fallout | inspectorboxer

act 4

The tapping of keys was soft and constant, the only sound in the darkened living room. Computer monitors provided a faint glow, illuminating John and Danny's faces as they waded through pages and pages of code. Sabine kept watch, eyeing the proceedings from the lengthening shadows as Terissa prepared something for everyone in the kitchen. James had left a while ago, talking in barely audible murmurs to whoever was on the other end of the line. Now he was talking to Terissa outside, but no one could make out what they were saying.

John ignored everyone and everything but his search for the truth. The further he hacked, the more certain he became. His mother was still out there. He could feel it. There was no way Sarah Connor left this world without his soul sensing it. She was too much a part of him, and he would know it if she had been ripped away. Perhaps he was deluding himself, he allowed, but until he had proof that his mother was gone, he chose to believe in her, in her unparalleled ability to survive.

He cast a sideways look at Danny, the other young man's head bent as he focused studiously on his task. John wanted to hate him for the way things had gone, but he knew Cameron was as much to blame as anyone. She had deviated from the plan, but in his heart, John knew Cameron had simply been doing what she was programmed to do. Protect him. Stop Skynet. Today she had attempted to do both. Time would tell if she'd succeeded.

His heart twisted as he thought of her, knowing that no matter what happened, he had likely seen Cameron for the last time. He had loved her once, or thought he had, until he'd felt a taste of what real love was. For a moment, his attention wandered, as he thought about Allison, possibly alone and scared, wandering the streets of Los Angeles. He swore to turn his attention to finding her as soon as he could, but he had to know about his mother first.

"I'm in."

Danny's voice made John jump, so unprepared he was for the quiet declaration. Sabine stirred on the couch as she watched and waited.

"Show me." John shifted in his chair, his hand gripping the back of Danny's seat as he leaned closer.

Danny tapped a couple more keys and a screen full of security camera images opened on the monitor.

"That one," John ordered, pointing out one near the bottom left. He waited as Danny clicked on it, revealing nothing but video snow.

"The camera is off-line. It was destroyed in the..." Danny began.

"Rewind," John ordered.

Danny did so, tapping more keys. The image blurred past, finally revealing figures moving about at a jerky pace.

"Stop. There," Sabine murmured.

Hitting play, the three of them peered closer, watching an empty room until Cameron stepped inside moments later.

"Is she really a..." Danny hesitated, glancing back at Sabine over his shoulder.

"She was," John murmured, no idea of how many levels his statement was true. He watched Cameron hesitate, the cord in her hands. She was having doubts, he realized, and his heart hurt for her. John swallowed, willing back the tears as Cameron plugged in and sat down. When her body went limp, John felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He didn't know why Cameron has chosen this path, but he made a mental note to find out.

"Jesus," Danny whispered. "She just jacked right in."

On the monitor, Sarah entered the room, and John watched as his mother drew up at the sight that greeted her. He knew that expression on her face, had seen it directed his way when he'd stepped inside the time bubble in the basement of Zeira Corp. A mixture of betrayal and abandonment, and the image twisted John's guts.

"Sound. Where is the sound?" John asked, needing to hear his mother's voice, what might have been her final words.

Danny started typing. "Working on it."

Sabine heard the back door open in the kitchen. When she glanced at the screen once more, Sarah was on her knees, Cameron's hand in her own. She swallowed, wondering if John saw the love in Sarah's eyes as clearly as she did.

"What is she doing?" John asked no one in particular, not understanding why his mother would linger. "She's running out of time."

"She won't leave Aunt Cameron."

They all turned, shocked to find Savannah standing on the stairs, her blue gaze fixed on the monitors. "Aunt Sarah wouldn't leave her."

Sabine and John both stood, their gazes locking briefly before Sabine moved behind the couch to scoop up the child. This wasn't the first time Savannah had snuck up on them, but Sabine decided she would stay with her the rest of the night in order to make it the last.

"No," Savannah whined in protest. "I wanna wait for Sarah and Cameron to come home."

Terissa entered the room, a tremulous smile on her lips as Ellison followed.

"They'll be home in the morning," Ellison promised her before turning his attention on John. "They just called. They're all right."

John's knees nearly buckled with the news and he sank into his chair, dropping his head into his hands. His mother was still alive. She was still alive.

But so was Cameron.

He lifted his head, needing to understand what had happened. His fingers went for the keyboard but a hand drifted through his short hair. When John looked up, Terissa smiled down at him. "It's been a long day. You're mother is resting. Why don't we get you something to eat so you can do the same?"

"Is she hurt? Does she need help?" John winced, realizing he should have asked the questions sooner.

"She's fine, John. Just tired," Ellison promised.

"But..." John glanced at the screen, watching his mother's mouth move as she said God only knew what to the terminator. "I need..."

Terissa met Danny's gaze and she silent communicated her wishes. He glanced at John before nodding once to his mother.

"I can't get the sound. It must have been out on that camera," Danny lied, feeling Sabine's eyes on his back.

"They're alive," Terissa reminded John. "That's all that matters." She reached over and shut off the monitor.

John wanted to protest, but the words died on his lips when Savannah was suddenly there, tugging on the hem of his t-shirt. "They're coming home," he told her with a shaky smile.

"I know," Savannah said simply. "Let's get something to eat. I'm hungry."

John laughed, just a little, feeling relief wash through him. He still had questions that would need answers, but for now, they would keep.

****

The moment the door closed, the anxiety started. Sarah pivoted, sprinting toward the deck so she could keep an eye on Cameron, unwilling to let the other woman out of her sight. Cameron glanced up at her with mild surprise, her features barely visible in the pale light of the moon and the weak glow from the beach house.

"Go back inside," Cameron instructed. "It's cold."

"I'm fine," Sarah argued, hoping the terminator didn't see the tiny shiver that made a liar out of her.

Sarah was sure Cameron sighed. The cyborg stared out at the ocean, wrestling with emotions Sarah didn't dare think about before she reluctantly turned and climbed the steps to the deck, her bare feet making little or no sound on the sand covered wood.

"I won't be long," Cameron promised, her voice even but strained.

"You'll excuse me if I don't take you at your word."

Cameron regarded her for a moment before coming hesitantly closer. "If I wanted to leave, I would have left while you were in the shower."

"If you wanted to leave, there is nothing I could do to stop you," Sarah admitted. They watched each other carefully before Sarah dropped her gaze first, staring at the wood beams that separated them.

"You stopped me today," Cameron reminded her, but her voice was softer now.

Sarah shook her head, feeling the emotions she'd wrestled with all day tumbling and surging toward the surface. "You didn't even say goodbye."

Cameron was silent.

"How do I know you aren't going to do it again?" Sarah looked at her once more, raw pain clear in her green eyes. "All this time you wanted me to trust you, and when I finally do, you throw that trust in my face."

"Sarah..."

Sarah shook her head again, cutting off whatever Cameron was going to say. "Damn it, girlie... I care about you. I wish to hell I didn't. I wish to hell I could change the way I feel, but I can't. I need you. I can't..." Her voice broke and she jerked backward a step when Cameron instinctively moved closer. "I can't..." Sarah whispered. When Cameron's hand finally curved around the back of her neck and pulled her in close, the confession slipped free. "I can't live without you."

Cameron closed her eyes before sliding her other hand over Sarah's hip. Sarah's words had the strange effect of hurting and healing at the same time. Cameron didn't understand it, any of it, but she finally acknowledged the truth of it. She couldn't live without this, without Sarah. She didn't want to. "Why does this hurt so much?" she asked honestly, feeling Sarah's hold on her tighten.

The hug lingered until they were both warm in the late summer night breeze. Sarah finally withdrew just enough to study Cameron's conflicted features, reaching up to let her fingers trail down one sharp cheekbone. "It can hurt," Sarah murmured, her voice husky. "But it doesn't always have to."

Cameron felt her breath hitch as she became aware of Sarah's fingers slipping beneath the hem of her shirt, the callused touch easing across the small of her back. The contact made heat sweep through Cameron's body and she wavered in place for a moment, feeling the power of it. "Sarah..."

"No more pain tonight," Sarah whispered before letting her mouth brush lightly over Cameron's. She felt the other woman go still at the touch, but Cameron didn't move away. Emboldened, Sarah kissed her again, then again, finally feeling Cameron's lips hesitantly move against her own.

Easing closer, Sarah let her hands drift over Cameron's denim-clad hips. She felt an answering touch at her waist as Cameron's fingers slipped beneath the edge of her t-shirt.

"Sarah..." Cameron pleaded, her voice a blend of arousal and fear; both tore through Sarah, making her head spin.

The waves crashed on the shore as Cameron's touch became firmer, more possessive. Sarah gasped softly as the terminator pulled her closer, eliminating the space between them as she kissed her again, all hesitation gone.

There was no time to react. No chance to feel fear as Cameron abruptly thrust Sarah backward and against the rail. The impact startled more than hurt, and Sarah had just enough time to suck in a surprised breath before Cameron was on her, pressing against her hot and hard. A strong thigh slipped between her own and Sarah groaned as Cameron gripped her hips, grinding into her with just enough friction to make Sarah's thoughts and plans for the night scatter.

"No pain," Cameron agreed before hungrily claiming Sarah's mouth. She took Sarah right there against the rail, never easing up or giving the woman a chance to think, to speak. She needed to be in charge of Sarah for once, needed to command her body and bend it to her will. Knowing exactly what Sarah liked, it didn't take Cameron long to make her come undone. She covered Sarah's mouth with her own, swallowing her cries as the ocean breeze dried the sweat on their skin, taking possession of Sarah's release as much as she took possession of Sarah's body.

Sarah didn't even remember moving but suddenly they were inside, her back on the bed, and Cameron's hands were on her again, tearing away her clothing. She tried to tell Cameron to slow down, but when Cameron descended on her, that talented mouth seemingly everywhere, there was little Sarah could do but yield to Cameron's desires. As forceful as Cameron was, as much as she dominated her, Sarah felt no fear, no pain. There was only pleasure and plenty of it. Sarah had just enough sense to know Cameron needed this and she let her have her way for now.

They'd been here before, lost in a moment just like this, and everything that had come after had nearly destroyed them both. Sarah almost stopped, a tiny voice of logic rising up from an ocean of need, but as Cameron's warm, now naked body eased down over her own she let reason go. A nameless emotion took its place, sweeping up so fast and hard it brought tears to Sarah's eyes as Cameron kissed her. Whatever came next, Sarah didn't care. They had this one night out of place and time and she was damn well going to savor it.

Sometime later and shaking with fatigue, Sarah slowly raised up when she'd finally recovered from Cameron's welcome assaults. She let her hands drift over Cameron's body, memorizing every detail in a way she hadn't allowed herself their first time together. Sarah had told herself then they would only share that one night; now she prayed this would be the first of many. "So beautiful," she whispered as her mouth followed her fingers, skimming down Cameron's body. As much as Cameron had needed to exert control over Sarah, Sarah knew what Cameron needed from her in return was gentleness.

"Sarah," Cameron breathed when she realized her lover's intent, a method Sarah had never used before. She felt Sarah's knowing smile against the inside of her thigh, and Cameron nearly came apart just from the realization of Sarah's intent alone. When that hot mouth covered her for the first time, Cameron gripped the sheets, balling them into her fists as her hips rose up to meet a determined tongue.

"No pain," Sarah pledged again before making sure Cameron knew just how good being human could feel.

When their passion was spent, they tangled together, warm skin wrapped in crisp, cool sheets, as the sounds and smells of the night and ocean drifted over them.

"Stay with me," Sarah pleaded. "Sleep with me," she amended.

Cameron could think of a thousand reasons to decline, but she found herself nodding, curling around Sarah's curves and drawing her close. Sarah sighed in contentment, sinking into Cameron's heat, and Cameron found herself smiling in reaction. When Sarah's breathing evened out, Cameron laid her head down on the pillow next to her and went off-line, finding this to be a much better oblivion than what she'd sought in the system.

****

The sound of seagulls woke her. Sarah opened her eyes, watching a flock of birds skim past the deck, calling loudly as they landed on the sand outside. Still tangled with Cameron's body, Sarah simply lay there, listening to the ocean and enjoying the breeze that blew back the sheers and chilled the surface of their sheets. The moment felt safe and warm, and Sarah let herself linger in it, feeling only a twinge of guilt for taking the time and enjoying it. She knew she needed to rise, to get cleaned up and get back to John and Savannah, but her soul seemed starved for this kind of comfort and it rebelled, keeping her right where she was.

She stared at the pale sunlight blanketing the bed. It was later than she had imagined, and Sarah's brow furrowed as she tried to recall her nightmares from the night before and came up empty. Apparently sleeping in the arms of a terminator had kept them at bay.

Sarah rolled her head to the side, coming face-to-face with Cameron's relaxed features. Cameron's eyes were closed and Sarah took a moment to simply observe her, memorizing the shape of her mouth, the curve of her cheek, the slope of her nose. Like this, offline and mostly unaware, Cameron looked completely human to Sarah's eyes. Before she even realized what she was doing, Sarah dipped her head, brushing her lips over Cameron's in a gentle kiss.

The touch was enough. Cameron's eyes blinked open and focused on the woman above her.

"Morning," Sarah whispered, feeling her soul settle at the first glimpse of Cameron's brown eyes.

"Morning," Cameron murmured. She blinked again when she noted the morning light spilling over them. "It's late."

"Mmm." Sarah couldn't manage anything more intelligent than that until she'd had her first cup of coffee. She reached out, tracing the outline of Cameron's face. "Thanks for staying," she murmured.

Cameron stared at her openly. "I needed to," she admitted. She looked away, searching the room before her gaze finally wandered hesitantly back to Sarah. "What happens now?"

Sarah swallowed as she met the cyborg's surprisingly open and vulnerable gaze. Cameron could flip a car one handed. Put a man through a wall with a flick of her wrist. Sarah would never have believed a terminator could be hurt by simple words, destroyed by its emotions if it had ever been allowed to feel them. "What do you want to happen?" she asked curiously.

"I don't want to go back to the way it was before."

"After the motel," Sarah guessed, feeling a familiar stab of guilt.

"Yes," Cameron confirmed. "I... I found it hard to... function adequately." She frowned, as if the words weren't good enough to describe what she was feeling.

Sarah had to look away, focusing her attention on the ceiling fan that spun lazily in the ocean breeze. "It's... complicated, Cameron," she began.

"I understand."

"Do you?" Sarah glanced at her again.

"It would be a strain on your relationship with John."

"That's an understatement," Sarah said with a weak snort. She was quiet a moment. "He wouldn't understand."

"John has conflicted feelings towards me," Cameron stated knowingly.

Sarah's eyebrows arched neatly. "That's another understatement," she muttered. "Before he left... you were his..."

"Teenage fantasy," Cameron supplied, not understanding why Sarah winced.

"Yeah." Sarah scratched uncomfortably behind one ear. "Now..." She sighed and studied Cameron carefully. "Now he sees her when he looks at you. I can't imagine what that must be like."

"Hard."

Sarah snorted again. "Understatement again," she teased faintly.

"I can't help it," Cameron added, a hint of pleading in her voice.

"I know," Sarah promised her. "But that doesn't mean I can ignore what's going on in his head."

"Does that mean..." Cameron paused, her gaze shifting away. "Does that mean you think we should stop?"

The mere thought sliced Sarah up like knives. She closed her eyes. "We should," she whispered. When she finally looked at Cameron again, the cyborg looked stricken. "But I can't..." Sarah admitted.

Some of the tension seemed to bleed out of Cameron's body. Sarah felt her relax against her, and the moment felt like a victory of sorts. "I can't," Sarah repeated. "I need you."

Cameron reached out, letting her fingertips trace Sarah's cheek. "I need you, too."

"Guess that's settled then." Sarah offered her a hesitant smile that Cameron returned in kind. "Terissa already knows," Sarah told her after a moment.

Cameron searched Sarah's face, surprised by the news. "She might have suspected. You confirmed?"

"I... confirmed," Sarah said faintly, feeling her stomach flip nervously.

They were quiet a moment, listening to the waves and the cries of the seagulls.

"We... could keep this a secret... from the others," Cameron suggested carefully. "From John."

"You mean sneak around like a couple of horny teenagers?" Sarah replied drolly. She watched Cameron watch her, feeling that damnable emotion rising in her again, those three words she'd nearly spoken in the tunnel crowding once more onto her tongue. She didn't want to think them... feel them... but she couldn't deny she had the desire to say them.

"Being with you... like this... steadies me," Cameron confessed, clearly working out her feelings as she spoke. "I don't... I can't... lose this again."

Sarah swallowed and closed her eyes, feeling both relief and fear at Cameron's words. "Me either," she admitted before meeting Cameron's once more. "No more keeping secrets from each other," she promised.

"No more secrets," Cameron agreed. Her touch eased through Sarah's hair before she kissed that tempting mouth.

"We should get going," Sarah argued, feeling her breathing turn irregular when Cameron's body sensuously slid over her own.

"As soon as I'm done," Cameron declared.

"You're not always going to get your way, Tin Miss," Sarah managed before a low moan escaped her.

Cameron smiled in triumph. "I am right now."

****

"It's late."

James glanced toward the windows, frowning at the late morning hour. "They'll be home soon, John. Give them a break. They survived an exploding building yesterday." He finished pouring his latest cup of coffee, taking a hesitant sip of the still too hot brew.

John sat at the kitchen table, his fingers drumming restlessly on the surface. "What in the hell is keeping them?" he wanted to know.

"It was late when they called. Your mother has been through hell the past few weeks. Let's hope she's sleeping in and Cameron is letting her."

Feeling childish and whiney, John crossed his arms. "I just need to see her... to know she's okay," he explained.

"I'm sure you do," James murmured sympathetically.

"And I need to understand," John added as an afterthought.

"Understand?" James wondered. "Understand what?"

"Cameron must have thought she could stop Skynet for good; otherwise she wouldn't have jacked into the system."

Feeling like he was suddenly on thin ice, James took another swallow of his coffee while he mulled over the proper course to take. He, too, had wondered about Cameron's motivations for leaving the system, but unlike John, he had a better idea what had lured her back into her body. "I'm sure she had her reasons."

Green eyes fastened on James with a palpable intensity the older man could feel. The look was so much like his mother's, James mused, seeing Sarah's stubborn streak reflected in John's eyes. Briefly, he wondered if it was a trait woven into the Connor DNA.

"Then what made her leave? Why did she give up her chance?" John murmured, fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth as he considered the topic that had kept him up all night.

"I'm sure Cameron can answer that when she gets home," James evaded neatly. "You aren't glad she survived?"

John hesitated, caught with the very question he'd been asking himself since hearing the news of Cameron's survival. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Because of Allison," James guessed.

John nodded reluctantly.

"Cameron is an ally, John. You need her here... in this time."

"Allison was an ally, too," John reminded the other man. "Cameron is... a fake." He winced when he said the word, as if it were too harsh a term.

James sighed and settled across the table to regard the other man. "She's not the robot your remember."

"Cybernetic organism," John corrected automatically. "And what's that supposed to mean? Everyone keeps hinting that Cameron has changed..."

"She has," James cut him off, his tone deliberate. "It's a long story, one best left to your mother or Cameron, but she makes her own choices now. She isn't ruled by your programming or Skynet's anymore."

John considered that news, wondering how it was possible. Cameron had told him she wasn't his puppet anymore. He'd ignored the comment at the time, too worried about his mother and too torn up with guilt over Allison and the death of his father. Some of that guilt had lessened in the days since, but the thought of their familiar faces still hurt like hell.

"All I'll say is Cameron made some... modifications. You trusted her once when you probably shouldn't have, but you can trust her now."

"Do you?" John asked bluntly, surprised when James seemed to consider the question seriously.

"I do," the former agent said, conviction in his voice. "I trust her with my life... with Savannah's." A slow smile eased across his lips. "And your mother's. Especially your mother's."

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked.

James laughed a little before taking another sip of his coffee. "Cameron has become a lot of things since her... evolution. A pain in your mother's butt is just one of them."

"She was that before," John countered, but there was a slight smile shaping his lips.

"Ask your mom when she gets home," James suggested. "Get her to tell you the whole story." James got to his feet, his coffee cup looking small in his large hand. "And make sure she doesn't leave out pirate queen Cameron. That's the best part." He patted John on the shoulder, enjoying the younger man's look of befuddlement way more than he knew he should.

****

They were making little progress in the way of leaving, Cameron noted absently as she savored the feel of Sarah's body pressed against hers. They were on the deck now, both wearing t-shirts and little else as they kissed each other with quiet passion.

The heat of the kiss had barely cooled on Cameron's lips when Sarah suddenly gave her a playful shove toward the door. "Go get me some coffee," she instructed with a teasing grin, "while I get my shower."

The shove barely rocked Cameron backwards, and she stood her ground stubbornly. "I could shower with you," she argued, "and then we can pick up coffee on our way back to the house." She tilted her head to the side, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Showering together saves resources and time. We could reduce water consumption by 43.7% if..."

"Assuming that all we do is shower," Sarah interrupted. Cameron opened her mouth to continue, but Sarah shushed her with a finger on her lips. "Coffee. Now."

The slight touch and even slighter hint of command in Sarah's voice was all it took for Cameron to dress and head out into the cool morning breeze coming off the ocean, her mind already assessing the distance and traffic speeds to several nearby establishments. She made a mental note to stock plenty of coffee at the beach house should they retreat there again, before deciding on a small beachside diner a few minutes drive away.

Cameron didn't like leaving Sarah, even for only a few minutes, and she wondered now how she could have ever thought going back into the system was a good idea. Sarah was right. C.A.I.N. might not be Skynet, and Cameron felt a stab of guilt as she realized she could have abandoned everyone to destroy the wrong opponent. She had acted like a coward. She was determined to never let herself be that weak again.

Arriving between the breakfast and lunch crowds, Cameron was relieved to see few cars in the parking lot. She locked the door and turned toward the grungy establishment, her eyes automatically scanning the area for threats or danger. She almost missed the sound of a shoe slipping in the sand scattered across the asphalt in her hurry to get back to Sarah.

A woman stood by the rocks ringing the parking lot, with a face that was both familiar and foreign to Cameron at the same time, and immediately Cameron scanned her features seeking a match to a known face. The pair of sea-blue eyes staring at her widened a second in disbelief and fear before the woman turned and ran.

Cameron took a step in her direction, only to freeze as a name came in response to her query. "Savannah," she breathed.

****

She'd heard a car door slam, and it had stirred Sierra from a fevered dream. She lifted her head, wincing as the bright morning light stabbed her retinas, making her squint at the figure moving with determined steps across the parking lot. Even half-blinded, the gait was familiar, and Sierra felt her breath catch.

She climbed to her feet, wiping at her eyes as she rose up between the rocks she'd used as her shelter for the night. That she'd lived to see another day was surprising enough. She never would have imagined waking to the sight of Cameron walking into the small beachside diner.

Sierra took a couple of steps toward her before she even realized it, and then she drew up short, her tennis shoes making a loud scuffling sound in the loose sand on the asphalt. When the woman turned, glancing back to identify the source of the sound, Sierra felt fear. What if this wasn't Cameron? What if it was just another machine with her face? She stumbled backward as the woman who looked like Cameron tilted her head, watching her carefully now. Sierra finally turned and ran, her movements sluggish as she fought against her fever and the thick sand sucking at her shoes.

A hand suddenly grabbed her by the bicep, and she was yanked around with negligent ease. Her legs gave way and she cried out as she nearly fell, feeling angry and broken at the way her life was about to end.

"Wait," a soft voice urged, and Sierra felt herself steadied. A hand touched her cheek, cupping it carefully and gently tilting her face toward the light.

Sierra opened her eyes to see familiar features peering at her with open concern, looking so much like the woman she considered her mother that it hurt to think that it could be another terminator wearing her face. "Cameron?" Sierra breathed, deciding she had to know the truth, even if it caused her death. Her voice was rough with disuse and cracked on the name.

Cameron stared at her, something that looked like wonder in her gaze. "Savannah?"

Sierra felt something break, and she sagged in Cameron's hold, her emotions conflicted and raw. She had never expected to confront her or Sarah, never planned on actually being seen and recognized, and now that she had, she had to own up to the subconscious desire that had kept her hiding out near the beach house, waiting for exactly this to happen. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying hard to avoid those familiar brown eyes. "Let me go," she whispered, her arm twisting in Cameron's grasp. "Please, you have to let me go."

"You're sick," Cameron stated, stepping back to analyze her condition. Her hand went to Sierra's forehead before drifting down her cheek. "You have a high fever..."

"It doesn't matter," Sierra told her, leaning into the touch as if she could soak up the contact. "I just need... I need to..." She felt Cameron curl her hand behind Sierra's neck, just like Sarah used to do, before drawing her into her arms. Sierra fisted her hands in the back of Cameron's shirt and sobbed with sorrow and relief.

"It's okay now," Cameron promised awkwardly, trying to process too many things at one and feeling her head nearly spin. "You're safe."

"I'm sorry," Sierra said around gulps for breath. "I shouldn't have stayed here... I..."

Cameron raised Sierra's head gently, staring into the blue eyes bright with tears. "You knew I would come here," her words half a statement and half a question. "In your reality..."

"We came here... all the time... when I was a kid," Sierra managed to get out haltingly. "You, me and Sarah."

Cameron absorbed that, feeling both surprise and awe at the thought. The three of them, together, a family, like she had imagined briefly before John had returned. It hit her, suddenly, how much the shattering of that dream had hurt and how close she had come to losing it forever. The knowledge that it had been a reality in at least one timeline was breathtaking.

"This is where we were always happy," Sierra confirmed, her eyes darkening as an unhappy memory surfaced. "It won't be like that again. John..."

Cameron shook the mirror image of her own fears away to concentrate on the present. "We need to get you medical attention. Sarah is at the beach house..."

Sierra's head came up. Cameron saw it, the flicker of longing in Savannah's eyes but it quickly melted to anguish. "No," Sierra murmured mournfully. "I can't..."

"She'll want to see you," Cameron countered.

Sierra shook her head. "I can't see her, please, you can't tell her. I'm out of my time, I don't belong here..." She straightened and took a deep breath, ordering her emotions into some kind of order as she met Cameron's eyes. "My time here is limited. I can feel it..." She held up a hand to keep Cameron from speaking as she continued, "The time when I existed is gone. It never existed now. I don't exist. Sarah... can't see me like this. It would only cause her pain."

Cameron frowned, her fingers brushing the feverish forehead once again. "You need a place to rest and recover. I know someone who can help."

"You can't tell her I'm here. Promise me," Sierra hissed with renewed intensity. "Promise me you won't tell her I'm here."

"Will you let me take care of you?" Cameron tried to bargain.

"Only if you promise."

Cameron's jaw clenched, remembering whispered words and vows to Sarah only an hour before. "I promise," she said with a sigh. Thinking about Sarah waiting for her, she made her plans quickly. "I'll take you to the beach house with me and you can go in after we leave. I'll arrange for someone to meet you there, a doctor. Come on."

Sierra finally twisted out of her grasp. "I can walk." A small smile graced her lips. "Don't worry, I remember where it is." The smile turned wistful. "I couldn't forget it."

Cameron frowned, not wanting to let her go off on her own. "Promise me you'll be there in an hour when Doctor Burnett arrives."

"I promise," Sierra replied, already turning to head down the beach.

"Savannah?"

Sierra half-turned, shielding her eyes with her hand against the sun's reflection off the sand.

"I'll bring you here. We both will. You'll have the childhood you remember." Cameron didn't say the word promise, but her words held a solemn vow.

Sierra took two steps and caught Cameron in a hard, tight hug, squeezing her eyes closed to hide her tears. Maybe this was one thing that wouldn't change. Maybe there was still a chance for Sarah and Cameron to be happy... that sending John back hadn't ruined everything. "Thanks... mom," she whispered, smiling just as a little as she felt Cameron stiffen in surprise.

With that, Sierra turned and quickly strode away through the sand, leaving Cameron standing stunned and bewildered in her wake, a single word ringing in her ears.

****

The cup warmed Cameron's palm, but the rest of her felt cold. If she hadn't had video recall of the last few minutes, she would have thought they were a dream. Savannah, grown, and her remembrance of the past hinted at a life with Sarah that Cameron hadn't ever thought to hope for, not even after the events of last night and this morning.

Savannah had called her mom. And asked her to keep a secret from Sarah.

Cameron frowned and set the coffee cup into the holder but she didn't put the car into gear. She was beginning to understand Sarah, at least understand the fears that drove the other woman. Loss... Sarah had spent her life losing everything that had mattered, her family, her lovers, and then her son, her single reason for existing. John had abandoned her, their fight, leaving Sarah to continue on alone. In the aftermath, Sarah had clung to Cameron, held onto the broken body long after it had served its purpose, and risked her life to bring and keep Cameron embodied. All to keep from losing the last thing that connected her to her life with her son. But then John came back and Cameron expected her role to change, for Sarah to focus with laser-like intensity on her son once again and jettison the unnecessary relationship they had fostered in the meantime.

But that didn't happen. Sarah had shown her, down in that high-tech basement less than twenty-four hours ago, that she would rather die with Cameron than live with John, and Cameron had not yet processed the implications of that choice. It was not the choice Cameron had expected her to make. The truth left Cameron in awe, that Sarah could care that much for her. It changed everything, making her even more determined to protect the woman that meant more to her than anything else.

Cameron still had a long way to go when it came to fully understanding the complex and fascinating woman that was Sarah Connor. The one thing she knew for sure was that keeping Savannah a secret from Sarah would make the other woman furious, if she found out. But Savannah, this adult Savannah, would be one more thing for Sarah to lose, one more blow to someone who had already lost so much. If Sarah knew about Savannah, she would get involved, take care of her, and come to love her as a daughter. Cameron knew her well enough to predict that. And if something happened, if this Savannah were die... Cameron couldn't imagine the cost to Sarah or the devastation to her psyche.

Cameron blinked, focusing on the dunes framing the small parking lot, and put the car in gear.

****

Sarah leaned against the railing on the deck, basking in the warm sun and a pleasant lassitude from the heaviness of her limbs. Her eyes swept the beach regularly, always starting and ending at the spot where Cameron had disappeared. Resisting the urge to look at her watch or reach for her phone, she stood as patiently as she could and enjoyed the feel of the sun and the sound of the waves.

It felt strange and almost decadent to just stop in the moment and savor it. She never slowed down unless an injury forced the issue, and now Sarah had to admit she'd pushed herself too far. She'd driven herself to be as much of a machine as those she fought, and the price had nearly been her sanity and her soul. It had taken Cameron, a woman who was now equal parts the present Sarah wanted to save and the future she wanted to stop, to bring Sarah back to herself, to remind her of what was important.

She had never let herself think about a future free of the machines. Not even in daydreams did she imagine she would survive to see a world without Skynet, a world where the bombs never fell, but Cameron made her see the possibility. Cameron made her imagine a life with more days like this one. She had given Sarah back the one thing she thought she'd lost forever: hope.

Sarah didn't know if she should curse the terminator for that or thank her. She only knew she wanted that life now; she wanted that future as much for herself as for John. Sarah could almost taste it.

When she saw Cameron's familiar form on the beach, Sarah smiled unconsciously as the terminator make her way through the sand. Cameron carried a white bag in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, the laces of her boots tied together and flung over shoulder. She looked beautiful, and Sarah allowed herself to revel in her feelings for her if only for the few precious moments it took for Cameron to reach her.

Sarah met Cameron at the top of the stairs and took the outstretched coffee cup from her, but instead of taking a drink, she wrapped an arm around Cameron's waist and pulled her in for a long kiss. "Thanks," she breathed, surprised to find her voice husky as she held Cameron close. She felt oddly giddy, and she could only attribute it to the fact that she had Cameron there, embodied and real, to hug and hold. She felt lighter and freer than she had in years. Letting John take the weight of leadership and resolving some of the tension with Cameron seemed to be agreeing with her. She knew the feelings couldn't last, but she was determined to hold onto them for as long as possible.

Her body responded as if Cameron had been gone for days, not half an hour, and Sarah had to keep herself from dragging them back into the bedroom to replay their activities from last night and this morning. Reluctantly releasing Cameron, she gave her a soft smile, wondering how they would ever keep their relationship a secret from John if she were going to be this sappy once they got back to the house.

"You were gone a while," Sarah muttered to distract herself from her body's response and the disturbing thoughts of John's reaction.

Cameron seemed to be analyzing her, her head tilted to the side and her eyes scanning Sarah's face, and Sarah wondered if the warm welcome had surprised her. There was something in Cameron's eyes that made Sarah pause, that made her fear that this rare moment of happiness might be even more fleeting than she'd ever imagined. But then Cameron smiled, the expression hesitant and shy, and Sarah's worries evaporated as the cyborg leaned forward to brush her lips across Sarah's cheek.

"There was a line," Cameron explained, her words a near whisper in Sarah's ear.

Sarah drew Cameron closer for another tight hug, feeling a stiffness in Cameron's body that wasn't there before, but she ignored it as Cameron relaxed into her embrace and returned the hug with almost uncomfortable strength. Sarah rested her head on Cameron's shoulder, enjoying the simple pleasure of being held in the sun, alone, with no worries of anyone seeing or judging. Finally, she sighed and raised her head. "I guess we should go."

"John and Savannah will want to see you," Cameron replied. For a moment, she looked like she was about to say more, but then she handed Sarah the bag instead. "You eat and I'll shower. Then we'll go home." She stepped out of the circle of Sarah's arms and headed toward the house.

"Cameron?" Sarah's voice caught her before she reached the door, and she swung around, the sun making Sarah a silhouette in front of her.

"I..." Sarah swallowed the words she had been about to say and then continued, "I like this place. Maybe we can come back here sometime," she finished, feeling like a coward.

Cameron stared at her with an unreadable expression. "We will," she vowed with unexpected intensity. "We'll bring Savannah here. Just some time for the three of us."

Sarah didn't understand the look of determination she could see in Cameron's brown eyes, and the sight caused a tickle of worry at the base of her brain. She nodded slowly. "I'd like that," she admitted.

Cameron suddenly glanced to her left, looking down the beach at something Sarah couldn't see. "I won't be long," she promised in a subdued tone.

"Everything all right?" Sarah finally asked.

"I just..." Cameron's gaze returned to Sarah's, and she looked almost apologetic. "I just... hate to leave."

Relaxing a little under the admission, Sarah nodded. "We'll come back soon," she promised the terminator.

"Soon," Cameron agreed seriously.

Sarah watched her go inside before turning her focus back on the beach. Wrapping her hands around the still warm coffee cup, she took one more breath of the fresh air. "Soon," she repeated softly to herself.

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