I know I often say thanks for all of the kind reviews, etc, but your response to the last chapter was so wonderful that it just needed to be said again. Thank you!

Things are still a bit tricky in this chapter, but all building to what we've all been waiting for... And hopefully you find these two a bit amusing here. Enjoy!

~Lizzy

Life continued at its whirlwind pace at Redmond until the term ended and the Redmond students scattered from whence they came as Christmas break gave them all a needed rest. The honor of leading the Freshman classes had fluctuated between Anne, Gilbert, and Phillippa and Anne could not help but feel much better regarding this "rivalry" than she had at Queens. After the chaos from the beginning of the term, life settled somewhat, at least enough that neither Anne nor Gilbert were feeling as exasperated as they had previously about the time they spent together. They still saw a good deal less of each other and studying philosophy together was not nearly as satisfying as literature, but they managed.

Managed, thought Anne as she packed her bags for home. That's what we are doing, aren't we? Managing. Will it ever be more? Anne had had these thoughts more than once in the intervening weeks and she couldn't help but wonder just what it was she and Gilbert were doing. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were more than friends. But then why did he not at least ask to court her? Nor did he ask any other questions! At first, she did not doubt Gilbert's feelings for her, in fact since the day of the play, when he had soothed her so completely with his mere touch, she had become even surer than ever that he felt for her as she did for him. They way he touched her, reassured her, gave her the relief she needed left no doubt that what he felt was more than mere friendship. And innocent as Anne may have been regarding men in general, she understood the way Gilbert reacted in her presence, to her own touch. She knew it because it was how she felt. One might be able to fake the words or gestures if they wished, but she was quite certain it was impossible to fake the quickening of Gilbert's pulse when she reached to hold his hand at the football rally. He could not hide the way his hand shook slightly the day he cut his finger at her boarding house and Anne bound his wound. Nor could he hide the way his heart raced as he held Anne on the dance floor for the winter formal dance.

With all this evidence in front of her, she could not help but be frustrated, that now, months into what she would remember as some of the happiest and most carefree times in her life, Gilbert had still not declared himself. Not even an offer of courtship. It rattled her in no small measure over the past several weeks and a small doubt began to creep into her mind. It wasn't necessarily doubt of his feelings, but doubt about whether he would actually do anything about them.

It's certainly a gentleman's job to ask, thought Anne with certainty. Though their relationship in general had always been a bit unconventional, a line had to be drawn somewhere. And this was where Anne drew the line. It wasn't as though he didn't have the opportunity. While it was true their alone time was not what either would have wished, there were moments here and there that she thought he might say more. Moments that seemed to pass all too quickly with few words passing between them but plenty of breathless gazes and feather light touches. But it was not enough. She wanted more. She wanted everything he could offer her. But mostly she wanted to know that he wanted the same thing. So she resolved that if Gilbert Blythe wanted more, he was going to have to ask for it.

Two hours later, she had bid her friends a fond farewell and boarded the boat with Gilbert and Charlie for home.

Gilbert, rather oblivious to Anne's thinking, but no less frustrated by their current relationship, sighed deeply aboard the boat. Among the things he never expected when he started on this journey four months ago was the feeling of uneasiness that had come over him in regards to Anne. He had lost count of the number of times he had almost betrayed his feelings with words. Anne made it rather easy for him to forget his resolve. And there was a time or two he had almost thrown caution to the wind and declared himself. But then reality had set in. He saw the other boys who were attracted to Anne. He boarded with several of them. Tyler Knox and Dan Ranger both thought Anne was beautiful and smart. Both of them, coming from wealthy families with rather storied histories, could offer Anne more than his mere hopes of one day being a doctor. And while it was true that Anne barely gave either a passing glance other than what politeness dictated, Gilbert couldn't help but think that maybe one day some gentleman would gain her attention.

It was frustrating. But Gilbert hoped being back in Avonlea might make it less so.

For someone who had been blessed with his fair share of self-confidence, Gilbert was remarkably unsure of himself when he truly thought beyond the flirtation and stolen touches they shared. He supposed he didn't really doubt what she felt, but he rather firmly doubted whether he was truly worthy of her. That's what Redmond was meant to show him. But he didn't yet feel worthy enough to ask her to give herself over to him and trust that he could be the man to provide for her for the rest of her life. So there they were, stuck in a weird limbo of uncertainty.

From his seat below deck, he watched with amusement as Anne talked to Charlie. Charlie tried with little success to move closer to Anne while they spoke, while Anne masterfully kept him at a respectable distance. She had shot Gilbert more than one eye-roll, much to his delight.

Gilbert knew Charlie had always had a thing for Anne and he hoped it wouldn't one day come between their friendship. It was clear to anyone who bothered to wonder that Anne gave Charlie no encouragement. Gilbert hoped Charlie would take the hint in time.

Thinking Anne had had quite enough of Charlie's rather dull conversation, Gilbert decided to intervene on her behalf. Walking over to where the pair was seated, Gilbert began, "Does it feel stuffy down here to anyone else?"

Charlie and Anne looked up at him, one amused, the other annoyed. "It feels fine to me. Anne and I were just talking about how cold the weather had turned all of a sudden," replied Charlie.

Gilbert smirked. Count on Charlie Sloane to talk to a girl he fancied about the true wonder of cold weather in December!

"Well far be it from me to interrupt such enlightening banter. I think I might go above deck for a few minutes and get some fresh air."

Charlie was relieved. He was hoping to have some alone time with Anne. But his hope was shattered in the next instant when Gilbert said, "Anne, I know you enjoy fresh air. Would you care to join me?"

Anne hesitated for a reason she could not fathom and looked between Charlie and Gilbert for a moment. One looked overly confident, the other somewhat distraught.

He just expects me to waltz off with him at any moment doesn't he, thought Anne. As much as she wanted to go with him, she wasn't sure if she wanted to give him the satisfaction, so she smiled sweetly and replied, "Oh but Gil, I was finding Charlie's conversation rather stimulating."

Charlie beamed and Gilbert scowled, but he quickly schooled his features. Anne was teasing him. Surely she was.

Not to be outdone by her teasing he replied in his most sincere tone, "But Anne, I really have something important I need to discuss with you… alone."

The way he said the word 'alone' made Anne's heart do a little flip inside of her. Could this be the conversation she was waiting for? Would he really ask her for a courtship now? Here? But he looked as sincere as he ever had and even if Anne wanted to say no, she knew she couldn't.

Anne said nothing, but Gilbert read her answer in her eyes and offered her a hand to pull her up from her seat.

"Excuse us, Charlie," Gilbert said as he escorted Anne to the stairs. Neither Anne nor Gilbert looked back to see the look of disappointment on Charlie's face and Gilbert escorted her away.

Several moments later, they were met with a brisk wind and Anne pulled her coat tighter around her. They were almost alone, as it was a rather cold day, but several brave souls joined them on the deck. Gilbert walked Anne over to one side of the boat and they both stared off into the choppy, frigid water. After several moments of silence, Anne could hardly stand it. Her heart was racing and her anticipation was unbearable.

Gilbert was happy to finally have some time, anytime, alone with Anne. Even if it was a freezing cold day on the deck of boat train.

Anne's hand rested gently on his arm and he couldn't help but be frustrated by the layers that separated them. When they reached the railing she released his arm and he watched her face as she looked out into the water, wishing he could read her thoughts in that moment.

Since he could not, he simply asked, "What are you thinking of, Anne?"

Anne looked at him and sighed, if you only knew! "Oh nothing," she lied, "Just about how wonderful it will be in Avonlea for Christmas. I have been dreaming of this all term."

"Anne we have barely been gone long enough to miss it!"

"Speak for yourself Gilbert Blythe! There's no dearer place than Green Gables at Christmas. I can already imagine decorating the tree with Marilla. And I can almost smell her spice cake baking right now. It's almost as if I am there already." Anne smiled dreamily and closed her eyes at the thought. "How do you not miss it?"

Gilbert shrugged, "I won't say I don't miss it. Of course I miss my parents. I guess maybe I am getting used to being away."

"Oh, Gil! Don't say that! It's like a part of you would be slipping away from home!" cried Anne.

Gilbert reached over and put his arm gently around Anne's shoulders. "Nonsense, Anne. Avonlea will always be home. And despite what I said, I am glad to be going home. I do miss it, I guess maybe just a little differently than you do. Christmas has always been pretty quiet at the Blythe's. But I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. That's worth the cost of this ticket!"

Anne laughed, "Such a simple dream."

"There is one other thing I am looking forward to." Gilbert's tone was different, almost pensive and unsure. Anne looked at him sideways for a moment. His eyes were riveted on her and it took all her strength not to hold his gaze.

"And what's that?" Anne replied shakily.

Gilbert smiled and lean into whisper, "Spending time with you away from the bustle of Kingsport."

She felt his warm breath on her ear and an involuntary shiver went down her spine. Gilbert smirked and looking at him sideways again Anne knew that he knew just how he affected her. But she would not give him more satisfaction so she said, "You mean instead of the bustle of Avonlea where prying eyes are never too far and tongues wag even faster?"

Gilbert grimaced, "Well when you say it like that it doesn't sound all that appealing!"

Anne smiled smugly.

But then Gilbert added, "But you keep forgetting that we are not supposed to be caring what wagging tongues say."

"Well that is easy for you to say when one of Avonlea's foremost wagging tongues isn't living in your house."

"Ah of course, Mrs. Lynde! Well I can't claim that won't be a problem, Anne!" Gilbert replied in jest hoping to fluster Anne just a bit one more time.

But she surprised him when she replied, "Why would it be a problem? Surely we have nothing to hide from Mrs. Lynde? Unless you can think of something I am missing."

"Oh." Was all Gilbert replied at her unexpected response. And he could say nothing of what he wanted in that moment because they had never talked about it before. They had only lived and felt, but never had one word crossed either of their lips in regards to just what was really going on between them. Gilbert cursed that fact mightily because he might now be able to tell Anne how he would very much like to hide a variety of things that related to her from the prying eyes of Rachel Lynde.

All he could say was "I suppose you're right."

Utterly dissatisfied with that response, Anne huffed. She wasn't sure what she wanted him to say, but it was certainly rather more romantic than the reply she got. Instead she tried to steer the conversation back to its original purpose. Perhaps that would provide her with the satisfaction she required. "Gil, it's freezing out here. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Gilbert just looked at her puzzled, as though he was as confused as she was. He missed the look of anticipation in her eyes, having no idea she had any expectations. Then understanding hit him as he remembered the excuse he gave Charlie and he quite shattered Anne's hopes. "Oh that, it was nothing. I just made up something to tell Charlie so I could whisk you away," he replied with a wide grin.

The hope Anne felt left her body completely, replaced by embarrassment and disappointment. She looked at him an astonished amazement. She was riled in no small measure.

Here she thought…

She was foolish…

And disappointed beyond words.

And then his next words riled her even further. "You're welcome, by the way."

That was it! That's when her disappointment turned to anger.

It was an anger Gilbert rather saw before he heard. Her face contorted into a well-known frown and her eyes flashed with something akin to volcano erupting. He had only a split second to brace himself, but it was not enough time.

"Gilbert Blythe! Do you mean to tell me you dragged me out of a warm, comfortable seat in pleasant enough conversation onto a freezing cold deck in the middle of winter for absolutely no reason at all other than your amusement?"

He took an unintentional step back at her outburst and stood stupidly staring at her, trying to get any thoughts together other than the one about how beautiful she looked when she was angry into his brain. He had enough wits about him to realize that particular sentiment would not exactly be helpful to voice at this point in time.

The glare she leveled at him could have set ice on fire.

"Um, Anne, I was just helping," he supplied lamely.

"Helping? Helping what exactly?" she fumed.

Gilbert was now at a loss for words as he was still rather oblivious to what he had done wrong. "I know how you get when Charlie prattles on like he does so I thought I would rescue you."

Boy was that the wrong thing to say!

Anne moved forward towards him, "Rescue me? Rescue me? Of all the ridiculous…." She stopped for a moment and he thought he might be spared a further tirade.

He was gravely wrong.

"I will tell you something right now, Gilbert Blythe. I don't need rescuing, by you or anyone else! I am perfectly capable of extricating myself from any unwanted conversation. So perhaps next time you will mind your own business and leave me be." Her voice was not loud, but it was harsh and resolute. And then in one swift movement she poked his chest.

She poked his chest!

Gilbert briefly caught the eye of another passenger on deck who passed by to witness the scene, an older gentleman who looked rather amused at the confrontation. When he managed to catch Gilbert's eye, the smiling passenger mouthed only two words, 'I'm sorry!'

The gesture jolted Gilbert into finally forming words. "I'm sorry, Anne. I guess I didn't think it was a big deal. I mean, nothing I haven't done before." He honestly didn't know what the world he was apologizing for. She was being ridiculous.

His nonchalant attitude riled her all over again in an instant she turned to walk away but not without first saying, "Kindly leave me be the rest of the trip."

"Anne are you serious?" he burst out. "Why are you so angry?" He trailed after her, catching up quickly and pulling her behind the relative privacy of a wall.

"Unhand me, Gilbert Blythe."

"No, not until to you tell me what has you so upset?"

"I believe I just did!"

"And I don't for one second believe you!" he replied, clearly exasperated.

"Well I suppose that's your problem then, isn't it?" she spat back. Without thinking, Gilbert let her go only long enough to take off his gloves. He brought his one hand around her back and the other cupped her face, gently stroking her frozen cheeks.

"Please, Anne! Don't do this!"

His closeness and his touch was wreaking havoc on her anger and she felt it slowly melting away as his gentle thumb traced a circle on her cheek. Their eyes held for what felt like an eternity. They were both rather mesmerized for a time until Anne her heard her own voice say, "Please, Gil…"

Her words hung in the air as though they swirled in the brisk wind. Neither knew their intent.

"Please what, Anne?" he whispered back, breathlessly. He was ready to do anything she asked.

But Anne did not know what she was asking of him. Did she want him to let her go or did she want him to kiss her? Did she want him to leave her be or wrap her up on the tightest of embraces?

She hated what he did to her senses, and yet she loved it at the same time.

Gilbert was no less affected by their closeness but his concern for Anne seemed to override every other consideration. What had he done to anger her so?

Anne gave him no immediate answer as she tried to chart her course form here. It only took a moment for her to gather her wits and take a small step back, not far enough that he couldn't touch her, but far enough that she felt safe from her desire to kiss him. Then she made a decision.

"Gil," she began, her voice firm and hard, but at the same time angelic to his ears, "for someone so smart you can be amazingly idiotic sometimes."

If Gilbert had any expectation of what she would say, it was certainly not that! "Anne, I don't understand."

"Well you should," she fired back. "Where we go from here is all up to you. But I would beg you to consider that when you ask a young woman, one who you've been flirting shamelessly with for several months, to have a private word, you ought to have more to say than utter nonsense!"

And with that she turned around, slipped out of his slackened grasp and left a rather dumbfounded Gilbert standing there watching her retreating form find its way below deck.

He stood there like the utter fool he was and wondered what in the world just happened. He was only brought back to reality by an unknown voice that came from behind him.

"That one's a spitfire!" Gilbert turned to see the elderly man who had passed them before standing behind him watching Anne in the same way. The man never even looked at Gilbert when he continued, "She'll give you lots of trouble, son. Mark my words."

In spite of his confusion, Gilbert couldn't help but laugh, "You have no idea," he muttered back.

"Is she worth it?" he heard the man ask.

Taking no time to consider why he felt obliged to carry on this conversation with a rather nosy stranger, Gilbert answered immediately, "There was never a woman more worth it."

The man smiled widely and shook his head. "Well son, if that's the case I'd be sure to snatch her up. Women like that don't come around very often."

And as soon as he appeared the man was gone, leaving Gilbert to think on his last words. He knew well enough another Anne Shirley would never come into his life again. It was what made her so incredibly special. But rather than thinking on the musings of an old man, Gilbert should have been thinking on Anne's parting words.

For they were quite important to all his hopes.

But he had no time to unpack the past half hour as the sound of horn blared from the boat, signaling they were approaching Charlottetown Harbor.

Gathering himself, he made his own way below deck to gather his things. The sight of Anne sitting demurely next to Charlie Sloane, lost in pointless conversation served to rattle him in no small measure. She was punishing him, only for what he knew not.

Have I really sunk so low as to be jealous of Charlie Sloane, Gilbert thought and then groaned inwardly at his own stupidity.

And then there was Anne. Teasing, vexing, punishing Anne. He stared at her, as though she might be able to feel his gaze on her. But either she was quite interested in her conversation or she was purposely ignoring him.

Gilbert felt transported back to the Avonlea schoolhouse in that moment as he relived Anne grinding his pick candy heart peace offering into dust. Back then it was as though she had never even seen him.

And now, here it was, years later, still feeling the same helplessness he did back then at the hands of the same girl. Was he ever going to be released from the hold she had on him?

And then he shuddered at the thought.

That was the last thing he wanted.

Ever!

But he did wonder if one day he might hold equal power over her, not knowing that he truly already had.

As the horn sounded again, the passengers began to stir again, getting up to gather their belongings. Gilbert's gaze was still fixed on her and she must have finally felt it because slowly her head turned and her eyes met his. There was no trace of anger on her face and Gilbert felt safe offering her a half smile.

Anne, who had calmed immeasurably since her first feeling of disappointment, smiled back at him in spite of herself. As frustrated as she was at his obliviousness, she could not deny him that small comfort. She felt rather foolish about her outburst, but at the same time rather proud that she had managed to say something to him that she hoped left him in no doubt of what she wanted. It was for him to decide now. Their eyes lingered on one another for another few minutes, neither daring to approach the other.

They would have to speak at some point, for they were to ride to Carmody together as soon as they deboarded. Diana and Fred were to pick them up in the morning. But as they looked at one another among the bustle of the boat train, no words were needed, at least not in that moment. The look almost spoke more than mere words ever could anyways.

And neither was the incident mentioned again, not on the ride to Carmody nor in early morning hours while they waited patiently for Fred and Diana. For they were really never alone at any time during the remainder of the trip. Anne saw to that, much to Gilbert's utter displeasure.

In fact, the incident was not mentioned until Anne and Diana were out of the buggy, leaving Fred and Gilbert by themselves to catch up. It was only when Gilbert saw Fred look equal parts horrified and ridiculously amused as he relayed the story of Anne's outburst that Gilbert Blythe began to realize he might indeed just be the most idiotic and perhaps the most painfully oblivious man on the planet.