A/N: I didn't have time to complete this yesterday, but better late than never. I wrote this out of complete respect and honor for everyone who was affected that day ten years ago, but I wasn't there, so if anything seems innacurate, unrealistic, etc., PLEASE TELL ME. I will fix it. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone. Second, I gave Neal and Peter a bit of a backstory that will probably later be proved false in later episodes, so for now, just use your imagination. Lastly, I want to thank every single person who helped that day. You are true American heroes.

Disclaimer: Me? Own White Collar? I wish…

Warning: Extreme spoilers for Coutndown.

Word Count: 649

"It's hard to believe it's been ten years." Neal nodded slowly in agreement. The pair had been standing and watching the memorial service from afar for almost an hour without saying a word. It wasn't that they were angry with each other—quite the opposite, really. Elizabeth had been missing for three weeks and this was the most civil they'd been since—but that they were lost in their own thoughts. From the tears glistening Peter's eyes, Neal could tell that September 11th meant more to him than just another New Yorker who was there, and although he had tried his hardest to keep his façade together, Neal was sure Peter could tell the same.

Neal remembered that day very clearly, more than any other in his life. He could see himself waking up early, thinking it would be just another ordinary day. And why should he have thought anything different? Before 2001, the words "nine-eleven" meant nothing to anyone. Neal recalled the exact place on the sidewalk he was walking, when he heard it. Then he saw it. To this day, he still couldn't believe it. Neal must have called his mother's phone three dozen times between when the first plane hit, and when the South tower fell. By then, he knew there was no hope; she was gone. There was chaos and terror in the streets, thousands of people witnessing and experiencing the same exact thing he was, but he felt completely alone. Neal did nothing for the entire rest of the day, the entire rest of the week. Just sat, watched the news, and wished she had gotten out. Except wishing didn't make it true. Emily Caffrey was just another body beneath the rubble.

For Peter, September 11th, 2001 was nothing but a blur. A bitter memory he longed to forget, but at the same time knew he never could. He'd been out of work with the flu that day, and it was already almost ten thirty by the time he rolled himself out of bed and turned on the news. Just in time to see the North Tower collapse. He was frozen in place for a full ten seconds before his body gave him back the ability to breathe. Never a religious man, at that moment, he prayed. He'd begged to whatever great deity existed over the sky that somehow, someway, his little sister had not been in the tower as it fell to the ground right before his eyes. Peter had been so happy to hear about her new job at the top of the World Trade Center, glad for her. There had been no way for him to know that this would become the worst news in his universe. Elizabeth was home within the hour and they sat together by the phone, hoping for a phone call that never came. Nina Burke was just another body beneath the rubble.

"Ten years in reality, but just yesterday to those who lost someone they loved," Neal responded finally. He didn't have to say anymore; Peter understood. Peter put his hand to rest on Neal's back in a comforting gesture, and Neal did the same. Keller was still out there with Elizabeth, Mozzie was still missing with the treasure they needed for her ransom, and Peter and Neal had still lied to each other—omission or not—more times in the past few months than either could count…but none of that mattered. Right now, in this moment, they were just two friends, both reliving a terrible loss. Together. And right now, that's all that mattered. Because they would always be there for each other in the end.

True friends are like the ivy on the wall; together they stand and together they fall.

-Unknown

A/N #2: My best wishes with all the families who lost a loved one on September 11th. They will never be forgotten.