A/N: Hey guys! Trying to get back in the habit of writing fan fiction since I took a mental break from it for about two months (well, I was occupied with National Novel Writers Month in November, so it's taken me this long to be able to think about anything else.) It's time I posted something, make sure all you Matrix fans know I'm still alive.

Anyway, enjoy, and Merry Christmas

The Only Reason That Matters

It was cold on the Neb, the heating system shot with their recent loss of power. Morpheus was still searching for a signal, confident that they would find one. Since Neo's miraculous revival, the captain was in a mood nothing could touch, even the slim chances of finding another ship close by. The One had just been revealed to them, how could the Fates let them die now?

Neo was staring at the dead bodies that lay underneath thick tarp. He could vaguely smell the beginnings of the decaying corps', but he was too enraptured in his own thoughts of events that had past only hours ago. He glanced down at his chest, the fresh bandages wrapped tightly underneath his shirts, restricting his breathing ever so slightly.

Trinity had bandaged him up. She had been somewhat forceful when doing so, passion and purpose lining her every movement-though gentle to the touch whenever her bare fingers brushed his skin. So gentle, his breathing grew thin as his heart ached to be closer to her, though she was already right in front of him, tending to his mild bullet wounds. This seemed to be her main priority this entire time they'd known each other.

Protect Neo.

As voices and pictures ran through his mind, the same question plagued his heart; the ache too prominent to ignore.

Why me?

He'd felt heart ache before, just not at this level. He'd felt it when he first saw Trinity in that club, staring him down in that short black dress with her glaringly artificial green eyes. He could tell the color wasn't hers naturally, but that detail didn't much matter after she called him a name only choice few knew.

Hello Neo. I know a lot of things about you.

Had she been attracted to him then? He doubted it. That was probably the spiel she gave every new red pill. This thought almost made his stomach turn, a phantom jealousy churching within alongside the fact that he was so ignorant. He knew close to nothing about Trinity, yet he loved her with all his being. It felt too right, too natural to love her, he'd never felt anything more natural other than stopping bullets. But that same question came up…

Why me?

Why was this ache plaguing him now? They were together, weren't they? She'd confessed her love and he ran back to her. Floor three, room 303, my ticket to Trinity. He hadn't said anything, but he'd never been a man of words. Something told him that neither had Trinity, but she had to say something.

Neo, I'm not afraid anymore. The Oracle told me that I would fall in love and that that man... the man that I loved would be The One. So you see, you can't be dead. You can't be... because I love you. You hear me? I love you.

And why was he the One? If he had known of his apparent greatness sooner, he would have tried to make something of his life. Or would he have? The Matrix had no place for him as a normal citizen of branded society, he'd known that his whole life—it was the reason he'd squandered his intelligence and skill on hacking for cash; living in a dump and not caring whether he could really hold a real job or not.

For giving up on love and most human relations in general.

Did it really matter why? He was the One now and he had a job to do. Somehow, the responsibility was easier to accept; easier to carry. Not only because of what had happened in the Matrix, but what had happened in reality. Of what was happening in reality. Thoughts of Zion then sprang into his mind, a flush of nervousness alongside eagerness promptly scorching his face. He was beginning to get tired of his inward bipolarism, (A/N: not a real word), wanting now more than ever to remain as confident as he had when he opened his eyes to see Trinity hovering over him, shielding him.

Must protect Neo.

A rather loud noise brought him back to reality. He turned around, finding nothing in sight. The noise came again. It was around the hall. He glanced once more to the bodies just below him, wondering how this was affecting Trinity. Was he being selfish on only worrying about himself? Should he ask her how she's doing? Would she really give him a straight answer? Should he pry? Relationships were a very big gray area for him. He'd never really thought about anyone but himself, this new awareness seemed to be a gift and a curse at the same time. He could feel a small panic reach his stomach, but he forced it away, hearing footsteps coming towards him.

It was Trinity. She was wiping her hands clean with a rag, fresh oil staining its edges. When she saw him, her eyes flashed an almost invisible sign of surprise. He wondered if such small flickers of emotion were visible to most or just to the people close to her.

"I told you to get some rest." She said, her voice strong, yet harmonious to Neo's ears.

"I am resting." He said softly, eyes subconsciously glued to hers. "I'm not helping, which is what I'd rather be doing." Although they both knew about his incompetence around the ship.

He mentally kicked himself for overreacting about not knowing how to handle a relationship. It was the easiest thing in the world just to talk to her.

His small smile was apparently infectious, Trinity now trying to resist the urge to fully give into a real smile. She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips, Neo getting the message that it was incredibly hard to resist that urge as well. He found it equally difficult.

Why me?

She looked at him for a moment, as if analyzing his face. He held her gaze, reveling in the touch of her calloused hand on the side of his neck.

"I still have work to do. Wait for me in my cabin?"

Neo blinked. In her cabin? Was he being allowed to enter her private quarters? What did that mean? He forced himself to stop thinking as he nodded his compliance. Three words entered his mind as he watched her walk away, finally remembering the cold that surrounded him as she disappeared into the metal caverns that made up the Neb. He'd yet to verbally tell her of his love, although he doubted she minded. Not yet, anyway.

Without looking back, he made his way to Trinity's cabin, awaiting the hopefully near future.

…

Trinity was still working on clearing the Sentinel debris from the ship. After that, she was going to patch up the whole in hull when Morpheus stopped her.

"Trinity, you've been working for five hours straight." He was obviously concerned.

"Don't worry about me." She replied, turning her eyes to him as she stopped to climb down the latter. "We've lost five ship hands and there's work to be done. Did you find anything?"

"Yes. We've contacted the Vigilant and they should be here in a matter of days."

"Good. Then we have a matter of days to get repairs done."

"And that can wait for the morning." Morpheus said. "I'm certain that when the Vigilant arrives, they will help us with the remaining repairs if needed. There is no reason to work yourself to death." Morpheus almost immediately regretted the last of the words he'd said, but quickly recovered, knowing that death was on everyone's minds. Thoughts of death at this point were unavoidable. "You're right about our undeniable losses, but we have gained so much more." His voice was sincere, as it always was, but Trinity couldn't help but wonder.

"It wasn't right, how they died." Her voice was thin, her face just a bit paler. "I don't know how to mourn them. We have to move on, but…"

"Think of them." Morpheus said. "Remember them and fight for them. That is all we can do."

Trinity nodded, thankful for his words.

Morpheus nodded back. "Has Neo been resting?"

Trinity smirked. "He says he has. He was just standing there…" her eyes moved in the direction of the bodies. "…thinking."

"He has much to think about. I'm not surprised."

"I told him about an hour ago to lie down, get some real rest."

"I'd advise you to do the same."

Trinity regarded him for a moment, her arms crossed. "Where's Tank?"

"At the feed. I tried to get him to retire, but he can't sleep."

Trinity couldn't find the right words to reply. Tank hadn't just lost a comrade, he'd lost a brother. He was probably dreading the thought of telling his family about their loss. Even with Morpheus' less than amazing track record at keeping his crew alive, at least the ones he believed to be the One, he'd never had an Operator die on his hands. He was the most cautious when it came to Sentinel attacks.

She looked into Morpheus' eyes, seeing everything that had happened that day; everything that had changed in a mere 24 hours. They'd almost lost him, like all the others.

Morpheus seemed to be thinking the same thing as he reached out to embrace her. She hugged him gratefully, just the thought of losing the man that had rescued her from the Matrix unbearable. To Morpheus, Trinity had always been special. She'd been so determined as a teenager to find him; to find the solace that she subconsciously knew the Matrix could not grant her. She had been one of the most determined he'd ever freed, not to mention the most talented. Her freeing had been another confirmation of her individuality. The first breath she took in light of the fact that she was awake and away from her old life, she'd looked alive, more alive than he'd ever witnessed.

The blue in her eyes seemed to have grown stronger. They almost glowed with freedom.

She also had not abandoned Morpheus on his lifelong mission to find the One. She neither confirmed nor denied that she believed as he did, but he knew her too well. She wanted to believe, like she'd wanted to believe that there was something beyond the prison that is the Matrix.

He pulled away, eyes somewhat hesitant in meeting hers. He had seen Neo walk into her cabin, confidently at that. The attraction between the two hadn't been obvious, but again, Morpheus knew Trinity too well. Her subtle signs of affection were all he needed to know that she took a shine to their new potential savior. And even without having heard her confession of love, which he had, he knew that any choice she made was always a wise one. She'd been so self-contained, not nearly anti-social, but always reserved in her emotions. He was proud of her beyond words for accepting such fate. He was also relieved that the One would be taken care of, he trusted Trinity like no one else.

"I'll see you in the morning." Morpheus said.

She nodded as they both turned in different directions, Morpheus to the feed and Trinity to her cabin, where she knew Neo was waiting for her.

…

Neo was lying in bed, which he wasn't very surprised to find was twice as large as his own. She was second in command, therefore had the privileges. Her room was also bigger and had shelves with books and things on them. He'd looked through the books, which were mostly manuals on how to repair or manage the ship and controls. He'd found one on the history of Zion and initially took it from the shelf to read it, but ended up with a headache. His eyes were now shut in an attempt at some rest, the book still in his hand, but lying high on his chest.

He heard the door open and close. He opened one eye and saw Trinity's slightly unfocused figure looming over him. She sat on the edge of the bed and took the book from his hands, closing it and glancing at the title. She smirked, almost laughed.

"Yeah, I could never get through the first chapter, either." She mused, putting the book back where it belonged. "Whoever wrote it had no talent for writing anything. Bet he couldn't write a simple children's book without putting the kid to sleep."

"Isn't that the idea?" Neo said, now opening his eyes to see her reaction.

She smiled at him. He felt his temperature rise.

"Trinity?" he said after a moment of welcomed silence. She'd looked away, looking somewhat lost in thought. His voice definitely brought her back to earth as her eyes darted to him.

He sat up, ignoring the slight pangs of pain that riddled across his chest from the bullet wounds. "I want to talk."

"About what?"

He hesitated. There was so much to talk about. "About you."

He could see she was slightly perplexed, but was good at hiding it. "What do you want to know?"

Neo shook his head, his face growing hotter every second. He ignored it. "I don't know, just…I don't know anything about you. And…you know a lot of thing about me."

Trinity nearly looked away, but was confident in her words. "There's time for that." She took his hands in reassurance, a silent language already in formation.

Neo looked at their hands, knowing nothing else more comforting.

"I'm sorry I don't understand—" he meant to finish his statement, but was unsure of how she would react to the topic.

"Don't understand what?" she asked, her eyes curious.

"…I'm sorry that I don't know what it feels like to lose so many…" he didn't know what to call them. Had they been friends to her? They'd only been comrades to him, people he barely knew.

She knew exactly what he meant. "You don't have to be sorry."

"But I want to help you." He replied, his eyes determined. "I know that this isn't nothing to you. This is taking its toll on you. I don't know the pain." His last sentence only described what he found as a weakness. He believed he could do little to comfort her.

She let one of his hands go and reached for his face, bringing his lips to hers in a gentle and unexpected kiss. His senses went mad, wanting more, but knowing that this was not the right time as he still wanted her to answer.

She pulled away and looked straight into his eyes. "You're already helping." Her voice was a mixture of comfort and sadness, just thinking of her dead comrades. They had been her friends; they had been a family drawn together by war. Their days together were ones of struggle and danger out on the front, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"But why?"

He was only half conscious of having said these words out loud. When he was aware of it, he looked up at Trinity with questioning eyes; eyes that melted her heart with their mixture of innocence and determination to solve a mystery that had been stirring in his own heart.

"Why…what?" she asked softly.

He hesitated again, not knowing how to phrase his question. "Why did you choose me? You could have the pick of any guy in the world and you somehow fall in love with me. I don't see how that's possible." He shook his head again, gripping her hands tighter. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

He waited for an answer; to hear her voice before looking up at her. It didn't come; he could only hear her breathing and feel the equal grip she had on his hands. He finally did look up, seeing that she was rendered speechless. He hadn't though he could do that to her, he almost felt terrible before she wrapped her arms around him, and tightly. He ignored the slight pain this inflicted, she was worth it. Before he could say those three words that had been rattling in his head for an hour now, she spoke softly into his ear.

"And what did I do to deserve you?"

All thoughts of conversation left him as he held her close. This was somehow more powerful than words, he realized; this connection they had.

"I love you." He said. He meant it with his whole being, and she knew. It was all he really knew for sure in this crazy world he'd woken up in. He knew little to nothing else.

A war is raging, I'm the One, and I love her like nothing else.

"And I love you." Trinity replied, remembering how she'd never wanted love; never found the need for it. Until Neo.

As they lie in peace together in her cabin, Trinity fast asleep, Neo's mind was still wandering. There didn't need to be a reason he was the One, and there didn't need to be an explanation for why Trinity had fallen in love with him. He would accept his fate and run with it, wherever it took him. He trusted fate now, it having given him Trinity, the only reason that matters.

Merry Christmas again, I hope I lifted some spirits