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: Yep, things are popping. Glad you're enjoying!
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, Regina is a lifesaver. Thank you for your condolences. It's been a hard time, but I'm getting through it. Hugs back. I love the Emma and Ruby partnership too. Yep, Gold has all the dirt on Cora and is pointing Killian toward it all. Yep, Moms are superheroes. Yep, David is determined to find out who hit his wife's car. Yep, Tamara is bad news and hopefully she stays away from Neal from now on. Yep, Margaret is the best Mom in the whole world. Yeah, Olive confessed to Emma that she attends the church of the believers. I know, David is so protective. Yep, probably a nurse with loose lips. Thankfully, Regina got them out of there. Glad you're enjoying!
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 64: Coordinated Flight, Pt 4
Emma blinked, wondering if she had heard her niece correctly.
"You…you're one of them?" she asked incredulously. Olive nodded.
"I've…I've been going to the church for a few weeks now," she admitted.
"I was scared to come forward," she added.
"I'm proud of you. Coming forward isn't easy," Emma said.
"Well, when Dad said this had to do with Mom and Henry's accident…" Olive said, trailing off.
"You're gonna have to tell your parents," Emma replied.
"No…I can't. Please don't make me," Olive pleaded. Emma sighed.
"Olive, you're a minor about to identify a suspect in a crime. They're gonna find out," she reasoned.
"It's better if it comes from you," Emma added.
"No, there...there has to be some other way," Olive begged.
"Look, I get it. The number of times I've done something that I wish nobody would find out about is staggering, but you can't run away from your problems, though. It never works. Eventually, it catches up," Emma replied, as she hugged her.
"What do you remember from the attack?" Emma asked.
"Four guys…with baseball bats and they had hoodies on, but no masks or anything. I…I was so scared when they started beating Isaiah. I…I thought they were going to kill him," she admitted.
"Do you think you could point these guys out if you saw them in a line up?" Emma asked.
"I…I think so," Olive replied. Emma nodded and then made a call. They had a witness and it was time for a line up. About thirty minutes later, Emma led Olive into a room with a glass window that viewed another room. The lights turned on in that room and six men were led into the room and lined up against the wall.
"Take your time, okay? Just remember, they can't see you," Emma instructed. Olive nodded and instantly recognized one of them.
"Number two. He's one," Olive said, as she looked at the others.
"There were three more guys, but I don't...I don't see them here," she said. Emma nodded and hugged her.
"You did great," she said, as she stepped out of the room and into the other one, where she detained number two.
"You're under arrest for aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit violence. You have the right to remain silent and to legal counsel," Emma said, as she cuffed him.
"Look, I didn't do anything!" the man insisted.
"We have a witness who says otherwise. And we've linked the attack to other incidents of violence against passengers of Flight 828," she argued.
"The DA actually wants to tack on conspiracy," Emma added.
"Look, I want a lawyer," he demanded.
"You're looking at quite some time. Unless, of course, you know, you've got something to offer us," she said, but he was silent.
"No? Okay. But if we get your buddies first, then the deal's off," she warned, as she turned to leave.
"Okay, okay, alright. Look. I don't know their last names, alright?" he said and saw that she was listening.
"They're just some guys from the club," he said.
"What club? Where is it?" Emma asked, as he spilled his guts.
"Honey…we're fine. You have to stop beating yourself up," Margaret admonished, as they stood in the kitchen together. They had stopped for some takeout on the way home and were now cleaning up. Olive's was waiting for her in the fridge and had texted that she was on her way home.
"I just realized I've been so focused on the Major and the Death Date, I...I didn't see the Xers coming," David lamented.
"It's over now, baby," she insisted.
"It's not. The Calling said, "Save her." I didn't save anyone," he said.
"You're being too hard on yourself," she replied.
"We just got incredibly lucky, MM," he insisted.
"No, there's something we're missing. The Xers are still out there. Samdi is making things worse, but Emma's text said that someone came forward, so maybe we'll find out who the head of this thing is," he said, before sighing.
"Though I don't know how Emma convinced a Believer to help," he added.
"I'm just glad they did," Margaret replied, as she put her arms around him and he pecked her on the lips.
"It was me," Olive announced, as she arrived home and her parents looked confused.
"I was at the church this morning. I saw everything," she admitted, knowing that the hard questions were coming now.
"What were you doing at the church?" Margaret asked.
"It was my turn to prep the service," Olive revealed, shocking her parents to the core.
"You're one of them?" David asked incredulously.
"You make it sound like I'm an alien!" she shot back.
"Olive, the Believers are a cult," Margaret said sternly.
"Why? Because they think that a plane that came back 5 1/2 years later is a miracle? You've said it yourself, Mom. The plane coming back was a miracle for you…for us!" Olive insisted.
"Honey…it was, but Samdi is exploiting that miracle. He's making people believe things that aren't true," Margaret reasoned.
"Millions of people believe stuff that they have never seen," Olive argued.
"You're right…but Samdi is making them believe that the plane isn't just a miracle, but that the passengers can perform miracles. Look at what happened to your Aunt Regina," David retorted.
"But you and Aunt Emma, and Aunt Regina and Henry have Callings. You've saved people…that's a miracle!" Olive argued.
"We all saw the plane come back out of nowhere and it was a miracle," she added.
"It was…it brought your father, Aunt Emma, and Henry back to us, but believing in the miracle of that is very different than thinking the passengers can perform miracles through the Callings. I don't think it works that way," Margaret said.
"How do we know? We don't even know what happened to the plane!?" Olive insisted.
"You're right, we don't…and maybe it was a miracle," David replied.
"Or maybe it was an extraterrestrial encounter. Or maybe we got stuck in a time loop that stopped the aging process and expanded our brain capacity so we could predict the future. We have no idea, Olive," he reasoned.
"And Samdi...Samdi doesn't, either," he added.
"That doesn't invalidate his teachings," Olive argued.
"You're right…he's entitled to his opinions," David agreed.
"What he's not entitled to is taking advantage of us. He's using 828 to put money in his pocket, and in the process, making the rest of the world scared to death of us," David added.
"The rest of the world needs to open their eyes! And what church doesn't raise money?" Olive continued to argue.
"No, no, this is different," he argued back.
"Olive, sometimes people exploit a difficult situation," he continued.
"No, sometimes people are way too narrow-minded to see what is right in front of them," she shot back.
"That is not fair," David argued.
"Is it fair to just tell me to accept the Death Date and give up?!" she shouted.
"I didn't give up when people thought you and Henry were dead, and here you are! Same with Mom and the baby. Do... Don't you see?" she questioned.
"No…I do. And I love that you're looking for answers. I do. So am I. And I'm not gonna stop. No one is giving up. I never want to leave you and your Mom again. Or your new baby sister," he said in a soothing voice.
"But your mother and Henry were targeted. Olive, they could have died," he stressed.
"And that's Baron's fault?" she exclaimed.
"It is!" David exclaimed in return.
"Look, it might be the Xers who are physically attacking us, but it's the Believers who are creating this hatred and fear by insisting passengers are different from regular human beings!" he implored.
"You are different!" Olive insisted.
"Olive, we are just trying to protect you," he pleaded.
"I'm sick of being protected! And I'm sick of being afraid! And you may not like it, but while you were gone, I grew up!" she cried, as she stormed up to her room, leaving her parents at a loss.
Several squad cars parked near the area in question and dozens of police dressed in squat gear swarmed toward the area and Captain Humbert addressed his team.
"We believe this is the headquarters of a violent group responsible for systematic and coordinated attacks against the passengers of Flight 828," Graham said, as Killian came beside him.
"Last-minute assistance by her niece seems a bit suspicious. What are the chances Emma is right about this?" Graham asked.
"Do you know her to be wrong yet?" Killian questioned.
"And the DA bought into her theory about the attacks being connected?" Graham questioned.
"Aye…she is intrigued anyway," Killian answered.
"Doesn't mean she's not leading the entire squad into a situation she can't control," Graham warned.
"Well, we can't call it off now, or it'll look like whistleblower retribution for her turning against you," he reasoned, before addressing the officers again.
"This is a...nightmare full of blind spots and dead ends, and it's their home turf, so surprise is gonna be key to our success. Everyone on site is considered armed and suspect," Graham said, as they moved in.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Ruby asked.
"A lot of these guys aren't exactly "Team Emma," she added.
"There's a big difference between dirty looks and friendly fire," Emma reasoned.
"All it takes is one guy not having your back," Ruby warned.
"Do you have my back?" Emma asked
"Of course I do," Ruby answered.
"That's all I need," Emma said, as Graham gave the final instructions.
"Proceed with caution," he warned, as he made the motion and they began to move in.
"Let's do it. Let's get some bad guys," Emma said, as they rushed the building and barged in.
"NYPD! Hands where we can see them!" Graham called, but they found he was speaking to an empty warehouse. They searched, but found no one.
"All clear!" Ruby called.
"Backroom clear!" Killian called.
"Clear," Graham said.
"Clear," Emma said, in disappointment.
"We have them all clear," one of the officers called.
"I got nothing," Ruby mentioned.
"Seems like we just missed them," Emma said.
"We'll get them next time," Ruby assured her.
"We'll get somebody this time," Emma said, as she stared at the blue truck in the back.
"Ten bucks says that's the truck that hit my sister-in-law," she said, clenching her jaw.
"Take some paint. Bring it to the lab. When it matches, bring the owner in," she said. Ruby nodded and went to collect a sample.
"Looks like Walter sold you a bill of goods," Graham said, referring to their suspect that Olive had identified.
"No sir, this is the right place. That truck was involved in a hit-and-run with another passenger," Emma said. Graham looked skeptical.
"And you know this how?" he questioned.
"Because it was my sister-in-law and my nephew," she answered.
"More family members," Graham said, with a sigh.
"God, I knew I shouldn't have given you this case," he said.
"They were here. Somebody obviously tipped them off, and whoever it was, was at the precinct, because they were the only ones who…" Emma ranted, but Graham cut her off.
"Okay, Nolan, you are woefully short on friends as it is, and accusations like that, without any proof, aren't gonna do you any good," he said.
"Captain…we have a leak!" Emma insisted.
"If we do…then you screaming about it isn't going to flush them out. You're going to let this go now," Graham insisted. She huffed and walked off, leaving Killian behind.
"You sure we should be cutting her out of this?" he asked.
"We have to…she's too close and she can't fly under the radar. You can," Graham replied vaguely. Killian nodded and left, making his way to the bar he had been frequenting lately.
Neal whistled, as he looked at the information in the file that his father had on Cora. Cora Mills…the woman who was supposedly his mother and Regina's. But it was clear that this woman was no mother and cold blooded to her very core.
"How did you get all of this on her?" Neal asked curiously.
"Do you really want to know? You never approve of my shady ways," Gold replied. Neal sighed.
"Yeah…well, as a former addict, I'd say I really have no place to judge and if I did in the past, I'm sorry," Neal replied. Making amends, after all, was part of his recovery.
"No apologies needed, my boy…I worked too much. Maybe if I hadn't worked so hard to try and prove I was worth something…worth not leaving, then maybe you wouldn't have felt you needed to turn to drugs," Gold confessed.
"I never realized she messed you up that bad when she left," Neal mentioned. He nodded curtly.
"More than I am often comfortable admitting. After I lost you for a while to drugs, I found the Nolan family at the same time. I saw an addict father and though I am not addicted to alcohol and drugs, I was addicted to my work and deal making. I saw you in David…and I was compelled to stop history from repeating itself," he explained.
"Well…you did. Do they know the true extent of how much you stepped in?" Neal asked.
"No and they don't need to. I am their financial advisor turned friend. That's all that's needed. Perhaps though we will be family someday," Gold replied.
"Don't start…" Neal complained and the elder allowed himself a small smile.
"Anyway…so you managed to get all this information to Detective Rogers?" he asked.
"Not all of it yet. I left the crumbs for him with the bank accounts. Detective Rogers will find his way to more and I don't need to expose Cora. Under pressure, Sidney Glass will crack like a broken mirror," he reasoned.
"I just can't believe she killed MM's mother…and what's even bigger, she risked Regina's life by hiring that driver to run her and Daniel off the road. Regina could have been killed too," Neal said.
"It was a calculated risk. Knowing Cora, she would have rather Regina died than run off with someone she considered below her," Gold replied.
"She's messed up…what the hell did you ever see in her?" Neal asked.
"Believe it or not…she wasn't always like this. I'm not sure what happened or why she became a monster…but she did and she's unredeemable," Gold replied.
"So why reveal all this now? I assume you've known for years," Neal said.
"I have…but until now, I didn't think she was an imminent danger to those we care about. I believe she is now," Gold replied.
"You mean the Nolans," he stated. He nodded curtly.
"She wants to destroy Margaret Nolan the most and will destroy everyone she loves to inflict the maximum amount of pain. But we will stop her," Gold said. Neal nodded.
"We will…but I really want to tell Emma everything," he said.
"Not yet…you know Emma. She'll run off half cocked with that file. Rogers must be the one to discover this and arrest her. Emma is too close…it's a conflict of interest and the whole case would be thrown out," Gold insisted. Neal nodded.
"I get it…I won't say anything," he promised.
Killian sat at the bar, mulling things over, with a barely touched drink. It was obvious to Greta that he had a lot on his mind.
"No refunds for warm beer?" he joked, as she came over.
"It was cold when I served it," she retorted and then saw her brother coming over. Nick patted Killian on the back and nodded to his sister.
"Get a proper drink for my friend. That single malt that you hide behind the counter," he said, as she poured them a couple of drinks.
"Are we celebrating?" Killian asked.
"I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. You did us a solid today," Nick said.
I didn't do that for you. I did it for her. The trek to Rikers from here bloody sucks," Killian replied. Nick seemed to accept that though.
"Hey, what do you say we go out tonight? Because a friend of mine wants to show you his appreciation," Nick said. Now that perked Killian's interest. Hopefully, this friend was higher on the food chain than this wannabe thug.
"Why not? A friend of yours is a friend of mine," Killian said, as he picked up his drink.
"Cheers," he said, as they drank.
"Hey…" Neal said, as Emma arrived home.
"Hey…" she answered, as she noticed he was cooking.
"You're spoiling me. I never get home cooked, unless it's at my brother's house," she said, as he set the plates down on the table.
"I like cooking…so you said Olive came forward," Neal mentioned.
"Yeah…I'm sure my brother went crazy when he found out Ollie joined a cult," Emma said.
"Hey…she'll work her way through this. She's a really smart girl," he promised.
"I hope so…Samdi is a con-artist. Anyway, I think I found that truck that hit MM and Henry. The problem is that someone tipped them off and they were gone when we raided their home base," she replied.
"That sucks…wait, you mean like a leak inside the department?" he asked.
"Possibly…I don't see how else they would have known," Emma replied, as they ate.
"Well…you'll get them," he assured her.
"How was your meeting with your fiancé?" she teased. He gave her a look.
"Ex-fiancé," he corrected her. She smirked.
"And it was fine. She was angry with me, but ultimately just looking to make amends. She's in a program too and I'm happy for her. We were just so destructive together," he said.
"Well…I'm glad you both made peace then," Emma replied, as they continued eating and talking.
Margaret came down the stairs after putting Henry to bed and saw her husband laboring over his laptop. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
"Are you coming up soon?" she asked. He sighed.
"I just feel like I have to do something. Samdi has to be stopped," he replied.
"And you should be in bed. Doctor's orders," he added. She slid onto his lap and kissed him tenderly.
"I'm fine…and you need to stop being so hard on yourself," she admonished.
"How did we not know?' he asked.
"I don't know. Teenagers have secrets," she replied.
"We didn't…at least not from each other," he said. She smiled.
"We were different and our love couldn't be kept secret. It was too obvious that we were head over heels. We endured hours of lectures for it. But Olive knows how we feel about Samdi and the forbidden aspect of it all makes it very appealing. And right now, she thinks it's helping her deal with everything," Margaret reasoned.
"Well, she's not wrong...about me," he said.
"Why are you putting this on yourself?" she asked.
"I've been scaring all of us. I've been so focused on the Death Date and the passengers, I...I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he said, as he looked at the compass.
"This is the compass you told me about?" she asked. He nodded.
"A peacock engraving…like the one you saw in a Calling?" she asked. He nodded again.
Yeah, we've been trying to figure out what it means," he said.
"I've seen this before," Margaret said.
"Well, you've seen the peacock," he replied.
"Not just the peacock. This exact image," she insisted.
"On one of the boards?" he asked.
"No. This was before. When you and Henry were gone, Olive was always insisting that you were out there somewhere. This one day, we were walking past this tarot reader, and Olive was so desperate and my grief was so overwhelming I couldn't say no," she explained.
"This card. The star represents hope. The woman said it was what her future held. She gave it to Olive," Margaret continued and he looked surprised.
"How is this possible?" he asked.
"There's more. The reader said that we should look to the future with the possibility that everything will turn out well. It became like a mantra for Olive. She clung to it. And then today, when she came to the hospital, she said those exact words to me," she replied.
"Maybe a miracle did save the baby. Maybe this is all a miracle. David, this is a sign. What if the Callings are trying to tell us that there's a way out of this, a way out of the Death Date, a way out of all of it?" she questioned.
"Yeah, maybe they are. But if Baron Samdi and the Believers keep turning the world against us and get us all killed first...what does any of it matter?" he asked in return.
"It matters…our love has brought us this far and it will see us through. The impossible happened when you came back to me so you can believe it when I say that some con-artist isn't going to take you away from me again," she said fiercely, as they kissed again. She got up and confused him when she got her coat.
"I'll drive you," she said.
"What? Drive me where?" he asked. She cocked her head and gave him a look.
"So you weren't going to wait until I go to sleep before sneaking out to confront Samdi and warn him to stay away from our daughter?" she asked. He looked at her incredulously and then shook his head.
"How do you do that? You know me better than I know me," he said. She smiled.
"You better believe it and I don't really like it, but you're going to do it anyway, because I know it's what you need to do to protect us, so I'll at least drive," she said, as he helped her put her coat on.
"Do you know how much I love you?" he asked. She smiled and he leaned in to kiss her passionately.
"As much as I love you," she replied.
"Thank you," he said.
"Mmm…oh I expect a thank you of a different kind when we get home," she replied in a sultry tone, as they headed out to the car.
Samdi stood before his altar, conducting the evening service.
"I'm not going to tell you there isn't hatred in our world. Or deny the uncomfortable truth that there are people who wish us harm. But I will ask that you trust that better days lie ahead. Each and every one of you. And by opening our hearts, we'll show others the way, until even those who hate will have their eyes. But I'm not afraid. I believe in miracles. Not the end of a journey. Follow me, and I will show you. Blessed are the believers," Samdi said, before concluding the service. He went in back and was suddenly slammed against the wall.
"Ohh!" he cried out, as David, in a black hoodie, held him by his shirt.
"Stay away from my daughter," he warned, before lightly shoving him away and walking out.