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Chapter Text

"Stupid spin the bottle," Anne muttered as she ran through the woods escaping the school house and the events that had transpired. 

Why did she have to be so ugly? 

Why couldn't she have flowing raven hair such as Diana, or beautiful golden locks like Ruby? 

Why did she have to have such horrid, carrot-like hair? 

She had to agree with Cole, when it came to her appearance, unique was not singular and extraordinary, it was weird. These were the thoughts that had now taken control over her mind. She skidded to a stop. Some branches behind her had just snapped, someone was following her. 

Who could it be? Maybe it was Josie Pye, there to mock her some more, or maybe it was Cole, there to comfort her, or maybe her dearest blossom friend had come. But as she saw a raven-haired boy approach her she realized she couldn't have been more wrong. 

"What do you want, Gilbert? Have you come to mock my hideousness like the rest?" She shouted at the poor boy as she went and sat at the fallen tree near her.

Gilbert looked taken aback, he quickly regained his posture and said, "why would you think such an erroneous thought? I am not here to mock you and you are not hideous," Gilbert spoke, truthfulness clear in his voice. 

She didn't know what to make of such a statement. Was it a trap? Maybe an inconsiderate joke? But he seemed to truly mean it. No, she decided, she wouldn't be fooled, this was Gilbert Blythe being himself and lying to make people feel better. 

"Why are you here? Who sent you?" She inquired.

"No one sent me, and I'm here to see that you don't do anything rash; I was there, remember? I saw what happened, but they were wrong, you know? You aren't an ugly orphan, you are beautiful." 

Oh right, she remembered. Gilbert had seen her in the spin the bottle game, he had seen her run off, and he followed her? 

"Oh please, you are just saying those things to make me feel good about my horrid appearance."

"Stop saying that Anne," Gilbert implored as he cautiously got closer to her, " you are not hideous."

Gilbert's calm voice did nothing to help her hysterics.

"But I am. I am very ugly, I have monstrous red hair and horrible freckles, no one would kiss me." Anne was now in tears.

"I think you are wrong, you have beautiful, fiery hair, flowing like a spark, your freckles remind me of constellations in the sky, and I would kiss you Anne Shirley-Cuthbert." Gilbert was now sitting next to her in the fallen log, and Anne didn't care about being close to him, but she knew that he was lying.

"Gilbert, you can stop pretending, I will go back to the school house, you don't have to lie like that for me to go back." Anne said, although she would have loved for it to have been true, that someone did indeed think of her as beautiful, she knew it was a trick, just a trick of the light, and it wouldn't last long. 

"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, I refuse for you to believe that, I mean what I said, from the bottom of my heart, and if you would let me, I'd like to prove another of your statements wrong." He said, carefully phrasing those words with the deepest of kindness.

A statement, what was he talking about? What had- Anne couldn't finish her train of thought because Gilbert gently smashed his soft lips onto hers.

For the first time, she was left speechless, she couldn't decide on what to say, or do. Gilbert Blythe had just kissed her? And although she had said time and time again that she would be the bride of adventure, she had to admit that she couldn't deny the fact that she felt an attraction to the boy. 

Anne pulled away from him, "heed my words, if this is a cruel joke, you will regret it." Anne finished giving him a pointed look.

Gilbert looked relieved, "No joke," he said, and leaned in and kissed her once more. Anne had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised. Once the kiss was over, both lovers blushed and sat in the woods, holding hands, not a word needed to be said, for they already knew the truth.

Gilbert loved Anne and Anne loved Gilbert. 

Chapter Text

As the bell rang, Anne was pulled out of her newest fantasy, and into the world of "Girl talk," as Diana and the other girls preferred to call it.
Today's topic was the same as it had been for the last week, boys.
"I simply don't understand what everyone's obsession with boys is,” Anne proclaimed, “I would much rather belong to myself than to a husband, and since the only way for that to happen is for me to not be married, I shall be the bride of adventure, that will be most exciting. "
"I don't think that you'll have to worry about breaking anyone's heart Anne, so you'll be fine," Josie Pye retorted, looking at Anne with a pitying yet sincere expression.
"Josie Pye, how dare you." Diana shouted, glaring at Josie. Once she determined Josie had understood that she wouldn't tolerate insults aimed at her bosom friend, she turned to Anne and spoke clearly and kindly, "Anne, you might want to reconsider. There has got to be someone you like, everyone likes someone." Diana looked at her fiery haired friend with care, "maybe we can convince you to at least consider it?" She said with hope clear in her voice..
Anne knew she would be unable to win, so she would humor them, for the sake of her friendship, "fine," was all she said.
The other girls beamed with excitement at the prospect of changing Anne’s headstrong views. They were all sitting around on a circle on the school house floor, sharing their lunches, as they did every day while they talked, but today would be different.

Today, Anne was the center of attention.

"Anne, for us to be able to change your mind, we have to show you that boys are nice, handsome and some are most certainly cute." Jane said speaking to the whole group but directing herself to Anne, "the boys which I wouldn't mind being married to must have curly, raven hair and be of considerable height. But I do like boys that are shy, I live with Billy, so I don't take too kindly to loud, attention-seeking males," Jane said, humor evident in her voice as she spoke about her brother, who Josie most definitely had taken a liking to, "but that's what I like, everyone here likes different qualities."
Anne thought about what Jane had just shared, she had to agree with her, raven hair with slight curls did bring color to her cheeks, but she didn't quite mind the height, but the raven haired boy she had summoned to mind was taller than her, so she supposed she also did like boys to be taller than her. And he wasn't an attention seeker, he wasn't shy either, he had values and stood by and protected them, and that was something Anne admired.
'Hold on,' Anne thought, 'why is he floating around in my mind? I have no desire to engage in a romantic relationship with boys, much less with him. I am to be the bride of adventure, so begone, do not return to my conscious mind again.' She had now managed to clear her head after the confusing, yet seemingly flowing and normal, train of thought her mind had embarked on. Anne then remembered that she was in fact not alone, so she returned her attention to the girls, who were deciding who should go next.

"I should go next, after all, my taste in boys is much different from Jane's, and we said Anne needed to see different qualities," Josie exclaimed, looking for an opportunity to talk.
"Your taste in boys is my brother, and I doubt Anne would take a liking to such boys," Jane added scornfully to the golden haired girl currently glaring daggers at her.
"Maybe I could go?" Said Ruby, attempting to join the conversation, but she was quickly turned down by the other girls.
"But Ruby, your taste in boys is Gilbert," Tillie said
"It isn't as though others fit his profile, we want to show Anne that you can have a broad profile for boys," Diana added
Leaving their arguing to join the conversation Jane proceeded to add, "You are simply going to turn this into a conversation about Gilbert.”
Ruby stood up, her curls slightly out of place due to her sudden and quick movements. She carefully checked that no one else was present in the school house, and then sat down looking at the other girls with the most mysterious of faces. "It's not only Gilbert I have taken a liking to," Ruby said, speaking in hushed tones, "there is someone else whom I like, I did not realize it earlier, but during the dance practice, my feelings became clear." Ruby continued, looks of awe spreading through the group. And although Anne was amazed and glad that Ruby had found someone else apart from Gilbert, she couldn't help but think about what Ruby was saying, she too had felt her emotions become more clear during the dance, it was as if-
"I was finally awake," Ruby finished for both her own explanation, and Anne's silent discovery.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are very proud of you Ruby, it is most spectacular that you have been able to move on slightly from your great obsession with the one and only Gilbert Blythe." Diana spoke, pride emanating off of her, she then changed her formal attitude, giggling and added, "so Ruby, who is your new beau?"
"Oh I don't know if I should say," Ruby said ever so softly, but the girls would not be deterred. They were all pleading, begging, bribing, and in the case of Josie Pye, threatening.
Finally, Ruby was won over by Tillie's comment, "you can trust us," Tillie said, "and besides, we are all well aware that you will be unable to keep this to yourself for more than three more days."
And so, Ruby gave in, "I have taken a liking to Moody," she said quickly and then turned away, a rouge tone settling on her cheeks, she hid her face with her hands so as to hide the redness that was worthy of competing with Anne's sunset hair.
"I think he has taken a liking to you as well Ruby," Anne spoke for the first time since the "meeting" had begun.

Ruby lifted her fingers ever so slightly, allowing Anne to look into her eyes and asked, "do you truly think so?" To which Anne could only see fit to respond with a nod in the most sincere of manners.
Josie looked at Anne briefly before speaking as well, "although I greatly dislike agreeing with Anne, I have to say, she is right. Moody has certainly taken a liking to you," she said smiling, to which Ruby responded in kind.
She was no longer hiding her face and was laughing heartily with the other girls, now that Ruby was more confident in herself, Jane saw it fit to ask, "does that mean that you are no longer obsessed with Gilbert? Is he free for us to choose him as our beau?"
Although Jane had asked it for no ulterior motives and simply out of curiosity, these specific questions had sparked something inside of Anne which begged her to listen close to the response.

"To be entirely truthful, I am unsure. I know in my heart that my love for him is unrequited, and I know that I am no longer obsessed. And if one of you were to be his beau, I know that I can accept it," Ruby looked at her friends before adding, "but not yet, so don't go around declaring your love for Gilbert just yet."

Anne sighed in relief, she was unsure why she was relieved, or why her heart was beating faster than it had before.
But the image of the raven haired boy, who had saved her from Billy on their first encounter, to whom she had written a letter to when he was far off, the boy who came to mind when she was questioned about her taste in boys.
But she did not take a liking to him, she told herself, she was not like Ruby, she was not one to like boys, and she was not one to have boys take a liking to her. She would not submit herself to unrequited love, so she would rather not put herself in a position in which she would have to decide if she loved the boy or not.
'Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, what are you thinking,' she scolded herself, 'love a boy? And Gilbert Blythe at that?' She must certainly be losing her mind.

Before she could begin to argue with herself, Diana decided to continue on their initial journey, to convince Anne to give boys a fair chance against adventure.

Chapter Text

The sound of the bell ringing was quickly followed by the noise of many shoes running away from the school house. Of course, the only people who were running were boys, the girls stayed behind talking about god knows what.

The other boys said that they were talking about them, but Gilbert didn’t think so. He knew that they talked about them occasionally, but the girl’s talks were always more entertaining and fun than theirs, mainly because of the certain redhead who always had her mind far away in a beautiful fantasy. And he also knew that the boys couldn’t call the girls shallow either, since they also talked about them. Well, the others did, Gilbert would simply listen. But today wouldn’t be one of those days.

“I'm just saying, Josie is much prettier than all the other girls, but Ruby is obviously suited for you Moody, that is, if she can stop gushing over Gilbert,” said Billy as he gave a pointed look at him.

Gilbert looked up, realizing that he was required to answer that statement. What should he say? That he had no interest in Ruby? That he was considering courting someone from Charlottetown? That he was regretting considering courting someone from Charlottetown because of another certain girl who wanted nothing to do with him? Finally, he decided to go simple. “I have no interest in courting Ruby, and I know that she would much rather you court her than me.” He said looking over to Moody.

Billy’s head shot up as he heard that, most likely sensing an opportunity to get at Gilbert, “why do you say that Gilbert? Got someone in mind to court?” he inquired, with a slight sarcastic tone. ‘Why couldn’t he have stayed helping his father instead of coming to visit them today?’ Gilbert asked himself, but he needed to think of a good remark to bring Billy down, yet someone beat him to his own rescue.

“Please, Gilbert, this Gilbert, courting someone? I don't mean to be rude, but he would much rather travel the world than settle down, as he has already shown.” Said the least expected of voices, Charlie Sloane.

“Well, I am surprised Charlie, you’ve never been this talkative, who are you trying to impress?” asked Moody, and as much as it pained to admit it, he was glad to have been saved by Charlie, this way, the attention slipped to him instead, and Gilbert had to admit that he too was curious as to Charlie’s sudden change in courage.

What Moody said seemed to have hit home, because Charlie was suddenly getting red and redder, not like her fiery hair, Gilbert thought, no, the color that had taken place upon all of Charlie’s face resembled a tomato rather than her free, fiery hair which resembled her spirit in so many ways. “If you must know, I am trying to impress the girl which I intend to court, and I thought that being more chivalrous would gain her attention, but she doesn’t seem to care for what I do, or what any of the boys do for that matter. I don't know what I am doing wrong.” Charlie said, looking down at his feet as he spoke.

‘This has taken a fascinating turn,’ Gilbert thought, who might this girl be, that Charlie thought he would have to become more chivalrous to impress? Although, when he spoke about her ignoring other boys, Gilbert could only think about one girl who could fit such a profile. And he was not joyous that Charlie had decided to court her, but he knew that she would not take him as a suitor, or any other boy for that matter.

“It's Anne that you’re trying to impress, isn’t it?” Gilbert asked, already knowing the answer. Moody’s and Billy’s eyes opened as though they were two big plates on their faces. How could they not have realized this? Gilbert pondered. She was the only girl who didn’t care for boys, which greatly saddened Gilbert, for he would have loved to court her. But he could at least be satisfied with the knowledge that Charlie would not succeed on his quest to charm Anne.

“Anne? You want to court her?” Billy asked, laughing at the notion, “you can at least know that you will have no competition for courtship, but why would you choose her?” Gilbert shifted around uncomfortably, Billy didn't know what he was talking about, Anne was the single most interesting individual he had ever had the pleasure to meet. She created worlds inside her head, marvelous fantasies which he longed to be a part of. And he was also wrong on another aspect, Charlie had competition, but he knew that Anne would choose neither, which is why he was considering courting Winnie. But of course, as with everything else, Gilbert couldn't say what his heart spoke, so he stayed silent and watched Charlie defend the girl of his dreams.

"Well first of all, Charlie said, "Anne is different to the other girls, she is peculiar, and I don't mean to sound rude to any of you who are courting the other girls, but they all seem to be rather boring and bland. In comparison to them, she is exciting. However, I have heard that females like Anne with strong intellectual prowess and strong characters tend to be barren, and I do not wish for that to happen to her. She also doesn't seem to care much about the duties of a wife, which is what I most dislike about her-"

Gilbert couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anne barren due to her high intellect? Disliked simply because she wanted to be more than a wife? No, Anne was a free spirit, enthusiastic, extremely intelligent, full of life. And her qualities made her self-willed and defiant. She was her own person, and he loved her for it. So hearing Charlie talk about Anne in such a manner, he wouldn't stand for it, she and the other girls were more than objects that were destined to be wives, or owned by men. They were their own beings, their own person. And for what Charlie said about Anne, no-one would disrespect her in such a manner.

Gilbert rose and looked down at Charlie who was squirming under his glare, "Anne is not defined by her ability to be a wife, nor her ability to carry children. She is magnificent and amazing just as she is, and so are the other girls. You will not disrespect Anne or the others again, is that clear?" Gilbert spoke with a commanding tone that he had never used, not because he didn't know he had it, but because he never saw a reason to use it. But she was the best reason for him to use his commanding attitude.

Surprisingly, none of the other boys said anything or mocked him, Billy seemed resigned, knowing better than to argue with him and Moody simply looked at Charlie, waiting to see what he would do. Charlie was looking all around him, assessing the situation, he then looked at Gilbert, measured him up, weighed his odds against him and stood up. It seemed that he thought he could win against him, that was a mistake.

Charlie's whimsy hands were now flying at Gilbert's face. Despite his strong act, Charlie was not born a fighter, and Gilbert simply pushed Charlie into the ground. But he didn't trust him to stay down, so he kept his foot on top of him, much like a hunter with his prey.
"Why do you care so much Gilbert? You have no interest in girls, much less her," Charlie's voice was but a squeak, his chivalrous and brave act had disappeared long ago.
Gilbert pushed Charlie deeper into the ground. He should tell him what he thought. She was the most interesting individual in this town, everyone talked about her as though she were a being from another world, but she wasn't. She shared such a wondrous connection with everything on this Earth. And he cared about her because, because he -

"I'm in love with her. I love Anne, and you won't disgrace her again," Gilbert whispered menacingly so that only Charlie could hear, but he knew that he would tell the rest. And he didn't care, 'let them know,' he thought as he walked away, leaving behind a hurting Charlie on the ground and two boys staring at each other in awe.

Chapter Text

Anne was sorrowful, 'no,' she thought, 'that isn't the right word, she was despaired, miserable.' She had finally figured out how she felt about Gilbert, finally admitted that she had taken a liking to him, no, she had figured out that she was in love with him. She had never thought she would ever have such strong feelings towards someone, much less Gilbert Blythe, but there she was, crystalline drops falling from her face and creating a pond on her pillow. Was this what her life was destined to be? Filled with unrequited love?

She gazed out the window which held the alluring forest, calling to her. Quickly and quietly she put her warm jacket on, placed her boots on, grabbed a scarf and headed out into the chilly evening. Once out, with the soothing wind blowing in her face and the calm sight of the nightly and deserted forest, Anne felt at peace, she was alone, with only her feelings and the memory of the boy for whom she was falling for, walking and courting an attractive young woman, with beautiful golden locks. How could she ever compete with that! She was so lady-like and perfect, she doubted even Diana would have been able to compete with her beauty.

She whisked the thought away, she couldn't let it poison her stay in the wondrous forest. Her hands wandered to the tall tree trunks with their rough yet comforting texture, she gazed upwards where the night sky was a river flowing around the tops of the looming trees. She kept walking until she reached a spot that had once filled her with joy and happiness, but now surrounded her with broken hopes and dreams.
Finally, Anne let herself fall to her knees. It was there in that moment, surrounded by her lost hope that Anne was able to truly bring herself to tears, she was sure that there would be no one to judge her, it felt so fitting that she should go there once again to sink into sorrow once more, yet it also felt so discomforting for she had once experienced such passion and excitement in what used to be her book-club. But now only its ruins remained, they had become a graveyard of her buried hopes.
She clutched what used to be part of a window frame and held it close, as though it were a teddy bear offering her the comfort of a childhood she had never had. Why must the world hate her so? How was it that any joy she ever had was short-lived? Did she spread unhappiness to others? Was she the source for her friends' unhappiness?
She clutched the piece of wood even tighter, bringing her knees to her chest and rocking forward and backwards ever so slightly so as to soothe herself. She could feel the splinters in the wood, the slight holes where a nail had once been, the midway ridge that had held part of the window, but was now broken. Just like her.
Why was it that when she had finally decided to let go of her fantasy of being the bride of adventure that she was given such a fate? She had finally decided to allow herself to care for him, and what did that get her? A broken heart.

As more crystalline tears rolled down her cheek, she wondered if she would be like a maiden from the stories, who had cried for her lost love so much that she had flooded the valley upon which she had let her tears roll. But she decided that she didn't possess such magical qualities that would allow her to flood the forest. She wasn’t that-
Although she would have loved to have continued to fall into despair, the sound of distant branches snapping gained her attention.

'Someone's coming,' Anne thought, should she run or hide? Maybe it was Matthew who had woken up and noticed her missing, maybe it was her friend fox, but she doubted either of them would have snapped a branch, they could both be careful when they wished to be. She decided the best course of action would be to hide behind a tree that could offer her cover, but that she could still view whoever was wandering the forests at this ungodly hour.
From the safe cover of the large tree upon which she had hidden, Anne could begin to see the figure. It was only when it came closer that she noticed that it was neither Matthew or the fox who had been walking around the forest, and it also wasn’t Marilla.
The stranger which Anne was currently spying on was a young man, with curly black hair and charming hazel eyes, it was the one and only Gilbert Blythe. ‘What is he doing here?’ Anne thought as she observed him.
Although Gilbert usually had a charismatic smile with life emanating off his eyes, it didn’t seem to be the case today. Replacing his smile was a deep frown, and his eyes seemed dull, as though he had been crying.
In an attempt to get a better look, she moved to the shorter branches of the tree that provided her protection, but as she cautiously approached her new hiding spot, the branch cracked under her feet.

“Who’s there?” Gilbert asked as he scrambled to his feet, drying his tears in the process. Anne knew there was no way she’d be able to get out without being spotted by him, so as her next best option, she stepped into the light that the night sky was emitting.

“It’s just me,” Anne murmured, ‘it’s only me,’ she thought, ‘no one important like your beau.’

As Gilbert saw Anne emerging from the tree, he was stunned to say the least. What was she doing in the forest in the middle of the night? He looked downwards and noticed the broken boards, he was at the spot of her old book club, maybe she wanted to rebuild it? “What are you doing here Anne? it’s the middle of the night.” Gilbert said, looking at her worried.

Anne shuffled her feet, not looking into his eyes, “I should ask you the same question Gilbert,” she spat out.

Gilbert looked up at Anne's spiteful eyes, and although she didn't wish to look at him, she felt the need to, after all, he was the cause of her trip to the woods. As she looked into his eyes, she could now see the redness in them, the sadness in them. He had certainly been crying, but that wouldn't change anything, 'let him cry and be sad,' she thought. She knew it was not right of her to wish that upon him, but she wanted him to feel at least a fragment of what she was feeling.
"I couldn't sleep," Gilbert spoke, his voice unusually quiet and small, "I came to the forest to clear my head."

"Is that why you've been crying then?" Anne inquired, "because you couldn't sleep?" She knew that it was simply her anger talking, that she didn't mean to actually offend Gilbert, but oh, how she wanted to make him mad at her, because then she'd have another reason to be mad at him, not just because he broke her stupid heart.

"Why are you mad at me?" Gilbert asked, annoyance clear in his voice, "I have not bothered you at school, the girls are not excluding you anymore, and I have not caused you any troubles. So do enlighten me as to why in God's name you are mad at me, what have I done to deserve this treatment Anne?"

She knew she wanted to make him mad, but she hadn't realised how hurt she would feel to hear his anger being directed at her, but he still hadn't felt the full force of her own annoyance and sadness. So if he wanted to know why she was angry at him, she wouldn't deprive him of that knowledge.
"You want to know why I'm angry at you, Blythe? I'm angry because you'd led me to believe that I was wanted, that I could achieve love, and I truly did believe it. I saw it was just an illusion, because why would you ever want me when you had a pretty beau that you were courting. Do you know how it feels to have a broken heart Gilbert? Because I do, because I have one. So I'm sorry that you can't sleep, but if you could wander somewhere else in the forest, as far away from me as possible, it would be greatly appreciated."
And although she had been feeling the urge to simply drop and drown on her own tears, when she finished speaking, she noted that she felt as though lava was flowing through her veins, she was sad, but her anger was stronger, her determination was stronger. So if Gilbert wouldn't leave her alone, she would leave, she had no intention to be around him any longer than what she had to.

As she turned around and prepared to leave, Gilbert spoke.

"I wasn't crying because I couldn't sleep Anne, I was crying because I thought I made the wrong choice." He said, looking at her with pleading eyes. "I chose to court Winnie, but she wasn't who I truly loved, who I truly wanted to court. I wanted to court the beautiful, intelligent, creative, daring red headed girl who I've fallen in love with. The girl who hugs trees, who writes until she can write no more. Who builds worlds around her with merely her words. The girl who hit me with a slate, because she stood up for herself, even if no one else did. The girl who cannot stand for any injustice, who will protect and accept all. Anne, you are the person I love, the one I wanted to court. But I thought those feelings were simply on my part, that you would never want to be courted. So no, you've not been led on, because I meant every word, every smile, and I mean what I say now. I love you, and I don't think I will ever stop."

Silence followed, Anne was unsure how to proceed, ‘if there was ever a moment to lack the words to express myself, this surely was not the one’.

As the saying goes, actions sometimes speak louder than words, and that most certainly held true when Anne approached Gilbert, slow but sure steps until they were millimeters apart.

“Although I lack the words to express just how much I love you, I can show you if you would grant me this favor,” she said, staring at him with unwavering passion.

Gilbert, never one to miss on a chance to reciprocate, closed the gap in their distance.

‘love’, Anne thought to herself as she melted into the kiss, ‘can conquer it all’