Chapter 1

"Okay, baby. Just a couple more combinations." Emma held the pads high, "Keep that cadence."

Regina's eyes were focused on the pads as she went through the steps her fiancé had taught her. A series of choreographed punches and kicks. Yelling out at the end of each combo.

"That's it. That's it." Emma encouraged on. "Two more! You're rocking this, baby!"

Regina went through two more combinations and let her arms drop at her sides. The red boxing gloves feeling extremely heavy at the end of her sore arms.

Emma took off the protective padding on her hands and torso, throwing them in a bin along the wall of their converted barn, now home gym. She joined Regina who was sitting on the wide bench by the large barn doors. A nice breeze coming through to cool them off.

Kneeling in front of her, Emma took her time removing the woman's gloves and gently removing the tape around her knuckles. Regina bent her leg so her knee could support her tired arm while Emma took off her wrappings.

"You alright?" Emma asked, kissing Regina's freed hand and moving to work on the other.

Regina smiled at the endearment and calmed her breathing. "Yes, Dear. Just winded. We went faster today."

"Yeah we did." Emma beamed. "And my soon-to-be wife kicked ass. You're almost as coordinated as the kid, you know that?"

"Now you're just mocking me." Regina tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Emma's ear, leaning forward to kiss her.

Emma threw the gloves and tapes aside, moving her body between Regina's knees and dropping her fiancé's feet back to the floor. Wrapping her arms around her Regina's waist, she tucked herself closer.

"I would never mock you, my love. You're getting really good." Emma kissed her soundly. "That's not surprising, though. I'm telling ya babe, you missed your calling in kickboxing. Especially that trick flip you tried on a whim and kicked ass at executing."

"It wasn't that impressive," Regina tried to downplay.

"Babe, you wrapped your legs around my head and flipped me onto the ground. Not only is that incredibly difficult to do, but its super fucking hot. I can't believe how quickly you picked that up."

"Yeah?" Regina smiled into another kiss.

Emma massaged Regina's thighs, "These should be classified as deadly weapons. In looks and strength."

Regina pushed her away jokingly, "Is that your way of saying I have nice legs, dear?"

"Mmmm… yes. In fact…" Emma began kissing her favorite neckline, up to Regina's ear. "You can wrap those gorgeous legs around my head anytime."

"That does sound tempting," Regina's teased hotly, leaning forward to nibble Emma's lip. "But not until I've showered, my love. I am quiet offensive."

"You know I don't care. You look so hot all sweaty and out of breath. Plus, you didn't seem to mind before. Remember that time in the studio at the gym?" Emma arched her brow in a teasing smile. "We were doing yoga, I was in a cobra pose, and you…"

"Emma Swan." Regina said in a playfully warning tone.

Emma released a groan, "God, you know I love when you use my full name."

Regina let out a yelp as Emma grabbed her ass and lifted her off of the bench. She wrapped her legs around Emma's slim waist, held securely in her fiancé's strong arms.

Emma nibbled her neck. "How about a soak instead of a shower?"

Regina hummed. "That sounds perfect."

Emma carried her out of the barn, kicking the door close behind them. She screamed with laughter and held on tightly as she was carried in a sprint toward their home a couple of yards away.

…..

"I really love your new haircut. Short looks really good on you." Emma massaged conditioning into Regina's hair.

"Mmm… Thank you, dear. It's been years since I've had it this short. I'm glad you liked it." Regina leaned back and kissed her.

Emma hummed into the kiss, "So, looks like everything's finalized for Saturday."

"Yes it is. The ranch is all set. Roger called me earlier today to let me know he's already coordinated with the caterers and party supply company. They're all squared away. I also finalized the menu with Gran and Maddie." Regina moaned at Emma's strong fingers moving from her scalp down to her neck and shoulders.

"I showed Leroy and the boys where we wanted to set up the lights and the flower arrangements once they're delivered. I also finished booking the DJ and the bartenders." Emma confirmed, grabbing their bath pitcher to rinse off her love's hair.

Regina leaned back into Emma, enjoying the feeling of the warm water on her sore body and moaning in contentment. Soaking in their ridiculously large bathtub had become one of their favorite pastimes over the years.

"Sweetheart, I think I might need you to carry me after this. My arms and legs are useless after our workout today," Regina pouted.

"You got it." Emma chuckled, sighing after a moment's silence. "We're getting married, babe."

"Yes we are my love." Regina squeezed the arms around her. "Four days from now, we will be married."

"We'll be married and looking into adopting." Emma kissed Regina's temple.

"Yes we will." Regina turned to look into Emma's eyes. "Any reservations?"

"Not a single one. You are and will always be my dream girl." Emma leaned in to kiss her deeply, slowly rotating them so she could straddle Regina's lap, "When are we supposed to be at dinner?"

Regina looked at the clock, then flashed seductive eyes and a smile, "In about two hours."

Moving their wet bodies closer, they said in unison, "Plenty of time."

Emma grabbed her keys from the entry way table, and noticed their lab-mix, Daisy, whining and pawing at the door in earnest.

"Alright girl. I get the hint." Emma laughed when she began to bark more adamantly to be let out. Grabbing her jacket from the hook by the door, she yelled out, "Babe, I'm taking Daisy out again before we leave!"

Regina entered the foyer, putting her earrings on. "Didn't you just take her out? I hope she's not getting sick."

"I did just take her out. I don't know what's gotten into her." Emma opened the door just in time for Daisy to jump the young man on the other side.

"HENRY!" Emma and Regina screamed together.

Their son fought off his dog and was instantly engulfed by the two women, one kissing his cheek and the other ruffling his shaggy hair. Daisy was still trying to get his attention, wagging her tail and whining.

Henry released his mom and Emma, to kneel and hug his dog. "Okay, girl. Okay. I missed you too."

"What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be up until late Friday night. It's only Tuesday." Regina exclaimed.

"I was, but I talked to my professors, did some work early and got extensions on others, then I hopped on a bus. Happy and Jeffy picked me up at the station and brought me here so I could surprise you two." Henry grabbed his duffle bag from behind him, "And like all college student visiting home, I'm starving and I need to do some laundry."

Regina reached forward to kiss his cheek and pull him into another hug, "What a great surprise. I'm so happy you're here."

Emma patted his arm, "We were just heading to Gran's for dinner with the Nolan's. Drop your gear, and let's go."

Daisy barked and let out a short whine, pawing Henry's leg.

"Alright, girl. You can come too." Emma said and the dog circled in excitement, following Henry.

The four jumped in Emma's new bright yellow jeep and headed to Gran's. Her poor VW bug had been towed away for scrap a few months prior, after many attempts of reviving.

When they arrived, Henry had just stepped out of the jeep when he heard a child squeal in excitement.

"Enree!" Suzy screamed when she saw her soon-to-be cousin.

"Suzy!" He laughed, taking her from David's arms for a hug. "How's my girl?"

Suzy kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.

"Henry." David gave him a side hug. "Good to have you back."

"It's so good to see you back home. What a pleasant surprise." Mary Margret took a turn hugging him. "How's college treating you? Are you ready for your midterms next month?"

"Things are great. Violet and I have been studying like crazy. I think we're good for everything but Freshman Physics." Henry handed Suzy back to David.

"Well Physics is a hard one. You let me know if you guys need a hand. Alright?" Mary Margret said, patting his cheek.

"Will do." He promised with a smile.

The group sat at their favorite outside table, Daisy at Henry's feet. Their favorite waitress and good friend, Maddie, came out to greet them and take their orders. Maddie was married to the owner of Gran's Dinner, Gran herself. They had become like grandmothers to Henry over the years.

"If it isn't my favorite family, the brides-to-be, and oh! Henry, by God. Is that you?" Maddie shot the girls' a wink, grabbed Henry's face and laid a big kiss on his cheek. "I haven't seen you since you were knee high to a cricket."

"It's barely been a little over six months, Maddie." Henry blushed at her affection.

"Long enough, Henry. Glad you're back to see your moms get hitched." She said, making sure to kiss his cheek again before quickly taking their orders, and heading back inside.

The small group listened to Henry tell them about his exciting first semester away at Emmerson College in Boston. He reached into his back pack and handed his mother and then Mrs. Nolan a copy of the school paper, post-it notes marking pages in each. His mother found his article first and tears sprang to her eyes, pointing it out to Emma.

"'The Art of Mental Discipline: Freshman Year.' by H.D. Mills." Emma read out loud. "Look at you, kid."

Henry bit his lip as he watched them all read his article about meditation and stress relief for the average student. He felt relief when he heard them laugh, then again when Emma and his mother shared a proud smile with each other. He held his breath as he waited for them to reach the end. David finished first, but went back to read the last part of the article aloud.

"This weekend I will watch the woman that brought peace and focus to my life, marry the mother that gave me life. I couldn't be happier for them. I dedicate this, my first article, to them."

Tears in her eyes, Regina pulled Henry in for a fierce hug. Emma wiped her eyes as well, and took a turn hugging him from the other side.

"Oh Henry, that was an amazingly well written article. And the dedication was just wonderful." Mary Margret cried.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nolan." Henry smiled even as his mother was dabbing his cheek with a wet napkin to clean off her lipstick. "Mom."

Regina dropped her hands with a blushed, "Sorry."

Emma read an advertisement byline to his article. "You started a yoga club?"

"Violet did. She and I are doing it together, but it's completely her baby. I don't know where she gets the energy." Henry chuckled. "That other marker is Violet's article. Hers is more political, but I thought you'd get a kick out of the references, mom."

"I'm sure I will. I'm so proud of both of you." Regina ran her fingers over Henry's article.

"Where is Violet anyway? She couldn't come up with you?" David asked.

"No, she still had some things to do tomorrow and Thursday. But she'll be coming up early Friday morning." Henry sulked.

"Alright, kids. Hands up." Maddie and another girl came out and delivered plates to everyone. "Emma, Jackie said she wants a word with you before you go. She's half way inside our second oven, trying to get it going again. Make sure you go see her, ok?"

"You got it, Maddie. Am I in trouble? You're wife always lures me in with a false sense of security before punching me in the arm or something." Emma's brows furrowed as she held her arm.

Everyone laughed at Emma's fear of the older woman. Knowing perfectly well that Emma was Jackie's favorite next to Maddie. The two of them were the only ones allowed to call Gran by her given name.

"Don't be ridiculous." Maddie began to walk away and paused. "Best to stay out of leg range, though."

The group ate their dinner in comfort with light conversation of the upcoming wedding. After Suzy had fallen asleep in Henry's arms, the Nolan's bid them farewell, and Emma jumped into the diner to see Gran in the kitchen.

Gran was indeed still waist deep in an old oven. All that could be seen of her were her over-sized carpenter jeans and work boots.

"What's happening, Jackie?" Emma asked, getting her attention.

Gran pulled out of the oven, her face and plaid shirt covered in black smudges.

"Hey Kiddo. Just having an altercation with an over-active aging oven. Again." The older woman huffed, "I think it's time to put her out to pasture."

"You say that every year, hon." Maddie walked in, quickly pausing to wipe her wife's face with a wet napkin she produced.

Gran waved her off and stood, "And every year I want to take that thing out back and introduce it to my shot-gun."

"I'll let you shoot it, ONLY if you sell the other one and buy me two new ones." Maddie kissed Gran's nose, grabbing the plates she needed and walking back out.

Gran rolled her eyes and pushed her thin glasses up her nose, "Anyway, I just wanted to warn you to be on the look-out for the brothers. Leroy and some of the boys were in here earlier, and I overheard plans for a bachelorette party. Things were mentioned that I doubt Regina would approve of."

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure to steer clear." Emma laughed, lowering her voice to make sure Maddie wasn't around. "Say Jackie, the guy I bought most of my gym equipment from also owns an appliance warehouse. I'll bet I can find you a pair of used industrial stoves that are good as new, and for a decent price. Want me to make a call?"

"That would just about save my marriage, Swan." Jackie punched her arm with a hearty laugh, "Thanks."

"No problem." Emma held her arm in pain. The older woman really had no sense of how strong she was.

When the three returned back to the homestead, Henry walked Daisy around the yard before joining Emma and Regina inside. He grabbed his duffle bag from the entry way and met his mother and Emma in the living room.

"I think I'm going to take Daisy up to my room and call Violet. Night you two."

"Goodnight, dear."

"Night, Kid."

He walked passed the two women, stopping to kiss his mother's cheek and punch Emma in her still sore arm, running away quickly before Emma could give chase. The two women smirked knowingly at each other as Henry disappeared up the stairs.

"What the hell?!" they heard Henry yell.

Laughing quietly, they headed upstairs. Henry was standing in what once was his room, and was now a completely remodeled office of sorts. A large desk sat on one side of the room, with a bookshelf. Next to that was a recliner across from a flat screen. A vintage Pac-man arcade game and a dart board were where his dresser had been.

"You turned my room into a… a… a man cave?" Henry's face was showing an expression between shock, confusion, and anger.

"Yup. I decided I needed one. Or rather a Woman Cave. You like it?" Emma walked over to where Henry's closet had been. The door and hinges were gone and Emma had made the space into a bar. A mini-fridge and wine cooler below, with glasses and bottles on shelves above.

"What about Mom's office? Or the yoga room you guys added on?" Henry ran his hands through his hair. "Why my room?"

"Well Emma didn't want to invade my office, and she needed her space too." Regina sat on Emma's desk, the two of them smiling slyly together.

"And we have other plans for the yoga room," Emma added.

"What about all my stuff?" Henry moped.

"Oh we're storing it in the guest quarters over the Barn. No one's used it in a while so we boxed up your things and moved it up there. The bed's clear though if you want to go stay out there instead of the couch in the den." Emma lifted his duffle bag. "Come on. I promise it's not too bad. I set off a bug bomb in there last week. You should be set."

Henry honestly looked like he was going to cry. Like he was being booted out to sleep in the shed. The three made their way over to the barn, letting Henry take the stairs up first. He stopped at the top and turned to them, his shoulders hanging low.

"Keys?" He asked.

Emma threw them over, and they watched him enter and turn on the lights.

"Holy cow!" He exclaimed.

Henry took in the re-furnished guest studio. All his things had made their way there, and into new bookshelves and furniture. Daisy ran in and went to the plush doggy pillow next to his bed.

On the opposite side of the studio was a small kitchenette with a breakfast bar and stools. Adjacent to the kitchen was a small couch sat across from a flat screen hooked up to his old game consoles. He turned on a light through a door and saw the bathroom had been updated as well.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing. Is this really for me?" Henry looked around finding more of his things.

He secretly thanked the powers that be that he had thrown out or taken more embarrassing items from his old room when he left for college. Like the collection of certain magazines he had housed under his mattress.

"It's all yours, kid." Emma smiled and wrapped an arm around Regina. "We love you, and we know that now that you're getting older. You need more privacy, and so do we."

"Ew." Henry said, earning himself a pillow to the head from Emma.

Regina jumped in, "And we want you to know you can always come home."

Henry brought them in for a hug, "Thank you guys."

"You're very welcome, dear." Regina kissed his forehead. With a finger pointed at him, she added, "No girls."

"Babe," Emma drew out the nickname.

"I mean, no sleepovers. We trust your judgement." Regina said as if rehearsed. She took a deep breath, sincerely adding, "I trust you."

Henry hugged her again. "I won't let you down, Mom."

"I know." Regina composed herself back in mom mode, "This apartment is your responsibility. You are to keep it clean and tidy. I don't want you leaving back to campus with dirty dishes in the sink, smelly trash in the bin, or rotting food in your refrigerator. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." Henry nodded.

"Good." Regina affirmed, running a hand over his hair.

"We'll let you get settled then." Emma walked over by the television and threw something to Henry. "A walkie-talkie to the main house. Just in case of an emergency or whatever. The charging dock's right there next to the new Wi-Fi codes and stuff for you, okay?"

"Got it." Henry turned the radio on and off. "I ever tell you guys how awesome you are?"

"Quit brown-nosing kid," Emma pushed his shoulder. "We running tomorrow?"

Henry brightened. "Yeah!"

"Alright, I'll meet you on the back porch at sun-up. Okay?" Emma turned to Regina. "You coming with us?"

Regina looked between them. She had only started running with her fiancé because she knew Emma missed Henry's company on her runs. She could tell they missed their routine.

"Not tomorrow dear." Regina nodded at them, "You two have fun without me."

"Alright then sun up, kid." Emma turned to Daisy, "Come on girl. Time for bed."

The lab mix yawned loudly and stretched on her dog bed, not making a move to get up.

"Daisy." Emma said again. But the K-9 rolled onto her back and twisted around with a whine.

"I think someone else missed Henry very much. Let her stay with him." Regina pulled Emma's arm.

"Traitor." Emma laughed when the dog's tongue flapped out of her mouth as she remained upside down. "Goodnight kid."

"Night Mom. Ma."

The two women had reached the bottom of the stairs when they heard Henry yell, "This is awesome!"