A/N: Hello. Hope you like Daniel. Please review. I'd like to know your thoughts and feelings about what's going on. Anyway, this chapter will have the family in it. I know I've promised to put them in somewhere, so here it is.

Vy: Thanks for reviewing! You give me more credit than I deserve, I'm afraid. It's not that great. And only people who know me will see the connection with Emily. ;-) Anyway, it's quite obvious, isn't it? Ahh…I should work on that. I figured you would skip ahead because I do too. I do love drama. Keep reviewing. Would really like to know you thoughts about the characters… :-)

puffysleeves: I'm glad you liked Daniel because I'm quite fond of him actually. Thanks so much for reading. It took forever to come up with that stupid family tree, but I got it up eventually! Hope you like this chapter!

rachellynne: Hello! I'm super happy that you wrote a little about Jeff in your review because I want to know what people think of him—and Daniel too. Well, I hope you like this chapter, and please review! I'd really like to know some of your thoughts.

Maya: You read Jane Austen! I'm currently reading Pride & Prejudice actually. Ok, so I'm a total TV fanatic. So, anything about TV can be thrown at me. I love discussing shows with people! I'm all giddy and happy now! Yeah! Now, moving onto the story, thanks so much for the compliments! I'm flattered. It's so easy to find inspiration from real characters in life. My friends could probably see the comparisons between me and Emily very easily. I always love stories with characters that constantly change their minds or deceive you. It keeps me attached and excited to read the rest! Hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you think…

Stella Maynard: I'm at odds too! I like Jeff, but I also like Daniel. When I read the Anne books, I knew from the first moment that Anne and Gilbert were supposed to be with each other, but I really don't think that's how life is. I mean, with Emily, she's torn between these two great guys. I think that's a little more realistic—to be unsure of your future and to be unsure of who you are supposed to be with. Hopefully, I'll be able to add something from the boys, but I won't make any promises.

The ride home was pleasant for Emily. She slept through most of it while Kimmy and Matt chatted before dozing off. Jerry came to pick them up at the station in the morning. His eyes beamed with pride at his little girl and his grown-up son. He also enjoyed meeting Kimmy, who was charming per usual. The ride home to Clarence House was lovely, making Emily realize how much she missed Kensington and home. Nancy and Nan greeted them at the door, both glowing with joy. Kimmy was deemed a kindred spirit and was welcomed by all. As they made their way to the kitchen for breakfast, Emily decided not to join them, claiming she was tired.

"Oh, Mother, I'm fine. It was a long trip, that's all. Honest. A nice little nap will do me wonders."

She ran upstairs to her quaint, quiet room. Her room hadn't changed at all! Oh, those horrible nightmares about her room being redecorated while she was away weren't true! It was still as cozy as ever. Her desk still had her old writing tablets with some of the things she scribbled down before leaving. And her wonderful bookcases, with her large collection, how she missed them so! But the loveliest thing of all was her window seat, overlooking the garden. She opened the window to let in some cool air. Oh, the garden was beautiful with a nice blanket of white that softly coated the field. How she missed planting the bulbs during the fall with Nancy!

"I'm so glad to be home! Finally!" said Emily, exuberantly. She fell onto her bed and drifted off to sleep…

Emily awoke, after what seemed like hours, and changed into comfortable clothes. She forgot that she still had on her white chiffon from the dance last night. Oh, what a lovely dance it was. She couldn't help but think of Daniel, and her heart thrilled at the thought of a possible visit to Ingleside. As she unpacked her bags, her eyes fell on a small package—from Jeff. Jeff! How could she forget about him! He was so kind to her and she liked him so much, but how could she forget about him!

"Em! I love your home! It's just as lovely as you said it would be," said Kimmy, excitedly. She danced into the room with a joyful face, but it suddenly turned into a frown when she saw the distressed look upon Emily's face. "Oh, what's wrong, dearest? Did you not have a good nap? Are you feeling ill?"

Kimmy rushed to Emily's side to feel her head, but Emily moved away, saying she did not feel ill—at least physically anyway.

"Then, what's wrong?"

She could hardly speak, even though she tried to tell Kimmy what was wrong, all that could be heard was a few chokes of despair. "I'm—a—horrible—person! Oh, Kimmy, how could I be so insensitive!"

"What on earth are you talking about, Emily?" asked Kimmy.

"I had a wonderful evening with Daniel," cried Emily, despairingly. "And—I completely forgot about Jeff! How could I? Oh, Kimmy, I'm awful—absolutely awful. How can I live with myself?"

Kimmy looked down at Emily's pale face and her dark eyes, which were now brimmed with tears and laughed! She couldn't help it. "Em, darling. Daniel is lovely, but could it just be that you had a lovely evening with him because you both are kindred spirits? Dearest, you did nothing wrong. You simply went to the formal, met a lovely young man, whose company you enjoyed. That's it. Isn't it?"

"Well…he kissed me before we left on the train—"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Just on the cheek! And it was more of a friendly-ish kiss." Kimmy was speechless. Her friend, Emily Meredith, was practically having a love affair. "But that doesn't change anything. Does it, Kimmy?"

"No. No. Absolutely not. It's the holidays! You shouldn't worry over this, especially because it's nothing to worry over, is it now? Don't fret. I still believe you did nothing wrong, therefore you shouldn't worry over it. It's not like you're engaged to either one anyway."

"Hmm…you're right! I'm home—finally! I've been waiting for this time of year for a long time, and I'm going to enjoy it!" Emily jumped up and put away her things, tossing Jeff's package on the dresser during the process. "Darling, you are everything I could have asked for in a friend! Let's take a walk. I want to show you Kensington!"

Emily and Kimmy enjoyed themselves immensely while Emily showed Kimmy her quaint, charming town. Weston's Bakery was a favorite of Kimmy. Although she was accustomed to dining at fancy bistros in the city, Kimmy found small-town bakeries quaint and charming. The aroma of freshly-brewed coffee filled the air. Inside, they ran into Mr. Anderson, the owner of Kensington's bookstore.

"Oh, Mr. Anderson! I was just about to go over to your store," cried Emily excitedly.

"Emily Meredith, as I live and breathe! My, my, my. I would've never recognized you. Look at how tall you've gotten! How do you like Queen's? Is it everything you thought it would be?"

"Actually, it's nothing like I thought it would be. It's even better than anything I could have ever imagined! Not that I haven't missed home though. It was awfully lonely at the beginning."

Mr. Anderson reached over to get his cup of coffee from the waitress. "Yes, well. It looks like you've made a friend."

Emily suddenly remembered Kimmy. "Oh, this is Kimmy Andrews. Kimmy, this is Mr. Anderson. He owns the bookstore next door. Kimmy boards with me at Queen's. She's visiting my family for the holidays."

Kimmy smiled and shook hands with the friendly man. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Well, why don't you girls come on over to the store after you get your coffee? Anything you want, on the house. Don't you argue with me, Miss Meredith. I won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Then, we'll be over in a bit." Mr. Anderson left with his cup and with a smile on his face. Emily and Kimmy sat down with two cups of coffee and two strudels. Kimmy gushed over how lovely Kensington was and how much she liked Emily's family.

"Emily, thank you so much for allowing me to come home with you. I feel as if I've always belonged here. Your mother is divine. She's so sweet; and Nancy made the best breakfast that I have ever eaten. It was nothing like I have ever had. Oh, and this strudel is simply amazing! Who knew there was so much here for me?"

"Well, wait until you see the rest of Kensington! I knew you'd love it!"

After a long afternoon of touring the town, Emily and Kimmy returned home to find a house full of lively, vivacious people. Jerry just returned home with Harry, Melanie, and Madison. They were all sitting in the living room around the fireplace. Jerry was sitting in his chair, Nan was knitting away, and the kids, or young adults, were laid about the room, telling the family all about their stories at Queen's. It was a perfect picture of a family, but Emily's heart ached when she realized it was missing someone—Will.

"Emily, come in here, dear. We just came back from the station. Kimmy, did you enjoy your tour of Kensington?" asked Melanie, glowing radiantly before the hearth.

Kimmy plopped down beside the twins and told them of all the lovely things she saw. "Oh, it was beautiful! We went to Weston's and then to the bookstore. Mr. Anderson gave us whatever we wanted without any charge! He's such a darling, old man…"

Emily quietly sat down beside Matt, who was reading a part of Jerry's newspaper. Emily started to daydream while the girls chatted until the winter formal was brought up by Melanie.

"Oh Mother, it was the loveliest dance I've ever been to! I wore the peach taffeta and Audrey curled my hair! Oh, you should have seen Preston's face when he saw me! Oh, and he was so handsome and dashing, Mother. I can't wait for you to meet him." Jerry looked worried. It seemed like yesterday when all of his little girls would cling to him and vow that they would never love any man more than their father. And now, they were all beautiful young ladies with beaus constantly calling on them.

"Emily looked gorgeous in her white chiffon, and she put some lilies of the valley in her hair. A stroke of genius, might I add. Em, I saw you dancing with Daniel Anderson. You two made a wonderful couple!" Madison loved to gossip. She twirled her hair and spoke about the dance's details easily while Emily could feel her face burn hotly. Matt let out a small, teasing chuckle as he watched Emily grow uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Harry came to the rescue. "Don't be silly, Maddie. Em and Daniel are friends. Friends can share a dance, can't they, Dad?"

"Of course. I danced with your Mother many times when we were friends. I also danced with my other friends who happened to be girls," said Jerry in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yes, I remembered those dances quite well. Your father was a terrible flirt. He would dance with everyone. I was so jealous, especially when he danced with—oh, what was her name—Cathy Bennet. She went to Queen's with me. Cathy was shamelessly pretty and she knew it. Diana and I used to loathe her so much!"

"Nan, I didn't know you were pining for me. But we mustn't forget about your flirtations. You danced with every man at every dance I can remember."

"I did not dance with every man. I only danced with those men because you refused to dance with me. Oh yes, you wouldn't even look at me!"

"Because I loved you too much to see you dancing with another man. You were the only girl I wanted to dance with," said Jerry sincerely. "And you are the only woman I want to dance with ever again." Jerry rose from his chair, walked over to Nan, and bent his head down to give her a gentle kiss before turning his attention back to the kids. "Now get upstairs to pack your things. We leave for Ingleside bright and early tomorrow."

The next morning, Clarence House awoke early before dawn. Nancy came over to prepare a large feast for breakfast and pack some snacks for the trip to Glen St. Mary. It was a morning filled with anticipation. They hadn't seen Grandmother Anne or Grandfather Gilbert since the summer reunion and much in their lives had changed since then. Will and Alex were both gone. Faith came down to see Nan and Jerry a week or two before the children came home to tell them that Alex had been sent overseas. Never in Jerry's life had he seen his little sister so distraught and upset. Ever since Alex and Will enlisted, Faith and Nan had grown even closer through their love for their boys and the similar paths their lives were now turning on. Will was currently stationed in London, but the family was expecting a change of location any day now. But no matter how difficult their lives came to be, everyone put on a smile and kept faith.

After breakfast was done, Jerry and the boys moved their bags into the car while the girls cleaned up and got their last minute errands done. The large group piled into the car and paired off nicely. Nan and Jerry sat in the front, deep in conversation about some controversial subject. Melanie, Madison, and Kimmy sat next to each other to talk about the latest gossip and fashion trends. Emily sat in between Harry and Matt, who were at odds about yet another discussion about war. Emily found it very unpleasant, sitting in the middle, especially since her mind was already burdened with other things to worry about besides trying to get her brothers to make up.

"Harry, Matt, won't you two make up already? It's going to be a long drive to Ingleside, and staring each other down won't make it anymore pleasurable."

Silence.

"Whatever you're arguing about is not worth being mad at each other for. For goodness sake, Harry you're almost 17, and Matt, you're 14. Haven't you two gotten past the pouting phase of your lives? Even I have gotten over that phase. Please just talk to each other."

More silence.

"Harry, Matt! If you love me at all, you'll make up this instant before I throw myself out of this moving car!"

Harry was the first to make a muffled sound.

"What was that, Harry?" asked Emily innocently.

"I'm sorry, Matt. Em, I'm sorry for being immature," said Harry grudgingly.

Emily turned to look at Matt. "And what would you like to say, Matthew?"

Matt hated when Emily called him by his full name. It was similar to when Mother called him in to be chastised. It was uncanny how alike Emily and Nan could be. "I'm sorry too."

Emily smiled satisfyingly. "There now, that wasn't too bad, was it?" The boys nodded. Emily suddenly spoke in a whispered voice, "Have either of you heard from Will?"

"I haven't. I've heard from Alex more than I've heard from Will. He's probably forgotten about us." Emily and Harry were surprised at how bitterly Matt spoke of Will. Matt always admired and looked up to Will.

"He hasn't forgotten, Matt. I got a letter from Will before I came home. He's been so busy lately. That's why he only wrote one letter to all of us." Harry pulled out a letter from his bag and handed it to Emily and Matt. "But he promises to write more as soon as he can. And he assured us that he is safe and sound, or at least as safe as can be considering he's at war and all."

After finishing the letter, Matt spoke softly. "Has Mum or Dad seen this?"

"No. I forgot to show it to them, but I'm going to give it to Dad tonight." Harry carefully placed the letter back into his bag after Emily handed it to him.

"Why are you so worried about Mum and Dad seeing the letter, Matt? There's nothing in it that would upset them. Is there? Am I overlooking something?" Emily reached over Harry to get the letter out, but he stopped her.

"I'm not worried. I just don't think we should hide things from Mum and Dad," said Matt, rather loudly.

Harry responded with a stern whisper. "I'm not hiding anything. I simply forgot, Matt. Stop blaming me."

Emily sensed that there was something between Matt and Harry that went beyond a simple argument. They were never bitter or mean to each other. In fact, they were usually good chums. It seemed strange that they were bickering so much. "What's going on with you two? Do you know something that I don't? Harry! Matt! Tell me what's going on!"

"Harry, just tell her. She'll find out one way or another."

"Tell me what?"

"I'm not going to tell her. We don't even know if it's true, Matt."

"Tell me what?"

"Fine. I'll tell her then."

"No, you can't tell her! I should tell her."

"Seriously, if you argue over who's going to tell me one more time, I'm going to explode. Won't you just tell me?"

"I heard rumors that Aunt Una is injured in London." Harry paused to look at Emily, who was very calm. "I don't know if it's true. I wrote to Grandfather Meredith to ask if he knew anything, but I didn't get a reply. No one else has had any letters from her, so we really don't know what to think."

"Well, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. The rumors aren't true. I just received a letter from Aunt Una a day or two ago. She's fine."

"Are you sure? Because—"

"—I'm sure. Can we stop talking now? My head is starting to ache." Emily ended the discussion so abruptly that neither Matt nor Harry dared to speak the rest of the way to Ingleside.

Ingleside—forever immortal in everyone's mind. Time always seemed to stand still at Ingleside. Grandmother and Grandfather came out to greet them when they pulled up to the large, beautiful house. Grandfather Gilbert helped bring in some of their bags, while Grandmother Anne hugged and kissed everyone and ushered them into the house. Inside, Aunt Rilla and her children were inside playing and laughing, adding life to the home. Aunt Rilla hugged and kissed Nan and took her into the kitchen, where she was apparently cooking up a feast.

Emily found Walter sitting on the stairs, intently focused on the journal in front of him. He was writing. He was so focused, in fact, that he didn't even notice walk up to him and was quite startled when Emily said hello.

"Emily! Did you just get in?" Walter rose to hug Emily and kiss her on the cheek. "I'm surprised that you're here already. We weren't expecting you for at least another hour."

"Father made sure that we left home before the crack of dawn," laughed Emily. "Oh, Walter! I've missed you so much! Queen's is so lonely, but your letters, your wonderful letters, are so comforting."

"I've heard many tales about your life at Queen's. How 'bout a ramble in Rainbow Valley? You can tell me everything," asked Walter, knowing what the answer would be.

Emily sat on the wooden swing, while Walter played with the bells. The wind blew softly and the grass swayed in the breeze. It didn't take long before Emily dived into conversation.

"Walt, Jeff is really lovely. And he's taken me out on a couple of dates. But I met Daniel the other night and he was so jolly. I could tell he was a kindred spirit, and he kissed me before I got on the train, but I'm not entirely sure if it was a friendly kiss or more. Oh, love is frustrating!"

Walter looked uncomfortable. He was a shy, timid fellow and this conversation was making him even shyer. "Aw, Em, I'm really—not the person—to be talking to. I mean—I just—I don't know," he concluded lamely.

"But I'm desperate! Daniel told me he'd visit Ingleside. I'm not sure how to act around him anymore. I'd ask Sarah, but she's so forward with boys—and I'm not. This isn't exactly my best subject either, Walt."

"Well, maybe you should just—um—act normal."

"What's normal, though? I'm not sure how to act," cried Em frantically. "Won't you just spell it out?"

"Just be yourself, Em. Whatever happens will happen. Just—be yourself. You have good judgment. You'll—figure it out." Walter looked at Emily, who was still upset. "Listen, both of those guys would be lucky to have you, Em, but don't worry about romance or love too much. You're young. Focus on being happy and whoever makes you happy should be the one—for you."

Emily smiled. "Walter Ford, I think you are better at this than you think!"

Anne was washing the dishes with Nan in the kitchen. It was nice to hear young laughter ringing in the air again.

Later that night, Rilla and her family went back home to the House of Dreams. The Meredith children went to bed quietly, tired from the day's adventures. Emily climbed into bed to lie down. She stared at the ceiling for a good ten minutes before hopping out of bed and reaching into her bag to pull out a parcel of letters. Em searched through the large bunch. Will's, Alex's, Walter's…finally, Aunt Una's.

The night crept upon Ingleside, and as the kids bustled about, preparing for bedtime, no one would ever know about the girl silently crying over her parcel of worn letters.

A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! I've been so busy, but I promise to try to update quickly next time. Hope you liked it! As always, please review!

 I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! I've been so busy, but I promise to to update quickly next time. Hope you liked it! As always,