I promised you all more Anne and Gilbert so here they are! I hope I am conveying the hope and confusion they are both dealing with. They have a lot of baggage to unpack before they get to happily ever after. But Gilbert seems to have a plan:) Thank for all your reviews and favorites, etc. Enjoy Chapter 4.

This time it was Anne who saw Gilbert coming down the road to Green Gables before he saw her. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she watched him slowly walk the dusty path in the late morning light. She had hoped he would come today, in fact she had planned on it. At the sight of him she was once again reminded of just how truly handsome he was, more handsome than Roy in every way. "Your Gilbert Blythe is handsome," she remembered telling Diana all those years ago. Typhoid had done little to change her first impression.

Aside from his thinner frame, he was still the handsome boy she managed to ignore for five years. Only he was no longer a boy, but the man she desperately loved.

Gilbert came upon Anne waiting for him as he reached Green Gables.

"Well, good morning, Miss Shirley!"

"Good morning, Gil." Anne replied warmly. "Two days in a row I get a visit, I am flattered," she continued with laughter in her voice and mirth in her eyes.

"Well Anne, you know I am not quite back to my old walking habits yet. I figured the closest neighbor would be a most practical visit," he responded with playful sarcasm.

In a display that was not quite like her, Anne said, "Of course visiting your nearest neighbor does make the most sense given your ordeal. And since the company doesn't seem to be of concern to you, perhaps I should go fetch Rachel to keep you engaged for your visit?"

As she smiled, Gilbert thought there must be no better sight in the world than a happy Anne.

"Wow, you play for keeps, Anne! However, I assure you that while I could pass the time agreeably with Mrs. Lynde, I came to see you," he said.

"Good, because I was expecting you. I have a small surprise." She grabbed Gilbert's hand and pulled him gently, guiding him up to the house, around the side, to the oak tree. Underneath the tree, a blanket was spread and basket sat atop of it.

"What's this?" Gilbert asked.

"I would think it was quite obvious. A picnic of course. I would have loved to walk to one of our old haunts but I didn't want you to be too worn out. So I thought we could have a nice one here."

"Wow, Anne this is great!" Gilbert was astounded. Not so much for the picnic but for the fact that Anne had been expecting him and had planned him a surprise. It was not lost on either of them that Anne still held his hand in hers, long past its initial duty as a guide. He could hardly believe she was holding his hand and his heart beat wildly. Did she know what she was doing to him?

Anne realized too late that she was still holding his hand to extricate herself naturally in the moment. She would have been content to hold his hand for as long he would allow it, but she could not help an image of Christine once again and she let go awkwardly. The moment was broken and the sat down on the blanket. Anne began to unpack the basket as Gilbert watched contentedly.

"Can I pour the lemonade?" he offered.

"Yes, please. I will set out the sandwiches." Having both completed their tasks, they were ready to partake in their meal.

As they ate, they made small talk, each carefully avoiding certain subjects. Anne wanted to avoid talking about Christine at all costs and Gilbert was trying to find a way to bring up Roy. At some point Marilla came out to greet Gilbert and he was able to express his thanks for the basket. Marilla was happy to see the boy well and after a few minutes she left them to their picnic.

When they finished and were cleaning up their mess Gilbert asked, "So, Carrots, to what do I owe the privilege of a picnic with you?"

"Well, you came all this way to see me, I thought it was the least I could do. Plus I could hardly let you starve now could I? What would your mother say?" Her countenance changed at the mention of his mother. Anne remembered her cold greeting form the other morning and the two previous years of being mostly ignored by Mrs. Blythe. It had pained her because she always liked her.

Gilbert noticed the change in her mood, although he was unsure why. "I am sure she will be quite happy when I tell her how well I have been fed today. Thank you, Anne. This was just what the doctor ordered."

"You're welcome, Gil. It was my pleasure."

Gilbert stood and Anne's heart sank. "Are you leaving?" she asked.

"Depends, are you kicking me out?" he replied playfully.

"Of course not!"

"Good, I thought we might take a short walk and you could escort me home again. The doctor said I was sure to recover quicker with a beautiful woman on my arm." He smiled and extended a hand to Anne to help her up. She took it eagerly, blushing at his compliment. Gilbert pulled her up to meet him. There they stood, just inches apart. Gilbert fought every urge to lean in and kiss her. It would be so easy to brush his lips against hers. But that's not what friends did. Instead he let go of her hand immediately and offered her his arm.

She took it and realized by his reaction to being so close to her was that she was merely a stand in for the beautiful woman he truly wanted to aid him in his recovery.

Anne quickly banished the thought form her head. It wasn't fair. Gilbert had asked for her friendship and she was spoiling it with her nonsense. Resolving that she would no longer let herself get caught up in thoughts of Christine, Anne chose instead to focus on just her and Gilbert. They were rebuilding what they both had let break apart and regardless of where his affections were, Christine had no part in their friendship.

"Where to?" Gilbert asked

"Well, I owe Matthew some flowers. Would you like to walk to the cemetery with me? It's not far."

"Oh, are you sure, Anne? I mean, I don't want to intrude."

"Not at all, Matthew always liked you, even when I didn't," she laughed remembering Matthew's quiet counsel.

"Well I am glad someone in this house thought well of me," he teased. "I would love to go with you. Thank you!" He was honored.

Anne retreated to the house briefly to retrieve the flowers she had picked that morning. Then they fell into step and began a comfortable silent journey. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes until Gilbert asked, "What was Matthew like? I am afraid I never got the chance to really know Mr. Cuthbert."

Anne's eyes brightened. "Oh Gilbert, he was the best of men. Kind, smart, even a little funny in his own way. Mathew was the first person to ever love me. I mean, I know my parents loved me, but I was too young to know them. With Matthew I felt love for the first time. He and Marilla weren't exactly what young orphan Anne Shirley pictured when she dreamed of being adopted, but if you put up a hundred such father's of my dreams against Matthew, I would pick him every time." They talked more of Matthew as they walked and Anne was happy to be able to talk about him to someone who would appreciate the person he was.

They arrived at the cemetery and Anne paid her respects. As Gilbert watched her kneeling by his grave in silent prayer he realized that it hadn't truly dawned on him until he listened to Anne that Matthew was the only father she had ever known. She had lost so much, it was hard to believe she came through it all without her spirit being broken. She amazed him. He also realized there was so much he didn't know about her. He was hoping for a lifetime with her to rectify that.

When the visit was over, they began the journey to the Blythe's. It was a pleasant walk on a beautiful day and Anne was pleased when she saw that Gilbert didn't look nearly as tired as he had at the end of their time yesterday. He was recovering well.

Gilbert finally wanted to see if he could get any answers out of Anne. But rather than ask her directly, he tried to steer the conversation towards Roy.

"So, since we didn't get the chance to talk at the time, how was leaving Redmond after Convocation? It was sort of bittersweet for me, knowing I will be back in the fall. But many of my friends have moved on."

Anne thought for a moment before saying, "I dearly miss Patty's Place and the girls. We had so many wonderful memories. And Kingsport is a lovely old town, but by the time Convocation was over, I was quite ready to come home." She spoke in a rather melancholy tone that did not go unnoticed.

"You seem sad, Anne. Was getting your BA not what you thought it would be?"

"Oh no, it was everything I hoped for. I am quite proud of myself, of you, of all of us. But-" she trailed off.

"But, what?"

She sighed heavily. She was about to bring up Roy, a topic she didn't wish to talk about until she realized in that moment the one person she wanted to talk about him with was Gilbert. Even Diana didn't understand when she told her of what happened between them. She hadn't scolded her quite like Phil had, but she could tell Diana felt she trifled badly with Roy's feelings. Anne already knew she had and felt badly about it, she didn't need to be reminded of it. She just wanted someone to understand. She knew Gilbert would.

"Have you ever thought something was so amazing and perfect, but then reality breaks in to ruin it all?" Gilbert almost choked on her words. Did he ever know, thinking of his disastrous proposal. He was sure he was about to hear about Roy as he had hoped and he braced himself for it.

"What ruined Convocation, Anne?"

"Simply put, Roy Gardner." Anne said no more. Although she had absolved herself of much of the guilt she was still embarrassed about how she treated him. She realized now she was mostly embarrassed because it all happened because she had been too blind and stubborn to realize her feelings for Gilbert. It was no wonder her friends were a little severe on her.

"Did you two argue? I have to confess I had heard rumors for weeks about an imminent proposal from him." He said nothing about Phil's letter. He wanted to hear what Anne would reveal to him on the matter. But a thought occurred to him that hadn't before, what if Roy had hurt her?

"He didn't disappoint your hopes, did he Anne?" Gilbert closed his eyes and braced himself for the possibility that she was heartbroken. But instead he heard her laugh, not the sweet sound of joy, but a slightly bitter laugh of disappointment.

"Ha, well yes, you could say that Roy did utterly disappoint me. In fact, he shattered my dreams."

Gilbert felt his whole body tense in reaction to her confession. Anne had been devastated. Was it possible she had truly loved Roy? It was almost too much to bear for him.

"Anne, I am sorry Gardner hurt you," was all he could say in a quiet murmur.

"Hurt me?" Anne looked confused for a moment until she realized what Gilbert was thinking. "No, Gil, he didn't hurt me. In fact I am pretty sure I am the one who hurt him."

Now it was Gilbert's turn to be confused, "I don't understand."

"I guess I should explain," said Anne. And explain she did. "When we were about twelve or thirteen, Diana and I used to talk about our ideal suitors. Mine was always the same, tall, dark, melancholy, and irresistibly handsome. Like Mr. Darcy or Edward Rochester. That ideal stuck in my head since then that I came to believe I could never fall in love with anyone didn't fulfill my ideal. And then along came Roy. He was so perfect. He was romantic, tall, handsome, intelligent, and conveniently rich. I thought right away I must be in love because on paper he was everything I had ever imagined. I knew he would propose around Convocation. And I had no doubt that I would accept him. And he did, it was all very romantic, he took me to the pavilion where we met and told me how much he loved me, how he never wanted to be without me. He asked me if I would do him the distinct honor of becoming Mrs. Roy Gardner." Anne stopped talking as they approached the Blythe gate and looked sideways at Gilbert.

He turned towards her, "Anne you can't stop there, what happened?" Although he had already guessed, he was anxious to hear from Anne.

"As he was proposing, saying all these wonderful things, I felt a sense of complete dread. I wanted to be anywhere else but standing there with him. It hadn't been right since the beginning, but I was too blind to see it. I felt nothing for him. So I refused." She completed her story with another sigh.

Gilbert had never listened so intently in his life. "What did he say?"

"Oh he was quite cross with me, as you can imagine," she said, forgetting Gilbert didn't need to imagine what it was like to be rejected by Anne Shirley. "He had every reason to be quite sure of my acceptance. But in the end, I couldn't do it. I didn't love Roy, I didn't want Roy. I want someone who-" she stopped abruptly looking for the right words when Gilbert supplied, "who belongs in your life?" The words from Phil's letter hung in there air. Anne remembered saying those exact words to Phil the night of Roy's proposal. And now Gilbert had finished her thought.

"Yes, someone who belongs. Roy was not that someone. So now you know what happened. Do you think I treated Roy badly? I am that awful? I really did hurt him Gilbert." She hoped Gilbert would not see her as woman who toyed needlessly with man's heart while chasing after some childhood fantasy, even if it was exactly what happened. She wanted him to understand. She felt it he would.

Gilbert thought for a moment. He didn't blame Anne, she may have led Roy on, but he was sure that it was not done with malice. She made a mistake. He wanted to make her feel better. "Honestly Anne, it was very brave of you to turn down something that looked so perfect on paper. If it wasn't right, it wasn't right. You should be happy you realized it before you committed yourself to a marriage with someone you didn't esteem. I am sure Roy was hurt by your rejection. But one day he will thank his lucky stars that Anne Shirley turned him down when he falls for someone else, the woman he was truly meant to be with." He meant to be putting Anne at ease but his words had the complete opposite effect as tears began to well in her eyes. She fought them back, but it was too late, one started its slow journey down her cheek.

Her heart broke at his words. That's how he felt! Grateful! Grateful she rejected him because he found Christine!

"Anne, Anne are you alright?" Gilbert asked in shock. Instinctively he reached out and wiped her tear with a caress of his finger. "I am sorry if I said something wrong. Anne what is it?"

She needed to get control of herself. "I am sorry, Gil," she laughed. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I am just so happy someone understands that I got a little emotional," she lied. "You are perfectly right that I did the right thing by both me and Roy. He wouldn't want to be married to someone who didn't love him. I did him a favor and one day he will see that." She regained her composure. "And anyways, Roy was a very good man, but I think after awhile our differences would have torn us part."

"What do you mean, because of his money?" Gilbert was still concerned about Anne's emotions but she seemed like whatever bothered her had passed.

"Oh no, nothing like that. Roy, for all his charm and romance, I have to confess he was a bore of the first order. He rarely laughed, couldn't see the humor in most things. I could never have had a happy marriage with a man who couldn't have fun or laugh at the ridiculous."

"You made the right choice Anne. You deserve someone who makes you laugh and smile as much as he makes you feel special and loved. Don't settle for anything less." He was looking deeply into her eyes now. "No, Roy Gardner would have never done for you, Anne." Gilbert unknowingly had taken her hand in his and was gently rubbing her palm with his thumb. It was the most natural thing in the world, until his father's words of friendship rang in his head. He gently let go.

"Thanks, Gil. I knew of all people, you would understand." Confused at his touch and then disappointed when he let her go, Anne managed a smile.

"I am glad you shared that with me Anne. It's nice to know after everything we've been through, you still trust me."

"Of course I trust you, Gil. We are friends, remember? Thank you for listening and understanding. Not many other people did, I mean truly understand."

"I am always here for you, Carrots," he said before he bestowed a gentle kiss on her forehead. To Anne, she understood it as a kiss a brother might give his little sister. Or as was her case, a friend to a friend. To Gilbert, it was a natural reaction to being in Anne's presence. He almost couldn't help himself. The kiss wasn't romantic, but to him it was a form of intimacy Anne had never allowed before. He was beginning to realize how difficult just being friends with Anne would be. If he could have read her thoughts at that moment he would have realized she was thinking the same about him.

They parted at the Blythe gate moments later. Anne walked home confused and defeated. His insight into Roy's eventual gratefulness was clear enough. So clear she had almost let her emotions show too much. But being Anne Shirley, she couldn't bring herself to give up hope altogether. He certainly wasn't treating her with indifference. In fact, it seemed he was almost acting like he had in the weeks leading up to his proposal. If Gilbert did love Christine there was nothing she could do to change that. But, if there was a glimmer of hope, she resolved to be as open and honest with herself and with Gilbert from now on. She would not make a declaration to him, certainly not. But she decided not to hide her admiration from him. If he perceived her regard and feelings and didn't return them, she knew him to be too much of a gentleman and a dear friend to trifle with, embarrass or otherwise hurt her. He would know when to pull away if it wasn't his desire. And so, Anne Shirley decided to truly put her heart in the hands of Gilbert Blythe.

Gilbert walked back inside and up to his room feeling quite content. Anne didn't love Roy, she never had! She had just been caught up in a fantasy. It was music to his heart. He knew that it didn't mean she loved him, but it was enough to know no one else had ever touched her heart. She had admitted the truth of what Phil had said; Anne had given up on her romantic fantasy. Was it possible he could fill her new dream? Could he make her see he was the one who belonged in her life? He was still unsure, but in the back of his mind he thought abstractly, almost unconsciously, that a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. But just what that puzzle looked like all put together and how many pieces it had remained a mystery.