Neo stared in awe and marvelled at the mechanical structures before him. He had heard the stories of Zion, but seeing it with his own eyes made all the difference. The cavern was deep, lined with catwalks. Tiny dots, people, moved quickly with purpose, like ants and gundam-like machines lowered their weapons allowing them safe passage. Trinity saw him from the corner of her eye and was amused by his expression, mouth agape slightly and brown eyes wide. Neo was experiencing everything for the first time and, despite the war, he took everything in with a childlike abandon.

"And this is only the dock," she said, steering the ship towards the loading bay. Neo nodded in response, eyes still focused on the view. The stories didn't do Zion justice. The dock appeared so advanced, yet primitive. It was remarkable what humans could do with limited resources. While the human construction was amazing, Neo was captivated by the bright lights. He had been born into darkness and had spent the entirety of his new life within the dimly lit confines of the ship. Neo found himself squinting as his eyes adjusted. It reminded him of when he first saw Trinity, engulfed in bright light, blue eyes shining down on him. He felt safe then.

Neo's stomach churned as the ship made its final descent. One of Trinity's hands left the controls, only for a moment, to give his a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "We'll be home soon."

Neo didn't quite know what home meant just yet. The Neb was all he knew and even then, he was still getting lost. It suddenly dawned on him that he was homeless. Everyone on the ship, Morpheus, Trinity, Tank, they had places to be and people to see. But him? He had but a few possessions given to him upon his awakening. Trinity settled the ship into the loading dock as gently as she could, fully aware of Neo's motion sickness. Lurching forward once more, the ship finally found its resting place. Trinity finally looked up at Neo.

"Time to go."

Neo followed Trinity through the narrow passages of the city. The last few hours seemed to have flown by. He didn't understand much - discussions with a number of high council members and military officials - but he knew that they all wanted to know about him. What could he do? What happened? What did Morpheus see in him? Did Trinity, the skeptic, believe, too?

And she did. She believed so blindly in his ability, in him. Trinity had become his saviour once again, stopping each question faster than he stopped bullets. She stood her ground when professing that Neo was alive because of her. Everyone knew what level of craziness to expect with Morpheus, but with Trinity, the council was shocked. Some shook their heads in disappointment at yet another lost mind blinded by prophecies, while others smiled broadly sharing the excitement. It was then that Trinity grabbed his hand, announcing to the Council that they were done, and led him out into the city.

Neo was grateful that she guided him - he would never have found her apartment on his own. He was also grateful that she had decided that he would stay with her. An official in the housing department had tried to argue with you, but she shut that down. Quickly.

"But protocol!" the young official argued. Trinity rolled her eyes at him.

"Fuck protocol."

God, Trinity was badass in the Matrix and in Zion. Neo felt his desire growing, desperately wishing that they were almost home. Before he could whisper what he wanted to do to her in her ear, Trinity loosened her grip on his hand, running towards a mysterious figure waiting outside what was presumably her door.

"Ghost!" she called, wrapping her arms around him. The man reciprocated the gesture. He held her close, too close, Neo decided. Maybe he had been wrong and Trinity did have a lover back in Zion. What was he, then?

Finally, Trinity and Ghost withdrew from each other, but Neo couldn't help but notice that the two were holding hands. Trinity was oblivious to Neo's body language. A first for her. She was beaming. She looked happy. Neo wanted to throw up.

"Neo, this is Ghost." The man stretched out his free hand and Neo shook it reluctantly. This Ghost guy has a firm handshake, Neo thought to himself. Not good. Not good at all. He felt threatened. Ghost was a handsome guy and Neo couldn't help but feel self-conscious of his own, under-developed muscles. Ghost looked strong; Neo pushed the idea of having a duel aside. Here in the real world, he would lose, most definitely.

"We were unplugged on the same day," Trinity explained. "Together, actually. Do you remember, Ghost?"

Ghost chuckled. "How could I forget, Trin. You almost got us killed."

Neo couldn't help but scowl. No one called her Trin. She had told him that. Trinity had only just recently let him start calling her by the shortened version of her name.

"I got us out," she countered. "Besides, you had fun,"

"No, you had fun. I thought we were going to die. You're not supposed to ride a motorcycle against traffic."

Trinity tilted her head and laughed a deep and genuine laugh. Neo hated seeing her like this. No, that wasn't true. He loved it, he just hated seeing another man make her laugh that way. He had never seen Trinity like this. She seemed genuinely happy, relaxed, and at ease. Her guard was down and her icy exterior had melted. Trinity was under Ghost's spell, enraptured in his presence. It was as though Neo didn't exist.

Neo cleared his throat, causing Ghost and Trinity to separate once again. Trinity ran a hand through her hair. Neo loved when she did that. She was such a tease and she knew it, too. Neo's eyes darted to Ghost, briefly. He was looking too. Neo stepped closer to Trinity, grabbing her hand tightly, making sure Ghost saw every second. She was his and Ghost needed to back off.

"I suppose we should talk about the present instead of focusing on the past," Trinity replied, staring down at her boots. Ghost nodded. "Another time, dear sister." He locked eyes with Neo, but spoke to Trinity. "You get some rest. We can talk later." They hugged one last time before Trinity unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside.

"It was nice meeting you," Ghost said. Neo nodded in response before following Trinity inside, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Despite feeling overcome by emotion, he was amazed by her dwellings. After spending so much time surrounded by metal, the red and beige rock of her apartment was a welcomed change. There was a certain ambience to her space which was enhanced by the candles she had started lighting. It was soft and warm, and Trinity seemed to glow in the orange light.

Trinity sauntered over to him and took his hands in her's. "You should get some rest, Neo. It's been a long day. The bed is just through there," she gestured with a subtle nod of her head. "And," she stepped closer, "if you're not tired Neo," she gestured to the same direction, "the bed is through there."

Neo's breath caught in his throat. This is exactly what he, what they, had been anticipating all day. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and kissed her hard. Sleep could wait. He needed to remind Trinity that she was his. He stumbled at first, pressing her against the wall and pinning her hands above her head. Neo nipped at the porcelain skin where he neck and shoulder met, satisfied with the audible gasp that escaped her lips. He turned his attention back to her lips, capturing her breath in the process. She writhed against him, moaning softly.

Satisfied, Neo grabbed at the hem of her sweater, tossing it with complete disregard to the lit candles. He had wanted her before, but now? He needed her to remember who it was that slept in her bed every night. He slide his hands under her, hoisting her into his arms, before making his way towards the bed she had motioned to before.

It was hot and they were both panting, eyes drunk with love. Neo's brown eyes burned into her's as he kicked off his boots. Trinity propped herself up on her elbows and watched as Neo frantically removed his clothing. On the ship, their lovemaking was fairly tame and quiet. But here, she wasn't sure what had gotten into Neo. His desire was aggressive and desperate. She liked that.

She stood and defiantly refused to break eye contact as she removed her pants and bra. She smirked, now having the upper hand. Neo couldn't tear his eyes off of her. Neo licked his lips before closing the gap between them.

"No," he breath into her ear as he pushed her down onto the bed before his body followed.

"What do you mean, 'no?'" she challenged him. Trinity had never seen him like this before. She liked it.

Neo grabbed her wrists and pinned her down once more before launching a strategic attack of kisses along her collarbone knowing very, very well that the sensation drove her wild. Trinity responded accordingly, struggling against his grasp. She was louder here than she was on the ship. Neo liked that.

He liked that a lot, and he told her as such, whispering hoarsely in her ear while she continued to write beneath him, begging for more. Neo left a trail of kisses down her neck before dragging his tongue back the way he came. This woman was insatiable and he couldn't get enough of her, either. He made one more stop by her ear before devouring her with lust.

"You're mine."