FIC: Another Chance
TITLE: Another Chance
AUTHOR: Demona aka azraelz_angel
PAIRING: John Connor / Derek Reese
SUMMARY: Derek used to fantasize about John in the future. Now he will get the opportunity.
RATING: NC17
WARNING: Uncle/nephew relationship, underage John
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles belong to Fox, etc. The ideas and concepts in this story are mine entirely. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
NOTES: Set AU after 4.10 "Strange Things Happen At The One Two Point"
Sadly my muse decided to write more plot than porn, but I hope this works regardless.
BETA: The wonderful Amara_M! All remaining mistakes are my own.
Written for: rounds_of_kink
Day Due: December 7th
Prompt: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John Connor / Derek Reese, "What the hell did you think you were doing?", rescue (danger and rescue in general, e.g., abductions)
Prompter: mickey_stone
Los Angeles
January 2009
All he could smell was fire. The building was burning down all around him, but he had to keep going. Had to find Jesse, find her before everything burned. He coughed, lungs already filling with smoke and making it hard to breathe.
He tripped over something and his hands immediately spread out in front of him and took the brunt of the force as he crashed to the floor. Jesse lay beneath him, soot smeared across her beautiful face, and her chest remained still, not breathing. A window burst and fire and more smoke billowed into the room. He threw up his arm to protect himself from the intense heat. Deep down he was starting to realize this was a suicide mission, and that perhaps he wasn’t going to make it out of here alive. He coughed and threw up. It was getting harder to breathe.
His hands slid over Jesse’s body, quickly patting her down, seeking out what he’d followed her back in here for. His hands slid across the metal tucked in her bra and a small, relieved smile curled up the corners of his mouth. He dug it out, fingers wrapping tightly around it, before he slid it into the cargo pocket of his pants. He pushed himself to his feet and immediately dropped back down. The smoke was too thick, he’d have to crawl out, hope he made it before the smoke and fire got him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
He awoke with a gasp, lungs pulled in clean fresh air, too much all at once, and he started coughing. Dimly he was aware of hands on him, someone saying his name, but the darkness pulled him back under.
The second time he woke, he was in a motel room spread out on top of the scratchy, cheap comforter. His lungs burned as he pulled in each breath of air. But the burning meant he was alive, and that someone had pulled him out of that building.
John walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on his jeans, and stopped when he noticed that Derek was awake. They both just stared at one another, Derek unsure how to even begin the conversation with John. He had betrayed John, betrayed the trust that the Connors had bestowed upon him. It didn’t take a lot for Jesse to convince him that Cameron needed to be destroyed. Metal was never to be trusted. Only neither John ever got that message.
“You should probably take a shower. I grabbed the duffel out of the truck. There are spare clothes in there for you,” John told him, finally breaking the silence with a nod of his head toward the duffel bag tossed on the nightstand.
“Okay,” Derek quietly acknowledged. He swung his feet over the side of the bed, the movement triggered another coughing fit. John was at his side immediately, holding out a bottle of water and rubbing small circles along his back.
“Breathe through it. It’ll pass. You’re lucky to be alive,” Derek dimly heard John speak. Finally the coughing passed and Derek could breathe normally again. He took a couple swallows of water before handing the bottle back to John. “Let’s get you into the shower. Rinse the smoke off,” John suggested as he helped Derek to his feet.
Carefully Derek made his way to the small dismal bathroom in the room. John hovered close, but didn’t touch him.
“I’ll be out here,” John stated when they both got to the bathroom door.
“Okay.” Derek gave a short nod and stepped into the bathroom. He pushed the door closed, but left it cracked. For some reason it just didn’t seem right to close it completely, to lock himself inside and John out there.
~*~*~*~*~*~
He’d been expecting John to be relaxed, lounging on the bed or in the ratty chair when he finally got out of the shower. He certainly didn’t expect him to be waiting just outside the door for him. The look John leveled on him sent a shudder down his spine and goose bumps appeared along his arms despite the steamy heat that leaked out of the bathroom. He clutched his dirty clothes a little tighter to his body as he stepped forward, toward John and into the room.
“John?” Derek asked as he walked a few more steps out of the bathroom.
John remained silent but Derek could see the emotions playing over his face. John opened his mouth a couple times but nothing came out. Derek remained silent, waited for him to pick out what he wanted to say. Derek knew this was going to be it. John would flip out, decide he couldn’t be trusted - rightfully so - and tell him to get out. And Derek wouldn’t put up a fight. He wouldn’t argue. He’d just go, watch out for John from the sidelines and try to keep him safe any way he could. He owed him that much.
“God Derek, what the hell did you think you were doing?” John yelled at him, backed him up against the wall with the angry tone of his words alone.
There were so many things he needed to apologize for. His betrayal with Jesse was the biggest. “John, I’m sorry, I…” Derek started but John cut him off.
“I lost Cameron, I can’t lose you too!” John growled out as he closed the distance between them.
Derek was expecting a punch, expecting John to hit him, to hurt him for being a part of Jesse’s plan to destroy Cameron. He wasn’t expecting a kiss. John’s mouth was hot and pressed hard against his. Derek jerked his head back, banging it into the wall behind him. He pushed his palm hard against John’s chest, pushed him away from him so he could breathe - think.
“No John. We can’t…” Derek trailed off as he tried to keep John away.
“No. You don’t get to tell me we can’t. Because you want this too. I’ve seen the way you watch me. You watch me and you don’t think I know. But I watch you too,” John argued back, pushing hard against Derek’s hand.
The angle was wrong and John’s body strength won out over Derek’s odd arm angle. He pushed back in, pressed his lips against Derek’s again. And Derek resisted, resisted even as John ran his tongue along the seam of Derek’s lips. But he couldn’t hold back the moan as one of John’s hands settled on his hip, just above the towel. John took advantage of the moment and slid his tongue into Derek’s mouth. The dirty, smoky clothes that Derek was holding fell to a pile on the floor near their feet.
Derek hesitated for a moment, letting John do the kissing, before all of his internal reasons why this was a bad idea ran out and he kissed John back. He’d wanted this too long. Not necessarily wanted this John, but he’d wanted his John Connor for as long as he could remember. Everyone had a bit of a crush on John Connor, how couldn’t he? The guy was a hero; he was the leader of the human race - whatever was left of it. And Derek certainly had no idea then that he was John’s uncle, never would have allowed himself to fantasize about John like he did, if he had any clue. It was beyond fucked up, but that was the story of his life.
“Where’d you go?” John whispered against Derek’s neck as he sucked hard, marking his territory.
“Just thinking about the future,” Derek honestly answered.
“Do we… Are we? In the future?” John asked as he returned to Derek’s mouth, and pressed Derek fully against the door with his body. He could feel John’s erection grinding into his thigh.
“No. I…” Derek trailed off. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go down this road with John. Wasn’t sure he wanted to let him know just how fucked up his uncle really was.
“You what?” John pressed and pulled his head away to really look at Derek.
Derek flushed under John’s stare and his memory of the future. “I saved you once, much like you just did with me. I shoved you up against the burned remains of a building, screamed at you, wanted to know why you were so reckless when everyone needed you, when I needed you, and I kissed you.” Admitting the truth was a relief.
“Did I kiss you back?” John asked as he pulled Derek’s bottom lip between his teeth and sucked on it for a second, letting it go and licking away the sting.
“No. You just stood there and I backed away. I just thought it was because you were straight. I didn’t know…didn’t know it was because I was your uncle and you knew that. God John, we can’t do this. It just isn’t right. I’m your uncle. We’re family.” Derek argued and tried to push John away.
But John was strong, getting stronger by the day, and he refused to move. He pressed himself hard against Derek, pinned him, and wouldn’t let him go. John sought out his mouth, moved with Derek as he twisted and turned, trying to avoid contact. But in the end John won, John always won. Derek relented, let John kiss him, let John grind against him.
“Don’t care Derek. Don’t care,” John mumbled. And Derek let himself believe that for the time being, hoped that this wouldn’t fuck up the future.
John broke the kiss and moved back enough to yank the towel from around Derek’s hips. John looked down, watched as he wrapped his hand around Derek’s hard cock. Derek moaned, ridiculously loud in the quiet motel room. He was embarrassed at the noises coming out of him. In the past he’d kept absolutely quiet during sex. There was always someone or something nearby that could hear and to be caught with your pants down by metal was something no one wanted.
“Can’t wait to get you in my mouth, Derek. Do you want me to suck you? Swallow you down?” John asked as he pulled at Derek’s cock, thumb swiping over the wet head on every upward stroke, spreading the moisture as he slid his hand back down.
“Go on then, do it,” Derek managed to get out, putting some false bravado behind the words.
John sunk to his knees, didn’t hesitate for a second before his tongue reached out and lapped at the head of Derek’s cock. He swirled around it, licked up the shaft, and then swallowed it down.
“Jesus John,” Derek gasped out as his hands slid through John’s short hair, unable to find the hold he wanted. Finally he settled on cupping one hand around the back of John’s head, the other running back and forth through his hair.
John moaned around Derek’s cock, moaned as he continued to slide up and down, hard and fast. His free hand cupping Derek’s balls, rolling them gently around, tugging on them as he changed up his rhythm.
Derek knew he wasn’t going to last long, knew he wanted this, fantasized about this, for too long. “Gonna come, John. Not gonna last,” Derek managed to get out as he tried to pull John back up.
John ignored him as he stopped playing with Derek’s balls, his hand palming himself through his jeans as he continued licking Derek’s cock.
“John, John, this turns you on that much? Are you close John? Gonna come in your pants just from sucking my dick?” Derek asked as he watched John on his cock and working his own.
John rolled his eyes to meet Derek’s and that was it for Derek. He came, without warning. His hips thrust forward frantically into John’s mouth, and John took it, took it and let him work through his orgasm. He felt John swallowing around his dick, the movement vibrated through him, enough to have his dick jerking a few more times. He slumped back against the door as John pulled off his cock with one last lick at the head. His knees buckled and he slid down until he was on the floor with John. John’s eyes were wide, lust-filled, as he continued to rub his cock through his jeans.
Derek leaned forward and pressed his mouth against John’s, tongue immediately delving in to taste himself. The salty bitterness slid across his tongue and John moaned. He pulled back, panting with John as he slid his own hand down to join John’s as they worked to bring him off. It didn’t take long, only a few more slides of their joined hands across John’s dick and he was coming. Derek stroked him through it, kept going as he felt the jeans dampen with John’s come. When he pulled his hand away and brought it up to his mouth to lick the wetness, John chased after those fingers with his tongue.
They were a tangled heap of limbs on the crappy motel carpet. Both of them were breathing heavily, the silence was comfortable this time, neither needing to say anything as they struggled to slow their heartbeats and breathing.
Finally Derek broke his silence. He needed to explain, needed John to understand why he did what he did.
“I loved Jesse. I loved her for years. She was it for me. Jesse said Cameron had been affecting the future, affecting you in the future, and it hadn’t been for the best. She came back, she was sent back by someone else, with the order to take Cameron out. I know Jesse. I know how to finish her sentences, I know what she is thinking, and I thought she was right. I thought she was sent back to do the right thing,” Derek explained and paused. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The betrayal still stung.
“Derek, you don’t need to…” John started, giving him the out.
“No. I do. I believed her. I trusted her even though we’d been apart for a long time and our futures were different. The Jesse I knew would have never done this. Or maybe it’s that the Derek I used to be would have done this, and now the Derek I’ve become can’t - won’t.
“I didn’t understand what Cameron meant to you. I didn’t understand how you could care about metal. But you do, and despite my dislike for her, you trust her.”
“She wasn’t evil, Derek. She wasn’t always truthful, she didn’t always do things the right, human, way, but she tried Derek. She did what she did to protect me, to keep me safe,” John explained. Derek watched as the tears welled up in John’s eyes as he refused to hold Derek’s gaze.
“John, grab my pants, would you?” Derek asked, pointing towards his discarded pants a few feet away.
John seemed to snap out of it, swiped a hand over his eyes, stretched out to grab the pants. Derek carefully dug around in the pocket of his pants and pulled something out. John’s eyes lit up when he realized it was Cameron’s chip. Derek held it out, let John take it from his hand. John’s thumb slowly traced over the piece of metal as he held it in his hand, and Derek watched as the tension drained out of his body now that Cameron was safe.
“Why? You hate her?” John finally asked as he looked up confused.
“You sent her back John. I trust the man I knew in the future, trust that he knew himself well enough to trust…Cameron,” Derek honestly answered.
“Thank you,” John whispered as he tugged Derek’s head down and pressed a watery kiss to his lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Derek and Sarah watched over John’s shoulder as he plugged Cameron’s chip into the computer, gave it enough juice to allow it to take over the system. Her visual came online and they waited as she rebooted. She focused her attention on John and he was identified in her system:
SUBJECT IDENTIFIED: JOHN CONNOR
TERMINATE
John tensed as he pushed himself back away from the machine.
“John.” Sarah was worried, wanted the machine shut down immediately. Derek’s stomach dropped as he realized the chip had been damaged.
TERMINATION OVERRIDE
John sagged back in his chair as the words flashed across the screen. Derek reached down and placed a reassuring hand on John’s shoulder. He swallowed hard. Bringing Cameron back could destroy the future if Jesse was right. He stared down at his hand resting on John’s shoulder. This was a complication that he hadn’t even imagined. He knew his relationship with John would influence the future, the question was how. He just hoped he’d made the right decisions.
AUTHOR: Demona aka azraelz_angel
PAIRING: John Connor / Derek Reese
SUMMARY: Derek used to fantasize about John in the future. Now he will get the opportunity.
RATING: NC17
WARNING: Uncle/nephew relationship, underage John
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles belong to Fox, etc. The ideas and concepts in this story are mine entirely. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
NOTES: Set AU after 4.10 "Strange Things Happen At The One Two Point"
Sadly my muse decided to write more plot than porn, but I hope this works regardless.
BETA: The wonderful Amara_M! All remaining mistakes are my own.
Written for: rounds_of_kink
Day Due: December 7th
Prompt: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John Connor / Derek Reese, "What the hell did you think you were doing?", rescue (danger and rescue in general, e.g., abductions)
Prompter: mickey_stone
Los Angeles
January 2009
All he could smell was fire. The building was burning down all around him, but he had to keep going. Had to find Jesse, find her before everything burned. He coughed, lungs already filling with smoke and making it hard to breathe.
He tripped over something and his hands immediately spread out in front of him and took the brunt of the force as he crashed to the floor. Jesse lay beneath him, soot smeared across her beautiful face, and her chest remained still, not breathing. A window burst and fire and more smoke billowed into the room. He threw up his arm to protect himself from the intense heat. Deep down he was starting to realize this was a suicide mission, and that perhaps he wasn’t going to make it out of here alive. He coughed and threw up. It was getting harder to breathe.
His hands slid over Jesse’s body, quickly patting her down, seeking out what he’d followed her back in here for. His hands slid across the metal tucked in her bra and a small, relieved smile curled up the corners of his mouth. He dug it out, fingers wrapping tightly around it, before he slid it into the cargo pocket of his pants. He pushed himself to his feet and immediately dropped back down. The smoke was too thick, he’d have to crawl out, hope he made it before the smoke and fire got him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
He awoke with a gasp, lungs pulled in clean fresh air, too much all at once, and he started coughing. Dimly he was aware of hands on him, someone saying his name, but the darkness pulled him back under.
The second time he woke, he was in a motel room spread out on top of the scratchy, cheap comforter. His lungs burned as he pulled in each breath of air. But the burning meant he was alive, and that someone had pulled him out of that building.
John walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on his jeans, and stopped when he noticed that Derek was awake. They both just stared at one another, Derek unsure how to even begin the conversation with John. He had betrayed John, betrayed the trust that the Connors had bestowed upon him. It didn’t take a lot for Jesse to convince him that Cameron needed to be destroyed. Metal was never to be trusted. Only neither John ever got that message.
“You should probably take a shower. I grabbed the duffel out of the truck. There are spare clothes in there for you,” John told him, finally breaking the silence with a nod of his head toward the duffel bag tossed on the nightstand.
“Okay,” Derek quietly acknowledged. He swung his feet over the side of the bed, the movement triggered another coughing fit. John was at his side immediately, holding out a bottle of water and rubbing small circles along his back.
“Breathe through it. It’ll pass. You’re lucky to be alive,” Derek dimly heard John speak. Finally the coughing passed and Derek could breathe normally again. He took a couple swallows of water before handing the bottle back to John. “Let’s get you into the shower. Rinse the smoke off,” John suggested as he helped Derek to his feet.
Carefully Derek made his way to the small dismal bathroom in the room. John hovered close, but didn’t touch him.
“I’ll be out here,” John stated when they both got to the bathroom door.
“Okay.” Derek gave a short nod and stepped into the bathroom. He pushed the door closed, but left it cracked. For some reason it just didn’t seem right to close it completely, to lock himself inside and John out there.
~*~*~*~*~*~
He’d been expecting John to be relaxed, lounging on the bed or in the ratty chair when he finally got out of the shower. He certainly didn’t expect him to be waiting just outside the door for him. The look John leveled on him sent a shudder down his spine and goose bumps appeared along his arms despite the steamy heat that leaked out of the bathroom. He clutched his dirty clothes a little tighter to his body as he stepped forward, toward John and into the room.
“John?” Derek asked as he walked a few more steps out of the bathroom.
John remained silent but Derek could see the emotions playing over his face. John opened his mouth a couple times but nothing came out. Derek remained silent, waited for him to pick out what he wanted to say. Derek knew this was going to be it. John would flip out, decide he couldn’t be trusted - rightfully so - and tell him to get out. And Derek wouldn’t put up a fight. He wouldn’t argue. He’d just go, watch out for John from the sidelines and try to keep him safe any way he could. He owed him that much.
“God Derek, what the hell did you think you were doing?” John yelled at him, backed him up against the wall with the angry tone of his words alone.
There were so many things he needed to apologize for. His betrayal with Jesse was the biggest. “John, I’m sorry, I…” Derek started but John cut him off.
“I lost Cameron, I can’t lose you too!” John growled out as he closed the distance between them.
Derek was expecting a punch, expecting John to hit him, to hurt him for being a part of Jesse’s plan to destroy Cameron. He wasn’t expecting a kiss. John’s mouth was hot and pressed hard against his. Derek jerked his head back, banging it into the wall behind him. He pushed his palm hard against John’s chest, pushed him away from him so he could breathe - think.
“No John. We can’t…” Derek trailed off as he tried to keep John away.
“No. You don’t get to tell me we can’t. Because you want this too. I’ve seen the way you watch me. You watch me and you don’t think I know. But I watch you too,” John argued back, pushing hard against Derek’s hand.
The angle was wrong and John’s body strength won out over Derek’s odd arm angle. He pushed back in, pressed his lips against Derek’s again. And Derek resisted, resisted even as John ran his tongue along the seam of Derek’s lips. But he couldn’t hold back the moan as one of John’s hands settled on his hip, just above the towel. John took advantage of the moment and slid his tongue into Derek’s mouth. The dirty, smoky clothes that Derek was holding fell to a pile on the floor near their feet.
Derek hesitated for a moment, letting John do the kissing, before all of his internal reasons why this was a bad idea ran out and he kissed John back. He’d wanted this too long. Not necessarily wanted this John, but he’d wanted his John Connor for as long as he could remember. Everyone had a bit of a crush on John Connor, how couldn’t he? The guy was a hero; he was the leader of the human race - whatever was left of it. And Derek certainly had no idea then that he was John’s uncle, never would have allowed himself to fantasize about John like he did, if he had any clue. It was beyond fucked up, but that was the story of his life.
“Where’d you go?” John whispered against Derek’s neck as he sucked hard, marking his territory.
“Just thinking about the future,” Derek honestly answered.
“Do we… Are we? In the future?” John asked as he returned to Derek’s mouth, and pressed Derek fully against the door with his body. He could feel John’s erection grinding into his thigh.
“No. I…” Derek trailed off. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go down this road with John. Wasn’t sure he wanted to let him know just how fucked up his uncle really was.
“You what?” John pressed and pulled his head away to really look at Derek.
Derek flushed under John’s stare and his memory of the future. “I saved you once, much like you just did with me. I shoved you up against the burned remains of a building, screamed at you, wanted to know why you were so reckless when everyone needed you, when I needed you, and I kissed you.” Admitting the truth was a relief.
“Did I kiss you back?” John asked as he pulled Derek’s bottom lip between his teeth and sucked on it for a second, letting it go and licking away the sting.
“No. You just stood there and I backed away. I just thought it was because you were straight. I didn’t know…didn’t know it was because I was your uncle and you knew that. God John, we can’t do this. It just isn’t right. I’m your uncle. We’re family.” Derek argued and tried to push John away.
But John was strong, getting stronger by the day, and he refused to move. He pressed himself hard against Derek, pinned him, and wouldn’t let him go. John sought out his mouth, moved with Derek as he twisted and turned, trying to avoid contact. But in the end John won, John always won. Derek relented, let John kiss him, let John grind against him.
“Don’t care Derek. Don’t care,” John mumbled. And Derek let himself believe that for the time being, hoped that this wouldn’t fuck up the future.
John broke the kiss and moved back enough to yank the towel from around Derek’s hips. John looked down, watched as he wrapped his hand around Derek’s hard cock. Derek moaned, ridiculously loud in the quiet motel room. He was embarrassed at the noises coming out of him. In the past he’d kept absolutely quiet during sex. There was always someone or something nearby that could hear and to be caught with your pants down by metal was something no one wanted.
“Can’t wait to get you in my mouth, Derek. Do you want me to suck you? Swallow you down?” John asked as he pulled at Derek’s cock, thumb swiping over the wet head on every upward stroke, spreading the moisture as he slid his hand back down.
“Go on then, do it,” Derek managed to get out, putting some false bravado behind the words.
John sunk to his knees, didn’t hesitate for a second before his tongue reached out and lapped at the head of Derek’s cock. He swirled around it, licked up the shaft, and then swallowed it down.
“Jesus John,” Derek gasped out as his hands slid through John’s short hair, unable to find the hold he wanted. Finally he settled on cupping one hand around the back of John’s head, the other running back and forth through his hair.
John moaned around Derek’s cock, moaned as he continued to slide up and down, hard and fast. His free hand cupping Derek’s balls, rolling them gently around, tugging on them as he changed up his rhythm.
Derek knew he wasn’t going to last long, knew he wanted this, fantasized about this, for too long. “Gonna come, John. Not gonna last,” Derek managed to get out as he tried to pull John back up.
John ignored him as he stopped playing with Derek’s balls, his hand palming himself through his jeans as he continued licking Derek’s cock.
“John, John, this turns you on that much? Are you close John? Gonna come in your pants just from sucking my dick?” Derek asked as he watched John on his cock and working his own.
John rolled his eyes to meet Derek’s and that was it for Derek. He came, without warning. His hips thrust forward frantically into John’s mouth, and John took it, took it and let him work through his orgasm. He felt John swallowing around his dick, the movement vibrated through him, enough to have his dick jerking a few more times. He slumped back against the door as John pulled off his cock with one last lick at the head. His knees buckled and he slid down until he was on the floor with John. John’s eyes were wide, lust-filled, as he continued to rub his cock through his jeans.
Derek leaned forward and pressed his mouth against John’s, tongue immediately delving in to taste himself. The salty bitterness slid across his tongue and John moaned. He pulled back, panting with John as he slid his own hand down to join John’s as they worked to bring him off. It didn’t take long, only a few more slides of their joined hands across John’s dick and he was coming. Derek stroked him through it, kept going as he felt the jeans dampen with John’s come. When he pulled his hand away and brought it up to his mouth to lick the wetness, John chased after those fingers with his tongue.
They were a tangled heap of limbs on the crappy motel carpet. Both of them were breathing heavily, the silence was comfortable this time, neither needing to say anything as they struggled to slow their heartbeats and breathing.
Finally Derek broke his silence. He needed to explain, needed John to understand why he did what he did.
“I loved Jesse. I loved her for years. She was it for me. Jesse said Cameron had been affecting the future, affecting you in the future, and it hadn’t been for the best. She came back, she was sent back by someone else, with the order to take Cameron out. I know Jesse. I know how to finish her sentences, I know what she is thinking, and I thought she was right. I thought she was sent back to do the right thing,” Derek explained and paused. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The betrayal still stung.
“Derek, you don’t need to…” John started, giving him the out.
“No. I do. I believed her. I trusted her even though we’d been apart for a long time and our futures were different. The Jesse I knew would have never done this. Or maybe it’s that the Derek I used to be would have done this, and now the Derek I’ve become can’t - won’t.
“I didn’t understand what Cameron meant to you. I didn’t understand how you could care about metal. But you do, and despite my dislike for her, you trust her.”
“She wasn’t evil, Derek. She wasn’t always truthful, she didn’t always do things the right, human, way, but she tried Derek. She did what she did to protect me, to keep me safe,” John explained. Derek watched as the tears welled up in John’s eyes as he refused to hold Derek’s gaze.
“John, grab my pants, would you?” Derek asked, pointing towards his discarded pants a few feet away.
John seemed to snap out of it, swiped a hand over his eyes, stretched out to grab the pants. Derek carefully dug around in the pocket of his pants and pulled something out. John’s eyes lit up when he realized it was Cameron’s chip. Derek held it out, let John take it from his hand. John’s thumb slowly traced over the piece of metal as he held it in his hand, and Derek watched as the tension drained out of his body now that Cameron was safe.
“Why? You hate her?” John finally asked as he looked up confused.
“You sent her back John. I trust the man I knew in the future, trust that he knew himself well enough to trust…Cameron,” Derek honestly answered.
“Thank you,” John whispered as he tugged Derek’s head down and pressed a watery kiss to his lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Derek and Sarah watched over John’s shoulder as he plugged Cameron’s chip into the computer, gave it enough juice to allow it to take over the system. Her visual came online and they waited as she rebooted. She focused her attention on John and he was identified in her system:
SUBJECT IDENTIFIED: JOHN CONNOR
TERMINATE
John tensed as he pushed himself back away from the machine.
“John.” Sarah was worried, wanted the machine shut down immediately. Derek’s stomach dropped as he realized the chip had been damaged.
TERMINATION OVERRIDE
John sagged back in his chair as the words flashed across the screen. Derek reached down and placed a reassuring hand on John’s shoulder. He swallowed hard. Bringing Cameron back could destroy the future if Jesse was right. He stared down at his hand resting on John’s shoulder. This was a complication that he hadn’t even imagined. He knew his relationship with John would influence the future, the question was how. He just hoped he’d made the right decisions.