THE PROM

Author: Nyrki

Chapter 6: Save the Last Dance for Me

Many thanks to my reviewers: PSG1JOHN, EvilTheLast, olischulu, The1Russter, CloudyShadows, Zapp86, sumofme, lee443, XxDeathStarxX, KevinInScotland, Sedgie, TCandBTLSluver, Lsquare, kaotic2, Burnout'83, darkfinder and Velhu. I'm glad my story became a bit popular.

I told this was a Jameron story. So prepare to it now as it is the conclusion of this little story. Thank you for all the persons who took the time to read it. I really hope you all spent a good moment to read it.

No more talks, and let's see what happened between John and Cameron at the conclusion of their first prom.

Recap: Thanks to an unexpected as well as unintentional help from a nice girl named Cara, Cameron brewed a plan to finally find out about Riley's intentions. She stole Riley's cell phone into which she found Jesse Flores' record. She got her suspicion confirmed by calling and fooling Jesse by imitating Riley's voice. Determined to save John, she returned to the couple and rudely dragged Riley into a storeroom and unmasked her in front of a very upset John.

"She's from the future," Cameron said flatly.

"What?"

Riley wondered if Cameron was bluffing or if she had truly discovered something. Taking the risk to involve John could mean she knew something. But how would she?

"How do you know that?" John asked, trying to calm down but still keeping a menacing look on Cameron. He considered she was probably not bluffing, because it wasn't her usual ways and he knew she was conscious that she was playing a dangerous game.

Cameron reached out and placed Riley's cell phone into his hand.

"What's that?" John asked, surprised again.

"Riley's cell phone," Cameron answered matter-of-factly.

Riley immediately looked for her purse and realized it was missing. Cameron was perhaps effectively in possession of her cell.

"You bitch. Give me back my cell. You don't have the right…"

John motioned her to stay still. "So what?" he asked, looking Cameron back.

"One of her contacts is a certain 'Jesse'. I called the contact and imitated Riley's voice. I confirmed the contact is in fact Jesse Flores."

Riley winced.

"Who is this Jesse Flores and why were you looking for her?" John continued.

"Commander Jesse Flores, nationality Australian, second officer on submarine Jimmy Carter in 2027. Brought before the martial court for rebellion and loss of the ship, including its T-888 pilot and leading officer. She was still imprisoned when I came back." Cameron recited.

John prompted her to continue, still not seeing any clear relation between Riley and the future. "And?"

"I heard the unknown expression 'carrots and apples' Riley used in the limousine only once before, from Jesse Flores. So I surmised that they might be related. The phone contact list eventually proved me right. I think they traveled back together from the future shortly after you, future you, sent me back in time, in the goal to harm you. The reason is still unknown to me."

John couldn't believe what Cameron had just said. He remembered pointing himself out that he didn't know about this expression. He turned towards Riley with a 'tell me that's not true' look on his face, even if deep down, he already knew the answer.

"She lies," Riley defended herself with a look of fear that wasn't fake. "I don't understand a word of this crap. John, please send her away."

John tried to control his anger and think logically. Cameron's theory was almost unbelievable, but as she didn't seem to go haywire again, he was pretty sure she wasn't lying. It would be too much of a story, just to get rid of a girl whom she would ridiculously be jealous of.

"Are you quite sure it was this… Jesse Flores?"

"98.2% certainty, thanks to the Australian accent," Cameron declared.

John turned back to Riley. "Riley, if what Cameron says is true, you'd better own up now."

"John, I swear, I don't understand," Riley managed to say between sobs.

"Riley!"

At that point, Riley realized that she couldn't play this game anymore. She decided to be frank with John, she hoped that maybe he could understand the situation. His relation with the machine wasn't at its best, and maybe a couple of good arguments could convince him. Her expression changed from fear to determination. She locked eyes with John.

"I'm here to save you John. I came back from the future to save you from the machine," she conceded, peering over at Cameron.

John gasped to hear Riley referring to Cameron as a machine for the first time. "Why would I need to be saved from her?"

Riley remained silent.

"I can make her tell if you wish," Cameron chimed in.

John beckoned her with his hand to hold on. Cameron complied despite her desire to make Riley confess everything.

"Riley please, the whole story or I won't prevent Cameron from…"

"Right, John! Cameron!" Riley snapped. "You gave it a name. But this is not a person. It's a machine, John, and it's manipulating you so you rely solely on it and not on humans anymore. In the future, you don't speak or see anyone but the machine. When it turns against you, SkyNet will win. Can't you see that John?" she contemptuously threw.

In a fluid swift motion, Cameron came up to Riley and grabbed her by her neck in an attempt to stop her reasoning. "That won't happen. I'm loyal to John," she said.

Riley choked, mostly in surprise. But Cameron controlled the strength of her grip so that Riley could continue to breathe. However, Riley started to panic, thinking she was only a few minutes away from her death. Terminators are built to do only one thing which they do emotionlessly and efficiently: kill people. However, at the verge of her death, Riley continued to glare at the machine defiantly.

"You think that's enough? You think John will believe you on parole? No machine can be trusted. John never told me you were a machine, but he told me he didn't trust you," she blurted.

John flinched. He remembered telling Riley about it, at a recent time when he wanted to escape his fate. He hoped it wouldn't affect Cameron, so he looked over her and was relieved for once to see her blank expression. John considered that he knew most of what he considered to be the truth at that point. But there was always this slight doubt about Cameron's motives since she'd reverted, so he decided to let her handle the interrogation. For now…

Cameron didn't show it, but Riley's statement had disturbed her more than she could admit. John doesn't trust me anymore? To her, Riley's affirmation was only a confirmation of John's recent behavior, despite these last two days during which he seemed to relent. She wondered why it affected her so much.

"I would die for him," she declared with conviction, maybe more to convince herself than Riley.

"You cannot die, only people die. You can only be destroyed. Or better yet, go dismantle yourself," Riley retorted. Her face was red.

"John still needs me to protect him and help him defeat SkyNet," Cameron reminded.

"Riley, was everything… fake between us?" John chimed in. He desperately wanted to know.

"No, not everything," Riley said. "The encounter was arranged alright, but I really fell in love with you. How can you turn that down? The machine will never be able to give you what I did."

Cameron left hand twitched at this statement. She tightened her grip and effortlessly lifted Riley off the ground. "You're a threat. I can't let you live."

"Cameron!" John intervened. "Don't!"

"Go on, kill me. Others will come after me." Riley spat, wheezing. She was trying to be brave, but the voice was a bit shaky and tears started to drip down her cheeks. She knew that with her fate in the hands of an angry machine, she only had seconds left to live and that scared her. She thought with irony that she managed to escape from the deadly future only to get killed by a terminator.

"She's a real threat John, we cannot let her live," Cameron explained as she looked over to John.

John knew Cameron was right in absolute terms, but he wasn't ready to see yet another person dying in the name of his fate, especially Riley from whom he was so close just moments ago even if she had betrayed him.

"Cameron, let her go," John calmly said.

Cameron looked at John in lack of understanding. "But…"

John knew he could order Cameron to let Riley go and that she would comply without hesitation, but probably without understanding why either. Terminators were not programmed to show mercy. He decided to explain Cameron his point of view and eventually to let her choose Riley's fate, hoping she would understand and stick to his explanation. Whatever her decision, there were much to lose for him, either his own safety or his respect for Cameron. Even if it would probably bring him more trouble, he deeply preferred the first option.

"Cameron, please let her go," John begged Cameron. "I'm tired of seeing people dying for me. Now I'm informed about this new threat now and I'll get prepared to it… with your help. We'll track and find this Jesse Flores. Now I let the decision in your hands, but I would like you to let her go."

Riley considered at this point she had no more hope because she had no doubt what the cold and soulless machine's decision would be.

Cameron's mission directives were clear: Protect John and eliminate all threats, a mission that future John had given her. Now his younger self was asking her to go against this directive, in other words to make the conscious choice to break free from her programming to a certain extent. This was an extremely difficult decision for her to make, as she realized there was no good or bad decision, just a decision to take in regard to her own values. She processed the quandary for a moment that seemed like forever for the three of them.

John held his breath, Riley could barely do so and Cameron, well, she never needed to.

Cameron's eyes flashed blue when she made her decision. She released her grip and Riley slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Is she…?" John asked, concerned.

"No, she has just passed out. She will recover in a minute or two, without any aftereffect apart from a bruise," Cameron flatly stated. Despite having chosen to follow John's advice, she felt no relief or satisfaction.

John slightly sighed in relief. Thank you, Cameron.

Cameron took John's hand and motioned him to leave the storeroom. "We have to go, now!" she commanded.

"Why should we leave?" John inquired.

"Jesse Flores might come to seek Riley or worse, to finish the mission and try to destroy me," Cameron explained.

"No! I don't want to lose you!" John's unexpected emotional response came so fast he had no time to control it.

Cameron froze and looked at John in surprise but had no time to say or do anything as they bumped into a stunned Morris at the moment they left the storeroom. His eyes were glassy and his body attitude let no doubt he was drunk but he was peering at the couple in front of him in shock.

John and Cameron immediately realized he'd witnessed the scene with Riley. But for how long? John looked at Cameron whose face was only expressing disbelief. She couldn't understand how she never detected him. She felt guilty for not scanning the area the whole time and discovered she was too engrossed in her hate of Riley and concern to lose John to just acknowledge her tactical systems' prompt to.

"Why did your sister treat your girlfriend like this?" Morris asked.

"Riley is not my girlfriend anymore," John stated.

"Right," Morris said with an embittered smile, looking at Cameron's and John's still joined hands. That was the right subject to make him angry and he threw himself into. "What's going on with you two? Cameron is so jealous when you're with your girlfriend. I can't believe what she did to Riley," he continued.

"Morris, we…"John started but he was cut off by Morris.

"And how could she just lift Riley off her feet anyway?" he asked just as if it just popped out of his mind.

"I work out every day," Cameron lightly stated with an innocent fake smile on her face. It has worked with Eric at the library, so she thought it could work with a drunken Morris too.

John tried to make use of Morris' state to try to get out of the delicate situation. "You're drunk Morris, she's just pushed her, I mean look at her, how could she do that?" he said convincingly.

But it didn't work. "I know what I saw, I just can't explain it," Morris retorted. However, his mind was still fuzzy with alcohol and he couldn't decide what was the most disturbing to him between Cameron's extraordinary display of strength or the weird relation between her and John. He knew that John wouldn't tell him anything more and he thought the latter would be the start of an explanation as well was a way to eliminate his frustration about Cameron.

"And you," he pointed a finger at John. "I see how you look at her sometimes. Brothers don't look at their sisters like this."

Morris' speech was surprisingly coherent for a drunken person, but his disappointment about Cameron's denial to be with him and the anger to see her and John being so close was too strong.

"I don't want to lose you!" Morris repeated ironically, mimicking John's earlier statement and expression. "And Cameron acts like there's only you in her world. I'm starting to wonder if you're really brother and sister," he continued. The Connor family has always been weird and mysterious to him and he was starting to suspect something, although without figuring out what.

"You're talking absolute nonsense Morris. You better go back home and rest," John advised him.

But Morris stared at John and persisted. "Who are you?"

John realized there was no point trying to reason with him anymore. "Morris, I think you better forget what you've just seen, for your own good," he told him a bit menacingly, now upset at the realization of a new potential problem.

On her side, Cameron was torn again. Morris was suspecting something and her logic was telling her she should terminate him right away. But she had learned a lesson just moments ago and she decided not to do anything. She wasn't pleased about this new problem however and felt annoyed it was mostly her fault again. In addition to her neglecting to scan the area during Riley's interrogation, she wondered if these new feelings she was confusedly going through were not starting to make her making mistakes.

John and Morris stared at each other for a moment until a slight moan came from the storeroom, as Riley was regaining consciousness. This broke the heavy tension and recalled Cameron of the urgency to leave. She considered that they had lost too much time in the discussion. She strengthened her grip on John's hand forcefully took him away, leaving Morris with his frustration and unanswered questions.

Morris ventured towards the storeroom's entrance, only to find Riley holding her throat and trying to get up with difficulty. He rushed towards her to help her on her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"I don't know," Riley answered with a harsh voice. At the moment, she was just wondering why she was still alive.

Reassured about Riley's health, Morris looked at the corridor into the direction John and Cameron just left. Who are they? he mentally repeated his question.

###

Dragged along towards the exit by Cameron, John tried to fathom her thoughts, but her face was totally blank so he just couldn't interpret anything.

Cameron lead him through the halls and then towards the school parking lot, directly to their SUV's exact location.

"How did you know?" John asked with eyes wide in surprise.

"I overheard Sarah telling you she would bring the SUV for us and I pinpointed it earlier. I know you have the spare keys. Let's go." Cameron answered. "I take shotgun," she added with a ghost of a smile while taking the passenger's seat.

John marveled at how Cameron never let anything to chance when it comes to his security.

The car shot off and rapidly disappeared into the night. The atmosphere in the car was silent and tense. John was almost constantly gritting his teeth and shaking his head, keeping his eyes on the road, never to look over at Cameron.

Cameron didn't look more relaxed. She sat still with her hands on her lap, her stare rooted on the road as well, she never let go of her blank expression. However, she was deeply thinking, wondering about John's current train of thoughts.

I've thwarted Jesse Flores and Riley's plan. All serious threat is warded off for now, beside Morris. I've saved John's live, but at what cost? I've probably lost him.

###

John and Cameron had been driving for a few minutes since leaving the parking lot, during that time neither of them had spoken a word. The only sound in the passenger compartment was coming from the radio which was softly playing some old hits.

John was upset. He had to constantly persuade himself he wasn't dreaming. Not only there was this new problem with Morris, but every time he wanted to forget about his fate, it always managed to come back in a very dramatic way and today was a brilliant demonstration. He couldn't believe that Riley had come from the future and been part of a conspiracy against him. He was so sure she was a normal girl in the company of whom he could have forgotten his glorious fate, be it for a short moment. How cruel, it was precisely her who abruptly reminded him. He realized Cameron had been right from the start, as she always was when it came to his safety.

How could I have been so blind?

What deeply annoyed him too was that humans actually plotted – will plot – against him. If fighting against SkyNet wasn't hard enough, he had to cope with internal disagreements as well. He knew he couldn't rally everybody to his point of view and that a leader always had to take controversial decisions at one point, but that wasn't good news for his future leadership. On top of that, the motive of the rebellion was unsettling. His future self apparently didn't trust anybody else but Cameron.

How could it happen? What type of relation did future me have with Cameron?

He briefly looked over Cameron but averted his eyes almost immediately when he saw her turning her head to look at him too.

He remembered she told him she knew that 'being John Connor can be lonely' and that they've 'talked a lot about it together'. She hadn't told him much about the future and he didn't want her to, but tonight's events unveiled some information about his future self that seemed to corroborate the little Cameron had previously told him.

Cameron seemed to be close to future me. How much close? To what extent did I trust her?

He knew Cameron received the prime directive from future him to protect him and that she would willingly offer her life to fulfill it, but he always had this irking doubt about her loyalty that prevented him to fully trust her. Riley had involuntarily brought him the external and objective point of view he needed to make up his mind about Cameron.

In the light of recent developments, John reconsidered Cameron's extraordinary devotion to him. Okay, she had programmed mission directives. Okay, she was a cyborg who never tires to fulfill its mission, but he felt there was something more in Cameron's commitment, something that allowed her to achieve unbelievable things his previous mechanical protectors couldn't. She'd taken a huge risk tonight to save him against his own will. What a lesson of humility she taught him! He thought he was the superior intelligence, but her artificial one actually showed more insight, courage and perseverance than his. Knowing her directive to follow his orders, he knew how much uncomfortable it must have been for her. He realized he could fully trust her and he felt ashamed that he didn't sooner. A tear dripped from his right eye he hastened to wipe with the back of his hand. He hoped he did before Cameron could see it.

On her side, Cameron looked quiet in the passenger seat. However, the calm façade was just hiding the turmoil in her head. John glanced at her and she turned her head in his direction, but he immediately averted his stare. To her great regret, he didn't look like he wanted to talk with her about tonight's events.

So she tried to analyze on her own the contradiction between the fact she finally successfully thwarted the twisty plot against John and the fact she felt no satisfaction for this achievement. In actual fact, it was quite the opposite, the reason of the dissatisfaction being, she had to take action against John's will, even if it was for his own good. She'd decided since long she preferred protecting him at all costs, including against his will, than taking the risk to see him injured or worse, killed. But at the current moment, if she had been human, she would have cursed fate to be so cruel with her. Instead, the cyborg merely found that the events did not turn the way she hoped. Yet, the result was the same. John looked upset with her even if he finally understood what happened. She didn't fail to notice his closed attitude since they left. She felt desperately uncomfortable, as once again she didn't know what to do.

Cameron turned to John again and briefly saw a tear down his cheek just before he wiped it away. She turned her head back on the road, pretending she didn't notice it and stayed silent. She didn't dare to disturb him. The unpleasant sensation grew. For Cameron, it was a confirmation of her current thoughts. Not only was John upset, he was sad too. Sad, most likely because he'd lost Riley as well as his dreams of normalcy and it was all her fault. She'd done the right thing for his safety, what he would surely understand, but he would perhaps never forgive her. This is why she thought she had perhaps lost him. In such a case, she would continue to be his protector. Her mission would be safe, but she confusedly felt she would have much more to lose.

It was clearly a disillusion for her. Why trying to get closer to John if it hurts so much?

Hurt? Why should it hurt me as soon as the mission is fulfilled?

She'd experienced unpleasant sensations before, when John scolded her or when he was with Riley, but what she was currently feeling was so strong and unexpected. She remembered she'd felt a similar sensation only once before, a long time ago. The memory flashed on her HUD.

###

General Connor's private quarters, Crystal Peak, 2027

Cameron knocked at the heavy metal door flanked by two impressive T-800 'Uncle Bob' terminators.

"Come in," came the muffled voice from inside.

Cameron entered and gently closed the door behind her, came in front of a seated General Connor and stayed up, her hands clasped in her back. "You asked to see me, John?"

"Yes Cameron. Please have a seat," he motioned her.

Cameron complied and neatly placed her hands in her lap. She waited for John to speak, but he seemed to search for the right words, which was unusual. He looked like he was in a dither. "What's wrong John?" she asked, a slight look of worry on her face.

"Cameron, I have to entrust you with an important mission," he finally let go, like he was announcing bad news.

"I'm ready John. What is it?" she inquired.

He sighed. "We've gathered intel that reports SkyNet has used its TDE a few hours ago. It's highly likely that it has sent another terminator in the past to kill me. We only have a rough idea about when. It's in 1999."

Cameron immediately made the connection and understood what John had in mind. "Do you want to send me back in time?" she asked.

"…to protect my younger self, yes" he completed. "Considering the little information we have, this will be a very difficult mission and I think you're the only person who can fulfill it."

"But John, who will ensure your safety if I'm gone?" Cameron argued, the feeling of worry growing.

"Nobody can do it better than you did during these last few months Cameron," he said with a slight smile of gratitude. "But you have to understand that if I'm killed in the past, there will be nobody left for you to protect in the present," he explained.

Cameron perfectly understood the logic of John's reasoning. However, she couldn't resign herself to the idea of leaving John unprotected. "John please, I don't want to go, I want to stay with you," she blurted out, not quite sure why she expressed her feelings this way.

John couldn't quite prevent himself from gaping at Cameron's unexpected burst of emotion, but he knew he had to dismiss her plea. So he looked away and simply replied, "Go and prepare yourself. You'll leave this evening."

Cameron tentatively reached and touched his arm in a desperate act to understand. She didn't consciously ask for them, but her systems displayed John's vitals on her HUD. His blood pressure was high. He was agitated. He was upset. John entrusts me with an important mission but he doesn't want me to stay with him anymore, she thought. Why is he upset with me? Did I do something wrong? Why wouldn't he tell me?

"John?" she ventured.

"Please Cameron… go. We'll meet at 21:00 in the TDE room," John said tersely again. Cameron noticed that his speech was determined but his body language was contradictory. She had no clue why though so she had to resign herself.

"Okay John, 21:00 in the TDE room," she acknowledged, while lowering her eyes to avert his gaze, she then turned and left the room without an answer to her questions and an unpleasant feeling of rejection. She closed the door as gently as when she entered. When she did, she glanced over before it fully closed and noticed that John remained seated and never looked up at her.

But John couldn't reconcile himself to watching her leaving. His will was dangerously faltering. He feared that if he looked at her now, he would rush to hug her, kiss her, never ever to let her go. After the door closed, he leaned back and let out a frustrated sigh. He began to mull over what had just been said and done between him and Cameron.

John had seen intensity in her eyes he never had before. He could read a complete flood of untold feelings that surprised him, as she was seldom displaying them so blatantly. His heart clenched as he recalled all the nights spent with her discussing, marveling at her intelligence for tactics but also at her innocence, the small things of life she learned and the satisfaction he felt at teaching her those things, at the pleasant surprise of her so rare laughs. On the eve of losing her, he realized how important for him she'd become. At this point, he was not thinking about her tactical skills. He gritted his teeth and slammed the table with his fist. Tears slipped from his eyes.

Oh Cam, if you knew how much I want you to stay… If you can really feel, will you forgive me one day?

###

Cameron recalled she didn't understand then why she had reacted like this. She'd thought she was defective and had launched a full system check that predictably revealed no malfunction.

She had called this memory because her current feelings were similar, but she noticed how similar John's reaction was too. She remembered that she didn't dare talking with him, the moment was not adequate, the mission was dominant and John had barely had time to give her all the information she needed for the mission before sending her in the past.

But tonight, the situation was different. There wasn't any emergency situation and she wasn't to leave him again. In addition, she had learned much about human's feelings since then, she understood them better. Cameron considered that she wouldn't make the same mistake this time. She had to know and maybe John would accept to help her sort her feelings out.

So after a long moment that looked like eternity for both of them, Cameron broke the heavy silence. "John, please, I don't want to go home now," she softly said.

It snapped John back from his own thoughts. He looked over Cameron. "What? Where do you want to go now? To the safehouse? Look, I don't think the situation…"

"No John, you don't understand me," she cut him off. "I would like you to find an isolated spot. We need to talk. I need to tell you something," Cameron said with a soft but serious tone.

Wow! It seems that maybe tonight's events finally affected her more than she showed. Her blank expression is an efficient way to conceal her feelings.

John nodded. He knew the perfect area from which they weren't too far away. A few minutes later, John stopped the SUV on a slightly woody area on a hill overhanging LA and its city lights. He cut the engine off. During the entire journey, Cameron looked like a statue and John wondered what was on her mind.

John patiently waited for Cameron to speak first. He had no precise idea what she wanted to talk about, although probably related to tonight's events. He didn't want to rush things either, she behaved so… far away from the machine she was. He observed her. It looked like she was admiring the beautiful view. Her eyes were sparkling as much as the city lights.

"I'm sorry John," Cameron finally decided herself, still looking at the view.

"Sorry for what?" John asked, surprised. Cameron apologizing was the last thing he was expecting at the moment.

"About Riley," she clarified.

"About Riley?" he repeated. Cameron apologizing about Riley was the last thing he was expecting, he corrected himself.

"Yes. I understand now what you were looking for while being with her. But I couldn't let you fall into her trap and I shattered your dreams." Only at that moment Cameron dared to look at him. "I had to. I'm sorry for that John."

John's jaw dropped. He had often heard Cameron apologizing, but he'd always doubted her sincerity. For the first time, he knew she really was, the insight of her speech and her attitude were conclusive. As for the reason for her apology, she was regretting that her protection mission had to come into conflict with his desire. It meant she weighted the consequences of her acts, at least which directly concerned him.

He realized how much wrong he had been and how much right she had been. He considered that obviously, it wasn't the right person who was apologizing. He thought it was more than time to reestablish the truth.

"No Cameron, I am sorry," John started, emphasizing on 'I'. "You were right about Riley, I was so blind I didn't believe you. You took a big risk tonight to sort it all out. Thank you," he sincerely apologized.

Cameron tilted her head, processing John's words. "You're not mad at me?" Cameron finally asked, surprised.

"How could I? I'm glad you saved my ass again," he said and favored her with a small reassuring smile.

Cameron realized that John wasn't upset about her, but for having been so gullible, he didn't see anything coming. She felt reassured about her mission. She realized also how John could bottle things up and hide his emotions. She wondered if future John's reaction when she left his room wasn't finally hiding something else than the indifference and rejection she initially considered. Now I understand you were upset because you had to send me back and not because of me. But why was that John?

John's explanation greatly alleviated Cameron's strain. "Thank you for understanding me John…"

However, even with John's comprehension, the discomfort of having to offend John slightly remained. There was a topic in connection that directly concerned her she wanted to discuss with him. "… but that is not all," Cameron added.

What now?

"I recently experienced the influence of unexpected internal factors that affected my capacity of judgment and therefore my mission," Cameron stated matter-of-factly.

John narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by unexpected internal factors?"

"I don't know. It's like I'm forced to do unwanted things. This is not adequate behavior to carry on my mission," Cameron tried to explain.

"How can you be forced to do something? You're supposed to follow your programming, aren't you?" John asked, maybe a bit too fast.

Cameron felt a bit hurt to be belittled to her sole programming again. However, she responded frankly. "My AI is designed to make use of any kind of input. It's constantly learning to integrate them," she explained.

John bit his lower lip. Of course, she had a learning CPU. Her behavior was its consequence, not its cause. "Sorry Cam, I didn't mean…"

He didn't finish, as a small smile graced Cameron's face in sign of forgiveness. He tried a more constructive approach. "When does that generally happen?" he asked, concerned.

"Most of the time when you are with Riley. John, I don't know what happens to me."

Okay, got it! "Cameron, I think that you are developing emotions and you're naturally integrating them. I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Developing… emotions?" Cameron asked, tilting her head and with a quizzical look on her face.

"Yeah, there are more and more things you like or dislike which feed your emotions. You know, people don't just feel emotions, it affects their behavior too," John explained. "I imagine you didn't like to see us dancing together and it is probably why you've been unnecessary rude."

Cameron felt the unpleasant sensation again at the recollection of the image of them tenderly embraced and her left hand slightly twitched. Fortunately for her, her hands were still resting in her lap, the right hand above the left, so John didn't notice.

Oh! She suddenly realized the relation between the unpleasant fact and her response to it. It was no malfunction, it was emotion.

"I understand John, but I think these emotions can only tamper with my assessment routines. I might take inadequate decisions. Maybe we will have to find a way to remove them. I can't afford…"

John flinched. He didn't realize how much this would hurt him until he actually had to face the idea, so he violently let his feelings come through again, like just before they stumbled upon Morris. "No!" he yelled, cutting her. He paused to calm down. "Um, I mean, you can't always make decisions based on sheer logic. Maybe it would be a good thing you consider your feelings as additional stimuli to your routines. I think they could only enrich the quality of your judgment, make it more complete, better."

"Make my judgment better," she repeated. "John, if this is this why I spared Riley's life, then I don't think it was a good decision. The threat remains. If I had killed her…"

Logic will always play a prominent role in her judgment. It's up to me now to introduce an emotional dimension now that she understands.

"The value of a decision rarely sizes itself up at the light of its sheer result," he snapped her. "You showed mercy tonight and I'm glad you did. I don't know what exact role Riley had in Jesse Flores' plan but still, she is a nice girl. I will never forgive her, but she surely didn't deserve to die. I don't want people to die for or because of me anymore. Never mind if the threat is still there. We know it, we will face it together."

Together, she pondered.

"Look, I can't tell you exactly why or how," he resumed, "but I'm sure it'll eventually be a good thing… make you a better person."

A better person. Cameron appreciated the term 'person'. It meant John was thinking of her as an equal.

However, she wasn't fully convinced by John's statement, but she decided to trust his judgment on the matter. Emotions seemed to be full natural components of a person, not a curse. She was unsure to why, but John seemed to be concerned that she kept her emotions. She was too, as becoming a person still fascinated her. After all, not all of these 'external factors' were noxious, she wondered about the strong one that drove her towards him she'd experienced since almost the day she met him.

"John, did I spare Riley's life because I wanted you to be satisfied with my action? Does that make me a better person?" she inquired.

"I guess so. But what are you getting at?" John asked, concerned by the fact that the topic seemed to greatly worry her.

"Sometimes, I feel compelled to do things in the only goal you're satisfied with me. Does that mean I'm developing emotions too?" Cameron innocently asked.

John blushed to Cameron's innocent question. She wanted to please me. John pretended not to understand, but he was curious about how she felt. "Okay. Carry on."

Cameron took a moment to find her words, showing John how intense her thoughts and her desire to understand were.

"I wanted to keep my promise because you taught me the value of a promise. Then I went through all the preparation so I looked perfect… for you. I tried to live the event as a person… for you," she confessed. "I'm not sure if I succeeded," she added with a sad look.

John was taken by surprise by Cameron's innocence and forthrightness. He didn't know exactly what to answer. "Cam, don't worry, you did well. The circumstances didn't help. Believe me, you were the most beautiful girl tonight."

This wasn't the answer she expected. She struggled to go farther. "I did it all… for you… I feel…" Cameron's voice trailed off. She was lost for words. She frowned and looked down in frustration. She couldn't find the words to express how she felt about John. Fate came to her rescue when the radio started playing the first notes of an old hit she recognized. Suddenly, she got out of the car, walked around and opened the driver's door.

John had no idea what she was up to.

She took John's hand and gently pulled it, prompting him to get out of the car too. John let Cameron guide him a few meters away from the car. She stopped and released his hand then stepped back a little. She stood with her arms alongside her body, her palms open facing John, her head tilted forward, looking down in an unexpected sign of surrender of her emotional fate into his hands. "You promised me," she enigmatically said.

What did I promise her? He couldn't remember. He focused, trying to remember, he didn't want to disappoint her, as he perfectly noticed Cameron's state of mind. Let's see. The music, the dress tryout, Cameron's concern for his security, he tried to reassure her, he bargained, so he promised…

"… I would dance with you," he ventured.

"Yes," she confirmed with a so tiny smile, but inwardly she was delighted he didn't forget, despite tonight's events at the party.

"I'll save the last dance for you, Cameron."

John reached and put his hand on Cameron's arm, at elbow's level. He delicately and slowly grazed her forearm's skin down to her hand which he finally took. He came closer and put his other arm around her waist and positioned himself at a distance he wished was comfortable for her. She let him do so and felt something reassuring in her closeness to him. In a sign to show him he was doing the right thing, she came closer so their bodies almost touched and she gently put her free hand on his shoulder. She looked up to John and greeted him with one of those slight but so expressive smiles only she was able to do. He could read gratitude in her eyes.

Look into my eyes - you will see

What you mean to me

Search your heart - search your soul

And when you find me there you'll search no more

Cameron rested her head on his shoulder and let her free hand slip to lay flat on his chest. She listened his heart beating. She thought it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. As long as she could hear it, she would be pleased. It was beating so fast, he wasn't indifferent to her close presence.

Look into your heart - you will find

There's nothin' there to hide

Take me as I am - take my life

I would give it all - I would sacrifice

John was extremely surprised by Cameron's behavior, even after the discussion they've just had. He realized how much she'd grown at the light of her recent demeanor. He considered that her own personality was building up and he thought it was something he had to help her with.

There's no love - like your love

And no other - could give more love

There's nowhere - unless you're there

All the time - all the way

Cameron let John guide her. He was the only one she would allow to. She trusted him to the point she could leave her life in his hands. He was her universe, her world that would mean anything without him.

I would fight for you - I'd lie for you

Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you

You know it's true

Everything I do - I do it for you

Did she choose this song on purpose? John wondered. It looks like the perfect song to express… John realized the plus in her devotion he couldn't quite fathom, her constant concern to please him, were actually her very own ways to love him. The dance was her unpremeditated way to declare her love which was, although confusedly and cryptically expressed, genuine. He thought there was something deeply human in her move to seek comfort into his arms after being so close to losing him. He realized that no human girl would give him a so deep and undying love. Cameron would always be there for him, she would always protect him, and she would always love him no matter what happens.

John placed his forefinger under her chin and he gently lifted her head. The vision he had stunned him, he was quite sure he would never see it. Tears were falling from Cameron's eyes. She locked eyes with him and stared at him intently. Her brown eyes were sparkling, yelling 'please don't push me away'. She had a distraught face and her makeup was now a mess, but he found she had never been so beautiful.

He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped a stray tear with his thumb, while staring at her with intensity. "I'm so sorry," he simply whispered and he leaned forward, slowly closing the distance between their lips. He kissed her ever so tenderly, so gently it could have been a dream.

Cameron felt like she had an electricity discharge and froze at the exact moment their lips made contact. Soon, her HUD displayed a number of warnings, her systems being overloaded with data pouring from almost all of her body sensors. She shivered in reaction.

After a short moment that seemed like eternity for both of them, he daintily broke contact.

Cameron looked at John with eyes wide open in surprise. She reached and brushed her lips with her forefinger. She'd imagined this moment so often, alternately desiring and dreading it, but the reality was beyond all her expectations. The pleasing sensation it provided spread all over her body and seemed to endure, never to end. Soon, she favored him with a slight but meaningful smile of satisfaction.

Encouraged, John kissed her again. This time, she slightly parted her lips in anticipation and passionately reciprocated the kiss, closing her eyes and placing one hand behind John's head. She didn't want to disappoint him when the day came, so she'd often observed how to kiss from various TV programs or at school. She even experienced it at school with a girl who accepted to teach her. But at this point, she found all this fuss useless, as she realized that kissing someone you have feelings for turned out to be so different and it all came to her naturally. Her tongue soon greedily searched for his.

Wow. She's learning fast! John thought to himself.

It was so good that Cameron could have kissed John forever, but he finally slowly withdrew, regretfully breaking contact with her. She stretched her neck in order to maintain the precious contact as long as she could, so John grazed her lips with his and then rested his forehead on hers.

The sensations were so diverse and intense she wanted to share. "John?" she whispered in his ear.

"Cam, please don't…" he whispered back, placing his finger on her lips.

Cameron understood it wasn't the right time to speak. They would have plenty of time later to talk about it. Now was the time to enjoy a sheer moment of recognition and shared happiness.

John placed his arm around Cameron and clasped his hands in the small of her back in a very protective position. In reply, she clasped her own hands behind his neck and placed her head just under his chin. They remained in this position a long moment she never wanted to interrupt, until John proposed, "Maybe we should go back home now. Mom might start to worry."

Cameron looked up at John. "Shall we have sex intercourse now?" she asked innocently.

"Uh, what?" John coughed, turning several shades of red.

"You said people make out or have sex with their dates after the party. I'm your date now, am I not?" Cameron inquired.

"Yeah you are, but listen, Cameron. This is only for people who are ready for it," John tentatively said, hoping not to offend her in her current emotional state.

"You don't want to have sex with me?" Cameron asked with a confused and innocent look.

Cameron's blunt question immediately roused John's hormones. How to resist such an indecent proposal? Cameron was such a beautiful girl and they loved each other. But John preferred to take it easy. Being the boyfriend of a cyborg was weird enough, he wanted to follow her emotional development before considering anything more. He wanted her to be conscious what this act meant, the recognition of their feelings towards each other, the joining of two souls and not only two bodies. The last thing he wanted was to use her as a sex doll. He admitted he wasn't ready either, the idea of making love with a cyborg was disturbing, even if Cameron looked so human and was able to display real emotions.

"Cam, I haven't said anything like this. I just don't want to take advantage of you. You and I are not ready. Let's see how our relationship grows first," he told her with a loving smile. He cupped her face and placed a light kiss on her lips.

However, John's hormones wouldn't admit defeat yet. Damn John, the most beautiful girl in the world wants to have sex with you and this all you can tell her? John forced himself to dismiss this thought.

"Oh, thank you for explaining," Cameron greeted him in sign of understanding. All the same, as John's girlfriend, she was now eager to experience sex with him, so her eyes couldn't hide a hint of disappointment.

They got back into the car. John fired the engine and they left. The journey back to the house was quiet but peaceful, light-years away from what it was one hour ago. They were both thinking that their only prom had finally been magic despite their initial mutual letdown.

Cameron had no special afterthought. She was just happy and proud to be John's girlfriend now. To her surprise, she found this feeling stronger than the satisfaction of having thwarted Riley's plan.

John was happy too, but he knew this was only the start of his problems. Currently, he was not thinking about Cameron, but about Sarah, and he was not thinking about explaining his mother about Riley's plan.

To hell with all that. She's hot!

He immediately thought about taking a cold shower to keep his hormones under control.

They arrived at the house at 2:37am. He expected Sarah to wait for them in the living room, arms crossed over her chest, frowning and ready to ask them for a good explanation. He knew they would inevitably be told off, considering the time at which they were returning.

So he reluctantly opened the entrance door and entered, expecting the worst. Though the light was still on in the living room, there was no sign of Sarah.

"Hello? It's us, we're back," he ventured.

No reply.

"Hello?" he repeated a little louder, heading towards the kitchen, so he didn't notice the mess in the living room.

There was still no reply. Suddenly, Cameron passed in front of him, her gun in hand. She nodded in the direction of the living room for John's attention, where all the furniture had been roughly moved and clothes messily lying on the floor.

She motioned him to stay behind her. Then she looked at the staircase where the trail of clothes seemed to lead them. Cameron carefully went up the stairs in full alert mode, constantly scanning the area for threats. She knew from – recent – experience that threats can come whenever you don't expect them.

John started to worry, but he couldn't reconcile himself to staying downstairs.

The trail of clothes was leading towards Sarah's room. Being in alert mode, Cameron made little attention to the nature of the clothes lying on the ground, dress, trousers and various piece of underwear. The red lace bra should have given her a clue nonetheless. Sarah's room door was left slightly ajar. Cameron turned to John and put her finger in front of her mouth to tell him not to make any noise and then pointed at his mother's room. John's worry grew.

Cameron's sensors registered no movement coming from the room, but some noise. Breathing. Steady breathing. At least there are people alive, she thought. Wait! Two breathes? That was unexpected, so she thought something serious could have happened. A thermal scan confirmed but she was surprised at the fact the bodies' heat was elevated. With feline grace, she quickly and silently went to the other side of the door where she could operate the handle.

Staying behind the wall, she pushed the door open. No shouts or shots came. So after a few seconds, she decided to take a look into the room.

She quickly positioned herself in the door frame and then, to John's surprise, she relented, smiling.

What the hell? John rushed to find out what amused Cameron so much. He looked into the room, only to discover his mother naked in bed with Derek, both of them sleeping peacefully.

"Mom!" John shouted in shock.

John's cry abruptly woke the two sleepers up. With years of training behind her, it took Sarah just a couple of seconds to get to her senses and identify the intruders.

In spite of the early stirrings of a headache, she first hailed the two reckless teenagers. "Hey, come on in and enter my room, don't mind me!" Cameron complied and made a stride into the room but soon received a well aimed pillow right into her head. She stopped and looked at Sarah, confused about Sarah's blatant contradictory behavior.

Then Sarah realized that she was naked. She promptly lifted the bed sheet over her breast and prepared herself to scold John and Cameron even louder when she noticed Derek's presence beside her. He looked embarrassed and he was… naked too. Sarah opened wide eyes and a total look of misunderstanding showed on her face.

"Derek, what are you doing naked in my bed?" she yelled.

"Uh well, we…" started Derek.

"No… no way… don't you say a word, Reese!" Sarah snapped him in complete denial of what he was about to say. Then she turned to John and Cameron. "This is not what you think John."

"So what am I supposed to think, mom?" John answered, trying to stay serious. But the relief that nothing dreadful had happened and the comical situation made him soon chuckle.

Cameron chimed in. "I think they copulated to conceive a child. Another Connor boy would be disturbing to SkyNet. I believe this is a clever strategy. I understand now your late salty diet to promote likelihood of spawning a boy."

Everybody looked at Cameron eyes wide open. She had her totally blank expression on, so it was impossible to determine if she was serious or not.

Sarah pointed a finger to Cameron. "You, shut up!" Then she tried to explain the unexplainable to her son. "Listen John, after we got back into the house, we decided to have a little party of our own and a few drinks. We thought there was nothing wrong…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Derek and realized the sheer truth, "Oh no…" she let go in sign of defeat.

John went upset at the realization she'd allowed herself what she denied him.

"No shenanigans, uh?" he said, looking Sarah right in her eyes. "Okay. So, since it's the right time to publicly make out, well…"

He snaked his arm around Cameron's waist and forcefully pressed his lips on hers, leaning her back exaggeratedly. He passionately kissed a very surprised Cameron who grabbed his shoulder not to fall back.

Sarah and Derek gaped in awe. The scene let them both speechless.

A few moments later, he broke the kiss and helped Cameron to set herself upright.

He looked again Sarah right into her eyes and said. "We're square."

Before John took her hand and led her towards his room, Cameron was foolishly smiling with unfocused eyes, savoring the moment. She abruptly disappeared from the door frame in surprise, as if a tornado had taken her away. She just had the time to think how close to the general she once knew this John had become.

THE END

For those who did not recognize, the lyrics are from the song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" from Brian Adams, original soundtrack from the movie "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", 1991 with Kevin Costner and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.