Finally! This is another chapter I had mostly written up for a long time! went back in and amended it a few times to match who they had become but the skeleton has been written for so long!

She felt the heavy burden of her heart as she walked through Kingsport she felt like she had walked miles and miles and somehow she had ended up here. At his door. She stood for a solid five minutes just looking at the door when she finally found the courage to knock.

He answered the door. She had seen him earlier, she had seen him all year, but she hadn't looked at him, he looked palier then he should and thinner. When did he get so thin? She thought again.

"I know I have no right to be here, Gil." she started. "But I'm so confused, I need my best friend. You said, so long ago but you said if I needed you, you would always be there for me... and I know I have no right turning up like this Gil, I know I don't but please, is that promise still in place?"

He looked to her. He felt ill himself, tired, wore out, but that promise. Was it? He thought many times he had broken his word, maybe she hadn't needed him as he did her, but now she was here asking for his friendship again. "Of course it is Anne, I am always here for you. Do you want to come in? The only privacy is my room."

"Please Gil." he stepped aside and let her in. They went to his room and he shut the door. As she turned around he saw that girl in tears which he saw the first afternoon he went over to green gables when she had set Diana drunk. His heart melted as she threw herself into his arms. "Oh Gil, I have messed up everything, Everything!" she told him.

"What happened Anne?" he asked her gently.

"Roy proposed." she whispered.

Then what is she doing here he thought moving his arms away from her.

"No Gil," She started struggling for his arms again "please don't…" she said starting to weep again "you don't understand I refused him."

"What?!" he gasped in unbelief his arms returned to her to steady not only her but himself. "Why?"

"I don't know Gil, I don't know, I feel as though I never felt anything, although I had convinced myself that I did. I never meant to lead him on but when he asked, I ought to have felt something, but I didn't."

"Well if you felt nothing you most definitely should have refused." he said to her pulling her back to look in her eyes.

"But..." she started blushing their eye contact interrupted.

"But?" he asked looking to establish it again.

"I refused... someone else I felt everything for." She told him quietly not looking.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused by the statement.

"I was afraid Gil, I was so scared of losing him I cut off my emotions for him. I stopped myself from loving him and forced myself, convinced myself that whatever we had wasn't love." She said her eyes flicking from looking at him to not, intermittently in her explanation.

"What would make you do that?" He asked her.

Roy's true words still rang in her head. For all he was heartbroken he had given her sound advice. This was the moment of truth. She pulled away and refused to give him eye contact but stayed close by him "I had a dream where I saw all the people I loved dead, including him. The first time I had it I woke in his arms...after..."

"After?" he asked. She woke in someone's arms before? How had he not heard of this stranger?

"Matthew died." she said quietly with tears rolling down her face daring not to look at him.

His face came to recognition. She had slept in his arms that morning after Matthew had passed away, in the parlour. She had woken from a nightmare, she never told him about it, they were still together then, she dreamed everyone she loved was dead including...him. This whole thing wasn't about her not loving him, this was about the feeling overwhelming her and the thought of losing him hurt her so much!

"Anne!" He exclaimed quietly his emotions building in him. "Me? You dreamed of losing me?"

She nodded slightly still not giving him eye contact "The nightmares became reoccurring every time we got close I would dream it and it terrified me, I had to let you go, we had to be apart… because in every dream if I loved you, you... you..." she burst into tears again her words would be barely recognisable to anyone but Gilbert they were so disjointed and slurred "Oh Gil! I'm so sorry, I've messed everything everything up! And now you are going to marry Christine..." she trailed sitting on the end of the bed she buried her face in her hands and her crying intensified. He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her stroking up and down her back.

"Christine? I'm not marrying Christine." he told her quietly.

"No?" She asked her head came out of her hands and looked next to her at him.

"I thought you knew me better than that Anne. There's only ever been... There only ever will be... you." He said looking in her eyes, they paused for a moment. A grin came on his face, "You loved me so much you let me go." He said gently. "Anne that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." He took her in his arms just as he used to and held her to him. Her body melted against him, "the question is, after all these years Anne, do you still love me the same way? Can you still love me the same?"

He waited for a reply but it seemed Anne was mute. He pulled her in closer so their bodies met. Whispers of pleasure escaped them both in those moments, for just there, right then, they were Gilbert and Anne again. First their foreheads met, then their noses rubbed together.

He wiped the tears from Anne's face with his thumbs gently placing his hands over her cheek as he went the other hand remained round her waist. He gently so gently rubbed his mouth against hers, when no objection was made he gently pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back and looked into her eyes and something inside of him freed. He saw it! There was no faint look of love in her eyes she was emerged in it! He could barely believe it when he went to kiss her again, this time more firmly and confidently knowing it could last longer, when her fingers came up into his hair and started to play through the curls. He felt his eyes roll in their sockets as he relaxed into her responding mouth! For the first time in years he felt his soulmate reach out for him he was finally free!

The kiss pulled away for a second before Anne's lips came down on his! She was now kissing him. She did what she had longed to do and slid her tongue out for permission to enter his mouth which was immediately granted. He'd forgotten just how bold Anne Shirley could be when she wanted to be! That boldness felt like heaven as her hand stroked up his back and curled round his shoulder bringing him closer.

When Gilbert move away Anne assumed for air he took her face with both hands. "Marry me?" he asked her breathlessly.

"What?" she asked him shocked.

"Marry me Anne Shirley, I love you, my sweetheart, my sweet sweet Anne! Please say yes please?" was his plea.

Just then his door opened to Jonathan bringing a girl up the stairs from the party below. "no not that room!" They heard him say before he spotted them. "Sorry Gil." He said before looking to Anne then back at Gilbert and winked.

Anne's breath caught, what was she doing!? In Gilbert's bedroom! What was she thinking! She was practically on top of him! She swiftly ran out the door hearing only "Anne Wait!" from behind her, but she didn't stop.

She ran all the way back to Patty's Place. Didn't even see Phil on the window seat in her room as she landed on the bed and cried into her pillow.

"Anne?" She asked aghast. "Are you okay sweetie?" She asked her. She saw Anne's head shake in the pillow she sat beside her on the bed. "Anne?"

"Gil proposed." Anne said looking to Phil.

"Gil? Gilbert Blythe? Your childhood sweetheart who you refused two years ago, THAT Gilbert?"

"Yes." she confirmed quietly.

"But you left this afternoon with Roy?"

"Oh he proposed too, and I said no, and I needed someone to talk to so I went to Gil and he proposed."

"Two separate men proposed to you on the same day?" Phil asked. "gee Anne, you don't do things by half do you? Well what did say to Gil?"

"I didn't reply."

"You what now?" Phil said. "you can't leave a man hanging like that Anne, you'll kill him."

Inside Anne's heart shattered again at the thought of losing him, her temper snapped at her friend "Go away Phil just leave!"