Her remaining time in the camp passes by in a blink. She moves through her regular routine, sitting in meetings and working away on the computers to get more and more onto paper. In the evenings she eats with Diana and Ruby, getting lost in conversations with them and the funny stories they've come to bond over since arriving at the site. When Gilbert's replacement arrives a few days later Anne sighs wistfully, remarking in a text to Gilbert that the man is old and already married.
Does that mean I'm safe then? Gilbert asks, forcing a cackle from Anne's throat.
Regardless of who he was, I think you'd be safe.
Their nightly chats stray into longer conversations, their text messages piling up as the days between them start to grow.
Can I call you, Anne-girl? The message reads one evening as she checks her phone before she heads to the shower.
In an hour. The shower is free right now so I'm seizing the moment. Her phone buzzes with the video chat and she laughs, answering it to see his bright expression fall.
"Damn, I was hoping you were already there," he quips, leaning back in his office chair and rubbing his face briskly. He looks tired, the pale colour of his scrubs doing nothing for the dark bags under his eyes.
"Not yet, I was actually just about to head over," she pauses, setting down the phone and collecting her things. Gilbert's voice calls out to her and she tips the phone back towards her, a smile on her lips. "I don't think that's a good idea. You're at work and I doubt you could keep quiet long enough…"
"Very true. Ugh. I wish you were here. I miss you," he sighs, sitting forward and watching her picture move on the screen with a soft expression.
"I miss you too. But your letter is keeping me company, so it's like I have a part of you here with me."
"So it was a good thing to leave behind?"
"Gil, it's like having you here every night," she says softly, thinking back to the moment she felt the envelope under her pillow. It had been a relief to open the pages, to read through his descriptions of home and the plans he proposed for her return. The words were hopeful and vibrant and she'd held them tightly as she moved from one page to the next.
When she'd reached the final paper she'd already been teary, unprepared for the kindness that poured from him.
Anne-girl,
It wasn't chance that brought us together - I have to believe that it was fate. Chance wouldn't have let us connect the way we have, like maybe we're bound by something bigger than us both. I know it's not just me that feels it, it can't be. Even if we're not together, I think we're still with one another - I know at least that you're always with me. The bite marks might fade but my memory of you stays fresh, I would bet on it.
It won't be long before you're home so I need you to stay strong until you are. Call me if things get tough. Don't give up on this. On us. Come back home. Come find me when you do.
-Gil
His words had given her the strength to get through the day and she'd only felt the importance of his presence on the mission after he was gone.
"Good. I don't think I could handle you forgetting my wonderous self after only a few days," he adds and she shakes her head, turning her attention back to her shower supplies. "How are you really doing? With everything?"
She pauses and glances back towards the screen, her shoulders lifting in the low light. "Well enough - I had a pretty rough dream last night but it didn't stick around so I figure that's progress."
His brow furrows as he watches her turn away again, her expression tight. "You know you can tell me what's going on in that head of yours, right?"
"I know - I've got it under control though. Everyone keeps asking how I'm doing and I keep saying I'm fine," she adds, pausing as she catches sight of his eyes darting up and away from his phone.
"I'm sure you are but I still worry. We're going to talk about this more but I'm sorry Anne-girl, duty calls. It was really good to see you."
"You too, Gil. Try to get some sleep tonight," she requests and his eye roll makes her laugh, his head shaking slightly before the screen flickers and the screen signifying the end of the call appears.
The tightness in her throat lessens as she leaves the device on her pillow, disappearing to the shower to rinse away the day's dirt. When she returns the message she finds waiting for her on her phone makes her flush. A playful picture of Gilbert's frame surrounded by steam with his hair in his eyes as water from a showerhead beats down on him. He'd been saving that one, she knew, and she appreciated it even more as she took in the sight of his wide smile. It was the one that gave her the most comfort, his open confidence and bright mood keeping her company while she eventually drifted off to sleep.
The airport is far too overwhelming, she thinks as she wanders off the plane and back into the real world. Her day and a half of travel have left her exhausted, her hair a mess and an almost noticeable smell emanating off of her as she walks dazedly towards the luggage carousel. She can't wait to find Marilla at the arrivals area, waiting to take her back to Green Gables for a much needed break before she returns to her apartment in Charlottetown to get to work.
Her luggage is last to arrive and she grudgingly pulls it onto her back before walking through customs and towards the sliding doors. Through the exit and into the mess of people, Anne pushes her way past the group towards a reserved woman standing near the pillars to her right.
"Marilla!" She greets, pulling the woman against her and rocking them back and forth in hello.
"You must be exhausted," Marilla replies as she holds her hands to Anne's cheeks. "But Matthew would be so proud of you and what you're doing. Come, let's go home."
Anne smiles even though her eyes burn, memories of Matthew causing her to fight through the nostalgia and follow Marilla out into the parking garage.
It's only a few minutes of stop and go traffic to get out of the airport corral before Anne finds herself falling asleep, the sleep deprivation finally catching up with her. Marilla looks on with a soft gaze, her hand brushing the girl's hair affectionately before she focuses more clearly on the road ahead.
When Anne awakes later that afternoon she's tucked in her bed at Green Gables, the sheets pulled up to her chin as the evening light spills in through the window. Confused, she sits up and looks around her, wondering how she got here. She hadn't walked - there was no recollection of that - and Marilla surely didn't carry her here.
She gets to her feet and pads towards the living room, familiar voices slinking their way up to her. Rachel and Marilla are in the kitchen, chatting and laughing over dinner preparations when Anne joins them.
"Anne! Oh my dear, it is good to see you!" Rachel greets, wiping her hands and coming over to give her a bone crushing hug.
"It's good to see you too, Rachel," she answers and looks towards Marilla who smiles back at her. The woman's eyes flicker towards the pantry and Anne pulls back, suspicious. "How did I - "
"Hi Anne." The voice sends a jolt through her as she looks up and watches as Gilbert steps out of the pantry, an apron tied around his waist and his arms holding a bushel of potatoes. He looks like he's lived here for years, like maybe this is his home and she's only somehow stumbled into it.
"How - how did you - " she mumbles, surprised, confused. Happy. Beaming.
"Facebook is a hell of a tool," he replies and sets down the potatoes at the table, watching as she steps away from Rachel and towards him. Shaking her head, Anne stares at him almost as if in a haze, disbelief etched in her features.
"I thought we were going to get together in Montreal but you said you were out of town!" She whispers as she comes toe-to-toe with him. He looks down at her with a small smile on his lips, eyes shining. Neither of them spare a care for the others in the room, their attention singularly focused on each other.
"I was. I was coming here. Marilla said it was alright," he answers softly, his hand lifting to brush her hair back from her face.
"Marilla would never - "
"He's a nice boy, Anne. And a doctor," Rachel interjects quickly and Anne comes back to herself, turning to face the women with reddened cheeks. "You'd be hard pressed to find another, with all that globetrotting you do. Don't be a fool."
Her biting words cause Anne to put her hands over her face as Marilla shushes the other woman. Beside her Gilbert rests a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him. In a rush she grabs his arm and drags him out of the kitchen and into the yard, her feet carrying her away from him as the wind whips up around them.
"I can't believe - how did you get here?" She asks breathlessly, turning back to look at him with her hands on her hips. She didn't know whether she was thrilled to see him or annoyed that he hadn't told her before he'd made his plans. Shock was still echoing through her and causing her rash thoughts to surface.
"Well, I messaged Rachel and she gave me Marilla's number. It was pretty easy to explain that we were friends and that I wanted to come welcome you home. Rachel was more than happy to have me come," he adds and shrugs, watching as she paces back and forth before him. "Are you mad I'm here?"
Anne stills at his words, turning to look at him with wide eyes. "Mad? Gil, no," she answers quietly, glancing up at him. "I'm not mad at all. I'm… God, what am I?"
"If you're not mad then, can we say hello properly?" He breathes and inches closer so that when she flings her arms around his neck he's able to pull her close and crash his lips into hers. When they're both breathless, their hands holding each other close, Anne laughs and rests her head on his chest to feel the beat of his heart.
"I've missed you," she sighs, rocking in his embrace as his hands lift to her cheeks.
"I've missed you too, Anne-girl. It isn't the same now." His eyes lock on hers, searching as the moment draws out. "Can we actually make a go of this? Montreal isn't far from Charlottetown."
"I'm willing to try if you are," she answers carefully, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
"Thank god. I had no idea how I was going to convince you if you said no. You've bewitched me," he whispers as his thumb drags across her cheek. "I have to warn you, I'm only here for the night. I've gotta get back for work. But when you're ready, I'd like if you came to see me in Montreal. I'll get the ticket so you don't have the worry about that - "
"I have to get to work myself. I've got deadlines on this book - "
"There's a place in my apartment - it's got great light, you can work there if - I mean only if you want - I know this is a lot and maybe I'm definitely getting ahead of myself," he chuckles as she rests her forehead against his chest, her fingers twisting in the tail of his shirt.
"It's so tempting. I'll come for a weekend, we can start there?" She offers before glancing back up at him. His grin is so bright that she's nearly blinded, his lips ducking down to meet hers in a kiss that makes her toes curl.
"That sounds perfect. God, I'm happy to see you."
"Me too Gil, you've no idea," she answers softly.
Under strict orders form Marilla, Anne leaves Gilbert that night at the door to Matthew's old room, his cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkling as she scurries back upstairs to her room. In bed she lay restless, turning under her covers and trying to stifle the broad grin that covers her face.
Gilbert was here. It hadn't been a blip or all in her head. He must have felt something too, that connection that kept drawing her back to him. Their time together on mission hadn't been a fluke like she'd feared and now he was here. There was promise in that, she had to believe it.
With a huff she flops onto her back and lifts her arms over her head so that she can stare at the ceiling. The small buzz of her phone alerts her to the message and she turns to read it, a swift exhale escaping from her.
I can't stop thinking about you up in that gable room.
Her cheeks burn as she types out her reply, the edge of her willpower holding taunt.
What are you thinking about?
The ellipses appear and she waits, lip between her teeth as she watches the screen. The small knock at her door nearly forces a scream from her throat and she sits up abruptly, her hands clasped over her mouth.
"It's just me," Gilbert whispers as he steps into her room and closes the door behind him. He moves softly across the creaking boards, settling on the edge of her bed near her feet. "I understand Marilla's rules, Anne, I'm not here for that," he chides as she sits gulping air, words alluding her. "Do you mind me being here? In your room?"
She shakes her head and shifts so that he can move to sit beside her, his arm reaching around to draw her close to his chest. "How do you always know what I need without me saying anything, Gil?" Anne asks with her hand splayed across his chest. His fingers graze along her arm, trailing gooseflesh where they touch.
"I don't know - I guess maybe I'm selfishly acting on what I need and it just so happens to involve you," he chuckles and she scoffs, glancing up at him. "What can I say? I'm needy!"
"You are not! We're two wholly independent adults who - "
"Happen to be drawn together?"
"Yes," she breathes as he meets her eyes, his finger lifting to brush along her jaw.
"Now that I have you to myself, how are you really doing since coming home?" His soft question makes her sigh and she shrugs slightly.
"I'm okay. I mean, it's barely been a day and I've slept through most of it, so I don't really know at this point. How are you doing? Are you adjusting back okay?"
"About the same. I actually, um, accessed the support network they offer the first few days. I wasn't back to work yet and I was struggling with the accident a bit - "
"You never mentioned that, Gil," she interrupts, watching him keenly as he shifts under her gaze.
"I know. I didn't want to burden you with it while you were still there though and dealing with your own stuff. It seemed unnecessary to put that on you too. Regardless, I'm doing better now." He answers and feels himself relax as she lifts her palm to his cheek.
"You can tell me when you're not doing well, you know that, right?" Her voice is soft as she says it, her eyes watching as he closes his eyes with a nod.
"I will. I even promise to, if you do the same?" She nods at that, her heart thumping in her chest as the worries abate for the moment. "You feel this, right? This strange pull between us?"
"I think I do. I thought it was just me at first but I hoped…" His lips find hers in a soft kiss, one that asked for no more than either of them could give. When he draws back eventually, her hands tangled in his curls, it's with heavy lidded eyes that she draws him down beside her, their too big frames wrapping together on the tiny bed from her childhood.
Waking to the still light of the morning Anne smiles as she takes in the sight of him in his sleep. He looks peaceful, a small smile on his mouth and his brow smooth from worries. She takes the chance to run her thumb across it, sighing as his arms tighten around her and she stills at the feel of him pressing into her hip, hard and insistent.
"Gil," she whispers, her lips grazing his as he moans and pulls her closer.
"Five more minutes," he rasps. Anne shivers with his breath on her neck, her fingers trailing along his jaw and down to his shoulder, his arm and his hip. When she drops her hand between them to brush against his length he groans and shifts against her touch, seeking more as her name slips from his lips.
She takes the sound as acceptance and wraps a leg over his thigh, shifting until he's flush against her and his exhales have stuttered against her skin.
"Anne-girl," he hisses as her nails scrape against the skin of his side. "This is the best dream of my life. The very best."
She laughs and nuzzles into his neck, her teeth nipping at the sensitive place she's learned draws a flush to his skin. His hands splay across her back and his hips rock forward, a soft sound of surprise escaping from her throat as she glances up to see him watching her.
"We shouldn't," he murmurs, stilling her hips with his hand though she can see how much it pains him to do so.
"The rooster hasn't crowed - she'll still be dead asleep. I promise it's okay," Anne replies quickly, running her fingers along the edge of his pyjama pants.
"I didn't come here just for this," he groans and lifts his hands to bracket her face, drawing her attention back to him. "I wanted to say that. Just so you know."
"I thought we established that yesterday?" She questions to his growing smile, his lips finding hers in a kiss that steals her breath. With a renewed fervor she pulls at the elastic of his pants and forces them down until he's exposed to her touch, his moan swallowed by her kiss as her hand grips him steadily.
His hands make quick work of pulling her nightshirt up so that he can slip his fingers between her legs, her hips jerking as they move between her folds.
"Were we having the same dream?" He growls as she shifts herself into position, teasing him with her wetness. "Am I actually in a dream right now?" Gilbert sighs as she joins them, his body abruptly pushing to fill her. His hands hold tight to her waist, his forehead ducking to rest on her shoulder as his breathing stumbles.
They lay there together for a drawn out moment, hearts racing as eventually he looks up and meets her gaze, that searching look returning to his eyes as slowly he starts to move inside her.
All the frantic times before, the times to catch the release, to forget what was happening around them, pale in comparison to the way they shift and press together now. Soft moans and seeking hands hold them closer, their skin rubbing in a sweet friction that drives her upward and moves her closer to the peak with every quick breath and flexed fingers.
"I'm so close, Anne," he gasps as his hips start to lose their pacing, one palm holding the back of her neck and the other biting into her lower back.
"It's okay, it's okay," she whispers in return, her lips sliding against his temple as she staves off the feeling that's starting to crash into her. His strangled moans, low in her ear, make her skin flush and she clings to him as best she can, taking everything he'll give to her in that moment. When finally he stills, his heart hammering against his ribs, she allows herself to exhale and holds him tightly in her embrace.
"You feel like home," he mumbles into her ear, his thrusts slow as he starts to soften and eventually slips from her. She takes his words and tucks them away, stealing a kiss from him as his eyes flicker open to watch her. With careful movements he reaches between them and finds her center once more, unable to leave her wanting. His hands draw sounds from her lips as his fingers press and circle, dipping inside as she shifts against him.
Her chest heaves as he urges her upward, chasing that high that's just out of reach. When finally she comes her words are captured by his mouth, the echo of a rooster outside her window signifying that their time was nearly up.
With his hand between her legs and gentle kisses trailed across her jaw, Anne comes back to herself and sighs, reality swooping back in. "You should go now - they'll be up soon."
"I know, I know. Just give me a second to enjoy this and then I'm going to go start breakfast to make them fall in love with me before I leave. You'll come down soon?" He adds, pausing before shifting to carefully untangle himself and pull his pants back into place. His hands run quickly through his hair, smoothing it down from the frayed clumps she'd tugged it into throughout the night. She watches him with a smile, her own body still buzzing.
"Of course - your flight is early too, isn't it?" Gilbert stumbles as though just now remembering he had to leave. The look that crosses his features makes her chest ache and she sits up, reaching for his shoulders and drawing him back in for a quick kiss. "Go make breakfast. I'll be down to help you as soon as I get dressed. We won't waste a minute."
He turns on his heel and tip-toes down the stairs, avoiding the creaks in the floorboards as Anne listens to him go. She gets to her feet and starts to dress as she hears Rachel and Marilla come alive, shuffling around in their rooms and eventually Rachel's heavy gait descending the stairs. Below her the sounds of the kitchen echo up through the hallway, the morning greetings bringing a bright smile to her face.
Time passes too quickly that morning and soon Anne is standing at the edge of the gate as Gilbert pulls her into his arms, his lips stealing a chaste kiss from her. "Let me know when you want to come visit and I'll - "
"Now? Can I come now?" She whispers to his returning chuckle, his hands rubbing her shoulders.
"You need to start that book first, Anne-girl. You need to tell their stories. Then come find me. I'll be waiting for you, okay?" With a sigh she pulls him to her, tucking her head under his jaw and nodding.
"Travel safe, Gil," she bids as he drops into his seat and closes the door. The car rumbles to a start and she steps back, her hand lifted in a dejected wave. She doesn't expect the door to open again or the man to step back out, drawing her once more to him in a tight hug.
"I didn't get to do this before I got on a plane last time and I regretted it. I'll see you soon," he adds before reaching to press his lips to hers in a kiss that holds nothing back. When he finally breaks away he gives her a slanted grin, a spark in his eye as he slips back into his car.
He doesn't stop again before taking off towards the road, disappearing into the distance as a stunned Anne stands with her fingers pressed to her lips.
"That boy sure is something," Marilla breaks into her thoughts, the older woman's arm coming to wrap around Anne's shoulders. "Before you got here he couldn't stop beaming about you. It was really quite sweet."
"He took care of me over there. I think he's actually one of the good ones," she agrees, letting the older woman steer them back towards the house.
"You know, it's a bit too fanciful for me, but Rachel thinks that boy is your soulmate or some other foolishness. While I may not believe in notions like that, I would agree there's something between you two that is rare - you lit up when you saw him with that sack of potatoes. I haven't seen you smile like that since the day you signed into the family bible," Marilla adds, pausing at the porch to look down at her charge who was now a bright young woman. "If he makes you happy, Anne, be sure not to squander it."
"I won't, Marilla, I promise," Anne states and pulls the woman in for a tight hug, her thoughts spinning as she sees the possibilities before her opening doors long thought closed.
