Some of you are hanging on edge for part of this chapter, lots of questions surrounding it... They were always heading this way!
"Oh my God!" Mrs Blythe exclaimed as they opened the door to the apartment. "Look at my baby!" She exclaimed to Gilbert. "You almost look healthy again." She said to him.
"Gee, thanks." Gilbert said rolling his eyes at his dad behind her, as he spied the cake he was carrying.
"Just as well I brought some food." She said taking the Christmas cake off his father shoving it into Gilberts hands.
"Am I to eat this all now?" he said with a grin on his face.
"If you like." She said equally as cheeky "however that would leave no room for the mince pies I have in the car." She said to Gilbert knowingly, remembering a certain five year old boy sneaking a whole cake tin full of mince pies up to his room one year, needless to say the child had been since and forbidden to eat any of the new batch his mother had made. "Or the shortbread."
"You baking my favourite to ensure I eat?" he asked her with a grin "thank you." He said wrapping his arm around her bringing her in. Mrs Blythe seemed to ignore the decorations seeing a new item in the corner of the room.
"Well I'm not surprised your so skinny if you're using a treadmill." She huffed.
Gilbert sighed "you know where there's ice and snow outside its dangerous to run, we got it so we'd be safe."
"We?" She asked.
"Yes we," Anne said coming out of the bedroom with a smile on her face "I told you they would come early." She said with a smile to Gilbert.
"As ever you're correct. Just as well you knew love and you had everything ready any way." He said to Anne.
Anne crossed the room and kissed Mrs Blythe hello with a hug to John Blythe.
"You're looking better." Mrs Blythe observed.
Anne smiled "I feel it, thank you." She admitted. "Do you like the decoration?" she asked her parents in law.
They looked around "its very traditional." John observed. "You made a lot of them." He said.
"That we did." Anne said with a smile "We thought we would start as we mean to go on and since we didn't come back to Avonlea this year..." She trailed with a smile.
"It would be our first official year spending Christmas together in our home," he said his eyebrows knitting slightly "So to speak."
"We had help, Leslie, Cornelia, even Owen and Captain Jim." She said with a smile.
"They've been coming often to spend time with Anne." Gilbert said with a smile.
"It's nice to have friends wherever we go." Anne admitted.
Mrs Blythe picked up a picture frame, in it held a picture of Anne, Gilbert and Joy, the parents looking towards the little baby, it was a picture one of the nurses took for them so they had a family picture.
Gilbert smiled "We thought by having her there she might still enjoy her first Christmas." He said to his parents.
John Blythe himself looked like he was about to burst into tears but held it together to say "That's beautiful son."
Mrs Blythe looked towards Anne with a comforting smile, "How is your second year Anne?" she asked her.
"Good so far." Anne acknowledged. "I must admit I am glad I took the course part time."
"What are you thinking of doing afterwards?" John asked her.
"I was thinking I could apply to do my teachers certificate." She said thoughtfully.
"On PEI?" Mrs Blythe asked hopefully.
"Maybe, it would depend on where Gilbert gets matched." She confirmed.
"You're going to follow him?" John asked.
Anne nodded sitting beside their son on the cuddle chair as they all sat down. "We've already decided that being apart after all we've been through to be together would be too hard." Anne admitted. "We just want to be together."
"And make a life for us." Gilbert said with a smile.
"Do you have the right qualifications to apply?" Mrs Blythe asked her.
"My tutor at university actually recommended I switch to a duel course, my major is English of course but it does qualify because of my duality as a BEd. I could qualify in a year." She told them honestly.
"Did you think you might want to be a teacher?" John asked her,
"No, not at the time, but I took a few extra modules and qualified, I'm glad I did now." Anne confirmed.
"She's going to have more letters after her name then you." John joked to his son, the only reply from Gilbert was a proud look on his face.
"Are you going to be home for Christmas?" Mrs Blythe asked her son.
He nodded, "My last year guaranteed, once I'm matched it'll be all rotation work in the hospital. But I am working right up until midnight."
"You're still behind I thought you were ahead?" Mrs Blythe asked her.
"I, just..." He trailed and looked at Anne for help.
"It's better to get all the observations you can get in, in before you get matched, the doctors really respect the extra time and effort put in." Anne confirmed. "we agreed since this will be our last guaranteed Christmas every opportunity around it should be had."
"Speaking of which..." he said with a grin and a kiss to his mother and then to his sweetheart, "I best be off." He said to them. He looked with a grin to his father "sorry, you don't get one." He said with a chuckle to his dad.
"I'll settle for a handshake." His father confirmed their hands coming out and with the quick side hug which was as hands on as they got Gilbert picked up his bag and headed out the door.
Mrs Blythe smiled at Anne "He's doing so much better." She finally admitted, before she looked to Anne "As are you Anne." She told her "You have some colour back in your cheeks."
"We're getting much better." Anne mused, "There's still days we have a hard time, but we have each other." Anne smiled at Mrs Blythe "We are so glad to have some of Avonlea with us this Christmas."
Mrs Blythe smiled "Marilla said you offered to have the whole clan."
"I miss home," she admitted "there's days that just Gilbert and I, it seems too quiet, especially when we were looking forward to the sounds of a baby." Anne admitted.
"I know but, Anne dear where would you put us all?" Mrs Blythe laughed.
"That was Marilla's argument." Anne admitted. "Although I do have family right here."
Christmas morning soon came and for Anne's Christmas present Gilbert insisted she get ready with coat on, Anne confused did as requested and was even more confused when he put a scarf round her eyes and they all headed out into the snow.
"Gil I feel ridiculous with this on." Anne said in a huff as they continued to walk, it had been a good five minutes since they left.
"We're nearly there." Gilbert said with a grin.
"Are your parents still with us?" she asked him.
"Yup." He revealed.
"Good, at least I know its nothing dirty." She said to him.
"Where would I be taking you?" he said with a chuckle.
"Well I don't know do I?" she asked which only made him laugh more.
"Okay, good, here." He said standing her still and pointing her in what she could sense as a very specific direction though she knew not where.
Anne could feel he moved in the direction she was pointing in before he said to her "Okay Anne you can take it off."
Anne removed the "blindfold" to find herself in Kings Park. Not just in Kings Park but they were right in front of where they had kissed all that time ago, except something had changed. She looked at the park bench with wide eyes she stepped forward reading the plague on it "Named for the Joy she brought us" Along with her date of birth, Anne gasped and smiled. "Oh Gil!" she exclaimed.
"Its not just from me," he said "everyone chipped in, My parents, Marilla, Mrs Lynde, Davy and Dora, Fred and Diana, Phil and Jo, everyone contributed, we all wanted..." he trailed with a small smile "...something physical, somewhere special, where it all started." He said to her "sit on it." Gilbert said "be the first one, it was put in last thing last night and the gates have been locked ever since, the gardener had the keys to let us in."
She chuckled at the gesture looking at his parents for a moment before she said again "Oh Gil, its so beautiful!" she said sitting on it. "Its pine, oh you know I always find comfort in the pines!" she exclaimed, where his parents slipped off into the park for a walk about the place.
"I know." He said still standing acting a nervous still. "so um, there's one other thing." He said sitting beside her on the bench. "I have thought of a thousand ways to say this, each time more and more romantic, and each time I sounded so ridiculous." He said with smile. "So, I figured I just have to say it." He told her "This past year, has been such a rollercoaster." He said to her holding her hands in the moment "and I asked you something eleven months ago and I wonder, If I ask it again today will you give me a different answer?" he asked her, she looked wide eyes to him again, for the second time today she was surprised, stunned beyond words. "I love you!" he proclaimed "and I know I wouldn't have made it through this year without you." He told her "and you know, I don't want to make it through any more years without you." He told her "I want you." He continued "I want you, I want you and I want a life with you I want our lives to be for each other, I want no doubt, no question." He said "and I don't want to face this world without you by my side." He said firmly, with this he kneeled in front of her and brought a small box out of his pocket he opened the box to look into her tear stained face her red eyes "Will you do me the honour of being my wife?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed before he could even gage what she was doing she leapt into his arms sending them both lying on the ground. Both of them burst in to laughter as they lay flat on the ground. "Sorry." She giggled.
"No," Gilbert said shaking his head. "No, this is bringing back some memories." He said with a grin, which made her blush into his coat. "Yes?" he asked her looking down into her eyes.
"Yes." She said with a smile, with that he brought them back to the bench sitting them there before he took the ring out of the box and he slipped it onto her finger.
"I knew it would fit." He said to her. "You know the 'Anne' my great great grandma, it was hers, modern women always seem to have such big fingers, it never fit my mother or my grandma." He said with a shrug "I knew it would fit you." He told her. "I hope you don't mind its not new..." he trailed as they brought themselves off the ground.
"No, No, I love it!" Anne exclaimed looking at it. "It makes me a Blythe, almost." She said with a smile "part of the family."
"You are." He told her "even if you never take my name," he said to her "Just like Joy is a Blythe."
"She is, she is!" Anne agreed. "And I will." She told him.
"You will?" he asked.
"Blythe, I want to take your name, its such a beautiful name, it means as it sounds, its about being Blythe, its an attitude, its why Joy's name was so perfect her whole name is joyful!" she said to her.
"I know, I remember." Gilbert said with a smile.
Anne sat back into his arms on the bench as he relaxed back popping his arm around her "Pearls, what a classy choice." She said with a grin. "I've never really liked diamonds since I found out they weren't the lovely purple I had dreamed. They will always suggest my old disappointment."
"But pearls are for tears, the old legend says," Gilbert objected.
"I'm not afraid of that. And tears can be happy as well as sad. My very happiest moments have been when I had tears in my eyes—when Marilla told me I might stay at Green Gables—when I heard that you were going to recover from your fall and of course Now." She said sniffing back her tears "So give me pearls for our troth ring, Gilbert, and I'll willingly accept the sorrow of life with its joy."
He smiled at her his lips in a grin his eyes in awe "You know this is the exact reason I love you so much Anne." He told her his nose rubbing with hers "You always are able to delightfully surprise me."
"You're one to talk." She said to him stroking the bench.
"I didn't want to move into the new year, especially after the year we've just had and not put right two things in the world, the first being no where to go to remember our daughter, as spot just for her, in this whole world just something for her, and secondly, especially after everything we've been through, I needed to let you know, just how much I love you." He kissed her bringing her closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Her newly ringed hand coming up stroking down his cheek before they broke away for a moment.
"I love you too." She whispered before they kissed again.
Mid kiss they sensed two pairs of eyes with expectant glints and eager faces attached to them. Gilbert chuckled when he looked at them, interrupting the romantic moment,
"So?" Mrs Blythe asked on edge.
Anne smiled revealing "I said 'yes'."
"Oh my God!" Mrs Blythe exclaimed breaking away from her husband, almost pushing past her son and hugging Anne. "I know you're already part of the family!..." she exclaimed "Oh but its wonderful its going to be official!" she exclaimed. "Oh did it fit?" she asked reaching for her hand, upon seeing it she nodded "you were right Gilbert, a perfect fit."
Gilbert grinned at his dad "She is that." He confirmed.
"Congratulations son." John said to him in a handshake hug.
"Thanks Dad." He said quietly.
"You make him happy Anne," he told her "I can see he does the same for you."
"Do you need any help in here Anne?" Phil asked her, as Anne was working in the kitchen, there was Christmas music playing in the background, Phil and Jo had arrived, along with Cornelia, Josh, Captain Jim, Owen and Leslie were all there, mingling amongst each other.
"Not from you." Anne joked.
"Well if that's what I get for offering help..." she said with a grin plopping down on a counter seat to talk to Anne. "Have you really done this on your own?" she asked her. "When did you have time to learn to cook?"
Anne smiled "I am Marilla Cuthbert's charge." She admitted "Marilla would have it no other way."
"You miss them?" Phil asked.
"I do," Anne admitted, "but, we're building a life and it means being away from our home for a while," she sighed heavily basing the turkey "I miss my godchildren, I miss seeing them grow, I wonder if Anne Cordy even remembers me being around! Though we do all talk over skype."
"Would it not hurt?" Phil asked "being around children?" she asked.
"I thought it might, at first." Anne admitted "but I think it would be a kind of balm, a happy and healthy child." She said with a shrug "watching them grow, it would be nice I think." She admitted.
"I'm glad you feel that way." Phil said her eyes meeting with Anne's.
Anne looked at her delighted "You're pregnant?!" she exclaimed "Oh Phil!" she said abandoning her turkey to hug her friend.
"Oh I was so worried, I didn't know if I should tell you or not!" Phil confided.
"Tell me!" Anne exclaimed pulling back "always tell me!" she said "How far along are you?" she asked.
"I've just turned 13 weeks." Phil told her. "Oh Anne I wanted to say but then I got so nervous and worried you wouldn't want to know!"
"My sadness shouldn't dampen your happiness." Anne said to her sympathically. "Although I do understand your trepidation." Anne returned to her turkey basing it again "So it'll be the non alcoholic stuff for you." She said with a grin.
"Oh don't remind me!" Phil exclaimed. "But I think its worth it." She added quietly.
"It is." Anne said looking towards the picture of her tiny Joy "It really is."
Phil looked over at the little group of friends "This is a lot more like you." Phil said softly. "Lots of friends, lots of people around."
Anne took a deep breath putting the turkey back in the oven "it is." She admitted "its still an effort." She admitted. "But I'm glad we're trying." Anne said. "I don't think we were meant to be miserable."
She took out two wine glasses and filled one with the 'Christmas Cocktail' she had created and the other with apple cider and gave it to Phil. "So I say hurrah!" she said her little nose going into the air "Our worlds are going to be added upon Phil, I know it." Anne smiled.
"They will." Phil said with a smile. "And if you and Gil do get pregnant again..." she started.
"Not yet." Anne said shaking her head.
"No?" Phil asked.
"No," Anne confirmed shaking it. "Joy was unplanned, remember?" Anne told her. "I have plans and so does Gilbert." She admitted. "Although we were excited to have her add to our journey, I don't think we're ready to go back there just yet." To which Phil nodded her head.
Gilbert bounded over with a boyish smile on his face "How's that turkey going?"
"It'll be ready on time." Anne said to her sternly which made his smile drop "but you know your mother has brought plenty of food." Anne reminded him which made him smile "I'm sure it won't ruin your appetite."
"Yes mom." He mocked rolling his eyes but all the same reaching for the tin containing the shortbread biscuits.
"Phil was just telling me her and Jo are expecting." Anne told Gilbert.
He froze mid opening of the tin his mouth falling open in surprise. "Phil!" he exclaimed "that's wonderful!" he told her "congratulations!"
Phil smiled "Jo said you'd both take it well." She reflected.
"Well he's very good at reading people and how they'll react." Gilbert admitted. "He's a good man."
Phil sighed in a funny relief " I like him." She understated.
"How are you today Captain Jim?" Anne asked him a few minutes later sitting beside him to talk to him.
"Me?" he asked "As fine as I can be. You've done a lovely thing today here Anne." He told her, which made her smile.
"Thank you, its nice it have those we love around us." She admitted, she paused for a moment before she said "You told Owen of Maggie." She said with a smile.
He nodded, "it got me to thinking, our conversation, the more people who know, the more she can be remembered, even as a story, a myth, if it would bring comfort to someone else in the world, I think it would be worth it."
"I'm glad you told Owen about her," she admitted "as a writer I'll often draw inspiration from people I know." She admitted.
Captain Jim nodded "I'd imagine you've met all sorts." He told her.
"Not as many as you!" Anne chuckled.
"Ah but I've had longer." He countered.
"Not so much longer." Anne admitted. "Tell me more of England Captain Jim?" Anne asked of him "where's your favourite place?" he asked her.
"Ah its a little corner of the North of England that no one knows nor cares about, unless you came from there, but its the dearest place in the world to me..." he started.
Gilbert smiled watching Anne talk to Captain Jim as Josh came to sit next to him. "Penny for your thought." He joked.
Gilbert chuckled then looked at Anne again "she's formidable." He commented.
"Well she wouldn't be well suited to you if she wasn't." Josh told him.
Gilbert looked at Josh. "I can't thank you enough you know, we wouldn't be here if..." Gilbert started.
"You would have found your way back to each other." Josh told him "Phil and I just sped up the process so you didn't loose your space." Josh told him.
Gilbert shook his head "Josh..." he started.
"No, don't." Josh almost blushed "don't get all sentimental on me." He objected.
Gilbert opened his mouth to object but thought better of it. Instead sighed and looked at his friend again "Thanks."
Josh shrugged "You'd do the same for me." He admitted "in fact I believe there's been once or twice you've dragged me out of bed and a hangover." Josh chuckled. "I call it even."
The table was set and the food was on the table, Gilbert's mother tapped her wine glass with her knife where a confused Gilbert looked to his father.
"Its not me son." John told Gilbert.
"But your my dad." He said confused.
"But not head of this household." John chuckled.
Gilbert looked towards Anne who had a smile on her face looking sweetly at him. "Um..." he started at Anne confused.
"No, no." Anne smiled picking up her wine glass "this is all on you baby."
Gilbert stood nervously and looked to his friends "Apparently we're equal in all things but this." He quipped. "Um, well..." he started as he cleared his throat. "I want to thank you all for coming today." He started. "And I mean really thank you." He continued. "We've had a um, pretty rough year, you all know why, but everyone, all the people in this room, helped." He said shaking his head not quite believing it himself. "All of you, meant so much to us to start with, and now, we know we have family wherever we will go. John Donne once said that 'No man is an island', indeed we are not we piece together, Islanders, Nova Scotians, Ottawan, we even have a Vancouverite in our mix..."
"Let me hear you say Ah-Men!" Josh quipped.
"And even our British Cousins." He said with a nod to Captain Jim. "Like this great nation, we are stronger together, and we are blessed to be surrounded by the people that we love." He said. "Anne and I..." he started then corrected himself "Sorry, I can't help but show off, my fiancée and I..." (with it said there were a few chuckles around the table) "...would like to make a toast, to those we love, may we always be together in spirit. Cheers."
Anne looked over the table at Gilbert with a smile as even said 'cheers', and mouthed the word "Perfect" at him.
He smiled and mouthed back "I love you."
She reflected him back "I love you too."