Thanks for following, and thanks for the new Favorites/Story Alerts, and especially reviews. You guys rock! I hope you enjoy the second and last installment for my Independence Day write-up. Feel free to offer up more suggestions! I'll keep this going for as long as you are interested. In other words...REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! :D Thought I'd put it out there. ;)

Cheers and Ciao!

Chapter 17 – Independence Day (Part Two)!

"Look, Granddad, a hermit crab!" Alexandra ran from the water to the boardwalk, the small creature cupped in her hands. "They get too big for their first shells, and then you can get 'em a really cool one!" She stopped at where the King of Camelot sat on one of the cascading steps that lead down to the sand, and she sat down right beside him. "See? Isn't he so cute?"

Uther flinched slightly at the specimen that the child presented, but he tried to nod in a composed manner. "Ah. Yes, lovely. Perhaps you should...let it go, my dear. I don't suppose the creature likes to be handled so," he suggested gently, working to hide the revulsion in his voice.

"Oh, I know! I just really wanted to see one up close, an' then I'll let him go. I promise." She turned the creature this way and that, studying its habitat with great interest. Blowing on the shell gently, she watched with a huge grin as the creature ventured out of its shell a bit in search of her warm breath. Her momma had taught her that trick a while back. "See, that's what he really looks like." She turned and held the crab up in front of her grandfather's face. "See?"

Uther nodded once more, gently pushing her hand out of his face. "Yes, yes. Very...entertaining." He glanced up the waterfront. "Where is your mother?"

"Surfing," Alexandra chirped.

"Your father?"

"Some of Grampa's friends wanted to see Marissa, so Grampa's showing Daddy around." Alexandra was still studying the creature closely, tilting it this way and that, letting it crawl all over her hand. "And I'm here with YOU!" She turned a bright smile to her Granddad. "They have a crafts table set up in the tent, Granddad. Can you come with me? I wanna go paint and make stuff." She blinked up at the King expectantly, her big blue eyes full of hope.

Uther nodded after a moment, rising to his feet. Asking Alexandra again to release the crab, he took the child's small hand and walked with her up the beach a bit. "Perhaps we should have waited for your father to return. You know your old Granddad isn't artistically inclined..."

"Then you'd never get to spend time with me," Alexandra argued firmly. She squeezed her grandfather's hand affectionately. "You're always busy at the castle, and here you get to have fun. You can do kid stuff, an' I can show you how!"

Uther laughed at the absurdity of this proposal, but he nodded. He raised his hands in surrender.. "All right," he conceded with a laugh. "My time is yours. Do with me what you will, lass."

Impatient, Alexandra pulled him along. "COME ON! Let's GO!"

~.~.~

"Major Joel Hansen," David greeted with a smile and a handshake, "I'd like you to meet my son-in-law, Arthur Pendragon."

The officer blinked, his face set in question for a moment before he smiled and shook the young man's outstretched hand. "Now, there's a legendary name if I ever heard one," Joel said with a laugh, nodding in greeting. "Good to meet you, Arthur. How's the old man treating you?" He turned briefly to see what his teenagers were up to at the water. They were busy preparing two of his seadoos to hit the waves. "My kids; Naomi and Peter. They're about to head out and zip around the sand bar."

David laughed, nodding. "Yeah, I remember those days. Kelly and Danny used to stage dogfights way the hell out in deep water, and you'd cringe just watching them." He illustrated with his hands the distance he spoke of. "THIS close to runnin' into each other at fifty miles per hour! And they'd do this repeatedly, sometimes 'til one of them ran out of fuel."

Arthur chuckled at this. He could see that happening. He knew his wife was a risk-taker. He had learned so much about her personality in the last year, and she had given him a heart attack on so many levels over so many things...but he wouldn't trade life with this modern woman for an easy life with a Princess who had been perfectly schooled in royal protocol. Kelly always left him feeling challenged—over nearly everything! Even with all the frustration and the pains of growing accustomed to raising a family, Arthur would trade none of it for even a moment.

Joel laughed, wrinkling his heavily lined brow in question. "Wait—little Kelly? Hell, I remember her back when you first came on board with the base!"

"Oh, yeah! Man, she could handle that seadoo like nothin'. Kept up with her brother, gave him a good run more times than you can count."

Joel shrugged. "I don't doubt it. She's gotta be, what, twenty-five now?"

"Twenty-eight," David corrected, grinning with pride. "A doctor, too."

Joel whistled low and nodded. "Too bad she didn't join the Marines, too, eh?" He caught the offended look that crossed the young man's face. The Major's eyes drifted to the child resting in the man's arms. "Well, now, who's this little peanut?"

"That, Major, is my newest granddaughter. Marissa Ygraine Pendragon, six months old." David grinned at his son-in-law. "Her first Fourth of July celebration, and there'll be lots more to come." He gestured about, adding, "Her big sister's somewhere around here with Arthur's father."

Joel smiled, taking the alert baby into his own arms. He raised his eyes to look at the child's father. He wasn't a very big man, standing barely six feet, but he was in pretty decent shape. Nice neat appearance, Joel thought with a nod of approval. "Well, you've got a busy family, now, haven't you, son?"

Arthur smiled at this note of hospitality and bowed his head respectfully. "Indeed. Never a dull moment," he answered honestly. He wanted badly to take Marissa back, but he suspected such a move would appear hostile. He was quickly gathering that the Marines were a family in their own right, and that their own families were an extension of that relationship.

Joel froze and smiled. "Whoa, we got ourselves a real Brit. Where's that accent from?"

Arthur quickly flipped through his recollection of present day Great Britain. Where would Camelot be in this era? he asked himself, masking his moment of stress with a polite cough behind his hand. And then he remembered what Kelly had said, about how the 'legends' began in that region. Legends. Bah! People wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and bit them..."Glastonbury, Major," he answered smoothly.

Joel burst out laughing then, nodding. "Ah, man, you got a wicked sense of humour," he declared. "Arthur, Ygraine, Pendragon..." He shook his head, still chuckling, and raised an eyebrow in appreciation. "Good way to stir up a few questions for the anthropologists of the world! Good on you, son." He turned to David and nodded. "He's funny."

David laughed, nodding, clapping the young man on the shoulder. "That's why we love him." the Brigadier General paused and held his arms out. "Mind if I take my granddaughter back, Major?"

"Aw, c'mon, Sir!" Joel's tone was playful as he hugged the child closer. "I was gonna give you my teenagers in exchange! There's HOPE for this one! She can still be trained!" He got a quizzical look from the baby herself and shrugged, staring back at her with wide eyes. "What, you choose your daddy over me? Kid, I could have you water skiing by the time you turn two." He made a funny face, earning a giggle, and a small hand swiped at his nose. "All right, okay. Go to your Grampa. He's getting a little antsy..." Joel handed her back, grinning. "Aw, she's a doll, Sir. She's a right mix of the two, ain't she?"

David nodded, cradling the baby close in a football hold. "Yeah, she is. Alexandra looks more like Arthur, I think, but wait 'til you see her. Cute as a button, that one. Gonna have to keep a shotgun visible at all times when these girls get older." He glanced at Arthur and nodded. "Better learn to shoot, boy."

"Oi! I am a marksman in my own right," Arthur argued, crossing his arms over his chest. "I simply prefer archery, throwing knives...The quieter arts, I suppose." He suddenly felt quite inadequate in the skills of modern warfare.

"But you've never handled a rifle or handgun a day in your life," Joel guessed. At that, the young man shook his head and appeared a bit shamefaced. Sipping at his beer, Joel pointed to the blond man. "That's okay. We still got somethin' to work with."

~.~.~

Kelly had spent nearly an hour out at sea, finally riding in on the breakers after having inhaled sea water more times than she could count. Man, it had been a while...

"Nice run out there," commented one of the Marines who had been surfing nearby. "You really know how to cutback on the barrels." Walking alongside the pretty auburn-haired woman, he took in her appearance with an appreciative smile. She wore a bikini top and boarder shorts, her long hair tied back in a tight french braid. She wore sporty sunglasses. Nice tan...And then he saw the ring on her left hand. That thing was HUGE. Probably just engaged, he hoped, keeping stride. He put his hand out in greeting, stepping in front of her to offer his hand. "Captain Nick Forbes of the Fourth Infantry Squadron, ma'am. And you are?" She was tiny, standing maybe five-foot-two, and her smile was dazzling.

Kelly tried not to laugh out loud, so she simply smiled and nodded. "Kelly Pendragon," she said, shaking his massive hand. God, he was built! Not nearly as handsome as the man she had married, but he was nice looking. "My father's Brigadier General of the Marine Corps."

Nicholas released the woman's hand and his eyes went wide with shock. "Wait—Anderson's girl? You?" He openly assessed her miniature frame. "But he's huge! You're...not." He thought a moment and smiled. "You wouldn't be trying to ditch me, would you? C'mon, a pretty little thing like you shouldn't be out here alone. It's a party!"

Kelly glanced out at sea and did laugh, this time. She shook her head. "I'm definitely not alone, Captain. My husband, my two daughters, and my Father-in-Law are all present for the day. But thanks for your concern!" With a wave over her shoulder, she walked off in the direction of her family's campsite.

Nicholas stood watching the woman leave, and he did momentarily admire her backside before muttering, "Damn. It's always the cute ones..."

Kelly reached her family's sun shelter and set her board to stand against the corner. She looked over to see a glaring King of Camelot. "Hey! Having fun, Uther?" She turned and grabbed her water bottle from her chair. "Alex, what did you guys do?" She watched her daughter dig just outside the structure, and the child built the beginnings of a sand castle.

"We painted, an' I showed Granddad how to do Spin Art! He did some really cool stuff!" Alexandra beamed up at her grandfather, pleased to see the man nod his approval. "How was surfing, Momma?"

"Dangerous," Uther answered sharply, directing a fierce grey gaze to his daughter-in-law. "I thought you said surfing was safe? What I witnessed was nothing of the sort. More than a few times I wondered if we would have to send the Lifeguards in after you." He indicated the binoculars he had found with which to watch the Future Queen zip in and out of the mountainous walls of water out at sea. The speed she travelled had been shocking, and the spills Uther had witnessed were alarming, to say the least. True to form, the tiny woman was back on her board and attacking the waves like a demon each and every time with a look of utter concentration on her face. His own face illustrated his distinct lack of approval for her sport of choice.

Kelly laughed and shook her head. "Nah, it's all good. You need to stop worrying and just chill out! I had a blast out there!" She gestured toward the beach, adding, "You missed Mr. Army Captain trying to hit on me. That was kind of sad, really, but who's judging..." She smiled behind her shades and sat down.

She started when something landed squarely on her chest. Lifting her shades to look, she smirked. Yep, the old man had problems with the culture of the day. Clearly he meant for her to cover up with her fleece jacket. She tossed it aside, muttering as she closed her eyes, "Too hot for that. I'll melt."

~.~.~

By nightfall, Marissa was asleep on her mother's back, in the same mei-tai Kelly had used for Alexandra six years back. The entire population had feasted on hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, potatoes, and the drinks (alcoholic and otherwise) were flowing on the Military dollar. Needless to say, there were a lot of drunk people about the place, many getting rowdy into the night.

Arthur walked with his wife and children, watching Alexandra run up ahead and throw more seashells into the canvas bag she'd brought along for this excursion. It was very clear to see that she adored the ocean. Casting his eyes back to his wife, he said, "These Marines are an...intimidating bunch. Are they all so bloody big?"

Kelly laughed, nodding. "They're the best of the best," she said, taking his hand. "They're supposed to be intimidating. So clearly, they're doing their job!" She gave Arthur a bright smile, accepting the arm he slung across her shoulders. She hugged him back, loosening her hold when Marissa wiggled around a bit in the carrier.

They walked over to the docks to watch the fireworks. Whistles and bangs sounded, music filled the air, and colours filled the night sky over the water. The fireworks were being shot off from a boat further out to sea, giving the people on shore an excellent view.

"Wow!" Alexandra swung her legs on the docks edge, leaning on her father as she watched the stunning display. "Granddad, LOOK! SPINNERS!" Her small hand traced the pattern of the blown-out fireworks. "I love the red ones. Which ones do you like?" A smile lit her face as she looked up at her paternal grandfather. "You've never seen fireworks before, have you, Granddad?"

Uther glanced over at his son and daughter-in-law. "Once before, Alex. And even that small display was an impressive sight. This..." He gestured to the night sky. "This is absolutely beyond all imagination. I won't soon forget this." He wore a genuine smile, amazed by the day he had had with his family, among new friends, all in the spirit of camaraderie. He understood what it was Kelly had loved about her world, and why giving it up had been so difficult. This Fourth of July celebration, he vowed, would become a tradition to be upheld.

David glanced over at the King, a bit surprised to see the man at ease and openly giving Alexandra a hug. Perhaps you could teach an old dog new tricks... The Brigadier General smiled and watched the Grand Finale with a sense of peace. Yep, he had an odd family. But it was the most unique family on the planet. "Happy Independence Day, guys," he offered quietly, pride lighting his face. This was the life...