A little appology goes a long way
Anne with an E
Anne/ Gilbert
Season 3, Anne apologises at just the right moment during the train ride (after the Take notice board, when she goes to the Orphanage), and it changes everything.
"Yes, I have taken notice of that." Gilbert replied and the tone of his voice force Anne to look at him, truly.
He looked hurt after her little outburst that ended with a 'I certainly don't need you', which was a bit of a lie anyway, and it forced her mind to go back to their discussion about the Take Notice Board, which he seems to be mentioning with this remark. He had looked and sounded a bit hurt then too, after she spoke of Ruby. She didn't like that he felt this way, and she knew it was her fault. She snapped at him about being escorted when he just wanted to do something nice for her.
It wasn't his fault a girl her age had to be escorted on the train after all. She decided that she needed to apologise, let him know that she wasn't mad at him. Anne, suddenly, realized with horror that she often took her anger or frustration out on poor Gilbert, who was only trying to be a friend to her. He was always so kind and patient and she was... He never seemed to blame her for it, always remaining her friend, being there for her but today, it seemed to be the one time too many. She had to apologize.
"No, I... I'm sorry Gilbert." Gilbert looked up at Anne, surprised and half unbelieving that she had just apologized for her outburst.
He had been hurt, and obviously she had noticed. She was apologizing to him. He couldn't believe it and he was curious to know the rest. Would she break his heart a bit more or was he right to be hopeful? He often thought he had seen something between them, and he didn't want to be proven wrong.
"I... I'm glad you're here, and I appreciate it. As long as I have to be escorted, I'm glad it's by you. I didn't mean to take it out on you, I'm not being fair at all, it's just... You know me, I often let my feeling and opinions get the better of me and I just now realize that you often end up being unfairly the one who receives the expression of my frustration... It's not fair to you, I'm sorry. It just... it infuriates me that it's proper for a boy to take the train on his own but not a girl the same age, that's all. It's not fair. I'm just as capable as any boy." She declared, trying her best to be sincere and to show it to him.
He lifted his head to look at her and she could see that her appology had touched him.
"It might change, some day." He tried to smile.
"I really am sorry for my outburst, you know? I didn't mean to snap at you like that, you didn't deserve it. I mean, you're always so nice... I'm sorry." she told him with a small smile.
"It's alright, I can understand. Whatever reason for your trip seems to be troubling you a bit." He said, trying to start a deeper conversation.
He was looking at her invitingly and at the moment, Anne wanted nothing more than to be open and honest with him.
"It does. I... I'm going to go to the orphanage with Cole, to try and see if they have any information about me, my parents. Where I come from, if they're really dead or if they left me there... If they loved me or..." Anne explained, looking and sounding nervous.
"Are you sure it's a good idea? What if what you find... I mean..." He didn't know how to continue without hurting her.
"What if I find bad news? I think I'm ready for it, if not, that's why Cole is coming with me. Well, that and the fact that he's a boy and his presence means that I'm allowed to go wherever I want. Whatever happens, I won't have any less than I have today." She smiled.
"Do you want me to come along?" He asked.
She looked confident, but he wanted to be there for her, he was ready to slay more dragons for her. He wanted her to know it and to be ready to call on him if she ever found herself with a dragon to slay.
"What about your work with Doctor Ward? It's important too for your future." She asked back.
"I can miss a day, it's alright." He smiled.
"I... I actually wouldn't mind, but if you came along, Cole might think that I don't feel like he's up for the job on his own, he might be hurt, don't you think?" She asked back and Gilbert nodded with a smile.
"Well, I'll stay at Doctor Ward's all day so if you need me, you'll know how to find me." He assured her and she smiled.
"About the Take Notice Board..." Anne started, wanting to know something without asking him straight ahead.
"Yes?" He asked her, trying to hide his hopeful smile.
"Can we be honest here?" She asked before she continued.
"I'm always honest with you, Anne. I hope you are too." He promised.
"Of course I am. When I told you about the board, you seemed... I don't know, open to it I guess, but as soon as I mentioned Ruby, you closed off... Was I imagining things?" She asked him, blushing a little.
"I didn't expect you to speak about Ruby when you did. You mentioning her took me by surprise, especially in this context. I thought the conversation was about you and me." He admitted.
"Really? Everyone knows that she's had a crush on you forever. They made sure I knew it the moment I arrived at school, that's why I tried to stay away from you and refused your friendship, because Ruby liked you and the other girls wouldn't be my friend if I was your friend too." Anne confessed, thinking only at the last minute that maybe she had said too much.
Gilbert, ever the gentleman, didn't react or mention that part, and she was grateful.
"I've heard about that crush of hers, yes... I thought that ignoring it would make it go away. I thought it had gone away by now." He admitted.
"Obviously not. But then, when I spoke of the board at first... I mean... You seemed interested, almost enthusiastic about it..." Anne declared, trying not to say too much.
"Anne... Do you really want me to be honest here?" He asked her.
He was giving her a chance to back off. Anne could feel that things were about to change. If she said no, then things would remain as they were now but if she said yes, things would change, she could feel it. She didn't really want things to change, she was afraid of change, but she couldn't help the answer that she gave him. She felt like she was on an adventure, she wanted to know what came next.
"Of course." She nodded nervously et she knew that he could tell how nervous she was about what was coming.
"I thought you were speaking about yourself, that you were asking me to put a notice on the board, about you." He admitted.
"Me? I... Well, I would never ask that... It's not right to ask such a thing... Sounds like forcing when you directly ask someone to do something like this, it should be done voluntarily, spontaneously... And to even suggest that anyone would feel this way about me, would want to put up a notice on the board about me for everyone to see is just unbelievable... But... Wait... You seemed happy. Ruby even said your eyes looked romant..." Anne stopped talking, blushing.
Gilbert was smiling kindly at her, and there was that look in his eyes again. The romantic one Ruby spoke about so often. And it was directed at her, red headed Anne Shirley Cuthbert. Could it be? Really? Had it been her all along?
Before he spoke, Gilbert leaned forward and took both of her hands into his, making her look first at their joined hands with a blush, then at his eyes.
"I have to admit that I was happy at the idea of you asking me to put a notice about you on this board. I thought that how I felt about you was obvious, Bash and Mary sure didn't need me to say it to know. Listen Anne, I can see now that you weren't expecting this answer and we're almost arrived. How about we put this aside for the moment. For now you concentrate on what you have to do at the Orphanage, that's the most important. Then you take the time to think about this. A possibility for an eventual us. I do... I... I do have strong feelings for you, probably had ever since I first saw you and I offered to slay more dragons for you after I defended you against Billy. I want us to explore this, but I'll understand if you don't. I don't mind being just your friend, as long as I get to be in your life in some way. When you're ready, you'll find a way to let me know. Just know that you're the only one I can see my future with." Gilbert smiled at her and Anne smiled back at him with a nod.
He knew her, he cared about her, had just proven it. He knew that she wasn't ready and that she wanted to concentrate on her quest at the Orphanage.
Could he really love her, then? This idea made her happier than ever and just now she started to realize that she, maybe, loved him as well.
She had always denied herself such feelings, afraid of them not being returned and of ending up heartbroken, but now, today, there was hope. Someone good loved her. Someone willing to go along with her way of seeing things and life, a boy who had already slayed dragons for her and seemed willing to do it again.
"Cole will be insufferable after this." Anne chuckled, rolling her eyes, hesitant about letting go of his hands, still holding hers.
"Cole? Why?" Gilbert asked her curiously, not expecting this response.
Did he mistake her relationship with Cole? Was it more than friendship?
"Remember the last time we took the train?" She asked, making him smile.
"Of course." he nodded, smiling fondly at the memory of the amazing girl that Anne Shirley was.
He had been both amused and amazed when he saw her going on the train with the others, and when he found out the reason for it he had loved her even more. It was another way she had showed him how great a heart she had. She was always willing to fight for those she cared about, and she cared about everyone.
"When we left the train station after you discovered us, Cole told me that you had a crush on me, and I told him that he was wrong. He was so sure of himself... but as you know I am a bit headstrong and I was sure that I was right so... I was certain that nobody would ever be able to feel this way towards me..." Anne shook her head, making Gilbert chuckle.
Gilbert wanted to comment that she wasn't just 'a bit' headstrong, but more than that, instead he smiled, unwilling to risk an argument when things were going so well. She might take it jokingly or she might take it badly. He didn't want to risk it.
"Cole can't be as bad as Sebastian. He knew how I felt about you before even I did, back when we were on the ship and I got your letter. He called it. I haven't told him yet but I can imagine some sort of victory dance and chant will be in order when he learns that he was right all along. I mean, maybe it has to do with the fact that you're the only one from Avolea I spoke to him about... you're also the only one I bought a present for now that I think of it. I guess I was being a bit obvious, even if I didn't know it yet." Gilbert replied, making Anne chuckle.
"Maybe we should introduce them to each other and force them to spend some time together before anything happens between us." Anne declared before she realized what she had admitted and blushed a deep red.
"They'd probably start organizing our wedding before we even did anything." Gilbert chuckled, making Anne chuckle back in her blush.
Gilbert smiled softly at her, understanding that even though she had said something, she wasn't ready to say it directly yet.
"We're almost there." He said, changing the subject as the train arrived at the station.
They finally let go of each other's hands and Anne realized that she missed it. She liked feeling his hands on hers.
"Do you know where to find Doctor Ward's office, just in case?" Gilbert asked Anne as he walked her to miss Barry's to meet with Cole.
"I do, thank you." She smiled.
"Good. Good Luck on your quest then. Don't forget that I'll be there if you ever need me." He told her with a bright smile.
With a friendly nod towards Cole, Gilbert was on his way, an hopeful smile on his face and a happy heart in his chest. He could feel that there was hope for the future he wanted. Anne could be his, they had a chance. She just needed a bit of time.
"Well, Gilbert sure looks happy today. What's going on with him?" Cole asked, making Anne blush.
"We spoke a lot on the train." She told her friend before she told her friend the entire conversation, and commented with her feelings on it.
.
When she learned that there was nothing for her to find at the orphanage but bad memories and people willing to taunt her with her past just for the pleasure of hurting her, Anne asked Cole to lead her to Doctor Ward's office so she could wait with Gilbert. She wanted to be near him, to forget about her past and to feel safe. Cole understood it. She had told her friend of their discussion on the train and he was happy for this turn of event. He was already planning on what he'd wear to their wedding, which made Anne roll her eyes.
When she entered the doctor's office, Anne immediately noticed the woman behind the desk. She was young, not much older than herself, and absolutely beautiful. Knowing that Gilbert spent time with her every time he came here made Anne a bit jealous.
She was right in the doorway and they couldn't see her yet. She noticed Gilbert, giving the woman, Winifred, a file, saying the doctor wanted it sent to someone, another doctor. The blond was smiling a bit flirtingly, invitingly, but Gilbert simply ignore her and walked back out of the room with another file. It made Anne happy to know that he ignored such a beauty. Maybe he truly did love her, maybe, no matter what the people of the orphanage said, she was worthy of love.
"Can I help you, Miss?" Winifred asked Anne as soon as she walked in, shortly after Gilbert had left the room again.
"Hi, I'm just waiting for Gilbert, he told me I could come here when I was done." Anne replied in a small voice, suddenly feeling even more insecure, trying to forget how the visit at the orphanage made her feel.
She realized that maybe she should have introduced herself but the young woman didn't seem to mind. Some recognition lit her eyes and Anne wondered what Gilbert had said about her. Well, the very fact that he had spoken about her made her happy.
"He's still working, but I think he should be done soon. He asked Doctor Ward if he could leave a bit early today. Now we know why." The blond replied and Anne was happy to notice that the tone of her voice didn't sound too jealous or mean.
"It's alright, I can wait." Anne smiled.
"I'll just go and warn him that you're here." Winifred replied with a smile after looking at Anne a few seconds.
Anne thought that maybe her distress was visible on her face after all. Winifred disappeared behind the same door Gilbert had taken earlier and came back a minute later.
"He'll be there in just a few minutes." Anne was informed with a smile.
"Thank you, but there was no need to tear him away from what he's doing, it's important. I can wait." Anne replied with a smile of her own.
It was obvious that the blond woman was kind as well as pretty. Anne felt lucky that Gilbert hadn't given her a second glance.
"He did ask that I warn him if you arrived. You are Anne, aren't you? Not many red headed girls come here so I assumed you were."
"I am, yes." Anne smiled.
"I'm Winifred. Gilbert speak highly of you, you're a lucky girl." Winifred declared with a smile and it shook Anne a bit.
She had never considered herself an especially Lucky girl, at least not until she got to Green Gables, but to be called that by another girl, pleased her. Yes, she was a lucky girl to have Gilbert in her life.
They shook hands and Winifred went back to her desk, doing her work.
Anne waited less than 5 minutes for Gilbert to arrive, a bright smile on his face and his coat on. He also had a new book in his hand.
"Anne, I'm ready. I figured we could go get something to drink before the train arrives. We have a bit of time. Winifred recommended a place for us to try." He suggested.
"You didn't have to shorten you time here for me, you know. I was fine waiting." She smiled.
"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to." he replied with a smile, opening the door for her.
Anne smiled and followed him outside.
"How did it go?" He asked once they were sitting in a small tea shop.
"Not well." She shook her head.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But if you want to talk about it, I'm listening." He told her.
"They didn't have anything, it was all destroyed by rats and humidity a while back and I was kind of prepared for it but going back there... It brought back a lot of unpleasant memories from that time." She told him and, seeing that he looked truly interested, she told him everything, even the bits about Princess Cordelia or the humiliations the other girls forced on her.
He didn't judge her, he didn't mock her. He was there for her, a friend, a willing listener with a nice, friendly smile. When the memories made her cry, he was there to erase her tears softly and reassure her.
He even suggested that they could go ask the church next time, that maybe they'd have more information for her.
On the way back to the station and on the train, they kept the conversation going quite nicely and it surprised Anne even more to notice how easy it was for her to speak with Gilbert when she wasn't on her guards. He understood her, knew how she thought and the conversation remained interesting. She always worked so hard to ignore him, she hadn't noticed how well he knew her, how easy it was to be with him.
They spoke of a lot of things, their friends, the future they wanted, what they expected out of life in the long run...
Things were going so well that she didn't protest when Gilbert helped her off the train, like gentlemen did, while she was perfectly capable of doing so on her own.
"Gilbert, you know, earlier, when you told me that I'd find a way to let you know when I'm ready?" Anne asked Gilbert as they were about to part ways to go back home.
"Of course." he smiled.
"This is it." She smiled back at him before she turned around to follow Matthew and Marilla back home.
Gilbert smiled and, as soon as he was home, he started thinking about what he'd write on the notice board. He was a bit distracted at first, having learned of Mary's son coming to visit and ending up leaving with some of Gilbert's father's old possessions. Gilbert was angry and sad, but he didn't hold it against Mary or Bash, all they did was trust someone Mary loved, he would have done the same.
Mary and Bash were beside themselves in guilt, and Gilbert didn't have it in him to blame them even more, especially since Mary had accidentally cut herself afterward. It was a small cut, but she didn't need him to blame her even more. Her son had betrayed her, she thought he was coming home, to be a family and he had betrayed her.
Locking himself in his room, Gilbert went back to thinking of Anne, and of what he'd put on the take Notice Board to let her, and everyone, know that he had noticed her and that she was off limits to the others. Something small or something big? He first wrote one that said "Gilbert wants to court Anne", then he wrote one that stated "Gilbert loves Anne" because the first one didn't seem enough. He didn't know which one to chose. There was so much he wanted the world to know. He wanted to write that he thought her hair was magnificent, that she was enchanting, that he loved her laugh... He just didn't know what to chose, he didn't want to overflow the board, Anne could take it the wrong way.
Though it was true, he felt that writing "Gilbert wants to mary Anne" wouldn't be appropriate just yet.
He wanted people to know that he was serious about this and that Anne was off limits to anyone else, so he couldn't just write that he wanted to walk her home or to dance with her. It had to be someone more definitive.
Smiling, he decided that he didn't have to chose. He grabbed both notes and, going to school early, he placed both notices on the board, for everyone to see.
"Good morning Anne." He greeted her when she arrived, but frowned when he saw her face.
"Good morning Gilbert." She replied, apparently sad or angry about something.
He sure hoped that she hadn't changed her mind about them, or that he hadn't done anything to mess things up without knowing it.
"What's wrong?" He asked her.
"Marilla grounded me because she found out that I visited the reservation without her authorization, so I won't be able to search in the church's archives for a while. After you suggested it I was so excited about it, hoping to go next week even..." Anne explained with an annoyed frown.
Gilbert realized that she must have forgotten about their conversation of the previous day but he let it go. It wasn't that important at the moment.
"I can go if you want, nobody to ground me. I'll take Cole with me, it'll go faster. Between the two of us, surely we'll manage to find what you're looking for quite fast." He offered and she smiled at him.
"Thank you, Gilbert, that's nice of you."
"Anytime." He replied before Diana called Anne in an urgent voice and she excused herself to join her friends.
Anne joined her friends and noticed that Ruby was upset, which reminded her that she had to speak to her about Gilbert, or maybe she just needed to let events unfold. Ruby didn't seem ready to accept it anyway, she probably wouldn't believe Anne.
"What's going on?" Anne asked when she saw that half the girls looked excited and the other half mad at her.
Looking around, Charlie seemed to be glaring at Gilbert, which was weird because everyone liked Gilbert, and some of the others were looking at her expectantly, like she was supposed to do or say something important. Josie definitely looked like she was having the time of her life, which worried Anne because only the pain of others pleased Josie so much.
"Someone has noticed you, Anne." Diana said excitedly.
"Three messages for you on the board today, Anne." Josie declared tauntingly before anyone else could.
"Three? There must be a mistake!" Anne shook her head.
"There isn't, I swear, go, look!" Jane replied with a smile.
She knew that she could expect a message from Gilbert, but three? Who else could notice her? She decided to go check.
As she did, she walked by Gilbert who was glaring a bit at Charlie too, making Anne frown.
"Gilbert wants to court Anne."
"Gilbert Loves Anne"
"Charlie wants to walk Anne home."
"I..." Anne didn't know what to say.
She wasn't sure what she expected, but definitely not that.
She didn't think Gilbert would admit his feelings for her so openly, in front of everyone. She figured he'd hide them and just ask to walk her home or something. Immediately, she turned to her friend. That's why Ruby had been so upset. before she spoke to Gilbert or Charlie, Anne decided that she needed to clear the air with Ruby, and if her friend decided to end their friendship over this, then she wasn't a good friend at all.
"Ruby... I'm so sorry... I..." Anne started but Josie cut her off.
"Oh, are you really sorry though? And here I thought Ruby was your friend..." Josie smirked.
"Shut it Josie!" Diana and Tilly snapped at the same time.
"Of course I'm sorry, I would never want to cause Ruby pain!" Anne complained before she turned to her friend again.
She was about to speak again when Ruby cut her off.
"Save it, Anne. I should have known. Now that I think about it, it's obvious that it's been all about you ever since you arrived. Every time I thought he had noticed me, you were right next to me. I built this entire romance in my head when there was nothing... I'm not mad at you, honestly. Just a myself." Ruby declared and Anne hugged her quickly, promising in a whisper that she'd find someone too.
"Everything alright?" Gilbert asked worriedly.
None of them had seen him walk closer to the pair, willing to jump in and help Anne save her friendship if she needed him.
"Yes, it's all fine. I'm happy for the two of you." Ruby smiled at Gilbert.
"Anne didn't even chose yet! She could still decide to let me walk her home!" Charlie exclaimed, annoyed.
"Charlie... I'm sorry but... I mean... I..." Anne started to say, turning towards him.
She wasn't quite sure how to let him down, she never expected t have to do something like this.
"It's Gilbert, right? Yeah, I get it. It's always Gilbert." Charlie shook his head in defeat, turning around and walking inside.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Moody added in a friendly tone before he followed his friend.
Quickly, everyone dispersed to give Anne and Gilbert some intimacy so they could speak.
"Are you alright?" Gilbert asked Anne worriedly.
"Yes, I am. I just forgot about this for a while, what with being grounded and everything. And I thought you'd do something discret. I didn't expect you to admit that you love me on the board, in front of everyone else. Not that I mind though. I... Seeing this on the board, for everyone to see, kind of makes me happy." She explained with a smile.
"Well, putting them on the board makes me very happy too." He smiled back at her.
"What now?" She asked, a bit nervous.
"Well, I hope you'll agree to go the the fair with me? And then maybe go to the dance with me? I know it's all still some time away... Maybe before that we could go on a picnic, walk home from school together once in a while, sit together at church? We're already spending Easter together since you're coming for Mary's party. Maybe we can sit together then. And maybe, every time you come by to cook with Mary, I can walk you back home." he suggested and Anne smiled and nodded.
"I'd love that. I... Gilbert, I... I do love you too." She confessed and he smiled, took her hand in his and kissed it softly.
At that moment, they both heard some giggles, quite loud, coming from Anne's group of friends.
"You should get back to your friends before they get so excited they all faint on each other and create a giant girl pile." Gilbert chuckled and, turning back to look at her friends, Anne thought that he was right, they all looked about to faint from excitement.
"Maybe we could eat our lunch together? Read together afterward?" Anne suggested on her way back to her friends.
"That would make me very happy, especially since I asked Mary to make enough for two." He smiled.
"Then I guess Marilla won't be angry with me for not eating the lunch she made me. And tomorrow I'll make lunch for us." Anne smiled.
.
Time passed, and Easter came closer. Gilbert and Anne spent as much time as they could together and Gilbert kept on working for doctor Ward once a week. Slowly, Mary had gotten sick and though the illness seemed to have slowly crept up on her, it didn't seem to want to go away.
"How is Mary taking the news?" Anne asked Gilbert as they walked together with Delphine.
Doctor Ward had just come to see her, announcing that she wouldn't get better and that she was dying.
"She's trying to be cheerful, to hide how worried she is." He confessed.
He was fighting back his tears and Anne wanting him to know that it was okay for him to cry on her shoulder if he wanted to. She understood his pain. They both loved Mary like a sister.
"She asked me advise, on what she could do to ensure Delphine would know that she was loved. I told her that she could write a letter, but that Delphine would be different than me, because we would be there to let her know." Anne replied.
When baby Delphine was born, Bash and Mary had asked Anne and Gilbert to be her godparents and they had both agreed of course.
"I went to look for her son yesterday, that's why I missed school, but I didn't find him. I still left a letter she wrote for him though. Maybe he'll get it on time." He said and Anne could see how worried it made him.
He had a hard time fighting off his tears and she understood perfectly. She quickly took him in her arms and they cried together for a little while before they let go of each other. They didn't want to cry in front of Mary.
"We should get back, she'll want to spend as much time as possible with Delphine." Anne suggested and Gilbert nodded.
Inside the house, everyone was cooking for the Easter party that would take place at the Barry's, in their beautiful garden.
.
Mary's funeral had been a sad but beautiful affair. A lot of people had come, but still not her son, though Mary's friend had seen him and given him her letter. They had seen him read it and confirmed to him that she was dead and they assured that the news had shaken him. He had walked away, looking like he was guilty of all the crimes in the world and hadn't been seen near the bar even since. There was hope after all.
Bash ended up writing to his mother, asking her to come and help with his daughter. It hadn't been easy for her to adapt to a life as her own person when she had been in service of white people for so long but she did.
Anne and Gilbert went to the fair together, Anne had won first place in the cooking competition thanks to Mary's recipe and she was overjoyed. The couple spent a lot of time together that day and afterwards, they went to the dance together, where they got even closer and exchanged their first kiss.
They had exchanged it outside, under the moon and the star and had turned back afterwards to walk back inside when they found Billy pushing Josie against the barn's door.
"Maybe we should leave." Anne whispered and Gilbert agreed but before they had he time to leave, they heard Josie complaining, asking Billy to stop touching her, to let her go, while the boy kept on insisting that she wanted it.
"Go get their parents discreetly, I'll try to stop him." Gilbert decided quickly and Anne rushed inside.
When she walked back outside, Josie was crying against the same barn door she had been pushed against and Gilbert was fighting with Billy.
"Go back to your ugly orphan dog of a girl and leave me alone with mine. At least mine has something worth touching." Billy was taunting Gilbert, unaware that his parents could hear him.
Anne closed the door behind them, making sure nobody from inside would see what was going on.
"I warned you long ago to stop speaking badly of Anne." Gilbert growled.
"Tell me honesty, have you been in love with her from the beginning? You know, we haven't fought a lot you and me, but we used to be friends before she came along. It's four times you've fought with me now. All since she got here and every time it was you trying to defend her. She must be something... Whatever she's giving you seems worth it. Willing to share?" Billy asked and Gilbert punched him one last time.
Turning around, the future doctor noticed that Anne was here, along with Josie and Billy's parents. Josie's parents rushed to her, hugging her while Billy's father glared at his son.
"I thought I had raised you better than this, son." Billy's father declared, walking toward him and holding him back.
"He's always been a bully." Anne muttered but everyone heard her.
Gilbert was bleeding a bit on the lips but he was fine and hugging Anne to his side.
"What now?" Josie's father asked.
Then, argument ensued.
Josie didn't want to marry Billy anymore, she didn't want to see him. He scared her. They were all afraid of gossip and even though Anne and Gilbert swore they wouldn't say anything, they knew that all it would take is one slip up for Josie's reputation to be ruined, which was totally unfair.
"You could use Prissy." Anne suddenly suggested.
"What do you mean?" Misses Andrews asked her with a frown.
"You can say that you both decided to break the engagement for now. You've spent so much time and money on Prissy's wedding, you were afraid this one wouldn't go through either, you think they're both too young still. Josie will go to Queens, Billy can go study somewhere else so that Josie doesn't have to see him again. With time, people will forget they were even engaged to begin with, especially since they'll both probably meet other people." Anne explained and everyone seemed to think this was a good idea.
Josie was grateful. Anne had helped her out while she knew that, had the roles been reversed, she would have done the complete opposite and rushed to spread the gossip.
After that, Anne and Gilbert walked back inside, danced some more and the young man walked Anne back home.
.
More time passed and they took their Queens entrance exams. If he had good results, Gilbert was guaranteed a spot at the University of Toronto. Anne and Gilbert knew that they were going to be separated for some time but they also knew that they could do it. Anne was going to work hard and get a teaching degree in two years, she knew that she could manage it. Then, she'd find a teaching job in Toronto, near Gilbert. In the mean time, they'd write to each other, see each other during school breaks.
After the exams, they all partied to celebrate the end of an era, and Gilbert surprised Anne that evening.
She was with the girls, dancing happily around the fire and Gilbert interrupted her, asking for her attention. Of course that got him everyone's attention.
"Gilbert? What's wrong?" She asked him, surprised by how serious he looked, though she wasn't too worried because he still had what Ruby called his romantic eyes.
"Nothing. I... Anne, I love you, you know that. I think that I have loved you ever since I first saw you. I know that we have the next few years planned out but there's one more thing I'd love for us to add to that planning." As he spoke, Gilbert had gotten something out of his pocket and he was now kneeling in front of Anne.
"Oh my God!" Tilly and Josie exclaimed.
"So romantic!" Ruby whispered
"Anne, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are, and always will be, the keeper of the key to my heart, which beats only for you. You're the only one I want to marry and spend my life with. This is my mother's ring, I... I know that it will be a long engagement, but I will feel better in Toronto knowing that you have my ring on your finger. I also know that you want to wait until you're done with your studies, and I'm fine with that. I can wait 2 years or more. I just want to know that you're mine... I ... Will you marry me?" Gilbert declared and Anne was in tears in front of him.
Everyone exploded with joy around them when Anne dropped on her own knees with a nod, unable to speak. Gilbert smiled, took Anne's hand into his and slipped his mother's ring on her ring finger before he dropped on kiss on the well placed ring, and another on her lips.
When they stood up once more, they were taken in a giant hug by their friends before the questions flowed.
"Are you going to wait until Anne's done with school or until you're done with school?" Ruby asked Gilbert.
"I'm not sure, I'm fine either way. It'll be Anne's decision." Gilbert smiled.
"Where will you live? With Bash, Delphine and his mother or at Green Gables?" Diane asked.
"We have time to think about that." Anne shook her head.
"Matthew wants us to live at Green Gables when we come back to live here." Gilbert informed her.
"You asked for his permission?" Anne asked, surprised.
"Well, I know that you don't need permission, but I did ask for his blessing. He and Marilla both gave it, while assuring me that it was just a blessing, that you were free to do whatever you wanted. Then they said that they wanted us to live at Green Gables afterward." he explained, making her smile.
Anne smiled. She's study, become a teacher, work near Gilbert and once he became a doctor, they'd come back to Avonlea, get married and live happily at Green Gables. What a bright future she had ahead of her!
I hope you liked this little oneshot I had in my head.
Maybe I will write more for it later, I don't know.
Review please?
Lorelei Candice Black