"MORNING SLEEPYHEAD!"
Someone took Amybella by the waist and pulled her close. Gilbert rolled them over so that she was lying on top of him.

"Mm," she grumbled.

"Because you're so peaceful right now, I won't remind you what day it is. You know.. the day of your exams.. for Queens." Bella shot open her eyes and was instantly wide awake.

"EXAMS! QUEENS! I have to study!" She tried to get up, but Gilbert held her down, laughing.

"Gilbert I'm serious. I must have forgotten everything already!" Bella pushed away from his chest against his grip, but he pulled her back.

"At least give me a kiss." His soft lips were already on hers.

"You have bad morning breath, let go of me!" Bella laughed as Gilbert spun them around.

"You want more of it?" he kissed her again and Bella laughed even harder. Then she scurried out from under him and stood up.

"You really need to wake me up when I fall asleep in your room Gilbert, it's impudent to sleep in a room together." She then said and the smile washed off Gilbert's face.

"Oh.. you're right I'm sorry." He then said, suddenly really serious.

"It's fine, as long as Rachel doesn't know." Bell said and then ran into the kitchen where Bash's mom, who had arrived yesterday, to help with Delfine, was waiting for them.

"Good morning." Amybella greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning sir and miss." Bella looked at the woman confused, then at the two full plates in her hand. She sat down at the table and hazel immediately came running towards her.

"I didn't know where you were sitting." Bella couldn't say anything as she was too confused.

„T-thank you." she stuttered.

"Smells wonderful." Gilbert said impressed, when he came into the room.

"Is that alright? Would you like something else Mr. Blythe?" Gilbert reached for the pot in front of him as she stepped forward.

"Oh no, don't." she said and took the pot.

"It's okay Mrs.. you - he can do it on his own - you don't have to.." Bella tried to say, without being rude. But Hazel immediately looked at her in astonishment, like she had just told the woman that she was born a horse. Bella bowed her head as Bash came in.

"Do Mr. and Mrs. Blythe look fine enough for their big exam?" Bella choked on her new name.

"Funny Bash. Really funny." She wiped her mouth and then smiled at Delphine.

"Hello sunshine." She took the girl from Bash's arms and held her in her own.

"Sebastian. I'm sure Mrs. Blythe doesn't want your baby in her arms while she's trying to eat breakfast." Hazel hissed at Bash. She quickly strode towards Bella and took the baby from her.

"Amybella will do, and it's okay. Seeing Deli's face in the morning is a motivation for the whole day!" She smiled, blushing because Bash's mother now thought Gilbert and her were married. The boy didn't seem to have a problem with that at all. He was rather amused by Amybella's embarrassment.

"Can you even eat that with all this excitement, MRS BLYTHE?" asked Bash with a provocative smile, earning a killing glare from Bella.

"I'm telling you, you're not staying thin when my mother lives here. You need to try putting up a fence with him." Bash said, turning to Gilbert.

"Thin little arms that can't even hold a pen." Bella laughed wholesome and Gilbert joined in. Only Bash's mother didn't seem amused at all.
Bash and her walked down the hall as she gave Bella another critical look.

"She thinks I'm married at 18 and a rude child!" Bella slapped her hand to her forehead. She then stood up and walked down the hallway, listening to the conversation.

"...if you get too comfortable, they'll turn on you! Did no one teach you to know your place?"
She heard Hazel's upset voice.

"Teach me? I suppose that was your job, had you been around to do it." Bash walked past Bella and the blonde walked into the room.

"Miss?" Hazel turned to her quickly.

"Yes Mrs. Blythe?" She said smiling.

"I'm not-.. Gilbert and I are just-.. Amybella McCurthy is my name." She said with a smile.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to embarrass you!" Bella raised her hand.

"Miss I didn't mean any.. disrespect earlier. I just meant.. well, you're not our maid. T-there are no.. places.. times have changed!" Hazel looked at the girl like she was from the sun.

"Bella when does the exam start again?" shouted Bash and Bella gasped.

"Oh no!" She quickly ran back to a laughing Gilbert and grabbed a slice of bread. She then ran out.

"The area of the triangle is c times hc by 2 the area of the circle is pi times radius squared!" Bella mumbled as she ran to the place where the exams took place.
When she arrived, everyone was in panic. Moody was running with a paper bag in front of his mouth and couldn't seem to catch his breath.

"My heart is beating way too fast! What if it explodes?! Why isn't Gilbert here?!! AMYBELLA!" The boy ran towards her when he saw her running towards them.

"Calm down Moody, you're driving everyone mad." She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. That wasn't a good idea because now he was going to throw up.

"Think positive. You can do this." Jane fanned herself.

"1973!" Josie said to Tillie, who was having a complete nervous breakdown.

"Diana?" Ruby called out and Bella turned around. Indeed it was her.

"What are you doing here?!" Bella took the brunette's hands and she smiled.

"I'm taking the exams too." Bella looked at her excitedly.

"And your parents? Or let me guess Aunt Josephine-.." Diana nodded before Amybella could finish her sentence.

"I'll explain everything later, tell me the topics quickly." Bella grinned.
Josephine Barry.
Amybella's idol, after all.

"The examiner!" said Moody as they all scurried to one side.

"You have one hour per subject. Write in pencil or pen." Amybella tore the paper away and began.

Her future was dependent on this. She couldn't mess up now it was too important.

•

"We did it!" shouted Anne and they all howled with joy. They threw their hats up and danced by the fire.

"Give me that." Amybella took the Jim that one of the boys had brought and took a few big gulps. Then she handed it to Diana and they looked at her in shock as she took even more gulps. She wiped her mouth and smiled happily.

Bella put her arm around Diana with a grin.
They celebrated until night fell and Bella climbed onto the logs by the fire and danced around on them, imitating Anne. The redhead started talking about pirates, and Bella didn't even understand it because of her laughing. She balanced herself, wiping the tears from laughing off her eyes.
Suddenly, she slipped off and fell straight into the arms of none other than Gilbert Blythe.

"Well who are you, handsome?" She giggled.

"I need to talk to you." His face was serious and the exhilaration Amybella had felt a moment ago was gone.
She stepped out of the embrace, he held her in and looked at him confused.

"What's going on?" She asked and he took her hand, pulling her along. Bell felt butterflies in her stomach, seeing their hands intertwined.

„But I don't wanna go from the party Gilberttt!" She murmured and saw Gilbert shaking his head. He then stopped and they sat down on a tree trunk.
Gilbert sighed heavily before he started talking.

"Winnifred. Her parents.. I had dinner with them." He started to talk and Bella felt her stomach drop.
Her happy mood immediately sank towards the lowest as she felt like someone had punched her back into reality.
This has been one of the happiest moments she had after her parents had died and Gilbert had to destroy it by talking about Winnifred.

"What?" the blonde asked.

"Her father offers me a place at the Sorbonne. He's presenting it to me on a silver platter."
He speculated wildly with his arms, starting to pace around in front of her.

"What?" Bella asked again, her voice now deeper and slightly risen.

"Why would he do that?" She asked with a trembling voice, although she already knew the answer.

"He gave me his blessing.." Gilbert said and the girl's breath stuck in her throat.

"Winnifred is to be my wife."

Bella stared at him. Not a word came out of her mouth, as if it was tied shut. She felt her world crumbling and the floor under her feet being slipped away.

"My whole future could shine because of this one decision. 'Paris, the Sorbonne, a big apartment, an education, a family." he said, not daring to look at the girl in front of him.
Bella opened her mouth.

„You are a ridiculous boy, Blythe." she then said in an angry voice. She felt like her whole skin was on fire.

"You met with her.. you- you-.." The girl had gotten up and was pacing around wildly. Then she stopped with her back to him.

"No you're right. Propose to her." she then said. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Propose to the woman that can offer you anything you want. I can't even offer you to be a good wife. I'm going to college." She started crying turned to face Gilbert, who walked up to her.

"Amy-.."

"This was.. something nice but nothing serious, right? You knew that all along didn't you?! You.. have a bright future ahead of you I mean.. we'll go our separate ways and you knew that." She sobbed devastated. Gilbert didn't manage to say anything.
He tried to embrace her trembling shoulders but the girl pushed him away. The fact that she was slightly drunk even intensified her emotions, which made her sob horribly, it broke Gilbert's heart to see her that way.

„We weren't just something Amy.. We-.." he took her hands into his.

„Why did you even kiss me?!" she felt the tears streaming down her face, as she knew that she would later regret being so vulnerable. But she couldn't help that her heart was aching for the boy.

„Why did you kiss me when you were meeting HER behind my back?!" Gilbert shook his head.

„It wasn't like that!" he said.

„Oh please! You knew which intentions she and her parents had! And yet still you let me sleep by your side, not bothering to wake me up when YOU KNEW how inappropriate it is for a girl to sleep beside a boy. Yet still you woke me up this morning kissing me like the world was ending when YOU KNEW that SHE was to be your
WIFE!" Bella's voice grew louder.

„I-I'm so sorry Amy.." he stuttered.

„Don't call me Amy GOD damnit! Please go for your goals and marry the woman of your dreams!"
She said, calming her voice down as she ran away, ignoring the calls behind her.

•

"Diana, is your aunt still there?" Amybella stood in the Barry house.

"Yes, do you want to talk to her?" Amybella nodded.

"I'll get her." Josephine came down the stairs shortly afterwards.

"Oh child, what's wrong?" she put her hand on Bella's shoulder.

"Do you have a minute?"
They went out into the garden.

"I wanted to talk to you because well.. I think you can best understand how complicated the matter of love is." Bella said.

"Because I had a wife? Or because there was a secret marriage?" The woman looked at her sternly.

"Somehow.. both I think?" Bella asked cautiously.

"Oh the love between me and my Gorbert wasn't complicated. It was society that made it complicated." The woman said and Bella sighed.

"Gilbert Blythe. 'He.. he met this girl and told me all these things she offers him and I-.. I can't do anything.. I was just his short young romance. I.." she broke off because she didn't want to cry in front of Mrs. Berry.

"Oh to be young again and suffer the sorrows of a hearts love!" Josephine said, gazing into the sky, like she was looking at her wife.

"Do you love this Gilbert Blythe then?" Bella stopped.

"How am I supposed to know that? I've never loved anyone in a romantic way. I don't even know what that is." They sat down on a bench that was there and Bella put her head in her hands.

"Why does it have to be so complicated?" she put her hand on her lap.

"Child, that's love. I've never thought much of 'I just know'. Sometimes it feels like an insurmountable force. It hits you to the core and doesn't let up and sometimes it's uncertain.. questionable.. its truth well hidden inside and behind outer bulwarks and in inner circumstances the imprint of who you are, what you expect from the world and how you can accept love! Oh.. I can tell you it is complicated."

A part of Bella wanted to go to Gilbert and tell him everything. But the other side didn't want to ruin his future. She's going to college so what was the point? He should marry this Winnifred. Thousands of thoughts were running through her head, almost like voices.

"I think your problem is that your head is full of thoughts and feelings. You're putting yourself under pressure. I think when your head is clear, you'll find your answer."

"By the time her head is free of thoughts, Gilbert will have traveled the world 10 times with Winnifred." Bella sighed.

•

"You have to learn to get along with your mother. There might only be two of you soon," Gilbert said and Bash cocked his head.

"Why? Are you finally moving in with Bella?" He asked teasingly. Gilbert shook his head.

"No.. I'll propose-.." The boy pulled out the ring of his mother.

"YES! My answer is yes!" Bash exclaimed happily.

"I did a lot of thinking last night and asked Amy-." Bash stood up.

"Yes! HAHA I KNEW IT! You're head over heels in love with her. From the beginning. Gilbert and Bella." he gestured with his hands and started dancing. Gilbert shook his head.

"From the moment you talked about her on the ship, I knew it!"

"Not Bella.. Winnifred." Gilbert said loudly, to overtone Bash's laughs and the smile faded quickly off the man's face.

"What? Why?!" He asked and Gilbert sighed as he sat down.

"Well.. her father is giving me a chance to go to the Sorbonne. My whole future-.. I can go to Paris." The boy said and Bash shook his head. There was silence for a moment, then he looked at Gilbert again.

"You're a coward Blythe." he stood up with a disappointed look on his face. Bash suddenly became so serious.

"What?" Gilbert asked, confused at his reaction.

"You're only thinking of yourself. You're
selfish.." Bash answered.

„Selfish?" Gilbert asked, getting upset.

„What about Bella? You're just going to leave the girl like that? After kissing her and having all this stuff going on between you? 'Tz" he cleared the table angrily.

"You don't do that to a woman." The man said.

"She told me to propose to Winnifred! It doesn't matter Amy's going to college."

"OH PLEASE! Did you tell her about that?"

"Told her what?" Gilbert asked, confused.

"Well what the stinker of a father offered you!" Bash exclaimed. Gilbert nodded.

"Yes?" The boy said and Bash threw his arms into the air, dramatically.

"Well then of course she tells you to marry that girl! You're a fool, Blythe. A fool." Bash sounded hysterical.

"It doesn't matter now. There's finally clarity in my head." Gilbert said nodding. Bash raised an eyebrow.

"If you say so." He shook his head. He had made the boy feel insecure.

"Winnifred will be my wife, and I have a bright future ahead of me!"

Author's note:
Oh Gilbert you goat 🐐!

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