Hi Folks,

Sorry I'm late, this chapter was not behaving itself and has been through several edits, I think I'm twisting myself in pretzels, so I'm publishing it and hoping its okay, so support is needed!

Yes, with last weeks revelation that they are both ready for moving in with each other, that they are willing to move forward and yes to some it was a long time coming, but they are moving in! And I'm doing it sooner rather then later because I don't want to focus too much on them being apart and I think I've already done it to death to be honest.

Hope you all enjoy!

love

Carrots


"There's eleven organ The 11 systems of the body are the integumentary, muscular, skeletal, nervous, circulatory, lymphatic, respiratory, endocrine,urinary/excretory, reproductive and digestive." Gilbert recited.

"Correct." Anne replied.

They were sitting crossed legged in the front room of Blythe Farm. Gilbert was revising the material set out in the first sermester and Anne sitting directly over from him was assisting in the revision.

"Some scientists add the immune system to this list to make a total of 12 organ systems, but most people consider the immune system to be a part of the lymphatic system. You may also find texts where the lymphatic and immune systems are both included within the circulatory system, which would give us a total of ten organ systems." He told her.

"Is that true?" she asked him amazed to which he nodded "how can you tell on a test which one is the right answer?" she asked him.

"The official number is twelve, its handy to know though, especially in research into the subject shows..." he started.

"You talk a lot around the subject." Aunt Mary Maria told him who was sitting in his mothers rocking chair across the room inspecting the two as they revised Gilbert's notes. "You need to be more focused." She told him.

Gilbert looked to Anne his eyes rolling "I think we need a cup of tea." He said generally to the room. "Or an Irish tea." He whispered in a hush to Anne. "Aunt Mary Maria?" he questioned.

"Yes Gilbert, plain sensible tea none of that hippy stuff you kids are into." She instructed.

Gilbert nodded as he went out of the room, Anne could hear from the sounds that he had indeed gone to the kitchen (where his mother had safe havened to).

Aunty Mary Maria scrutinized Anne again and said "You know it's a family curse." She told Anne. Anne looked at her puzzled for a moment before she continued "Blythe men, always have, always will, fall in love with the person who will bring about their downfall." She told Anne.

Anne sat confused for a moment before she replied politely "forgive me Miss Blythe but I see two generations of Blythe men who have fallen in love with people who only encourage them to become their best potential, I suspect it has long been that way."

"Oh you suspect do you?" She asked Anne, "and what can an orphan child know of love?"

"Apparently a great deal more then someone who had every opportunity to embrace it but by her own insecurities has pushed everyone away who ought to have loved her."

"You think you love Miss Shirley?" she snapped back at Anne, "Conceited vain little girl you can't have been through enough to know what love is and you have the audacity to speak to me like that? His Aunt? I know that boy, I've known him since he was a child and a girl like you will never please him."

Anne was ready with a reply but was interrupted by Gilbert who had appeared at the door "Anne-Girl?" he said softly to her. She looked up at him and Gilbert could see the fire in her eyes but also water, he looked at her bringing her back from the air to earth and said "My mother requested your help in the kitchen." He said to her. She silently, swallowed the pain in her throat, stood up and when passing Gilbert in the doorway their eyes met a sweet "I love you Anne-Girl" was enough of a balm to heal her wounded spirit and the kiss on the forehead was equally as sweet, Anne made her way into the kitchen.

Gilbert gathered his books he felt his great Aunts glare on him he looked back his hazel eyes turned a slight ice green looking at her.

"What?" she asked him.

He sighed then said to her "say what you want about me, don't talk to Anne again the way you just did."

"She can't love yo..." she started.

He dry chuckled then said quietly "You still don't get it do you? You can't see what's right in front of you?" Gilbert questioned. "You were wrong about Marilla, but you scared her off, glad of it too which is the shameful thing about it. Then you pick on my mother and then my girlfriend? Time after time, let me tell you a little something about Blythe men, being one I understand it a hell of a lot better then you. Blythe men, love strong women, women who could be independent who don't need us, but who want us, because that is what makes us feel loved." He said to her "to feel wanted." He said. "And you know something strange?" he questioned. "I think its what you want too." He told her trying to leave.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"My bedroom with Anne, where we can study without interruption."

"Or fornicate." She huffed.

Gilbert couldn't resist "we might just do that too."


"I'm so glad that at least you're Christmas wasn't affected by her Gilbert." His mother told him as soon as Aunt Mary Maria left the house. Anne was working that day and Gilbert wasn't at the hospital working, Doctor Dixon had given him a five day reprieve telling him to 'enjoy Christmas', with Anne not around during the day and up until that point an Aunt sneering at his every move he had quickly gathered his medical books set himself up in a corner of the front room his head down he spent the time studying until Anne would either come in and helped him study (his aunt sniffing at the action) or they would head back to Green Gables. Even Mrs Blythe took up the offer of when Aunt Mary Maria had taken a nap one day, John was out in the field, she had gone with Gilbert to Green Gables to 'restore her spirits'.

Gilbert smiled and took a deep sigh "well she's gone now, and only found it necessary to insult my hair, my upbringing, my education, my mother, my girlfriend..." he trialed with a smile.

"Gilbert everything she said about you being selfish and sinning..." she said sitting behind him and playing with his curls "You know none of it is true." She told him.

Gilbert sighed his pen falling into his book as his hand went across his face wiping along the jawline. "I wonder if..." he started.

"No." His mother said assertively.

"But it is selfish to..."

"No." His mother said again.

"...its expensive and..."

"You've worked hard for this chance Gilbert." His mother told him. "You've had scholarship after scholarship, you're fraternity knows this they gave you a chance at medical school you never would have had otherwise, if it weren't for your scholastic record." She said firmly.

"And what happens to this farm?" Gilbert said to her. "Hm? Mom?" he asked her.

"I think your father despite his past medical conditions still has a few years in him yet." She told her son "maybe one of your sons would like the farm?" she told him "did you ever think of that possibility?" she questioned.

"One of my sons?" Gilbert said with a grin.

"Oh yes, you'll have at least three and you'll have daughters..." she said with a grin he knew all too well.

"Oh, have you let Anne in on the secret?" he chuckled.

"You'll both be fantastic parents." Mrs Blythe continued "I've seen Anne with Diana's girl." She said "Did you know Diana was pregnant again?"

Gilbert nodded and said "Diana told her as soon as she found out, well after she told Fred presumably..." he said with a thought "I don't actually know that..."

Which made Mrs Blythe laugh. "Do-do you not think about children?" she asked his son.

Gilbert looked up at his mother with raised eyebrows "We want them." Gilbert told his mother "its still too soon." Gilbert told her.

"Oh but its not!" His mother teased him her head going on his shoulder "You and Anne were made for each other..." she told him again "and I can tell, I always can, the couples who will make it and the couples who won't." Which made her son chuckle.

"Mom, I need to be further through medical school, Anne is planning on a masters degree." He told her "Its not exactly productive to a child rearing environment."

"Well, you are moving in together." His mother said with a smile to him "it does give a mother a reason to hope."


"Happy Christmas Gil!" Anne said with a smile on her face, handing him a rather large box

It was early morning on Christmas morning and away from the eye of Great Aunt Mary Maria, Mrs Blythe was only too pleased to have Anne sleep over the night, they were to spend the morning there at Blythe farm have lunch there then head over to Green Gables for the rest of the day.

"I love presents!" he exclaimed a smile on his face "have I mentioned that before?" he asked her.

"Once or twice." Anne said with a smile in return.

"If you wanted to know what he was like as a child, this is it." His mother smiled.

"Can I open it?" Gilbert said bouncing again on his legs again.

Mrs Blythe chuckled as Anne said "Sure."

He whispered a "Yes!" under his breath opening the present quickly, it revealed a big white box, he opened the box revealing a ice hockey jersery for the Charlottetown Islanders "Cool!" he exclaimed.

"That's not all, look in the envelope." Anne smiled.

He looked confused for a moment and found the envelope in the box and opened it. "Tickets?!" He asked surprised. "Tour of the stadium?" he asked. "Oh my God! Anne this must have cost a fortune!"

"It honestly wasn't that much." Anne said with a smile to him which seemed to be ignored when he exclaimed

"I get to go on the ice!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"I think you should get to try out. Like you wanted to twenty years ago." Anne said with a smile to him. "Now the tickets are open to a date so you can go pretty much whenever you like." She told him to which he looked up "Couldn't have it interfering with school now could I?" Anne asked him.

"Wow!" he exclaimed happily, one hand going round Anne hugging her for a moment. "Anne this is so sweet!"

"Well you deserve it sweet man of mine." She said looking at him with admiration.

Mrs Blythe smiled at the pair who had seemed to have forgotten her or John's presence in the room, not that there was any inappropriate happening rather an intimate silence, one which was reflection of when they were alone, she supposed. She watched as their eye contact didn't break for a few seconds and when it did she knelt in beside him his arm hugging her into his chest, his lips planting a kiss into her hair then he whispered something to her which made her smile. Mrs Blythe smiled and blushed away. She always thought when it came to letting go of Gilbert to another women it would be a difficult thing to do.

Trusting someone else with the her son's heart was inconceivable and to be honest the day they had talked those many years ago about love and intimacy she had sighed in relief when he said he didn't feel that way about anyone in Avonlea, then one day he had come home. She had looked in his hair to the foreign object in there as he sat on the floor working on his homework. She was behind him then John was sitting across from her directly in front of them.

"Gilbert?" She questioned pulling the unknown piece from his hair. "What's this?" she asked him.

"Oh nothing." Gilbert muttered and blushed slightly trying to retrieve the object from his mother.

"It looks like...slate?" she questioned.

Gilbert grabbed at it, turned and put it on the table beside him silently hoping the conversation would just disappear. "How did slate get in your hair?" she asked him.

"I, um, I don't know." He said quietly.

John peered over his newspaper and looked at his wife with a raised brow.

"You don't know?" she questioned.

"I guess..." he shrugged as if trying to think of something "I guess a roof tile, or something?" he asked.

"A roof tile?" Mrs Blythe questioned sensing he was lying for some reason "from school? We should let Miss Stacy know then Gilbert, if they school is missing a tile there might be a leak."

"You don't need to let Miss Stacy know." Gilbert said to his mother.

"I should go in tomorrow." She said with a knowing glint to John.

"No Ma, please!" he almost begged turning to look at her "just leave it."

"You're begging over a roof tile?" she questioned.

He blushed more turning and trying to focus again on his work. "I was teasing someone, she didn't deserve it but she got mad with me and broke her Bunsen slate over my head."

"She?" his mother emphasised. "A girl did this to you?" she looked to John "and who are these girls parents that they let her loose her temper quite so easily?" she asked.

"I'd be impressed if you did know them, they died about fourteen years ago, she's been adopted by the Cuthbert's up at Green Gables." Gilbert remarked.

"Green Gables you say?" Mrs Blythe said with a look to John who disappeared again back behind his newspaper.

"And it wasn't her fault it was mine, I was teasing her relentlessly, she'd ignored me all period." Gilbert said (he couldn't see his father chuckling behind his newspaper).

Mrs Blythe tutted "You shouldn't have been teasing her."

"I just wanted to say hello!" he exclaimed.

"Then maybe that would have gone down better." His mother told him.

"Look, I get it okay?" he told his mother "I deserved what I got okay? She hit me across the head with her slate, she now won't talk to me, and I have to go to detention with her until she decides to talk to me so you know that could be forever, and now the most interesting person who has ever appeared in Avonlea hates me, she thinks I'm some dumb jock and I have to prove myself to her, that I'm worthy of her alright?" he slammed his books shut gathered them together standing up he headed for the door "I think that's punishment enough don't you?" and with it he opened and shut the door behind him the sound of his feet stamping up the stairs was the only sound for a few seconds.

"Worthy of her?" Mrs Blythe observed. "Prove himself? You don't think Gilbert could..."

With that John looked over his paper his brown eyes laughing merrily.

"You Blythe boys don't make it easy on yourself do you?" Mrs Blythe smiled.

"Might do his some good." John observed "girls have made it far too easy for him for far too long."

"He's never..." Mrs Blythe started.

"I know." John stated calmly. "but if he's fallen..." John shrugged. "You better cut that umbilical cord." John smiled.

Mrs Blythe had looked to John shocked that day but gradually she had come to realise Gilbert had fallen in love, and when she met Anne! Oh How grateful she had been it was Anne!

Now as she watched them, she found it hard to believe they had ever been apart, her son was happy his heart had been trusted to her, she knew, she had known they would be together one day. She smiled thinking of their future, of all the things they had to look forward to, and she sighed contently.


She was given an invitation to a rooftop. Initial she thought it was strange but relaxed a little when she found both Anne and Gilbert were attending also, although they were being a bit mysterious as to who the host was or how many people were attending Anne had convinced her to come along and as requested in formal wear. She chose to wear a red pencil dress which was covered in red lace with a ruffled sleeve on only one shoulder (the other being off shoulder in a flamenco style) and the knee length skirt had a slit upto her mid thigh the dress was both modest enough to be more grown up compared to what she used to wear but still edgy to be young and fun.

The apartments were brand new in Avonlea, only just finished being built in October she couldn't imagine who she knew who could live there already. The building wasn't a skyscraper but still from the roof would give a beautiful view of Avonlea. She climbed the stairs on the inside of the building to the top apartment in the building. She knocked on the door to be surprised by who opened the door.

"Charlie?" she questioned.

The boy was temporarily silenced by the girl although her presence was the exact thing he desired he looked at her for a moment and swallowed before he said "Hello Josie."

She looked at him confused and said "I'm sorry, I couldn't find a way up to the rooftop." She told him.

"No, you won't find a way outside my apartment." He told her.

"Oh your apart-?" she paused confused. "You live here?"

"When I got home, I was very quick to figure out that home was a very small place for me to live in now, I had been accustom to my own space and my own room, but with three younger brother..." he trailed.

"Yes, I imagine it would be quite chaotic." She said with a smile.

"I have a good wage coming in so, I suggested moving here, my parents helped of course but I'm paying them back too and its not too far from home." He said. "Plus I'd have a penthouse of my own."

Josie's eyes rolled. She had known the moment Gilbert had moved into the Lambs Penthouse Charlie had been green with envy. The envy only ran deeper after Charlie had imposed on Gilbert, his soul aimed seemed to be outdoing everything Gilbert had achieved and Josie had been concerned about just how self destructive Charlie's aims had been. Josie would happily have lived the life she had rather then endure what must have been a horrendous five years which Gilbert did, she knew her blessings, Charlie didn't seem to. He brought out his hand and offered her to come in, which she did.

Josie looked around the apartment. "I know its not as big as Gilbert's but I think the roof terrace makes it really special." He told her. "its a one bedroom and I have to do the washing downstairs with the rest of the building..." he trailed.

Josie left the small corridor and entered the room looking around. He was right that it wasn't as big as Gilbert's. The room had in a sofa and a chair along with a coffee table which was directly in front of the TV which was on the wall, there was a window opposite them and on the same wall was the stairs she assumed went upstairs to the roof terrace, There was a computer desk in front of them and a small table against the wall with the window on it. The small corridor she had just came up had three doors off the other side, one of which she could see was the kitchen as the door was open, the other two a bedroom and bathroom presumably.

"Its cozy." Josie remarked.

"You hate it?" he questioned.

"No, I didn't say that." She told him. "Don't put words in my mouth."

She looked at him expecting a fight when he thought for a moment and nodded his head "my apologises Josie, you're right."

Josie was surprised by this and she asked him "What am I doing here Charlie?" she asked him.

"I... I want us to try again." He told her something which made her shake her head for a moment "no please, hear me out." He asked of her, something which with a pause and a look at him she did. "I don't mean like the other times." He admitted. "Anne and I, actually talked, that night you were out on your girls night out and we've talked again since, she broke no confidence Josie, but she gave me the idea, to woo you again, to start over, not to act like I know you and you don't deserve the whole new romance stuff because we need to get to know each other again, we need to become acquainted properly and not just think we can jump in and out of this relationship when things get tough but to get acquainted enough that when they do get tough, we run to each other for help, we stick together, because that's what I want."

Josie looked at him silently for a moment. She had hoped for a day like this, the truth was she knew Charlie very well which was what concerned her to begin with. Charlie had boasted about girls he kissed, made out with got to various bases with, even notches. When they had got together Josie had made very clear she was not a 'notch' to be counted. She had rules, she had high standards, she had been two boys' notches and she didn't like it, she was there for a relationship, but there was a sincerity in his eyes now, a hope a wish she hadn't seen in a long time. "You want to get to know me?" she asked.

"Yes please?" he asked her.

She nodded before he took her by the hand and led her up the stairs to the roof terrace.

She gasped as she saw what was out in front of her.

Despite the cold winter air there was a blast heater under a table which had been covered with a white tablecloth and a glass covering twinkle lights and twinkle lights lighting the wall beside the table and the pathway to the table. Josie smiled as she walked to the table, he pulled out her chair and offered it to her, she sat and was surprised by just how much heat was coming from the heater, then made himself comfortable opposite her.

"Anne, helped." He told her. "With the decorations, she has these kind of things, well so says Gilbert."

"I thought they were coming tonight?" Josie questioned.

"We are here." Anne said, it seemed they had come out of no where but it was still quite dark on the roof top they had been waiting in their tuxes each with a tea towel.

"We shall be your waiters tonight." Gilbert said with a smile.

"You... You..." Josie said confused.

"House wine." Charlie said with a grin to them "and can you please bring out the starters?" he asked them.

"Happily." Anne said with a grin as they both turned and headed to the door opening it to go inside.

"You have Gilbert and Anne as waiters?" Josie questioned.

"They volunteered." Charlie said with a grin appearing at his lips. "They are quite romantic you know."

"Yes but Charlie, its new year eve, don't you think they might want to see in the new year a little differently?" Josie questioned.

"They want to help rekindle a romance." Charlie said to her again. "I don't know, in their own way... and anyway I was planning on asking them to join us for the cheese and wine afterwards and I thought it might be fun to go in and watch something together to see the new year in."

Josie was surprised by that. Charlie often didn't think of others before himself, maybe things really had changed "that would be fun." Josie admitted.

"I know." Charlie said. "So would you like that?" he asked her.

"I would." She agreed.

"Good, I'll ask them when they come back up." He said. "So Josie." He started as if they were just getting to know each other again. "How is your course going?" he asked her.

"Good." She told him. "I um, I got my first 'A' grade this semester." She told him.

Charlie looked up at her a smile came across his face "Congratuations!" he said to her clearly delighted "I always told you, that you were smart enough to get an 'A'." He reminded her.

"I know." She said quietly.

"Josie I'm so proud of you!" He exclaimed.

"Thanks." She said with a slight blush.

"So um, have you been seeing anyone?" he asked her.

She looked to him and said defensively "I don't think you have any right to ask that." She told him "considering what happened when I was out with the girls over the summer."

"There's been no one since." He told Josie "and Anne made sure she was scared off." Charlie told her which made Josie smile smugly. "The off bits, The off bits there was another four girls I slept with." He told her.

Josie looked at him her face a storm "why are you telling me that now?!"

"Because I wasn't being honest before, I wasn't treating you with any love, any respect... no wonder you had one foot out the door, I'm not surprised you thought I was cheating."

She swallowed then looked out over the town for a moment "Not while we were together?" she asked him.

"No, never." Charlie told her. "Never ever, Josie I swear." He said taking her hands. "I um, with our relationship being the way it was and the way my course went at university, I know I didn't want to be there, but I've been on depression tablets." He told her.

"I know you were, depressed that is." Josie said to him. "I didn't know you were getting help for it, I thought you'd be too proud."

"Since the summer, I've been spending some time with Anne, the girl should have been a psychologist, it was at her suggestion I get the help, I know she doesn't tell Gilbert everything I tell her..."

"She wouldn't." Josie said "Anne was always good at keeping confidences, she wouldn't tell Gil unless you told her it was okay to do so, I don't even think then she would, only if it was to concern him."

"Anne said there was no shame in getting help, that it showed great strength to get the help I needed." Charlie told her. "She said, she said, it wasn't too late for us, she seemed to think..."

"She's right." Josie told him to which Charlie looked up surprised.

"I'm of course not blaming you for it, because I don't think there is blame, its just everything was on top of me for a while and I was taking it out on you, on the very creature I loved most in this world." He told her. She looked up wide eyed at him.


Anne started to arrange the sourbread which had been toasted with tomato, basil and Mozzarella onto the plate and she felt a pair of arms go around her and squeeze her from behind.

"You, my love..." he whispered "are such the romantic."

Anne smiled and whispered to him "Well...," she smiled softly "Charlie is in love, he just needed the help to express it." She spoke carefully, "and I maintain when Charlie isn't trying to be a Sloane, he's possibly a very genuine person."

"Well, trust you to see past the Sloane in him." Gilbert said kissing into her neck.

She sighed at the gesture enjoying their own romance. "And you Mr Blythe," she smiled "You find romance in other people's?" she questioned him.

"Its sweet, its kind, its incredible you have part in this." He smiled turning her in his arms "Its so typically you."

"Well," she grinned looking up into his eyes "I learned from the best." She said her eyelids battering at him.

He grinned by way of return to the compliment. Kissing her lightly on her lips. "Come on." She smiled. "They'll be wanting his starters."

Gilbert looked at the plate and picked up the wine close by "I didn't know Charlie can cook?" he questioned.

"Oh," Anne said a smirk coming across her face "he can't."

Gilbert looked to her and exclaimed "You taught him to cook!?"

"Well, I had to!" Anne retaliated.

He smiled as they walked through the living room "God, I love you Anne Shirley."


Gilbert was sat back on the sofa his arm around Anne, they were comfortably hugging in close side by side their hands interwoven. It had actually been a fun night, Gilbert's bow tie was now disregarded his top button undone, his shirt untucked, there was a couple of times he wondered why Anne's hand wasn't under his shirt stroking at his stomach, then he realised they weren't at home, she couldn't just slip her hand under his shirt in front of other people! Instead her hand was in his he looked at her in his tired state, tired but content. He looked over at Charlie and Josie, a stunned under breath chuckle escapsed his mouth which made Anne look up to him confused his eyes widened his head nodded towards they pair who were basically making out on the sofa next to them. Anne looked at Gilbert and nodded her own head towards the door, they quietly left the room, put their coats on and headed out into the cold winter night.

Gilbert's hand slipped into Anne's as they walked down the street "I think you fixed it." He smiled.

"I didn't love." Anne said softly "It's not fixed fully, they need to work on it." She admitted as they turned onto Main Street, their shortcut into the woods at the end of the street they walked quietly down the town "its so quiet." Anne observed with a smile.

"it often is." Gilbert said with a smile then with a shrug "at least when you're driving out of here 5am in the morning, I think the only thing open then is the bakery, for deliveries."

Anne nodded and said "Yes, it is that quiet that time of day." Anne acknowledged, "there's something about Avonlea." Anne said softly "it has such a history..."

"Been here since the early 1800s." Gilbert nodded "It has such history." He confirmed.

"I wonder what they used to do to sweetheart." Anne smiled as they reached the cut which took the down to the lake.

Gilbert grinned as it came into view, the moonshine reflecting in seemly still the water. His arm wrapped around Anne's back and he whispered "I think this might have had something to do with it." He grinned.

Anne took a deep sigh and smiled "Oh Gil, this place, its part of us isn't it?" she asked him which made him smile. "I don't want to think I could love Kingsport." She told him, "not because I didn't enjoy the time I had there, because it was a kind of home, but I don't think I could love it like I love Avonlea."

"You said something very similar the day we left for Kingsport, do you remember? That first time we left Avonlea together?" he asked her.

"You came and sat next to me and put your arm around me." She whispered.

He grinned and confirmed "I did!" he turned into her slightly "and you know what I wanted to say?" he asked her.

"No, what?" she asked in return.

"That home, to me, was wherever you were, that you weren't going through it all alone, that you had me, that you would always have me and that, Kingsport will never be Avonlea, and its okay to like both, its okay to love both and that whatever life threw at us, we'd have each other for our home." He said with a grin as she turned toward him her arms going around his middle "I can say it now."

"That's beautiful." She smiled looking up at him through her eyelashes. "You're so much more poetic then you first appear Gilbert."

He chuckled at this "Well I've had six years to think about it." He confirmed which made her laugh her head digging into his chest for a moment.

"Oh if only..." she started before he kissed her firmly on the lips.

He pulled back and made sure his hands landed on her hips "Please Anne, remember no 'if only's...'" he asked of her.

She sighed contently her arms going around his neck "Okay." She whispered closing her eyes enjoying his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her his hands landing round the bottom of her back. "It must be nearly midnight." Anne said quietly, which made Gilbert look at his watch.

"Five to." He acknowledged.

"Lets see in the new year at the miller's bench." She smiled taking him by the hand and taking him the short walk down the lakeside to a bench which overlooked the lake, from where they were sitting they could see their bridge, the quiet sound of frogs in the distance and the late night hoot of the owl. "Now, this, this is how they would have wooed their ladies." Anne smiled as Gilbert's arm went around her.

"Ah see now, I must try and woo you!" he exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Yes please." Anne said her nose going in the air a little "I'd like to be wooed."

"Okay, alright, how about..." he grinned then looked her directly in the eyes "Do you have a map? Because I'm lost in your eyes!" he said smoothly.

"Shut up!" Anne laughed play slapping his knee "You know that can't work!" she said.

"No?" he questioned.

"No!" Anne replied. "Too Cheesy!"

"Cheesy?!" he questioned with a chuckle "Alright okay..." he said his eyebrows knitting together for a moment in thought "If I said you had a nice body would you hold it against me?" he tried.

Anne's brows creased downwards in thought before her eyes rolled "No!" she objected again her head shaking "Come on real, romance Gil..." she trailed.

He thought for a moment before he nodded and he looked into her eyes deeply "I could tell you how beautiful you are, how wonderful and sweet, kind and loving you are, and they would all be true, I won't ever deny it." He said with a smile "I can't tell you what made me fall in love you with, I just know I am." He told her softly, "and that I love you more and more each day." He grinned as she smiled just the way he wanted her to. "And I can not believe just how lucky I am to be moving in with you."

"Only if I get on the Masters programme." She told him seriously.

"You'll get on." He said with a rye smile.

"He looked at his watch again and saw it ticking 30 seconds till midnight "30 seconds." He said with a grin. "well you know what they say, to start the year as you mean to go on." he leaned in their lips touched gently before he moved closer in. "I love you." He told her.

She pulled back a little and whispered to him "I love you too Gilbert."

"Happy New Year." He told her.

"Happy new year." Before they kissed solidly again. This time when they moved way they stood silently and walked up to Blythe Farm, they quietly went up the stairs and into bed where his arms slipped around her again, when she felt him close behind her she closed her eyes contently and whispered to him, "Gil?" She whispered.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"When you come back in the summer, when you come back, can that night, the night before you come back, can that be the last night we're apart for?" she asked him. "I don't mean on call I know you will be, but what I mean is from that point onwards we're..."

"together? We're living together?" he asked her.

"Yeah." She confirmed.

"Yeah." He confirmed back.

"Gil?" she repeated.

"Yeah?" he questioned.

"I'm in love with you too." Gilbert squeezed her a little in his arms and the corners of his mouth played a smile passed the point of consciousness.