I feel like I should be shouting out to everyone this week! People you know who you are and I love to inbox you all! Thank you so much for the feedback, please feel free to comment! Love Carrots x

Gilbert walked through his lobby greeting the security guard on his way past.

Today it was the ides of March. Almost Easter and almost time to see Anne again. He put the key in the elevator and the elevator started up the building. He shut his eyes his head against the panel behind him. Classes were gruelling and hard but he was keeping up.

The last two years of university had been a nightmare. He had become accustom to working with Anne beside him. It was easy with her there, yes his thoughts would drift to her sometimes, he would study her face her ability to concentrate, he watched as she learned new things the way her eyes would brighten, her tongue would peak out of one side of her mouth as she worked. He'd smile and continue working, when he wanted to talk out an idea, wanted to work on something, she would be there.

Until she wasn't. The distance was bad enough but the actual cut off of her, of her friendship of her personality in his life, It had hurt him.

Now, she was back, of sorts. Their relationship was refreshing, she was refreshing but the distance was killing him! How he thought they could do long distance when he went to New York was beyond him! Although he may not have stayed as long if he had Anne to come home to!

He couldn't wait to get in, online and talking to Anne. The elevator pinged and the doors open, Gilbert's eyes widened as he saw his old lettermans jacket on the coat rack as he came in the room. His own coat he started to bring down his shoulders.

His eyes brighten his legs carried him to the sofa. "Anne." He smiled his coat disregarded. She had been lying on the sofa her laptop on her chest when he had came in the room by the time he arrived at the sofa the laptop was disregarded, his shoes quickly kicked off, his body slipping on top of hers, her lips greeting his. Gilbert sighed humming in her mouth in satisfaction. He felt her lips smile for a moment at his satisfaction before her fingers ruffled in his hair, their lips not leaving each other Gilbert felt Anne's hand slip under his t-shirt her hand pressing between his hip and his stomach, he drew a deep breath in as he pulled back for a moment looking down into Anne's eyes he saw a twinkling green hue to her eyes.

She bit her bottom lip playfully before her hand slipped round his back, she closed the gap between their lips again.

Thoroughly kissed some time later he pulled back his head resting in her bosom he looked up and smiled "Hello."

Anne laughed then bit her bottom lip again "hello."

"You didn't say you were coming?" he wondered.

"I wanted to surprise you." She told him. "I have a meeting with a publisher and..."

"Publisher?!" he exclaimed pulling himself up looking at her happily. "Anne!"

She smiled her cheeks pinking pulling herself up next to him their legs still tangled together "Don't get too excited, its just a meeting."

"Just a..." he looked at her incredulously.

"A meeting," she said with a smile "just to go over my book." She told him. "I thought since I was in town and you've offered before and I've stayed here before..."

"Don't think on it." He said with a smile. "You belong here." He said with a smile.

"In your room with you?" she flirted.

He smiled widely and nodded. "In my room, with me." He smiled looking at her for a moment before he jumped up and took her hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"Its Tuesday night." He said with a smile. "You know what that means?" he asked her.

Her confused look turned to a bright smile. "Slam Dunk the funk? Its still going?" she squealed excitingly.

"Come on." He said taking her by the hand "A real date this time?" he said with a grin.

Anne laughed taking his hand letting him pull her up "That's right they were dates weren't they?" she smiled. "The best dates ever." She told him as they headed towards the elevator.

She whispered. "I love you."

"I love you." He said pulling her in and kissing her. The elevator binged and they both broke the kiss and looked up at the offending sound, before he looked down at her with a raised eyebrow they smiled and then started to laugh. "come on," he whispered. "Lets go."

Four hours later Anne was spooned by Gilbert his arm around her cuddling her back into his chest. His nose moved her hair so he could kissed into her shoulder and he smelled her hair then his eyes closing. She was asleep now but they had a lovely evening. They had laughed their way through Slam Dunk the funk, gone to a fast food restaurant, where Anne had insisted on them sharing the milkshake 'like they did in the old movies', they went back to his apartment where she had sat and helped him study for his test in two days. They had came into the bedroom where he had wrapped his arms around her she had snuggled her back into him and had fallen asleep within minutes. He smiled now relaxing at the feeling.

This was heaven. The evening had been lively and they had studies just as they had before. He held her a little closer realising again that actually all that time ago, he wasn't imagining it that they were falling in love, that Anne had loved him. Those feelings were real, and now, now it was only better the echoes of yeterdays past flooded in his memory. He grinned closing his eyes.

Gilbert's eyes followed Anne the next morning. Her knee length skirt had a slit just above her knee to her mid thigh, the suit nipped in at the waist, Her long hair nipped in a bobble she had straighten her hair. Her shoes were a pair of high heels.

"You look very pretty for your meeting." He said to her.

"Thanks you." She said with a smile but then saw the look on his face "but?" she asked him.

"You don't look like you." He told her "you look very formal."

She grinned and said to him "I have to look responsible, its a formal meeting."

"I know but you look all business like, its not a look I'm used to." He said to her.

"Do you not like me looking like this?" she asked him.

"I didn't say that," he told her taking a sip of his tea "I like to look at you however you look." He admitted "It just different, like how you might look one day if you became a teacher, or a lawyer." He said with a grin. "What time is your meeting?"

"Ten." Anne confirmed. Putting the milk in her tea. "You're first class is at nine thirty right?"

"Yeah, that's right." He said with a grin "have you memorised my timetable?" he asked.

"Maybe." She said with a soft smile. "Can I walk you to class? It'll still give me time to get there on time?" she asked.

"I'd love that."

He arrived back to the apartment to find Anne sitting crossed legged on the floor with her laptop in front of her she was concentrating so much Gilbert could see she hadn't noticed him come in. She had changed out of her clothes she had been wearing into some yoga pants and a baggy t-shirt her hair swirled on top of her head in a bun.

"Hey beautiful." He said kissing her on her head.

"Hey." She said blinking "Are you back already?" she asked him.

"Already?" he asked "its half past eight." He told her.

She looked at the clock on her laptop and shook her head.

"How did your meeting go?" he asked her.

She sighed and sat back from her laptop. "They said there was a lot of work to be done and suggested several edits, extensions, plot developments, changes..." she sighed and looked at him "which they've conveniently marked up for me." She said trying to hold back the tears but failing completely. Gilbert jumped and sat next to her on the floor cuddling her into him "

Hey, hey." He whispered softly. "Come on love, the changes can't be that drastic otherwise they would have rejected it on first read." He told her "and remember you said, you said remember that several edits would need to be made, you told me that." He said practically. "These are the baby steps remember." He encouraged her cuddling her into his chest "you romantic soul you." He whispered "its a step remember to writing the great Canadian novel." He soothed her, to which she pulled back and looked at him amazed. "What?" he asked.

She shook her head "When we weren't in contact I'd sometimes have dreams." She took a deep breath and continued "of you," she paused before she said "and me, and we'd just be talking, just hanging out and it would just be like old times you know." She smiled "but anyway after Averil and everything happened, Roy had been trying to convince me all would be okay and he just did it all wrong, and I had this dream of you where I said you would tell me that all the greats get reduced down to popular culture that no one would mock me, to take the money and do something useful to it and that I'd write the great Canadian Novel and that I was a romantic soul." She smiled.

He smiled and hugged her more "well it sounds as though you were having a sleep relationship with me." He smiled "You had my character down though." He shrugged "at least it was an accurate representation of me." He grinned.

"You were there." She whispered, "In my dreams." She sighed wiping her eyes.

"And I was saying just what I would say in real life, you can be anything you want to be Anne." He whispered. "I know it feels as though you are editing everything, but they must see potential in it Anne." He said still stroking her arm "Your profession is the easiest to start, anyone can start to write," he told her "but my god is it the hardest and most competitive profession in the world!" he exclaimed "You get edited and critiqued every step into publication and then once that is over you have to deal with the critics on the other end!" he admitted "its tough, and not many people can handle it." He told her "but you Anne Shirley," he whispered to her "are a formidable women." He pressed his lips into her forehead "You're the women I love," he told her "and the women I love can achieve anything she wants to." He told her.

She cried into him and smiled at the same time. "I don't always want to be strong Gil." She told him.

"I know." He nodded and remained silent for a minute just letting her sob for a little while, "but you and I," he finally whispered "we're made of the same things aren't we?" he asked her.

"Yeah." She agreed. "Yeah we are."

He looked to her laptop before he said "Your brain must be fried from your meeting and I bet you haven't stopped since you got back." To which she nodded. "So how about you put your laptop away and don't look at it until you get back to Avonlea, look at it with a fresh eye and open mind?"

She sighed looked at the computer and then at him "Done." She said shutting the lid of the laptop. "Do you have work to do?" she asked him.

"I do." He acknowledged "But nothing that can't wait until after I've had some of my mother's stew and tucked us in bed, its the perfect in bed kind of studying."

She smiled and said "I wish we had more of that more often."

He looked down at her as she tucked herself into him more her hand slipping down to just below his belly button, he took a deep breath closed his eyes and put his hand on top of hers "Ummm." He sounded "That feels good." He whispered.

"I can go lower." She whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked at her "you don't need to do that Anne." He whispered. "Come on its not needed." He said slipping his fingers into hers and kissed the back of her hand. "I don't know about you but I'm exhausted." He admitted. "Lets get something to eat and get to our night time routine, then you'll be good to head back in the morning."

Anne woke with a start sometime later, she turned on the bed looking at her phone it read two thirty she turned back to watch Gilbert sleep.

They had eaten quietly then headed into the bedroom, Gilbert had a book he was reading for school which he had read past her going to sleep. She studied his face now. Still the same handsome face, those roguish hazel playful eyes which were closed behind their lids right now. She sighed and let her hand slip down to the waistband of the pyjama bottoms he had on. She stopped before she went any further wondering for a moment why it was he didn't seem to want to go any further? It was strange, because even as she had been falling asleep he had one arm around her loving her so gently so entirely.

"Do you love me Gilbert Blythe?" she whispered to him before she rolled her eyes and shook her head. She knew she was being ridiculous, it was Gilbert Blythe, of course he loved her. He had been patient and waited for her, it was her turn now. She lay back down and wrapped herself into his arm which she knew he must have woken a little because he held her a little tighter there for a moment. She smiled and sighed contently. She was happy and content and in the arms of the man who loved her. That's all that mattered really.

September 2014

Gilbert stood outside of the middle school door.

He didn't think he was ready for this.

He wasn't ready to face school with his dad in the current condition.

He didn't really care anymore.

Charlie's plan for them to be the co-captains of the football team by high school.

Billy Andrew's plan to sneak out beer into the woods at the weekend so they could all get wasted.

Josie, Ruby, Jane and their giggling.

None of it mattered anymore.

The night before his parents told him his dad had cancer, and his whole world fell apart.

Reality of life hit him all at once. He'd read about the five stages of grief.

Denial

"What?!" he had shouted. "No! No, no way!" he had cried in shock. "But you don't look sick!"

"Not all sicknesses can be seen Gilbert." His dad had said patiently.

"Well where is it?!"

John swallowed "My Throat son."

Bargaining

"Okay, well fine then, just get the tonsils out that'll get rid of it." Gilbert had bargained.

"It isn't tonsillitis Gilbert." His mother said softly. "Taking them out will make no difference."

"This isn't happening!" Gilbert dropped back to denial sitting down at the table he hand over his head. "How did this happen?! Why?"

"We don't know why," John had started.

"Let's just thank God we..."

Anger

"God!" Gilbert exclaimed. "You think God would let this happen?!" Gilbert shook his head.
"Gilbert..." his mother tried.

"No!" No way! You can't expect me to believe in a God who would let this happen!" he shouted. "Forget church and God screw them!" Gilbert had finally screamed.

"Gilbert!" His father had reprimanded sternly. "we can't play the blame game here son."

"We have to try to work through this as a family."

At this Gilbert had marched out the room and up the stairs ensuring he slammed every door on the way to his bedroom.

Depression

An hour later his mother sat on the end of his bed "Gilbert?" she had whispered to the crying lad.

"Leave me alone!" he cried. "My world is falling apart."

His mother took a sigh and whispered "Gilbert this isn't the end."

"You don't know that!" Gilbert exclaimed from in his arms.

"Gilbert, please come on come here. Get up." She said taking him by the hand she flung himself into her lap.

"Up, I don't want to get up, I just want to be miserable." He cried. His mother had held him in her arms for another hour that night before he sat up suddenly wiped his eyes and proclaimed "I wish..." he started "I wish I didn't have to feel anything."

Presently he stood outside the middle school doors, his reactions had ranged between all of the above reactions, Denial, Bargaining, Anger and depression all seemed to swirl round him, he knew the last step was inevitable, it would come to him as all things did: Acceptance. He just wasn't there yet. It could wait, he wanted to wallow some more. Right now, now he had to face middle school. He took a deep breath and opened the door going into the corridor, he sighed in relief as no one seemed to be in the corridor he was particularly close to.

"Hi Gil!" Josie waved at him from across the corridor.

"Hey." He nodded as he walked by followed by the shriek of giggles from the girls as his back was turned. He continued down the corridor and saw a quiet Diana look at him wide eyed before her cheeks went red and she turned away into her locker. He looked up towards his locker to find his friends there.

"Hey Gil." Charlie grinned as his friend came down the corridor.

"Hey." Gilbert greeted.

"You'll never guess what I heard?" Charlie exclaimed.

"Um?" Gilbert asked, trying to work out if his friends knew or not, were they acting differently? Or was the whole world just different because he knew?

"I heard Josie flashed to Ian Cain in the woods last night." Charlie proclaimed.

Gilbert looked down the corridor to Josie who was twirling her hair giving beauty tips to any girl who would hear her.

"Oh?" he feigned interest for the sake of it being Charlie. "Sorry but why..." he started.

"Why?!" Charlie exclaimed "why indeed!" he said with a air of cockiness which always confused Gilbert "Can't you see?" Charlie asked Gilbert. "It's starting!"

"Starting?" Gilbert asked him.

"Stuck on slow today Blythe?" Charlie asked him. "I don;t know about you but I've wanted to start asking all the pretty girls out on dates? We'll be able to impress them pick up the chicks." He said smoothing back his hair. "You can be my wing man!" He proclaimed to Gilbert.

Gilbert felt his own eyes roll "Gee, thanks." He said sarcastically but it wasn't picked up on by Charlie. He really had bigger problems to worry about then trying to pick up a thirteen year old girl, even if he was thirteen!

At this Fred Wright came running over to the boys and whispered something in Charlie's ear which made him smile. "Teachers must be of the same opinion." He said with a grin to Gilbert. "Sex talk in first period."

Gilbert came in the house into the kitchen and sat down at the table. His head hit the surface of the table as he let out a heavy sigh.

"Bad day?" his mother asked.

"I think the gods are all working against me to try and break me." He said dramatically to his mother.

"Oh?" she asked with a smile playing on her lips. "why do you think that?" she asked him.

He looked up into his mothers eyes and shook his head. With this Mrs Blythe stopped what she was doing sat down opposite him and said to him "Gilbert, you know you can talk to me about anything don't you?" she asked him.

He looked at his mother for a moment before he shook his head "No, not this." He said.

"W-what?" his mother stuttered in surprise as his boy blushed away shyly. "Ohhh." She realised with a smile on her face "You had the sex talk today!" she realised.

"Oh God Mom!" he emphasised each word. "I don't need to hear it from you too!" he groaned slightly grossed out that his mother could know anything of sex.

Mrs Blythe laughed "Oh baby boy its biology." She smiled.

"Its not though is it?" he said quickly without thinking.

"Its not?" she said.

Gilbert took a heavy sigh and started "Charlie wants to 'nail' as many girls as he can when its legal, his words not mine, though I somehow doubt that's prophetical. Fred blushed his whole way through the day looking positively ill by the end of the day and Moody proclaimed that sex should be had within the bounds of marriage and everything else is immoral." He sighed.

"and you?" Mrs Blythe asked him.

Gilbert sat back in his seat and looked into his lap tears threatening his eyes "Its too much." He choked out. "I... I can't... I don't want to process this, I have more important things to worry about!" he exclaimed.

His mother's gaze didn't part from him but her eyes softened with her face. "Well, you don't need to, until you're at least sixteen, that's another three years." She said reaching for his hands.

"Two and a half." He muttered.

"You know just because you can, it doesn't mean you have to." His mother said to him.

"You think Moody..." he started.

Mrs Blythe smiled "Moody's father is a highly religious man." She admitted "where we go to church, we believe in God we try and live our religious convictions, Moody's dad is somewhat the kind of man who will bash the stand with his bible." She laughed. "His opinions will reflect his fathers."

"Then what?" He asked.

She sighed and thought before she spoke. "Its really up to you what you do with the information Gilbert, I can't force you into being any sort of man." She took a sigh before she continued "but what I would hope for you, is that whenever you have sex that you love the person you have sex with." She told him "because honestly," she continued "and they don't tell you this in sex ed," she told him "You are closer with the people you have sex with, it brings an emotional, some might say spiritual bond with them." She paused looking at him, she could tell he was taking it all very seriously. "You have to be very careful Gilbert not to misuse or abuse that trust."

"You mean rape?" he asked her.

"Not just rape son there's other forms of abuse. Don't ever belittle a girl, do not force a girl, sex is an expression of love and love doesn't force, the intimacy is..." she paused and took breath "intense." She looked up and saw the look on her sons face. "Just, take your time." She said to him. "My advice, is to be in love before sex."

He thought for a minute before he reached into his back pocket pulling out the packet he dumped it on the table "I don't think I'll be needing that anytime soon." He told his mother "I don't think I'll be falling for any girls in Avonlea." He told her.

His mother smiled "None of them?" he asked.

"I think, I would want someone... different, someone, I don't know, someone I could talk to without them giggling or twirling their hair, someone who I can joke with and someone I can really talk to, maybe debate and philosophise with." He said with a nod "Someone different to all them." He said quietly. "Someone who I can share this with." He said with a sigh. "Can you think of anyone around here like that?" he asked her.

To which she shook her head. He started to walk away before she said "Did you not tell any of your friends about your dad?" She asked him.

"No," he admitted quietly. "No, I haven't."