"Hey beautiful." He said to her as the skype window opened for their evening video call.

"Hi Love." She said with a smile. "How was school?"

"Oh you know," he said with a shrug "I finally found the formula to not being asked all the questions by the doctors." He said with a smile.

Anne grinned, it had been three weeks since she last saw him in Kingsport and every night he complained he would be the one person every doctor picked on to give an answer. Anne had pointed out it was an excellent way to learn but Gilbert had prevailed it must have been something he was doing. "Oh?" she questioned him.

"I am now sitting in the middle row of the middle aisle." He told her.

"Surely that draws attention if you are doing it in every lecture?" she questioned him.

He seemly ignored her comment as he continued "I'm wearing my dark navy or grey t shirts and jumpers with my black, no blue jeans" he said with a smile.

Anne looked at him with a raised brow an unbelieving smile on her face.

"And under no circumstances am I making eye contact. I look up periodically look interested but then return my attention to my notes." He continued.

"Gilbert you aren't superstitious, what on earth makes you think this is working?" she questioned.

"The amount of questions I am answering on a daily bases has almost halved!" he told her.

"Could it not be because the Doctors have realised you know the answers and therefore only call on you when its a more difficult questions?"

"I'm telling you," he said with a laugh "its the clothes. Mark wore his red t-shirt the other day and every doctor asked him a question and he was sitting right next to me."

Anne smiled at his imagine on the screen and rolled her eyes "Well I suppose, whatever makes you more comfortable." She said to him.

"How's work?" he asked her as he started organising his evening, Anne saw he had put his laptop on his coffee table in the living room and had walked over to the freezer which he opened and took out a meal which had been sent in his weekly 'care packet' by his mother.

"Oh you know." She said with a shrug "Much like working in a bookstore should be, I made a 'best selling' rack today and suggested we have our favourites out on display too and maybe a little bit on why they are our favourites."

"Like a recommendations section?" he questioned, putting the meal in the microwave.

"Exactly." Anne said with a smile. "Andrew seems happy to just let me do what I want in there, its not really challenging." She admitted "but it is bringing an income in." She smiled. "Which of course I don't need much of, but its nice to have some savings."

"How about your novel?" he asked her, taking a glass and pressing his freezer for water and ice.

She sighed even heavier. "I don't know Gil," she said sitting back in her chair. "Maybe I wasn't meant to be an author after all." She said.

He look over and walked to the computer he sat on the floor in front of it and said "What did you just say?" he asked.

She sighed again and said "I get so far through and then it just sounds like a soppy trashy romance novel." She said quietly "then I remember Averil and I freeze, I literally stop and I can't write it anymore."

His arm rested on the table beside him as he gave a sigh "well," he said practically "I wouldn't give up all together." He admitted. "You can write." He told her.

"You have to say that, you're my boyfriend." She said.

"And when I wasn't I still thought it, Anne you can write." He emphasised again. "I always thought you should write about Avonlea."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Avonlea is the dearest place in the world, but its hardly a romantic setting." She objected.

"Then don't make it a romance." He suggested. "Cycle the characters so its not about any of them, but its about all of them. Yes have romance in it but make them a series of short stories." He grinned and added "Just be sure to change the names, we wouldn't want Mrs Lynde believing she's the heroine." To which he received a chuckle from Anne.

She looked at him and said "Do you really think I can?" she asked.

"I think you can be whatever you want to be Shirley." He told her with a grin. She nodded and gave a shy smile before her eyes lit. "You've just thought of a story, haven't you?" he asked her to which she nodded. "Then write it down." Gilbert grinned and she saw her hand moving to the computer, she was obviously opening a word document.

He opened his own browser and brought out his books. He took his meal out of the microwave and sat in front of the computer screen. In front of his browser in the top left hand corner was the imagine of Anne. He grinned at their arrangement. They Skyped every night he would sit as he was now she would sit much likes she was, and they would be there. It was almost as if the other was right there, comfortably sitting in the room with them, only he was in Kingsport and she was in Avonlea. He would open his browser and the little imagine of Anne would remain on his screen. Over the last couple of weeks she hadn't settled on the theme for her novel, it was only tonight she had finally said what the knack of it was. He looked at her, she couldn't know he was looking because she wasn't looking at him but he knew she likewise had a tiny window of him open at all times too. They'd just keep the window open, so they were there, sometimes they'd talk sometimes they wouldn't sometimes they would put a film on and watch it in the background together on Netflix and even once, they had fallen asleep with the window still open, they were only woken by Anne's alarm clock the next morning. Right now her eyes were just below the camera as she was looking at the screen but he could see she was typing away. He smiled at her happily. All those times they had spent together not touching, or hugging or kissing as they should be they were apart but together, now the tables had quite turned, they both wanted the hugs and the kisses, he sighed together but apart. In a way it was a cruel irony but he sighed as he opened his own books. At least both ways they were together.

Gilbert, himself phase in and out of attention. Today it had been hard to concentrate. Hardest because it was his birthday. He sighed heavily. No one here knew but him. He'd received a text message from Anne that morning.

Anne-Girl xxx: Happy Birthday my love! Your present should be with you this afternoon. I love you x.

And that was all he had received all day. Not that he was complaining. Just, he'd imagined it differently, never mind all the same he had to get through this day one way or another, he was moping and he knew it. The class was dismissed and he got up and instead of closing his book his remained open as he walked the now familiar corridor.

"Hey Blythe," One of his classmates called.

He looked up briefly to see the one other person who had been with him since the beginning of Redmond who had also got on the medical program. "Hey Joshua." He said before he returned to his books.

"Are you busy now?" Josh asked him "I was wanting to go over the notes for Doctor Willman's class." He told Gilbert as they opened the doors to outside which opened out onto a courtyard. Gilbert's head was still in his book otherwise he would have seen what Josh found so funny before Gilbert asked his friend. "Look up." Josh said with a grin as Gilbert looked up saw an unexpected vision in front of him.

Her feet were snug in a pair of black knee high boots under then you could see the black tights but was cut off by a mid thigh black skirt with a green jumper on underneath her black denim jacket and his lettermans jacket over the top, her hair was left loose down with a beanie hat and a scarf round her neck. He swallowed in surprise his mouth ajar for a moment before the book he was holding was tossed carelessly in the direction of Josh. His face broke into a smile as he rushed towards her "Anne." He said greeting her, his hand caressed her face momentarily before their lips met.

"Hello." She managed when he drew back for breath.

He chuckled in response before he kissed her again, it took a minute for him to draw back again and look at him in amazement. "what are you doing here?!" he exclaimed.

"It was your first birthday as a man with a girlfriend." She said sweetly. "Do you really think I'd leave you a lone man today?" she asked him before he kissed her again.

"Steady on Blythe." He heard from behind him. Gilbert pulled back and looked and smiled coyly as Josh addressed them "I can't tell you how surprised and relieved I was when Gilbert said you had got together over the summer." He said to Anne. "Its good to see you again Anne." He said to her.

"You too Josh, but you know you could have come and said hello, I would have welcomed the company." She told him.

He smiled and said "but I don't think it would be my company you were after. What brings you to Kingsport? Only to see this muggings?" he asked handing Gilbert back his book.

Anne laughed sweetly "That's quite enough of a reason if you ask me."

"I'll see if Mark has time to go over notes tonight then." He said with a smile "see you Monday Gil." He acknowledged as he walked away.

Gilbert turned back into Anne holding her close "I can't believe you're really here." He said to her softly.

"I love you." She said to him before they pulled away far enough to just slip their arms around each other as they walked. "Do you think Phil will mind if I call her and ask to stay there?" Anne asked.

"You haven't booked anywhere?" he asked her surprised.

"No, Andrew said he saw your mother who mentioned it was your birthday today, he said for me to take a day or two off and come and visit you. I drove down here today after I sent you that text message. He only told me two days ago I didn't have the chance to book" Anne told him.

"That's an awesome employer you have Anne." He said with a smile.

"I know." She said with a smile. "and here was I thinking it would give me plenty of time to write." She smiled.

He nodded "I'm sure Phil would enjoy your company but you are ignoring the obvious solution." He told her.

"Oh?" she asked surprised.

"You have a boyfriend with his own apartment." He said with a smile, to which she looked up at him surprised. "If you would like to stay with me?" he asked her.

"I'd love to." She smiled.

He smiled back "Lets go then." He said to her.

"Let me be a gentlemen?" he asked her taking her bag from her heading for the spare room.

"Oh?" she asked him looking confused.

"Oh?" he asked her looking at her for a moment before it registered. "I meant the spare room." He said to her gently "I wouldn't assume you'd want to bed with me." He stuttered.

Anne smiled and walked to him with a gentle chuckle and kissed his cheek in reassurance. "I hadn't thought of staying with you that's true." She admitted as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "But I think if I stayed with you, I would want to stay with you." She said to him innocently.

He swallowed and took a breath "You want to stay in the same bed as me?." He said to her to which she laughed.

"You assume Mr Blythe that I wouldn't want to stay with you."

He took a breath and said to her gently "I don't want to rush you." He told her gently.

She looked up at him and told him "You aren't." She said to him. "I can't think of anything more natural then sharing my bed with you." She admitted. "Unless you don't want to?" she asked him.

"No, Anne!" he objected. He drew her close and held her close "I want you in my bed." He told her straight, his feet carrying him to his bedroom door with her bags in hand he put them in his room. "I've wanted you here for such a long time, I can't tell you what it meant to me that night..." he said with a sweet smile.

"That was an accident." She said as she stroked his shirt coming close to him in the bedroom doorway "though the best kind of accident." She admitted.

"The best!" he repeated to which she giggled her arms going around his neck. "So, you're okay to share a bed with me?" he asked her.

"Yeah." She admitted "I think you are probably the one person in the world I can feel safe with." She said then she said "I've always been safe with you." She said with a bottom lip bitten.

He looked at her his eyes went wide his mouth dropped "Always?" he asked her.

"Yeah." She said a smile breaking across her face.

"What about carrots?" he asked her.

"You were just..." she wrapped him closer his hands now going around her waist. "eager to meet me."

A grin broke on his face as he laughed and he momentarily looked away, where he proclaimed "You brought presents?!"

"You didn't think I was your present did you?" she asked him sitting on the sofa watching as his face lit up at the sight. "Now some of these are from your mother too, oh and she said to bring you a supplementary care package 'while I was here' she said pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

Gilbert smiled "You can help me eat some if you like she always packs so much I can't eat it on my own." He said with a grin "I have four days worth of food at least in the freezer." He said with a grin.

"She misses you Gil." Anne said to him quietly. "she thinks literal nurturing will help." She giggled slightly "she invites me over at least twice a week you know."

"Good." Gilbert said honestly. "Now." He said turning the attention back to him "give me my presents!" he exclaimed.

She laughed as he seemed to bounce on the cheeks of his behind, his smile wide like a child.

"Okay." Anne smiled "which one first?" she asked him

He bit his bottom lip looking round and picking out a large bag. She smiled "This one is from me." She smiled.

He pulled out a hooded bomber leather jacket which was lined with fleece ready for the winter. Gilbert's eyes went wide as he looked at it in amazement "Anne!" he exclaimed "You didn't need to buy me this!"

Anne smiled at his reaction. "You never were spoilt were you Gilbert." She told him softly.

"I don't need spoiling." He told her "Anne..." he trailed looking at her.

"I thought it would look good on you." She told him with a grin "keep you warm during winter months it moves in fast." She told him. "I saw it and thought you must have it."

"But Anne, it looks expensive." He objected.

"Well count it as your birthday presents for the past couple of years too, I missed your birthdays."

He moved on his knees and knelt in front of her "Thank you." He said with a sweet smile and a kiss to her. "I'll wear it every day." He proclaimed.

He opened all the other presents happily his face quite content at the end of it. They sat on the snuggle chair Gilbert sitting on it, Anne curled up around him her head resting in his chest listening to his heartbeat her arms around him, his arms around her relaxing for the first time in weeks.

"This is the life." He proclaimed. "its almost perfect." He said quietly.

"Almost?" Anne asked him looking up.

He chuckled before he said quietly "Home is where the heart is," he quoted "and though my heart is always with you, this apartment, as nice as it is to live in, it isn't a home." He said quietly.

She smiled and said "still dreaming of that hearth fire?" she questioned.

He sighed happily "this is all too clinical." He said with a grin.

"You're going to be a doctor Gilbert." Anne teased. "Clinical is good."

"Yes." He agreed "for a hospital, but I like the feeling of home." He said softly, she looked at him and almost saw the unspoken dream play out in his eyes.

"We'll be sure to get there." She replied to him softly kissing his lips likewise. "In the meantime we mustn't kick a gift horse in the mouth." She said looking around to which he chuckled.

"No." He agreed "we must not. I really am very grateful. The boys say the dorms for the medical school are not as nice as the ones we were accustom to." He said with a grin to Anne. "paper thin walls and a draft." He said.

"Are you not tempted to have one of them as a roommate?" she asked him, he looked at her with his best doubtful look. "I think it must be an only child thing, you know at home I had my very own space, my own bathroom my own space, I could never really share it with someone unless I was really close to them."

She grinned and held him tighter "You shared them with me." She said innocently.

"I always wanted you around." He said. "See I was really being quite selfish." He said with a grin to her.

"Riiiiiggggghhhht." She laughed. "Well I'm glad you're a little selfish then."

"Anne?" he asked her a few moments later.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Did you bring birthday cake?"