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: The character of TJ Morrison is a Manifest character. The characters of Nick and Greta Branson are based on Hansel(also known as Jack and Nick Branson) and Gretel from Once season 7.
This one will update bi-weekly on Sunday nights now. Please consider leaving a review, it is much appreciated. Here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: Yeah, it won't win Cora any favors, but that was never happening anyway. Things aren't looking good for Johanna. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Jennifer Baratta: Yeah...Cora is definitely up to something. Glad you're enjoying.
Grace5231973: I have the same bad feeling about Johanna too. Yes, she should have just kept quiet. Glad you're enjoying!
sexystarwarslover: Yep, the story about the baby will probably come soon. I love that they are getting a second chance to expand their family too. Yep, Regina and Vance are going to try and bring down Fiona. Yeah, Johanna is making a really bad decision here, one that may end up costing her life. Yep, Eva was murdered and you won't believe the twist coming in a couple chapters with that. Yep, Logan is having an intense Death Date Calling and dealing with it in the worst way. Yeah, Regina is going to the Nolan house for family dinner. Glad you're enjoying!
AnonSnowing: Yep, hopefully they can bring the Major down. Cora is a snake and Johanna is making a very bad decision here. Oh yes, Olive has her daddy wrapped around her pinky, but then so does Margaret. Yeah, Logan let this Calling drive him crazy. Yep, Cora is obsessed with revenge. Yep, the story about the baby will be out soon. Glad you're enjoying!
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 60: Black Box, Pt 3
The cops performed the carefully organized extraction of most of the hostages from the bank, after reluctantly taking Emma's lead on this one.
"Hands up. One at a time," the lead officer instructed, the hostages were led out of the bank, single file.
"Stay calm…" he added. Once all but Emma, Neal, and the bank manager were gone,
Logan pointed his gun at them. Emma put her hands up.
"Everyone's out except for the three of us," she said, as she looked at the officer.
"I have the situation under control," she told him, as the officer reluctantly left. Clearly, they weren't happy about how she was handling this situation and Logan had no idea that she had probably saved his life already.
"What's taking so long? You said they were gonna open this thing!" Logan yelled at the bank manager, who was working on a computer.
"Accessing the vault remotely takes time. There are many layers of…" the bank manager tried to explain, but Logan cut him off impatiently.
"Enough! Come on. Come on, come on. Come on" he shouted, as they waited at the vault door. Emma knew that she was likely on a short leash with the police outside and didn't know how much more of Logan's erratic behavior they would tolerate before making their move. A move that would probably end Logan's life and thus any information about the death date that he might have.
Outside the bank, Killian arrived in his squad car and got out, before making his way to the lead SWAT officer.
"Detective Killian Rogers, NYPD," he said, flashing his badge.
"What's the situation inside?" he asked.
"Got things under control here, Detective," the officer responded.
"Look, I heard over the scanner that one of our own is trapped inside?" he inquired.
"Emma Nolan," he answered. Killian's eyes widened and he almost choked.
"Your colleague seems to think she has it all figured out, because the gunman was on Flight 828 with her," the officer explained.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa…wait just a bloody minute! The gunman's a passenger?" Killian asked.
"Logan Strickland," he said, as he showed the detective the profile.
"And if Detective Nolan isn't careful, her comfort with him is gonna get her hurt," he added, as Killian looked toward the bank. What the hell was Emma thinking this time? He wasted no more time and took out his phone to call David.
David and TJ arrived at the club in question and went inside, finding the name of the club that Olive told them about on display
"Guess we're in the right place. Now we just need to figure out why we're here," TJ said, as he prepared to look around. But David was drawn to the crest on the wall.
"Hold up. This is how you saw it, right? The crest with the year right below?" he asked. TJ was stunned, as he saw that this was the exact image from his Calling, complete with the year.
"Does it feel this big every time you chase down a Calling?" TJ asked. David smiled.
"Every time," he answered.
"I'll go find the 2012 champions," TJ said, as David's phone rang and he answered it.
"Hey," David answered.
"What do you know about Logan Strickland?" Killian asked.
"Uh, not much. He was on Flight 828, but I haven't been able to track him down. Why?" David asked.
"He's holding up a bank right now, but Emma's inside," Killian replied.
"Wait…what?!" he exclaimed.
"I- Is she o-okay? Has anyone talked to her?" he asked, clamoring for information, as he walked through the club to find TJ. This Calling might have to wait.
"She's holding her own. She keeps talking the SWAT unit down. I'm worried she's in over her head in there," Killian said.
"All right, I'm on my way. Text me the address," he said, as he hung up.
"TJ, I need to go…there's an emergency," David said.
"What should I do?" TJ asked.
"Find the 2012 champions, track them down, and I'll call you later," David instructed.
Well, I found them. The winners were Frank and Logan Strickland," TJ said, as gestured toward the placard. David frozen in his tracks and turned back.
"Oh my God…Logan Strickland," he uttered.
"You know him?" TJ asked.
"No…but he's holding up a bank right now with Emma inside," David replied, causing the younger man's eyes to widen in surprise.
"That's why we're here," he realized.
"But the Calling wouldn't bring us all this way just to look at a photo," TJ said.
"Maybe the brother is here…maybe he knows something," he suggested. David nodded and they went to the desk to see if they could locate Frank.
They were finally in the vault and the wall was lined with boxes.
"Frank Strickland?" the manager asked in response.
"Yes, all the way back. In the corner," he said, as no one moved.
"The corner. Open Frank Strickland's safety deposit box," he ordered.
"Who's Frank Strickland?" Emma asked, but he was silent.
"After everything she's done for you, don't you think you owe her an answer?" Neal said.
"He's my brother," Logan answered.
"If he's your brother, then why did you just hold up a bank? Why didn't you just talk to him?" Emma questioned.
"You don't think that I tried? He wouldn't listen. He thinks that everyone who returned on 828 is not really them," he tried to explain.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked.
"He doesn't believe I'm me. I don't exist. And everything that belonged to me, that was my birthright, everything that our dad, may he rest in peace, was saving for me…Frank took it all," he explained.
"I was terrified, but he didn't care. I'm his brother, but he didn't care!" he cried.
"I found Mr. Strickland's box," the bank manager said.
"Open it," Logan demanded.
"I- I-I can't," he stammered.
"I only have my key. I need the owner's key, too," the bank manager added.
"Are you kidding me?!" Logan shouted in frustration.
"Oh, boy," Neal muttered.
"You...You don't have some kind of a master key?!" he demanded to know.
"What... What...What if the owner dies? Then what?!" he stammered.
"I need the second key," the bank manager said.
"The hell you do!" Logan cried, as he pointed the gun at the man.
"Logan, Logan, put the gun down!" Emma pleaded.
"No! No! This is not the way this is supposed to happen!" he said, as he shot at the box on the floor.
"Stop!" Emma cried, but a bullet ricocheted and hit the bank manager in the leg, causing him to collapse to the floor in pain.
"Aah!" he cried, as blood started pouring from the wound.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Logan cried in a panic.
"Let me take him outside, get him to the EMTs. I'll come right back. You'll still have your hostage," Neal pleaded.
How do I know you're not gonna leave?" Logan asked. Neal looked at Emma and then back at him.
"Because she's still here," he answered," as they removed the man's tie and used it to put pressure on the wound and tie it off. Neal helped him stand on one leg and practically dragged him outside to the medics.
"Frank Strickland?" David called, as he approached a man playing racket ball.
"Yes?" he answered.
"I'm David Nolan. I was on Flight 828. I need to talk to you about your brother Logan. He's holding up a bank in Seaside right at this moment," David replied.
"That's not possible. My brother's dead. He died on that plane," Frank said stiffly.
"You know that's not true. That plane returned. We were both on that flight, Frank," David explained, indicating himself and TJ.
"Then I guess you're dead too," he said stubbornly.
"Frank, please…Logan is holding my sister hostage. I need you to talk him down," David pleaded.
"My brother's gone," Frank insisted.
"Stop saying the 828 passengers are dead. We're standing right here," TJ snapped.
"How can you really be you? Logan didn't age. He had these crazy visions, heard voices and was constantly saying that he was gonna die again," Frank explained. David narrowed his gaze.
"He thought he was gonna die?" David asked.
"He said he kept seeing his own tombstone. He was obsessed with it," Frank answered.
"He had a Death Date Calling," David realized in shock.
"What?" Frank asked.
It's real…Frank, the passengers are gonna die," David replied. Frank shook his head.
"You're just as insane as he is.," he replied.
"I wish it wasn't true, but it is. I've seen it. So has my sister and my son. We are going to die on June 2, 2024," he revealed, shocking TJ to his core.
"What?" the younger man asked.
"TJ, I-I didn't mean for you to find out like this, I promise. But I'm working on a solution," David replied. But the younger man shook his head.
"I gotta go," he said, as he fled.
"TJ!" he called, but knew he couldn't leave now.
"Did you say June 2, 2024?" Frank asked. David nodded.
"As in 6224?" Frank asked. David nodded again.
"Yeah. Does that mean something to you?" he asked.
"Logan's vision. I think I know why he's holding up that bank," Frank said, as he pulled a chain that was around his neck out from under his shirt, revealing a small gold key.
"He wants the key to my safety deposit box," Frank said, as David read the number 6224 on the key and realized that it had to be it.
"Hello?" Regina asked, as she answered her phone.
"I'm in a van on the block…I need you to come here for a moment," Vance said, as she hung up the phone.
"It's Vance…he's in a van down the block. I'll be right back," Regina said.
"And if I wasn't clued in on everything, that would be a very weird sentence," Margaret joked, as she cooked dinner. Regina smirked and got her coat, before walking a few houses down the block and crossing the street to where a white van sat. The door slid open and she stepped inside.
"What's going on?" she asked, as he motioned her to quiet, as they listened to what was clearly a tapped phone line.
"There's been a development. We're a go, immediately," Fiona said.
"She bought the lie," Regina realized. He nodded.
"A meet-up would be the next step. And we'll be there," Vance said.
"In which case, we got them?" Regina asked.
"We just might have," Vance replied.
"Don't shoot…we're coming out!" Neal called, as he helped the bank manager out of the building.
"He's been shot…we need a medic. Emma's still in there," Neal said.
"That's not the suspect. Guns down!" Killian called, as he helped Neal with the injured man.
"I'm going back in for Emma," he said.
"You're not going back in there," Killian protested.
"Then I guess you'll have to shoot me," Neal replied, as they shared a long gaze, before Neal hurried back inside. Killian sighed in frustration, as a car pulled up and David flew out of it.
"Killian! Killian!" he called, but the officer wouldn't let him through.
"He's okay…let him through!" Killian called, as he was allowed through.
"This is the gunman's brother. He's got the key," David said, as he pulled the other man through with him.
"No, get these civilians out of here," Killan refuted.
"No…wait! We can end this peacefully right now. Just let him see his brother. Let Frank give him the key," David pleaded. Killian sighed again and led them inside himself.
"Logan…we're not going to get that thing open without the key," Emma admonished, as he kept pounding on the box.
"We have to!" he cried erratically, as there was a knock on the vault door.
"Don't come in here!" he cried, as he pointed his gun at the door.
"Logan…it's me, Frank!" his brother called and he slowly lowered the gun, as his brother came in with his hands up. David slowly walked in behind him and he raised his gun again.
"Don't…this is my brother!" Emma cried, as he cautiously lowered it again.
"Emma…are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, as he hugged her.
"I'm fine…how did you find his brother? How did you know?" she asked.
"TJ had a Calling…it led us to Frank," he replied, as they observed the brothers.
"For God's sake, Logan," Frank scolded.
"None of this would've happened if you had just given me the key," Logan snapped.
"But a gun? Hostages? How could you?" Frank asked.
"How could you?!" Logan cried.
"You abandoned me! My own brother told me that I wasn't a human being!" he cried.
"I didn't understand. Come on, Logan. Please, give me the gun," Frank pleaded, as Killian and a couple of the officers filed into the vault. It was over or they would make sure it was over.
"Come...come on," Frank pleaded, as he finally handed over the gun and put his hands up.
"Wait…let him open the box," Emma said. Killian looked hesitant.
"Emma…" he chided.
"Let him open the box," she pleaded.
"It's me, Frank. It's me. And I don't want to die," he said, as he watched Frank open the box, which was filled with their father's possessions. Logan took out a compass and tried to hand it to him.
"I haven't held this in 10 years," he said, as he put it in Frank's hand.
"Give it to me," he requested.
"I don't understand. Just take it," Frank said.
"No, Dad passed it on to you. You have to pass it on to me," Logan pleaded, but Frank hesitated.
"Please," he begged.
"Is this part of the magic cure-all?" Frank asked.
"I don't know," Logan replied honestly, as Frank did as he asked and gave it to him.
"It's yours. It was always yours," he said, as Logan accepted it and then surrendered. He was cuffed and then led out of the bank. Emma and David followed them out, with Killian behind them.
"Bring him back." Emma said, as she looked at her brother and Neal
"The Calling…it wasn't about Logan. It was about his brother," Emma said.
"At least with whatever time he does have left, he won't be alone," Neal replied.
"Plenty of company at Rikers," Killian commented, as they arrived at the squad car.
"Could you? Just for a second?" Emma asked, referring to the cuffs. Killian nodded.
"Yeah, uncuff him," Killian said. Logan looked at the compass and then at them
"Everyone in my grandfather's platoon died when they stormed Normandy. Everyone but him. This compass caught the bullet that was meant to end his life," he explained.
"He gave it to my dad. It saved him from a pulmonary embolism," he added.
"Now it's mine. It'll save me, too. I can't exactly take it where I'm going," he said, as he placed it in her hands.
"I'd like you to hold on to it for me while I'm away. Maybe it'll help save all the other passengers, too," he said. Emma nodded, as he was put in the squad car. Her eyes widened, as she saw a peacock on it and showed it to David, whose eyes widened also.
"My portion of the Death Date Calling was a peacock," he realized.
"It was the first step in understanding we were going to die," he added.
"Well, maybe this is the first step in figuring out how we survive," she said wistfully.
"I can't believe the Calling brought you here," she added.
"The Calling led me to Frank. Killian brought me here. Safety deposit box. 6224. June 2, 2024," he said, as he smiled.
"We're gonna do this, Em. I don't know how, but we're gonna crack it. Together," he promised. She smiled at him and they shared another hug.
"Yeah. Yeah, we are," she agreed. Neither of them could wait to get home to tell Margaret and Regina, for they truly had direction and a semblance of hope for the first time since finding out about the Death Date. She looked over at Killian.
"Thanks for having my back on this…for finding David and bringing him here," she said.
"I always have your back, Emma…and I know when you need your brother or your family," he replied. She nodded and turned to Neal, as they left together with David for home. They had a lot to tell Margaret, Regina, and Gold.
Olive came out of her SAT prep class with a friend.
"That was literally the longest class of all time," she commented, before seeing TJ before her.
"Hi," she said, as she waved to her friend, as she stayed there with TJ and her friend moved on.
"Hey…so, your dad just chases down these Callings, always believing he can solve them somehow?" TJ asked.
"It's like you've known him forever," Olive commented.
"You think he can solve the one about the passengers dying?" TJ asked.
"Wait. My dad told you about the Death Date?" Olive asked in surprise.
"Any thoughts on how we can stop it, SAT girl?" he asked.
"Maybe we could use the tesseract to move through space and time," she joked.
"A Wrinkle in Time." That was you. So you do remember me," TJ replied.
"My dad's a great guy, but... he gets obsessed, like he did with my brother's cancer, like he's doing with the Callings. He just always needs a solution, an answer. My Mom grounds him though and gives him hope…but he still has a need to control things," Olive said.
"I guess that's why he's a math guy," TJ reasoned.
"Yeah, but...this constant need to be in control of everything…that comes from a place of fear. We need to approach this supposed Death Date from a place of hope," which is usually something my parents are really good at. But they're not exactly ready for my solution," she said.
"And what is your solution?" he asked. She smiled and took his hand.
"Let me show you," she replied, as he let her lead him.
"Oh my gosh…I'm so glad you both are okay," Margaret gushed, as she hugged Emma and then nearly tackled her husband with the fiercest hug. He smiled and chuckled a little, as he held her tightly and kissed her hair.
"We're fine, my love," he promised, as she gently pulled back.
"We're going to fight like hell…I'm going to be at Olive's wedding," he promised and she smiled, before kissing him passionately. He was about to tell her about the peacock on the compass, but there was a knock at the door. Neal and Gold were still there, as was Regina and her father. She opened the door and saw that it was Killian, so she let him in.
"Killian…what's going on? Is there a problem with Logan?" she asked, wondering if he was there about the case.
"No…he's being booked, but on the way to the station, I got called in on something else," he said.
"What is it?" Emma asked.
"Are any of you acquainted with a woman named Johanna Mason?" he asked, as his eyes rested on Margaret. He had asked the question, but seemingly already knew the answer.
"Yes…she was my nanny when I was a child until my mother died. She was on the plane and we just recently reconnected. She spent the afternoon here," Margaret replied.
"And that was the last time you saw her?" Killian asked.
"Y…yes, why do you ask?" Margaret answered.
"I'm sorry to tell you this…but we found her body this evening. She's dead," he said. Margaret gasped and put her hand over her mouth, as David held her close.
"How did she die?" David asked.
"We are still investigating, but we believe she was murdered. It appears she either fell out of the upper window of her brownstone…but we're thinking it's more likely that she was pushed. As possibly the last person to see her alive…I need Margaret to make a statement," Killian replied, as he held his crying wife.
"Please tell me we can do it here. She's upset and pregnant," he said. Killian nodded.
"That won't be a problem and you can sit with her," he promised, as David gently led her over to the couch so they could talk…