Real World, Real Love
Disclaimer: See chapter one
Real World, Real Love
They sat quietly on the edge of their bed, finding comfort in each other's presence. She broke the silence, "Neo, what will we do if we lose?"
"We leave."
"It's not that simple."
"Sure it is. We pack, we say goodbye, we go."
She could hear the almost inaudible tremor in his voice. "We'll die out there."
He turned to look at her straight in the eyes, "We'll find a way Trin. Even if we lose. We'll find a way. We're here aren't we. We found a way to get here, to survive at all costs. We can do it again."
This time though, she wasn't so sure that she could survive the heartache again. She leaned her head against him before speaking again. "Morpheus says they will call us when they are ready." She seemed to contemplate what she wanted to say before she opened her mouth, something he was a little unnerved by, considering she was not really known for her tact.
"Before we came here, I was summoned to the Oracle, which is very unusual as I've seen her before. She told me things I'd wished I'd never hear. Everything. It was all about me. And you. She told me we would meet many trials that would test us. We will be separated, by more than space, but by death. I know what you're thinking. That we've gotten past that, but she says it has not yet come to pass. That one day, the final test will come, and that will determine our fate."
Silence overwhelmed them, and before he could reply, the intercom buzzed with a fuzzy rendition of a human voice, "They are ready."
She took his hand, giving him the time he needed to think over what she had said and digest its full meaning. She refused to look back at him on their short walk because she knew what she would find there. Concern. Anxiety. She'd had enough of that. She needed to be understood. To be accepted, not worried over like a doll.
Right now, it didn't seem like anyone, not even Neo could give that to her.
They entered the hall to be seated, watched by hundreds of pairs of eyes. Although seemingly unaffected by the audience, they were both touched by the several encouraging smiles, yet unnerved by the disapproving looks shot at them.
Their attention was immediately captured by the re-entry of the council. The same woman stood to address the hall. She was brief, and by the reaction of the council, they were clearly divided over the subject. "We have decided to allow them to serve aboard the same ship." No more formality than Neo. Must be a recent addition.
All the same, the reaction of the many crews in the hall was mixed as well. Some seemed angered by the apparent disregard to the long unbreakable rule of shipboard romance. Others seemed overjoyed by the turn of events, some stole glances at others across rows of seats. It was certainly a day for suppressed love.
They won.
Trinity sat in silence, as if she hadn't heard what anyone had said. Her face was emotionless, here eyes moving only to avoid Neo's. He took her chin in his hands, and gently tilted her head to face his. A glimmer of tears shone brightly, unmistakably.
He had to suppress the urge to laugh. He wiped the tears away with his thumb, a smile breaking out. "We won, Trin. We did it."
"I know."
She grinned, tears overflowing. The sight, however strange, was strangely beautiful.
Her skin glowed, despite, or perhaps due to the fact that she had never seen the sun. Bright blue eyes glittered with happiness, and in that shining moment, it was all they really needed.
********
After a few blissful days in Zion, they were back on the ship. On their ship that is. As the crew of the Kedavra said their goodbyes, and left for their own ship, a vague sense of loss flooded Neo. They were, if only a few months, his friends.
These were his family.
He wrapped his arm around Trinity's waist, shouldered his pack, and entered his home. Once inside, they walked until they reached her quarters, the same they had briefly shared before…
In the middle of the small room stood a woman.
She was extremely unusual in appearance, for a moment, it looked like she actually glowed. The next minute, she seemed just like the next person.
Trinity heard his sudden intake of breath, and a flame of slight jealousy burned instantly. "Why are you here?"
Neo was startled out of his daze by her cold tone.
The girl smiled, and he felt his heart clench. "I'm Lorelei. I'm the new crew member. I was just looking for a place to stay."
Her voice was sweet and inviting. Damn her.
Trinity's heart also moved, although in a very different way. It stopped, skipped a few beats. Loreleia. Her mind screamed at her. Temptress. Agent. Killer. Woman. Jealousy….Neo. She would not give him up. Just looking at the beautiful smiling woman brought out a deadly fury.
Her body unconsciously stiffened, "Get out."
"Excuse me?"
She would stand for no more of that high-pitched twitter, "I said get out!"
She giggled, and made her way to the door, brushing Neo's arm as she went. She smiled up at him, and to Trinity's extreme irritation, he smiled back. As the door shut behind her, Neo took a seat on their bed.
"Nice girl."
The look she gave him could only be described as withering.
"What?"
He really didn't get it. Why couldn't he see? They had the same name for crying out loud. Her terrifying similarity to Lorelei, agent. The similarity to her.
Her heart softened just a bit as she realized his innocence. His naivety.
"There's-there's something bad about her." She struggled to explain her feelings about her, "She—she's trying--"
He laughed, "You're jealous."
Her lips formed an almost pout. She had changed. "It's not just that. You have to take me seriously. Be careful around her Neo. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Just as long as you stay out of trouble too."
His teasing tone broke through the tense atmosphere, and she relaxed.
The quiet mood was quickly interrupted by Morpheus's entrance. "Neo, I want you to introduce Loreleia around."
Flare.
Trinity interfered at once, "Why him?"
Morpheus shrugged, "She asked for him. Must be the whole One thing."
She echoed his words, as if this would make her believe it, "Must be."
Neo got to his feet and left, to where a smiling Lorelei waited. As soon as they were out of earshot, Morpheus dropped the light-hearted tone.
"Are you okay with this?"
She stared at him, incredulous, "Am I okay with this? Am I okay leaving him in the clutches of some newbie with a penchant for flirting? Am I OKAY?"
"Well, are you?"
"No, Morpheus. I am not."
"You're jealous."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "I am not. I am just looking out for him."
He nodded, "Of course."
He laughed gently as he got up to leave.
"I heard that."
********
She wandered out, and bumped straight into Lucas.
"Hey Trinity."
"Hello Lucas. Seen Neo?"
"Yeah. He's with the new girl." He gave a low whistle, "She's hot that one. You might have a little competition."
Her eyebrow shot up, "Really."
He laughed, "Nah. Nothing comes close to you Trinity. They're up on the navigation hull."
"Thanks."
He shook his head after her. Love. It totally screws you over.
Trinity entered the cramped navigation deck to the sound of mingled laughter, to find Neo patiently showing Lorelei the command console, the communication switch board, etc. It was normal procedure. Except for the fact that she was all over him.
If her blood could boil, it did.
There would have to be control. She let her anger out slowly, her voice coming out smoothly and coldly.
"Well. This is….interesting."
Neither appeared startled by her intrusion. Indeed, they both appeared perfectly normal. That fact alone riled her all the more.
"Hey Trin. What's the matter?"
She took a deep breath, and suddenly she looked very dangerous. "Nothing at all." They made the mistake of turning away, a gesture she took as rude dismissal. Major no-no.
"I will simply ask that any….romantic liaisons…be confined to a slightly less public area."
She rose with a sudden sense of defiance, "And who are you to tell us so?"
Nothing could compare to the sudden calm derision written all over Trinity's face, "Only your ranking officer. And if you dare speak to me like that again, I'll have you cleaning hyperdrive parts for the rest of your….stay."
She would wait for no answer. It was only half-way down the hall when she heard Neo's heavy steps begin to follow. She had that intimidating, don't move or I'll kick your ass kind of thing going sometimes.
She felt his hand reach out to grab her, and she stopped dead in her tracks, his touch suddenly unwanted and only served to heighten her uncontrolled fury.
"Trinity."
She would not turn to face him. If she did, she would meet his eyes, and right now, she doubted her strength would be enough.
********
A/N: Well, I'm going to leave it there, as I haven't updated in weeks. I love you all for your ideas and suggestions..…don't worry, I'll get there. R/R!
Disclaimer: See chapter one
Real World, Real Love
They sat quietly on the edge of their bed, finding comfort in each other's presence. She broke the silence, "Neo, what will we do if we lose?"
"We leave."
"It's not that simple."
"Sure it is. We pack, we say goodbye, we go."
She could hear the almost inaudible tremor in his voice. "We'll die out there."
He turned to look at her straight in the eyes, "We'll find a way Trin. Even if we lose. We'll find a way. We're here aren't we. We found a way to get here, to survive at all costs. We can do it again."
This time though, she wasn't so sure that she could survive the heartache again. She leaned her head against him before speaking again. "Morpheus says they will call us when they are ready." She seemed to contemplate what she wanted to say before she opened her mouth, something he was a little unnerved by, considering she was not really known for her tact.
"Before we came here, I was summoned to the Oracle, which is very unusual as I've seen her before. She told me things I'd wished I'd never hear. Everything. It was all about me. And you. She told me we would meet many trials that would test us. We will be separated, by more than space, but by death. I know what you're thinking. That we've gotten past that, but she says it has not yet come to pass. That one day, the final test will come, and that will determine our fate."
Silence overwhelmed them, and before he could reply, the intercom buzzed with a fuzzy rendition of a human voice, "They are ready."
She took his hand, giving him the time he needed to think over what she had said and digest its full meaning. She refused to look back at him on their short walk because she knew what she would find there. Concern. Anxiety. She'd had enough of that. She needed to be understood. To be accepted, not worried over like a doll.
Right now, it didn't seem like anyone, not even Neo could give that to her.
They entered the hall to be seated, watched by hundreds of pairs of eyes. Although seemingly unaffected by the audience, they were both touched by the several encouraging smiles, yet unnerved by the disapproving looks shot at them.
Their attention was immediately captured by the re-entry of the council. The same woman stood to address the hall. She was brief, and by the reaction of the council, they were clearly divided over the subject. "We have decided to allow them to serve aboard the same ship." No more formality than Neo. Must be a recent addition.
All the same, the reaction of the many crews in the hall was mixed as well. Some seemed angered by the apparent disregard to the long unbreakable rule of shipboard romance. Others seemed overjoyed by the turn of events, some stole glances at others across rows of seats. It was certainly a day for suppressed love.
They won.
Trinity sat in silence, as if she hadn't heard what anyone had said. Her face was emotionless, here eyes moving only to avoid Neo's. He took her chin in his hands, and gently tilted her head to face his. A glimmer of tears shone brightly, unmistakably.
He had to suppress the urge to laugh. He wiped the tears away with his thumb, a smile breaking out. "We won, Trin. We did it."
"I know."
She grinned, tears overflowing. The sight, however strange, was strangely beautiful.
Her skin glowed, despite, or perhaps due to the fact that she had never seen the sun. Bright blue eyes glittered with happiness, and in that shining moment, it was all they really needed.
********
After a few blissful days in Zion, they were back on the ship. On their ship that is. As the crew of the Kedavra said their goodbyes, and left for their own ship, a vague sense of loss flooded Neo. They were, if only a few months, his friends.
These were his family.
He wrapped his arm around Trinity's waist, shouldered his pack, and entered his home. Once inside, they walked until they reached her quarters, the same they had briefly shared before…
In the middle of the small room stood a woman.
She was extremely unusual in appearance, for a moment, it looked like she actually glowed. The next minute, she seemed just like the next person.
Trinity heard his sudden intake of breath, and a flame of slight jealousy burned instantly. "Why are you here?"
Neo was startled out of his daze by her cold tone.
The girl smiled, and he felt his heart clench. "I'm Lorelei. I'm the new crew member. I was just looking for a place to stay."
Her voice was sweet and inviting. Damn her.
Trinity's heart also moved, although in a very different way. It stopped, skipped a few beats. Loreleia. Her mind screamed at her. Temptress. Agent. Killer. Woman. Jealousy….Neo. She would not give him up. Just looking at the beautiful smiling woman brought out a deadly fury.
Her body unconsciously stiffened, "Get out."
"Excuse me?"
She would stand for no more of that high-pitched twitter, "I said get out!"
She giggled, and made her way to the door, brushing Neo's arm as she went. She smiled up at him, and to Trinity's extreme irritation, he smiled back. As the door shut behind her, Neo took a seat on their bed.
"Nice girl."
The look she gave him could only be described as withering.
"What?"
He really didn't get it. Why couldn't he see? They had the same name for crying out loud. Her terrifying similarity to Lorelei, agent. The similarity to her.
Her heart softened just a bit as she realized his innocence. His naivety.
"There's-there's something bad about her." She struggled to explain her feelings about her, "She—she's trying--"
He laughed, "You're jealous."
Her lips formed an almost pout. She had changed. "It's not just that. You have to take me seriously. Be careful around her Neo. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Just as long as you stay out of trouble too."
His teasing tone broke through the tense atmosphere, and she relaxed.
The quiet mood was quickly interrupted by Morpheus's entrance. "Neo, I want you to introduce Loreleia around."
Flare.
Trinity interfered at once, "Why him?"
Morpheus shrugged, "She asked for him. Must be the whole One thing."
She echoed his words, as if this would make her believe it, "Must be."
Neo got to his feet and left, to where a smiling Lorelei waited. As soon as they were out of earshot, Morpheus dropped the light-hearted tone.
"Are you okay with this?"
She stared at him, incredulous, "Am I okay with this? Am I okay leaving him in the clutches of some newbie with a penchant for flirting? Am I OKAY?"
"Well, are you?"
"No, Morpheus. I am not."
"You're jealous."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "I am not. I am just looking out for him."
He nodded, "Of course."
He laughed gently as he got up to leave.
"I heard that."
********
She wandered out, and bumped straight into Lucas.
"Hey Trinity."
"Hello Lucas. Seen Neo?"
"Yeah. He's with the new girl." He gave a low whistle, "She's hot that one. You might have a little competition."
Her eyebrow shot up, "Really."
He laughed, "Nah. Nothing comes close to you Trinity. They're up on the navigation hull."
"Thanks."
He shook his head after her. Love. It totally screws you over.
Trinity entered the cramped navigation deck to the sound of mingled laughter, to find Neo patiently showing Lorelei the command console, the communication switch board, etc. It was normal procedure. Except for the fact that she was all over him.
If her blood could boil, it did.
There would have to be control. She let her anger out slowly, her voice coming out smoothly and coldly.
"Well. This is….interesting."
Neither appeared startled by her intrusion. Indeed, they both appeared perfectly normal. That fact alone riled her all the more.
"Hey Trin. What's the matter?"
She took a deep breath, and suddenly she looked very dangerous. "Nothing at all." They made the mistake of turning away, a gesture she took as rude dismissal. Major no-no.
"I will simply ask that any….romantic liaisons…be confined to a slightly less public area."
She rose with a sudden sense of defiance, "And who are you to tell us so?"
Nothing could compare to the sudden calm derision written all over Trinity's face, "Only your ranking officer. And if you dare speak to me like that again, I'll have you cleaning hyperdrive parts for the rest of your….stay."
She would wait for no answer. It was only half-way down the hall when she heard Neo's heavy steps begin to follow. She had that intimidating, don't move or I'll kick your ass kind of thing going sometimes.
She felt his hand reach out to grab her, and she stopped dead in her tracks, his touch suddenly unwanted and only served to heighten her uncontrolled fury.
"Trinity."
She would not turn to face him. If she did, she would meet his eyes, and right now, she doubted her strength would be enough.
********
A/N: Well, I'm going to leave it there, as I haven't updated in weeks. I love you all for your ideas and suggestions..…don't worry, I'll get there. R/R!