**Marcus' POV**

Kate turned from John, she fought back tears, we all knew what she had concluded.

I'd known since the second the T-800 pierced the bar through him… John Conner was going to die.

"How long?" Barnes asked.

It took a moment for Kate to compose herself, "His… heart can't take it," she choked back.

"It's gonna be okay," Barnes said trying to help, "It's gonna be okay Kate."

"Kyle," John rasped, he wasn't going to last much longer.

Everyone looked at John as Kyle slowly went to his side.

"Take it," John rasped pointing to his jacket.

Kyle hesitated seeing the red material on the sleeve.

The kid really deserved it; he helped save a lot of innocent lives, and my guilty one.

I knew Kyle was modest so I took the initiative and picked up the jacket myself, putting it on his shoulders.

"You earned it," John added.

Kyle simply nodded, not knowing how to react.

John closed his eyes, he was getting weaker, I could hear his heartbeat slowing by the minute. Kyle looked at me for a moment, which was when it hit me…

This was the real reason I had came back, the real reason I hadn't died. John was going to be a father, Kate needed John to live. The resistance would die without him. I had been given my chance to live and I blew it fifteen years ago. John hadn't had his chance yet. For some odd reason, I still had a beating heart, and for now I believed that there was only one thing to do…

"Kate…" I said lowly, "… take mine" I gestured to my heart.

"Marcus…" Blair started. I looked to her and saw the pleading in her eyes. Maybe she did return my feelings but I would never know.

"Everybody deserves a second chance… this is mine…" I almost whispered to her.

She nodded beginning to cry, she then brought her hands to my head as we kissed… Was it out of despair, was this her one last plead for me to stay, did she return the feelings I felt for her? I would never know…

I looked at Blair one last time, and saw so much: pain, sorrow, pleading, maybe even a little bit of love. I had to look away before I changed my mind; I looked to Kyle. Star took my hand in hers, the icy metal clanged as I took her hand in mine…

I lay down on the table taking a deep breath. I let go, I let go of everything; my feelings, memories, hopes, love, everything. I knew that one look at Blair and I'd be done for, I'd be right up with her close in my arms. One look at the kids and I'd just feel more guilt, so I looked to the strongest person there. John Conner, dying slowly, within hours he would be flat-line without help…

He simply nodded, I couldn't speak, I was terrified. I knew this was the right thing to do even if it meant leaving when my life was finally looking up…

I took another deep breath as I looked up again, knowing what was coming. Darkness, never-ending darkness, no life, no feeling, no air, nothing.

What is it that makes us human? It's not something you can program. You can't put it into a chip. It's the strength of the human heart. The difference between us and machines.

Once I began falling into that well known feeling of unconsciousness… one… last… time…

The last thing I heard was my heartbeat slowing… slower… gone… silence….

**Marcus' POV**

I heard a faint sound… thumping… a heart beat? Blood rushing through my ears… machines beeping. I was dead; I knew I had to be this time. No one could survive without a heart... except maybe a machine… Am I alive? I tried to open my eyes; pain struck through head as if someone had sent electricity through me. After a minute the pain resides, I try to open my eyes once more, slower this time. Where the hell am I? Some sort of hospital or medical room… dim lights but my eyes still burn from adjusting. Nothing looks familiar, maybe it was all a dream, am I back in prison? Did I have some sort of mental breakdown finally and end up in the loony bin? Maybe I hadn't killed anyone, maybe I could fix it al— I then realized that the condition of the room was nothing of some 2003 facility, but more of something in a military base, a Resistance Base to be exact. I let out a breath, there went that hope. Why couldn't I just be normal and die! I wanted to scream. I then saw the source of the beeping: half a dozen machines all hooked up to me for some reason. There's a curtain to my left, a window to my right. Someone else is in the room, Kate.

I tried to speak but nothing came out. Kate turns to see me awake, she looks different that before… or maybe she just looking at me differently. Kate slowly walked to my side.

"Marcus," she says calmly.

I try to speak but can't.

"Marcus, relax, you need rest."

I used all my strength; "The s-surgery?" was all I could stutter. My voice sounded much rougher, maybe it was from the medicines...

Kate knew what I was implying, "The surgery went a little differently than planned. We found a loophole, a way to keep both you and John both alive"

"But-?" I rasped.

"I'll explain it more after you rest-"

I clenched my right hand in frustration, but didn't feel the ice-cold metal that had been there when I'd gone under. I quickly looked to my hand; it was completely healed as if nothing had ever happened. I looked at both my hands, they were different... the color of my skin even seemed slightly changed… I brought my hand to my face as more pain hit. I felt something on the left side of my face, bandages?

The door creaked open, Kate and I looked up to see Blair enter. She was looking at the ground for a moment.

I didn't know what to think, I thought I'd never seen her again, I would have jumped up and taken her into my arms if it wasn't for the horrible pain I knew it would cause.

Kate went to Blair quickly; "Blair, I told you t-" she hushed. Blair raised her head to look at Kate. Blair then swiftly went past Kate and towards the bed, "No... No I needed to see this." Our eyes finally met…

To see what? I thought. It's not there's anything special about me, except for the whole half machine thing.

Blair slowly made her way to my side, our eyes never leaving one another's.

I wanted to speak, to tell her so many things that not even I understood. I had feelings for Blair, I was sure of that ever since the night she helped me escape. But for some reason, these indescribable feelings grew stronger with every thought of not being near her. I was afraid that she could never have feelings for me though; not only was I a horrible person, but a machine…

Blair looked confused, scared, maybe even lost a little.

I did my best to smile without causing pain; it must have worked because she smiled back weakly. I did my best to raise my hand to hers; she looked at my hand and without a second thought took it in hers. Maybe there's a chance that she could…

"Blair, I-" was all I could say before a pain in my chest overtook me.

I shut my eyes trying to regain myself; I couldn't tell if the pain was going through the rest of my body or if Blair's grip had tightened on my hand, though I was hoping it was the latter.

I began losing consciousness.

"What's wrong with him?!" Blair worried looking to Kate who was by the machines instantly.

The machines were suddenly beeping everywhere.

"His heart, it's--" Kate started, but then faded away.

I had no idea what either of them said next, suddenly the room became a blur... I looked to Blair by my side, she was saying something... I couldn't understand her... that was when the world went black... again....

**Blair's POV**

"What was that Kate?!" I exclaimed as I looked at the unconscious man before me. The machines were going wild until Kate finally made them stop.

"The heart is getting used to being... human again. It will take him weeks if not months for his body to get completely back to normal."

I let out a sigh, why couldn't this just be easy? He's already been through so much… I thought to myself.

"Has John woken up yet?" I asked trying to semi-change the subject.

"No, thank god, because when he does-"

"We'll have a lot of explaining to do," I said finishing Kate's sentence.

I then slowly took my hand from Marcus', even though I didn't want to, but I knew I needed to see something...

I slowly walked from the bed and to the edge of the curtain.

"Blair, be careful," Kate cautioned.

I looked at her, and then back at the curtain. I closed my eyes taking a deep breath. I moved the curtain slowly. I painfully opened my eyes, knowing what I was about to see would be the most haunting, painful, confusing things I would ever see in my life.

The minute my eyes opened, all life left my body. I saw an unconscious man... the man I had very possibly fallen for, the man that had saved my life, Marcus Wright. But the man before me was only the body of said man... with the soul of another...

I suddenly realized that I had stopped breathing, the room began spinning and before I knew it... darkness overcame me...