Anne looked out over the horizon. The wild trail which had brought them here was a pure blanket of snow, Even though it had not snowed in over a week the temperatures had been so cold that none of the snow had melted of its own accord. The only paths were ones made under eh foot of men and the roads now thankfully had been made clear of snow and salt had been put on them to make it easier to drive. They were far away from that sort of civilized path, the only tracks which could be found for miles were that of the robin and two sets of human footprints, which clearly started in Avonlea and ended only at Hesters Garden.. It had been two weeks since Gilbert had come back to Avonlea for the Winter Holidays and it now seemed as though the time where he needed to be back in Kingsport was upon them, he'd be going back there in three days. He had desperately wanted to be alone with Anne over the holidays but between shadowing Doctor Dixon at the local hospital and Anne working they had barely been able to touch base with each other. Today they had marked as "their" day and found peace in walking up Hester's Hill and creating a fire while they were up there. They brought chairs with them and they were both holding gloved hands looking at the view from the hill.

"You'd think it would be less beautiful wouldn't you?" he said softly.

"Its a magical place Gil," Anne said to him with a smile on her face "Enchanted."

"Enchanted?" he repeated. "Now I like that."

"Its so unspotted from the world, there's nothing here which implies phones or electric, its just us." She said reverently.

"I wonder if we'd be able to camp up here?" he asked her.

"I don't know, I'd assume so." Anne said to him, "Maybe I can find out we can come back in the summer."

He shrugged "We could do it now?" he said with a grin. "It would be nice and peaceful."

"And nice and freezing!" She said with a smile to him where he grinned back. "Do you really want to camp in this?"

"Sure," He said with a laugh "with an electric blanket."

She laughed with him "You know there's no electric sockets up here?" she asked him teasingly.

"Summer it is then." He said to her then took a sip of his tea. "its a date then," He smirked "assuming we're still together."

At this Anne giggled "Still not taking me for granted?" she asked.

"Nope, not ever, every day a blessing." He said looking at her with sweet eyes.

She blushed slightly at his words before they fell silent again.

Anne woke the next morning in the warmth of his bed. She smiled recognising the smell of his bedroom she turned over in the bed looking for him with her arms. She only opened her eyes when she couldn't feel him there. She frowned sitting up in the bed. He had definitely been there the previous night, she had fallen asleep in his arms. She picked up her phone, confused, maybe she had overslept? She looked at the digital display of 07:30 and sighed. She put her phone down and flopped back on the bed when he came into the room. She looked wide eyed at him in surprised when he was wearing sweat pants a t shirt and zip up top.

"morning beautiful." He said with a smile to her and a kiss. "I was wondering if you had woken yet."

She was still confused so questioning him seemed a little blunt "Have you been out running?" she asked him.

He looked at her as if she was crazy "You know I go out on a morning run when I can."

"Yes." She agreed, "but, this morning?" she asked.

"Well I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake you, I went out at six thirty." He said sitting on the edge of the bed. "Quick kiss before I shower?" he asked her.

She smiled and sat up wrapping her arms around him.

"Careful." He said with a light grin. "You don't want to get too close I'm all hot and sweaty from my run."

"I don't care." She said honestly pulling him in for a kiss.

She felt his lips relax under hers, she smiled as he sighed contently in the kiss. She grinned as she felt both his arms wrap around her his body leaning in closer to her. She lay back slowly parting her legs as he moved up the bed while their lips didn't leave each other he relaxed there her legs wrapping around him.

Her heart went faster as his hand travelled down her side following the crease into her leg. She pulled back for a second to gasp where his hand was removed suddenly.

"Sorry." He whispered his cheek pink.

"No don't be." She said confused as to why he was moving back. "Gil no!" she tried. "Don't go."

Regardless he sat again on the edge of the bed. She could see he was trying to take breaths to calm down her stomach plunged when he stood up picked up his towel and said "I better take that shower." Then as quickly as he had came in the bedroom he was gone.

Anne sat up clearly confused about the encounter. Her heart still racing. That was the best feeling she had ever had! She had never expected when the hand was welcome there it would feel so completely opposite as it had just there, but she supposed it made sense. One was done in love the other in abuse. Her heart still racing a smile played on her lips as she realised she would happily let him do it again.

And Again.

And Again.

And...

She gasped again finally acknowledging the feeling which had been building up in her for quite some time. She sighed in a funny relief. So she could feel that way!

She picked up her phone and dialled a number she thought she wouldn't ever need to use.

"Anne are you sure you're okay driving me all the way back to school?" he asked her.

"Yes!" she exclaimed rolling her eyes, "I brought you back remember, your mini is still in the car park in your building, how else are you going to get back?"

"I do have parents you know?" he reminded her.

"Well..." she said with a raised eyebrow "of course if you would like to spend that time with your parents then of course you should..." she said to him her eyes going wide and innocently at him "But my love, I thought you might like it if I spent the night..." she said her arms going around him "...in bed..." she said bringing herself closer to him drawing her mouth to his ear"...with you."

She smiled as she could feel him reacting his arms draped around her lazily she reached up as he reached down with their lips gently they brushed each others lips with the others, he leaned into her pulling his head back far enough she looked up and saw his eyes were squeezed shut as if to concentrate, she looked as his eyes opened and just for a moment she was sure she could see he was confused.

"I'd love you to stay over, you know that." He whispered.

"Then?" she asked.

"Then, drive me back to school." He said with a smile to her. "You know I can't wait to spend time with you."

"Good," she said with a grin. "But I really must be back by Monday afternoon, I have an appointment I need to keep." She said casually.

"Appointment?" he asked her.

"Just a dentists check up." She told him. "They are just a nightmare to rearrange, I best just get it over and done with."

He nodded appreciating what she was saying. "Then we'll make sure," he said "we can drive up there Friday once you've finished work and you can leave bright and early on Monday morning."

"Ummm." She smiled. "I like that, two whole days all to ourselves" she smiled with him. "I'll miss you. When you aren't here I'll miss you, you know that right?" She whispered to him.

"I'll miss you." He whispered back, "these holidays have come and gone too quickly." He admitted to which she laughed in agreement. "You'll come and see me soon yes?" he asked her.

"Yes." She agreed. "I promise." She told him "Easter, I'll come for easter for certain." She agreed.

"Thats not until April!" he exclaimed.

"And until then we have skype." She said to him kissing him again.

"Thank you Mr James, bye." Anne smiled as a customer left the bookstore.

"Anne," Andrew approached her on the early spring afternoon.

"Andrew," she smiled.

He paused and thought carefully before he continued "are you happy here Anne?" he asked her.

"Why would I not be?" Anne asked her face falling. "Am I..." she started then continued "Am I doing something wrong?" she asked him.

"No!" Andrew exclaimed "No, Anne not at all, you're a hard worker, you know your literature and you're not bad at the non fiction too, you can recommend more books then I can and you have a natural customer service flare."

"So?" she asked confused.

He took a sigh and continued "You have an English degree!" he exclaimed "you have a English degree and you're working in a shop!"

Anne smiled and looked at him "I don't see how one has to do with another." She told him "I came here with no work experience, if nothing else its enriched my love for books as well as given me some work experience behind me."

He sighed and said to her "Surely there's something else you'd rather be doing?"

Anne looked concerned "are you firing me?" she asked.

"No, its just you're too good for the post, don't you think you'd be better off..."

"Andrew, I chose this job because I wanted an income, I want to work but I also needed something where I wasn't going to be doing overtime hours or worrying about it at home, because I am working on..." she paused in her speech not wanting to tell anyone about the series of short stories in the making just yet, not to mention further plans for her future she hadn't shared with anyone else yet, not even Gilbert "other projects." She admitted. "I am happy Andrew and this job is not beneath me."

Andrew smiled in relief "I'm glad." He said. "Now, its closing up time, do you want to head home, I'll finish up here."

"Okay." Anne said. "Are you sure everything is okay?" she double checked.

"I'm positive, you're an assess Anne."

She smiled and packed up her things walking down main street she slipped between the library and the old railway station to the slip road onto the entrance to the woods. She sighed contently and lost herself in her thoughts.

Upon return from university she had been stopped by several people asking her what her next grand plan was, and honestly at first she didn't know. Her writing was an obvious priority, but not many people knew Anne had been working at the bookstore so she could write her novel too. Her occupation didn't need further education like Gilbert's did. She didn't need a further education. Yet she didn't have the means to pay for anything further, there were no scholarships available in English the year she graduated, and she couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather work, she Anne Shirley, worked in a bookstore, a bookstore! Would it be natural for her to be in a job which meant she wasn't surrounded by books?

She eventually came to Green Gables greeting Marilla with a kiss on the cheek to Marilla in the kitchen and a smile to Davy as she started to walk through the parlour.

"You going to moon over Gilbert?" Davy asked her.

"If you mean talk to him over Skype yes." Anne said with a grin stopping to talk to him. "He has classes until eight so it won't be until later."

"Good, because I need your help." He told Anne.

"My help?" she asked.

"Coach Rennie says I have to get better grades if I want to stay on the football team." He said with a heavy sigh, bringing out a pile of papers. "I can't believe the other teachers are in cahoots with each other."

"Davy!" she exclaimed looking through the papers. "None of these papers are marked anything above a C minus!" she exclaimed. "And that's from Mr Irving."

"Shhh!" he cried. "Marilla will hear!"

"Marilla will know when your report card comes out with these grades on if you continue on like this." She told him.

"I know." He said "That's why I need your help."

"You want my help getting your grades up?" she asked him.

"Yes." He said. "Not to genius levels, I don't want to go to university, Millie Moore's dad is a welder and he said he would take me on as an apprentice. All I need is my High School Diploma he said."

"You won't even get that if you continue like this." Anne told him seriously. They looked at each other for a moment before she said "but I can help." She said to him.

"Aw Anne! You're the best!" he exclaimed.

"Coach Rennie was always extremely fair." Gilbert told Anne, "and he must believe that Davy can do it, with the training otherwise he would tell him he was off the team." Gilbert assured Anne later.

"I don't understand Davy, he's smart." Anne said shaking her head. "Why doesn't he just apply himself, he could make it to college one day."

"He's still only a freshman Anne." Gilbert commented with a smile "plenty of boys have changed their minds between the ages of fourteen to eighteen."

"Which is why its better to have good grades now so he doesn't hinder himself later."

"Anne I know this." Gilbert said with a grin.

Anne sighed "Sorry." She said with a grin "I know you do love."

"I sense there's something else bothering you." He said looking at her concerned.

She sighed and said to him "Andrew spoke to me today, he said he was concerned I was working beneath me."

He smiled and said "well they all expect great things of you Anne." He told her softly. "a bookshop isn't what they had in mind."

"Why not?" she sighed "It's not beneath me, I've never worked before why not a bookstore?"

"You've always reached for the stars." Gilbert smiled "and people are seeing you are settled and its unsettling to them."

"I'm writing my story." She defended.

"I know."

"Its not like I'm not doing anything."

"I know."

"Even if I wasn't, what if I wasn't doing anything, what business is it of everyone?"

"Every one?" Gilbert asked "I thought we were talking about Andrew?" he asked.

"Andrew, Mrs March, Mr Holmes, Mr Potter the next door neighbour..." she trailed.

"Everyone's asking." He nodded understanding.

"And then, Mrs Andrews proclaimed that because I 'have me a man' that 'I've suddenly seen the light' and 'given up'." She continued "of all the anti feministic tripe I've heard..."

Gilbert chuckled "well you'll show them when you get yourself published." He said proudly.

"Um." She finally concurred. "I'm just sick already of people's attitudes."

"Its a small town." Gilbert agreed. "How do you think they reacted when they found out I was going to medical school. I'm just a farmer's son."

"You were never just anything." Anne replied. "not to me anyway." She told him.

He smiled a blush appearing at his cheeks. "You too love."