Epilogue

Rose

Six Years Later:

Christmas day is always the hardest of the year, but somehow we managed to smile. Remembering what was taken from me on this day all those years ago leaves an ache in my chest. But I try to focus on the good times because in the year I knew him, he gave me many moments to smile about.

Snow fell heavily outside, covering our fifty-acre property in Riverbend, Montana with a thick blanket.

Baba and Mom sat together on the front porch, sipping tea and laughing. The sight always warmed me. After everything we had been through, those two managed to reconcile years of differences and have been together since. They legally married three years ago, after Dimitri and I tied our knot, and Mom retired to live out here with Baba.

Turning away from them, I looked into the living room to see my best friend and her family sitting in front of the fireplace. Lissa and Christian married five years ago, Tatiana wanting to expedite their wedding and prepare Lissa to take the throne- which will be happening in March. They have two children, twin boys, who are the light of their lives. Axel and Asher- both blond haired like Lissa, with Christian's icy blue eyes. They will be turning three in January.

Next to them- Eddie, Karo, Paul, and Zoya sat on the couch, watching Christmas movies- one of my all-time favorites, 'A Year Without A Santa Claus'. Eddie and Karo fell extremely quick and hard for each other, but I couldn't be happier. Dimitri, on the other hand, was a bit difficult to deal with for a while but came around after he saw the way Eddie cared for his niece and nephew like his own. They have been officially together for three years now, and I can feel a proposal coming soon.

Alberta and Stan both retired last year, joining Mom and Baba out here to live out their days in peace. I can't lie, seeing them together still unnerves me, but like Stan said 'I'm not the only one who has needs.' If they were happy, that's all that mattered to me.

Pavel was no longer with us- not like that- when Baba bought the property, he gave Pavel the choice to stay or retire. So he decided to head back home to his family in St. Petersburg, reconnecting with his old flame and now owns his own house and is running a Dhampir Gym. He visits once or twice a year, usually around summer time.

Tasha and Emil, well, they didn't work out in the end. Tasha became the head of the 'Moroi Defensive Magic' program and with her travels, it didn't leave time for her to focus on a relationship. Both understood, and are still friends, but they are no longer dating. Tasha, along with Christian and Dimitri, spends over half the year traveling to various Academies around the world training students in the art of defensive magic. Dimitri is still assigned to Christian, so he travels with him regardless, but he has been helping the Novices understand how to fight beside the Moroi.

Lastly, Dimitri and I. Four years of marriage, two kids, our baby boy made his arrival three years ago- Adrian Maxwell Belikov- and another on the way. I took over as Lissa's Guardian when Mom retired, but before that, I helped Tatiana flesh out the details for the Moroi Magic program, as well as traveled to various Academies- St. Vlad's being the most frequent- to help the Novice girls train and focus on school; rather than falling into the mindset that the only thing waiting for them at graduation is being barefoot and pregnant.

Maddie is now attending school at St. Vlad's, she started there two years ago and is loving it. Thankfully, she takes more after Dimitri than me, her attitude and outlook on everything are exactly like his. I have a feeling Adrian will take after me more, and his namesake. He would be headed to Vlad's with Maddie in the fall next year.

I watch Dimitri in the kitchen with both of them putting the final touches on dinner and my heart swells three times in size. I can never get enough of seeing him with them. He has been the perfect father and husband, even if though he is gone most of the time.

I can't lie and say we have a perfect life. We have all had our share of ups and downs, Dimitri and I probably the worst of all- between him never being home and raising Maddie by myself while dealing with the depression and darkness from Lissa- he had his work cut out for him. But we have made it through the rough patches and come out stronger, all of us have.

The sound of a car door shutting drew my attention back outside. We weren't expecting anyone else to come home for Christmas, so a visitor alerted all of the Guardians in the room- retired or not. Dimitri and I moved Maddie and Adrian into the living room with the others and went to see who had shown up. I could hear Baba laughing so I knew it wasn't a threat.

"SYDNEY!"

After she had left us, two months after the incident, we never heard from her again. Baba tried to contact her through the Alchemist, but they always said she was unavailable on assignment somewhere. We wanted her to know that she was always welcome in our family, that even if Adrian wasn't here, we would still love her and want her to be included. Because that's what he would have wanted for her. He wanted her to find her purpose and live her dreams.

"Hey, Rose," she beamed up at me. She leaned into the back seat and surfaced again closing the door and walking around. But she wasn't alone.

Next to her was a little boy with emerald green eyes and sable brown hair. My hand flew over my mouth, knees buckling underneath me. He clung to Sydney's leg, hiding behind her.

"Rose, I have someone I want you to meet," her hand ran through his hair and she smiled down to him, "Go on, baby."

The little boy, who had to be just over five years old, walked toward me, stopping a foot away, "Hi, Auntie Rose."

I couldn't stop myself from crying, pulling this poor innocent child into my arms and clinging to him for dear life. He hugged me back just as tightly, burying his head into my neck.

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but it never seemed like the right time," Sydney said as she joined us on the porch. "I want to explain everything, but not out here."

I nodded to her, pulling away from her son, I wiped my eyes, "What's your name?"

"Michael Adrian Ivashkov Sage."

"It's nice to meet you, Michael," I pulled him to me one more time, "Let's get you inside out of the cold. And you can meet your cousins."

His little smile warmed my heart- it is so much like Adrian's that I almost broke down again- even had that crooked slant to it.

Dimitri ushered everyone inside and directed all of the kids to go to the playroom and show Michael all the toys. The kids welcomed him quickly and headed off. They wouldn't understand who he is just yet, but they were all really good with including other kids with them anyways.

Mom put on a kettle for tea, and all the adults gathered in the living room. Hugs were passed around for Sydney, she had grown on all of us during the nine months she lived here.

Mom gave her a cup of tea, and we settled in for the story.

"I found out I was pregnant just after I left Court," she drew a deep breath, "Adrian and I only slept together once, but you know, sometimes once is enough," she laughed.

"That we do," Dimitri joined her.

"As soon as I found out, I ran. I couldn't let my father or anyone else know about it. If they found out I was pregnant, he would have sent me to the street, if they found out who the father was, I would have been shipped to re-education and an abortion would have been ordered. I couldn't let that happen."

"Of course, not," I laid my hand on her knee.

"I got in touch with my sister, Carly, she helped me find a place to stay and job in Arizona with her. Once I was on my feet, I planned to call you and let you know. I didn't want to keep him from you guys, but one thing got in the way, and then another...it hasn't been easy."

Lissa handed Sydney a tissue, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "We understand, we aren't mad that you didn't tell us sooner."

"She's right," Christian kneeled in front of us, resting his hand on Sydney's other knee, "We're just glad you are finally here, we have all missed you, Syd."

"Well, Michael needs to go to school, and I don't know if I want to enroll him in the human world, or at an Academy. I was hoping to talk with all of you and get your thoughts."

"Does he know? What he is?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes, he knows about all of you, about Adrian, and about his bloodline. I have not kept anything from him."

"Out of curiosity," I spoke up, "have you asked him? Does he want to be a part of this world?"

"Not exactly," she shook her head, "about a month ago, he was playing outside and when he came in he told me he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. When I asked him what that was, he said he wanted to be like Daddy and Uncle Dimitri, to protect people from the bad guys."

"Sounds to me like he knows what he wants," I laughed.

"Why do you think I found you and brought him here, I need your help."

"Maddie is already at St. Vlad's, and Adrian will be starting next fall, we can enroll him with them. He wouldn't be alone, Lissa and Chris's boys will be going there too. He will always have family around him."

She caught a tear with her tissue, nodding her head softly, "I would love that, and I know he will too. It's just been the two of us since he was born. I miss having a family."

"You always have a family with us, Sydney, always." The room grew silent, the air thick with emotion.

"Well, I am damn glad I am no longer employed there," Stan laughed, "Rose's kids, plus Adrian's and Ozera's, that school won't know what hit them."

"Oh shut it, Stanny. You know you loved it when we were there."

"Never a dull moment, that's for sure," Alberta chuckled.

"You know what, who's hungry?" Baba jumped in before I could send out another remark.

The men went to gather the kids, while us women went to make their plates and set the table. Once we all gathered, Baba said grace, everyone dug into dinner. I sat back in my chair, looking around the room.

My family may not be made of just blood, and it may not be 'normal' by societies standards, but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. And to think, all of these people were brought into this family in one year. Some relationships may have started before then, but it was that one year that changed everything. That one, complicated, joyful, sorrow-filled year that brought everyone in this room together as a family.

A Year In Time that shaped our forever.