>>Only Human<<

Mother

OKAY JUST IMAGINE NEO LOOKING AT KATE LIKE THAT AGSGHSHSHS IT MAKES MY FEELS HURT!!

After the attack from the agents, I told Neo one thing (once I got my breath back from that kiss, of course) and that was: I want my mother to be safe.

The group was torn about this request and debated it for a very long time. Would my mother be safer not knowing the truth, or would her link to me put her at risk? Would she truly be safer as a redpill, rebelling against the Matrix and its machines?

It was decided. I think Coda became the deciding vote. We would get my mother, Neo and I. The two of us, I believe, was per his request. He thought it would be easier if it wasn't an entire fleet of Matrix rebels showing up on my poor mother's doorstep.

Neo wheeled me to the chair and lifted me into it. I lived for the feeling of his chest against mine when he picked me up; he always was so careful, like he was afraid any little touch could hurt me.

He squeezed my fingers gently before he plugged me in, his brown eyes the last thing I saw before I was standing on a street corner, Neo at my side.

I walked him up the street a little bit before he shed his dark overcoat. As I looked at him, he was in more of a suit than his usual Matrix attire. He was in a white button down with a black jacket. He looked really nice.

I looked at myself in comparison, and I looked pretty scruffy.

Walking up the path to my old house felt so strange. It had only been about 2 and a half months since I'd joined the rebellion, but to see the place I knew so well, to see my mom again...

I knocked on the door, and I almost felt afraid.

"Katie!" My mom said, pulling me into a hug as she opened the door.

"Hi, mom," I said quietly, tears almost threatening to spill over. So much had changed since we'd seen each other last. I was a new person.

My mother held me at arms length for a minute before looking at Neo.

"And who's this? Hi, I'm Kate's mom, Mary," she extended her hand to Neo politely.

"Mom, this is N--"

"Thomas Anderson, it's nice to meet you," Neo said with a polite smile, taking my mom's hand, "I'm Kate's boyfriend."

Boyfriend? Boyfriend? Boyfriend?!?!
I think my heart stopped.

Judging by the smirk on his face, he knew that's how I would react.

"Good to meet you, Thomas," My mom said kindly. She opened the door for us to come in. "Kate, you just missed your dad. Two days ago, he left for his business trip. I'll tell him you stopped by, though. He gets home in a week."

"Cool, I'll have to come back for another visit," I smiled.

Granted, I'll be taking him out of the Matrix, but I will definitely come back for him.

I took a seat on the couch like I always did, and my mom went into the kitchen and brought out a box of store-bought muffins.

"You should've told me you were coming today; we could've had lunch together," she said.

"These are fine, Mrs. Winship," Neo smiled.

"Kate, you did good on this one, how much did you have to pay him?" She asked, a little too loudly. Neo laughed playfully.

"Mommm," I goraned. She sat down across from Neo and I.

"How's college going?"

"It's going," I stated, a blatant lie.