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 James Griffin is also a Manifest character.
This one will update bi-weekly on Monday nights. Please consider leaving a review, it is much appreciated. Here are individual responses to reviews:
Jennifer Baratta: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Ghostwriter: Yep, things are getting very intense. I know, Killian is not focusing on what he should be. Thanks, glad you're enjoying!
Grace5231973: Yeah, Neal knew he was fishing. I love how Margaret has so much faith in them too. Glad you're enjoying. :)
Number Ten: Yep, I hate people like that too. Yeah, she let her guard down and now she realizes it was a huge mistake. Glad you're enjoying!
chicanafalsa1: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I know, that whole arc with Griffin was very scary. Yeah, he gets a pretty disgusting end, but he pretty much deserved it. Glad you liked it!
sexystarwarslover: Yeah, they have to stop Griffin somehow. Yep, it's always been amazing for David and Margaret. Yeah, I'd be freaking out too if I were Emma. Yep, Cora gets around. Killian is wrong about Neal. He's not the threat. Yep, looks like Griffin found his get out of jail free card. I love how David cups Emma's head too. Yep, Margaret has so much faith in them and loves them all so much. Glad you're enjoying!
AnonSnowing: Yep, this guy sounds like the worst for sure. Yeah, Killian is being cold and rude, but we know why. Yeah, the 82 hours and 8 minutes thing is creepy. I hope Killian moves on too. Yep, Emma made a huge mistake. Yeah, there are similarities and Emma actually uses that in trying to convince Griffin in this chapter. But yeah, Griffin is definitely evil and Margaret may be right about there being a good side and a bad side. Glad you enjoyed it!
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 45: Hard Landing, Pt 2
Since there was little to nothing they could do, Emma implored her brother and sister-in-law to go home. Robert and Mr. Gold were there with the kids, but since the next step for Griffin was being transferred to the Police Station when he was deemed healthy enough, there was nothing for either of them to do.
Regina was busy working on the blood sample she had managed to swipe from the nurse's station and they wouldn't know anything on that front either for a few hours.
Emma sighed and sat down, trying to calm and center herself after her misstep with Griffin.
"Here…" Neal said, as he handed a cup of coffee and a pastry bag.
"What's this?" she asked.
"The stuff at the coffee station is sludge, so I went down the street to a real coffee house," he replied.
"Mmm…hot cocoa with cinnamon and…" she said, as she opened the bag.
"Two bear claws," she replied.
"Your favorites," he said.
"Now you know my favorites?" she asked. He smirked.
"I'm an observant person and you eat like a child, so it's not hard to know," he teased.
"You sound like MM and I do not eat like a child," she huffed.
"Your pantry full of blueberry pop-tarts, Lucky Charms, and Nutri-grain bars says otherwise," he teased.
"Not to mention your fridge full of pizza boxes and takeout containers. I'm surprised MM hasn't had a coronary over your eating habits," he added.
"Oh, no coronary, but plenty of fussing. She tries to make me eat salad all the time, but the only lettuce I want better be on a burger," she joked. He shook his head.
"Can you even boil water?" he asked.
"Of course…I make mac and cheese all the time," she replied and he chuckled.
"Fair enough…" he said, as he looked toward the emergency ward.
"So…you think they'll take him in soon?" he asked.
"Probably by morning. There's not much wrong with him…which is stupid considering he was underwater for three days," she replied.
"It is a bit different than us though, don't you think?" he asked.
"Not really," she replied.
"It is. You and an entire plane full of people disappeared. I got trapped in a cave and we know that, in both events, dark lightning was present and call me crazy, but I don't remember seeing any dark lightning with this guy," Neal said. She looked at him.
"That we know of," she said.
"Fair point, but we got a Calling about him, warning us. He's not the same, Emma. I've done things I'm not proud of, but I'm no killer and neither are you or your brother," he argued.
"I guess you have a point. You really think MM is right?" she asked.
"I do…before all this I didn't believe in that whole good versus evil thing. But I do now…it's hard not to believe that something bigger than us is going on," he replied. She nodded, as she saw Killian come out from Griffin's room and motion to her.
"I'll be right back," she said, as she went to get an update from him.
Margaret awoke in bed and found David's side empty. They got home around four in the morning and decided to get a few more hours of sleep. But as it happened sometimes, her husband obviously couldn't sleep and if she knew him the way she was sure she did, she knew exactly where to find him. She put on her robe and padded downstairs, through the kitchen, and out to their attached garage. Sure enough, he was in front of his work boards, in his sleeveless shirt and sleep pants, with his glasses on. She walked up to him and slipped her arms around his waist, as she rested her head against his chest. He sighed and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"I can't figure out where Griffin fits in this," he said.
"Maybe he doesn't…" she reasoned.
"I hope you're right about that," he said.
"He's not the same…Neal and Henry got a Calling about him, as a warning. I will not let him be compared to you," she replied, with vehemence.
"And I love you for that, but I'm afraid it's already started," he said, as he moved his finger over the mousepad on the desk and it came out of sleep mode, revealing Cody Webber's hate website.
"He's already on it…comparing the passengers to a murderer," he said. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves.
"Maybe Emma shouldn't be anywhere near this," she said.
"I agree…but you know, Em. If she thinks this guy is a danger to us, there will be no pulling her away. We'll just have to be there to watch her back," he replied. She nodded, as her phone rang.
"It's Regina," she said, as she answered.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hey…I have the results. Can I stop by?" she asked.
"Of course you can," Margaret replied.
"Thanks…I'll see you soon," she said, as Margaret hung up.
"Regina has the results of Griffin's blood test. She's on her way over," she said. He nodded.
"Margaret…if he has the marker…" he said, but she interrupted him.
"I don't care…" she said sternly.
"I don't care if he has the marker! He is nothing like you or Emma or anyone else we know that was on the plane," she added. He pulled her into his arms and held her in a tight hug, as they spent a few quiet moments together while waiting for Regina.
Emma arrived at the station with Killian, as they transferred Griffin, who was well enough to leave the hospital, to the Police Station. As Graham came out of the interrogation room, the grim look on his face told the story.
"He says there is a bomb that's set to go off and he knows where," Graham said.
"And you believe him?" Killian asked.
"The FBI seemed to. He called his lawyer this morning while in the hospital. They're already here," Graham replied.
"Graham…we can't let him walk," Emma said.
"I don't think we have much choice, Detective. There has been chatter of a terrorist attack on the FBI radar, before Griffin came out of the water. They're afraid he might be right. They're negotiating a deal with him right now," Graham explained.
"I need to take one more shot at him. Can I get in and talk to him alone?" Emma asked. Graham sighed.
"Emma…" he started to protest.
"Captain…please, I need to try and get through to him," she replied.
"I think we need to trust Emma on this, Captain," Killian added, as the agents stepped out of the room.
"We're contacting our headquarters to negotiate a deal for Mr. Griffin," one agent said, as they went into another room.
"You have five minutes, Emma," he said, as she went into the room. Griffin smirked.
"Detective Nolan…" he drawled.
"Don't do this," she pleaded.
"Do what?" he asked coyly.
"I have to thank you…I thought I was going crazy, until you explained it and I realized that I had my get out of jail free card," he added.
"Griffin…you don't understand how the Callings work. If you manipulate them or use them for your own gain, bad things can happen," she warned. He smirked.
"Oh, I think bad things are going to happen if I don't reveal the location of that bomb," he said.
"Then reveal it…but don't use it for your own gain," Emma replied.
"That's not how this works, Detective. What I know…is good enough for immunity," he replied, as the agents returned.
"Emma…" Graham said.
"Just a few more minutes," she hissed, but she was ordered out.
"Goodbye Detective Nolan…" Griffin taunted, as she ran her hands through her hair in frustration.
"Emma…" Killian started to say, but she walked away.
"I need to call David," she said, as she took out her phone.
Margaret opened the door and Regina smiled, as they hugged briefly.
"Thanks for coming," she said.
"Of course…" she said, as she took her coat off.
"He has it, doesn't he?" David asked. She looked at them both and her head dipped for a moment.
"I suppose beating around the bush is useless," she agreed.
"Yes…he has the marker," she revealed. David sighed and ran a hand over his eyes in frustration.
"Why him? Why would…whatever this is bring someone like him back?" he asked.
"I don't know, but if it was for a chance to do the right thing, I don't see that happening," Regina replied.
"Or maybe there is a good side and bad side to this. Maybe the bad side brought him back," Margaret reasoned.
"For what purpose?" Regina asked. She shrugged.
"I don't know…but he is not like you or David. He's a monster," Margaret replied.
"He is…he won't give up what he knows unless he gets something out of it and if people die as a result, he doesn't seem to care," David said, as his phone rang.
"It's Emma," he said, as he answered it.
"Hey Em…" he answered.
"He's not budging. The FBI is going to make a deal with him and he's going for immunity. He's going to walk," she said.
"Why would they do that? Why are they so certain that he's telling the truth?" David asked.
"Because apparently there has been chatter of a coming terrorist attack on their radar for a while now so they think Griffin is credible," Emma replied.
"Even if he is…we can't let a guy like that walk. He'll make a mockery of the Callings. He'll go public…we'll never have a moment of peace again," David said.
"I know…I need you and Margaret to do some research on him. See if there's anything we can use to implore him to reconsider," Emma replied.
"We'll see what we can find," he said, as he hung up.
Meanwhile, Margaret and Regina were talking, while he was on the phone.
"So…how are you?" she asked.
"What do you mean? I'm fine," Regina replied.
"Regina…you went through a traumatic experience with one of the believers. That has to be leaving a mark of some kind and I want you to take care of yourself," Margaret said. Regina smiled.
"And if I don't, you'll do it for me," she teased.
"Don't tempt me…I'll make you stay in the spare room and baby you if I have to," she warned. She smiled.
"That doesn't sound all that bad…and truthfully, I'm dealing, but I don't think I'm myself yet," Regina said.
"I know…that's why I mentioned it. But we're here…please don't shut us out," Margaret replied.
"I won't…I promise," she said, as he returned.
"Emma isn't getting anywhere with him and wants us to do some research on him," he said.
"Can I help?" Olive asked. David was reluctant to bring her into the middle of this, but Margaret beat him.
"Who better to help us navigate the Internet than a teenager?" she said to her husband. He sighed.
"Okay…his name is James Griffin and Emma needs anything we can use on him to get at him emotionally," he said.
"I better get back to the hospital," Regina said.
"Okay…thanks for coming by. We'll let you know if we find anything," Margaret replied.
"Please do," Regina said, as she left and David grabbed all three of their laptops. They set up at the table and began their search.
Emma watched Griffin through the glass with a glare, as he made a deal for immunity in exchange for information about where the bomb was.
"We can't let this happen…" Emma murmured.
"I'm not sure we have a choice," Killian replied.
"If he walks, the passengers will never have a moment of peace again," Emma said.
"I know…I happened to look at Cody Webber's site and he's all over this already," Killian replied, as he showed her his phone.
"He's a murderer…he came back from the dead. He's part of this…part of them and we must rise up against the passengers of Flight 828," Cody ranted in his video.
"Jesus…" Emma lamented, as Killian happened to see Neal loitering in the lobby.
"What's he doing here?" he asked.
"I asked him to come and stop…Neal isn't the enemy. It's this guy," she chided. But Killian was fixated on Neal and saw him toss a coffee cup in the trash. While Emma went to speak to him, he took a paper towel and lifted it from the trash, before putting it in an evidence bag.
"Simmons…" he said, as he passed the desk of another officer.
"Can you run this to the lab for me? I need it dusted for prints," he said.
"Sure thing, Detective," the young officer said.
"Any luck?" Neal asked.
"No…he's using this to get a ticket to freedom and that guy with the hate group is already whipping people into a frenzy over this," Emma replied.
"Damn…what can I do?" he asked. She bit her bottom lip.
"Can you go to my brother's house? Just in case? Cause if this guy walks, it's going to get nuts," she replied. He nodded.
"Of course," he said, as he headed out, unbeknownst to him, with an Officer tailing him at Killian's request.
"I need to make another run at Griffin," Emma said.
"They're never going to let you and he's already making a deal, Emma," Killian replied.
"David is trying to dig up information on him," she confessed, as her phone chimed.
"That's him," she said, as she read her texts.
"Anything yet?" David asked.
"The Internet is on fire with hate about this guy and the passengers already," Olive replied.
"These people are going to come after us if this guy walks," Margaret said.
"Then we have to stop them. Look at this," he said, calling them over.
"Looks like Griffin was a foster kid from age five," he said, as he skimmed through his record.
"Troubled all his childhood with a lengthy rap sheet," he added.
"And he's about to go free," Margaret feared, as he texted Emma about him being a foster kid.
"Dad…look at this," Olive said, as she found something in his file.
"He had a brother in the foster home. Devon Carrick. He died in 2004," Olive said.
"That's a start," David said, as he texted the information to Emma.
"I found the foster mother…" Margaret said, as she clicked on the name.
"Angela Graham…is she still in New York?" he asked, as his wife skimmed the page.
"Yes…she runs a Food Bank now in Queens. She was a foster mother to both Griffin and Devon," she said.
"I should go talk to her," he replied.
"No…I think I should go. I think she might be more comfortable talking to me, mother to mother," Margaret suggested. He realized she was right and nodded. She kissed him quickly, before getting her coat and heading out to the Food Bank.
Regina worked in her lab, analyzing all the data around Griffin's tests and suddenly heard a loud bang outside. She gripped the desk and had a flashback of her traumatic experience where she was assaulted by a distraught woman and a gun held on her. She managed to open her door and saw a nurse picking up a clipboard off the floor. She sighed in relief, realizing that the clatter was just a dropped clipboard.
"Dr. Mills?" Dr. Hopper asked, as he cautiously approached.
"Are you okay? You're white as a sheet," he mentioned.
"I'm fine," she assured him.
"Dr. Mills…it's quite normal for someone who has experienced what you just did to not be doing well at all," he said.
"I'm well aware of the symptoms of PTSD," she said. He nodded.
"If you'd like to talk to someone, this is a really good therapist," he said, as he handed her a card. She took it and put it in her pocket, before collecting herself and smiling.
"Thanks…I'm fine, but I'll keep that in mind," she replied, as she escaped back to her lab. She took a deep breath and went back to work.
As the FBI agents took another break to run everything by their superiors, Emma took one more shot at Griffin.
"Hello again, Detective Nolan," he said smugly.
"Look, I know you're going to do everything you can to keep out of prison, but withholding information that could save people just to get what you want is evil," she replied. His expression was unreadable at that point.
"I don't care what you or anyone else thinks of me," he said.
"Maybe not…but what about your family?" she asked and his eye twitched slightly. She smirked.
"That's right…you don't have family. You were in foster care since age five," she said. He smirked at that.
"So you read my file…and there are all different kinds of families, Detective and I guess I didn't have a strong one like you did," he said.
"But you had Devon," she countered. He frowned then and his eye twitched again.
"Where did you get that name?" he asked. She smirked.
"I have my ways. He was your foster brother…and he was killed while you two were robbing a convenience store," he replied.
"What's it to you?" he asked.
"I know what it's like to lose someone in that kind of way. We have that in common," she replied.
"Someone you loved was killed while robbing a convenience store?" he asked skeptically.
"No…just my mother while it was being robbed by scum. Scum like you and your brother," she said. He gripped the table.
"We didn't kill your mother, Detective," he said.
"I know…she died when I was just a little girl. Your foster brother died in 2004, but this is your second chance. I was lucky and my brother was able to raise me and keep me out of the foster system. You weren't so lucky, but you can honor your brother now. Don't make this deal," she pleaded. He looked her in the eyes and for a moment, she thought she had gotten through. But he smirked again.
"Sorry Detective…the Callings are my ticket to freedom and once I tell the world about what I can do…what we all can do, I'm going to be a very rich man," he said. Her heart sank and she realized there was no convincing him. She stormed out into the hallway and dialed her brother and he answered.
"It didn't work…he doesn't care. He's going to make the deal…he's going to walk," she said in an emotional tone.
"You tried Em…we knew this was a longshot. MM is taking one more shot. She's on her way to talk to his foster mother," David said. She blew out a breath.
"Okay…let me know what happens. I gotta go," she said, as she saw Griffin sign the papers. Time was up and he was about to walk free…