This story's time frame is after the 3rd Kevin Sullivan movie and during the time of the Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside books. I do not own Anne or anything like that, only Lucy Maud Montgomery and Kevin Sullivan have the rights.
Thank you so much to SaraBella04 for being a great beta reader. I couldn't have done it with out you.
Please read and review!
The little yellow house by the sea glowed softly as the sun set on the snowy horizon. The snow lay in drifts, blanketing the earth like a quilt, but not hiding the peaceful little house. This house was different than all the others in the little village of Glen-St. Mary; it was a home built with young love and unspoken dreams.
Inside, the mistress of this little house of dreams was sitting by the fireplace, a roaring fire keeping her warm, her cheeks rosy from the heat of the fire. She was knitting little booties and had a warm glow of contentment on her face. This glow accentuated her shiny dark red hair and warm grey eyes. Her mind, however, was not on the knitting, but was far away from Glen-St. Mary in a magical land that only she knew about.
At her feet lay two small bundles, curled up and fast asleep. One was a boy of 6 years, blonde haired and blue eyed. He was curled next to the empty rocker that was next to the mistress of the little house. The other bundle was a lad of 3 years, dark hair and eyes like his father. He was lying almost on his mother's feet.
Anne Blythe looked up, brought out of her dream world by the opening of the front door and the accompanying draft. She watched as her husband of 10 years, Dr. Gilbert Blythe, came in the front door, a swirl of snow following him. As soon as he closed the door, he shed his snow laden coat and hung it up. Anne watched as he slowly made his way to the empty rocker next to her.
"Well, Mrs. Jane Stuart and her little baby girl are doing fine," Gil said as he sat in the rocker, careful to not disturb the little boy at his feet. He looked very tired, as he had not slept in two days. He started to close his eyes as the warmth from the fire and being next to his Anne-girl sank into his weary bones.
"That's good." Anne answered with a loving smile. "A new life is always something to celebrate. Each baby is different in their own special way," Anne continued, setting her knitting down in her lap, her eyes warming.
"That they are. So, why are the little tykes sleeping here instead of their beds?" Gil asked as he stretched his legs out towards the fire and over his little boy.
"Well, Dominic wanted to wait up for you. So much so, Jem decided he wanted to stay up too. So I told them one more hour. Five minutes later, they were curled up and fast asleep," Anne said, picking her knitting back up.
"They are growing up fast, and soon now they will have another little brother or sister to play with. Dominic is really looking like Jack, isn't he?" Gil asked wistfully, glancing down at his oldest son.
"Yes he is." Anne smiled warmly, reaching across to pat his arm. "But Jem looks a great deal like you Gil. I think he will be a lot like you when he gets older." Reaching up, she gently stroked his whisker-stubbled cheek.
"I know. I hope the next one has red hair and grey eyes, like their mother," Gil teased, a smile playing on his lips, unable to hide the smile tugging up the corners of his lips.
"Oh Gil, you know I never have liked my hair," Anne chuckled, playfully slapping his arm. "But, if providence has its way, our new bundle of joy just might inherit my looks," Anne said, letting out a wistful sigh.
Gil winced a bit, remembering a certain incident involving a slate and his head and some very poorly thought out teasing. He laughed softly before saying, "I think I'd better carry these two to bed and then I am turning in too. Are you coming, my Anne-girl?"
"Yes, let me finish this row then I'll come up."
Anne watched as Gil picked both boys up and headed upstairs her knitting momentarily forgotten in her lap. Recalling herself to her self-appointed task, she finished the promised row, again thinking how much Dominic looked like Jack. Though the idea of losing Dominic broke her heart, she couldn't help wishing again that Jack had lived to raise his son.
When he's older, I'll tell him about the father he never knew, she thought to herself. Jack would be so proud of his little boy. One day, she silently promised, he'll know his father died a hero and that he loved him very much.
She realized that one day Dominic would notice that he didn't look like a Blythe. Someone who couldn't hold their tongue would fill his mind with doubts. Dominic was a bright and inquisitive boy; he would want to know the truth.
As she turned down the fire, she knew that she and Gil would have to tell their little boy his true lineage
She started up the stairs, thanking God that Dominic was still a little boy. She and Gil could keep the truth from him for a little while longer.
She tiptoed into little Jem's room, seeing that Gil had tucked Jem into bed. She walked over and kissed her little boy on his forehead.
Jem is growing fast, she thought to herself, running her fingers through his baby soft curls. He really does look like Gil. He'll be every bit his father. I love my little boy so much. She smiled to herself at the thought.
She crossed the hallway to Dominic's room. She walked over and kissed him on the forehead. She loved Dominic as much as she did Jem. Even though Dominic wasn't theirs by blood, by law he was theirs and in her heart he always had been hers.
She slipped into the room she shared with her husband and climbed into bed, sliding her arms around Gil's waist and pressing her cheek against his shoulder.
"Oh Gil, how are we going to tell Dominic that we are only his parents by law, not by blood?" Anne asked as Gil slipped an arm around his wife.
"I don't know Anne-girl. I just don't know. We'll have to tell him someday. He deserves to know. It's something we can't keep from him."
"I hope he doesn't ask anytime soon. I want to keep him as our little boy for as long as we can," Anne said, snuggling closer to Gil.
"If he asks, we'll tell him the truth. We'll tell him abut Jack," Gil said, pressing a kiss to Anne's temple and drifting off to sleep.
As she watched Gil sleep, Anne's mind wandered back to the days she was with Jack in Germany and her promise to watch after Dominic if anything happened to him. A single tear fell as she remembered Jack dying in her arms on the train.
As she wiped the tear away, she silently thought, I've kept my promise Jack. Your little boy is so much like you. I love him so much.
Anne fell asleep, safe in her husband's arms and with the peace of mind that she had kept Jack's promise.