Greetings, Kindred Spirits!
So as always I just wanted to say hi with a quick update.
Queenofthenight82: Lol, indeed if it were anyone else it would be flirting, and yes, Anne is not aware she is flirting (believe it or not) but trust me when I say a whole can of whoop is going to be opened really soon... and we all know its coming because you know I'm sticking quite closely to the story line which includes the heartbreak it includes everything which goes with it!
KimBlythe: My girl! Shout out to you as always! We're going to see this cute side to them very often, I think what most people wonder is 'how did Anne not know they were informally dating?' and I'm hoping in a modern day way I'm making it clear.
JellyFishSisters: Hello! And welcome to the Anne fanfiction, there's a lot out there so I hope you enjoy reading through them all! I'm glad you're finding mine entertaining, and I'm loving writing it!
Amanda Pall and Caprubia, thank you thank you thank you! I love I see your names pop up every so often, I love that you're still following, thank you!
Original McFishie: Yes, they are very Gilberty reasons for joining the frat and bless him he means it. Ah! I love its obvious, I love it! And Phil, I love Phil she's just amazing! I loved her in the books! Its such a shame her character was disregarded in the 1980s Anne's!
And CatieGirl, as always my partner in crime, you know too much!
love Carrots x
Winter turned to spring all too quickly and stress was high among the freshman as 'finals' for the year was no longer a distant aim which was somewhere in the future but becoming ever so more real on a daily basis.
"Its good." Gilbert said finishing reading Anne's essay on 'women's role in Othello'.
"But…" Anne said looking at him quizzically.
"I just think Emilia is a bigger feminist then you're making her out to be." Gilbert told her.
"She lives and breathes the patriarchal society she lives in Gil."
"But she voices so much more." He counterargued. Remember she says out rightly 'They eat us hungrily and when they are full, they belch us.'"
"Yet she plays by the rules of the society." Anne objected.
"Not every woman who is a feminist burnt her bra." Gilbert continued. "and not every girl has to throw herself under a horse to be heard."
"No, just ride on one naked through the streets of Coventry." Anne scoffed.
Gilbert grinned "if a pretty little redhead walked down the street naked now a days I'm sure there would be more than one peaking Tom." He said the tips of his ears feeling warm. "All I'm saying is the famous feminists aren't the be all and end all of feminism." He said. "The patriarchal society was prevalent deep into last century there are thousands of men and women rightfully defending equality even now. Not every one of them make the headlines, but if each one pass on their ideals to the next generation, the headlines would be for every one of them." He looked rather seriously at her now "for Elizabethan England her head could be on the block for just speaking out."
"Thank heavens she's written by a man." Anne said rolling her eyes.
"Well…" He said his hand steadying side to side.
"Oh come on!" Anne exclaimed. "You don't believe he was a woman!"
"One rumour was that he was Queen Elizabeth herself." Gilbert argued.
"You two…" Phil started.
"She was well educated, highly literate and had a magnificent imagination." Gilbert continued "Like you Queen Anne." He said with a wink to her which made her colour slightly. "When she was young she's known as the subject of much intrigue and was the victim of jealousy, betrayal, espionage, and ill-fated love."
"Is that true?" Phil asked Anne.
"It must be the red hair." Anne laughed.
"Her experiences in life are much closer in theme to Shakespeare's plays then the life he would have lived he wouldn't have had the connections in his life for the experiences of the characters he wrote." Gilbert continued.
"I can't believe you're defending it!" Anne exclaimed.
"Many of Shakespeare's plays serve as propaganda to promote the Tudor dynasty, very self-serving…" he continued.
"Oh please! Go down that line and you could easily argue that its influenced by Elizabethan courtiers who sought to support works that honoured their Queen." Anne said crossing her arms. "You don't even believe Shakespeare was a woman!" She continued
"Really?" Phil asked.
"Course not." He said narrowly missing a crunched-up piece of paper which passed his head which was thrown by Anne.
"Why do you enjoy vexing me!" she said her attention quickly returning to her papers.
Anne didn't see the way his gaze held on her face. His features softened, his lips upturned to a tiny grin, his hazel eyes dancing to even her smallest movements. It was a good steady 30 seconds before he silently blushed away.
Anne didn't see it, but Phil did.
"Excuse me a minute." Anne said as she slipped into her bathroom.
Phil looked at Gilbert for a moment before he looked at her curiously. "what?" he asked.
She thought as if she was not going to say it. "How long has it been Gil?" she asked him.
"I'm sorry?" he asked her.
"I mean at the beginning of the year I thought you might grow out of it like it was a crush but I don't believe it was, nor has it been for quite some time." Phil said plainly. "How long have you been in love with her?" she asked.
There was silence between the two before Gilbert swallowed and asked innocently "who?"
Phil burst into a short laugh before she looked at him "don't play that card with me Gilbert Blythe you know who I mean, the queen herself, our…"
"Shhh!" he exclaimed with red cheek his voice down to a whisper "She'll hear you!"
"So what if she did?" Phil exclaimed "How could she not know?!" Phil continued. "You're on such different courses but you're together all the time."
"Its not all the time." Gilbert muttered. Phil looked to him as if she was irritated and he continued. "Anne and I didn't start on the best footing." He said quietly. "I of all people…" he took a deep breath "with Anne, its all or nothing, there's no in between ground. She either loves me back or she'll cast me out of her circle forever."
Phil sat back trying to work him out "and here I was thinking Anne was the dramatic one in the relationship. Gil, that barrier is inside your head!" she told him.
"It isn't." He said. "Every time we get close she pulls back." He said "I hold her hand, she pulls back, I hug her she pulls back, I hold her gaze she pulls back." He sighed softly and looked at Phil "I mean there was one time at a wedding she cuddled into me and we were dancing and I felt on top of the world, but then her best friend announces she's getting married and she pulls back from the idea of a relationship so much it puts me right back in my place."
Phil sighed then asked "Has she ever been in a serious relationship?" Gilbert remained silent "Have you?" she asked to which he blushed away. "Then how do you know what it'll take to get there?" she asked him.
He took a deep breath "I want her in my life." He said softly. "I intend on staying like this, on being her friend, her best friend…"
"What forever?" Phil asked.
"I want to be there for her!" he said sharply. "She's had so many people let her down, so many people reject her for not being what they want and expect…" he looked at Phil his eyes went soft. "So, I have to be certain, I have to know, not suspect, until then I am here, I will not leave her. I won't fail her." He whispered.
Phil looked at him there were tears in her eyes and she whispered "If I find a man who loved me as you love her…" she stopped for a moment as they heard the flush from in the bathroom. "…I think I could marry a poor man."
He smiled then said to her "then I hope you find him."
The conversation closed when Anne came in and she looked at the pair.
"You know I've had enough of all this work." Phil exclaimed. "I'm off back to my dorm." She exclaimed.
"What about your Shakespeare assignment?" Anne asked her.
"He'll save for another day." She said with a shrug. "See you later." She waved as she went out the room.
The two sat silently typing on their laptops for a few minutes, Anne sitting cross legged on her bed on her laptop and Gilbert's legs up on the sofa he was using them as a stand for his laptop.
"Hey, do you have your copy of the book for psych?" he asked her.
"On the bookshelf." She said offhanded.
He got up and walked over to it to find the book and his eyes glanced onto the desk. His brow furrowed and he asked "Hey Anne?"
"Um?" she asked.
"What's Avril's Atonement?" he asked her.
She suddenly looked up and she blushed "No, n-nothing." She said getting up suddenly get to him.
"But it says 'by Anne Shirley'." He said looking at it. "Is this…" he looked to her then back to the layers of paper. "it's all printed."
"I know." Anne agreed standing in front of him blushing.
"If its printed are you… are you sending this to publishers?" he asked her.
She didn't reply to him blushing and she looked at it then him "Yes." She admitted.
His jaw dropped but he smiled widely and chuckled for her. "Anne!" he exclaimed "That is amazing!" he told her. "Is, is this what you want to do?" he asked her. To which she nodded.
"I want to be a writer, an author to help people imagine things better than they are, more beautiful." She told him.
"I can't imagine anything more beautiful." He said quietly. She looked at him knowing he wasn't teasing.
"Do you think I can?" she asked him.
"You can be whatever you want to be Shirley." He smiled and brought his arm around her and kissed into her hair.
"Professor Wilson." Gilbert said with a smile to him.
"Gilbert Blythe!" The professor said with a smile. "Did you know you got the highest marks from anyone on the course last year?" he said ushering Gilbert into his office.
"Oh, did I?" he said humbly. He knew for certain he had done well. He knew that.
"4.3 grade average Gilbert." The professor said waving his hand in front of the chair for Gilbert. "no need to be humble."
Gilbert blushed "yet I prefer to stay that way." He said as he sat down. "Keeps me down to earth." He paused before he said "Then I'm not here out of any trouble professor?" he asked concerned about why he had been called to his tutors office.
"no, no no." Professor Wilson said. "Quite the contradictory." He sat and looked at Gilbert. "It's these kinds of grades we look for when it comes to exchange programmes."
Gilbert looked at the Professor perplexed. "Exchange programmes?" Gilbert questioned.
Professor Wilson looked at him. "We have a sister university, in New York." The Professor told him.
"Oh yes, I know." He admitted. "New York University."
The Professor smiled. "That's right, you're a lamb aren't you?" he remembered. "You'll know through the fraternity." To which Gilbert nodded. "Well it'll make it easier for you to have some core friends you get on the programme." The professor paused. "I'm getting ahead of myself." He said with a smile. "We recommend a student from our school to go and study at New York University for a semester or two."
Gilbert looked at the professor. "Oh." He said. "Me?"
Professor Wilson smiled. "Yes Gilbert you, I'd like to recommend you for the programme, now you'd be up against the other science programmes in the school, so there would be no guarantee." Professor Wilson looked at Gilbert "Are you hesitating?" he asked Gilbert.
He felt as though a thousand thoughts were running through his head, but he knew only one was.
Anne.
Could he leave her like this? Run off to New York and not tell her how he felt? Could he stand being away from her for that long. He lived for the moments he had with Anne. How could he live without her.
"A girl?" The Professor asked. To which Gilbert swallowed and nodded. "Well don't go passing away life opportunities for a pretty face. You want to see some of the world, don't you?" Gilbert nodded automatically not really thinking. "And it's not for sure yet you would need to be accepted in the first place. But I would need to start the paperwork for it now if you even had a chance." The professor looked at him. "What do you say?" Professor Wilson asked.
Gilbert thought for a minute. This was ridiculous, Anne wasn't even a girlfriend, this was an opportunity and a fantastic one, a one at sixteen he would jump at. "Yes." He said nodding. "we can always shoot for it." He admitted. "As you said there's no guarantees anyway."
"Excellent!" the professor exclaimed. "Good man!"
"Gilbert!" she called happily as she saw him come out the building, she ran happily towards him landing in his arms for a hug. Gilbert's cheeks blushed as she was close enough that he could smell her mint shampoo and her strawberry moisturiser which she liked to use on her skin. "I missed you!" she exclaimed. "How was your summer working at the paper? Were there any dramatic new breaking events in the newsroom when you were there?" she asked him.
"The coffee machine cut out every Wednesday and the copier ran out of ink in the middle of an edition going out which sparked a frenzy like I've never seen before!" he laughed as he realised he was the one pulling away first for once. "But nothing more exciting than that." He admitted. "But it was good pay and I'll be able to pay for books such like and they offered me a part time position during term!" he said with a smile.
"Ohhh go you!" she exclaimed with a smile.
"How was home?" he asked her.
"Davy finished paying off his debt for the television but he carried on for a few weeks after said he was 'making an investment." She said eying him. "Did you do that?" she asked him.
"I won't deny my involvement." He said with a glance to her.
"Diana is making more plans for the wedding next summer." She sighed then said "but Fred and I both had the same expressions on our faces." She said with a smile. "I really got to bond with him."
"So he's not so bad after all?" Gilbert asked.
"He's almost kindred," Anne said thoughtfully. "not quite but enough that I like him well enough." She admitted.
"Well maybe a closer bond will form over time. He's a good man you know?" Gilbert told her outright.
"I know I know." Anne said pushing him slightly.
"Hey Gil, Anne!" someone said to them in passing. "Welcome back, did you have a good summer?" they asked.
"Yeah, really good." Gilbert said. "Thanks."
"Where you living this year?" They asked Gilbert.
"Over in the Frat house." Gilbert replied honestly.
"I'm living in a house with Priss and Phil and Stella on Spofford Avenue."
"Oh? The one with the huge houses? How could you afford there?!" The boy asked.
Anne laughed. "It's on the little house on the end of the road, Patty's place. With a live in landland, she calls herself Aunt Jamesina and insists we call her Aunt, but it's very nice to have an aunt, even if she's not a real one."
"I know that house." The boy said. "You can't be more than five minutes apart, that'll be good for the walk of shame." He said with a smile. "I'll catch you both later."
Anne rolled her eyes as the boy jogged off. They had been well known for going to socials together, even a few of the exclusive Frat Parties he had taken Anne to, and everyone knew you didn't take anyone to those things unless you were serious. Expect for maybe Anne and Gilbert themselves. All the boys despite wanting to, never asked Anne and all the boys never asked her and none of the girls despite wanting to didn't even flirt with Gilbert, they knew it was hopeless, all it took was for them to be in the room together and they were drawn to each other, they'd happily dance with others have conversations even laugh with others but together, they seemed to sparkle, their faces animated their debates fiercer everyone knew they were together without actually being together.
"Have you registered yet?" Gilbert asked her to defuse the situation.
"No." Anne admitted. "but registration doesn't start today until after twelve." She admitted.
"I thought you drove up here yesterday?" he asked her.
"No this morning, I was up at the crack of dawn your dad waved me off he was the only one up."
"Well you know what a bore Kingsport is without you." he said with a smile.
"It doesn't mean I'm not up for a party over at Queen's tonight?" she asked him.
He thought for a moment before he said "You know Anne, we're in second year now, we both have enough friends, acquaintances who we might like to take…" he started.
"Oh." Anne said her face falling. "You've met someone?" she asked him an uncomfortable feeling sloshing in her stomach.
"No!" he exclaimed. "No Anne, you've got me wrong." He said shaking his head. "There's no one else, I was thinking of you, I know at least a dozen boys who ask for your relationship status on almost a weekly basis." He admitted. "I thought you might like their company." He said, his eyes downcast to the floor.
"I never thought of spending time with anyone else." She shrugged. "I guess as long as I have you I have all I need." She said with a smile to him.
He looked up as she took her hand in his and didn't let go as they walked down the street.
"Do you want to come with me?" she asked him.
He smiled the little dimples showing in his cheeks. "Yes please."
"Hey are you up for watching Blackadder back at Patty's place?" Anne asked him. To which he merely nodded.
It was then Gilbert started to feel a slight hope in his heart.
She didn't need anyone else.
When he was with her.