The wind blew fiercely outside the Blythe home that night; and the trees around the property swayed with it. Thunder boomed, and with every roll the house shook, causing the windows to rattle, and framed family pictures that were hung around the house to shake.
Rain poured down heavily, and it wasn't long before large puddles began to form. Anne had always encouraged the children to jump in puddles after the rain, for she said that just like plants, children needed rainwater too. Gilbert never could understand this statement, but decided it best to keep quiet.
"Ooof!" Was the sound that escaped the mouth of Gilbert that stormy night in his bed, in a startled, disturbed manner as he felt the breath that he had just inhaled moments before as a quiet snore, rush out of him all at once. He felt a little body curl up on his chest, seemingly unbothered about the fact that their father was having difficulty regaining the ability to breathe properly after being awoken by the extremely uncomfortable act of being pounced on at three in the morning on a Saturday, by a three year old, who looked nothing like she weighed.
"Daddy." Came the voice of little Rilla. Gilbert instantly noticed the quiver in her small voice. Although it was still dark in Anne and Gilbert's bedroom, for the sun was yet to rise, Gilbert could feel Rilla's warm breath against his neck, and little hands stroking his clothed chest, as if assuring herself that he was really there.
"What's wrong, Rilla?" He asked her, in a low, slightly raspy voice. "Is the storm frightening you?" Rilla let out a sniffle, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her tiny middle, hoping to give her a sense of security and comfort.
"Daddy, why is the sky angry?" She asked him quietly. "It's fighting with the lightning, just like Walter and Jem fight, isn't it?" She said gravely.
Gilbert couldn't resist chuckling. "No, dear. The sky isn't angry."
"It scares me." She whispered. "Mommy says that you are a strong and brave prince, so could you please make the sky stop?" Rilla began to sniffle again, and Gilbert could feel her rapid heartbeat against his chest. He sat up slowly, careful not to disturb Anne who lay beside him, who even though claimed to be a light sleeper unlike himself, somehow managed to sleep through the roaring storm outside. Gilbert clutched his youngest child to his chest, pushed the blankets off of himself, and felt around with his feet in the dark for his slippers beside the bed.
After finding them, another piercing clash of thunder rolled, and he felt wet spots on his nightshirt begin to form where Rilla had her little face buried, which told him that she had started to cry. This sent a pang of misery throughout his entire being. Gilbert absolutely hated to see his children cry. It was one of the most painful things that he could ever witness, and it completely broke his heart. A knot formed in his own throat as he pushed open the bedroom door that Rilla had left ajar.
He carried her down the pitch black hall, rubbing her back soothingly until he reached the top of the staircase, where he switched on a small lamp that sat on the table beneath the window. He was surprised to see that the power hadn't gone out with the powerful wind they were experiencing, but he decided not to question it as he made his way down the staircase, guided by the glowing lamplight.
Gilbert entered the kitchen, turning on a few more lamps as he did so. Rilla's tears had slowed, although hiccups had now taken their place. He set her down on a chair at the kitchen table, and squatted down so that he could talk to her face to face. "You know Rilla, I'm flattered that mommy said that I was strong and brave prince." He grinned goofily at her, hoping to cause a smile to form on her tiny lips. When she only blinked her tearful eyes in response, Gilbert continued. "But I'm afraid that there's nothing that I can do if God decides that he wants to rearrange his furniture."
At this, Rilla wrinkled her red brows in confusion; the brows that everyone claimed were almost identical to Gilbert's. Aside from the color of course. "Re-range his... *hic* furniture?"
"That's right." Gilbert said and stood, walking over to the stove to add more wood to it from the wood stack. He lit a match, which he then threw in, and he filled a kettle with water, which he left on the top of the stove to boil. After doing so, he pulled out a chair to sit across the table from his daughter, who watched him, with a bewildered expression on her face.
Another crash of thunder rolled, and Rilla flinched, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "Don't be scared, love. That was only God moving his sofa to the other side of the room." He told her.
"Why couldn't he leave it where it was?" Rilla whispered, opening her hazel eyes.
"Rilla!" Gilbert scolded lightly, whilst trying to fight back a grin. "God can do whatever he wants, and whether it be to rearrange his furniture until the sun comes up, so be it."
Rilla nodded her head, causing her red curls to bob up and down. She took her bottom lip between her teeth, and thought about what her father had said for a moment. "He must be having an awful hard time deciding where to put it." She decided.
Gilbert laughed, and propped his head up with his hands, and admired his three year old daughter, who was clearly feeling less and less afraid with each passing moment. Despite the fact that Gilbert was woken up at three in the morning on a Saturday, he truly didn't mind, and was glad that he was able to ease Rilla's fear. He knew that he'd be glad to do this every morning, in hopes that none of his children would ever worry again.
The kettle soon began to whistle, and he quickly scooted his chair back and got up to tend to it. After taking it from the heat, and making sure that Rilla was occupied by finding the ends of the embroidered tablecloth quite interesting, Gilbert reached into the highest cupboard where his and Anne's secret stash of chocolates were contained. He took out a package and quickly closed it again. Hiding the chocolate bar behind a flower vase that sat on the counter, he took two mugs from another cupboard, secretly broke the chocolate in half, putting one half in each cup, and then poured the boiling water in. He added a splash of leftover milk in each, and found a spoon to mix it all together with.
The chocolate melted quickly, and Gilbert set a steaming cup of hot chocolate on the table in front of Rilla, and then the other he placed in front of his own chair. Although not before taking a sip of the hot, sweet liquid. He grinned at his daughter, who to his delight, happily grinned back. He reached down to ruffle her auburn curls, and to gently pinch her nose affectionately. Bending down, so that he could whisper in her ear, he softly said, "Don't tell mommy."
"Don't tell mommy, what?" Came a soft, but stern voice from the shadowy entryway of the kitchen, right where Gilbert had his back turned to. Anne Blythe stepped into the lit kitchen, so that the darkness no longer concealed her, and her long fiery tresses and striking blue eyes were in full sight. She had her green bathrobe over her long white nightgown, and white slippers embroidered with yellow and red flowers on her feet. "Don't tell mommy that you were drinking hot chocolate at three o'clock in the morning, or rather; don't tell mommy that you were drinking hot chocolate without her?"
Gilbert gulped, and turned around to his face his wife, grinning sheepishly while Rilla turned around enthusiastically and waved. "Hi, Mommy!"
"Hello, Rilla, love." Anne murmured, and rushed forward to kiss her daughter on the head. She then straightened, and turned to Gilbert, eyebrow raised.
"I assume that... I'm not going to receive a kiss... am I?" He said, cautiously taking a step back.
"You assumed right, Gil." Anne replied, taking another step towards him, and another, before placing her hands on his shoulders, and lifting herself up to the tips of her toes. "At least until you make me some chocolate too." She whispered, when they were nearly nose to nose.
"Hmm, that, I believe I can do." Gilbert hummed, and quickly kissed his wife's nose.
"Gilbert Blythe! I said no kisses!" She scolded him, despite the smile that was growing steadily across her face, which revealed the dimple that he adored.
"Correction: Anne Blythe." He replied coolly. "You stated that I would not be on the receiving end of any kisses, until you received a serving of hot chocolate. However, I don't recall you saying anything about me distributing kisses." He waggled his eyebrows gleefully.
"Cheeky Gil!" Anne exclaimed, smacking his chest lightly.
Another rumble of thunder came about, the loudest one yet, so loud that it seemed that the roof itself was about to give out. Both Anne and Gilbert whipped around to see Rilla's reaction, blue and hazel eyes wide. At the table, the three year old lowered her cup from her mouth, that she had been gulping down only moments before, and blinked her own hazel eyes at her parents. "Don't be scared mommy and daddy. It's only God re-ranging his furniture." She said plainly. "But I think he knocked over his sofa this time."
Fifteen minutes later, Gilbert carried a sleeping Rilla back upstairs to her bed, for the little one had fallen asleep at the table not long after finishing her hot comforting drink. Gilbert gently tucked her inside of her soft blankets, and brought her favorite bear closer to her. Smoothing out her curls, and brushing them gently out of the way, he laid a kiss on her forehead. Rilla stirred, and sleepily opened her eyes a crack. "I love you, daddy." She murmured.
"I love you too, Rilla. So so much." With the moonlight streaming in through the window, he saw her give him a tired grin, before rolling onto her side, and pulling her teddy bear close.
Gilbert walked to the other side of the bedroom that Rilla shared with the twins, and smiled at the sleeping angelic faces of Nan and Di, who were tucked into their own beds on the opposite wall. He softly placed kisses on both of their foreheads, carful not to waken them from their slumber.
If asked, Gilbert didn't think that he ever could have the ability to properly explain the abundant love that he had for all seven of his children. Each one had such a special place in his heart. They were his everything.
After making his way downstairs back to where Anne sat at the kitchen table facing the doorway, sipping the cocoa that he had made her, she greeted him with a smile, and got up to throw her arms around his neck. "The children love you so much, Gil. I do too. Even though we've been parents for over a decade now, I sometimes can't believe that they're truly ours." She murmured.
"I know exactly what you mean, Anne-girl." He answered, and kissed her temple gently. The two stood there for a few long moments, simply embracing in the lamp lit kitchen, before Gilbert suddenly remembered something. "Now, may I be so bold as to request my promised kisses? You've had your desired chocolate, so therefore my payment has been made."
Anne laughed quietly, and stepped back so that she could take his face into her hands. He felt her stroke his chin, the chin that she had told him years ago was positively splendid, and closed his eyes as she placed a kiss on it. He was about to frown, and ask if that was all, but then her lips met his in a sweet kiss, and he felt her arms wrap around his neck once again, as he took the opportunity to grab her waist. She tasted of chocolate, and he reckoned that he did as well. Their kisses had always been precious and sweet to him, but now they were even sweeter.
Anne stepped back first, though only after giving him one last peck. "Gilbert, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that it's nearly four in the morning. We best head back to bed now if we don't want to be zombies around the children tomorrow."
"I would be no such thing. Rilla tells me that her mother believes me to be a prince." He replied smugly.
