It was the perfect day to celebrate the fourth of July. The weather was cooperating nicely. The temperature was perfection with no high amounts of humidity. And there were children laughing merrily in the field as they played soccer. The women were all sitting around a campfire chatting aimlessly about nothing in particular while the men were busy trying to not burn down the campsite while grilling the food.

"David! Watch the burgers!" Robin shouted as the flame started to grow higher.

David quickly turned back around from where the kids were playing and cursed silently as he saw some of the burgers being burnt. He moved them aside on the grill and looked back at his friends. "Under control. See?"

Robin just smirked at him. "Yeah sure. Now I know why Mary Margaret does all the cooking around the house. David just threw one of the ruined burgers at him and continued to watch his grill.

"When is the food gonna be done? I'm starving," Jefferson said from his chair.

"It would be done sooner if you two would help us out," Killian sighed.

"Nah. I'm more of a looker than a cooker," Victor laughed from next to Jefferson. "Besides you can ask Ruby. Any food I try to make just ends up inedible. I'm not gonna do that to everyone." Jefferson snickered and the other three just sighed and continued to prepare dinner.

"You know, I'm kinda worried with them making the food. Remember last year when David tried cooking for Labor Day?" Mary Margaret asked to no one in particular.

"Oh you mean the chicken blowing up in the deep fryer? Yeah I remember that fondly," Regina snickered. "It was quite amusing seeing all your neighbors pop their heads over the fences to see what was going on."

"I still have those pictures!" Ruby announced. "I use them whenever he thinks it's a good idea to try and buy another deep fryer."

"Oh! Don't forget that was the first time you all were meeting Killian too! I was so sure after that day he was going to never want to see any of you again," Emma said. "Nope instead he just said that he'd never experienced that much chaos in one day and would love to hang out more if that meant he got to see that kind of stuff more often."

Everyone chuckled and continued on chatting about David's past cooking feats as the kids began running towards their moms.

"Mooommm! I'm hungry!" Roland exaggerated. "When is Dad going to be done with the chicken?"

Regina just smiled as she picked up her little five-year-old son and put him on her lap. "Roland dear, be patient. You'll survive." He just humphed as she kissed his head and put him back down and ran back to join Henry, Grace, and James(Mary Margaret's little boy).

From inside the tent that Emma and Killian were using there was a rustling noise and then came a meowing.

"I still can't you brought your cat Emma!" Ruby chuckled. "Isn't this too hot for him or something?"

Emma just shook her head in defiance as she started for the tent. "Nah we've done this before. I'd never leave him alone the entire weekend. And since Henry wasn't going to be with Neal this weekend and watch him, well I decided he's gonna go camping with me." She got there and unzipped the door enough to allow the still fat tabby space to get out. He looked around the space with little care before stopping to stretch out his legs and waddle on over to the fire pit. He gazed up at all the potential human laps before the smell of chicken and burgers caught his senses and he was off for the food.

"Heads up guys! Hungry lion ten o'clock!" Ruby yelled towards them and started to burst out in fits of laugher when Bear jumped up onto Victor's lap to try and get himself a meal. Victor, who never really liked cats to begin with, just oomphed a little when he landed on his stomach and tried to, unsuccessfully, shoo the cat away.

"Serves him right for not liking cats," Mary Margaret mumbled as she took a sip of her drink. Everyone just burst out into laughs again.

At that moment Emma saw Bear run back towards her and then disappeared in the tent with a piece of chicken in his mouth.

"Emma! Control your fat cat!" Killian yelled out from behind her.

After the guys successfully cooked the rest of dinner, without any more burnt burgers from David as well, they all moved to the lake front where the fireworks were going to be held at that evening. Henry and Grace brought along their Gameboys to pass the time while the two younger boys were playing on the shoreline with their mothers keeping a close eye on them. The adults had brought along blankets and coolers for everyone to sit on and were all arranged next to each other talking aimlessly about nothing again. Emma and Killian were on the edge of the group and in their own little world. She sat with her back against his chest and his head on her shoulder.

"You know I'm really happy you were able to come this weekend," he said to her and smiled.

She just smiled back. "Me too. And I'm glad Henry got to come too."

"Aye, we should thank Neal for giving up this weekend to let him come with us. Grace would have been overly bored without her boyfriend here," he laughed.

"They aren't dating!" Emma stated. "They just have a crush on each other and are too afraid to admit yet."

He just snickered at that and went back to watching the kids playing in the water for a while in comfortable silence.

"You know Emma, I really should thank you for giving this a chance," he said and pointed to them. "I know it wasn't easy at first, but because you've let me in, I've become the happiest man in the world."

She turned around to face him and smiled. "Killian, I'm not gonna lie. I had my doubts about you at first. My track record with men wasn't all that good yet you stayed and I can't thank you enough for that." She placed her hands over his. "Plus, our first meeting was so entertaining that'd I'd be an idiot to pass up the chance to tell the story of how we first met."

"Oh you mean a dashing rapscallion broke into your apartment drunk and you couldn't pass up his good looks and charms?" he teased. She just nodded and kissed him before turning back around and resting against his chest again.

As she did the fireworks started going off and everyone around them started cheering. Regina and Mary Margaret rounded up their kids and brought them back to the blankets. Henry and Grace put down their games for once and watched along too. Killian snaked his arms around Emma's waist and pulled her back as far as she would go against his stomach. She just sighed in contempt and relaxed and watched the colors from the fireworks light up the ground and water.

Sure, she was still scared of being this close to someone because there was always a chance they would run. But her friends were still here after countless years of knowing her. And even though she turned him down for three months before saying yes to a date, Killian has stuck by her for almost a year and a half now. Those feelings were slowly dissolving with each day he told her he loved her and held her. This Independence Day was everything she had hoped for.

"Oh Killian," she whispered to him.

"Hmm?"

"Along with thanking Neal, remind me to thank Bear for convincing me to let you stay that night."

He just laughed and hugged her tighter. "Aye, lass, I believe I owe that cat a lot for liking me." And it was true. When they got home, he would be sure to thank him properly with a belly rub and some pepperoni, even if he had to sneak them past Emma. That much he could do for the fat tabby.