Thank you once again for your understanding, people, at the time it took to get you this update. There are several reasons for that: firstly, at the point I started writing on here, I was pretty bad at 'self-care'- you are now suffering from me learning to be a little more balanced in my life! I would apologise, however, it was very much needed. The other reason is that this chapter is a very transitional one- and this is the last run to the end. Bringing storylines home to roost isn't the easiest of things for me- and this one is a whopper! That being said, thank you to all of those who have followed this story- it means the world to me that you have enjoyed it, even if you weren't at all sure where I was going at first.

We're on the home stretch now…

Love, Cate.

Chapter 30

The noise and commotion at the Carmody station on the bright Saturday morning could rarely have been equalled. Anne stood with the twins on the platform now, her arm casually around Dora as Davy talked about a fishing trip that he and Milty were taking that afternoon. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of all of the college students with their families- the Green Gables household had come to see the two of them off, the Blythes were talking with Moody's father and sister; Charlie was surrounded by the other Sloanes, loftily talking about his plans for the autumn, and at the sound of the train whistle in the distance, she turned in time to see Diana and Fred running along the platform to meet them.

"Di darling, whatever are you doing here?"

Her beloved friend was beaming, trying to catch her breath. "Oh, Marilla said that everyone was coming to see you all off- and Fred and I had some shopping to do in Carmody today. So we came in early to see you off." She turned to look around at the group assembled, and began to laugh. "Goodness, it's almost a party, isn't it?"

Anne shrugged, her smile bright. "When we get together with Priscilla and Stella, it often is. They wrote that they were spending the night in Charlottetown with Prissy's family."

Diana sighed, watching the happy hubbub. "I almost envy you, Anne, you have a circle of kindred spirits, wherever you go."

Fred came up behind Diana then, after greeting the menfolk, and Anne smiled at the easy manner in which he placed his arm around his wife. "Well, I must admit that I feel much better at leaving you this time, Di; knowing that you are finally living with Fred," she said cheekily, making Diana laugh, and Fred blush. They talked for another few moments as Fred turned to shake John Blythe's hand, and Anne and Diana exchanged surreptitious smiles as Mrs Lynde proceeded to lecture Anne on wearning warm enough clothing.

Over near the train office, Gilbert turned from where he had been placing the luggage to greet the station master.

"Back to the city then, Mr Blythe?"

Gilbert grinned. "Back to college, yes. You won't have us coming through here again till Christmas."

The older man chuckled. "Just as well. That little girl of yours cried for about an hour after you left, last time. You'd better not make it a habit." At Gilbert's look of shock, he shrugged. "It's hard to miss someone with that particular head of hair- especially when she's been coming and going all summer. Well, you'd better get yourselves ready- the train'll be along any minute."

Gilbert watched the man walk away with a big smile, and he made his way across the platform to Anne, who was now talking with his mother and Marilla. He paused to kiss her cheek, and she turned to him with a happy look.

"What is it?" she murmured, not seeing the way the other women stopped to watch them.

"You missed me," he said smugly.

"You already knew that."

"I did. I'm just thankful."

Within minutes the train rumbled into the station, and Gilbert held Anne's hand tightly as the porters stepped off with alacrity to get the luggage. The goodbyes were swift with everyone then, and Gilbert couldn't keep the smile off his face, as the families crowded around them to see them off. With some difficulty he managed to extricate Anne from both Davy and Diana, stopping so that Anne could give Marilla one last hug. When Marilla pulled away from Anne, her look was unknowingly stern as she looked at the couple.

"Now, can we expect a little less drama from you both, this year?"

Anne's eyes sparkled as she gazed up at her husband. "You know that we didn't intend for last year's drama to happen, dearest of Marilla's. And we do intend to behave ourselves impeccably this year."

Marilla's look softened, having seen first-hand the happiness of the pair together. "Of course you will. All the same, you've both got a lot of work to do, now." There seemed to be something that she wasn't saying, and concern evident on her face as she continued speaking to Gilbert. "It's important that you both finish now. Mind that you don't rush into anything, either- you're both still very young."

Anne didn't notice the flash of comprehension on Gilbert's face, and she smiled as she kissed Marilla's cheek, also not seeing the swift nod he gave her guardian. He smiled though when Anne took his hand, and she waved at the group as Gilbert helped her on board, following behind Charlie and Moody, whose sister was waving madly near the windows. The whistle sounded, and there was a moment when the train lurched, and Gilbert caught sight of his mother simultaneously laughing and crying, Diana calling to Anne to write often, and a decorous line of Sloanes, looking faintly disapproving of the unbridled emotion on the platform.

As the train began to move, Anne turned to Gilbert with a smile, sinking down on the nearest seat with a sigh of relief. Gilbert grinned back, placing their hand luggage down, and removed his hat to place it in the rack above them. Anne was unpinning her own, placing it carefully in the striped hatbox she carried for the journey and setting it beside her on the shelf.

"To think that it's only the beginning of the day!" she murmured as he pulled her close to kiss her cheek, glad to have a moment to themselves while Charlie and Moody argued over where to put their luggage.

Gilbert chuckled. "And that we won't be home until after nightfall." He settled himself into the leather seat beside her as the train pulled away from the siding, and he took her hand with a slight smile. "I think Marilla might be worrying about you, sweetheart."

Anne turned to him, indulgently. "She's concerned over both of us, Gil. Like you say, parents will do that."

Curiously intense hazel eyes met hers, his smile twisting mischievously. "You didn't hear that little warning mostly aimed at yours truly? To let you finish college and not rush into anything?"

Anne blinked. "Surely that was to both of us."

Gilbert chuckled, rubbing his neck self-consciously. "Nooo, I think that was her warning us to not make decisions that could start a family anytime soon."

"I- oh. But- Marilla knows- she knows that we aren't-"

"I- I would guess that you told her everything about the last few months?"

Anne nodded. "After you left for Halifax," she said quietly. "She was concerned about me being away from you for the summer, if there was a possibility of me- well, being pregnant. She knows that we share a room at home- and I think it fairly obvious that we aren't where we were at the start of all of this."

The conversation continued quietly as the train began to leave familiar fields behind them, and the conscious looks between Anne and Gilbert prompted Moody to move his bags to a seat close to the middle, suggesting loudly that Charlie might want to do the same. Charlie had been eying the seat beside Anne and Gilbert, who for the moment were oblivious to the movements of their two classmates. There would be time enough once Priscilla and Stella had joined them, Moody figured; for now they could leave them be.

In the back of the carriage, Gilbert scowled at his wife. "Anne, if that possibility even existed, I wouldn't have left your side for anything," he muttered. "For heavens sakes, we've been careful, do they really think that we would be so impulsive now?" At the peal of silvery laughter beside him, Gilbert joined her somewhat reluctantly. "Alright. I suppose we are the pair who arrived home married last Christmas without giving them any warning. Still, they could have a little more faith in us now."

"Wait, they?"

Gilbert grinned. "My father might have had a small word with me about it yesterday as well." He loosened his tie, amused at Anne's dismay. "And yet both households saw fit to make sure that we shared a bed this time. Human nature is a funny thing, isn't it?" He chuckled and then sighed. "I've missed us being at home."

"We're heading there now, Gil, remember?" Anne teased lightly. She understood what he was not saying- that he missed the privacy of working out their marriage alone. She paused, studying his dear face in the morning light. "I love that everyone wants to help us- however I think we need to figure this out for ourselves. We are adults, after all- and ultimately it's for us to decide, isn't it?"

Gilbert hesitated. "Marilla only wants the best for you, Anne."

"I think that is no less true of the two of us." At his stunned look, Anne sighed. "Didn't you say months ago that our marriage- including that side of marriage was our business alone?"

"Well, yes, however, she is your guardian-"

Anne rolled her eyes and slipped the glove off her left hand to take his, touching the band on his finger. "This says otherwise." At the frown on his face, she sighed. "I know that you feel a sense of responsibility to Marilla, and I honour that; however even she would agree that this is our business. We're married, Gil. She reminded Rachel of that when she tried to lecture you about your plans."

Gilbert gave her a quizzical look. "Nevertheless, evidently she is concerned that something could throw us off track- throw you off track."

"Are you?"

Gilbert's look was unaccountably serious then, and Anne frowned at the sudden change in his manner. "Well, of course, I am. If you had to drop out of college, it would defeat the whole purpose of us getting married in the first place." He was silent for a minute then, watching the other passengers on the train, before speaking in a low voice. "I don't ever want you to resent me for what happened. I don't want to have talked you into something that ultimately didn't work."

He jumped when Anne turned to him, the fiery glint in her eyes warning him that he was on dangerous ground. "Gilbert, how easy is it to talk me into something?"

A hand came up to ruffle his hair, as Gilbert chuckled sheepishly. "Er- not very."

"Did you need to twist my arm to make me agree to this? Would it have worked if you had?"

"No, I think you might have broken my nose."

Anne smiled sweetly. "I might have." She sobered then, wanting to get to the root of the worry on his face. "Gil, do you remember what we said back when we were deciding to get married? We weren't talking in terms of certainties then. We both knew that there was a chance that we wouldn't finish- and we took our chance anyway." He was watching her now thoughtfully, and Anne shrugged, her look gentle. "You can't decide that if something happens, that ultimately it didn't work- you and I are proof that it did. And you know that without being married to you, I would have had to leave school almost a year ago."

He gave a slight smile. "So would I. Anne, I'd never regret us, no matter what."

"But you worry that I might."

"No, I don't think you would- at least I hope not," Gilbert said with a wry look. "I just- I know what you gave up, for me. I'm not saying that you didn't stand to benefit from it as well, but we both know that you wouldn't have chosen marriage just for the sake of your schooling." The conscious look on Anne's face was only a confirmation, and he sighed. "You did it for mine. I- I just worry that you might think- or the folks at home- that I somehow consider my education as being more important than yours. And I swear that I don't. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we finish together."

Forgetting that they weren't alone, Anne touched Gilbert's lean cheek, her eyes tender. "You are a goose, Gilbert. I know that- and you already did. And even if others are worried, don't try to fix something that was never broken between us."

He was silent for a moment, his brow lowered in thought. "You really aren't concerned?"

Anne chuckled. "To be honest, I'm excited, Gil. I'm looking forward to the challenges of our last year. I'm glad we are going home, I'm glad that we will see the girls soon- and even that you and I have a hard fight ahead of us this year for our degrees- and for the Cooper."

"That's my fight, sweetheart," Gilbert reminded her, amused. "You don't want medical school."

"Not for myself, no." She seemed to need to gather herself then, and her chin lifted bravely. "If you want it, we will do whatever it takes."

"Including not allowing me to get caught up in our 'domestic concerns'?" He laughed as Anne folded her arms, scowling. "I'm kidding, sweetheart. Daniels didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't know us. Honestly, I wish everyone could spend their college years as we do." He shrugged at her curious look, smiling. "It's different when you have something, or someone tangible to work for- and something worth coming home to. I would be prepared to bet that you found that out when you moved in with the girls."

Anne chuckled. "I suppose we did."

Gilbert's look was dreamy, and Anne smiled at the way he loosened his tie, settling back as the train moved through the wooded hills they had both passed through so recently. "I couldn't believe the difference between coming home to a boarding house, and coming home to the cottage- even if it was just twenty yards away. I'd walk up the pathway and see our home fire burning, and then you would be inside. I used to wonder if it could possibly be real."

Anne looked at him in mock-scandal. "You mean my presence in your home could have only been some feverish delusion of yours?"

There was a long look between them then, and Gilbert smiled curiously. "If I were ever seriously ill- it would only be you that I dreamed of, sweetheart."

She chuckled, her look candid. "Then let us be thankful that events unfolded as they did, Gil- I'm sure I couldn't come up with something as farfetched as our actual story."

It was noon when Anne caustically commented that she had seen enough of Charlottetown for the year, as Gilbert helped her down to the city platform. She had hardly regained her breath when she was met with a piercing scream from both sides, and a blue and yellow travelling suit almost smothering her between them. Gilbert stood back with a grin, bending to pick up the bag Anne had dropped as Priscilla and Stella spoke over the top of each other in their excitement. They both looked wonderfully well, bright-eyed and flanked by Priscilla's younger brothers, now seventeen and nineteen. Both looked dazzled at the sight of their sister's pretty friends, and it took Mr Grant's stern look to remind them of their manners- Anne had not seen the boys since Queens, and smiled at the awed look on their faces when she introduced her husband to them, only looking away when an exuberant Stella grabbed her again.

"I cannot believe you worked for the entire summer, Queen Anne- you missed my birthday party!" she half-scolded, adjusting the brim of Anne's now-crooked hat. "Only Prissy could be there, in the end."

"I thought it better to make sure I could return to Redmond with you- and that meant earning money, darling," Anne retorted.

Stella brushed that off breezily. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. I worked for the summer in Father's office, after all- you've no idea what those account books looked like before I got there. He's threatening to hire me again after college. And you'll never guess who else was able to make it for my birthday- completely by accident."

"Who?"

"Tanner brought James Caldwell home for a week."

Anne raised auburn eyebrows at the smugness in Stella's voice, and she lifted her shoulders in some confusion. "I- I don't know who that is."

Stella rolled her eyes, as she pointed at Gilbert. "He's the reason your last name is Blythe, Anne-used-to-be-Shirley."

"You mean the young Goliath who left a boot-print on Gilbert's shoulder?" Anne exclaimed.

"Exactly! And he's delicious," Stella said wickedly.

Anne gaped at her friend in shock. "Him?"

Priscilla laughed, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, I'm with Stella, Anne; he was delightful- and you know he didn't mean to do it. He's just very strong," she said feebly, as Stella tried to demonstrate by flexing the arms underneath impeccably tailored sleeves, making them laugh again. "I asked him if he remembered the accident- he was very sorry, by the way; he thought he had knocked someone down who was quite petite."

Gilbert had come up for the end of this conversation and snorted in derision. "Petite to a mammoth, perhaps," he muttered, seeing the twinkle in Anne's eyes as she took his hand.

Stella fixed her dark eyes on the pair speculatively. "You know, there's something different about the two of you. You shouldn't look this happy after a summer away from each other."

Gilbert shrugged. "Maybe we're just happy to be together," he suggested.

"Hmm. Perhaps. I'll figure it out. You know, I do hate that you live so far away from us," Stella grumbled unreasonably, as she moved the suitcase at her feet. "We don't get to see you nearly as often, now- and we always need an escort to walk home from your house after dark, Anne. Aunt Jimsie wanted to suggest it last year- she said that you could have simply had the bedroom downstairs together, and she would have gone into your room- and financially it would have been a breeze for all of us. The house is certainly big enough for one more person. You couldn't come back for our last nine months together?" There was an exchanged look of horror between the couple and a resounding no that made Stella huff. "Oh, I suppose you like your privacy, now."

"Thank you, yes," Gilbert said firmly, somewhat discomposed by the suggestion. There was a look in Anne's grey eyes that he couldn't immediately interpret, and he raised his eyebrows when the Grants began to say their farewells to their daughter and guest. "You aren't tempted by that, are you?" he asked quietly, making his wife laugh.

"Do you honestly want everyone to see how we have been spending our free time over the past week?"

There was a flash in his eyes as he took in her heated gaze, and he chuckled. "No. I'm wondering how we're going to get anything done when we're actually alone."

There was an answering smile on her face, and she touched his cheek in her gloved hand. "We are both fearsomely competitive, Gil. We'll get our work done, I'm sure. After that, however," Anne said mischievously, only to be interrupted by a triumphant "AHA!" from Stella, who was behind them now.

The couple turned too see her standing with her hands on her hips, her face smug. "That's it! You're actually in love now! You told each other, didn't you?" She didn't wait for Anne or Gilbert to confirm it, and turned back to Priscilla with an impish look. "So Phil was the closest, she guessed September- I thought it would be last May."

"Moody and I both said Christmas- although he meant last Christmas. We both got that wrong," Priscilla said thoughtfully, leaving Gilbert and Anne standing with identical looks of dismay on their faces.

"I think I want new friends," Gilbert spluttered. "Did Charlie happen to make any predictions about us?"

Priscilla smiled. "He just thinks you always loved each other. Remember, he doesn't known about the accident."

Anne's cheeks were pink, and she turned her face to rest against Gilbert's shoulder. "Then Charlie is the closest," she said softly. "You all knew that, really."

Stella smiled at her. "Yes. We were just waiting for you to catch up, beloved. We're so happy for you both."

At this juncture the two boys arrived on the platform, having gone to grab a copy of the Charlottetown times before leaving the island. There were greetings all around, and before too long the group began to head for the quay, after Gilbert and Moody borrowed a trolley to move the luggage that would go with them on the boat. Gilbert slung his small bag on the top, once more grateful that he had left most of his belongings in Kingsport. As the group moved through the crowds talking merrily, he found himself grinning. It was a party, as Anne had described just that morning- and he smiled, thinking that it was the perfect way to start the new year.

Even a long journey will eventually end, and it was late on Saturday evening when Anne and Gilbert paid the cabdriver and walked up the pathway to their little house, leaving a surprisingly jovial Charlie on the steps of the boardinghouse. A column of smoke rose from the chimney of their Mushroom, and Anne smiled at the sight.

"Mrs Whitley must have come in earlier," Anne commented fondly, chuckling as Gilbert rifled through his pockets to find his keys. After some minutes of this, Anne shook her head with a little smile, and reached inside his coat pocket to find it hiding there.

"However did you find that, Anne-girl?" Gilbert asked her, flabbergasted.

"Because I watched you put it in there this morning, dearest."

He grinned and bent to kiss her swiftly, pulling away when he felt her shiver in the cool wind. In a trice, the door was unlocked, and Gilbert bent down to sweep a laughing Anne off her feet in a bridal hold, his grin enormous. "I couldn't do this the first time we came home- however, I assume you won't protest it now," he said cheerfully, chuckling as she kissed him exuberantly mid-air. He set her down in their home unsteadily, and Anne straightened up to gaze around the little house as Gilbert moved to light the oil lamp they kept on the kitchen table. Their cottage smelt fresh and clean, and firelight flickered over the newly-painted walls, and the photos Gilbert had carefully placed back on the white mantelpiece. Gilbert went outside to retrieve the bags from the stoop, and Anne smiled at the difference a fresh coat of paint had made as she carried the lantern through to the bedroom, blinking in shock at white walls, and a clean, white ceiling.

"You know, I couldn't picture it," Anne said in wonder, as Gilbert dropped the bags on the floor behind her. "I suppose I had just come to accept our brown ceiling as a fact. However did you have enough paint to do the whole house?"

"I didn't mention that I had to catch the train with three big tins of paint?"

Anne gaped at him. "Three! Goodness, that must have cost you a fortune, Gil."

"Nope. I did offer to pay, but Mr Druthers wouldn't take it," Gilbert said frankly. "The fellow who was supposed to do it ordered too much paint- and they didn't want the bother of storing the excess. All I had to do was get it home- which was no treat, by the way. I even had enough to do the outhouse."

Anne peered through the window, however, the yard was in darkness, and she turned back to see a yearning look on Gilbert's lean face as he stood watching her. She walked into his open arms then, her look gentle.

"What is it?"

He smiled, and let out a sigh, holding her tightly. "Nothing. I'm so glad to be back here with you- but I'll be honest, I'm not looking forward to you going back to your own bed."

"Well, what if I didn't?" she asked innocently. "That is, if you really want to share your bed with me, Gil."

"Oh, I want," he said emphatically, and then couldn't help laughing at his own enthusiasm. "Are you sure, though, Anne?"

"Well, actually," Anne began, rather vexed at her pink cheeks, "I- I decided that I didn't want to sleep apart from you again on the night of Diana's wedding." Gilbert released her in shock, sitting down on the bed behind him. Anne bit her lip as she moved to him, her look now hesitant. "I should have talked to you first, really, however, I suppose- I had planned to come home and sleep in your bed from now on."

Gilbert couldn't seem to get his breath back, a wondering smile growing on his face. "You mentioned something like that to me- but I didn't think you could be serious, yet. Even- even after- even before-" She smiled and nodded, and Gilbert closed his eyes. He'd had just one week to get used to this- and it wasn't enough, he thought hazily, as her fingers traced his jaw. Perhaps it would never be enough.

"Even before I knew that I loved you? Yes," she admitted. "We needed this. I may not have realised the scope of my feelings at the time, however, we are husband and wife. I wanted to be with you. And I have no intention of spending another cold winter alone in that bed."

Gilbert's laughter was joyous, as big hands came up to hold her by the waist. "Is that what this is all about? Warmth?"

Her eyes sparkled at him, even as she blushed. "When two lie together, they shall have heat," she murmured, chuckling at the hot flush that covered his face at her words. "You know that I didn't really sleep, the night after the accident. That same Bible verse kept tormenting me- and then I started wondering if you were cold in your boardinghouse."

"Sometimes," he admitted easily, drawing her close and resting his head against her slim form. "Were you cold here last winter?"

Anne laughed, pulling away only to sit down on his lap, his arms surrounding her easily. "No, not at first. I was too busy blushing, for the first few months. Whenever I heard you in the night, I kept thinking, that's Gilbert Blythe, sleeping in my bedroom- and I'd have to open the window just to cool down."

"Ah. I just assumed you liked the fresh air."

"Oh, I do - but an easterly Kingsport wind in December? No, thank you."

Gilbert smiled, enjoying holding her close. "I used to close it after you were asleep anyway. You were always snuggled down under your covers- sometimes I could only see the top of your red head in the moonlight." He moved back to see her properly, then, his look serious. "Are you sure about this? I can wait, Anne-girl. It won't exactly make it easier for us to- to hold everything else back."

Anne's smile was mischievous. "And how often do you think I will end up in here if we don't choose to share?"

A deep chuckle was her answer, and he hugged her slim body to him tightly. "Alright; all the time, if I had my way," he admitted.

"Then suppose we simply accept it now, and accept that it will come with its own challenges."

Gilbert pressed a kiss to her temple, with a smile. "You know, you're really very smart, Mrs Blythe."

Anne smiled brilliantly. "I know."

Whether it was the lure of the bed they now shared or the long day, it was only a short time later when Gilbert came out of the annexe in his pyjamas, grinning hugely at the sight of Anne snuggled up on what was now her side of the bed. He blew the lamp out and climbed under the covers, seeing that she was almost asleep, and he leant down to kiss her soft cheek. A slight murmur was all that was met with, and he smiled as she burrowed further under the covers, before lying back in bed himself with a deep sigh, his hand ruffling brown curls tiredly.

It was with relief that Gilbert could finally check off the summer, and with the knowledge that Anne loved him he could let go of the nervous expectation he had lived with for the past ten months. She was right, he thought, as he drifted toward slumber. They were ready for this- and they would see what would happen when tomorrow came.

After a lazy Sunday in which Anne and Gilbert brought their kingdom back in order, the new pink teacups in pride of place on the shelves, and a bookshelf Gilbert had sourced from somewhere now able to hold their entire collection of books. Mrs Whitley had added to their kitchen collection over the past week, (carefully itemized on a new list, much to Anne's bewilderment) and it took almost an hour for her to restore order to the cupboards that Marilla would have had a conniption at. By the end of the afternoon, their house was in order, and the two of them attended a quiet evening service at the Presbyterian church before a cosy evening before the fire that was lit on their return.

Monday morning came quickly, and Anne found herself sitting in the front row of the auditorium with a vacant seat beside her, while Gilbert waited on the side of the stage for his cue to speak as the newly elected president. The fresh autumn breeze came in through open windows as the students around her murmured quietly, and she turned to see the girls sitting along the row, Phil's new hat gloriously feathered and teasing the gentleman beside her. Charlie sat near Moody eying a young lady some rows back, and in her peripheral vision, she could see Roy Gardner looking bored beside Christine Stuart on the right. On the stage sat the professors who had so influenced their lives to date- Professor Daniels watching his protege carefully, Professor Winston nodding at her from the back- and Professor Hallett, who had just left his daughter's side to ascend the podium. All around them were the same challenges they had left behind them in May- no doubt with many more in the year to come.

Anne drew in a breath, smoothing the skirt of the green suit she wore. She looked up in time to catch Gilbert's eye, who immediately winked at her, raising his eyebrows suggestively. She couldn't help but laugh as her husband was announced and crossed the stage to speak, his voice firm with the speech they had written together on the late train to Kingsport. She settled back in her seat, knowing that he would join her as soon as he was done- and that they would face every challenge together.

When the applause of the room sounded and the students stood, Anne smiled. Their senior year had begun.

I don't normally leave you a postscript- but I just had to do it this time. There was a brief second where I considered something I never thought I would- a different ending to the one that I have planned. I was writing Gilbert and Anne's conversation on the train about Gilbert considering that he had imagined the whole thing- and I suddenly got chills, and thought what if he did? Someone mentioned something similar while I was writing Shore of Dreams- and for a brief moment, I considered the two possibilities.

First, that he wakes up in the medical tent alone and realises that he dreamed the whole thing, only to have Professor Hallett and Daniels come in, telling him that a very cross Miss Shirley is outside, and asking after him.

Secondly, and much worse, he wakes up after typhoid only to remember that they didn't marry- he lost the girl he loved, and graduated without her, as per canon.

As I said, it was only for a second- but to betray my Star Trek roots I will misquote Lieutenant Data: For a writer, that is almost a lifetime.

Love to you all, and rest assured, MY ending is going to happen, no matter what. I think you'll like it much better.

Cate.