Author's Note:

Hey! I never really wrote a Matrix fic, but I got an inspiration tonight and just decided to type this one up. ^___^ After the pitiful attempt they made with Revolutions (My cousins and I went to watch it. We left the theater with a homicidal glint in our eyes), I'm afraid I haven't been watching my dvds at all.

Anyway~ This fic's more of an AU. I mean, Neo and Trinity are dead, so it's not as if they can actually have a kid together. However, for the sake of my story, let's just say that they both survived and are now living in a house in the real world.

=P The kid's a son in here. Hehehe… You'll have to read til the very end to find out what his name is.

Priceless Treasure

"Waahh!"

 "Dear God Almighty have mercy on me…." Neo pleaded as he burrowed under his covers and next to his half-awake wife. Trinity laughed quietly.

 "I guess he's up. Come on, Dad, it's your turn to feed him tonight."

 "Can't you do it for me? Please?" Neo begged. He had come home an hour ago after working through another grateful crowd and had just jumped into bed. He scowled. Although it kept extra bread on the table – not that they needed it, but still – it meant he had a whole hell of less time to spend with his wife and child.

 "No. And besides, you're much better at handling him than I am. He quiets down the moment you pick him up."

 "And you aren't jealous? He's your son too."

 "Not at all. It's adorable to see you two together." Trinity gave a half-smirk.

 "Wahh!" Another cry from the next room interrupted their conversation.

 "I believe that's your cue to leave." Trinity smiled, pushing her husband gently off the bed.

 "Oh, for crying out loud…" Neo half-heartedly protested as he got out of bed and pulled on his shirt.

 "Have fun." One last quip from Trinity. Of course. Just have to add in your two cents.

 Neo scratched his tousled hair as he made his way to the crib in the other room. Or at least, what resembled a crib. It was more of a huge metallic clamshell than a crib. He and Trinity both hated it, but since that was the only thing that Zion provided for infants, they had no choice. At least their son wasn't complaining about it.

 He smiled. His son. That had such a nice ring to it… If people had told him years ago in the Matrix that he would have been in this position, he wouldn't have believed it. He had planned to stay as a bachelor. Yet now, he was standing mere feet away from his son's crib/clam.

 "Wah-!" Another cry – shorter this time, but demanding nevertheless – broke the father out of his reverie. Neo smiled and shook his head. Then he peered over the rim of the crib/clam.

 A face that was like a miniature version of his own stared up at him. Then a 100-watt smile lit up the little face, as the infant recognized who was looking at him. A small, tender smile tugged at the corners of Neo's mouth as well.

 "Hey there, sport. You sure have a knack for keeping your daddy awake."

 "Bba." The little boy let out a small giggle.

 "Close enough." Neo remarked, as he picked up his tiny son from the ugly crib/clam. He made his way to the refrigerator in the makeshift kitchen, then pulled out a bottle. As he waited for it to heat up in the microwave – which was advanced, like all other electronics in Zion, and not crude like everything else – he felt a small fist grabbing at the front of his shirt.

 "Bba… bba…" The Little One softly cooed, as he stared up at his father. Neo smiled.

 "You know, pretty soon you're going to be saying 'Papa' instead of 'Baba'... and then you're going to say 'Dad'… You're not going to be so dependent on me then. You'll probably go out with your friends most of the time… get the burden off your chest… meet a nice girl… It's not going to be that long until I'm going to have to set you free, do you know that?"

 The baby stared up at him, enraptured.

  "But you're still going to be one of the luckiest kids ever. Not because you're the son of the One – trust me, you'll get more angry than happy with that title – but because you're going to be living in a world where there's peace, and no lies. A world that so many people wanted to see, but never got to. You're very lucky, son. Very, very lucky."

 "…"

 "I wish you'd seen your uncles and auntie… Uncle Mouse would have loved to play pranks with you around the ship, and Uncle Apoc and Auntie Switch would've taken you around the ship and let you help fix stuff… Uncle Tank and Dozer would've let you work with them when Mommy and Daddy were in the Matrix…"

 *ting~!*

 Neo briefly paused to take the milk bottle out of the microwave. He didn't have to test it; he'd been doing this for almost a year now. He handed the bottle to his son, who eagerly began his dinner. He slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, careful so that the baby wouldn't choke on the milk.

 "You really were hungry, weren't you?" He asked, as he watched the milk level steadily go down.

 "Well, I guess it's better to eat more than not eat at all... mind you, you really should gain some weight. You're still too scrawny… that's your punishment for giving yourself and your mommy so much trouble when you were being born…" He scolded gently. He could still remember the day so clearly. His son had been too weak, they'd almost had a stillbirth….

 "Ah well… You're healthy now… That's all that matters. You're here, I'm here, your Mommy's here…"

 "Bba…." The baby gave a sated grin. It really was adorable.

 "Good grief. I know I'm not going to be able to say no to you... not a good thing… Mommy will have both our heads, if I spoil you." Neo teased, as he lightly patted the small back. The baby gave an almost hiccup-like burp.

 "Good. Now you and I can both go back to bed. Now, sport, let's make a deal; you let me and Mommy get the rest of the night off, and I'll let you sneak into the house after curfew when you're a teenager for a month. Deal?"

 "Bba!"

 "I'll take that as a yes. Oh, and this is just between you and me, okay? If we tell Mommy, it won't be a pretty sight." Neo laughed quietly to himself as he carried his son back to the clam. The child was already giving a sleepy yawn, as Neo gently set his treasure down onto the bedding. He was out in a second.

 The One held back for a moment, just staring at his precious little boy. Then, with a tender smile, he planted a quick kiss on the baby's cheek.

 "Sweet dreams, Arctic." He whispered, as he turned around and flicked the light off.

******

So… that's all folks. I know, it's short. But I was getting kinda sleepy. Anyway, I just chose the name Arctic because it seemed nice. No real reason… maybe I'll make one up later. Til then, jaaaaaa neeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh… and… REVIEW! I may have only one story up under this ID, but I've been a ficwriter for almost five years now!