Christmas Gift for CD
Title: Christmas Eve
Characters: Neo/Smith, Agent Jean
Fandom: The Matrix: Degrees of Separation
Summary: Neo and Jean share a moment of quiet together by the Chateau's Christmas tree.
Christmas Eve
***
White lights shone on the Christmas tree filling the Chateau's ballroom. The Sidhe had brought in three days ago, silver bells ringing merrily on their sleigh as they pulled it in through a flurry of snow and sent the Merovingian searching for a drink. It towered nearly to the ceiling, boxes and parcels wrapped and stacked under it in piles.
Elegant gold and crystal ornaments covered it, and if Neo closed his eyes, he could see the strange beauty of the tree's code. It was something like the Sidhe, something very old and almost human-touched.
It was beautiful, and it made Neo miss the fake Christmas tree in his old apartment. The one he'd never had money to buy ornaments for, so he hung AOL cds on it and strung it with Christmas lights he rescued from the trash and laboriously searched out the one burnt-out bulb to replace.
Those had been simpler times.
"Hot chocolate?" Agent Jean offered in his soft voice.
Neo turned to see him standing in the doorway, two steaming mugs of hot chocolate in hand. One had a stick of cinnamon in it, while the other was covered with whipped cream. "Bringing Shepherd some Christmas cheer?"
"He has his own Christmas cheer." Jean smiled, tilting his head slightly. His silver earrings dangled and flashed; a soldier and a rat, Neo noted with some amusement. "That's why he sent me to France for hot chocolate. On Christmas Eve."
Neo grinned; Shepherd wouldn't be that cruel unless he knew Jean was all right with it. "Well, if you don't want it..."
"I only need one." Jean held out both mugs, and Neo picked the one with the cream.
"Thank you." He glanced up, idly curious if Mick had gotten here yet. "Heh. Mistletoe."
Jean laughed softly-
Near-fury flashed through the link he had with Smith, and he felt the presence of his Opposite on the other side of the ballroom. He blinked and reached out along the link, only to get shoved back and away.
But he came out of it with a perception: his One standing with the deceptive, seductive liar under the kissing sprig. Sharing warmth, sharing smiles, standing too close and almost touching, almost-
Neo smiled sadly and shook his head, then sent back his own mental image: the way Anderson looked at Jean, and the way Jean looked at Anderson. //Don't be jealous. Neither of us is interested.//
Smith growled but left without coming over. Some part of Neo relaxed - he liked Jean even though his Opposite didn't, and he knew full well that Smith scared and upset Jean. There was no reason to ruin Christmas Eve for the two of them.
He drank his hot chocolate in silence with Jean. When he finished, he concentrated on the code of the mug, wriggling and fiddling with things until he had it just right- It disappeared from his hands, and he was dimly aware of it re-appearing in the Chateau's kitchen.
"Handy," Jean commented.
"Thanks. I'll take yours if you're done."
The agent passed it to him, then reached into his jacket. He reverently took out a small wrapped package, turning it over in his hands as if he wasn't quite sure of it, then straigtened his shoulders and went to hide it in the branches of the tree.
Neo didn't ask who it was for, and he closed his code-eyes from looking inside it. It was Christmas Eve, and it was a night for surprises.
-End-
Characters: Neo/Smith, Agent Jean
Fandom: The Matrix: Degrees of Separation
Summary: Neo and Jean share a moment of quiet together by the Chateau's Christmas tree.
Christmas Eve
***
White lights shone on the Christmas tree filling the Chateau's ballroom. The Sidhe had brought in three days ago, silver bells ringing merrily on their sleigh as they pulled it in through a flurry of snow and sent the Merovingian searching for a drink. It towered nearly to the ceiling, boxes and parcels wrapped and stacked under it in piles.
Elegant gold and crystal ornaments covered it, and if Neo closed his eyes, he could see the strange beauty of the tree's code. It was something like the Sidhe, something very old and almost human-touched.
It was beautiful, and it made Neo miss the fake Christmas tree in his old apartment. The one he'd never had money to buy ornaments for, so he hung AOL cds on it and strung it with Christmas lights he rescued from the trash and laboriously searched out the one burnt-out bulb to replace.
Those had been simpler times.
"Hot chocolate?" Agent Jean offered in his soft voice.
Neo turned to see him standing in the doorway, two steaming mugs of hot chocolate in hand. One had a stick of cinnamon in it, while the other was covered with whipped cream. "Bringing Shepherd some Christmas cheer?"
"He has his own Christmas cheer." Jean smiled, tilting his head slightly. His silver earrings dangled and flashed; a soldier and a rat, Neo noted with some amusement. "That's why he sent me to France for hot chocolate. On Christmas Eve."
Neo grinned; Shepherd wouldn't be that cruel unless he knew Jean was all right with it. "Well, if you don't want it..."
"I only need one." Jean held out both mugs, and Neo picked the one with the cream.
"Thank you." He glanced up, idly curious if Mick had gotten here yet. "Heh. Mistletoe."
Jean laughed softly-
Near-fury flashed through the link he had with Smith, and he felt the presence of his Opposite on the other side of the ballroom. He blinked and reached out along the link, only to get shoved back and away.
But he came out of it with a perception: his One standing with the deceptive, seductive liar under the kissing sprig. Sharing warmth, sharing smiles, standing too close and almost touching, almost-
Neo smiled sadly and shook his head, then sent back his own mental image: the way Anderson looked at Jean, and the way Jean looked at Anderson. //Don't be jealous. Neither of us is interested.//
Smith growled but left without coming over. Some part of Neo relaxed - he liked Jean even though his Opposite didn't, and he knew full well that Smith scared and upset Jean. There was no reason to ruin Christmas Eve for the two of them.
He drank his hot chocolate in silence with Jean. When he finished, he concentrated on the code of the mug, wriggling and fiddling with things until he had it just right- It disappeared from his hands, and he was dimly aware of it re-appearing in the Chateau's kitchen.
"Handy," Jean commented.
"Thanks. I'll take yours if you're done."
The agent passed it to him, then reached into his jacket. He reverently took out a small wrapped package, turning it over in his hands as if he wasn't quite sure of it, then straigtened his shoulders and went to hide it in the branches of the tree.
Neo didn't ask who it was for, and he closed his code-eyes from looking inside it. It was Christmas Eve, and it was a night for surprises.
-End-