A/N I rewrote this so many times, still not 100% happy with it but I can't keep you all waiting any longer it's just cruel. Here you go, chapter 6. Bring tissues

In the end, Jerry couldn't persuade Anne to come home to Green Gables with him.

"I'm waiting here for Gilbert, no matter anything you say. I'm going to scale that big old Oak over the main road and I'll only come down when he's back. Nobody shall see me until I decide to make my hiding place apparent, so I'll be perfectly safe. You may as well go back to Green Gables and tell Marilla I'm alive and well... That's what they want to hear, anyway. Although it is far from the truth, which is that I'm still heartbroken and I will never forgive Marilla until she relents."

Anne was acting like she was brave enough to face and fight Marilla on this but she wasn't. She could fight murderers and criminals but as soon as someone she loved was angry with her she crumbled. After Marilla had said her part about the awful rumour Anne became so upset and anxious that she had to run, to get away and breathe. Contrary to her usual character she couldn't even manage to speak, she felt too sick. To think that Marilla believed those things about her, and felt so ashamed and angry with her... It was like having all the air knocked from her lungs and the weight of that crushing disappointment lay on her shoulders ever since.

Anne thought it would be the last time she would see Gilbert properly in a long time... It would be torture to see him at school and have to ignore him, to not speak or even look at him. She felt a lump in her throat at the mere thought of it.

A resigned Jerry left Anne sheltered beneath the thick canopy, sat up in the kind old tree above the roadside. He gave her his jacket to make sure she was warm enough as the clouds darkened the sky. Just as Jerry arrived at Green Gables a rainstorm broke and he thought of Anne, her pale face sleeted with rain and wind. He felt for her, for her lost love and lost hope.

The Cuthberts weren't happy with Jerry coming back without Anne but they didn't shout or punish him - Marilla blamed herself deep down, for she had driven Anne away, forbidden her from seeing her beloved. It had broken her own heart to make Anne so terribly sad but separating the wild youths was the only solution which she could see. Anne was so young still, this whole fiasco could ruin her future. Marilla felt that she had to salvage some dignity for Anne from this shame.

"She'll come back when she's ready to talk." Matthew was sure.

"She just wants to see him," Jerry told them. "Gilbert."

One last time, thought Marilla mournfully.

...

"Wait, you're friends of Anne?" Gilbert asked.

"We are - she helped us escape Wolfsden Prison!" January explained passionately.

"Is she alright? How did she break out again?" The boy, Kes asked.

Gilbert clarified, "She didn't go back there, I took her home after she escaped. She was cleared of all charges, they admitted they'd made a mistake and let her go."

Their faces lit up. "That's brilliant!" Kes grinned.

"She's free?" January was surprised.

"Thank God." Peggy murmured.

"Yes, she's back in Avonlea... safe, free..." Gilbert smiled slightly, the relief clear in his eyes. "Finally."

"How did you convince them she was innocent?" January was still wrapping her head around it.

"We had proof," Gilbert explained. "People gave their testaments for her. We built a case."

They were glad for her. There was envy of course, from those still in hiding from the authorities such precious freedom was a holy grail. But they had gratitude for Anne and knew this was well-deserved after her suffering and sacrifice.

"We have to come with you to see her! We've been thinking about her since we last saw her. She sacrificed herself so we could escape." January told Gilbert.

Of course she did, my brave girl. Gilbert thought. "I know she'd love to see you."

"It was a crazy night," January continued. "We barely escaped - the enforcers must have been held up after Anne was found. They stopped the search quickly. We managed to run all the way to the border and hide in an abandoned barn until light. We disguised ourselves with clothes we found in the barn before travelling here to Karleton. We knew Peggy's sister lived here and we worked out the rough direction."

"It was luck." Peggy said softly. "Anne's good luck, she brought it to us."

"We owe her big time." Kes said solemnly.

"How is she doing? After what we all went through..." January wanted to know.

"Anne's alright... after what she experienced, better than expected." Gilbert replied.

Gil knew Anne was affected worse than she let on. At times he didn't think Anne noticed he would observe signs, things which concerned him. He could see the trauma in her eyes, hear the fear in her voice sometimes when she presented a brave face. He didn't want them to worry though, they obviously had enough going on... They didn't need to tell him but he could guess that they were never pardoned. They were still wanted criminals. He was sure if they had been Anne's friends then they were decent people, so he didn't judge. He felt sorry for them.

"I can't come with you to Avonlea," Rosalie told them. "I have to stay. This farm is my livestock and I have work to do. But you're all welcome back any time you want or need to stay."

Gilbert saw Peggy's face fall. She seemed reliant on her older sister. Rosalie's eyes flickered knowingly to her sibling.

"It's okay, Peg, you can manage this journey alone. The heat has died down on the search, the chances of you being recognised are slim. Besides... you can always come back." She said softly.

Peggy bit her lip, clearly nervous. "I want you to come." She whispered.

"Come on, I'll help you pack your bag." Rosalie said, changing the subject but something about the look she gave her sister made Gilbert think they'd be sharing a more thorough farewell exchange in private.

After preparing some food for the journey and packing everything they might need, the party set off.

The storm had let up a fair amount. The rain still showered from the sky between intermissions of clear wind yet it was tolerable and Gilbert was eager to get home. They borrowed Rosalie's horse and cart and Gilbert lead the way on his horse up the main road. They travelled through the night for some time before the thick forests let up, allowing for wide fields and more farmlands, scattered with houses and settlements. The sky cleared and the moon shone upon the path ahead, like a thin slash of silver amongst the dark green grasses and crops. They took the shortcut through the hills called Sea Pass. It lead across the open cliff view.

It was early morning when they came to the top of the downs and spotted the mile-mark signpost for Avonlea.

"Home." Gilbert smiled back at the others.

The tired group paused, spellbound by the view, which scoped out over the emerald hills. Birds flew to the break reaching out over the cliffs into a soaring ocean that crashed across the rocky beaches. The sky was an endless pool of dark-grey, tinged with the golden sunrise. Dawn suddenly flooded the scene and hit their weary eyes, just as the wind swept over the pass. It was a moment Gilbert would always remember. It gave them the much-needed thrill to continue the last stretch of their journey.

Their thrill turned into trouble while taking the main road back.

Gilbert spotted a figure lying in the middle of the road. A flash of red hair lay protruding from beneath the figure's jacket hood. They were slumped, seemingly unconscious. Leaving the others behind who had not yet caught up, Gilbert swiftly dismounted as soon as he saw them, sprinting to the body and crouching down.

"Anne?" He choked, fearing the worst as he leant down to check her breathing.

As he did so his hand brushed their shoulder and the body rolled over to reveal it was several bags stuffed with hay which was artfully disguised with a jacket. Shocked, Gilbert stumbled back. He heard a cry and turned to see Rosalie's borrowed cart abandoned, empty and his travelling party nowhere to be seen. Suddenly Gil's heart was hammering and his skin was tingling. This was triggering some deeply-rooted trauma inside him which he had previously been unaware of.

What was going on? Where was everybody?

"Missing somebody?" Came a voice. Female, unfamiliar.

Gilbert turned but there was nobody there. Examining the hay bags, he noticed what he'd originally taken to be hair was actually a red ribbon, and the jacket was a torn up sheet. He'd been tricked. It was a trap.

Then came the horse hooves. Gilbert span to face the oncoming rider, to see none other than Jerry Baynard approaching from down the road. He looked surprised to see Gilbert standing there alone in the middle of the road, by an empty cart and a horse. Many questions danced across his tanned face as he rode to Gilbert but the first he settled on was,

"Where is Anne?"

"I was going to ask the same thing! Please tell me she's safe at Green Gables?" Gilbert exclaimed with some exasperation.

"What?" Jerry looked up into the leafy canopy, before a look of dismay filling his eyes. "Oh no. She's gone!"

"Gone?" Gilbert followed Jerry's gaze but saw nothing except a beautiful old oak tree.

"She was waiting here, just a few hours ago - for you to return!" Jerry said in a somewhat accusatory tone, gesturing to the tree.

"For me? Waiting here, in the cold and dark? Hang on, you let her? That was so dangerous, this road isn't safe at night--"

"Or apparently in the morning! Unless she just wandered off!" Jerry said sarcastically.

Gilbert scowled. "This is serious. My companions are gone too - they were here a moment ago. There was a voice, and whoever they were left this trap for me, to distract me while they took them! They could have taken Anne too!"

"Woah, slow down. Who took your friends? What trap?"

"We have to find them, there's no time to explain. You go that way--" Gilbert gestured back up the path. "I'll go ahead."

Jerry looked uncertain. "Are you sure it's a good idea to split up -- if there are dangerous people about?" He thought back to some unkind strangers he'd encountered once in Charlottetown.

"This is Anne, Jerry." Gilbert's eyes were wide.

Jerry paused, before deciding. "Alright, we split up."

...

A little while before...

Anne had almost fallen asleep, worn out from crying and the run earlier to Gilbert's house. Her energy was low and she was beginning to lose hope of Gilbert returning that night. Just as the birds began to sing in the soft quiet of the sunrise, Anne's eyes began to close. Her head rested on the branch of the tree she was situated in, her long red hair streaming down like vines. Just before she dropped asleep, she heard footsteps approaching.

Looking up groggily, Anne saw a mysterious, hooded woman walking along the road leading a horse by the reins. The woman pushed down her hood and out fell a mass of red hair. Anne was instantly awake, gaping at the sight before her. It must be the woman she'd seen that day riding, the flash of red hair... she hadn't imagined it. There truly was another redhead in Avonlea - perhaps it was she who'd left a hair at Joseph's grave? Perhaps this woman had played a part in his burial? If this was true then who was she and why was she here?

Anne watched her raptly as she stopped in the middle of the path and dragged a sack off the horse's back. She dropped it in the middle of the road before taking a folded up sheet of dark brown material from out of the saddlebag and tossing it over the sack. It looked from a distance like a person lying down on the gravel, Anne thought. What was she doing? She saw the woman draw out a red ribbon from her pocket and laying it beneath the sheet, almost like hair.

This was very suspicious behavior, Anne thought. As the woman walked back into the woods, Anne started to climb down to follow her. Just as she began her descent she saw more figures appear from the trees and join the redhead. They conversed quietly and showed each other their gleaming knives. It seemed to be a gang of sorts, giving the look of knowing each other a long time. It was clear that the redhead was in charge. Anne hesitated, partially concealed in the branches. She saw the unsavoury group scatter into the woods and hide themselves in the undergrowth and behind trees. It really was a trap.

Anne waited, planning to disrupt the element of surprise when an unsuspecting victim came along. Mere moments later she heard a horse and saw Gilbert ride into view. Her heartache was placed on the back burner as the imminent danger of Gilbert being ambushed took over. Gilbert spotted the trap and dismounted hastily, rushing over. He murmured something, before turning the sack over to realise it was fake.

Everything after that happened very quickly.

Anne noticed a horse and cart approaching from behind. Squinting, she saw none other than her old cellmates and friends, January, Peggy and Kes aboard! Anne didn't have time to be shocked or happy to see them as the hidden gang members suddenly swarmed the cart, causing Peggy to cry out. They dragged Anne's friends into the depths of the woods in the blink of an eye. Anne gaped, her heart thumping. She climbed down urgently, scraping her hands on the rough Oak bark in the process. Dropping to the floor she ran through the woods after the gang, not looking back.

...

Confused and afraid, January, Peggy and Kes were dragged through the woods, gripped tightly by their hooded captors.

They ran for a long time before hearing rushing water ahead through the trees. They struggled with their captors and shouted in resistance but they were too strong.

"Time for a swim." Came a voice from beneath a hood.

Suddenly the Wolfsden gang were pushed through the trees and fell over the edge of a deep lake. The icy water enveloped their bodies and they plunged into the deep. Struggling to kick and swim, they dropped under like stones.

Regaining her composure first, January managed to swim up to the surface of the water. Gasping in the fresh air, she blinked around to gather her surroundings. She realised she was still near to the bank, trees overhanging to form a dark glade. Whoever had pushed them into the water had dispersed into the woods as they were now nowhere to be seen. Searching around for her friends, January saw Kes' ginger head bob up above the water but little Peggy was still under.

Taking a deep breath, January dived beneath the surface and spotted her friend struggling a little way off. January swam to her and grabbed the struggling Peggy by the arm. January kicked as hard as she could, pulling the smaller girl towards the riverbank. Peggy realised what was happening and kicked too. Together they broke through the water and choked in the air. After they'd made it to the shore they looked up to find Kes stretching out his hand, offering his help. January took his hand. As they heaved onto the riverbank they heard running feet among the trees, branches whipping and twigs snapping.

Alert to danger, they looked up. The Wolfsden friends saw Anne Shirley standing there, panting hard and gazing at them in relief. Her red hair in diseray, her grey eyes bright.

"I can't believe it's really you." She said quietly.

Despite the circumstances they were all enormously glad to see each other. Anne threw herself into a group hug, not minding their soaking clothes and hair. She was still drenched from the rainstorm besides. She spoke once they'd broken apart and regained their breath.

"Are you all alright?" Anne asked after they broke apart.

"Luckily," Said Kes, feisty as ever. "No thanks to those ambushers tryna drown us like rats in a barrel! Who'd ya think it was? The cops?"

"No, they'd never had done something so childish." January said dismissively, her voice still hoarse from ingesting the lake water. She rubbed at her throat, thoroughly disgruntled.

"Whoever it was, they left," Peggy pointed out. "As soon as they dropped us in the river..."

The group exchanged glances.

"Almost as though they didn't really have any need or interest in us..." Peggy said.

The others realised the point she was trying to make all at once, as it dawned on them.

"Almost as though it was just a distraction--!" January tensed, wide eyed.

"A way to get us all out of the way--" Kes cried, scrambling to his feet.

"Gilbert." Anne muttered under her breath, her heart dropping.

They turned and fled through the woods back to the main road where Gilbert had been left, unknowingly lead into a trap.

...

Anne ran as fast as she could but she still wasn't fast enough.

Gilbert had long since gone. Their horse and cart was left behind, with a note pinned to the seat. Gasping from the run and heart pounding in fear, Anne snatched it up. The world seemed to be silencing, darkening as her throat closed up. Anxiety crawled up her skin as the scars of trauma rose up in her mind. She could barely process the words scribbled on the note as fear clouded her brain.

Something I loved was lost in Ayche Woods. Your turn.

"No, no, no." Anne felt sick.

"What is it?" January reached her, took the note and scanned it. "Oh my God. Losing somebody in Ayche Woods? Does this mean--?"

"Gilbert... They've taken him." Anne felt tears burn her eyes.

"Where is Ayche Woods?" Peggy asked, recognising Anne's heartbreak.

Kes nodded. "We can go there. Lead us."

"We will help you get him back." January said.

Anne nodded, feeling weak and shivery from the panic which had flooded her body. She remembered seeing Gilbert in his barn, lying bleeding unconscious and the fear that he was dead. She couldn't lose him.

"Anne, you lead the way." January said, and they all climbed onto the cart. Anne mounted the horse and took the reins with shaking fingers. She kicked her heels and they sped towards Ayche Woods.

...

Arriving at Ayche Woods, the sun fell through the trees to spotlight the clearing.

Anne saw him ahead, seemingly waiting for her. He was kneeling, almost thoughtfully. His back to her, the sun streaming on his shoulders and dark curls. Anne abruptly stopped the horse and cart and dismounted, rushing forward. The others waited on the cart. Gilbert heard Anne's footsteps and stood, looking over his shoulder.

Anne slowed, running out of breath. "Gil." She whispered, her eyes wide. She was so relieved to see him, safe and sound. "Are you alright? Did they h--" She began to walk towards him.

"Anne," He said, and his voice sounded pained... As though he dreaded the words he was about to speak. "Stop. I think you'd better stay there."

Anne frowned and stumbled to a halt, pushing her wet hair from her face. "I don't--"

"It's over." Gilbert met her eyes, his own appearing gold in the sun. He spoke slowly.

"What?" Anne thought she'd misheard him at first.

"This is too much... It's all too much, too quickly, and it's painful to see you..." Gilbert paused. "You remind me of that awful time... Everything I went through... it hurts to remember it all."

"I don't understand." Anne felt a deep breath caught in her throat. She felt lightheaded.

Gilbert was just feet away, so close Anne could almost smell him, feel him. She saw the scruffs of dirt on his face from travelling, the damp tangle in his wild curls which blew in the wind. Anne ached to push her hands through them to smooth them down his forehead and drag her fingers across his shoulders, to rest her head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat.

She thought of Marilla's words. She was forbidden from seeing him.

This would be the last time.

Gilbert watched Anne, his face guarded. Anne knew him so well she could see a multitude of emotions flickering over his features. She had missed him, she wanted to tell him what had happened, to explain they didn't have much time left but all of these terrible things were coming from his lips like shards of glass to her heart.

"Anne, all those things that happened between us -- they were just in the moment, drawn from fear and-- and madness and trauma. It was never real." Gilbert blurted out.

Anne felt sick. Hundreds of words stuck in her throat like glue. There were so many questions, so many things she wanted to say but none of them came. She had to be imagining this nightmare, she had to be.

"I can't keep this up, it's tearing me apart. I'm ashamed of us, of who I'm becoming with you. I'm losing my mind. You -- you just, you -- ruin me."

The wind picked up, blowing their hair and clothes, chilling Anne to the bone but she was numb, trembling. She looked like china, Gilbert thought she might shatter in the gale. The trees around them whipped their branches, reaching up as the sky began to cry again. The clouds gathering mirrored Anne's feelings.

"Gilbert..." Anne's voice broke. Her eyes were full of disbelief. "You said you loved me."

Gilbert swallowed hard, mustering his strength to go on. Forcing himself to meet her eyes, to finish what he started.

"I lied. I don't love you." He said, biting his cheek. "And I don't want to see you. I don't want to even know you."

Anne's world was crashing down. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know what was real anymore. She felt like screaming, it rushed up in her throat and she caught it, her hopeful nature taking over as she tried one last time.

"Please," Anne begged. "I can't lose you."

In her imagination she ran to Gilbert then, her heart tearing into pieces all over again. She would gather him into her arms and break down. Cradling her, he would say it was a lie and he didn't mean any of it. He was just tricking her. He truly loved her and everything would be okay... He'd fix things with Marilla and they'd deal with the ambushers together...

But that was her imagination.

"I can't do this anymore, Anne." Gilbert repeated, blinking through the rain. "Let me go. Forget about us. We'll be better off alone."

Then he walked away up the path and didn't look back. Anne stood there, feeling as though all life had drained from her being. She was a shell, empty and delicate. Birds sung above her, as the weak sun shone through the trees. The world was mourning, as a storm was brewing. The rain continued to pour, but she felt nothing. Anne thought of all her Summer plans with Gilbert, the dance and study sessions and walks and picnics, all of it... Her heart broke.

It was all over.