A/N:

First and foremost, for those of you that have not heard, Snowpiercer has been bought by AMC+ and will be airing S1-3 the end of 2024 and S4 sometime in the beginning of 2025.

Second, I'm just telling you straight up to get out your hankies. If you end up sitting in a puddle of your own tears, with nothing to clean them up with, do not blame me.

Ok, folks. It took a bit, but I am back again with another story.

First off, let me say, if you ever get a chance to see a full Solar Eclipse in your life time...GO!

Your life will likely not change.

You will likely not have a sudden epiphany of what to do with your life.

It will not likely sudden enlighten you on a path to clearing any great existential dilemma in your existence.

Or it might.

All I can say is, it will be an event in your life you will remember forever.

With that said, moving on...

This story was a bugger to write, folks. It was all the fun I had with my Harry Potter story of how to make Voldemort a likeable, decent character.

The reason it came into existence is that it covers what is to me one of the most GLARING plot hole in the series, IMHO. ('In My Humble Opinion' for those of you that do not do acronyms.).

In short, the story attempts to answer the question, 'What would happen in the ANO universe if Layton found out what happened between Melanie and Josie.

Now, I know this gets dicey, folks. But keep in mind a few things for me please;

1. In ANO universe, Layton does not know about that incident. He was told there was an accident and Josie was killed. No body was ever recovered.

2. This is NOT canon. And I had to do some incredible dance moves tapping around S1 to make this even run on a track next to canon

3. Actually, it wasn't that hard, as that I have never seen S1. (No. Really.)

4. Where has Josie been? That is a large part of the story.

This is multi-chapter story. I will not venture how many chapters right now as re-writes always cause them to get longer for some reason.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, and possibly, by the end, accept my rendition of how I thought this situation played out if the writers had gotten off the crack and not so BLATANTLY ignored it.

Out Of The Past

Melanie sat at the counter of the bar of the Night Car, watching Audrey tend to one of her customers. She had come seeking the other woman's advice on a matter that had been bothering her for months now. She knew it had to come to light, but she just wasn't sure how to go about it.

The whole incident positively haunted her. Several times she had had nightmares about it, waking in a cold sweat with Layton quickly turning on the light next to his side of the bed, having been woken up by the scream.

In the past few months they started sharing the cabin she could recall having had the dream four times. Each time it ended the same way, mimicking the event in reality.

Ever faithfully her friend, Layton would spend the next half hour or more trying to calm her down. Asking her over and over to tell him what the dream was about. To hopefully dispel it by talking about it. But each time she refused, apologizing for waking him, and quickly putting the incident behind her.

She knew he thought he understood the cause of her nightmare. And she never corrected him, because it suited her to let him think what he wanted. He had made comments referring it to possibly relating back to what Ruth and First Class had done...or tried to do. She knew he thought it was a simple replaying in her dreams of them trying to carry out her sentence that one fateful day. And each night, when the dream caught up to her, waking her with a scream she was sure anyone outside the cabin would have heard, he would quickly wrap his arms around her, pull her as close as he could, and tell her over and over that everything was all right. That she was safe. Make her open her eyes and look around her. To show her the truth. This was their cabin. Their room. Their bed. And she was perfectly safe there with him.

She always fought the fear down again, calming down as quickly as she could as she simply let her body relax into his embrace. But it rarely warmed her. After the dream it would leave her cold. Knowing he would never hold her or offer her one ounce of comfort if she ever told him what the dream actually was about.

It wasn't the first time she had come to Audrey regarding the event either. Layton was right. Talking about it seemed to help some. He just wasn't the one she could talk to about it. To tell him that every so often his former lover would come back to haunt her through her dreams. Accusing her and tormenting her for what she had done. Calling her out for her despicable, cowardly act.

And the worst part of it all was...she knew Josie was right.

And so when the past would catch up to her again, she would end up exactly where she was. Sitting at the bar and staring at the counter top as the thoughts crowded into her brain.

Although early, Audrey was tending to a few other patrons at the bar. But finally she made her way over to where Melanie was sitting.

"Hey." Audrey gently nudged her by way of a greeting. "This is a bar, lady. You either come here to drink or talk. Not sit by yourself looking like you just lost your best friend."

"Maybe I did." Melanie replied quietly. "Or I feel I'm about to."

Audrey leaned over the counter with a small, sympathetic sigh. "Same dream again?"

Melanie shook her head. "No. Just thinking about it."

"Then stop." Audrey quickly advised, then gave an exasperated sigh. "Melanie, this is an old story. And it has been gnawing on your insides for months on end. It's time to put a stop to it."

A pair of frightened green eyes staring up at her. "If I tell him the truth, Audrey, he is going to hate me. This wasn't just some random person. This was someone he loved very deeply. And I am the person responsible for her being taken from him."

Audrey leaned over the counter, fixing a firm stare on the woman. "Stop it, Melanie! You were not the only person in that room making bad decisions."

"But I'm the reason we were in that room to begin with."

"And Josie had three choices. Talk, stay quiet, or fight."

"Not good choices, Audrey. She could talk and betray the man she loved, or stay quiet and let me keep torturing her. She really had only one choice. The only one I gave her. Fight."

"You were going to let her go. YOU told me that. Or was that a lie?"

Melanie shook her head quickly. "No. When I came back into the room I was going to let her go. I...I looked into that mirror in the bathroom and I couldn't believe the monster staring back at me. I...I never felt more like Wilford than at that moment., Not in seven years. Not once. I had finally, truthfully sunk to his level. Where I was willing to torture another person for...for what? What if she even told me? I wasn't going to stop Layton or his revolution. Even without knowing the truth about Wilford not being on the train, it all still would have happened anyway." Melanie gave a long sigh. "She died for nothing, Audrey."

The Night Car owner pulled back, crossing her arms in front of her. "Melanie, we have talked about this over and over. I have tried my best to help you come to terms with it. And I have been truthful with you. Are you free of any culpability here? No. Are you as guilty as you make yourself out to be? No. Bad decisions all around. In addition I have told you many times what you need to do."

Melanie stared up at her.

"Pick a day." Audrey told her firmly. "Pick a day and stick to it. It'll make it easier in the end. And the sooner, the better."

The same frightened stare looked back at her.

Audrey softened her tone slightly as she leaned over the bar again. "Others were there, Melanie. Not just you and not just Josie. And I've heard the stories. Others who think they know what happened. People who are not...totally in your corner, shall we say. And up to now, I'd like to say you've been lucky. But I think it's more a case of someone just waiting for the right moment to use this against you. Where it will do the most damage to the train."

Melanie started back up at her, not one ounce of fear leaving those eyes.

"Pick a day." Audrey told her again. "And stick to it."

With that the Night Car Manager went back to tend to another customer who was clamoring for her attention, leaving Melanie alone with her thoughts again.

Maybe Audrey was right. Pick a day and stick to it. Maybe that was the answer.

Slowly getting up, Melanie headed back to the cabin. She knew that Audrey was right. And she saw not point in wasting any more time with it. It had gone on long enough. It was time to end the charade. It wasn't just hurting her. It wasn't fair to Layton either. His lover was gone. And other than a brief explanation of her having died in an accident, he had no other truth.

It was time for her to give him the truth.

He deserved that much.

And she did not deserve to be allowed to keep living this lie.