AN: Thanks for the incredible response to this new Snowing story! I'm really excited about this one and blending the worlds of Once and Manifest. And it seems my readers are too. I did not classify this as a crossover, because that's not really what it is. This is a Manifest type story with mostly Once characters. I have kept a couple Manifest characters and a few minor ones may pop up. The notable Manifest characters I have kept so far are Vance and Olive as Snowing's daughter. You also do not have to worry about any love triangles for Snowing. That's not my thing and this will always be a Snowing story.
Another thing to note is that I've taken some liberties with the relationships as well. Most notably, Emma and David are siblings and they grew up with Mary Margaret, so Emma and Mary Margaret are very close as well. Due to Robert being a drunk after Ruth dies, David and Mary Margaret pretty much raised Emma while raising themselves. Another thing to note, Henry is in the place of Cal here as Snowing's son and Emma's nephew. Most everything else will become clear as you read. I hope you enjoy this new story and join me on another journey. This one will update on Monday nights. Chapter 2 tonight and and then this one will go to bi-weekly updates on Monday nights. Please leave a review and give feedback! It is much appreciated and here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: Thanks, glad you like it. :)
Grace5231973: I love Manifest too and I never miss an episode either. I will be heartbroken if we don't get a season 3. That finale was wild and I have to know what it means. Yeah, Once totally could have used some better writers(that focused on the real love stories instead of a certain one that shall not be named). I know, no triangles here. I don't know why TV writers do them in almost every show. Everyone I talk to hates them, but it's like their go to. But none here. As for Gold, he appears here and he very well may be. He has more going on than is revealed in this chapter, but he is introduced here. Glad you like it so much! :)
Bella1296: Thanks! Glad you like it!
Jennifer Baratta: Thanks!
Number Ten: Yep, Killian is in the place of Jared here and Olive is now five years older than Henry. It should be interesting. :)
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, a Snowing centered story with a Manifest plot! It's going to be a lot of fun. Yep, morning in bed, classic Snowing already. Glad you like the backstory and that Emma and David are siblings here. I think it works well. Yep, mysterious adviser...he's about to pop up too. Yep, Robert got help and actually kept it together when they disappeared to honor his son and take care of his family, so there will be some discussion on , the plane is back and it's going to be a ride. Glad you're enjoying it!
SecretLoveCara: Hey, glad you love it! I love Manifest too and I NEED a season three, stat. I will be heartbroken if it doesn't get renewed. Hope you enjoy!
AnonSnowing: Yep, Johanna quit when Eva died. We'll eventually find out who the financial adviser is. Yep, Robert got clean, thankfully. I know, David and Margaret are adorable. Yeah, I have to keep that tidbit from Once and make those nicknames here. I know, it was a bit sad, but this chapter is much happier. :)
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 2: Re-Entry
April 13th, 2014
Flight eight two eight had taken off from Jamaica without incident and they had been in flight for a few hours now. They were probably nearing New York by now and he smiled at his son, who had his headphones on and was watching a movie. He glanced over at Emma and rolled his eyes.
"MM's not wrong," he mentioned. She gave him an annoyed look at that.
"Don't start," she warned. He sighed.
"Say yes to Killian. Get married, have a honeymoon, and be happy. Trust me, it's the best thing ever," he said. She sighed and kept looking at the ring. She closed the box and was about to send a text to her boyfriend that would make him very happy when the plane shuddered. The distress didn't stop there though and they suddenly experienced an intense amount of turbulence. So much so that a laptop belonging to another young woman slipped off her tray and busted. David clutched his son tightly, wondering if the worst might be happening. But after a few harrowing minutes, the turbulence seemed to end fairly quickly and the plane lights came up again.
"Sorry about that, folks...we hit a bit of turbulence, but we came through it just fine. We ask that you remain seated with your seat belts on though and we should be coming into New York shortly," the Captain said. David breathed a sigh of relief and checked his phone, intending to text his wife. But he frowned, as he found he had no service.
"Seriously? No service?" Emma asked.
"Same," he said, as the flight attendant picked up the laptop a few seats back.
"I'm sorry, I hope there was nothing important on that," she apologized. The woman sighed.
"Not at all...just a lifetime of research and work," the woman commented, but still managed a kind smile for the flight attendant. It wasn't her fault, after all. She moved on and kept attending to the passengers, who started to get restless. They were obviously in New York airspace, but seemed to be doing circles in the sky instead of landing.
"What is going on?" Emma wondered, but she was answered when the pilot came back over the intercom.
"Sorry folks, we're going to be a bit longer. I'm afraid we've been diverted upstate," the Captain told them. There were sighs and groans from many, but their plane soon landed a little while later. Emma noticed that the airport appeared to be much smaller and possibly military, which was a bit disturbing.
"What is it?" David asked.
"I'm...I'm not sure yet," she replied, as the pilot came over the intercom again.
"Ladies and Gentlemen...I'm afraid we've been asked to disembark the plane on the tarmac," the pilot announced.
"Cool…" Henry said, as David looked at his sister.
"Okay...this is officially weird," Emma said, as they did as they were told and found themselves in a cluster before what looked like some government officials, all one hundred and twenty passengers.
"Ladies and Gentlemen...can I please have your attention," a shorter man in a suit said, as he stepped forward. It was a bit odd, because he didn't strike David as someone that was with the government. He didn't look like he belonged at all with the others, but then the government was known for bringing in outside contractors to deal with situations that were beyond their specialties. Though David couldn't ascertain what situation they were supposedly embroiled in.
He thought, at first, maybe there was a fugitive on board or something. But that was not at all what this felt like and the passengers were starting to get restless.
"What's going on?" David asked.
"Yeah...what's with all the covert crap?" Emma asked. The man before them allowed himself a small smile. Less than sixty seconds and two leaders had already clearly emerged in all this. He had no idea exactly what was going on, but he had been fascinated by it all the moment the news had broken. This was what he had been waiting for and why he was called in. He was a master of the unknown and unexplained. And finally, there was a true mystery he could sink his teeth into. If this was what he thought it to be...it was life altering and world shattering. Nothing was going to be the same.
"I'll answer your questions, but first...I have one for you, Mr. Nolan," the man said in an accented voice, as he looked at his copy of the manifest, which was complete with photo identification.
"Fine, but maybe you can tell us who the hell you are?" David countered. The man allowed himself another small smirk.
"My name is Roman Gold and I have been brought in to...consult on this most significant occurrence," he said.
"And my question to all of you is...what day do you think it is?" he asked. David and Emma exchanged a glance and then looked back at him.
"It's April 13th," David answered.
"Of what year?" he asked, causing David to narrow his gaze at him suspiciously.
"It's 2014...what the hell is this?" Emma asked.
"I'm sorry, but you are both wrong. Today, is November 11th, 2019 and all of you...have been missing for five and a half years," he announced, stunning them all to speechlessness…
What happened next was endless hours of questions for which the NSA wanted answers for and the passengers had none to give. The most brutal questioning, of course, came for the Captain, who was just as perplexed as the passengers. But it was clear to him that the NSA held him suspect in the entire situation. They always blamed the Captain. He had been one long enough to know that.
David was extremely agitated in his interview as well. Since the moment he heard that he had been gone five and a half years, all he could think about was taking Henry and getting home to Margaret and Olive.
"Look...I don't know what you want from me. You say it's been five years, but it was only hours to us. But if it really has been that long...I need to get home to my wife," David insisted.
"As you can imagine, a plane reappearing out of nowhere after five and a half years is quite a story. Once the story hits the press, we will be consumed by an unprecedented media storm," Gold warned.
"I don't care! You don't understand and this is going to sound corny and sappy, but I need to get to my wife. I need to get our son to her. I need to get to my daughter. If it really has been that long...then they deserve nothing less. My wife and I...we don't do well apart," he explained, as he started to tear up.
"She's...she's my soulmate and I'm hers. It's been only a few hours for me and I miss her so badly that it hurts my heart! Can you imagine what she must be feeling?" he asked.
"Mr. Nolan…" the African American man, Vance, whom he had learned was the director of the NSA and the man that had brought Gold into consult, started to say. But Gold put his hand up, signaling him to stop. Normally, he couldn't imagine the director of the NSA allowing himself to be silenced by anyone, but he seemed to go quiet for this man. This Roman Gold seemed to command power over this whole thing.
"I understand and you'll soon be going home to your fair wife, but these questions are necessary. The plane disappeared, none of you aged a day, and five years later...you're back. Naturally, we must know what happened," Gold stated.
"So that's it? Are we all going to be put in some government lab to be poked and prodded like some lab rats?" David hissed. Gold allowed himself another smirk. He liked this one and there was something about him. Out of all the passengers, somehow it was clear that this would be the family to watch.
"No, Mr. Nolan...there will be no locking up anyone and soon, you'll all be going home. The story is going to break momentarily and soon, many families will be showing up to claim loved ones. I have no doubt that your fair Margaret will be among them," Gold said.
"Can I have a word with you?" Vance hissed, as he stood up and went to speak to him out of earshot.
"We are not cleared to release these people into the public. This is a matter of national security," Vance whispered
"Then you had better clear it up quickly, director...because while some may have moved on with their lives and left these loved ones behind, there will be those that run here at top speed when they hear," Gold said.
"There is no stopping any of this now and since we cannot find an actual crime here, you cannot lock up innocent people against their will," he continued.
"Oh, I suppose you can and have the power to do so, but I don't advise it. I will say that if we want answers...then releasing them is the only option," he added. Vance didn't look at all comfortable with that idea, but did not deny any of it. Gold was right
Her breathing came in ragged gasps, as she flew out of the car the moment they were admitted through the gates. Her eyes scanned the tarmac and her feet pounded the pavement, as she ran inside the terminal like she had never run before. She saw him and everything else around her faded away. It was true. He had come back to her. The news reports were calling it impossible and some even suggested it was something to be fearful of. But to her...this was nothing short of the greatest miracle she could have ever imagined.
"DAVID!" she called and his head turned to her, as he ran to scoop her into his arms. At that point, she became a sobbing mess, as she never thought she'd know the feel of being in his arms again. When they finally pulled back, with her still sobbing almost uncontrollably, he finally pressed his lips to hers and everything was right again in her world with just that one gesture.
When they finally parted, she saw her son there, still ten-years-old, just as Olive and Robert caught up to them.
"Mom…" Henry said, as she knelt down and started sobbing once again. She hugged him tightly and looked to the sky, thanking whatever deity or force had made this possible.
"DAVID!"
The sound of her voice made his heart skip a beat. It always had and always would. He scooped her up, as she began sobbing against his shoulder. It was finally hitting him that, while it had only been hours for him, it had been five years for her and he couldn't imagine how hard it had been for her. When he finally pulled back to look at her, seeing the pain behind the happiness and relief in her eyes nearly crushed him. But he took her in his arms again, as she always told him that it helped her in their worst of times, and pressed his lips against hers in the most passionate kiss ever. As always, when they were together, everyone else faded away.
Finally, their lips parted and he watched her with tears in his eyes, as she sobbed and took their son in her arms. As he turned his head though, it was his turn to nearly break down crying, as his little girl stood before him, five years older than just a few hours ago.
"Olive…" he uttered, as she sniffed.
"Dad…" she cried, as he hugged her tightly, stunned to speechlessness and he cradled her head. His father hugged them next and he looked around. He expected Killian to be there for Emma, but he wasn't. He could see the questions in his baby sister's eyes, but she said nothing.
"Oh Emma…" Margaret gushed, as she pulled back from a hug with her and the shorter, raven haired beauty held onto her best friend tightly for a few moments. There were so many questions, but they were a family again and no matter what others suggested, their return was nothing short of a miracle to the Nolan family.
The ride home was surreal and he felt trepidation, as it seemed there were already news vans camped out near their house. That was going to be fun. He hoped it faded quickly, but he knew better than that. Planes that disappeared didn't just come back with one hundred and twenty missing people after five years. Honestly, he didn't really know what to think. But he knew that was hard for people to swallow. He saw the fear and skepticism in people's eyes already. Except in Margaret's. His wife honestly didn't care how or why they were suddenly back. She had them back and she was taking it as a second chance. They still had a lot to talk about, but that would come. Love was the easy part for them, so everything else would come and they would face it together.
The house looked mostly the same, with a few minor differences, but it didn't seem like his wife had changed much at all. They had so much to figure out now. He obviously had no job anymore and would have to now find one. He had a feeling that the Universities out there might be reluctant to hire a dead man.
But firstly, tomorrow they would need to return to the hospital and unfortunately have Henry evaluated. The cancer was still very real and he had no idea how they were going to deal with it now, especially his wife. Why did she get to have him back if only to soon lose him again? No one should be expected to lose a child once, let alone twice and he ached for her in that respect. He honestly didn't know how they were going to survive it, even together.
After they got the kids to bed, mainly their son, they retired to their bedroom and he admired the family photos that lined the hallway on the way there. She had never taken them down and there was no trace of anyone else. He was both relieved and curious about that.
"You have questions," she surmised.
"Reading my mind as always?" he teased and she smiled back.
"We always seem to be able to do that with each other and if I have to guess...you're wondering why I haven't moved on or if there was ever anyone else," she said. He looked down.
"I wouldn't blame you. If I really was gone...I'd want you to be happy again," he told her.
"I know...but I already got my one happy ending with you," she said, as she closed the distance between them.
"Not many girls get to say they got the fairy tale...but I did and nothing could ever top it," she replied.
"I did try dating after a couple years, mostly so people would just stop pushing me. But none of them were you and it was so awkward and weird," she explained.
"It was never like that with us…" she said, as she caressed his face.
"If you're worried that I've somehow forgotten what it was to be us...or that my love for you is somehow out of practice...you can stop worrying," she whispered and he let out a breath of relief he hadn't known he was holding.
"Because I never moved on and I never will. I know they're are things going on that we don't understand and this isn't going away. But I don't care about any of it. I just care that I got you back and I'm not going to waste any time with this second chance," she said, as he crushed his lips against hers. They pulled back from the kiss and she lifted his arms, so he could pull her blouse over her head. Their lips met again and she undid the buttons on his shirt, quickly divesting him of the offending garment. Her heart skipped a beat, as he swept her into his arms, something he had always done and something she thought was forever lost to her, and carried her the short distance to the bed. Their marriage bed. The bed that had been cold and lonely for five and a half long years. But that long, agonizing time was at an end and he had defied time, space, the laws of physics and even death to find her again. Everyone else in the world was fixated on the how and why, but she could care less. Her wish had become reality and even if it meant that their lives would never be normal again, she didn't care as long as she could spend the rest of her life in his arms. Whatever awaited them out in the world could wait, for they would deal with it and face it together. But tonight, the world would be shut out and only their reignited love and passion mattered at that moment.