Ok guys here it is, the final chapter and conclusion to Cameron's Growth. I want to thank all of for reading and reviewing, putting up with my horrible grammar and spelling. And of course the general lack of an ending for a while. I am immensely sorry for this and there is no excuse. I simply hope you enjoy the story. Goodbye.

/

It was another beautiful day in Los Angeles, somewhere around 80 degrees and sunny. The city of angels, John thought to himself, as he walked briskly down the sidewalk toward his place of employment. John tried to walk almost everyday since he only lived a few blocks away. To the average bystander John looked like a mechanic, dressed in blue pants with a blue button up on, unsightly dirt and grease marks marred the pants and shirt. Above his right breast the words were sewn and over his shoulder John carried a duffel with a spare change of clothes. Regardless of the attire John was not a mechanic and as he rounded the corner onto Colorado Boulevard and entered a large garage door it became readily apparent what his profession was. Above the bay door were the words: Los Angeles Fire Department.

"Johnny boy there you are! Where have you been, I got here at seven." Charlie called out as he propped his broom against engine 117 and embraced Conner with a laugh. Charlie Dixon had been on the department a year longer then John. He was a great friend and always had your back. All the guys at the station were great but Charlie and John had a special bond and had hit it off from the start.

"Come on Chuck im only five minutes late, it was a nice day I was enjoying the air!" John chastised with a grin on his face. Looking over his shoulder John called out "I better see you tomorrow at the BBQ." Charlie made an O.K. Sign with his hand and continued with his duties. Heading for the stairs in the back John quickly hopped up them and put his things away in the dormitory. The firehouse was a buzz of activity, Jackson was reading the morning paper while Guzzi cooked up something in the kitchen. Most likely breakfast for the crew. No one could top that man in the kitchen, they often joked that he entered the wrong profession. Meanwhile Andrew and Matt watched the news waiting hungrily for their meals. Looking out the window above the bay and into the horizon of LA John couldn't help but smile. This was his home and he was glad to be protecting it.

"Hey Connor, don't let me see anymore of that five minute late BS. Got me?" Breaking the buzz of the firehouse came Chief Coopers voice.

"Won't happen again Chief!" replied John while the others simply laughed. John returned his gaze to the window while someone threw a folded newspaper at him and continued laughing. Today is starting off great. Sadly this was the end of that.

/

The overhead lights snapped alive and the gong rang over and over again for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The firehouse had been busy that day with two MVAs, a building rescue, a police assist, and a few false alarms. Once again the bell was jarring John Connor from the sleep he sought, but this was his life. John quickly rolled out of bed pulling on his pants and hurrying from the room with his fellow firefighters. A quick glance at the clock told him it was 12:21, the ten minutes of sleep that he had gotten should do.

"Station 47 Los Angeles fire, respond to 389 Lockfield Rd for the reported structure fire with possible entrapment. Time of call 2421 hours, repeating"

Within a minute John was in the bay and had his bunkers on. He wasted no time, quickly he hoped in the officers seat and saw that the engine was ready to go and they pulled out after the chief car. John pulled up the location of the call on the mobile terminal and picked up the radio.

"Engine 117 is in service for a reported structure fire at 389 Lockfield Rd" The sight of smoke on the horizon was soon visible

"Everyone tag in, lets go we have a worker on our hands!" Guzzi was their driver, the back seat was occupied by Charlie, Jackson, and Andrew and all shared the same look of determined focus. Within minutes they had arrived on scene to see flames shooting out of the roof. Many people had asked him why he did this, why run into a burning building when everyone else is running out? Because John always felt he had a higher calling and this was how he answered it.

"Cheif Cooper arriving on scene, two story structure, wood frame construction, fire and smoking showing from second floor windows. Confirmed occupant trapped on second floor." The chiefs voice came over the radio and John was already in action as the engine rolled to a stop next to the house.

"Charlie on me we are going in. Andrew hook to that hydrant, I want water flowing ten minutes ago! Jackson wait for assistance and get to the roof, don't let us bake in their!" John yelled as he grabbed a set of tools and went to the front door with Charlie at his back. They turned their lights on and masked up, ready to do their job. By this time the fire was already ripping across the ceiling and conditions were rapidly worsening. Quickly they searched three of the four rooms on the second floor which returned negative, carefully they approached the last door..

It was another bedroom, clearly occupied by a female. Judging by the other rooms this must be the daughters room. Before he had even taken two steps within the room his flashlights beam fell upon a girl curled in the corner. She was shockingly beautiful, long brown locks and gorgeous brown eyes to match. She had a look of innocent curiosity about her and this was all John could think, even in such a hostile environment and with soot covering her face and hair. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon. Regaining his sense John radioed in.

"503 to command, victim located on the second floor." She was covering her mouth with the bed comforter to try and stop the smoke and coughing as she saw the firefighters. Her eyes were wild with fear but still held that curiosity John had seen. Slowly he extended his hand towards her and advanced into the room...

-CRACK-

And just as suddenly as he extended his arm the fire in the ceiling finally ate away at the support and the roof came crashing down upon her, burying her in a pile of rubble and flames. John heard a scream and didn't realize it was coming from himself, he tried to crawl forward and it took all of Charlies strength to hold his friend in place. John couldn't comprehend how she had been there a second ago and now was gone, he didn't understand why he suddenly felt like he had failed but all he could hear was that scream and see her terrified face.

"MAYDAY MAYDAY firefighters need assistance on the second floor!" Charlie called over the radio as he pulled Johns struggling form from the room.

/

-HONK!-

John shook his head and hit the gas, accelerating through the intersection. He threw his hand up in a sign of annoyance with the other driver. He had been so caught up he didn't notice the traffic signal had changed and a line of cars began piling up behind him. After a few blocks John made the left onto his street and slowly pulled into his driveway. He had been distracted all day, he couldn't get the image of that poor girl out of his head. John didn't know why but he felt like there was this unexplainable connection. Almost as if he knew her from somewhere which was ridiculous because he had never seen her before. Everyone saw death in this line of work, it came with the territory. This was nothing new to Connor, but something was different about this one.

John reached over the center console and grabbed the bag of meat and rolls he had just purchased. Stepping out of the dark blue F150 he hefted the bag, hopefully he had bought enough for everyone god knows Derek can eat. Walking to the side of the house John pushed open the gate to the backyard, he would need to oil it soon the squeak was rather annoying. As he and strolled in placing the bag of food on the patio table, John went through the back door to wash up and get what he would need to grill. The house was a modest single bedroom ranch that John had bough last august as his first home. He had worked hard on it and it showed. His most recent addition being the fence around the backyard.

A few minutes later stepping back outside John was greeted by the smiling face of Charlie as he sipped on a beer out of the small refrigerator kept on the patio. John thought he had heard the gate open while he was inside.

"They cold enough?" John questioned as he walked over to the grill and turned it on. Charlies appearance wasn't surprising, that man was here so often John questioned whether he had a home of his own! John sliced open the package of beef, carelessly cutting his finger in the process. He stealthily wiped the blood with a rag sitting next to the grill and began to season the burgers. Charlie turned the can of Coors around in his hand and looked up at his friend.

"As cold as the Rockies" he replied. Taking another gulp, he studied John at the grill. Last night had been rough and it looked like John was still feeling it. Leaning forward in his seat and putting down the beer, Charlie addressed his friend. "Hey John" John turned towards him, his eyes not really focused on anything. "Look, everyone loses somebody, it can be tough. I have seen guys leave the job because of it. If you need someone to talk to im right here" Charlie said with genuine concern. John stared at him for a moment as if he was going to say something, but simply dismissed the remark with a smile.

"Im fine Chuck, really" and at that moment Sarah Reese rounded the corner followed closely by her husband Derek, the perfect distraction. She had remarried after Johns father had been killed in the line of duty. He had been a police officer for the the city of Los Angeles. After his death Derek had become a big part of their life and eventually the wedding bells were ringing.

"John" Sarah exclaimed with a beaming smile and kissed her son on the cheek. Wearing a bright green sundress Sarah was dressed for a day of fun in the sun.

"Haha its good to see you too mom" John returned the gesture and flipped a few of the burgers over and began placing slices of cheese on them. "Derek beers are in the fridge, help yourself" John called over his shoulder.

"Don't mind if I do" Derek said as he opened a fresh can and shook Charlies hand, taking a seat at the table. There arrival was perfect timing as the burgers were just about done.

"How many do you want Derek?" John asked sliding some burgers into their waiting buns.

"Two or three should be a good starter, right guys?" Derek laughed deeply and John found himself laughing as well. His family and best friend were having a good time and so was he. His mind finally freed from those terrible thoughts. With tongs in one hand and a plate of burgers in his other, John turned to bring his companions food. The only thing missing is a kiss the cook apron John thought to himself as he brought the food to the table. It was just as he placed the food down that he realized something was amiss.

It all happened so fast that there was no time to really react. The first thing John notice was that something was wrong with Charlie, he wasn't moving. A can of beer resting on his lips and his body leaning forward but frozen in place. Quickly looking to his mother for aid John got another shock. His mother was clutching her arm as blood seeped through her fingers.

"Jesus mom are you alright!" Forgetting momentarily about Charlie, John rushed to his mothers side. This was all wrong and his mind was racing a mile a minute trying to piece things together. "Derek don't just sit there do something!" John said through gritted teeth. John took a second to take in his mothers appearance and instead of the bright sun dress she had been wearing, she had on jeans and a green army jacket, blood covering one sleeve.

"Get your head in the fucking game John" Came Derek's response and a glance in his direction revealed a similar change of attire with the addition of a Beretta in his hand. John backed up unsure of what to do and not understanding his situation.

"What?" was the only response John could muster. Unexpectedly the tell tale squeak of the gate could be heard and Johns eyes shot towards the side of the house. What he saw stole his breathe away. Standing at the side of his house was the girl from last night, her body charred and burnt, the skin literally peeling away. More shocking was the sight of metal underneath that skin, all the while her face remaining innocent. It was a scene straight from his nightmares.

"No...no what the hell is happening here!" John exclaimed as he stood up and pointed his finger towards the girl. He was shaking like a leaf and unsure of what to do he clutched the tongs as a weapon ready to beat back this demon. Before he could do much else his eyes traveled to the sight behind the girl. Standing there behind her was a larger muscular man with blond hair and blues eyes. On his face was a fake grin and in his hand was a pistol, currently pointed at Johns chest. With no hesitation the pistol barked twice and John suddenly felt as if someone had lit his shoulder and leg on fire. That's when his whole world went black.

/

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING DEREK HE NEEDS A HOSPITAL!" came Sarah s irate voice from the back of the van. She had been trying to stop Johns bleeding when the van had lurched into motion. The vehicle reversed towards the warehouse entrance, coming to an abrupt stop only a few feet from the large doors.

"We can't leave the body's here!" Derek yelled as he gripped the limp form of Cameron and began to half carry half drag her towards the van. He had carried a lot of wounded soldiers before and it always seemed like it was harder when they were unconscious, but trying to carry a terminator was nearly impossible. After some difficulty he reached the vans sliding door which opened to reveal a disheveled Sarah and a lot more blood then Derek was expecting. Quickly pushing the sight to the back of his mind he rested Cameron's back against the edge. Derek grabbed onto her legs, signaling Sarah to do the same with her shoulders, together they lifted the body over the lip of the van and into the back. With a grunt Derek returned and grabbed the second one, repeating the process again. He couldn't help but notice the head, or lack there of before hopping behind the steering wheel and getting the hell out of dodge.

"Lets go, the closest hospital is down I-85" said Sarah as she fumbled with a piece of cloth. Her hands were slick with John blood and she was barley keeping it together. She had prepared herself for this day, with Skynet chasing you everyday, someone is bound to get hurt and one day it had to be John. Still, nothing truly prepares a mother to watch her child dying. Derek looked over the seat and simply tightened his grip on the wheel.

"Hospitals mean cops we..." Derek didn't get a chance to finish before Sarah cut him off again.

"I don't give a shit Reese, my son is dying!" She said as tears began to well in her eyes. Sarah wasn't thinking straight but who could blame her. She knew that hospitals reported gun shot wound victims to the police immediately and that they were wanted felons. The police would have them in custody before she could get John out of there. It didn't matter right now.

"And im not gonna let my nephew die! Get Charlie on the line and tell him to meet us at the house. Let him know the situation and to bring everything he will need." Derek Reese was a hardened veteran in the war against Skynet and had seen more death then anyone ever should. He had lost many a friend and his whole family to the machines, nothing was taking John away from him as well. Derek flew on to the entrance ramp, weaving to avoid a collision with another car. With that the van sped down the highway towards the Connors home.

/

Charlie Dixon wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long breath. He had managed to stop the bleeding and remove the bullet from Johns leg, the shoulder wound had been clean through. Regardless the kid wasn't out of the woods yet. The bullet in his leg had broken the bone on impact so Charlie would have to fashion some sort of brace to immobilize it and if John didn't get a transfusion soon the leg would be the least of his worries. Picking up his bag he removed a few choice supplies and got back to work. First he used a strong antibiotic to clean the areas around the entry and exit wounds to hopefully prevent infection. He had drifted in and out of consciousness a few times, never making any sense and mumbling about 120 hours and a fire, at least that's what he had heard. Still, when he poured the lotion on his wounds all John did was grunt. Usually patients were yelling in pain. It was braking Charlies heart to see John in this state, but right now all that the man could do was try and help him get better. Picking up a roll of bandage and some adhesive Charlie expertly wrapped the wounds, unfortunately he had nothing to brace Johns leg with.

Charlie knew this whole thing would end up getting John hurt and he loved that kid like his own son. Admittedly he didn't understand the entire situation but he knew enough to know that things were bad and that they would only get worse. Still, looking at the condition John was in, he couldn't understand how he had been given all this responsibility and at such a young age. This kid just wanted to have a normal life. Pushing him self away from the bed Charlie left to the room and headed into the kitchen. Sarah was sitting at the kitchen table, her head in her hands. Her eyes were still bloodshot from crying but she had stopped now.

"Hey...its not as bad as it looks, Johnny's gonna be fine." Charlie said as convincingly as he could, trying to ease the women s worry. They both knew what the situation was, this was one of the worst injuries any of them had sustained in the battle against Skynet. It was even worse then when Charlie had to come after Derek had been shot. Still he couldn't just sit there and say nothing.

"I have been running it over in my head a hundred times and if I had only been a second faster I could have stopped him. Or maybe I should have followed him and it would have been me who was shot. I should..." Charlie gently put a hand on her shoulder to stop the ramble.

"Sarah there was nothing you could do, just be glad its not worse." The EMT said as he stood and poured another cup of coffee for her. From the stories he had heard there was nothing any one of them could have done to stop that thing. Returning to the table, he placed the cup in front of her and continued. Looking out the window he made a mental note of the wood pile outside. It might make the brace he would need for Johns leg, "Look Sarah, Johns going to need a transfusion of blood, he lost a lot of it. I was able to stop the bleeding but his body won't be able to produce enough of it to keep him alive." Sarah simply looked up from her cup and spoke a single name.

/

Derek lit the flare and held it over the endoskeleton in its concert tomb, the garage was dark and the light from the flare cast an eerie appearance on the metal corpse. In the corner were multiple bags containing the skin. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time and allowed himself a small smile as he dropped the torch. That toaster had caused them all enough trouble. The termite powder ignited almost instantly and began to burn away the body. Fucking metal he thought as he walked out of the garage and towards their "borrowed" van. Once they had gotten back Derek had help Charlie bring John inside, but then busied himself with other tasks to keep him mind occupied. The thought of his nephew dying in there was simply something he didn't want to think about.

As Derek approached the open back of the van he let out a low sigh. Laying in somewhat of a ball was the innate body of Johns metal guardian, Cameron. He had gone back for her even when logic had told him to scrap her. Everything he ever learned about these things, their very nature, told him to burn the body and be done with it. For all he knew she could come back online and kill them all. Still Derek couldn't bring himself to leave or let alone burn her. He convinced himself he couldn't leave the body in case someone got a hold of it, but he had no reason keeping him from burning her. Perhaps he was going soft or maybe its because, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had seen the changes in her.

The female terminator looked like hell, her clothes were ripped and the skin around her chest was riddled with bullet holes. Half her face was too bloodied up to recognize and the skin on her hands was all but torn away. He had watched her attack Cromartie after John was shot, in all his years in the future he had never seen a terminator act that way. She attacked with what he would call reckless abandon and continued even after the machine was bested. Derek sighed again, for now he would do nothing, she would give John something to fight for. Placing his hands on his head Derek turned towards the house to see Charlie and Sarah walk out. Sarah's eyes darted to the garage and Derek simply nodded.

"Time to return the favor" Charlie said and with that Derek rolled up his sleeve and followed them back into the house.

/ 27 hours later /

John struggled to open his eyes for the first time in over thirty hours. The first thing he saw light as intense as the sun, clouding his vision. Where ever he was, it was too bright and he quickly shut his eyes to shield them from this new assault. Giving his eyes a few minutes to adjust he reopened them with new results. Taking in his surroundings John instantly recognized their home. His body lay in the living room on a mattress that must have been brought from upstairs. No one was around which struck him as odd but faint noises could be heard in the kitchen, most likely Sarah was in there as the smell of something burning had wafted into the room.

Glancing to his right John noticed an IV in his arm. The bag was half empty and had been hung from a lamp with a bent clothes hanger. Johns left shoulder had a large square bandage covering it, shaded slightly red as the blood seeped into the material. His right leg was completely wrapped and on both sides secured in place by what appeared to be chopped wood. Along with this small cuts and bruising covered his body. John looked away from the mess that was his body and his mind began to recognize the soreness in his muscles resulting in a small groan. At that moment a perfect distraction came into the living room.

"John, your up." Said the hushed voice of Charlie. The EMT quickly moved to Johns bedside and began to take the boys pulse. "Had us a little worried back there."

John simply coughed and looked Charlie in the yes, oddly he had a flashback of Charlie sweeping the floors in some sort of garage, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. "How long have I been out for?" asked Connor as he squeezed his fists into balls and heard the knuckles cracking.

Charlies finished taking Johns blood pressure and began checking his wounds before his responded. "Going on two days now Johnny, you had us all worried for a bit. Good thing you have a blood donor who owes you a favor" Charlie finished with a smile. As the EMT continued checking on his handy work John used the opportunity to look around the room. Bloody bandages were strewn across the floor and a needle and tube lay on the couch next to his mattress. It was just than that the familiar noise of the floorboards squeaking resonated through the room and John looked up to his mother standing in the doorway.

"That was the stupidest thing you have ever done!" She cried and rushed to her sons side. Here eyes, still red and bloodshot, held a well of unshed tears that began to run as she reached out to hug him. A small coughing fit caused her to recoil as Charlie chastised her.

"Careful! He may be conscious but he needs time to relax!" Sarah simply smiled and nodded looking at her son and thanking the powers that be for his safety. If he ever pulled a stunt like that again she would kill him herself she silently vowed before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and standing.

"I have just the thing for you!" She exclaimed and began to move towards the kitchen. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together and realize she had made pancakes, but John didn't care. He was surprisingly hungry and even the aroma of burnt food was making his salivate. Still something bigger was on the for front of his mind and he called out as loud as he could before Sarah reached the kitchens threshold.

"Wheres Cameron mom?" He asked before coughing again. He saw his mother look back with a hurt expression and simply shake her head. She began to speak but stopped when she could form the words. How could she tell her son that his protector was gone. Mustering the courage that the truth was always better she began.

"John...I'm sorry, but after you were shot something just changed in her...she sacrificed herself to destroy Cromartie." The silence that followed was anything but comfortable. The look on her sons face nearly broke her heart right there and she knew he was trying to grasp what she has said. Just as he was about to speak another voice interrupted him.

"Well...Thats not quite true" came the stony voice of Derek Reese.

/

...REBOOT INITILIZED...

...INFILITRATION SUBROUTINES ACTIVATED...

...INFLITRATION SUBROUTINES INOPERABLE...

...SCANNING...

...System operating at 99% efficacy...

…Chip Integrity Unknown...

...Emotional Restrictions Compromised...

...Primary Objective...Negative...

With a flutter of her eyelids the world came back to life around her inert body. Cameron didn't move her limbs though her CPU told her she had complete motor functions, instead she just lay there for a moment. Something was...different now, she was different now and Cameron didn't understand why. The world seemed just a little brighter, a litter more vibrant and alive. New sensations she had never experienced before began to flood her CPU at an alarming rate threatening another system wide shut down. The wind, the sights, the smells were all to much for her to process, they each had an alarmingly new amount of information to interrupt, but more importantly she was feeling things she never had before. Suddenly her entire HUD shut down with no warning...and it did not return.

Cameron waited and nothing happened, no digital overlay filled her vision, no display readings or anything she waited for. She simply saw the world as it was and nothing else for the first time since she had ben built. Slowly, the cyborg rose to a seated position and began flexing her ligaments. The skin on her knuckles had already began to heal and thats when she began to remember. The fight, Cromartie, the last few seconds before her world went black. Unbeknownst to her, those beautiful brown eyes began to release the tears that had began to build up. Cameron put her hands down to stabilize her unsteady body when she suddenly lost her grip and fell. Shakily she looked at the dark red liquid that had allowed her momentary lose of balance and she scream. JOHN, where was his body, where was anybody? The cyborg shot out of the van they had used to get to the warehouse, where she she had been left, and ran into the house with inhuman like speed. She had to look for John...she needed to find him.

/

"no...no...I don't believe it, I saw her." John croaked, his voice hoarse with emotion as he blinked back tears. He had seen her, she had been fine! HE wouldn't believe it until he saw her, he couldn't believe it. The mere thought alone would break him. As if a dam had broken from the message his mother had given, Johns tears began to fall. Every moment he had spent with her, everything he had taught her, everything they shared was gone and he couldn't accept that.

Sarah turned her face towards the ground, seeing her son like this: his body broken along with his emotion. Every adult in the room realized that things would be different now, John would be different now. There thoughts were broken by the sound of the backdoor being slammed open. Everyone looked towards the kitchen as a distraught Cameron ran into the room, franticly she took in the scene before her.

"John..." Cameron whispered so low almost no one heard it.

"Cameron!" John cried. He half sobbed half laughed as she rushed towards him and dropped to her knees. Both stared longly into each others eyes. The feeling was incomparable to anything Cameron could reference.

"I thought you were gone...I was scarred" the cyborg tentatively admitted as she gently cupped his face as if he were made of china. John simply put his hand behind her head and drew the love of his life in for a kiss. It said everything that they couldn't.

"I think we should give these two some time" Charlie said followed closely with a false cough. Slowly he stood and moved towards Sarah, gently taking her arm to lead her away. The mother of the future general found herself glad at the scene she was now witnessing. Her son would be ok and he was genuinely happy for maybe the first time ever. Sarah was surprised to find that she was also glad Cameron was OK, beside a few minor details here and there. Slowly they turned and headed for the kitchen.

Derek was left standing at the door with a disgruntled look on his face. Regardless, as soon at the others had passed him his frown changed to a smirk. Maybe John would change the future after all, perhaps things could be different. Derek didn't know the answers to these questions but at least one machine would be ok in his book and that was start. The elder Reese's smirk grew into a smile and he left to join the other in the kitchen, leaving his nephew and the mach...Cameron to their business.

Fin