This was written in response to Byers' POV in the last fic. We forget, Jimmy is from New
York, or at least, I'd like to believe he's from there. And he must have special feelings about
this. As I do, being here in the middle of it all. This is for everyone in DC near the Pentagon,
and for my fellow New Yorkers.


Title: Moving On, Jimmy's POV
Author: Amazon X
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Summary: We need to know the other side of the coin.

*******

I walked to my room. Football up, football in hands, football up, 
football in hands. Behind my closed door, I chuck it under the bed. 
Byers is in his room. I think he's crying. Don't blame him. But I 
don't get it. Yeah, they're upset and all, but it's like, do they 
forget I'm from there? Did they forget that I been in those towers a 
hundred times, carting around family and friends and friends' family, 
playing tour guide?

Whatever. OK, I'm not old enough to know about JFK and all that. 
Frohike looks at me like I can't even form a whole sentence. They just 
make me nervous, OK, cuz they ARE so damn smart. But I went to college. 
I DID have a real major and all. Education, yeah, ok, I wanted to be a 
coach. And my frat brothers, Phi Delta Lams, yeah, those were the days. 
Well, three went into finance from my class in the house. I wonder who 
was down there.

The phone rings. It's my private cell. I answer. It's Taylor, the 
president of my frat for three of my four years at C.W. Post. He tells 
me Bob Lamb is MIA. He was in the south tower, 101st floor. He sent an 
email at 9:03 AM saying the building across the way was hit, and he was 
checking the floor to evacuate. No word since then, all day. I lookout the window; 
I can see the sun dipping. The clock reads 
5:02 PM. Was it that late? How long was I sitting in his room before 
the phone rang? I know what I have to do. I don't care if the city is 
shut down. I have to try.

I jumped up and grabbed my Ravens bag. I started throwing things into 
it for the trip: clothes, a book, cell phone charger, CDs, whatever I 
see I think I may need. I check my wallet, OK, Visa check card and my 
Dad's emergency AmEx. Thank God we have the same name. OK, I'm off.

I tear out of my room, almost knocking Byers over. He's out of his 
room, red-eyed. He looks at me.

"Sorry, ! Byers. I gotta fly, OK? I'll call when I figure out what I'm 
doing."

Byers looks at me, but I don't wait for a reaction. I'm down the 
stairs. I breeze past Langly and shout over my shoulder, "Later, dude!"

He looks up from his computer and shouts, "Hey, jockstrap, where are you 
going?"

I stop in my tracks. Why does he have to take the damn cheap shots 
today, of all days? I don't care if it makes him feel better, it makes 
me feel like crap. "Stow it, hippie. I'm in a hurry."

I shouldn't have stopped to speak to him. It gives Byers and Frohike 
time to catch up to me. I can feel Byers grab my arm. I turn to him 
halfway, my bag still thrown carelessly over my shoulder. I look down 
at them…I'm the tallest one here. Byers is concerned, Frohike is 
confused.

"Where are you going, Jimmy?" Byers asks me.

"Home, I gotta go home."

"I thought this was your home, Jimmy," Frohike says quietly.

"Yeah! , well, as welcome as you people make me feel, sometimes I wonder. 
Look, I gotta go."

"Where are you going?" Byers' hand is still there. Can't I just split?

"I have to go to New York. One of my frat brothers is missing."

Time seemed to stop. They all looked at me. Then it hit them. That's 
right, know-it-alls. You can walk around here like you're all the shit, 
but don't forget, I may be from Long Island, but it's still my town, 
too. Byers drops his gaze, Frohike looks away. Langly has turned back 
to his monitor.

Byers will just not let the hell go of my arm. "Jimmy, can we do 
anything, go with you?"

"No, I have to be alone for this. You guys, you think all this revolves 
around the government or this terrorist guy. It's about people, those 
people in that building. And hey, it's real for me. I was there, in 
those buildings. A lot. And that's one of my buds. Yeah, Virginia, 
Nebraska, Michigan, you have no! idea how I feel. So just back off for a 
while. I'll call when I get a chance, if I decide to come back."

Byers is still clutching me like a mother. His hand is squeezing my 
biceps. It's rhythmic, soothing, calming…eyes are burning. What's 
dripping on my shirt? Damn, I didn't want to cry. I didn't want him to 
pull me into his arms. I didn't want Frohike rubbing my back like that. 
I didn't want Langly walking over to put his hands on my shoulders. 
What the hell is going on? They don't do this! Has the whole fucking 
world gone crazy?

We turn back to the television. The city is sealed, I couldn't get in 
if I tried. I'll go tomorrow. Byers pulls me to sit on the couch with 
him to watch. My bag hits the floor with a thud. I hate this 
whorehouse couch. They all pile around me as we watch the tapes of all 
the collapses over and over. The buzzer rings, I think. Yves is here. 
I can smell her. She wedges in on the couch, he! r head on my shoulder. 
Byers is holding my hand. Frohike stands behind me on the couch, 
stroking my hair with a bare hand. Langly hands me a beer.

The whole fucking world has gone crazy.