A/N: Nothing belongs to me, nope. I am neither a Warner Brother, nor a Wachowski Brother, so not a dime is being made from this.
This chapter is the Merovingian's POV and thoughts. I always try to fulfill requests to those great people who leave reviews, so this is for Matrix Refugee. I'm kinda putzing around until I can get Neo's POV just how I want it.
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Cause and effect. It's a part of everything.
I love speaking this way. Sounding so enigmatic and brilliant. The only thing I love more is speaking (and cursing in) French, but not as many around me understand it, so I am forced to constantly sound inspired.
When the trio of rebels came to see me, I knew there was a cause and this was the effect. However, what I did not realize originally was that this would also lead to other causes and effects.
Perhaps I shouldn't have shown off to them by making that woman … well, enjoy her dessert too much. Perhaps that was the final straw that broke the camel's back and sent Persephone off to give the Keymaker to the One.
*Sigh* My Persephone. My greatest weakness and sometimes my greatest enemy. Isn't love wonderfully complicated?
I knew all three were very much on their guard, but attempted not to show it. Especially Trinity.
"Touch me and that hand will never touch anything again," she said to my guard. I love a strong woman. I believe she would have broken that hand off and fed it to him if he had touched her.
I left to … relieve myself and had no idea what was happening while I was in the restroom.
However, being the great trafficker of information that I am, I later watched the security tapes of what happened. Of course I have every inch of the chateau taped every minute of the day.
"I am so sick and tired of his bullshit. On and on. Pompous prick."
Me? Pompous?
"A long time ago, when we first came here, it was so different. He was so different. He was like you," she said, looking to Neo. "I'll give you what you want, but you have to give me something."
"What?" Neo asked.
"A kiss."
"Excuse me?" Trinity said. She was full of rage from even the suggestion. What the hell was my wife up to?
"I want you to kiss me as if you were kissing her," Persephone said.
"Why?" Neo asked.
At that point, I knew why. She had a few.
One, she probably wanted to see if they would do anything to get to the Keymaker. How dedicated were they?
Two, could their love stand this trial?
And three … hmmm, love. She missed the love that I used to give her. Now, I focused on everything but her.
Surely, she knew she was being recorded. Was this all for my benefit? Was I the cause to this effect?
"You love her. She loves you. It's all over you both. A long time ago, I knew what that felt like. I want to remember it. I want to sample it. That's all. Just a sample."
"Why don't you sample this instead?" Trinity said, staring coldly at Persephone, her tone even colder.
"Trinity," Morpheus said to her. The woman in black lowered her gun, but she wasn't happy about it.
"Such emotion over something so small. It's just a kiss," Persephone said.
I was sure that it wasn't just a kiss to either of them. I saw the glances they shared at the table. They didn't need to speak; all they had to do was find each other's eyes and a whole conversation was spoken.
It was obvious how much love they shared. And it was obvious that Persephone was jealous.
I cannot believe that she would push it that far, though.
"Why should we trust you?" Neo asked.
"If I don't deliver you to the Keymaker, she can kill me," Persephone replied. I wondered if she was considering that Trinity would shoot her in an instant.
Neo looked to his lover. She gave him no answer, meaning, "This decision is yours alone."
"All right," he said, trying to convince himself that he was making the right choice.
"But you have to make me believe I am her," Persephone told him.
Ma Cherie. So desperate for love that she would take on such a powerful being and his equally powerful beloved. Perhaps I should have seen this coming.
"All right," he repeated, perhaps already regretting his decision. What effects would this cause have?
He gave her a kiss that would have caused uproar in France. This was a pathetic kiss.
"Terrible. Forget it," Persephone said with a scoff.
Trinity looked as though she couldn't decide which method to kill Persephone with.
"Wait," Neo said. "Ok."
He took his sunglasses off and began to kiss my Persephone.
He didn't enjoy a moment of it. Any fool could see that. I don't think he even had the ability to enjoy kissing another woman. He was silently killing the woman he loved to acquire some prisoner that they weren't even sure they would find.
Only a true soldier would sacrifice like that.
Trinity must have had more warrior in her than even I thought, because she stood her ground for the duration. I am sure she was completely devastated by the sight, but she at least seemed composed.
Once my wife's infidelity ended, she uttered, "Yes. That's it. I envy you. But such a thing is not meant to last," she told the furious woman in black.
I'm sure she did not mean that at all. She was only trying to get one final insult in at the woman who had everything she wanted.
It was clear that they were meant to last. Even though I may have been the "bad guy" I knew that they had a perfect love and even Persephone's test of devotion would not deter them.
Recently I heard that they had a little child. A daughter, I believe. After seeing their reactions that day in the men's room, I am certain that this child has a stable home to grow up in. Her parents are so in love that others cannot help but breathe it in. They affect everyone around them without even knowing it. They had convinced me that I needed to pay more attention to my wife. I still crave (and acquire) power, but I do not focus my entire day to it.
Neo and Trinity have perfection and I am striving for it again.