Hello Everyone!

Another week has past and I can't quite believe its been a week! Its so busy all the time! But I'm glad! In any case thank you SO much for all your reviews! It does mean so much that there is a dialogue between us all!

I don't know if someone PMed me or if they left the comment in their review, but their first time after having Joy does not make the next baby. I know I could have written it like that but inside my head Anne was already back on the pill, I remember after our first baby while they were releasing me from the maternity ward they said "do you have birth control sorted? because you can get pregnant right away." luckily we did and so did Anne.

There is still so much happening in their lives and yes. its out of sync with the books and yes it would have been difficult for Anne and Gilbert to have had Joy but they are the kind of people who had plans in place already.

But still much needs doing in this story so here is the next chapter!

love

Carrots

"Anne!" He called, a week later as they were getting ready for the funeral, Anne was in the bathroom finishing her makeup when Gilbert came in the bathroom with a paper in hand "Anne!" he said with a smile on his face holding the piece of paper. "Do you remember what this is?" he asked her holding it in front of her.

She looked down a little perplexed by the look on his face and looked at the piece of paper.

"Oh." She said looking at it. "Its the readings from all the wires they had hooked up to Joy for the..." she blinked back the tears in her eyes. "...the time she was with us." She whispered.

"Yes." He confirmed. "but look." He said his finger pointing to the top graph "Do you know what this is?" he asked her.

"Um, her heartbeat?" Anne guessed.

"Yes." He confirmed "Its her heartbeat." He smiled. "Here." He said pointing to the waves on the paper "can you see five beats?" He smiled. " Anne looked at him still confused. "I want it tattooed." He said. "Right over my heart." Her eyes widened her jaw dropped. "Right here," he said taking her hand and putting it over his chest "So she's always close to me." He told her.

"Gilbert..." Anne started faintly.

"I won't do it if you hate the idea." He told her seriously.

"How could I hate it?!" She exclaimed as the tears finally escaped from her she threw her arms around him "I think that's possibly the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" She heard him take a deep breath in then she felt his arms shaking in the hold along with some irregular gasps which were consistent with crying. She tightened her arms around him holding him close for comfort

"Do you think they'll do it, I mean it would have to be small." He she heard in his sobs.

"Yes, they will." She admitted with a smile. "Maybe, Maybe I could too?" she said "A way of celebrating her life." Anne said to which he came out of the hug and nodded "not mourning her death."

"I think..." he said with a thoughtful stop "I think, its the only way to get through this." He said quietly. His smile turned wide as he looked down at the paper again. "its our girl." He whispered.

Anne smiled at him, finally seeing that maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel. "Ours!"

She looked up into his eyes and smiled sadly "Leslie is getting closure today." She said with a heavy sigh. "She's lucky in that way." Anne admitted sadly.

"I don't think even Leslie wanted Richard's life to end in quite the manner it did." Gilbert told her quietly after a moments silent.

"No, No I don't think she did." She said quietly. "but..." she said bringing him in for a hug "I do believe its opened a door to a budding romance." She said with a coy smile.

"You mean Owen?" Gilbert only pretended to ask. She smiled bringing him closer as he said "You know when I first met Owen, he reminded me of Roy." Gilbert admitted to which Anne looked to him a little shocked before Gilbert admitted "I was jealous for about ten minutes before I remembered you chose me."

"and I still would, I would be no good with a man like Owen, he's published, accomplished, melancholic, romantic, what on earth could I bring to that relationship?" she said with a chuckle as he laughed with her.

"Now I like that." He told her honestly. "But love, are they even on speaking terms yet?" he asked.

"No, not yet, Owen has refused to talk about Leslie all of this week, he won't even let me tell him about Richard." Anne admitted.

Gilbert smiled "well it does him credit that he's being such a good friend to you."

"Yes but what about what he's missing out on?" Anne chuckled.

"Are you two nearly done?" They heard from the living room, it was Mrs Blythe calling through Anne almost missed the little eye roll Gilbert gave.

"Do you think she'll ever go home?" Gilbert whispered to Anne with a cheeky smile.

"Once we've convinced her all is well in the Blythe/Shirley household." She said with a chuckled.

"So basically until you're pregnant again?" he said cheekily which made Anne giggle.

"Basically yeah." She agreed, to which he grabbed her round the middle and in a low voice said

"We better get started then." He said with wiggling flirting eyebrows. Which made Anne squeal in delight before she went serious. "We haven't yet, since... I mean there was, last week but..."

"I know." He said quietly his arms still around her "it'll take time Anne." He said honestly before he kissed into her hair his arm wrapping around her.

"Are you ready?" she asked him. "I mean for sex, I mean like real..."

"I- I don't know." He said quietly. "but, I think that's okay."

"Me too." She replied "to both of them." She said quietly.

"Doesn't stop us from flirting, building the intimacy back up." He said wistful.

"No," She said softly. "No it doesn't." She turned in his arms "I do enjoy the flirting you know."

"And the kisses?" he asked.

"Yeah." She agreed "and the kissing." She told him "it reminds me of the time when we weren't having sex yet, I don't know." She shrugged.

"Its nice to feel intimate." He agreed.

She looked up at him and nodded. "I'm so glad you're such a kindred." She told him with a smile then noticed the time on his watch "We better get moving Gil, the funeral!" she said.

"We still have time." He said with a lazy tone. " I wish you could have left on that pretty green dress you had on earlier." He said longingly. "I liked it . . . it was like the dress you used to wear at the first two years of university." He said with a grin "that dress always made me blush."

"Oh?" she asked him.

"mmm" he sounded "it clung to you in all the right places." He said holding her still.

He looked at the necklace round her neck, his little pink heart "Though that does look rather nice snuggling in that pretty white hollow in your throat, darling." He spoke to her romantically which made her heart flutter in a familiar way.

She felt herself relax into his arms allowing him to take over her limbs. Her eyes opened completely relaxed and turned so she looking at them in the mirror, he looked her in the eyes through the mirror and she thought for a second the last few weeks hadn't happened. Gilbert's hand drifted to her stomach swallowing as he held her a little closer. "We better get going." She said softly.

"Now are you sure you're both okay?" Mrs Blythe asked them the next day.

"Yes mom." Gilbert said with a sigh "We're both fine."

"And you're going to eat?" she asked them.

Anne smiled at her concern, it was sweet but she had been away from Avonlea for over eight weeks, It was nice to have family there but all the same Anne was looking forward to some alone time, some normality back to their routines.

"...and be sure to eat the food in the freezer..." Mrs Blythe clucked.

"Mom!" he said sternly. "You've given us everything we need." He told her softly and with it he wrapped her up in his arms and hugged into him "thank you mom." He whispered.

"Anything you need!" she told him as he let go of his grip. "You too Anne." She told them.

Gilbert grinned and whispered "Why don't you and dad come here for Christmas?" Gilbert offered her "I don't think we'll make it home for Christmas, things are heated as they are." Gilbert offered with a grin he turned to Anne who nodded her head.

"On one condition, I'll cook." Anne said with a smile, "we'll invite Owen and Cornelia, and Leslie, we can have everyone over." Anne said with a smile.

"Plus you can come and see how we're getting on." Gilbert said with a smile to his mother.

"Sounds lovely." Mrs Blythe said with a smile. "I love you."

Three weeks later Anne was sat crossed legged in front of the coffee table, Owen was sat opposite her as they were reading through the book Owen had written from Captain Jim's stories. Gilbert laid on the sofa the laptop on his ribcage as he sat reading his notes.

"Owen, this is extraordinary!" Anne exclaimed excited.

"Captain Jim story is extraordinary! I've just written it down." He said humbly.

Anne smiled and shook her head "always with being humble. Take the compliment." She said with gentle laugh as the doorbell rang.

"Oh," she said with an air of mischief that Gilbert knew she was up to something as she stood up and crossed the apartment "I wonder who that might be?" she said before she opened the door. "Leslie!" Anne exclaimed with a smile, "Do come in." Anne said as Owen jumped from the spot he'd been sitting in.

"Thank you Anne, I..." she paused midsentence as she saw Owen stood there. "Owen." She whispered.

He physically swallowed "Hello Ms Moore." He greeted her almost coldly.

"Did you know...?" Anne started as she linked arms with Leslie as they crossed the room, Gilbert's lips upturned seeing that Anne was trying to repair the damage which had been caused in their relationship, just by bringing them together "That Leslie and I have talked through so much since Richard's passing..." she paused for a moment before Leslie went to speak.

"Did you know?" she asked Owen.

"I knew." He confirmed.

She looked a little disappointed "I thought you might have come had you known he was gone?" she questioned.

"It would be inappropriate to attend a funeral of a man who I felt nothing but contempt for." He said practically.

"And what about..." she started but then paused mid sentence but added "Me?" she questioned.

"Another reason for it to be inappropriate for me to be there." He muttered.

"But Owen," Anne said softly "Did you know that we've made up?" she asked him. "she's told me all the things she said and what you said and did in return." Anne told him to which he looked to Anne.

"It wasn't right for anyone to get any perceived pleasure from your pain." Owen said.

"And your actions that day was one of a true friend." Anne said with a genuine smile to him, "Of all things you are Owen, it is that, you are a true friend indeed." Anne sighed and said "But, all the things she said to me, is known by me," Anne said slowly "and I've frankly forgiven her," Anne shrugged as she added "it seems a shame for her to pay twice for something said when she was hurting so much."

Owen looked up at first but as he looked at Leslie his countenance changed from someone trying to hold onto a grudge to a gentler, kinder thought on his mind. "You've really made up?" he asked Leslie quietly.

"You were right." Leslie confirmed after a nod, "I was being resentful, and cruel." She admitted quietly.

Owen straighten slightly "then, I suppose, it was Anne and Gilbert you wronged, if they can forgive, then I ought to."

Anne smiled at the patch up before she said "Let me get you both a drink." She said before she turned and walked over to the kitchen.

Gilbert looked to Leslie and Owen the latter of which offered the former a seat before his full attention was on her, he grinned then cranked his head far enough back to see Anne in the kitchen, he stood up and walked over to the kitchen his arms wrapping around her. "You're sweet." He whispered in her ear.

"Is it working?" she whispered back to which they both looked over their shoulder to see the pair talking quietly. Anne turned and hugged into Gilbert "Oh what if there were some happiness to come out of all of this!" she exclaimed to him softly.

Gilbert's arms wrapped around her as she hugged in and his lips upturned to a soft smile. "After every storm, there is a rainbow..." He said wistfully and as he held her closer he whispered to her "...you're mine."