Happy Buildday - Prologue and Chapter I
Sep. 27th, 2013 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
4kennedyTitle: Happy Buildday
Authors:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
red_hope1 and 4kennedy
Fandom: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Pairing: Cameron/Sarah
Rating: PG 13
Summary: It is Cameron's second year since she was first built. Sarah and John decide to celebrate it the traditional way in the Connor family. Together, they pull practical jokes on Cameron for the day until the final celebration that evening.
Disclaimer: I unfortunately don’t own them; they belong to FOX television and Warner Brothers.
A/N:red_hope1 had asked me over 4 years ago if I wanted to write a story with her and I was excited and felt honored, because Red Hope is such an amazing writer. If you haven’t read anything from her yet you definitely should check her stories out immediately. We started this little, light-hearted story and we had a lot of fun. But then we lost touch, I disappeared from the internet. As red_hope1 couldn’t reach me via email she finished our story by herself as it already was as good as finished. I’m glad that she did. It was something I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to finish this project. So here it finally is…
Prologue
"Come on, Mom," John argued, "Be a sport about this one."
Sarah sighed and leaned her side against the worn wood table in the small shed. She had her arms crossed and an unmoving expression.
"It's tradition," John further fought.
"For a Connor," Sarah reminded in a hard tone.
John threw his hands into the air then walked away. He spun around and revealed his frustrated features. "She's a Connor by now."
Sarah looked away from her son and set her jaw. She stared out the small window at their house.
John came closer to his mother then tempted, "She'll be so easy too." He grinned devilishly, and his green eyes brightened. "You know you want to do this anyway." He waited a beat then gently pushed his mom's arm. "Come on."
Sarah started bobbing her head a few times then her eyes flickered to John. "You know what this means if we do this, right?"
"Yes," John replied, "But she's earned it." He was serious now. "She's become a part of the family." He knew his mother had finally developed a soft spot after their heavy conversation a week ago. He wondered though if his mother would ever confront her or not about it. He suspected not, but he had hopes. "You know she's a Connor... and I can tell you've already got ideas."
Sarah could not hide her evil smile, which slowly started spreading across her lips. She loosened up and murmured, "Alright."
"Sweet." John was excited and suddenly turned to the worn table that had a notebook on it. "Let's do this." He flipped open to a clean page, grabbed the pen nearby, and drew a line down the middle of the page. He then wrote his name on one side and his mom's on the other side. "What you got?"
Sarah stood beside her son, studied the empty paper, and she became thoughtful. Her jade eyes lifted to her son, and she revealed her first idea, which made John laugh. She quickly relaxed as she and John made plans for tomorrow. Earlier she had resisted the idea but by the time their plans were ironed out, she was secretly excited for tomorrow. She just hoped it was all taken well by their victim.
Chapter 1
It was not easy to make all the preparations without being caught, especially in such a short amount of time. Cameron was always there, making her rounds through the house and constantly tracking Sarah and John.
"Mom, you need to get her out of the house tonight," John said as soon as he saw Cameron disappearing into the garage through the kitchen window. They would not have long until the girl would return.
Sarah raised her eyebrows questioningly. They had been playing cat and mouse with the terminator since they had put together quite a long list with of ideas for the following day and had started to make the provisions. "And how am I supposed to do that?" she wondered without looking at her son and keeping her eyes on the garage instead.
"I don't know," he admitted and gave it a moment of thought. "Just take her on surveillance at any warehouse or any house, saying that it might be an important lead."
"Not going to happen. No," Sarah said and shook her head. "I'm not spending a whole night in the damn car with Cameron for nothing, especially when I could sleep in my comfortable bed." She considered it another second and added, "I don't want you to be alone in the house."
"Derek can babysit me," John countered, not daring to suggest that Riley could keep him company too. He hoped that his uncle would agree to stay the night for once. It had been days since they had last seen him, and they generally had no clue what he was doing the whole time anyway. He shook off the thought of Derek, focusing again on the conversation. "And it wouldn't be for nothing. Well, maybe not for the usual cause why you observe warehouses and stuff, but it's still important."
Sarah crossed her arms defensively in front of her. She did not buy it that her son wanted her to spend a complete night with the terminator in the car just to make some more preparations for Cameron's special day. It surely would not take that long. "No, I'm not going to do that. We have to find another way. You're smart, figure something out."
"Me and Riley already distracted her so that you could get the storage container ready," John reminded his mother. "It's your turn now. Besides, you and Cameron alone in a car… it might give you the chance to work out some stuff, to talk and..."
Sarah pointed a warning finger at him. "Stop it! You do not get to play matchmaker, okay?" She had been right that his intentions were not that innocent.
"Okay! I'm only trying to help, that's all." He sighed and rubbed his forehead in concentration. With a snap of his fingers, he argued, "It doesn't have to be the whole night. We'll send her for a donut run in the morning. That should give us enough time."
Uncrossing her arms, Sarah propped her hands on the kitchen sink and looked briefly over at her son. "I'm going to make pancakes, remember? That's also part of the plan."
"Yeah, yeah." John softly grumbled and shrugged. "You can tell her whatever you want as long as she isn't around here for a little while tomorrow morning. Otherwise I see no other option as to cross that option off of the list." He slumped his shoulders and hung his head, acting perfectly like an offended teenager. "I kinda liked the idea, didn't you? It would've been a good way to start the day."
From the kitchen window, they watched Cameron as she left the garage and headed for the house.
Her son fought with unfair resources, Sarah knew it, but she fell for it anyways and gave in. "Fine." She huffed in a defeated manner but punched John's shoulder playfully. "I'll take care of it." She shot him a wicked grin then winked after making up her mind.
When Sarah woke up the next morning, she found herself lying on the back seat of the Jeep covered with a woolen sheet, which she identified as the picnic blanket from the trunk. "Great," she mumbled sleepily, already annoyed because she would have blades of grass all over her. She raised her head a little to take in more of her surroundings.
"Good morning, Sarah." Cameron's voice drifted to her from the front seat, and she looked curtly over her shoulder to greet Sarah with a sharp nod.
"Morning," Sarah replied. She propped herself up in a sitting position and squinting her eyes against the early brightness of the day. "How did I end up back here?"
"I carried you," the terminator explained uninflected. She watched through the rear mirror how the other woman rubbed her hands over her face to waken herself up completely and then tried smoothing her hair a little. Cameron actually liked it when Sarah's hair was messy with wild locks. She found it suited Sarah. "You were sleeping very restless. I decided to lay you down on the back seat as it might help you to sleep better."
It was true. Sarah had actually slept surprisingly well. It came slowly back to her why Cameron had taken the liberty to move her to the back of the Jeep. Four hours Sarah had shifted in her seat, trying to find a relatively comfortable position, but without any luck.
Several times, she had drifted into a light slumber only to be startled awake after only a couple of minutes because her body slid to one direction or a car passing by. Once she even opened her eyes to find herself leaning against Cameron's side with her head resting on the girl's shoulder and her arm thrown carelessly over Cameron's lap.
Sarah had cleared her throat and muttered a 'sorry', before she moved so that she was leaning against the door instead. Her embarrassment burnt hot in her cheeks and that she could feel Cameron's eyes on her did not help at all.
"Thanks, that's… quite considerate of you," Sarah admitted. It concerned her that she had not even noticed that Cameron had picked her up, laid her on the back seat, got the picnic blanket out of the back, and covered her with it. "Did I miss anything?" She wanted to know with a nod towards the house, which she had picked at random for them to observe.
"No, nothing of importance. The house is still uninhabited. I asked the paperboy seventeen minutes ago, and he said that the family who lives there is on vacation for the next two weeks." Cameron face was expressionless and her voice the usual monotone, but Sarah had the impression that the terminator accused her for observing an empty house.
"Okay, let's go home. I'm starving plus I need a shower," she decided aloud and got out of the car.
"We could stop on our way for donuts," Cameron offered as the other woman opened to door and slid into the passenger seat.
"No!" Sarah said a little too quickly. "John is waiting for us, and I promised him to make pancakes. He loves them." She received a skeptical look from Cameron for the remark, but the terminator did not comment on it, started the engine and pulled into the street.
Shortly after, Sarah slowed the Jeep then parked it in the driveway to their house. She was inwardly relieved to get home after a short yet silent, tense drive home. She ripped the key from the ignition, flung open the door, and loudly mentioned, "Good job on surveillance work, girlie." She rolled her eyes at the stupidity behind it, but it really did not matter. "Can you get the weapons bag for me?"
"Yes." Cameron shut her door then marched to the back of the Jeep. She popped open the hatch, lifted it, and studied Sarah's receding figure up the brick steps. She grabbed the black bag, hauled it out, and slammed the hatch down. She then followed the human's cold trail but curiously wondered what was going on with Sarah since last night when they went on surveillance. She brushed it off as old age, as John taught her.
Sarah went upstairs and found her son's door cracked open. She knew it was a silent signal so she took the invite and peered into his room just as Cameron came upstairs. "Hey," she warmly greeted.
John was sitting cross-legged on his bed, fully dressed, and his laptop in front of him. He looked up from his lit screen and smiled at his mom. "How'd it go?"
Sarah rolled her eyes in silent response. She sensed Cameron right behind her now so she half turned and asked, "Did we have any luck?"
Cameron stood near Sarah and saw John seated on his rocket bed cover. "I believe your mother is losing it or old age is setting in as you told me."
Sarah went wide eye and looked at Cameron then John, as she demanded, "What?"
John dropped his head and tapped on his keypad despite he was doing nothing. "I don't know what she's talking about, Mom." He peered back up and remained rather serious despite the hum to his eyes. "So, no luck huh?"
"It was an empty house," the terminator explained. Again, there was an accusing hint in her words.
"My mistake," Sarah mildly snapped at the terminator. "I may have misread the address or somethin'."
"Or perhaps you are getting old," Cameron pointed out.
"Watch it, girlie." Sarah slotted her eyes. However, she knew she'd get even today with the terminator and that pleased her, greatly. She then focused back on her son. "I'm going to shower then make pancakes."
John furrowed his eyebrows but then shook his head. "Mom, why don't you let Cameron take her shower first...?" He arched his eyebrow in warning and further suggested, "Then she can get a head start on her mission today."
Sarah slightly narrowed her eyes, yet she quickly picked out her son's hint. She instantly turned her head to Cameron. "He's got a point."
"We have a mission today?" Cameron knew nothing about this until now.
"Yes," John replied. "I'm getting it put together for you, but we'll go over it after breakfast." He pleadingly glanced at his mom. "I'm getting really hungry."
Mom held up her hands and stepped back once. "I'm going." She spun on her heels, smirked, and strolled down the hallway towards the steps.
"I will shower then," Cameron quietly decided. She disappeared to her room and stripped off her purple leather jacket, boots, and socks. She then selected clean clothes for today and grabbed her already used towel, which she put under her folded clothes.
John still had his bedroom door open. He idly listened to Cameron's movements in the bedroom, and he calculated it like clockwork too; Cameron was just too exact for her own good. He set aside his laptop, slithered out of bed, and ducked behind his partially opened door. He excitedly waited for the right moment as the terminator's footfall went down the hallway to the bathroom.
Cameron neared the bathroom door, which was ajar so she adjusted her armload into her left arm. She moved forward while pushing the door open with her right arm. However, an unexpected overhead sound made her stop short then suddenly a loud swoosh of cold water cascaded over her. For a few seconds, she remained still in now extremely damp jeans, top, and soaked hair. She blinked twice to get the water from her eyes and noticed her clean clothes were also drenched. With a tilt of her head, she discovered a dangling bucket swinging on a small rope.
John Connor did his very best not to break up laughing. He had his head hanging out the door and witnessed the most beautiful drenching ever performed in his family. He wanted a medal for it. Ever so slowly, he evilly smiled and gloat filled him. He then clamped down on his lower lip when Cameron turned her head to him.
The terminator was clearly annoyed and remained barefoot in the pool of water. Her mascara and eyeliner were bleeding down her cheeks.
John gave his protector a smile and curiously inquired, "What's today, Cameron?" He pretended to think about the date.
Cameron, who was a walking super-computer with exact data easily replied, "Today is November twenty-sixth."
John just bobbed his head a few times with a contemplative expression. He refocused on the soaked terminator and affectionately offered, "Happy Buildday, Cameron." He flashed her a wicked grin then disappeared into his bedroom with a few laughs.
Cameron had a befuddled look for a moment until all the pieces fit together in her processor. She glanced up at the bucket once she concluded it was one of many practical jokes that would be played on her because it had been two years since she was built on November 26, 2026. She recalled a late night conversation with John about how the Connor family played practical jokes on a Connor's birthday. So it would appear that she was a part of the Connor tradition now. Although she was soaked, including her clean clothes, she had a faint smile.
Shortly after the initial prank, John heard the shower running that signaled for him to go downstairs and help his mother. He closed his laptop's lid, grabbed it, and hurried down to the kitchen. He quickly caught his mother's arched eyebrow, but he first set his notebook down on the counter.
Sarah returned her attention to the pancake batter. From the corner of her eye, she saw John come next to her.
"She was so damn soaked, Mom." John laughed and playfully slapped the empty counter space. "She had makeup running down her cheeks, her hair drenched, and clean clothes wet." He had a wild grin.
Sarah slowly started grinning, shook her head, and glanced at him. She seriously asked, "How'd she take it though?"
"She went from surprised to annoyed and finished off at confused." He chuckled a few more times. "I think she'll be cool with it."
Sarah just nodded, but she was satisfied that their day's plans would go over well with the terminator. She let the last of her tension recede then she mentioned, "I'm going to start the pancakes."
"Don't forget the new bottle of syrup," John mentioned. He and his mother passed grins then he went to the fridge for orange juice. He eventually sat at the kitchen table and waited for his breakfast, which was served to him promptly.
Cameron soon arrived with damp hair, tight jeans, red camisole, and a black blouse over top. Her boots carried a definite footfall down the steps and to the kitchen. She seemed to consider whether to sit or not.
"You're eating too, girlie," Sarah sternly informed. She was next to the pan and started a last pancake for John. "Get somethin' to drink if you need it."
The terminator didn't contest it and went to the refrigerator for orange juice too.
"Hey, Cameron can you get the new bottle of syrup?" John indicated the one on the table was out.
"Yes." The terminator retrieved both the new maple syrup and orange juice.
"Here," Sarah cut in. She held out her hand. "I'll open it and warm it up." She received the glass bottle that had a black cap on it.
Cameron went back to getting her drink. She idly listened to Sarah's quiet struggle with opening the new bottle of maple syrup.
"Goddamn this thing," Sarah seethed. She had been using a paper towel on the bottle's lid to twist it open. Her arm muscles bulged out from her futile attempt. She stepped away from the bottle and glared at it as the paper towel fell to the counter.
"Jesus, Mom." John hopped out of his chair and breezed past Cameron. He tried it too but growled at his loss. "The sugar must have sealed the cap real tight, I bet."
Cameron had sat down but curiously studied the two humans, who both had their hands on their hips and together stared at the new syrup as if it required nitroglycerin to remove the cap. She set down her small glass and offered, "I can open the bottle."
Sarah's head instantly snapped around, and she defensively replied, "We can manage." She caught Cameron's slight shift of demeanor and knowing her harsh words bothered the terminator. When the Hell did she learn to read the terminator's subtle emotions? Sarah then politely added, "Thanks though."
John had been a bit tense but relaxed at his mother's unspoken apology. He then looked at his mother and nodded at the waiting bottle.
"Alright," Sarah ordered, "you hold the bottom. I'll get the cap with both hands." She picked up the paper towel, put it on the cap, and waited until John held the bottle's body with both hands. She dug her feet in and started twisting again but the paper towel slid over the cap. "Shit!" Several swear words followed her first curse.
John just gave up and hotly urged, "Just let Cameron do it."
"We are perfectly capable of opening a bottle of goddamn syrup," Sarah snapped.
"Obviously." John scooped up the glass bottle by its base. "Stop being ridiculous, Mom."
"Fine!" Sarah tossed her hand in the air then the burning smell caught her nose. "Oh shit!" She raced over to the pan.
John shook his head repeatedly then went over to the terminator. "Here."
Cameron received the bottle and twisted the black cap off with absolutely no effort. She did not completely untwist it and returned it to John. She almost seemed to have a smug look.
But John grinned too and excitedly offered, "Thanks." He hurried over to the microwave but grabbed his mother's paper towel, which had a red tint on one side. He used the towel to unscrew the cap the rest of the way.
Sarah threw a few more profanities in the kitchen but opened the sink's window to ventilate the smoke out. She tossed the wasted pan into the sink and got a new one. She went back to making another pancake for John.
John sat back down after he warmed up the maple syrup bottle. He then received his freshly made pancake and promptly put butter all over it followed by the syrup.
Sarah checked the batter in the bowl, which now had a red liquid sitting on the top thanks to John. She grabbed the long spoon and easily stirred in the red extract then started making two medium size pancakes for Cameron.
"What is this mission we are doing today?" Cameron studied Sarah, who was cooking the pancakes.
Sarah had her left hand on her hip but held the spatula in her right. "Sorry, girlie, I'm not going with."
Cameron furrowed her eyebrows then glanced at John, who had faltered with wide eyes.
John had a mouthful but swallowed it down. "I've got plans with Riley today." He shrugged, glanced at his mother, and explained to Cameron, "You're going on your own."
Sarah turned her back on the pair and scooped up the ready pancakes. She put them on a plate, grabbed a fork with napkin, and went over to Cameron. "Here ya go." She then retrieved her cup of coffee that was half-gone but plenty warm. She soon joined the pair at the table.
"What is the mission?" The terminator was clearly interested now that she discovered she indeed was going alone.
"Later," Sarah cut off. She crossed her legs under the table. "But you do need to refill that weapons drop too. Can you do that today?"
Cameron just nodded but finished prepping her pancakes. She was not quite sure why Sarah was so insistent to eat this morning. However, she tried eating on occasions to help keep her organic systems up to par.
John cleaned his plate and pushed it away some. He folded his arms on the table edge and curiously watched Cameron take her first bite.
Sarah only watched for a beat but her intense eyes flickered to her son. She curled both hands around her mug and sipped on its contents as Cameron ate her breakfast.
John ran his tongue along his teeth and tilted his head at how Cameron ate a lot slower than normal. He barely kept his voice even as he asked, "Not hungry, Cameron?"
The terminator set her fork down and drank a good swallow of her orange juice. She could not compute the intense burn in her mouth nor ebb it with her orange juice. She glanced down at the pancakes that she had barely touched so far. "It tastes... different."
Sarah instantly slammed her mug on the table and had all attention on her. "Do they taste bad, Tin Miss?"
Cameron observed the human's rising temper in those stormy green eyes. She had seen it one too many times. "It has a different flavor than normal."
"You don't like it," Sarah accusingly concluded.
The terminator looked at John for some help.
John held up his hands and argued, "Mine tasted great." He then glanced at his mother. "Thanks too, Mom."
Sarah nodded but slotted her eyes at Cameron. She lifted her mug again but muttered, "If you don't like it, Cameron then don't eat them."
Cameron tried settling her tense system because of the human's scowl. She inwardly sighed, picked up her fork, and made another attempt.
John suddenly got up with his plate and just in time as a smirk came over him. He put the dirty plate in the sink then went to the fridge.
Sarah eyed the terminator and carefully watched her eat the pancakes. She lowered her mug, quietly this time. "Still taste funny?"
Cameron had to drink more of her orange juice, yet it did nothing to extinguish the fire in her mouth. She looked at Sarah but her glossy eyes were apparent. "I fail to see how they're funny."
Sarah bit back a grin at Cameron's brimming eyes from the spicy pancakes. "Are they that bad they're going to make you cry, Tin Miss?"
The terminator did indeed detect her tear ducts were involuntarily reacting to the heat in her mouth.
John arrived at Cameron's side and put down a glass of milk. "Drink this and it'll help." He smirked when Cameron peered up at him.
Sarah chuckled and grabbed the plate of hot sauce laced pancakes. "Let's see if I can cook better." She went back to the stove and made fresh pancakes without the hot sauce.
Cameron swallowed down the entire glass of milk once she discovered it chased away the spice in her mouth.
John softly laughed then sat down. He smirked and mentioned, "I never thought of fighting terminators with hot sauce."
The terminator had to wipe her eyes and quietly quipped, "Perhaps it would overheat their chassis."
Sarah chuckled from her spot and glanced over her shoulder.
Cameron could not comprehend how such a food could overwhelm her entire organic body. She'd never experienced spicy food until today. After she wiped her face, something on her right hand caught her attention so she turned her palm up.
John chewed on the inside of his mouth and studied the red stain in Cameron's palm. He then bit his lower lip so he would not laugh at how the red dye transferred from Cameron's hand to her face near her eye. He had not planned for that, but it was so great. He broke into laughter and dropped his head.
Sarah turned at hearing the hysterical laughter. She saw the red smear around Cameron's right eye, and she started laughing too. She clung to the counter for support.
Cameron had inspected the red dye on her hand but could not understand how it was this funny. She started figuring out the syrup bottle's cap had the red stain on it. She questioningly looked between the humans.
John shook his head, gasped, and pointed at Cameron's face. "You got... the..." He inhaled deeply between a few laughs. "You got it on... your face too." He pushed out his chair some and curled up because his stomach hurt so badly.
The terminator was rather displeased once it made sense. She climbed to her feet and started out of the kitchen. "I will terminate you both if it doesn't wash off." However, her threat was hollow as she left to go up to the bathroom.
Sarah barely managed to yell, "Good luck!" She went back to the pancakes but still laughed some.
"That stain won't come out for at least a day," John commented in a bemused tone. He shook his head and chuckled one last time. "That was the best, Mom."
Sarah shook her head after she flipped the last pancake. "Poor Tin Miss," she muttered to herself. She sometimes felt bad for the victims, but she quickly got over it too once she remembered some of the jokes played on her as a kid. She briefly wondered what Cameron would do for jokes on a Connor. This made her grin until she heard heavier than average boot steps coming back down stairs. She chuckled once and waited to see how Cameron's attempt to remove the red stain went, or not.
To be continued
Feeling:
excited
Authors:
red_hope1 and 4kennedyFandom: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Pairing: Cameron/Sarah
Rating: PG 13
Summary: It is Cameron's second year since she was first built. Sarah and John decide to celebrate it the traditional way in the Connor family. Together, they pull practical jokes on Cameron for the day until the final celebration that evening.
Disclaimer: I unfortunately don’t own them; they belong to FOX television and Warner Brothers.
A/N:
red_hope1 had asked me over 4 years ago if I wanted to write a story with her and I was excited and felt honored, because Red Hope is such an amazing writer. If you haven’t read anything from her yet you definitely should check her stories out immediately. We started this little, light-hearted story and we had a lot of fun. But then we lost touch, I disappeared from the internet. As red_hope1 couldn’t reach me via email she finished our story by herself as it already was as good as finished. I’m glad that she did. It was something I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to finish this project. So here it finally is…Prologue
"Come on, Mom," John argued, "Be a sport about this one."
Sarah sighed and leaned her side against the worn wood table in the small shed. She had her arms crossed and an unmoving expression.
"It's tradition," John further fought.
"For a Connor," Sarah reminded in a hard tone.
John threw his hands into the air then walked away. He spun around and revealed his frustrated features. "She's a Connor by now."
Sarah looked away from her son and set her jaw. She stared out the small window at their house.
John came closer to his mother then tempted, "She'll be so easy too." He grinned devilishly, and his green eyes brightened. "You know you want to do this anyway." He waited a beat then gently pushed his mom's arm. "Come on."
Sarah started bobbing her head a few times then her eyes flickered to John. "You know what this means if we do this, right?"
"Yes," John replied, "But she's earned it." He was serious now. "She's become a part of the family." He knew his mother had finally developed a soft spot after their heavy conversation a week ago. He wondered though if his mother would ever confront her or not about it. He suspected not, but he had hopes. "You know she's a Connor... and I can tell you've already got ideas."
Sarah could not hide her evil smile, which slowly started spreading across her lips. She loosened up and murmured, "Alright."
"Sweet." John was excited and suddenly turned to the worn table that had a notebook on it. "Let's do this." He flipped open to a clean page, grabbed the pen nearby, and drew a line down the middle of the page. He then wrote his name on one side and his mom's on the other side. "What you got?"
Sarah stood beside her son, studied the empty paper, and she became thoughtful. Her jade eyes lifted to her son, and she revealed her first idea, which made John laugh. She quickly relaxed as she and John made plans for tomorrow. Earlier she had resisted the idea but by the time their plans were ironed out, she was secretly excited for tomorrow. She just hoped it was all taken well by their victim.
Chapter 1
It was not easy to make all the preparations without being caught, especially in such a short amount of time. Cameron was always there, making her rounds through the house and constantly tracking Sarah and John.
"Mom, you need to get her out of the house tonight," John said as soon as he saw Cameron disappearing into the garage through the kitchen window. They would not have long until the girl would return.
Sarah raised her eyebrows questioningly. They had been playing cat and mouse with the terminator since they had put together quite a long list with of ideas for the following day and had started to make the provisions. "And how am I supposed to do that?" she wondered without looking at her son and keeping her eyes on the garage instead.
"I don't know," he admitted and gave it a moment of thought. "Just take her on surveillance at any warehouse or any house, saying that it might be an important lead."
"Not going to happen. No," Sarah said and shook her head. "I'm not spending a whole night in the damn car with Cameron for nothing, especially when I could sleep in my comfortable bed." She considered it another second and added, "I don't want you to be alone in the house."
"Derek can babysit me," John countered, not daring to suggest that Riley could keep him company too. He hoped that his uncle would agree to stay the night for once. It had been days since they had last seen him, and they generally had no clue what he was doing the whole time anyway. He shook off the thought of Derek, focusing again on the conversation. "And it wouldn't be for nothing. Well, maybe not for the usual cause why you observe warehouses and stuff, but it's still important."
Sarah crossed her arms defensively in front of her. She did not buy it that her son wanted her to spend a complete night with the terminator in the car just to make some more preparations for Cameron's special day. It surely would not take that long. "No, I'm not going to do that. We have to find another way. You're smart, figure something out."
"Me and Riley already distracted her so that you could get the storage container ready," John reminded his mother. "It's your turn now. Besides, you and Cameron alone in a car… it might give you the chance to work out some stuff, to talk and..."
Sarah pointed a warning finger at him. "Stop it! You do not get to play matchmaker, okay?" She had been right that his intentions were not that innocent.
"Okay! I'm only trying to help, that's all." He sighed and rubbed his forehead in concentration. With a snap of his fingers, he argued, "It doesn't have to be the whole night. We'll send her for a donut run in the morning. That should give us enough time."
Uncrossing her arms, Sarah propped her hands on the kitchen sink and looked briefly over at her son. "I'm going to make pancakes, remember? That's also part of the plan."
"Yeah, yeah." John softly grumbled and shrugged. "You can tell her whatever you want as long as she isn't around here for a little while tomorrow morning. Otherwise I see no other option as to cross that option off of the list." He slumped his shoulders and hung his head, acting perfectly like an offended teenager. "I kinda liked the idea, didn't you? It would've been a good way to start the day."
From the kitchen window, they watched Cameron as she left the garage and headed for the house.
Her son fought with unfair resources, Sarah knew it, but she fell for it anyways and gave in. "Fine." She huffed in a defeated manner but punched John's shoulder playfully. "I'll take care of it." She shot him a wicked grin then winked after making up her mind.
When Sarah woke up the next morning, she found herself lying on the back seat of the Jeep covered with a woolen sheet, which she identified as the picnic blanket from the trunk. "Great," she mumbled sleepily, already annoyed because she would have blades of grass all over her. She raised her head a little to take in more of her surroundings.
"Good morning, Sarah." Cameron's voice drifted to her from the front seat, and she looked curtly over her shoulder to greet Sarah with a sharp nod.
"Morning," Sarah replied. She propped herself up in a sitting position and squinting her eyes against the early brightness of the day. "How did I end up back here?"
"I carried you," the terminator explained uninflected. She watched through the rear mirror how the other woman rubbed her hands over her face to waken herself up completely and then tried smoothing her hair a little. Cameron actually liked it when Sarah's hair was messy with wild locks. She found it suited Sarah. "You were sleeping very restless. I decided to lay you down on the back seat as it might help you to sleep better."
It was true. Sarah had actually slept surprisingly well. It came slowly back to her why Cameron had taken the liberty to move her to the back of the Jeep. Four hours Sarah had shifted in her seat, trying to find a relatively comfortable position, but without any luck.
Several times, she had drifted into a light slumber only to be startled awake after only a couple of minutes because her body slid to one direction or a car passing by. Once she even opened her eyes to find herself leaning against Cameron's side with her head resting on the girl's shoulder and her arm thrown carelessly over Cameron's lap.
Sarah had cleared her throat and muttered a 'sorry', before she moved so that she was leaning against the door instead. Her embarrassment burnt hot in her cheeks and that she could feel Cameron's eyes on her did not help at all.
"Thanks, that's… quite considerate of you," Sarah admitted. It concerned her that she had not even noticed that Cameron had picked her up, laid her on the back seat, got the picnic blanket out of the back, and covered her with it. "Did I miss anything?" She wanted to know with a nod towards the house, which she had picked at random for them to observe.
"No, nothing of importance. The house is still uninhabited. I asked the paperboy seventeen minutes ago, and he said that the family who lives there is on vacation for the next two weeks." Cameron face was expressionless and her voice the usual monotone, but Sarah had the impression that the terminator accused her for observing an empty house.
"Okay, let's go home. I'm starving plus I need a shower," she decided aloud and got out of the car.
"We could stop on our way for donuts," Cameron offered as the other woman opened to door and slid into the passenger seat.
"No!" Sarah said a little too quickly. "John is waiting for us, and I promised him to make pancakes. He loves them." She received a skeptical look from Cameron for the remark, but the terminator did not comment on it, started the engine and pulled into the street.
Shortly after, Sarah slowed the Jeep then parked it in the driveway to their house. She was inwardly relieved to get home after a short yet silent, tense drive home. She ripped the key from the ignition, flung open the door, and loudly mentioned, "Good job on surveillance work, girlie." She rolled her eyes at the stupidity behind it, but it really did not matter. "Can you get the weapons bag for me?"
"Yes." Cameron shut her door then marched to the back of the Jeep. She popped open the hatch, lifted it, and studied Sarah's receding figure up the brick steps. She grabbed the black bag, hauled it out, and slammed the hatch down. She then followed the human's cold trail but curiously wondered what was going on with Sarah since last night when they went on surveillance. She brushed it off as old age, as John taught her.
Sarah went upstairs and found her son's door cracked open. She knew it was a silent signal so she took the invite and peered into his room just as Cameron came upstairs. "Hey," she warmly greeted.
John was sitting cross-legged on his bed, fully dressed, and his laptop in front of him. He looked up from his lit screen and smiled at his mom. "How'd it go?"
Sarah rolled her eyes in silent response. She sensed Cameron right behind her now so she half turned and asked, "Did we have any luck?"
Cameron stood near Sarah and saw John seated on his rocket bed cover. "I believe your mother is losing it or old age is setting in as you told me."
Sarah went wide eye and looked at Cameron then John, as she demanded, "What?"
John dropped his head and tapped on his keypad despite he was doing nothing. "I don't know what she's talking about, Mom." He peered back up and remained rather serious despite the hum to his eyes. "So, no luck huh?"
"It was an empty house," the terminator explained. Again, there was an accusing hint in her words.
"My mistake," Sarah mildly snapped at the terminator. "I may have misread the address or somethin'."
"Or perhaps you are getting old," Cameron pointed out.
"Watch it, girlie." Sarah slotted her eyes. However, she knew she'd get even today with the terminator and that pleased her, greatly. She then focused back on her son. "I'm going to shower then make pancakes."
John furrowed his eyebrows but then shook his head. "Mom, why don't you let Cameron take her shower first...?" He arched his eyebrow in warning and further suggested, "Then she can get a head start on her mission today."
Sarah slightly narrowed her eyes, yet she quickly picked out her son's hint. She instantly turned her head to Cameron. "He's got a point."
"We have a mission today?" Cameron knew nothing about this until now.
"Yes," John replied. "I'm getting it put together for you, but we'll go over it after breakfast." He pleadingly glanced at his mom. "I'm getting really hungry."
Mom held up her hands and stepped back once. "I'm going." She spun on her heels, smirked, and strolled down the hallway towards the steps.
"I will shower then," Cameron quietly decided. She disappeared to her room and stripped off her purple leather jacket, boots, and socks. She then selected clean clothes for today and grabbed her already used towel, which she put under her folded clothes.
John still had his bedroom door open. He idly listened to Cameron's movements in the bedroom, and he calculated it like clockwork too; Cameron was just too exact for her own good. He set aside his laptop, slithered out of bed, and ducked behind his partially opened door. He excitedly waited for the right moment as the terminator's footfall went down the hallway to the bathroom.
Cameron neared the bathroom door, which was ajar so she adjusted her armload into her left arm. She moved forward while pushing the door open with her right arm. However, an unexpected overhead sound made her stop short then suddenly a loud swoosh of cold water cascaded over her. For a few seconds, she remained still in now extremely damp jeans, top, and soaked hair. She blinked twice to get the water from her eyes and noticed her clean clothes were also drenched. With a tilt of her head, she discovered a dangling bucket swinging on a small rope.
John Connor did his very best not to break up laughing. He had his head hanging out the door and witnessed the most beautiful drenching ever performed in his family. He wanted a medal for it. Ever so slowly, he evilly smiled and gloat filled him. He then clamped down on his lower lip when Cameron turned her head to him.
The terminator was clearly annoyed and remained barefoot in the pool of water. Her mascara and eyeliner were bleeding down her cheeks.
John gave his protector a smile and curiously inquired, "What's today, Cameron?" He pretended to think about the date.
Cameron, who was a walking super-computer with exact data easily replied, "Today is November twenty-sixth."
John just bobbed his head a few times with a contemplative expression. He refocused on the soaked terminator and affectionately offered, "Happy Buildday, Cameron." He flashed her a wicked grin then disappeared into his bedroom with a few laughs.
Cameron had a befuddled look for a moment until all the pieces fit together in her processor. She glanced up at the bucket once she concluded it was one of many practical jokes that would be played on her because it had been two years since she was built on November 26, 2026. She recalled a late night conversation with John about how the Connor family played practical jokes on a Connor's birthday. So it would appear that she was a part of the Connor tradition now. Although she was soaked, including her clean clothes, she had a faint smile.
Shortly after the initial prank, John heard the shower running that signaled for him to go downstairs and help his mother. He closed his laptop's lid, grabbed it, and hurried down to the kitchen. He quickly caught his mother's arched eyebrow, but he first set his notebook down on the counter.
Sarah returned her attention to the pancake batter. From the corner of her eye, she saw John come next to her.
"She was so damn soaked, Mom." John laughed and playfully slapped the empty counter space. "She had makeup running down her cheeks, her hair drenched, and clean clothes wet." He had a wild grin.
Sarah slowly started grinning, shook her head, and glanced at him. She seriously asked, "How'd she take it though?"
"She went from surprised to annoyed and finished off at confused." He chuckled a few more times. "I think she'll be cool with it."
Sarah just nodded, but she was satisfied that their day's plans would go over well with the terminator. She let the last of her tension recede then she mentioned, "I'm going to start the pancakes."
"Don't forget the new bottle of syrup," John mentioned. He and his mother passed grins then he went to the fridge for orange juice. He eventually sat at the kitchen table and waited for his breakfast, which was served to him promptly.
Cameron soon arrived with damp hair, tight jeans, red camisole, and a black blouse over top. Her boots carried a definite footfall down the steps and to the kitchen. She seemed to consider whether to sit or not.
"You're eating too, girlie," Sarah sternly informed. She was next to the pan and started a last pancake for John. "Get somethin' to drink if you need it."
The terminator didn't contest it and went to the refrigerator for orange juice too.
"Hey, Cameron can you get the new bottle of syrup?" John indicated the one on the table was out.
"Yes." The terminator retrieved both the new maple syrup and orange juice.
"Here," Sarah cut in. She held out her hand. "I'll open it and warm it up." She received the glass bottle that had a black cap on it.
Cameron went back to getting her drink. She idly listened to Sarah's quiet struggle with opening the new bottle of maple syrup.
"Goddamn this thing," Sarah seethed. She had been using a paper towel on the bottle's lid to twist it open. Her arm muscles bulged out from her futile attempt. She stepped away from the bottle and glared at it as the paper towel fell to the counter.
"Jesus, Mom." John hopped out of his chair and breezed past Cameron. He tried it too but growled at his loss. "The sugar must have sealed the cap real tight, I bet."
Cameron had sat down but curiously studied the two humans, who both had their hands on their hips and together stared at the new syrup as if it required nitroglycerin to remove the cap. She set down her small glass and offered, "I can open the bottle."
Sarah's head instantly snapped around, and she defensively replied, "We can manage." She caught Cameron's slight shift of demeanor and knowing her harsh words bothered the terminator. When the Hell did she learn to read the terminator's subtle emotions? Sarah then politely added, "Thanks though."
John had been a bit tense but relaxed at his mother's unspoken apology. He then looked at his mother and nodded at the waiting bottle.
"Alright," Sarah ordered, "you hold the bottom. I'll get the cap with both hands." She picked up the paper towel, put it on the cap, and waited until John held the bottle's body with both hands. She dug her feet in and started twisting again but the paper towel slid over the cap. "Shit!" Several swear words followed her first curse.
John just gave up and hotly urged, "Just let Cameron do it."
"We are perfectly capable of opening a bottle of goddamn syrup," Sarah snapped.
"Obviously." John scooped up the glass bottle by its base. "Stop being ridiculous, Mom."
"Fine!" Sarah tossed her hand in the air then the burning smell caught her nose. "Oh shit!" She raced over to the pan.
John shook his head repeatedly then went over to the terminator. "Here."
Cameron received the bottle and twisted the black cap off with absolutely no effort. She did not completely untwist it and returned it to John. She almost seemed to have a smug look.
But John grinned too and excitedly offered, "Thanks." He hurried over to the microwave but grabbed his mother's paper towel, which had a red tint on one side. He used the towel to unscrew the cap the rest of the way.
Sarah threw a few more profanities in the kitchen but opened the sink's window to ventilate the smoke out. She tossed the wasted pan into the sink and got a new one. She went back to making another pancake for John.
John sat back down after he warmed up the maple syrup bottle. He then received his freshly made pancake and promptly put butter all over it followed by the syrup.
Sarah checked the batter in the bowl, which now had a red liquid sitting on the top thanks to John. She grabbed the long spoon and easily stirred in the red extract then started making two medium size pancakes for Cameron.
"What is this mission we are doing today?" Cameron studied Sarah, who was cooking the pancakes.
Sarah had her left hand on her hip but held the spatula in her right. "Sorry, girlie, I'm not going with."
Cameron furrowed her eyebrows then glanced at John, who had faltered with wide eyes.
John had a mouthful but swallowed it down. "I've got plans with Riley today." He shrugged, glanced at his mother, and explained to Cameron, "You're going on your own."
Sarah turned her back on the pair and scooped up the ready pancakes. She put them on a plate, grabbed a fork with napkin, and went over to Cameron. "Here ya go." She then retrieved her cup of coffee that was half-gone but plenty warm. She soon joined the pair at the table.
"What is the mission?" The terminator was clearly interested now that she discovered she indeed was going alone.
"Later," Sarah cut off. She crossed her legs under the table. "But you do need to refill that weapons drop too. Can you do that today?"
Cameron just nodded but finished prepping her pancakes. She was not quite sure why Sarah was so insistent to eat this morning. However, she tried eating on occasions to help keep her organic systems up to par.
John cleaned his plate and pushed it away some. He folded his arms on the table edge and curiously watched Cameron take her first bite.
Sarah only watched for a beat but her intense eyes flickered to her son. She curled both hands around her mug and sipped on its contents as Cameron ate her breakfast.
John ran his tongue along his teeth and tilted his head at how Cameron ate a lot slower than normal. He barely kept his voice even as he asked, "Not hungry, Cameron?"
The terminator set her fork down and drank a good swallow of her orange juice. She could not compute the intense burn in her mouth nor ebb it with her orange juice. She glanced down at the pancakes that she had barely touched so far. "It tastes... different."
Sarah instantly slammed her mug on the table and had all attention on her. "Do they taste bad, Tin Miss?"
Cameron observed the human's rising temper in those stormy green eyes. She had seen it one too many times. "It has a different flavor than normal."
"You don't like it," Sarah accusingly concluded.
The terminator looked at John for some help.
John held up his hands and argued, "Mine tasted great." He then glanced at his mother. "Thanks too, Mom."
Sarah nodded but slotted her eyes at Cameron. She lifted her mug again but muttered, "If you don't like it, Cameron then don't eat them."
Cameron tried settling her tense system because of the human's scowl. She inwardly sighed, picked up her fork, and made another attempt.
John suddenly got up with his plate and just in time as a smirk came over him. He put the dirty plate in the sink then went to the fridge.
Sarah eyed the terminator and carefully watched her eat the pancakes. She lowered her mug, quietly this time. "Still taste funny?"
Cameron had to drink more of her orange juice, yet it did nothing to extinguish the fire in her mouth. She looked at Sarah but her glossy eyes were apparent. "I fail to see how they're funny."
Sarah bit back a grin at Cameron's brimming eyes from the spicy pancakes. "Are they that bad they're going to make you cry, Tin Miss?"
The terminator did indeed detect her tear ducts were involuntarily reacting to the heat in her mouth.
John arrived at Cameron's side and put down a glass of milk. "Drink this and it'll help." He smirked when Cameron peered up at him.
Sarah chuckled and grabbed the plate of hot sauce laced pancakes. "Let's see if I can cook better." She went back to the stove and made fresh pancakes without the hot sauce.
Cameron swallowed down the entire glass of milk once she discovered it chased away the spice in her mouth.
John softly laughed then sat down. He smirked and mentioned, "I never thought of fighting terminators with hot sauce."
The terminator had to wipe her eyes and quietly quipped, "Perhaps it would overheat their chassis."
Sarah chuckled from her spot and glanced over her shoulder.
Cameron could not comprehend how such a food could overwhelm her entire organic body. She'd never experienced spicy food until today. After she wiped her face, something on her right hand caught her attention so she turned her palm up.
John chewed on the inside of his mouth and studied the red stain in Cameron's palm. He then bit his lower lip so he would not laugh at how the red dye transferred from Cameron's hand to her face near her eye. He had not planned for that, but it was so great. He broke into laughter and dropped his head.
Sarah turned at hearing the hysterical laughter. She saw the red smear around Cameron's right eye, and she started laughing too. She clung to the counter for support.
Cameron had inspected the red dye on her hand but could not understand how it was this funny. She started figuring out the syrup bottle's cap had the red stain on it. She questioningly looked between the humans.
John shook his head, gasped, and pointed at Cameron's face. "You got... the..." He inhaled deeply between a few laughs. "You got it on... your face too." He pushed out his chair some and curled up because his stomach hurt so badly.
The terminator was rather displeased once it made sense. She climbed to her feet and started out of the kitchen. "I will terminate you both if it doesn't wash off." However, her threat was hollow as she left to go up to the bathroom.
Sarah barely managed to yell, "Good luck!" She went back to the pancakes but still laughed some.
"That stain won't come out for at least a day," John commented in a bemused tone. He shook his head and chuckled one last time. "That was the best, Mom."
Sarah shook her head after she flipped the last pancake. "Poor Tin Miss," she muttered to herself. She sometimes felt bad for the victims, but she quickly got over it too once she remembered some of the jokes played on her as a kid. She briefly wondered what Cameron would do for jokes on a Connor. This made her grin until she heard heavier than average boot steps coming back down stairs. She chuckled once and waited to see how Cameron's attempt to remove the red stain went, or not.
To be continued
Feeling:
excited
