Ok, here's another short song-fic, and this one is based around Alan and Jeff, set during 9/11. It's to the beautiful song, "Our Farewell" by Within Temptation. And note, in this story and my other stories, Gordon is the second youngest, Virgil the middle child, and John the second eldest. That's just how it makes sense to me for some reason, so unless I say otherwise, that's probably how it'll go. Just letting ya know :)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed my other story, "Lost, and Not Found"! I'll try to get the second ending/last chapter up soon! Promise:)

OH, and I have a new homepage! You should go check it out :D

Now, on with the story!

In my hands
A legacy of memories
I can hear you say my name
I can almost see your smile
Feel the warmth of your embrace
But there is nothing but silence now-
Around the one I loved
Is this our farewell?

Jeff wiped his brow tiredly as he continued to sift through the endless piles of rubble. It was in the early morning, though the still-settling dust and debris floating in the air made it seem as though it were night. Sirens blared throughout the city, creating a morbid melody in the air. People scrambled both away from and towards the wreckage, some coming to help as others tried to run to safety.

Pain- not of the body, but of the heart- and fear, such as Jeff had never known, nearly overwhelmed him. That morning, he had received a call from his second youngest son, Gordon. That call had changed Jeff's life forever.

---

Sipping a cup of steaming coffee, Jeff sat in his large office chair and gave a loud yawn. He had just woken up and began his early morning routine, starting with checking his email. While he nonchalantly browsed through his messages, the phone suddenly rang.

Checking the clock, Jeff frowned. 8:51. That's odd…Jeff thought curiously. Who could that be..?

Leaning over, Jeff picked up the phone receiver, placing it to his ear. Before he could even muster a "hello", the panicked voice, which he recognized to be Gordon's, began to yell into the phone.

"Dad! Dad, it's the World Trade Center! There was a plane- and Alan- and Dad, you need to get down here!" Gordon yelled frantically.

Jeff, frowning once more, tried to piece together his son's words, but failed. "Gordon? Gordon, calm down!" he urged through Gordon's ranting. Once Gordon had finally fallen silent, Jeff continued, "Gordon, slow down, and tell me what's wrong."

"Dad," Gordon panted, obviously upset, "A plane…not too long ago…crashed into the north World Trade Center…" Taking a shaky breath, he continued, "Dad, I think Alan was in that building…"

Jeff's heart stopped.

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child
See the sadness in your eyes
You are not alone in life
Although you might think that you are

Jeff tried to push away the memory as he continued to dig. Around him, other firemen and volunteers also sorted through the wreckage, searching for survivors. It was now just a few minutes after 10:00, the south World Trade Center building now lying in ruins. Jeff was coming in to land in Thunderbird 3 as it collapsed, and could do nothing other than stare in horror as it fell. His sons arrived not long later, and were sorting through the building's remains nearby as well. Another memory began to bore into his mind, impelling tears to prick under his eyelids. And although he also tried to distance his mind from the memory, it remained fresh in his mind from just days ago.

---

"Dad, I can't believe you! You're being so unfair!" Alan shouted.

"You're too young, I already told you that!" Jeff said with a quiver in his voice, trying to remain calm. "I still don't know if I can trust you with staying by yourself. New York is a big city, Alan."

Alan clenched his fists. "How can you ever learn to trust me if you never give me a chance to prove it to you?" he continued to yell. "Plus, I'm not going to be alone, I'll be with Gordon!"

Scott, who had been standing idly nearby with Virgil and Gordon decided to speak up as well. "Alan, I don't think you should go either." Alan stared at him in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and anger, his mouth hanging agape. Continuing, Scott explained, "You're still only 17, and who knows what could happen."

"Well I think he should go," Gordon protested. "It's only for a couple of weeks, and I'll take care of him. And come on, Dad, he's not a kid anymore!" Next to him, Virgil voiced his agreement.

Jeff looked at the faces of each of his sons, considering their words. Finally, he gave a yielding sigh. "Alright, Alan, you can go," he said, smiling at his son's sudden expression of shock and elation. Alan and Gordon laughed and traded devious grins.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to regret this?" he said sarcastically, smirking at his youngest sons, the others laughing as well.

Never thought
This day would come so soon
We had no time to say goodbye
How can the world just carry on?
I feel so lost when you are not at my side
But there is nothing but silence now
Around the one I loved
Is this our farewell?

Pausing, Jeff tried to catch his breath. Checking his watch, he found it to be 10:19. His muscles ached from the heavy lifting of the rubble, his hands cut and bruised. But he didn't care. He had to find Alan. Moments later, he heard Scott yelling his name from nearby.

"Dad!" he screamed, his eyes fixed on the area below his feet. "Dad, I think I found him!"

Jeff scrambled over the piles of twisted metal and other pieces of wreckage, stopping where Scott stood. His eyes fixed upon the fragile body lying not far beneath them under the ruins. His lower half was mainly covered with smaller debris and his head was fully uncovered, but a large piece of support beam rested across his chest.

"I need help lifting this, help me out," Scott panted, pointing to the support beam. Nodding quietly, Jeff took up one end of the support beam while Scott took the other. Positioning himself, Scott counted down, "1…2…3!" With a large amount of work and a unanimous grunt, Scott and Jeff managed to move the support beam from Alan's chest.

That was when Jeff could mostly see the extent of Alan's injuries. His clothes were ripped and torn, and the exposed skin was nearly completely covered in bruising and cuts. His leg jetted out awkwardly, showing an obvious break. Some of his ribs were also seemingly broken, the sides of his chest being uneven in places. A large gash was set just above his brow, and a trickle of blood came from the corner of his mouth.

Dropping to his knees, Jeff cradled his son's feeble form, wondering if he was even alive, and scared out of his wits that he was not. Taking an unsteady breath, he set his shaking hand on the side of Alan's neck. Though faint, he could feel a weak pulse. Letting out a joyous and relieved sigh, he let a single tear fall before brushing it away.

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child
See the sadness in your eyes
You are not alone in life
Although you might think that you are

"D-dad?" Alan woke from his father's touch, whispering hoarsely, showing obvious signs of difficultly breathing.

Shocked, Jeff stared at his son. "Alan?"

"Dad, w-what happened?" Alan winced from speaking, the pain in his chest becoming too much to bear.

Stroking his son's head, Jeff watched his son, feeling a twinge of guilt within him. "Don't worry about that now, we need to get you out of here," he said, carefully picking up Alan. When he winced once more from the pain, Jeff quietly apologized. Turning to Scott, who was obviously just as relieved as he was, he ordered, "Tell the other's we've found him, and that he's fine. I'm sure they'll be glad to know."

He turned to walk away, though stopped when there was a sudden rumbling noise. Jeff turned in alarm as the walls of the north tower began to crumble. "Scott! Tell the others to run! We need to get Alan out of here!" Scott was just as scared, though did as he was told. Jeff began to dash from the wreckage as soon as he could, Scott hot on his trail. They made it to a nearby building, and ducked inside just before the debris from the second collapse went rushing by. The windows caved from the sudden shock, and the men had to jump beneath the front counter to avoid shards of flying glass.

Glancing at Alan, Jeff saw that he had once again passed out, most likely from pain and exhaustion he'd guessed. Dust began to fill the room, so both he and Scott covered their faces with the collar of their shirts, though they didn't cover Alan's in fear of stopping what little breathing he already had. Placing his wristcom to his covered mouth, Jeff called the names of each of his three middle sons, each confirming that they had all made it out in time.

Once most of the dust had settled, Scott and Jeff both stepped from the building they had found refuge in, surveying the damage. Jeff studied Alan once more, then gave a sigh. "Well," he started, "We have a lot of work to do…"

So sorry your world is tumbling down
I'll watch you through these nights
Rest your head and go to sleep
Because my child, this is not our farewell.
This is not our farewell.

Weeks had passed since 9/11, yet the damage was still far from repaired. Debris was still to be found throughout the city, and the search for bodies was still taking much time.

Alan had survived and was healing well, though was still constantly plagued with nightmares. The others began to constantly monitor him and would rarely let him out of the house unaccompanied, even if it were a walk to the beach. So, Alan would confine himself to his room, and would stare out his window for hours.

One afternoon, Jeff became worried when Alan didn't get lunch as usual. Walking down the hallway, he came to Alan's room. Opening the already ajar door, he found Alan once again staring from his window. He stood stiff as a board, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Jeff walked in as quietly as he could, latching the door behind him. But before he could make more than a few steps, Alan began to speak.

"You'll never trust me again, will you?" he mumbled, keeping his gaze outside the window.

Jeff stopped in his tracks, swallowing hard. After attacks in New York, he knew it would be difficult to let Alan out of his sights again. But he knew that it wasn't his fault, and would have to learn to let him go either way. Sighing, Jeff started, "I will..." he paused. "It'll just take a little time…"

Alan stayed quiet, evaluating his father's words. After a long silence, Jeff finally found the courage to walk up to his son. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, he asked quietly, "Alan…Are you ok?"

Alan continued to stay silent, until a few tears broke loose from his eyelids. Facing his father, he looked him directly in the eye, but said nothing. Then turning fully to Jeff, Alan suddenly threw his arms around his father, sobbing into his shoulder. Even though he hadn't spoken, Jeff knew exactly what he was feeling. He still felt scared, and alone, but grateful to be alive and with his father once more. Jeff had the exact same feelings, and embraced his son tightly. He knew it would take time for the wounds-both physical and mental- to heal for all of them, but he also knew that they were together, and that everything would be ok.

Ok, so kind of a happier (and cheesier haha) ending than some of my other stories. I hope you liked it! Please leave reviews, they're greatly appreciated:)

Megz