let me love you ~ michael jackson & ariana grande

9/11

(a/n: first of all i'm sorry that this chapter is being posted so late my wifi was literally out this whole damn morning and i was so close to tears but it's back and we're good, secondly gws is up there for a certain point in the chapter so here it just is if you've never heard the song or if u just wanna listen to it when it comes time for ari to sing it)

                            September 11th, 2001

Ariana

I stretch my arms out groggily as I'm still drowsy from my deep sleep. I look at the empty space that Michael sleeps in and exhale out of somber.

He's been in New York for the past few weeks with Dede, Prince and Paris for his 30th anniversary celebration performances while I'm here alone in Neverland. I chose to stay because I'm actually finishing up an album, I haven't released anything since Dangerous Woman which was 13 years ago and I am crazy nervous but confident at the same time. My sound is a lot more mature now and so is the material I've been working on.

I go to the bathroom and my hair catches me off guard in the mirror, I'm still not completely used to the silver colour I picked out and the extensions I had installed and I don't even know if it looks good but I needed a change.

I take a quick shower and change into a pair of mom jeans and throw on a t-shirt, I trail to the kitchen and the first thing I do is make some breakfast.

I walk to the living room and switch the tv on just for some background noise, making my way back to the kitchen. My condition is calm and collected until I hear the blaring sound of ambulance alarms, police sirens and screams all from the tv. I rush back into the living room and am in bewilderment mixed with fear.

A video of a plane crashing into one of the twin towers plays on the screen, the twin towers are in New York which is where Michael happens to be with the kids. "Hijacked Boeing 757 Crashes Into the World Trade Centre!" Is displayed over red banner in white font.

I feel like my heart is going to fall out of my chest once I remember how Michael and I's late phone call ended, he told me he had to get some rest because he had a meeting at the World Trade Centre.

I'm too shaken up to focus on punching Michael's number into my phone but I eventually manage. It doesn't even set in that all of the house phones are blowing up with ear splitting noises around me and I can't stand the terrorizing sound of the ringing so I run outside.

I feel a lump in my throat as the phone rings and rings, I start feeling sick once the waiting goes on for too long and I'm about to hang up and book a flight to New York myself once it finally picks up.

"H-Hello?" Michael answers, sounding like he just woke up.

"Michael?! Oh my god, Michael! You're okay! I was so-...so scared. The kids are with you, right?" My tears start falling relentlessly, I can't even put into words how scared I was just a couple seconds ago.

"Ariana...? Why wouldn't I be okay?" I hear a yawn and a couple of coughs from over the phone. "And yes, of course, they're with me." Did Michael really just wake up right now?

"Michael...do you...not know what's going on right now?"

"I mean, I hear an immense amount of commotion from outside." It sounds like he's shuffling from one side of the room to the other. "I still don't-" His voice is cut off from his own shock I'm assuming. "What the hell?" He mutters under a breath. "It's a darn good thing I stayed up so late talking to you, mother and Rebbie."