Just a shout out to all you wonderful people!
Everyone: She has his jacket! Thing is she keeps it an awful long time too! Isn't ironic? One day she will be Blythe too?!
Battywattywoo: That's quite the compliment! Thank you very much!
CatieGirl: As soon as I knew I wasn going past the Anne of Green Gables point, I knew I wanted Davy and Dora in it. 100% just like when I get there in Anne of the Island Phil will be there, there are these extremely rich characters who enhance Anne's learning curve who she learns so much from and in most credible adaptations the characters are swept over, their importance is lost and I don't know about you I miss them, especially Phil!
You guys are awesome!
Some of you will notice I am early in uploading this week. Its the last week of school here in the UK and although Tuesdays are my busy days as it is I'm anticipating I'll be extra tired and extra slow tomorrow so thought if I uploaded now since everything is completed it would save me getting it up tomorrow!
love you all
Carrots x
"Hey!" Gilbert shouted from his car seeing Anne walking to school.
"Hey Gil." She said with a smile.
"Do you want a ride?" he asked her. "I want to talk to you before we get in to school."
"Sure." She agreed. He pulled over and she got in the car and put on her seatbeat. "Thanks, Diana stayed at Fred's last night." Anne admitted.
"Oh?!" Gilbert said with a flirting wiggle of the eyebrows.
"Oh Gil!" she exclaimed disgusted "Ugh! I didn't even think of that!" to which he burst out laughing
"Hey, this isn't the 19th century." Gilbert said with a grin "they're seventeen eighteen years old, what do you expect."
"Not that." She muttered.
"Don't be silly." Gilbert said with a grin to her "if a boy ever admitted he was head over heels for you it wouldn't be long before you were sexually active too."
"Goes to show how well you know me." She muttered under her breath.
He sighed heavily thinking that was one barrier not to be messed with in regards to Anne, maybe one day they could together, but that day certainly wouldn't be any day soon. "Hey wanna know why I pulled you in here?" he asked her.
"Go on then." She said to him.
"My dad was called cancer free one year ago today." He said with a proud smile.
Anne looked up and at him with a wide grin "Oh Gil!" she exclaimed. "That's wonderful!" she said to him.
"Yeah, I like to think it is." He said with a grin to her. She looked away thoughtfully "hey what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing, just…" she said with a blush "this time last year I didn't even know you yet, you didn't come back to school until…" she trailed.
"The week after, yeah I know." He agreed.
"Its weird that's all." She said.
"I know, its been quite a year." He admitted. He looked at her then the road again. "I wouldn't change it." He told her. "Not for the world." He said.
"Even us not talking for so long?" she asked.
"Even that, I think it made me want to understand you better." He admitted.
She blushed slightly "Thanks." She laughed. "I can't believe we were well into November by the time you came back."
"I'm just glad I did." He said turning into the parking lot.
"Remind me again why are we doing this?" Charlie exclaimed as they were in an old cupboard in the school.
"Because we want to find out more about the class of 2006, they buried that time capsule to be brought up in ten years, now last year's student council had no idea about it so this year we're making up for it and we're seeing if we can find any of the class before we open it, hopefully they might like the honours." Gilbert said with a grin to Charlie.
"And anyway, it does no harm to know your history Charlie." Anne said with a grin to the Sloaneness of Charlie.
"So says the girl who has none." Charlie objected "And I mean no disrespect by that."
"Which is why I think knowing it is important, and anyway this summer with Gilbert I got to know a little history of myself and all the wiser I am for it."
"Ah!" Gilbert exclaimed happily "Here it is!" he exclaimed picking out the book "Class of 2006!" with it said the three made their way out the storage cupboard in the library and sat at the desks close by.
"Oh I have chills!" Anne exclaimed as she looked at the closed book. "Can't you feel the history!"
"Its ten years old!" Charlie said with a laugh "Its hardly history."
"Marc Potvin, died in 2006." Gilbert remarked. "and Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion"
"Who?" Anne asked.
"They were ice hockey players." Gilbert said. "I was six and devastated, I thought ice hockey players lived forever!"
Anne gave a sympathetic 'aww'.
"Ice Hockey players?" Charlie asked confused. "I didn't know you liked Ice Hockey."
Gilbert blushed at Anne's confusion, it had been one of the first things he told her about himself, how he had loved Ice Hockey, it had been that year he had tried out for the Ice Hockey team. Anne faithfully didn't say anything but seemed genuinely touched it was part of himself which he had only ever really shared with her.
"With that I'm off, I said I would meet Josie after cheerleading practice. I'm glad we found it all the same Gilbert." Charlie said before he exited the library.
Gilbert opened the book and looked at the pictures. There stood a picture of the entire year group with teachers and everyone in their sports and clubs uniforms.
"Wow! Anne grinned. "Big year group." She said with a smile to Gilbert.
"Yeah." Gilbert agreed. He turned the page to find the first team picture the cheer squad. They turned the page to find the band then again to the football team. They at first didn't pay attention to the people in the pictures and didn't look at names until they came across the individual pictures.
"Ah look a Pye, a Sloane… Andrews…" A few giggles at fashions. When Anne stopped suddenly at one of the name. "Stephen Irving!" She exclaimed and looked closer "Mr Irving came here?!" she said pointing at the picture and looking closer.
"Well he hasn't changed a bit!" Gilbert said amazed. "Look at his activities, Captain of the football team, the debate team…"
"Sounds like your best friend." Anne said with a smile. "He's even younger a dad then we thought…"
"Paul's mother could be in here." Gilbert observed before he took a deep breath of shock.
"what?" Anne asked him before his index finger pointed to another picture. Anne looked and an equally surprised look came across her face. "Lavender Lewis!" she exclaimed quietly. "Miss Lewis!"
They looked to each other in shock before Anne read shakenly "Debate team,… then they definitely knew each other then." Anne stood up with the book in hand. "Come on…" She told him.
"Anne no!" He objected. "We can't just march in there and demand an answer based on what we think we do and don't know."
"I'm not." She said as if to convince herself of her convictions as well as Gilbert. "At very least they deserve to know about the time capsule." She justified. "Come on!"
"Anne Gilbert!" Miss Lewis exclaimed happily seeing her two best students coming though her classroom door. "How can I help you?"
"Did you come here?" Anne asked her.
"Oh." Miss Lewis said surprised at the question. "Well yes, I did class of…"
"2006, yes we know." Anne interrupted. "Your class buried a time capsule." She said very matter of fact and business like.
"Yes, we did." She confirmed.
"Well last year's student council forgot about it but we were looking through the history of the student council notes and we saw reference to it, dug deeper and found where it was, we dug it up but we haven't opened it." Anne said with a smile putting the tin in front of her teacher.
Miss Lewis said nothing but nodded.
"We thought you should know, maybe you'd like to get some old friends together." Gilbert said with a smile. "Come on An-" he started and held her gently on her forearm before Anne exclaimed
"You knew Mr Irving!"
Miss Lewis looked literally taken aback.
"Anne we agreed on the way over here not to say anything." Gilbert said quietly to her.
"We found your yearbook!" she said bringing it out of her bag and showing her it, "You were both in debate team which means you knew each other right?" Anne asked her. Miss Lewis literally looked shell shocked as Anne brought eh year book to her showing her it.
"How far through did you get?" Miss Lewis asked Anne.
"Only to the individual pictures." Gilbert said "Come on Anne we don't need to bother Miss Lewis." He said quietly. They were part way up the classroom before she spoke.
"It was his idea." She said quietly. Her hand over the time capsule. Anne and Gilbert both turned to look at her as she spoke as she did she looked like she might cry "Stephen's" she said. "The time capsule was Stephen's idea." She said softly. She opened the pages as Anne and Gilbert came closer to see class photos taken, Both Anne and Gilbert noting wherever one was the other wasn't far away. "We were like you, best friends I suppose." She said with a shrug "only he had a girlfriend." She said with a sigh. "Angela Thompson." She said pointing at the girl in some of the pictures, "Football team captain and head cheerleader, they were the picture-perfect couple." She shrugged. She continued to flick through the pictures, any with them working showed Miss Lewis and Mr Irving together working often smiling and laughing together and then any posed pictures showed Mr Irving with the unknown cheerleader to them. "They broke up weeks before prom." Miss Lewis continued. "He came to me claiming the whole time he had a crush on me and wanted to take me to senior prom." She sighed "what was I going to say?" she said with a laugh "My best friend the cutest boy in the whole school had noticed me." She opened the book to a picture of them together "He told me he loved me and he wanted to be with me, that we were a couple and nothing would ever separate us. I thought we'd be together forever." She said the tears now spilling from her eyes "the next day, after prom, he wasn't at school, I tried e-mailing calling going to his house, nothing. No one knew what happened to him… and Angela." She sighed as she looked at two very shocked students. "I didn't see him again until the first day of school this year." She wiped her eyes and shrugged. "Some things aren't meant to be." She whispered.
"Sorry Miss Lewis." Anne said quietly before her and went into Gilbert's and he led her gently out into the corridor.
Neither one of the stopped until they were clear of the building and Anne finally whispered. "I can't believe it." Anne whispered. "I can't believe the Mr Irving who's been teaching us all this time could treat Miss Lewis like that!" Anne exclaimed.
"Anne…" Gilbert reprimanded.
"No! This is complicated!" Anne objected. "He used her."
"I don't think he did." Gilbert admitted. "You remember when Paul said he was born?"
"December." Anne said trying to connect the dots.
"December 2006." He said. "which means conception date could be no later than mid-March meaning he was still in a relationship with that cheerleading girl."
"Paul's mother?" Anne questioned.
"Which means they broke up probably before the cheerleading girl knew she was pregnant."
Anne sat on a nearby bench then looked up at Gilbert "Do you think Miss Lewis knows about Paul?" she asked
Gilbert to which he shook his head. "No, No I don't." he said quietly sitting beside her. "I think this is way more complicated than we anticipated."
"What's more complicated?" They heard a voice say to them from one side, both Anne and Gilbert looked to the source to see Paul Irving standing looking quizzically at them.
"Paul?" Anne said in surprise. "Nothing just, grown up relationships." She told him.
"I hate that." Paul said sitting beside them on the bench. "Everyone says that when they don't' want kids to know something bad." He sighed.
"Honestly Paul, I don't think you want to wrap your head around this one." Gilbert said with a smile to him. He looked then asked "Do you come back here every day after school for your dad?"
Paul nodded "Yeah, I do." He acknowledged. "There's just me and dad."
Both Anne and Gilbert were momentarily mute before Gilbert found a voice for them "Do you have any homework Paul?" he asked him.
"Yeah tons." He said with a grin going into his school bag and bringing out his own Maths book. "I don't suppose you two will help me will you?" he asked them.
"Sure." Anne agreed nodding.
"Here, "Gilbert offered standing, "sit between us then you can benefit from both of our expertise."
It was ten minutes later Mr Irving came out to see Paul sitting between his two favourite students. He chuckled and stood in front of them.
"Oh hey dad." Paul said with a smile as he looked up.
"Hey yourself." He said smiling. "Fancy yourself a high school student already?"
"Anne and Gilbert were just helping with my homework." Paul told his father.
"More like supervising he didn't need our help." Anne admitted.
"That's good to hear." He said with a smile "Thank you Anne and Gilbert." Mr Irving said. "Come on Paul, pack your work away, we'll do it when we get home."
"Aww but dad!" Paul objected.
"I'm sure Anne and Gilbert could be getting on with things other than babysitting you." Mr Irving said.
"Oh no." Anne said with a laugh. "Your Paul is a little gentleman!" Anne exclaimed.
"Now will you go out with me?" Paul asked her to which Mr Irving exclaimed his name and Anne laugh softly.
"I'm afraid I'm still a little old for you." Anne admitted.
"Aw, can you marry dad then, he's only a little bit older than me and then you can be my mother!" he exclaimed.
Mr Irvings mouth dropped and his face turned a beetroot red.
"I'm afraid that won't do either, I'm a little too young for him." She said with a laugh to Paul "Plus I'd be doing myself out of an excellent English teacher." She smiled to Paul. "But I will settle with being your friend, and your dad's pupil." Anne said with a smile to him putting her hand out for him to shake "deal?" she asked.
Paul ignored the hand and threw himself into Anne's arms. "Oh, promise me, promise me we'll be friends forever?"
Gilbert glanced up at Mr Irving and saw the look of guilt and sadness on Mr Irving's face.
"We'll see." Anne told him.
"Hey buddy." Mr Irving said to him "How about checking out the cent pot in the car, let's see if we have enough for a drive thru?" he asked his son.
"Yes!" he exclaimed jumping up and running to the car.
Mr Irving stood in front of his students for a moment. "I'm sorry for Paul." He told them both.
"Oh don't be, he's very sweet." Anne admitted.
"And a very young ten-year-old." Mr Irving told them. "He's not yet grasped a seventeen-year-old and…"
"No really Mr Irving there's no offense taken, I'm flattered by the little man." Anne said.
"You know Mr Irving, we wouldn't mind, that's to say I wouldn't mind it, I don't know about Anne, but I wouldn't mind taking Paul off your hands, if you need the extra time?" Gilbert offered.
"Yes!" Anne exclaimed. "Oh we can babysit him!" Anne agreed, then she looked at Gilbert "That's really sweet Gil."
Mr Irving smiled. "That is very sweet, thank you."
"Gil has a football game after school next week." Anne said. "Can I take Paul?" she asked Mr Irving.
"Oh." Mr Irving said. "Ar-Are you sure?" Mr Irving said.
"Yes." Anne said. "I'm already taking Davy did I tell you Marilla has adopted some twins and the boy is just a live wire!"
"Oh Davy Keith?" Mr Irving asked. "I didn't recognise the connection, Paul has mentioned him."
"Oh dear." Anne said.
"No it… he finds him funny." Mr Irving admitted.
"Dad!" They heard Paul shout from the car.
"Only, not everyone knows I have a son." Mr Irving admitted. "I'm not ashamed of him just, its quite a sensitive…"
"That's okay, I'll introduce him as a friend of Davy's from school." Anne suggested.
"And I'll drive us all back after the game." Gilbert offered. "It'll be fun."
Mr Irving seemed genuinely touched. "I'm not sure what to say." He admitted. "I don't give up my son to other people very easily…" he trailed. "But, I'm sure I can trust you with him." He blushed. They could see he was struggling with it. "Sure, yes, thank you." He said quietly.
"I best be off." Mr Irving said. "We can arrange particulars later. If that's okay?"
"Sure." Anne nodded.
Mr Irving walked away and Anne and Gilbert looked at each other with a heavy sigh to each other, they were only just starting to realise the weigh Mr Irving carried with him.