Disclaimer- The Matrix, Neo, and Trinity all belong to Warner Bros. and the Wachowskis.
Worth Fighting For
Trinity sat on her hard mattress, her head in her hands. She knew she should be tired. It had been an insane day. But adrenaline was still coursing through her veins like fire and a million jumbled thoughts refused to leave her alone.
She had finally told him. She had been lying to herself for so long about her feelings for Neo that when he was so suddenly ripped away from her, she was almost shocked at how devastated she felt. She felt like she had lost a piece of herself, like she didn't want to fight anymore if he wasn't fighting with her. She had wanted to tell him, at the phone booth right before what would have been his final fight. But she couldn't. Trinity had never been much for sharing feelings, and suddenly she was experiencing emotions so strong that she was overwhelmed by them.
She had certainly cared for people before. Her family when she was growing up- but now she realized that whole life had all been a lie, they were slaves to the machines just as she had once been. She cared for Morpheus-she had always had a deep respect and admiration for the captain of her ship. They had been through a lot together.
But Neo was different. Different from all those nameless, fake memories of her past, of her adolescence. Different from the fellow rebels she had encountered outside of the matrix who had become her family. Neo was something else entirely. She was so in love with him that it scared her. She couldn't explain it, she couldn't pinpoint the moment it had started, but it had become such an integral part of herself that she couldn't keep lying to herself, or him, any longer.
And now he knew. She had saved his life, and told him the truth. She had given him everything; she had left herself completely vulnerable for the first time in probably her entire life.
And he had come back to her. She remembered looking at Neo after the sentinel attack, praying he was alive. He was looking at her with wide, questioning eyes. Neither of them spoke. Trinity waited. She had said everything she had been holding in for so long-had he even heard her? Of course he hadn't. That would be impossible.
But then he kissed her. Trinity felt her heart pounding against her chest as she relaxed into the kiss. She still didn't know if he had heard her confession, or how he felt if he had. But at the moment she didn't care. For those precious seconds, she refused to let her mind dictate her heart.
"Trinity!" She heard a sudden familiar voice shout.
Trinity jumped back from Neo in surprise, irritably looking up.
"Morpheus, we're in here."
Morpheus entered the room, and looked at Neo with a combination of shock and awe.
"You're alive."
Neo smiled.
"You already knew I would be."
"I prayed it was true, Neo. I've spent my whole life searching…I don't have to anymore." Morpheus smiled, looking down at Neo with an almost paternal pride.
Trinity looked down at her hands, and saw they were shaking.
"I don't understand, Neo. We thought we'd lost you. We thought it was all over. What happened?" Morpheus looked at him questioningly.
Neo's eyes flicked to Trinty for a moment, unsure of how to explain what had happened. He wasn't even quite sure.
"Trinity saved me." That was the only adequate explanation he could offer.
Morpheus looked up at Trinity, and she looked away. Slowly, he began to understand.
"Trinity-"
"I'm tired." Trinity said abruptly, cutting him off.
"I'm sure we could all use some rest. We'll talk in the morning. Congratulations both of you-now the journey truly begins." Morpheus smiled, walking off to his room.
Neo got out of his chair, and he and Trinity stood in silence for a moment.
"Trin-"
"I really am tired." She said again, her tone a little colder than she intended.
Neo looked slightly hurt.
"Fine. If you want to pretend nothing happened, fine." Neo said, obviously frustrated, walking off to his room and slamming the door. He was still very on edge after the fight and was so exhausted that he found himself growing angry easily.
Now Trinity sat on her bed alone, mentally slapping herself. She wanted to go talk to him. She should go talk to him.
Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.
"Come in." She said quietly, both hoping it was him and dreading it at the same time.
Of course it was Neo. He stood in the doorframe for a moment, looking unsure of himself.
"Can we talk?" He asked softly.
"Of course."
Neo sat down on the bed next to her, looking down at his hands on his knees.
"I'm sorry, Neo…about earlier. I just-I don't really open up to people that often. I was scared."
"Me too."
Trinity blinked in surprise.
"What were you scared of?"
"Being in love with you scares the hell out of me, Trinity."
Trinity swallowed hard. She couldn't seem to find her voice for a moment. But after a long moment, she began to speak.
"You've saved my life over and over again, Neo. I owe everything to you. Somehow, when Agent Smith killed you, love was enough to bring you back. It's taken a damn long time, but tonight I'm not scared to admit that I need you. I can't do this on my own. You're the thing that makes me real, Neo. The way I feel about you, the way my I can't stand to be away from you, the endless nights I spent trying to rationalize my feelings- all of it just made me realize that I shouldn't be running away from the one thing we've been fighting for. Love is a definitive human emotion that machines can't replicate, that the matrix can't fake. I thought I woke up when Morpheus unplugged me…but I realized I've just been waiting. Waiting for you. The Oracle sensed that the moment she saw me. She told me I'd fall in love with One, and I have. I'm so sorry it took so long for me to tell you this, Neo."
Neo digested all of this for a moment, while Trinity took in a deep breath, reaching for his hand. Neo looked down at their intertwined fingers.
"I don't know if I can do this, Trinity."
"Why not?"
"We're fighting a war, Trinity. No matter how much I want to be with you, no matter how you feel about me….what love's just a weakness?"
"You don't really believe that." Trinity said, her eyes meeting his.
"I don't know what to believe anymore. I don't know if I can do any of this!" Neo said, his voice cracking with exhaustion and choked emotion.
"Of course you can do this. I believe in you. I'm never doubting you again, Neo. And love's not a weakness. Everybody needs something worth fighting for. This is what I'm fighting for." She put her other hand on top of theirs, clasping it tightly, tears clouding her eyes.
Neo thought for a long moment, then slowly looked up at her, his free hand going to her cheek.
"You're right, Trinity. I need this. I need you. The only way I can do this is if you're with me."
Trinity put his hand over her heart, leaning forward until her forehead touched his.
"You feel this, Neo? I'm never letting go."
Neo and Trinity stayed like that for a moment. Suddenly, he kissed her fiercely, his hands tangling in her hair as she responded immediately. It was a desperate, needy kiss-very different from the one they had shared earlier. Trinity pulled back slightly a long while later, her mouth still almost touching his.
"Neo…we really should get some sleep."
"You're right." Neo agreed breathlessly.
They kissed each other again, breaking apart reluctantly. Neo pulled back the covers to the bed, and Trinity lay with her head on his chest. His heart was pounding.
"You must be exhausted." She said softly after a few minutes when his breathing had become a comforting rhythm
She looked up at Neo. He was already peacefully asleep. She smiled, and fell asleep herself seconds later. After all, it had been quite a day.
~*~
THE END
(hey, if you want to hear the rest of the story, go see The Matrix: Reloaded!)
Worth Fighting For
Trinity sat on her hard mattress, her head in her hands. She knew she should be tired. It had been an insane day. But adrenaline was still coursing through her veins like fire and a million jumbled thoughts refused to leave her alone.
She had finally told him. She had been lying to herself for so long about her feelings for Neo that when he was so suddenly ripped away from her, she was almost shocked at how devastated she felt. She felt like she had lost a piece of herself, like she didn't want to fight anymore if he wasn't fighting with her. She had wanted to tell him, at the phone booth right before what would have been his final fight. But she couldn't. Trinity had never been much for sharing feelings, and suddenly she was experiencing emotions so strong that she was overwhelmed by them.
She had certainly cared for people before. Her family when she was growing up- but now she realized that whole life had all been a lie, they were slaves to the machines just as she had once been. She cared for Morpheus-she had always had a deep respect and admiration for the captain of her ship. They had been through a lot together.
But Neo was different. Different from all those nameless, fake memories of her past, of her adolescence. Different from the fellow rebels she had encountered outside of the matrix who had become her family. Neo was something else entirely. She was so in love with him that it scared her. She couldn't explain it, she couldn't pinpoint the moment it had started, but it had become such an integral part of herself that she couldn't keep lying to herself, or him, any longer.
And now he knew. She had saved his life, and told him the truth. She had given him everything; she had left herself completely vulnerable for the first time in probably her entire life.
And he had come back to her. She remembered looking at Neo after the sentinel attack, praying he was alive. He was looking at her with wide, questioning eyes. Neither of them spoke. Trinity waited. She had said everything she had been holding in for so long-had he even heard her? Of course he hadn't. That would be impossible.
But then he kissed her. Trinity felt her heart pounding against her chest as she relaxed into the kiss. She still didn't know if he had heard her confession, or how he felt if he had. But at the moment she didn't care. For those precious seconds, she refused to let her mind dictate her heart.
"Trinity!" She heard a sudden familiar voice shout.
Trinity jumped back from Neo in surprise, irritably looking up.
"Morpheus, we're in here."
Morpheus entered the room, and looked at Neo with a combination of shock and awe.
"You're alive."
Neo smiled.
"You already knew I would be."
"I prayed it was true, Neo. I've spent my whole life searching…I don't have to anymore." Morpheus smiled, looking down at Neo with an almost paternal pride.
Trinity looked down at her hands, and saw they were shaking.
"I don't understand, Neo. We thought we'd lost you. We thought it was all over. What happened?" Morpheus looked at him questioningly.
Neo's eyes flicked to Trinty for a moment, unsure of how to explain what had happened. He wasn't even quite sure.
"Trinity saved me." That was the only adequate explanation he could offer.
Morpheus looked up at Trinity, and she looked away. Slowly, he began to understand.
"Trinity-"
"I'm tired." Trinity said abruptly, cutting him off.
"I'm sure we could all use some rest. We'll talk in the morning. Congratulations both of you-now the journey truly begins." Morpheus smiled, walking off to his room.
Neo got out of his chair, and he and Trinity stood in silence for a moment.
"Trin-"
"I really am tired." She said again, her tone a little colder than she intended.
Neo looked slightly hurt.
"Fine. If you want to pretend nothing happened, fine." Neo said, obviously frustrated, walking off to his room and slamming the door. He was still very on edge after the fight and was so exhausted that he found himself growing angry easily.
Now Trinity sat on her bed alone, mentally slapping herself. She wanted to go talk to him. She should go talk to him.
Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.
"Come in." She said quietly, both hoping it was him and dreading it at the same time.
Of course it was Neo. He stood in the doorframe for a moment, looking unsure of himself.
"Can we talk?" He asked softly.
"Of course."
Neo sat down on the bed next to her, looking down at his hands on his knees.
"I'm sorry, Neo…about earlier. I just-I don't really open up to people that often. I was scared."
"Me too."
Trinity blinked in surprise.
"What were you scared of?"
"Being in love with you scares the hell out of me, Trinity."
Trinity swallowed hard. She couldn't seem to find her voice for a moment. But after a long moment, she began to speak.
"You've saved my life over and over again, Neo. I owe everything to you. Somehow, when Agent Smith killed you, love was enough to bring you back. It's taken a damn long time, but tonight I'm not scared to admit that I need you. I can't do this on my own. You're the thing that makes me real, Neo. The way I feel about you, the way my I can't stand to be away from you, the endless nights I spent trying to rationalize my feelings- all of it just made me realize that I shouldn't be running away from the one thing we've been fighting for. Love is a definitive human emotion that machines can't replicate, that the matrix can't fake. I thought I woke up when Morpheus unplugged me…but I realized I've just been waiting. Waiting for you. The Oracle sensed that the moment she saw me. She told me I'd fall in love with One, and I have. I'm so sorry it took so long for me to tell you this, Neo."
Neo digested all of this for a moment, while Trinity took in a deep breath, reaching for his hand. Neo looked down at their intertwined fingers.
"I don't know if I can do this, Trinity."
"Why not?"
"We're fighting a war, Trinity. No matter how much I want to be with you, no matter how you feel about me….what love's just a weakness?"
"You don't really believe that." Trinity said, her eyes meeting his.
"I don't know what to believe anymore. I don't know if I can do any of this!" Neo said, his voice cracking with exhaustion and choked emotion.
"Of course you can do this. I believe in you. I'm never doubting you again, Neo. And love's not a weakness. Everybody needs something worth fighting for. This is what I'm fighting for." She put her other hand on top of theirs, clasping it tightly, tears clouding her eyes.
Neo thought for a long moment, then slowly looked up at her, his free hand going to her cheek.
"You're right, Trinity. I need this. I need you. The only way I can do this is if you're with me."
Trinity put his hand over her heart, leaning forward until her forehead touched his.
"You feel this, Neo? I'm never letting go."
Neo and Trinity stayed like that for a moment. Suddenly, he kissed her fiercely, his hands tangling in her hair as she responded immediately. It was a desperate, needy kiss-very different from the one they had shared earlier. Trinity pulled back slightly a long while later, her mouth still almost touching his.
"Neo…we really should get some sleep."
"You're right." Neo agreed breathlessly.
They kissed each other again, breaking apart reluctantly. Neo pulled back the covers to the bed, and Trinity lay with her head on his chest. His heart was pounding.
"You must be exhausted." She said softly after a few minutes when his breathing had become a comforting rhythm
She looked up at Neo. He was already peacefully asleep. She smiled, and fell asleep herself seconds later. After all, it had been quite a day.
~*~
THE END
(hey, if you want to hear the rest of the story, go see The Matrix: Reloaded!)