Chapter Twenty:

E tu' Brute?

John burst into the warehouse spotting Cameron's motionless body still sitting on the floor. Jesse was still out cold when he scrambled to Cameron's side, carefully pulling back the skin of her head, revealing the empty port. He slowly and carefully replaced the chip, silently counting down the reactivation time.

Those fifteen seconds seemed to drag forever. A small part of him feared she still wouldn't get up, that somehow he was too late, that maybe Cromartie had done something to the chip…

Her eyes opened slowly, staring up at him. "John. You're safe."

He let out a breath, eyes closing in relief, and at the same time laughing at the absurdity of her words. He couldn't believe it. Here she'd just been electrocuted, rebooted, chip removed, and she was concerned about his safety.

It only served to remind him how much she truly loved him.

"Alright," he whispered. "We need your help."

"We?"

"Derek and Sarah are holding off Cromartie, but there's not much time," he explained hurriedly. "We've got to get back there."

Cameron was on her feet instantly, and John ran for the door, praying they wouldn't be too late.

**********

Pain.

That was all she could feel. Vaguely, Riley was aware of the gunshots, the explosions, the grenades going off. She struggled to stay conscious, to keep her mind off the awful pain. It was bleeding a lot, but she didn't think the bullet had hit anything critical. It had hit near her shoulder, well above her heart.

But there was an ache there in her heart as well.

She could barely remember what had happened. John was there, running towards her, Cameron's chip clutched in his hands, his eyes wide with terror. She'd seen Cromartie turn, bringing the gun around and, like she was in slow motion, Riley had sprang forward, placing herself between John Connor and the bullet that would have destroyed the world forever.

She'd been the hero.

She'd saved John Connor.

She just didn't expect it to hurt this much. John had caught her, screaming her name, his eyes tortured. He'd dragged her back to safety, trying to slow the bleeding. She wanted to speak, to tell him once again how sorry she was for everything. More than anything she wanted him to know she still cared about him, loved him… more like a brother, but she still loved him.

She'd urged him to leave, to go find Cameron. Because Cameron was the only one who could save them all. Cameron was a hero too. And Riley was just figuring that out.

She only hoped she'd still be conscious when they returned.

**********

Cameron burst through the door ahead of John and ordered him to get under cover, instantly taking a few shots from Cromartie's rifle. John scrambled to Riley's side, checking her wound.

Thank God the bleeding seems to have stopped. He glanced up around the room. The entire back half had been blown apart, bullet holes were in everything. Cromartie's body was burnt and pierced, but he was still standing strong.

John met Derek's eyes and his uncle forced a smile. "About time! I just ran out of grenades!"

Cameron strode forward, knocking Cromartie's gun out of his hand with a swift kick before grabbing him and hurling him into the wall. John realized that some of Derek's grenades seemed to have limited the Triple 8's functionality. He took longer than usual getting to his feet, was slower in reacting to Cameron, some of his movements stiff.

Cameron reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver object. From his hiding place, John couldn't make out what it was but Cameron jammed her hand into Cromartie's mouth.

It came out without the silver object.

She spun her head around toward John. "John! Do it! Push the button!"

John's eyes widened in recognition and he reached under his shirt where the pocket watch kill-necklace still hung around his neck. Even after Cameron had removed the explosive, he hadn't taken it off.

And obviously, Cameron had kept the explosive on her person anyhow. John opened the watch, revealing the small red button.

"John, now!" Cameron cried. She backed away from Cromartie, who was trying to get the miniature bomb out of his mouth. Cameron had wedged it in good.

And John Connor did something he never imagined he would do. He stared down at the necklace and pressed the button.

**********

John Connor stood among the wreckage, his hand still clutching the button, his mind still racing even though it was all over.

The explosion had been small, contained, but it had blown Cromartie's head to bits. It's a small amount, but it's enough. Even after the smoke cleared, Cameron had picked her way through the debris to his body and made sure the chip was decimated.

They'd won.

Both Sarah and Cameron had helped bandage Riley's wound while John and Derek had burned Cromartie's body and tried to wipe any evidence of the Connors away before any police showed up.

But they still had one loose end to tie up.

As they returned to the warehouse where a mere hour ago Cameron had been rendered motionless on the floor, John could feel the anger start rising again. They still had to deal with Jesse, the soldier who was responsible for everything that had just happened.

The one who could have killed them all.

He stood over Jesse's unconscious body, glancing at his companions. Derek's face was an unreadable mask; Riley's was still tinted with a grimace of pain; Sarah was impassive, but he knew she was secretly enraged.

Even Cameron's normally expressionless face seemed to hold a hint of hatred.

John was struggling hard to contain his fury as Jesse's eyes finally fluttered open. They locked on Derek with a weak smile. "We did it, Derek. It's done."

John took an involuntary step backwards, mouth dropping open in shock. "You?" he demanded of his uncle. "You were part of this? Then why did you help Cameron?"

Derek looked utterly dejected. "John, please…I'll explain later."

But John Connor was beyond listening. It was one thing for a soldier like Jesse to not trust him with his own life, but for Derek - his own uncle - to betray him like this, just when he thought he and Cameron were starting to get along… "She saved your life! And you try to kill her!"

Jesse's eyes widened at his words. "Try? You mean…"

John stepped to the side, revealing Cameron standing behind him, her face stoic as she stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with John. Jesse's face twisted into a mix of revulsion, fear, and anger.

He almost laughed. She had no right to feel angry or disgusted, not after the awful act of betrayal she'd committed. He glared down at her, his jaw clenched with hate. "Why did you do it?"

"You were too close to the machine," Jesse explained. "I was sent to stop her."

Sent. John scoffed. "No. You weren't sent. You just came."

Jesse's face betrayed nothing. "How do you know? How do you know you didn't send me, Connor?"

His lip curled. Don't play games with me. "I have an informer. I believe you know her."

Jesse looked around the room, eyes locking on Riley. "Riley," she growled.

Riley's face was strained, though that could have been from the gunshot wound. "I told you I was done."

Jesse's furious eyes snapped back to John. "You don't understand. She's not human, Connor! She doesn't have a soul. She doesn't have a heart!"

John kept his eyes calm. "I could say the same about you."

"She's right, John," Cameron spoke up softy. "I don't have a heart."

John tore his eyes away from Jesse and looked at Cameron, his gaze softening as he did. "Yes, you do. It may not beat and it may not look the same, but it's there. You feel, you told me that. It means you have a heart. Tin Miss, remember?" He grinned despite the situation. "You've always had a heart."

Cameron smiled and Jesse looked disgusted. "Listen to yourself. I did what I did to protect you!"

John chuckled humorlessly. "That's where you're wrong. You didn't do this for me. You don't get it do you? If you'd succeeded in killing Cameron, you'd be killing me as well. I need her. She saves my life."

Jesse shook her head, looking over at Sarah. "How does your dear mother feel about the metal in your life? Will she side with you, too?"

John turned to his mother, the hope in his eyes deflating as he did. He already knew where his mother stood. He knew exactly what her answer would be: I don't trust you, John, and I certainly don't trust her.

He dreaded hearing them again, sure they would bring back a fresh jolt of pain. If they kept this up…they'd never be able to mend their broken relationship. But instead of answering immediately, Sarah seemed torn, eyes dancing from John to Cameron to Jesse and back to John.

A new thought suddenly struck him. Could his mother seriously have changed her mind? He didn't dare hope.

Sarah lowered her eyes. "John trusts Cameron. And I can't believe I'm saying this…but so do I. I trust John."

He met her eyes, feeling the tears stinging in his own. He was stunned into silence, not realizing how long he'd waited for her to say those words. He'd needed that, the knowledge that she believed in him once more, her assurance, her acceptance.

"I trust you, John," Sarah repeated, swallowing a lump in her throat and giving him a tender smile.

Riley took a step forward, planting herself in front of Jesse. "Me too."

John watched Jesse's face harden in a rage. "You forget your place."

"It's right here," Riley said strongly. "Between you and Cameron."

John could feel his heart soar. Seeing Riley stand up for Cameron meant everything to him. After all they'd put each other through, he couldn't have imagined it going down like this. None of them were normal, he least of all. But maybe, just maybe, they could still all be friends.

He glared down at the soldier at his feet. "You don't understand, Jesse. Maybe you can live your life alone, but I can't. I need my friends. You've betrayed your purpose, your mission. You've become a threat to this family." He leaned down and as he did, the murder faded from his eyes. "But I'm not gonna kill you."

"She knows who we are," Cameron stated. "She's still a threat."

John shook his head. Yes, it was a risk, he knew that. "We're not murderers." His eyes lingered on Cameron. "None of us."

Jesse slowly rose to her feet and John felt Riley tense beside him, ready to defend both him and Cameron if Jesse were to try something.

But the soldier apparently wasn't that stupid. Instead, she just stared at him. "Answer me this. What would you have done? If I hadn't failed. If the machine had murdered Riley or if I could have convinced you that she did."

"Would I have sent her away? Would I have killed her?" John shook his head firmly. "No."

"That's a shame."

John pressed his lips tightly together before giving the order out loud. "Let her go."

He didn't wait to see if Jesse would leave immediately. Instead, he turned to the door, but felt a hand on his arm. He turned around to see his mother standing in front of him, her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She didn't say anything, simply pulled him into a hug. He could feel his eyes burning and he held on tight. He still couldn't believe she'd decided to have faith in him.

"Thank you," he whispered.

He felt her shake her head slowly. "I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry I doubted you." He could feel her sobbing as she continued, "I do trust you. I've always believed in you…"

He finally pulled back and smiled through his tears. "Let's go, Mom." He turned and opened the door, aware of everybody following him.

Everyone but Derek.

************

Derek couldn't understand how things had gotten so out of hand. He'd entered this entire thing with Jesse because he thought he was helping John. He thought Riley was being used to distance his nephew from the cyborg. He hadn't realized the drastic measures Jesse was ready to take in pursuit of her goal, however twisted it was.

Now, staring down at his girlfriend, Derek felt an overwhelming sense of pain and sorrow. She wasn't the person he'd thought she was.

Jesse was regarding him with a calm expression. "So, Derek. What are you going to do? Side with them? With the metal?"

Derek's jaw tightened. "It's one thing for you to be AWOL, Jesse. It's another to betray John Connor."

Jesse seemed to take offense at that. "I was trying to save him."

"You could have killed him," Derek said firmly. What if John had perished trying to save Cameron? What if Riley hadn't been able to get to him in time? "If John Connor dies, then we all die."

Jesse's face flushed angrily. "You helped me, remember?"

"I didn't understand the whole story. And neither do you. John Connor isn't being corrupted by Cameron; he's the one changing her, not the other way around. Cameron is an essential part of the Connor team. She's saved his life countless times. Heck, she's saved my life."

Jesse snorted in disgust. "There you go again. She saved your life. Cameron. Derek, you don't understand. You don't know what it's like."

No, he remembered. He remembered Cameron in the future, how John had given her free reign of the place. He hadn't known their connection then, but still...

"You're from a different future," Jesse added angrily.

Derek lowered his eyes. "Not that different." Just different perceptions.

Jesse laughed dryly. "I don't believe this…"

"I don't either," Derek agreed. "I don't understand how you could do this." He winced and averted his gaze. "I don't even know you. I don't know who you are."

Jesse's brow furrowed and her eyes widened with grief and pain. "I'm Jesse!"

"You're not my Jesse."

His Jesse wouldn't have betrayed John Connor. His Jesse wouldn't have committed treason, wouldn't have gone AWOL, wouldn't have been willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent girl to win her fight. His Jesse would never have forced him to choose between her and John, wouldn't have forced him away from his nephew.

Even now, his Jesse wouldn't still be fighting, arguing her misguided point. "You can't seriously be siding with…with her!"

Derek's eyes hardened. "No. I'm siding with John Connor. I trust John Connor. And if he trusts Cameron… then that's good enough for me."

Jesse shook her head, fighting emotions of anger and grief. But as she looked up at him, her eyes softened. "So what are you going to do?"

Derek hesitated, eyes closing before he pulled out his gun. "What I have to."

Jesse's eyes were steely, but he knew her well enough to distinguish the flash of fear beneath them. "Derek, don't," she begged. "Do you remember when I asked if there's any future where we're not together? You said no."

His face twisted. "I guess I was wrong."

There was no trying to be strong now. Jesse's hurt gaze held his with an urgency. "Derek, please. You don't want to do this. You can't do this. John Connor said to let me go!"

He felt his face crumbling, could feel the tears coming from the pain of what he was about to do. "I'm not John Connor." He lifted the gun, saw the shock and fear on her face. "I'm sorry, Jesse. I'm so sorry…"

And for a brief moment, he saw straight into her eyes, her soul…and she was his Jesse again, the Jesse he loved, the kind hearted fighter he had fallen for so many years ago.

Derek Reese pulled the trigger.

And his heart shattered.

author's note: Well, only one chapter to go and all the loose ends will be tied up. I really hope you guys are enjoying it. :)