Gilbert had already completed a thorough exam, and Faith walked downstairs to find her family patiently waiting to hear news of Una. Gilbert had already completed a thorough exam and now everyone was just waiting for her to wake up. Jem who had recently arrived home met his wife at the foot of the stairs.

After sharing an embrace, he asked, "Is she awake? Does she appear to be alright?"

Faith nodded, and leaned her head on her husband's strong shoulder. "She's fine. She only has, as Father Gilbert said, 'a very nasty headache.' I left her alone to rest now." She pulled away from Jem a little, "I must ring the manse in Avonlea and tell them the good news." She started for the phone, but looking at her children and then back at Jem, the only person who knew the extent of her wound from Una's departure, and started sobbing hysterically.

Jem pulled her to him and held her tightly as she cried her tears of joy. Anne stood up and said, "Let me do the calling Faith. I will be more than happy to." Faith only nodded as Jem took her outside to be alone.

Hope, feeling responsible for everything, walked over to Gilbert, wanting answers to many questions. "Grandfather, why is Aunt Faith so upset over Miss Una coming? Does she know her? Did I do something wrong in bringing her here? She was so nice to me; I wanted her to meet everyone. I didn't mean for anyone to get upset."

Gilbert pulled his granddaughter, the innocent little granddaughter he never thought he would hold; the granddaughter, who looked just like his wife and two of his daughters as children, the granddaughter who quickly became the apple of his eye and joy of his old age, into his lap. "No Hope, you did absolutely nothing wrong. Miss Una is Aunt Faith's younger sister who went away a long time ago without telling anyone goodbye. She has been very sorely missed. Aunt Faith is just happy to have her home. Just as we were happy to have you, your daddy, and Tenny come to us."

"But she was crying, Grandfather. I didn't want to make her cry. I love Aunt Faith so much," she continued with pleading, greenish-grey eyes.

"Do not worry yourself over Aunt Faith. Tears of joy are always a wonderful thing. We are all very happy that Una has come back to the Glen," he assured her, pulling her tighter to him.

Walt, who after finally being allowed to eat had been spending his evening playing checkers with Tenny, stood up with a questioning look. "That was my Aunt Una? Where has she been all this time? Do I have any other aunts or uncles that I haven't met?"

Grandfather shook his head. "No Walt, you have now met all of your aunts and uncles." He looked down at Hope and stroked her red hair as she contentedly laid her head against him and thought of his little girl that could not make a miraculous return, sleeping in her little, narrow bed, and sighed. Walt didn't have any more aunts to meet.

John, who had been drawing in the floor said, "I think it's neat. I like meeting new family."

Walter had been sitting in the corner, not being able to shake seeing those haunting eyes in person. He stood up abruptly and said, "Dad, I think I need to take a walk. Do you mind taking care of the children?"

"Go ahead, Son. It has been an... interesting evening. We will be fine here." Gilbert knew that Walter often liked to walk in Rainbow Valley in the evenings and talk things over with Katie. He couldn't imagine what life would have been like had he ever lost Anne. He probably would need to be alone with wherever his thoughts took him a lot too.

"Thank you, Dad. I'll try not to be gone too long." He kissed his children and then went out the door.

Anne walked back into the room just as Walter was leaving. "Where's he headed off to?"

"Oh, he's taking one of his walks to think, Anne-girl. Did you talk with the Avonlea folk?"

She sat down and John, who was beginning to grow tired, crawled into her lap. "Yes. They were very happy to hear that Una is home.; surprised, like the rest of us, but more or less happy. John and Rosemary are coming home first thing in the morning. Jerry and Nan are coming too."

"That is good news. I should like to Jerry and Nan myself."

Hope perked up in Gilbert's lap, "Does that mean that Cecilia is coming too?"

Anne nodded then said in a low voice, "I wonder why Una has decided to come home now?"

Walter started to walk to an old spot in Rainbow Valley where he once would sit and write beautiful poems. Of later days, it was a place where he would sit alone and allow Katie to visit him. They would talk everything over from little things like the weather to the larger things like how the children were fairing. However, this evening, he couldn't bring himself to speak with Katie. It felt like a betrayal. He had locked eyes with those that had haunted him for so long. He was glad to see them; glad to see her. Yet that made him feel guilty. He loved Katie with every ounce of his being. He WASN'T in love with Una, he couldn't be, but something felt good when he carried her into Ingleside. He didn't know what that meant, if it meant anything at all. Whatever his state of mind, he knew it would be wrong to look for Katie tonight. He walked instead in the direction of Four Winds. The thought of seeing his baby sister seemed very contenting right now.

Rilla was working on her rose bushes to the sounds of Ken playing with Gil and Anne before bedtime. It was a nice yet somewhat humid evening, though clouds were forming on the horizon. A new hope was forming in Rilla's heart, and with every laugh and squeal her two children made, that hope grew more and more.

Walter caught site of her, hazel eyes shining in moonlit mirth, "What has your eyes so starry this evening, Rilla-my-Rilla?"

With a startled jump she said, "Oh, Walter! You startled me! What brings you by this late?"

With a teasing smile, he shook his head, and said, "No, I asked first. What dreams are taking you away tonight?"

She smiled demurely, "Oh I suppose you'll know soon enough. We are expecting another baby."

"That's wonderful!" Walter exclaimed as he hugged his sister, then remembered not to hug her too tightly, forgetting for the moment his own troubles.

"What news do you have of Ingleside? It seems that it has only been three days since our Sunday dinner. What brings you all the way here so late at night and with a storm brewing?" She asked somewhat teasingly.

Remembrance of those eyes struck him again. "There has been a great deal going on at Ingleside. So much that I needed to get away for a bit and gather myself."

With growing concern, she touched his arm, "Nothing's wrong is it? Why haven't you called? We would have been right over."

He sighed and told her, "There is little that you and Ken could do, I believe. It just seems as if I am going to have to face that which has been haunting me so long now."

"Walter, what are you talking about?" she asked very confused.

"She's back."

"Who is back, Walter? Why are you being so vague?"

He collapsed into the bench. "Una showed up today in Rainbow Valley. She met Hope, and they talked. Hope brought her home. When she saw me, and collapsed."

"Oh!" Rilla exclaimed falling next to her brother. "Is she well?"

Running a far from steady hand through his hair he said, "I suppose she is. Dad seems to think that other than a concussion, she's fine. Only Faith has spoken with her, and she is terribly upset by everything."

"Oh," Rilla again stated, wishing she had more to say, but not knowing what would be appropriate.

"Those eyes," he stated in that other-worldly sense for which he was known. "Those eyes that have haunted me waking or asleep; they looked directly into me today."

"And?" she asked wanting to know more.

"And what, Rilla?" he asked rather upset. "I don't know what. I have tried so hard to forget those eyes for so long. I have felt unfaithful to my wife just thinking about those eyes, and I do not know why! Rilla, you asked me when I first came home if I was in love with Una. No, I'm not now. I don't even know the woman she has become. Yet the more that I think about it, and I try to not think about it at all, I think that I may have been in love with her, even just the smallest seedling of love, before Courcelette. I have tried to deny it. I have tried to forget, but I can't, and I don't know why. I did love her, but not now. Now I love Katie. I have loved her in a sense that I never did love Una. She has touched depths of my soul that didn't even exist before the accident. Yet, the memory of what I felt for Una remains and refuses to be smothered out of my life." There, he admitted it. He admitted it to Rilla and to himself. He could no longer deny it, at least to himself, though no weight seemed to be lifted from his chest.

For many, many reasons, Rilla needed to clarify – everything, "Before... Before Courcelette, you were in love with Una. Or at least you were beginning to love Una, an unrequited love. Then the accident happened, and Katie came into your life, sweeping your lost heart away. You have said many times that you fell in love with Katie at first sight and loved her completely..."

"Love her completely," he interrupted.

"Since you gave your heart to Katie, since you first saw her, you loved her like no other. The two of you shared a marriage, a home, a family, a life. Yet despite all other memories being lost, you saw Una's eyes at different times. You didn't know her. You're right. You don't know her now. None of us do anymore. The memory of her eyes and now the memory of her and what you felt for her hasn't changed the fact that you've devoted your life and heart to Katie. I do not see why anything has to change. Una never knew that you were in love with her, did she?"

He shook his head with shame. "No, she never knew. I don't think that I knew until that night before Courcelette, then it was too late."

Rilla sighed, knowing about as much and knowing that it was still not her place to say anything. "Then, I think you have to look at it sort of like Mrs. Meredith's predicament. She loved a young man when she was young. Something happened and that love was lost. The memory of it never went away because it was so special and powerful. Somehow, though... Somehow, she learned to love Mr. Meredith and has been the most devoted wife and mother without ever forgetting that first love. Walter, you have no reason to feel guilty. I think you just need to learn how to live in this world now. You and Una are both adults. As a man, you love your wife and should be commended for that. You shouldn't feel guilty over the boyhood that was lost to you and the what if's. You should also not feel guilty for remembering what once was."

He listened to Rilla with fervent ears. She was no longer just the listening sister, but she was practical and most importantly, right. She seemed to help the guilt disappear. Much as his mother had once been resolved that she was only friends with a certain someone, he was resolved that his love for Una was in the past, and only the memory remained. He kissed Rilla goodbye, and walked home that evening with the thunder rolling at his heels, but he felt freer than he had in a long while. Free from that past, fleeting love, and free from the guilt he carried regarding Katie.