It was cold, and the space behind her seemed ominous. She was so used to Neo's warm body pressed against her, holding her through the nights, but now she could distinctly feel the lack of his presence. It was unnerving to say the least.

Trinity sighed heavily, rolling onto her back and looking up at the ceiling in the dim light, the lamp on the roof buzzing with a low drone.

Huffing slightly as she turned back to her side agitatedly, rolling back and forth to find a comfortable position. The task seemed impossible.

She slipped out from under the layers of blankets, finding her clothes and quickly pulling them on to shield herself from the harsh air.

Moving as quietly as possible, Trinity made her way into the core, watching Neo as she approached, seeing him sat at the operator's station, staring at the screens intently.

When she was little more than a metre away he turned the chair around, facing her in the glowing darkness.

"Why are you awake?" His voice was soft and filled with concern.

"I can't sleep without you," she admitted with a sad smile, closing the gap between them. He pulled her gently into his lap, holding her body against his as they spun back to face the screens.

His hands held her securely around her waist, pulling her back to rest against his chest. "You need to rest. You haven't slept in days."

"Neither have you," she countered, "You're never with me anymore…you're always taking extra shifts watching the matrix."

"Someone's got to do the extra work," Neo pointed out casually, trying to dismiss her point without argument.

"It doesn't always have to be you," she persisted, "You need sleep."

"So do you," he protested.

She shook her head, moving against his shoulder, "I need you."

His arms tightened around her, pressing his lips to the top of her head. She twisted herself, manipulating her body so that her lips could crush against his.

"Come to bed." Her breath was shallow, her voice pleading.

"I can't," he sighed in frustration, nipping at her lips between words.

Trinity turned her head away from him, forcing him to stop the attention to her lips.

"Trin, if I could…but I can't; someone's got to stay on watch," Neo trailed off, disappointment evident in his tone.

"I'll stay; you need the sleep more than I do," Trinity told him, standing up and moving away from him. She looked at him expectantly, raising one eyebrow when he still didn't move. "Neo, don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I'm not the one making things hard." He sounded frustrated, squirming as her eyebrow rose alarmingly high.

"Neo?" she asked softly, her tone questioning him obviously.

"Neo, Trinity," Morpheus' voice caught their attention from the doorway, "What are you both doing up at this time?"

"Neo's on duty," Trinity replied simply, "I couldn't sleep."

"Both of you return to your quarters," Morpheus insisted, "We can't have two soldiers at danger due to lack of sleep."

"You shouldn't take the shift for me," Neo protested.

"You've had more than your fair share of shifts already, Neo," Morpheus pressed, "Go and get some sleep; you deserve it."

"Thank you," Neo nodded, walking out closely behind Trinity, holding her hips lightly to ensure he was directly behind her.

Trinity smiled softly at him as they reached their room, stopping briefly to press her lips to his before leading the way through the metal door.

"You can go a little longer without sleep…can't you?" Trinity checked, her voice silky soft and playful as she eyed Neo up.

"I could go a lifetime," he replied huskily, pulling her close to him.


Please review if possible, thanks,

Joey

xxx