Thank you for the input!

pineappl92, I decided to keep the story line of the failed relationship between Gil's dad and Marilla from the books in here. It will come up again later on in the story. I know I used a lot of lyric space in the last chapter, but I wanted to share the song just in case some people didn't know of it before. And as for the bowling ball that Anne kicked down the lane, I usually imagine her using an 8 pound ball. Maybe that's because my ridiculously small hands can only handle an 8 pound ball. :P
Veronica, I'm glad you like it. :) The bowling and snow scenes were really fun to write.
JoJo, you're not demanding at all. :P I think every girl wants to have a guy like Gilbert in her life as either a boyfriend/spouse or a best friend. At least I know I do. :P

Here's the next installment. If I ended this chapter the way I wanted to for flow reasons, then the chapter would have been way too short. Therefore, I decided to introduce what I consider to be the first section of the next chapter in here, and let's just say things are about to get interesting.

- ladybell


Chapter 7

The next day Dad went out and got me my guitar. It was a beautiful looking instrument, and I couldn't wait to start playing on it. I even printed off the tabs for "Nothing Else Matters" online, except it turned out to be a lot harder than it looked. For one, I had to move my fingers in time, and they refused to follow me when I wanted to. Two, I couldn't make the chords in the chorus go fast enough without hesitating on where to go next. Three, there was a small guitar solo, and I couldn't bend the notes that far up without fear of having the strings pop out. And finally, I had to actually sing the song and memorize the whole thing. Now there's a challenge for you. And they say med school's hard? Ha! This definitely beats it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, but then again, it's not about me. It's all for Anne, and if I have to go through blood, sweat, and tears to get this done, then by gosh I'll do it. After a couple of weeks, I finally had most of the song down, not enough time to actually perfect anything but just enough so I could get through everything without sounding like I didn't know what I was doing.

Christmas had arrived, and everything was perfect. To my delight, it was a white Christmas; everything was blanketed in snow, creating an absolutely gorgeous picture. I went to service in the afternoon with my parents, hoping to see Anne. I looked over at the Cuthbert pew and noticed that Anne wasn't there. Was something wrong? Was she okay? Something had to be terribly wrong in order for her not to show up like that. My mind couldn't think straight for the rest of the service, so when it ended, I immediately went up to Marilla.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Cuthbert," I said.

She smiled at me as she said, "Merry Christmas to you too, Gilbert."

"Where's Anne?"

"She's at home sick with a bad cold."

I hope I didn't get her sick by having her out too long the other day. "Oh."

"She tried to convince me to let her go, but I thought that it would be best if she stayed home and rest. After all, I wouldn't want her giving her cold to anyone else."

I looked over at my parents. "Do you think I could stop by a little later to give Anne her present?"

"Of course you can. I know Anne would love to see you."

"Thank you."

I went back over to my parents and told them that I needed to make an important errand after we went back home. Dad patted me on the back and whispered, "Good luck." I was sure I was going to need that.

As soon as I got home, I put my guitar in its case along with the tabs and went out the door. I had to take a few deep breaths in order to calm myself down, but I managed to be okay. As soon as I got to Green Gables, Marilla answered the door.

"It's nice to see you again, Gilbert," she said. "Anne's in the living room."

"Okay, Miss Cuthbert. Thank you for letting me do this," I said.

"Don't mention it."

She went into the kitchen after closing the door, and I went to the living room. Sure enough, Anne was in there stretched out on the couch. She was in a Redmond University sweatshirt and plaid pajama pants with a box of tissues in one hand and the remote control to the TV in another hand. Even though she was sick, she looked cute.

"Gil!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just paying a Christmas visit to my friend," I said. "You just had to get sick on Christmas, didn't you?"

"Yeah. It's just my bad luck." She frowned.

"Oh cheer up, Anne. It's Christmas, and I know you don't want to be sad on Christmas."

"That's true."

I put my case down and took a seat next to Anne on the couch.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Part of your present," I replied. I was starting to get nervous now.

"Not before I give you your present first." She reached over to the coffee table and handed me a box with red glitter wrapping paper on it. "Open it."

I tore off the wrapping paper and was shocked at what I saw. Inside that box was The Godfather Trilogy DVD set, possibly the top three movies on my all time favorite movie list. A set like that doesn't come cheap. "Thanks, Anne. You really didn't need to do that." Now I didn't know if my gift to her would be enough.

"But I wanted to, Gil," she objected. "You deserve it after everything you've done for me. This is nothing."

Yet another reason why I love this girl: she rarely thinks about herself. "Well, I guess my present for you is nothing compared to that," I said.

"I'll love whatever you give me," she said. The look in her eyes assured me that she meant it.

I sighed. "I decided to be original this year and wanted to give you something that no one's ever given you before."

"Really?" Her ears perked up. "What is it?"

I swallowed hard. "A song."

I relaxed a little when I saw her smile. I got the guitar out of the case and spread the tabs across the table. I plucked each string to see if it was in tune, and it was then that I started shaking a bit. My heart started racing, my palms were sweaty, and I could feel sweat starting to form. Anne sat there patiently waiting for me begin. I don't know why, but I was more nervous here than when I proposed to her the first time. I took a deep breath and prayed that my vocal cords wouldn't give out on me. I then began to start the song.

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trust in who we are
And nothing else matters...

I took my time since I didn't want to rush things. I made my way through the song without any major mess ups, but I did manage to hesitate a bit. Anne didn't notice though. I snook a few glances at her during some of the easier portions, and to my relief, she was loving it. I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time, and I couldn't have asked for a better reaction. When I was through, Anne clapped and hugged me.

"That was the best present anyone has ever given me, Gil," she said into my ear. "I'll remember that forever." She then gave me a quick peck on the mouth, causing me to blush. I don't blush often, so she caught me at a rare moment. "Since when did you learn how to play? I don't ever recall you playing anything."

"Well..." I began, "it's never too late to start now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She looked at TV. "Do you want to watch a movie with me? I mean, if you can stay and don't have to go right away."

"I don't have any plans," I said. And even if I did, I wasn't going to leave Anne like this. "What do you want to watch?"

"Chocolat."

"Is that a chick flick?"

"Yes..."

"Uhh..."

"Please, Gil!" she begged. "Just this once? For me?"

There was no way in the world that I could resist those puppy dog like eyes, so I agreed to watch it with her. I noticed that she was shivering, so I put a blanket around her shoulders. Since she wouldn't stop shivering, I put my arm around her. I was going to do that anyway, but now I had a legitimate excuse to do so. The film turned out to be much better than I had anticipated, but half way through it, Anne fell asleep on my shoulder. I wasn't complaining or anything. She looked so peaceful. It was a little awkward though when Marilla walked in to check on us. I gave her an "I-don't-know-what-to-do" look, but she just smiled and walked away. After the movie was over, Anne was still fast asleep. I decided that it was time to go, so I gently got Anne off my shoulder and laid her down on a pillow. I put my guitar and tabs back in the case, but before I left, I kissed Anne on the forehead and whispered, "Merry Christmas, my love" in her ear. I quietly said goodbye to Marilla and slipped out. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.


I got an unexpected present the next day resulting from my time spent with Anne because it was now my turn to be sick. Great. I don't regret spending time with her though. I'd gladly do it again, but the thing was that Anne was miraculously better and wanted to do something. Unfortunately, I had to turn her down because I was in no condition to go out, and I didn't want to get her sick again. Luckily she understood, but she begged me to get better by New Year's. And that I did.

I was invited to a New Year's Eve party by Josie Pye, but knowing it was her party, I didn't go. Anne didn't go either because she didn't want her holiday to be ruined by some spoiled rotten little brat. After all, Josie would be bugging me all night, and I know she knew how to make Anne's blood going. Besides, I didn't want to ruin things with Anne after we had re-established the grounds we were on before I proposed and possibly went a little bit further.

So on New Year's Eve, Anne and I were over at my house while Mom and Dad went to a New Year's party. We got a whole bunch of movies and just batched out in front of the TV. Anne challenged me to a mini popcorn eating contest to see how many times we could catch a kernel of popcorn in our mouths after we threw it up in the air. I'm happy to say that I won that little match, but Anne wouldn't have it. She stuck her nose up in the air at me and challenged me to a water chugging contest. I think all that popcorn I ate made me full, and as a result, Anne won that round. She laughed and stuck her tongue out at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. Yep, that's the Anne-girl I knew and loved.

I looked up at the clock and noticed that it was one minute until midnight. I nudged Anne.

"It's almost the new year," I said. "There's one minute left."

We both stared at the clock until there were ten seconds to go.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!"

Anne started humming the tune "Auld Lang Syne"that they sing every year on New Year's. I was happy yet sad at the same time. I was happy because the new year brought in a fresh start, but that meant that we would both have to return to school again soon. And I would have to face both Roy and Christine when I got back, but I wasn't going to let that spoil my evening. I took charge of the moment and did what almost any man would do with his love at midnight; I kissed Anne. When I pulled back, I saw something unusual in her eyes. Was it disappointment there? Did she actually want to keep going? As thrilled as I was, I knew I couldn't push my luck and misinterpret what I saw. There was no way that I could be that lucky. I guess I'll take what I can get and pray that she realizes that I mean as much to her as she means to me.


Unfortunately for us, it was time to hit the books again and head back to Redmond. I definitely wasn't looking forward to it. I liked my vacation and savored the joys of being able to do what I want, when I want, and how I want without people looking down on me, meaning professors, Roy, Christine, and their numerous spies. Oh well; what can you do, eh? I hoped that Roy wouldn't be in any of my classes this semester because if we were stuck in the same class and were forced to work on the same project together, then let's just say that it's not going to be pretty.

Anne and I left Avonlea at the same time, so we could make our lunch stop and break stops together. It was a lot of fun just hanging out with her because I knew we wouldn't have as much time to do so this semester. Before we left our last pit stop, I made sure to give Anne a kiss on the cheek since we would be heading our separate ways to our dorms. She blushed and gave me one too before getting in her car and driving away.

As soon as I arrived in my dorm, I received a frantic phone call from Anne.

"Gil, I can't believe what's happening!" she cried. She sounded absolutely hysterical.

"What?" I asked.

"I've been apparently fired from work!"

"Huh?"

"That's right. My jerk of a boss fired me because I took Christmas break off to go back home after he gave me that lecture on how I should show up everyday and yadda, yadda, yadda. He makes me so mad, Gil! You'll never believe who he hired to replace me."

"Who?"

"Roy...Gardner!"

Whoa. Am I hearing things correctly? "Anne, are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious!"

"Roy Gardner is working at a bookstore? Does he even need a job if he has all that money that he claims he has? Does he know that that job requires reading, a skill that he doesn't have?"

"I don't know. What makes matters even worse is that my old boss happens to be Roy's cousin."

That sounded way too suspicious to me. No wonder he gave Anne such a hard time before the holidays. It wasn't that she wasn't doing her job; it was because of family favortism. And of course, Roy wanted to make himself look good to his cousin by putting down his ex-girlfriend in order to get work. I simply didn't agree with it and hated to watch Anne get treated unfairly. Why does Roy always have to stir up trouble? Can't he leave well enough alone and get a life? Maybe it's because he doesn't have one. I guess the same goes for Christine. What I have learned from this whole ordeal so far is that appearances really are deceptive, and you need to go deeper than them in order to get the real picture. As cliché as it sounds, it's true, and sometimes you don't realize it until it's too late.

"I can't believe it, Anne," I managed to say. "It's not right what he did to you."

"But there's nothing I can do now," she said sadly. "At least I can move on and do something else. Besides, maybe things happen for a reason. You never know."

I shook my head. "Hang in there. It's not the end of the world, and maybe you'll find some place else where the people are nicer and pay you much more."

She chuckled slightly. "I can only hope, Gil." I heard her blow her nose into a tissue. "Well, I guess I'll let you go since I've bothered you long enough."

"You never bother me, Anne,"I said sincerely. I was really tempted to tell her that I loved her at that moment, but I restrained myself. "You can call me anytime, even if it's at 3 A.M. My roommate might hate it, but I won't." She laughed. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay. Bye!"

"Bye."