The search of Green Gables was an idea placed in Detective Ellwyn's head by none other than a very earnest Thomson.

The ambitious man was still determined to solve the case of the Barry wagon and he knew Anne was connected and he thought most likely the suspect. He intended to prove it. He went to Detective Ellwyn's office not long after Joseph's interview and told him all of his information regarding the discovery of the crash.

Thomson told him how Gilbert had lied about the horse Belle being from Mr Barry's stables. He also informed Detective Ellwyn about the time when a girl who bade an uncanny likeness to Anne Shirley Cuthbert lied to him about her name being Agatha Riley and their conversation in the woods. He told the Detective that precious items had gone missing from the Barry household which most people wouldn't have been able to take. Most people, aside from Anne who had access and plenty of opportunities to steal them.

When Billy Andrews arrived at the detective's office, he found it deserted. It was dark and quiet in the street, the stars shining down for the last time before the storm would take over the sky. Billy peered through the windows but it was empty. An old man was sitting on a step of a shop opposite the offices, weaving baskets with some hazel. He looked to Billy like he'd been there a while. Billy ran to him.

"Hey, you. Did you see or hear where Detective Ellwyn has gone to?" Billy asked indignantly.

The old man looked up in surprise.

"Oh, indeed - well I have seen a small troop of policemen and another fellow who I believe to be the detective. They've all gone to some place called -- oh what was it? Gane? No, Giles? Gable? Something Gable... not long ago it was."

"Green Gables?" Billy demanded.

"Why, yes-- that's it!" The man nodded, happy to help.

Billy took off, running all the way to Green Gables. It was a long way and it had gotten dark by that time, with only the moon to guide him along the road. The wind was whipping his cheeks cold, as the clouds churned with the incoming storm. Billy knew time was of the essence and Anne was smart, she could even work out a way to escape. She could run away and he'd never be able to hand her in. He finally reached Green Gables and saw several wagons parked outside the gates.

The sight from the window of Detective Ellwyn arriving with the policemen had horrified Marilla. As if the night couldn't get any worse, with first Anne not coming home and worrying about Gilbert going out to find her and then this! Neither Matthew nor Marilla could go to sleep all night so Marilla was cleaning the kitchen furiously while Matthew alternated pacing the barn and pacing the yard. It wasn't long after Gilbert left to search for Anne that the policemen reached Green Gables, getting out of their wagons and meeting a shocked Matthew at the gate.

"We have a warrant to search Green Gables." Said Detective Ellwyn, brandishing the paper like a veritable weapon. "We have reason to believe there are stolen items in your property."

Matthew was horrified to be faced by such an awful confrontation. This was a matter concerning Anne, he had no doubt. He'd heard many troubling things about what people thought she'd done. He didn't believe a word of it. Matthew's wide eyes took in the daunting sight of the men, not wanting to let them into his home to search for such items which he felt sure were not there. He knew they were working to uphold the law and keep the peace so he should trust them but why were they here?

"Well now, I don't know anything about stolen items." Said Matthew bravely.

"As I said, we have reason to believe--"

That was when Marilla appeared.

"Goodness me, what is all this fuss about?" She demanded, looking around at the men imposing upon her shy brother. Matthew moved slightly behind Marilla, relieved she was here to help handle the situation.

"Ma'am, I have a warrant to search Green Gables." Detective Ellwyn sighed internally.

He did not like Marilla, she was not so easily influenced as others. He found her exhausting.

"Oh, it's you." Marilla frowned at the man. She didn't like him much either. "Why do you want to search Green Gables? Didn't you intrude enough into our family before?"

"We have reason to believe there are stolen items on this property. We have to search it, so do not resist. It will only incriminate Anne further." The detective said impatiently.

"Stolen items?" Marilla was aghast. "This is absolutely ridiculous, Anne is innocent. If you really insist, then search away, we have nothing to hide and nothing for you to find."

Matthew hesitated, glancing at his older sister. He didn't like this one bit. He felt wrong letting strangers search his home, it was private and sacred to him. It was true, he didn't have anything to hide but he didn't feel that it was necessary to have to prove that. He knew Anne was innocent, he found it offensive they disregarded the obvious truth.

"Matthew, open the gate." Marilla tutted and he obliged, not without distaste. She pointed her finger at the Detective. "If a single thing is broken or misplaced I will come after each and every one of you."

That was how Green Gables fell into a search by the policemen. Nothing became of it for a long while, the search continued, thoroughly uprooting every unturned corner of Green Gables. Matthew retreated into the porch and stood looking in as his home was turned inside out for evidence of Anne's guilt. Marilla stood firmly unmoving in the kitchen, arms crossed with her face a picture of disapproving judgement.

Moments before Billy Andrews arrived that a young policeman who had only recently joined the force entered Anne's room. The man was named Wilson and he was a curious fellow who ached to belong. He joined the force to make something of himself and do some good in the world so he was eager to please.

Upon entering Anne's shadowy, unlit abode Wilson felt a rush of awe at the collections of natural found objects, the artistic creations, the piles of stories and bunches of dried flowers set around the room. Wilson had never encountered such a place. He thought it was special and he felt it was wrong to intrude on such a hallow. But his job was important to him and he'd get in trouble for not doing it.

Wilson walked into the room and looked around, stumbled on a loose floor board and tripped up. The floor board had been loose for a long time and Anne had discovered this when she first came to Green Gables. It was her secret hideaway nook and she stashed a great many treasured possessions there. Joseph had found it too when he came into her room to hide evidence to frame her. He had left it ajar so that somebody would find it and it was Officer Wilson who finally did.

Wilson knelt down and lifted the board, bringing a lamp down to illuminate the small box-like shape beneath the boards. There was something glittering inside... A delicate diamond necklace, a fine opal pin shaped like a heart and a rich red hair ribbon with the initials D.B. elegantly embroidered onto the fabric.

Wilson's heart beat quickened when he saw this. The initials simply had to be Diana Barry's. Besides, the Cuthberts were not nearly rich enough to own items such as these, even heirlooms would have been sold after the family came into debt not long ago. Wilson remembered hearing about it and feeling sorry for them. He thought that the Cuthberts were a nice family but he didn't know Anne. He'd never met her, his only experience of the girl was her wonderful room.

If he had met her, he definitely wouldn't have taken Diana's stolen possessions downstairs and shown them to Detective Ellwyn.

The detective took them, instantly realised what they were and where they must have come from and he looked up at Marilla. Her face was pale and shocked. Anne couldn't have... could she? Matthew was watching from the door, heart pounding. He turned away in confusion, a deep frown crossing his brow. He heard running footsteps and looked down out into the night. The lamp light poured down from the door into the yard and Matthew recognised Billy Andrews crossing the yard towards him.

What was he doing at Green Gables?

"Mr Cuthbert!" Billy shouted out breathlessly. "Where is the detective? I have to tell him something!"

...

In her short years Anne's heart had been through more emotional turmoil than most humans experienced in their entire lives.

Her childhood was full of abuse and hard work with small relents of desperate hopes and dreams of a better life and the relished moments escaping into literature. Then was the overwhelmingly joyful process of being adopted and the shattering heartbreak upon being sent away and the indescribable relief and gratitude of being brought home to live at Green Gables by Matthew. Following was the emotional ups and downs of school and trials of friendships and town mishaps. Most of all, the powerful love she felt made her life incredibly difficult to bear and at the same time was the only reason she could bear it. The love which grew in her heart with the Cuthberts and the pain and fear she felt of losing them throughout the entire ordeal of Joseph was the worst so far.

It was all beginning to rival with the boy who never failed to leave her heart and feelings in ruin after every encounter. After his confession Anne felt breathless, her heart was leaping inside her chest and her mind was blank. She didn't know what to do or to say to Gilbert. She didn't know how she felt about everything he'd just said. All she knew was that he was very important to her too and she needed him in her life.

"Gilbert, do you really mean it?" Anne whispered.

She still held a slither of doubt for his words, after years of people not caring for her she found it hard to accept love and care. Gilbert nodded apprehensively. The barn was dark and Anne could barely see him through the poorly-lit room. He wasn't far away, she could hear his uneven breaths and see the outline of his curly hair, lying messy on his head. Anne thought about how it felt to be held in his arms and her heart soared.

"I care about you too," Anne murmured.

Gilbert's heart was thumping hard, thundering like a charging horse, trying to escape his ribcage as Anne spoke. She made him so nervous. The anticipation of what she would say next made him feel like running away. She cared about him? That was more than he expected to hear from her.

"Gilbert, it is hard for me," Anne was glad of the dark hiding the flush flooding her cheeks. "You're right about that. All of this is hard - I'm not... I'm not well-experienced with this type of thing. I am afraid that I'm not what you're looking for, I mean I certainly won't be as good a person as you deserve. You need--"

"Are you joking?" Gilbert was frustrated with her low opinion of self. "Don't assume I need anything more - Anne, you are everything -- I -- I don't want anybody else."

"Gilbert, I can't be a wife -- I can't tell you what you want to hear." Anne was empassioned. "I'm not like Ruby or Josie or all of the other girls who want a Beaux... I don't care about courting or any of that, I want to go out into the world, explore and I want to learn. I want to be my own woman! I can't be a wife, obeying and tending the home and cleaning and--"

Gilbert blanched. "I don't want that either! Anne, I can't believe you'd think I want that for you."

Anne silenced abruptly.

"I want you to be happy," Gilbert told her, his voice sore. "I don't want to be with anyone who would be happy and content as a housewife - if there are any girls in the world who would be happy cooped up in a home day in day out..."

"I really would be a terrible wife." Anne added quickly.

"We're rather young for all that anyway but I do believe you'd be an awfully brilliant wife and not in any of the ways you think I'd like." The dark-haired boy insisted. His throat still hurt to speak but he couldn't keep it in anymore. "I don't want any obeying or that tending house nonsense -- I'm not interested in that type of life, I want the same as you - to learn and grow and explore the world and be my own man. We could do that together. Don't you see? We are the same."

Anne paused.

"For the longest time you were my enemy. I suppose now I know what a true enemy looks like I realise you're quite the opposite." She spoke softly, so quietly that Gilbert hung on her words.

"I've never been your enemy, Anne." Gilbert sighed. "I'd never do anything to hurt you, not since the day I tugged your braid... Even then I didn't mean to hurt you or your feelings -- I was young and stupid, I was desperate to get your attention."

"You are special to me." Anne admitted.

Anne felt so vulnerable with Gilbert, more than she ever had been. She had never opened up to him properly on this matter, she'd kept the truth guarded safe inside her and it was hard to let it out finally. It was the first time she had honestly voiced her feelings about him. He had grown from somebody she convinced herself she despised to somebody she cared a great deal for.

"I have to tell you the truth, same as you did with me. It's only fair. As friends or whatever we are, I believe we should be equal in all things going forward, especially in honesty. Keeping secrets is no good. It will lead to arguments, I know it. All relationships need a foundation of trust, which I intend to build if there is not already one. On my part I feel there are the strong makings of one... I trust you, Gilbert. In fact, I've felt lately that if I somehow lost you it would cause an intolerable, irreversible pain in my heart." Anne continued. "I do care for you, truly I do. It means so much to me that you care about me. I used to hate it, it used to make me furious but I think I understand now."

"I trust you, Anne. Of course I do."

"Well, I have to be honest in something else. I can't promise you anything, all I have is myself and I'm not entirely ready to part with any piece of me yet..." Anne said.

Gilbert smiled slightly. "I have enough promises to keep for you for the time being, you just give me any pieces you can spare and I will keep them safe."

Anne felt a tug under her ribs, a pleasant ache in her stomach. Gilbert was the only one who did that to her. Perhaps it wasn't so hard to imagine something between them if Anne pictured it in moments like these, giddy and heady with emotions and tense with meaningful conversations. Anne didn't know it but Gilbert already had a piece of her, an integral piece that beat harder and harder then they were together.

"We don't have to rush into anything, I don't want to force you into something you don't feel comfortable with." Gilbert slowly mulled over his thoughts aloud, eager for her to understand his reasons. "I just couldn't hide the truth any longer, I needed to tell you."

"It's alright, Gil." Anne said under her breath. "I'm not angry with you."

"You're not?"

"No," She exhaled. "Not anymore."

"I'm relieved." Gilbert confessed.

There was a long silence, while the two sat in the dark and listened to their hearts slowly calming down. They never returned to their usual beat until they were out of each other's company but eventually they slowed and Anne's mind suddenly turned to home and the pressing matter of Billy Andrews. The panic returned abruptly and she felt the familiar ache of fear weighing in her stomach.

"Oh, but we don't have time for any of this. How could it slip my mind? You always distract me -- Gilbert, it was Billy Andrews who brought me here. He saw me at Orchard Way, I think he saw me going inside the houses... he knows I went inside and he thought I'd broken into them and stolen things. He locked me in here and went to fetch Detective Ellwyn. They're probably on their way here right now - if the detective sees me here he'll believe everything Billy told him!" Anne hurried, grey eyes wide. "We have to go, right now!"

Anne tried to get up but her legs were weak and she stumbled. Gilbert sprang up instantly and caught her as her legs wavered. Anne gripped his arms and tried to catch her balance as her long hair fell into her face. Anne breathed deeply, frustration welling up. She couldn't wait until she was strong again.

"Slow down, Anne." Gilbert looked down at her pale face.

He knew it was hard for her not to be able to move freely. It was hard for him too. They were both used to being able to throw themselves headfirst fearlessly into anything and now they were inhibited by their injuries and it was enormously irritating for such free spirits like them. He understood how she felt, more than anyone else did.

"We don't have much time." Anne said frantically.

"We have enough time to get you home. I don't think it matters what Billy tells the Detective, the truth will come out eventually. Especially after what my friend James Riley will tell him... We went to see James, Diana and I. He knows so much about Joseph, it will turn the opinion I'm sure."

Anne tried to breathe slower, to focus and make sense of Gilbert's words.

"Everything will be alright, see? I promised, didn't I?" Gilbert spoke gently.

Anne nodded slightly, closing her eyes and focusing on the feel of Gilbert so close to her, always a calm and reassuring presence. He had promised and he went all the way to the docks to see his old friend just to get information which would help Anne. He meant what he said. Anne had faith in him and she trusted he believed his words and would try everything in his power to fulfill his promises.

"I'm still worried that they won't believe it and they'll take--" Anne stopped.

She opened her eyes and looked up to Gilbert and he thought in that moment she looked very fragile. This was a rare look on the usually fierce and tough Anne. Gilbert wanted to hide her away from the cruel world which he felt didn't deserve her. She was too good for it, she was full of love and kindness and the world just knocked her down every time. It wasn't fair.

"I can't leave Green Gables." Anne bit her lip anxiously.

Gil cupped Anne's pale face in his rough hands and looked her dead in the eyes. His deep brown ones met her stormy ones and she couldn't avoid his gaze. He said his next words with such determination that Anne's fear and doubt was shaken away for a moment.

"I won't let them take you. If they want to try they'll have to come through me."

...

Marilla Cuthbert had never been more frightened or angry in her life.

Anne was missing again, possibly dead with Gilbert Blythe searching the whole of Avonlea for her. Anne was accused of multiple robberies and violent attacks on her classmates and several of Mr Barry's riders. She was subject to investigations and searches and now there was a witness to her stealing from houses. Billy Andrews had claimed he'd seen Anne breaking into houses along Orchard Way and taking things.

Marilla knew in her heart that Anne was not responsible for this and that she was framed. She had to be. There was no way Anne could have done all of this... Once when Anne had first come to Avonlea she had lied about Marilla's precious amethyst broach being missing and been accused of stealing and sent away. She eventually was proven innocent and since then Anne had been honest and had always admitted to Marilla when she had done something wrong straight way.

Marilla knew Anne very well, she felt it was impossible that Anne had done these things. She trusted her.

After the almost impossible news of Billy Andrews watching Anne steal from several large houses along Orchard Way and the connection to repeated items going missing over the past few days and weeks Detective Ellwyn was almost entirely convinced that Anne was guilty. Nearly all reservations or doubt he had for Anne being responsible were thrown to the winds upon hearing there was a witness. But Detective Ellwyn didn't know Billy Andrews and he didn't know his history of hatred of Anne.

They set out that night to find Anne and take her to the Detective's office while they contacted the local constable. The rest of the policemen were all convinced Anne was guilty after Billy's convincing statement. Marilla was losing her calm, she was desperate to help prove Anne's innocence but she had no way to do so. She didn't know what she would do if Anne was taken away.

The policemen hounded through the woodcutter's woods as the rain started, dogs barking and hunting for the accused redhead. Detective Ellwyn was slightly conflicted. He believed that Anne was guilty, there was proof and a witness. That should be enough but something about the boy Gilbert Blythe's testimony against her guilt was drawing his doubts. Anne herself was easily pinned as guilty, being of orphan stock but her character was a stark contrast to any thieves he'd known before.

The woods were dark and the lamps flickered against the tall, spidery trees as the men moved quickly through the wet woods, their feet squelching in the mud. The moon was gone, hidden behind dark imposing clouds. The sky was rumbling with a storm and the cold wind whipped at the policemen. Billy Andrews was leading the way, trying to remember the path exactly. His heart was pounding with adrenalin and something else. Was it fear? Fear of how serious a thing this was?

The group stumbled upon the clearing and barn loomed up above them, a foreboding silhouette. Billy pointed. "That's it. Anne's in there." The policemen swarmed the building, observed the broken door and looked to Detective Ellwyn for the go ahead.

He nodded.

The door was smashed open by a veritable battering ram of three men. Billy thought it was a tad excessive for all of these people to be here for the apprehending of one girl, even if she did have a history of violence. Billy remembered how deceptively strong Anne was and how easily she knocked him down that day at school. He still hadn't forgiven her for that ultimate humiliation and it burned in resentment within his heart.

The double doors splintered and there was a flurry as the men surged into the dark building, searching every corner of the space. Hectic minutes passed as they overturned the old barn before there was a sudden silence when they realised the truth of the situation. There was nobody there. If the girl had been there, she was long gone.

"She's not here, Detective. Anne Shirley is gone." Said one of the men.

...

Anne and Gilbert had heard the dogs howling in the woods, their hunt echoing through the trees which shuddered in the strong wind. The rain was falling down from the coal-black sky as they made their way out of the barn. Gilbert had helped Anne get dressed and stand up and she was letting him support her as she walked through the clearing. Her wound was still very sore and caused her pain to walk. The woods had darkened further since Anne had been dragged into the barn and the forest floor was uneven, causing her to stumble several times, her grip on Gilbert's arm tightening.

The wind blew Anne's tangled red hair into her face and she pushed it out, squinting at her taller companion as her heart beat fast. She was afraid of being caught by the Detective and it seemed imminent in that moment. Gilbert looked down at her and she could just make out his familiar concerned expression as she shivered in the cold. He pulled her grey scarf from around his neck and wrapped it tightly back around her neck.

The pair made it to Diana's horse, who was agitated and desperate to get out of the horrible weather. The rain was picking up and Anne's hands were turning cold. It slowly soaked through their clothes and clung to their hair, trickling down their face and sucking the warmth from their bodies. The wind was a cruel addition to the storm, hitting their wet bodies in icy waves. Anne reached to Diana's horse and it reared up, causing Gilbert go tense as it neighed impatiently. The horse calmed at Anne's touch and Gilbert lifted her up by the waist. She clutched the reins and Gilbert climbed onto the horse behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Take me home, my dear creature." Anne whispered to the horse, before they rode off into the trees.

They both knew the dogs were hunting and would catch her scent from the way they had come before so Anne lead the horse a long way through the woods around the back of the houses, discovering a red dirt road which they didn't know was there. It was trickling down through the outskirts of the woods, the rain lashing down through the canopy of the trees. As soon as they passed into the fields the rain was heavier, making it hard to see as they rode fast through the fields. The only gratitude they held for the rain was in washing away their scent somewhat.

As they rode Anne and Gilbert realised they didn't recognise their surroundings and they were lost for a long time. Anne rode on, trusting to find something which would point her home and Gilbert was holding fast, placing his trust in Anne.

Eventually they came to a river. It was deep and ran like a silver ribbon through the dark fields, leading to the Barry Lake and the brook in the woods behind Green Gables. Anne lead Diana's horse into the water and they followed the river a far distance, galloping as the water sprayed up either side like a wave until the water came up to their feet and they trotted. The rain made the water rise and after a while they had the horse climb the verge and follow the water along through the tall grasses and reeds, which was slightly harder.

When Anne saw her woods she knew them at once. She urged the horse on, galloping across the soft mud and mossy hills through the familiar trees and beloved paths until she entered the fields of her home. Green Gables beamed up ahead like a haven, the lights shining through the windows despite the lateness of the night. Anne felt relief in her heart as she gazed at her home with bright eyes. Gilbert was thankful that Anne had made it back to Green Gables safely. Not long ago he was searching for her, doubtful she was even alive.

As they rode to the gate, Matthew came out from the Gables porch to meet her. He ran with that urgency that comes when seeing a missed loved one. Anne felt guilt for worrying them yet again. Despite it not being her fault, she felt responsible for them always being concerned over her wellbeing.

"Anne!" Matthew called. "Anne, are you alright?"

"Not entirely but oh Matthew I have so much to tell you and Marilla. I'm terribly sorry about everything--" Anne began earnestly.

Gilbert looked up and saw Marilla peering out of the Gables front door and as soon as she saw them she dropped the cloth she was holding and ran across the yard down to the large white gate. Her face was as pale as a sheet and she held a foreboding fear and dread in her eyes. She shook her head at Anne, almost lost for words.

"Anne, you can't be here. You must leave," Marilla said instantly. "Go anywhere else."

Anne's freckled face fell, confusion riddling it. "Wh--why?"

"Billy claims he saw you breaking into those large houses down Orchard Way, he told that blasted Detective that he had you shut away in some barn in the old woods out behind the houses!" Marilla rushed to tell Anne everything that had happened. "If they find you here, they'll know you got out and came straight from the barn. It's proof that he's telling some kind of truth -- It's condemning. Anne they want to take you. You need to be somewhere else -- anywhere. Not here."

"I don't understand--"

"Anne, they've been here. They know you haven't been here. They searched everywhere and they found some valuable possessions of Diana's hidden in your room."

"What? I don't have any such thing in my room." Anne cried. "They're all going to think I stole them! Even my poor Diana, surely she couldn't think I stole them? Oh Marilla!"

"Joseph did this," Gilbert clenched his jaw furiously. "That wretched boy planted them in your room."

Matthew felt horrified at the thought of a strange boy coming into Green Gables when he wasn't aware of it. Anne looked down at her adored guardians, uncertain of everything in her life but the trust she held in those she loved. Of course she couldn't come here. She had to have an alibi. She had to be somewhere else and she had to have been there all night during the time Billy said he saw her stealing. Where could she go though?

"They believe you are guilty, you have to go." Marilla said sternly. "Don't go worrying yourself about what they think you did - I dare say we'll sort it out soon enough."

Marilla's curt, hurried words were harsh but Anne could see the fear lingering beneath the steely surface. The deep love which Marilla kept for Anne had warmed and blossomed since they met, thawing her cold, saddened heart after so many years. Nobody knew quite how precious Anne was to Marilla. Nobody else mattered to Marilla, not in the special way that Anne did. She was like a daughter to her, just as much as any mother with her born daughter.

"It wasn't me." Anne said quietly.

A small piece of her still feared that the Cuthberts would believe all the lies which were circulating Avonlea. Anne hated to imagine they thought that of her but it was a concept she couldn't keep out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried to think it away. Her brain sometimes seemed to work against her, putting the worst ideas into her head about the people she knew cared about her.

"Anne, go now. We know you didn't do any of it." Matthew spoke gently.

Anne gazed at him for a moment, a wordless, poignant understanding passing between them. Gilbert looked behind them at the dark smudge of woods in the distance. He squinted through the heavy rain. Dogs howled far away and he shivered. It wouldn't be long before they discovered Anne was gone. They didn't have much time.

"Anne, we'd better leave." Gilbert spoke. "They're not far off."

Anne took a breath. "Alright. If anyone asks, I've been at Gilbert's house. I was out walking in our woods after school and then I went to visit Gilbert to discuss some homework but I was so tired I fell asleep there and I've been there all evening."

"Alright," Marilla nodded. "You'd better go straight to school in the morning as normal."

Anne nodded. She felt a rush of adrenalin. She felt uncertainty about whether her plan would work and an urgency surged in her veins. All she could do was keep to her alibi and they couldn't prove Billy's statement as true. Matthew and Marilla looked at her, their wide eyes urging her to leave before she was seen.

"I'll be home tomorrow," Anne said with haste. "I love you both dearly."

She turned Diana's horse, the hooves splashing in the deep puddles and glanced back at her beloved home and family. They stood looking at her in the lashing rain, barely a care for the state of their clothes drenched through. Marilla covered her brow with her hand to see Anne and Matthew kept his collar up tight against the battering wind. Anne ached to be safe inside her little room, cosy and warm in bed.

"You keep safe, now." Matthew said.

"Take care of her, Gilbert." Marilla called sternly.

Gilbert nodded and Anne got the horse into a gallop. Marilla and Matthew retreated into Green Gables and went to bed, although neither of the siblings were inclined to sleep as their minds were too turned to think of calm things. They had terrible ideas of Anne being taken away dancing in their heads, keeping them awake until they drifted into uneasy sleep in the early hours of the morning.

Meanwhile Gilbert and Anne rode across the fields and winding paths to the Blythe farm. They were followed by the harrowing rain and winds blowing across the open expanses of farmland and only hit a break as they went along the side path behind his farm. Anne rode up to the outside shed and had a terrible flashback to when she'd ridden to Gilbert's house and found him unconscious on the floor.

Gilbert slid off of the horse's back and looked up at Anne. He saw she was unfocused, her brow troubled. He touched her cold hands where they gripped the reins.

"Anne?" He prompted.

She jerked from her daze and looked down. She climbed off of the horse, wincing at the tight pull of her stitches at every movement. She should really be in permanent bed rest while it healed but it was impossible. So many things stood in the way of Anne having a normal thing like bed rest. Nothing in Anne's life at that moment was normal.

Gilbert pulled the horse into his small barn and let it loose to eat the hay in the corner. He patted it and hung the reins on a peg. He shut the barn tight and locked it to keep the animal safe from the storm and took Anne gently by the elbow, leading her up to his front door to get her out of the storm too. Gil opened his front door and motioned Anne in before him, shutting the door tight behind them. He bolted it shut and made haste to light some lamps.

Gilbert went to the back door and bolted it shut too, pushing a chair in front of it as the hinges were old and the wind was battering against it. The wind howled around the house like an enormous wolf, sniffing out its prey which hid inside the walls. Anne tried to put that thought out of her head on such an unpleasant night. Gilbert lit some more lamps and pulled the shutters on the glass windows, locking them and pulling the curtains. The storm was wild, pounding against the strong walls. With everything drawn shut the noise lulled slightly and Anne could hear herself think.

Anne kicked off her mud-caked boots by the door and trudged into the kitchen, following where Gilbert had gone. He was hurrying around, sorting things out all over. Anne felt tired and drenched to her skin, shivering cold and hungry. She was also sad. Anne just wanted it all to be over. Her hopefullness was not unwavering, even Anne had weak moments where she wanted to curl up and wallow for a while. She wanted to be near Gilbert as he made her feel safer.

"Gil?" Anne peered into the kitchen.

He was huddled over by the fire place, tending to a flame which flickered and illuminated the room, filling it with a warm and bright energy and light. Anne walked over and perched on a creaky stool. Gilbert added more sticks and blew long and slow into the hot centre of the fire, causing it to grow hot and fast with oxygen. The sticks crackled and sparked and Gilbert added some small logs. Heat was coming off of it now and Anne held out her icy-cold hands to warm.

Gilbert saw this and stood up, disappearing across the hall. Anne watched him go before turning back to the fire, wondering absently where he had gone. The boy reappeared a few minutes later with a small bundle of clothes wrapped in paper. He settled on the floor by the fire, his dark curls dripping into his eyes as he unfolded the package silently.

"Here are some dry clothes," Gilbert drew out a neatly-folded red dress.

The garment looked to Anne like it had not been worn in many, many years. It was small but appeared to be the right size for Anne's build. It was an old-fashioned design but had a certain undeniable charm to it. Anne took it, admiring the beautiful and curious item. Who had it belonged to?

"It was my mother's dress when she was your age. I don't know why my father kept it after my sister died as a baby, there was nobody who could have worn it." Gilbert said suddenly.

Anne looked up and thought that he probably had never said that out loud before. It seemed like the type of thought which crossed your mind but felt inappropriate or too sad to mention. Gilbert suddenly looked flustered and handed Anne an underdress and stockings from inside the paper. They were crisply folded, untouched for a long time. She took the clothes gratefully.

"Perhaps it was meant for this moment," Anne pondered softly. "I believe all things are meant to work out in the end, like the way everything in nature does. After all, look at us. We didn't argue forever did we? I vowed never to speak to you but here we are."

Gilbert glanced at Anne shyly. He rarely spoke of his family, all of them being gone made him desperately sad and lonely. But speaking with Anne it was different. She was an orphan so she understood. Despite their argument at his father's funeral he thought she did understand and was on the same page as him somewhat. She had the Cuthberts now, so she wasn't as lonely as he was though.

"I didn't know you vowed that," Gilbert said. "It's bad to break a vow, Anne Shirley Cuthbert."

Gilbert had a flickering look in his eyes which made Anne feel hot despite the cold clothes clinging to her wet from the rain. He almost smiled and she wished he would. She'd never admit it but she missed his mischievous smile. His hazel eyes lit with the reflection of the burning fire. Anne exhaled, changing the subject slightly.

"Thank you for the clothes. I hope she wouldn't mind my wearing them." Anne said respectfully.

"I'm sure she'd love for them to be used. My father always said she didn't like things to go to waste." Gilbert commented, his eyes twinkling with memory.

"She sounds like she was a truly marvellous woman. I'd have loved to meet her."

"Me too." Gilbert murmured.

"She would have been so proud of you, Gil." Anne leant forward and touched his shoulder.

Gilbert looked at her face and felt a rush in his heart. Nobody had said that since he was a child and he had asked his father about his mother. It filled a large hole in his heart that ached for the love and validation of family. He missed his father every day and he had always longed for his mother, despite her dying giving birth to her and never getting to meet her.

"Thank you, Anne." Gilbert said sincerely.

A small smile tugged at Anne's lips. She felt shy with him staring at her with so many unreadable emotions playing out on his face and burning in his deep brown eyes. Her eyes turned down to where her small freckled hand rested upon his shoulder. His shirt felt damp and rain from his hair trickled slowly down his handsome face. He was cold.

"Gilbert, you should get changed too."

"No you go first, I'll tend the fire. You can use my room." He turned away and leant down to add more wood.

Anne took a lamp and slowly went to the stairs. "Is it up here?" She asked, gesturing.

Gilbert glanced up. "First door on the right."

Anne looked for his room in the shadowy landing, the storm was louder up there and Anne drew the shutters on the window. There were three rooms and Anne wondered who they had belonged to and what they were used for now. She saw the first door on the right was ajar and Anne crossed the landing to enter, the floorboards creaking as her cold feet passed. She pushed the door open and held the lamp aloft to light Gilbert's bedroom.

It was around the same size as his father's room below, with a large window bearing a view of the beautiful farmlands during the day and the terrible storm that night. There was a bed with covers unmade and a chair with clothes hung on the back. Gilbert's closet was open and the clothes were neatly folded. There was a tall stack of books by the bed and several pictures on the walls. They were old family photos. Anne saw Gilbert's desk, with piles of papers and books and a journal lay open. She walked across the wooden floor and peered down curiously in spite of herself.

The writing was mostly illegible to Anne, it wasn't his usual neat schoolwork handwriting. This was the writing of somebody very distracted, or tired. It was a sprawling monologue of thoughts and observations and feelings which Anne desperately longed to decifer. She turned the page and saw a detailed illustration of herbal plants with their medicinal properties. There was a list on the following page, of jobs which needed doing to fix the farm. There was a lot of work to do. Anne turned the pages further back and saw a sketch. It was a girl surrounded by flowers. Gilbert wasn't the best artist, his style was simple and slightly abstract but Anne could tell it was a happy girl, with long curly hair and it had been drawn fondly, with Gilbert's name written in the corner neatly. The date marked it as months ago while Gilbert was on the steamer still.

Anne suddenly realised how intrusive she was being. She imagined how humiliated and furious she'd be if Gilbert read her journals and she set the book down upon the desk, turning away hurriedly as though he was watching. Anne listened and just above the storm she heard Gilbert moving in the kitchen. She heard him sit down on the creaky stool and she relaxed slightly. Anne closed the bedroom door and placed the lamp down on his bedside table.

Anne undressed quickly, eager to get her torn, wet clothes off. She pulled on the stockings and underdress and was pleasantly surprised to discover they all fitted reasonably well. She wondered if the red dress would clash with her hair as she put it on. It was a fine fabric, higher quality than her own. Anne imagined it to perhaps be a dress for Sunday best. She found a comb on Gilbert's bedside table and set about detangling her mane of unruly auburn curls. Anne tied it at the back of her head in a simple low ponytail with some string she saw on his desk and gathered her wet things into a bundle. Anne closed Gilbert's door behind her carefully and made her way downstairs with the lamp.

Gilbert was at the kitchen table making toast with some porridge. Anne entered the room and he looked up, his dark eyes glittering in the lamplight. His breath caught. Anne's red hair burned bright against the red fabric which was cut to flatter figures. She looked older and elegant, with her hair tied so. Gilbert always thought she was beautiful but the tender moment was more special due to the efforts it took to get to this point where he could appreciate her beauty knowing he didn't have to hide his feelings any longer.

"The dress fits as though it were made for me." Anne smiled softly.

Gilbert tried to gather himself, struggling to think of words for a moment. "I-- you look..." He stopped, bashfully.

Anne flushed pink in her freckled cheeks.

"Are you hungry?" Gilbert suddenly said, changing the subject.

He didn't feel he was able to go about talking the obvious thing of Anne looking so fine when he would surely end up rambling for a long while, embarrassing her and making himself feel silly. She wasn't ready for all that, especially not after everything that had happened that day. He felt that she already knew what he thought of her after his confession so he'd leave it at that for the time being.

"Yes, I'm famished." Anne said, watching Gilbert cut up some more bread. "Do you need any help?"

"I can do it." Gilbert said as he placed the bread on the toasting rack.

She sat down beside the fire and Gilbert scrambled to prepare her some food. She was handed a plate of toast with honey and a bowl of hot porridge. It was all that Anne felt up to eating and she was grateful he had done even this but he looked flustered and apologetic.

"It's not much -- I don't have anything cooked, I don't have much in a the moment. I have to go to town." Gilbert held out his hand which held a large shiny apple. "Perhaps you'd like an apple? They're real sweet, they're from my orchard."

Anne suddenly remembered the first day they met and he had offered her an apple. She had been on strict warning by Josie Pye not to speak to him and she had consequently been very rude and refused, despite having a large fondness for the fruit. Anne looked up and saw that Gilbert had remembered it too. She laughed lightly and took the apple. He smiled, relaxing.

"I'm glad we aren't fighting anymore." Gilbert sat down, pushing his damp hair from his eyes.

"Me too." Anne said, biting into her apple.