For everyone who has been with me on this journey, for the reviews, trust and time and endless encouragement from you all-

This one is for you.

Love, Cate.

Chapter 28

The spring afternoon was clear and warm when Gilbert came for Anne, his boyish smile in evidence on his lean face. Only the night before he had called in to make sure that their plans were still in place, and she had badgered him to find out where they were going- much like her sixteen-year-old self had once done. Susan was left shaking her head in bewilderment at the pair, listening to the way they teased and tormented each other. Like a pair of children, they were, rather than the responsible doctor and school teacher that the rest of the town saw.

Susan then had watched a dreamy Anne float off toward her bedroom with a bemused look. She's suspected something of this nature months ago- and yet nothing had come of it before. Still, there was a certain look in the young doctor's eyes now... She waved the pair off dubiously and turned back to her kitchen with a shake of her grey head at the peculiarities of the younger generation.

Outside, Gilbert led Anne down the garden path and to the gate, where Hippocrates stood waiting patiently beside a large wooden crate. Anne froze and turned back to him, her eyes enormous.

"Gil, I can't do that-"

He rolled his eyes. "You can so, Carrots. I still can't believe you wouldn't let me teach you to ride back home. It's much too far for you to walk, and I'm not letting you miss this."

Anne's mouth was dry. "Gilbert, he's huge-"

He gave her an indulgent look. "Come on, step up here now."

Anne glared at him crossly. "Excuse me, Doctor, you are always telling me to be careful, that I need to respect my own limits!"

Gilbert's hands were on his hips, he bent down to her eye level. "And I stand by that, Miss Shirley. If I'm not with you I can't keep you safe. But our limits together are a very different thing."

He held out his hand to help her onto the crate, laughing at her caustic comments as she held her blue skirts out of the way. "Did you actually bring this all the way here?" she asked, in disbelief.

"No, it's yours- it was around the side of the house. Come on now, hold onto the fence and I'll get up there first. Let me show you how easy it is." He swung himself up into the saddle and steadied himself with the stirrups. "I'll lift you up here, I just need you to help me a bit. Do you trust me?"

Anne shook her head, but he could see the twinkle in her eye. "No, not even a little. I think you're trying to make me an invalid." She drew in a deep breath, her eyes unsure. "What do I do?"

Gilbert smiled. While the horse stood still, he instructed her to put a foot in the stirrup and wrapped a strong arm around her waist. Anne caught her breath as she pushed up and found herself lifted easily onto the saddle before him, and her hands clutched at his coat in panic. He chuckled as she buried her face in his shirt, and he shifted his body to anchor himself as he held her. "You can open your eyes, Anne." Slowly she did so, her teeth chattering. She began to relax once she felt herself held securely, and looked up at the man holding her with enormous eyes. "See? Not so hard. Now, there's a part of the saddle that you can hook your right knee over, that will give you some steadiness."

Anne let out a breath and tried to do as he instructed. "We're so high up."

"And I've got you. If you go over, I go too."

Anne snorted. "That isn't a comfort under the circumstances." She looked up at him then, a slight flush on her cheeks. "You aren't worried about the gossip, are you? The town's doctor and teacher running away on a horse for the afternoon?"

He noticed that one of her hands still clung to the fabric of his shirt and grinned. "We're on the edge of town and going further out, so no one will ever know. Look, the Glen was going to find out how improper we were at some point, weren't they? We've done well to fool them this far."

This made her chuckle. "I suppose so. You won't let him run, will you?"

Gilbert shifted her on the saddle to secure her, his heart melting at the slight tremble he felt in her body. Again he marveled at how brave she was, at the spirit that he saw rising in her once more. It was this Anne he had yearned to see again- the sparkling woman he had fallen in love with so long ago. How had he survived so many years without her?

Slowly they began to move, and as Hippocrates walked down the wooded pathways beyond the schoolhouse Anne began to relax, even to point out the things she could see in the landscape. Together they rode through parts of the Hollow that she had never seen before, and Gilbert smiled at the excitement in her voice as she chattered. She stiffened slightly as the horse walked down into a little valley, but Gilbert's protective hand was on her waist and the murmur of his voice in her ear steadied her. Her cheeks flushed at his closeness, and for a moment she wished that they had no destination- that they could travel on and on together, his hands on her, her back against his firm chest. A slight pang tore through her, and her head lowered, as she tried to think clearly. It was too easy now, far too easy to keep dreaming.

Gilbert pulled the horse to a stop at a line of trees, and with a steadying word he put the reins in Anne's hand to steady her and swung off the horse, causing Anne to give a gasp of shock when his body moved from hers.

"You're leaving me up here?"

Gilbert chuckled, his hand on the harness. "No, you goose, I'm getting down so that I can get you down."

After some cautious moments, Anne found herself in his arms, and safely on the ground. The two of them pushed away from each other, both hearts pounding a little harder, but commenting carefully on the trees, the scenery, and the sunshine. Gilbert watched her longingly before moving toward her again. He'd quite accidentally found this place earlier in the year, and for weeks he had wondered how he could possibly get Anne here. Now, he took her hand. This was a moment that she needed, and he wanted to be close to her while she discovered it.

He pushed through the branches to the little emerald hollow he had found. In the centre of the wood was a grove now completely carpeted with sweet mayflowers. Sunshine glinted off a pool in one corner, and he turned to watch her take in the scene, her mouth open in surprise. She let go of him to move carefully down the slope, turning to look at the mass of flowers that bloomed on all sides, and he thought he saw tears in her grey eyes. He watched her bend down to pluck the soft, pink flowers from the ground and smiled in pure happiness.

When Anne turned to face him her red hair shone in the sunlight, and her eyes were bright. "Gilbert, how do you find these places? I've never seen so many mayflowers- I've never been anywhere so wonderful. And to smell the springtime air, oh, it's glorious!"

Gilbert's look was loving, and he moved to join her. However, as he stepped over a small log he barely had time to react when he trod on a loose stone and fell forward into the mayflowers with a surprised yell.

Anne gave a shriek, and moved toward him, only to stop at his unrestrained laughter on the ground. She began to laugh too, and within a foot of him fell to her knees, her hands reaching out to tug on his arm fruitlessly. The dead weight of a laughing Gilbert was nothing she could manage on her own, and when he eventually rolled over onto his back, he sighed, wiping his eyes.

"I don't know how you handle doing that so often, Anne. That was just maddening-"

Anne giggled, a sound he had not heard for so long now. "It's simple, silly. I just keep falling."

Her face was so close to his own then, and without thought, Gilbert's hand came up to caress her pointed chin. He felt a jolt move through him at the tender look in her eyes, and suddenly the world seemed to stop moving, as Anne impulsively bent to press her soft lips to his own. For Gilbert, every other sense was blocked by her kiss- it was only the two of them in a world born anew. And then suddenly, the moment was broken.

He caught his breath when she sat up in shock, her cheeks pale and enormous grey eyes filling with terror. He watched her move and reached out to grab her hand in fear.

"Anne, honey, please, please don't run from me-"

His heart thudded in his chest as he watched her shake her head slightly. "I- I won't."

He pulled himself upright, and the two of them sat facing each other in silence. He saw her mouth move, her attempt to speak.

"I'm sorry," Anne stuttered.

Gilbert whitened, his heart shattering. "You're sorry?"

"No- no- I- I don't mean that- I meant that I shouldn't have done it without-" she said feverishly, and he started breathing again. "I- I needed to tell you something. I should have told you before- but I couldn't. Gil, I need you to know something-" her brow tightened as she faltered on her words, unwilling to speak the thing she had locked so very far away.

Gilbert's voice was gentle, and his eyes held hers steadily. "Alright. Whatever it is, Anne, just tell me now."

Anne clenched her hands and tried to calm her breathing, forcing herself to speak now. "Gil, there was a reason that I left Avonlea when- when you were ill," she said faintly.

Gilbert's breath caught, and he looked at her in shock. "What do you mean? You said that Josie told you-"

"She did. But there was- something else- something that I couldn't tell you before, Gil." She swallowed, her eyes burning, and she spoke drearily. "I was there at your house."

Whatever he had expected, it was not this. "When?" was all he could ask.

Anne licked suddenly dry lips. "When you were still very sick," she said softly. "Gil, after I found out, for three days and three nights it tortured me. I could only picture you there in your bed, and not knowing how I- and remembering me refusing you at convocation." Gilbert's eyes were wide, and he hung on every word that she spoke. "When we had no word from anyone in that time, I- I went to your house. Your mother said that she didn't know if I should see you- that you were not doing well. Eventually, she asked me to come in." Anne's breath caught, as the words began to spill out. "She said she would ask you whether you wanted to see me or not. She led me up the stairs to your bedroom, and told me to wait on the landing outside." Her tears began to fall, and a frozen Gilbert clutched at her hand. "I couldn't see you- but when she had gone in there, I heard her- she asked you-" at this, a sob broke from her mouth tearing Gilbert's heart in two. "And you- you were so upset- you said no, no, please, not her- it was you, Gil; it was your voice, and you refused me like I refused you, and I deserved it-"

Gilbert pulled his hand from hers, his hands coming up to hold her face close to his own frantic one. "No, Anne, you didn't," he choked.

"Then I heard you tell me to leave- you said that you would have been better off without me-" Her voice trembled as she spoke the words that had haunted her for almost seven years. "And then you called me- you called me unfaithful."

At this, he dropped his hands in shock, as he watched her begin to cry.

"No, I couldn't have- I wouldn't-" The panic seemed to rise in him as the image of the bedroom he had laid in so ill flooded his senses. "No, never, Anne; I would never in my right mind say that-" and suddenly the truth hit him with the force of a tidal wave, and with a cry of grief and fury he hit the ground with his fist. After a moment he opened pain-filled eyes and pulled a sobbing Anne into his arms. "I'm sorry, Anne, I'm so sorry-" he took her hands from her face gently, his voice tortured. "I was delirious, sweetheart. Typhoid is an evil, filthy disease- you see things that aren't real and the pain never, never stops-" his voice broke on those words. "Anne, I didn't know what I was saying."

She looked up at him, her breath uneven. He seemed to see a flicker of something in her eyes and waited for her to respond.

"But I thought you meant it- your mother thought-"

"You can't always tell when it's over," he said softly. "The fever can relapse, and suddenly the dreams are back." He cradled her face in his hands close to his own. "It wasn't your fault. I don't know what I was talking about, but it wasn't you. The first thing I thought about when I woke up was you. Anne, why, why didn't you tell me this sooner?" he asked, his voice low.

She swallowed then, her eyes falling. "Because I was afraid, Gil."

He blanched at her words. "Of- of me?

"No. Because it hurt me so much." Anne pulled away from him slightly, her eyes pleading. "I thought it real, I thought you were aware and were just trying to leave it in the past. I only learned from your mother that you didn't even know that it had happened. Even she thought you really felt that way."

Gilbert's eyes were glassy. "When she went to see you months ago?" At Anne's nod, a flash came to his hazel eyes. "Then why didn't she tell me herself?"

Anne's voice faltered. "She thought that it needed to come from me. She knew that I wouldn't have realised either- but I was still afraid that you had meant what you said- that it was true, even if you weren't aware of it. And then I couldn't make myself tell you."

Gilbert drew in a shaking breath. "And the way that I met you after you moved here- I confirmed everything, didn't I?" Her silence was confirmation enough, and stricken, he bowed his head against his knees.

Anne flinched at the pain she saw on his face. She was willing to do anything to make it leave, but something stopped her. Gilbert was right- they needed to face this. She spoke haltingly then. "Gil, you know people often thought badly of me. When Matthew and Marilla, and Diana loved me, I could face anyone else with my head held high. And when you and I became friends- I could never have told you this, but I so prized your esteem. It meant something to have you value me as a friend." Gilbert took her hand in his, hating the heartbreak in her eyes. "But when I had behaved so terribly to you, terribly to Roy- I couldn't help but see the justice of your words. You were always just. But to hear you say that nearly destroyed me. I had to learn to block it out to keep functioning." She drew in a shaking breath and tried to smile. "I only ever told Diana."

"She knew?" At her nod, he gave a wry chuckle. "Well, that explains a lot."

"Yes. And she knew something else too." She wiped her eyes and hesitated. "Gil, I went there to tell you something that day."

Gilbert's mouth was dry. "You did?"

Anne sighed in surrender as the weight of the secret she had lived with fell. Whatever would happen now, he would know the truth.

"Gilbert, I came to tell you that I loved you," she whispered. "I always did. Only I didn't realise- I didn't know. But when Marilla told me that you might die, I knew that I didn't want to keep living if it was without you."

Gilbert's eyes showed the grief in them. "Anne, no-"

She drew in a shuddering breath, wiping her eyes. "And in the same moment that I learned you would live, Josie told me that Christine was coming to be with you. It was cowardly- but I couldn't stay. And so I left. I made my way to Summerside- I drifted for weeks- until eventually, I began to see that I couldn't just give up living- but in order to live I had to let you go. And it was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do."

Gilbert's hand was on her back, his forehead resting against hers. "And then I went to see you and you were gone." He sat back then, revolving everything in his mind. "Anne, what would have happened?" he asked softly.

Anne looked at him, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

His smile was gentle, as he cupped her cheek. "It's the game you used to make me play. Use that imagination of yours, and tell me what should have happened."

She gave a little laugh that was like a sob. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

Anne pulled back to look at him, his loving hazel eyes fixed on her own, and she flushed. "I would have come into your bedroom-"

His hazel eyes twinkled. "-And I would have been completely fine with that, and would hope that my mother would leave us alone for a bit."

She gave a shaky laugh. "I would have sat beside you and tried not to cry."

Gilbert's hand reached for hers then. "And I wouldn't have cared if you did. I would have looked horrible, and sounded even worse-"

"And I wouldn't have cared." She looked down at the fingers laced through her own and swallowed. "And I would have told you that I loved you, and that I always had."

Gilbert closed his eyes, a deep sigh of relief leaving him at her words. Anne was silent for a time, before pulling away from him gently. "Gilbert, you need to know how thankful I am to have you in my life again. I don't know how I lived without you, to be honest." She swallowed and met suddenly anxious eyes. "I know that knowing what happened doesn't change the past- it doesn't change the fact that I hurt you terribly. I care for you so dearly- and I want you to be happy. I didn't tell you because I expected you to feel the same way about me now. I told you this because there was a boy back then who deserved to know how loved he was."

Anne watched the way he blinked a tear back and froze when he unexpectedly spoke.

"No."

Anne's voice was frightened then. "Gilbert?"

He turned to face her, his gaze intense. "No. We are not going to push this into the past because we're afraid of being hurt. We're not leaving here until we understand each other fully." He knelt before her then, pulling her hands back into his own. "Anne, this isn't about how we felt back then, as deeply as we cared about each other; it's about how we feel right now. And you had better have some expectations about my feelings. You know me better than anyone- so you should know that about me too." He gave her time to process this, and then bent to look into her teary eyes. "Anne? Tell me what happens now."

She drew in a shaking breath and looked up at him in wonder. "I- I tell you that I love you."

A smile broke across Gilbert's face, and he bent his nose to touch hers. "And?"

"And- and then I suppose you would tell me if you loved me," she murmured, her cheeks scarlet.

He began to laugh. "Anne, there's no if," he said tenderly, his thumb stroking her soft cheek. "I never stopped. I knew that when you'd only been here a few weeks. I fought it like a tiger- but it just didn't work."

To his delight, she pulled away with a scowl. "Oh! Well, that's just charming-"

Gilbert raised one eyebrow at her. "And didn't you try to get over me?"

She rested her forehead against his cheek with a chuckle."Perhaps once or twice. I'm afraid it was pointless."

He smiled then, slipping his arms around her to pull her close. He studied the grey-green eyes that had captivated him so long ago, and his hand moved into her soft red curls. With his heart pounding with anticipation and love, he spoke.

"I love you, Anne Shirley," Gilbert whispered, his lips mere inches from her own. "I always have. Marry me?"

Without a pause, Anne slipped her arms around his neck, kissing his precious lips with a heart overflowing. With Gilbert's arms wrapped tightly around her, Anne felt a joy that she had only dreamed of- the feeling of coming home. To her surprise, after only a minute of rapturous kissing, he pulled away, his breathing fast, and there was a mischievous twinkle in his hazel eyes. "I'm afraid I am going to need a proper answer, sweetheart; that was an official marriage proposal, you know-"

"Yes, of course yes, Gil," Anne cried then half in laughter, half in tears.

The happiness that her answer gave him rendered him almost incoherent, and he dusted her cheeks and temples with kisses before claiming her lips in a way that made Anne's dreams pale into insignificance.

After several long, passion-filled minutes, Anne pulled away from him to catch her breath and simply study his face. Gilbert smiled at her thoughtful look. "What is it?"

She ran her fingers over his jaw and shook her head, smiling. "Nothing- I'm just- remembering you."

He caught her hand in his own, pulling her pink fingertips up to kiss them one by one, making her eyes go wide at the intimacy of the action. "Good remembering?" he murmured, and she chuckled, her cheeks pink.

"No, now. I'm remembering now."

He laughed then, a bright sound that made her smile. "Anne-girl, only you could say such a thing. Just how can you remember something that is currently happening?"

She smiled, and he was close enough to see the seven tiny freckles on her nose that he adored, and he bent down to press a kiss on it. "It's simple, Gilbert. This is the first time I will remember this precious moment- something that I will remember all of my life."

He grinned and kissed her again, before flopping down with a deep sigh against the steep slope they were sitting on. Anne slipped down to snuggle into his side, and he turned his head to kiss her hair as she rested against his shoulder. Gilbert squinted in the afternoon sunlight, a satisfied smile on his face. "Eighteen years, Anne. I pulled a girl's hair eighteen years ago- and she's only just said that she'll marry me. I think I've earned a rest after that effort."

"Well, for a shorter wait, perhaps you should have rethought your opening gambit," Anne said nonchalantly, before breaking into laughter at Gilbert's mock-scowl.

Gilbert watched her beautiful face look around the glade in delight. "Did you plan all of this, Gilbert? You couldn't have chosen a more fairytale-like setting for a proposal."

Anne felt his chest move against her cheek with a rumble of laughter. "I always wanted to bring you here- after all, you and I have a history with mayflowers that I wanted to change. Although to be honest, I think I was going to do it anywhere I could get you alone, Anne-girl. I wasn't going to wait any longer than you wanted me to. We used to have more time- I don't know why everyone in town seems to suddenly need the doctor right now. Apart from the influenza outbreak, it was a fairly easy winter. And then just when I wanted to see you more it all broke loose-"

Anne scowled. "I know. I even contemplated calling you when I tripped over at school yesterday."

Her pillow was then rudely dislodged when he sat up to look at her in indignation. "Anne, you could have told me that you got hurt last night! What did I tell you about calling me when you had an incident?"

She leaned up on her elbows with a wicked smile, her hair falling out of its pins, and a flower caught in her red locks. Gilbert swallowed, his body heating at the sight of her next to him. "Because I didn't actually get hurt, Gil. I was fine. Well- I scraped an elbow. And it isn't the time for me to be a prima donna with you- especially when you have so many other cases right now," she trailed off, with a sigh.

Gilbert bent down to kiss her tenderly. "You're my priority, Anne. You know that."

She smiled. "I admit that I did get the sense that I was one of your favourite patients- do you stay with anyone else hours after an examination is done?"

He flushed then, stretching back out on the warm ground beside her. "No. Nor do I come up with excuses to stay longer, or end up confiding in them about other patients. I was kicking myself afterward for telling you about Owen and Leslie- it wasn't professional of me."

Anne turned to look at him, her face gentle. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Gil. Everyone needs to confide in someone. You are an exceptional physician- and a very good man."

He smiled, brushing her hair back. "Doctors usually only confide in their wives. I've never done it with anyone but another doctor- but I couldn't seem to help doing it with you." His eyes were on the far trees when he added slowly- "I suppose that should have been my first clue. I always thought of you like that."

Anne's hand came up to rest on his heart, her look confident and gentle. "That always happened with us, Gilbert. I told you almost everything as well- and I know that it's because I'm in here. As you are in my heart."

Gilbert leant over her, his expression yearning and sweet. "You're going to be my wife, Anne," he said softly. "Do you know how long I have waited to be able to say that?"

Anne pulled him down to her and kissed him, her grey eyes showing him all the love and confidence she had in him. "I do, Gil. You are the one who has my heart- and you are where my heart belongs."

Together they stayed in the valley, surrounded by sweet smelling flowers and sunshine, held securely in each other's arms. Talking about everything and nothing, their dreams and plans taking gradual shape together. Eventually, Gilbert looked around at the dusk falling and helped Anne to her feet, bending to pick her up in his arms to walk up the slope. The horse was grazing patiently nearby, and with some help from a fallen log Gilbert had Anne once again on the horse and the two of them rode in contented silence back to her house. As Anne was gently helped down, she looked in surprise at the fence, where her walking stick hung innocently.

"Gil, I didn't take it with me-" Anne said, in shock, and then began to laugh. "My doctor will be simply furious."

He gave her an amused grin. "Anne, you took your doctor with you. That's much better than a stick." Together they walked up to the front door of Rosewood Cottage, where the daffodils and freesias bloomed in the tangled cottage garden, and the scent of Susan's newly planted roses hovered in the air. On the doorstep, Gilbert pulled Anne close to him. "Are we going to talk to Susan tonight?"

Anne laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Of course, darling. I do wonder just how surprised she will be, though."

As a matter of fact, the surprise lay only in the speed with which the couple reached their very natural conclusion. At that moment Susan Baker opened the front door holding a rug in her hands to shake, just in time to see the good doctor bend down to kiss her mistress tenderly. When the couple turned to see her stunned face, Anne flushed and gave her a smile as she took Gilbert's hand.

"Susan, dear, Doctor Blythe will be staying for dinner with us." Anne looked up at her fiance with a light in her eyes and smiled. "And later on, we have a story that we need to tell you."