AN: Thanks for the incredible response to this Snowing story! See previous chapter for important authors notes on characters and story notes.
This one will update bi-weekly on Monday nights. Please consider leaving a review, it is much appreciated. Here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: I know, poor Aurora. She's in a spot. Yep, the passengers are saved and yeah, Vance probably isn't dead. Thanks, glad you're enjoying it!
Jennifer Baratta: Thanks! Yes, Aurora is definitely being used, we're just not sure by who yet. Glad you're enjoying!
Number Ten: Yep, it's sad about Vance. No, Vance did not give his life for Killian. There is not anything there with that and you'll see why later. Jenkins is the equivalent to Jekyll, but he's dead now. He died in the explosion in the last chapter. He's who Emma found just before finding Killian when she went back in. Someone else is holding things over Aurora. Glad you're enjoying! :)
Grace5231973: I know, poor Aurora. Hopefully she does end up coming clean. Yeah, writing Gold into this presented a few challenges for me since it's a bit different from the show, but I think it will all soon make sense. ;) Glad you're enjoying!
sexystarwarslover: Yep, Aurora is a spy. Yep, they better hope someone takes them out, before mama Snow gets there. Yep, Henry led them to the secret door. David has to go in to save everyone. Margaret hates that, but she knows he has to go. Yep, Jenkins is out of control, but they found them. Yep, David is the only one that can see the pathway lights. Yep, the peacock is going to continue to be important. Emma is desperate and Jenkins is dead now. She found them and Killian made it. Somehow, I think Vance may not be dead either. You know too since you've seen Manifest. Yep, Johanna was on the plane. A definite twist and something not included in Manifest, so that will be interesting. Yeah, David was too good for that place. Cora definitely knows something about Eva's death. Yep, Aurora may not be a friendly. Glad you enjoyed it!
AnonSnowing: Yep, if Margaret gets a hold of Jenkins first, that would be a slow, painful death. Yep, Henry saves the day with his drawings and leads them to the hidden entrance. Yeah, Margaret doesn't want David going down there, but she knows he's the only one that can save them. Yep, Gold may be missing someone himself. Yep, they found Jenkins and the passengers. Yep, only David can lead them out. Henry was right. Yep, sweet Snowing moment. They're safe. Yep, peacocks will continue to be important. Jenkins is dead and it appears Vance may be, but things aren't always what they seem. Yeah Killian will probably be okay. Yep, David and Emma are definitely leaders in this thing. Yep, Johanna was on 828. It one hell of a coincidence for sure. Yeah, David got fired, but it was a crap job anyway. Yeah, I'm making sure Olive gets included here early on. Yep, someone is making Aurora spy on them. Glad you're enjoying it!
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 29: Crosswinds, Pt 1
It had been ten days since they had found the passengers and subsequently the explosion that had injured Killian and unfortunately killed Vance. It had also been ten days with no Callings and though they hoped that meant it was all over, somehow, both Emma and David knew that this lull probably wasn't permanent.
Emma visited Ruth's grave that morning and put some flowers down for her. She hadn't been here in a while and truthfully, she was only six when Ruth died. She didn't remember a lot, except her motherly love and a few wise words. In a lot of ways, David and MM had always been her surrogate parents, even when they were young. They had seen her through her tremulous teen years, scolded her for how wild she had gotten a few times with Lily, and endured her screaming at them when they did try to step in with any kind of discipline. And somehow, she had turned out very well, the credit with which she attributed to them.
With her father, things had been good with him once he got clean and turned his life around. But David and MM were always the ones she would go to for advice. However, they were dealing with a lot too, so she had decided to come talk to her mother that morning. She knew David and MM would both drop everything for her, but she felt she needed to go this one on her own for a while.
"And so...that's where we are. I'm not saying I'm jealous of David...but MM's world didn't really move while he was gone. It's like she just stopped and waited for him," she explained.
"But…Killian didn't and I don't blame him. He should have moved on...five years is a long time. But it still hurts," she confessed.
"I still love him...and I think he still loves me. But we can't...he's married and the whole thing is a nightmare," Emma said.
"Anyway...thanks for listening, Mom. You can be proud of us. David and MM did a pretty bang up job with me and somehow I'm not a complete mess. Just half of one," she joked.
"Dad's better too now. He didn't drink a drop, even when he thought we were dead," she added.
"And MM is the rock and the badass she's always been. All things work together for good...that's what you always used to tell us," she mused and smirked.
"Romans 8:28...pretty trippy there with the number," she said, as she stood up and quietly walked away. Killian had made a full recovery and was checking out of the hospital today so she decided to head there to see him.
In the ten days that had passed since the rescue of the passengers, David and Margaret had not wasted the quiet lull that had set in. Margaret had taken a few days off and they had spent them decompressing together, before they began to pursue finding Johanna and checking in on Glinda and Regina, who were treating the once missing, now found passengers. They had finally located Johnna's new residence and were going there today, but first, they stopped by Vance's memorial that was being held, albeit, unofficially.
Upon his death, the NSA had cut ties with Mr. Gold and went quiet on the investigation into flight 828. Gold wasn't surprised and it was agreed that they would collaborate together in the continued research. Gold was very impressed by the records and boards that David had built in the garage and was now a fairly frequent guest at the Nolan house. Henry had taken to him as well and Mr. Gold was always very eager to see Henry's drawings.
Gold was attending the service and the two of them hung back, as the memorial proceeded. Unfortunately, near the end, Agent Arthur King, as well as one of Vance's protege, agent Powell, spotted them and came to confront them.
"You have a lot of nerve, Mr. Nolan," Powell said.
"Excuse me?" Margaret questioned defensively.
"He's the reason that Vance is dead," Arthur claimed.
"David saved dozens of innocent people and it kills us that Vance didn't make it out, but it is not David's fault," Margaret insisted and he squeezed her hand.
"He was a good man and we're just paying our respects. He risked a lot and it saved a lot of people, including our son," David said.
"Just leave," Powell insisted. They joined hands and started out again and they were quiet for a while, as he drove them, not noticing they were being followed. They arrived in the vicinity of the address they had discovered Johanna lived about ten minutes later. He parked a couple blocks away and they joined hands, as they took off on foot.
"Do you think it's strange that Johanna moved right before we found out that she was on the plane?" Margaret asked. He shrugged.
"Maybe a little...but then again, she might not have come back to the life she had before. Not very many people got as lucky as me when they came home," he said fondly, as he gently cupped her cheek. She smiled at him and he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye.
"David Nolan?" the young man asked.
"Who are you?" he asked skeptically.
"Aaron Glover...I'm an investigative reporter," he replied. That immediately turned David off and they kept walking.
"Stop following us," David warned.
"I do a podcast called 828 Gate," he said.
"We're not interested in talking to the press," David refuted.
"Even if I can tell you that one hour before you helped rescue those missing passengers, a Black hawk helicopter touched down in Red Hook?" Aaron asked, stopping them in their tracks. He turned to him.
"You can prove that someone in the government is involved in this?" David asked.
"I have a source…" he said vaguely.
"And did this source tell you who was on that helicopter?" Margaret asked.
"I don't know who it is, but the person calling the shots is referred to as the Major," he revealed. David and Margaret exchanged a glance.
"Military?" David asked.
"Definitely...and we're talking classified, but with my source and your help, we could blow this thing wide open," Aaron replied.
"We'll think about it," David said, as he took the man's card and they continued on toward their destination.
"David...how high do you think this thing goes?" she asked.
"Really high...I mean, they were keeping the director of the NSA in the dark, so it probably goes higher than we can imagine," he replied.
"You...you don't think they know what Henry can do...do you?" she asked. He looked at her.
"Not yet...and we have to keep it that way," he said, as he stopped for a moment.
"I promise you that I will make sure they don't know about our son," he vowed and she hugged him tightly. He kissed her tenderly for a long moment, before they continued on their way.
"I got here as soon as I could," Emma said, as she arrived at the property upstate where Glinda Goode was housing the rescued passengers.
"Thanks for coming. You're the first one here. We asked all the passengers that showed up at the hanger when the plane exploded to come," Regina replied, as she showed her inside.
"How are they doing?" Emma asked.
"Barely functioning...aside from Aurora, of course. They have shared movements at times, but they are mostly in a vegetative state," Regina replied, as she was astonished to see them all jerk together.
"Why do you think they haven't come around yet?" Emma asked.
"Medically...it could be that the brain has shut the body down to recover from the intense trauma, but that's just a shot in the dark theory. In reality, I have no idea," Regina admitted.
"Hey...you're doing your best and I'm sure they'll come around," Emma said, as she touched one man's hand and she had a Calling when she did. She saw a ground covered in snow and a man's hand touch the snow. She could hear what sounded like labored breathing from him.
"Find her," the man's voice said, as the Calling ended. This was definitely different than any Calling before and very intense.
"You just had a Calling," Regina said.
"Uh yeah...and it said find her. It wasn't my voice this time," Emma replied, looking at the man, as Regina opened his file.
"Paul Santino," she said.
"It says he was married, but his wife, Helen, didn't show up at the hanger," Regina said, as Emma looked at the file.
"Find her...maybe I'm supposed to find his wife," she said, as they noticed the man was suddenly awake and aware of everything around him.
"Paul?" Regina asked, but he looked confused and they exchanged a glance.
"Who is Paul?" he asked.
"That's your name...do you remember anything?" Emma asked. He was silent for a moment, but could return nothing but a blank stare.
"I...I'm sorry, I don't know who I am. What happened? How can I not know who I am?" he asked in alarm. Regina put her hand on his arm.
"It's okay...you've been through a bit of trauma, but you're okay now and we'll figure this out," she assured, before pulling Emma aside.
"Amnesia?" the blonde asked. Regina nodded.
"After the trauma he went through, I'm not surprised. How did you wake him up?" she asked.
"I don't know...I just touched him. It must have been the Calling," Emma replied, with a shrug.
"Can you try with some of the others?" Regina asked.
"I guess…" Emma replied, as she touched Anton's arm, but there was no Calling and no change in Anton's vegetative state.
"Sorry…" she replied.
"It's okay...it was a long shot. The catatonia could be the body's way of forcing the brain to rest and rebuild neural pathways to heal them," Regina explained.
"Are you going to try to track down Paul's wife?" the doctor asked.
"That seems to be what the Calling wants. Can I borrow that file?" she asked. Regina nodded and handed it to her. She looked through it while she waited for the other passengers to arrive.
David and Margaret arrived at the Brownstone residence and pressed the doorbell. Soon, a woman that Margaret hadn't seen since she was twelve answered the door.
"Johanna Mason?" David asked.
"Yes?" she asked, as she looked at them and was definitely trying to figure out why his wife seemed familiar.
"My name is David Nolan...I was on the plane and this is my wife, Margaret," he said.
"You were on the plane?" she asked. He nodded.
"But that's not really why we're here," he replied, as he turned to his wife.
"My maiden name is Blanchard," she said, as she looked the woman in the eyes. Johanna gasped.
"Mary Margaret?!" she exclaimed, as she came out onto the porch and they hugged.
"My goodness...look how beautiful you are. I knew you would be...you were such a fair child," Johanna gushed, making her blush. David smiled and squeezed her hand.
"And David...you're the little boy that was always so smitten with her and picked all the snowdrops out of the garden," she recalled.
"I am and I'm still smitten," he said.
"Please...come in, both of you," she urged, as they stepped inside.
"How incredible is it that you were on the plane too?" she asked.
"It's quite the coincidence. My sister wanted to take the later flight, so I stayed behind with her and our son too," he explained.
"Oh my goodness...you lost all three of them?" Johanna asked.
"I did...but then I got a miracle and got them all back," Margaret replied.
"I'm so glad for you…" she said.
"My husband and I tried, but I'm afraid it just didn't work. I'm too different now he says...but I think it's because I know he's seeing someone else," she replied.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Johanna," Margaret replied.
"It's okay...I just moved here and I hope this can be a fresh start. But if you're not here about the plane...can I ask why you are?" she questioned. Margaret nodded.
"It's about my mother," she said.
"Eva?" she asked in confusion. Margaret nodded and showed her the article on her phone.
"I know that everyone told me that my mother had late stage cancer and died soon after...but this article suggests that her death was more sudden," Margaret said.
"No...your mother got sick and then she was gone," Johanna said quickly.
"Are you sure?" Margaret asked. Johanna looked at her for a moment.
"What...what are you asking me?" she questioned. Margaret sighed.
"I think...I think there was foul play," she said.
"Who...who do you think would want to hurt your mother?" Johanna asked. Margaret glanced at the article.
"The woman that, according to this article, was her longtime rival," she answered, as she watched the other woman's reaction.
"Oh...no, Cora and Eva barely knew each other," Johanna refuted.
"If this article is correct...then that's not exactly true. MM's father chose Eva over Cora," David interjected.
"You shouldn't believe everything you read in the newspaper. You know people love to gossip," Johanna chided.
"They do...but I don't think this is gossip and I think my father's wife did something to my mother. I need the truth, especially if she could be a danger to my family," Margaret said.
"Oh Mary Margaret...there is nothing for you to fear. Your mother's death was a sad tragedy, but there was no foul play," Johanna insisted.
"She hated my mother...and I have two children to protect from her," Margaret said.
"Sweetheart…" Johanna said.
"And a husband that I lost and just got back. I need to know what really happened to my mother," Margaret added.
"I'm sorry...but I can't help you," Johanna replied.
"Then you do know...you know what really happened," Margaret stated.
"I'm sorry...but you both need to leave now," Johanna said.
"What are you hiding?" Margaret demanded to know.
"Mary Margaret...please, please let this go," Johanna pleaded with her.
"Cora did something, didn't she?" the raven haired beauty asked.
"Let this go...and keep your distance from Cora Mills," she advised, as she showed them out quite abruptly.
"She knows what happened, David…" Margaret realized.
"It seems that way...but looks like we're going to have to keep digging without her," he said, as he kissed her forehead. She sighed and she rested her head against his chest, as he hugged her, just as his phone rang.
"Hey Regina…" he answered, as Margaret lifted her head.
"Uh yeah...we can come up there. See you soon," he said.
"Regina is asking the passengers that showed up at the hanger to come up to Glinda's beach house upstate," he replied, as he led her back the way they came to find their car.
"While we're there...I can ask Regina if she can dig up my mother's medical records," Margaret said. He nodded.
"It's a place to start anyway," he agreed.
Killian buttoned his shirt that morning. His injuries were nearly completely healed and though he was still off, he had decided to go into the office to do some paperwork that morning. He felt his wife wrap her arms around him from behind and immediately felt a stab of guilt. He loved Milah...but never had loved her the way he loved Emma. When he thought Emma was dead, it was easier to love and move on with Milah. But now that she was back...he found himself wanting the only arms around him to be Emma's. It was horrible and he hated himself for it, but that was how he felt.
"Are you sure you want to go into the office so soon? No one is expecting you to," she said. He smirked.
"I know...but the paperwork never stops. Worst part of the job," he replied.
"I beg to differ. You getting caught in an explosion is the worst part of the job," she said. He smirked.
"Touche," he agreed, as she pecked him on the lips and then slid her hands down his abdomen.
"You know...you could go in a little later and we could…" she said trailing off.
"I'm ovulating," she added. He took a deep breath. Before the plane, he had been ready for kids even before she was. It was a little odd actually since she told him she wanted to wait until she finished her degree in night school. But since Emma had gotten back...she was suddenly ready and very eager to have a baby.
"I wish I could...but I'm still not quite up to par. I need a little more time, I think," he said, pushing his reluctance off on his injuries.
"Yes…I suppose it's a little soon," she agreed, as she gave him a kiss. He sighed and finished buttoning his shirt. Guilt ate at him again and he couldn't get out of the house fast enough...
David parked their car at the beach house and they got out.
"Wow...this is quite a place," Margaret said, as they joined hands.
"No doubt...it reminds me of all those trips we took the kids on upstate," he said, looking at her fondly. She swooned at that.
"Oh me too...that little cabin in the Catskills when they were seven. That was such an amazing trip," she recalled. He smiled and kissed her tenderly, as they reminisced.
Eight Years Ago
Margaret looked out the snowy window, as she stood in the kitchen and watched her husband try to dig them out. They had rented this cabin and brought the kids here for a long weekend. It had been a ton of fun so far, but they were supposed to head back today.
"I think...we're going to have to call in sick tomorrow. There is no way we're getting out of here today," David said, as he came back inside. She left the pancake batter she was stirring and pecked him on the lips.
"Oh no…" she said, feigning disappointment and then giggled, as he pressed his cheek against hers.
"You're going to have to act more disappointed when you call your boss," he teased. She giggled.
"I can't help it...being snowed in with my family for an extra day just sounds like pure bliss to me," she said. He smiled and kissed her tenderly.
"Me too," he agreed, as the kids hurried out from their room and jumped on the couch to look outside.
"Wow!" Henry said.
"Are we staying an extra day?" Olive asked.
"We are…" David replied.
"Can we play in the snow?" Henry asked.
"Mmm...after breakfast. Go get dressed and wash up," Margaret replied, as they scampered off and they went back to making breakfast together.
"That was a really good day," she said. He smiled.
"It was...and now there can be so many more," he replied, as they went inside.