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:

Ghostwriter: Yep, something took care of Griffin, but there's a twist. Glad you're enjoying it!

Jennifer Baratta: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it!

Willow's Poppies: Thanks and you're welcome! :)

Jharker31: Glad you liked it!

Number Ten: Yep, it's a scary and probably not an alternative universe, but I won't say more. Yep, Neal was ready to make that sacrifice. It would seem that the Callings stepped in...or it might be something else entirely. The cult becomes more of a focus in season 2, which this chapter serves as the end of season 1. Glad you're enjoying it! :)

Grace5231973: Yep, Killian is digging his own grave with Emma, so to speak. Yep, we're heading into Swanfire territory soon. Yep, he was abusing the Callings...but it could have been something else too. Glad you're enjoying! :)

Sexystarwarslover: Yep, Griffin is no longer a problem, thankfully. Yeah, anytime Cora pops up, it's never a good sign. And now she knows about Neal. Yeah, Regina is having PTSD and needs some counseling. Unfortunately, we know that probably won't be ideal either. Yep, Griffin is out for himself and doesn't care who he hurts. And Henry is very upset about his Calling for good reason. Yep, Neal teasing her about her eating habits, just like MM. Yep, Griffin has been stopped, but we still have Henry's calling with the headstones. Not good. Glad you're enjoying!

AnonSnowing: Yep, no empathy from Cora. Not surprising. Yeah, they will soon find out about Neal. Yeah, Regina needs help, but unfortunately, Fiona is not a real therapist and will make things worse. Yep, Griffin was taken care of without Neal sacrificing himself. Yep, the death date. We're at the finale of season 1. Glad you're enjoying! :)

Lightning in a Bottle

Chapter 48: Estimated Time of Departure, Pt 2

Regina sighed, as she looked over the autopsy report that had just come in. She needed to go and talk to her family, for it turned out that she was right. Griffin had drowned, on dry land, no less. It was bizarre, but then him coming back was as well.

"Excuse me…Dr. Mills?" a voice asked, as another doctor peered in.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I'm Dr. Whale…and I've been looking over some of these lab reports. The hospital is having me review all the labs for the patients in your study," he replied.

"Why?" she asked sharply. He put his hands up.

"It's nothing that you've done wrong…they're just hoping to track results and eventually apply it to a larger age group," he replied.

"Oh…okay, is there something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm not sure…I just noticed an anomaly in one of your patients. Henry Nolan," he replied. A slither of dread slid down Regina's spine, as he opened the file.

"There is this odd blood marker that I can't seem to make any sense of. Have you noticed it?" he asked. She forced a polite smile.

"Yes…and I'm still looking into it. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about though. Henry is in remission and a remarkable case," she said, as she stood up.

"If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep," she said, as she snatched the file and grabbed her bag, before quickly hurrying out, leaving Whale bewildered by her behavior.

Neal hurried away with the gun concealed in his pocket and rounded the corner, only to see his father there.

"Oh…hey Dad," he said, as nonchalantly as possible.

"What do you think you were going to do?" Gold questioned. He shrugged.

"Doesn't matter now…looks like the Callings took care of Griffin for us," he said.

"And if they didn't…you were going to do it yourself?" Gold questioned.

"He was going to ruin Emma's life and her family!" he exclaimed.

"So you were going to sacrifice yourself," Gold responded. Neal sighed.

"Yeah…I was. I care about them and I've screwed up my life, a lot of it being my own fault. I couldn't let their lives be destroyed too," he replied.

"It's very noble…I'm not sure I could have the courage to do the same," Gold mentioned, as he walked with him. Neal side eyed him and shrugged again.

"Have you ever been in love?" Neal asked his father curiously.

"Yes…I was in love with Cora, very much so. Sadly, it wasn't reciprocated or if it was…then our love wasn't enough for her," he replied.

"She sounds like a real piece of work," he mentioned.

"She wasn't always like that. She just grew up very poor…we both did. I suppose it left a mark on us both," he said.

"No offense Dad, but a lot of people grow up dirt poor. They don't do the things that she has done," Neal replied.

"And that I have done?" Gold asked. Neal sighed.

"Look…you know I've never agreed with all the deals and crap you've made or your methods of getting people to pay. But you seem to have helped Emma's family for years. I still don't know why…but it obviously comes from a good place, because if you were just using them, you would have gotten what you wanted from them by now," ne replied.

"After Cora left, I was very bitter. My love for you kept me from going completely insane, but I was determined to not be poor any longer. Cora was too apparently and her quest for power got her to the top of Wall Street. I never wanted any part of that, but I worked too much when you were growing up. I know that now," he said.

"As for the Nolans…there is something unique about them and always has been. I guess I saw an opportunity to do some good, hoping that it would show you that I have good in me," Gold replied.

"It did," Neal admitted, as they arrived at his shop and saw a young woman outside it. She was beautiful and her hair fell around her in long brown waves.

"Can I help you?" Gold asked.

"Oh…I was hoping to apply for the job you have posted," she said in a beautiful accent, as she handed him a resume.

"Clerical experience and bookkeeping," Gold observed.

"But it seems you haven't worked in almost six years," he added.

"Uh yeah…I was on that plane that disappeared and came back," she said. Neal's eyes widened.

"You were on flight 828?" he asked. She nodded.

"And as you can imagine, the job offers aren't really rolling in for many passengers," she added.

"Yeah I know…we have friends that were on the plane. They're great people, but my friend's brother can't get a call back from any schools. He's a professor…or was," Neal mentioned.

"You have friends that were on the plane?" she asked in surprise.

"We do and it seems you're qualified for the position," Gold replied. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"When can you start?" Gold asked. Her mouth opened in surprise.

"Uh…right away," she replied.

"Good…usually my record keeping is impeccable, but I've fallen a bit behind lately," he said, as he unlocked the shop.

"Dad has been helping our friends out a lot. Being a returning passenger is challenging," he said.

"You have no idea," she muttered.

"Yeah…the voices are a little creepy sometimes," he said. Her eyes widened and she looked at him.

"How did you know?" she asked, afraid that his father had heard.

"My friends get them too and they help other passengers understand them. And don't worry…Dad gets it too. We call them Callings," Neal replied. She smiled gently.

"I'm Belle French," she said.

"Neal Cassidy," he replied.

"And you?" she asked, as her eyes locked with the older man.

"Roman Gold," he answered, as there was a long pause between them.

"I'll let you two work…and I'm gonna go see how Emma is," Neal replied, as he left the shop.

There was a knock at their door and David answered it, letting Regina in.

"Hey…that was fast," he said, as she handed him a copy of the autopsy report.

"Yeah…with a death like his, they put a serious rush on it. But we were right…he died by drowning," Regina said, as Olive and Margaret came up to greet her with hugs, which she returned. David looked over the information and his analytical brain was starting to run the numbers. Margaret knew that look and knew her husband would be in the garage in front of his white boards that evening.

"I have to get back…but there's something else," she said.

"Something bad?" Margaret asked. She nodded.

"Another doctor ran across the blood marker in Henry and is asking about it. I tried to make out like it was nothing, but I'm not sure he's going to drop it," Regina replied.

"Do you think he'll think it has something to do with the plane?" David asked.

"I'm not sure, but the hospital put Whale in charge of tracking all the patients in my study, supposedly to eventually make it viable to larger age groups," Regina replied.

"Oh my God…it has to be Whale, doesn't it?" Margaret lamented.

"The doctor you went on that horrible date with and that drinks like a fish?" Olive asked. They all smiled at that.

"Yes, the one and the slimy," Margaret replied.

"Yeah…the hospital should have fired him long ago. He used to be a surgeon, but they took him off rotation because of the drinking. Supposedly, he's in a program, but the only thing I ever see him do is flirt with the nurses," Regina said.

"Oh yeah…sounds like this guy needs a punch in the face and to get fired," David replied.

"Worst case scenario, I'll threaten to report him if he doesn't back off. Catching him drinking or flirting won't be that hard. I'd rather not do that though, because he's the type to get even," Regina said.

"Don't put yourself in danger over that idiot. If he starts asking questions about our son, I'll be the one having a chat with him," David replied. Regina smirked.

"Oh, I hope I'm there to see that," she joked, as she grabbed her bag.

"I'd love to stay, but I need to get back," she said, as she hugged them again.

"Thanks for the report and be careful," Margaret said.

"Well, I'll order the pizza and then we can get back to research," Olive said, as she went to the kitchen. David smiled and kissed Margaret tenderly, as he glanced at the numbers again. He turned his head and saw something.

"Uh…" he started to say. She smiled.

"Go…go do math," she urged, as she sent him off to the garage.

Emma sighed, as she looked up from the report. Griffin had drowned, but nothing about it or the report made sense. By now, her brother assuredly had a copy and she hoped he could make more sense of it than her.

"Emma…we need to talk," Killian said, as he approached. She sighed.

"If it's about Neal…no we don't," she refuted.

"Emma…Officer Rivers saw him buying something in an alley. I'm telling you that he's using again," Killian replied.

"No…he's not and stop using department resources to follow him. He's not the bad guy in this," Emma said.

"Emma…you're not thinking clearly on this. You haven't been yourself since…" he said, but then stopped short, as she looked up at him with fire in her eyes.

"Since what? Since the plane came back?" she challenged him. He opened his mouth again, but then closed it, further infuriating her, and she stormed off.

"Emma…" he called.

"Just face it, Killian…you don't trust me or my judgment anymore or you wouldn't be freaking out about this guy and I'm sick of it," she said.

"I can't be partners with someone who doesn't trust me and acts like a jealous wreck every time I talk to another guy," she added, before storming off. But Killian just couldn't let it go. He knew something was off with Neal and so he set out to prove it.

Margaret ran the sink water, as she was unfortunately vomiting, hoping that neither her husband or daughter heard her. She flushed the toilet and splashed some water on her face, before brushing her teeth, while looking at her reflection. She was a bundle of nerves, as she knew what this was and she knew the timing could be better. David would be overjoyed, of course, and she was too. But they had a lot on their plates these days. She came out of the bathroom when she was done and smiled slightly at the sight of David and Olive going over the math on his board, as well as a drawing of a peacock.

"So you think there's a connection between these figures and the peacock from mythology?" he asked.

"It makes sense…I mean, we have six here, which is Juno. The peacock is a symbol of Juno, but I need to keep plugging these other numbers to figure out what it means," Olive said. David nodded and was about to continue when he looked up at her. He removed his glasses and went to her, sensing that she needed him at that moment.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"You are never interrupting…what's wrong?" she asked, as she pulled him into the kitchen and out of earshot.

"I have to tell you something…" she replied, as she looked up at him.

"Is everything okay? Is that reporter following you again?" he asked protectively and she smiled.

"No…it's not bad. It's really good…even if the timing might not be," she replied. He smiled.

"Well…don't keep me in suspense," he said.

"I'm pregnant…" she revealed and bit her bottom lip, as she watched the expressive emotions wash over his handsome features.

"Really?" he asked, with a whisper of hope in his voice. She nodded and he smiled brightly, as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Another baby…" he said, as happy tears filled both of their eyes.

"And there will never be bad timing for our baby," he added, as she kissed him passionately.

"Let's tell Ollie," he said, as he took her hand and led her into the kitchen. He saw what she had on the board and it looked like a date. That's when he saw it and a chill slid down his spine.

"David?" Margaret asked, as she watched the color drain from his face.

"Dad?" Olive asked, as he went to the board and began scribbling figures down furiously. When he was finished, he stood back and then turned to Margaret with tears in his eyes.

"Baby…you're scaring me," she said. He swallowed thickly.

"Griffin was in the water for a little more than three days," he said, as he showed them the numbers.

"Exactly eighty-two hours and eight minutes," he added.

"Yeah…828. We knew that already," Olive replied. But he shook his head.

"Griffin was alive again for exactly eighty-two hours and eight minutes before he…expired," he said, as he saw the number that Olive had come up with and he realized it was a date.

"We were gone five and half years and five and half years from the day we came back is…" he said.

"June 24, 2024," Olive finished.

"It's a death date…" he realized.

"No…no that can't be!" Margaret exclaimed, as he took her in his arms.

"That can't be true…I can't lose you again," she said, as she broke down sobbing in his arms. He cried with her, as he held her and then gently put his hand on her belly, which made her cry harder. Olive approached and he brought her into their hug.

"Don't tell Henry…" she cried, as she looked up at her father with tear-filled eyes.

"I already know," Henry said, as he came downstairs and ran to them.

"I…I just didn't know how to tell you," he cried, as they huddled together and cried as a family.

Flashback

Emma walked along the beach in Jamaica, looking at the ocean. It was their last day there and they had to head for the airport soon. She was sad, because that meant going back to reality and facing her life, both the mistakes she had made that led to Lily's death and giving Killian an answer about his proposal.

"Not anxious to go back?" Margaret asked. Emma smiled.

"Not even a little, you?" she asked.

"Me either…it's been nice to get away from the hospital, doctors, and cancer talk. Going back to reality means the cancer is back," she replied sadly. Emma put her arm around her sister-in-law's shoulder and leaned her head against hers.

"Say yes to his proposal, Em…" Margaret said.

"MM…" Emma started to protest.

"No…don't wait. Your brother and I never waited and true love has been worth all the risks. Even now…when we might lose our son," Margaret implored.

"Killian and I are not you and David," Emma protested.

"It doesn't matter…if you love him, then marry him. I know he loves you…nothing will ever be perfect," Margaret said, as she looked at her husband, who was helping their

twins build a sandcastle. He must have sensed her gaze, because he looked up and smiled at her. They just had that kind of connection and even in this time of despair, their love was solid and an ever bright beacon of hope. It was something Emma had always admired and envied. Could she have the same or something even close to that kind of happiness? She supposed she would find out when her plane landed in New York.

But things had obviously not gone the way any of them thought and impossible things had happened. She still loved Killian, but lately, he had been acting so jealous and no longer seemed to trust her. And she just couldn't be with someone that was second guessing her every move.

"Stop him!" she heard again. She was still hearing the same voice so it obviously wasn't Griffin. It kept getting more insistent and she was at her wits end. She sighed and made her way up to her apartment and upon hearing a ruckus inside, she pulled her gun.

"Stop him!"

David and Margaret held each other close, as they watched their kids cuddle together on the couch.

"This can't be…" Margaret sniffed. He gently cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

"I am not leaving you again…I am going to do everything I can to figure out the Callings and we're going to beat this," he said with determination.

"So you think we can change it?" Olive asked. He took a deep breath.

"I don't know…but we're certainly going to try and maybe following the Callings is key. Griffin was going to expose them…maybe that determined that he wasn't worthy of saving," David suggested. Margaret kissed him tenderly.

"Then I know you will certainly prove that you are worthy, my love," she said. He smiled gently and looked at her still flat stomach.

"I love you…I refuse to ever leave you again. We'll find a way…we always do," he said, as they hugged again and huddled with their kids, until his phone rang.

"Hello?" he questioned and his face went ashen.

"What?" he asked in alarm, before hanging up and feeling numb.

"David…what is it?" she asked.

"We…we need to go to the hospital…" he managed to say.

Killian pounded on Emma's apartment door and Neal finally answered, as he had fallen asleep for a bit.

"What the hell…Emma's not here," Neal said, as Killian barged into the apartment and started searching it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Neal asked.

"You're lying to Emma about being sober…and I'm going to prove it," he hissed.

"I'm not using," Neal refuted.

"Really? Then what did you buy in that alleyway?" he questioned. Neal shook his head.

"You were following me?" he questioned.

"Because I know you're up to something and I can't allow Emma to get hurt!" Killian growled.

"I'm not going to hurt Emma…you seem to be doing enough of that for both of us!" Neal hissed back, which earned him a shove from Killian, who proceeded to search the place. He then found an unopened bottle of vodka stuffed into the sofa cushions and pulled it out.

"I haven't drank a drop…I'll even do a blood test for you," Neal replied.

"Or maybe we can just take a trip down to the station," Killian said. Neal chuckled.

"Yeah…I'm not going anywhere with you. For all I know, I'll have an accident and find my way into the river," he said.

"I want you to get your stuff and get out of Emma's life," Killian said.

"I'll leave if Emma tells me to leave…but you don't run her life," Neal replied.

"Emma and I are meant to be," Killian insisted.

"Maybe you're not," Neal challenged, as this devolved into a fist fight. Killian, being the seasoned detective, quickly gained the upper hand and pummeled Neal. The latter scrambled away and pulled the gun on him.

"Stay back…" he warned, as his nose and mouth gushed blood.

"Put the gun down…you're under arrest," Killian said.

"You attacked me! You came into the place I'm staying and started searching without a warrant!" Neal replied.

"Or maybe you're an unstable addict that bought a gun illegally on the street…that was what was in the bag, wasn't it?" he questioned, but Neal didn't answer. Killian lunged for the weapon and they wrestled for control. Suddenly, the gun went off just as Emma barged into her apartment…