This story takes place immediately after the Season 2 finale, Born to Run. It follows Sarah and Ellison until John's return. Mentions of Jameron, but like the title says, there's no happy ending.
Disclaimer: I don't own Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I wish I did because then there'd be a Season 3!
No Happy Endings
Sarah and Ellison watched as John and Weaver disappeared in the time bubble. When the lightning stopped flashing, and they could see again, all that was left was a pile of clothes where John had been, and Cameron's body in the chair.
"I love you too." Sarah said quietly, her eyes glued to the clothes on the floor, all that remained of her son.
"Where did they go?" Ellison asked, his eyes wide with shock.
"They jumped through time, to when, I don't know." Sarah replied, her voice tight with emotion, as though she was fighting back tears.
"And Catherine Weaver, she was a...a..." Ellison struggled to find the word.
"Machine, Terminator, Metal." Sarah supplied for him automatically, her voice sounding more normal. "Yeah, she was. I'm just as shocked as you. I discovered that at the same time you did."
"I can't believe I never realized...how could I not have seen it?" Ellison was holding his head with both hands, and shaking his head slowly from side to side, as though this information made his head physically hurt.
"Don't blame yourself, it appears that she fooled everyone. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think she was working for Skynet."
"Why do you say that?" Ellison removed his hands from his head, and appeared to be trying to bring his emotions under control.
"The flying machine that just attacked this building, and the Terminator sent to her house to kill Savannah. They must have been sent by Skynet. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I believe what she said. She must have been trying to fight Skynet, the same as us, in order to come under attack like that." Sarah started to look around the basement somewhat urgently. "Is there another way out of here, some type of emergency exit?"
"Why?" Ellison looked alarmed.
"We're still in danger. Skynet wouldn't have stopped with the flying machine. The building is likely being infiltrated as we speak."
"There's a door in the back of this room, it leads to a tunnel, which leads to the surface. It comes up in a parking garage, a block away from the building."
"Is your car parked there?" Sarah asked.
"Yes." Ellison responded.
"Great, let's get moving." Sarah quickly moved over to Cameron's body in the chair, and wrapped her arms around it. "Help me carry her." She practically ordered.
Ellison looked incredulous, "We're bringing it with us? Why? It's just a machine."
"She's John's machine." Sarah replied sternly. Then she paused, and when she spoke again her voice was softer, weaker, "...and he loves her."
Ellison thought he saw tears glistening in Sarah's eyes for a second. Then her face became impassive, again. Her eyes shot to his, and glued him with a determined stare. "John went to get her chip back. He will return with it. He would never forgive me if I allowed her body to be destroyed."
Ellison seemed to be considering that for a moment. He apparently decided that he wouldn't want to face John's wrath when he discovered his cyborg companion had been destroyed. He walked over to Sarah and stood on the other side of the chair, then slowly, hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around Cameron's body, as though he was afraid to touch her. He looked at Sarah over the top of Cameron's head. "On three?" He asked.
Sarah nodded. "One...two...three."
The two of them struggled, but managed to pull Cameron's body up and out of the chair. Then, half staggering under the weight, they began to walk as quickly as they could to the tunnel that would lead to relative safety.
About five minutes later, they arrived at the parking garage. They paused in the doorway while Sarah scanned the garage for threats. Luckily, there was no one in sight. They dashed as quickly as they could to Ellison's car, and after putting Cameron's body in the backseat, they jumped in the front, Ellison in the driver's seat. "Where to?" He asked.
"We need to get Savannah now," Sarah replied, "before they attack her again."
Ellison nodded determinedly. He didn't want anything to happen to the little girl. He drove to her school as quickly as he could. Sarah, meanwhile, was ducked down in the passenger seat, so no one would spot her with Ellison. She was, after all, an escaped convict. When they arrived at Savannah's school, Ellison went into the office to sign her out while Sarah waited anxiously in the car, scrunched down so she wouldn't been seen. A few minutes later, he reappeared with Savannah, his hand holding hers as he led her to the car. He opened the door for her, and Savannah climbed into the backseat. Oddly enough, she only seemed mildly surprised to see Cameron's body, and then Sarah, in the car. Ellison got back into the driver's seat and started the car.
"Hello, Savannah." Sarah said in the gentlest voice she could manage.
"Hello." Savannah replied with a solemn expression. "I remember you. You saved me from the bad man at my house. I didn't know your daughter was like John Henry. Will she be O.K?"
Sarah tried to smile at the girl. "She'll be fine. She just needs to be fixed."
"That's good." Savannah said, smiling shyly.
Ellison interrupted their conversation to ask Sarah, "What should we do now?"
"Now," Sarah replied, "we go someplace safe and lie low for a while. I know a place, just drive, and I'll give you directions on the way."
Ellison nodded in agreement, and backed the car out of the parking spot.
Sarah directed him out of town and into the desert.
About two hours later, when a tiny building finally came into sight, Sarah said, "We're here." Ellison sighed in relief and visibly relaxed into the car seat. The building, if it could be called that, was a small, one-story wooden structure that looked like it could be over 100 years old.
"This is our safe-house." Sarah explained. "John is the only other person who knows about this place." A look of sadness crossed her face for a second, but she quickly regained her composure.
Sarah turned around in her seat to address Savannah, and realized the little girl had fallen asleep in the backseat. Sarah turned back to Ellison, "She's asleep. I'll carry her inside."
Sarah cradled Savannah in her arms and carried her into the building, while Ellison grabbed the girl's school bag and followed behind her. Sarah went into a back room, and gently laid Savannah down on a cot. Then she came back out into the main room, where Ellison was standing, looking around. The room was small. The center of the room was empty, but there was stuff piled, stacked, and propped along the walls and in the corners. One wall had wooden shelves running the length of it. The shelves were all filled with various items.
"We have provisions; water, non-perishable food, weapons, ammo, and firewood. We have a wood-burning stove, and there's an outhouse out back." Sarah told him matter-of-factly, gesturing around her toward the items as she mentioned them.
"What was this place?" Ellison asked, still looking around in amazement.
"I think it used to be a general store." Sarah replied. "We should bring Cameron inside. Can you help me carry her?"
Ellison hesitated for a second. Then he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
They went back outside to the car, and working together they managed to drag Cameron's body out of the car. They then carried her in the same fashion they had before, and got her into the building, where they laid her down against a wall. Sarah then pulled a blanket off a nearby shelf and covered the body with it. Ellison raised his eyebrows at her in surprise.
"I don't want to look at her in that condition." Sarah replied to his unspoken question. She looked uncomfortable, which was an unusual expression for her.
Seeing Sarah uncomfortable made Ellison feel uncomfortable, so he decided it was best to change the subject quickly. "Is there anything I can do around here to help?" He asked in a conversational tone.
"Actually, there is." Sarah replied, instantly becoming the tough leader again. "I have some tarps in that corner over there." She said, pointing as she spoke. "You need to cover your car with them, so it won't be spotted from the air."
"You really have thought of everything, haven't you?" Ellison commented softly, as though he was speaking to himself. Then he looked Sarah in the eye and, in a louder voice, said, "I'll get right on it."
While Ellison was outside covering his car, Sarah started the wood-burning stove. She had just finished getting the stove going, when she heard a noise behind her and spun around. Savannah was standing in the doorway, looking around sleepily.
"Hi, Savannah." Sarah said gently, "Did you have a nice nap?"
Savannah nodded her head at Sarah, and then said in a small voice, "I have to go potty."
"O.K." Sarah said, walking over to Savannah and putting a hand on her back. "Our potty is kind of different from what you're used to. I'll show you where it is."
Sarah took Savannah out the back door of the building, and walked her to the outhouse. "Have you ever used a Port-a-Potty, Savannah?"
"Yes." Savannah replied solemnly.
"Well, this is like a Port-a-Potty. Go on inside. I'll wait out here for you." Sarah said in an encouraging voice.
When Savannah emerged from the outhouse a few minutes later, Sarah attempted to smile at her and asked, "Are you getting hungry?"
Savannah nodded again.
"Well, I was just about to start cooking dinner. Come back inside with me, and we'll see what we can find to eat." Sarah put her hand on Savannah's back again, and gently guided her back inside.
When they got back inside, Ellison was sitting on the floor in front of the stove. He had removed his suit jacket, and rolled his sleeves half-way up. He turned around as they came in. "Hi, Savannah." He said pleasantly.
"Hi, Mr. Ellison." Savannah replied, walking over to the stove and sitting down beside him. She stared at him with big, serious eyes for a moment, and then she asked, "Mr. Ellison, where are we? And where's my mommy?"
Ellison stared into her eyes just as seriously, contemplating what to tell the girl. Finally, he said, "This is Sarah's cabin. We're going to be staying here with her for a while. There was an accident at your mommy's work, and she's...missing right now. We think the bad people that attacked your house might be involved, so we came here because it's a safe place. I'll be taking care of you now, O.K?"
Savannah's eyes welled up with tears, but she nodded and choked out, "O.K."
"Come here." Ellison whispered, pulling Savannah into a hug. The little girl clung to him and sobbed, while Ellison made soothing noises and patted her back. He looked at Sarah helplessly over Savannah's head, like he wasn't sure what to do. Sarah nodded encouragingly at him. He was really doing a much better job then she would have. Sarah was relieved that she wasn't in his place. After a few minutes, Savannah quieted, and Ellison pulled away from her enough that he could look at her face. "Are you alright now?" He stared into her eyes for a few seconds.
Then Savannah nodded at him, and wiped the tears from her face with her hands.
"Good." Ellison said, smiling at her.
"Well," Sarah said loudly, "How would you guys like some beef stew?" She held up a large can of beef stew and smiled at them both.
"That sounds good to me." Ellison said, smiling back at her. Savannah only nodded.
Sarah warmed the stew on the stove, and then served each of them a bowl of it, along with a bottled water. They ate in silence, all of them lost in their own thoughts.
After they had finished eating, Sarah took their bowls and spoons and deposited them in a rubber bin. "There's a well pump outside. I'm going to take these dishes outside and wash them."
"O.K," Ellison and Savannah said in unison.
When Sarah came back in with the clean dishes, Ellison and Savannah were still sitting in front of the stove. Savannah had taken her school books and folders out of her bag and was dutifully working on her homework. Ellison was reading from a small pocket Bible that he'd apparently had on him. Sarah watched the two of them for a minute, then went over to the weapons cache and began to take stock of their various guns, religiously cleaning and inspecting every one. Finally, every gun was deemed ready for use. Sarah realized for the first time that it was fully dark outside. She looked over at Savannah and said, "Savannah, it's time for you to go to bed."
The girl looked up at Sarah and frowned. "But I haven't brushed my teeth, and I don't have any pajamas."
Sarah frowned thoughtfully and walked across the room to a box on the floor. She dug around in the box for a minute, and then pulled out a toothbrush, still in it's package, along with a tube of toothpaste. "Here you go!" Sarah said with a smile, holding the items out to Savannah. "You'll have to use some of the bottled water to rinse your mouth. Why don't we take this stuff outside, and we'll brush your teeth, and then you can use the bathroom before bed."
Savannah looked a little unsure, but she said, "O.K," and took the items from Sarah's hands.
Sarah then looked over to Ellison. "There are more toothbrushes in that box. If you want one feel free to help yourself."
Ellison smiled at her. "Thanks, Sarah. I will."
"We'll be back in a few minutes." Sarah told him, as she led Savannah to the back door.
"Alright." He said to their backs as they disappeared out the door.
Sarah and Savannah returned a few minutes later. Sarah told Savannah as they were coming in the door, "Now, let's see if we can find you something to wear to bed."
Sarah went into the back room where Savannah had been taking her nap. There were two cots set up in the middle of the room, and a couple of duffel bags in a corner. Sarah went over to the duffel bags and dug around in one of them, eventually pulling out a dark blue T-shirt. She carried the shirt back out to the main room. "Here, you go, Savannah. This is one of my T-shirts. You can wear it as a nightshirt."
Sarah handed the girl her shirt, and was surprised when Savannah actually smiled at her and said, "Thank you."
Savannah went into the back room to change into her nightshirt. Sarah looked at Ellison gravely. "We should take turns keeping watch tonight."
Ellison nodded in agreement. "I'll take first watch. You go get some rest."
Sarah hesitated for a second, before she nodded back at him and told him, "Wake me up in four hours. If there's any sign of trouble..."
"I'll wake you up immediately." Ellison promised her.
Sarah seemed satisfied with that, and without another word, she turned around and went into the back room to try and get some sleep.
The night proved to be an uneventful one. The next day proved to be just as uneventful, that is until shortly after lunch. Sarah was putting away the freshly washed and dried dishes from lunch, and Ellison was going over the next chapter in Savannah's English book with her. Suddenly, they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. Sarah locked eyes with Ellison. Without looking at the girl, Sarah urgently said, "Savannah, go to the back room and stay there until one of us comes to get you."
Savannah, her eyes wide with fear, quickly got up and ran into the back room without question. Sarah and Ellison both rushed over to the cache of weapons in the corner, and each grabbed an assault rifle. "I'll take the front door, you take the back." Sarah whispered to Ellison.
Ellison nodded silently, and headed to the back door with his gun. Sarah was now alone in the main room. She stood behind the door with her gun held up at the ready, waiting for any sign of an attack. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and she heard a voice she recognized say, "Mom, it's me. It's John. I'm back, and I have Catherine Weaver with me. Let us in."
Sarah started to tremble all over, but she stood her ground and said, "Tell me something only John would know."
"On the same day that Derek died, we took him to see my father's grave."
Sarah lowered her gun, tears spilling from her eyes, and she rushed to open the door. The sight before her stopped her in her in her tracks. There was John, standing before her, with Weaver behind him. However, this wasn't the same John who'd left her yesterday. He was older, all grown up, and he looked haggard and weary. There was a look in his eyes she'd never seen before, a haunted look. It was the look of someone who'd seen too much, someone who'd been to hell and back. "Oh, John!" Sarah cried, rushing to embrace him. She held him tightly in her arms, sobbing with her head buried against his shoulder. John closed his eyes and hugged her back. Finally Sarah regained control of her emotions, and pulled back, looking up into his face.
"John, what happened to you?" She asked desperately.
John sighed and said, "Mom, can we go inside and sit down first?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Sarah said, moving aside to allow John, and then Weaver, to walk past her and into the house. She nodded at Weaver as she walked past, and Weaver returned the motion.
When Sarah got back inside, she immediately went to the back room and told Savannah and Ellison, "It's O.K. Both of you, come out to the main room."
They followed Sarah out to the main room, where John and Weaver were standing, waiting for them. Savannah saw Weaver and cried, "Mommy!" She ran to Weaver and threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Weaver stiffly hugged her back and said to the girl, "Hello, Savannah. I've missed you."
Savannah smiled up at her "mom" and there were tears running down her cheeks. "Mommy, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, darling." Weaver replied, her lips turning up in a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Ellison, meanwhile, was staring between the awkward reunion and John, whom he had noticed looked alarmingly different. When John met his gaze, Ellison nodded at him and said, "John."
John returned the nod and said, "Hello, Mr. Ellison."
Then Weaver turned her attention to Ellison, "Mr. Ellison, it's good to see you again."
Ellison looked at her uncomfortably, the same way he used to look at John Henry. "Um, yeah, likewise," he managed to say.
Then Sarah looked John in the eye and demanded, "Now, tell me what happened."
John sighed again. He looked around at everyone and said, "You better sit down and get comfortable. This might take a while." He then walked over to the stash of bottled water and grabbed himself one, opening and drinking half of it before he came back and sat down with them on the floor. His eyes roamed over the group of them, sitting in a loose circle, before they settled on his mom, who was directly across from him. He stared intently into her eyes for a few seconds. Then he began to speak.
"First of all, I want to say that I made a huge mistake by jumping into the future. By doing so, I jumped past Judgement Day. We ended up in an alternate time-line where John Connor didn't exist. The resistance was being led by Derek and Kyle Reese."
Sarah gasped at this comment. John looked at her significantly for a second. Then he continued. "Luckily for me, they were the ones who found me when I arrived there. I was nobody to them, just another kid, but they took me in anyway. They trained me to fight. I spent most of my time living and fighting alongside them. Catherine searched diligently for John Henry, and I helped her when I could, but we never found any trace of him. Finally, it occurred to us that John Henry wasn't there because he had ended up in a different future, a future with John Connor still in it. We wanted to return as soon as we realized that, but there was a problem. Time travel hadn't been invented in that time, yet. Catherine knew how to build a time travel device, but first we had to find all the parts needed to make it, and that proved to be more difficult than you can imagine."
John paused and sighed, again. He took another drink of water. Then he looked back at his mom and continued. "I know it's only been one day for you, but it's been three years for me. Three years of hell, fighting the machines on a daily basis just to survive. Living in sewers, eating rats, constantly afraid. I can't begin to tell you the horrors I've seen...and it was all for nothing, because I still don't have Cameron's chip." John's voice choked on the last word, and tears sprang to his eyes. He hung his head to try to hide his tears.
Sarah's eyes teared as well, as she saw her son's anguish. "John, we could try to go after John Henry again. You may not be able to jump into the future after him, but someone else could. I could go, John. From what I've been told, I'm supposed to die before Judgement Day. I might not effect the time-line the way you did. There's still a time travel device in ZeiraCorp's basement that I could use."
Weaver spoke up, "No, there's not. I'm afraid it was destroyed by our enemies, along with everything else."
Sarah stared hard at Weaver, "But you could build another one." It wasn't a question.
"Yes," Weaver replied.
John looked up at Sarah, and for an instant hope flashed in his eyes. Then the hope died and there was only resignation. John shook his head. "No, Mom. It's been three years. Three years! Yes, I love her. I think I'll always love her. But it's time for me to let her go. It's time to focus on the future. We have to prepare for Judgement Day. It's time for me to become the leader I'll need to be, and it's time for you to let me become that leader."
Sarah stared at him, wide-eyed for a moment. Then she nodded. She could do nothing else. She was unable to speak. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Where is she, Mom?" John suddenly asked her, "Where's her body?"
Sarah swallowed, and managed to force out, "Over there, under the blanket." She nodded her head in the direction of the wall.
John got up and went over to Cameron's body. Kneeling down next to her, he slowly pulled the blanket off of her. "Oh, Cam," he breathed as he stared at her face. Then gently, tenderly, he reached out his hand and closed her one remaining human eye with it. Then he collapsed on top of her chest and began to sob, "Oh, Cam, I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry... I failed you... I'm sorry... please forgive me... I love you, I love you so much... I'm sorry I never told you..."
At this point Savannah burst into tears. Only then did Sarah realize that there were tears running down her face as well. Weaver put her hand on Savannah's shoulder and said, "Perhaps we should step outside for a minute, and give the boy some privacy."
Weaver led Savannah outside, with Ellison, and then Sarah following behind. As Sarah stepped out the door, John was still sobbing to Cameron, "I miss you... I miss you so much..."
A while later, John emerged from the building. He was carrying a large shovel, and his face still showed evidence of his crying. He approached the four of them, looked directly at his mom, and said in an emotionless voice, "We have to burn her body."
Sarah looked completely shocked for an instant, then she recovered and nodded, "Of course."
"I'm going to go dig a pit to put her in," John said in that same empty voice. With that he walked a short distance away from the building and promptly began to dig. The rest of them stood and watched him for a few minutes, until the heat of the sun forced them back inside.
At one point Sarah came outside and told him, "John, dinner's ready. Why don't you take a break and come eat?"
"I'm not hungry," was John's only reply, as he continued to dig.
Sarah gave up, and went back inside, leaving him to his work. He dug non-stop until there was a hole about four feet deep and long enough for Cameron's body to fit in. Finally satisfied, he put down his shovel, wiped his face on his shirt, and went inside. Everyone looked up at him as he entered the room.
"Mom, I'm ready. Will you help me carry her?" John asked.
"Of course I will, John," Sarah said quietly, her voice regretful.
John moved to stand at Cameron's head, and Sarah walked over to her feet, and together they bent down and slowly picked her body up. Ellison held the door for them as they carried her body outside. When they got to the pit, John said, "We'll just have to drop her in, but let's try to do it gently."
Sarah nodded. Together they carefully positioned Cameron's body over the hole, and then they lowered her in as far as they were able, before dropping her the rest of the way. They stood looking down at her body in silence for a minute. Then Sarah spoke in a gentle, quiet voice, "John, I've prepared the thermite. Are you ready for it now?"
"Yes," John's voice was hollow. His eyes never left Cameron.
Sarah went inside, got the bucket of thermite, and brought it out to John, along with a flare. She wordlessly handed the bucket to John, and he poured the contents all over Cameron's body. Then he took the flare from her hand, lit it, and dropped it into the pit. The two of them stood a few feet away in silence and watched as the bright flames consumed Cameron's body. When there was nothing left but ash, Sarah heard John whisper, "Goodbye, Cam." She looked over at him. There were silent tears running unchecked down his cheeks. He didn't seem to know they were there. Behind him, the sun had just finished setting. Darkness would soon descend on them.
Author's notes: When I started writing this story, I had planned on it having a happy ending. John would get Cameron's chip, come back, fix her, and they'd live happily ever after. Then it occurred to me that when John Henry had jumped into the future, John was still in the present, which would mean that (theoretically) John would have been around for Judgement Day and after. So John Henry must have ended up in a future where John still existed. It was only when John jumped into the future after John Henry that the time-line changed. If this was the case, then John would have never found John Henry in the future because he wasn't in the same future as John! That blew my happy ending out of the water, so I wrote this instead. Now, I admit that time travel and alternate time-lines confuse me, especially in T:SCC, so if I've gotten this wrong, please feel free to let me know. Just, please, try to do it in a nice way.
I would love to get your reviews! I will gladly welcome any constructive criticism, but no flames please!