Gilbert was the first one to wake on Monday morning, this wasn't unusual, his body clock still unaccustomed to actually sleeping, he may not sleep for long but he slept well since Anne had come back to him, even better so since they married. He didn't mind waking first it always gave him the chance to study his wife's face, to play with her hair and to imagine the glorious day they should have together! This morning he got to sweep the loose bits of red hair which had fallen over her face during the night away from her face, her hair long and left loose (at his request again, he just loved to play with her hair!) he started weaving his fingers through the lengths careful not to wake her. He grinned gently watching her sleep... here he was in his childhood bed with his childhood dream... Anne! She was every wish fulfilment! She was better then his dreams. This was real... He could barely believe it! Yet since Saturday night he had fulfilled four of his intimate fantasies with her and innumerable other little fantasies he had relating to her around not only his bedroom but around the farm, in the fields. They were especially careful not to be seen the last thing they wanted was to ruin the surprise for Marilla and eventually Diana. So they had very quietly very excitingly peered round every corner snuck behind every secret hiding place to avoid being seen. As exciting as these encounters had been nothing thrilled him more then waking beside her every morning knowing it was no love affair but a loving and long waited for marriage for both of them!
There was a gentle knock at the door, he checked to make sure Anne was covered under the blankets, it didn't matter so much for him his bare chest was hardly something his mother would be concerned about.
"come in." He said quietly.
Mrs Blythe's head came round the door and she smiled at the sight of her son hugged in so sweetly to his wife. "Sorry I didn't think she would be sleeping so late." She whispered
"Its alright, I didn't know it was getting that late." He admitted, "I've only just woken myself a few minutes ago."
"Neither one of you are used to the fresh air of Avonlea anymore, so used to Kingsport air." She whispered back.
Gilbert smiled and looked at his sleeping wife again. "Isn't she beautiful mom?" he said only half questioning his mother the other half admiring his wife so much…
She smiled. "Yes Gilbert she is. You seem to finally have all you desired."
He looked to his mother and smiled. He wasn't quite ready yet to share the dream which had replaced it since he found Anne again. This new dream which was so much more real much more tangible than ever before, of family and friends, cats and dogs and children! Lots and lots of children, a lively home a real home! One he and Anne had built together! How wonderful it could be!
"Breakfast?" His mother asked him. "Fully cooked?" He asked him.
"Ah ma you're spoiling us!" he exclaimed quietly.
"You're going to need more then food to calm you today, time to face Miss Cuthbert about your secret elopement!" She said with a small giggle. "Oh Gilbert it's so romantic!"
"Do you think Miss Cuthbert will take it badly?" Gilbert questioned her.
"Well I don't know the Cuthbert's that well Gilbert surely you should be asking your wife her advice on it?" She said with a wink. "Will Anne want breakfast?"
"I should think so, not as much as yesterday though mom, she so slender I thought she was going to be sick yesterday after she politely ate everything."
"well I'm used to cooking for growing boys!" she said looking again at her son. "you should put a shirt on Gilbert even in the summer you can catch cold." She said as she closed the door behind her.
"Yes Gilbert Blythe, sleeping with your wife with no clothes on is positively indecent." Anne said not opening her eyes.
He looked down and laughed lightly. "How long have you been awake Mrs Blythe?" He asked her.
"Long enough to hear you call me beautiful, to your mother!" she said going a shade of pink.
"How could I help that, you are!" He exclaimed quietly. "Good morning beautiful wife." He said to her as she opened her eyes.
"Good morning, handsome husband." She said in return.
He smiled "I must be good! I get alliteration before breakfast." He leaned into her more his fingers tangled more into her hair.
"You can have far more then alliteration before breakfast Doctor Blythe." She said before he kissed her.
He smiled knowing what she meant but played it out. "Like assonance? Similes? Consonance? " he said teasing her kissing her more passionately between them.
"Gil?" She breathed heavily as he made his way down her neck.
"Metaphors, personification, oxymoron…" He continued.
She laughed listening to him joking. "You're the moron." She joked with him before she went serious. "Just shush now and kiss me."
He smiled and did as she wished.
"Anne!" Marilla called as she saw Anne walking down the fields towards green gables, "gracious child you must have been on the morning ferry to get here so early!"
"I just had to walk here Marilla!" She called getting closer to green gables, "isn't it a glorious day?!" Anne said finally making it to the veranda.
"Its going to be warm." Marilla said as Anne went to kiss her on the cheek.
"Is Mrs Lynde or the twins in?" Anne asked her.
"Rachel has gone to her church committee this morning and the twins are out, Dora had a sleepover and Davy has gone fishing." Marilla said.
"Good, come for a walk with me Marilla, it won't be a long one, I do so love to walk when it's still cool." Anne said offering her hand to the older lady. Marilla shook her head and smiled fondly at Anne, she of course took the girl's hand and they started walking round the fields. "How was school?"
"Oh I had an eventual last term." Anne said smiling playing with her rings with her thumb on her hand which was free of the link with Marilla. "I broke my arm 9 weeks ago."
Marilla looked at her shocked. "You're a great one for secrets Anne Shirley, why did you not write and tell me?"
"Well it was my right arm you see, made writing quite difficult." She said to Marilla. "I had a very good doctor take care of it for me Marilla, well he was the best one in Kingsport."
"He better have been the doctors bill will be very high." Marilla said practically.
"Well actually, Marilla, the doctor you see, well we fell in love." Anne sputtered out as they started to approach the gate between the Blythe farm and their own.
"You… you what?" Marilla asked her. She looked at Anne's guilty face. "Tell me you did nothing hasty Anne?" Marilla asked her.
"No, no, not at all… well but, I mean I suppose in a way yes we did, but it wasn't hasty Marilla not really, when you consider…"
"Anne…" Marilla said now half expecting the outcome of the sentence. "What did you do?"
Anne went white with fright… was this how Gilbert had felt confronting his parents? She took them a few more steps towards the gate "I want you to meet my husband." She stood Marilla in front of the gate and turned her towards the gate where Gilbert was standing waiting. "Doctor Gilbert Blythe."
Marilla looked in shock first at Gilbert then to Anne then back at Gilbert before she felt the tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them away and talked first to Gilbert.
"You went along with this romantic nonsense of eloping?" Marilla asked him.
"Yes, ma'am." He said quietly.
"You met up again in Kingsport?" Marilla asked Anne.
"Yes." Anne said.
Marilla looked back and forth trying to keep a straight face. "I'd believe such a headlong thing of you Anne but I thought your Gilbert here had a bit more sense."
"Oh Marilla, no." Anne said then blushed slightly as she said quietly "He's quite the romantic under it all." Anne paused looking at Marilla's face.
"Well what's done can't be undone, not that I can say if it could I would want it to be. You two were meant for each other if you ask me." Marilla said trying not to smile but her lips were giving her away to Anne. "And you are both sure this was the best course of action? That you won't regret it in a year or two?"
"Marilla you of all people know how much I love him. I was just too silly to admit it." Anne said to her.
Marilla looked to Gilbert. "I could never regret loving Anne, neither have I for a single second since I fell in love with her."
Marilla looked to Anne then back at Gilbert "Then how could I object."
Anne threw her arms around Marilla and hugged into her "Oh Marilla, Marilla remember when I was little and I wanted to be sublimely happy? This is it! This with Gilbert! As it always should have been!" Anne exclaimed.
Marilla rolled her eyes. "Well, Rachel will have a field day of this!" Marilla said "Running away and marrying in secret, I hope you're ready for the consequences. Come on back to Green Gables the both of you."
"You did what!" Rachel pounced as soon as she heard their news.
"Mrs Lynde…" Anne started.
"What do you think you were doing? Running off? Eloping!? I suppose he couldn't wait!" Rachel said tipping her head towards the parlour where Gilbert was sitting waiting.
"Don't talk about my husband that way!" Anne snapped. "Gilbert always has been and always will be a gentlemen, this was my idea not his."
"Yours?!" Rachel exclaimed confused. "That makes no sense. Why would you elope when you could marry here in the sight of God and properly done. You missed the day which was made for you and gave him the night for free!"
"Rachel that's enough." Marilla said firmly. "You heard Anne, this wasn't Gilbert's idea."
"He did nothing to stop it either." Rachel said thinking it would win the argument.
"Stop and be realistic Rachel the boy has loved her since he was thirteen years old he's now twenty nine, don't you think he's waited long enough. And have you thought this is the kind of opinion they might have been running away from when they eloped?"
Rachel paused in her attack of the elopement realising Marilla was on Anne's side and once that happened she would never win. "Well then, you probably noticed on the wedding night…" She started.
"Rachel!" Marilla said her face dropping.
"Its nothing you can tell her so hold your tongue she needs to hear it from a women." Rachel said.
"Mrs Lynde…" Anne started.
"It's a holy union and not one to be trifled with, you probably felt it hurt, well that's normal, you need to know where he didn't mean to hurt you the next few times you do…"
"Mrs Lynde please!" Anne begged. "I've learnt what I needed to from my husband."
"He'll have you believe anything!" Rachel said hotly.
Gilbert unseen to them had heard enough Rachel was crossing too many lines he started to walk towards the kitchen.
"He's a doctor!" Anne retorted hotly. "He's told me nothing but the truth instead of what I can assume is some sort of twisted version of what making love really is."
"Making love? Is that how he described it? It wasn't made for us Anne, it raw and painful there's no pleasure in it… and if you do feel any pleasure…."
"That's enough." Gilbert said quietly and firmly enough that Rachel knew not to open her mouth. "Anne, sweetheart can you wait in the parlour for me please love?" He asked her. She walked passed him without argument to anyone, he gently stroked her arm reassuring her and gave her a sweet look as she passed. He waited for the parlour door to shut behind her.
"I don't appreciate my wife being told what to expect from me in the privacy of the bedroom." He said quietly.
"She needs to know from a women's point of view…"
"And you have no right to give it. You aren't her parent, you aren't her guardian and you aren't mine either, what right do you have?"
"Her guardian can hardly give her the advice…"
"Then you leave it to her husband to explain." He said quietly.
Marilla knew the warning signs of an angry Blythe and Gilbert was just like his father at least in temperament. She could sense he was angry. Rachel seemed to have no such knowledge of this and tried to persist.
"You're a man…" She started.
"Rachel you need to stop." Marilla tried to warn her friend.
"What does he know about…"
"I've seen what happens to a woman!" he lost his temper. "I've had to repair the damage done and stop masses of bleeding from husbands who don't take into consideration their wife!" he took a breath and started to calm down "and if you think I am so backwards in my thinking and desire to take part in such medieval practices of sex then you don't know either me or Anne at all do you? How dare you try and tell her not to enjoy it, Anne was made for feeling every lovely loving and sweet emotion which can be felt from such an intimate act and I will not have my wife thinking it is anything but natural. What was your next line telling her to ration it?"
"It's not bad advice." Rachel muttered.
"Unbelievable!" Gilbert exclaimed finally turning his back and leaving going into the parlour.
There was silence between the two ladies for a moment.
"I suppose you agree with them!" Rachel said accusingly at Marilla.
"I agree that where there is no mother and guardian able to, perhaps even one of Anne's friends might be intimate enough to give the advice, but where there is none, it should be left to the husband. I also agree it is none of our business what happens in their bedroom that's their choice."
Rachel shook her head. "Oh what do you know!" She exclaimed quietly.
"Enough to remember the Blythe's have a quiet temper Rachel. You've upset both of them. Are you against their marriage?"
"Well of course not." Rachel snapped.
"Then try 'congratulations' before you jump in head first giving them relationship advice and try to remember Gilbert Blythe is a Doctor not some little boy from down the road, he does have some idea about what he is talking about. Maybe in our generation the expectation was different but it doesn't seem the right advice to give them."
"Marilla Cuthbert!" Rachel said shocked. "I can't believe you have such modern romantic notions in your head."
"And I can't believe you would ever think Gilbert Blythe would hurt Anne. Ever! Especially in an act which is supposed to be about love." Marilla having had enough herself walked to the parlour, to find both Anne and Gilbert sitting on the sofa chair together their foreheads touching their hands in each other's. She looked at them and saw they had heard what had been said.
"Thank you." Gilbert said gently, still holding his wife's hand stroking it gently.
"I told Anne years ago that women is far too opinionated for her own good. Just you both mind not to lose your temper over her she isn't worth it." Marilla told them both.
Anne smiled a little "I suppose that was you not losing your temper then?" Anne said with a knowing smile. Gilbert looked back and forth and saw the amused look on both their faces.
"When have I ever lost my temper?" Marilla started to chuckle as Anne also started to laugh. Gilbert wasn't entirely sure of the joke himself but he saw the amused look on their faces and started to laugh gently also. "She does mean well you know." She said to them both. "She's just a little backwards thinking."
"Then I am glad I was raised by such a modern thinker." Anne said getting up and gently kissing Marilla. Marilla blushed slightly which amused Gilbert for some reason, he saw her features soften and saw her for the first time as quite pretty for a woman her age.
"Stuff and nonsense." Marilla said to her. "Maybe the pair of you could move double bed in storage up to your bed room Anne. At least you would have a bed to share that way."
Anne smiled mischievously "A man and a woman sharing a bed in your house Marilla are you sure that isn't too forward thinking?"
Marilla grinned back, "as long as they are married then that's all that matters. I take it the marriage certificate was a valid one?" Marilla joked back.
"Too late now if it wasn't." Anne said
Gilbert looked positively blushing at what his wife had just said "Anne!" He exclaimed quietly.
Marilla then burst into laughter. " you better not let Rachel hear you talk like that." Marilla said laughing. She straighten her face " go on get the bed, get yourselves organised before Rachel comes in with more relationship advice."
The bed finally moved into Anne's room Gilbert looked round it.
"Has it much changed from when you were growing up?" he asked her.
"Not an awful lot no." she said smiling.
Gilbert smiled. "Its beautiful. Can you make our bedroom as beautiful as this?" He said softly.
"where will you put Imhotep?" She smiled.
"In my study of course... This really is beautiful... Just like…" He trailed and gasped as he saw one of the pictures in the picture frames another picture of Anne and Gilbert from their last AVIS meeting arms wrapped around each other smiling at the camera. Gilbert's hands started shaking "its us." He whispered.
Anne looked and smiled. "You seem surprised?"
He looked wide eyed still amazed. "This was here before we were, which means you kept it in the frame all these years." He said.
"Yes of course, despite everything you were still my best friend, I missed you terribly. I needed the reminder of the boy you once were, the friendship we once had, it made me happy when I was sad." She said quietly.
Gilbert looked to the picture then to Anne again. "I couldn't have any reminders of you, every bit of happiness which existed between us only brought forward the painful memories. I had locked them all away, tried to forget you." He said still shaking. "Anne…" he whispered.
She came in front of him and held him close. "Its alright love. Its okay."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I tried to forget you. I never stopped loving you, I'm so sorry." He whispered into her.
She held him close. "my love, hey come on, don't, don't do this. I love you and this, this… us... our relationship is like a phoenix has raised out the ashes of what we were and look how beautiful we've made it."
He put the picture down and kissed her passionately. "I love you, I love you. I can't believe how much!" he said huskily. "Does that door lock?" He asked tilting his head towards the door.
"Yes." Anne replied a little confused. He went to the door and locked it not finishing turning round his shirt already becoming unbuttoned. "Oh!" she said blushing "You want to… here?"
He didn't answer her directly instead kissed her with as much force as he could pushing her back on the bed.
She started giggling "but what about Mrs Lynde, if she heard…." Anne trailed
"I don't care about Mrs Lynde!" He exclaimed reaching down his wife's figure. "I love you! And I'm going to make sure you know it."
