Author's Note:

I am continuing any words lifted from the original novel are in italic. Thank you LM Montgomery for such wonderful characters to play with.

WARNING: :( We loose Ruby. :) Several awkward moments. :) Forced to share a bed and neither one can sleep. :D

TLWtlw had a great question - how many bedrooms / guest rooms did Green Gables have? There were four rooms upstairs, the east gable (Anne's room), the main bedroom (Marilla's), The Spare Room (Converted into Mrs. Lynde's bedroom), and the west gable (doubled as sewing room & Davy's room). Downstairs there was the room that Matthew used. So at this time: The west gable would have had a divider I think because there wouldn't have been a room for the sewing otherwise, not after Mrs. Lynde moved in.

Chapter 13: Farewells

Mrs. Gillis called Anne aside into a vacant room before the funeral procession left the house, and gave her a small packet.

"I want you to have this," she sobbed. "Ruby would have liked you to have it. It's the embroidered centerpiece she was working at. It isn't quite finished—the needle is sticking in it just where her poor little fingers put it the last time she laid it down, the afternoon before she died."

"There's always a piece of unfinished work left," said Mrs. Lynde, with tears in her eyes. "But I suppose there's always some one to finish it." - Chapter XIV, Anne of the Island

Each month had it's own thrill on the Island, Anne thought, and as July came to a close she thought it was no exception. Perhaps even after mourning there was joy. For The wild roses were in full bloom, and were giving a fragrance that made Anne's heart sore. She'd cut several to place in a jug by her bed and for a vase in the sitting room. Gilbert had asked if she would like to drive him out that morning as she'd meant to check on Ecco Lodge, then return at night when his shift was over so they might have a moonlight ride from white sands. Yet she felt she needed to see Ruby, so with requests to delay a day she sent Gilbert off on the horse and that afternoon walked over to the Gillis home.

—

Gilbert came home, exhausted but quite proud for what he was able to save for their expenses for the next year. They would have to continue to economize, but he'd take good care of his family. He found Anne staring blankly out the kitchen window sitting at the kitchen table. She did not move as he took off his boots, hung up his coat on the hook in the back pantry and then took his plate from the back of the oven and sat down beside her.

"How's Ruby?"

"She was strangely quiet. She said not a word about parties, drives, dresses, or fellows. She just lay in her hammock with her work untouched beside her. She's gotten so thin, she'd looked pale and childlike. She thought the graveyard ghostly. She told me it won't be long before she'll be there, while we live. Dead like Marilla, like Matthew."

"Anne…" He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"She knows it, though she's refused to give into it. She doesn't want to die, she's afraid to die. She's afraid she'll be homesick for what she had here. Oh Gilbert. Do you think Matthew and Marilla are homesick for Green Gables? I think I would be."

"I'd be homesick for any place you are and I'm not."

She pulled away then. "I thought of a funny story that I heard Phil tell. A story about an old man who said much the same thing as Ruby did. It sounded funny then. Not so much now. I gave what I hope I could, telling her what I imagine heaven to be like. My heart breaks though for what she'll miss. I think, I hope that is that I helped her be less afraid of death. To be more brave. She knows it won't be very long now. I'll keep going until the end…"

"We'll have other evenings for moonlight rides after my shift at White Sands Anne. Tell Ruby I'm praying for her when you go back. Guess I should lock up and bed down the animals." He said as he finished the summer Anne had kept warm for him, "Only two more weeks and Mrs. Lynde leaves for her adventure and we can't rely so much on her. Mr. Harrison and Dad have promised to keep an eye on the place for us until Mrs. Lynde and the twins are back home."

Anne nodded. "I… I'll clean up and check on the twins. Goodnight Gilbert."

—

Anne never saw Ruby again in life. Four days later the funeral was held, and Gilbert was able to arrange to take the morning off of his job to attend. He'd stood the whole time, one arm around Anne's waist and for once she did not complain. Ruby was their first school chum to go. It's was a beautiful funeral, and the Gillis family spared no expense. Yet, as all things do, it came to an end, and kissing Anne's cheek and waving farewell to the others he took his horse from the yard and rode off to complete a half shift at the White Sands Hotel. Anne walked home afterwards with Diana as the twins trailed behind. Mrs. Lynde who'd ridden over with the Harrisons invited them and Mrs. Barry for tea after to discuss the details. Of Ruby's favorite suitor Herb Spencer's grief, of the way the Gillises spurned on the funeral. Anne refused to come inside, instead sending Diana and the twins to join the ladies insisting she could not wait to tend to the weeding in the garden.

Only Davy joined Anne in the garden. "Ruby Gillis was a great girl to laugh," Said Davy suddenly. "Will she laugh as much in heaven as she did in Avonlea, Anne? I want to know."

"Yes, I think she will," said Anne.

And Diana who'd also followed Davy out to call Anne to join them for tea was quite shocked, though pleased.

—

Monday the 14th of August, they drove Mrs. Lynde to Carmody to begin her adventure, starting with two weeks in Charlottetown. Then, as Gilbert determined there was some extra funds to spare, and the twins birthdays within a week, he offered for them to choose each their own birthday gift giving them each a dollar to spend as they pleased. Dora purchased a book on fashion while Davy a set of jacks and as much candy as would fit in his pockets.

The four of them had a picnic on the shore on their return before spending the afternoon attending to chores. Anne had set a weekly schedule for them before returning to school. She was up with the sunrise to prepare breakfast, while Gilbert woke the twins and tended to the animals in the barn. After breakfast, they'd finish the chores before Gilbert left on the horse for White Sands. She'd spend the day with the twins, and often also with Diana. Weekly they would go to the cemetery to put fresh flowers on Matthew & Marilla's graves, along with Ruby's. Anne industriously set to work preparing new clothes for them all, with Gilbert's mother coming over to help. A new evening dress in Lavender was made for Anne by the seamstress in Carmody at Mrs. Blythe's insistence, along with two new suits for Gilbert who was busting at the shoulders of his suits. It was a bustle of sewing with Dora helping while Davy mostly spent the day helping either Mr. Harrison or Mr. Blythe.

Anne was told to call Mrs. Blythe Mother as Gilbert did or at least Abigail as his father did. Having no memory of her own mother, she was quite pleased to call her Mother. Although when Davy asked if he could call her Grandmother and Anne, Mother. Well, she felt ancient then, and suggested the twins continue to call her and Gilbert by their first names and found herself calling Mrs. Abigail Blythe by her first name more often than Mother.

The twins were fed and finished with supper each evening by 6pm, and to bed by 8pm. Then she'd sit up either in the sitting room or kitchen waiting for Gilbert to come home while she'd write or review her studies for the next year. He'd come home a little after 9:30, eat his supper while she kept him company. Then both exhausted they'd attend their own duties and fall asleep.

There had been some awkward moments between the two of them that summer. The time she'd stained her robe with a spilled bottle of ink while waiting for Gilbert. He'd not been expected home for another twenty minutes so she'd rushed to the kitchen sink to remove as much of the ink as possible, wearing nothing but her thin nightgown when he'd suddenly come home early, dropped off by a coworker and informing her that the horse needed a new shoe. She wasn't certain which of them was more red as she'd rushed her explanation and he turned his back so she could hang up the dripping robe before the stove then rush upstairs. He'd called out he'd take care of his dishes that night after he'd bedded down the animals, rushing outside while she'd rushed upstairs.

They'd not spoken for two days after that unless the twins were with them.

Then there as the time that Gilbert had fallen asleep in his plate, and she'd had to wake him and he'd mumbled in his sleep something she would not repeat when he'd woken. He'd tried to tease it out of her only for her to go quite red and declare that it was nonsense.

In truth though, Gilbert worked so many hours, and when he had time off he was often with Anne and the twins when not seeing to Green Gables and repairs or helping his parents at their farm. Except for their short conversations while he'd eat supper late at night she rarely had any time to speak to him. He'd try to kiss her, yet as the summer wore on. Even he seemed to have lost interest in that, more often wanting to review their textbooks while he ate supper. There was only one scholarship available there sophomore year, and he was determined to achieve it. Anne had no hope, it was in mathematics after all. "There's also the Cooper prize. No sense starting to study for it until Junior year Anne, but it would pay for medical college all three years. Plus a stipend to help us with housing and food. I'd make more working in Kingsport, but since we have to be home every break. I'll take what I can get."

—

It was unusually hot, even for August on the Island, in the third week of the month when Gilbert had caught a ride with a supply wagon heading to White Sands so that Anne might check on Ecco Lodge one final time before driving over to White Sands to pick him up for a moonlight ride back home. It was Saturday night and his final shift.

Moonlight as she arrived it was not. Storm clouds were coming in from the sea, and with one glance as Gilbert joined her, he motioned for her to scoot over such that he might drive. "The storm came so fast, Diana said she'd stay with the twins until we return, but Gilbert. It's moving as fast as Uncle Abes storm did…"

Within ten minutes they were soaked through and miserable, even worse the road was washed out a mile outside of White Sands. "Got to turn back." Gilbert yelled over the wind. "Bill White lives just a bit off the shore road. We'll seek shelter there. Work with him at the hotel." Gilbert handed the reigns down to Anne. "Mabel's spooked. Best I walk with her."

It was a quarter mile to the home, where Bill lived with his elder brother's family. While Gilbert got Mabel into their barn and the buggy unhitched Anne was ushered into the White home. She was introduced as she stood dripping in their kitchen to Joseph and Ruth White (Ruth being a cousin of Fred Wrights), their two young children and Gilbert's friend and co worker, Bill White. Bill had taken the White Sands school come fall, but until term began was working at the hotel.

The home was cozy though small, nestled in between pine trees, but close enough to the shore that even in the storm Anne could hear the waves pounding on the cliffs. The home was warm and dry and Ruth was quickly leading Anne upstairs to her own room to lend a nightgown and warm socks. "I'm never warm unless my toes are. That's the number one thing that Joseph complains about. My toes frozen agains his legs. Does Gilbert complain the same?"

"I… We're treating it as a betrothal marriage until we're done with school."

"Betrothal? You're married aren't you?"

"Yes…" Anne sighed as Ruth helped her to remove the sticking wet layers. "But we mean to not live as man and wife you know while we're in school."

"That takes all the fun out of marriage. You know there are ways to have fun without babies coming. Course, Joseph's not that good. It takes timing. I mean we've been married four years and have two little ones already. So likely your method's best. The spare rooms always cold though I've got to warn you, the window's got a draft. Course that makes cuddling even more fun. Now you get into the bed, and I'll take your wet things. The men should have Gilbert stripped and dry and I'll send him up with some hot bricks. Put your toes against that and not his backside is my recommendation. Men folk are always less grumpy come morning when they don't encounter freezing toes."

There was a few minutes after the door shutting behind Ruth White and Gilbert coming up. That the room was cold was quite clear and clearly was freezing in the winter months. The wind blew in through the broken window, and even with a towel to collect the water, no doubt the floor below the window would be quite wet come morning. Sleeping on the floor for either of them would not be an option.

She did not rise to pray instead, praying as she laid there the damp chill seeping out of her body. She prayed that the LORD would help her get through the night, that Diana and the twins would not worry to severely and that the road would be clear in the morning.

Gilbert came in wearing a borrowed night shirt, his hairy bare legs sticking out below. She only glanced briefly noting his knees sticking out just below the hem before turning to face the wall as she felt him sink into the bed and the bed clothes move as he placed the heated bricks at their feet then climbed in beside her.

"Goodnight Gilbert." She whispered, in almost a squeak.

"Night, Anne." His own voice was raspy and she was concerned he'd catch a cold. They lay back to back, each careful to not touch as they both shivered. She was quite certain she would not sleep the entire night. She'd developed a habit of imagining the next scene for her Prince Royal story while falling asleep. Yet she struggled with that as Gilbert lay inches away from her. She'd tried to work on the scene she loved best. Where Prince Royal would come and give a flowery long speech of his love. Gilbert was snoring! The whole thing was as unromantic as possible.

Was this going to be her future? She know abstractly though she refused to think on it much that one day she'd have to share a bed and more with Gilbert. Maybe thought he'd be willing to always maintain separate bedrooms. Maybe they could adopt. Oh why did Marilla have to die! If Marilla hadn't died, what would her life be like now.

No doubt she'd be daintily tucked into her east gable bedroom, while Marilla and Dora slept in their room. Perhaps Mrs. Lynde still would have visited her daughter in Charlottetown, while Davy would be asleep in his own bed. Gilbert would be in his own home. She'd be free to dream of Prince Royal, and as she'd likely never meet him. Would instead look forward to a future of teaching and perhaps writing and publishing. She'd be an old maid who'd one day perhaps have a row of novels kept in the parlor all proudly stating they were by Miss Anne Shirley.

There was no more Anne Shirley. Not really. She felt tears fall, yet she dared not move or give voice to her tears. For she could not explain to Gilbert. She was trapped. All to protect Green Gables and the twins.

It was worth it. Wasn't it?

No doubt Gilbert would want to be truly man and wife one day. Everything then would change. Change for the worse, she thought.

The storm eventually moved on and the trees stilled in the yard.

Gilbert turned over in his sleep, and nuzzled his head into the back of her hair. She moved to give space again between them. She was now nearly on the edge of the bed.

When did Gilbert get so broad?

She tried to move again, to reach the bricks. Her toes were still cold only for them to brush against Gilbert's calfs. She nearly jumped. Thankfully she was able to still herself before the movement woke Gilbert.

Her custom was to remove her ring and place it on the night stand as she slept. She didn't dare though now. Why did she have to agree when Gilbert asked her over breakfast to take a moonlit ride home with him from White Sands?

She'd done her best to sleep. She'd counted sleep, thought of Tennyson's poems. She even mentally went through her school books. Only for a memory of Gilbert making her laugh as he helped her to memorize the latin names for the animals.

The clock struck midnight. Oh. This was a ghastly night.

He'd moved closer to her. She quickly moved to make some distance.

Only it was a Jonah night.

She'd fallen off the bed, twisting the bedclothes with her and in the process of flailing to the ground she pulled Gilbert on top of her who woke with a start.

"Anne?" He hissed as he shook his head away. "What happened?"

She heard noise in the hall. A man's voice asking if everything's all right.

"Everything's fine. Sorry for the racket." Gilbert said trying to not laugh. "You're a blanket hog Anne. Hogging so much you're pulling the blankets with you off the bed. Come on let's get back."

—

That he managed to sleep at all lying beside his betrothed wife, Anne Shirley Blythe was a miracle. That he'd been so tired to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow was due to the constant exhaustion of earning enough money for his family's needs the next year. It would be foolish to make it a habit of sleeping beside Anne. Not if he wished to maintain the will power to not make her fully his wife before he became Doctor Blythe as he'd promised her. Yet it was a sweet reward to nuzzle into her.

That he woke up falling off the bed in a tangle of bed linens and Anne. Hands flailing where they should not and limbs entwined. It was sweet torture as he disentangled himself, appeased the Whites as he woke up and made sense of the situation. As he refused to do what his passions wanted him to do. He'd laughed as quietly as possible. Stuffing his face in the pillow as Anne remade the bed and they'd settled back into bed.

He'd done his best to spend the entire night thinking about everything unromantic and un Anne. He thought of his first medical text book he'd found used in a bookstore, Gray's Anatomy and thought on how the stomach was constructed. No that didn't work. He thought of Davy and Dora and life at Green Gables. Instead he remembered the time he'd come home to Anne at the kitchen sink in nothing but her nightgown and in the lantern light her silhouette quite clear. That was worse. So he thought through every memory of Aunt Mary Maria.

He was quite certain neither of them slept the rest of the night.

—

They rose bleary eyed as soon as they heard noises. Anne stayed above while Gilbert went down where the other men were preparing to begin the barn chores. Their clothes were sill damp but dry enough. He'd brought them upstairs and with their backs to each other they'd dressed.

They'd joined the Whites for breakfast, thanked them for their hospitality and as the children were brought upstairs to change into their Sunday best. The two of them began the track home.

They'd had to go the long way down to Newbridge and back up towards Avonlea as the road was washed out. There'd only been time to tell Diana and the twins of the adventure, assure them they were well before rushing upstairs to change into their own Sunday clothes and back into the buggy to join all of Avonlea for church.

There as Anne stood beside Gilbert, one twin on either side. She felt guilty for the Prince Royal stories. Perhaps like her aim to publish and write she should give up all writing including that? But then she thought of a splendid line for one of Prince Royal's speeches. No, she'd given up everything for Green Gables and the twins. She would not give up Prince Royal. He was only a dream man anyways, a way to imagine the romance she craved.

One thing was certain, life with Gilbert Blythe held none of the thrilling romance she dreamed of. Instead she knew, they'd ensure the twins were well settled for the afternoon with strict promises from Davy to behave and they'd likely both sleep all afternoon. If she could stay away through the church service. Life with Gilbert was too ordinary.