She first observed the very pink pigmentation on Vanna. It always impressed her. She never saw anyone else with nipples which were so pink. She spent hours on the internet trying to find anyone. Some were close, but none were the same. She was also aware the same super pinkness was in another spot on Savannah as well.

She viewed it extensively on Hanna and Anna before they were activated. She was always left with the impression what she just looked at was the most beautiful thing she ever saw when it came to females. It did make her a little self conscious of herself. It didn't seem to bother Vanna in the slightest with Allison so she tried not to worry about it. With extensive research she knew every female was different down there. It always seemed to her like there was 'a lot going on down there', or at least more than there needed to be.

Savannah knew Cameron liked to watch her without trying to look like she watched her. She turned and faced her as she changed. She liked Cameron to watch her. She was still chilled to the bone.

Cameron could see Savannah's pants were soaked.

"You can take your pants off too." Cameron said.

Savannah looked around.

"I will." Savannah said.

She quickly slid her pants off with a little difficulty since they were wet. They seem to make the tight fit a little tighter.

"Let's go." Savannah said.

Savannah only wore her shirt and soaked underwear. She knew her underwear actually contained more material than a pair of bikini bottoms did. They also gave her better coverage. She normally wore a one-piece bathing suit anyway. It was something she picked up from Vanna.

Vanna always wore one to hide her scar. She encouraged Savannah to wear one to hide as much of her body as possible from prying eyes. She didn't like any males to look at Savannah, or her. It always made her angry. She knew what they were thinking….

Cameron felt very proud of Savannah. More so than ever, she believed Savannah was truly the 'Chosen One'.

Savannah was a little self conscious about the video which was prepared of her 'accomplishments' with the Resistance and Cameron. She didn't want what just happened to be included with it. She didn't want anyone to know about it or to make a big deal about it. It bothered her when anyone said anything. She always felt she did her duty and nothing more. She was sure anyone else would have done the same things if they were in her place. She looked at Cameron.

"We don't need to mention this to anyone." Savannah said. "I'll talk to John Henry. I don't want him to do anything with it. I want to make sure there aren't any reports about me either. There shouldn't be any photos or videos of me. I tried to keep my hair in my face as much as possible."

Cameron thought Young Allison should know what Savannah did. She did think it was a big deal. She wanted her future mate to know Savannah saved someone other than her.

"Do you want anyone to know?" Cameron asked.

Savannah didn't want anyone to know. She didn't want the attention.

"Nobody…." Savannah said and smiled at Cameron.

Cameron smiled back at her.

"It'll be our secret." Cameron said as she winked at her.

Cameron glanced over at Savannah's beautiful legs.

Savannah smiled back at her.

Cameron knew there was bravery in Savannah. She knew Savannah faced down Terminators when she didn't have to. Savannah also stayed to 'die' with her when she didn't need to. There was so much love and caring to be shared. She wanted Savannah more than ever. She believed Savannah was too good for John. She knew Savannah was just right for her.

The recent events gave Cameron some time to reflect on some past events. It still bothered her because she didn't allow John to help the girl at school before. She knew it hurt him inside. While some kids were calling for her to jump, John tried to stop her. He wanted to help her. He was the only one. She physically held him and prevented him from acting. The girl jumped before John could have reached her and stopped her anyway.

She would have done nothing either way at the time herself. She knew she evolved beyond it. Now she helped people, even strangers sometimes. Savannah, John, and the other humans taught her why it was important to help. They showed her by example. There was no finer example than Savannah. She knew if Savannah would have been at the school when the girl jumped, she would have attempted to help her as well.

She felt her left hand glitch for a moment. She quickly suppressed the feeling. She should have done more to help the girl when she found her in the bathroom. She should have done something to help her. She could see she was in distress and did nothing to help her with her problems. Her problems were what terminated her in the end. She understood the problems were all psychological. Whatever the issues were, they could have been worked through. She was sure her parents would rather have her alive with whatever events occurred, than how things turned out. It reminded her everything was a matter of perspective, even when everything was the same. Any situation which was bad could always get worse. She needed to push the past from her mind.

Cameron still needed to ask about something. Savannah acted instantly without hesitation.

"Why did you do it?" Cameron asked. "You didn't have to. You put yourself at great risk of suffering the same fate as the small child."

Savannah didn't really think about it at the time. She looked at the situation, evaluated it, and then acted with what she thought she could do to help. If it would have been a shark attack, she probably would have acted differently. She would have taken her Glock with her. The firearm would still work in the water, at least for a short time. She was sure she would have been able to get a few shots off….

"Someone needed help." Savannah said. "I was there and I helped."

Cameron didn't think Savannah considered her own safety as part of the decision.

"You didn't hesitate at all." Cameron said. "They were a total stranger."

Savannah didn't really want to talk about it. It seemed Cameron did.

"I've found out sometimes when there's a 'call' to be made, there isn't a choice. You simply do what you have to. In an instant I asked myself, 'If not me, who? If not now, when?'" Savannah said. "Sometimes it's nice to have help. I understand it better now about some of your 'choices'."

Cameron frowned slightly. She wasn't sure she always made the right choice.

"I know I've made some questionable calls." Cameron said.

Previously Savannah went back and evaluated many of the decisions Cameron was forced to make on her own. She could find fault with very few of them if she looked at the overall picture. Things needed to happen and Cameron was the one there.

"Were they?" Savannah asked. "You did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done."

Cameron felt a glitch impulse, but suppressed it. She felt responsible for some of Savannah's close encounters.

"You've made some dangerous ones before to help me." Cameron said. "I'm not worth your life. I'm not worthy of your life."

Savannah looked at Cameron with love in her eyes. She was totally sincere as she spoke.

"Cameron, YOU are my life." Savannah said. "I love you."

Cameron looked over and smiled at Savannah.

"I love you too, Savannah." Cameron said.

They drove in silence a little longer. Savannah placed Cameron's hand on her thigh. She would let Cameron scan her from there.

There was something troubling Cameron from the recent operation in the low desert. He didn't want to get too explicit in details. She needed to know. She needed to ask Savannah.

"Would you have?" Cameron asked.

Savannah knew what the question was and wondered why Cameron waited so long to ask it.

"Have what?" Savannah asked.

She wanted to prompt Cameron to ask her.

Cameron frowned a little.

"Would you have emasculated the man you were questioning?" Cameron asked.

Savannah was only one second away from completing the task. She even thought about going back and practicing on his corpse after he was terminated. If she did, she would know what it was actually like to do it. Jesse told her everything was a lot tougher than it looked. She said sometimes a 'sawing' motion was necessary. She knew she wouldn't get the same reaction on a corpse as she would on a live human though. She remembered Jesse told her once 'those were off', they would do anything to keep 'what was left'.

"Yes." Savannah said. "I was ready to destroy him as a man. I would have done it completely."

Cameron felt another glitch impulse but suppressed it.

"It's not you." Cameron said. "I know it."

Savannah was a little disturbed by the procedure and what was involved in it.

"No, it's not." Savannah said. "It wasn't what I wanted to do. It's not how I thought I would first touch a man down there either."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She was confused.

"Then why were you going to do it?" Cameron asked.

Savannah sighed slightly.

"I didn't want Jesse to do it." Savannah said. "I didn't want her to go back 'there'. I wanted to keep her from finding the desire to do more of it."

Cameron tilted her head slightly in the other direction. Savannah wanted to help Jesse. It was all actually very different from what she thought and the way it looked. Savannah didn't want the 'darkness' to get a grip on Jesse again.

"You care about her." Cameron said. "I tried to 'fix her'."

Savannah gave Cameron a reassuring smile.

"You did fix her." Savannah said. "I do care about her. She is MY Jesse, just 'different'."

Cameron admired Savannah even more.

"You always help, even if you must sacrifice." Cameron said.

Savannah believed the credit was actually Cameron's.

"I'll do what needs to be done." Savannah said. "YOU have taught me to do so. You've taught me many things and how to interact."

Cameron viewed it all differently.

"I've only allowed you to find what's already in yourself." Cameron said. "I'll do anything for you."

Savannah felt personal conflict often.

"I feel lost sometimes." Savannah said. "I feel torn sometimes too."

Cameron experienced another glitch impulse. She didn't want Savannah to feel like her.

"I do all the time." Cameron said. "There seems to be little which doesn't trouble me anymore. I don't know what to do, other than what I'm doing."

Savannah was able to 'see' inside of Cameron's mind through her poems. It was actually a very unique perspective.

"I have seen and FELT your poems." Savannah said. "I feel the torment and uncertainty in you as well as the love and loneliness. I've experienced all those same feelings."

Cameron knew Savannah responded differently to her conflicted feelings than she was able to.

"Yours don't consume you." Cameron said. "Do they?"

Savannah wished she could say it was true, but it wasn't always.

"Sometimes…." Savannah said.

Cameron never wanted Savannah to feel like she felt before, and still felt at times now.

"I've tried to provide you with companionship and real people to 'share' with." Cameron said. "There is cyborg companionship as well."

Savannah remembered when she needed sexual companionship and she asked Cameron for help. There seemed to be a never ending supply of female partners after she did. There were plenty in both of the futures she visited as well.

"You have. I've experienced the most beautiful moments in my life because of it, because of you." Savannah said. "I've learned many things."

Cameron was still worried about Allison.

"Allison is having trouble." Cameron said. "I'm going to have to take Claire into the past and bring her back ready to deliver, otherwise Allison is going to leave. Vanna is going to go with her."

Savannah didn't want it to happen.

"I'm aware of it." Savannah said. "I can keep Allison here as MY partner." Savannah said. "I won't do it. She wants HER child. I won't deny her anything so precious. I also know Vanna is her true lover, not me. They belong together. They need each other."

A new sense of concern flooded Cameron. She suddenly wondered if Savannah would return to one of the two futures where her daughters were at.

"You won't do it, will you?" Cameron asked.

Savannah was willing to sacrifice everything for Cameron.

"I'll go where you go, Cameron." Savannah said. "I'll provide you with YOUR child. I'll do for you as I've promised."

Cameron was pleased to hear it.

"It would be OUR child." Cameron said.

Savannah wanted it to be the way Cameron originally wanted it to be.

"It will be yours and John's child." Savannah said. "I only ask you don't allow Young Allison to have to do the same thing for anyone, in any manner. You can see how it's troubled Allison. It will be the same for Young Allison. You'll hurt her deeply inside. I can't allow it to happen under any circumstances. There are ways around the issue, but everyone needs to be on board."

Cameron felt a sense of guilt and responsible for what happened, but she wasn't the one who was responsible for what happened.

"I've only asked you to have Vanna's child." Cameron said. "I've never made you do what you did."

Savannah was impregnated by Young Jesse both times. Cameron wasn't part of the process, nor did she know what they were going to do until after it was done.

"It's true." Savannah said. "I don't want Young Allison to ever do the same. It's very traumatic, and still troubles me."

Savannah was sure Young Allison was going to do what she did, as soon as she could find a way. There was more than one way it could be accomplished. She was against all of them. She would try to prevent it.

Cameron communicated with John Henry. The small child checked out OK with no problems. She told Savannah the good news.

Cameron could feel the 'goose bumps' on Savannah's thigh when she told her….

"I hope 'Surfer Joe' takes all the credit and nobody remembers my part." Savannah said.

Cameron looked at Savannah and smiled.

"Nobody will…." Cameron said as she turned on the radio.

They quickly looked at each other.

'Surfer Joe' by 'The Surfaris', was playing.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Goose Bumps

When one feels something inside
What really is that feeling
Is it the anticipation of what will come
Or is it the past healing

Everything starts with such joy
There's love and anticipation
Maybe because it's someone new
Things are looked at with fascination

It's easy to get sidetracked
Or addicted to the thrill
That in itself will soon become
What's now the swill

What makes the heart beat faster
What makes the blood flow
Perhaps it's pure animal reaction
Who don't think so

Maybe one needs to think twice
As to where another dumps
What's the real feeling
Behind those goose bumps

Nobody