So this oneshot series is a contribution to the Frostbite2015 1.5 Million Words Challenge that I set up. Obviously, this entry will not be a part of the competition, because that would be kind of sad :P There are 10 days left of the competition, so anyone who wishes to enter should do so soon :)

This series is made up of one shots based on quotes/poems by Robert Frost, and a VA quote that ties in with it. The first of these is a poem I heard every year at the end of school assembly but never actually read properly until coming to write this story. It's one of my favourite poems, and the story is set in the distant canon future of the VA series. All subsequent chapters should also be canon, whether extended scenes from the books or set after the series.

Please read, review, and support #Frostbite2015 on Indiegogo or in any other way you can!

The Road Less Travelled By

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost

Dimitri kept saying that the alley was his turning point. For me? It was now. I stood on the precipice of something that would change my life.
~Rose Hathaway, Last Sacrifice pg 471

The sun warmed my face as the sight before me warmed my heart; the heart that still belonged to the man sitting beside me, even after all these years. Our youngest daughter played Strigoi-tag with her children on the lawn, 11-year-old Matty screaming out a battle cry as he grappled with his uncle, his little sister cheering them on. Though Alek had no children of his own, he doted on his nieces and nephew.

We were here for our eldest daughter's 40th birthday, held in the backyard of Ana's house 20 miles outside of Court. It was an iconic June day, warm and sunny enough for butterflies to be chasing each other lazily across the garden before settling on the flowers that were leaning to face the sun.

The part was supposed to have happened yesterday, but unexpected circumstances had forced it to be postponed. The reason for that interruption of plans had just arrived, judging by the car just pulling into the driveway.

A tall dhampir waved as he appeared from round the other side of the car, stopping to open the passenger door so that our eldest granddaughter could step out. I felt the excitement building to a point where I almost couldn't stop myself from jumping up and dashing across to get the first look. My companion chuckled beside me, knowing me well enough that he was aware of my desire.

Our granddaughter smiled when she saw us, but took her time walking so as not to jostle the bundle in her arms.

"It's about time," I called to Eva. "We're not getting any younger here."

"That's sort of how life works," she reminded me as she drew closer. Finally, the bundle was in sight.

Three generations removed, I had sort of expected the feeling of amazement at this miracle to be lessened. It wasn't. As my first great-grandchild was placed into my arms, I gazed in wonder at her tiny, perfect features.

If I had known that science would be able to make this possible, I'd have paid more attention in class. The Moroi geneticist that had announced just over 40 years ago that dhampir/dhampir procreation was in fact possible with the slightest bit of medical help had changed our lives forever, and had made a current total of 7 other lives possible as well.

When Dimitri and I had taken our vows, and entering into the relationship before that, we'd accepted that it would just be us. The fact that children would not be an option had been saddening, but had not been enough to tear us apart. We'd stayed together despite the sacrifices we made for each other and the animosity we had received from the rest of our world. We'd known that it wouldn't be easy- and it hadn't been, but everything had been worth it. The road we had taken had been difficult to traverse, and sometimes it had seemed as though it would come to a dead end, but it hadn't. It had led us to here, and would lead on for however long we had left in this world. Dimitri had finally retired two years ago, and had 5 years to go. I'd had to give up guarding Lissa exclusively a few months back, but I was still good for walking the wards- and could be for another few years. But the bundle of joy squirming in my arms was almost enough to make me consider stopping working and enjoying the peace.

"She's beautiful," I murmured with tears in my eyes. "You must be so proud."

I looked up at the new parents, both beaming as they gazed at their daughter in wonder. Eva was only 20, but had been dating Adam Ivashkov since they were at school. She was a Guardian, but had confided in me that she wouldn't return to work after maternity leave. She wanted to study instead, get a Biology degree once the baby was a little older. She had always been interested in how her mother had come to be born, so much so that I wasn't surprised about her choice for the future.

Dimitri got up from his chair to kneel beside mine, touching the baby's cheek gently. I knew his knee had to be bothering him, but he didn't seem to care. There was a new member of the family for him to dote on.

"What's she called?" he asked Eva.

Her smile became an outright grin. "Rosalind." Seeing my smirk, she quickly added, "like Rosalind Franklin, who helped map the human genome."

"Franklin, of course." I poked Dimitri's shoulder when he laughed.

"Alright, so maybe she's named after another great woman with a similar name as well. Don't let it go to your head though, Grams."

"When have I ever let anything go to my head," I scoffed. "Praise, victory, alcohol-"

"What about that Christmas in Russia when you got so drunk you couldn't feel your toes and thought you had frostbite?" Dimitri cut in.

I glared. "That vodka doesn't count as alcohol. It's rocket fuel."

"I'm pretty sure it does count, more so than anything else, due to the high ethanol content."

I rolled my eyes before looking back down at the baby in my arms. "Your mommy's a big nerd, Rosalind. That's good; it means she can do your homework for you. Great-grandpa and I can show you how to hit stuff."

By now a crowd had begun to form, made up of family waiting to meet the newest arrival. I kissed Rosalind's forehead before lowering her slightly to allow Dimitri to do the same before passing her to Ana.

"There you go, Nana," I said. "You know how it feels now!"

She frowned, but happiness still sparkled in her dark brown eyes. "She's the best birthday present ever, but Eva, I'm still a bit annoyed that you made me a nana so young."

"Ha! Justice," I said smugly. "Now you know how we felt when you got pregnant."

Ana broke off from her baby talk to raise an eyebrow, an ability definitely not inherited from me. "You two had a few years on me before becoming grandparents."

I shrugged. "It's your own fault. Anyway, better to be a young, hot one than a doddering old codger like this one." I tilted my head towards Dimitri, grinning.

There was a chorus of 'mom!' and 'grams!' which made me snicker, and Dimitri looked indignant.

"Doddering old codger? I thought I had another 10 years or so before you started being that mean."

"Oh please comrade, on the day we met I called you 'cheap foreign labour' and 'grandpa' about a week after that. You should be used to the abuse by now."

"The creativity in your ability to express yourself keeps me on my toes."

By now, our kids were rolling their eyes at our antics.

"Tomorrow then, at the gym, we spar. The winner gets control of the Tv for a week."

"Deal." We shook on it, much to everyone's amusement. We still worked out every day, running laps and going to the gym, but sparring was less common. Despite my insults, our bodies were still about as strong as a human's in their prime. The lack of fighting was mainly due to the fact that getting thrown down onto a hard floor tended to hurt more now than it had in the past, though this may have been more down to the many injuries we had sustained over our careers than our age. Dimitri's knee was weak from the kneecap being shattered about 15 years ago, and my ankle had been getting gradually worse ever since jumping off the roof when I'd been on the run after allegedly murdering Tatiana. We'd gained a mosaic of scars over the years, too, and the children always loved to play a Jaws-like game of 'how did you get that one?' when they came to stay with us.

Sensing that our bickering was done for now, hence meaning that the fun was over, Eva took baby Rosalind away down the garden to introduce her to her aunt and uncle. Matty had been going on about how being an uncle would be the coolest thing in the world, but he had yet to show much interest in his niece. Pretending to stake his own uncle was apparently much more interesting.

"What time are Lissa and Christian coming over for dinner?" Dimitri asked.

"Getting a bit senile are we?" I teased.

"No, but maybe you are, since you forgot to tell me," he said triumphantly, knowing he'd won.

"7:00. Lissa said there's no rush, though, if we want to stay here a bit longer."

Dimitri nodded, dragging his seat so that it was flush up against mine. He put an arm around my shoulders and I rested my head against his. After all these years the feel of his skin against mine was still enough to make me feel giddy. Sure, our hair was a little greyer (though we'd both done impressively well on that front. Christian's once black locks were not completely silver, and though it didn't look bad on him, I couldn't help but feel smug) and our skin marred by both scars and wrinkles, but aging was something I'd found I didn't mind as much as I'd expected to. The very real alternative was that Dimitri's body might still be frozen at the age of 24, or that mine might never have had the chance to turn 19 had Tasha's bullets been 2mm to the right. Most Guardians never made it to this age, and each wrinkle around our eyes and lips was as much a mark of our skill and endurance as the many Molnija marks that were crammed onto the back of our necks and shoulders.

Our lives had never been easy, and we'd had to fight every day to keep our happy ending in sight. It was something I intended to do until I took my last breath.

Sometimes I allowed myself a moment to think of how things would have been if I'd stayed with Adrian, if my life had gone down the road not taken. None of my wonderful kids would be the people they were for a start, and my granddaughter and Adrian's grandson wouldn't be proudly showing off their one-day old baby like they were right now. Sydney and Adrian wouldn't currently on a flight back from Venice to meet their first great-grandchild. And of course, Dimitri wouldn't be sitting here beside me as he had been for the last 48 years.

"Hey, comrade? Your grandson appears to be attempting to stake the grass."

He looked up and sighed. Matty was holding the wooden practice 'stake' in his fist with the handle up, attempting to stab Alek with a downwards thrust, despite the fact he was a good couple of feet shorter.

"What are they teaching them at school these days? I'll go and sort him out." He stood up, stopping half way to kiss me tenderly. I replied more forcefully, eliciting a chuckle from Dimitri. We might be getting older, but we weren't dead yet. I even checked him out as he walked away; his tall frame dominated by lean muscle that could still pack a punch.

As I watched my family celebrating the arrival of the new addition, the line of a poem I'd heard at school and long since half-forgotten drifted through my mind.

There had been a moment once, when my future rested on one moment of self-discovery. In the end, my choice had made all the difference. I'd be eternally thankful that I had taken the road less travelled by.

Next chapter will be posted tomorrow.

*Uses Jedi mind tricks* Support Frostbite! ;)