Author's Note:

I told you that I'd get another chapter up as soon as possible. I'm writing this on the Friday before Labor Day. It's almost noon and, starting at 4:30 this afternoon, I will not be having access to a computer until Tuesday morning! So I'm making as much use of my time as I can. Who knows? Maybe I'll finish the entire chapter and get it posted. Uh....yeah. Right.

By the way, here's a small piece of advice. If the last thing you read on this story was my pitiful author's note explaining why I hadn't updated in so long or Will and Chris's tearful (not to mention sappy) reunion then......STOP! Go back to Chapter 37 and read it. It's an actual chapter now! Yay! It's not absolutely necessary to read that chapter. At least not right away. But I've always found it easier to go in chronological order. Maybe that's just me, though.

Anyway, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I hereby declare that I am not going to do anymore disclaimers on this story. Heaven above knows that I've said it enough. For the last time, I don't own it. I never will own it except in that tiny, perfectly happy corner of my soul. It all belongs to the wonderful LMM and her very blessed descendants. Except, perhaps, for Anne. I've always had the sneaking suspicion that she belongs to herself. Well, there you have it, my friends. My last disclaimer for this story. It goes for the rest of the tale.

June 1, 1942

As the train pulled into Bright River that afternoon, Chris looked out the window eagerly, searching for some sign of her family. She knew, for mother had written her, that Grandmother and Grandfather Blythe were visiting for a couple of weeks right now. So she searched the platform for the dark heads of her mother and father, or the unmistakable silver glint of Anne Blythe's hair. Seeing none of the above, her face fell a little.

She did, however, manage to see one familiar face as the train slowed down. Gus Pike was waiting on the platform, his eyes searching the windows for the face of his daughter. Chris smiled a little when she saw that he had his pipe. That pipe. Felicity Pike always made such a fuss about it, but Chris had a sneaking suspicion that she would make more of a fuss if Gus didn't smoke it.

As soon as the train stopped, the girls practically ran towards the exit. Lorelei was off first and it wasn't five seconds before her father had enveloped her in a tight hug. Chris also saw Felicity Pike and Cecily coming towards them. But there was still no sign of her own family.

She had no time to think about that, however. After releasing his daughter, Gus hugged Chris just as tightly, then held her back from him as if she was being inspected.

"Well," he said, his eyes twinkling a bit, "looks ta me like college life agrees with ya, Miss Ford. Ya certainly are lookin' grown up."

"Oh, Gus. Don't tease her," Mrs. Pike said, slapping her husband on the arm playfully. "Have you been enjoying college so far, Chris?"

"Yes, Mrs. Pike. Thank you very much. Lorelei was a great help to me, of course."

"Oh, of course I was. I warned her about which teachers to avoid. So she made sure that she registered for their classes," Lorelei put in, her tone sarcastic.

Felicity Pike smiled and Gus laughed. Yes, that sounded just like Chris.

"It's been horribly dull around here without you and Lorelei," Cecily proclaimed, coming over to give Chris a hug. "And with Sylvia gone, too, Emily and I have just been at a loss. We've had nothing to do since you left."

"Well, I don't know about that," Mrs. Pike admonished, as Gus went to get Felicity's bags. "There were, of course, all the Junior Red Cross meetings every week. Emily is Vice-President, you know. And Cecily here is the Treasurer. Not to mention Emily's seventeenth birthday party in March. Your Aunt Di never was one for doing things half-heartedly, Chris. That party will be the talk of Avonlea for years to come. It was simply lovely. A good chance for the youth around here to take their minds off things. Then there was the dance in April when Emily, in an apparent lapse of memory, accidentally accepted two separate invitations. Unfortunately, the two young men in question have been bitter rivals since childhood. I'm sure you remember Ellis Sloane and Alec Miller?"

"Oh, no," Chris covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her smile. The two young men Mrs. Pike just named had, indeed, hated each other since they were seven years old. Chris wasn't sure of the story, but it wasn't important at the moment.

"Oh, yes," affirmed Mrs. Pike. "Anyway, a solution was reached. Gus and I agreed to let Alec take Cecily. Ellis wound up taking Emily."

"But she's only fifteen!" protested Lorelei. "You didn't let me go to dances until I was sixteen!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, my dear," Mrs. Pike responded, unfazed by her daughter's outburst. "And Emily Wright was desperate. Besides, Cecily will be sixteen soon enough. And there's the funniest end to the whole thing."

"What about Matthew?" asked Lorelei, ignoring her mother and looking over to Cecily. When Chris and Lorelei had left Avonlea at the beginning of that year, Cecily and Matthew were still rather....moon-eyed over one another.

Cecily shrugged in response to her sister's question, which raised Chris's curiosity as well. What about Matthew? Lorelei wasn't about to let things go with a shrug.

"Cecily, what happened?"

"Oh, Lorelei, it wasn't anything dramatic. Don't make it out to be that way. It just sort of....stopped. That's all."

Both Chris and Lorelei watched for signs that Cecily was hiding something. But there were none. Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe that was all there was to it.

"As I was saying," Mrs. Pike continued, her voice rather forceful, "Emily continued to see Ellis for about two weeks, but nothing ever came of it. On the other hand, it seems as though Alec Miller has fallen head over heels for our little Cecily. Rather ironic, isn't it? He asks one girl to a dance, winds up taking another, and then falls for her."

Chris looked over at Cecily and saw with a bit of shock that the girl was blushing. She was blushing! And she noticed for the first time that Cecily was looking a bit more grown up. Just as her namesake had been known to do, Cecily was prone to torturing her silky smooth, dark brown hair into curls. It didn't help matters that both of her sisters had been born with naturally curly hair. But, today, her hair hung in a straight, dark sheen down her back. It suited her much better. Apparently, Mrs. Pike was finally letting her use cosmetics because, blushing aside, Cecily did have a bit more color to her face than usual. Chris suddenly felt old as she looked at this girl who was so much like a little sister to her. Cecily was growing up! And Will was missing it. He was missing out on being the protective older brother. He didn't know what a beautiful young lady Cecily was becoming. He didn't know she had a beau. He didn't know....What was Mrs. Pike saying?

"....said she was sorry they wouldn't be here right away, but they would come as soon as possible. They should only be a couple of minutes, Chris. You don't mind, do you?"

Oh. So they were just behind. Yes, that was understandable. At least, she supposed it was understandable. Chris wanted to cry. She really wanted to. Lorelei had her family, but where was Chris's? Delayed. Now she was being childish. And college students, not to mention engaged college students, simply didn't act childish.

"No, Mrs. Pike. I don't mind at all."

Mrs. Pike smiled and began walking towards the car, where her husband was waiting. Cecily and Lorelei remained with Chris for a little bit, though.

"You do mind, don't you?" Lorelei asked.

"A little, maybe," Chris replied, smiling ruefully. "But what can I do?"

"Emily and I thought we could all meet at the lighthouse tonight at sunset," Cecily spoke up. "Will that be alright?"

Chris smiled. She was a woodland creature, not prone to the call of the sea very often. But a sunset by the shore sounded like a wonderful way to spend her first evening at home.

"That sounds delightful. When Sylvia comes home from Queen's next week, we'll do the same thing."

The Pike sisters smiled in agreement. They loved the sea almost as much as their father did. Almost. There were quick hugs and kisses on the cheek all around as the girls parted. Gus and Felicity Pike watched from the car in amusement.

"Ya'd think we were seein' 'em off to college instead of bringin' 'em home," Gus remarked to his wife.

"They are a bit dramatic, aren't they?" she replied, smiling. "But that's what's wonderful about being that age, my dear Gus. You're entitled to be dramatic."

"Are ya now?" he inquired. "I never was."

"No, Gus. You never were. You never had the chance to be. But I was. And so were Sara and Felix, if you'll recall. Actually, Sara still is."

Gus only laughed at that remark as his two daughters finally piled into the car and they drove off, leaving Chris alone on the emptying platform. She stood there for a moment, at a loss as to what to do with herself. Finally, she sat down on a bench and passed the time picking out shapes in the blossoms of the nearby cherry trees.

"I wonder if I'm looking at the same trees Grandmother Anne was when she was waiting to be picked up all those years ago," Chris pondered out loud. She closed her eyes and tried to picture her grandmother sitting on the bench, waiting for a stranger. The day in question had been described to her so many times that she was quite sure she would succeed.

Yes, there was Grandmother! Only it was Grandmother as she was long ago. A skinny girl with two red braids and freckles on her nose, clutching a decrepit handbag as if her very life depended on it. She held her head high, but Chris could see deep into those eyes she had come to know so well. And she saw fear. How scared Grandmother must have been! Anne-of-Yesterday turned towards her and, to Chris's surprise, she spoke.

"Chris?"

How did Anne-of-Yesterday know her name?!

"Chris?"

Chris opened her eyes, fully expecting to see a little girl with red braids and laughing grey-green eyes standing in front of her. But she was more than happy with who she did see.

"Leslie!"

The younger of the two Ford girls launched herself off the bench and into her sister's arms. In spite of her resolve, Chris felt the tears begin to sting and they soon escaped her eyes. She was somewhat relieved when she realized that Leslie was crying as well. It made her feel a little better somehow.

"When did you come home?" Chris asked, when they pulled away from each other.

"Three days ago. I'll be here for a month," Leslie replied. She had debated this morning on whether Chris should know more before deciding that the rest of her news could wait for another day. This was Chris's first day home. No sense in telling her the news now.

"Did everyone else know?"

"Yes, but I made them promise not to tell you. I hope you don't mind that they didn't come, Chris. I had quite a fight on my hands keeping them away from the station. Especially with Dad. He was wild to get down here and see you. But I wanted you all to myself. Look over there."

Chris looked accordingly and laughed when she saw that her father, or someone, had gotten out the old Cuthbert buggy and polished it up. It was the very same buggy Matthew had brought a young orphan girl to Green Gables in and, as such, Davy Keith had never had the heart to get rid of it when buggies went out of style. Ken and Rilla Ford were of the same mindset and the Ford family actually still used it on occasion. A horse that had obviously come from the King farm was hitched to the buggy.

"This is how we'll go back into Avonlea. Just like Grandmother. Won't it be fun? The buggy handles beautifully, Chris. I practiced with it all day yesterday. Father's kept it in excellent repair. It just needed to be cleaned up a bit, that's all."

"What about my things?" Chris inquired, as they started towards the buggy.

"Oh. Oh, yes. Father said to just get a couple of the smaller bags. He and Matthew will bring the car 'round later for the trunk. Oh, Chris, isn't it wonderful to be on the Island?" Leslie took a deep breath of air as she picked up a bag. "Just smell that air."

"It doesn't smell like anything," Chris remarked, wondering if her sister was quite alright.

"Exactly my point. Just good, clean Island air. To think there was once a time when I thought all I wanted to do was grow up, marry a rich man, and leave the Island! I think I must've been crazy, Chris!"

Chris climbed into the buggy and somewhat nervously waited for Leslie to do the same. She was a little doubtful about her sister's skills with a horse and buggy. But her parents wouldn't have let Leslie do this if they didn't think it was safe. Would they?

Leslie climbed up next to Chris and, with a smile that served to put her younger sister even more on edge, she slapped the reins against the back of the horse. Luckily, being a King horse and therefore disinclined to misbehavior, the animal started off at a smooth walk and didn't give them a spot of trouble the entire time. So Leslie and Chris were free to talk.

Although Leslie wasn't going to give Chris her own bad news, there was something she would have to prepare Chris for before they got to Green Gables. Things had happened in the Blythe clan during the past few weeks that had been kept from Chris at the request of Gilbert and Anne. Having been college students themselves, they didn't want anything else distracting their granddaughter from finals. Finals were hard enough without getting stressful news from home.

Leslie, unlike Chris, did not like to jump right into things. So she tried to think of something to start the conversation that would not link directly to the war. Being in the military service herself, this was not exactly easy for Leslie to do. But fate was on her side that afternoon and it intervened in the form of the sun shining through the trees and gleaming off something that was resting against Chris's neck.

"Chris, where did you get that necklace you're wearing?"

"Hmmm? Oh! It was a gift from two of my friends at McGill. Isabella and Elena, you remember them from my letters."

"The twins from America?"

"Yes."

"It's lovely."

"Yes, it is. All of us...I mean Isabella, Elena, Natalie, Cathy, Lorelei, and me...went out on the town this past Saturday. We went on a picnic and went window shopping, then stopped at the soda shop and ended up at the movies that night. I told you Isabella is an aspiring Broadway actress, didn't I? I'm sure I mentioned it in my letters. Well, we went to see 'Babes on Broadway' and just had a marvelous time all in all. Isabella called it our first 'last hurrah'. Apparently, she means to have a few more with us," Chris finished, laughing.

The lockets had been the ending of that 'last hurrah'. They were the surprise Isabella and Elena had been so mysterious about in the soda shop. All of the girls, including the twins, now possessed a heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. Each girl had her initials engraved on the back and, on the front, was the simple word 'Friends' in delicate, flowing script. The other four had protested such a gift, but the twins had ignored their arguments and had instead informed them that they would all have their picture done together next term. That way, there would be something to put in the locket.

"Well, it is a beautiful locket. And they sound like wonderful friends, Chris. I'm glad you found them."

"I'm glad, too. I'm glad I had Lorelei to introduce me to them. If it hadn't been for her, I don't know what I would've done."

They drove on in silence for a while before Leslie finally decided that there simply was no delicate way to approach the rather unpleasant news she had for her sister. Bad as this news was, she didn't even want to think about the rest of it. But the other news was for a different day.

'One bad thing at a time, Leslie,' the oldest Ford girl thought to herself. Taking a deep breath, she dove right in.

"Chris, um, there have been a few more boys in Avonlea who signed up."

"Who?"

Chris wasn't really surprised. She had expected as much. It was a fact of life these days. Unpleasant, but unavoidable.

"Well, Ellis Sloane went last week. George Spurgeon, Drew Baker, Martin Lawson. They've all signed up since you left for college. That's what mother told me."

Four. Four young men that Chris still saw as rosy-cheeked young boys. Four young men that she had climbed trees with, played stickball with, even fished with on occasion. It just wasn't fair.

"Chris?"

"Yes?"

"Robert enlisted three weeks ago."

"Robert Murray?"

Leslie sighed.

"No, Chris. Robert Wright. Our cousin."

Chris was silent. So Robert had gone. They had all hoped he wouldn't. He was the only son. Uncle Jack had a farm to take care of and he needed Robert's help. Emily needed her big brother. Chris started to get angry.

"Well, Robert always was a selfish pig," she spat out.

Leslie didn't say anything. Truthfully, she had sort of expected this reaction and that was why she was telling Chris the news now. Because Chris's reaction would've been the same, no matter what company she was in. If she had said such a thing in front of the whole family, there would have been quite a.....stir, to say the least. They drove on in silence for a while as Leslie let Chris think things over. She was glad of the buggy. It gave them lots more time and Leslie hadn't dropped the big news on Chris, yet.

"I didn't mean that, you know," Chris finally said, her voice very small. Leslie glanced over at her sister and bit back a smile. Chris looked a little bit like a turtle, hunched over as if she were trying to disappear inside of her clothes.

"I know you didn't. And Robert would be the first person to defend your statement."

Well, that was true enough. Robert Wright had one of the sweetest spirits in the entire Blythe family, which made Chris's previous statement that much more ironic. He was quiet, an introvert, with a very sensitive soul. None of the grandchildren knew it, and Anne would vehemently deny it in the years to come, but, deep down, Anne Blythe was more worried about him than her other grandsons. He reminded her too much of the son she had sent away who had never come home. Although Walter Ford carried that son's name and, indeed, that son's looks, Anne sometimes felt that Robert must be carrying her son's soul. And she wasn't the only one who saw it. Gilbert saw it. Di and Rilla saw it. Jem and Nan had seen it on occasion. Even Shirley, who had only seen Robert a few times, saw his lost brother in that nephew of his. They all saw it. And they all feared for him silently.

But none of the younger generation knew of this. All they knew was that Robert had gone. He had turned eighteen in January and, at first, seemed content with his lot of staying home and helping his father on the farm. But Robert was struggling. Jack Wright knew that, eventually, he would have to be hiring some help. He expected it long before it happened and warned his wife. But they said nothing to the rest of the family. Still, the fact that they were expecting it didn't soften the blow any when their only son announced that he wanted to enlist. Like countless mothers before and after her, Di Wright took it calmly on the surface and then cried herself to sleep that night in her husband's arms. Truth be told, Jack did some crying of his own that night as well.

Robert was gone, though, and life was going on at Orchard Slope. Emily was a bit quieter these days, but she was coping, Leslie told Chris. Aunt Di had circles under her eyes and Uncle Jack, the joker in the family, didn't smile as much, but things were better than they had been three weeks ago. At least, that's what Mother had told Leslie.

All these reactions were to be expected, Chris realized. After Walter left, it had been the same at Green Gables for a while. Then, one day, some one had laughed and they all realized that it was okay for things to be normal. Listening to Leslie talk, she became determined to give Emily one of the greatest summers of her entire life.

"Chris, are you listening to me? I said I had something important to tell you."

"What? Oh, I'm sorry. What is it, Leslie?"

"Now, I don't want you to get upset. Well, that was a silly thing to say. Forget I said that, because you are going to get upset. I'm telling you this to prepare you, for the same reason I told you about Robert."

"Prepare me for what?"

"I just don't want this news sprung on you in front of the entire family."

"What news?"

Leslie hesitated and then decided to just tell Chris straight out.

"Uncle Jem 'phoned last week. John's enlisted."

There. It was out. Leslie blew out a long breath, relieved. In truth, that was the news she had been worried about. Well, today anyway. Chris, in the meantime, was stunned.

"John? But John can't enlist! He's only..."

"Sixteen. Yes, I know. Apparently, he lied about his age. Chris, he's already gone off to training. He'll come back home in six weeks. After that, who knows?"

"What do you mean 'who knows'? Uncle Jem can get him out, can't he? He lied, Leslie! He lied to the military!"

"Exactly. And lying to the military is the same as lying to the government. Uncle Jem's in a tough spot, Chris. If he reveals the fact that John lied, then John's going to be in big trouble. And I do mean big trouble. I'm not even sure that we can even comprehend how much trouble this could mean for John."

"So we're just supposed to send a sixteen year old off to war? Leslie! Oh my gosh!"

"What?"

"You know how close John and Matthew are. What if Matthew gets the same idea?"

Leslie smiled a little.

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. Apparently, there was a conference at Green Gables the day after Uncle Jem called. I wasn't here, yet. But Mother told me all about it. It involved several guests, Chris. Father and Grandfather were here, of course. Then there was Mr. Pike, Uncle Jack, Mr. Guest, Mr. King, and Uncle Jerry."

"Uncle Jerry was here?"

"Uncle Jerry came here expressly for this purpose. And I have the feeling that Uncle Jem would've come, too, if Aunt Faith hadn't been just absolutely beside herself over John. Anyway, they spent the entire afternoon with poor Matthew. I don't think that lying about his age so he can enlist is a part of his plan anymore, if it ever was."

Chris thought about the list of men that Leslie had just rattled off.

"All the men in Matthew's life that he's ever looked up to. It was nice of Mr. Guest to come, considering the short time he's known us."

"I have the feeling, Chris, that the Guest's consider us lifelong friends. Despite the fact that we only met in the past two years."

"Well, Leslie, do you have any more bad news for me?"

Leslie frowned.

"I am sorry, Chris, to have to be the town crier. I just thought it would be better if you were prepared."

Chris nodded her head.

"And you were right. You know I hate for things to get sprung on me in a crowd of people. Which reminds me. How many people are going to be at Green Gables when we get there?"

"Well, our family, obviously. And Grandmother and Grandfather. Uncle Jack, Aunt Di, and Emily are supposed to be there, too. But that's all that I know of. Pretty small crowd, really. Considering."

"Yes, it is. Thanks for the preparation, Leslie."

"Anytime. Now, tell me about you. We've written back and forth, I know, but letters are never enough for me. Tell me about these friends of yours. They sound like fun!"

She was deliberately changing the subject, something Chris normally did not appreciate. But this time she didn't mind it too much. Both girls knew that, one of these nights, they would wake up at three o'clock in the morning and they would think about these two cousins of theirs. Three o'clock in the morning was enough time to think about things like that. These past two years had taught the Ford girls that much at least.

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A/N: I know it's rather boring, but it's a bit of a transition chapter you see. Never fear. I already have tons of ideas for the next chapter, not to mention three pages. And, if all goes according to plan, there will be almost one whole chapter of Emily. I think. If she cooperates. Thanks everyone for your patience. You're all so wonderful!