We're HERE! My apologies for the delay in posting. To my surprise, I was upgraded to 'influenza' (the real deal, apparently) after I finished the last chapter, and was on quarantine and bed rest on my lounge for eleven days. I've actually never been so sick before, and have firm plans to never do so again. Admittedly, I had some delirious idea that with time away from work and people I would have finished the whole story by now- that didn't factor in the fact that I would actually be too sick to do so. I couldn't read, couldn't sit up, let alone hold my laptop. So I am slowly catching up now (which includes reviews for my fellow writers, you have all been writing so brilliantly, and I promise they are coming) and I really needed to take my time with this most important (and terrifying) chapter. Lastly, I must credit Hecalledmecarrots with listening to my not-at-all rational ranting about it, since one point I decided that this chapter would simply read- "Then they got married and slept together. The end." It's the mark of a friend that she didn't laugh at me, and coaxed me to not be a chicken and just write the damned thing.

Now, just one quick word before we go over the top- I think you all know that I was never going to be writing an M rated finish to this story- it's not in keeping with the rest of the story, I suppose. However I did up the rating just a leetle bit, and I hope you enjoy the slightly unusual-for-me T-ish finale; to do less just didn't seem right for this pair.

To all of you who have read, reviewed and favourited throughout this whole story, it means so very much to me. Thank you all so much. Shore would not be what it is without you.

Love, Cate.

Two…..

Chapter 41

Anne awoke early on the morning of the wedding, the sound of birdsong in the hedge beside the schoolhouse, and Mr Saddler's prize-winning herd of cattle calling to each other over misty fields. She smiled, climbing out of bed to cross to the window- the window Gilbert had so cheekily come in the previous night. A thrill raced through her veins then- from this day forth, there would be no more separation. The starry look in her grey eyes was unmistakable, and as she went to get her robe, her door opened and within moments Anne was besieged by people talking in every direction. In vain she tried to make herself heard, however, there were people opening wardrobes and moving to straighten her bed, children running underfoot and the sound of a tea tray clattering against the bureau. Eventually, Anne clapped her hands, reminding everyone of her profession.

When all eyes turned to her, she smiled. "I can't listen when you all speak together!" she said, turning to Susan with a loving look. "Susan, darling, weren't we all going to have a leisurely breakfast together? Is there anything that we need to do so urgently at six in the morning?"

Susan patted Anne's arm, nodding briskly. "Of course, Anne, dearie. I have fresh rolls about to come out of the oven, and I'll move your tray out to the table." She pressed an unexpectedly tender kiss on the top of Anne's head and proceeded to chivvy the children from the room. Anne's smile was completely serene as she pulled the loose wrapper from the hook, and Phil and Diana gave each other a bewildered look as they stepped outside her door to wait.

"Were you this calm on your wedding day?" Phil asked curiously.

Di chuckled. "Not me- I kept threatening to faint. Anne said she would dunk me in cold water if I did, and couldn't understand why I was so worked up. How were you?"

Phil snorted in derision. "Oh- let's see, by breakfast I had already argued with my mother twice. If I remember correctly, I burst into tears telling Anne to tell Jo that he didn't deserve to be punished by marrying into my family and that the wedding was off."

"And what did your chief bridesmaid do about that?"

Phil scowled, crossing her arms. "She called my bluff. She said alright, and went to do it."

Diana began to laugh. "So naturally you stopped her-"

"Yes, and the cheeky thing turned around and reminded me that he chose me, family and all; and that gaining me was worth any pain for becoming a Gordon by extension."

Diana smiled. "That's our girl."

Phil shook her head. "I can't believe it. She's so very calm- and I mean, this is the girl who becomes over-excited about trees," Phil said, bewildered.

Diana looked at Anne's door consideringly, however, before she could say anything the two of them jumped in alarm at the boisterous shout that suddenly came from the closed room. When the door opened a flushed and dishevelled Anne stood there beaming with her robe shrugged on carelessly. "Goodness, I needed to get that out. Tea, ladies?"

As preparations buzzed throughout the house, Anne moved through the timetable she had set up for herself without fuss. Susan had heated the water for a bath for her, and Anne sank into the lavender and rose-scented water, the hair that had been so carefully washed the day before pinned up out of the way. When she was sufficiently relaxed, Anne climbed from the tub carefully, drying herself of the luxurious towels Susan had left out for her, and dressing in the pretty chemise and undergarments made especially for this day.

A short time later, Diana came into Anne's forget-me-not room with a bright smile, to find Anne sitting down in her robe, brushing out her long, softly curling hair.

"Are you ready to dress now, darling?"

Anne looked at her consideringly. "Isn't it rather early, Di?"

Diana sat down on Anne's bed with a comfortable sigh. "It is- thank heavens. I could use some time off my feet."

Anne smiled, settling back into the comfortable chair. "Thank you for everything you've done, Diana- I couldn't have done this without you."

Diana gave her a loving look. "It's been my pleasure, Anne. I've waited a long time for this day."

"Haven't we all," Anne stated dryly.

"Oh- I took your bags across to the house yesterday, everything is waiting for you there- and I had to make Gilbert swear that he wouldn't move anything I'd placed in the nursery."

"In the other bedroom," Anne corrected, her cheeks flushing. "We said we wouldn't call it that until it was needed."

Diana laughed. "Fine. But I expect to start calling it that soon enough. I laid out everything as you asked me to on the bureau. Are you sure you will be able to undo that creation?" Diana asked Anne uneasily, looking at the beautiful wedding dress, adorned with rich, creamy lace and satin.

Anne smiled. "I expect so- I did ask Madame to make the gown easy to remove- she knew that I might find it difficult."

"Anne, I know we haven't much time, but is there anything you wanted to ask me about tonight? You can, darling; anything. I wouldn't want to think you were too embarrassed- or too proud to ask me something like that."

Anne's grey eyes were filled with laughter. "Di, darling, don't you remember the conversation we had when you returned from your honeymoon?"

Diana frowned at her. "When?"

"The one just before I went back to Redmond."

Diana looked at her in consternation. "Anne, I would hardly have called myself an expert then-"

Anne was doubled over in laughter by now. "Oh, but you did, Di- you assured me that after two months you knew all there was to know."

Diana began to chuckle, embarrassed. "Good heavens, was I ever so arrogant?"

Anne wiped away tears of laughter, trying to sober herself. "Diana, I assure you that you sounded like an expert to me. That along with Mrs Lynde's yearly lecture before I went back to college seemed to cover everything."

"Don't you believe it," Diana said firmly. "Goodness, if I could go back and tell my younger self a few things, I would."

Anne stood up with a smile and moved over to sit by Diana on the bed. "What would you tell yourself, Di?" she asked curiously.

"Well, not what goes where, that is fairly self-explanatory-" she said, amused, earning a snort from Anne. Diana smiled, caressing the ring on her finger. "I would tell myself to relax about everything," she said slowly, "And not to be so worried about what other people thought a good wife was. I wouldn't listen a bit to what the older women said about not enjoying making love with your husband- and I wouldn't let anyone else's opinions have any weight in our bedroom other than my own and Fred's. I was terribly uptight for the first few years, which is exactly what I was taught to be." Diana turned to Anne with a knowing smile. "That's the wonderful thing about you, Anne," she said warmly. "You never listened to the old biddies, and you are ever so much smarter than I was- so you can go into marriage determined to enjoy it all from the beginning."

"And I am." Anne frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose I do have a few concerns, Di- although I'm not worried, not really."

Diana looked at her consideringly. "Is it anything I can help with? Or Phil, or perhaps even Mother?"

Anne chuckled. "It's not that I need you to ease my mind exactly- I just wonder what I should be expecting. I am quite disadvantaged, I think, marrying a doctor who knows a good deal more than I do on what is to come."

Diana snorted. "Advantaged, you mean, my dear. Trust me on that."

Anne rolled her eyes. "Well, of course, Di. I- I just don't want to disappoint him."

Diana gave her a loving look. "Anne, you goose, it isn't possible for you to disappoint him."

"The past eighteen years would seem to disagree with you, there," Anne said quietly, making Diana stop short.

"Of course, Anne. I wasn't thinking." She slipped her plump hand into Anne's, and the two of them sat on the bed in the morning sunlight for a time. "I think, dear, that you will find that it will all just happen," Diana said softly. "Anything you have been told in the past won't matter, it will just come from who the two of you are. That's how it works. You will learn together, you will take care of each other, you will laugh and cry and have a wonderful life and make beautiful babies to fill that nursery, and then I will be Aunty Diana at last."

Anne smiled, looking across at her beloved friend. "And that's all there is to it?"

Diana's eyes twinkled. "Well- perhaps there is a little more to it than that."

"Which is why I suggested that we talk," Anne said, mildly exasperated, and the pair of them laughed. Anne lay back with a sigh, dreamily watching the way the shadows of the leaves moved in the morning wind. "Well, I suggest you be forthcoming now, Mrs Wright, Susan will come knocking on that door soon, I believe."

The two were able to talk undisturbed for a time, and their discussion had both women in stitches. Diana was as candid as her friend had requested, and eventually, she sat up with a chuckle. "Oh dear- I hope I haven't given you too much information, darling."

Anne grinned cheekily. "No, indeed, Di- although I imagine that was a very different conversation to the one Mrs Lynde would have given me."

This made Diana chuckle. "Don't be so sure, Anne. She was not convinced my mother would do the job properly, and insisted on having a 'word' with me the day before my wedding- and it was by far the most graphic description of sex I have ever come across." She stood up then and gave Anne a brilliant smile. "And now, my darling, if your concerns are truly allayed, then it really is time we were getting you dressed."

There was silence in the sunlit bedroom when Anne, at last, turned around from the floor length mirror. Phil and Diana stood side by side, both black eyes and brown tearing up at the sight of Anne in her wedding dress. Susan's mouth was trembling as she beheld her girl standing in the finest creamy white gown, the slope of her breast tapering down to a deliciously tiny waist- the soft folds of satin falling into a small train behind her. Penny stepped beside her in her blue dress, reaching up to carefully adjust the lace-edged veil. Anne smiled at them all, her cheeks pink. "Well? What do you think?"

It was Phil who found her tongue first. "Honey, you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen," she said, her voice unaccountably soft.

Diana stepped forward then, the amethyst brooch in her hand. She met Anne's eyes, sparkling with tears. "I know it should be Marilla who is doing this," she said softly. "But I'm honoured to be able to do this in her stead." Carefully, she pinned the brooch to the dress, the sight of the purple stone making Anne's breath catch.

"She would say that my sleeves were too big," she said, with a faint gulp, and Diana smiled.

"And yet she would have made sure that you had exactly what you wanted anyway, darling." Diana drew in a deep breath. "Alright, Phil, where are we up to?"

Phil summoned a bright, crooked smile. "The guests are almost all here- and Jo is waiting with the menfolk. It's almost time."

Anne moved to sit down on the chair in her room, and Penny handed Anne her bouquet, a larger version of her own tied with a creamy white ribbon instead of Penny's blue one.

"Are all of these flowers from your garden?" she asked.

Anne smiled. "And that of Ingleside- it has some wonderful roses that Susan and I can't wait to begin work on." She looked down at the bright red, pink, and white roses, together with the wildflowers that Anne had always loved.

Penny knelt down beside her, her eyes twinkling. "Now, Jeremy has assured me that he has triple-checked the aisle himself, and he says it is a point of pride with him that you make it all the way to Gilbert safely. If you see me stumble, then for pity's sake, don't step where I do."

Anne chuckled. "I rather think everyone will be watching me nervously in any case. No matter, we are each walking towards doctors, and we will be fine. Now, are you ready, Penny, dear?"

The younger woman stood up with a smile. "I am."

After the girls had exited, and Penny had gone to check on her family, Susan walked over to Anne, wiping tears from her eyes. Unmindful of her dress, Anne put her arms around her beloved housekeeper. "Thank you for everything, Susan," she whispered.

Susan held her tightly for a brief moment and pulled away to peck Anne's cheek, a stern look trying to mask the evidence of tears on her face. "Now, there's no need to cry, Anne dearie, you'll only be away for a short time. You and the doctor will be back from your honeymoon in no time."

Anne smiled at the older woman, knowing that it was Susan who needed convincing, not she. "I know. And Ingleside is waiting for us all."

The housekeeper moved out of the room with a suspicious sniff, leaving Anne in the bedroom alone for a moment. Carefully, she turned back to the mirror, looking at her reflection in wonder. The great seamstress had insisted that Anne not select a harsh white satin, suggesting a warmer white that perfectly suited the creaminess of her skin. Anne's hand came up to touch the amethyst brooch reverently, before tucking a red curl behind one ear. She smiled, suddenly imagining the scrawny child who bumped over red roads with Matthew, assuring him that she would most likely have to marry a foreign missionary in order to find someone who would marry her with her looks. She chuckled, now. What could that child have known of real love at that point? And she could never have conceived of the possibility of a boy who against all reason would adore her red hair.

There came a step at the door then, and Anne turned to see Diana, Phil and Penny waiting, their dresses making a pretty splash against the pale silver walls for the last time.

Diana stepped forward, adjusting Anne's veil carefully. As she did so, she turned with a smile to see her husband standing in the doorway, a slight smile on his round, red face. Diana wiped away another tear and turned to Phil with a shaky voice. "That's our cue, I believe."

Fred stepped up to the bride as the women left the room, and Anne gave him a brilliant smile. "Are you ready?" she asked him.

Fred grinned. "Honestly? I thought we were ready to do this years ago. When I had a lot more hair than this."

Anne smiled at him. "Sometimes these things just need a little more time."

Fred offered her his arm then, and he gave her a final serious look. "Now, Susan said I must check, are you sure you don't want to take your walking stick with us?

Anne looked at it where it hung on the door, and shook her head as she turned back to Fred with a smile. "I won't need it. I have you."

Gilbert stood at the front of the murmuring crowd in the garden of Rosewood Cottage, his breathing uneven, aware that he was being closely watched by the restless group of people. He drew in a deep breath, wiping damp palms on the suit his mother had so carefully pressed and smiled faintly. What had a wry Jo said to him earlier?

We all know that it's not good that man should be alone. But how does every wedding start? With a man standing before the gaze of the people, awkward and alone until he is joined by his bride. It's the bride that makes sense of everything.

Jeremy had found him stalking the house early in the morning, muttering the steps to random medical procedures- a trick of controlling the nerves that Gilbert had perfected in medical school. Jeremy had only clapped a hand on his shoulder, cheerfully informing him that he'd better close up his patient- his wedding was in less than four hours.

He shifted uneasily in the sunshine, resisting the urge to needlessly check his watch again. He knew what lay before them, knew that from this day forward there would be no more separation- and yet everything within him felt that it was insupportable to be away from her any longer. He needed to be with her now. He felt a calming hand rest on his shoulder then, and Jo stood beside him, a smile on his face as Jeremy took his place on Gilbert's other side.

"It's time, Gil. She's coming."

Gilbert turned to face the aisle, no longer seeing the people crowded into spindly chairs across the garden. Phil and Diana walked up the aisle to their seats at the front, Diana to stand with her three children. She flashed him a smile and turned to face the rear of the house with everyone else.

Penny Winston came down the old, wooden steps first, a bouquet in her hands and bright blue eyes that were firmly fixed on the young man beside him. There must have been music from the pianist, must have been low voices and the twittering of birds in the trees, but Gilbert heard none of it. He saw Fred Wright step out of the door, extending his hand to help Anne down the old steps of the house.

Gilbert's jaw suddenly trembled as she turned to face him. He hardly noticed the gown- it was the expression on Anne's face that held his gaze. She was perfection itself. The filmy white veil moved in the breeze, and he caught the smile on her face- the dear, candid glance that Gilbert knew was for him, and him alone. Her ruddy curls glowed in the sunshine as she walked toward him on Fred's arm, and he swallowed hard. He was dimly aware of the murmurs of the crowd as she drew closer, so achingly conscious of every step that lay between them. It was to him she was coming in the sweet surrender of the bride- and it was to her that he now came, as a tide turning home. This was the end of the years of hurt they had experienced- the years of love and loss and misunderstanding all fell before this moment. Whatever would come, they would face it together, now, and all fear had vanished.

Without being told, as Fred walked her to the front of the aisle, Gilbert stepped forward to meet Anne, the look of passionate devotion on his face giving Diana the odd feeling that they were viewing something rather private. Fred placed her hand in Gilbert's and stepped back to stand beside his wife, and Penny came forward to take Anne's bouquet.

Jo stood before them now, a deep contentment on his face as Anne and Gilbert turned to face him. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today," he began warmly, the timeless words of the wedding ceremony echoing through the garden before their guests.

With Anne's hands in his own and her fearless green eyes on his, the rest of the ceremony felt peripheral to Gilbert. He remembered her fingers shaking as she placing the golden band on his finger, the way her auburn eyebrow curved upward as she looked at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. He placed a smaller band beside her emerald engagement ring, and although he faintly heard Jo speaking, the only words he seemed to understand were the ones in Anne's eyes- I love you, and I'm here. He squeezed her hand in his own, knowing that she could read him as well. As they repeated their vows now Gilbert could hear the wind blowing in the pine trees, a pair of sparrows chattering from the old hedge beside them. There was a pause when they had finished, and Anne and Gilbert looked up to see the minister smiling at them in the bright morning light. With a thrill of joy in his veins, Gilbert met Anne's burning look, his own hazel eyes alight.

Jo's voice now rang through the small garden in benediction, and Gilbert could see his mother clutching his father's hand, wiping away her tears. The minister smiled, seeing the look of sunlight on the young couple's faces, and at last, he turned to Gilbert with the words he had been waiting for, for eighteen long years.

"Gilbert, you may now kiss the bride."

There was a moment of silence while Gilbert lifted the veil from her face, and he gazed into her brilliantly green eyes before his hands cupped her face, and he pulled her into a passionate kiss to the sound of their community laughing and applauding. The guests came to their feet to move toward the pair as in jubilant tones the Reverend Jonas introduced the new Doctor and Mrs Blythe, and after a long moment, Gilbert pulled away from her. Amongst the chaos, he grinned, murmuring- "I'm sure I wasn't meant to kiss you quite like that," only to have a laughing Anne throw her arms around his neck, planting a firm kiss on his surprised mouth, her grey-green eyes sparkling into his own.

"You are perfectly at leisure to kiss me in any way you wish to, Gilbert Blythe."

The bride and groom were engulfed by well-wishers, however Gilbert refused to release Anne's hand, much to her amusement. Andrew and Fred slapped him on the back, with Jeremy wiping away tears that he later claimed were a reaction to various pollens in the air. His mother sobbed over Anne and pulled him into a crushing hug, while young Fred Wright capered around, amusing folks by telling everyone that 'now they'd got an uncle at last', a title that Gilbert admitted he was tickled pink by.

Miss Cornelia came next with a proud look, escorting their most important visitors- Mr and Mrs Barry, and the elderly woman that Anne had feared would not make it to her wedding. Mrs Rachel Lynde, now more bent over than she had been when Anne had seen her last opened her arms to the girl she had loved as her own, and a teary Anne flew into her embrace, while Gilbert stood by proudly. Rachel commented briskly on Anne's hectic colour, worried that Gilbert was letting her get too tired and that she would likely find that being a doctor's wife would mean that Gilbert would come across all manner of strange diseases in his travels- she must mind that Gilbert washed his hands before going in to the children. To this extraordinary pronouncement, Anne only laughed and allowed Diana to lead her guests to the marque that had been set up with refreshments. She and Gilbert greeted the people of their town as they came, horrifying one or two when the groom insisted on pulling his bride around the corner to kiss her most inappropriately. He would only say that they had done their waiting, the guests could wait on them instead. Anne did not disagree.

Susan and Miss Cornelia presided over the afternoon-long wedding feast, while Anne and Gilbert stood in the sunshine with their guests. Gilbert was asked many times about future plans for his practice, as some townsfolk had been whispering that he was being snapped up by one of those fancy hospitals on the mainland. With his arm around his new wife, Gilbert reassured them that his plan was to expand the Four Winds practice until he needed to take on an associate- and that he and Anne planned to raise their family in the Glen. As two older ladies walked away, Anne turned to Gilbert with a bright smile.

"I fancy you have made a lot of people happy with that news, Gil. I had no idea people were so worried about the possibility of you leaving."

Gilbert chuckled, bringing her hand up to his lips for a moment. "Miss Cornelia began that, you know," he said drolly. "She told me that a single doctor was almost worse than a single minister- he might one day wake up and decide to marry a girl from another town, and be gone just as soon as they had him trained."

"Really? I had no idea doctors were considered flight risks. Someone really should have warned me before now," she commented cheekily.

Gilbert pulled her close to him with a grin. "Ah, but you married a Blythe, sweetheart. We're built for endurance and faithfulness. Uncle Dave came here straight out of medical school, you know- and I plan to try and equal his record before I retire."

Anne sighed, looking contentedly out on their families and friends. "That sounds wonderful, darling."

Susan had outdone herself with the high, frosted cake, and a jubilant Andrew had been put in charge of the speeches for the celebration. Jeremy proceeded to make the group laugh with various stories from Gilbert's school years, and was heartfelt in his good wishes for the pair, in turn receiving congratulations when his own engagement to Miss Penelope Winston was toasted. Eventually, Gilbert was asked to stand.

He turned to smile at Anne, who was sitting beside him with Lizzy tucked in next to her, and he grinned at the mischievous wink she gave him.

"I never actually wrote a speech for today," Gilbert admitted with a smile, bringing some laughter from the crowd. "As some of you would know, back when we were in college together, any speech I had to make was usually written with Anne." He saw Phil clap her hands with a beaming look, and he chuckled. "She always was better with words than me- and I never did it half so well without her." He turned to the expectant crowd and smiled. "We are standing here today because of the people who love us- and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for making this wedding happen. " He turned then to take Anne's hand, and her grey eyes met his, unafraid. "You and I have talked so much about not living with regret- at making the effort to live each day the very best of our abilities. You showed me how to embrace life again. And with you by my side, Anne, there isn't anything else I want or need. It's a privilege to love you- and it's a still greater one to be loved by you. I don't need to know what will happen in the future- but it's enough to know that you will be sharing it with me." There was great applause then as Gilbert bent down to kiss his wife, along with much laughter when a horrified Lizzie fled the emotional scene for the safety of her Aunt Penny's lap.

The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, and the afternoon was growing long when eventually Gilbert turned to his bride, seeing in her grey eyes a desire to be gone like his own. Gilbert turned to see Diana approach, and she smiled at the pair.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked quietly.

Anne nodded, her cheeks colouring prettily. "I think so."

Diana brushed the veil back from Anne's shoulder with a smile. "I think that's wise, darling- the people will stay as long as you do, you know. Susan has prepared everything for you at the house, and all of your bags are in the buggy already, Anne. As far as anyone is aware, you are leaving on your honeymoon immediately- and Susan will make very sure that no one calls you, Gilbert- she gave poor young Doctor Shelby quite the lecture about him calling you up yesterday."

Anne and Gilbert's guests came together as Doctor and the new Mrs Blythe prepared to leave, and by the time they had farewelled Andrew and Penny and Lizzie, Jeremy and Miss Cornelia, the Wrights, the Blythes and the Blakes, and all had kissed the bride and shaken the hand of the groom who was doing his best to not show his impatience, twilight was now beginning to fall over the little cottage. Susan and Sonia assured the pair that everything would be taken care of while they were gone, and that they would return from their honeymoon to find that the move to Ingleside was done. Gilbert's mother clung to the pair with tears in her eyes, assuring Anne that they would definitely be coming to Four Winds for the very first Christmas at Ingleside. That this was still several months away went unremarked, and Sonia and John farewelled their son and new daughter from the old house, her handkerchief waving as Gilbert turned his horse toward their new home for the very first time.

As the stars began to come out, a world away from the busyness of the wedding that day, and the people who had crowded the last few weeks with activity, Gilbert Blythe stood alone before the windows of the living room at Ingleside, staring out into the dimness unseeingly.

The summer evening as it fell was balmy, and the room lay in early moonlight, pale green curtains blowing in the breeze. Gilbert's tie was discarded, and he rested his hot cheek against the cool of the window frame. It was down to minutes now, not hours or weeks or months. He couldn't explain why he was waiting- why he wasn't impatiently pacing outside the small bedroom in which Anne was readying herself. He closed his eyes, and drew in a deep breath, somehow needing time to steady his pulse, to comprehend what would soon happen. The weight of the years spent waiting seemed so tangible at that moment- of work, and hurt and anger and an all-consuming love- all down to the single moment of them becoming man and wife. Questions that he had tried to disregard suddenly assailed him- was he worthy of her? Could he truly make her as happy as he hoped?

He turned then, hearing soft footsteps behind him, and promptly all thought left his mind. She stood in the doorway, her skin and the ivory robe she wore glowing in the moonlight like a pearl. Her long, red hair hung down over her shoulders in soft curls, and his darkening eyes swept over the satin nightgown, the soft fabric showing the curves of her breasts, the perfection of her slender form. Without conscious thought he drew closer to her, his eyes coming up to meet her own.

When he was close enough, Anne raised her hand to cup his cheek, a soft smile on her face. "I didn't expect to find myself waiting, beloved," she teased.

He smiled back, and his cheeks flushed as he took her hands in his own. "You wouldn't want me to seem over-eager, would you?" He pulled her hands up to kiss her knuckles and smiled. "I think- I just needed to take a moment first. This- you and I here together- this is what I dreamed about for all of those years."

He didn't finish his thought, however, she didn't need him to. Anne moved into his arms until her own wrapped around his neck, his hands coming up to hold her waist, stroking the satin-covered warmth of her body.

"It's no dream, Gil," she whispered. "This is happening. And I do love you so."

The smile that crossed his face was one of pure happiness, and he bent to kiss her, pulling her tightly against him. He then pulled away, his hazel eyes bright. "Would you like to see our room now, sweetheart?"

"Unless you want me to make love to you right here on the floor, yes," she said innocently, tugging on his hand when he seemingly stopped breathing at her words. Gilbert began to laugh then, never more aware at that moment that he had married a completely one-of-a-kind woman.

"We'll come back to that thought later, I think," he muttered, and tucked her hand into the curve of his arm. With a deep breath, he led her to the doors, and the look on his face was tender as he opened them, ushering his bride into the room. A shaking Anne then turned to him in wonder at the sight before her, her eyes sparkling with tears. Gilbert's chest thundered at the way she moved into the room, her words seemingly deserting her.

"Gilbert, how- how did you do this?" she asked softly, her hand reaching out to touch the beautifully carved light wood of the canopied bed. Filmy, white curtains moved around the wide bed in the wind, and the windows were open to the scent of the nearby garden.

Anne's eyes closed as Gilbert's warm arms slipped around her waist from behind, and she lifted her face with a sigh as he buried his face in her soft curls. She could feel the smile on his face and raised her hand to touch his cheek.

Gilbert kissed the palm of her hand and spoke quietly. "It was kismet, sweetheart. When I went to look at beds for us, this was in the warehouse. The proprietor thought me crazy when I went for this one first- he asked if I was trying to recreate some miserable Gothic manor."

Anne turned to him, bewildered. "Gilbert, did this man not have eyes?"

He chuckled, his hands smoothing over the soft curves of her hips. "Not imaginative ones, anyway. I thought it was beautiful."

Anne smiled in true contentment. "It is. It's the most romantic thing I have ever seen."

Gilbert turned his wife to face him, his hazel eyes loving as big hands slipped her soft, ivory robe from her shoulders, before running them down slender arms lightly dusted with freckles. For a moment he studied them, and then lifted his gaze to meet the burning look in her grey eyes. "Now, you have a choice, Anne-girl," he said lightly, tracing the creamy lace along her neckline with his fingers, and the smooth expanse of skin above it, and his eyes twinkled. "I thought nothing could be more romantic than filling this room with candlelight- however, we now have bed curtains on a rather windy night. So it's either the candles or open windows, sweetheart- but not both."

She began to laugh, placing her arms around his neck, now very well aware of the effect she was having on him. "Open windows, then, my love. Curtains swelling in anticipation is far more in keeping with tonight, don't you think?"

He pulled her tightly against him, and he bent to kiss her hungrily, his other hand tangled in the glorious red curls that fell down her back. Her soft nightgown shifted under his wandering hands, and her heady kisses caused him to give a soft moan, as he lifted her from the ground to place her on the waiting bed. Her own hands tugged him forward, and he began to laugh at the way she eagerly went for the buttons on his new shirt.

"Jacket first, sweetheart, remember?" he muttered against her lips, and she began to laugh with him, pulling back to see his beloved face. He thought he would remember her this way all his life- the bright sparkle of her green-grey eyes looking into his fearlessly, the way her hands pulled him closer to her, the sheer lace of her nightgown doing nothing to hide the sight of her sweet breasts from his gaze. He shrugged his jacket and shirt off then as she kissed him deeply, and within minutes they lay together with nothing between them, as his eyes worshiped her ivory skin, the perfection of her slender form, and the beautiful long legs that had forever been hidden. As his eyes came back to her lovely face, he caught the one small note of insecurity in her expression, the way she tucked her injured leg under the other, and unbidden, his mouth trembled as his hands came up to cup her cheeks.

"It's beautiful, Anne," he said, his voice low. "We don't need to be afraid of scars any longer."

A precious tear dropped from her swimming eyes then, and she brought herself on top of his taut body, her heart feeling as if it were pounding audibly in her chest as his arms came up to hold her. She bent to kiss him then, glorying in the way he breathed her name as his lips met hers, and she knew with all certainty that at last, she had come home.