It had been a really strange year at Queens. Gilbert had reflected. Not bad just strange.

He and Anne had worked together on basically everything all year. Academically they had been inseparable... Except for the end where she had won the Avery Scholarship... And he couldn't have been more proud if he tried! For a brief moment, they had really been them again when he had lifted her swinging her around in victory... She was his Anne again.

Academically... Intellectual they were absolutely fine. But socially...emotionally... They were so distant! It wasn't long before she had a string of boys, very interested in her. It had reeled him jealous on many occasions but it seemed Anne had a date for every dance.

Every dance she had a partner for... Every social she had agreed to go with someone else... And honestly it was killing him.

He sat up a tree, (something he at almost nineteen should have grown out of by now, yet there was something comforting about being up there) today was the day Anne was going off to Kingsport (he himself was due to start teaching on Monday) she had insisted that he stayed away telling him there was no reason at all for him to come. After the past year he figured it out.

She had outgrown him.

They were no longer best friends.

But he had watched from this tree. He had seen her loading up the buggy smiling and laughing with her parents. He had seen Bertha's final hug with her daughter before Walter and Anne had rolled away, and there was a sadness in Anne's eyes like she was missing something... He barely noticed the time rolling on...

"When will you learn not to climb trees?" Moody mocked him from below.

"Never I hope." Gilbert said with grin. "and anyway I had a better view from up here."

"of?" he asked.

Gilbert sighed and looked down into his lap.

"oh that's right..." Moody said "Anne left for college today." He said with a knowing nod. "Did you not see her off?" he asked.

"She told me not to." He said shaking his head.

"oh..." Moody said nodding his head "well i suppose it must have been difficult after... " he trailed before he started moving away. Gilbert looked down blankly for a moment before he jumped down from the tree and called after him "what are you talking about? " Gilbert asked him.

Moody kept walking for a moment " it's really none of my business. "

"Moody..." he said running to catch up. "what do you mean?"

Moody paused for a moment and looked to his feet as Gilbert caught up with him. "you know for her best friend you're pretty clueless on Anne's feelings, she was devastated. "

"about what?! " Gilbert asked half exasperated.

"we saw you and Josie Pye kissing Gil!" Moody told him eventually a look of horror slowly crept across Gilbert's face "and I had to stand there and watch Anne's heart break!"

Gilbert stood silent for a moment. She had seen! Anne had seen…(!) and it all made sense! The locked window the emotional distancing always being with someone else because she couldn't stand seeing him (potentially) with her. He looked to Moody before Gilbert abruptly turned and ran in the direction of his barn.

"Nan!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he jumped the barrier at the train station. "Nan wait!" he called as he saw her turn towards the sound of his voice.

"Gilbert." She said blushing slightly as her father loaded the last of her things onto the train. "not now. " she said quieter as he reached her.

"Yes now." He told her "it has to be now. " he said slightly out of breath. He turned to Walter "Sorry, Mr Shirley." He said pulling Anne away from them (unseen to Anne and Gilbert Walter smiled knowingly rolling his eyes)

"Gilbert Blythe unhand me!" She exclaimed only half protesting as they went into the ladies waiting room.

"Anne, I know, I know alright… I know you saw Josie kiss me." he trailed as she saw the blush on her cheek. "So thats why the cold shoulder over the past year."

"I have not!" she said determinedly before she looked up and saw the raised brow. "I thought I would make it easier for you, being with Josie..."

"I'm not with Josie, I've never been with Josie." He explained.

She looked in his eyes confused, "but, you were kissing!"

"she pounced on me! I didn't have much of a choice!" he took Anne by the hand "I tried your bedroom window, to talk that night but..."

"it was already locked." She said quietly. Her hands slid in his arms

"locked." He whispered. "Nan..."

"was it a good kiss at least?" Anne asked him.

"oh awful!" he said shaking his head "just so so awful!" She chuckled before she threw her arms around his middle. "you complete ninny," he said wrapping his arms around her drawing her closer "I can't believe you didn't just ask."

"I knew I shouldn't... It's not ladylike to demand... To go into your personal... "she said shaking with tears running down her face.

Gilbert sighed wiping away her tears, "it's when we don't communicate properly, we keep doing what we think society demands us to. But Anne, I believe that's where our problems lie. " he sighed "at least you talked to me somewhat this time.."

"to be fair I thought I was helping... Keeping a distance if you had been with Josie would have been for the best. "

He laughed "yes I did think that on the way over, making sense of the past year or so. "

"oh Gil, I'm so sorry. I feel like I have so much to tell you about the past year and Redmond..."

"then write. " he said gently "we've done it before. " she nodded before he place he forehead on hers. "Anne there's something else I want to tell you." He told her gently.

"Oh?" she said looking into his eyes before the door opened and they sprung away from each other.

Walter looked at them suspiciously before he spoke "sorry to interrupt but the train Anne, you really have to…" he looked to Anne as he spoke but then looked to Gilbert with such an expression of sorrow on his face.

"Right." Anne said gently. She reached for Gilbert's hand and they walked out to the platform together.

He smiled as their fingers played with each other again. "Hey Anne." He whispered to her gently.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"You're going to Redmond!" She said with an excited glint in his eyes.

She smiled widely burrowing her face in his shoulder. "I know. I'm nervous." She said to him.

"Don't be," he said to her, "You're an islander, you have nothing to be afraid of." He told her.

"You'll come, won't you?" she asked him. "To Redmond, eventually." She asked him.

"I'll come." He assured her. They hugged before she pulled back "See you at Christmas." He said to her.

"Christmas." She smiled.

She looked up to her father. "Oh Papa!" She exclaimed jumping at them hugging into them both at once. "Thank you!" she exclaimed to them. "Really really, thank you!"

She climbed onto the train and found a seat, looked out to them and waved.

She looked at Gilbert and smiled as the train pulled away. He was right, like he always was, she should have just asked him about Josie. It seemed ridiculous now, now she knew, Of course it wasn't voluntary!

As the trained pulled away Walter looked to Gilbert. "You were going to tell her, weren't you?" he asked Gilbert.

"Sorry?" Gilbert asked him.

Walter smiled "You were going to tell Anne you loved her in that room before I interrupted." He clarified.

Gilbert blushed red. "Mr Shirley…" he started.

"It's a shame I interrupted." He said with a wry smile. Gilbert's face dropped at his words as he slapped Gilbert on the shoulder.