AN: Thanks for the incredible response to this Snowing story! See previous chapter for important authors notes on characters and story notes.

Important note: Milah is not Neal's father in this universe. Cora is I've taken some liberties again with characters and back stories. :)

Special Note: By now, most of you know that NBC made the horrible decision to cancel Manifest, despite ending season 3 on a terrible cliffhanger. Thankfully, Netflix has saved Manifest and is giving us a final super sized season 4 with 20 episodes!

Another Special Note: The character of Cody Webber is from Manifest and not a Once character, FYI. The character of Alice is also a Manifest character, not the Alice from Once. Just to be clear.

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 Henry. The wolf isn't good here so it leads to neither Ruby or Graham. Yeah, it looks like Cora had involvement in Eva's death. Glad you enjoyed it!

Jennifer Baratta: Thanks!

Grace5231973: Yeah, this turns out to be a scary Calling. I like Henry Sr. too and wanted to bring him into the family in this. Yeah, at least Margaret knows now. Cora is truly the worst.

Number Ten: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I know, poor Henry and poor Regina.

Snow White's Apple: Thanks!

Sexystarwarslover: Yep, Margaret and David are saving Regina's life from a crazy woman. Yeah, something about this Calling is scaring Henry. Yeah, Alice is very misguided and that's what makes what Samdi is doing so dangerous. Yep, they saved Regina and subdued Alice, fortunately. Yeah, I'm glad to bring Henry Sr into this. I feel for Alice and Jacob too. This is definitely on Samdi. Yep, Emma and Milah had it out. Yep, it might be Robin. We shall see. Yeah, it looks like Cora did something and Leopold might have been in on it. Yeah, Henry is afraid, but I'm sure David and Margaret can help him. Glad you're enjoying it!

AnonSnowing: Yeah, the sketchbooks gives a Once vibe. It's a nice parallel. Yeah, he is scared of this Calling. Yeah, magic would come in handy right about now. Yep, Regina was hurt by someone. Yeah, Alice is delusional, but Baron Samdi is partially responsible for that. Yep, they rescued Regina. Yeah, Milah and Emma finally have it out. Yeah, it's looking like Cora had something to do with Eva's death. I feel for Margaret and Henry Sr. too. Cora is horrible. Yep, that wolf Calling is freaking Henry out. Glad you're enjoying it!

Lightning in a Bottle

Chapter 43: Upgrade, Pt 3

"Hey sweetheart…" Margaret said, as she and David peered into his room. He was clutching his stuffed dragon and building with his Legos.

"Can we talk, buddy?" David asked. Henry was silent, but shrugged, as they came in and sat down with him.

"What's going on, sweetheart?" Margaret asked.

"I don't wanna show Neal my drawings, because I'm afraid," Henry replied.

"Afraid of what?" he asked.

"When I draw stuff, it comes true," Henry explained.

"So...you're afraid that if you draw another Calling that it's going to happen?" Neal asked from the doorway. He nodded.

"Buddy…I don't think that's how it works," David said.

"How do you know...it has happened," Henry replied.

"Sweetie…I don't think your drawings cause the Callings. I think you're just able to see things that are going to happen, before they happen," Margaret said.

"How can you be sure, Mom?" he asked.

"Let's test it," Neal suggested, as Henry looked up at him.

"Draw something...something harmless that you want to happen and we'll see if it happens," he said. Henry thought for a moment and then got his sketchbook out, before going to work on a drawing.

After dinner at her brother's house, Emma got ready and headed off for the night shift at work. But first, she made a quick stop at Killian's, just as he was coming off his day shift. She was about to knock, but he must have seen her and opened the door, coming out.

"I won't stay long, because I don't want to get you in trouble with Milah," she said.

"Milah is gone," he replied.

"Oh...well, she confronted me at the station and I told her things were over between us," Emma said.

"But they don't have to be now," Killian countered.

"Yes, they do," Emma refuted.

"As much as we wish things were the same as they were six years ago...they're not," she added, as her phone chimed.

"It's the team at the Harbor...I have to go," she said, as he hurried off, leaving him with a longing and regrettable look on his face.

"He's a really great kid," Neal mentioned. Margaret smiled and nodded.

"He's my world...he, his sister, Emma, and my husband," she said.

"Losing three of them for over five years...that had to be hell on Earth," he said. She nodded.

"It was...I went on for Olive eventually, but not at first. Robert, David's father, took care of Ollie and me for almost six months after the plane disappeared. If not for them...I would have probably just wasted away," she admitted.

"I was trying to get clean before that hike...six months in," he said.

"That's really good. Robert was an alcoholic when we were kids, but he didn't touch a drop after the plane disappeared. He wasn't there for Emma and David when we were kids, but he really came through for me and Ollie," she replied.

"I hope I can be as strong," Neal said.

"You can...you have family and friends now. And if Robert could stay clean, you can too. He had a rough time, but he made it and so will you," she assured, as David returned from helping Regina and her father off for the evening.

"Yeah…I know how that is. Dealers can be pretty scary if you owe them money," Neal said.

"So can loan sharks," David said, recalling a memory from their past.

Flashback

Margaret got her keys out, as they approached the door, preparing to go into the house. But she paused when she saw that the lock was broken and the door was ajar.

"David…" she said, as he saw it too.

"Stay out here with Emma," he said, as he grabbed his baseball bat from the porch and slowly crept inside. She held Emma fearfully, as she did, worried about his safety.

David saw the scene in the living room and watched his father cough up blood. Before he could do anything though, he heard two screams and saw a burly man force Margaret and Emma into the house. He held the bat, but didn't strike.

"Hey boss...I caught a few minnows," the man said, as David prepared to swing the bat, stopped when he yanked Margaret by the hair.

"Drop it kid," he ordered. He obeyed, as the girl he loved was held hostage.

"Who the hell are you?" David questioned.

"My name isn't important...but your father owes me money on a loan I gave him. And he isn't paying up," the man said.

"You took out a loan with a loan shark!?" David growled at his father, who was barely conscious.

"Yep...and looks like we'll need to take payment from the kids. I bet there's something these two can do for me to make a few bucks," he leered at the two young women.

"Like hell…" David growled, as he stalked toward the man, but his goons got in the way.

"You really think you can stop me?" he asked.

"No...but I can get your filthy money for you in thirty minutes. I just need to make a call," David replied. The man looked at Margaret and Emma, before looking back at David.

"Make that call...but if I don't get paid, then I take it out on them," he warned, as his men made Margaret and Emma sit on the couch. David called Jefferson and told him about the urgent situation and he promised to come. He hung up the phone and looked at the collector that had been sent to get the money.

"He'll be here with your money in thirty minutes," David said, as he glared at his father, who was passed out on the floor.

"Good...in the meantime, maybe this one and I can get better acquainted," he said, as he caressed Margaret's cheek and she shied away in disgust.

"Don't touch her!" David growled hotly. But the man did it again and he lunged at him, tackling him to the floor. The men pulled David off and he got a knee to the gut and a split lip for his stunt. Margaret and Emma cried out, but Jefferson arrived at that moment.

"Here's your money...courtesy of Mr. Gold," he stated. The man gave them pause and they locked eyes.

"Mr. Gold?" he asked.

"That's right...this family is under his protection. Let your employer know that there will be consequences if he sends anyone to this house again," Jefferson stated sternly, as they took the money and left.

"Yeah...that sounds like my Dad. He has made quite a name for himself in the world of deals," Neal said, with a modicum of bitterness.

"Don't be too hard on him. We didn't even know him back then and he was really looking out for us," David said.

"He's right...I'm very grateful to him and I know he made mistakes with you, but you can both have a second chance now," Margaret said, as Henry called to them.

"Okay…I'm done," Henry called, as they came back into his bedroom.

"What did you draw?" Neal asked. Henry showed them a drawing of a huge pile of money and he chuckled.

"Well, that would have been nice, but I don't see a butt load of money appearing," he said.

"Yeah…I guess you're right. I guess I don't make the Callings come true," Henry replied.

"Exactly...now you wanna talk about that wolf? It might be important, honey," Margaret said.

"It is," he admitted, as he showed them another drawing. It was Emma opening a door and a wolf jumping out at her.

"I think Aunt Emma is going to see the wolf next," he said, as they looked at his drawing, trying to make sense of it.

"You think it's a real wolf?" Neal asked. David shook his head.

"There's no way to know...but I suppose it could be metaphorical. Emma is a cop and she comes across a lot of scum," he said, as they continued to look at his drawing.

After Regina dropped her father off at the senior living center, she drove back to her office, despite telling Margaret that she was going home. She went in and saw the mess

of papers on the floor. Immediately, she had a flashback of the woman that had taken her hostage and had to sit down for a moment, as she tried to get control of her emotions.

"Dr. Mills?" Margot questioned and Regina nearly jumped a mile.

"I'm so sorry to startle you," she apologized. Regina sighed and forced a thin smile.

"It's okay…" she fibbed.

"I heard what you went through...are you okay?" Margot asked. She nodded.

"I'm fine," Regina lied. Margot nodded and put a file on her desk.

"Here's that file on Eva Blanchard...I'm sorry it was kind of a dead end," she said.

"That's okay...sometimes that's how these things work out," Regina replied.

"Yeah...so if there's nothing else, I think I'll take off for the night," Margot said.

"Of course...have a good night," Regina said, as she sat back in her chair and tried to gather her thoughts. But she felt stifled by the room, as her anxiety became overwhelming and she quickly fled. Margaret was right, but instead of going home, she decided to go to her lab instead.

After putting the kids to bed, David paid another visit to Baron Samdi's "church", with the promise to Margaret that he'd be home soon and to be careful. David listened to him preach from the back of the room and a few of the parishioners definitely took notice of him, giving him looks of wonder and awe, which made him uncomfortable.

"Blessed are the returned and those who believe in the miracle of flight 828. And may the returned share their miracle with the faithful believers and may they experience the miracle then," Samdi concluded, as his donation baskets made their way around and he stepped down from the podium. His parishioners began to disperse, as he made strides toward the man and cornered him in the back room.

"I heard about Alice," he said.

"Regina is safe...no thanks to you," David replied.

"Brother David…" he started to say.

"Yeah…I'm not your brother," he refuted.

"David…" Samdi corrected himself.

"I never meant for anything like that to happen," he assured him.

"Maybe not...but leading people in obvious distress to believing that we can perform miracles...or magic is despicable and wrong," David said sternly.

"Are you so certain that we cannot perform miracles?" Samdi asked.

"Yes!" David hissed, before sighing.

"Whatever these Callings are...they're not predictable and letting lost people believe that we can walk around healing people is dangerous and deceptive," David replied.

"You certainly cannot deny that something spiritual happened to flight 828," Samdi argued.

"You're right...I can't. But we can't prove that either and letting them believe that it did is wrong," David said.

"That's subjective," Samdi argued and then smirked.

"Besides...it doesn't really matter what I believe, does it? It matters what they believe," he added.

"Exactly my point! Alice believed and now she's in jail for kidnapping and assault. Regina could have died, because of her delusions, which you encouraged!" David said.

"What will you have me do, Mr. Nolan?" he asked.

"Stop this...this deception!" David pleaded. Baron shook his head.

"I'm sorry...I cannot do that. These people will believe whether I am here or not. In a way, I am guiding them. They are my flock and I am their shepherd. You should return to your own flock, brother David," he said. David clenched his teeth.

"You're scamming them," he claimed.

"I am a businessman and they are eager to buy what I am selling. Care to stay for the second service?" he asked.

"Hard pass," David replied, as he stalked out, leaving Baron Samdi to go back to preaching his false prophecies.

Emma arrived at the waterfront that evening and saw that they had finally extracted the armored van.

"Finally...it's about time," she said to the officer that was overseeing.

"Tell me about it. That body has been in the water for a few days...it ain't gonna be pretty," she replied. The crane set the van down on the pier and lowered it onto the ground. The driver side door opened and water came pouring out. Emma stepped forward to prepare for extracting the dead body. Suddenly though, the man in the driver's seat took a starved breath of air and lunged toward Emma, shocking her to the core…

David got home and dropped his keys on the table, before removing his coat. The house was quiet and he made his way upstairs. He peaked in on Olive first and then Henry, glad that they were both asleep, before he entered their bedroom. Margaret was ready by the light of the lamp on her bedside table and she smiled, as he entered. She put her book away, as he leaned down and kissed her tenderly.

"How did it go?" she asked, as he started undressing.

"About like you'd think. He knows he's scamming his followers, but he doesn't care. It's just business to him," he said, as he tossed his shirt in the hamper and removed his pants next. He slipped into bed with her in his boxers only and she cuddled against him.

"I'm sorry...but I'm not surprised. I did a little reading on him," she said, as she showed him the tablet.

"Real estate mogul goes missing on plane," he said, reading the headline.

"Baron Samdi made a killing on shady real estate deals. He used to buy up houses really cheap by preying on those that were having trouble paying their mortgages and then flip them for a profit. Not illegal exactly, but hardly moral," she replied. He scoffed.

"It reminds me of that time we came home and my Dad was being tempted to sell the house for booze money to that crook. Sounds a lot of like what Samdi used to do," he mentioned, as they recalled that day.

Flashback

David parked the truck and Emma got out, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Hey...whose car is that?" the blonde asked, as Margaret got out behind him and he looked at the car too.

"No idea…" David said, as he prodded Margaret back into the truck.

"David…" she said.

"Remember last time? That loan shark that beat him to a bloody pulp?" David said, fearing that was what it was.

"And if it is, I'm not letting you go in by yourself. You took one too many punches last time and had it been worse, you would have had to go to the emergency room. Then Social Services would have stepped in and who knows where Emma would be now," she argued. He sighed.

"Fine," he said, as he took her hand and then Emma's, as they approached the door. He used his key and unlocked it, as they slowly crept into their house.

"Yep...all you have to do is sign these papers and it's cash today. Then you and your family have thirty days to be out," the man in a suit said.

"What the hell is this?" David questioned.

"Ah...this must be the son you mentioned," he said, as he extended his hand.

"Hello young man, I'm Joe and your father and I were just negotiating the sale of this home," he said. David closed his eyes and tried to push down the expletives he wanted to utter at the moment.

"The house isn't for sale…" David said.

"Oh...well, I'm sorry, young man. But he is the owner of the house and I've made a very generous offer," Joe replied.

"No...he's actually not. The deed is in care of our financial advisor until I'm of age. He's just trying to get money, because his allowance for booze is already gone for the week. Get out," David ordered. The man stalled for a moment, deciding if he wanted to challenge him.

"Get out or I'm calling our financial adviser and he'll prove it to you," David said again, as the man grabbed his briefcase and hurried out of the house. Margaret gently prodded Emma toward the bedroom, as David proceeded to explode and get into a shouting match with his drunk father.

"Robert was in a bad place that day. I almost forgot about that guy...it does sound like what Samdi was doing," she said.

"Not illegal and he's not doing anything illegal now either...but it's immoral as hell," he said.

"And I can't do anything to stop him," he added. She knew how much he hated feeling helpless, especially when people could potentially get hurt.

"Did anyone see you there?" she asked.

"Yeah…I got a lot of looks of awe and recognition," he replied.

"Did they see you arguing?" she asked.

"Oh yeah...I wasn't quiet about my disdain for him," he replied.

"Well...maybe that could sow some seeds of doubt in Baron Samdi," she said.

"I doubt it...his coffers were pretty full," he replied, as she kissed his cheek.

"I think you probably had more of an impact than you think. They're going to read about what happened with Alice and if they're not too far under Samdi's spell, they may start to doubt him, especially when another passenger doesn't agree. He may be convincing, but you're a hero...and everyone knows it," she said, as she kissed him tenderly.

"I think you're biased, Mrs. Nolan," he mused. She smirked and climbed into his lap, straddling him.

"I am...but everything I said about you is true, my wonderful, handsome husband," she purred, as she kissed him again. He was very aware that she hadn't bothered with any panties underneath her short, satin nightgown. He slid his hands up her thighs and beneath her nightgown, coming to rest on her hips. She kissed him again and then their lips parted long enough for her to lift her arms for him so he could discard her nightgown. Their kiss resumed and he reversed their positions, as he lowered her onto her back and their lips dueled in a passionate dance.

"I love you so much…" he rasped, as he kissed her neck and they lost themselves in their lovemaking. Afterwards, they cuddled together and held each other close.

"That was amazing...but then it always is. It always has been," she swooned, as she lay atop his chest. He kissed her hair and heard his phone chiming. He grabbed it off the bedside table and answered.

"Hey Em...is everything okay?" he asked.

"Not really...remember that armored truck that went into the water?" Emma replied.

"Uh yeah...we saw it on the news," he said.

"Well...the guy inside that has been there for three days that should be dead just woke up and lunged at me! He's alive!" she said.

"Lunged at you...like the wolf," he said, as Margaret's eyes widened.

"The Wolf?" she asked.

"Uh…I'll explain when we see you. You're at the hospital?" he asked.

"Yeah...I don't know much yet, but Regina is here. Maybe you two should come too and bring Neal," she replied.

"We're on our way," he said, as they got up and got dressed.

"David…" Margaret said, as he took her hand.

"I'll explain on the way," he replied, as they went to wake Neal and Gold.