"Basil Grimm, I think it is time I teach you self-defense," Veronica said, putting her son down on the couch. "Or better yet," she mused. "Maybe I can also teach you a different form of fighting. Like boxing!"

Basil watched his mother the whole time she talked, eyes shining with interest. Ever since the incident at the wedding, the family had seemed very…cautious around Veronica, as if they expected her to brawl with them any moment.

The only one who seemed to understand was her oldest daughter. Sabrina knew that if she had been asleep for two years and Daphne had gotten kidnapped during that time, she would have felt wholly responsible. Sabrina also knew that if she had been awake when Daphne had almost gotten taken away a second time, she would never forgive herself. Of course, Henry was used to seeing his wife in action, but wasn't always intent on it when the moment came by after a long while.

Veronica walked towards a dusty closet at the end of the living room and unlocked the latch. She sifted through the boxes until she found what she was looking for: her old boxing gloves from back when she was in her junior year.

Then Veronica looked further into the closet until she found a punching bag about her height, not too short but not too tall either.

"Here are the rules about boxing," Veronica said, circling the punching bag she'd held up. "You need to stay relaxed at all times. Punch lightly so you don't tire yourself out too quickly. Make sure your vision always stays sharp. It's similar to self-defense. Don't have your opponent always get the upper hand. People may think it's a good idea to do this to trick their opponent so they can have a surprise victory, but in truth, if they let their opponent get the upper hand for more than five minutes, they'll get too weak to strike."

She lightly punched the bag and landed another hit a few seconds after. "Then, when the opponent starts to heat up and their blows get more violent, you can let out more of your strength." She demonstrated this by delivering faster hits, striking 78 times in one minute. "In order to still savor some of your remaining strength, you need to make sure you have a steady breath rhythm going. That way, when you give out your most painful blow, you'll be able to breath and concentrate better."

Veronica then went back to the closet and took out a pair of smaller boxing gloves, which were the perfect fit for Basil. She sighed as she looked at them wistfully. Once upon a time she'd been looking forward to the day when Daphne would turn six, the age Henry had reluctantly agreed could be the age when Veronica could teach her how to box. Veronica had bought the boxing gloves ahead of time, assured that her daughter would become a great warrior like her and her father figure. Of course, this was all before she had been kidnapped for two years. Nonetheless, she was proud that her daughters had eventually become brave fighters, but she still found herself wishing that she had been the one to teach her daughters the proper skills, not that they had to be taught along the way when dealing with real monsters and not actual, mindful humans.

And now here she was, with the opportunity to teach her next child, her son. So maybe he wasn't six yet, but so what? He needed to learn something before then. After almost getting kidnapped again, the time seemed to have come for young Basil to improve his wits.

Veronica snapped out of her memories and helped Basil slip on the gloves. "Now let's go over what I told you," she said.

For the first three weeks, Veronica guided Basil with punches and staying wary in case the punching bag happened to bounce back at any moment. Then, when she was confident that he was doing well for the first part, she told him they were now going to work on something else very important. They walked outside into the Grimm's small backyard on the fourth week.

"Am I doing more punching today?" Basil inquired.

"Nope," Veronica replied. "Now we're going into sparring."

"Sparring?" Basil asked, astounded. He knew what it was, for his mother had told him the terms that had anything to do with boxing.

"Yes," said Veronica. "Now you need to know the correct ways on how to really fight. Just knowing the basics will enable you to go against someone. And you have the biggest advantage, Basil. Because you're small and young, no one would expect you to be able to land a good blow."

Basil beamed at hearing the fact he could get an advantage when sparring.

"Now." Veronica faced him squarely. "Remember. You cannot hit below the belt, for that isn't the decent way to box. Bolo punches can also be helpful. While the punch itself doesn't exactly help you cause much damage, it could help you succeed in distracting your opponent so you can land a blow."

"I don't want to hurt you though, Mommy," Basil said helplessly.

Veronica smiled at him. "You won't," she promised. "Now come on. Give me all you got."

At first Basil was a bit hesitant about his punches, not used to the fact that his mother was his coach and was training him by being his first opponent. Then, he started to warm up, his hits becoming more deliberate, especially after Veronica tried out a feint. Soon, he was boxing like a real fighter, giving it all he had in him.

Unknown to the two of them, everybody had gathered around to watch. Puck was amazed at the scene before him, while Henry wasn't sure how to react.

Then, it even went as far as to when Basil distracted Veronica momentarily with a jab before landing a harder blow, causing Veronica to stumble back.

"Mommy!" Basil hurried over to where Veronica had stumbled, but not before tripping over the table that was away from the area they were sparring in, which they had referred to as the "ring." Out of pure instinct, he landed a blow on the vase that had been sitting on the picnic table, and the fancy vintage vase shattered into large and small pieces.

Granny gasped as she saw the remains of her precious gift fall onto the grass.

Veronica stood up, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Basil," she said. "I'm so proud of you."

A/N: Hope you liked the whole mother and son bonding. I sure wish MY mom taught me how to box at Basil's age. Please leave a review!