Author's Note:Inspired by Within Temptations - Frozen.

Frozen

Everything in her body was numb, except for the feeling of the cold. All Niobe could feel was the rain as she ran down the empty street. Away from her love, from Perse...Persephone. The color seemed to leech away - a red car's paint faded into gray as she passed. It had faded from everything else already. Lighter gray lights on the darker gray sidewalk, not that it was real. Unlike her soul that ached in time with the cold air that entered her lungs. If she knew, there was a chance that her love would forgive her. If she knew that, she would stop running. In fact she would go right back, but that wasn't the case. It tore her apart but the Council had forced her to let go.

The scene from an hour ago played again in her head...

Perse and herself stood in their bedroom. Perse wore a blood-red dress, a stark contrast against the cream-colored walls and bed. A few ruby and sapphire vases stood on the end-tables. It almost felt ironic that Perse should wear that dress. Considering she would kill their relationship tonight. A 'relationship' that never according to Zion's Council should have become real.

Perse asked "Niobe, why have you been so cold...so frozen lately ? Is it something I did."

Didn't have the heart to tell her why. That their love should have been an act on her part. That one month after the Frenchman's deletion by Morpheus, it hadn't been a coincidence that they'd run into each other. She was just supposed to get close to Persephone to find out how to delete the Exiles that now hunted her and the other Rebels.

For the first day, it had been an act. Until she'd actually started to know Persephone. What the female A.I was really like, what she did for hobbies - painting. When she'd found out that Persephone had loved her from the first kiss in the library. It had excited her and that was when it had started to turn from a lie into the truth.

When Morpheus had told her that he wanted to delete Perse she'd gotten angry. She'd rejected that idea and the Council. Rejected the world she'd fought to save for over ten years. Then gone into the Matrix and taken Perse to this place that none of the others knew about. To hide her love and hope the Council's decision would be in her favour. It hadn't been, of course and now she had to do this. Forced to break her love's heart without telling her why, forced to leave. The only way to do it gently was to lie...again.

Looked down as she replied, "It's nothing you've done. It's, it's what I did..."

A pale hand under her chin lifted her head "What do you mean... what you did, my love ?"

She stared into the pale, worried face. Those beautiful dark-eyes glowed warmly, framed by long black-hair. It made her feel even guiltier then when she'd come up with the story. Perse loved her and never suspected what she'd say next. "I...I cheated on you, Persephone. I figured I should tell you... before I left."

Dark-eyes turned cold and dead with sorrow. Under it in a few days would be anger like she'd never seen. She knew Perse wouldn't forgive her, but she'd be all right. Her love would get over it, over her eventually. Perse would never know why but she would be safe from Morpheus. That had been her condition for leaving her love, Morpheus could never go near her. Morpheus could never even attempt to delete Perse.

Perse's voice was ice-cold, "You're frozen. You don't care, get out."

As she had watched, the color had drained from the vases. It turned them into dull gray lumps. So, she turned and ran out of the house. All the while, it felt as if her whole world were being torn from under her. The weight of sorrow in those eyes shattered her heart. It felt like jagged blades as she ran into the dark. Eventually her own memories would fade into the emptiness it had left. Only time would tell if her love would live; or if it had all been in vain.

For the first time she fell and moon-light sparkled coldly in the rain. It mocked her because she couldn't feel her hands or feet. Just the cold as it poured down relentlessly.

"You're frozen..." The words taunted her. Yes, she'd been frozen while avoiding her love. Avoided her for days, as she'd tried to prepare herself. It hadn't worked at all. Now when she thought of warmth her mind just brought up Perse.

"You're frozen..."

Niobe whispered, "I did for you, Perse. I did it to protect you." The words echoed without emotion. There was nothing she could do since her lies had turned into the truth. Nothing she could do with the sacrifice of her love...but accept the consequences.

As she laid on the side-walk the words "You're right, love. I am frozen." left her lips. The rain finally stopped, while her numbness did not.