Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Tonight…

Chapter One

John Connor watched as the day to end all days arrived. Their attempts at destroying Skynet had failed miserably. He watched as nuclear weapons rained down like so many droplets of water. Tactical weapons delivered by state of the art unmanned air combat vehicles to specific targets, MIRV multiple warhead systems from ballistic missiles, and space launched weapons from Skynet satellites. The cities were shatted, the people burned, death and destruction everywhere. He hid under his bed like a scared child as the world around him collapsed. The metallic skeletal hand of a terminator darted under his bed and dragged him out by his neck. He felt the fingers curl tighter into a fist, cutting off the flow of oxygen to…

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"GgggaaaaaaaahhhhhHHH!" John bolted upright in bed. A nightmare, it was just a nightmare. The world wasn't coming to an end, not just yet. By now he should have known it was just another nightmare.

"John?" Cameron had been walking by, she pushed his door open slightly and leaned in, "Are you okay?" Her voice was filled with genuine concern, she seemed all too human to John at the moment.

"Yhea, thanks Cameron…I'm fine…" He looked at his clock. One in the morning, thankfully it was Friday…Or rather, Saturday now. No school, that was all that mattered.

"Is there something you would like to talk about? Often times conversation helps with problems." Back to her usual monotone again.

"I, ah, I guess so" John swung his feet out of bed and stood "Meet, uh, meet me in the kitchen?" As long as he was up, maybe he could talk about it. Strange as it was, sometimes Cameron could be more supportive than Sarah…

Cameron nodded before turning on her heels and walking off. A quick check down the hall confirmed that his mom was still sleeping. John quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and swapped his t-shirt, soaked in sweat from his nightmare, for a new one. Satisfied that he looked close enough to normal, he slinked off as silently as possible towards the kitchen.

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Cameron had immediately walked to the kitchen and taken a seat. She was sitting in the dark with her hands folded in front of her on the table when John arrived. He clicked on a small night light, and started a pot of coffee before sitting near her. "Cam?"

"Yes, John?" She looked him in the eyes, and he continued "I don't think I can handle being the freaking savior of all mankind."

"I know you can John, in the future, you are a great and successful leader."

He stood, poured two cups with his shaky hands, and took his seat again staring down at his cup. "Great to know, but if I fuck it all up somehow, we lose, and there goes the future. We're all either dead or slaves. If I get killed…From what I know of the future…Well…It's not a pretty place…I, uh…Damn it…" He looked up in the dark "The truth is I'm scared. I'm in over my head, and there's nobody to pull me out. What if I turn out to be a coward? When I was trapped with that Terminator I was terrified. I thought it would wake up at any moment and end kill me."

"I understand." Her hand squeezed his "And I will always be here to 'pull you out' when you require it."

"No you don't understand, you can't…Wait…You'll what?" He dropped his head into his hands to try to think. He had always trusted Cameron and thought there was something more to her than the simple robot his mother saw, but an understanding of human emotions? And since when did she use slang?

Cameron ran her hand through his hair, it was soaked from sweat. Her sensors could tell that he had a racing pulse and elevated temperature. "You are ill, you should return to sleep."

John shook his head "No, not now."

Reasoning it was fear of being alone or having another nightmare, she tried an alternative suggestion: "The couch, then" She pointed to the living room "I will remain nearby." "Okay…"

Cameron reached her arm around John, and helped him walk, really to stagger, to the couch. She could have simply lifted him up and carried him, but decided not to risk the chance that he would object and argue with her more. She lowered him to a sitting position, walked towards her room, and returned with a blanket.

After covering John with the blanket, she sat down beside him. John moved closer, wrapping the blanket around her and resting his head on her shoulder. She hesitated for a second before putting her arm around him.

"Cam?" "Yes?" "Thanks." John yawned and shifted a little into a new position. "You're welcome John."

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Coming Soon - Chapter Two:

John Connor has discovered that he has more than a simple bodyguard in Cameron. He knows he can turn to her for comfort when he needs it. But how will his mother feel about his deep trust of a machine?

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter