This story is set around the time of the first book. Enjoy:)

An Avonlea Snowstorm

The first official Avonlea-School-Bake-Sale had been the entire idea of Anne Shirley and Diana Barry. Anne had woken up in a charitable mood one November morning and decided that the Avonlea schoolchildren should raise money for a worthy cause, such as the newly finished Carmody hospital. So she enlisted the help of her bosom friend and together they presented the idea to Ms. Stacy, who loved it. Personally, Diana thought it rather silly to have a bake sale in the dead of winter, but Anne was adamant. "It may be winter, but who does not love a good treat? The proceeds could go to the Carmody hospital, and I am sure they would love the support." She had said dismissively. So they went to work organizing the affair with Diana finding the idea much more agreeable.
Diana and Ruby were in charge of decorations, Jane of publicity, Gilbert Blythe & Co. of setting up, and Anne of supervising and helping with everything.

Now the Pye girls were feeling very very left out, Josie in particular, as all they had to do was bring three pies, so they contrived a party to be held after the sale at their house. Josie had it all planned out. There was to be cakes, plum puffs, candy, ice cream, cookies, games, and some more wholesome delicacies because Mrs. Pye did not want "All you young ones to be sugared up in her respectable home."

"The breads go by the door, the pies at the back, and the specialities in the middle," Anne instructed to the boys. After the food was arranged, Gilbert saddled over to where Anne was on a chair trying to hang a sign.
"Need some help?" Gilbert thought his timing was perfect.
"Just because I am a girl does not mean I am incapable of hanging a sign all by myself!" The red-head shot at him. Gilbert raised an eyebrow as both the sign and Anne crashed to the floor.
"Really?"
Anne was about to retort when the schoolhouse door flew open and the Ladies Aid Society led by none other than Rachel Lynde entered. Anne stood up and brushed off. Her honor was at stake.
Gilbert hung the sign himself. She would just have to deal with his aid this time, especially with Marilla watching and Mrs. Lynde watching.

Marilla sighed in relief as she brought a lemon cake, which looked as if a certain Moody Spurgeon had enjoyed the icing. Her twenty pounds of brown sugar had been put to good use, she noted Diana and Anne proudly showing their cookies to Mrs. Allan. It looked as if a scheme of Anne's was coming off perfectly, for once.
"If the snow starts blowing hard, I want you both to come right home," Marilla told Anne and Diana.
"Oh we will!" They choursed.
"Do you think we could use that as an excuse to get out of the Pye's party?" Diana whispered.
"No, we have to go," Anne whispered back.
Diana raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said you would never never attend a party that Gilbert would be at-" Anne dismissed it saying "Everyone else including that person would be there. If we did not go we would be the laughing stalk of the School." Diana saw the point and noded.

The sale was a smash success. The Pye girls left early however, "To get ready for the party," Josie said with a significant glance at Gilbert (which was ignored).
"That was the best bake sale we've ever had!" Ruby exclaimed giddily as they counted the money.
"That was the only bake sale we've ever had," Jane reminded her.
"Well I think all the credit goes to Anne Shirley!" a gallant Gilbert declared. The students applauded.
"We all made it a success, I didn't do it all by myself you all helped." Anne said, ignoring the hazel eyes that were staring at her.
"Um, what do we do with the pies?" Moody asked.
Everyone turned around. Not a single Pye pie had been bought. After a few seconds of awkward but hilarious silence, Miss Stacy said, "Well you can just take them to the party and eat them there." They agreed, put on their coats, and set out for what was to be a very long night.

It was two miles to the Pye house. It was fine in the snow at first, but Gilbert started to worry when it started blowing harder. Slowly but surely, it got whiter and whiter and whiter until you could not see your hand in front of you if you tried.
"Anne! Where are you! Anne!" a terrified Diana shouted over the wind.
"Di, I'm right here!"
"Oh Anne, I'm so cold and scared and cold and scared and cold and scared and-"
"Just hold on to me Di and don't stop walking!" Anne shouted, almost blinded by the snow.
"Where's Ruby? Anne I don't see Ruby!"
Screaming came from a few yards away.
"HELP! HELP! HELP! I'M DROWNING! I'M DROWNING IN SNOW!" Well they could sure hear Ruby.
"Anne! Anne!" Anne never thought she would enjoy hearing Gilbert's voice as much as she did now.
"I'm right here! I have Diana and Ruby but I can't find Jane!"
"She's over here. Moody! Don't let go of Charlie!" Gilbert tried to direct everyone, "Link arms and just don't let go of each other!"
Twelve frightened, half-frozen Avonlea schoolchildren fought their way through the snow. Soon, it was completely white.

For years afterward, the Avonlea mothers would thank God for old Josiah Sloane, and the fact that he never tore his hideous five-hundred-year-old shed down. That shed would later be considered a monument by the mothers of Avonlea for years to come.
Anne truly thought she was about to die. She had never faced death before, she had read about it and imagined it, but never faced it. Then, having no idea where she was or where she was going, she found herself face to face with a wall-like object.
"Gilbert! I've found something! I think it's the Pye's house!"
"Get in Anne, just get in! I'll get everyone else!" Gilbert shouted.
"Oh no you don't! Your not going to let me sit idle by while the rest are freezing."
"Anne just get in the house! Don't be an idiot! This isn't a novel-"
"Who are you calling an idiot!?" Anne shouted over the wind, "Where's Diana?"
"GET IN THERE ANNE!" She had no choice but to try and do as Gilbert told her. Anne felt around what she thought was the Pye's house, then abruptly fell into what she discovered was a shed.

They were safe. Somewhat safe. Everyone was accounted for. They all huddled together in the shed, terrified and freezing.
Gilbert watched as Anne gave her coat to Diana, who looked like a ghost.
"Here Anne," Gilbert took his off, though it was freezing, and put it around Anne. She tried to give it back but he wouldn't take it. Gil thought a minute, then dared to grab her hands and hold them in his.
"To keep the circulation going," he said dumbly. It was obvious why he had grabbed them.
To his astonishment, she didn't pull away, but scooted closer to him. Was this happening? Did Anne Shirley just sit close to him? He put one arm around her and the other around Diana. "We are going to get through this, alright?" he told his classmates. None of them believed him but nodded and kept rubbing their hands together.

"Anne! Anne Shirley! Don't you dare fall asleep! Anne Shirley! Wake up!" Anne awoke to Gilbert shaking her hard, but not to hard she was Anne after all.

"I'm sorry, but I had too, you can't fall asleep in a blizzard Anne," Gilbert pulled his coat tighter around her.
"Your going to get it when this is over," Anne told him, but it wasn't in a mean way, there was a sparkle in her eye when she said it. Gilbert smiled.

Diana patted a shivering Ruby Gillis on the head. "It's okay, it's okay." Goodness, Ruby was not helping the situation. Diana had been watching her best friend with Gilbert. It was obvious something was going on. Anne had his coat on, then there was the hand incident from the hour before...what was with Anne? Maybe it was just the circumstances, Diana wondered.

Anne hugged Gilbert. He was shocked. Was Anne Shirley hugging him? The person she had sworn never to forgive in her life? Then she got up and looked around. In the corner she spotted a large pile of old quilts. She grabbed them and started passing them around. "Can I help with anything Anne?" said Gilbert from behind."Well, if you could see if there is anything else in that corner where I found the quilts that would be helpful." She said as she handed the last blanket to him. He walked over and there was a lantern and a few matches. "Here I found this lantern we could light and a open box of matches. If we use it at least it won't be so dark." He said when he walked back to where Anne was standing. "Oh good!" She said. They lit the lamp and huddled together as they fell asleep.

"Katie?" Anne said as she sat in front of the window. "I know I have not talked to you in a while, but everyone else is asleep and I just needed to talk to someone." She said talking to Katie Morris, or her reflection with a name if that is what you prefer. "I don't know if I will live to see another morning so I wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings, and if you see Violeta tell her I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to her." She started to cry now. "Anne?" Gilbert said as he put his arms around her crying form. "What's wrong?" He said when she turned around startled. "Nothing, I was just setting a few things straight." She said quickly wiping her tears away. "With who?" He questioned. " My old imaginary friend when I was in the orphanage. I haven't talked to her since I moved to Green Gables and I didn't want any hard feelings toward me from her if I-" She couldn't say the last word. So they fell silent for awhile. "Why don't you sit with me for awhile and talk until everyone wakes up." He said walking her over to the pile of sleeping children.

When Matthew Cuthbert entered the old Sloane shed the next morning, what he saw was quite interesting, but something he would have NEVER EVER EVER told his sister. He saw Anne, um, he didn't know how to put this, in the arms of the Blythe boy.
To be precise, Gilbert had both his arms around Anne, who was crying. The others were asleep, all huddled together for warmth. But Gilbert and Anne were talking. Matthew couldn't help but listen in, before making his presence known.
"I'm so sorry Gil, for everything. I'm so so sorry."
"Don't be," he brushed a strand of hair away from face, "it was all my fault, really." Matthew had never been so amazed in all his life.
"If we die here, Gil-"
"We're not going to die Anne, they'll come for us anytime. It's going to be fine." What happened next was something that would of shocked Avonlea to it's core.
Gilbert Blythe kissed Anne Shirley.
It was as simple as that. Matthew turned away from his place at the window, took a moment, then knocked on the door. When he entered, Anne was on the other side of the shed, and it looked as if nothing had happened.
Matthew Cuthbert would take that secret to his grave.