Somewhere Down The Road

Chapter Four

Storybrooke: 10 years old

"Happy Fourth of July!" The parents chant as David lights the last firework off in the middle of the paved road.

Crickets are chirping all around, loud and obnoxious in her ears. She never noticed them before but now that she's older, a lot of things are starting to come in more clearly. But even over the chaos of insects, she hears the whistle from the firework as it rockets from the cardboard shoot and sails toward the sky. She feels the mini Earthquake in her chest just before the firework explodes across the sky; red, white and blue sparks dance before they droop down like a weeping willow tree and turn into ash.

"Em, getch-your butt over here!" David happily chuckles from the bed of his pickup truck where he has so many toys to celebrate The Fourth.

Regina chases Emma toward the truck. Henry is even digging through a bunch of packages, sipping his cold beer and very much entertained by Mr. Swan.

"How about some sparklers?" Henry suggests, handing over a thin box to David.

"I bought them just for the girls," David proudly announces but then Davey is rushing over because all this summer, he has been in their shadow.

She likes Davey. He's really adorable and he plays nice most of the time but he needs lots of attention and sometimes Emma and Regina just want to run off. They are ten now and he's about to turn five and he can't always keep up or do what they want to do.

"Daddy, I can have a sparkler too!" Davey demands.

"Of course, bud, but you gotta stay right next to me," David strictly demands. "Light 'em up, Henry."

Henry grins, placing a stick in each of their hands. "Now, when I light these, sparks are going to fly everywhere, keep your arm stretched as far from your body as possible. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Henry," Emma and Davey say in unison.

"Of course, daddy."

"No goofing around. Someone could get hurt," he orders one last time before he lights Emma's stick first, knowing this isn't her first time.

Then he moves on to Regina's stick before he focuses on Davey, with David right there to hold the sparkler with his son. The sparklers burn white and hot, sizzling and snapping as the heat slides down the stick. Emma and Regina are in awe, mesmerized by how close the sparks are to their hands. Of course, Emma starts drawing out in front of herself like she's in the Olympics with ribbons.

"Emma, you be careful," Mary Margaret warns.

"I know, momma."

Regina sneaks a glimpse of the mothers, sitting in lawn chairs, sipping sweet tea and conversing. There's a table in front of them filled with desserts decorated in red, white, and blue and they must be hyper off the sugar because they are all kinds of giggles this evening.

When Regina's sparkler burns too close to her fingers, she nervously glances to Emma for guidance.

"I gotchu," Emma says, stealing the sparkler from her fingertips and planting it right into the ground, so it can burn to the end on its own. Emma places hers right next to Regina's and then snatches up her hand and tugs her toward the hill. "Let's roll down!"

"I'll race you!"

"You and your racing," Emma giggles, slightly out of breath once they make it to the top. "Don't you get enough of winning with Rocinante?"