When Anne and Gilbert checked into their hotel, the former was immediately dismissed to the bed.

"But, Gilbert-" another bout of hacking interrupted her. "When I'm not coughing I feel just fine."

"I won't allow you out and about in this dampness, Anne-girl. Where is your nightgown?"

Anne scowled; the tiniest huff brought on more of the dry, barking cough. At the end of the fit Anne had winced with the pain which radiated from the base of her head.

Gilbert had given her a moment to recover and observed in turmoil that she was taking shallow breaths to offset the occurrence of more. Eventually Anne settled and Gilbert issued strict instructions to ration her words. Anne being Anne, she attempted to argue it. Gilbert being the doctor, won the argument.

Anne flung a weak arm to gesture to their overnight bag whereupon Gilbert moved to sort through it.

"Alright, let's get you out of that corset and into something more breathable." He groaned then. "Oh, Anne. You don't think you've actually injured yourself?"

She mutely shook her head.

"Honestly, I'd be surprised if you haven't bruised any ribs."

Gilbert now held the nightgown and approached Anne to undress her. Piece by piece her traveling outfit was dismantled and removed from her perpetually thin frame. Anne stood in stillness, only moving to raise her arms or step out of her skirts. Of course it was not the first time she had been undressed by him - but it was rarer to see his brow furrowed in concern rather than the usual spark of excitement. His task complete, Gilbert bent his head to kiss hers.

"Well, you don't have a fever," the doctor stated.

"I could have told you that," his patient rebutted.

She was then propped up in bed, accompanied by a book, and Gilbert announced that he was leaving in search of bone broth. A minute later he took to the smart streets of Berlin. His errand was relatively easy and within half of an hour he had returned to the room with soup and sandwiches. He found Anne lightly snoring - she nodded off almost immediately after his departure.

The night on the train had been rough. Poor weather and high winds caused the train to howl throughout the night and that was the least of it. Anne's sneeze had initially seemed innocent; however, it was when a round of several more followed that Gilbert stopped his love-making pursuit and sent her back up to her bed. As the night progressed so had her condition. So rushed was he to get her into a warm bed that they entirely skipped breakfast - again.

And so, Gilbert Blythe sat on the edge of the bed with his sandwich. And then he sat more. And then he realized that perhaps he should unpack and organize their toiletries, followed by a quick wash and shave. And then he sat again. When it had become clear that Anne's rest was not to be short, he reached his hand to her forehead to check for fever once more. Happy with her temperature, Gilbert penned a quick note, placed it on the pillow next to her, and went out again.

His mental list of errands had been slowly growing and, in truth, he was glad to have some time to check them off. First on the list was a trip to the barber shop for a haircut. Gilbert casually trod the wet streets of Berlin. The mid-week traffic rushed by him; everyone in a hurry to get to their destination. It seemed that Gilbert was walking in slow-motion amongst the crowds. The view was grey upon grey; the sky still clouded over with heavy dark clouds and plumes of smoke spouting throughout. Had it not been for the bright flashes of red brick, the cityscape would have been entirely dull.

Gilbert felt fortunate to have found suitable accommodation in such a central location. As he walked, he had taken note of the services immediately available to them. Beyond the tea house, down the street on the west side, was a grocer - and directly across from it was a dress shop. Further along he found the chemist, a post office, and finally the barber shop. He stepped into the small salon and was greeted by a burly middle-aged man with exquisite sideburns and a perfectly curved handlebar moustache. The two men grappled for a moment in salutations before Gilbert removed his hat and stepped towards a printed poster which displayed various styles of mens hair. He tapped at the example which best suited his normal coif and was promptly welcomed to take a seat in the vacant chair. The barber had draped a white cape around his customer and set out to begin his work.

Freshly shorn, Gilbert thoughtfully reached into his waistcoat to glance at the time. An hour had passed since he had left Anne asleep and he debated returning to her side promptly to alleviate any worries which she may have imagined. However, he concluded that if she was awake now it wouldn't have been for long - he had time for one more task.

Gilbert ambled into the post office and stood in the telegram queue.

03/16/1905

ARRIVED BERLIN STOP HERE THREE NIGHTS STOP SEND ANY URGENT TELEGRAMS TO HOTEL ALEXANDER PLAZA STOP

LOVE FATHER AND MOTHER

He had considered adding a remark into the post regarding their current health but chose not to. 'No need to excite anyone over a cold.' With these two errands finished, he returned to check on his wife. On the walk back, he eyed up the pharmacy again and thought back to the contents of his bag. If Anne spiked a fever he would become more concerned but it was a relief to know that if he urgently needed anything it was only minutes away.

Gilbert opened the door to their room to discover Anne awake in bed and with stationary on her lap.

"Hello, sweetheart. How was your rest?"

"Much needed. I haven't coughed nearly as much." She studied him for a moment and a look of slight disappointment crossed her face. "You cut your hair, I see," she continued.

"Yes, I did. You appear to be upset by that?" Gilbert asked, flummoxed. It was not an uncommon errand...

Anne smiled and shook her head. "Not really, no. It's just that your long hair was very much like how you used to wear it back in Avonlea. Your curls are gone now."

Gilbert chuckled and joined her on the bed. "Ah, I see. I'm terribly sorry, Anne-girl," he teasingly apologized, "but you have to admit that they were becoming unruly. I hardly appeared to be a respectable Doctor. And what have you been up to?"

"Oh, just writing letters to the children," Anne replied.

"Speaking of them - I sent a quick telegram home to let them know we are here safely. I included the name of the hotel in the case that there are urgent messages to relay."

"Splendid. Thank you, dearest."

Gilbert nodded and then surveyed the room.

"You ate your meal, I see."

Anne stretched her arms and lightly coughed. "I did. Thank you."

There was a comfortable silence for a few moments while the two relaxed on the bed.

"So doctor, when do you think I'll be allowed out?"

"Anne, it's still overcast and raining out there. Will you take the rest of the day and we can re-evaluate tomorrow?"

"I suppose," she sighed. A single barking cough followed.

Gilbert brushed her loose hair away from her forehead and thereby sneakily checked her again for fever.

"Have you finished your letters?"

"Goodness, no. I've written only to Jem and Walter so far," Anne answered.

"You're writing to each one?" Gilbert asked in shock.

Anne rolled her eyes - she knew exactly why he would be concerned. "They're only little notes, Gilbert. I'll make sure they will all fit into one envelope."

He smiled and said, "Is there enough room for me to add on my own note?"

"I think so. Since I am confined to this bed, today will be my letter writing day," Anne declared. "Phil, Pris, and Stella haven't heard too much of our escapades. Oh, and I haven't written to any of the Irvings," she groaned as she reviewed the number of friends that she'd neglected to write. "I do feel badly to keep you cooped up in here with me though, dear."

"Well, I thought of heading back out. I could look into those tours and perhaps track down a guide book? Would there be any other jobs you'd like me to do for you?"

Anne leaned over to kiss his cheek. "That'd be so wonderful, Gil. I can't think of anything more. The laundry isn't too out-of-hand yet. I'd only ask for you to come back to keep me company. Silence is almost too much, these days."

"Duly noted, dear wife," he promised with a quick nod of his head. With that, his hat was back on said head and he had closed the door behind him.

Gilbert stopped by the hotel's front desk under the recollection that in their morning rush they had encountered a person with half-decent English. He made a polite inquiry on where he could locate some day tours and a guide book. A short while later he was back on the street, headed the opposite direction, with a piece of paper in hand and instructions to travel on the overhead railway. Well, that would be a new experience to add to his train adventures.

He stepped onto the train and took a seat near the doors and where he'd also be able to clearly view the upcoming stops as they neared closer. As the train rocked gently back and forth to its first destination, Gilbert studied the various stops on the line as indicated on the sign next to the doors. On it, three stops after his, were the words 'Zoologischer Garten Berlin.'

A zoo. Perhaps Anne would enjoy it? He made a mental note to suggest it later.

The next several minutes passed uneventfully with the train screeching to several stops to load and offload its passengers. Gilbert kept his eyes primarily on the skyline. He found that looking down to the vehicles and carriages on the streets below to be a bit unnatural and unnerving. It was, however; rather marvellous to skip over the traffic rules and overall meandering. This overhead railway business certainly cut the travel time down.

Before he realized how little time had passed, he had heard his stop announced. Gilbert quickly reconfirmed the stop with a quick glance down to the paper and then filed off of the train along with several other passengers. With a very Gilbert-like whistle he fairly skipped down the stairs to street level and surveyed his surroundings. According to his instructions, the tour office was only a short walk away now. True to the advice Gilbert easily found the small office building.

The space was a single room containing three desks, a small waiting area and a large filing section along the back wall. Gilbert approached the only desk with a person at it. The young man was hard at work typing and then scribbling on a pad. Not knowing how else to bring attention to himself, Gilbert cleared his throat. The man's head flew up.

"Entschuldigung, ich habe dich nicht hereinkommen hören."

"Would you happen to speak any English?"

"Yes. My apologies, I did not hear you come in," the man repeated.

"I was hoping that you would be able to assist me with some English walking tours," Gilbert requested.

"We definitely can. I only need a few moments to finish this up. Would you take a seat in the waiting area?"

Gilbert nodded and retreated back to the row of chairs. It was then that Gilbert noticed the rack of brochures and books, very similar to the one at the cathedral in Cologne. He stood and perused the options with a delighted sigh of relief. There were many options for him to choose from.

He was then called back to the desk where the young agent had cleared his work to give his new customer his undivided attention.

"You say you need some tours?"

"Yes, my wife and I are in Berlin for two more days. It has been a real struggle to get by with the language and my wife suggested that there may be other ways to go about it."

"There are! Your wife sounds like an intelligent woman," the man laughed.

Gilbert joined in with his own chuckle, "Oh, she is...unbelievably so. She has been the glue that's kept this together."

"There are several options which vary from short half-day tours to longer in-depth tours. Has there been anything in particular that you'd want to see?"

Gilbert went on to outline their overall interests and the agent attempted to match them to what Berlin had to offer them.

"I believe I should be able to make this work. All of the tours promptly begin and end at our front door. There are three English guides employed with us. We have a strict maximum group size of fifteen people. With it being early spring we rarely get those numbers though. You are very lucky...Mr...?" he trailed.

"Blythe. Dr. Gilbert Blythe. My wife is named Anne," Gilbert finished. "Oh, and be sure to spell it with an 'e' - she's particular about it."

The agent smirked and after accepting payment from Gilbert, he issued instructions to meet back the next morning at 10:00. Hands were shook and mutual thanks offered.

Gilbert joined the rest of world with a face of determination. He had one more task to complete. His wife's birthday was rapidly drawing nearer and he needed to find something perfect...something 'Anne.' Gilbert had contemplated this for almost two weeks now. It could not be too large, of course. At this point any item that added to the bulk of their luggage was out of the realm of possibilities. He had considered visiting the dress shop near their hotel to purchase a new gown but then how was he to manage keeping it hidden for the next week of travels? Besides, he hardly knew much of the latest ladies fashion trends. He truthfully still thought that the full dresses which Anne-of-old wore were still the most beautiful. His brain continued to ruminate over the options as he strolled down the busy downtown street. Ultimately, as was perhaps his last resort, he made his way to the front display window of a jewellers shop. Gilbert peered into the window case hoping for something to jump out at him. He had bought Anne a diamond for their anniversary; having momentarily forgetting her longstanding grief over their non-purple appearance. No, he knew he could not offer up another shiny bauble.

He did not immediately see anything but ventured into the store regardless. Gilbert meandered the glass cases for some time, becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of possible options. Resigned to moving on to another idea, he started a march towards the door. A pearlescent glimmer caught his eye - from the very corner of the furthest glass case. Intrigued, Gilbert beelined to the wall and discovered a dainty pearl brooch and a set of matching golden hair combs. Immediately he knew that Anne would adore them and that along with her troth ring, they'd create an alluring ensemble. Gilbert motioned for the clerk to pack it up, handing over a fair-sized sum of money with a wide grin.

Delighted with his purchase, Gilbert exited the shop and determined that it was time to re-join Anne. A month of consistent togetherness hadn't cured the Doctor of his desire to be with Anne as much as possible.

When he had returned to their street and the hotel doorstep, Gilbert halted with an idea. Evidently thoughts of pearls and faraway over-grown gardens were creating a boyish need for romance. Gilbert continued down to the grocer with the intention to bring a picnic back to Anne.

When Gilbert opened the door to the room, Anne flung her papers to the side with a cry.

"Gilbert! Oh, you're back!"

An alarmed Gilbert dropped his items and rushed to Anne's side of the bed in concern. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Are you hurting?"

Anne vehemently shook her head. "No, no - I was only lonesome for you," she cooed.

Gilbert laughed. "Funny, I was lonesome for you as well." He took a seat on the edge of the bed and grasped her white hand in his. "I figured it was time for another meal so I brought us a picnic."

Anne beamed and then eyed him up thoughtfully. "You dear man, thank you. You can check in the wardrobe for an extra blanket."

An afghan, of an ugly brown and green and orange variety, was procured and laid upon the floor. Anne had been able to hop down from the bed and take her spot on the edge of the blanket without a cough; a significant improvement from earlier in the morning, the Doctor noted. Gilbert moved back to the door to where the picnic delicacies were left abandoned and brought them over to where his wife was seated. Together they sorted through the items; of course many of a German essence.

The bierrocks were halved, the potato salad portioned out, and the apple strudel saved for last.

"Out of all of our picnics throughout the years, this must be the most peculiar," Gilbert commented as he attempted to catch the falling bits of meat and cabbage.

The comment had been meant to be somewhat rhetorical but Anne had begun to mentally review the many times they'd sat together, whether on a red-sand beach or under an apple tree...next to a brook...or just in the back garden.

Finally she murmured, "you might be correct on that. A hotel room picnic is unusual for most but not for us, wouldn't you say, Gilbert? Besides, we're not in a hotel room. Where are we?"

Gilbert smirked and without realizing, leaned to give a jovial kiss. When he pulled back Anne giggled and Gilbert started to think along Anne's imaginations.

"I'd say we are at the base of the great Mount Fuji," Gilbert stated.

Anne choked for a moment on her bite of salad. "Mount Fuji?!" she managed.

"Well, we're are already in enchanting Europe. We've been to castles and cathedrals. We are also not at home. So, can we not imagine we are in faraway Japan?"

Anne nodded. "Oh yes, visiting Pris."

"We may be visiting Priscilla but it's just us two, at the moment."

"You don't care for the company?" Anne teased.

"Pris is wonderful, don't misunderstand me. But it's not her I want to picnic with. We're getting off track here, Anne."

A light smack met his arm and Anne allowed her imagination to conjure up a scene.

"It's May and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Mount Fuji looms and we're shrouded in a pink canopy..."

"With this German spread before us," Gilbert snorted.

Anne quirked an eyebrow. "Hm, yes. I'm not certain even I could transform this," here she gestured towards their meal, "into Japanese food."

His meal abruptly abandoned, Gilbert sat up more fully and brought one knee to his chin. "I'd carve 'AB + GB' into the nearest tree," he continued meditatively.

"You would?"

"Of course I would, Anne-girl. Actually, that's an idea! From here every city we visit shall have a remembrance of our time together."

She smiled at this. Long hair or short hair - Gilbert Blythe was still Gilbert Blythe. "And what of all the unadorned trees that you've already skipped over?"

"Well we will just have to extend the trip a month and back-track!" Gilbert's eyes twinkled as he anticipated her reaction.

The wide-eyed mother exclaimed quickly, "No, no, no! Three months is long enough already!"

They continued their easy conversation. Gilbert filled her in on his adventure to the tour desk and outlined the general plan for the next day - under the assumption that they were both well enough for it.

When the floor-top meal was finished and the couple was returned to the more mundane here and now, they bent to tidy up the remnants. Anne stood as she matched the afghan corner to corner twice and placed the now neatly folded blanket back upon its shelf. There was a moment of awkwardness in which neither Anne nor Gilbert knew what to do next. By now it was mid-afternoon and the gloomy rain had faded into a gloomy drizzle. Gilbert could tell with certainty that Anne was aching more to leave the confines of their room and not as much from the ache in her chest. Still, both the man who had already nearly lost his wife twice and the revered doctor preferred to listen to reason.

Anne demurely studied her husband. His jaw was set with determination; almost as if he could anticipate the pestering which was about to be bestowed unto him. It was then that she decided to ease into her scheme.

"I think I will get dressed," she started slowly, "I need a walk. I'll check for telegrams." The sentence was delivered as a statement and definitely not of one asking their physician for permission.

Gilbert nodded, relieved that she only wanted a small spree.

Careful not to let any coughs erupt, Anne dressed into a simple outfit and easily fixed her hair into a style that was at the very least suitable for any strangers she might encounter. With a quick peck to Gilbert's cheek, she slipped out into the hallway and rejoiced in her freedom. Anne deftly made her way to the front desk to check for messages. When the clerk advised that there was nothing to relay, she was half-saddened and half-relieved. There had been nothing pressing on the home-front...but...she had yearned to see something. Anne sighed and retreated from the desk before she coyly bypassed the stairs and instead wandered the hotel in exploration.

Meanwhile, in the room, Gilbert quickly packed Anne's gift into his medical bag. After all, nobody but him ever went into it.

He then sauntered over to the desk where Anne had left out the envelopes destined for the Blythe children on PEI.

Gilbert reviewed Anne's perfect script. Some of her lines made him chuckle while others brought pained smiles and two watery eyes. Anne had selected the telling of their adventures in a way that each individual would appreciate. And, as any mother would, sent along reminders for good behaviours and to watch over each other. When his reading was complete, Gilbert added his addenda and sealed the envelopes.

Eventually, after a greater time that it should take to 'check for messages,' Anne returned to the room.

"I'll have you know, doctor, that I did not cough once," she stated when she approached Gilbert, who had resumed his comfortable place back on the bed. "I propose that we leave this room for supper."

Gilbert deliberated and ultimately relented with a sigh. "Very well, Anne-girl. It's a bit early for that though, isn't it?"

Anne stepped towards the bed, her body mere inches from his, and fished his pocket watch out of his waistcoat.

"So it is," she hummed. "Suppose we deliver the mail to the post office and then find supper?"

He kicked his legs over the side of the bed; the sudden movement startled Anne and she jumped back to miss the impact.

"As you wish, Anne-girl. One cough though and we are back in here," he cautioned.

Anne nodded and moved to add her heavier layers to her outfit while Gilbert bent to put his shoes on.

"The rain was just letting up when I returned. We'd be smart to bring the umbrella with us though," Gilbert remarked while his long fingers worked his shoelaces into a bow.

His wife had just secured the pin into her hat and was in the process of slipping on her warm gloves. She turned her body away from him to fetch both the umbrella and their mail. Anne couldn't help but snicker at her ability to coerce her staunch physician of a husband to allow this outing. Little did she know that while she was out exploring the hotel, Gilbert had already assessed that she was quite fine.

Together the couple stepped onto the sidewalk and Gilbert showed Anne the way to the post office. The errand was completed in the usual uneventful way. Did anything exciting ever occur when dropping the mail off?

This time, instead of turning back onto the route to the restaurant near the hotel, Anne steered Gilbert's arm further down the street. The rain had indeed stopped and the sun was just becoming visible through the clearing clouds. Anne thought sadly that the sun should remain hidden all day, only to have a brief moment of glory before starting its descent to the other side. They had walked a pleasant ten minutes when they reached a welcoming restaurant. Anne and Gilbert stood for several moments in front of the door in discussion. Neither were overly hungry. So, it was decided that they should continue with their stroll and circle back at the first pang of appetite.

Their walk brought them to a heavily treed park adjacent to a graveyard. The mostly-bare branches cast long, spooky shadows as the afternoon died into evening.

"If I didn't know any better, this could be the same graveyard as Old St. John's," Anne sighed. They had begun walking along the rows of headstones.

"Yes, I had that thought as well. Although, Kingsport didn't have as many distinctly German names, now did they?" Gilbert asked from his spot at an old stone. Anne peered at the name carved into it.

"Adelfried Rudger Brunsch. 1712-1796," she read. "He lived a long life."

Gilbert hummed in agreement. "I don't see a wife next to him," he remarked.

"Perhaps he was a Matthew," Anne said softly. "I'd so much rather imagine him to be a gentle soul rather than a callous man who couldn't find a wife."

"We won't ever know, Anne-girl. He may have lost his love, like Captain Jim. That would have been my fate, had you not reconsidered," Gilbert offered.

Anne shuddered at the idea. Thoughts of marrying Royal Gardner and imagining Gilbert spending his life heartbroken were enough to clear any further speculations about the resting souls below.

"Come, let's go to the park," Anne requested.

They rambled along the pathways in the same fashion that they always did. Bystanders would've hardly been able to tell that they were encountering a married couple of fifteen years. Those couples, generally, have nothing left to say to one another. That was not likely to ever be the case here.

Eventually Gilbert broke the wonderful reverie and announced that he could do with some warm food in his belly. Hand in hand, he and Anne re-traced their path back to the restaurant to enjoy another hearty meal.