TITLE: IN THE WALLS

RATING: PG 13

AUTHOR: Sólia

STORY: What would have happened if, when the whole crew was in the wall in the first movie, Trinity had rushed to the aid of Morpheus, rather than forcing Neo to leave him to the agents?

AUTHOR'S NOTES: At last! The final chapter! I want to thank everyone who has read this from start to finish, especially my loyal reviewers. :) You guys rule the world. I'd also like to pre-emptively thank everyone who reads (and/or reviews) this in future, as since I'll no longer be uploading new chapters of this, I won't get the chance to thank you afterwards.

I really hope you enjoyed this fanfiction – and, if you did, that this final chapter doesn't disappoint you.

Chapter Twelve

Later that day, Neo was alone sitting in his cabin. The ship had started moving long before any sentinels had arrived, and Neo was glad, because he didn't want to know how much damage they could cause.

He was the One. The Oracle had told him something contradictory to make him selfless. And it had worked very well. He had risked his life for his friends – and particularly Trinity – and was a better person for it.

He hadn't seen Trinity since they had been in the Matrix. She hadn't been there when he had woken up. He didn't know where she had gone, but he didn't want to actively seek her out. That would make her angry. She needed time.

Neo looked up at his door as it gave a quiet squeak, then a louder one, and then opened a little. He swallowed and sat up straighter when he saw Trinity leaning against his doorframe.

"Can I come in?" she asked. She wasn't nervous – she was fine to meet his eyes. Neo nodded quickly. She stepped inside and closed the door carefully behind her. She turned back to him but didn't sit down.

"I was scared today," she said finally. She had a voice here. "I was scared when we left you with the agent on that level. I didn't think you'd have the sense to run. I thought you'd die. I thought you were going to kiss me and then leave me. And it scared me."

Neo didn't answer. He knew she needed to get it out and didn't want to be interrupted.

"Then Smith got you again, in the stairwell. I was convinced that you'd die. You didn't. But in the lobby, you did. I… I didn't believe it, but you did. When you came back I was still scared. I was scared that you'd just get yourself killed again."

"You don't have a lot of faith in me, do you?" Neo asked, amused.

"No, I didn't," Trinity agreed. She started fidgeting – she never fidgeted.

"What's on your mind?" Neo asked gently.

"What I'm trying to say is that, well, I'm never scared. I'm never afraid of anything. Something about me has changed if I get scared like that now. But today was the worst day of my life in terms of fear. And you know what else? I've never been as scared to lose someone as I was today."

"You shouldn't have to be scared," said Neo, softly. He slightly adjusted his position.

"I know that," Trinity said, watching him. "I knew that you'd be okay. The One can't just die. And I knew that you were the One. The Oracle told me I'd know, and I did. But still, I was terrified." She looked down. "I was so convinced that I was going to lose someone that I cared about as much as I care about you."

"What did the Oracle tell you?" Obviously that was what she wanted him to ask.

"That I would fall in love, and that the man I loved would be the One," Trinity said from memory. "I knew you were special the day I met you. I just didn't know that I was going to fall in love with you. I didn't know that you'd risk your life for me, either." She gave a short laugh. "You have no idea how shocked I was to see you when you found me. One minute I was conscious of nothing but pain, the next I was opening my eyes and you were there. I'd already decided that the next time I saw you I would tell you how I felt. So I did."

She left unsaid the rest on that subject. For a moment, neither spoke.

"What's going to happen to Cypher?" Neo asked her.

"Morpheus interrogated him earlier. Apparently he had made a deal with the agents that he could be reinserted into the system if he gave them Morpheus. There were a few other details, like he wouldn't remember and that kind of thing, but it pretty much came down to that the agents want the Zion entry codes. The captains of each ship are given the codes. The agents were planning on cracking into Morpheus's mind and taking the codes."

"But they got you," Neo said, realising. Trinity nodded. Finally, she sat down beside him, graceful as always, but only sitting on the edge of the bunk.

"I'm not a lot of help when it comes down to the codes but the agents like to play on emotions," she said. "Holding me hostage, putting me through pain was their best bet to getting Morpheus to kill me."

"Why did they want to kill you?"

Trinity shrugged and moved back, just a little closer to Neo.

"Because if Smith had put the crew into a position that meant killing me, you were all sure to come in to exact revenge," she answered. "He even told Cypher to kill whoever they got if they didn't get Morpheus – apparently he didn't quite succeed. Then everyone else had their chance anyway. But you didn't kill me. I was waiting, you know… Just waiting for it to end."

"They were going to," Neo said after a moment. "Morpheus had pretty much convinced them that it was a good idea." Trinity didn't look offended by this, so he continued. "He decided not to after someone spoke up, though."

"Thankyou," Trinity said, shuffling herself over to him so that she was right beside him with her back against the wall, too. Neo was about to ask how she'd known that it was him who'd spoken up for her when she said, "Morpheus believes in you and whatever, within reason, you believe, too. So thankyou."

"One more thing." Neo paused, thinking. "What was wrong with the agents keeping your brainwaves?"

"Oh, that," she said darkly. "They could figure out how my thought patterns and brainwaves change whenever I jack in, and would be able to prevent us from ever hacking the Matrix again by taking precautionary steps, like altering a part of the code. A simple plan but it could have a devastating effect on our population in Zion."

"Will we ever go there?" Neo asked, curious.

"Of course we will. We have to recharge sometime."

For almost a minute, they sat in silence, enjoying each other's company.

"Why did you tell me about how scared you were?" Neo asked finally.

"To seem weak and pathetic," Trinity answered, smiling. She was joking. "I figured you'd like me better if I was completely spineless." She almost laughed. "Honesty seemed a good place to start."

"I like you fine the way you are," said Neo. He reached over and brushed a lock of her dark hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

"That's a first," she answered.

"No, really. I'd hate it if you went all dizzy and spineless all of a sudden. I hated it today when you were hurt, and when you couldn't talk. I hate seeing you hurt. I'd hate you to change. I like you just the way you are." Neo didn't hesitate to go on – she'd put herself out in the open, too. "You're already perfect."

This time, Trinity did laugh.

"That isn't true," she said. "Not perfect, anyway. You, maybe, but not me. Perfect people are beautiful, sweet, lovable, loyal, gentle, intelligent, strong… and they always have black hair," she added, glancing up at his very short, still-growing black hair.

For a moment, he thought she was serious, but then Neo caught her smiling. Joking, again.

"You fit that description well," he said. Trinity looked down suddenly, realising how long she'd been thoughtlessly flirting.

"Why are you being so sweet?" she asked, sounding annoyed. "Don't give me a false sense of hope, okay? I said I love you, and I accept that it's as far as it's going to go, but don't insult my intelligence. Thank you for being nice about it – I haven't been half this nice to Cypher, so I don't deserve it, but thank you anyway." She made to stand up.

"What are you talking about?" Neo asked, confused by her sudden change of heart. She stopped as she reached for the door, but she didn't turn to face him. She'd been shamelessly flirting only seconds ago, and now she was leaving. "What's wrong?"

"I love you, Neo," Trinity said simply. "It's true, I do. I'd give anything to be with you. But you're the hero of mankind and I'm just a lieutenant in love with you. I attract trouble in the Matrix, and so will you."

"So?"

"Every unmarried woman in Zion will be after you once they see you."

"A little competition won't hurt you any," Neo answered, still not getting her point.

"I'm in love with you, but you can do so much better than me," Trinity said gently. She smiled at him softly over her shoulder, as though he were just a little boy, and in that moment, Neo saw in her eyes that it was breaking her heart to say this. She was doing it for him, because she honestly believed what she was saying.

"I don't want every woman in Zion," Neo said, catching her arm. He pulled her back towards him. She didn't resist but when she standing before him again, she didn't sit back down. He took both of her hands and held them. She had beautiful hands; slender pale fingers and smooth skin despite years of manual labour. He wanted her pretty hands on his skin. She didn't pull her hands away, even as he raised one to his lips and kissed it softly.

Trinity sighed and let him very gently pull her down beside him. She sat on the edge of the bunk and allowed Neo to kiss her collarbone, her neck. She tilted her head away to give him more access. Neo tipped her back a little, holding her as he looked up to meet her eyes. "I want you," he finished in a breath. She'd looked so unsure. Now, when he went to kiss her exposed throat, she reluctantly but forcefully pushed him away.

"Stop," she murmured. She sat up and almost stood again.

"I was flirting. I'm sorry if I went too far. I can't help it, though."

"You have to." Trinity ran a hand across one side of her face. "You're too good for me. I can't let you waste your time with me. I can't hold you back."

Neo was starting to get annoyed.

"First of all, it's my decision how I feel about you, not yours," he said. "Secondly, the only way you're wasting my time is by avoiding giving in to what we both want. You'd be holding me back by keeping me waiting. I can't go off playing the hero without you with me. I won't."

"Why?" A demand, a little panicky.

"Because I can't help loving you," said Neo. Trinity didn't answer, but sat back, relaxing into the embrace he offered her and wrapping an arm around his neck when he kissed her. No fighting, no hesitation.

The kiss lasted, and for the first time in too long, Neo had only one emotion – not anger at Morpheus, not sadness over Mouse's death, not hatred at the agents for torturing Trinity – but love.

There was nothing else in that kiss. Finally, Neo felt true love for someone. And he knew she felt the same.

Sólia