What does the fox say
Anne with an E
Gilbert/Anne
In season 2, When Billy comes to shoot the fox and destroy Anne's house in the woods, Anne's there and he shoots her. I set the scene earlier in the morning and changed a few things. Cole left earlier in this version, just go with it.
Gilbert arrived in school on time, as usual, that morning and automatically looked around for Anne but she wasn't there yet, which was strange because Diana was and they almost always got there together. He decided to walk closer to her and ask her about Anne but Ruby had already asked her. He didn't have anything special to tell Anne, he was just used to looking out for her presence when he arrived and, once he'd seen her, he'd go inside to study. It was his little ritual, which was another reason why Bash insisted that he was in love with Anne. Could he be? Maybe, but he didn't want to think about this now because he was almost certain that Anne wasn't ready to face these fellings yet. They were friends now and it was enough for him, for now.
"How come Anne didn't walk with you this morning?" Ruby asked Diana.
"I have no idea, she wasn't there. I figured maybe she came early. I know she wanted to stop by our club house to feed her fox so he didn't have to hunt the chickens around." Diana shrugged her shoulders.
Gilbert was about to ask a question as well when Ruby cried out, pointing out to the edge of the trees.
"Look Diana, it's Anne's fox!"
"What is it doing here, so far from the club house? I've never seen it here." Diana asked as they walked towards it, followed curiously by everyone.
"It's surprising that he's not running away from us. Wild animals usually run from humans, not come get us." Gilbert frowned, thinking that foxes usually ran away when people got close to them.
"Oh, Gilbert, I didn't see you there..." Ruby said, blushing.
Gilbert didn't pay her any attention though, she wondered if he even heard her.
"Is that blood?" Diana cried out when they were closer to him and Gilbert slowly moved closer to the fox, trying to see where the blood came from.
The fox, surprisingly, let him look.
"It's not his blood, he's not injured." Gilbert shook his head and then the fox made a cry.
The fox walked a few steps away from them, then came back and walked away again.
"What is it doing?" Moody asked.
"He looks like he wants to tell us something." Charlie added.
"What is he trying to say?" Ruby added.
"I think it wants us to follow him." Diana decided and they all ran after the fox.
"He's going to our club house!" Ruby realized.
"Maybe that's where Anne is, maybe she needs our help!" Diana suggested before they ran faster.
When they arrived, the first thing they saw was that everything had been destroyed and it took them a few seconds to realize that, among the ruins, was Anne, lying on the ground, pale and bloody. The entire place looked like a battle field and if Anne hadn't been bleeding out on the floor, Diana would have taken the time to find the entire thing worthy of a great romance novel.
"Anne! Someone get a doctor, we'll take her to the Cuthberts!" Gilbert yelled at them as he ran to Anne, who was lying on the ground, pale, bleeding and unconscious.
Diana ran to get her father while Moody and Ruby ran to warn the Cuthberts. Charlie did his best to help Gilbert, who was doing his best to stop the bleeding before he took Anne in his arms and carried her to Green Gables, which was the closest house.
Later, they'd all wonder if the fox had really found Diana and Ruby by scent so they could help Anne or if it was all a coincidence.
.
About two hours later, Anne was in her bed with the doctor, her adoptive parents and Gilbert, the rest of her friends being in the corridor or downstairs. Diana's father was there as well, he had gotten the doctor as soon as his daughter warned him. Bash was also present, Gilbert had asked Charlie to go and warn him and so his friend did it. The man was now waiting in the corridor with the others. Mary, Bash's new wife, was downstairs, cooking for the Cuthberts and their visitors.
She wanted to help and keeping busy helped her worry a little less. She had gotten very close to Anne, she was the little sister she never got, and she was worried for her.
Ruby had gone back to the school to warn Miss Stacy about hwat had happened and so the entire class, including the teacher, was now at Green Gables.
"Gilbert was right, the bullet left her shoulder, that's good, but she's lost a lot of blood and she's not out of the woods yet. If she wakes up, it won't last long, she needs a lot of rest now. She might not even wake up before a while. We also need to watch out for an infection and a fever. She must have fallen on something or have been beaten by whoever shot her because she has bruises and a few broken ribs. I'll come back tomorrow to check on her and I'll send some medicine to you later." The doctor said before he left.
"Oh my poor Anne, I wish you could tell us who did this to you..." Marilla whispered, holding Anne's hand in hers once the doctor had turned around.
"Look, she's trying to speak!" Gilbert exclaimed, rushing to hold Anne's other hand while Matthew was at her feet.
The doctor had been at the bedroom door, about to leave, and stopped, listening to what the girl would say.
"He loves her, doesn't he? Not me, it was never me." Ruby whispered to Diana who nodded.
"B... Billy... Andrews." Anne managed to whisper.
Her voice was so low that it was hard to hear her but everyone was so silent that they heard her clearly anyway.
"Is he the one who shot you, Anne?" Gilbert asked Anne in a soft and caring voice and, with her eyes still close, she nodded slowly before she lost consciousness again.
"He left with his rifle this morning, he was speaking of hunting some fox! Oh no, how could he do this? And leave her there! Without that fox she would have died!" Jane declared horrified, believing Anne and shocked at her brother's actions.
"I'm going to find out!" Gilbert snapped angrily before he kissed Anne's hand, not realizing what he was doing, and left the room, and Green Gables.
"If that's true, the boy almost killed young Anne here and he should be held accountable for his actions. I'll write an official statement for the law." The doctor declared before he left the house.
All of his class mates followed him, including Matthew who wanted to make sure that the one who almost killed his Anne got what he deserved. Mister Barry and Bash followed while Jerry was on his was back with Misses Lynde and her husband. He had gone to warn them earlier, knowing that they'd be able to warn the right people and that they cared about Anne and would want to know. Rachel immediately went to comfort Marilla with Mary and Miss Stacy while the others left. Mister Lynde rushing to his horse, promising to join them at the Andrews with a few more men as soon as possible.
.
When Misses Andrews opened her door, she was shocked to find almost the entire school there, plus Matthew Cuthbert, Mister Barry and a few others men who had rushed as soon as they had been warned.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Where's Billy?" Gilbert asked a bit rudely before Matthew could.
"Why? What's going on? Jane?" She asked, her husband joining her.
"Billy shot Anne and left her for dead in the woods this morning, mom. It's lucky we were able to find her in time for Gilbert to bring her to a doctor and save her life. She said it was Billy before she completely lost consciousness." Jane explained, clearly showing that she believed it.
"He did leave with his rifle this morning and he came back to clean up and change for school. He was so dirty, he said he fell down when I asked about the bruises..." Misses Andrews replied.
"Where is he now?" Matthew asked angrily, his hand over Gilbert's shoulder.
Watching Matthew and Gilbert, it was hard to say who was holding back whom, and who was supporting whom. They were in the same boat.
"How can you be sure it was him?" Mister Andrews asked defensively.
"Anne doesn't lie, dad! And you have to admit that Billy has always had a taste for violence and hurting others. And he never liked Anne because she's smarter than him." Jane replied.
"It's not the first time he's showing how violent he can be, he's the one who broke Cole's hand and no matter how many time he says that it was an accident, we know he did it simply because it was fun to him. He's always trying to hurt others and get them in trouble! He got away with it before because Mister Philips was as predjudiced as Billy is but now he needs to face what he did to Anne!" Diana argued bravely, tears in her eyes, while her father tried to sooth her.
"Give him up to us now. He's old enough to go on trial and go to jail, old enough to be responsible and to pay for his actions. We'll have to wait and see how poor Anne's situation evolves, but he'll have to man up and pay for what he did." Mister Barry declared, understanding that Matthew could have troubles speaking at the moment.
Anne was his daughter's best friend, she had saved his youngest daughter and had was always so full of joy, happiness and good intentions for others, he had to do anything in his pwoer for her.
When Billy walked out of the house, angry at his parents for not supporting him more, he was surprised to see that his entire class was there, glaring angrily at him like he had done something terrible, which he believed wasn't the case.
"If she dies, you die. I'll make sure of it!" Gilbert growled at Billy as he walked by him.
He had spoken in a low enough voice, but everyone else was so quiet that most of them heard Gilbert's words of warning.
"What, do you have a thing for her or something? You're in love with the ugly orphan now?" Billy chuckled.
"Yes, I am in love with her, so what?" Gilbert replied, admitting his fillings out loud for the first time, even to himself.
For a second, he saw Bash behind Billy smile. Of course he'd be happy about being right, even now. Well, at least, Gilbert knew that according to Bash, he was a man now because he had admitted his feelings for Anne.
"It's not my fault, she shouldn't have been there in the first place! She arrived as I was breaking those stupid sculptures of Cole's and she pushed me away. Then that ugly fox arrived and she told me to leave, pushed me so I'd miss the fox, so yes, I shot her. And you know what? It wasn't an accident! When she was on the ground I gave her a few more kicks to punish her more, I wanted to hurt her for preventing me for hunting the fox. It was my right, she's nothing!" Billy screamed at them all, acting like he had the right to be mad at them.
"Oh Billy, no!" His mother cried out, shaking her head, knowing she had just lost her son.
"She's everything to me!" Gilbert replied loudly before he punched Billy, who backed up a few steps, right into Bash's chest.
Bash held Billy firmly in place and handed him to Mister Lynde and the other men from the town who had come to help. While they took Billy away, awaiting news from Anne to decide on his fate, his parents turned to Matthew, trying to find something to say but Matthew didn't want anything to do with them, so he turned his back on them, his hand back on Gilbert's shoulder.
"Come, Gilbert, let's go and see how she's doing. Bash, you're welcome to come too, you know that. Girls... hum... it might be best not to overcrowd Anne but I understand you'd want to hang out with her, be by her side, so... Diana, can you... Can you organize a schedule, sort this out?" Matthew asked his daughter's best friend.
"Of course Mister Cuthbert." Diana nodded, fighting back tears.
"Come Diana, we'll help you organize everything and we'll write beautiful stories to read to Anne until she wakes up." Ruby said.
"I'll walk you girls back to our house, when you have everything sorted, Diana will be able to go to Green Gables to inform them of the schedule you made." Mister Barry decided.
"Jane, you're coming?" Diana asked her friend and Jane knew that this was a chance to show her support to Anne instead of her brother.
"Of course I am!" Jane nodded.
Josy followed as well. Of course she was shocked, she had been in love with Billy, sure that they'd be married some day, but then again, she never thought him capable of doing something like this. She believed all of his harrassing others was because he was a bit immature. Now, she wanted to help Anne get better, it was, in a way, her own way of helping make up for the bad things she had told Anne in the past.
.
Gilbert came to see Anne twice a day. He stopped by before going to school, staying at least 30 minutes, then he came over for at least 2 hours after school. On Saturday and Sunday, he stayed longer, almost the entire day. He studied by her side after school and simply read to her or talked to her in the morning. He was grateful that Bash understood the situation and was fine on his own at the farm. They did the work that needed the two of them when Gilbert came back from his visits to Anne and, if Gilbert didn't have time, Matthew sent Jerry over to help out.
He had gone to Charlottetown only once, to warn Doctor Ward that he wouldn't be coming in to help him for a while, but Doctor Ward understood and, instead, told him to come back whenever he could and he even gave him a few books to read so he could continue his preparations for the future. The young man was grateful to have, in his life, a mentor like Doctor Ward, willing to help him this way.
Gilbert had overheard Matthew tell Marilla what had happened when they arrested Billy, including what he had said and he was happy to know that they approved of him that way. Now he just needed to hope Anne would wake up soon and that she'd return his feelings. Actually, he now relaized that he didn't need her to return his feelings right now, he just wanted her awake and well.
Marilla brought him food every time he came over and it had become an habit now. Bash and Mary would come to pick him up at the end of the day, and they'd eat dinner with the Cuthberts. Most of the time, Bash and Mary would eat downstairs with Matthew and Marilla while Gilbert ate upstairs, with Anne, refusing to leave her alone.
Anne was never alone, even during the night. Her friends at school had made a schedule and explained everything to their parents, who had agreed so, every night, Anne would have one of the girls from her class sleeping in the same room as she did. Even Josy had volunteered. Jane had been afraid she wouldn't have been welcomed at Green Gables because her brother was the one who put Anne in this position, but she had been welcomed, just like all the others, by Anne's adoptive parents.
Miss Barry, Diana's great Aunt, came over to visit Anne, along with Cole, her new charge. She was staying at Diana's and planned to stay until Anne got better. Cole was with her, and staying with the BArry's as well, because she wanted to speak with his parents. She had with her the legal paperwork to make him her adopted son and she needed his parents to sign them. She intended to use this stay for that purpose as well.
The fox walked by Green Gables every day, as though trying to see Anne and after learning that Anne was feeding him so he'd leave the chickens alone, Marilla and Matthew had taken to feeding him, telling him, each time "no news yet", just in case he understood, and it looked like he did. He seemed to understand that Anne would be the one to feed him once she was better.
That morning, Gilbert had arrived at Green Gables just as Diana left. He always arrived just in time for school after his morning visit to Anne but this time, he arrived a bit later and class had already started.
"Gilbert, you're late. Is everything alright?" Miss Stacy asked, knowing where he went every day before school.
"Anne has a fever." he said.
"What? But she was fine earlier!" Diana exclaimed, worried.
"I know, the doctor's with her, I left when he arrived. I'll run there during lunch to find out more. It was to be expected with such a wound. It got infected. I mean, we tried to be careful, we cleaned it twice a day and everything..." Gilbert replied in a voice he fought to keep neutral.
"But it's been over a week, I thought that if it hadn't gotten infected by now, it wouldn't, that she'd be fine!" Ruby exclaimed, tears in her eyes.
"Anne's strong, Ruby. She'll fight this and wake up even stronger than before." Moody tried to reassure his friend.
"I'm sure she'll even manage to stay at the top of the class like she always does." Diana added to comfort Ruby before they turned to the board to follow today's lesson.
The morning was almost over when suddenly, the door of the school banged against the wall and Jerry was there, in front of them, out of breath.
"Jerry? What's going on?" Gilbert asked as everyone stood.
Gilbert walked to Jerry, the rest of the class behind him while Miss Stacy was by his side.
"The fever's bad, it rose very quickly after you left. Miss Cuthbert asked me to come and warn you, she knows you'll want to know. I also have to go and get some medicine from the doctor. You can still come as planned after school, but you need to be warned, Anne's fever makes her sight a bit... Scary. She's even paler and... it's just... she was even a bit delirious earlier, speaking words that didn't make any sense..." Jerry explained.
"She woke up?" Miss Stacy asked him.
"Yes and no. The doctor says that it doesn't count as waking up, because the fever is clouding her mind and she kept her eyes closed. Anyway, I've got to go back to work, I just wanted to let you know. The doctor said that the next few days will be critical. Either she fights the fever off and then she'll wake up in the next few days and be fine or..." Jerry looked down and it was obvious that he loved Anne like family and that the idea of losing her was painful to him.
"No! She'll fight this fever and be fine." Gilbert decided.
"Alright, I think none of you will be able to learn anything today, so you can go home. I know you all want to rush to Green Gables but don't, remember that Anne needs rest. You can visit her following the schedule Diana made." Miss Stacy decided.
"I'll go now." Gilbert nodded before he rushed away.
.
Seeing Anne with a fever was almost worst than seeing her bleeding out. One look at her as enough to know that it was bad, that her life was at stake.
"You have to fight this, Anne. You don't realize the number of people who'll miss you if you die. You just have to open your eyes and take one look around the room to know that people love you... So many flowers! Everyone brings some when they come to see you, you have so much flowers that Marilla has them spread all around the house. Your fox is around as well, comes everyday, waits in the yard. Marilla and Matthew feed him now, tell him that you're not awake yet and he leaves. Comes back the next day again. Billy's locked up, the judge will decide on his fate during a trial after... I guess he'll be easier on him if you survive... As long as he never crosses you ever again, I don't care what happens to him. I just want you to be safe, awake, healthy, happy... There's so much of the world left for you to see, Anne, so much for you to discover, to live... To love..." Gilbert told Anne, holding her hand in his.
"Still nothing?" Cole asked as he entered her bedroom.
"Not yet... I don't think the fever is going down yet, but at least it's not going any higher." Gilbert replied.
"That's good at least." Cole nodded, sitting on Anne's other side.
"Miss Barry managed to convince your parents to sign the adoption papers?" Gilbert asked Cole, knowing Anne would want to know as well.
"She did. They never cared much for me, all she had to do was offer some money and they signed it. Not that it bothers me. I was never happy with them, with Jo, I can finally be myself." Cole replied.
"Good, I'm happy for you. I'm sure Anne would be too." Gilbert replied with a smile.
"I know. She's so selfless, always thinking of others first, what would make them happy, what they would need..." Cole smiled.
"Is your hand getting any better? Can you draw again?" Gilbert asked Cole, seeing him taking a block of drawing paper and a pencil out of his bag.
"Yes, it is. Jo knows a therapist, he helped me with my hand. It's still not how it used to be, but it's much better. At least I can draw again and with time, I think I'll be even better than I used to be." The young artist replied as he started drawing what was in front of him: an unconscious Anne, with Gilbert by her side, looking worried and holding her hand.
After a few minutes of silence, Cole decided to break it.
"So, do you think she can hear us, Anne I mean. Do you think she can hear what we're telling her?" Cole asked Gilbert.
"I've asked her doctor, and Doctor Ward, and they believe that it's possible. The articles I've read seem to confirm it. I guess it depends, now, with the fever, it might be harder for her to hear, or to remember everything, but I hope she does. I hope she knows that she's never alone, that a lot of people care about her." Gilbert replied.
"You've made your feelings for her pretty clear, if she doesn't remember that you love her, will you tell her?" Cole asked him, jumping right into what he wanted to know.
"Well, I'm not sure. If she remembers, then I'll wait until she's better and for her to bring up the subject, I don't want to rush her or anything. If she doesn't remember, then I guess I'll tell her eventually. I can't exactly hide it from her, everyone's heard me tell Billy that I love her, so someone will tell her eventually, it might even come up during the trial. I guess it depends, I'll give her time to get better and I'll tell her how I feel. I'm not even sure there's a chance for her to return my feelings." Gilbert shook his head.
"I don't think she's given it much thought, not because she doesn't care, but because she's certain that nobody will ever feel this way for her, so she's refusing to let herself feel this way for anyone, to protect herself, her heart." Cole explained.
"Why wouldn't anyone feel romantic love for her? She's exceptional!" Gilbert exclaimed, making Cole smile.
"Make sure she knows how you see her, then tell her how you feel and, most importantly, give her time to figure out how she feels herself. It might take her a while to sort through her feelings, but I think I know her enough to know that she might love you too, even though she doesn't know it yet. There's definitely hope." Cole replied with a knowing smile, making Gilbert smile back.
Anne wasn't sure what was going on, she was confused. The last clear thing she remembered was walking through the woods to feed her fox before school and now she was in pain all over, hearing people around her speaking.
Marilla's voice, wondering who had hurt her and Anne thought really hard, looking for an answer in her head. A vague memory came back, along with lots of pain. Billy Andrews yelling at her, hitting her, pointing his riffle at her, and more pain.
More pain than she had ever felt in her life.
Anne gathered all the strength she could find inside her to speak. She couldn't open her eyes, but she managed to speak out, it seemed to her, with all her efforts, like she was screaming her answer, though they only heard a small whisper. He throat sure hurt as though she had screamed her accusation.
"B... Billy... Andrews"
Then she heard Gilbert's voice, felt his hand leave hers and suddenly it was all darkness and cold again. She hoped she had shaken her head to confirm that Billy had been the one of hurt her but she was so weak, so tired, that she couldn't really be sure.
.
Anne was walking through the woods, aiming to feed her fox before rushing to school. She didn't want to be late and she forgot to warn Diana that she wouldn't be walking with her but it was important to her that her fox was fed so that he didn't kill chickens. Then he'd be safe, people would stop placing traps to kill him.
When she arrived, Billy Andrews was here with his rifle. Of course he'd be after her fox, for someone like him, it was probably a fun thing to do but what angered her was that he was breaking Cole's sculptures and her little house. He was laughing as he destroyed it all, like it was the best thing in the world.
"Stop!" She screamed, rushing to push him away.
She managed to make him back up a few steps, his feet crushing even more one of Cole's broken sculptures.
"Oh, of course you'd be here, the ugly orphan for an ugly and stupid place." He sneered.
"Leave this alone, it's not your to destroy!" She screamed at him, trying to push him away.
This time, he backed up right into one of the walls of her house, destroying it a bit more. It made him fall on the ground and gave him scratches on his face, which seemed to anger him even more.
"Just go before I decide to teach you a lesson. I do whatever I want. You're nothing, you have no right to tell me what to do!" He sneered at her as he stood back up, pushing her away first with his hand, then kicking her in the stomach with his foot.
Anne was now on the ground, in pain and still asking Billy to leave, to stop breaking everything. Thinking that she was down, he went back to his destroying and, pushed by her anger, Anne stood back up. She was about to push Billy back when she noticed her fox. She shook her head at it but the fox didn't seem to understand. Suddenly, Billy turned back, hearing Anne moving.
"You're tougher than I thought. It's alright, you'll get what is coming to you, then it'll be that ugly fox's turn." Billy sneered once again, pointing his riffle at Anne.
"You can't shoot it, he didn't do anything!" Anne begged Billy who laughed.
His laughed was so cold and cruel, it scared Anne. She was afraid, not only for her fox, but for herself as well, yet she couldn't bring herself to run away.
"He's not the one I'll be shooting." Billy replied in a cold voice and Anne turned toward the fox:
"Run!" She was surprised that it worked, as she saw him running in the direction she would have taken to go to school.
Bravely, she ran to Billy and punched him in the face, making him back up a few steps and hit a tree with the other side of his face.
"You're going to pay for this." He said before he quickly pointed his riffle at her again and, surprising her, shot her.
She didn't think he'd do it, she believed so strongly that he was bluffing... Anne hit the ground, in pain. She couldn't move and she was afraid. She didn't want to die, not so soon. As much as she wanted to see her parents again, to have confirmation that they were both dead, that they loved her, she wasn't ready, she needed to hold on, to fight for her life.
She did her best to keep her eyes open when Billy came into view:
"You only got what you deserved, stupid ugly stray orphan dog." He glared at her before he kicked her a few more times with his foot.
He was enjoying this, the pain he was giving her, she could tell. When he finally stopped, Anne had closed her eyes and she heard him run away.
Pain was all over her, every part of her was in pain and she knew that she was bleeding but she couldn't move her arm to try and stop the blood from pouring out. She knew that she had to stay awake, that she had to fight the desire to let go when, suddenly, Gilbert's voice called her name, a scream filled with care and fear for her life that assured her that she was safe, she could finally let go.
She didn't know how long it had been, time didn't seem to matter after the bullet entered her flesh, but Gilbert was here now, he wasn't alone, but it didn't matter. He'd make sure she was safe.
Somehow, she trusted him to save her.
.
Anne woke up, or at least she believed she woke up, but she had a hard time opening her eyes. She was still in pain and feeling too hot.
"Miss Cuthbert! Anne's got a fever!" Gilbert yelled next to her.
Gilbert was still here, by her side, and it made Anne feel better. If Gilbert was there, then, somehow, she knew that she'd be fine.
"Jerry, get the doctor!" Marilla's voice rang before she joined them in the room.
"Gilbert, I know you're worried about her, but you're going to be late for school if you don't go soon." Marilla said softly.
"I don't care, I'll leave when the doctor gets here. Miss Stacy won't mind, she knows I come here every morning before school, she'll understand." Gilbert replied.
"Alright. You stay here with her, I'll go and wait for the doctor downstairs." Marilla replied before she left the room and Anne felt Gilbert's hand in hers once more.
She liked it, she realized. Somehow, the pain, the fever, it was all better when he was there.
.
Anne didn't know how much time passed. The doctor confirmed that she had a fever, an infection, and gave Marilla some medicine. After that, Anne kind of lost track of things. She spoke, trying to tell them what happened, who had done this to her. She called for help, asking them to put the fire down, and she even tried to ask for Gilbert, because he made everything easier by his presence, but it didn't work. The words didn't leave her mouth the way she intended them to and nobody understood her.
After a while, Gilbert was here again, and so was Cole. She decided that it was pointless trying to speak up since they wouldn't understand anyway, so she listened as they spoke.
Cole's hand was better, that was good, Anne was happy for him.
Gilbert loved her? Really? Could he really? He was certainly confirming it, promising Cole that he'd tell her eventually, that her getting better was the priority, that it all depended on her hearing them and remembering or not. She certainly hoped that she'd remember everything.
A few more days passed and Anne knew that she was getting better. She appreciated that she was never alone, even at night, one of her friends was always there with her. Diana, Ruby, Tilly, Jane and even Josy. They cared, they were there for her. Even Jane sided with her against her brother.
After a few more days, Anne could tell that she was feeling better, and the people around her noticed it too because she was able to move her hands once in a while. She discovered it when she squeezed Gilbert's hand after he asked her to wake up.
"Gilbert, how is she today?" Mary asked, coming in the room.
"Better, I think. The doctor thinks she'll make it now, but he's warned us that she'll be weak for a while. It will take her a long time to be back to her full health. She'll have to take her time moving, no walking to school... We'll have to be careful not to let her near sick people so she doesn't catch it." Gilbert informed her.
"But she'll be awake, and able to go back to school. That's what matters to her." Mary replied and Anne could hear the smile in her voice.
"Yes, it does. I know she'll still be able to beat me in class." He replied, and once again, Anne could hear the smile in his voice.
"Mister Lynde came by earlier, to inform us that since Anne was getting better, they were getting ready for Billy Andrews' trial. They'll wait until Anne can be present, to have her testimony, but it'll definitely happen." Mary told Gilbert.
"She might not remember everything clearly, and if she does, I hope this trial doesn't hurt her more than she already has been hurt by this." Gilbert's voice was darker now, Anne noticed.
"You have a lot of anger in you." Mary noticed.
"I know. It's easier to handle it when I'm with Anne, reading lessons to her or just talking to her, but when she wakes up, I'll have to deal with it. Right now, I'm so angry at what Billy did... We used to be good friends, I never thought he'd go this far. It scares me how much I hate him right now. Mary, at times, I have a hard time holding back from running to his holding cell and punching the daylight out of him." Gilbert confessed and Anne did her best to squeeze his hand once more, comforting him the way he was comforting her.
"You won't, Gilbert, because you're a good person, I know it. You're angry because he has hurt Anne and you love her. Concentrate on that love and all will be fine. Trust me." She smiled.
"I try. Are you alright, Mary? You look a little pale..." Gilbert said and Anne could guess that he had furred his eyebrow.
"It's alright, just morning sickness." Mary replied with a smile.
"Morning... You're pregnant?" Gilbert asked, surprised and Anne could hear joy in his voice.
"I am! I wanted to wait until Anne was awake to tell everyone but Bash almost told you twice already, he's so excited!" she chuckled.
"Congratulations!" Gilbert exclaimed and Anne wanted so badly to congratulate her friend too, she really tried to open her eyes, to speak, to move.
"Gilbert, look! Anne!" Mary exclaimed.
"She's trying to wake up! Anne? Can you hear me, Anne? It's alright, you're safe, please, wake up." Gilbert begged.
"I'll warn Marilla, ask Jerry to get the doctor." Mary said quickly.
Knowing that they could see her efforts, Anne tried harder to wake up, to fight against the fog and the darkness. It felt to Anne like she had been fighting for hours when she finally opened her eyes to see first Matthew, at the foot of her bed, smiling warmly at her, then Gilbert, who was still holding her, the left hand, always, and Marilla, who was on her other side. The Doctor was in the doorway.
"Mary... I wanted to congratulate her..." Anne whispered, finding herself exhausted and unable to speak any louder.
"She went to warn Misses Lynde. Don't worry, you'll be able to speak with her later." Gilbert replied, smiling at her like she had giving him the best present in the world.
After that, the doctor examined Anne and assured them that she was out of the woods, but that it would take her a long time to fully recover. He insisted on the fact that she'd be tired a lot, and probably only able to be awake a couple of hours at the time at first.
Once the doctor had left, Anne got some soup to eat and she was able to see her friends. Before they left her alone with her friends, Mister Barry, Diana's father, asked her if she remembered what happened, if she'd be able to testify in court. Hardly, Anne confirmed that she remembered and she told them what had happened, not hiding anything she could remember.
"... Then I heard Gilbert's voice calling out to me and I knew I was safe, so I let go, I was so tired, and in so much pain..." Anne concluded her tale, not seeing the tears in her friend's eyes since she was speaking to Diana's father.
"Do you think you'll be up to speaking in court about this?" He asked her gently.
"I think so, yes." Anne nodded, refusing to admit that Billy scared her and that she might not be able to speak in front of him.
"You can't possibly think she'll be in the same room as Billy Andrews again? Surely Marilla and Matthew won't allow it! I wouldn't... I mean, we all want her to feel safe!" Gilbert protested and Anne was glad he did.
She didn't want to appear as weaker than she already was, but she was afraid of facing Billy again, afraid that he'd hurt her once more. She was glad to know Gilbert was looking out for her.
"Don't worry, we can ask for him to be brought out of the room when the time for Anne to testify comes." Mister Barry reassured him with a small smile before he left the room.
It seemed like the entire class was in her bedroom when Gilbert reminded them that she needed her rest and that they should go.
"Thank you, I have a hard time keeping my eyes open..." Anne whispered to him once everyone had left.
He had stayed back to gather his books.
"I noticed. Rest well, Anne." He replied with a soft smile.
"Will you still come by tomorrow? Even though I'm awake?" She asked and it showed him that she knew he had been there and gave him hope that she had heard them.
"If you want me to, I will." He nodded.
"Someone has to help me catch up with everything I've missed at school." Anne teased him.
"Alright then, I'll be there after school, as usual." he smiled softly at her before he turned around and left.
Anne had been told by her friends everything she had missed. They told her how much they had been afraid for her life, how they had found her thanks to her fox, and even the fact that the fox came by everyday, sometimes twice a day. She noticed that none of them spoke about Billy, or how Gilbert had said he loved her, but that might have been because he was there.
Had she dreamt it? Surely not, since he was there and didn't deny that he did come everyday. Anne made a mental note to ask Diana later what had happened when they confronted Billy.
.
It had been a week since Anne woke up and she still felt very weak but she was tired of staying on her bedroom all day, so, every morning, Matthew would carry her downstairs where they had a rolling chair for her, this way she could move around. Marilla still refused to let Anne go back to school but Gilbert helped her catch up and Miss Stacy also came over twice a week to help her keep her grades up, which she did.
"Your fox is here, might as well go and feed him yourself now that Matthew and Jerry made the ramp for you." Marilla told Anne that morning and so, happily, Anne rolled her chair outside.
Anne noticed that Jerry and Matthew had cleared the way up the the 'Fox's spot' for her, to make it easier to roll there but she didn't have to go all the way because, as soon as he saw her, the fox ran to her and, to her surprise, he jumped on her knees.
"Hey you, I missed you too. They told me you're the one who brought them to me on time, that without you I'd be dead... I owe you so much, because as much as I hate my red hair, I do love life. Thank you pretty fox." Anne said, tears in her eyes as she stroke the fox's fur for the first time.
The fox cuddled her for a while, an action he had never done and that surprised her, but then he smelled the food and tried to dig it out so, laughing, she gave it to him on the floor and watched as he ate. Once he was done eating, he looked at her once more, as though making sure that she was fine, and left.
"Come back again, my friend." Anne told him.
Anne tried very hard not to think about the shooting and Billy's attack, mainly because she was still afraid, but at night, she couldn't prevent the nightmares from haunting her. She hadn't had a full night of sleep yet and the doctor said that it was the reason why she was healing so slowly. Even big noises, like Marilla dropping something, made Anne jump most of the time, which worried everyone.
"Are you alright Anne? Do you need help going back inside?" Jerry asked her.
"No, I'm fine, thank you." She smiled at him.
"You shouldn't stay outside too long, there's a bit of wind and none of us want you to catch something else..." Jerry advised her.
"You're right... I miss being outside but I should head back in." She admitted reluctantly.
"Here, let me push you." He offered and, before she could protest, he was pushing her back inside.
Jerry had surprised her, she knew that they were friends, but this incident showed her how much he truly cared for her. As much as one of his sisters, he had confessed when he visited her after she woke up.
.
It had been 2 weeks since Anne woke up for good and she felt ready to go to school, she was tired of being home and of being afraid of every sudden noise or movement, she wanted to get back to normal and she felt like being in school would help her get better. Marilla tried to convince her to wait some more, but Matthew believed in her, believed that she knew what was best for herself, so they ended up compromising on her going half a day to start. She'd go in the morning and rest in the afternoon for a while.
Everyone agreed that her walking to school or riding on her own was out of the question, so they made arrangement. Bash would drive Anne and Gilbert in the morning and, at noon, Jerry or Matthew would come to pick Anne up. In a couple of weeks, they'd reevaluate. Matthew had assured them that it was no trouble driving her to school in the morning but Gilbert had insisted he helped, so Matthew let him.
"Thanks for driving me, Bash, Gilbert. It's really kind of you two to go out of your way for me like this." Anne told them.
"It's no problem, I assure you." Bash smiled.
"I think he's eager to get out of Mary's reach. The pregnancy is making her a bit moody." Gilbert chuckled.
"I've heard of morning sickness, not of morning anger. I swear, before 9 in the morning, every detail can set her off." Bash shook his head.
"It'll pass." Anne promised.
"I know, Rachel Lynde told me so as well." He smiled back.
When they arrived in school, everyone was happy to see Anne back. They had been sure she'd end up changing her mind at the last minute. Gilbert was the first one to get down, then he helped Anne down and they waved at Bash who drove back to their farm.
Anne's girl friends quickly surrounded her but Gilbert forced himself among them for a moment.
"Anne, don't over-do it, alright? If you need anything, don't hesitate to come and get me." He assured her.
"Alright, thanks Gilbert." She nodded with a smile.
The girls waited until Gilbert had walked away to giggle and speak to Anne.
"So, has he told you anything yet? About his feelings?" Diana asked Anne in a whisper.
Anne and her friends had talked, a few days ago, about Billy's arrest and Gilbert's confession. They wanted to make sure Anne knew and Anne told them that she remembered everything that had been said in her room once the fever arrived.
"No, nothing, but he's been very present. He might simply be waiting for me to be better, or for the trial to be over... I'm not sure." Anne shrugged her shoulders.
"Do you know when the trial will be?" Ruby asked in a small voice.
Nobody had dared ask Jane, understanding that she was in a difficult position.
"Next Saturday. Are you alright, Jane?" Anne asked.
"I'm fine, just angry. My parents visit him every day, my older sister did once but... I can't bring myself to go and visit him. My parents are mad at me because I don't go and see him, but I'm too angry at him. They're saying that familly should stick together, and I get it up to a point, but there are things I can't get behind. Going to visit him would be like forgiving him to an extand and I refuse to do it. He's not my brother, not anymore and I don't care if my parents get mad at me for it." Jane replied, shaking her head.
"I understand, it can't be easy. Such a difficult situation..." Anne nodded.
"But what if it's your last chance to see him?" Tilly asked.
"You mean what if they sentence him to death?" Jane asked, shocked that someone would bring it up.
"It won't come to that. They'll ask me, after my testimony, my opinion, that's what Mister Barry said. I'll tell them that I don't want him to be sentenced to death." Anne promised.
"After he almost killed you?" Josy exclaimed.
"He needs to be punished, to think about what he's done, why he likes hurting people so much, but he shouldn't die for it. God Forgives, why shouldn't we? I'm fine now." Anne replied.
"Well, you're a lot more gracious than I'd be in your position." Josy replied.
"Yeah well, my parents tried the 'even God Forgives' argument and I told them 'God forgives, I don't, not that'. They didn't like it either." Jane commented.
"Have you brought that subject up with Gilbert?" Ruby asked Anne.
"No, why?" Anne was curious.
"Because he definitely looked like he'd be capable of doing the killing himself when Billy was arrested." Ruby replied.
"He was angry and worried!" Diana argued.
"He told Billy, and I quote 'If Anne dies, you die, I'll make sure of it'." Ruby reminded Diana.
Anne hadn't heard that part before and she was glad that Miss Stacy interrupted them to start her class. Diana helped Anne to her seat and the young red haired could feel a lot of eyes on her.
"Gilbert is watching your every move with a lot of attention." Diana whispered in Anne's ear.
"Everyone is watching me." Anne shook her head.
"I'm sure that if you tripped now, he'd be able to catch you before you hit the floor." Diana whispered back, insisting.
"Let's not try it just yet, alright? I had a hard enough time convincing Marilla to let me come this morning." Anne chuckled.
"Alright class, settle down. Anne, it's good to have you back with us. Don't hesitate to tell me if there's anything wrong. I have no doubt that you'll be able to follow the class without trouble, but if you don't feel well, just tell me and we'll help you, alright?" Miss Stacy said once Anne was sitting down.
"Oh don't worry Miss Stacy, Gilbert has already offered Anne his assistance should she need anything." Ruby stated, not thinking and making both Anne and Gilbert blush.
The teacher shook her head with an hidden smile and started her class.
All in all, it was a good morning for Anne, until the point Charly dropped his book and the floor, which made Anne jump up in fear. She paled and started shaking until she felt Diana's reassuring hand on hers.
"Don't worry, nobody noticed." Diana reassured her.
Anne smiled and Gilbert slipped her a note. She opened it and turned to Diana.
"You're wrong, Gilbert noticed." She showed her friend the note he had dropped on her desk.
"Are you alright? Do you need to step outside for a minute? Maybe drink some water..." Gilbert had written.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Thank you." Anne wrote back before slipping him the note.
"He's so worried about you, afraid of losing you, I swear he's going to get grey hair if he doesn't calm down." Diana whispered, a little too loudly, to her best friend.
"Shh!" Anne replied, afraid Gilbert would hear and know they were speaking about him.
.
Time passed and soon, it was time for the trial.
Anne was nervous of course, she was also afraid. She wanted to be strong, to show Billy Andrews that she was stronger than he thought, but she was afraid he'd hurt her again, which was ridiculous because he'd be tied up, guarded and even brought out of the room during her testimony if she asked it.
"You know that you don't have to stay for the entire thing if you don't feel up to it, someone could drive you home if you want." Marilla insisted.
"I know, but I want to be there, to see... To know what happens." Anne replied and her parents nodded.
"Look, Miss Barry and Cole are here." Matthew told Anne, pointing her in the right direction.
"I didn't know they were coming!" Anne exclaimed, waving at Cole.
"They wanted to be there for you. They're staying at the Barry's for the week-end. They'll leave tomorrow so that Cole doesn't miss any school." Marilla replied.
Anne greeted Cole and Aunt Jo, along with Diana and her family, then they went inside and Anne found herself sitting with Matthew and Marilla on one side of her and Gilbert, Bash and Mary on the other side. Matthew had on hand holding Anne's comfortingly while Gilbert, who didn't know if he'd be allowed to hold her hand, simply sat straight and tall next to her. he looked ready to jup on anyone who'd dare look at her the wrong way.
"You two make me feel like I'm the one being guarded." Anne whispered to the two men, making them smile.
"You have to admit that you can have a bit if a temper, who knows what you could do if we let you go." Gilbert replied with humor, relaxing a bit.
"You're right, you should be careful." She chuckled, taking it the right way.
Then it started and Anne suddenly felt grateful to have all of her friends around her. The Barry's were in the row in front of her, Rachel Lynde and some of her friends were behind her. She noticed that even though she sat with her family, Jane was as close to Anne as she could be, clearly showing that she sided with her friend, not with her brother.
Anne felt like she was surrounded in fog, it was hard to follow everything, the only thing holding her to the reality of what was happening was Matthew's hand and Gilbert's presence by her side. Needing another anchor, she took hold of Gilbert's hand, which had been resting on his knee, very close to her. He obviously didn't mind since he tightened his hold on her hand, showing her that he was there for her.
The young red haired had a hard time following what was happening and she didn't waste energy trying to, she simply concentrated on her breathing until they told her that it was time for her to take the stand and speak. She knew that at some point, Cole had been asked to speak up about Billy harassment and how his hand got hurt, then two of Billy's friends came up and revealed that Billy had done it on purpose, for a joke. Everyone was seing the worst side of Billy Andrews at that moment.
The judge asked her if she wanted Billy to stay and, seeing everyone she cared about in the room, Anne nodded. She wasn't that scared, not when he was tied up, surrounded by guards. Not with her parents, her friends and Gilbert smiling comfortingly her way.
"He can stay." Anne replied.
"Alright Miss, now, do you remember what happened that day?" She was asked and she nodded.
"I do."
Of course she remembered, she was haunted by it every night, she relieved it every night.
"Please tell us what happened." The judge asked her and so she did.
She told them everything that happened from why she was there in the first place, to what Billy said before running away, leaving her there. She told them that she didn't think he'd do it, that she believed he was bluffing. She told them how she had even thought he might had gone to get help for her, how she had tried as hard as she could to stay awake because she didn't want to die. She didn't hide anything and even if it made her cry to say everything, she did it. Anne had told her family and friends the events but she had never shared her feelings. She revealed that she saw everything happen every night, that she always woke up after he shot her, in pain. She told them how every sudden and loud noise sacred her and sent her back to that night, how when someone screamed around her she was scared and how hard she fought to move passed this.
When she was done speaking, Anne looked at everyone in front of her and saw many of her friends with teary eyes. Marilla was crying, along with Rachel. Diana, her mother and Aunt Jo, Mary, Ruby, Jane and her sister...
Then came the moment Mister Barry warned her could come, the judge asked her if she believed Billy should get a maximal sentence.
"I... I don't want him to get a death sentence, I believe he could still change, become a better person, but I'd like to be sure I never cross him again, not before he's made amends." Anne replied.
"Very well young lady, you can go back to you seat now."
Anne went to sit back down and took Matthew and Gilbert's hand again, liking the feeling of safety their presence provided her.
After that, they were asked to leave and come back in a couple of hours. Everyone stayed around the courthouse and tried to hold normal conversations until it was time to hear the sentence.
"Anne, I almost forgot, since your 15th birthday is next week, I brought you something." Cole exclaimed, handing Anne a wrapped present.
"Is it already?" She asked, surprised.
"It's funny, isn't it, how it comes back every year at the same time!" Cole replied with an amused smirk.
"I forgot about it too, with everything that was going on, I think none of us saw time pass." Marilla shook her head with shame.
"Don't worry, I forgot about my own birthday, I'm not about to be angry at you because you forgot about it. I'm alive and getting better every day, that's all I could ask for." Anne replied and she noticed Gilbert frown.
Happily, Anne opened Cole's present and saw that he had framed one of his drawings. She was lying unconscious on her bed and Gilbert was by her side, holding her hand.
"Cole, that's beautiful, thank you!" Anne exclaimed, hugging her friend before she showed the framed drawing to her friends.
Gilbert blushed when it saw it but didn't say anything, he should have known that Cole would try to push things, but he might be right, maybe it was time he spoke with Anne.
"They've made a decision, they're calling us back in." Rachel's husband said and so Gilbert decided he'd speak with Anne later.
Once inside, the jury said that Billy was, without a doubt, guilty since he had even admitted it himself when he was arrested, though he had refused to speak or testify during the trial.
"I think an angry and violent man like you, young mister Andrews, belongs in jail for the rest of his life, but since your victim, Miss Anne Shirley Cuthbert, spoke on your behalf, I've decided to give you a chance to change. You're going to go to jail for 10 years in Montreal, they'll help you change and become a better man thanks to a new program they're trying. Once that's done, you'll have to write to Miss Shirley and ask for her forgiveness, she, in turn, will write to me and I'll reexamine your file and decide if you deserve more jail or a second chance." The Judge decided and Billy hung his head, defeated.
"Montreal? But it's so far away! We won't be able to see him often!" His mother protested.
"Then maybe you should have raised your son to have respect for other people's life instead of the way he is now." The judge snapped at her.
"Maybe we could move there?" Her husband suggested.
"Why should we uproot our lives for him? I refuse to move away from here just so we can get closer to Billy! He's made his bed, now he can sleep in it! He needs to understand that what he did was wrong and that actions have consequences!" Jane snapped.
"We'll discuss this at home, later." Mister Andrews replied severely.
Anne was relieved, she wouldn't cross Billy for a while now and she hoped her nightmares would go away now that the trial had passed.
"I hope Jane won't be forced to move away." Ruby stated.
"Even if she doesn't want to visit her brother, she should be with her family... Anyway, it won't be for long, she could always leave with them and go to Queens with us later. We'll write to her, keep in touch." Anne replied, trying to see the bright side of things.
"You're right." Ruby nodded before she joined her family and left.
Anne said goodbye to the Barry's and joined her family who was going to have dinner at Green Gables with the Lynde, Gilbert, Mary and Bash.
"I think I'm ready to go to school all day now. I'd like to try on Monday." Anne declared in the middle of dinner.
"Are you sure, Anne?" Marilla asked, always a bit overprotective, especially since her injury.
"I'm sure." Anne nodded.
"She could always take the horse, it will be less tiring." Matthew argued with a nod, always siding with Anne.
"She could at least try, and I, I mean, someone, could escort her back home if she gets too tired." Gilbert added, happy at the idea of seeing Anne all day at school again.
"Alright, as long as you don't overdo it, and after school, even if you take Belle, I want you to have someone with you, just in case." Marilla nodded.
"I'm sure Gilbert will happily volunteer." Bash smiled.
"As long as Anne doesn't mind, I'd be happy to escort her to and from school every day." Gilbert nodded, happy that Bash had been the one to say it.
"I don't mind." Anne smiled.
"Well, now that this is decided, let's continue with our dinner." Marilla smiled.
.
On Monday morning, Gilbert came, as promised, to pick Anne up on his own horse and they rode together, slowly, toward the school.
"Thank you for doing this, I don't think Marilla would have agreed otherwise, she gets overprotective sometimes." Anne smiled.
"After what happened, to you, who could blame her." He argued.
"I know. The fox still comes over, you know, just less often. Once a week, sometimes twice." Anne told Gilbert.
"He saved your life. But I think he's coming less often because he's got food elsewhere. Others have started placing food outside and the foxes around don't hunt the chickens anymore, since they have food." He replied.
"That's good." She smiled.
"Did you sleep better last night? The nightmares?" He asked her, concerned.
"The nightmares are still here, but less violent, they don't wake me up anymore, and they're fading." She replied.
"Good, that's good." He replied.
"I can see there's something troubling you, Gilbert, why don't you tell me what it is you want to tell me?" She asked, deciding to try and help him get off his chest whatever he was holding back.
"I don't know if it's too soon or not... I... You made it clear that you've heard what was said around you while you were unconscious." he started.
"Yes, but only when I got the fever, before that it was all black, and pain." She nodded.
"So, you've heard my conversation with Cole..." he started nervously and she smiled.
"I did, I was happy to heard that his hand was getting better. And yes, I heard the rest. Ruby and Tilly made sure I knew what you said when Billy was arrested too. I... I never expected anyone to ever feel this way towards me, so it came as a surprise, but if it scared me, or was unwelcome, I would have tried to push you away sooner." She replied, nervous as well but deciding to be brave.
"And you didn't." He smiled.
"I didn't. As long as you give me time... I mean, I do feel something for you, something I don't feel for the others. It's different than the strong friendship I feel for Cole. But I've been fighting these feelings off for so long, that I need time to let them in, to get used to them... I don't know if I'm making sense..." she replied.
"You are, I get it. As long as it's not a firm and decisive NO, I'm happy to wait." he told her with a bright smile.
"So, is Mary is giving Bash a hard time in the morning?" Anne asked Gilbert.
"No, I think that phase has passed, thankfully." he smiled and they kept on riding to school, holding a simple conversation.
.
More time passed and, when summer arrived, Anne was happy to be back to her old self, just in time to help for harvest. It felt good to be of some use and to be able to help around, not to be the one who needs help.
Her relationship with Gilbert hadn't evolved much, though she now felt ready to admit her feelings for him. The more she thought about it, the more she imagined a future with him. He'd be a doctor, she'd be a teacher or a writer, and they'd live here in Avonlea, or maybe in Carmody, but not much further, they'd still be on Prince Edward Island. They'd have children, and they'd be happy, she was confident that this was the road they would take.
Mary gave birth in the middle of summer, on one of the hottest day, and they were all present to welcome the new baby girl. Delphine was the joy of her parents, and of all who knew her. Marilla especially loved to cuddle the baby girl.
When school started again for their last year in Avonlea, Anne was happy to see all of her friends and have things finally get back to normal.
"Anne, how are you doing this morning?" Gilbert asked her when she arrived.
"I'm fine, happy to be back in school and for things to get back to normal, you?" She asked back.
"Same, same. Mary asked me to post a letter for her, I just came back. She decided to write to her son Elijah, telling him that she loves him and about her life here, telling him that he'd be welcome, if only he cleaned his act..." Gilbert replied.
"That's good, she'll be happier if he came, or at least replied. At least she knows she took a chance, that she tried." Anne smiled.
"Anne, Gilbert, come and see this!" Ruby exclaimed, taking Anne's hand and pulling her along, knowing that Gilbert would follow them.
"What's going on, Ruby?" Anne asked her on the way, worried.
"Someone resurrected the old 'take notice board'! A place to sort of state your claim on the person you're courting or want to court!" Ruby exclaimed, overexcited.
"Everyone will know, now!" Tilly smiled.
"Don't everyone already know what's going on and who walks home with whom? This is a pretty small town and we all know each other..." Anne frowned, not sure she understood what all the excitement was about.
"Someone's already posted on it, look!" Tilly pointed, showing a piece of paper where Moody had written that he'd like to walk Ruby home.
"Couldn't he just come and ask her himself instead of writing it here?" Anne asked.
"This way everyone else knows and if someone else wanted to walk her home, they'd know Moody came first." Josy replied.
"Right." Anne nodded.
"Wouldn't you like someone to post about you, Anne?" Diana asked, knowing that Gilbert was right there and would hear everything.
"I wouldn't mind of course, but I'd rather be talked to and asked in person. I guess I wouldn't mind a post about me, as long as he came to talk to me as well." Anne smiled, making Gilbert smile as well.
"Did you hear that Gilbert? No need to post on the board, unless you're worried someone else might try to court her." Josy smirked.
"Noted." Gilbert smiled, sending a wink Anne's way before walking inside to study one of his science books.
He knew her well enough to know that she'd like for him to post about her but that she wouldn't expect it to happen.
"Did anything change at all between the two of you during the past few weeks?" Diana asked and the other girls came closer to listen.
"No, nothing yet. The subject hasn't come up." Anne shook her head.
"And here I thought putting this board up might help you out... My mother told me how they used that when she was a kid and so I asked for her and my father's help. They helped me put it here." Josy explained.
"Well, it still might help a few people, I doubt Ruby knew Moody liked her." Anne smiled.
"I didn't, and he did grow a bit during the summer..." Ruby replied with a dreamy smile.
"Come on, let's get inside, class will start soon." Anne said, happily walking back inside, planning on talking with Gilbert later.
That day, during lunch break, Anne was reading the newspaper with miss Stacy and Gilbert when Diana rushed inside.
"Anne, you're on the board!" She exclaimed.
"Very funny Diana." Anne replied, not even looking up.
"I swear it's true Anne! I didn't read it, I just saw your name." Diana insisted.
"Maybe you should go have a look then." Gilbert suggested, making Anne look up to see his smile.
She was about to reply when Ruby ran inside.
"Anne, what are you doing here? You're on the board." Ruby exclaimed.
"So I've just been told." Anne smiled.
"Well, come and look, you're on it twice!" Ruby insisted.
"Twice? As in two?" Anne asked.
"What? Who's the other?" Gilbert exclaimed before he rushed outside, followed by a curious Anne and an amused Miss Stacy, who wanted to know the way things would turn out.
Once in front of the board, Anne looked at all the notices. Tilly had been noticed twice, and seemed to be fine with it, refusing to make a decision right away. Ignoring all the others, Anne looked for her name.
"Gilbert Blythe wants to court Anne Shirley Cuthbert." That first one made Anne smiled and she curiously looked for the second one.
"Charlie would like to walk Anne home." That second one made Anne frown.
Charlie? How could he potentially think they'd make a good pair? He had never taken a chance in his life!
Turning around, Anne saw Gilbert and Charlie facing each other. They didn't look too hostile, but not very friendly either.
"This is getting interesting!" Ruby whispered exitedly.
"What? I'm not going to apologize, you didn't make a move, I figured you wouldn't care!" Charlie declared to defend himself, speaking to Gilbert only.
"Just give them space, please, no need to gather a crowed!" Anne begged and most of her classmates moved away, knowing they'd know what happened anyway.
"I made my feelings quite clear about Anne, I was giving her time!" Gilbert replied.
"Well, she had time, and now I've tried my luck!" Charlie shrugged his shoulders.
"Listen Charlie, I'm sorry but... I..." Anne tried to say.
"You're not interested, are you?" He asked her.
"Sorry, but, Gilbert... you know..." She tried to say, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she couldn't lead him on and hurt Gilbert.
"It's okay, I get it. Don't worry, at least I tried. Gilbert, I hope we're still friends and that you know how lucky you are." Charlie told Gilbert and Anne before he walked away, took his notice off the board and went back to eating his lunch.
"He'll be fine, right? I didn't hurt his feelings?" Anne asked Gilbert.
"I think he'll be fine." Gilbert smiled.
"I didn't think you'd put a note on the board, I thought this kind of things wasn't for you." Anne stated with a smile.
"Well, I had to remind you that I was ready whenever you were." He smiled back.
"In this case I guess I should let you know that I am ready, have been for a few weeks actually." She informed him.
"Well, sorry for the delay Miss Shirley Cuthbert, I shall try my best to make you forget that I took my time." He replied with a teasing smile.
"Why don't we get back to our newspaper reading?" She suggested, amused.
"Sure. By the way, I know you like to walk home with Diana because she's going to Paris next year and all, but could I, maybe, walk you home once in a while? At least once or twice a week?" he asked her on their way back inside.
"Of course, on Tuesdays Diana has to be home as soon as she can for her and her sister's music lessons, and on Friday she has something as well, we could walk together on those days." She suggested.
"Perfect." He smiled.
That day, when Gilbert walked Anne home, they decided to take the long way so they'd have more time together to talk about everything.
"How is training with Doctor Ward going?" She asked him on the way, realizing that she hadn't asked him abut it in a while.
"Still great, I learn a lot from him and he lets me borrow his books. He says that the way I'm going, I'll easily get into medical school and be able to easily finish without much trouble." He replied.
"Well, it's your calling, what you love, so you remember easily the information you read." She nodded.
"I... I've talked about it with Miss Stacy and she told me that the best school for me would be the University of Toronto. Well, I'd love the Sorbonne, but I'll never be able to afford that kind of school." Gilbert seemed to hesitate and Anne guessed where he was going.
"You mean we'll be separated because I'm going to Queens. Is that what's making you nervous? Do you think I'd change my mind because we won't be together all the time?" She asked him.
"Maybe I'm a bit afraid it will hold you back. I... I do love you, Anne, with all my heart, and I don't want to lose you over something like this. I'm in this for good, and I'm willing to fight for us..." He nodded.
"I love you too Gilbert and I'm confident we'll make it through anything. You'll go to U of T, I'll go to Queens. We'll write to each other, see each other on Christmas and during the summer. In two years I'll have my teaching degree and I'll be able to look for work in Toronto to be closer to you. We'll see each other a bit more often and, three years later, you'll have your diploma and..." Anne stopped there, blushing.
"And then we can come back here together, and start our future, together?" he asked softly.
"Yes, if that's still what you want when we get there." She nodded.
"Oh, I'll still want it." he smiled.
"So, we're officially courting then?" She asked him as he held her hand.
"Yes the best thing is, I got Matthew's permission a long time ago." He grinned proudly.
"When?" She asked him.
"Last year, when you were unconscious." he replied a little more seriously, hating thinking about that terrible time.
"Speaking of which, I saw my fox again two days ago. I was worried because I hadn't seen him in a few months but he came and had little ones with him!" Anne told Gilbert happily.
"Well, life goes on." He smiled, happy to be with her and to simply see her happy.
.
More time passed, Christmas, birthdays, spring, the county fair, the dance, the exams and, finally, graduation. Anne and Gilbert enjoyed their time together, preparing themselves for the separation that would come during the next few years, knowing that it would be worth it in the end.
When Anne decided to try and look into her past, Gilbert went with her, along with Cole and, when they didn't find anything at the orphanage, he's the one who suggested they went to look at the church. With the three of them looking, it was done quickly and they found the informations they were looking for. After that, Gilbert decided on his own, one Saturday when he was done early with Doctor Ward, to go and ask Misses Thomas, the first woman who had taken Anne in. He had heard a lot about her and it wasn't easy to keep his calm as she spoke badly about Anne but it was worth it because, in the end, he found a book that used to belong to her mother.
Proudly, he gave Anne this book on her 16th birthday, telling her where he had found it and he watched happily as Anne learned that her mother was a teacher who loved nature, her father an artist who had drawn a beautiful portrait of her mother, one filled with love. She happily discovered that she had her mother's hair and details like the date of her first picnic with her parents and the flower they found during it. It was something Anne had needed, and she loved that he went to the trouble of finding it for her. The language of flowers would become her new favorite book, her own personal treasure to keep and protect through the years.
On the night they all celebrated their results and the fact that they were going to the college of their choice, Gilbert proposed to Anne with his mother's ring. He wanted her to be sure, without any doubt, that he loved her and wanted a future with her. He wanted her to wear his ring, always, and he also wanted her to wear his ring so that other men, in Charlottetown, would know that Anne was spoken for.
"Anne, you know that I love you, only you, forever you. You are the keeper of the key to my heart, the sole object of my affection and I can't see my life without you in it. We've talked about the future before, I'd like to cement those plans. Anne Shirley Cuthbert, will you agree to become my wife once we're both out of school and ready to start life?" Gilbert asked, kneeling in front of Anne, a bouquet of wild flowers in one hand and his mother's ring in the other.
"Of course I will!" Anne exclaimed, letting him place the ring on her finger before they kissed and everyone around them cheered.
After that, everyone celebrated not only the results of the exams and their going to college but also Gilbert and Anne's engagement.
"We should have guessed that the two best students of our class would end up together for the rest of their lives." Moody joked.
"You looked so surprised, you had to have been expecting this." Gilbert told Anne a little later, once they managed to be alone once more and he was walking her back home.
"I was expecting this, but not so soon, I was so sure you'd make me wait to surprise me when I started to think it wouldn't come anymore." She smiled.
"I thought about it, but I just really wanted to see my ring on your finger." he smiled at her.
"It is a very pretty ring." She smiled.
"It was my mother's and I have to say that the green stone looks great on you, it was meant to be yours." he smiled.
"Yes, it was." She smiled, proud to see this ring on her finger.
She hadn't expected to feel this way, the pride to be his.
"Look, over there!" Gilbert exclaimed quietly, pointing Anne to the side of the trees.
She turned her head and smiled when she saw her fox and his family, they looked at each other before the fox made a small noise and he turned around and left.
"What do you think he said?" Gilbert asked her.
"He said goodbye." Anne smiled.
I hope you liked it, I know I'm not being fair with Billy but I don't like him in this show so... Well, to jail he goes. Also, I didn't research the justice system in Canada around this time, so if this isn't how it was done, please just go with it!
Review please?
Lorelei Candice Black