You're Not Alone

A/N: Those who are familiar with my work know I don't do trigger warnings. But I am for this one. Please don't take this story lightly. This is an AU Emison one-shot set in New York on 9/11. I don't normally do the kind of fics that are so strongly based in reality, but when the 17th anniversary of the September 11th terrorists attacks was fast-approaching a friend of mine asked me if I'd consider doing a one-shot through the eyes of Emily and Alison the day terrorists attacked America.

This is an insanely sensitive subject and it is not limited to that day, nor just my country. I know many people in many countries have felt the pain of mass casualties at the hands of violence like this. A lot of people are affected by this.

I was initially feeling very awkward about posting this because terrorist attacks are such a real and powerful event that it shakes me to my core to think about, much less write about. But I wrote it regardless. After writing it I had to step away from it and really think. Did I want to share? Was it too much? Was it disrespectful? I sat on it for 48 hours. It was only on my commute home from work today when I watched a very colorful sunset over a national park still lined with thousands of flags to honor those who died on 9/11 that I decided that I did want to share. Because the terrorists were loud that day. But humanity was louder.

I had friends who lost people that day. I have family and friends who are first responders, military, firefighters, and others who put themselves on the line, Every. Single. Day. And I do not for one second take what they do for granted. If you fall into that category, you are more loved and appreciated than you will ever know. And to anyone who has ever known the pain of loss on this scale, know you're not alone. I hope that I showcase this in a realistic and respectful manner. I don't take this subject matter lightly. If you do decide to go ahead with this, just be prepared. This is as close to reality as you can get. And it's painful.

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You're Not Alone

The trilling of a phone cut through the quiet morning air. Alison loved the fall. The temperature was more bearable, which was insanely important to her because being eight months pregnant meant that she was hot. All the time. She could stick her entire face into the freezer and still be sweating.

She rolled over in an uncoordinated fashion, still not used to the swelling of her stomach getting in her way at every turn. She knew she should have been used to it. She'd been pregnant with twins once before. The girls were four now. Emily and Alison missed having babies around, so they'd had a sit down with the girls and asked what they'd think of having a little brother or sister.

Grace was all for it, excited that she'd have a baby to dress up and play house with. Lily asked if she'd have to share her chicken nuggets with the baby, because she didn't want to. Lily wasn't great with sharing, but to be fair neither was her sister. Grace made a scene out of telling Lily that she wasn't going to share their baby sibling with her and then Lily asked if she could get a puppy. Then they'd both gotten distracted by an ice cream truck outside.

Once they got the girls on board they looked into artificial insemination. They'd hit a speed bump when they discovered that Alison didn't have any viable eggs left. Emily offered to carry, but Alison had her heart set on feeling the life of a child growing inside of her again. It had been an amazing experience the first time, minus the morning sickness and the weird cravings and the having to pee all the time. So Emily had her eggs harvested and they chose a donor and then did in-vitro.

It had taken three trying times before the in-vitro took. And as soon as they got the word that Alison was pregnant Emily had cried in joy. She had been every bit the doting wife, making sure that Alison took it easy for their baby. She'd doubled down when Alison got put on bed-rest a week ago. It amazed Alison, because Emily worked such long hours. But the second Emily got home she was whipping up breakfast or dinner for her wife and doing the laundry and making sure Alison and the girls had everything they needed.