26
Neo wasn't sure when he fell asleep, although he was certain it must have been long after the automatic lighting system had switched itself off, and the room became dark, empty and still. Before then, he had found himself tossing and turning amongst the blankets, unable to find a comfortable sleeping position despite his exhaustion. Whenever he found himself slipping into a light doze, the throbbing pain in the back of his skull or the aching pain in his shoulder would keep him awake. He began to feel sick, and coughed into his pillow while massaging his scalp in a infertile attempt to ease away the pain of the excruciating migraine he was suffering from. Finally, sleep claimed him and did not release him until the following afternoon.
Trinity had been right to say that his wounds would make him feel ill, for he awoke feeling as if his head was far too heavy to lift from his pillow, and he was coughing rather hoarsely. He sniffed, pushing back the blankets which with hands that were sodden with perspiration, as was every other part of his body, despite the cool climate on board the Nebuchadnezzar.
He pushed himself into a sitting position, feeling hot, sick and altogether miserable. Being sick was something that he always despised, because he hated being idol and having nothing to do other than to heal and become healthy again. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he came to notice that the space in the bed beside him was empty and cold, yet the blankets had been crumpled as if the sleeper had been in a hurry to leave the room quickly. He wondered if Trinity had noticed the sick state he was in, or if she'd ignored it, or if she simply hadn't noticed at all.
He shuffled to the edge of the bed, leaning over to find his boots when he noticed that someone had left a tray beside his bed, containing a mug of water, a bowl of the usual substance the deceased crew had considered food, and two painkillers. Relieved to see that an IV pouch was not present, he lifted the tray from the floor and pulled it onto his lap, making quick work of his meal. Once finished, he slid from the bed, found a fresh set of shirts and his boots, and then carried the tray back to the Mess Hall.
It was empty when he arrived there, and he supposed that the others were either in the Med Bay or in the core, keeping an eye on the Matrix code. As much as he wanted to be involved with all that was going around him, he felt an overwhelming sense of be alone…to sit and reflect on the events of the previous day and to cope with his injuries.
Who was that woman? How did she come to look so much like Trinity…and who does she work for? I heard the conversation she had with the real Trinity when I was lying there…"You must understand that it needed to be done. The anomaly must be taken care of." Surely, she must be working for someone, otherwise I don't see her motive for wanting to have me dead. Anomaly…why did she call me that? No one has ever called me that before…what does it mean?
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the door creak open. He jumped with a start, getting to his feet in time to see and obviously exhausted Tank enter the room, yawning and flopping lazily onto the bench opposite. Neo smiled, lowering himself back to his seat again.
"Man, I'm tired." Tank yawned. "I was up all night trying to transfer and edit the file of you flying to send to the Council. You know, Morpheus plans to send it when we return to Zion, but the deadline the Council set is only three days away. So even if we started to head home now, we wouldn't have much chance of making it back in time."
"Morpheus knows what he's doing, Tank." Neo said, to reassure both Tank and himself. "He probably figures that it doesn't matter if we send the information past the deadline, because as long as it's there, then it doesn't matter when it was sent."
"Not exactly." Tank reasoned. "The Council set that deadline for a reason, Neo. They knew that if we were given anymore time, then there may have been a way for us to create our own file, showing you doing something amazing. You see, it's easy to make your own program, you just need a certain amount of time. The Council are worried that we may try and send them a faulty recording, so they ensured that the deadline was set at a time long enough to give us time to record what we wanted and get back to Zion, but not long enough for us to create a false recording."
"So….you're saying that if we give them the recording after the deadline, people might…think we faked it all?" Neo questioned curiously.
"That's what they're afraid of. You gotta understand, Neo. You're not the first person to claim to be the One, and the Council are worried about making a mistake and letting everyone down." He paused, smiling slyly before he continued. "But you are the first person to ever get close to proving it."
"So is there any way to get the file back to Zion before the deadline?"
"I don't know, but I strongly doubt it. But now we've unplugged Raven, we won't be heading back to Zion until we've trained him up. That should take about two weeks or so, plus the time it takes to get from here to Zion."
"Why do we need to train him?" Neo wondered as Tank stood to help himself to food.
"Because of some crazy law to do with unplugging. It's the duty of the crew that unplugged the newbie to train him up, and introduce him to the real world before taking him back to Zion." Tank shrugged, keeping his back turned to his companion. "Don't think that just because the real world is meant to be a place of freedom, we don't have millions of rules we're meant to obey. Only, Morpheus has never been one to listen to rules…"
Neo was silent as Tank took his place opposite him at the table, eyes on his hands, which were folded in his lap. Zion had always meant freedom to him…it's culture and it's people had always seemed to be without control or limitations, as if they could do what they pleased. He hadn't realized (based on what others had told him about the city's unique culture) that it was a place with it's own system of rules and laws….it's own government and it's own leaders…it's own fashions, music and lifestyles. Like anywhere else in the Matrix, Zion was a place of routine, and a place that was controlled. But unlike the Matrix, the people could choose who controlled them, and could say what their own rules would be…
What if we hand in the file late, and it's so unbelievable that the Council think that we simply created a faulty recording in the hopes of gaining our own publicity? What will they do if they don't believe I am the One? Will I be punished for even trying to be something they think I'm not? What sort of punishments do they have in Zion, anyway?
"Are you alright, Neo?" Tank asked, perhaps a little anxiously. "You don't look so good."
"I-I'm fine." Neo mumbled, remembering the throbbing pain in the back of his head. "Um…is there anything I can do to help with Raven?"
"No, we're working on rebuilding his muscles at the moment, and Morpheus and Trinity have been keeping an eye over him while I've been working in the core." Tank replied. "I haven't seen him since I brought him into the Med Bay yesterday, but he seemed to be in a pretty good condition. If I were you, I'd get some more rest. You look terrible."
"Right." Neo smiled politely, getting from the table. "Thanks."
However, he did not return to his room but decided to follow the corridor to the Med Bay, figuring that sleep would not do him anymore good. Besides, he wanted to be involved with what the others were doing…to see what unplugging someone was like. Not even the pain in his shoulder or the migraine he suffered from could prevent him from doing so.
Trinity was alone in the Med Bay, arms folded across her chest and leaning against the medical table with a dreary expression on her face…her eyes wondering and empty, as if she were lost within her thoughts. She spun around when she heard him open the door, and expression of both bemusement and irritation on her face.
For the sake of his own health, can't he just stay in bed? She thought bitterly to herself, but at the same time, she did have to admit that she was amused by the fact that he was always so fascinated, and had a will to learn. She wondered if he'd always been like this…or was he simply interested in things that were relevant to him?
"You're meant to be sleeping." She said with a smile as he came to stand beside her, so close that she could hear the soothing sounds of his breathing.
He shrugged limply with his one good shoulder. "I've slept enough."
"Is there anything I can get you?" She asked softly, keeping her eyes on his still face.
"No, I'm fine now." He lied with a shake of his head. "My headaches almost completely gone."
"Do you need me to change the bandage on your shoulder?"
"No, I can do that myself later." He answered, noticing the darkish rings beneath her eyes. "You tired?"
"A little." She admitted. "I didn't get much sleep. I had to work on him."
She nodded towards the medical table she'd been leaning against, and Neo noticed for the first time that it was occupied with the body of a teenage boy. For a moment, he didn't recognize him, as the figure belonged to someone who was short, skinny and fragile with little muscle and wrinkled skin. His body was still damp, and he was hairless except for a few dark strands already growing back where his eyebrows had once been, and his skin, although of a dark complexion, was somewhat paler than normal. He was unconscious, eyes closed softly over his eyelids, eyelashes already sprouting back to their usual length.
"He looks different without hair." Neo commented, eyes running over the needles that had been jabbed into his body at every possible angle. He wondered why Raven wasn't cold, due to the fact that his only source of warmth was the ragged blanket that had been thrown loosely over the lower half of his withered looking body.
"Everyone does. I looked ridiculous when I was unplugged." Trinity replied. Neo watched her silently, trying to image her without those fine wisps of ebony hair that framed her face…hair that he adored so much.
"I'll bet." He concluded, bringing his attentions back to the sleeping Raven. "Has he woken up at all yet?"
"Only once before, when Morpheus and I were putting the needles in." Trinity remarked. "He was swearing like a shocked idiot until he knocked himself out again."
"Where's Morpheus now?"
"He went to monitor the core and give Tank a break." She answered. "And Tank should be here by the time he's ready to have the needles removed and his plugs filled in."
"Can I help?" Neo suggested.
"You can watch, I guess, to see if you can learn how to do it." Trinity shrugged.
There was a pause, in which Neo found himself staring absentmindedly into Raven's still and leathery face, and realized that this was the end result - the proof of his first successful mission. At once he was overcome with a sense of inner pride and excitement. He didn't see why Tank and the other late crewmembers of the Nebuchadnezzar had resented the task of introducing a newly unplugged to the real world. In fact, he awaited it with a sense of childlike excitement, and was glad he would no longer be the most inexperienced person on the ship. Also, this was the first mission he'd ever completed with Trinity. Working with her not only as a fellow crewmate, but as a friend, companion, soul mate and lover. He realized how much he'd loved working with her…to be able to have the pleasure of working alongside her and being treated as her equal, and to be loved by her at the same time.
"Trinity," He finally managed to say. "I…I really liked working with you. I mean, unplugging Raven and everything. You're such a strong person, and you don't let anything get in the way of what you have to do. Not even me. That's why I liked it so much….I got a chance to learn more about you, and how you deal with different situations."
She smiled weakly, flattered by his words but completely unsure of what to say in reply. Indeed, she felt the same way about the whole situation. Not only had she learnt more about him as the One, but she'd learnt more about him as a person, and had been amazed by how fast he was able to pick up on things. But could she conquer her pride and manage to say this aloud? Oh hell, she decided, why not? It's only Neo after all…I'm just giving him a compliment.
"I liked it too." She eventually replied, but could say no more as they were soon interrupted.
"Liked what?" Said a devious, teasing voice from behind them. Both turned sharply to see Tank filling the open doorframe to the Med Bay, a devilish smirk printed across his face.
"N-Nothing." She stammered, turning away and pretended to be deeply intent on watching Raven sleep. She felt her cheeks redden, and saw Neo do the same from out of the corner of her eye.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I came on Morpheus's orders to help you with Raven." Tank beamed, striding into the room and pushing in between the two. "Neo, I thought you were gonna get some more rest."
"I'm fine, really." He protested. "I just want to watch…I haven't seen this happen before."
"It's not very exciting, Neo, trust me." Tank replied, but made no more effort to prevent him from remaining, realizing that perhaps some of Trinity's determination and will power had rubbed off on him during the time they'd known each other.
Neo watched in silence as Raven was injected with a syringe filled with clear liquid, causing his body to fall slack and his head to loll to one side. They then proceeded to remove the needles from his skin, dropping them into a small container holding antiseptic water, which was soon tinged with stale blood. He cringed as they dabbed at his bleeding skin until it was clear once more, and then inserted the silvery plugs into each of the exposed holes on his body (including the one on the back of his head) by almost drilling them into his flesh, and then wiping away the access blood.
As this was done, he observed the expression on both Tank and Trinity's faces, and saw that both were bland and dull, as if this was no more than an everyday affair. Being a person who disliked hospitals and illness, Neo was certain he'd never be able to see it in the same way as they did. What really effected him was the fact that this same procedure had once been carried out on him, as he lay unconscious and in the mercy of people who were almost complete strangers…
"Neo, could you get some clothes for Raven?" Trinity asked him over her shoulder, not bothering to take her gaze away from the task at hand. "He should wear about the same size as Mouse. See if you can find Mouse's old clothes."
Neo nodded and left the room swiftly, relieved to be away from the stench of blood and to take in gasps of pure air. He hurried to the lower floor and into what Trinity had shown him once as Mouse's old room, scanning the area until he found underwear, shirts, pants and boots and carried them with him back to the Med Bay.
"Thanks." Tank smiled, taking the garments from Neo's outstretched hands. He then pulled off the blanket that had been temporarily shielding Raven's legs, and dressed him in the clothes as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
"So which room should we put the kid in?" Tank asked openly as he finished buckling Raven's left boot.
"Any room will do." Trinity said carelessly as she emptied the container of bloodstained water and placed the cleansed needles away in a cupboard. Neo swallowed, having not known that the needles were reused, which meant that those were the same needles that had been used during his unplugging…the same ones that had penetrated through the surface of his skin.
Without so much as a word, Tank slid both arms beneath Raven's armpits, lifting the upper half of his body. Neo moved to take his legs, but Trinity arrived first, lifting him from the table completely and shuffling backwards out the door with Tank in front of her. Feeling useless and deprived of purpose, Neo followed them as they carried the unconscious Raven to the lower deck and placed him in an abandoned room, leaving him atop his blankets. Taking the IV pouch she'd carried with her under her arm, Trinity passed it to Tank, who jabbed the needle into Raven's arm plug, and then hung the bag on the wall above him.
"He'll need supplies and things." Tank informed them. "I can see to that. You two go and get some rest before Morpheus finds anything else for you to do."
"There's no more we can do to help?" Neo asked, unable to preventing himself from mentally noting that he had not done much to help in the first place. Obviously, Tank did not see this, for he replied without hesitation or emotion.
"Nah, I got it all under control. You get the rest you need, ok? I'll see you guys later."
(o)
"What's wrong?" Trinity finally had to ask from her place on their shared bed, lying on her stomach with her head propped up atop her arms, folded on the pillow so that she could watch him undo the clasps of his boots.
"Nothing's wrong." He asked in a voice of false bewilderment, as if he couldn't believe that she was suggesting such a thing. But the wide smile upon his pale face could not fool her. She had known for some time that something had been bothering him…ever since he'd returned to their room after announcing he wanted to take a shower. There was something upsetting him…she could see it shinning in his eyes.
"You can tell me." She whispered as softly as she could. He turned away from her, as if ashamed of himself, and left his hands idol in his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I'm just getting a little annoyed. I hate not doing things…not knowing, and not being able to help. I hate feeling worthless, and that's how I felt when you and Tank were working on Raven. I just sat there with nothing to do….I felt like I was just getting in the way."
Trinity sighed, having partly suspected he would say as much. She knew from past conversations and experiences that he was not a person who liked to be unimportant and without purpose…it was in his nature to want to be involved with things. She paused to consider this, unable to believe that she could know more about another than she knew about herself.
"You're not worthless." She whispered again, unfolding her arms so that she could reach for his, stroking it with her fingers and tickling his skin. He faced her properly once more, smiling warily as if not entirely convinced.
"You're the One, Neo." She continued. "You are more important to everyone on this ship than anything else, and everyone here values you above their own lives. You're the last hope for the salvation of mankind. We need you, Neo…we all do….and I…I-I need you the most."
The last sentence had been difficult for her to say, but it succeeded in brightening the expression on his face. Smiling in the way he always did, he returned to unbuckling his boots, then pulled both his shirts over his head and tossed them aside, ruffling the short tuffs of his brunette hair. He clambered into bed beside her, pulling the blankets to his waist and propping himself up on one elbow to face her. She rolled onto her back expectantly, smiling into his eyes just before she allowed herself to wrap one arm around his neck and draw her body up towards him, kissing him passionately as he let his free arm drape over her back and clutch her body tightly, pulling her closer to him.
He remembered that only yesterday, she'd kissed him on the rooftop of an office building in the Matrix with all the energy, strength and soul she had. Now, she kissed him tenderly, softly, and yet passionately at the same time. Her lips felt just as they had before, only made better by the fact that these were her real lips, and not simply a computer's simulation. They were still wet….still warm…still Trinity. He loved them. Loved her.
He let her fall back onto the bed, moving his free hand to sweep her matted hair out of her eyes. Eyes so blissful…soulful, and uncontrollable…wild and free with burning passion. Making love to her once was not enough. He needed her now more than ever…
"I love you so much…." He whispered, continuing to stroke her hair. "….so much."
She smiled, saying nothing, but slid her arm from around his neck and down to his right shoulder, her hand passing across the bandage and fingers pressing against his wounded skin, causing him to exhale a stout breath of shock and pain. It was this that brought both back into the reality of the situation, and reminded them that this was neither the time, nor the place. They were still on a ship, where they could be heard or interrupted. And Neo was still injured. It seemed they had no choice but to wait.
"Zion in two weeks." She murmured, and he nodded to show that he'd understood, pushing all sense of disappointment and aggravation from his mind. He hadn't even considered, when he'd returned to the Nebuchadnezzar after his first trip to Zion, that he would be unable to touch her while on the ship. Now Zion seemed to be the one place he often had on his mind. It was their refuge…and the only place where they could be alone and together.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, she turned back over onto her stomach and prepared to settle into sleep. Neo remained still, staring at her chalk white face, still propped up by one elbow. He lifted his free hand from the pillows and brought it to her shoulders, ignoring the sudden pain in his shoulder as he began to lightly massage her shoulders and all along her back, moving his hands across her until she'd fallen asleep.
(o)
A single, shrill cry was all it took to wake the entire crew in the early hours of the morning. It was followed by the shouted words, "Holy shit! What the hell have you people done to my hair?" uttered in the all too familiar accent that could belong to Raven alone.
Beside her, she heard Neo exhale a groan of exhaustion, and felt the warming weight of his arm lying lazily across her back lifted when he shifted amongst the blankets, rolling onto his back. She cracked open one eye, taking in her surroundings and finding that she had not moved during the night, and was lying on her stomach as she had been before, head nestled into the limp pillows. Through the subtle darkness of the metallic room, she could barely make out the outline of his frame beside her, his body upturned so that he now stared blankly at the dim ceiling. She smiled softly to herself, before scrambling over him and gasping slightly as her feet came in contact with the bitter frostiness of the steel floor. She crossed the room hurriedly, fumbling along the wall for the switch that operated the lighting system of the room, finding it and switching it on before turning back to face him only to see him sitting upright in the bed, frowning slightly.
"It's too early." He grumbled, causing her smile to broaden.
"I know." She replied softly. "But we can't help it. Now that Raven has woken up, he's going to want to learn the truth."
"What do I need to do?" Neo questioned in perplexity.
"There is no initial reason for you to be in the core. Usually it only requires one operator and the captain of a ship to carry out this stage, but now that we're both awake, we may as well join them."
"But….we don't have to?" He asked through a yawn, perhaps a little pleadingly.
"No." She grinned, returning to the bed and neglecting to turn off the lights. "No, we don't have to."
Smiling once more, Neo shuffled over to allow her to slide back into bed beside him, but she moved away instead, gathering her clothes together and proceeding to pull them on.
"We need to be dressed, at any rate." She said in response to his inquisitive glance. "In case they need us to be in the core, if there is an emergency."
Nodding to show that he'd understood, Neo kicked back the blankets and reached over the side of the bed, pulling on the shirts he'd worn the previous day. He grumbled as he left the warmth of his bed, padding across the frosty, metal floor in search of his boots. Trinity smiled, pulling back the blankets and then sitting herself on the edge of the bed to watch him. Presently, he returned to sit beside her, dropping both boots to the floor.
Trinity sat beside him, stiff and without so much as a motion of movement, both hands resting on either side. He could tell that she desperately craved more sleep from the dark rings that framed her ice blue eyes. Just looking at her was enough to make anyone feel tired. He was suddenly overcome with a sense of impelling exhaustion, and a desire to be near her. She was his comfort, and his warmth when he was cold and insecure. There were so many unanswered questions buzzing around his mind, and the room was so cold without the warmth of the bed. Forgetting to be shy, and without so much as a word, he let his body drop to the right so that he lay on his side, resting his head on her lap.
Trinity blinked down upon him, stunned by his sudden movement as he nestled his head onto her lap, bringing his legs from the floor and bending them, so that his knees reached his chest, hands clenched and resting in front of his face. She hadn't thought that Neo would have enough courage to even consider doing such a thing. But once she'd recovered from the shock, she couldn't help but be amused by his actions. He was like a child, seeking her comfort as he allowed sleep to claim him. A child afraid of falling asleep and becoming victim to a nightmare….requiring her presence to watch and guard him as if this would happen. Smiling kindly, she began to tug playfully at his hair with one hand, using the other to stabilize them on the bed.
Time passed, and Neo came to decide that it was on a rare occasion that he would be able to wake and then spend time like this with Trinity, without having to worry about being somewhere else or working on something. Just to be able to sit and talk, like ordinary people…sometimes, not often, he wished to be ordinary. To have no initial responsibilities, and to know that his next action would not be in the name of the entire human race. Other times, he was glad he wasn't ordinary. Otherwise, he would find himself craving for purpose, and for excitement. He never wanted to go back to what life was before. So cold, dull and empty. More importantly, he never wanted to leave Trinity.
"Are you still awake?" She asked him quietly after a time, afraid of waking him from much needed rest.
"Yes." He murmured groggily after a pause, lifting heavy eyelids and blinking away sleep. "Do you want to talk?"
"I was just thinking." She muttered in reply, as if the matter was of little importance.
"About what?"
"I think…I think you should go and see the Oracle again." She replied, keeping her tone calm and even, although she could feel his heart pounding in her ribcage at the thought.
"Why?" He asked confusedly, closing his eyes once more and nuzzling his head into her lap. He could almost taste her unique scent on his lips, overwhelming him as he lay so close to her. "What should I ask her about?"
"Well…about that woman, for one thing. The one who looks like me." She said pointedly. "And….and about what you're meant to do…as the One."
"Oh." He mumbled, wishing that they could leave the topic alone. It was not a thing he wanted to discuss, as it reminded him that he had an unknown mission to fulfill, and that billions of people were depending on him to do it. "That."
"I know." She whispered, tugging at his hair, so thin and wispy between her fingers. "But….you're going to have to think about it sooner or later."
"I wish I didn't." He admitted sadly. He had no desire to tell her what was on his mind, because he was afraid of what she may think. "Sometimes….I just wish it could be normal."
"There is no such thing as normality anymore." She said. "Maybe there was years ago, but normal is only a thing of the past now. How can anything be normal, when three quarters of the human population is living inside a computer program, while the remaining quarter live in a world threatened by a race of machines?"
"You have a point." He said with a laugh.
"What is normal anyway?" She asked, more to herself than to him.
Neo took a time to consider this. He remembered the moment just before he flew for the first time two days ago…when he had stood and watched the crowd pass him by along that busy street. The business men, the mothers and their toddlers, the children skipping home from school, and the teenagers chatting to their friends. They all led normal, happy lives….but they lacked excitement…they lacked motivation….they lacked freedom.
"Normal is boring." He finally concluded. "Normal is control. If you want to be normal, then you must follow certain rules and keep to certain boundaries. Otherwise, you'd be breaking the trend of what normal really is. Normal is without originality."
Trinity paused to consider this, slightly taken aback by his words. She had not expected him to reply, and especially without such words of wisdom and hidden meaning. It was hard to believe that someone who seemed so naive could have such a deep understanding of everything.
"Hey, what do you think the machines would consider normal?" He asked quietly. It was a question that seemed pointless, and unrelated to anything. But somehow it felt comfortable to speak about things that did not matter, as it allowed his mind to be consumed by something other than what the future held for him.
"I don't know." Trinity replied. "I guess normal to them is destruction, exclusion by the human race, feeding off the power of other humans….flying….screeching. God, they must think we're strange, then."
"So normal differs depending on culture." Neo concluded. "I guess then it's hard to define normal, isn't it?"
"Yes, I suppose it is." She said thoughtfully, absentmindedly continuing to toy with his hair. "So, would you want to be normal? Would you want to be boring?"
He shook his head firmly, moving it against her lap. "No. I just….I just don't know what to do. It's hard. Sometimes, I'd rather just not have to think about it."
She sighed, unable to deny that she knew what he spoke about. She did not know how to answer him…how to comfort him. She knew that there was no denying the fact that he would one day have to face his destiny.
"Do…do you want me to see the Oracle for you?" She suggested meekly.
He shook his head again. "It's up to me. I'm the One."
"You're still injured." She pointed out. "You can't jack in until you've healed. It would be faster if I went in your place."
She felt as if he were more a child now than ever. He lay on her lap so helplessly, with more than enough on his mind. She felt like his mother, wanting to take away his burden by stepping into his place, and sorting things out for him.
"No, Trin. I have to do it." He answered sternly, with mixed emotions in his tone. She wished that he would move so that she could see his face. "I'm the One. It's all me. All alone…"
"No, you're not alone." She replied. "You'll never be alone. You'll have me. Always."
There was something in her words that made him want to look into her eyes to see if he could tell if she really meant what she said. It was something of such greatest importance to him…to have someone there when he felt alone. He needed to be sure that she meant it. He moved his head so that he was still lying on her lap, but now he faced the ceiling, and could stare up into her eyes.
"Always?" He said.
She stared down upon him, lying so innocently and childlike in her lap, staring up at her with an expectant, wide-eyed expression on his face. She fixed him with a look of deepest sincerity, and spoke in a tone to match, keeping her voice no louder than a whisper.
"Always."
(o)
A/N: Thanks for reading, please review!