Chapter 2

The large homestead on the outskirts of town was quiet in the early morning just before sunrise. Emma slowly stretched her wonderfully sore and naked body. Regina had suggested a nightcap the night before, but it had led to some more vigorous activities before they had passed out. Emma watched lovingly as Regina snored lightly in deep slumber.

She had found it extremely entertaining over their years together, that Regina was not a morning person. During the work week, she was on a strict sleeping schedule. But her eight hours were a must or she was a cranky woman in the morning. For Emma, it didn't matter her activities before bed or how many hours she slept, she was always up at five, sometimes earlier.

If they were up late enjoying each other, Regina would drag the next morning, but without complaint. Those were the mornings Emma made sure to get up before her, and have coffee and breakfast ready for when she woke up. Today she would be able to sleep in uninterrupted.

She kissed Regina's temple and carefully slid out of bed, tucking the blankets back around her. Her running clothes were ready on a chair by the door. She dressed quickly and grabbed her shoes, leaving the room quietly.

When she reached the back steps of their wrap around porch, she sat down to slip her socks and shoes on. The pitter-patter noise of a large dog running toward her was followed closely by Henry.

"Morning 'Ma."

"Morning Kid." She turned to the dog, "Traitor."

The two and half year old pup let out a whine.

Henry laughed, "Daisy's not a traitor. She just loves me more."

"Ha. Ha."

They twisted their bodies and stretched their legs. Laughing as Daisy too, stretched with a yawn. While Henry was stretching one leg behind him when Emma pushed his shoulder, making him loose his balance as she ran away down the drive. He quickly made chase along with Daisy, and the three began their run towards town.

The only other people awake at this hour were deliverers to the market. There was a baker with freshly baked bread and rolls, and a fishermen with catch off his boat. Then there was Gran putting out the board with the breakfast specials, and pausing to nod at them.

Henry spotted a young man in a purple beanie riding a skate board being pulled by a massive dog. He was throwing newspapers with record accuracy in each drive. Without dropping a beat, he saw Henry and waved excitedly at him. Henry waved back at Jeffy, as Daisy barked a hello to Beast, which was also returned.

"How far we going today?" Henry asked as they took an alley toward the docks.

"Let's hit the end of the pier, then go to the gym for a water break," They jogged down to the end of the pier, tagged the railing, and raced at full speed back toward the gym.

When the gym was in sight, not one block away, they both kicked up their speed toward the front door. Emma tagging the handle mere seconds before Henry.

"Six months away at school, and you've completely lapsed on your training haven't you?" Emma teased.

"I have not!" Henry protested. "I've been running every morning I don't have a class before eight. And I've been doing Tai Chi and Yoga with Violet. I even have a surprise for you."

"Oh yeah?" Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly worried on how exactly the young couple's yoga equaled a surprise.

"Yeah, come on. Let's go up to the studio." Henry jumped excitedly.

They made their way up the outside stairs to the training studios above the gym. The studios had once been Emma's apartment, and had been remodeled when she moved to the homestead with Regina. Henry grabbed some towels and waters out of the supply closet. Taking a deep drink of his water and wiping sweat from his brow, he took a couple of steps away from Emma.

She watched as Henry bent into a full forward fold, taking a couple of deep breaths and bending further. He crossed his arms and resting his elbows on the floor. Closing his eyes, he placed his palms at equal length apart, pushing his legs up above his body. All his weight on two hands at an almost ninety degree angle full hand stand.

Emma stayed close, spotting Henry from a safe distance. She watched on proudly as she saw the strength in his concentration, and purpose behind his breathing. She stilled Daisy from reaching out and distracting him. The dog going over to her designated mat that was always laid out for her.

"You got this, Kid. Gently bounce on your hands until you feel comfortable." Emma encouraged him softly.

Henry gave a small bounce to his stance and slowly shifted one leg to tuck behind his other knee in an upside down figure four. Emma's smile widened as she saw him slowly lift one hand to place it comfortably on his chest.

"Your form's perfect, Henry. Extend your leg just a bit. You've already met your goal here, alright. Find your balance."

Henry had been secretly attempting Emma's signature meditation move for almost a year now. He was ecstatic to find he was lasting this long in front of her.

Emma could see Henry beginning to strain and decided to bring him down.

"Good, good… Now back down on both hands but keep your body straight."

Henry brought his left hand down onto the mat and balanced his weight into a standing push up. He dropped his feet at an extremely slow pace, planking on solely on his hands.

"Now you're just showing off."

He laughed as he dropped his legs and moved to stand just as Emma threw his towel at him, and moved to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

"Holy shit, Kid. You did it."

Henry smiled proudly. "I've been working on it for a while now. I wanted to surprise you."

"Well consider me surprised AND impressed."

He sat on the mat with his legs crossed, Daisy quickly joining his side. "I told you I haven't been slacking off. Violet and I doing yoga has really helped my strength in poses like crazy."

Emma looked worried again, "As long as couples yoga doesn't make me and your mom grandparents before the wedding."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Ma…"

"Hey, I'm not prying or assuming, or even lecturing. I just want you to be straight with me, like we've always been with each other, got it?" Emma laid out. "Trust me. I know this sort of conversation's embarrassing for both of us. But I know you're not a little kid. You're away at college and I'm not naïve. I just want you to know, you can talk to me if you want to."

"I know." Henry hesitated, "It may seem old school, or whatever, but we're not… We haven't, you know. I respect her, and we both don't want a mini-me."

"Well alright then. I think that's commendable. But if you do… decide to…" Emma made sweeping hand gestures in lieu of words, as she found her throat had gone dry, and she began to physically pale.

"Ma, did Mom put you up to this? Cause you look like you're going to hurl." Henry stretched his arms behind him.

Emma took a deep calming breath and sat with him on the floor. "I'm okay kid. This is just a conversation I didn't think I'd ever be having, you know?"

"I understand." Henry chuckled, "For what it's worth, you're doing great."

"Yeah?" Emma looked hopeful at him.

"Yeah." Henry smiled sincerely. "Listen, I know I can come to you with things I can't really talk to Mom about. I do. I promise you that no matter how crazy embarrassing any questions or situations might be, I will never hesitate to talk to you. Alright?"

"Alright."

"Good." Henry nodded, "Okay. Now let's never speak of this again."

Emma laughed and motioned for them to sit down across from each other, to begin their shared stretch routine. The same one they had been doing since Henry was sixteen, feet to feet and hand in hand. Stretching back and forth.

"We've missed you, kid. Running with Daisy hasn't been the same." Emma pouted. "But at least now your Mom's been going out with us."

"I haven't even been gone that long."

"Do you know how long 'that long' is in Regina time? You might as well have been gone for a decade in another realm." Emma laughed. "Luckily all the wedding planning has kept her distracted, or she'd of lost it by now."

"Trust me I know. The daily emails from her kinda gave it away." He laughed. "That's why I figured I'd come up early. Keep Mom from going nuts."

"And you're sure your teachers are cool?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. I talked to my professors a while back about the wedding and doing make up work. Most of them broadcast their lectures anyway, so I can watch them from here." Henry shrugged.

"Damn, school's definitely changed since my day. If your ass wasn't in your seat, your ass failed." Emma felt her limbs stretch further. "This was a lot easier when you were shorter. What are you now, ten feet tall?"

"Hey, I didn't grow." Henry pulled a face at Emma, "Maybe you shrank."

Henry laughed at Emma's faux shocked expression, then quickly froze when it turned serious and she didn't laugh. He got to his feet and ran, Emma chasing closely after him. They ran out and down the spiral stairs, Daisy following closely behind.

Daisy froze near the bottom and began to growl, making them stop. They heard a throat clear and spotted a man near the back door of the gym smiling up at them. He was wearing faded jeans with an army green bomber jacket. The blonde crew cut he sported made him look almost military.

"Excuse me, Emma Swan?" He approached them as they finished coming down the stairway.

"Who's asking?" Emma looked on wearily, instantly recognized a South Boston accent. Daisy continued to growl.

"My name is Jeremy Kirkwood. I'm here on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Mixed Martial Arts League. Or, as you might know it formerly as the Boston Fight Club." He extended one hand holding his card, then shook her hand with the other.

"Yeah, I remember the club from back in the day. I was there when they got shut down by BPD," She said curtly. "Didn't it also have connections with Whitey Bulger and his crew back when it first opened?"

Henry held Daisy back by his side. He watched on in wild fascination from the moment the words 'Fight Club' were spoken.

"It did back in the day, yeah. It's changed many hands since then. You probably caught the former management when they were arrested for laundering money out of the basement. Sent some Southie boys and a couple 'a cops to Chucky's Place. That's the Suffork County Jail, kid." He winked at Henry, explaining. Then boasted, "I'm part of the new management team."

Emma guffawed, "New management?"

"Yup. And I'm here to formally invite you to a Charity Tournament we're hosting in Boston."

Emma looked at the card then back at him, still suspicious.

"What charity?" Henry asked.

"The tournament is raisin' money for the Joanna Briggs Children's Foundation, which helps out St. Joseph's Orphanage." He said proudly.

"Joanna?" Emma's eyes widened. "Someone started a charity in Jo's name?"

"Yes indeed. My Ma and I did."

Emma looked closer at the man. He seemed to be younger than her, but only by a couple years at the most. Then she took in a scar over one of his eye brows, and her eyes widened. A flash of her and David taking bullies by the nape off of a young scrawny kid they were beating, flashed into her mind. They had beaten the crap out of the kid's assailants and sent them running. The boy had a busted lip, a black eye and a cut above his right brow. A cut that was now a faded scar on this man's head.

"Jeremy? Jeremy Struder!?"

The guy grinned happily at Emma, nodding his head. "How's that wicked hot brother of yours, Swan?"

"Son-of-a-gun." Emma engulfed him in a tight hug "I can't believe it's you. Look at you, you're all buffed out. I hardly recognized you."

"Thanks! It's me alright, Ems." Jeremy laughed, then smiled over her shoulder at Henry, who was staring wide eyed at them. "One of your students?"

"More of my protégé." Emma smiled proudly at Henry and waved him over, "Kid, this is Jeremy. A friend of David's and mine from the old neighborhood in Boston. Jeremy, this is Henry, my son."

Henry grinned at the intro, and stepped forward to shake Jeremy's hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Ditto." Jeremy shook his hand with a raised eyebrow at Emma, "Son?!"

Wrapping an arm around Henry's neck, "Well, officially, he will legally be my son after this weekend."

"Explain Swan." Jeremy squinted his eyes at her.

Emma held up her hand to show her engagement ring. One that Regina had surprised her with, a week after she herself had proposed in front of their friends and family.

"Holy shit! For real?" Jeremy hugged her again. "That's great Emma. Congrats!"

"Thanks." Emma released him and looked down, "Well wait a second, I see a ring on your finger too."

"Yes you do. Your brother should have put a ring on it when he had the chance. I married myself an ex-Marine." Jeremy said proudly.

"What! Oh, David's going to be crushed," Emma laughed with him. "Come on in the gym. Tell me what you've been up to, and how hot this Marine husband is."

"David? Husband?" Henry followed quietly behind. "I'm so confused."

Regina made her way into the gym after hanging up with Mary Margret, confirming their appointment for their last dress fittings. It was hitting lunch time and Regina hadn't heard from her son or fiancé. It wasn't unlike them to get caught up at the gym after their morning run, so she headed over there to find them.

Leroy, who had started working part time at the gym for renovations and maintenance, pointed up toward the ceiling letting her know that her family was in one of the studios upstairs. Riding the gym elevator up, she exited hearing loud yelling and grunting coming from one of the studios.

"Come on Ma. You're embarrassing me here. I've never seen you pinned like this." There was a loud sacking sound and Henry shouted. "Hell yeah!"

Regina entered the smaller of the two studios, and watched Emma scuffling on the floor with a man she had never seen before. Her fiancé had flipped the stranger on his back, and had his arm in a leg hold. He tapped her leg with his free hand to give in.

"Uncle! I give." He yelled.

"Damn that was cool!" Henry exclaimed.

"OK, I'm telling Colton you damaged his goods. You're gonna have 250 pounds of muscled bear stalkin' your ass, Swan." Jeremy stood and helped Emma up. "You better watch your back."

Henry laughed, "I hate to break it to you, Jeremy, but nothing would compare to my Mom. She would have you both in tears with a rise of her brow."

"Would that be the flawless brunette beauty shootin' daggers at me from behind you right now?" Jeremy waved behind them with a charming smile.

Emma, still out of breath, turned with hopeful eyes that brightened at her beautiful fiancé staring back at her in question.

"Hey hon." Emma greeted her with a kiss, keeping her sweaty body away. "Come here, there's someone I want you to meet. Regina, this is Jeremy, David's former fiancé."

Jeremy laughed, taking Regina's hand and kissing the back of it, "Pleasure to meet the gorgeous future Mrs. Swan. I hear congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, dear." Regina smiled kindly, suddenly remembering the name. "Jeremy? I know you. I remember Emma told me stories about you and your mother."

"Oh lord, Swan. What 'ya say about my Ma?" Jeremy punched her arm.

"Why does everyone go for the same spot?" Emma grabbed her arm. "I only told her about how your Ma and Jo had arranged a joining of North and South Boston, in un-holy matrimony."

"Okay, someone's gotta explain that to me." Henry interjected. "Jeremy was engaged to Mr. Nolan?"

The two old friends laughed together.

Emma squeezed Henry's arm, "It's a long story, kid. Say, how long are you in town for anyway, Jeremy? Want to grab some lunch with us? I'll call David. He and his wife live right down the street."

"That sounds great! I'm actually only here 'til tomorrow. I just came to extend the invitation personally so I could see you, but I gotta head back to Boston in the morning." Jeremy beamed. "I'm glad David's still out here too. It'd be great to see him."

"Yeah. He's actually the reason I made the move out here from Boston." Emma kissed Regina's temple, "And the reason I met Regina."

"That's awesome Ems," Jeremy winked at them.

"So lunch?" Regina asked.

Jeremy smiled, "Definitely, sounds great. It'd be amazing to catch up with all of you."

"Where are you staying, dear? Do you need a place for the night?" Regina offered.

"That's very kind of ya, but I'm squared away. I have a room at Gran's BnB in town." Jeremy smiled kindly at Regina. "But I'll take you up on that if the Husband and I ever come for a visit."

"You better," Emma insisted. "Well listen, how about we meet you at 12:30 at Gran's diner. I'll call David and invite them over. But I won't tell him why."

"Sounds perfect." Jeremy laughed.