Cameron: Fights Past and Present

Cameron's Room

Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC

These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during Cameron Grows Up, The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and Cameron Grows Up as well as The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge appear in these stories.

The Connor Family Bunker…

John's briefcase had to be in the one place he was not about to go. Frustrated, Derek sent John a message letting him know he'd looked everywhere in the bunker and the briefcase had to be in John and Cameron's bedroom. Within minutes Derek received a message back telling him the briefcase was in fact lying on the bed.

Derek sighed and sat down. He sent a short text to John.

"You'll have to come get it yourself."

"Why? You're there. Just grab it and bring it."

"Not happening John."

"Derek, quit wasting time. Get my briefcase and bring it to headquarters. We've got too much to do today."

Of all the things to happen today, Derek thought. John of all people should understand.

Sitting on the couch, Derek decided his nephew could just come and get his own briefcase. Stretching out on the couch, he crossed his feet and rested his head on the purple decorative pillow Ruth had made for Cameron.

He stared at the rough-hewn ceiling that had been carved out of the granite of the Sierra Nevada foothills where TechCom City was being built. The contrast in ceilings took him back to a different time from the past in a different home.

Pre-Judgment Day - Connor Family Home...

Let's see, Dodgers were off last night. Angels won. Padres won. Derek continued reading the box scores from the previous night's MLB games.

BAAAAAM.

Hot coffee from the mug sitting on the table spilled on his lap, burning him. Derek tossed the sports page aside and frantically wiped the hot liquid off his pants. Looking up, he saw the cause of both the startling noise and the spilled coffee.

"You had no right!"

Cameron stood at the end of the table, right hand on her hip while the fingers of her left hand clinched and unclenched in a fist.

"And just what is I am supposed to have no right too?"

"You went in my room and searched it."

Experienced metal fighter that he was, Derek calmed himself enough to not provoke Cameron further. Her face appeared to be devoid of emotion by the hand on her hip and the appearance of her glitch told him otherwise. She'd hit the table to get his attention, no doubt intending to spill his coffee.

"You had no right to hide a chip."

Cameron glared at Derek in silence for nearly a minute.

"I would never, will never, betray John or do anything to hurt John."

"You still should not have taken and hidden a chip."

For a second time the angry cyborg stared at Derek in silence.

"You are not being fair."

"What's fair got to do with anything metal?"

Cameron turned to leave, pausing in the kitchen door for a final hateful stare. "I don't search your living area in the basement. I just bring your clean and folded laundry downstairs."

"Oh, and that's supposed to change things between us? To make it okay that Sarah lets a metal live in the same house as John?"

"You have things, things that are your own Derek Reese."

Without another word, Cameron left the kitchen and stormed through the living room. Derek heard the backdoor slam. Smiling to himself, he picked up his paper from the floor and sat back down to finish the sports.

Before he could read the story on expected trades to be made before the trade deadline, Derek heard the sound of bare feet coming down the stairs, making their way to the kitchen.

"What have you done now Derek?"

"I'm trying to read the sports page to see if the Dodgers are going to finally trade for some bullpen pitching."

"Then why did I hear the backdoor slam and see Cameron storming down the street?

"You'd have to ask her."

What had started out as a pleasant morning was rapidly going downhill. Derek peeked over the top of his sports page to see a disheveled Sarah standing in the exact spot Cameron had occupied minutes ago. Still dressed in nothing more than her pajama bottoms and a thin, grey cotton tank top, Derek found Sarah attractive. Her raven hair was in disarray from what had likely been a difficult night's sleep.

Feeling his physical frustration start to arise, Derek decided things would be easier if he didn't look at Sarah while they argued. She was just to physically appealing to him and try as he might; Derek felt both attraction and guilt whenever he looked at Sarah Connor as a woman. She was Kyle's, not his.

"What is it I'll be asking Tin Miss about?"

"Whatever it is that's got her processor short circuiting this morning would be my guess."

"This is my house, Derek."

Derek chanced another glance. Now both hands were on her hips, producing the unfortunate result of pulling Sarah's top tighter across her chest. Just as quickly as he had looked over the top of his paper, he retreated to the safety of the hiding behind it.

"Something about her room."

"What about her room?"

"You know, the chip I found."

Derek stared at the page; not reading a word, hoping his explanation would satisfy Sarah. She'd been furious with the metal when he'd presented the damning evidence to Sarah. Cameron had reacted calmly in her typical emotionless Terminator manner, explaining away the processor.

After a moment, the sound of Sarah's bare feet plodding across the hardwood floor of the living room signaled the exchange was over. Grinning, Derek lowered his paper and leaned over in his chair, allowing himself to enjoy the view of Sarah's magnificent bottom wiggling as she slowly climbed the stairs.

As Sarah disappeared from view, Derek felt relieved. Returning to the story about possible trades, he realized the day wasn't going to get any better. The Dodgers front office seemed to think their pitching rotation was fine as it was.

Post Judgment Day - Connor Family Home...

A faint ray of light pierced the complete darkness of the basement. In that instant, Derek became fully awake, alert and ready to fight. Without making a sound, he retrieved his loaded .45 from the bedside table.

The lights to the basement came on, catching him by surprise. He covered his eyes, temporarily blinded and aimed his sidearm at the stairs.

"Shooting me will have no effect Derek Reese."

"Cameron, what are you doing? You woke me up." Derek opened his right eye slightly, squinting to adjust to the bright light. "Shouldn't you be on patrol?"

"I finished my first one. The neighborhood is calm. No threats."

"Then why are you here? Shouldn't you be watching tv or doing whatever it is you do at this time of night?"

"I cannot."

Derek sat up and opened both eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust to the light. With his left hand he rubbed sleep from his eyes. Cautiously he lowered his pistol, but did not return it to its place on the bedside table.

"Can't what?"

"Do what it is I normally do at this time of night."

"Is your glitch spreading to something else?"

"No. Normally this time of night I sit in my room."

"So go sit in your room," Derek snapped back. "You don't need to come wake me up."

"It is your fault that I can't sit in my room."

"How is it my fault? Have you uploaded a virus? Is your processor shorting out?"

"You took from me the only thing that is mine."

Derek was truly puzzled, making his anger with the cyborg increase.

"I want to go back to sleep, so go patrol or watch an old movie or something."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Get out of my room."

"No. Why should I? You violated my room. I'm going to do the same."

Derek glanced down at his .45 and considered shooting Cameron and just quickly decided against it. It wouldn't kill her and would just bring down Sarah and John's anger on him. Then again, it might be worth it, Derek thought.

"I have no clue what you are rambling on about."

"When I was captured and reprogrammed, I had only the clothes Skynet had taken from Allison. They were not my own. Everyone in the Resistance had at least one treasure that was theirs from before Judgment Day. When Future John sent me back, even the clothes I wore had to be left behind."

"So what? I didn't bring anything back with me either."

"You have your Dodgers. That is yours. You have held odd jobs and earned money. You have purchased things. You have your nephew."

"What is your point Cameron?"

"Everything I have was given to me by Sarah. She won't let me have a job to earn my own money. High school students have jobs to earn money. It would not blow my cover. But Sarah feels it would lessen my ability to protect John."

"So you don't have any money. Lots of girls your age don't have money."

"You don't understand. I have nothing that is mine. Everything was purchased by Sarah. I have no treasure to call my own."

"Look, let me go to sleep, okay. You can wash my truck for two months and I'll pay you. Then we'll go to the mall and you can get something you want. How does that sound?"

"My room was my own. I had never had a room before," Cameron said wistfully. "Before I was sent back in time, I never had my own bunker or even a place to enter standby. I had to wait wherever I was told to wait."

"You don't need a room," Derek replied, growing irritated with Cameron for keeping him awake.

"I am a sentient, self-aware cyborg. I was never allowed to have the dignity of having something that was personal to me. Sarah may pay the rent, but it is my room. I earn the right to call it my own with my labor doing all the household chores. Sarah may enter and John can always enter. But you, Derek Reese, are a guest here. You have a place of your own."

"Yeah, one that I pay the rent on."

"You are a guest because Sarah values your knowledge and experience. You are John's uncle and Sarah wants John to know you. But you are a guest none-the-less. I live here."

"You're metal."

"So that means I am never to be allowed to belong? I am never to have any dignity? I just want something that is mine, truly mine. My room gave me that. And you took that away."

"You hid a chip."

"You only had to ask to search my room."

"And you would have said yes," Derek laughed.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"By asking you would have acknowledged it was my room, that I had something that was my own."

Derek shook his head. If he didn't know so much about Terminator behavior, he'd have thought Cameron was being silly or messing with him. She was serious.

"Why does having a room matter? I mean really? You don't sleep. When we're awake you don't go in there except to put clothes up or change outfits."

"I could put pictures or posters on the walls if I wanted. I am sure Sarah would let me paint it a different color if I wanted. I have moved the furniture several times, but nobody noticed."

Nobody noticed.

It was like being anonymous.

Alone.

Lonely.

Derek looked at Cameron standing in the middle of the area he considered his "room" in the basement. He found he didn't like it one bit. If she'd been on the far side with the washer and dryer he would have been furious with her for running the machines at this time of night, but he wouldn't have felt the sense of violation he did.

Post Judgment Day - Connor Family Bunker - TechCom City...

He'd never entered Cameron's room again unless she was present. There had been times he'd stood at the door and looked, like the time he'd watched Cameron practicing ballet when she'd first started her lessons. But he'd never set foot across the threshold of her room again unless Cameron was present.

Faint boot steps growing closer and louder caught Derek's attention, bringing him back to the present. He readied himself to argue with his nephew. John of all people should understand Cameron was quirky and boundaries others did not notice could be important to her. Like respecting the fact the bedroom she shared with her husband was private and personal to her.

The door to the bunker opened and Derek braced for the verbal attack, ready to respond with sarcasm and irritation. The sudden strawberry smell surprised him as did the kiss on the cheek. He snapped his head to the right to find Cameron's face inches from his, smiling.

"You remembered," she said, standing up.

Derek watched Cameron walk across the living room and enter her and John's bedroom. She emerged with her husband's briefcase and stopped in the middle of the room.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem" he replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I will make it right with my John. He will not say a word to you about this."

"Mind if I give you a head start so you can calm the General down? I'll go over to my bunker and get some stuff done there."

"It's all right. Family is allowed in our living room. You, Sarah and Ruth are here all the time. We have been family for a long time now."

"Okay, I'll take a little nap then," Derek replied. "It's not like I get to do that often."

Cameron nodded and made her way to the door of the bunker, pausing to look back at Derek as he closed his eyes. As silly as it might seem to anyone else, Cameron felt good about the strange act of respect Derek had displayed.

She would make this right with her John.

Jealousy, the Green-eyed Monster

Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC

These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during Cameron Grows Up, The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and Cameron Grows Up as well as The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge appear in these stories.

The Connor Family Bunker…

Sarah enjoyed quiet. She rarely got to experience it. Life in the TechCom Command Center was always busy. And noisy. Either from the hustle and bustle that went on nearly 24 hours a day or the sounds of the never ending construction of TechCom City.

It wasn't much better at home with Ruth and Hailey constantly making a racket if the two were awake. The family's two Italian Greyhounds, usually quiet on their own, always contributed to the noise when the girls were active.

And then there were the evenings when Cameron cooked and the extended clan and friends came over, staying late and enjoying the much-needed downtime from the stress of their daily lives.

Not wishing anything in her life to change, Sarah still valued time alone. Time spent without noise. Thus, the once a week swap of household duties. Sarah would pick up and clean in John and Cameron's bunker and Tin Miss would do the same for her. The dogs hated the sound of the vacuum cleaner the two households shared and would run for the Old Man's alcove to avoid the high pitched sounds. With the girls at school and everyone else on duty, Sarah was able to de-stress while doing simple, mindless tasks and enjoy the quiet.

All that remained was to fold the last load of clothes and Sarah could sit down and relax until it was time to return to duty for the afternoon.

A shrill beep announced the clothes were dry. Sarah dumped the clean clothes into a battered, scared plastic laundry basket and carried them to the table to fold. In short order the clothes were all folded and put away. All except the white mesh bag that Sarah and Cameron used to wash their underwear.

A quick pull opened the zipper, allowing the silky contents to fall out on the table. With familiar ease, Sarah rapidly folded and stacked Cameron's cotton underwear and her sports bras. The remaining silky items made the Connor matriarch shake her head.

She held up a pair of skimpy, silky purple panties with a matching lace bra. "Tin Miss, some things never change with you." Sarah laughed remembering the pitched battles with Cameron at their last home before Judgment Day.

Los Angeles - Pre-Judgement Day - Connor Family Home...

"Put some clothes on!"

"I have clothes on."

"You call that dressed?"

"My genitals and mammary glands are covered. So is my posterior."

"I call that advertising!"

"I am not selling anything."

Her normally quick temper had almost reached the boiling point. Sarah counted to ten to try to lesson the frustration and anger with the pretty cyborg arguing with her.

"Try telling that to any healthy human male!"

"But Sarah, I truly do not wish to sell anything."

"Well, you're selling plenty dressed like that."

Cameron stood silently, projecting an air of defiance while not displaying any outward emotion.

"I do not want John to see you dressed like that. Nor are you to ever set one foot outside of this house unless you are fully clothed. Appropriately fully clothed. My idea of appropriately clothed. That's an order! Have I made myself clear?"

Cameron didn't say a word. She slowly walked to the stairs, taking her time to stroll past an open mouthed, wide-eyed John. Sarah fumed as John watched Cameron slowly wiggle her way up the stairs and vanish from sight.

"That girl is going to be the death of me yet," Sarah fumed.

"The death of you? Mom, I can't take much more of watching her stroll around like that. I'm a man after all."

"You're a boy. Teenage boy. All hormones. Don't forget she's metal. Do you understand me John?"

"Cameron might be metal, Mom, but she's one scorching hot piece of metal with a very nice skin covering."

"John! Don't you dare encourage Cameron and I don't want you looking at her when she dresses like that. She's trying to manipulate you."

John shrugged and headed for the kitchen. And Cameron does an incredible job of manipulating me when she strips down. She's killing me!

For a moment Sarah considered letting the incident go. The groan of male frustration from the kitchen changed her mind. Hurrying up the stairs, Sarah entered Cameron's room without knocking, shutting the door behind her.

"I am putting on additional outwear," Cameron announced.

"I see that Tin Miss."

"I am complying with your directive."

"Why are you doing this?"

"You told me to apply additional outwear. I am putting on more clothes. I will no longer be advertising to sell something."

"No Terminator word games. Why are you doing this?"

"Are you referring to me doing household tasks in my underwear?"

"No. I'm referring to why you're trying to kill my son!"

Cameron's head spun around and promptly tilted to the side, questioning Sarah without asking a question.

"I am not trying to terminate John. I am not damaged, Sarah. I overrode the command again this morning, just like I do every morning. I ran my test, I'm fine now."

Sensing the degree of panic she'd caused Cameron, Sarah couldn't help but smile at the troublesome cyborg.

"Then quit running around in your underwear. You're torturing my son."

"John sees me in my underwear on a regular basis and you do not object," Cameron protested.

"When he's digging bullets or shrapnel out of you and suturing your wounds. That's entirely different."

"Why?"

"Don't give me that! You have all "those" files in your database. You're an infiltrator, a female infiltrator. John doesn't see you that way when you're injured."

Cameron slipped an old, faded t-shirt for the Rolling Stones over her head and pulled it down.

"John never touches me in an inappropriate manner."

"Keep showing him the girls and he will."

Cameron's brown eye's flashed red in anger, "That's not fair!"

Taken aback for just a second, Sarah responded to Cameron's rare display of powerful emotion by moving closer to the cyborg. "And just why is this not fair? Please tell me Tin Miss."

For the second time in the exchange, Cameron tilted her head in confusion, needing to ask Sarah a question but not finding the words to do so.

"That's what I thought," Sarah snapped. "Keep the girls undercover and the bottom appropriately attired and we won't have this discussion again."

Sarah turned to leave, hoping Cameron had gotten the message.

"You just want John to be with her because she's human."

Cameron's words froze Sarah in her tracks. Turning slowly to face the source of her anger, Sarah frowned, feeling her rage increasing with each second.

"What did you say to me?"

"You just want John to be with her because she's human."

"No, what do you mean," an even angrier Sarah shouted.

"Every time Riley comes to the house, her girls are on display. You never say a word to her about advertising. John looks too."

The urge to slap the Cameron nearly overcame Sarah. Cameron hadn't just pushed her button; she'd taken a sledgehammer to it. Sarah's fear of losing John came rushing to the surface, straining her emotional controls. Fighting the red mist, Sarah walked to the door, looking back at Cameron.

"Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes."

That Night in the Connor House ...

Sarah flushed the toilet and stumbled back to her bed. Lying down on the sweat drenched sheets Sarah let the cooling air of her fan run over her, drying her skin. As she lay on her back staring at the ceiling, Sarah replayed in her mind for the thirtieth time Cameron's accusation.

"You just want John to be with her because she's human."

She didn't like Riley. Nor did Cameron.

It was one of the few things the two females agreed on. Each wanted Riley to go away for different reasons, or so Sarah thought. Cameron said she didn't like Riley because the troublesome girl made the task of protecting John so much more difficult. Now Sarah suspected it was something else as well.

Cameron had responded to the threat of Riley by initially wanting to terminate the girl. Once that option had been forbidden, Sarah had watched Tin Miss do her best to either alienate, frustrate, or anger Riley to the point she abandoned her efforts to be with John. Sarah knew Cameron intimidated Riley, frightened the blonde even.

It struck Sarah suddenly. Cameron was jealous. She resented the attention John paid to Riley. When her normal tactics failed, Cameron had responded to the threat by trying to sexualize herself, seducing John into picking her over Riley.

"Oh, my, Tin Miss. You are really something," Sarah sighed.

The Next Morning in the Connor House...

"John, drive yourself to school this morning. I will bring Cameron later."

"Are you sure Mom?"

"Yes, now scoot. You're going to be late as it is."

John jumped up, eager to exploit his brief time without his protector. He rushed upstairs to brush his teeth and was outside in minutes. Cameron sat in silence at her place at the breakfast table.

Sarah waited until the sound of the truck the kids drove vanished into the distance.

"You made your point Tin Miss."

Cameron looked at Sarah but said nothing.

"She does advertise."

Still Cameron did not speak.

"Why didn't you tell me you were jealous? I know you feel emotions now."

"I'm not jealous."

"Tin Miss, don't lie to me. You most certainly are. I may be John's mother, but I'm a woman."

"It wouldn't have mattered," Cameron replied.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sarah responded. "But I would have dealt with your desire to walk around almost naked in a different manner."

Sarah watched Cameron carefully, looking for any change in the cyborg's expression, demeanor or body language. Finally, Cameron's brow began to wrinkle and the corner of her eyes water. A single tear ran down her right cheek.

"Her girls are so much bigger and John likes them. I told him I would have augmentation surgery but he ordered me to not consider it. I know he wants me to because the reason he said I couldn't was for security, not because the surgery wouldn't make me more appealing. The doctor would discover what I am and we could not risk it."

There was no doubt in Sarah's mind if Cameron had the money and could find a plastic surgeon who could be trusted, Riley would have been the one feeling insecure. For a rare moment, Sarah felt sorry for Cameron. She was a beautiful female, one that garnered no end of male attention. Attention that sometimes caused Sarah to worry it would lead to Cameron's true nature being discovered.

"I think a compromise is in order," Sarah announced. "If you promise me to dress properly all the time, I will set Riley straight about displaying the girls."

"You would do that Sarah?"

Cameron sounded hopeful, almost as if she had found a possible new ally in her own cause to pursue John.

"Only because John doesn't need the distraction and you need to be able to do your job."

"Thank you Sarah. I will make sure my attire meets your approval."

The Connor Family Bunker - TechCom City...

Sarah folded up the purple underwear set and reached in for a matching lacy black set of panties and bra. She laughed at Cameron.

"You are such a conniver Tin Miss."

The sound of the bunker door opening caught Sarah's attention. She looked up to see a smiling Cameron entering the room.

"He's my husband Sarah. I can advertise all I want now."

The two married females looked at each other and laughed.

Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC

These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during Cameron Grows Up, The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and Cameron Grows Up as well as The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge appear in these stories.

A Simple Misunderstanding

The Reese Family Bunker - TechCom City...

"Grandma, there's this girl at school that keeps talking to the twin I like. Mom says I should terminate her but Dad says under no circumstances can I do that. Mom said that even though she disagrees, Dad makes the rules about that sort of thing so termination is off the table."

Sarah rolled her eyes, causing Hailey and Ruth both to laugh. "Your mother. I'm surprised she didn't give you all sorts of ideas about how to deal with a female rival."

"Mom had rivals? How many did she terminate? Are you sure Grandma? Girls fought Mom over Dad?"

"Oh, Hailey, grown women today would fight your Mom over your Dad if Cameron wasn't a Terminator."

"Really?" Hailey and Ruth looked at each other and shared expressions of extreme disgust. "Mom, that's gross," Ruth informed her mother. "John's gross."

"You only think that because he's your brother. When you get older, you'll see your brother in a different light and you'll realize how handsome he is."

The girls made faces at each other again, demonstrating their sense of disgust at the idea any female would show interest in John.

"There was this one young woman when John was in Community College. Derek almost had to intervene to stop the termination." Sarah smiled as she remembered the conflict. "Makes a mother feel nice when females fight over her son. Any how, it was right before your parents got married and Cameron was not about to give John any chances of backing out."

"Did Mom get in a cat-fight and go all Terminator on the girl," Hailey asked hopefully.

"Well, it started like this…

Pre-Judgment Day - The Connor Family House

"John Connor! You have associated with a female predator!"

Sarah and Derek looked quickly at John whose face bore an expression best described as a mixture of horror, fear and denial.

"What are you talking about?" John shouted back, shrugging his shoulders as he did so. He mouthed the words 'I have no clue what she's talking about.'

Cameron stormed into the kitchen where the others were eating. Despite her lack of any expression on her face, it was obvious to them Cameron was annoyed with John. Holding it with both hands, Cameron held up the shirt John had worn to class that day at the local community college. The fingers of her left hand jerking slightly, indicating Cameron was stressed, angry or both.

"That's the shirt I wore to class today," John said evenly.

"I know. How do you think I discovered you spent time in the company of a predator?"

Sarah and Derek watched the exchange, hoping there would be no need to intervene physically.

"Cameron, I have no clue what you are talking about."

"I bet you don't."

Cameron held up her left hand, the palm facing her, displaying the purple diamond engagement ring she wore.

"This is proof of contract. You are mine!"

"Calm down Cameron."

"No! You interacted with a female predator. An alpha female!"

"You're being silly now, Cameron," John replied, starting to get annoyed with his fiancé.

"Am I? I was doing laundry and what do I discover? Channel No. 5. Neither Sarah or I wear that. I also detected female hormones, the analysis of which indicates a female with a strong sex drive. A predator looking for a mate. I will NOT tolerate this John."

Slowly John stood up, not wishing to alarm Cameron. He approached her slowly, taking the shirt from her and setting it down on the table. Cameron glared at him, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. Reaching down, he took her left hand with his right and squeezed it gently, feeling her hand contract against his.

"Let's go upstairs and talk," John said gently.

Cameron frowned at John but followed, grabbing the evidence of his guilt from the table as they left the kitchen. Sarah and Derek listened to the pair's footsteps as they went upstairs to John's room.

"I'm going upstairs," Sarah whispered so Cameron wouldn't hear her. "Just in case." Derek nodded as Sarah quickly and quietly followed the pair upstairs and went to her room.

John sat down on his bed and patted the mattress next to him. Cameron folded her arms across her chest, but sat down. Instead of leaning against John, she sat upright, looking straight ahead.

"Look at me," John said firmly.

"I am furious with you," Cameron monotoned.

"You have a right to be angry, but not at me."

"Your shirt has a woman's perfume on it."

"Not because I wanted it there or did anything to get perfume on my shirt."

"Who is she John? Does she have a big chest like Riley? Is she blonde like Riley? I told you I would get augmentation surgery and dye my hair blonde."

"And I told you no to the surgery and I like your hair the way it is," John snapped.

"Are you denying there is perfume on your shirt?"

"Give," John said, raising his voice slightly.

Cameron handed him the shirt.

John sniffed it and to his surprise, he could smell a faint trace of woman's perfume.

"Well, I'll be… it does have perfume on it."

"I told you I had analyzed it. I can print you a report of my analysis."

"There's no point Cameron. I can smell the perfume and I am sure your correct about the hormones you detected. What I can tell you is I did nothing, and I mean nothing, to encourage any female, predatory or not. I'm not interested."

Cameron glared at John, uncertain how to respond.

"Look, there are lots of attractive females at the community college. I can't do anything about that. But I don't encourage any of them."

"Do you talk to them?"

"Sometimes I have to in class. I have group projects you know that. I have to work with my partners and some of them are female."

"I don't like it John. This female is an alpha predator looking for a mate."

"This male has found his mate. She's his best friend and protector," John said gently, putting his arm around Cameron.

She pushed John away, irritating him.

"Fine, look, I didn't do anything wrong. So, trust but verify, just like we used to. Feel free to drop by the community college anytime, unannounced. I promise Cameron, you won't catch me doing anything wrong."

"I have time in between rehearsals," Cameron monotoned.

"Then drop by," John snapped, frustrated and angry with Cameron. "I shouldn't have to prove my trustworthiness, but if I have to, so be it. Now if you don't mind, I have to study. Alone."

Cameron stood and stared at John, her face blank. John stared back defiantly, almost daring Cameron to continue the argument. Slowly, Cameron began to back away from the bed, maintaining eye contact with John. Reaching the door, she opened it and stepped into the hall, still staring at John.

Annoyed with Cameron, and knowing she would stand there and stare at him until he looked away first, John stood up and turned away as he moved to his desk and sat down. Behind him the door shut quietly.

Los Angeles Community College Campus...

Cameron pulled up in the college parking lot, found a space and parked. The space provided her with an excellent view of the entire parking lot and allowed her to see the most of the buildings on the part of the campus John spent the bulk of his time. A quick scan allowed her to spot Derek's truck, parked half a block off campus.

Annoyed Derek had not identified the predator and sided with her, Cameron took note he was present. The agreement had been while she rehearsed during the day Derek would be responsible for keeping an eye on John. Once Cameron was finished at the ballet company, she would resume her duties as John's protector.

Slowly Cameron scanned the campus. She spotted Derek sitting under a walkway, reading the sports page. She promptly got out of her car, locked it and began walking quickly towards Derek. She sat down on the bench next to him and did not speak. Derek did not flinch or look up from his sports page.

"Cameron, I think you are making much ado about nothing."

"John admitted he could smell the perfume."

"Do you realize how many ways that scent could have gotten on John's shirt."

"Do you realize how hurt I am? Not just because of John. I'm angry with you too."

Derek snapped the top half of his paper down and glared at Cameron.

"At me? I sit here in the heat or rain so John can go to class and you can earn a paycheck as a dancer. I don't recall either of you thanking me either."

"I thought we were past this."

"Past what? You have to not speak in vague sentences."

"You said you were okay with John and I getting married, that you wanted it to be okay for Sarah. And you let this happen? I trusted you Derek Reese. I trusted you to protect my John. That means I trusted you to protect me too."

Cameron stood up and gave Derek a final glare before slipping away among the students moving about between classes.

Folding his paper up, Derek stuck it under his right arm. Shaking his head, he began scanning the campus. He'd have to find a vantage point to watch John emerge from the computer science building onto the open area where students gathered. He'd need to watch John and any female who might approach him. He also needed to spot Cameron so he could prevent any possible altercation.

"Just how crazy is Cameron," Derek muttered as he began walking across the campus. "Blaming me for something I didn't do, didn't see John do and who knows what else."

Derek spent the next hour moving about, trying to spot Cameron and find a vantage point. He finally settled on a second floor window overlooking the covered tables where students would meet to study or drink coffee. John often sat there and worked on his laptop until time to go to his last class of the day.

A flood of students poured out of the different buildings. Some headed towards the parking lot and others towards another classroom building. Still others headed for the campus coffee shop and the covered tables.

John emerged from the computer science building and made his way over to the vending machines by the tables. Derek watched as John fished change out of his pocket and bought himself a soft drink. After retrieving his can from the machine, John found a table and sat down alone.

Opening his backpack, John pulled out a notebook and his laptop, opened it and began working. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. John was following his normal routine.

And then Derek spotted the problem.

Approaching John was a tall, well-proportioned redhead. Derek recognized the girl but not how she was dressed. Normally the redhead wore loose fitting jeans and a college sweatshirt or an old t-shirt and had her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail.

Today she wore high heels, stockings, a form fitting black skirt, an equally form fitting white blouse that revealed ample cleavage. Her flaming red hair was brushed out and styled. She carried a light jacket over her arm as well as a briefcase.

"John's computer science partner," Derek whispered. He ran to the stairway, taking the stairs three at a time as he rushed downstairs. Bursting from the double door exit of the building, Derek stopped for a second to scan the area for Cameron, certain she'd identified her target and was making her approach.

Noticing a large number of male student's heads turning, Derek followed the direction of their glances.

"Target acquired," he muttered to himself. He wasn't surprised Cameron had escaped his direct notice. Tin Miss had changed clothes. Like the competition, she was wearing high heels and stockings along with a black pencil skirt and a purple silk blouse that gave the impression of being see through but not quite. Cameron had styled her hair, leaving it full of body and waves. Her eyes were heavily made up, changing her look, making her sultry, seductive in appearance. The most striking change was Cameron's lips. She'd added a hint of color, a pinkish red lip-gloss that made her lips shine, looking kissable.

The redhead had already sat down at John's table and was laughing as she opened her brief case and withdrew her laptop. Derek watched with concern as the girl reached over and touched John, holding his arm gently for a moment.

"That's how she did it," Derek commented as he hurried, hoping not to draw attention to himself.

A group of students blocked his path, obscuring his view of John and the redhead as well as the path Cameron was taking to approach John. The students finally passed, clearing the way when Derek spotted Cameron again, strolling like he had seen her when she wanted to attract male attention.

He stopped thirty feet away from the table and stepped behind a tree, hoping he was close enough to stop Cameron from doing anything drastic. Derek began thinking of how he could dispose of the body and evade capture long enough to get John away from the crime scene.

Cameron walked up and sat opposite the redhead, crossing her legs, letting the competition see a little of what she was up against. Before John could react, Cameron leaned over, placed her arm around John's neck and pulled him to her, kissing him passionately on the mouth. Releasing John, Cameron scooted closer while slipping her left arm around John's right and leaning closer.

Desperate to hear what was being said, Derek slipped another fifteen feet closer and sat a table, opening his tattered sports page and looking over the top.

"John," Cameron purred, "aren't you going to introduce me? He's not always the most mannered individual, even though I have tried," Cameron said smiling pleasantly at the redhead while her eyes shot lethal daggers. "Oh, well. I'm Cameron, John's fiancée."

Upon announcing her claim to John, Cameron released his arm, moving her left hand over on the table in an obvious display of her engagement ring with its large and rare purple diamond.

A nervous John glanced at the two females who were now openly glaring at each other. "Cameron, this is Miranda. She's my partner for my project this semester in computer science."

"Miranda," Cameron said as if testing the word. "Miranda. That sounds so familiar. Oh, I know, it's a dead planet from a science fiction movie, Serenity. This girl named River killed all the monsters to death by hacking them to bits."

"You like science fiction?" Miranda said with a condescending smile. "How quaint. I guess some people like to fantasize about that sort of thing, but people like John and me make the future happen. What do you do," Miranda paused, "Cameron?"

"I am the prima ballerina for the Los Angeles Ballet Company," Cameron replied in a sickly sweet voice.

"How nice, a career that lasts for a few years. I will still be making millions long after you're teaching little girls how to tap-dance."

"Money's nice. If you have someone to share it with." Cameron glared at Miranda, her eyes narrowing, making Derek fold his paper up.

"Oh, I'll have a man to share it with," Miranda said, frowning at Cameron. "In fact, I find John just scrumptious."

Cameron stood up, sitting her purse on the table.

"Sit down Cameron," John ordered, looking around for Derek now that the situation was escalating.

"No. Stay out of this John. I don't want you to get hurt."

Miranda stood up, looking defiantly at Cameron. She slipped her high heels off and sat them next to her laptop.

"I have a black belt in Tae Kwando," Miranda informed Cameron who was in the process of removing her high heels. Carefully Cameron removed her engagement ring and held it out to John. She smiled at him as he took it, whispering, "I'll get it right back."

Moving away from the table into an open area, Miranda smiled as she assumed a fighting stance.

"So, you have a black belt in Tae Kwando? That's all?"

"That's all? What do you mean," Miranda snapped, insulted by Cameron's comment.

"Oh, I have a black belt in Tae Kwando myself. And Kung Fu. And Brazilian Ju Jitsu. Krav Maga. Karate...and a little known fighting system...Terminator."

"Sure you do," Miranda replied, launching a kick at Cameron's face.

"Don't terminate her," John shouted as he began packing up his things.

Cameron easily blocked the kick. Miranda threw several blows, all blocked. Finally, she landed a kick against Cameron's ribs, only to limp away, her toes bleeding from the contact. Cameron pursued, keeping pressure on as she forced Miranda to back away in a circle. Distracted by the pain in her injured foot, Miranda lunged, leaving an easy opening as Cameron blocked the blow.

Neither John nor Derek saw the cobra quick strike Cameron used to shatter the cartilage and bone in Miranda's nose. Blood began to drip down her face as Miranda cried out in pain. Again Miranda attacked and again Cameron struck with lightening quickness, opening a cut over Miranda's right eye.

"He's mine, do you understand," Cameron said in low voice.

"Not if I want him," Miranda hurled back. "And I always get what I want."

"Hey, don't I have anything to say about this," John shouted.

"Shut up John!" both females shouted in unison.

This time Cameron did not wait for Miranda to attack. She launched two successive kicks, striking Miranda in her ribs, ripping her pencil skirt in the process. The wind knocked out of her, Miranda retreated, reaching down to rip her own skirt to allow more freedom of movement.

John and Derek looked around at the gathering crowd of students, largely male. A shout of "cat fight" went out and the male students began urging the two to resume fighting.

"Great, Campus Police will be here in minutes," Derek muttered. "Can you get Cameron to finish this quick? I'm going to have to get you home quick so you can hack into the CCTV system and delete everything."

"He's mine. My John. I don't care who you wind up with you slutty bitch whore, but it won't be my John."

Miranda threw herself at Cameron, clawing at the cyborg's face. Cameron easily moved out of the way, pushing Miranda as she did so, sending the redhead flying past her, tripping her with an extended leg. Landing in a damp, muddy patch of ground, Miranda stood quickly, looking down at her once white blouse, now covered in blood and mud. Enraged, the red mist descended, causing Miranda to snap and attack blindly without control.

Stepping aside again, Cameron tripped her opponent for a second time. This time Cameron followed up by diving on the redhead and placing her in a choke hold. The two struggled in the mud to the delight of the male audience. Cameron straddled Miranda, pinning both of arms over her head with one hand. She slapped Miranda twice, once on each cheek then punched the redhead in the left eye. Desperate to escape from her helpless situation, Miranda tried to bite Cameron, causing Cameron to laugh and punch her directly in the mouth. Teeth, blood and saliva flew from Miranda's mouth.

Grabbing Miranda's hair, Cameron pulled the woman's face to within inches of her own. "He's mine. There is nothing you can do to compete with me. And know this," Cameron said, lowering her voice to a whisper only Miranda could hear. "Nobody will ever find your body if you don't back off."

Miranda's eyes opened as far as possible with the swelling as Cameron smiled, red light shining through her big brown eyes.

"Tomorrow, you're going to withdraw from school and transfer to another college. You will never, and I mean never, look at my John again. If you do, well, you know what happened to the planet named Miranda."

For good measure, Cameron gave a firm yank on Miranda's hair, pulling out a sizeable chunk of hair by the roots, eliciting a scream. Cameron's eyes returned to their normal brown, leaving Miranda muttering gibberish in terror.

Cameron stood up and returned to John's table where she slipped her high heels back on, adjusted her skirt and noticing Miranda's jacket, picked it up and wiped off as much of the mud and grass from her clothes as she could. Smiling at John, she extended her left hand for John to return her engagement ring to. He hurriedly slipped the ring on.

"Meet me at the truck in five minutes," Cameron whispered. "You can miss your last class today."

Turning around, Cameron took a final look at the defeated redhead. Miranda was sitting up, glaring at Cameron with hateful rage. Cameron responded by taking one step in the prone woman's direction, causing her to attempt to scramble away, falling down again in the mud.

Cameron allowed herself to smile for a moment before walking away. The admiring body of males parted in front of her, wolf whistling and making a variety of comments, most obscene in nature. Without looking back, Cameron began to stroll like Marilyn Monroe, attracting more appreciative male attention and the ire of the females present.

"Great, every guy here will remember her," John said in despair.

"No. They'll remember the fight and they'll remember that stroll. But they won't remember her face. John, Cameron's an infiltrator. She knows exactly what she's doing. Now let's go!

The Connor Family House - John's Room...

A knock on his door broke John's concentration.

"Come in."

Cameron opened the door, entered and shut it behind her quietly. She sat down on John's bed in silence.

"Well that's a change." John said, looking at Cameron. "You normally just sneak in and scare me half to death."

"I was right," Cameron said.

"Okay, you were right," John answered, knowing the sooner they talked about Miranda the better.

"Are you sorry?"

"No, I didn't do anything wrong," John insisted.

Cameron frowned and tilted her head, indicating she was confused and needed John to explain.

"Look, first of all, Miranda never dressed like that before. Second, get it through that thick steel skull of yours I am NOT interested in another female."

"You had her perfume on your shirt," Cameron said insistently.

"She was my partner for a project. I was assigned to work with her by my professor, who by the way e-mailed me and said Miranda dropped the class."

"Of course she did," Cameron said frowning. "I ordered her too."

"Cameron, you can't just do things like that," John barked in frustration.

"She was pursuing you."

"So! I wasn't interested in being caught," he shouted.

Cameron's face began to scrunch up, and her eyes began to water.

"Stop it. Turn off your infiltrator program," John ordered.

"You wanted Riley! You pushed me away for her. Now you agreed to be partners with this Miranda. What am I supposed to think when you come home with perfume on your shirt!"

Guilt rolled over John in waves. He stood up and moved to his bed. He reclined and patted the bed next to him. Cameron stretched out as John reached for her, pulling her close.

"You have to trust me," John said gently. "I trust you with my life. Each day when I wake up, I know you have a terminate order. Each day, I trust you to override it."

"I will never try to terminate you again John," Cameron whimpered. "I'm fine now. The damage is repaired. I run my test each morning."

"Shhhhhhh. I know you do. I never even think about it, okay? That's trust. You can trust me like that with our relationship."

"Why did you get so angry?"

"Because you didn't trust me. You hurt me when you didn't trust me."

Cameron tilted her head in confusion. "Please explain."

"How do I do this," John sighed. "Look, you thought I had done something to betray your trust and it upset you. Your emotion simulator started generating all kinds of data that upset you. When you acted like you didn't trust me, it was as if you doubted I love you."

Tears poured from Cameron's eyes. John took a deep breath quickly, expanding his rib cage a mere second before Cameron hugged him tightly, clinging to him. John exhaled leaving himself room to breath while Cameron clung to him.

"It's okay. Look, you got upset and didn't handle it well. I should have respected your fears more and tried to figure out who the mystery female was. Neither of us handled this well."

Cameron nodded.

"Next time, when one of us feels hurt, for the good of our relationship, we have to tell the other what we feel and why. That way, we can trust each other. Okay?"

Cameron nodded again, wiping her eyes. "Thank you for explaining."

For nearly an hour, John held Cameron, letting her cling to him and scan him over and over. She finally relinquished her hold around his chest and sat up.

"I need to cook dinner."

As Cameron stood to leave, John reached out and grabbed her hand. He smiled at Cameron, giving her hand a gentle tug. Puzzled, she sat down.

"We'll be married soon. I promise."

"Okay," Cameron replied, smiling weakly for a brief second.

John scratched Cameron's back for a moment, knowing she loved the sensation. "I didn't go to all those sessions with the priest to back out now."

Cameron frowned, poking John. "I like our priest and the sessions were very helpful."

Not wanting to start another disagreement, John smiled. "I didn't say they weren't."

"Would you please say it," Cameron whispered.

John sat up and kissed her cheek, moving his mouth close to Cameron's ear.

"I love you. You love me."

Cameron leaned her head over against John's face, gently making contact.

She repeated back to John, "I love you. You love me."

The Reese Family Bunker - TechCom City...

"Wow! So Mom was like all Terminator Foo on that Miranda female," Hailey declared with delight. "Cool!"

"Yes," Sarah replied with a smile, "but you're missing the point Hailey."

"If it isn't that Mom kicked that woman's butt, what is the point," Hailey asked.

"The point is, your Mom should have trusted your father. Then she wouldn't have had to kick the woman's butt."

"Oh, I see, I think," Hailey replied. "But it's not like that woman didn't have it coming, hitting on Dad like that an all."

Sarah sighed in frustration.

"Your father had to hack into the college system, delete all the surveillance, and make sure Miranda dropped out of school. Derek had to follow up and threaten her plus pay her hush money. If your mother's cover was blown, she'd have had to resign from the ballet company and then your parents would not have had a source of income while your father went to community college. Never break cover. Never reveal your position to the enemy. If Cameron had terminated Miranda, Greys could have discovered your parent's location and identities."

"Oh," Hailey replied solemnly.

"Cameron should have trusted your father," Sarah said firmly. "He loves her very much and would never cheat on her. Then she should have identified the predatory female, tracked her to her lair, and then kicked her butt without witnesses or surveillance cameras. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Grandma. Think first, then kick butt later. Always cover your tracks and evade pursuit."

"That's my girl," Sarah said, hugging first Hailey and then Ruth tight to her chest.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

Cameron Grows Up

The Future Cameron

Cameron versus the Queen

Cameron's Revenge

Cameron and the Black Bird

Cameron and John's Wedding

Who's the Boss?

The Storm Before the Calm