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: Yep, I love that Gold is helping too, but he probably has his own motives for sure. Glad you're enjoying it!
Jennifer Baratta: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
210: So glad you like the story! Thank you!
Number Ten: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Grace5231973: I hope they find them soon too! Yep, I'm glad they got a date night in too.
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, ice cream is the official Charming family dessert. Another two part one and we have a passenger that thinks he is causing people to die. And the Rabbit Hole makes an appearance. David is very Charming and it's helping him get what they need here. Sneaky David is very sexy, I agree! Yep, Will Scarlet has popped up here too! Yeah, Felix was pretty paranoid. Don't worry, Margaret for sure will be okay and I won't kill Killian either. Yep, his boss is an idiot and obsessed with the plane. Yep, Olive tattled on her mother's behalf, lol. Yep, Vance needs to listen to Gold more. Date night for David and Margaret! Meanwhile, Dr. Jenkins is Jekyll in this. Still evil, but won't be around long, thankfully. Yep, a more intimate date night. Unfortunately, it got interrupted. Yes, David will do anything to protect his family. Yeah, she doesn't care what they do on date night as long as they're together. Glad you enjoyed it!
AnonSnowing: I feel bad for Felix too. He killed himself thinking he had gotten others killed. Yeah, the Rabbit Hole sounds a bit familiar. I think David could be a spy too. Snow too...they'd be a great team, as they always are. Yep, Doc is easier to play than a fiddle for sure. Yep, Will Scarlet pops up here. Yep, as always Jenkins(Jekyll) is terrible. Fortunately, he likely will not be around much longer. Yeah, it's probably not a coicidence. Yeah, Gold has an inkling to what's going on probably, but his true motives will become clear soon. Yeah, David is taking some risks, but he'll do anything to protect his family. Yep, David is the hero of this story. Yes Olive can read her mom easily and knew this was something she needed to help her tell David. David naturally wants to rip Sidney apart. But date night is a much better idea than that. Yep, Glinda planted the bug, but they know someone is looking through their raw data. Yeah, it was the perfect date night for them. And even better when it ends with ice cream with the kids. :)
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 26: Point of No Return, Pt 2
When they arrived home, they found their kids and Emma watching a movie together, though it seemed like Emma wasn't able to pay attention to it. So once they dished out the ice cream for the kids, they joined Emma in the kitchen for hers.
"What's going on?" Margaret asked.
"It's a lot…" Emma replied.
"Which is why we brought all the ice cream. Come on...let's have it," David said. She sighed.
"Killian and I got a call this morning. They specifically wanted me on the case, because a passenger was on the roof of a building, threatening to jump," she revealed. Margaret gasped.
"Oh Emma…" she said, as she reached out to squeeze the blonde's hand.
"His name was Felix," she said, as David pulled him up on his tablet.
"He kept saying that people around him were dying and that it was his fault," she explained.
"You think he was having Callings?" David asked. She nodded.
"But he wasn't dealing with it well...and so when we talked to the bartender at the bar he frequented, we found out that a couple people that also frequented the bar recently died," she replied.
"That seems like more than a coincidence," Margaret mentioned.
"That's what I said. One was a heart attack and the other got hit with a stray, fallen power line. But it turns out that...Felix may have told both of these people about the Callings," she said, with trepidation.
"You're sure?" David asked. She nodded.
"Were you able to talk him down?" Margaret asked, but the raven haired beauty frowned when the blonde shook her head.
"No...he was convinced that he was the reason they were dead, so he ended it so no more people would die because of him," she said, as a fear tears fell from her eyes. They both got up and put their arms around her.
"I couldn't stop him…" she cried.
"Emma...that's not your fault," David stressed. She sniffed.
"I know...the bartender says that even before the plane, he wasn't a well adjusted person," she admitted.
"So getting Callings probably pushed him over the edge," David reasoned.
"That's not why I'm so upset…" she said.
"Then why are you?" Margaret asked, as her blue eyes met her green ones.
"Don't you see, MM? People around him that knew about the Callings died!" she exclaimed and then tried to lower her voice so as not to freak the kids out.
"You know about them...Killian knows and Olive knows!" she fretted and David got a very worried look on his face at that.
"That doesn't mean something bad is going to happen to us," Margaret reasoned, as she looked at her husband.
"David...that's not what this means," she insisted.
"And I want to believe that...but if you're in danger, because of the Callings…" he said, as he trailed off. The thought of that made him want to scream at the sky and plead to whatever force this was that it could not take her from him. It could not.
"David...you are not going to lose me," she insisted.
"But you lost me…" he said. A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I know...and it was the worst five years of mine and Ollie's lives. But now I know that we had to endure that...we had to in order to save our son from cancer," she replied.
"What if we're wrong? What if these Callings aren't doing the good we think they are?" he asked.
"But they are...we can't deny the good things that have come from them. We have to take the bad with the good," she insisted.
"I don't know, MM. There will be no good if we lose someone we love," Emma said.
"I know...but I also know that I'm supposed to know about the Callings. I can feel it," Margaret said. David sighed.
"She's right...and I would have never been able to keep secrets from her. It's just not how we're wired," David assured his sister.
"Maybe for you guys...but Killian and I are not together. If he's not supposed to know...and he dies, because of me, I can't live with that!" Emma said in exasperation.
"Lily died because of me...and now Killian might as well!" she exclaimed.
"Lily's death was an accident and you know that if you had let her drive that night that you would both probably be dead," David reasoned.
"He's right...and cutting Killian out now could be more dangerous. If you tell him that you suspect he might be in danger, at least he'll be aware and then he can make his own decisions," Margaret insisted.
"I don't know…" Emma fretted.
"Honey…" Margaret soothed.
"I know that you still love him...and I can't imagine what it's like to not be able to be with him," she said. Emma looked at her and hugged her gently.
"I love you, but you're right...you don't know what it's like. I'm glad you don't though," Emma said, as she went down to her room. Margaret put a hand to her heart, as she watched her go. It wasn't often that she wasn't able to comfort her best friend and she felt terrible about it.
"I wish we could help her with this," Margaret murmured, as she felt her husband put his arms around her from behind and kiss her hair.
"I know...but I don't think we can. Killian is married and you and I don't really have advice for this kind of situation," he said.
"God...if you were married to someone else, I think I'd lose my mind," Margaret lamented.
"I don't even want to think about being married to anyone else. That sounds like a nightmare…" he said, as she turned her head and he kissed her tenderly. She turned in his arms and slipped hers around his neck, as he kissed her deeply and passionately.
"Kids...it's time for bed. You have school in the morning," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. They joined hands and tucked their children in, with goodnight kisses. Then with purposeful strides, Margaret led him to their bedroom and their lips crashed together again once the door closed. They gasped for air, as their lips parted and they purposefully started undressing each other.
"What you went through...I'm still in awe that you did it. I'd never be strong enough," he rasped, before their lips met again.
"You are...you're my hero. You were still in my heart...I could still feel you, even though my brain told me it wasn't possible. But it was…" she said, as their lips met again.
"It was...and I'm in awe of you. But then I always have been," he confessed. She sniffed.
"And you've always been my Prince Charming...my hero," she gushed, as he swept her into his arms and deposited her on their bed. She pulled him down onto her and their insatiable, endless passion consumed them.
Emma found herself unable to sleep that night, so when she got the call from Killian, she was almost relieved. Until she arrived at the Rabbit Hole, only to find the bartender on duty that night...dead. It wasn't Will Scarlett that they had talked to earlier, but the night shift bartender.
"How did it happen?" she asked, as she arrived at the bar and observed the sheet that had been placed over the body, inside the storage room.
"Bartender came back to do inventory and the shelves collapsed. A large crate full of heavy glass bottles fell on him," Killian replied.
"Any chance he'd been talking to Felix before he died?" Emma asked.
"Uh...yeah, apparently they were friends," Killian replied and Emma sighed.
"That's it...I can't let you in on this stuff with the Callings anymore," she said.
"Emma...I already know, so cutting me out doesn't make sense," Killian reasoned.
"It does...because if you don't know anymore, maybe whatever this is won't see you as a threat," she said, as she walked away to start working on the report. He sighed and waited for the Coroner to arrive. He knew that he shouldn't care about being close to Emma. He was a married man, after all. But ever since Emma had been back, he found that his feelings for her had never truly gone away and he wasn't sure what he was going to do about it.
The next morning
"Did you have enough to eat, sweetie?" Margaret asked, as she was extra fussy over their son that morning.
"Yeah Mom...I'm stuffed, really," Henry replied, as he went to get his shoes on.
"Okay...if you're sure. Oh, I packed your lunches," she said, as she retrieved them from the refrigerator. David and Olive shared a smile.
"Mom...he'll be fine. I'll make sure he gets to his class okay and then we have the same lunch, so he can eat with me," Olive said. Margaret sighed.
"Thanks honey...I'm just so worried about him adjusting or people bugging him about being on the plane," she replied.
"I'll be fine, Mom. I know lots of kids are going to stare...but I really want to go back to school," Henry said bravely. Margaret hugged him again.
"Okay...and I guess Ollie will be near too so that makes me feel a bit better," she said. David smiled.
"Grab your stuff and I'll drop you both off," he said, as they got their lunches and headed out to the car, while he took her in his arms and they shared a passionate kiss.
"Have a good day," she said.
"You too...and if that reporter dares to show his face again…" he started to say and she kissed his cheek.
"You'll be my first call, my love and then Emma," she promised, as they shared another kiss and parted ways for the day.
David finished entering the newest stack for his boss and looked around, before accessing the UDS file again. He likely knew his time was now very limited. They would soon find out that the leak they had was coming from this accounting department, but he was determined to do whatever he had to in order to find the right building where he knew they were holding the missing passengers against their will. He noticed though that only five of the six possible locations they were looking at were in the system.
"That's it…" he realized, as he identified the one that had not been uploaded. Either they were slow in getting it into the system or this one was purposefully being kept off the books. He logged out and then stood up. He knew he likely had to get out now and even then, there was no guarantee they wouldn't come after him. But for now, he'd give them the slip.
"Hey…I finished those files for you, but I'm not feeling so well," David said, as he placed the folders on his boss' desk. Doc put his hand up.
"Say no more...whatever you have, no one wants it. Take a sick day," Doc said. David nodded and then slipped into the elevator, knowing he would likely never be back here.
"Vance...I think I know which building they're hiding the passengers in," he said into his phone, as he got into the car.
"I warned you not to go back in," Vance said in exasperation.
"I know...but I noticed that only five of the six newly purchased properties had been uploaded into the system. Either they're late or one of them is being purposefully delayed," David replied. There was silence on the other end, but he heard Gold in the background.
"That's good work...probably saves us days of searching," he mentioned.
"Stay out of this," Vance said.
"Send me the location," he said.
"I'll text it to you and I'll meet you there," David replied, as he hung up and smirked slightly, knowing that Vance was probably cussing him out right now.
Henry looked around nervously, as he held his lunch in one hand and milk in the other. So far, despite a few stares, his day had been good so far. His teacher was nice so far and hadn't made any fuss about the plane. Some of the other kids whispered and none seemed to want to talk to him yet, but he knew that would probably change. At least, he hoped it would. He saw Olive waving him over and he walked quickly to her table and sat down there. He recognized a few people, Nicholas included, that he and Olive had been friends with in Elementary school. They had grown though, while he was still ten. It was awkward at best.
"At least some things don't change. Still peanut butter and strawberry jelly," Nicholas mentioned fondly.
"And you're still eating bologna and cheese," Henry noticed.
"Uh bologna," Olive complained.
"She still hates bologna," Nicholas teased.
"PB and J will always be superior," Olive said.
"Agree to disagree, but you two always had the greatest snacks. I mean, my chips are good, but your Mom makes homemade stuff all the time," he said.
"And she knows you like brownies too, so she packed me an extra one," Henry replied, as he offered it to him. He smiled.
"Thanks…Olive never parts with any of her sweets," he said.
"Damn straight," she agreed, as she bit into her brownie and they laughed and continued to talk. Despite their friends all being older now, he found himself getting on well with them.
Margaret sat at her desk, grading papers during her free period and once she got through the stack, she checked her phone and smiled at the text from David. It was a quick one, telling her that he had found something and he was meeting Vance and that he would call her soon. As she was about to text back, she looked up and noticed Sidney Glass in her doorway.
"Oh my God...you don't know how to take a hint!" she hissed, as she pressed a button.
"Please Mrs. Nolan...I mean no harm and I truly believe you deserve to have your story heard," Sidney said.
"And I told you that my story is one of a love and intimacy with my husband that is unlike any other...but it's for us. We don't want or need the scrutiny of others. We had plenty of that growing up," Margaret replied.
"That is why this is such a unique story and one that should be told. Childhood sweethearts, real life true love that defied even death to reunite!" he said grandly.
"But true love doesn't sell newspapers. Scandal does and that's what you're truly interested in, so what is this really all about?" she asked, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Is it so hard to believe that I find your story fascinating?" he asked.
"I know our story is unique, but most people want to focus on how young David and I were and how irresponsible they think it was," she replied.
"True...but I find your family history fascinating too. I mean, you have to admit that it is very intriguing that your mother's once rival ended up marrying your father years after her death. And then add all your strife to be in a serious relationship so young, coupled with the plane and you have the stuff that daytime soaps only wish they had," Sidney pointed out. She looked at him with scrutiny.
"Wait...my mother and Cora weren't rivals. They knew each of each other, but not well. My mother never mentioned Cora and Cora said that they were aware of each other, but not much more than that," Margaret said. He raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Because that is not what my research has turned up," Sidney replied, as she cautiously came closer to him.
"What research?" she asked.
"I can't just show you my research," he replied.
"I have a detective cop sister-in-law on speed dial and a husband that would love to punch your lights out," she reminded him.
"A very good point…" he said, as he showed her an old article on his tablet. It was a picture of her parents with Cora and a man that she assumed was Regina's father.
"They ran in the same social circle...and your father chose to marry your mother over her," Sidney revealed, as she scanned the article.
"Can...can you send this to me?" Margaret asked.
"Certainly…I am sorry if this comes as a shock to you, but it seems that Cora was not fond of your mother and always felt slighted by her. Now, I hope you and your husband will reconsider an interview for my article," Sidney replied, as he sent it to her with the email provided and quietly left with a smirk on his face. He now knew that Margaret would likely lash out at her father and new step-mother again. Either way, he would definitely get a story on her and Cora would be very pleased.
David and Emma arrived on the scene and spotted an unmarked utility van in the vicinity. The side door opened and they slipped in.
"Is this the place?" Emma asked.
"We weren't sure, until Dr. Jenkin himself stepped out five minutes ago. I think it's safe to say that we have the right facility," Gold said.
"Then what are we waiting for?" David asked, as he was anxious to go in.
"Not yet...if we don't do this right, the whole thing could easily blow up in our faces," Vance replied. David wanted to protest, but knew he was right.
"Well, I can go back to the station and dig up dirt on this Jenkins guy, unless you've done that already?" Emma asked.
"We haven't," Vance replied, as he looked at Gold.
"Why not?" David asked.
"Because I don't trust the NSA or rather everyone in it. If a search on Dr. Jenkins is registered, someone may tip him off," Gold replied.
"You think you have a leak inside?" Emma asked.
"As much as I hate to think about it...yes. A search by the NYPD would most likely go unnoticed," Vance replied.
"I'll get on it," Emma confirmed.
"So what now?" David asked.
"We wait for the right moment. For now, you go home and be with your family," Vance replied. David nodded and didn't protest at that, as he followed Emma back to her car.
Dr. Jenkins pressed the end button on his smartphone and observed the newly set up operation from the floor above. He had just informed his contact that they were set up in their new facility and were almost ready to begin again. Marko winced in pain, as they began to get him ready for more experiments and across the city, inside a house, Henry Nolan winced in pain as well...