Sorry this took so long. I had to try and write the most part of this from Diana's point of view and surprisingly there is little about Diana's actual thoughts in the books. I needed to get this right before I published it, I didn't want it to seem forced...

Summers end came and school started once more. Diana tired of school and although a small part of her wished she was in with the Queens Class mostly she was glad this was her last year in formal education. She wondered how Anne carried on. School had not always been as easy for her, she reflected. She didn't have her best friends brains, Anne seemed to grasp everything with so much ease... except for maybe geometry which she had heard Gilbert go over with Anne so many times even Diana thought she had start to understand it. She smiled at how the once disdainful Anne had proclaimed "I shall never forgive Gilbert Blythe." Very shortly followed by "Gilbert Blythe has hurt my feelings excruciatingly, Diana" well whatever he had done he'd done it well... you never would have guessed now Anne would have ever made such a statement about Gilbert. Indeed, Diana often wondered what the true extent of their friendship was. She always supposed if love had blossomed between them she would be the first time to know, that Anne would be so excited she had to tell someone and she knew it would be her. But sometimes... oh not often but sometimes she'd catch a look between them or one of them lingering on each other then seemed normal. Perhaps love had blossomed but neither one of them recognised it. No, no that couldn't be true either, Anne ANNE of all people with her fictional romances would surely recognise love if it stared her in the face and sat next to her every day at school... wouldn't she? Such a day as this Anne and her were locked arm in arm in a stroll to school curiosity mounted in Diana.

"Anne?" she started.

"mmmm" Anne acknowledged snapping out her own daydream.

"tell me again about him?" Diana asked.

"who?" Anne responded.

"who? Well your romantic ideal of course!" Diana teased.

"oh him." Anne responded. Anne had been lost in her own thoughts of her actual romantic suitor for so long she had almost forgotten the long list of "ideals" she had sprouted to Diana one day which had only described the very opposite romance to her own no one would have guessed her attraction to Gilbert through it. "well..." she started, she would have to remember this right... "he's tall..." (not that Gilbert wasn't tall but it was general enough to describe anyone.) she realised she knew she had to act the part of a swooning schoolgirl for it to have the right effect. " rich, exceeding handsome, with azure starry eyes and soft fair hair, melancholy, poetic and would write them for me to express his love." Anne gave a over emphasised and practiced sigh. "is that not what every girl dreams of?"

Diana sighed herself, tall and handsome (though Anne seemed to believe you could measure one type of handsomeness against another) were the only two things which Gilbert came anywhere close to, the rest most definitely didn't describe Gilbert.

"so.." she started "no one like that in Avonlea?" Diana probed.

"oh absolutely no not." Anne agreed, she wasn't lying... There was no one like that in Avonlea.

"is there anyone you could be interested in, in Avonlea?" Diana asked.

Anne's heart started to quicken, relax Anne thought to herself she can't possibly know. She turned her mouth to a doubting smile "like who?" Anne asked.

"oh I dunno... Charlie...Fred...Gilbert?"

"Charlie Sloane? Fred Wright?" Anne said with all scepticism.

"and Gilbert?" Diana continued.

Anne knew she had to give a more rounded answer for Gilbert everyone knew what good chums they were. "Gilbert is a good and dear friend Diana..." she started. She had to be careful not to tell the whole truth but she couldn't lie either. "risking our friendship for a romantic attachment would need to be something we both wanted. And it would be terribly risky. Imagine if something went wrong the most beautiful of all friendships were lost forever on what? A silly romance that we weren't really whole heartedly in? You couldn't describe Gilbert as any of the romantic ideals I described now could you? And anyway could you imagine Marilla's reaction?" she said with a cheeky grin.

"everyone wondered you know why you two stopped talking for those three months." Diana probed again.

"we were just busy Diana, you know this, you were there remember? We just drifted and forgot what good company we were." This was a well rehearsed line which even before Anne had known why Gilbert had cut himself off from her quite so suddenly she had fed to people... she hasn't known the truth at that point so had to say something... she had been mad but not stupid. Once they had reconciled she had told him what she had said and he had agreed it was probably for the best that's what people thought... the truth would have been dangerously close to the wire of love they would have been exposed.

"oh yes I suppose." Diana said. "but..." Diana didn't want to press too far. "could you love Gilbert?"

"oh but I do." Anne objected. "he's my very best of friends ... present company excepted... I can't imagine what I would have done without him this very long time."

Diana dropped the matter at this point as she was confused herself. If this is what Anne felt no wonder she said there was nothing between them.

Anne sighed in relief as her friend. That seemed to put an end to it for now.

"well I'll give you this you certainly have a way with words." Gilbert smiled as they discussed the conversation Anne later that day as they walked back from school. "apart from the description of your romantic ideal you didn't breathe a word of lie to her."

"oh I wish I could tell her Gil, but the more people that know..." Anne trailed sadly.

"the more likely Marilla will find out.. and separate us." He said placing his forehead on hers. They sighed for a moment then carried on their walk.

"do none of the boys ask you?" she asked him.

"not directly." He said. "they all think we study too much that your my study buddy and I'm too focused to notice any pretty faces around me. No doubt I would have been like that if there was no Anne, I simply don't correct the assumption and keep my mouth shut."

"I wish it was like that with girls. It felt like an interrogation." Anne paused.

"it'll be over soon" he said, taking her hand in his they comfortably carried on their walk

Diana didn't hear what was being said, she had kept herself hidden quite well away from Anne and Gilbert's sight.

Holding Hands? foreheads close? walking so very close together? Why Anne Shirley had lied to her love had blossomed! Diana headed back towards her own house at this satisfied she finally had an answer. As she walked she thought, had Anne actually ever lied? Had she confirmed or denied she could love Gilbert.

Gilbert is a good and dear friend Diana..." well that was true, somehow despite what she had seen, she knew they were friends, she had daily proof of it at school

"risking our friendship for a romantic attachment would need to be something we both wanted." So were they risking romance? Yes, most definitely.

"You couldn't describe Gilbert as any of the romantic ideals I described now could you?" Well that was true it ha fooled Diana herself. But she thought back over the last year or so, of how Anne described her ideal suitor, and always, the same script was given, was the "ideal" just a cover up?

But Why? she thought, why would she be hiding the fact that Gilbert was her beau? Gilbert is handsome to the point of dreamy. Why would she do such a thing?

AN: So I thought I might leave it a couple of chapters so Diana knows before she tells Anne, maybe drop a few hints in there along the way. The wait of this chapter isn't just for this chapter I've been working on later plots in the story as well as writing more of Gilbert of Richmond which has came to the happy summer rather fast (hurrah Kim Blythe!) I think I've worked out the next academic year...! Wish me luck!