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lilacmoon83 · 1 year

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Lightning in a Bottle

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Chapter 79: Icing Conditions, Pt 2

Neal was inundated with a Calling, saw himself fall onto the ice. Henry was safe though…as he took his last breath.

"Neal…" Emma called to her husband, who was laying on Henry's bed, completely zoned out.

"Neal…" she repeated, as she finally got through to him.

"Henry…I saw him," he said.

"A Calling?" she asked.

"I think so…" Neal replied.

"Somewhere in the wilderness…where I die," he added.

"Neal…you're not dying, okay?" she asked sternly.

"No one is dying today," she insisted, as David and Margaret stood together, in each other's arms. He gently kissed her head, as he often did and she clung to him. The wilderness wasn't much help as a definite location and they were trying to keep high hopes. Olive's phone buzzed and she checked, gasping as she did.

"What is it, sweetie?" Margaret asked.

"I…I think it's from Henry. It's an unknown number…but it's him!" she called, as they gathered around her.

"I'm okay…tell Mom and Doug I love them?" Margaret asked.

"Who's Doug?" Emma asked, as Olive's eyes widened.

"Oh my God…oh my God…I think I know where he is!" she cried.

"Doug…as in the Dugout," Olive replied.

"That sketchy diner from years ago in the Catskills?" David asked.

"Yes…Henry and I were obsessed with that place, because of the happy face pancakes. We named it Doug," Olive replied.

"We used to joke about who loved Doug the most," she added, as David's hands flew over the laptop keyboard.

"The Dugout…outside Liberty," he said.

"Zoom in on that photo," Neal pointed, as he did so.

"Those power lines…I saw them in my Calling," Neal said.

"That's where he has to be. We need to get up there," David replied.

"We have to tell the cops," Margaret said.

"No…if we tell them, they'll have helicopters and a team crawling all over it. Jace sees one chopper and he'll kill Henry," Emma warned. David sighed.

"She's right…he's there. It was a Calling," Neal added.

"Okay…we'll do this your way," David relented.

"Hey…so that text was from an app and I can't trace it," Ruby said, as she popped back in the room and noticed the tension in the room.

"What?" she asked and then sighed.

"Guys…I'm on your team," Ruby assured them.

"We need you to run interference," Emma requested.

"Done," Ruby said, as she returned to the kitchen.

"Okay…let's sneak out and head up there," David said, as he kissed Margaret. He knew she and Olive wanted to come, but these guys were extremely dangerous and someone had to stay with Eden.

"I'll bring him home this time, I promise," he whispered.

"I know…be careful. Both of you," she pleaded. He nodded and kissed her tenderly again.

"I'm coming too," Neal insisted.

"You're too weak," Gold protested.

"He's right," Emma agreed.

"I have to…I was there in the Calling. I have to be there…I have to follow the Calling," Neal said. Clearly, none of them liked it, but they didn't protest further. Killian motioned to them, indicating that he

had a path out of the house without being noticed.

With that, the four of them sneaked through the back while Ruby distracted the officers in the kitchen.

"Killian…" Neal called, as he turned to him.

"When I'm gone…I'm glad you'll be here for her," he said. Killian nodded.

"Stay warm," he replied, as they got into their vehicles and began the drive upstate.

~*~

And we continue to track the ongoing manhunt for three escaped suspects in a narcotics-trafficking ring now believed to have abducted a boy from his family'sr esidence in

Hollis Hills, Queens. The search for Henry Nolan, one of Montego Air 828's returned passengers, has expanded statewide, and an Amber Alert has been issued.

"We're screwed! A-A-An Amber Alert? That means every single person with a phone is gonna be looking for us," Pete panicked.

"People swipe those away to get back to their porn and their Snapchat," Kory reasoned.

But statewide means we'll never be able to cross the border. Real good plan!" Kory snapped at Jace.

"Shut up," Jace hissed, as he loomed over Henry, who was huddled on the bed.

"Where the hell did this kid get a blanket?" he asked, as he ripped it away.

"I-I-I thought he might be cold," Pete stammered, as Jace snarled at him.

"You don't get to think," he snapped, as he stormed out and backhanded Pete, causing him to fall to the floor, frightening Henry even more.

"Hey!" Kory protested, but stopped when Jace brandished his pistol.

"Don't make me use this. Now is not the time to go soft," he warned.

~*~

"No one in the diner has seen Henry," David said, as he was on the phone with his wife, while Emma drove.

"My guess is that they just drove by the diner," Margaret replied.

"Do you see the power lines up ahead?" she asked, as he put her on speaker.

"Yeah. They jut up into the woods, and they splinter off in two different directions," Emma answered.

"Kidnappers are gonna be looking for a secluded place to hide out. They're gonna want to stay away from the ski areas and probably stick to something with less traffic," Ruby reasoned.

"All the skiing is to the left. I-It has to be on the right," Olive said.

"Okay," David answered, as the phone was suddenly muted.

"Afternoon everyone," Graham announced, as he entered the crime scene and operational base that was the Nolan house at that moment. They froze and looked at each other nervously, as Margaret muted

the phone.

"Any updates?" he asked.

"Nothing yet," Ruby replied, as she approached.

"Graham…can I get you anything to drink?" Margaret offered, trying to distract.

"No…but you can tell me where Nolan and Rogers are," he replied, referring to his detectives.

"I can get Rogers for you…" Ruby said nervously.

"Cut the crap, Lucas…what is going on here?" he demanded to know.

"They're heading upstate with my husband. We think we know where they have my son," Margaret confessed. He sighed.

"I'm calling the state patrol," he said.

"NO!" Margaret protested.

"Margaret…" he started to argue.

"Jace is insane…he's going to kill my baby boy if he sees one damned patrol car or chopper!" she shouted tearfully.

"Margaret…we can get a SWAT team and overwhelm them. They'll negotiate Henry's release," he argued.

"There's no negotiating with this man! He's ruthless and you're not endangering my son, just so you can follow some by the book rules! The only way for my son out of this is to let my husband, Emma, and Killian handle this and if you do anything to endanger my son's life…I swear on all that is Holy that you'll wish you never woke up this morning!" Margaret cried. He sighed and looked around for help,

but received none.

"Don't look at me…I'm with my mom," Olive said.

"Emma thinks she can save him…I trust her," Ruby replied.

"Fine…I'll keep state patrol offline for now and have locals on standby. You and I are going upstate, Detective Lucas," Graham said.

"Yes Sir," Ruby replied, as she hugged them quickly and followed her boss out to his car. David looked around and sighed.

~*~

"Didn't Olive say there were cabins off this road?" he asked.

"Yeah…but my map is not updating. There's no signal," Emma replied, in frustration with the device.

"Did we miss a turn off somewhere?" David wondered.

"Keep going," Neal urged.

"It's a dead end," Emma replied.

"No…further," Neal urged again.

"Do you know where we're going? Is it the Calling?" David asked, but his question was answered, as they saw a trail at the dead end.

"Emma…" he said, drawing her attention.

"Guess we're on foot from here," she replied, as they got out of the car and she opened the backdoor.

"Stay warm…and don't die on me, okay?" she asked. Neal smiled.

"I'll do my best," he replied, as she kissed him and then followed her brother onto the trail.

~*~

Thanks to Vance's intel on the Major, Regina found her that evening on the boardwalk outside the ferry station. Fiona rolled her eyes, as she saw the doctor approaching.

"Again? Really?" the Major asked, as she walked away. Regina grabbed her hand though, unknowingly dosing her with a toxin.

"No. We're not done," Regina hissed.

"Little girl, it's time you open your eyes to how things work in the real world. My job is to protect this country. You are... an insect on the bottom of my shoe. I already said I

had zero interest in helping you save your…" Fiona paused to cough.

"Your friend. Why would my response be any different now that…" she continued, before coughing again.

"Are you having trouble breathing?" Regina asked, as the Major looked at her suspiciously.

"It's early stage anaphylaxis," Regina replied, as the Major coughed again and sat down on a bench. Regina pulled out a syringe, as she continued to cough.

"You have 90 seconds to tell me how to save Zeke, or it will be too late to save yourself," Regina said, as Fiona gasped for air.

"Now Zeke isn't the only one who has an expiration date. You have one," Regina added.

"Fine. Give me the shot," the Major demanded.

"Tell me how to save Zeke," Regina demanded in return.

"You're not a killer, Regina," Fiona said, gasping for air.

"I need the cure! This is not who you are!" she pleaded, as she lunged, trying to grab the syringe. It knocked Regina off balance and the syringe slipped from her grasp, shattering on the pavement. Regina gasped, as they both realized that the Major would die now.

"Or maybe it is," Fiona said sadly.

"Tell me how to save Zeke. How do I save the passengers?" Regina pleaded.

"There is no cure," Fiona replied. Regina gasped at that.

"What's the point of a powerful mutation if you can't replicate and weaponize it?" Fiona replied.

"You were gonna infect people?" Regina asked in horror.

"Help me," Fiona pleaded.

"It's too...it's too late," Regina said, horrified by her own actions.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This isn't what I wanted," Regina cried, as the Major slumped over onto the bench, dead. Regina looked around and saw no one had witnessed their exchange, so she ran off.

She had to find Vance and tell him what she had done.

~*~

Emma and David trekked along the trail and tried not to use their flashlights too much, but it was very dark. Just as they were growing weary that they might be on a dead

path, David spotted a small cabin ahead.

"There…that has to be it," he said, as they killed their flashlights and approached, as Emma drew her gun.

~*~

"Son of a bitch…" Jace hissed, as he saw the lights outside in the woods.

"What?" Kory asked.

"Someone is here…" he said.

"Out the back," he ordered," as Pete listened to his brothers from the room where they had Henry.

"What about the kid?" Kory asked.

"Slit his throat," Jace replied.

"What? No…no way…no one is slitting throats," Kory protested.

"You don't call the shots!" Jace growled, as he got in Kory's face.

"I didn't sign up for murder one!" Kory argued.

"We take him or we leave him!" he added.

"We take him and he slows us down. We leave him and he tells the cops what we're driving," Jace reasoned, as he grabbed a knife.

"Have you lost your mind!?" Kory cried.

"He's just a kid!" he protested.

"So what? We're in this together so either you're in or your out!" Jace said, as Pete nervously untied Henry's ropes, while his brothers argued.

"Go…you have to go," he whispered. Henry slowly got up and hurried out the back.

"I'm out! You're out of control!" Kory snapped.

"I'm done arguing…time to cut that little…" he said, as he saw that he was gone.

"Where is he!?" Jace shouted, as he shoved Pete outside and the three of them took off into the woods to find him. Emma and David searched the cabin and found it empty.

~*~

"They must have seen us coming…" she said.

"Yeah and went out that way," David replied, as they hurried through the open back door and into the woods.

He knew Emma would kill him if he didn't die from this, but he had to follow the Calling so he set off through the woods and toward the lake. Lightning crashed above him and

he looked up. Dark lightning…just like on the night of the storm in the cave and the night the plane disappeared. He saw a small figure run onto the ice covered lake.

"Neal!" Henry called.

"Henry!" Neal called back, as he hurried toward him. The three drug dealers were hot on Henry's trail, following him onto the ice. But David and Emma were behind them.

"Jace…let him go!" Emma warned, as lightning flashed again and Jace did not heed her warning. He grabbed Henry and held the knife to him.

"Drop your weapon!" Emma warned.

"I warned you…I told you what would happen to him if you crossed me," Jace hissed, as there was a loud crack of thunder and the ice beneath the three drug dealers broke.

They went into the icy waters with Henry.

"No!" David cried, as he rushed toward the opening, but Neal was closer and dove in after him.

"NEAL!" Emma cried, as they reached the opening and David waved his arms in the water, trying to find them.

"HENRY!" he called.

"NEAL!" Emma called as seconds that seemed like a lifetime passed. Suddenly, Henry and Neal emerged and David pulled his son out first, before helping Emma pull Neal up.

Neal fell onto his back on the ice, as David enveloped his shivering, wet son in his arms. Emma knelt beside Neal and burst into tears, as she watched him take his last breath.

"No…he can't die!" Henry cried, as David held him close, while Emma cradled Neal in her arms. He rocked his crying son, as tears slipped down his face too.

"Emma…I'm sorry…" he said, choking out the words.

"This is all my fault…I'm sorry," she cried, as she kissed his forehead.

"Don't say that…he chose to spend his last moments saving Henry. He's a hero," David said.

"Henry should have never been here! You were right! I failed a Calling and Neal died because of it," she sobbed, as David moved closer and pulled her into his arms too.

"No Emma…this was supposed to happen. I was wrong earlier," he soothed.

"How can you say that?" she asked.

"All he wanted to do was die peacefully in my arms, but I couldn't even give him that. I didn't listen and I couldn't let go," Emma cried.

"I could never let go of Margaret…I would have done the same things to hold onto her, just as she would for me. This is not your fault," he chided. Suddenly, the wind whistled

and a light in the sky shined down on them, ever so briefly, and she watched in shock and awe, as Neal was restored to life, all traces of his frostbite and ailments gone.

"Neal…" she said, in utter shock, as he took a gasp of air.

"Hi…" he said.

"Hey…" she replied, as she caressed his face.

"I'm still alive, right?" he asked. She laughed.

"Yeah…you weren't there for a moment. You…I think you beat the death date," she replied.

"Cool…" he said, making her laugh again, as he sat up and Henry dove into his arms.

"Hey kid…" he said.

"You beat the death date!" he called, as Killian arrived to see the scene.

"A crew is on its way…to drag the lake for the bodies," he said softly.

"Let's get this one home," David said, as he picked his son up and carried him off the ice.

"Your Mom is worried sick…" Killian said, as he handed his phone to the boy so he could call her.

"Thanks," Henry replied, as he then helped Neal and Emma off the ice, as the uniformed officers arrived to partition the scene off with crime scene tape. Killian drove them home and once they entered the house, David and Henry ran to Margaret and Olive, as a happy reunion ensued. Emma and Neal arrived soon after and joined them, while Killian looked on, both happy for them and sad for himself.

~*~

Regina walked into the travel agency that Vance was using as a front to conduct his operations and she closed the door, letting out a shaky breath. Vance looked at her, as she seemed to have a haunted

look on her face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I…I killed her," Regina replied, immediately causing him to approach her.

"Killed who?" he demanded to know.

"I…I didn't mean to. I killed her…I killed the Major," she uttered, stunning him to speechlessness.

"What do we do?" she asked, but he didn't have an immediate answer.

~*~

"Hey…Neal crashed on the couch so I think we're just going to stay here tonight," Emma said, as she poked her head in the garage.

"Of course," David replied, as she entered to look at his board with him.

"I know I apologized earlier, but I'm sorry again for anything I said earlier," he said.

"No need…you were just scared. We all were and I was turning on me too. I was sure I had made the biggest mistake of my life," Emma replied.

"No…this was all supposed to happen. Neal followed the Calling and it saved him from the Death Date," David said.

"That's how we beat the Death date," he added.

"So that means we're all going to go through some hell in order to save ourselves?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied honestly.

"So you've given up on Samdi's doomsday theory?" she asked.

"I think so…I don't think we're agents of the apocalypse," he replied.

"Though it kind of felt like those meth heads were," she mentioned.

"Yeah…good riddance to those sons of bitches," he said, with an edge in his voice.

"Agreed," she said.

~*~

"Where are we?" Graham called, as he and Killian had returned to the crime scene.

"No where, Captain…we've been at this for hours and nothing," the diver called.

"There are no bodies," he said.

"That's impossible…no one has come out of that lake," Graham replied, as Killian suddenly got a very bad feeling. It was Griffen all over again.

"I don't know what to tell you…there's nothing down here," the diver repeated.

~*~

Baby Eden cooed, as he cradled her in his arms later that night. Margaret was asleep beside him, as were Olive and Henry, who were also sleeping in their bed. None of them wanted to be far from each other and he was happy to get the baby when she woke up. Suddenly, he was assaulted with another Calling, only this was the same one from earlier. The plane exploding over the ocean again. Fire reflected in his eyes, as he came out of it and wondered what was still ahead. If he was still having that same Calling…then it meant that one wasn't solved yet and he had no idea what it could mean for their future…

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #AU #Emma #Henry #Regina Mills #Neal Cassidy #Mr. Gold #Swanfire #Manifest #with a Once twist #romance #adventure #family #Lightning in a Bottle

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lilacmoon83 · 1 year

Text

Lightning in a Bottle

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 72: Course Deviation, Pt 1

Flashback

Flight 828

"Can I get some headphones?" Henry asked the flight attendant. Bethany smiled and handed him a pair from her cart.

"Here you go sweetie," she replied, as she kept walking down the aisle.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Montego Air Flight 828, non stop to New York City. we're in our final boarding process and will take off on time," Captain Liam Jones said over the intercom.

"Headset anyone?" Bethany asked.

"I'll take one," Baron Samdi said, as she handed him one, as the passenger next to him said a prayer.

"I always say a little prayer before a flight. Brings me peace of mind," she mentioned.

"My dad was a preacher, so we prayed all the time. Stayed up at night praying God would make me worthy," Baron replied.

"You are worthy in God's eyes," the woman assured him.

"Not in my dad's. He made that very clear, so I finally got up off my knees and walked away," Samdi said.

"And I'm still gonna pray for you," she replied.

"Yeah, well, don't worry about me," he said, as he put his headphones on as the plane took off.

~*~

"Emma?" Neal called, as he arrived at the precinct and found her in the holding cell.

"Neal…" she called back, as she reached for his hand through the bars.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered.

"I can't believe Killian arrested you. He knows you didn't do it," Neal growled.

"There's something else going on here," Emma said.

"Like what?" he asked.

"I don't know exactly, but...Killian said something. He said he was saving my life," she answered.

"I don't care what he said. His actions have made it pretty clear that he's an Xer. He's probably just covering his ass. Why do you still trust this guy?" Neal questioned.

"I don't know. After everything that's happened, I shouldn't, but…" she said, trailing off.

"But you always see the best in everyone?" Neal said, recalling that she had treated him much in the same way. Emma looked at his hands, which looked worse.

"No working treatment yet?" she asked. But he didn't get to answer.

"Visit's over. He needs to go," Killian said.

"David and I are getting a lawyer and getting you out of here," Neal called, as an Officer led him out. Emma looked at her ex.

"Killian, talk to me, please. What is going on?" she asked.

"Just keep your mouth shut," he replied vaguely, before turning away.

"When you're out…meet me at our spot," he requested.

~*~

"That's a relief, thank you," David said, as he hung up his phone and saw his wife taking out a large skillet.

"Excuse me…but you shouldn't be lifting that," he said, as he took it from her. She gave him a look.

"She wants bacon and she strongly suggests that you do not get in our way," Margaret teased. He chuckled and knelt down to kiss her stomach.

"Only 29 weeks and already running the place. I love it," he said, as he got up and headed to the stove to make his wife and baby some bacon.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked curiously.

"The attorney that got Neal out…she's taking Emma's case," he replied.

"I'm headed there after this," he added. She shook her head.

"It's crazy to me that anyone would think that Emma was involved in that arson," Margaret said.

"The only thing the police need to focus on is finding Samdi," David said.

"But wasn't it Isaiah who set the fire?" she asked. He nodded.

"I thought you said that Baron looked shocked?" she questioned. He shrugged.

"He could've conned us. Wouldn't be the first time. At the very least, Samdi created a Murderer," he reasoned.

"It's so horrible. who would plan something so…" she started to say, but was cut off by a Calling, in which she heard a man crying for help. She was by the water and saw a

Bridge. She heard a train horn sound too, just as the Calling ended. Her husband steadied her in his arms and she looked up at him.

"I just had a Calling," she said.

~*~

"Thanks for the smoothie," Henry said.

"Well, that's what older sisters are for," Olive replied.

"Well, technically, I'm older. I was born before you," Henry reminded her.

"Okay, a minute and a half before," Olive protested.

"Eh, it still counts," Henry insisted.

"How are we gonna explain that to a baby? Twins separated by five years?" Olive wondered.

"The plane disappearing and coming back," Henry added.

"The Callings?" Olive said.

"Voices, visions…" Henry said.

"We should make the baby a guidebook," Olive suggested.

"Sort of like a "welcome to our weird family" road map with pictures and captions, and then when she gets old enough, we can read it to her. What do you think?" she asked.

"Work with my older-younger sister to make something for my younger-younger sister.

I'm in," Henry agreed.

"And that is why we need a guidebook. Let's go get some supplies," she said, as they headed off to the craft store.

~*~

"What's going on?" the union rep asked.

"Her lawyer's here. She's getting out. But this isn't over. I've got this covered," Killian replied.

"George told me to handle it," the rep said.

"I'm gonna offer to give her a ride. We'll find ourselves in a rough neighborhood. And she doesn't find her way out," he added.

"That plan's not gonna work anymore, 'cause she's leaving with her lawyer. Don't worry. I know exactly how to deal with Emma Nolan," Killian promised.

"Okay…but I'm telling George this was your call," the man replied.

"Good. 'Cause it is," Killian answered.

"Any of these?" David asked, as he skimmed through photos of dozens of bridges in New York City.

"No. It... It was kind of like this one, but the shoreline was rockier," Margaret said, as she pointed to one on the screen.

"Alright, "New York, river, bridge, rocks," he said, refining his search.

"There was a minaret or something like that on the opposite side," she replied, as he typed that in as well.

"Did you hear anything?" he asked.

"A train whistle, I think," she replied, as he added that and more options came up.

"That's it," she recalled, as she pointed to the one she had seen in the Calling.

"High Bridge," he said.

"That's where I was," she replied.

It crosses the Harlem River. Let's go," he said, as he took her hand and they headed out.

They soon arrived at the High Bridge and joined hands, as they started trekking along the rocky shore.

"I can't get over how real the Callings feel…this is exactly what I saw," Margaret said.

"I don't hear any cries for help though," he replied.

"So we wait?" she asked, as his phone chimed and he looked at it.

"It's Emma…she's out," he said.

"Thank God," she said, as she saw movement by the underside of the bridge.

"David…someone is watching us," she said, as he saw movement too and the hooded figure ran. David gave chase and grabbed him. He pulled the person back and whipped them around, before yanking their hood off.

"Samdi…" he said, as their eavesdropper was revealed.

"Where the hell have you been? The whole world is looking for you," David replied.

"I know…I don't want to be found," Baron replied, as he straightened his clothes.

What David didn't see was Margaret slipped and fell coming down the rocky bank, but didn't say anything, before getting back up.

"You know you're a suspect in a murder investigation and it looks like we'll be taking you straight to the police station," David said.

"Honey…" Margaret protested, as she touched his hand.

"This can't be a coincidence," she said, as she looked at Samdi.

"What are you doing here of all places?" she asked and her suspicions were confirmed. He sighed.

"A Calling. I tried to ignore it, but it got louder. I finally gave in and walked here all the way from Queens, dodging cop cars and cameras the whole way," he said.

"We can't turn him in," Margaret said. David's eyes widened.

"Are you serious? The Calling helped us find him and he needs to be held accountable," he replied.

"David…why would a Calling bring us together all the way out here just to bring him back?" she asked. He sighed. She was right. They had to solve this Calling together.

~*~

Once Emma was out, she reluctantly went to the park and spotted the bench where they always used to sit. She spotted their initials carved into it and gently traced her fingers over them, recalling the last time she was here.

~*~

Flashback

She was sitting on their bench, waiting for him, and wondering why he had asked her to meet him there in the middle of the day. Suddenly, she heard music playing and it happened to be one of their favorite songs. She looked over her shoulder and saw Killian there, holding a boombox over his head. She was instantly embarrassed, but smiled.

"Oh my God…you are so cheesy," she said, as she saw her brother and sister-in-law there, in each other's arms and the twins took the boom box from him, while her father stood beside her brother.

"What is going on?" she asked.

"What is going on is that I love you and I wanted to do this in front of all the other people that love you," Killian said, as he got down on one knee.

"Emma Ruth Nolan…will you marry me?" he asked.

~*~

That had been just a few days before their trip and she had told him she needed to think about it. For Killian, it had been over six years since that day, but for her only a handful of months. She saw him there and he sat down next to her.

"Can you please tell me what's going on? My mind is about to explode," Emma said.

"This your first time back here?" he asked.

"Yeah. You?" she asked. He shook his head.

"While you were...gone...I came here a lot. Whenever I wanted to talk to you, I'd come

here.

"When I was getting married…when the plane came back. I mean, I even came here

when you took me down in court," Killian replied.

"Killian, I have to tell you how sorry I am about that," she said sincerely.

"And, that time, it didn't make me feel better. In fact, it made me feel worse. So I walked into a bar and ended up clicking with the bartender. And then I realized I was in the belly of the beast," Killian said.

"The Xers," Emma realized.

"So you joined them because of me," she said.

"I did. Because the best way to destroy a hate group is to blow it up from the inside," he said, making her suddenly realize that he had been undercover this whole time.

"Oh, my God," she said.

"You said you'd never feel safe with them out there," he said.

"Why didn't you tell me you were undercover?" she asked.

"Because I needed you to believe I was in so deep that they'd believe. It took a lot to

gain their trust, Emma," he answered.

"The blown police raid," she guessed.

"You were right. I tipped them off," Killian admitted.

"I turned you into I.A. for that," Emma said, feeling really guilty at the moment.

"You can't help being a good cop. You know what the thing that killed me the most was?

That you bought it," Killian replied.

"Yeah. You were convincing. Guess you can't help being a good cop, either," Emma said.

"So the bartender, she's one of them?" she asked curiously.

"No, but she loves her brother, and he is one of the worst," Killian replied.

"You really care for her?" Emma asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I do," he admitted.

"I…have to tell you something. I bugged her bar," she said with a wince. He smirked.

"And I have to tell you something. I know," he replied. She smiled.

"Okay…I'm all in. I want to help," she said.

~*~

"In the Calling, I heard a voice yelling for help," Margaret explained, as she started to feel

funny, but pressed on.

"Same," Baron confirmed.

"I tried to ignore it, but, my God, the Callings are manipulative," he said. David rolled his eyes.

"Says the cult leader," he commented.

"I created a religion," Samdi corrected.

"Well, your religion led one of your followers to murder people in a fire…" David said hotly.

"That wasn't my fault! The Calling was responsible for that fire," Baron claimed.

"What?" David asked.

"How exactly?" he questioned. Samdi sighed.

"I got a vision of a burned-out airplane with dead passengers everywhere, and it freaked me I went to my right-hand, Isaiah, told him what I had seen, right down to the

champagne glasses, and then he made it all come true," he explained. David shook his head.

"No, this is on you. You created a monster by making Isaiah think we're all immortal.

The Calling was warning you to stop," David said.

"You don't know that!" Samdi exclaimed.

"You follow the Callings blindly. Have you even considered the possibility that they create more bad than good?" he continued. David shook his head.

"No, I refuse to believe that. The Callings have saved so many people," he said.

"David's right…whatever happened on the plane brought my family back to me. Asking me to believe that is a bad thing just isn't in my scope," Margaret added. Samdi sighed.

"Signs and wonders," he quoted.

"Sorry, what?" David asked.

"Where do these Callings come from? Do you ever ask yourself?" Baron questioned.

"Only every day. But Margaret is right. You're here for a reason. Maybe the Calling is trying to restore your faith," David suggested.

"David…" Margaret called.

"Wish I could believe that," Samdi replied," as David's attention turned to his wife.

"My water just broke," she said in alarm. His eyes widened.

"It's too early…come on," he said, as he led her back up the hill.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Baron asked.

"I don't give a damn what you do. I've got to get my wife to the hospital," he called back, as he broke every speed limit in the city to get them to the emergency room. He rushed her in and there was immediately a fury of nurses technicians around them.

"Can someone please tell us what's happening?" David asked, as they were put in a room where his wife was in a hospital bed.

"Where's Dr. Elbaz?" he asked.

"Away. She wasn't expecting this delivery for another two months. Margaret has some internal bleeding. It sometimes happens when there's been a prior trauma," the on call doctor told him.

"The car accident," he realized.

"Is the baby okay?" Margaret asked desperately.

"She's stable right now, but your blood pressure is dropping," the doctor explained.

"What's the solution?" David asked.

"Normally it would be delivery," the doctor answered.

"Great, so let's deliver. 29 weeks is early, but she'd make it, right?" David asked. The doctor sighed.

"Unfortunately, we can't. You have a condition called placenta percreta. The placenta has invaded the surrounding tissue. That's what has ruptured, making this a much more complicated and more dangerous surgery. You'd be risking your life. There are a handful of specialists who are qualified to perform this. We're trying to locate them now," the doctor explained.

"Okay, how long will that take?" David asked anxiously.

"We have calls out. There's someone here in town, but he isn't responding. We found someone in Boston. She can be here in five hours," the doctor replied.

"Can the baby hold on that long?" David asked.

"We hope so," the doctor answered. David looked back at his wife and was immediately at her side. He grasped her hand and kissed her forehead.

"David…" she said weakly.

"It's going to be okay…" he promised, hoping that it wouldn't be a broken promise.

~*~

Emma and Killian returned to the station. He had filled her in that Graham was also in on everything and that the IA investigation had quickly gotten out of hand, thanks to X'ers within the NYPD.

"So my union rep…an x'er?" she asked. He nodded.

"I recognized him from one of the meetings, which is a good thing for you," he replied.

"The downtown meeting…I wouldn't have made it," she realized.

"No…he had plans to take you out on George's orders," Killian answered.

"George Spencer…he's David's boss," she said.

"I know…your brother may be qualified for his position at the University, but George hired him with ulterior motives. He has photos of your brother's walls from the garage," he said.

"He visited after we thought TJ was lost in the fire. He must have slipped in there somehow," Emma deduced.

"You think he has a plan to hurt my brother?" he asked. He shrugged.

"It wouldn't surprise me. He saw an opportunity to go after you and took it. He'll do so with David too, but we can't bring him in on this yet, Emma," he warned. She sighed.

"Keeping things from David and MM is not my strong suit. David deserves to know that his boss might have a target on his back. Margaret and the kids could get caught in a crossfire like that," she argued.

"And we will bring him in…just not yet. You're barely in and maybe now we can take them out before it even comes to that," Killian reasoned.

"And you're sure George is the top of the food chain?" she asked. He nodded.

"At least for this group. I'm sure they're are others, but he's organizing the violence we've seen so far. But he's smart and careful. I don't have anything remotely close to him implicating himself. Even in the meetings, he's careful in his words and holding meetings isn't against the law," Killian replied, as Graham's office door opened and he proceeded to keep up the appearance that she was in huge trouble.

"There she is. It's about time, Nolan. You can hide behind your lawyer to avoid questions about the crime, but you're damn well gonna answer questions about your job. My office, now!" he called, as he shot a look at Killian.

"You too, Rogers," he called, as they went inside and Graham continued to yell for show.

"And I want to make sure you're both comfortable, 'cause you're gonna be spending a lot of time with me," he shouted, before slamming the door. He smirked and sat down at his desk.

"Welcome to the team, Nolan," he said. She smiled in response.

"Let's bring these dirtbags down," she replied.

~*~

Baron Samdi paced along the rocky shore, as he heard the train whistle and the voice in his head again, calling for help.

"What do you want from me!?" he cried, as he heard the voice again. But this time, it was not his own voice calling for help and it sounded much closer.

"Help!" a man called. Samdi spotted the man in the water, flailing, with an overturned Kayak floating away.

"Help!" he called again. Samdi threw his jacket off and hurriedly waded into the water, before swimming to help the drowning man.

~*~

"So Rogers has filled you" Graham asked. She nodded.

"George Spencer…our top dirtbag," Emma replied. He nodded, as he opened a file, which had a photo of the man that had hired her brother.

"He's a classic hate-group figurehead. He uses academic credentials to gain all sorts of followers in fringe online forums," Graham said.

"In the meantime, he's tapping uneducated recruits to start violence. While keeping his nose clean," the Captain added.

"That's what makes him so dangerous. He's convinced himself that 828ers are terrorists

controlled by evil voices you all hear in your heads," Killian said. Emma looked down.

"Whatever gave him that idea?" she muttered.

"Wild conclusions based on his own digging around," he answered, as he showed her the next photos, which she expected, but it was still unsettling.

"David's boards," she said.

"His plan is to release damning information about you all, get other people worked up. Incite them to attack passengers," Graham said.

"Problem is, I can't get anything to stick in court. Even when he gave the green light to kill you, he still didn't say enough to incriminate himself. This guy's careful," Killian explained.

"So you guys don't have anything on him?" Emma asked.

"We could pick him up on lesser charges... conspiracy to illegally obtain your confidential records...that gives you mail fraud," he said.

"Sneaking into Ben's garage? That's a slap on the wrist," he continued.

"And you'd have to blow your cover," she said.

"And I'd have to blow my cover," he agreed. Graham looked between them.

"Is this what it's like when you two get along?" the Captain asked.

"Yeah, afraid so," Emma replied.

"Okay, then. Then let's put our heads together and figure out a way to nail George to the wall," Graham said.

"Which means you need to keep your cover," Emma said.

"That might be difficult. I called off the goon out there that was going to make sure you were killed today. George is going to want me to answer for it and he may start to get suspicious," Killian replied.

"Maybe he'll get sloppy then," Emma surmised.

"Maybe…or blame me. Tell him I'm the one with suspicions about the whole thing and the reason you backed off the plan to kill Emma," Graham suggested.

"That might work," Killian agreed.

"It might also get him to take his focus off me and point it in another direction…like my brother," Emma warned, as Killian's phone chimed.

"It's Gretta…she wants me to come by the bar," he said.

"Go…check in later. We need to keep up appearances," Graham said. He nodded.

"And speaking of keeping up appearances," he said, as he opened the door and proceeded to shout again.

"And you find that paperwork and you don't come back until you do!" he yelled, as Killian left and he slammed the door again. He smirked and sat down.

"This is fun," he said. Emma shook her head.

"Yeah…fun, but about my family," she said.

"Emma…I already have two undercovers protecting them. In fact, they're at the hospital. Were you aware?" Graham asked.

"Damn…no, David didn't text me. But MM is pregnant so it's probably just a checkup," she replied.

"Probably…but your family is safe," he promised.

"What about Neal?" she asked. He sighed.

"Our resources are stretched to the max…but I can pull one officer off your family for Neal if you want," he said.

"No…he'd hate that if he knew I pulled an officer off my pregnant sister-in-law and the kids for him," she said. He nodded.

"Relax…we're going to get these dirtbags," he assured her.

"I hope you're right…" she replied.

~*~

Baron pulled the man out of the water and to shore.

"Oh my God…thank you. You…you saved my life. You're a miracle," he praised.

"I promise you I'm not," Samdi answered.

"Let's get you to a hospital," he added, as he helped the man along and they found his car. Baron got in and drove off with the man toward the hospital.

~*~

"Your drawings are great. The baby is really going to like them," she said, as they looked through Henry's sketchbook.

"Hey…I don't remember this drawing," she said. It was a drawing of their family, but it had a big shadow behind them, looming over them.

"Oh…this one was one of my first ones. I tore it out, because the shadow thing was creepy. I never really found out what it meant," he recalled, as he flipped through a family photo album.

"Wow…these pictures are great. Guess we have to stop making fun of Mom for taking so many pics and still printing them out for albums," she joked, as her phone rang.

"Hey Dad…" she said and he watched her face fall.

"Oh my God…yeah, we'll be right there," she said, as she hung up.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's Mom and the baby…they're at the hospital. We gotta go," she said, as they dropped everything to call an Uber to the hospital.

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #AU #Manifest #with a Once twist #Emma #Henry #Regina Mills #Neal Cassidy #Mr. Gold #romance #adventure #family #mystery #Lightning in a Bottle

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