Author's Notes: Alright, here it is, the finale! Hope you all enjoy!

Jameron4Ever - I agree. I was pretty ticked when Riley came into the picture on the show. But now that its revealed that she's there to keep John and Cameron apart, I'm hoping there will be some Jameron to come. But anyway, yes, of course I'll keep writing Jameron!

Augustus Paladin Maximus - I actually do that a lot for inspiration. I'll go back and watch the movies again, past episodes, and music videos on YouTube to spark the imagination. Thanks for the suggestion about the "Cyborg" movie. I started watching it and it's funny how similar to Terminator it is! Cyberdyne model? That big blue time bubble? But I think we all agree that Summer Glau makes a better cyborg. :)

jbh61987 - I read your oneshot and I didn't think it was too close. I liked it. Write on!

LadyKryptonite294 - I've actually never read "the Tempest" but the title fit well. :) As for the bus situation, that's explained briefly in this chapter...and in the sequel. :)

Dre4mwe4ver - That was my thought when writing it. I figured Cameron might be light enough to get knocked down with a charge, but I doubt John could have taken out Uncle Bob. :)

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Chapter Nine:

All's Well That Ends Well

Cameron and John pushed the abandoned jeep to the closest gas station where they refueled it. Neither of them had any money to pay for gas, so they simply drove off and Cameron later pulled into a restaurant parking lot, ripped the license plate off a parked car and switched it with the jeep's.

Despite the trauma and horror he'd experienced a few hours ago, John now felt a sense of peace as they began the long drive home. He was sitting in the passenger seat, beside Cameron, and everything seemed right again. He didn't mind the long ride this time.

"Your friends will get suspicious," Cameron spoke up.

John shrugged impassively. "They'll think it was a random school shooting." He wasn't exactly sure what that conversation would sound like. Would Riley be worried about him? Would Ms. Darbus realize they were gone? Would she be able to drive the bus back to LA County? Had either of them noticed Cameron running up and tackling the shooter?

"They'll wonder where we went," Cameron added.

"So we'll say we were taken by the police to testify against what happened," John said. "Then we had to drive home by ourselves."

Cameron was silent for a moment. "Will they believe that?"

"They'll have to," John replied. There would be no other explanation, none that they would come up with anyhow. But he didn't care about that right now. They'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

When dinnertime rolled in, John insisted that they stop at a nice restaurant. He was going to make it up to Cameron for his rude behavior that week. He half-expected her to argue that she didn't need to eat anyway and was pleasantly surprised when she agreed.

He found an Olive Garden where they were seated at a table for two. The Italian food reminded him of Cameron's "malfunction" with Riley's order. Now that he thought about it, it really was funny, something he would have appreciated if he hadn't been so angry with her at the time.

As they waited for their meal to arrive, John pursed his lips, trying to think of what to say. "I'm sorry I've been such a jerk this week."

"I'm sorry you've been such a jerk too," Cameron agreed.

John cocked his head, and she smiled. Maybe she really did develop a sense of humor. John sat back, grinning.

"I didn't mean to be," he admitted. "I was just…I was just tired of everyone trying to run my life. I didn't want to push you away."

"We have to prepare you," Cameron stated. "You have to be ready."

John looked away and bit his lip. There'd been a question nagging in the back of his mind ever since he began to grow close to her. "What happens if we stop Judgment Day?"

"What do you mean?"

"What happens if we stop Judgment Day?" John repeated. "If we stop it…" he hesitated, swallowing painfully. "…you won't exist. There will be no machines, no resistance, no time displacement engine." He couldn't imagine it. That small moment of time back at the warehouse, when he thought she'd been killed had been the worst moment of his life. He couldn't go on without her. "I've been thinking a lot about this. Maybe it's not meant to be stopped. Maybe it's supposed to happen; maybe it's meant to happen. If we stop it…if there's no need to send Kyle Reese back…then there's no me…then there's no one to stop Skynet…" he rubbed his forehead. "It's complicated."

"Future John knows that Judgment Day cannot be stopped," Cameron explained. "He just has to ensure that we win. It can't be stopped. It's fate."

"There is no fate but what we make," John muttered, more out of habit.

"This is the fate we make," Cameron responded. John was struck by her use of 'we'. She was talking about humans.

"Miles Dyson couldn't stop it," she continued. "Andy Goode couldn't stop it. Sarah Connor can't stop it."

"I can't stop it," John finished.

"Neither can I," Cameron agreed. "I wasn't sent here to stop it. I was sent here to fight it. To make sure you are equipped…and alive…to fight it. To become John Connor."

"Great Military Leader," he said to himself. "You're right. I don't want to stop it. Even if it's possible, I don't want to stop it. I have to make sure you exist in the future." He shook his head slowly. "I can't imagine facing the apocalypse without you."

Cameron smiled faintly. "I can't imagine facing the apocalypse without you, either."

He smirked. "Without me, you wouldn't be facing it at all," he reminded her.

"We'd still face it. We would just lose."

She was still coupling herself with humans…with him. John held her gaze. He was finally ready to accept this. He was in love with a cyborg…and, as impossible as it seemed, she was in love with him too. It didn't matter what his mother or uncle said. It didn't matter what anyone else thought.

Nothing would take her from him.

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

John tried to doze off in the car, but kept getting jolted awake which didn't do wonders for his mood. "Okay, we need to stop somewhere for the night."

"I can keep driving," Cameron stated.

"Well, I need sleep and I can't sleep in this rickety piece of crap," John retorted.

"We have no money."

He scowled. Never stopped us before. "So we sneak in. Or you could persuade them to let us in."

"You ordered me not to kill anyone," she reminded him.

"I didn't mean kill. Just threaten."

Cameron cocked her head at him. "You are not thinking clearly. The manager could call the police."

John sighed, rubbing tired eyes. "Right. Well, we have to do something."

Cameron pulled over into the parking lot of a very small motel.

"This is a cheap motel," John muttered, rubbing his tired eyes.

"We have no money," Cameron repeated. "You spent it on chocolates for Riley."

John winced at the reminder. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I should have gotten you some too."

"It's alright. I ate Riley's anyway."

She opened her door and John quickly climbed out as well. "You did?" he asked. "Well…good. They should have been for you anyway."

They quickly came up with a plan to get a room. John walked into the motel and asked the clerk at the desk where the bathroom was. She told him the directions, but didn't leave her post. John strolled down the hallway, following her instructions, then turned around and came back, pretending to look helpless.

"It's not there," he stated.

She looked utterly annoyed, and John tried his best to look pathetic. "Please, I really need to go…"

She finally stepped out from behind the desk and started leading John down the hall toward the bathroom.

Cameron entered the motel and slipped around the desk, searching the computer for an empty room. She took the key card and went down the hall towards the bathroom, passing the receptionist on the way, who still looked a bit irritated. Cameron knocked on the restroom door and John came out, following behind her towards their stolen room.

"Here it is," she said, opening the door. John glanced inside with a curled lip. It wasn't very big, definitely not a Holiday Inn, and neither was it very tidy.

"Um, there's only one bed," he pointed out.

"I don't sleep," Cameron replied.

"Right," he repeated. Cameron closed the door after performing a quick scan of the surroundings.

"Sarah will wonder where we are," she stated.

"Yeah, well, my cell phone is in my suitcase," John replied. "Which is back on the bus. You wanna go get it?"

"I can't," came the reply. "I have to stay here to protect you."

"I know, it was a joke," John replied. He dropped his backpack on the floor and collapsed onto the bed. Cameron posted herself in the center of the room, performing an constant scan of the surroundings.

John closed his eyes and sighed. "Look, I can't sleep with you standing there like a statue."

She studied him for a moment before slowly walking over to the bed and laying down next to him, so close they were touching. His pulse sped up and he swallowed audibly.

"I should apologize," she said.

"Apologize?" John repeated. She wasn't the one who had been a complete and total moron. "For what?"

"For my behavior towards Riley," she replied. "You were right."

"What am I right about?"

"I am a security risk. More than Riley. I tried to kill you."

He winced, thinking about when he'd said that. She'd merely been trying to protect him, and he'd thrown in back in her face. "Cameron…I didn't mean that…"

"No, you are correct," she replied. "I will try not to interfere in your life."

John hesitated. "But…I want you to. You've saved my life countless times. You…you still save my life. You've always been there for me, even after I kept pushing you away. And…I never told you how much I appreciate that."

Cameron smiled and John felt his heart warm. "You're welcome."

With her beside him, John slept better than he had in a long time, the first time he'd slept without having a nightmare.

He felt safe.

***********

John had made the decision not to tell his mother about the Triple 8's attack and he certainly wasn't going to tell her about his newfound feelings for his Terminator protector.

As it turned out, they arrived in LA County just after the bus, which Ms. Darbus had driven home alone. John didn't have to make up a story to his mother about why they were late and she never suspected a thing. He dropped his backpack on the floor, and Sarah greeted him with a hug.

"How was Canada?" she asked.

"Riley stole my leather jacket," Cameron announced as she entered the room.

Derek scowled and Sarah raised an eyebrow, looking at John questioningly. "Is Riley…alive?"

John smirked. "Yes. Don't worry. She didn't kill anyone." His mind flashed to the Triple 8. Well, at least no one who was alive to begin with.

Sarah smiled, but it was strained. "Well, I'm glad you had fun, because you're never going on another field trip ever again."

Derek grinned. "She worried about you the entire time. Thought some Triple 8 might show up in Stratford or something stupid like that."

John and Cameron exchanged a conspiratorial glance and John forced out a laugh. "Yeah Mom, why would you think something stupid like that?"

Sarah rolled her eyes and Derek chuckled softly. "So, Stratford," he said. "Learn anything new or worthwhile?"

"Yes," Cameron spoke up. "I learned that I had made an error in judgment."

Everyone turned to face her, confused. "What was that?" John asked.

"We shouldn't move to Canada."

finis

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author's note: I won't pretend to know how the multiple timelines work. I know Derek said that he and Jesse came from seperate futures, but, hey, John might not know that yet.

As for my "future plans", I have a partial draft of a "Threequel" to this sequel. :) I've also gotten an idea for a Firefly/TSCC crossover fic. But in the meantime, I have two other stories I've already written (Jameron of course) that I'll post next.