Author's note: This is inspired by the book (and movie) "What Dreams May Come." I know lots of fics have dealt with Neo and Trinity after Revs, but this one is about the afterlife and reincarnation. Nope, this is not a Neo-and-Trinity-magically-come-back-to-life fic. Yep, they're really dead here. Where are they? Call it Heaven, call it the afterlife, call it what you will. Where they are doesn't matter. What they do there, does.

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What Dreams May Come Chapter 1—Awakening

            Neo opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, and everything around him was a brilliant white. Shit, he thought. I've been here before. Okay, Neo, think. How did you get out of here the last time? He sat up and looked around, expecting to see a young girl standing over him. Instead, he saw nothing. That's right. Sati went into the Matrix. I'm here alone.  He walked around, his footsteps echoing throughout the empty space. This doesn't look like the train station. He continued his investigation of his new surroundings. The space seemed to go on for miles, or maybe Neo was just walking in circles, he wasn't sure. Last time this happened…think, Neo. What happened the last time? The thought hit him like a ton of bricks, stopping him dead in his tracks.

Trinity.

The last time he had seen Trinity, she was being held at knifepoint by a deranged Bane. No, Smith, he corrected himself. Smith…the Machine City…oh, God! He dropped to his knees, sobbing. He was reliving it all over again…breaking through the clouds into a sky he could not see, falling back down towards the ground like a kamikaze plane…the memories flooded him like water, pouring into all his senses. "I should have told her to restart the ship sooner," he cried aloud. "I shouldn't have let her fly so high. I should have been able to save her!" The memory of Trinity's last moment was physical pain, stabbing and beating him until he wanted to rip his heart out of his chest. He would never forget her last words.

"That was my last thought. I wished I had one more chance, to say what really mattered, to say how much I loved you, how grateful I was for every moment I was with you, but by the time I knew how to say what I wanted to, it was too late. But you brought me back. You gave me my wish. One more chance to say what I really wanted to say."

"Oh, Trin…Trinity. I'm so sorry. I wish I could have brought you back this time. I tried, Trin. I tried so hard." Neo was sobbing, his heart breaking in pieces as he remembered this worst of moments. "I wanted you to see the city. I wanted you to be with me when the war ended. I wanted to do so much more with you…" His voice cracked, great heaving sobs choking in his throat. "All I wanted was to see you one last time. To look in your beautiful eyes and tell you how much I loved you, how much you meant to me." He stopped, unable to continue. The memory was just too painful.

"You can see me now, can't you?"

His breath caught in his throat. That voice. It sounds like…no, oh no, it can't be.  He refused to look up, afraid of what he might see.

"Neo, don't be afraid. Look at me."

Neo heard footsteps approaching, but still he did not raise his head. He screwed his eyes shut. No, it isn't real, it can't be. She's dead, Trinity's dead. It's not her.

He felt a warm hand slip into his cold one. "I never let go, Neo. Even at the end, I never let go. I couldn't. I love you too much." The hand lifted his chin gently and brought him to eye level with the mysterious speaker. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Trinity…"

The sight of her took his breath away. Here was Trinity, his Trinity, looking as serene and beautiful as the first time he laid eyes on her. He reached for her hand. "Is it real?"

She laughed softly. "That's a hard question to answer, Neo. All that matters now is that you're here, and I'm here, and we're together."

He grabbed her and pulled her close to him in a fierce embrace. Their lips met, savoring the taste of each other, breathing as one. As if their lives depended on this one kiss. Their bodies crushed together, closer than they had ever been before. Neo wanted to make this moment last forever. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he pulled away and stared into her eyes. His gaze held a thousand unspoken words, a million unexpressed feelings…everything Neo had ever wanted to say came flooding to the surface, but he said only one thing.

"Where are we?"