Hi everyone! First of all, thank you to everyone who reads and reviews! I'm excited to say that I'm nearing 100 reviews and I want to do something special so whoever is the 100th reviewer can suggest some sort of prompt (I only ask that it's somewhat happy. I haven't had much experience writing angst).

Also, a huge thank you to whoever nominated this story for the Better In Texas Fiction Awards. It means the world to me and I was so excited to get nominated. Thank you so much!

Read and Review xoxo

Neo led Anomaly out of the Core.

"So," She said, "What's a sent'nel?"

"A sentinel is a sentient machine that is meant to search out ships like this one. When they find these ships, they try to take us out of the air and then strip the ship for parts."

"And there's no way to fight them?"

"There is." He paused, trying to think of the best and least terrifying way to describe it. "But traditional weapons won't work. So we use a special one called an EMP- an electromagnetic pulse. It sends out a blast of electricity that can disable any machine within a 100 yard radius."

A beat passed as Anomaly processed the information, "This ship is a machine."

"Very good." Neo said, "In order to use the EMP, we have to power down the entire ship. Otherwise, it crashes and we need to jumpstart it. It's not impossible," He said quickly, "But it's tough to do quickly so if there's another wave of Sentinels out there, it isn't good."

Placing a hand on her back, Neo ushered her past the kitchens and infirmary and to the crew quarters.

"This," He said at the very first door, "is where we keep extra blankets and clothes. Then all these rooms," he indicated the doors on the middle of the hall, "Are empty. Morpheus is at the very end of the hall and Trinity and I live right next to him. Link lives next to him on the other side, across from us. You'll live next to me and Trin."

"You and Trinity live together?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

It was a genuine question that may as well have been 'where do babies come from' as far as Neo was concerned. "Well, sometimes when grown-ups love each other, they decide that they want to live their whole lives together."

"Like when you get married."

"Sometimes." Neo said, "And sometimes you want to start your lives together before you get married."

"My Mom and Dad were married and they didn't live in the same room."

And that was one Neo didn't want to touch with a ten foot pole.

"Well, that was their choice. Just like Trinity and I made a choice to spend all the time we could together. Even when we're sleeping."

Anomaly's face scrunched up as she tried to make sense of it. "But are you married?"

"Not yet." He quickly changed the subject, "But you don't want to hear about that. I'm sure you want to get settled in your new room."

He turned the hatch and tugged open the heavy door. Neo was honestly concerned about how Anomaly was going to be able to let herself in and out.

"The room is a little utilitarian." He warned.

"Utilla what?"

"Basic." Neo tried, "It just has the essentials."

He nudged her inside the room. There was a bed that had been made up with several worn blankets. A small stack of appropriate sized clothing was hanging in a net on the back wall. There were a few books on the shelves including the fairy tale book that Trinity owned.

Her desk had a stack of paper being held down with a rock and a small basket of pencils.

Other than that, the room was empty.

She seemed a bit disappointed with its emptiness but she smiled anyway, "What is there to do for fun around here?"

He thoughts shifted quickly to the image of a naked Trinity. Sex was not something he could, in any way, shape or form, recommend to a six year old.

"There's not a lot of free time. There's always something that needs to be fixed on the ship or something to be done in the Matrix. Downtime... we usually just hang out with each other. Or knit."

"You knit?" She asked, looking doubtful.

"Not well." He answered honestly, "Trin is fantastic at it. Morpheus and Link are pretty good, too."

"Is that a skill you can learn in the Construct?"

"No, it..." He trailed off. "Of course it is. Oh my god. Trinity made me learn it the old fashioned way just to mess with me." Oh, he was definitely going to have words with her about that later on.

Anomaly wasn't listening to his personal revelations. She was walking forward and reaching her hand out to touch her new bed. Thin blankets and a barely-there mattress did nothing to conceal the hardness of the metal she would have to sleep on.

His first weeks in the real world, well, his conscious first weeks, he had constantly struggled with feeling uncomfortable. Most of the time, it had been nearly impossible to sleep. His first night that was at all restful was the first night he spent with Trinity.

"Everything is going to change now, isn't it?" Finally, she sounded as small as she looked.

"Yes."

She looked back at Neo. "What's going to happen to me now?"

Neo crossed to the bed in one stride and sat down. He patted a spot next to him and Anomaly crawled up, positioning herself with crossed legs.

"You," Said Neo, taking her hand, "are still very young. And you're going to get the opportunity to have a life—a real life, in Zion." Although Trinity had told him that most kids under eleven were adopted by barren couples or those who, from their time in Matrix captivity, had difficulty reproducing, he did not want to give Anomaly expectations that might not prove to be true. "There's a school for kids like you—kids just pulled out of the Matrix. You'll get to learn about the war with the machines and the history of Zion and you'll learn about your body. What you can use your plugs for, what you can't or shouldn't use your plugs for.

"And, when you get older, you'll make a decision about high school. You can go to a number of vocational schools where you can learn about medicine, or teaching, or mechanics... or you can go to a military school where you get trained to do what we do here and you'd be put on a ship like this one."

"Is that where you went?"

"No, but it's where Trinity went. And Morpheus and Link."

"Why didn't you go there?"

"Well," Neo said with a small smile, "I'm actually the oldest person ever unplugged from the Matrix. Most people aren't unplugged after they turn twenty or so. I was unplugged at twenty-seven. And you," he tapped her nose, "are the youngest person to ever be unplugged."

"I am?"

"Mhmm. Most kids are somewhere between twelve and eighteen but we'll sometimes go as young as ten. Nine is the youngest age on record."

"Wow." She scrunched up her nose, looking at Neo, "Why us?"

"Because, despite our ages, Morpheus and Trinity knew that you and I couldn't be left in the Matrix. So they broke the traditional rules to save us. Makes you and me pretty special."

Anomaly beamed. "I won't let any of you down! When can I start learning the parameters for the Matrix coding? Do you think that the machines would have programmed a failsafe that can be accessed externally or..."

"An, slow down, sweetheart. You," He squeezed her hand, "just worry about being the best Anomaly you can be. You can worry about the Matrix when you get to be my age. There's a whole new world out there for you to find yourself in. Don't waste the time trying to be an adult."

"But I want to help."

"And you will. But first, you need to get your bearings, just like I did."

She pouted. "Can I still start learning a bit of the new code?"

"I can't even imagine trying to stop you."

Her pout switched directions and she jumped up, wrapping her arms around Neo's neck. "Thank you!"

Neo felt his heart stutter at the eerie feeling that seemed to course through his blood. He wrapped an arm around the little girl, hugging her, and was completely overwhelmed.

After twenty-seven years in the Matrix, Thomas Anderson had grown used to the idea that he was empty. He couldn't maintain a relationship with his parents, let alone friends. He was constantly being obstructed by his own nihilistic thoughts.

And then, in the real world, he felt himself starting to feel. Real emotions, however small. It wasn't just emptiness. He actually believed, even if he wasn't sure if he was the One, that he had some sort of purpose. That, just maybe, he had the ability to make the world a better place.

And then there was Trinity. The intense attraction had started to break through to him even within the Matrix but in the real world… he felt drawn to her in ways he couldn't describe. Simply put, he loved her before he even understood what love was.

And love had turned into happiness, and excitement. He had felt passion and unimaginable fear at the prospect of losing her. Anger at those who wanted to hurt her. Sadness and regret when she was upset, She made him feel powerful, she made him feel invincible and vulnerable all at once.

Anomaly was so similar, yet so different- she was so strong but not without weakness.

He felt responsible for her. He felt like he needed to protect her and care for her and make sure that she was happy. With her pale skin and bright eyes, it didn't take much imagination to feel like a guardian.

But mostly, he felt overwhelmed by the future. While the faces were different and the smiles practically polar opposites between Anomaly's toothy grin and Trinity's amused smirk, he could easily imagine holding his own child in such a fashion.

Hope felt tangible.

It was an attainable life. It was a future that he could taste.

Neo craved a life that wasn't so tangled with the Matrix but he knew that it was out of reach.

He could hear the whispers of someday and he smiled, slightly. Pulling back, he looked her over. She was still smiling.

"Trinity made sure that there are a few things for you to do. She brought some books and some coloring stuff for you to use. If you get bored, I'm sure we can find something for you to tinker with."

Anomaly looked back to her desk with the few items that they had been able to provide for her. She looked at the spines of the books, reading the faded letters until she pulled a book from the middle.

"Will you read with me?" She asked.

"Read with you?" Neo repeated.

"Yes, please. I know how to read to myself but there might be some words I need help with."

Neo glanced at the book in her hands. It was a newer book but made with materials that caused him to think that it was not a book that had been saved from the surface. It was a book that had been created and binded in Zion. Sure enough, the title gleamed back to him Zion: A History of Mankind's Last City.

"Are you sure you want to read that one? There's a storybook somewhere…"

"I saw it." She said, "And I'll read it later. Right now, I need to learn about Zion."

Neo blinked. "Okay."

Anomaly climbed up onto the bed and put her back to the wall. Neo scooted so that he was next to her as she opened the book.

She read aloud, "Although scattered records of The Machine War exist, we can no longer…." She looked up at Neo.

"Differentiate."

"We can no longer differentiate between fact and fiction. Various books and records from the early twentieth century, of which only a few dozen made its way to Zion, suggest that the birth of Artificial Intelligence took place in either the second or third decade. There was a period of peace, a moment of silence, and then the world began to burn."

.

Trinity sat with the radio in her hand. The Neb was travelling slowly, down the tunnel. Morpheus was being extra cautious, checking every bi-way before attempting to proceed. He was taking no chances.

So far, there had been nothing. It was quite probable that they made it to safety before the Squids registered them. If that were the case, they were out of danger. If not… well, she was fairly certain that they wouldn't die today. The Matrix, after all, had yet to be destroyed.

She glanced to her left. Morpheus was utterly silent, scanning the horizon.

"Morpheus?" She asked softly. "I think the tunnels should be cleared by now."

He inclined his head, "There is no way to know, for sure. We could wait here forever. Or we could go out and risk having to use the EMP. And endless possibilities between them."

Morpheus had always been incredibly open about his beliefs. He made it no secret that he thought that he would live to see the end of the machines. He openly preached about the return of the One throughout all the years that Trinity had known him. He was, and always had been, proud to be a servant to his cause.

Morpheus wore his religion on his sleeve.

His own emotions and doubts, he kept close. They were personal- the kind of thing that would be shared amongst the closest of friends. Morpheus's friends, however, weren't the kind you used as your confidant. Rather, they were the kind you would swap stories with over a drink in the Officer's Club.

And while Morpheus was more like a father to Trinity than anything else, she made a conscious decision to step out of her role as daughter and Lieutenant.

"Well, yes." Trinity replied, "But that isn't anything new- what's wrong?"

Morpheus smirked, bemused. "Tell me, Trinity… how important is the Matrix to you?"

"I'm not sure I understand the question."

"Priority wise," He clarified. "Where does the destruction of the Matrix fall on your list of priorities?"

She hesitated, "I don't think I've ever taken the time to number the different aspects of my life. But, I suppose, it would easily be top five."

"Top five." Morpheus repeated. "And what comes before it?"

"Neo, obviously. Myself-"

"Yourself?"

"Well, yes." She looked back to her Captain before confessing, "After I first met with the Oracle, I was a wreck. I was just a kid and she had laid out my entire future. I knew that, one day, I would fall in love with the One. And so what did that mean for me? Would he be the only person I ever loved? How long would I have to wait for him? Was I allowed to date? And then the big one: what happened if he didn't love me back?" Trinity smiled a little sadly, "It was terrifying to consider.

"I spent years worrying about what it would mean to love the One. When I joined the Neb, I honestly felt like I was part of a ticking time bomb. But then you, Apoc, and Switch pulled out a twelve year old kid. Caspian. Do you remember?"

Morpheus nodded, "How could I forget? He almost destroyed the ship."

"He was completely terrified when you told him about the Matrix. He lashed out."

"And then you calmed him down." He recalled.

"He was so angry. He was so upset that he lived for twelve years in fake world. He just couldn't fathom it- how could twelve years of love and hugs and kisses from his parents not have been real? How could twelve years of learning to walk and talk and developing his muscles not have been real? How could all that he learned and all that he thought be wrong?

"And I remember sitting down with him, in the infirmary, while he was throwing boxes of instruments and trashing the place until he was too upset to stand. And, I remember just… vivid clarity. For years I had struggled, and then, talking with Cas, it was like an epiphany.

"'The Matrix doesn't define you.'" She said, remembering what she had said to Caspian all those years before, "'Your past doesn't define you. You were a different person then, even if it was only minutes later. All that matters is the choice that you make right now.'" She smiled and shrugged, "The past happened. The future will happen- you can't do anything to change that. You can't do a damn thing except make a choice right now.

"And, in that moment, I realized that loving the One was something that was going to happen to me. And if it really was fate, I couldn't do anything about it. But my future, the things in my life that hadn't happened, did not define me.

"When my life stopped revolving around the One, I was finally able to be happy."

Morpheus appeared genuinely confused, "I see you with Neo, every day. You're happier than I've ever seen you."

"Yes." She agreed, "But my life is still that- mine. Every day, I make the conscious choice to be with Neo- to give him my time and my energy."

"But you love him." Morpheus said, "That isn't a conscious choice."

"No, it isn't. But I choose him every day. You can love somebody with all your heart but still make choices that divide you."

Morpheus gave a humorless chuckle. "You hit the nail on the head."

"Niobe?" Trinity asked gently.

"Yes." A pause, "And no. Me, I suppose. It all comes down to my choices- I let go of so much for the sake of this war. Opportunities seemed to slip left and right. You saw how my relationship with Niobe ended… I loved her. More than I'd ever loved anyone. But…"

He didn't have to finish his thought. Trinity understood. Morpheus loved Niobe dearly but the choices he made had driven them apart. His time and energy had gone into the Matrix… searching for Neo, looking for a way to end the war.

Priority-wise, the Matrix had come first. Niobe had come second.

"Was I wrong to put the Matrix first?" Morpheus asked her.

"No." Trinity said, "You made a choice- you figured out, even if only subconsciously, that the most important thing to you was ending the war. You loved Niobe and she loved you. But love, alone, isn't enough."

"But if I had put less time into the Matrix… More time into my relationship…"

"Morpheus, you care so much about ending this war… about saving people. That isn't a bad thing. It's just who you are." She changed her tone to something gentler, "Now what brought this on?"

Morpheus was looking towards her but his gaze was relaxed, almost hazy. "I've spent the last thirty years working to end this war. I've spent the last ten odd years searching for the One. And now I've found him and… Neo is brilliant. I always knew he would be smart but there's so much more to him than that….

"He's the One." Morpheus said, both awed and confused, "But destroying the Matrix isn't his focus. It's not his priority and… It leaves me confused."

"You always expected the One to be a soldier. A leader." Trinity said with a nod.

"Well, yes! That's his purpose and, hell, I know that he cares. I know that he wants the Matrix gone but it's not his top priority. Nor is it yours."

"We're allowed to have different priorities, Morpheus. We're different people."

"I know." He clarified, "Logically, I know. But I can't help but worry. Is Neo too far from the path? Am I too disconnected from reality? Does my obsession keep me a prisoner of the Matrix?"

"I don't think you're a prisoner. Nor do I think your disconnected from reality. Nor is Neo too far from the path. I believe that, right now, you are both exactly where you need to be." She reached over and placed her hand of her captain's. "Have faith, Morpheus."

Morpheus smirked, "And thus the student becomes the teacher?"

Trinity offered a smirk of her own in return, "Hey, sleeping with the One has its perks."

"Nope." Morpheus pulled his hand back, "Don't want to hear about that, don't want to think about that."

"You know I'm nearly thirty, right?"

"Still don't need to know about your sex life."

"Are you sure? Because I have some stories that would-"

"Leave! Go! We're done here!"

She laughed, standing up and stretching. "You sure?" She asked before leaving.

"Yes. Go. I don't think I'm going to be able to look at you for quite some time."

Trinity laughed again. "Alright, but if you need to talk or anything…"

"It's a small ship. I know where to find you."

She squeezed his shoulder before moving to the back of the cockpit and sliding down the ladder. The Core was empty, which wasn't a surprise. Link was off-duty, which meant he would probably be in either the kitchen or in his room.

She crossed the threshold down to kitchen and poked her head in. The room was empty.

Trinity continued on her way to the crew quarter's. The doors were all shut except the one across from hers and Neo's. Anomaly's room.

A smile dawned on her lips as she walked down and peaked in the room. Anomaly was curled up in Neo's lap, asleep. A thick book was discarded next to the pair and, while Neo had his eyes closed, she could tell by his posture that he wasn't asleep.

She pushed on the door, trying to remain silent so as not to wake the girl. It creaked and Neo opened his eyes.

His eyes flashed with relief and he opened his mouth and whispered, "What do I do with her?"

It took a surprising amount of effort on Trinity's behalf to not burst out into laughter. He seemed so lost.

This is the man who is going to save the world, she thought proudly, the man you have chosen to love. And he's more terrified with a six year old girl asleep in his arms than he is going up against three Agents.

She slipped in and reached down, "Give her here."

Neo seemed unable to move, unwilling to wake the small child. Trin slipped her arms underneath the girl and easily picked her off of Neo's lap.

"Move the blanket back." She kept her voice low and watched as Neo tugged the covers to make room for Anomaly.

Trinity set the girl down on the bed and tucked her in.

Standing up, she indicated the door and they both tiptoed out. The door was closed behind them and Neo wrapped his arms around Trinity. She leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes at the warm, familiar sensation.

"Sentinels?" Neo asked.

"Passed us." She replied and Neo was overcome by how soft her voice was. It was practically a siren's call as she continued, "But we're taking a few back routes back just to be safe."

He hummed, "And how long until we reach Zion?"

"Three days, maybe four depending on how cautious we are."

He kissed her forehead. "I suppose I can share you for another few days."

"How generous of you."

He kissed her nose.

Trinity flashed a smile at him. It was the one reserved for moments when they were alone- not the small twist in her lips that she used when Sparks said something idiotic or when she was amused or happy.

This smile started with closed eyes and a sweet but toothy grin. When they opened, her eyes were bright. Her face was relaxed.

It took his breath away.

Smiling back, he leaned forward and gently kissed her. Her eyes fluttered shut again. He placed a hand under each of her arms and pushed them upwards and around his neck before he settled his hands on her hips.

Wordlessly, Trinity stepped towards their room, pulling Neo along with her. He fumbled with the handle before pushing the door open.

He moved his hands back to her, slipping them under her shirt and against her warm skin. Heaven.

The door closed behind them.