A/N: Hello lovely readers and welcome back from my unannounced hiatus! I am so so sorry for my spotty uploading the past few months, it is definitely something I am striving to improve and make more regular as the story develops. As this is my first official story on this site I'm still working out the logistics of updating and some other minor issues but as I've said before this is not the end of Without You! This story will be somewhat long so I greatly appreciate those of you who have stuck with me, liked/followed the story or left reviews as it does wonders to improve my motivation and it's one of the things that lets me know this story is worth continuing. I'm so so grateful to all of you for your support whatever form it may have come from and I thank you all! Well without furtherado, here is chapter eighteen of Without You! Very sorry it's so short, I promise that I'll make up for it soon!


Anne found herself awestruck by the glorious diversity of the wildflowers in the field around her, pausing breifly each time she encountered one she hadn't yet seen and stroking the petals, taking in a deep breath and smiling as the pleasant aromas enveloped her in a peaceful moment of detatchment from reality.

A small river ran alongside her, winding through the trees beside the field and making soft rippling sounds that complimented the gentle whistle of the wind and melodical chirps of the birds. It was not only perfect, but imperfect, and Anne could do little more than observe the beauty around her.

Suddenly a rustling, louder than the previously peaceful sound of the wind and seemingly intrusive on the beautiful scene disrupted her thoughts. A gravelly sound was become more and more apparent. It seemed to become louder each second, and at some point it was all she could hear, drowning out not only the wind but the birds, the trickle of the river and the brushing of leaves. She saw the man approaching her, dripping with a red substance and smiling widely showing each of his yellowed, cavity-ridden teeth and waving a hand. Suddenly he made a fist and yanked his arm backwards, which caused Anne to fall onto her stomach although his grip was empty. Pain flew through her ankle and calf as the red substance began to drip down her forehead-

"Anne!"

Gilbert was leaning over her balled up figure, brow furrowed in concern and arm on her shoulder, prepared to shake her again.

"Anne, you were yelling. Are you alright?"

Her cheeks blushed a bright pink as embarressment settled deep within her chest. "Yes, of course. I'm truly sorry to have woken you." At that she stood up and lead him with a gentle hand on his arm to his room, which was the guest, as Diana had allowed Anne permission to use Diana's for the sake of privacy between Anne and Gilbert. Stopping at the doorway, she nodded, simply saying "I'm very sorry, I hope you won't be too tired in the morning." With that, she gently shut his door and returned to her room, shutting hers as well but not returning to her bed for fear of waking him up again. Instead, she lit a candle beside her bed and retreived a book from the small bag she had brought with her. The book is one which she recieved as a gift from Marilla, answering a few of her many questions about her birth parents. She sat upright in bed, tracing the drawing of her mother until she eventually fell asleep, her finger resting on the page of the book.