Sorry this is late. Family showed up at my house last night and all track of time was lost. :)
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 bi-weekly on Monday nights. It is much appreciated and here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: Yep, Regina is also having Callings. I love Snowing and Regina team-ups too. Glad you're enjoying. :)
Jennifer Baratta: Probably not, they're pretty despicable. Thanks, glad you are enjoying it! :)
Number Ten: I know, Cora and Leopold are the worst. Margaret is better off. Hopefully, we'll find out about the stone angel soon. Yep, Gold is crafty and patient, as always. Glad you're enjoying it. :)
Grace5231973: I know, Cora and Leopold are disgusting. The Nolans are better off without them and so is Regina. Glad you're enjoying. :)
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, they have an ulterior motive, of course. Money and a media spectacle of course. Yeah, he seems to have trouble with bow ties, no matter what story. Yep, David is once again stunned by Margaret's beauty. Ha, yep, Charm attack! I think we'd all love to see Margaret roast her creepy father. Henry has some great timing, lol. Yep, Gold is on this mission to find out what happened to his son. Yep, Cora knowing Eva is definitely a red flag. Yep, already Margaret is suspicious that she doesn't remember her mother mentioning Cora. Yep, another calling. And their agenda is revealed so they are done. Unfortunately, we probably have not seen the last of them. Glad you're enjoying the story. :)
AnonSnowing: Yep, a bit of synchronicity going on there with the bow ties. Yep, David is so handsome and as always, Margaret stuns him with her beauty. Ha, yep, everyone wants to see Margaret roast her creepy father. Yep, Henry has some great timing there. Yes, Gold is looking at a picture and hopefully soon we'll find out exactly what he's up to. Yep, he thinks the plane is somehow connected to his son's disappearance. Yeah, I don't think Leopold is sincere at all. Yeah, he's technically their grandfather, but not really. Not like Robert is. Ugh, Cora is fake and the worst. Very suspicious for sure. Yep, they just found out they are step-sisters. I know, lol...the things kids say. Henry has impeccable timing again. Yep, Margaret does not miss an opportunity to brag about her hubby. Yeah, I think Margaret is right to be suspicious of Cora. Yep, her big Charming and little Charming to the rescue. Yeah, Cora is pretty much a terrible person all the time. Yep, Regina got a Calling! We'll find out more about the stone angel soon hopefully. Yep, and there's Leopold's ulterior motive. I feel bad for Margaret too, because she wanted to be wrong about him. So they're done with him and I loved David telling Leopold off too. Nope, Leopold just wanted fame. They are the worst. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 15: Unclaimed Baggage, Pt 1
After picking up the ice cream on the way home, they arrived at the Nolan house and filed inside. After dishing it up and enjoying the treat, Regina took a file out of her bag and they settled in to listen to what she had to say.
"So you mentioned you had some findings?" Margaret asked curiously. Regina took a deep breath.
"Yes...the marker that the three of us have in our blood is a protein that relates to something called ischemic stroke," she explained.
"That doesn't sound good," Emma commented.
"It's something that happens when a person is brought very close to death and then brought back," she continued.
"Oh...well, that means that it might be because of the plane, right?" Margaret asked.
"Most likely and the turbulence we experienced was intense, but something tells me that more happened up there that we know about, obviously. I won't know anymore until I get the results of the MRI I did on myself in the morning," Regina replied.
"Is there anything we can do?" David asked. She shook her head.
"Not really...though I do want to run Henry's labs after his next treatment. There was one possibility and that was getting a look at Tisbe Taylor's body," she replied and they nodded.
"Do you think you can?" David asked. She shook her head.
"That's where it gets weird. I requested to participate in the autopsy, but I received a voicemail while we were at the dinner party and her body is gone," she said.
"Gone?" Margaret asked.
"The NSA took custody of the body," she said. David sighed.
"Of course they did," he said, knowing that was a dead end.
"Well...it's late and I have to be at the hospital early. But I'll see you all when Henry comes in for his treatment," she said. They nodded and saw her out.
"Well...it's bedtime, little man. Let's get you changed and tucked in," Margaret said, as David locked up and followed them upstairs. After they tucked Henry in and said goodnight to Olive, they retired to their bedroom. She sighed and looked at her phone, but instantly regretted it.
"Going tonight was a mistake...I should have known better," she lamented.
"Margaret…" he started to say.
"Oh wait...I did know better and I let myself hope anyway," she said, as she showed him her phone. There would certainly be a headline in the morning edition of the Times, but apparently, that wasn't enough for her father and new step-mother. They had gotten the attention of a reporter with one of the local news stations and had given an interview.
"Don't listen to that…" he warned.
"You're right...it will be all over the news in the morning too," she lamented.
"It's never wrong to hope. You didn't stop hoping that I'd come back to you," he reminded her.
"That's a little different. You're the love of my life. My father...will never change and I knew that. I knew that and I walked right into his trap again," she said, as he kissed her forehead.
"Even if we hadn't gone, he would have found a way to exploit this whole thing. There is no way he wasn't going to turn this into a way to somehow promote himself," he reasoned. She sighed.
"I know...and I'm sure he'll spin this to make me look like the crazy one. He always does," she fretted.
"If he takes it too far though...the NSA might not like it. For our sake, I hope he gets Vance up in his business," he said. She smiled.
"Now that I would enjoy," she agreed, as he kissed her tenderly.
"Come on...let's go to bed," he suggested.
"Mmm...suddenly, I'm not feeling so sleepy," she said slyly. He grinned.
"That's good...because I wasn't planning on letting you sleep, at least, not for a while yet," he replied, as he slowly unzipped her dress. He slipped it off and her body and she kissed him passionately, while unbuttoning his shirt. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, as he carried her to bed.
Regina, after barely sleeping a wink, arrived at the hospital the next morning.
"Dr. Mills?" the head of neurology called into her lab, just after she arrived.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Here are your test results that you asked for on your patient," he said.
"Thank you...can you interpret these results for me?" she asked.
"Yes, in fact, your patient's MRI is very similar to another patient that just came in," he replied, which peaked her interest.
"How so?" she asked.
"Well, this patient has been diagnosed with schizophrenia," he informed her, instantly making her anxious.
"Are...are you saying that my patient may also be schizophrenic?" she questioned.
"Without examining the patient myself, I cannot say definitively, but it is possible," he replied. She nodded and forced a smile.
"Thank you," she said, as he left. She was about to turn her attention back to the report when she saw some peculiar, wet footprints outside her lab. Curiously and with a bit of trepidation, she followed the wet footprints, as they led her down the corridor and around the corner. As she did, she ran into a young, confused man in a hospital gown. And the wet footprints stopped at him.
"Please...help me find her," he pleaded.
"Who?" Regina asked.
"Bethany…" he replied.
"I'm sorry...I don't know a Bethany," Regina said.
"She was the flight attendant...please help me find her," he pleaded, before two orderlies dragged him back to his room. Regina followed and looked at his medical chart. Her eyes widened, as she saw the results of his brain scan. He was the patient that the head of neurology had probably been referring to, for his results resembled her own.
"What does it mean?" she murmured to herself. Was it really schizophrenia? Or was this because they were passengers and this was all connected to the plane?
"Please...find Bethany," he pleaded. But she had no idea where to begin. However, she knew who would.
"Now remember, this is ATF's operation. NYPD is on standby to provide backup and support if needed," Graham instructed, as he spoke to all his detectives and officers in the squad room.
"Partner off and take your assigned positions," Graham said, as he looked at his clipboard.
"Nolan...you're with Rogers," he announced.
"Um...where's Detective Marsh?" she asked, referring to her new partner.
"Oh, he had an issue at home. Busted water pipes. You're with Rogers today," Graham said. Emma rolled her eyes and followed Killian out to the car. There was silence, as he drove them to the stakeout spot and parked.
"So...how are things at home?" he asked curiously.
"Great actually. I probably need to get my own place soon, but it's nice being back home, even when MM is mothering me," she replied.
"You love it," he said. She smiled.
"I do," she agreed.
"So…I read an article in the Times this morning about your family. How did that happen?" he asked. She snorted.
"David and MM wanted to go to the dinner to see what he was up to...and we did. Everything kind of exploded at the end, but she's done for good with him. I mean, she mostly was before, but I think she always had hope that her father might become something resembling a halfway decent human being," she explained.
"I'm sorry for her then, because I don't think that's going to happen, judging by the skew on that article," he said.
"Yeah, was it the part where he basically called his own daughter a tramp for sleeping with my brother as a teenager? Or the part where he suggested that my brother was different and he was fearful of him?" she joked. He snorted.
"All of the above. You seriously need to tell them to be careful out there. You too. There's a lot of attention on all of you," he warned. She nodded.
"I know...I was hoping it would die down soon, but I don't see that happening. Dead people from a plane that disappeared five years ago don't just come back everyday," she mentioned.
"Well, obviously you didn't die up there, but something happened. I guess we may never know, right?" he prodded. She remembered Regina's findings and the ischemic stroke. They hadn't died, but they had come close if that was anything to go by. And then there were the Callings. They kept trying to tell them something, but the answers were never clear.
"Probably not," she said, as she looked at him.
"Do you think you could get us some coffee?" she asked. He smirked and nodded.
"Be right back," he replied, as he got out and she managed to see his phone. It was a text from Detective Marsh, thanking him for the football tickets in exchange for letting Rogers take his shift. Her heart dropped and she realized what had happened. He had purposely arranged it so they would be teamed up and felt a flare of anger as he returned.
"What the hell is this?" she asked him, pointing to the text.
"Emma…" he started to say.
"You are married!" she snapped.
"I know! But I'm worried about you!" he replied.
"Well, don't be! I'm not your problem anymore!" she argued.
"Well, maybe I want you to be!" he admitted and then took a sobering breath. Just as she was about to tear into him again, an image flashed before her and a stone angel appeared before her.
"Save him!" it cried and the look on her face must have been startling, because he was soon shaking her arm.
"SAVE HIM!" the angel cried.
"Emma? Emma!" he said, snapping her out of the trance and she looked at him, eyes alight with confusion and fear, just as they heard the ATF agent on the radio and it sounded like the conversation was getting a bit heated.
"We have to save him!" she cried.
"Emma...we can't move in unless instructed by ATF," he reminded.
"He's in danger!" she cried and based on his blind faith in her, he listened. Picking up the radio.
"This is Detective Rogers...move in now," he called, as they got out of the car and busted into the warehouse.
"NYPD!" he called, as the dealers brandished their guns too. The AFT undercover officer had no choice but to blow his cover to keep this from becoming a shootout and pulled his weapon as well. Arrests were made, but the look on the AFT officer's face was clear. They had blown the entire operation. Emma realized that the calling was wrong or at least not about this person and the consequences would be devastating.
"Care to tell me why you just blew almost a year of undercover work!? Who made that call!?" the ATF officer hissed. Emma opened her mouth to take the blame, but Killian beat her to it.
"It was me," he confessed and she was stunned that he was taking the fall for her.
"Hey...I was surprised to get your call, but I came as soon as I could," David said, as he met Regina in the hospital, on the outside balcony near her lab.
"Thanks for coming. I hope I'm not taking you away from anything," she said.
"Oh you are, you know. I mean, I'm expecting a dozen emails from different Universities just clamoring to hire a man that has returned from the dead on a mysterious ghost plane to shape the young minds of their students," he said sarcastically. She winced.
"No luck on the job front yet, I take it?" she asked.
"No…MM says they're all stupid not to hire me, but I knew this was going to be an uphill battle," he replied.
"Well, she's right and I'm just glad you both are still willing to talk to me after last night," she mentioned.
"None of that was your fault. You were a victim in this like all of us," he reminded her.
"Besides, as much as my wife loathes her father, she's excited to have a step-sister and believe me, when MM decides that someone is family, that's it. There's no getting rid of us now," he teased. She smiled.
"I don't think I'm going to hate that either," she said.
"So what's up?" he asked.
"I had another calling...sort of and I think I know who it wants me to help," she replied, as she showed him the file of the young man she had run into.
"Well...he's not a passenger," he said.
"You have all the passengers memorized?" she asked.
"Mostly, plus, I built this," he said, as he showed her the database he had created on his phone.
"Wow...that's impressive," she complimented.
"You can say it's also crazy obsessive...I've heard it before. But it's kind of what I do when I need to make sense of things. MM thinks it's cute," he said. She chuckled.
"You are so lucky to have her," she teased. He grinned.
"Believe me, I know," he agreed.
"Anyway, even if he's not a passenger, I think he knows one," she said.
"What makes you say that?" he asked.
"He asked me to find the flight attendant, Bethany," she replied. He pulled up the photo of the flight attendant, showing an African American woman.
"Bethany...she lives in New York. We could go see what she knows, but are you sure this isn't just...Thomas' schizophrenia?" he asked, looking at the patient's name.
"That's the other thing...I don't think he is," she replied, as she showed him the brain scan.
"This is his...and this is the results of my MRI," she explained.
"They're almost the same...are you saying you think the Callings are mimicking schizophrenia?" he asked.
"I'm not sure...but anything is possible at this point," she replied.
"But how is that? He wasn't on the plane? Why is he getting Callings?" he asked.
"I don't know, but I think we need to talk to Bethany. Maybe she can tell us more," Regina suggested. He nodded.
"Let's go," he agreed.
Emma winced, as Graham finished yelling. Killian had fallen on the sword for this one, refusing to let her take the fall. It would have been even more devastating for her, given her status as a returned passenger. People were already leery and suspicious of her. It would have certainly meant her badge, but he had a better chance of coming out of this.
"You leave me no choice...ATF is seething," he complained. Emma opened her mouth, but Killian gave her a stern look to keep it shut.
"You're suspended without pay until further notice," Graham decided.
"Captain...you can't do this," Emma protested.
"I have no choice, Emma!" he snapped.
"ATF wants someone to pay for this. They want his badge for this, but thankfully Killian's spotless record will come into play here and I can hopefully appease them with a suspension," he said. Killian nodded, as they exited his office.
"Why they hell are you doing this?" she demanded to know.
"You know why and if I don't...then I can't help you," he responded simply, as he went home, leaving her with her guilt.
Margaret got home that afternoon with the kids. Henry had his treatment and David had texted her about another passenger that needed help, potentially the one that was in Regina's calling and she was eager for him to help her, with the promise that he would convince her to come home for dinner. Despite the fall out with her father, she was ecstatic to find out she had a new sister.
Henry was upstairs playing with his toys and Olive had gone out with a friend, so she decided to get caught up and read the mail. Unexpectedly though, the door swung open and Olive stormed in.
"Honey?" she questioned, as she saw Lance in the doorway.
"Lance? What's going on?" she asked.
"Just tell her...you won't listen to me. It's not a big deal!" Olive cried.
"It is kind of a big deal," he insisted.
"Okay...someone better tell me what's going on," she demanded.
"Olive was caught shoplifting," he announced.
"What?" Margaret asked in disbelief and her teenage daughter rolled her eyes.
"Okay...but that doesn't explain why you're bringing her home? Why didn't the store call me or David?" she asked. Lance looked uncomfortable at that question.
"She asked the store to call me. It would seem she lied and told them I was her step-father," he explained. Margaret looked at her daughter in disbelief and expected yelling. But it didn't come.
"Honey…" she said, as she put her hands on her daughter's shoulders.
"I panicked...and I didn't want daddy to see me like this," she confessed.
"See you like what honey?" she asked in confusion.
"Like the screw up I am!" she cried.
"You are not a screw up Olive Ruth…" she chided.
"I am! Dad still sees me as this perfect little girl, but I'm not!" she cried.
"You and I both know how much trouble I've been in and so does Lance. I love dad, but he hasn't had to deal with my problems the way Lance has," she argued.
"I know that...but your father loves you, no matter what and I assure that he is more than ready and willing to deal with any problems concerning you. Even ones you create for yourself," Margaret explained, as she hugged her crying daughter.
"Are you going to tell Dad?" she asked.
"You know the answer to that and then the three of us are going to sit down and talk. And I mean really talk," she replied. Olive nodded, as her mother kissed her forehead.
"Now go up and make sure your brother isn't making a huge mess. He was on some kind of mission the last I looked in," she said, as she prodded her upstairs.
"This has to be so hard and confusing for her," Lance offered.
"It is...that's why I don't blame her," she replied, as she turned to him.
"But I do blame you," she said, as he frowned.
"She'd be down at the station right now if I hadn't smoothed things over," he insisted.
"When they called you, why didn't you correct them? Why didn't you redirect them to me?" she asked.
"I was just trying to help. She called me," he reminded her.
"Which you just love obviously," she replied.
"Okay...yeah, I think of her like a daughter, okay? Despite that things never went anywhere with us," he admitted.
"And they never will, even if David was still gone. But he's not and he is her father," she said.
"And I respect that, but he doesn't know her anymore. Not like I do," he reminded her.
"He's been back a few days! He hasn't had a chance to know her again! And I won't have you interfering with that!" she snapped.
"So...you don't want me seeing her anymore," he said.
"I won't do that to my daughter, but you are a friend. You overstepped here and you can't do that again. You can be her friend...a mentor even. But you cannot step in for David anymore," she replied sternly. He nodded.
"I understand...and I'm sorry," he apologized, as he left without another word. She sighed and collapsed on the couch, before starting to open the mail, starting with one from the life insurance company...