" so what do you think?" Anne asked him.

They had gone for a walk and had ended up in Pixie s Orchard sitting side by side on the mossy floor their backs resting on the tree trunk behind them.

The ' friend' zone was difficult to keep. They both wanted each other's company, they both needed each other but both Gilbert and Anne could no longer express their love in any other way then through their friendship, for Anne the nightmares had subsided if she kept him at arms length and for Gilbert the sheer thought of losing her friendship forever stopped him from even hinting at anything more than being ' best chums'

" I'm not usually one to agree with an American women's magazine Anne, it is awfully... American." He replied.

" not usually one to agree?" she probed.

"I won't say the idea doesn't have its merits. But you might meet some resistance in pokey old Avonlea about 'improving' it."

" it's not what is meant Gil and you know it. That's why I need you on side." Anne continued. " if I have someone like you who has been here all his life, they won't see it as too much of a slight on Avonlea."

He grinned doubtful at her. " if I do get I board just promise me one thing?"

" what's that?" she asked.

" promise me you won't tell anyone you got the idea from a women's magazine and not only did I agree with it, I read said women's magazine." He laughed uncomfortably.

Anne laughed. " deal done."

" so who else do you have on board?" he asked her.

" well Diana of course. Jane and Julia oh and Gertie over heard us talking about it and insisted on becoming part of it."

"a Pye?" Gilbert asked sceptically

" yes I know I know , but it's better to have one on side then against it, it's bound to fail if the Pye's speak against it."

Gilbert nodded his head in agreement " well there's something in that I suppose."

"I thought you might rally the boys?" she questioned hopefully.

" Oh did you now?!" Gilbert exclaimed. "I ought to have known it!" He teased. " always making me work for everything I get!" He continued teasing.

" Gil!" she exclaimed.

" and what will be my reward?" the words had slipped out as flirty as he had ever been with Anne. For a spilt second there was no barrier between them and a lovers gaze fell between them. Before a red in cheek Gilbert's heart caught up with his head telling him they were no longer a couple he couldn't flirt like that anymore! "I... I...I..." He stuttered.

Anne realised the same time as Gilbert the mistake. Oh that's right we're not together... She remembered. When he started to stutter she decided to help him out. " my eternal gratitude!" she exclaimed smiling as though nothing had gone wrong.

He took a deep breath. Is that how it was? Did she even notice he flirted? Were they to continue the charade of platonic love?

" please Gil? Please?" she said with big doleful eyes. He made the mistake of looking into her eyes, she could do with him as she pleased with those eyes.

" alright! I'll see what i can do." He sighed.

She shrieked throwing herself into his arms " thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed.

He couldn't help but laugh it was almost like old times, like they were children again, he had fixed something and she would throw herself into a hug with him. Didn't it always go like that? His arm unnoticed remained round her back as she settled back beside him " so what are we going to do first?"

A few days later Gilbert listened to Anne's woeful tale of running through a field after a cow which was not her own! How she sold it in haste to Mr Shearer believing it WAS Dolly only to find Dolly in the pen. But by some small relief Mr Harrison turned out to be a kindred spirit after all.

" can you imagine what a relief it was?!" she exclaimed to a bemused Gilbert.

" honestly Anne i leave you alone for five minutes and you get yourself into a pickle!" He teased.

" whatever did I do without you Gil!?" she exclaimed.

The laughing paused, there it was again! Teasing and flirting at the same time!

" w... well, thank heavens for kindred spirits I say." He said to her. " they are becoming more frequent as we get older don't you think?" trying to recover the conversation.

" yes, they are, maybe there are more of us than we initially thought." Anne agreed. " Oh did you hear, they gave Carmody to Priscilla?" Anne thought out loud.

" Grant?" Gilbert asked. Anne nodded. " well that's wonderful news. I shall have to write to congratulate her."

"oh?" Anne looked in surprise. " you never told me you kept in touch with Priscilla?"

" it's only a letter Anne, what does it matter to you anyway?" he said calmly.

She felt something rise within her. " matter?" she questioned. " we were still together at queens. That's why it matters!" she exclaimed angrily.

" well we aren't now which is when I'll be writing to her." He reflected back.

" Oh very convenient! Did I just make it easy for you then? Breaking it off? So you can go and chase all the girls you wanted to while we were together?" her temper still in full swing.

" I'm not the one who broke it off Anne!" now he was angry "We would still be together if I had my way! How could you?! How dare you accuse me of wanting anyone but YOU!"

Anne paused for a second looking him in eyes she could practically FEEL her eyes turn green! She couldn't stand it, she turned on her heel and quick marched it back to Green Gables. Why was she so angry?! He was right, he had every right to keep in touch with anyone he liked, she didn't own him. And she knew Gilbert had been faithful to her while they were together, of course he had been! So why did it matter so much?

The colours were more vivid then normal, she couldn't help but notice it as she walked in the woods, she wondered what made the colours so vivid. Was it the sun streaming down? The browns were rich and reds almost matched her hair, the yellows as bright as the sun which was above her, she looked to the sky and saw it was a sea of blue, not a cloud in sight. The leaves crunched under her feet told her there had been no rain for a while otherwise they would be wet also and lack the satisfying scrunch as the leaves compressed under her feet.

She turned a corner to see them standing there, arm in arm. More than that lip to lip his hands roaming through her blond hair. They stopped as they saw her. Her nose upturned towards Anne as she laughed cruelly. " why would you think he could love you when he could have me?" Josie told her cruelly.

Gilbert looked her in the face sneered and told her " what a waste of time you were."

Anne turned on heel and ran to pixie's Orchard. Where she found the familiar coffin, she knew who was in before she looked so why did she?

Anne's eyes snapped open! She sat up in her bed. Nightmare! She hasn't had one like that since they had subsided a month ago.

Today. She admitted, it had had stirred old feelings in her. They had been dangerously close. Flirting and she... She was jealous. She could admit it now, away from him and after THAT dream. How ridiculous! Gilbert and Josie! But it had felt so real from beginning to end. It had been a dream? yes it must have been. Gilbert hated Josie. But if anyone would stir jealousy in Anne it would be her! And her subconscious knew it!

If there was any power on the earth to make her jealous she knew what it was. She lay back down on her bed and turned on her side, she closed her eyes trying to rid the imagine of her ex laying in that coffin.

He came to the door the next day, pen and paper in hand. When she saw him standing she wasn't afraid to admit she was surprised. She really had thought she pushed her luck yesterday.

" Gil?" she questioned him in amazement

"I... I came to apologise for losing my temper." He said quietly.

Anne's heart melted. Poor Gil! He had every reason to get angry with her! She had broken it off, she had no right getting jealous now. " no Gil, you have nothing to be sorry for. Every word you said was true. I'm sorry, you were the perfect boyfriend, of course you never set eyes on her and I knew it and you have every right to want to congratulate Priscilla. She was your friend as much as she was mine."

" well that's why I brought these along!" Gilbert exclaimed waving the paper and pen in front of her. "I thought we could write her a letter together. That way we're both congratulating her." He said with wide eyes.

" Oh Gil!" she exclaimed throwing herself in his arms. " how can you be so kind when I treat you so bad?"

"I know this is difficult for you too, we're only just finding our feet as friends again, it's not going to be easy for either one of us after being together for so long. A lot of feelings are going to be seeping through, we just need to face them and not lose faith in our friendship." He said leaning hug holding her closer to him. Holding her was lovely. Their hugs had always been the lifeline to their friendship. " come on Anne, lets write this letter together." He said taking her hand and sitting them at the table together.