A/N: If you haven't watched any of Green Gables Fables yet, you absolutely should. The acting and aesthetics are stunning, and they've done a fantastic job at bringing to life characters who are only part of the background in the novels and making them more relatable.
Matthew had wanted a boy just as much as Marilla did. It wasn't that they didn't like girls; it had simply never occurred to either of them to want one themselves. A boy, however, would have been useful. They needed help with Green Gables, and that need would just increase as they aged. Adopting a young boy would had given them the assistance they needed. He would have also, should things have gone well, been able to maintain the farm after they were gone.
They had asked a neighbour to let the orphanage know to send them a boy who they thought would be hardworking and suited to life on a farm. Matthew had left Green Gables with the express purpose of picking said boy up from the station while Marilla set up a room for him. Everything had been prepared so that the transition would be as seamless as possible.
But then he had reached the station only to find that there was no boy there, only a redhead with as many freckles as the night sky had stars. It had been inconceivable to leave her there for the night, and her little face had filled with such joy at seeing him, so he had quietly decided to take her home and let Marilla deal with it in whatever way she wanted.
He had assumed that he would be able to part with her if that was what Marilla chose. But then the girl had started to speak. She had spoken more than any one person should, but something about her had drawn him in, and he had instantly fallen for the child's energetic spirt and guileless charm. He and Marilla loved and treasured Green Gables, but her wide-eyed exclamations had made even him see its quiet beauty afresh. Every word she spoke had hinted at a new way of seeing the world, a way that saw endless potential for beauty where most only saw the mundane. He had gotten the feeling that he could listen to her ramble on for hours without ever feeling bored or overwhelmed. Sitting next to her on the ride home, he had instantly felt a good ten years younger, as if a weight he hadn't even known he'd been carrying had been lifted from his shoulders.
He knew that Marilla would say that he was thinking nonsense, but it was undeniably true. And it was obvious that staying would mean the world to Anne, regardless of whatever Rachel Lynde would have to say on the matter. After the girl went to sleep for the night, he, fuelled by that knowledge, mentioned to Marilla that it wouldn't be such a bad idea to keep Anne despite the fact that she was a girl. After all, the child already felt like a daughter to him – like a kindred spirit, as she'd said – and she had brought him so much happiness in such a short period of time. If keeping her brought her half of the happiness and rejuvenation he thought it could bring them, it would be well worth it for everybody.
So, although his sister insisted that it would be folly to create more work for themselves by adopting a girl when they so clearly needed a boy, he made it clear that he would rather that she stay.
And the sight of the delight on Anne's face when she realised that she was staying was indeed well worth it.