Anne stood stunned as Gilbert walked away with Christine on his arm, her heart in pain that Gilbert seemed so distance.

"Anne, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Roy asked her.

Anne looked at him. "Can we talk now Roy? I promise it'll only take a few minutes."

Roy looked concerned at her. "Of course. Would you like a walk outside? The gardens here are quite spectacular."

"Please yes." She confirmed.

"Well your friends all seemed sweet." Christine said to Gil as he took a glass of punch.

"emmm." He said swallowing the liquid so quickly he barely tasted it. He needed another.

"Gil, slow down you know that has alcohol in it right?" She asked him.

"I hope so." He said with a gasp. "Sorry Christine." He said realising he wasn't being the ideal date. "Just had a really dry throat."

"That's alright." Christine had observed the changes in Gilbert's body language. She didn't care not to admit it. Gilbert Blythe was a fine specimen of a man, her Andrew was nothing when put next to him. She'd said yes to him for easiness. He was going to do… something which meant they would be comfortable; he had said he wanted children which she had soon swayed him out of. SHE was not the maternal type. But, now as she looked to the handsome strong sweet funny intelligent and a buddying DOCTOR, SHE could see herself being a doctor's wife. But she was no fool, she'd seen the way Gilbert's cheeks had flushed upon his eyes lying on Anne. So this was the girl who had rejected him? Now here with another man, she could surely build on this. "They make a cute couple don't they?" she said with a smile that Gilbert couldn't see as fake.

"Who?" He asked her.

"Why, your friend Anne and Royal Gardner." She saw the colour drain from his lips as they saw Anne and Roy move towards the gardens.

He felt lips bottom lips start to quiver so he took another drink from his cup. "I hadn't noticed."

"Well his dashing dark blond hair, her perfect nose." Christine could see several faults with Anne of course, red hair those murky grey eyes freckles which lets face it was unbecoming on anyone, but the shape of her nose her tiny hands were both tolerable. "THEY could make handsome babies. If you like that sort of thing."

"Come on, lets dance." Gilbert said without reply to what she had said. As he held Christine at a sensible distance. He was so preoccupied he didn't notice she brought him closer.

Babies? His thoughts trembled in him. Their babies? Anne would have babies with someone else! His heart was breaking all over again. His and Anne's babies would be beautiful, for they would be a combination of them. The shape of Anne's nose, although beautiful never played a part in his fantasy children, a little girl just like Anne, the same red red red hair! Her beautiful grey eyes! Could another person's eyes sparkle green when in high emotion? Maybe another two with shades of red, oh yes, they would have lots of babies! Two of each at least. Oh and Anne! Anne would be the most beautiful and virtuous mother!

And she would never be his.

They started to walk around the courtyard quietly a few minutes in Anne broke the silence. "Can I be honest with you Roy?" she asked him.

"Of course." He said concerned. "Anne what is it?"

"I want you to know, I value your friendship, a lot actually. You are a good man and we always have such good fun together." She told him.

"But you want to be just friends?" He asked her.

She looked to him surprised "How could you know that?" She asked him.

"Something I've picked up on, like your emotions aren't quite there to love yet." He told her.

"I'm sorry if I led you on in anyway." She told him honestly.

"You haven't, well no way I didn't WANT to be led on." He said with a sad smile. They were silent for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you not there? I mean do you know?" He asked her.

"Yes, I do know." She admitted. "But I'm afraid your good opinion will be lost forever if I tell you it."

He laughed quietly "well that I doubt, why don't you tell me?" He asked her.

She took a sigh and sat on a bench nearby. "I had a boyfriend." She sighed.

"Continue." He said looking at her.

"We were really very young but we were together for three years." She said to him.

"Was he…" he trailed not sure how to ask. "Was he a gentlemen?" he asked concerned a moment.

Anne looked up in shock. "Yes!, yes absolutely, no he would never NEVER do anything like THAT."

He sighed "Well that's a relief at least." He said.

"He was… he is… it was perfect." She said quietly with a tear forming in her eye. "But then I changed, something happened and it made me change. Nothing that he did, he was supportive and loving, I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend, but the change which happened, made it impossible for me to… to SHOW him what he meant to me." She took a sigh as she wiped her eyes. "See the problem was, is, that for three years after we broke up we were still very close. Before we dated he was my emotional support, you know every time I needed someone, a friend he was there, it's been that was since I was eleven years old, then after we broke up, that didn't change he was still there, all the time, every time…" she felt the tears down her cheek. "I never meant to lead him on either, but we were close, so very close and he proposed." She told him honestly. "And now, he's broken, I broke my best friend and he won't even talk to me. I broke the best friendship I ever had."

He nodded thoughtfully "And you're afraid of it happening again." He said.

"Yes, right from forming a friendship." She sighed. "Before I went to Avonlea, I didn't have many friends. We had an amazing friendship but I don't want to risk…" she trailed.

"It's alright." He admitted. "You don't need to explain anymore." He told her. He sighed and took her hand. "nothing you told me was shameful Anne. It sounds like you've both had a rough ride of it." He told her.

She looked at him surprised. "You… how can you know how he felt?" She asked him.

He chuckled. "You said no. That would be enough to break any man's heart." He took a sigh. "You don't feel ready to start a romantic endeavour yet?"

"I rejected his proposal last spring." She told him. "It doesn't feel right…" she trailed.

He sighed again. "Well, I'm not ready to give up any hope of ever winning your heart, but thank you Anne, thank you for being honest about where you are. Maybe if I can't win you over, I can at least help with some of the loneliness you must be feeling."

Anne looked at him surprised, "Roy, I don't know if you can ever win my heart I don't know if anyone could."

He nodded. "Still. Can we start with the friendship we have and work from there, we can't know what the future might hold, we may fall in love yet." He said with a chuckle. "But I mean it." He told her. "Please let me be your friend, it must have left a big hole, let me help."

"Are you sure?" She asked him. "It's all very mixed up."

"I'm sure." He said. He took a sigh. "Can I ask who this perfect ex was?" he asked. Anne remained silent blushing profusely. Roy recognised the look on her face. "Gilbert Blythe huh?" he asked.

Anne nodded her head shamefully.

Roy smiled. "Well Anne I can't question your taste in boyfriends, he seemed a really nice man."

Anne sighed. "He is." Roy put his arm round Anne. "Come now Anne, don't worry don't cry. Come on. Let's dry your eyes and let's go back in and enjoy the dance. I mean it come on, I have your honesty now let's go back in as friends and have a good time." He took her in linked arm and escorted her back inside. He suggested she visit the ladies to freshen up before they went back into the dance.

Gilbert slammed his door shut. What had promised to be a lovely night had been completely ruined by seeing HER!

He slummed on his bed and felt the tears in his eyes. He shut them tight to try and stop them from crying. But he saw a stream of red hair and cloudy grey eyes. He opened his eyes and took a huge sigh trying to hold back his frustration.

He was angry! He didn't get angry all that often, nay he was known for being mild mannered. But his already broken heart couldn't take it! She had been dreaming of someone else the entire time they were together. That was the logic explanation every kiss every whisper every promise she had made had been a lie! So why was there a part of him whispering to him he was the one being unreasonable?

"No Gil, it's not like that." She had said.

The words he had spoken had been bitter ones and he knew it. They were designed to hurt her and he knew best how to. 'hardly my business' and 'well maybe you don't know me as well as you thought you did.' Were deliberately targeted at not their relationship but their friendship, everything which had been so holy and pure to their relationship he was attacking and their friendship, their closeness… he couldn't get that close again and he was not letting her back in. Then she waltzed in with this Gardner, how was he supposed to feel? Was he just meant to take it like he always had? He had tried so hard not to let any sentiment or love show since she rejected it but it was killing him! Yet here he was afraid to even close his eyes because the one thing which always greeted him in his dreams was the girl with long red hair which he had kissed when rescuing from 'the lake of shining water'.

"Oh be gone with propriety!" she had demanded. He loved her. He wouldn't have believed more then that day, he had been so filled with love he didn't believe more love existed but it had. More and more each day.

"I will always be on your side and I will always be here for you." He had told her on several occasions. He had made a liar out of himself. Of course he never could have predicted the heartbreak he went through. To be the one hurting her was a different matter. He sighed and stood up taking off his clothes and readying himself for bed. He needed to go to bed, end this dreadful day.