The vent was secured by several screws. It was Kes who managed to get them off using a small piece of wire he'd stolen and hidden in his shoe a while ago. He lay on the floor beneath the bed, carefully unscrewing them as January kept lookout at the door and Peggy and Anne watched.

"There, it's off." Kes said under his breath, lifting the heavy vent from the wall. "Come on, we have to leave before they notice we're gone."

January came over and squatted down to look. Her usually confident face showed doubt, her eyes hesitant. Anne realised with surprise that she was afraid. Anne knew that look, she had felt it before in the orphanage just before the bullies would shut her in a small, dark cupboard. It was claustrophobia.

"How do we know that the other end isn't blocked off?" January murmured fearfully.

"We don't." Kes said abruptly.

"This is our chance, our only chance." Anne said. "I know it's scary, but surely it's better than this place? You're the one who spoke so boldly of escaping, January - you gave us the idea. We can get out of here together. Find a better life."

"It looks too small... I don't think I'll fit." January was stalling now. She was scared to go into the tunnel.

"It's alright, Jan. You ain't much bigger than Anne and she's doing fine in there, ain't ya Anne?" Kes said softly.

Anne hastily nodded, although she definately felt cramped. "It can't be far to go, I'm sure we'll reach the other end before you know it."

"It's okay, I'll go first." Peggy said quietly. She could see how afraid January was.

"If Pegs can do it, you can too." Kes touched January's arm and looked at her sweetly. "We ain't doing this without you."

"Nobody gets left behind." Peggy reminded January of her own words.

January still looked unsure but she watched as Anne crawled further down the cold tunnel to make room for Peggy. Peggy was small and slim, she slid in easily. She didn't seem afraid in the slightest, which Anne had not expected. Peggy seemed the most shy, vulnerable and fragile, the most likely to be afraid by something of this sort yet here she was confidently crawling into a dark tunnel which lead god-knows-where.

Anne heard Kes and January talking in the room. Their voices were hushed but they echoed down the tunnel. Anne couldn't turn around or crawl back, it wasn't wide enough and Peggy was right behind her. Anne felt the claustrophobia creep up on her again but she took deep breaths and focused on their voices.

"--you can do it. I know you can." Kes was saying.

Anne was reminded of Gilbert in her daydream, holding the key. Was this what he had meant? Find a way out? Her subconscious was telling her she could do it, to keep going. Anne heard scraping of boots as January slowly entered the tunnel. Anne looked over her shoulder through her hair and saw January's hands shaking. Her almond eyes flashed as she looked up and Anne smiled to encourage her. January seemed fearless and unfazed by everything but she was claustrophic too.

Anne began to crawl and Kes slipped into the tunnel too. He propped the vent up but there was no way to screw it back on from this side. Anne thought that the tunnel seemed smaller with them behind her, and more ominous. It stretched out ahead of her, getting darker and darker. She hesitated. A breeze blew softly down the tunnel and Anne thought of being outside amongst the trees and wind, just fresh air with no stone walls closed in around her.

You can do this Anne, come on.

They crawled along the dark, cold stone tunnel in silence for ten minutes before light finally appeared ahead. Anne felt hope spark in her chest. Her scraped and bruised knees were sore from the crawling and her stomach burned from the effort of moving through the cramped space. She wanted it to be over.

"Is there a way out?" January called up. Her voice sounded faint and desperation lingered in her words.

"It's another vent. There's a room," Anne got closer and peered in through the bars. "It's still inside the prison, we can't get out through here."

"Let's keep going." Kes suggested.

Anne saw Peggy nod and January's wide eyes said it all. She was just about hanging on as she battled her claustrophobia. Anne felt a twist in her heart. She paused and looked properly through the vent, taking note of the room. She bit her lip, an idea suddenly burning in her.

"I think this is the storeroom..." Anne spoke quietly. "I need to go in. There's something in here that I just can't imagine leaving without."

"What? Red - it ain't more important than escaping this hell, it can't be." Kes groaned.

"What is it?" Peggy asked in her soft voice.

Anne blinked. She felt guilty for stopping and for wanting this. "It's my clothes, the ones I came in... They're not really mine, they're borrowed. I can't leave without them."

"I'm sure whoever leant them to you won't mind." Peggy assured Anne.

"I know they won't... But they're not really his either, they belonged to his mother and he doesn't have much left of his mother. I couldn't bare to think of her clothes rotting away in a prison storeroom... It would haunt me." Anne's voice was emotional. She wasn't sure why this was so important to her. "Please?"

The other three stared up at the strange, brave redhead and wondered how they'd ended up in such a scenario. January wanted to get out of the tunnel as soon as possible, she was finding it hard to breathe. Kes thought sentimentality with material items was silly and he didn't understand it. Growing up rough he never really owned anything to treasure so he didn't get where Anne was coming from and risking going inside the storeroom dared high chances of being found escaping. It didn't bode well for any of them.

"It's a bad idea." Kes warned.

"You can go on without me, I don't mind. I have to do this but I won't hold you all back--" Anne hastened.

"Don't be ridiculous, we won't leave you behind." January said faintly.

Peggy was the one who decided. "Get them. Quickly."

Anne thought she'd heard wrong for a moment.

"You have two minutes. Then we have to go." Peggy said.

Peggy knew what Anne was feeling. Anne was afraid that she'd never see her family again, never see anyone from her old life again... The clothes were all she had left to hold onto, so she couldn't bare to leave without them. Peggy knew it because she felt it too... The piece of material she always held was torn from the dress she'd worn upon arrival. The dress had been removed from her but she'd managed to tear a piece off and stuff it in her bloomers. It had been her sister Rosalie's dress and Peggy missed Rosalie so much that it hurt.

Anne whispered down to Kes. "I need the wire for the vent."

It was passed up and Anne bent it in half, reached her slim fingers through the vent and worked away at the screws. It was hard work, and Anne was worried it would take too long. She felt her heart beating fast, her hands begin to sweat. She was also afraid they'd be caught and it would be all her fault. The idea of leaving without the clothes tormented her and burned in her mind, pushing her on.

Finally the screws fell loose and the vent slipped. Anne reached to grab it but it dropped and fell onto the storeroom floor hard. A loud crash rang out and Anne flinched.

A guard surely heard that.

They all froze in fear, unable to move or even breathe. They waited in silence. Minutes passed... Nobody came.

Eventually they breathed out and Peggy hissed, "Now, Anne."

Anne reached her arms through the entrance and braced herself, pulling her body from the tunnel. It was strenuous and she gasped in pain, closing her eyes. Anne slid from the tunnel and landed on her feet like a cat. Eyes alert, she looked around the room. It was large and dark, only lit by a high window where the late afternoon sun filtered through. The tall walls were stacked with shelves, laden with labelled boxes. There was a step ladder and a door. Anne quickly looked through the keyhole to see an empty corridor.

Good, nobody was coming.

Anne still didn't have much time, she'd have to hurry. Anne glanced at some boxes and realised with joy that the boxes were labelled in alphabetical order of last names. One of Anne's favourite parts of working in the library was ordering the books. This would make things easier. Anne searched the room quickly to find the shelf laden with C boxes bearing all names under the sun except Cuthbert. Anne groaned in frustration. Where could it be? Anne suddenly had an idea.

Anne crossed the room and dropped low, eyes scanning the shelves with S boxes. A. Shirley. There it was.

"It's Shirley-Cuthbert you beastly human beings." Anne muttered under her breath.

Anne grabbed it and rushed back to the open vent. She climbed in and began to crawl along, pushing the box ahead of her. Peggy, January and Kes followed suit behind her. The tunnel was long and cold, seemingly never-ending. Their hands and knees were scratched, sore and ached from the hard stone. It was moist and smelt old somehow. The light from the room had faded behind them and it was almost completely dark. After a while January began to lose her grip.

"I can't do this. I need to get out." Her voice sounded weak.

Anne looked back. "I'm sure it's not far. Can't you hold on just a little while longer?"

Anne could just about make out January shaking her head in the darkness. She was trembling and breathing heavily.

"January, you can." Kes said softly. "You got this, just think of the clean air and the freedom... the tunnel won't go on forever, then we'll be out just like ya always talked about."

"Come on, girl." Peggy reached back and squeezed January's hand.

Anne herself was struggling, the air was damp and scarce and the tunnel stretched on ahead, with a curve to the right. It also appeared to be sloping slightly down. The stones were getting more moist as they went on and Anne's clothes were wet. They must be close to the stream, surely that was where the water was coming from?

Finally they came to the curve and Anne heard something that set a spark of hope in her heart. It was rushing water. She thought she was imagining it at first. Anne peered around the curve and saw light. Sunlight? Or moonlight? Could it be real? Anne's breath caught.

"Jan, think Anne's heard something." Kes whispered. "What is it, Red?"

"The stream." Anne breathed.

There was a rush of relief and hope that ran through those four as they crouched there in the dark stone tunnel desperately trying to escape the clutches of Wolfsden Prison. A prison which had apprehended them for things they either didn't do or only did to survive. None of them deserved to be in there, they only needed a chance to be better or to prove themselves. This could be their chance, at a new life.

Anne felt a spur of energy in her veins and she moved forward with renewed determination. The tunnel sloped downwards and the the stones became smoother and wet, the tunnel grew slighter wider and Anne could hear the stream gushing now. As she moved down she saw the end of the tunnel, falling away and ending with a rusty vent. Beneath the vent churned the stream, deep and cold. It was no longer day, it had turned to night. The light had faded and Anne saw the red sun reflected in the water.

"We're here - there's a vent. We made it." Anne whispered with excitement clear in her tired voice. "Oh joy."

"Do you still have the wire?" Can you get us out?" Kes asked Anne with hushed urgency.

"I have it, I'll try to get down and open the vent."

Anne made her way down the slope, she felt herself slip as the water splashed up at her through the bars of the vent. She felt her hands tremble slightly, she knew it was going to be hard to open the vent with the wire as it would surely be rusted and when it finally came away it would likely splash down into the stream followed by Anne. But it was her only chance to be free.

Anne reached the bottom, her feet wedged into the stone ledge around the edge of the vent. She was squatting down, her entire body aching sore from crawling for so long in such a small space. The breeze and water came up through the bars, cold and wet on her legs and hands. Anne held her box in one hand and she reached through the bars, feeling along the edge for the screws. She finally found them and they were rusty as she had expected. Anne dug the wire into the dip in the screw, wedging it in place before turning it. The wire bent as the screw was so rusty. Anne exhaled sharply in frustration.

"It's rusted." Anne told them. "But don't fear, I'm not giving up so easily."

Anne worked away at the screws for several minutes, the wire bending each time and her hands being splashed by the stream below which surged and bubbled. It was cold and Anne's hands felt slippery and numb. She gripped the wire tightly as she persisted to undo the screws. She thought of home, of Green Gables and Marilla and Matthew. Of Diana, Gilbert... Anne thought about all of them. She knew she could never see them again but she wanted to be free like them, to look out at the sky without bars and imagine that they might be looking out at the same sky at the same time. She felt dilerious with desperation.

Suddenly the rust scraped and burst apart, the screw twisting slowly with a terrible, screeching whine. Anne let out a sigh of relief as she pushed on, twisting and twisting harder with renewed energy. The screw turned and eventually came loose and fell down into the water below.

"It's working, they're coming loose." Anne breathed.

"Thank god." January breathed in relief.

Anne moved onto the next, her fingers slowly losing feeling in the cold air. The screw broke loose and fell down. The vent screeched with weight as it's supports tumbled into the stream. Anne grabbed onto the stone ledge, as the vent she stood on shifted and dipped, giving under the pressure. There was only one screw left. When it was gone Anne would fall down into the water.

"Everything alright, Red?" Kes asked, his voice echoing up the tunnel quietly.

"There's one screw left, then the vent is loose. We'll have to drop down into the water, it's terribly cold and the current is strong. It's leading back towards the prison I believe. When I drop down you must wait a moment before following, allow me to get to the bank and then I can help you too. We'll have to swim, not far but..." She paused her ramble of nervous instructions. "I'm not good at swimming, I've only been in the water once before."

"It's easy, just kick your legs and use your whole body. Don't forget to hold your breath." January explained in a shaky voice.

"I can't swim." Peggy whispered.

"We'll help you, don't worry." Kes promised her.

Anne hesitated for a moment before untwisting the final screw.

Anne took a deep breath and the vent gave away, plunging Anne down into the icy depths of the stream. Her long, tangled red-hair streamed behind her as she fell, clutching the box. She hit the water like a brick, a giant splash rising up as she slid down under the water. It was shockingly cold. Anne's senses felt like they'd been struck by lightning. She struggled in the water for a moment, kicking but failing to make leeway. The current was strong, pulling her along, her skirts dragging her down.

Anne flashed back to the lake of shining waters, almost drowning and being saved by Gilbert. He wasn't here this time. She had to save herself.

Anne reacted quickly, reaching down and gripping her skirt at the seam, tearing it with all her strength. The fabric came away, ripping. Anne managed to get the skirt loose, leaving her in the bloomers and vest she'd come in and the prison uniform's dress minus it's skirt.

Anne was now lighter and she kicked hard, using her strong legs to push up. Her whole body felt painful, her stitches burned, her limbs were bruised and scratched and her muscles ached. Anne was running out of air. She imagined Gilbert pulling her out of the water, she imagined she was weightless and the water had no power over her. Anne pushed harder and finally reached the surface, gasping in the fresh night air.

The sky was burnt purple and gold, the red sun hung low behind the thicket of trees and the breeze hit Anne's wet skin like ice. She did her best to swim to the stream bank which was mossy and overgrown with reeds and grasses. Anne grasped clumps of the grasses in her fists, pulling herself up onto the moist bank. Her knees dug into the mud and her wet hair fell into her eyes.

Anne was gasping for breath but she didn't pause for rest. Standing up, she looked around and saw she was in a thick forest, beside the churning water. Not far away was the tunnel, which disappeared into the tall sloping hill covered in trees. Anne heard shouts and ran over to the stream just in time to watched Peggy's small frame fall from the vent and splash into the stream. Anne saw her ripped skirts had snagged on a clump of rocks further ahead and she ran over, twisting them and throwing the long strip of fabric into the water, clutching one end firmly.

"Peggy! Grab hold!" Anne shouted.

The small girl was being carried by the strong current easily like she was merely a paper boat in the ocean. She was crying out which let water in her mouth causing her to splutter and flail. She was afraid and her bravery and determination from the tunnel had abandoned her.

"Peggy, over here! Kick!" Anne yelled.

Peggy opened her eyes and saw a glimpse of the redhead further up the stream. She pushed against the water. The stream dragged her along but she managed to reach out and catch hold of Anne's makeshift rope. Peggy held on tightly and Anne dragged the small girl to the stream bank with her last ounce of strength. Peggy grabbed hold of the reeds and climbed up the bank, reaching the grass beside Anne. Panting, the two girls looked back at the vent. January had dropped out and swam to the bank easily. She was strong and had clearly had practice swimming. Next was Kes, who hung from the vent, slid down and worked through the water, swimming. He had done this before too.

Finally everybody was on the bank, sopping wet and cold. Anne retrieved her box of clothes from the rocks where they'd been swept before rejoining her accomplices in the trees. The night was drawing in and bats screeched in the dusk. They shivered as they stood there.

"We need to get moving, we're too near to the prison." Anne said breathlessly.

"The tunnel must have come out miles, Anne." Kes said.

"We still need to go, they could find us. Peggy, which way to your sister's farm?" Anne asked.

Peggy paused, looking around. There were no signs, no landmarks. "I'm not sure. But if the prison is that way," She pointed up the tall hill which the tunnel had protruded from. "Then Rosalie's farm must be this way." She turned and pointed to her left.

"Alright, let's get going." Anne said briskly. "The sun is leaving us but the moon is coming out soon and she will guide our way."

...

Gilbert, Diana and Wilson arrived at Wolfsden Prison late that evening.

They'd ridden all day and their bodies ached from the considerable journey. They'd passed farms and villages and several towns, following the main road all the way. The trees had dragged across the land in stretching shadows by the red sun before it finally set and the moon came out. The sky was dark blue and purple, black clouds spiralling across its expanse. The wind was cold and fresh as it tousled their hair. Gilbert could see the prison on top of one of the many hills of this district, peeking out from a dense surrounding of trees. It was an enormous stone building, unwelcoming and ominous. Gilbert felt anxious.

"There it is." Wilson pointed ahead of them.

"So what's the plan?" Gilbert asked.

"I will go in and tell them that Anne has been proven innocent and marked for release." Wilson said. "I will show them my badge and we will be out before you can say prison break."

Wilson chuckled lightly, to ward off the nerves he felt creeping up inside him. He'd only recently joined the force, he was afraid he didn't yet hold the air of authority which he desperately needed to pull of this task... He had to assume it, take on some of the intimidating self-assurance which men like Detective Ellwyn possessed.

"It's alright, this will work. It's a good plan." Diana said cheerily although she didn't feel as positive as she acted.

"No it's not, they're going to know it's a lie--" Gilbert felt anxious.

This could be a terrible plan, he could see so much had the possibility to go wrong. Gilbert wished he could be the one to get Anne, to guarantee her safety. He didn't completely trust Wilson yet, he was too used to being let down. Gilbert didn't know how to voice this without making Wilson leave and decide not to help them. He could be their only chance.

"Gilbert, we have to try." Diana said.

"Wait here in the trees, I'll be back soon." Wilson rode away up towards the prison.

"What if he betrays us?" Gilbert hissed under his breath, clenching his jaw as they watched Wilson go.

"He won't." Diana said firmly. "He's my oldest friend, Gil. I trust him."

Gilbert stared at Diana, reading her eyes. She really did trust Wilson.

They waited for a long time, at least half an hour before Wilson finally appeared up ahead, riding fast. Gilbert and Diana were horrified to see that Anne was not with him.

"Where is she?" Gilbert demanded when Wilson reached them.

Wilson was breathless, his face pale. "She's gone -- they checked her cell and she'd escaped. They've sent out search parties."

"What? She's gone?" Gilbert's stomach dropped. He felt sick at the thought of Anne being alone, on the run, afraid and hopeless.

He was panicking. Usually collected and logical, Gilbert's worry was drawn from his deep and sense-dehabilitating feelings for a certain girl... Anne always unravelled him and left his emotions blowing wild in the wind like a torn kite. As a peculiar switch of temperaments, Diana was the one who kept her head. She thought for a moment.

"We will join the search party, find her first." She said. "If she sees the guards she will hide but if we get to her first she won't be afraid. We can tell her she's free."

"They're not going to arrest her - I told them that she's innocent." Wilson explained hastily. "They were going to release her but she'd already broken out through some old tunnels. There's something else, her cell mates had escaped too..."

"How desperately hopeless must she have been to get to the point where she had to escape?" Diana spoke sadly. "She must have thought we wouldn't do all it took to get her out."

"You mean Anne lost faith in us?" Gilbert sounded almost like a wounded puppy.

Diana saw his look. She hastened to console her friend. "Gil, I'm sure she didn't think of it like that. She didn't know how things would play out. You know she can be headstrong and sometimes act on instincts before thinking about things."

"They're heading out to search the woods where the tunnels come out." Wilson said. "Apparently there was one which emptied into the Caipestown stream but it had long since rusted and inevitably been blocked up. I can't see that it's likely they got out that way but all the other tunnels open into the prison grounds so they'd have found her already if that's where they came out."

"The stream exit must be where they went." Diana nodded.

"If we head north and cut through the forest we should reach it before them." Wilson told them.

"Then we must go there." Diana said curtly.

She turned to Gilbert, who's handsome face was visibly distressed, his brows upturned.

"Come on, Gil. There's gotta be some fight left in you, even after all this. It's Anne, after all..."

Gilbert nodded, steeling himself. "Let's go find her."

...

Anne and her accomplices walked along with a fast pace, driven by adrenalin to follow the stream through the storm-strewn woods until finally they reached a beaten track. It was dark by then and they'd come far. They were painfully tired, hungry and most of all cold. It had been almost an hour since they climbed from the vent.

Peggy's hope of seeing her sister was ebbing as she was completely without direction... She no longer knew the way.

They came to a fork in the road.

"Do we keep following the path to the left?" January asked Peggy. She had her confidence back now that she'd gotten out of the tight, cramped tunnels.

Peggy didn't speak, she stood shivering as she looked up and down the track both ways. Everyone stared at the small girl. After a while she let out a small, dry sob.

"I don't know."

"Oh, don't cry - it's alright, I'm sure we'll find your sister's farm." Anne hugged the girl gently. Peggy clung to Anne for comfort. "We can find the way, don't worry. Let's try this way."

The group of escapees walked on to the left for another hour until suddenly they became aware of the sound of horses riding far off behind them and dogs hounding through the woods... Fear struck in their hearts and they all realised instantly who it must be - the guards from Wolfsden Prison had discovered their escape and sent search parties into the woods. They looked at each other in panic before setting off running along the track.

The dogs howled through the trees and the thundering of horses was charging ever closer. Anne's hair streamed in the wind, red like a flame. Peggy was struggling to keep up with them, so January grabbed her hand and pulled her along. They were all so afraid of being caught and taken back to that awful prison. The farm was still several towns over, they would never reach it or find anywhere to hide in time. Anne knew this. They were all running out of energy fast and the guards were catching up with them.

Anne glanced behind them to see lamp lights flickering through the thicket of trees not far behind. They were so close. Her heart was leaping up into her mouth and her body was begging for rest. Anne suddenly had an image in her head that felt so real - it was Gilbert and he was saying to her, "Don't run anymore. Wait for me."

Anne all at once realised that there was no way they'd all make it to the farm, she knew that they'd be caught long before that happened. She saw only one way to stop the inevitable of them being taken back to prison. She'd have to delay the search parties while her friends carried on their journey.

Anne froze and looked back into the dark night, the trees looming high above her head reaching up to the stars. The bitter wind blew her curling hair back over her shoulders and she took a deep breath. She turned and saw her friends running ahead, unaware of her standing there.

If Anne thought about it, January, Kes and Peggy had no likelihood of ever getting out of prison, this was their only chance at freedom. January would self destruct in a place like that and although Kes was indeed a criminal it wasn't his fault that he had grown up with thievery as his only survival - he was good at heart, he didn't deserve to be locked away his entire life. As they had discussed, Peggy would crumble in prison.

Anne realised that she had the best chance at surviving in prison. She was strong, perhaps stronger than all of them. She had survived in the orphanage and she could survive the prison and reformatory too. It would be a devastating hell but she would survive... Besides, if she served her time on good behaviour she'd be released eventually... She could go back to Avonlea, she could see her family if they were still there. Her friends... and Gilbert.

"Wait for me."

Would he wait for her? Anne couldn't guarantee it but surely her family would wait for her? They'd signed on to take care of her as she had them, they'd been through bad times before and they'd never let her down before. Anne couldn't believe she'd given up on them, on any chance of them getting her out..  Of course they'd fight for her release.

Anne called out, "Keep running. Go to the farm. I'm staying here, I'll delay them for you."

Her friends glanced back and were shocked to see her unmoving.

"Don't be stupid, Red. Come on!" Kes said, beckoning urgently.

"Nobody gets left behind!" January cried.

"They're coming." Peggy gasped.

"Just go. I can't go to the farm, I can't have a life without my family. I am better off serving my time, I wouldn't be able to resist being free and not going to see them -- I'd end up being caught anyway. You all have a chance, you must take it."

"So must you!" January said. "Come with us, Anne. There's another life for you, we can help you build it."

"I don't want any part of a life without them." Anne said solemnly.

"We can't leave you here." Kes implored.

"You can. I'll be alright, I can handle the bullies and the guards... Go." Anne insisted.

"Anne, you won't see your family for so long." Peggy said quietly.

"My family will wait for me. I will wait for them." Anne murmured. "If I don't go back there I'll never be able to see them again."

"Are you sure you want this?" January frowned.

"I want you all to have a better life. Please, go."

They hesitated for a moment and stared at the strange, brave girl. Anne had given them all hope, she'd inspired them all to be free and seize life when it comes knocking. Now she was giving up her freedom for theirs... It felt wrong, but Anne was stubborn as an ox and had decided what she would do. There was no dessuading her, they knew it.

"You must be mad." Kes said, not without admiration.

"All the best people are." Anne smiled slightly, quoting one of her favourite books.

They were all silent for a moment. The woods were not silent, the wind whistled between the leaves and the distant call of the search party rushed them. Time felt as though it was running out.

"You're a good person, don't let that hellhole suck that out of you." January warned, speaking quickly.

"I won't, I have something to stay good for." Anne said firmly.

There was another pause as they felt the sorrow of goodbye hang thick in the air.

"Good luck, my friends." Anne said, tipping her head. "It was an honour and a rare privilege to know you. All of you changed my mind forever about how one ends up behind bars and who deserves to be. You all deserve to be free, you deserve a full life of love and adventure."

"I owe you my life." Kes nodded in respect.

"You're bolder than any boy I ever met, you've given us all the courage we needed to get out of there. I hope the police find the truth about you and release you from gaol." January told Anne sincerely.

"Thank you for everything, Anne. I won't forget you." Peggy said. She squeezed Anne's hand.

"Go, quickly." Anne hurried them on.

The three of them ran faster than ever, disappearing ahead of her into the darkness. Anne did feel regret and fear aching in her heart like a knot, despite the brave face she had presented to them. Anne wanted to go with them, to run away and hide. But she had to believe that Gilbert and her family and friends would fight to get her out, or they'd at least wait for her release. She had to serve her time to prove she was innocent. Running only showed her as guilty.

Anne was tired of running.

Anne turned to face the oncoming hoard of horses. They were close, she could feel it. They surged like a dark storm tearing through the woods, the moon filtering it's silver light down through the trees. The wind was cold as it howled with the wolves in the depths of the forest. The Wolfsden guards were approaching, Anne saw them flurrying through the trees, faster on their horses in search of her and her fellow escapees.

The reality of Anne's decision, her sacrifice, stung in her veins. She'd be taken back to prison, serve an extended sentence for escaping. She wouldn't see her family, friends or Gilbert in ten years, maybe more... It broke Anne's heart into pieces but she simply had to do the right thing. Hot tears fell down her pale, freckled cheeks as she cried for her youth, all of those years she'd never get back, all of them wasted behind bars and in an awful reformatory. The right thing was so hard to do. Anne held onto the box with her name on it, clinging to the last piece of home she had. They'd take that away again, too.

Anne felt her bravery ebb and she closed her eyes, picturing her release in ten years. She attempted to imagine it happy, she was grown, skinny and pale but she'd waited patiently and her face showed the maturity and humility of her time served. Anne tried to picture them all waiting for her, an entourage of welcoming faces... But Marilla and Matthew weren't there. It had been too long, they'd given up with nobody to live for. Anne's heart shattered at this thought. Her mind worked against her. Gilbert wasn't there either, he was away studying at a university to be a doctor with a beautiful, raven-haired beau waiting for him to finish so they could be married. She was gentle-tempered and sweet, she was everything Gilbert deserved... Even Diana wasn't there, she was married to a fine gentleman and living happily in Paris. Anne felt sobs rack her body then, she felt so tired and sad.

Life had moved on without her.

Anne felt weak, dizzy from exhaustion. Her hope and bravery had faded away with the doubt which had clouded her thoughts and taken over her imagination, leading it into dark waters. The images haunted her soul, dragging her under and crushing the pieces of her shattered heart.

Anne opened her tear-filled eyes to see a figure riding up to her, a pale face upon a dark horse. The roll of hooves on the track echoed in the far distance behind them. Anne's vision blurred as she stood there, her face glistening with tears and her chest feeling hollow with heartache. The figure got close and they dismounted. Anne's head spun, she dropped the box and swayed.

"G-Gilbert?" Anne breathed.

"Anne, I've got you."

Gilbert caught Anne up in his arms and held her close, her fragile form finally safe at last. He'd never felt so relieved and he savoured the aching bliss in his heart. He could barely believe that he'd found her after all that had happened and that everything was going to be alright. Anne was only half-conscious, she felt that she was dreaming. Gilbert felt so real though, so warm and safe. She began to cry again, in relief. Gilbert could tell she was weak and fatigued, she needed to get home as soon as possible. Her legs wobbled as she gripped onto his shirt tightly in her dirty fists. Her dress was ragged and torn, her hair loose and tangled.

"Everything's going to be alright, Anne. You're safe now." Gilbert whispered. "You don't have to run any longer. They know you're innocent. Joseph can't hurt us anymore."

Anne heard his voice echoing as though he were far away. Gilbert scooped the tired, hazy Anne up, one arm behind her knees and one around her back, carrying her bridal style. Anne looked up and saw his beautiful, pale face in the shining moonlight. His dark curls dripping into his hazel eyes, which held so much unspeakable emotion that Anne finally understood because she felt the same way.

"Are you real?" Anne whispered.

She reached up with her trembling hand, her cold fingers slowly tracing the side of his cheek. He turned his face and kissed the back of her cold hand gently. His larger hand clutched hers and he squeezed it. His hand was cold too, but Anne could feel his fingers soft and she remembered the sensation of them clutching her cheeks as she kissed him in his kitchen. It was the same feeling, he was real. Anne's imagination couldn't replicate that.

"I'm real, Anne. I'm here." Gilbert said. "I'm not letting you go again."