A/N: Very AU. But I couldn't not write this. I was listening to 'Round and Round' by Three Days Grace on Youtube and saw this in the sidebar: Kevin Cosgrove's LIVE 911 call as he DIES. I knew I was going to regret watching it, but I clicked on it anyway. It takes a lot to make me cry, and that video made me cry. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. Thus, these three one-shots were born. (The other two will be posted as the 11th anniversary approaches.)
Please don't comment and say that I'm a Muslim hater, okay? I'm not. I completely understand that not all Muslims agreed with the actions that resulted in a national tragedy for us. (I'm Baptist; saying that I hate Muslims because of what happened in NYC would be like someone saying I hate our Armed Forces because I'm Baptist in reference to the West Borough(sp) Baptists.)
Anywho, enough of that. I don't own the characters in these one-shots. To save myself some time, I'll just say this: Disclaimer applies to all three.
I Don't Understand, Ian
"What is this place?" seven-year-old Alex asked, looking around him at the giant, square fountains built into the ground.
"It's a memorial," Ian responded.
"What's a 'memorial?'"
"It's… Well, it's just something to help us remember something that happened. …A lot of people died here…"
"Why did they die, Uncle Ian?"
Ian sighed. Sometimes his nephew was too curious for his own good. "There are a lot of bad people in the world, Alex. Sometimes innocent people die."
"But I don't understand why, Uncle Ian."
"You know something? I don't think anyone does. That's just one of the cruelties of life."
Alex sighed this time. "I meant, how did they die?"
Ian had, of course, known what the seven-year old had been asking – and he had been hoping to avoid having to explain something so… horrific. "Well, Alex… Seven years ago, two airplanes crashed into two very tall towers that used to stand right where these giant fountains are now. The two towers – often called the Twin Towers – housed the offices of hundreds of men and women, most of which have their names carved into these stones because they were killed that day."
"But why would they do that? Why would the pilots fly right into the towers?"
"Because they wanted to. It's rather complicated, their reasons for what they did, but what it boils down to is that they wanted to."
"I don't understand, Uncle Ian."
"Neither do I," Ian sighed. "But they did. The towers collapsed after the planes were flown into them, killing many of the people who worked within them, as well as the passengers on the planes, innocent by-standers, and many, many rescue workers who fought to try to rescue people from the buildings before they fell. The first-response rescuers were truly heroes, Alex; I want you to remember that. They didn't have to go in after people they had never met, but they did. And, for that reason, many of them perished day – seven years ago today, as a matter of fact.
"But that's actually why we're here, Alex. There is a name I need to find – the name of one of the first-response rescuers. We should be close now."
It took quite some time to find it ("Four hundred forty-one names to look through, Alex!" Ian had commented), but, eventually, the pair found the name Ian was searching for.
"Ah, here it is, Alex," Ian stated with a sad sigh, pointing to one of the names carved into the stone.
"John R. Rider," Alex read. "Hey! He has the same last name…"
"Yes," Ian confirmed in a heavy voice, placing an arm around the lad's shoulders. "My brother. And your father, Alex. He was killed that day when the first tower fell, as he was making his way up to the higher floors to rescue those trapped where the plane had come into contact with the building. He saved my life that day, Alex, and the lives of countless others who will never know what he gave up to save them."
"M-my daddy?" Alex whispered.
Ian nodded. "Shortly after you were born." He knelt down and turned Alex so they were eye-to-eye. "But you have to understand something, Alex. He loved you and your mother very much – that was why he did it. He knew there were people in the buildings who had families they loved very much, too. He hated to think about what he would lose if the situation were reversed and he was the one who was trapped. He went in because of love, Alex. And that is the most powerful of sacrifices."
