Happy Birthday, Sarah by Miss Widget

Sarah slammed into the house, temper, adrenaline and aggravation making all her movements jerky as she dropped her bag and guns onto the couch.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Stupid stake out, stupid tyres, stupid waste of my bloody time!" Sarah ranted as she stormed through to the kitchen, yanking open the fridge to grab a bottle of water. She continued to mutter to herself as she wrestled with the uncooperative lid and gulped down the whole bottle. Slamming the empty bottle into the bin, she slumped back against the counter, wearily rubbing her hands over her face with a sigh.

What a day. The promising lead Cameron had come up with hadn't panned out at all. After four hours of fruitless surveillance, all that she could find out was that the warehouse in question was being used by gangsters trying to start up their own little enterprise. Four hours with a silent terminator and a brooding teenager. What joy. And after sending the two of them off on errands, she ended up with not one but two flat tyres. So as a result, it was evening already and everyone had scattered, pursuing their own activities. This brought her back to the depressing part of her day. Today was her birthday. And not one person had acknowledged it.

Sarah gave a short laugh. What was to celebrate anyway? So yes, she was a year older. She had survived and evaded Skynet's minions for another year. Okay, that perhaps warranted a celebration. But still. John had forgotten. He'd never forgotten her birthday before. Mind you, he hadn't been as moody and hormonal before either.

With a tired sigh, Sarah pushed herself away from the counter and made her way to her bedroom. A shower was what she needed, and then some sleep. Maybe things will look up tomorrow.

Stepping into her room, Sarah was brought up short. There, perfectly centered on her bed was a beautifully wrapped present, with a note propped up against it.

"Oh John"

The words were soft, choked, as tears threatened to fall. Taking a moment to collect herself, Sarah made her way over to her bed, settling down next to the present and reached for the note. Opening it, she noticed the three distinctly different handwritings. First was John's scrawl.

Hi Mom.

I bet you thought we'd forgotten all about your birthday. Surprise! I hope you like the present. You're a very difficult person to shop for, you know that?

I love you.
John

Followed by a very brief message from Reese.

Happy Birthday

And then a message from Cameron.

Sarah

I wish you a Happy Birthday. And I sincerely hope you celebrate many more. I promise to do my best to ensure that. I hope you enjoy the gift that we got for you.

Cameron

With a watery little laugh, Sarah clutched the note to her chest briefly before laying it on her bedside table. She turned to her gift and took a moment to admire it, the shimmery blue paper, and the silver ribbon. John had certainly not wrapped this. Thinking fondly back over the years at the many gifts she'd received from her son, all very ? creatively wrapped. This one was obviously Cameron's work.

Curiosity finally getting to her, Sarah pulled the present onto her lap and pulled off the ribbon. She slowly worked her fingers under the tape and eased it open, pulling the paper away to reveal a plain white box. She pulled the lid off and gasped at what was revealed. Reaching in, Sarah pulled out the most beautiful black leather coat she had ever seen. The scent of leather wrapped itself around her as she ran her hand over the butter soft leather.

The thoughtfulness of the gift brought a lump to her throat. Her last coat had ended up much the worse for wear about a month previously when she'd been trapped in a burning building by Cromartie. Her coat had been the only thing keeping her from serious harm. Sadly, it hadn't been salvageable.

Bouncing up, Sarah swirled the coat around her shoulders and slipped her arms into the sleeves. It fit her perfectly. Cameron's work again. Moving over to the full length mirror, Sarah took in her image. Reflected back at her was a tall woman, with a finely toned body and fierce green eyes in a face framed by tumbling dark hair. She was dressed in well-worn black jeans, white tank top and biker boots. And over it all, her new knee length leather coat.

The smooth black leather fit her like a glove, the coat adding that extra aura of bad ass to the image. With a smirk, Sarah struck a pose, hands fisted on hips.

"This is so kick ass. This is perfect!"

With a grin, Sarah shrugged out of her coat and carefully hung it in her closet. With a final stroke of the soft leather, she made her way back to her bed, pushing the wrapping off and collapsing onto her back, savouring the warm feeling inside

Okay, so her birthday wasn't forgotten. And she had the evening to herself. Looking back, it obviously was another gift from the three. A quiet evening to do as she wished.

As Sarah stretched, her hand brushed against a piece of paper tucked under her pillow. Rolling over, she pulled it out and looked it over. It was another note from Cameron.

Sarah

Proceed to the bathroom. There you will find one last present.

Cameron

A smile curving her lips, Sarah got up and made her way to the bathroom. Pushing the door open, Sarah came to a stunned halt. Candles flickered everywhere, glowing softly in the steam filled room. The bath was filled, bubbles rising high, the scent of jasmine teasing the air. But what had Sarah totally mesmerized, mouth dry, heart pounding, what the vision waiting for her in the bath.

There was Cameron in all her glory, covered in bubbles.

With a small smile, Cameron held out her hand.

"Happy Birthday, Sarah."