"Gilbert!" She greeted him a few nights later as he knocked at her door. "What a surprise!" she exclaimed.

"Pull on a coat you're coming out with me Shirley!" he exclaimed.

"I am?" She asked him.

"Oh you are!" he said in delight. "Come on we'll be late!" he told a confused looking Anne. He went into her wardrobe and pulled out his old leatherman's jacket "I'm glad one of us is using this."

"Take it back." She said knowing he was teasing.

"Naw, can't do that its yours." He said pulling it on her then taking her hand "come on." He said pulling her out the door as she grabbed her keys.

"Gil!" she exclaimed half way down the corridor "what if I want to eat? Or drink?" she asked him.

"I'll pay." He told her. "You can't miss this!" he said with a grin.

"Gilbert Blythe, slow down and tell me what I can't miss."

He didn't.

He took her all the way into town into a hip looking coffee shop she hadn't noticed before, but she felt an immediate connection with.

"Your table milady!" Gilbert said with a huge grin. "Tea?" he asked her.

"Please." She agreed as he went to the counter. She looked confused as she saw a small stage being set up, microphones, had he brought her to a karaoke? Surely not?! When he came back she asked directly "This isn't karaoke is it?"

"Karaoke?" he reflected the chuckled "No no no no no." he said with a grin. "Karaoke is for amateurs." He said knowingly sitting beside her on the comfy chair rather then across from her on the table.

"why are you sitting…" she started

"I want a good view of the stage." He said to her as she moves slightly to give him a little more room, she either didn't mind or didn't notice his arm go around her.

Anne was trying to figure out what Gilbert meant as she took a sip of her tea, once tasted she said to Gilbert "Hey you found somewhere which serves Jasmine Green Tea!" she exclaimed as a man approached the microphone.

"Evening all, and welcome to 'Slam funk the junk.'" He smiled as a few people applauded. "Alright first we have Jamie with Lord Byron's 'she walks in beauty'." He said then a few people clapped as another person approached the makeshift stage.

"A poetry reading?" Anne asked Gilbert.

"So much better than that!" he exclaimed as the music started.

Gilbert watched as Anne watched in amazement as the boy managed to sing to the tune of 'My Girl' the actual poem. He chuckled watching her face as she looked incredulously to the stage then to him and then back again. "What in the world is this?" she asked him.

"They set poems to music." Gilbert said. "I heard about it from one of the senior lambs who said he used to come 'in his salad years'." Gilbert laughed. "I had to bring you!"

Anne chuckled for a moment before she said "you know some of the speeches in Shakespeare are meant to be to music."

"What do you think to Byron to music?" Gilbert asked her.

"I think he would turn in his grave!" Anne exclaimed as Gilbert chuckled to her answer. "But, its not as crazy as it sounds!" she told him.

"You like?" he asked her.

She smiled and looked at him "I like." She said with a nod. "Thanks Blythe."

"My Pleasure." He said. "Come every week with me?" he asked her.

"It's a date!" she exclaimed.

Gilbert knocked on Anne's door the night of the dance. She opened the door and he turned to look at her.

His jaw almost fell to the floor. She wore a long satin dark purple dress which was lined with lace. It was sleeveless which he supposed wasn't typical of the era but she looked very retro gothic in it. Her red hair had a pompadour at the front continued down her back in a loose school plait. Anne wore dark makeup which was heavy round the eyelids and her lips were perfectly done in a dark red colour.

"Wow!" he exclaimed his eyes wide. "Anne…."

"Do I look like a Gibson Girl?" she asked him eagerly.

"I um… yes!" he said.

"Good." She smiled. "Come in I'm just finishing off." She said. He closed the door and watched her potter "Are you proud? I'm actually wearing a corset." She smiled. "The fact I can't breathe is almost worth it for the look of curves." She told him. "Can you see?" she asked him.

He had to think fast. Anne was giving him permission to look! He'd only ever caught glances before for the most part, it had been a while since he looked, but now he could… he wasn't going to knock the chance. He looked down her porcelain neck and down her throat to her chest. She was so perfectly milky white he wanted to lap it up taste it. Did it taste of milk? Though skin was salty so it was unlikely but it didn't defer him from thinking of the taste of her skin against his lips.

"You know I don't usually see much point in a bra I'm so tiny but a corset, I think makes a difference… Maybe I should wear push ups…" she spluttered. "You really don't have an opinion on bras do you?" she asked him.

"I can't say I thought about it until I wore that corset under a dress, are bras that uncomfortable?" he managed to return his eyes to hers.

"Not quite, I mean imagine that pressure just across your chest and you have a bra."

He grimaced. "Then I'm glad I don't have to." He smiled. "Though if you like the way it looks…" he commented.

"I do!" she exclaimed. "I look like a real women." She exclaimed with a squeal.

"Anne come on you're perfect how you are, you don't need bras and push ups to prove it." He told her reassuringly.

She looked at him and smiled by way of thanks. "Come on lets go!"

Gilbert smiled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door, she should really know by now, she was all women to him!

Philippa took a sigh as she watched Anne and Gilbert dance. It was now the Christmas ball and Gilbert had taken Anne to every single one of these dances. It seemed they were always ahead of her. If she didn't know better she would have sworn there was some sort of 'pre-agreement' between them.

She sighed again.

If there were a pre-agreement there would be no reason why they had to enjoy each other's company quite so much.

So maybe they did just want to go to every dance together.

They might as well be dating. She thought to herself.

She couldn't count the number of times she saw Gilbert Blythe look at Anne the way he was looking at her now. It wasn't like she was the only girl in the world, no that would be far too simple, then Gilbert wouldn't recognise any of the girls swooning around him herself included, he did see them, and he skilfully sent them on their way without offending.

No, he looked at Anne as if she were the epitome of her gender.

She watched as he spun her around and she laughed in delight. She watched as they danced together swaying back and forth as in olden day films when they would sway. Anne looked up to him with such a blush. He looked down in awe.

'So how come they aren't together?' she found herself wondering.

"Oh Anne!" Diana exclaimed as she got out of the car on her driveway. "I've missed you!" She exclaimed. Diana ran and threw her arms around Anne. "Oh look at you Anne!" she said. "You look so different!"

"I do?" Anne laughed.

"Well you look so sophisticated from your time at university of course, have you learnt any big words to scare me with?" Diana teased lightly.

"None that I didn't know already." Anne smiled "but I've learned a thing or two in the big scary university about Aristotle and Plato which scares even me." She laughed.

"Then feel free to share them and see the horror on my face." Diana laughed with her.

"Anne!" Davy called as he sprinted down the driveway.

"Davy!" Anne said as the boy landed in her arms.

"Davy!" Anne heard from the house and a very red looking Mrs Lynde stood on the veranda. The redness of her face changed for a moment when she saw Anne. "You're back Anne dear?"

"As you see Mrs Lynde." Anne said with a smile.

"Well good, maybe you can tell me a way to replace a broken television?" Mrs Lynde threw accusingly at Davy who now hid behind Anne.

"Don't let her whack me Anne!" Davy exclaimed behind her.

"Excuse me Mrs Lynde you've lost me, a broken television?" Anne asked.

"He threw his game console remote at the TV!" Mrs Lynde told Anne.

"What?!" Anne asked trying to catch Davy's eye.

"I didn't throw it at the TV." Davy tried to defend.

"No!" Mrs Lynde said sarcastically. "It wasn't at the TV it was at Thea, it just hit the TV."

"Davy!" Anne exclaimed sharply.

"Thea ducked!" He defended. "It was meant to hit her not the TV!"

"And did you consider that with the same force you hit the TV would have hit your sister had she not ducked?" Anne asked him.

Davy's face turned white as a sheet, it was clear in his own temper and commotion he hadn't considered what it was he was doing.

"He needs a good spanking." Mrs Lynde shouted firmly. Anne sighed and walked up the driveway giving Mrs Lynde and affectionate kiss on the cheek as means of hello.

"No doubt in days gone by he would." Anne said to her to which Davy looked in horror to her. "But we wouldn't want people gossiping over the 'old fashioned' spanking Davy got, you know how tongues waddle and don't always tell the truth." She justified.

Mrs Lynde looked to Anne and then Davy. "A week off the computer game."

"What!" Davy started but a good steady look from Anne told him no further.

"And, I'll talk to Marilla about how you'll work back the money for a new television." Mrs Lynde said.

"But…"

"I think that's appropriate Davy."

"That's what house insurance is for!"

"Which there will be a premium for claiming on Davy." Anne told him with a grin. "Are you telling me you want to pay the difference too?" Anne said fighting back a grin. Davy looked to her then to Mrs Lynde who crossed her arms in front of her.

"I think Mrs Lynde's punishment is enough." He muttered.

"I like to think so." Anne said with a smile as both Davy and Mrs Lynde were satisfied with the middle ground they had found.

It was a few days later Davy was playing football with Gilbert in the crisp winter air.

"Come on Davy you know it was your fault." Gilbert said with a knowing smile.

"But to replace that TV is over a thousand dollars!" Davy defended. "I'll be paying back the money until I graduate high school!" he exaggerated. "In the meantime, I get no pocket money." He sighed.

Gilbert shook his head and grinned. "You're looking at it all wrong Davy." He said.

"How else can I look at it?"

"You're eleven right?" he asked.

"Yeah Eleven." Davy said.

"When I was eleven I climbed up the side of Moody's parents barn." Gilbert grinned "All the way to the roof!" he grinned "I was dared twenty five dollars I could walk all the way along the ridge so I did, quite successfully too. Until I was on my way back, one of the wooden slates were loose and I fell clean through it." He said with a laugh.

Davy gasped. "were you hurt?" he asked.

"No." Gilbert recalled. "I landed in their hay." He said with fond memory. "But my parents lay into me." He said shaking his head. "I had to pay for the roof repair." He continued. "You know what I did?" he asked Davy.

"No tell me." He said.

"Well I did get the twenty-five dollars, I invested in it. I got some window cleaning stuff and ladders and I went house to house window cleaning. Twenty five cent a window or one dollars fifty for the whole house." He said.

"Did it work?" Davy asked suddenly interested.

"For the most part, week after week it built up, then come the beginning of the summer I had enough to invest in a lawn mower, went up to the street houses and five dollars for a large lawn two for a smaller one." He said. "Spring comes fast in you know and if you take care of your equipment… other little things, drain gutters bin cleaning. I soon earned the money back, then by the end of the summer I had a neat amount for myself too." Gilbert said.

"Where did you find the time?!" Davy said in shock.

"I made it." He shrugged. "When we make mistakes, we square up." Gilbert said kicking the ball back to him rolling his shoulder "it makes us a better person."

Davy sighed as he caught the ball with his foot then said "When will I stop making mistakes?" he questioned. "When did you Gil?" he asked.

Gilbert laughed so hard the ball when flying past him. When he caught himself again he said "I doubt all my mistakes are behind me Davy." He told him.

"You make mistakes Gil?" Davy asked him ignoring the ball which was passed back to him. Davy picked up the ball as Gilbert grinned his hands went on his hips as he started to walk he beckoned Davy to follow.

"We all make mistake mate." He told him as Davy walked beside him. "it's the nature of the mistakes which changes." He told him. "and how we deal with those mistakes." He sighed then said quietly "it's not our mistakes that define us. It's the lessons we learn that show our true character."

Davy sighed "That sounds mighty grown up Gil." He said shaking his head.

"It is." Gilbert admitted. "But learn from your mistakes buddy and find the best way out of it." He said putting his arm around the lad and slapping him lightly on his shoulder.

They walked in silence for a few moments "Hey Gil?"

"Yeah buddy?" he asked Davy.

"Do you still have your window cleaning stuff?" he asked Davy.

Gilbert smiled "Sure buddy, would you like to use them?" Gilbert asked.

"Oh would you?!" He exclaimed. "You're the best!"

Anne heard a knock on her bedroom door and bid a come in. "Anne I was just wondering if you…" Gil started then looked at Anne's laptop screen. "Phil!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"So its not just here at college you two are always in each other's room hm?" Phil teased.

"Don't let Mrs Lynde hear you say that!" Anne said rolling her eyes. "'All the girls flirting with all the boys'…" she quoted.

"'it's a wonder they get any studying done!'" Gilbert finished in a mock Mrs Lynde voice. "Anyway it's the only place quiet enough to get any studying done here in Avonlea." He justified.

"Hmmm." Phil said with a suspicious tone.

"Anyway you can talk." Anne said matter of factly, "Phil was just telling me about her trying to decide between two boys back in Bolingbrook."

"Two?!" Gilbert exclaimed.

"Not all men were blind to my charms Gil dear." She said matter of factly which made Anne smile.

"Don't you love either one of them?" Gilbert asked her.

"No. Neither do I intend to." Phil said. "No, I couldn't love anybody. It isn't in me." She said business like "And don't look at me like that Gilbert, its just like Anne does. I simply don't want to. Being in love makes you a perfect slave, I think. And it would give a man such power to hurt you."

"Is there anything wrong with these two boys?" Anne asked her.

"No, no, Alec and Alonzo are two dear boys, and I like them both so much that I really don't know which I like the better. That is the trouble." She sighed "You see Alec is the best looking, of course, and I simply couldn't marry a man who wasn't handsome. He is good-tempered too, and has lovely, curly, black hair." She sighed her eyes flicking to Gilbert for a second "He's rather too perfect—I don't believe I'd like a perfect husband—somebody I could never find fault with."

"Then why not Alonzo?" asked Anne.

"Think of marrying a name like Alonzo!" said Phil dolefully. "I don't believe I could endure it. But he has a classic nose, and it WOULD be a comfort to have a nose in the family that could be depended on. I can't depend on mine. So far, it takes after the Gordon pattern, but I'm so afraid it will develop Byrne tendencies as I grow older. I examine it every day anxiously to make sure it's still Gordon. Mother was a Byrne and has the Byrne nose in the Byrnest degree. Wait till you see it. I adore nice noses. Your nose is awfully nice, Anne. Alonzo's nose nearly turned the balance in his favor. But ALONZO!"

"Then you'd be better off cutting both fella's free so they will find someone who wouldn't judge them based on such frivolous traits." Gilbert said looking seriously at her.

"Oh Gilbert don't judge me!" Phil said slightly huffy.

"I'm not." He said with a shrug. "But instead of these shallow ended reasons I think you should be concentrating on why you won't judge them on anything deeper."

"You take a psychology class last semester and all of a sudden you're Sigmund Freud." Phil said play acting at being put out.

"Oh not Freud!" Gilbert exclaimed which made Anne laugh. "Of all the psych's, you choose Freud!"

"Aww, have I hurt your manhood?" Phil said her playful nature returning.

"No the feminist is, the man was a sexist!" Gilbert said settling on the end of Anne's bed crossing his legs in front of him.

"Regardless…" Phil started.

"Regardless Phil you know Gilbert is right, if they have feelings for you…" Anne started.

"Oh alright alright!" Phil said. "I'll try and see their 'inner qualities' are you happy?" she said with a grin to them.

"Ecstatically." Anne smiled.

"Well there's a party tomorrow night I'll go stag then forget the fact they are rich and try and choose between them that way." Phil said. "Anything in Avonlea?"

"Actually part of the reason I came over." Gilbert said with a smile. "Moody's parents are doing their winter firelight again this year, I was wondering if Anne would accompany me?" he asked looking at Anne. "Everyone is home from university…."

"Oh we can catch up with everyone." Anne said with a smile to him "Moody himself of course, Jane and Josie…"

"Fred and Diana are going."

"Cool yeah, I'll go." Anne agreed. "I love to sit by the bonfire and watch people talking, it makes everyone aglow with the fire and the moonlight." She smiled.

"Hot chocolate?" Gilbert smiled.

"You know it!" she exclaimed with a fist pump with him. "Thermos' at the ready!"

"You two are such nerds!" Phil played. "I better go, get dolled up."

"Bye Phil." Gilbert said light hearted.

"Bye sweetie!" Anne called.

"Toodles!" she exclaimed as she hung up.

Gil and Anne looked at each other and smiled. "She's um…" Gilbert started.

"Something else!" Anne laughed. "But we love her."

"That we do." Gilbert agreed. "How's Davy doing?" Gilbert asked as they left her bedroom.

"Oh really well, he really took your advice seriously." Anne said with a smile. "You really seem to talk to him." Anne said.

"Well I was a boy once upon a time." Gilbert said. "I had a dad to guide me through the most trying ages." He sighed, "well most the time." He added with a thought.

"Hey its over now isn't it?" Anne asked him.

"Over two years now." He said with a nod. "But never say never." He said.