Crossroads
This was it.
She had what she wanted, didn't she? But if this was what she wanted, why was she so nervous? It had been her choice to seek them out. They had warned her she might not like what she got. Yet still, she persisted.
Standing at the crossroads in the fog she could see her paths. The path straight in front of her had a grave with four people standing in front of it; two red-haired girls, one black-haired boy and her husband. On the stone, she could see her name, but not the date. To her left, a happy family at Christmas; her and her husband, and what looked like their son. There were seemingly mountains of presents, and she could almost feel the joy. The path to her right had her and her husband lying next to each other, faces streaked with tears, and a small, empty, baby blanket next to them.
Then there was the last path, the one behind her, her past; a swirling mirage of images; two children, one redhead and one fair, a black-haired boy swinging on the swings with her, friends at school and then her wedding. Her first meeting with Severus, the joy of being a witch, finally feeling she belonged.
She had to choose. If she went back she could land at any point, she could change her future completely but would that solve anything? Could she look at her friends the same way? Could she still follow the so-called 'right thing to do' mantra that guided her during the first few years of the war? She could not trust herself, so no, that was not the right path.
If she went ahead, she would die but she would not be childless as she had feared, and by the looks of things, she'd had some years with her children. But could she do that to her husband? Could she leave her James with the task of raising their kids on his own? Both the left and right paths could lead to the path in front. Would she make the correct choice? Could she go back and live her life from whatever point while knowing what was to come? Could she stand possibly losing her child, like in the path to her right? Could she pick the left path and hope for the best? Could she pick the left path, seeing now that the scene was a photograph? What did any of the scenes have happen from before time was stopped?
She supposed that no matter what path she took she would always have her 'what ifs'. What if she had have gone back, would it have been better? Not for the first time she wished she'd left them alone. Sometimes not knowing was better than having to choose. She sighed, the Faer Folk, while tricksters, never lied. She knew her time was nearly up, soon, she would have to make her decision. She definitely knew she couldn't go back, but which path could she choose? There was no guarantee that what she was seeing was quite as it appeared; for all she knew, they could all be from the same timeline.
"Choose" a raspy voice whispered on a breeze through the crossroads "choose". Closing her green eyes, Lily Potter turned and walked, hoping she made the right decision.