"Yeah, yeah. Hey, you gotta take pictures of this fair thing Henry was talking about."

"I will," Regina promised. "Do you do anything for the holiday?"

"Are you kidding? Fourth of the July? That's when we get our most patriotic. We brighten up the sky with some NRA-approved gunfire."

Regina snorted despite herself. "Are you allowed to speak like that?"

"Probably not," the blonde smirked. "But it is a big deal around here. A lot of soldiers go home for that time to celebrate with their families, but this weekend we do our big Independence Day celebration with everyone's families coming down. There's bounce houses for the kids and face painting and live shows and this giant cookout. It's actually a good time."

"That certainly beats our fireworks fair."

"No, Henry would love it," Emma imagined then added meekly. "Maybe one day you can come."

"One day," Regina repeated solemnly. Just like Emma's tone, Regina knew why that promise sounded like a far off dream.

"Well when you do," Emma said putting more chipper in her voice for emphasis, "I can finally show you my neck of the woods."

"I'd like that," Regina said happily. "All these families fly out for the event?"

"No," the blonde said with a chuckle. "Well some do, but a lot of them live on or around base. Most of them are military families. They go wherever their soldier gets deployed."

"That sounds like a lot of moving."

"You get used to it, I guess. It's nice though. It's like a community." Emma beamed at a thought. "Like Storybrooke but less low-key!"

"Oh, we don't need weapons to destroy here, soldier," Regina said darkly, her voice like velvet. "One well-spread rumour and consider your life in ruins."

"You speak from experience, Mayor Mills?" Emma asked pointedly.

"I did grow up here," she replied non-chalantly.

"You're a little scary when you're evil." The feigned tremble in her voice was enough to elicit a throaty chuckle from the brunette.

"That's why I'm Mayor–"

"You have one minute left." An automated voice interrupted Regina. Emma groaned at the message.

"Shit," she huffed into the phone, letting her head fall back with a thud against the window. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes," Regina sighed. "I can send you another one."

"Don't worry, I can stock up here."

"I suppose we'll speak another time?" Regina asked reluctantly.

The blonde released a heavy sigh. "Yeah. We will," she promised.

"I'll miss you," Regina whispered quietly.

"I–" The line cut off, and Emma was left with a dial tone and her head pressed against the glass. Shaking her head, she slid off the ledge and replaced the phone, making a beeline to the commissary.


July 4, 2004 - Storybrooke, Maine

Regina never understood the idea behind the romance of cuddling under the stars during a fireworks display. She had done it with Henry twice now. His first Fourth of July had been uneventful since there was no way she was risking blowing his eardrums at only three months, so they opted to stay home after she had dutifully opened the fair to all and watched the fireworks from their upstairs balcony. After his first birthday, Regina stayed long enough at their Independence Day Fair for Henry to watch the fireworks. His first show was spent with his face buried in his mother's shirt as his hands pressed Regina's over his ears. Only when the roman candles went off did he even think to peak at the shock of red and white in the sky. His second show last year had Henry jolting at the big finish at the end. He was so shaken by the noise he had cried a little. Now, Regina was fairly confident he could handle the full ten minutes of fireworks. Regardless, she had her earplugs for him at the ready should he need it.

Mother and son had enjoyed the fine Sunday weather as they traipsed through the courtyard of Town Hall where booths and kiosks lined the path. The nuns from St. Leopold Church were selling their candles as they did every year. Regina bit back a chuckle when Sister Astrid tripped over her own feet and spilled the box of candles she was carrying, earning her a disapproving stare from Mother Superior. Her eyebrow quirked when Leroy of all people was the first to rush out to help her out.

The Sheriff's department was set up along the north side of the courtyard where the deputies who weren't stuck on patrol duty had the honour of sitting atop the dunk tank taunting the townsfolk. Currently Deputy Nolan was striking up conversation with Mary Margaret Blanchard, much to Regina's disdain. Perhaps Regina should have warned him that his wife had purchased a ball and took aim to her target. Never mess with a former softball star, Regina noted as she caught Kathryn's eye with a cheeky grin when the ball landed squarely against the bullseye. The deputy had sputtered out water once he surfaced, throwing a sheepish grin to his wife just as that insufferable school teacher scurried away.

Their day continued, filled with a candy apple dipped in confection that resembled the American flag, a small bag of popcorn, and rides and games Henry participated in. Somehow Henry had conned his mother into going on the Ferris wheel despite her fear of heights. She was nearly having a panic attack during the entire ride, but she couldn't help but think how different it would be if Emma was there. No doubt the younger woman would be the type to rock the seat, joking about their impending doom, but she knew that if Regina gave the word, Emma would stop and wrap an arm around both Regina and Henry, protecting them from the drop or any bird poop that would land their way. The view from the top was breathtaking on its own, but if Emma was there, she knew the blonde would be struck dumb by the site. Regina had snapped a picture of the town at the top of the ride and made a mental note to send it to Emma.

Little things made Regina painfully aware that Emma was a couple states over when she should have been here, in Storybrooke, enjoying the fair. The prizes from the games had Regina imagining Emma blowing all her money just because Henry wanted that giant stuffed panda bear. She could hear a few teases from the blonde when she spotted Ruby Lucas at the kissing booth. But the fireworks show, that's when she missed Emma the most and could finally realize why it was considered so romantic to cuddle under the stars as fireworks went off in the distance.

Couples surrounded her as the night darkened quickly. That Boyd girl and her high school sweetheart's arm wrapped around her shoulder and ever growing baby bump. Kathryn and David Nolan, the latter temporarily forgiven, as they sat on lawn chairs, their fingers clasped in the middle. Even that drunk of a janitor was sharing a blanket with Sister Astrid.

But she wasn't too upset because Henry was jumping up and down in front of her, dancing to Kenny Chesney's latest playing from the overhead speakers the planning committee had set up. Her momentary pity party was immediately replaced when Henry had begun shaking his hips, screaming wildly at the country song that was going much slower than his dancing suggested.

Regina laughed as he jumped around in a circle, pausing to clap and shake his hips again. She immediately retrieved her camera to take a short video. Emma would get a load out of that. Once a few pictures were snapped, the music was cut and the lawn quieted down for the inevitable.

Henry stopped and plopped into Regina's lap as she sat in her own lawn chair. "It's starting, Mommy."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him snug against her chest. The only source of light was coming from various children's red, white, and blue glow sticks and light up flags, but it was enough to prepare them for the spectacle.

The show began, brightening up the sky in a slash of red.


July 9, 2004 - Fort Benning, Georgia

The sky lit up as bright reds, oranges, and yellows painted the night and burned when the first bomb went off.

Emma had woken mere seconds before the explosion, the different taste in the air jolting her body awake in time to brace herself when her cramped portable-like bunker shook from the residual impact. There was a moment of silence after the shock, and then like a clockwork, yelling rang from outside, and Emma rolled off her bed, strategically avoiding Neal's descending legs as he hopped off the top bunk. They moved around each other expertly, and within seconds, their helmets and boots were on, the only things they decided to discard when they turned in for a couple hours of shut eye. Grabbing their rifles, they stormed out the door only to be met with a fire engulfing the two furthest housing units along the southern path.

The furthest was destroyed. Glass everywhere. Metal, rock, and plastic littered the sand where it once stood.

Avery and Dominque were in that unit.

The second was in flames, burning from the inside out.

Johnson and Woodbridge.

Shouts sounded. A cacophony of Arabic and English curses tossed at each other. Gunfire. Lots of gunfire behind  the blaze where a group of four men dressed in black came from the flames like they were born from the ashes as they carried rifles of their own, ammunition strapped to their chest and a promise in their eyes.

"Stand down!" An ally ordered, their finger ready on the trigger begging for a wrong move.

He got it. Once the four men took aim and fired, keeping the lone soldier preoccupied as he dove for cover, a fifth broke from the path. His shirt loosened and his ammunition deadly. Lethal. Ticking.