Hi Everyone!
So I never get the chance nowadays to say hello to everyone, to really thank you all for following for dropping reviews, it really does mean a lot to me and I don't get bored of it so if you do have the time!
love Carrots x
Two nights later Gilbert opened the door to Cornelia standing in front of him.
"You're not Anne." She observed.
"Alas no, you'd find a better person standing here if I was." He said with a smile playing at his lips.
"Who is it Gil?" they heard Anne call.
"You must be the doctor." Cornelia said to him.
"Its, Gil, or Gilbert if you prefer, I'm um not a doctor yet." He said to her standing aside letting her in the apartment.
"Anne honey I'm home!" Cornelia called to her.
"Oh Gil!" Anne remembered calling from the bedroom as she walked out she told him "I met Cornelia in the elevator the other day she lives in 4a."
He nodded in acknowledgement and asked the girl "Can I offer you a drink?" he asked her.
Cornelia looked to Anne almost ignoring Gilbert for a moment she asked her "You told him about me?"
Anne smiled at the confused Gilbert and the strong Cornelia. "No, only now." Anne admitted "I'm afraid you're getting the unfiltered Gilbert." Anne said with a smile.
"Oh bish!" she exclaimed "no way is there a man as nice as that on his own!"
"They say there is always an exception to prove the rule." Anne commented "Miss Cornelia, meet exception." Anne said with a smile her hand gesturing towards Gilbert.
Cornelia looked to Gilbert suspiciously before she said "A diet cola would be nice." She admitted.
"Diet cola it is." He said heading towards the kitchen unphased by the unusual greeting of Cornelia. "Love?" he asked Anne.
"The same." Anne admitted.
"So..." Cornelia said taking a seat "That's the doctor?" she questioned.
Anne smiled. "My Gilbert, yes." She confirmed "Though he has a million tests to pass this year before he gets to practice what he knows, and then its only the end of next year he gets matched to a hospital." Anne told her.
"So what happens if he doesn't get matched here?" Cornelia asked looking rather disappointed at Anne.
"We're hoping for Kingsport, but that doesn't happen until the end of next year, but he is in the hospital, observing and learning from the best doctors" Anne admitted "but if we have to go elsewhere I can transfer my masters programme." Anne admitted.
"Typical man expecting you to drop all of your plans for him." Cornelia commented
"Its just one of the options we're considering Cornelia." Anne said in her best teacher voice "I could stay here..." which made Gilbert look over from the kitchen his heart plumping at the idea of being away from her, even after just a couple of days living with her, he knew he didn't want to be apart from her again. "Gilbert doesn't demand or expect anything from me." She said which made him smile with pride at her. He picked up the drinks and brought them over for the two girls.
"I'm going to seem awfully anti-man." She told Gilbert as he handed her the glass "There are very few men I like." She told him.
"I like that in a girl, high expectations." He said sitting next to Anne.
Anne smiled and told Cornelia "it took me a while to warm to Gilbert." Anne admitted.
Cornelia smiled at this and asked Gilbert "she made you work for it huh?"
"Makes her friendship more the precious to me, highly valued." He told her with a smile to Anne which made her smile back "and what of your friendship Cornelia?" Gilbert asked her "you said there are very few men you like, which means you like some," Gilbert asked "Am I right?" he asked.
"You are." She concurred "I like Captain Jim who lives on the first floor, say all you like about government involvement in wars you can't fault troops for following commands, he's English you know served in the military there and was involved in the first gulf war as a sixteen year old and then served in the military until 2018 he immigrated here to Canada. He's very interesting."
"He sounds it." Gilbert agreed with a small smile "I admit despite living here for two years I've not interacted much with the neighbours." He looked to Anne for a moment before he said "I shouldn't have done that." Which got him a nod from Anne.
"You didn't think of fraternizing with the neighbours yourself?" Cornelia asked him.
"I..." he thought carefully before continuing "You know without Anne I possibly would have joined the monastery. I'm not much of a one for socialising where I don't need to, though I should be friends with my neighbours, I've been a little preoccupied with medical school, I may have forgotten to even say hello."
"Even to the pretty ones." Anne said rolling her eyes then remembered her encounter with another neighbour and asked "Oh speaking of which there was this beautiful women, long blond hair blue eyes, I think she got out the elevator on floor six...?" Anne started to enquire when Cornelia's head nodded.
"You met Leslie." Cornelia nodded slightly.
"See I told you!" she said slapping Gilbert's chest playfully which got a look of confusion from Cornelia "We were in the elevator one day and he didn't even see her." Anne said with eyebrows raised.
"Hey I had my own girl right there with me and I was reading her published booked I was somewhat preoccupied." Gilbert said which got a scoffed laugh from Anne but a look of admiration from Cornelia.
"You must only have eyes for Anne if you missed her." She said. "She is gorgeous Gil."
"I'll take your word for it." Gilbert replied.
"So you know her?" Anne asked.
"Yes, I do, but Anne she's so torn and broken, she's not had it easy."
"Oh?" Anne asked.
"She was somewhat a wild child along with her brother they would go out and party, this is from middle school upwards but they were in a motorcycle accident he died and she survived, you'd think it would be enough to sober her a little but she went more wild after she lost him her parents disapproved of her boyfriend at the time, so as soon as they legally could they ran away and got married." She said with a shrug. "She knew he was a deadbeat but cared very little about he consequences at the time." She told Anne. "So, she comes back married to this guy and they move in together, and then he joins the army." Cornelia said with a shrug "but he got injured, actually he changed so completely from what he was. PTSD, he has panic attacks, he's violent and injured physically too, he can't take care of himself, she cares for him, though more out of a sense of duty, I don't believe there was any love lost or found in it."
"That's awful!" Gilbert sympathised as Anne's mouth dropped in amazement.
"But she can't be older then us!" Anne exclaimed. "That's tragical."
"She's twenty five only nine years younger then I am, I must admit I'd rather stay a bachelorette my entire life then endure what she's had to the last eleven years."
"She's our age." Anne said softly to Gilbert. Both Anne and Gilbert looked sadly at each other before Cornelia snapped them out of it.
"Are you looking forward to starting your masters Anne?" she asked.
"Um, yes." She said soberly before she brighten a little "Yes, though it'll be the end of September when I start, I've been lucky enough to get flexible but steady employment for the holidays at full time and during term part time hours."
"At the publishers right?" Cornelia asked.
"Right." Anne agreed.
"You said you were reading Anne's book when you met Leslie right Gilbert?" Cornelia asked which he nodded to. "So you're an author too?!" she asked Anne.
"Oh, yes." Anne blushed. "its no big deal." She said quietly.
"No big..." she looked to Gilbert and asked him "this better not be your doing." She told him.
"He never stop telling me what an accomplishment it is." Anne told her with a smile.
"I am quite proud of her you know?" he said with his winning grin to her.
Cornelia's mouth upturned for a moment before she quickly corrected herself and said "You know Dear Doctor, I might still learn to like you."
Anne smiled the Cornelia before an idea sprung to mind "I know!" she exclaimed "a girls night!" Anne said with a smile which made Gilbert roll his eyes "Yes!" she said again "A girls night I can invite over Josie, Cornelia?" she asked to which she got a nod " and maybe you can ask Leslie too?" Anne asked Cornelia.
"I can only ask." She said "but don't get your heart set on it Anne."
"I won't, but it'll be nice to get to know her." Anne admitted.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Captain Jim." Gilbert said with a smile to him as they all sat down in Captain Jim's apartment a few days later, Cornelia had promised to introduce them which she had arranged just a few days later. "Miss Cornelia has nothing but high praise for you."
Captain Jim looked over at Cornelia with a nod "Ah so you do love me after all?" he questioned.
"Me? I would never love a man!" she exclaimed. "You surely know me better then that Captain Jim."
He shook his head turning his attention to the new couple in front of him "So, what do you two do to keep out of trouble?" he asked them.
"Gilbert and Anne are going to be one of those high power couples." Cornelia said with a smile.
"Oh?" he asked them.
"High powered?" Gilbert asked with a chuckle to Cornelia.
"Well you are." Cornelia smiled. "Gilbert is at medical school and Anne is working part time at the publishing house in town, is starting a masters degree at university and has her own book published."
"You're an author Miss Shirley?" he asked her interested.
"Yes, I am, there's only the one book..." she said humbly.
"So far.." Gilbert added.
"You want to publish more?" he asked her.
"Oh yes very much so." She admitted.
"You should write down some of my stories." He said to her with a smile.
"Oh, I'm really not that type of author," she said shaking her head "I'm sure I couldn't do them justice." She admitted.
"And you a medical man?" he said to Gilbert.
"Yes, I am." Gilbert acknowledged.
"Hard work?" he asked.
"Oh yes sir, very hard work." Gilbert replied.
"And yours too Miss Shirley?" He asked Anne.
"Yes, it is." She agreed "not that we're complaining." She said with a look to Gilbert and he shook his head lightly.
"Indeed not." Captain Jim agreed "hard work is good for the soul."
"Talking about hard work..." Gilbert started "yours makes ours fade into insignificance." He said to the Captain. "We'd be interested in hearing more." He said.
"Well..." the captain said with a smile "if you insist..."
"Josie!" Anne exclaimed seeing her old friend before her, the two dressed somewhat akin, but it was a themed party, Anne had decided to rent 'Fame' so it was eighties wear all the way. "You look amazing!" Anne exclaimed looking to her friend. Josie was wearing bright neon teal leggings with pink leg warmers and white trainers she wore a black leotard with a loose pink crop top over the top of it her now bobbed hair sported a high half up and half down look held up with a scrunchy. Her lips sported bright pink lipstick with bright blue eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow.
"You too!" Josie exclaimed "I bet Gil loves that look on you Anne!" she said by way of return of compliment. Anne's red hair was big and red, backcombed to look bigger with her hair plaited overnight the braids had come out to frizz, she wore a it up to one side with a big bow in it. She wore a black leggings with a short neon pink rara skirt which sported a leopard print. She wore an off shoulder black t shirt which sported a neon print across it, she wore some black finger-less gloves and a ton of bracelets. Her makeup done like Josie's the very pink lipstick and blue around the eyes.
"Thanks!" Anne said with a smile to her as she came in the two girls hugging briefly. "Gilbert as ever was biased." She shrugged.
"Is he hibernating?" Josie asked her.
"No," Anne admitted "he went to the library for a study session and said he'll stay down there for the quiet." Anne smiled.
"So!" Josie exclaimed coming in and sitting on the sofa "are you looking forward to starting your masters?" she asked
"I am!" Anne confirmed "its an exciting prospect, new people, new things to learn new perspectives..."
"And new apartment, new living conditions..." Josie trailed. "What's he like to live with?" she asked.
"Gilbert?" Anne asked and sighed sitting down "Oh you know..." she shrugged.
"I don't, well only what Charlie has said but I imagine he would be different to a girlfriend to what he's like to an imposing friend." Josie smiled which made Anne laugh.
"Yes quite, but I don't mess with his stuff." Anne admitted. "Not that he's precious with me about... anything actually." She said her eyebrows knotting.
"well love makes you do crazy things," Josie analysed with a grin to Anne which made Anne smile back.
"So, how's Charlie?" Anne asked in a sing song tone.
"Did you take the Sloane out of him?" Josie asked Anne.
"Me?" Anne asked her, "I did nothing!" which made them both laugh as there was another knock at the door. "It must be Cornelia and Leslie." Anne said to her crossing the room.
She opened the door and saw Cornelia there her hair in a yuppy hairstyle, short and almost spiked up her jeans denim along with her jacket. Anne smiled looking at her new friend as she said "Anne you look fantastic!" she exclaimed.
"Look at you!" Anne said with a chuckle. "Nothing says 80s like denim on denim." Anne said to her.
"Exactly my thought!" Cornelia replied. She looked behind her to Leslie who was standing back silently her features although beautiful were hardend. "Now we had fun doing Leslie's hair this afternoon." Cornelia said, the girl behind her stepped forward, her hair was curled at the bottom, still long and beautiful. "I hope you don't mind Anne, I borrowed Leslie the leather jacket." She said. "but of course you two haven't formally met yet," she said. "Anne this is Leslie, Leslie this is Anne." She introduced.
"Hello Leslie." Anne said with a smile. "I love your hair, I noticed it when we met in the elevator, I've never seen hair as blonde before, is it naturally that colour?" Anne asked.
"Yes." She said almost shortly however Cornelia interjected
"Ah! Another new face!?" she said looking towards Josie.
"Yes, this is a friend from High school," Anne admitted, "Josie this is Cornelia and Leslie." Anne introduced closing the door behind them all.
Josie stood up and smiled kindly "Pleasure to meet you both."
"I'll cut to the chase..." Cornelia said "what do you do Miss Josie?" she asked her.
"Oh, I'm on the masters programme to be a physiotherapist." Josie told her. Leslie looked down looking annoyed while Cornelia tried to cover,
"Are all your friends so ambitious?" she asked Anne.
Anne smiled "well we had a principle in high school who encouraged us never to settle." Anne admitted "I think it caught on."
"Even in the worse of us." Josie said with a smile to Anne.
"No!" Anne exclaimed to her "No you weren't!"
"Oh but I was!" Josie admitted "in high school this is, I was just horrible, I took gym our junior year because it meant I only had to take another two classes that semester." She admitted.
Leslie's lips upturned and she admitted "me too." She said quietly, "but I hated high school." She told them.
"Well maybe you would have done better at drama school!" Cornelia said with a smile "like in Fame." She said nodding towards Anne.
"Have you ever seen it before?" Anne asked Leslie.
"No." She admitted.
"Well, not time like the present." Josie smiled.
"Be prepared for girly screams and sing alongs." Anne told Leslie.
They did indeed watch the film all the girls joined in singing and dancing at the end even Leslie was joining in tentively. Once finished they had started to watch back to the future when Gilbert came in heading into the kitchen he smiled at the girls as he walked past the living area "Ignore me girls." He said with a smile "but can I say you are all looking fine!" he exclaimed with a smile on his face. "I'll just get a tea and head into the bedroom." He said to them all.
"We're not scaring you away are we Gilbert?" Josie asked him.
Gilbert smiled switching on the coffee maker and said "the days of you scaring me away Miss Pye are well and truly over."
"Awww!" Josie exclaimed "I never scared you!" she proclaimed "did I?"
"You're flirting almost scared Anne away." Gilbert said with a grin at the two.
"Hey for all I knew you were asking for the flirting!" Anne exclaimed to Gilbert.
"Did you two date?" Cornelia asked them, to which Josie laughed,
"No, I only wished, I tried everything I could to get him to date me." Josie admitted "Sorry." She shrugged to Anne.
Anne jumped up and headed into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around him "My poor sweet man!" Anne said to him, to which he smiled and looked down into her eyes.
"But he only had eyes for you Anne?" Cornelia asked.
Gilbert blushed slightly then looked at Anne again kissing her forehead.
"So dear Doctor, how does your beloved look?" she teased him.
"A total babe!" he said as he received a hug from Anne.
"I better go." Leslie said suddenly jumping up.
"Oh." Anne said confused, she had thought it was going rather well, Leslie had started to relax and talk, join in with the rest of the group.
"Richard has been alone an awful long time." She said not looking directly at Anne she headed towards the door and said as an after thought without looking at anyone "thank you for this evening." Leslie said then without so much as a 'goodbye' she opened the door and left.
Josie looked confused towards Cornelia and Anne looked up towards Gilbert.
"I don't think it's anything you've done Anne." Gilbert reasoned later once Cornelia and Josie had left and they were readying for bed. "You tried to include her."
"But she was enjoying herself, I don't understand." Anne said huffing climbing into bed side him.
"Anne." Gilbert said firmly but softly to her "Why do you need her to like you?" he asked her.
"There's no reason why she shouldn't like me." Anne huffed.
"But you can't make her like you." He told her.
"What do you know?" Anne huffed.
Gilbert's lips upturned to a twisted smile "What do I know of trying to make someone I like, like me when they seemly hate me?" he asked her putting his arm around her looking at her.
"Yes." She said still huffed.
"When someone could be a kindred to me but refuses to see it because of their preconceptions about me?" he tried again, to which she looked up and chuckled shaking her head.
"I forgot about that." She whispered to him hugging into his chest as they snuggled down into the bed. "How did you get me to like you?" she asked him.
He chuckled and said "I wooed you with my charm." he said with a chuckle which she joined in with. "You just need to be patient, if she's meant to be your friend she will be."
Anne sighed and said "Cornelia said she thought it was because we were so happy." Anne confided in him.
"You mean she's jealous?" Gilbert asked.
"Not jealously exactly, more our happiness is a reminder to her how miserable she is, that everything she has had, has a price, Captain Jim was with us and he said we have it easy and Leslie might just resent it." Anne took a heavy sigh "if they knew us they'd know we don't have it easy that our love came with a price and it was heavy."
Gilbert stayed silent for a moment before he said quietly "Are you really ready to share everything with these people Anne?" he asked her "Not even Josie nay even Diana knows everything." He added quietly.
There was a silence again before she said quietly "No." She replied sadly "I just wish Leslie could see we would make good friends, I can feel she's a kindred, and different sadness's can help other sadness's heal," she confided in him.
"We're living proof of that." He whispered to her kissing into her hair. "Give her time Anne, she'll see the friend you are."
Anne sighed again and whispered "Her hair fascinates me. I always thought Ruby had beautiful hair—but Leslie's is ALIVE—every thread of it is living gold."
"She is very pretty," agreed Gilbert, Anne heard a dreamy tint to his voice that Anne almost wished he were a LITTLE less enthusiastic.
She play shoved him for a second "no need to sound so dreamy about it!" she huffed.
"I wasn't!" he said still tired but confused "I sound dreamy because I'm sleepy!" he exclaimed. Settling back into her.
"Oh." Anne sounded, she was silent for a moment before she asked "Gilbert?"
"Hm?" he replied sleepily.
"Would you like my hair better if it were like Leslie's?" she asked wistfully.
Gilbert turned towards her gently cradling her head in his arms his fingers threading through her hair "I wouldn't have your hair any colour but just what it is for the world," said Gilbert, with one or two convincing accompaniments.(Authors note: That's Montgomery's words not mine! If that isn't filled with implication I don't know what is!) His lips locked with hers his free hand first stroking her cheek but then travelled down her neck to her chest with a quick squeeze of her breast it continued to travel southwards grazing her stomach as it passed.
"You wouldn't be ANNE if you had golden hair—or hair of any color but"—
"Red," said Anne, with gloomy satisfaction.
"Yes, red—" his lips upturning to a smile "to give warmth to that milk-white skin" he said kissing into her shoulder "and those shining gray-green eyes of yours." He said with a sigh. "Golden hair wouldn't suit you at all Queen Anne—" he whispered "Even golden hair even alive hair like Leslie's is not alive and alight like yours, to match your personality." He sighed again and whispered "I've told you before what your red hair does to me." He said with a smile on his face which made Anne chuckle "MY Queen Anne—queen of my heart and life and my home."
Anne blushed sweetly her eyes locking with Gilbert's "Talk like that Gilbert Blythe you can admire any girls hair as you like." She told him.
"I think a man, or a women can admire all they like, we don't go blind because we're in love, but personally, if you were to find another man attractive, once I get over my own jealousy..." he admitted "I'd think to myself, even though that person is attractive to you, you still picked me." He said with a smile on his face as he kissed her gently.
"Do you think Leslie is beautiful?" she asked him.
"I think Leslie is pretty, I don't think there's any denying that." He said to her "but beautiful?" he questioned his bottom lip protruding. "No, not for me. Probably why I didn't see her in the elevator that day." He told her then looked into her eyes. "You are."
Anne's face broke into a smile which was unmistakable to Gilbert, she was satisfied she was secure and she felt loved as they chose to express their love there and then.