Going Solo: Grace Gen 4.3

My house. It was quiet, secluded, and had an amazing view. Mom and Dad were both very concerned about the location, but I needed this. I didn't want neighbors close to me. Neighbors tended to be friendly, wanted to talk, that sort of thing. This place was perfect. A little beat up, but just needed some love to make it right again. Sorta like me. Once the parents realized I wasn't changing my mind on the place, Dad showed up with a moving day gift. Vormund was a retired police dog.

He'd been wounded in duty and was given an honorable discharge from the force. Dad told me that normally in those cases, the dog's partner kept the animal since they would have bonded, but in Vormund's case, his partner was fatally wounded. The police force was having an adoption day and Dad thought he was the perfect fit for me, and I couldn't agree more. We quickly became best of friends, and that first night alone, I was grateful for the company.

He slept beside me and I felt comforted by his presence. We bonded quickly, Vormund was a loyal animal, never to far off my heels. We went almost everywhere together. Being a police dog, he was already well trained, and I learned he made an excellent guard dog when he scared the crap out of my postman. I felt safe with him around and we settled into a routine.

Wake up, tend to my plants, eat breakfast and maybe go for a walk. He'd go with me to the community garden, it was a great place to fish, plus find new fruits to take for my own garden. Now that the weather was better, more people would show up, I tried to time my visits for the less active times of the day.

Some people would smile and try to talk to me and I had to force myself to be polite and at least acknowledge their greeting. I still visited my parents often to give them date night and to spend time with my younger siblings. Carter was nearly the spitting image of Dad and Erin was finally a child to get Mom's hair color. She was a cute girl and I enjoyed being around them and they both loved playing with Vor. I also spent time with Grammy and Sha, it was sad to see them getting older. Hope was doing well in Roaring Heights.

She loved her job and was dating some guy named Parker. She was very proud of me for finally moving out on my own. Baby steps. Nearly a year of living on my own and things were going well. Mom and Dad were proud of how well I'd been handling things and tried not to voice their concern over the fact that my only friend was Vor.

My garden was coming along nicely and I kept the family stocked on fresh fruits and veggies. Mom had told me to go by the farmer's market. The guy that ran the place was always looking for locally owned farmers to stock his shelves with home grown produce. I guess she and Dad were being over run with my fruits and veggies as were Grammy and Sha. At least I was helping to cut down on their grocery bill. I wasn't keen on the idea, but she talked to the guy for me, even took a sample of harvest. He was very impressed and wanted to talk things over with me. Reluctantly I agreed. My life was calm and routined, and Mom was upsetting the balance.

After dropping Vor off at the vet for his yearly check up, I headed to my meeting feeling nervous. Mom was going to be there with me, and hopefully do most of the talking. Over the years, I've learned that unexpected moments can forever alter the course of my life. I'd spent a lot of time tripping over my own two feet, coordination was not my strong suit.

Never before was it a big deal, it was simply a fact of life. Who could have guessed that being clumsy would have been one of those moments.

**A/N**

First sorry about not showing the house before. I just didn't have a picture of it at the time of the update. I did not build it. The house is Hidden Secrets by Airis6962. I made a few changes to it for my purposes.

Most of you will probably know who that winged man is so thanks Vuneca for the use of Jonas! I hope I make you proud in the portrayal of his character in my story. Be sure to check out her story.

Vormund is supposed to be a German Shepherd if you couldn't tell. LOL EA's pets sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. Anyway his name means guardian in German. I wanted something to fit his role in her life. They really do spend a lot of time together. Bonus shots of her teaching him some tricks.

Sit

Sit up

Speak

Family shots
First, Kerri **sniff sniff** she's an elder now.

Carter has aged up to child

Lastly, baby Erin the newest member of the Gruber family. She doesn't have Davis' eye nor Cora's so I'm thinking those are from Grandma Kerri. Hard to really tell with the vamp glow, but I believe Kerri again made sure her genes carried on for future generations.

Oh...one more for fun. She ran into her dad while heading to the bookstore.