I know, very short, but I'm really busy with school and other things.

Hope you'll enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Matrix (sigh)

Please, R&R!

Chapter4: Not my love

A dead silence fell heavily over them.

Generally, although now they were just four, the Neb was always filled by shouts and laughs, for example during the quotidian "fights" between Link and the computer, when the obstinate-bloody-machine refused to work for him (which in fact happened really frequently) and he got angry, complaining and protesting with it all the day, making everyone laugh up to tears. Or when Trinity didn't manage to fix something in the engine room and got stuck, so the others could heard her yell against the fucking-lazy-engines, smiling and chuckling at those occasional harsh comments of hers.

And now just an unbearable silence, that in those last hours had almost become sadly usual.

Neo, bent over the back of Trinity's chair, swallowed hard when he saw her stare at him with an unreadable expression written on her face. Is she angry with me? Did I do something wrong?

He took a deep breath.

"Trinity... I..." he began softly.

"I know." She suddenly interrupted him, placing two finger on his lips.

She got up from the chair and he followed her to their quarters.

Still in the Core, Morpheus and Link exchanged worried glances. What would have happened now? Of course Neo and Trinity could generally discuss calmly and patiently (ok, maybe Trinity a bit less), but it would have been difficult for anyone to handle such a situation, that surely didn't occurred every day. The fact that no one knew the right thing to do was horribly unnerving.

"I hope they aren't going to kill each other..."

Link paused briefly, looking as if he was in a deep thought, then winked slyly at his captain. "Sir... shouldn't we go and take a control-look?"

Neo glanced stealthily at Trinity, gripping slightly the rough fabric of the blanket. He couldn't help it. He felt the urge to hold something in his hands when he was nervous or embarrassed. Trinity was now sitting to his side, on their bed. Side by side. A long and unnerving silence passed before they spoke.

"Trin, I..."

"Neo, I..."

They looked at each other. Neo gestured her to continue.

"You first."

"Oh no, you first."

"No way, you first."

They looked at each other again.

Then the sound of their sudden burst of laughs filled the room and the tension accumulated between them finally dissolved.

"Sir! I heard laughs!" Link squeaked excited (not loudly, luckily for him), shifting a bit his position against the door. "But... laughs...? What the hell are they doing?"

Neo hesitantly took her hand, his fingers rubbing it gently.

"Trin... I want you to know I'm not angry with you. It's just that... when I saw him doing... I lost my self control... I'm sorry..."

She looked up at him surprised and in disbelief. I can't believe this... I have to apologise, not him...

"... you're beautiful, and special... I know I'm not the only man who desire you, of course... God, it would be really stupid think the contrary... but... but knowing that now even a machine is trying to steal you away from me..."

"Neo, you don't have to apologise. I have no excuses for what I did, and your reaction has been quite normal. But you know I love you. And how much I love you. He managed to get a kiss... but he can't take my love. Never." she entwined her fingers with his, her limpid blue eyes glistening in determination, her voice firm but soft.

Their eyes locked, their breaths were hold back, his hand lifting slowly to run down her tender cheek, until they hugged fiercely, hands gripping tightly shirt and flesh, each of them touched by the other's words.

So they stayed, remained silent for a while, just enjoying their closeness, their heartbeats pounding one against another.

"I'm sorry for before... I've been so irritating... " Trinity eventually spoke in a whisper, trailing off as she felt him squeeze her tighter (if that was possible), his calm breath caressing her neck like a breeze.

"It's okay. I felt weird too after facing that program... his powers are really scaring."

Both shivered slightly at the thought.

"I can't explain well how it happened... it was so..." she muttered, her face pressed against the warm skin of his exposed chest, feeling uncomfortable for the fact they were impotent.

"I know... it seems that he can force us to do things we don't want to do... or things we ignore we are doing."

Suddenly, a slight noise came from the door, very slight, but loud enough to be heard, yet they knew too well what was, and reacted in different ways. Trinity snorted angrily, trying to not lose her patience, while Neo chuckled.

"Come on." He said with a smile, brushing playfully his cheek in her dark silky hair. "They're just worried for us."

"This isn't an excuse for their behaviour." she replied sharply, then she took off one of her boots and threw it toward the door.

"Hey, I can't listen too well, but I think they made peace..." Link whispered, squashing his ear more against the metal door.

Morpheus, bent over the operator's shoulder, held back a sigh, wondering why he had followed Link's suggest. And even if Neo and Trinity had noticed their chatting outside. "They'll heard if you get too close."

"Naaahhh, don't worry, Sir..."

The captain was about to say something else, when a loud bang made both of them jerk away from the door and fall on their butts.

"We're fine, you two! Stop spying! Or you'll pay for that!" Trinity's annoyed voice came from inside.

Link intercepted the pointed I-had-told-you look Morpheus shoot him and responded with an apologetic smile.

"Well... I'm glad you two are all right now." Morpheus said, finally smiling. "But we have to find a solution, it can't go on like this. When you have... ehm... finished, I want everyone in the Core. We're going to see the Oracle."

As an answer he had just a short "ok", sign that they were caring of other things in that moment and not even the trip to the Oracle was going to annoy them. The captain smiled again and walked away... dragging an embarrassed Link with him.

After her "boot-throw" thing, Trinity shifter her gaze back to Neo, whose chocolate eyes were literally sparkling with joy. She pouted adorably and glared at him, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow, in an attempt to look furious. But his puppy dog expression made her lips twitch in a sly yet tender smile, that in turn made him shiver in emotion.

Neo lifted his hand to touch her face, following the lineaments of her lips, letting it slip down her jaw until it reached the side of her neck. He started to caress it in a so pleasant way that Trinity leaned slightly against his hand, half closing her eyes. He watched her position intensely. If she were a cat, she would purr... he mused, smiling. Then he slowly leaned forward, until his damp lips grazed hers like a sudden flame that appears from nowhere, allowing her to deepen it. She's so beautiful... loving... and she's mine... just as I'm hers. No one can take her from me... she's my air... my love.... my life.

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