Alternative 1
I walk onto a large field… well what would have been maybe a park in front of a town hall once upon a time , you never would have guessed it now, the town itself in pieces. I see some of my fellow Canadian's, well at least I know I'm with friends, I relent and hover at the edge of the group of soldiers. Something I hadn't known for, what a month? I've lost track of time. I have only memories keeping me going now you see. Sweet sweet memories of red hair, green or grey eyes those seven little freckles so perfectly on her nose. Her smile, THAT smile which was just for me, or even better the look of distain on her face whenever she had looked at me in our early relationship. Any other man would curse himself for remembering the bad times but, they weren't so bad, they were of her. And if you don't know who I am on about, I think you a simpleton.
There was some… "entertainment" on a make shift stage by two brash Amercian voices. I've seen enough of the further 'entertainment' those kind of girls give, after the show. Not these two though, I've never seen them before but I have been offered girls 'services' before. Being fluttered and flirted with, I'm not stupid to the lures of the female kind. The idea had churned my stomach, I'm a married man! I had lost my virginity not weeks, (or months… again time wasn't relevant anymore) before hand to the purest soul on earth, I could never betray her like that! The other soldiers 'messed' with these girls, some of them… did more; I was never sure just how far they went. Some were married back home, some were not. None of them thought it cheating exactly, many of them called me 'under thumb' that I should experiment; after all it would benefit my wife long term the more experience I had. I couldn't do that, not to my Anne! Even now the memory of her bare form enters my soul. I feel the joy for a moment then push the memory away. I am determined, that memory would not be tainted with the blood and pain and hate of war. That memory was precious and needed protecting. Yes, it was one of the only memories I had of Anne as my wife, maybe if I ever had been on the edge of death, about to fall into the abyss maybe I could bring it out then and live in it for those few last blissful moments, die with the imagine of Anne… I feel myself flush as the imagine flashed across my memory. I close my eyes to cut the memory off again. 'stop thinking of Anne.' I tell myself but I know it is useless. Though it is strange, I haven't thought of her like that for such a long time, I wondered, maybe it was just I was out of the immediate danger of being a prisoner of war. Actually getting to think of something but my impending death, not for the first time in this bloody war I am grateful for the fact I am a doctor, something which seemed on several occasions kept me alive, I am much more useful alive then dead.
The music I noticed stops in the background though I don't care to look to the reason why, they sounded happy rather than in distress and let's face it, right now that's all that mattered. A familiar chord stuck on the accordion…
Ouch! I think to myself. Just when I had resolved not to think of Anne, our wedding song. I started to look round the field looking for some sign from God that it was a cruel trick.
Then something strange happened, a softer voice joined in the other two harsher voices
"Let me hear you whisper that you love me too."
Wow! It is beautiful! The voice makes me stop, and I search the crowds more for the source of the sweet voice.
"Keep your love light shining in your eyes so true."
That sounded just like… No I'm dreaming! I panic. God I'm still in that cell aren't I? I'm still asleep! Something has stirred this, I'm asleep and there's 'entertainment'in the background and they are singing our song. The sound has stirred me into thinking I can hear… her!
"Let me call you sweetheart.."
I looked down, no, no it couldn't be. I start to look up towards the make shift stage on the steps
"I'm in love with you."
Why did I have to stand so far away, I could barely see the women on the stage, though the one in the middle, she did have the same shade of red hair Anne did. I can't see her properly though.
"Let me call you sweetheart.."
I start to move, one foot in front of the other. If I walk I can see them I would have a better view. The red haired girl was wearing green, God! Anne looks so lovely in green! But it couldn't be? Could it? Right here, in the middle of Germany?! France?! Wherever the hell I am!
"I'm in love with you."
The music fades to background noise in my head, it… it can't be?!
The small redhead shook her head and looked at amazement in my direction and even from afar I can see her large eyes well up her lips smile in disbelief. I walk closer through the crowds, no! it couldn't be? What is Anne doing here? She should be safe on Prince Edward Island!
She runs down the steps and I lose her in the crowds for a moment. NO! No please God don't make me loose her now! Was she a delusion? She couldn't be real?! All these thoughts running a hundred miles an hour round my head.
But then I see her red hair flaming through the crowds, pushing aside the people around her, I wonder if she even sees their faces.
At last the vision stood mere feet in front of me. Still I'm not convinced she was real. She couldn't be! I stand frozen to the spot as I looked her up and down, maybe, maybe… she is real. The crowds wouldn't part for my delusions, would they? My heart is racing in my chest.
"Oh!" she voices before her arms flung in front of her leaping into my arms.
It hit me there and then as I secured her in my arms. She's real, Anne… Anne…Anne! I can smell her see her touch and hear her, four out of five senses can't be wrong.
"Oh.." My hand immediately touches her hair, its real, she is real! My arm dropped to her back her cries so very real, for me! "my love!" she cries before kissing me so briefly on my lips again, the last of my senses confirm, taste, her kisses taste of Anne! She snuggles into me so tightly her cries so frantic it was barely understandable.
My hand back in her hair I hold her closer then I thought possible "I thought you were a dream!" I manage to say, I have a thousand questions for her, but they could wait, just wait… her hand in my hair, I snuggled my face into her neck kissing her there momentarily before her lips were trailing across my cheeks. Please God Yes! One, then two brief kisses on the lips. Her hands on my face, I am intoxicated with my sweet sweet Anne! Even those brief kisses made up for any temporary fix he could have ever had out on the field. Our hands and lips were trailing everywhere! Our hands held together she kissed into my hand as I still looked in amazement at her.
"Officer Blythe." I hear from beside me, though I can't respond. I don't care to anymore! Anne is here! Her hand stroked over my face. All at once I regained my other senses and looked round to see who had addressed me. He looked like… could it be?
"You remember Jack Garrison. He helped me look for you." Anne tells me through her cries, stroking me again as I look into her eyes again. Is this actually real?
"We've got to move very quickly. There's going to be a truce." Truth be told I barely hear Jack, I'm too busy waking to the reality that Anne was right there in front of me.
"Jack and his friend's with Allied forces. They're going to get us out of here quickly." Anne told me quickly, I can't believe it, well I can it is Anne after all doing the impossible, but what had Anne Blythe been doing in my absence? I think in wonderment at my wife. My wonderfully impossible wife!
"We haven't much time. I'll see what we can do." Jack told us, Anne pulls me away from this dreaded field. Anne was pulling me away from the war, away from my own personal hell, it was finally over.
Sleep had eluded me for so long. I can't remember the last time I slept, but I was safe, I was with Anne, how could I not listen to her and try and rest. I barely had believed the story Anne had shared with me, though I knew it was possible with my wife!
We had sat alone in the back of the taxi, Jack in the taxi in front of us as she recounted her story. The way she had received the returned letters she had written faithfully, my heart soared! Of course she did, I knew something must have stopped her pen from getting to me. The letter telling her I was missing in action. The way she had seen Diana go through the same thing, but Anne being Anne, she had refused the fate of sitting and waiting, preferring a more direct approach. She was going to rip Europe apart with her bare hands until she found me. She told me of the chance meeting of Jack and Colette and little baby Dominic. The way Jack was a spy for us, dealing with dangerous, dangerous men, how Anne had become involved, how Anne had found Fred and had been across from me in that field.
That same day the hospital had come under attack, the same day I had been captured with my unit. I explained the soldiers had been executed who had been captured, how I thought it would be my fate also, but how being a doctor had saved my life. How they took me to save the lives of their men. How I had met brave men on the other side, pleading for my help, they had been conscribed to the army, it hadn't been their choice some had come out younger then they should, looking for the glories of war, I met one 14 year old. 14! Most of them old enough to understand I had been told disagreed with the war, with what they were fighting for but they like me had needed to 'do it for their country'.
I asked her, I asked if I was a traitor to my country by saving those men, she had soothed me telling me outright that I was a doctor not a solider and a work of a doctor was for all men, not just troops on our side. No one could accuse me of treason for saving lives. It was an act of bravery and pure love for mankind. I was glad Anne had found Fred and took him and the baby safely back to London. How she finally understood Fred, how Diana saw him all those years ago, how guilty she had felt for not liking him for taking Diana away. How they had become a makeshift family. I'm not mad, of course she found it in her to love Fred in her own way. He is a fine fellow (and hopefully safely back on PEI recovering). How she came back to mainland Europe and had found Jack again and how she had known those girls.
She amazes me!
"Only you." I smile to her still holding her in my arms as if, if I let go she would slip away.
"You aren't mad at your wife for being so impulsive?" she asks me wide grey eyes staring into my soul.
"What you did was dangerous, I would have preferred it if you had stayed safe at home." I take her cheek gently in the palm of my hand stroking her again so gently. "but if you did that, you wouldn't be my Anne." I say with a proud smile. "So don't you mind what I would prefer you to do, its so impulsively you, and I told you before how I feel about that." I say hoping the glint in my eyes are shining through the tiredness.
She looks up at me and giggles slightly before kissing the hand which is joint with my own. She then looks up at me and kisses me squarely on the lips for quite some time. Her hands sweep through my hair I can't help but reflect her actions, was that her tongue making her way through my lips?! In plain public and in front of the man who had a fallen in love with her. Yes, I know, I know he is in love with Anne, I know better than anyone the signs. I can't blame him, after all… I am me! I had pined for… how many years? I also know Anne, I know where her heart lies and its with me, I know with every passing heartbeat her heart beats just for me as mine does for her. I pull away slightly "Anne sweetheart…" I manage breathlessly.
"I know." She whispers as she hugs into me again.
Now the train chucks in a strange way and a presence is suddenly over me, I intensively jump awake back on the battlefield I start to defend myself but then see a soft beautiful face in front of me of my wife. I think she sees the momentary fear in my eyes.
"Sorry to wake you." She says gently. Before I can respond her perfect lips are on mine. Kissing me passionately. I move forward wrapping my arms finally around my wife pulling her in closer by her lower back her hands caressing my face. I pull her back as I relax onto the chair her legs strangle either side of me.
"Anne." I say indicating the windows and doors beside us, the blinds to the windows already shut but they were not, she leaped from my lap pulling the doors shut locking it and rolling down the blinds so fast I barely have time to readjust my position before she is back on my lap.
"Better?" She asks me letting her long hair down her back. I can't help but hold it in my hands running through it twisting it in my fingers. I can't respond before our lips reconnect then our tongues. We slowly peel off our clothes, although in actual fact perhaps it isn't so slowly? It feels too slow but I think it was a matter of seconds… time again has no relevance anymore, but for a very blissful reason!
"Gil?" She starts pulling back for a moment.
"errmmmm." I say not able to form a word as I unfasten her brassiere. It is tossed aside as I look into her eyes.
"You know I've been to the front." She says to me, I murmur again in delight kissing into her neck. "I know how moral was kept up with the officers with, certain young ladies…" I pull back sensing where she is going with this. "I won't be mad if you did, I understand you have your needs, I just need to know…" she trailed blushing slightly.
I stop my pursuit for a moment and I hold her face again. "My needs…"I say looking her in the eyes "…could only ever be fulfilled by one woman…" I tell her. "…and that's what I told them when they came offering." I kiss her gently "This is the closest I've come to fulfilling those needs… since our wedding night."
She smiled faintly which quickly turned to a flirty bite of her bottom lip, she reached down and yanked my trousers and underwear off in one quickly putting herself back on my lap "then lets fulfil our needs now." She whispered to me.
I hold her fast to me, finally enjoying her bare form again, those memories which I had carefully stored away too holy for the horrors of war came to the forefront of my mind. I finally, finally have her, my wife, she starts to make those sweet noises she made on our wedding night.
"Gil!" she whispered throwing her head back allowing me full access to her throat and chest, I couldn't help it I kissed at her neck and squeezed where her brassiere had been. My hand giving her the support it had formerly had, though by the sound she had made, was a good sight more pleasurable for her. This is all the catalyst I need. I can't wait to have that feeling again where our two bodies become one, where you can't tell where one person ends and another begins because you are so close together. I admit it, I need my wife!
Half an hour later and… how can I say this delicately… both of us fully satisfied I kept her close to me not dare letting go in case she fades into a dream.
"What about you Anne?" I ask her gently as we recover. "Did you receive any offers from anyone?" I ask her half knowing the answer, my bets were on Jack.
"Jack offered for us to be a family." Anne told me honestly. She looks at the lack of surprise on my face "You don't seem fazed by it?" she questions me.
"I know when a man is in love with Anne Shirley." I tell her honestly. "Did you want to?" I ask her. I know well enough to know she will tell me the truth, her feelings with regards to Jack had always been so very mixed up, with him helping her these last few months, I didn't know if it had budded into love for her.
She pulled back making sure we had eye contact. Her long red hair over her shoulder I can't help but touch it again. "I won't say the guarantee of protection wasn't tempting especially now the world is so uncertain, and I know how much I love Dominic. But he wasn't proposing it to Anne Shirley, was he?" she tells me straight. "he was proposing it to Anne Blythe. If I never saw the physical evidence of your demise I would never believe it, I would never let go…" she said stroking me again. "…I am Anne Blythe because I love you and only you, for the rest of time."
I look at her "You don't love him in the right way, not like this?" I confirm with her.
"Not like this." She whispers. "Only you." She lifts my face to look at her, "Don't ever call me Anne Shirley again." She whispers, "I am your wife and I bare your name."
I smile into her eyes. "Yes Mrs Blythe." I say with a twinkle.
"And anyway." She said with a raised eyebrow and flirting eyes, "I could never marry anyone I wasn't scandalously in love with."
I smile at her words. A author through and through, she even makes her own chat up lines for me. Still joined we kiss again gently and longingly this time. I love the many ways I can kiss my wife!
There was a knock on the door but no attempt to open it. "Anne, Gilbert." The familiar voice of Jack rang through the carriage "the train will be stopping in fifteen minutes; we should ready ourselves for departure. We'll go and get Dominic."
We look at each other before she calls through "We'll be right with you Jack." We stroke each other's bare form one last time before we shuffled away to retrieve our clothes which had been casually disregarded around the carriage. Once our underwear is back on we find it easier to dress each other, I can't wait to get back to civilisation to get rid of this uniform once and for all.
Anne's distress is obvious as she ran towards the building, neither my own or Jack's calls brought her back. We look at each other directly and he shakes his head.
"Is she always so impulsive?" He asks me.
I chuckle, "I think you've known her long enough to know the answer to that yourself." I pause for a moment. "Thank you, by the way, for all the help you've given her."
He looks at me like I'm slightly mad. Even the few words on the train we had we both had felt the strain of what our relationship was to each other. To him, I was the man in the way, while we were engaged there was still a chance that… but now we're married, I guess a small (if not large part of him) hoped I was dead, so that he might have his chance with Anne. Again I can't place blame on him for that. Anne had cast her spell unwittingly on both of us, Anne unwittingly cast her spell on a lot of men. I know how lucky I am that she came to love me.
"She's told you? All that I said?" He asks me straight.
"Yes." I acknowledge.
He shifts awkwardly. There was silence as we came to the building.
Anne runs back to us and she springs into my arms, she looks accusingly at Jack. "What's the matter with you? He's your son?! How can you be so calm?" she shouted.
I hush her silently in my arms. To be honest I'm wondering the same. If the child had been mine I would be ripping the place apart.
"If his Aunt found it necessary to evacuate she would have taken Dominic with her. He's probably safely in New York, we have a safe house there too, you don't have to go straight back to PEI do you? Come with me? Both of you, you'll see Dominic."
We're finally on a ferry away from France, I never care if I never see the place again, This ferry is heading right for New York. No its not home yet, but at least it's a step closer to home. We made a stop in Britain before we got on this ferry, Anne bought some civilian clothes for me, I think she could see I was uncomfortable still in my uniform. This ferry, is made for long haul journey's has bathrooms and fires, Anne makes the water the hottest water I have felt in a long time. As I lie in the water I can feel the soil of Germany and France loosen on my skin. Anne doesn't leave she takes the soap and rubs it over my skin.
"Anne you don't have to." I tell her gently.
"I want to." She replies gazing into my eyes.
It catches my breath, again, the look of love in her eyes. I'd forgotten what it was like. Memories are funny things, but through the war hate was dominate. Love, love like this so pure and true was lost to memories, but right now I was living it again.
She blushes and returns her attention to the soap and rubbing it over me. I find I cannot object. Her loving touches (or rather massages) along with the hot water relax me. I'd forgotten what my unknotted body felt like!
When I'm finished we look at the bathwater knowing it was useless for anything else (as the filth was that thick) we drain it out, Anne even cleans the bath tub because of how dirty it was, she tells me to go back to the cabin to lie down. So I do. I really have no control at the moment but I think that's okay. I change into my new night shirt and pyjama bottoms and I lie waiting for my wife to join me. It doesn't take long before she's snuggled in beside me her red hair behind her in front of me I start to naturally play with it my other arm around her. I subconsciously smell into her hair, as I did plenty of times in our long engagement. It smells like her. Those smells I longed for on the cold noisy nights of the war. The feeling of her pressed against me, another thing I longed for. She's mine to keep and to treasure, not to lock away in fear that something so lovely could be tainted, but to cherish, love and protect.
"I think you'll love Dominic." She says quietly to me. I stop and think for a moment. Could I love Jack Garrison's son? "He's like Colette, his mother a lot like her. He's such a sweet baby, Fred took to him straight away."
I smile. "Well if Fred did I'm sure I will." Fred is after all usually a lot more reserved then I am.
"Can I tell you something?" She asks me.
"Of course." I tell her.
She sits up and looks round to me "When I was in London, I made a promise to Jack, if anything ever happened to him, I would take care of Dominic." She paused waiting for a reaction from me. "Are you mad? I made that decision without consulting you first, it would have affected both of us."
I look into her eyes. "How can I be mad at you? For saying you would look after a baby if anything happened to his one remaining parent? What were you going to do Anne? Pack Dominic off to an orphanage to have the same miserable existence you had to endure?" I pause and laugh "and anyway I was hardly contactable for a consultation was I?"
"You aren't mad?" She confirms.
"I could never be mad at you for offering your love to a child." I tell her straight.
"What if Jack decides to make me keep that promise? What if…" She trailed worrying.
"If we ended up with Jack's son, I would love him as my own." I tell her. "I promise you that."
She looks at me sweetly and kisses me gently before she lies back down.
I hold her like that for the rest of the night, in my arms.
It takes another seven days to get back to New York. The tensions between Jack and I gradually start to fade. I know it must be hard for him, to see my arm round Anne, for her to be snuggling into me, but he did approach me about his feelings.
"You know I love you wife." He admits outright.
"Yes." I say to him.
He shivers uncomfortably. "How are you so calm then?" He asks me. "I mean if Anne were mine I'd be stoke mad if another man…"
I smile briefly. "Our relationship hasn't always been so…" I trail. "easy." I admit. "I spent what seemed like forever with Anne loathing my existence." He looked at me surprised. "I don't need to know that no one else is attracted to my wife, they're all mad for not to fall in love the instant they meet her in my opinion." I tell him. "So I can't really complain when someone does." I look at him and smile.
"How long after you met her did you fall in love with her?" He asked me.
"Honestly, I think it started when I first saw some long red pigtails peeking out from under a hat at a picnic, she raced in a three legged race you know? No other girl…" I sigh. "I knew for certain when she broke a slate over my head." I say with a laugh. "How about you?"
"I overheard her give some ridiculous titles for her book…." He trailed. "But it intrigued me. When I read her manuscript, I wished I had her passion for something…"
I smile "that's how it starts." I chuckle.
"She never meant to…" he tried.
I laugh. "I know." I tell him. "She never meant for me to fall in love with her either."
"She's hard to get." Jack said almost sadly. I can't help but feel sorry for the guy for a minute. "Impossible for me." He concedes. "You're a lucky man." He tells me holding out his hand for a handshake. I take it.
"I know how lucky I am. I know how close I've came to losing her." I swallow. "I don't care if another man loves her, because I know she would never have consented to be my wife if she had those feelings for anyone else. With Anne it's all or nothing. Besides it means we do have something in common." I say
"break her heart I'll kill you." He said to me only half kidding.
"right back at you." I reflect.
I hope this is enough to finally break the ice between us. It did. Even Anne seemed happier now we were getting along easier. Lets face it seven days on a boat, you know only two people, it would be a long journey if only one of them never spoke to you. Spending some time with the guy, I actually get along with him quite well. He reminds me of a few of my classmates from medical school, in personality.
The night times were my favourite times of course. Being alone with Anne and she never fails to satisfy me in… all so many ways! Ways I had dreamed of… I realise what a complete fool I was… Marrying a girl then the next day leaping on a train to serve my county! I should have married her the moment I finished medical school like I wanted. I never should have let my career get in the way of our relationship! I lost another three precious years which could have been mine with her because of it. Maybe I should have asked her to marry me anyway and taken her to New York with me to begin with, as my wife. I confine in her about all this, she tells me there's no point in wishing our lives away over what might have been, she's right of course, but I can't help but wonder… What it might have been like.
We finally make it back to New York where I finally get to meet Dominic. He recognises Anne before he even recognises Jack. He only smiles. Anne looked after him after all for a good part of a year in his living memory, the boy couldn't have been older than two years old. I finally get to hold the boy in my arms, he looks right at me like he's known me his whole life and hugs me. I guess in a funny way he does know me, he knows Anne so he knows me. He sits quietly as we play with the few toys he has.
We stay in New York for a few days as arrange to get back to PEI. Anne is tearful at leaving Dominic behind, but he's safe with his father and she knows it.
Jack doesn't feel so safe, he asks me directly if anything were to happen to him would I mind if Anne kept her promise. I tell him the truth in no uncertain terms. I would be honoured to be entrusted with someone else's child and I tell him, he must come and visit us on PEI. After all there's Fred who is dying to see Dominic too. He makes a joke about his boy having so many adoptive parents who love him. I can tell he's feeling insecure about being a single father, especially in this day and age. Single mothers, I suppose will be more common now with so many departed husbands in the war, single fathers however… I feel for him, I really do, maybe he was a decent chap after all.
We're safely on the ferry now back to PEI. I hold her close to me, a little less formally attired to what I'm accustom to wearing but I'm okay like that. She tells me I look like the farm boy I once was, I joke and say I look too old to be a farmboy now, that people will think I cradle snatched her. She laughs and tells me I'm just as handsome as the first day we met. I feel comforted, at least I know my wife doesn't see me as old as I feel.
We're finally home. Living with Fred and Diana with their two little ones makes us long for our own family, but Green Gables really isn't big enough for us all. We're home three months before I approach her about this carefully, I know what Avonlea means to her, it means the same to me. I know what Green Gables means to her.
She's sitting out on the veranda sowing, just as I used to see her and Marilla do so often, I sit on the chair opposite her, "I've been given an interesting offer by Doctor Stuart over in Glen St. Mary." I start.
"Oh?" She says looking at me.
"He's getting old, near retirement; he's looking for a partner for his practice to take over once he retires."
Anne looks at me and gives a different answer to what I'm expecting. "a part of me will always be at Green Gables, but I think we need a fresh start. For, you, and I…" She trails as she sees the look on my face "…and our baby."
I feel my eyes widen… how in the world had she hidden THIS from me.
"Anne, how can you know…?" I ask her.
"I suspected a couple of weeks back, I confided in Diana, I didn't want to seem foolish if I was wrong to you, but with the symptoms she suggested surprising you and we went to the Doctors in Charlottetown that day we went down there last week. Diana didn't know the results, I told her beforehand you should be the first one to know."
I kneel in front of her reaching for her stomach. "how far along do you think?" I ask her.
"The doctor in Charlottetown said about twelve weeks, give or take, it's really difficult to tell this early on but said if my husband was a doctor… you would know what to do."
I can't describe to you how it feels. To know your seed is passed to another generation, that a child can be born in a broken world and fix it. The way my heart pounded.
"We can raise that family we always wanted." Anne said with a smile.
"With plenty of scope for the imagination." I say with a smile and a light kiss to her stomach. I look up "Shall we go and tell Fred and Diana?" I ask her. "I bet she's bursting to know by now?" I question.
Anne nods and I help her out of her chair. I wrap my arm around her proudly. A feeling enters my heart, just as it did the day we first kissed on that bridge, a new chapter was in the works of being written for us and all is right for us in the world.