Skin and Bone (Terminator: tscc, John/Jesse/Derek)
They made quite a pair: Jesse and Derek. Always so thoroughly fucked that it was no wonder that they were famously fucked up.
Even Derek wanting to rip her to shreds didn’t come out right. It started with that low dangerous tone that always pissed her off and progressed to her yelling and shoving a finger in his face. “You don’t know! You. Don’t. Know.” Her fingers went from his face to his neck and she squeezed his throat even as she dragged him down and brought their mouths together. There was clashing of teeth and Derek ripped her hand from his neck and pushed her back against the wall, pinning her with his entire body.
And all through this, John fucking Connor stood there by her window. He was half in shadow and he was watching them.
Derek glanced back at him. He was prepared to stop, step away from her for a leader not yet grown. It was so much like the future in which Connor was never really there. He was just a faceless shadow they all lived under. Lived for. Died for.
All for the great John Connor.
Jesse laughed. “What’s wrong? Does he want to join in?” She shifted as much as she could so she could speak to Connor. “You want to join in?”
Derek yanked her forward an inch and then slammed her back into the wall.
That put her right back in his face. “What’s wrong?” she demanded. “Is he too good to fuck around with us people, ones who break and bleed, got real fucking skin and bone?” She answered herself. “Of course he is. Barely even human himself - where it counts.”
Derek slammed her back against the wall again, hard enough that the world spun for moment but she was awarded with a movement from Connor’s position and a low sound that might have been a halted protest.
She almost forgot. This one got hurt. He hadn’t had time to make all his soft spots as hard as metal.
Fixing Jesse with one hard look, Derek called back. “John, come here.”
For the first time Jesse had seen, Connor took an order. He came out of the shadows, a pretty-faced young boy with sharp. He stopped beside Derek.
Derek kept her pinned to the wall with a one hand against her shoulder and a thumb pressing into her neck but he took a good step back. His other hand went to Connor’s. It closed over the top of the boy’s hand and brought it up until it rested against Jesse’s cheek.
“You feel that?” Derek asked. He dragged Connors hand downward so that it slipped off her face and went down the side of her neck. “That’s real fucking skin.” It moved over her heart. “That’s real fucking bone.” It slid over a breast. “That’s human.”
Their hands came to rest on the thin fabric covering Jesse’s stomach. She reached up slowly and covered their hands with one of her own. It was the lack of movement that reminded her that she was holding her breath, probably had been since skin first met skin. She breathed out and let her head rest against the wall.
Connor was still staring at their hands, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing. Derek now looked at her and Jesse closed her eyes.
Let it never be said she couldn’t recognize a threat when she saw one.
John Connor was human but he was never meant to be, not to her or any of the other soldiers, not when humanity needed a messiah more than it needed a man. Nobody was to know. If, by chance, they did, they were never to speak of it again.
Derek never would. He was too devoted. To John. To Kyle.
Jesse never would. She wouldn’t live long enough for that.
Jesse closed her hand around Derek’s and John’s. She just gave away her small chance at life so she could reach out and touch the great John Connor.
Figures.
Even Derek wanting to rip her to shreds didn’t come out right. It started with that low dangerous tone that always pissed her off and progressed to her yelling and shoving a finger in his face. “You don’t know! You. Don’t. Know.” Her fingers went from his face to his neck and she squeezed his throat even as she dragged him down and brought their mouths together. There was clashing of teeth and Derek ripped her hand from his neck and pushed her back against the wall, pinning her with his entire body.
And all through this, John fucking Connor stood there by her window. He was half in shadow and he was watching them.
Derek glanced back at him. He was prepared to stop, step away from her for a leader not yet grown. It was so much like the future in which Connor was never really there. He was just a faceless shadow they all lived under. Lived for. Died for.
All for the great John Connor.
Jesse laughed. “What’s wrong? Does he want to join in?” She shifted as much as she could so she could speak to Connor. “You want to join in?”
Derek yanked her forward an inch and then slammed her back into the wall.
That put her right back in his face. “What’s wrong?” she demanded. “Is he too good to fuck around with us people, ones who break and bleed, got real fucking skin and bone?” She answered herself. “Of course he is. Barely even human himself - where it counts.”
Derek slammed her back against the wall again, hard enough that the world spun for moment but she was awarded with a movement from Connor’s position and a low sound that might have been a halted protest.
She almost forgot. This one got hurt. He hadn’t had time to make all his soft spots as hard as metal.
Fixing Jesse with one hard look, Derek called back. “John, come here.”
For the first time Jesse had seen, Connor took an order. He came out of the shadows, a pretty-faced young boy with sharp. He stopped beside Derek.
Derek kept her pinned to the wall with a one hand against her shoulder and a thumb pressing into her neck but he took a good step back. His other hand went to Connor’s. It closed over the top of the boy’s hand and brought it up until it rested against Jesse’s cheek.
“You feel that?” Derek asked. He dragged Connors hand downward so that it slipped off her face and went down the side of her neck. “That’s real fucking skin.” It moved over her heart. “That’s real fucking bone.” It slid over a breast. “That’s human.”
Their hands came to rest on the thin fabric covering Jesse’s stomach. She reached up slowly and covered their hands with one of her own. It was the lack of movement that reminded her that she was holding her breath, probably had been since skin first met skin. She breathed out and let her head rest against the wall.
Connor was still staring at their hands, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing. Derek now looked at her and Jesse closed her eyes.
Let it never be said she couldn’t recognize a threat when she saw one.
John Connor was human but he was never meant to be, not to her or any of the other soldiers, not when humanity needed a messiah more than it needed a man. Nobody was to know. If, by chance, they did, they were never to speak of it again.
Derek never would. He was too devoted. To John. To Kyle.
Jesse never would. She wouldn’t live long enough for that.
Jesse closed her hand around Derek’s and John’s. She just gave away her small chance at life so she could reach out and touch the great John Connor.
Figures.