„BELLA, WE'RE GOING TO RUBY'S
house to bring them the pastry we made, do you want to join us?" Ruby asked excitedly as she stood outside Amybella's door with Anne.

"Anne!" Bella exclaimed happily and threw her arms around the girl's neck.

"I missed you at school." Anne returned her hug but didn't answer. Bella hugged Ruby and then looked behind her into the house.

"Yes, I'm coming with you. We'd best take Abraxas." Ruby looked at the blonde girl in shock.

"Y-your horse?" she stammered. Bella nodded.
Unlike Ruby, Anne was enthusiastic about the idea.
Amybella helped Anne and Ruby to sit on Abraxas and then led him towards the Gilli's house next to them.

"That must be fantastic the way you canter with him! Across the fields, with the wind in your beautiful blond hair, your beauty seen from miles, matching to Abraxas' flowing mane. A dream." Anne talked happily while Ruby clung on the saddle rather anxiously. Bella led them through the woods and had to grin.

"I can take you for a ride some time, if you want." Anne looked at her in amazement.

"You would do that?" she squeaked excitedly.

"Why not?" laughed Bella.

"Marilla would never allow it," the red-haired girl sighed.

"Marilla doesn't need to know everything," said Bella when they had reached their destination. The men were hard at work, except for the pastor, who stood to the side and gave orders.

"Good afternoon, minister! I'm learning to bake. Would you care for a scone?" asked Anne and Bella looked at her in confusion.

"I don't mind if I do!" The pastor and took something.

"This is some heavy work."
He said and dabbed his forehead with a sweat cloth.
It almost sounded ironic.
Anne noticed Bella's questioning look.

"Now that I'm out of school, I'm learning to be a house wife." she explained and Amybella laughed.

"You're joking, right?!" she said and wanted to continue talking, but she heard Billy's annoying voice. She saw him standing on the roof and recognized Gilbert next to him. His eyes met hers.

"Hey look! It's the freak and her new twin sister." Amybella heard Billy Andrew's say and met the boy's gaze.

„As long as they bring food, I don't care if it's Quasimodo!" He spotted the Amybella behind Ruby and Anne and grinned stupidly at her. Amybella looked at him with a raised eyebrow, wanting to say something, but was distracted by Ruby, who fell down.
Billy laughed.

„That was great!" he said and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Ruby! Ruby are you all right?" asked Anne. Instead of Ruby getting up, she stayed sitting on the floor and started sobbing. Bella sighed in annoyance.

"Come on Ruby, get up." she said gently, but the girl remained seated, crying.

"Girls are so useless." Billy laughed and Bella walked towards the scaffolding.

"I'll show you who's useless!" she shouted and his grin only widened.

"That's cute. Guess you should have stayed in the kitchen eh?" he laughed.

"What is wrong with you?!" Anne now shouted.

"Go home and bake cookies!" Billy shouted. Amybella looked at Gilbert awaiting, for him to say something.

"Headline, they already did."

"This is Ruby's property, or did you forget?" shouted Anne. Bella watched Gilbert climb down the ladder but kept her focus on Billy.

"Why don't you shove off, and leave the men their work?" he called out. He emphasized the 'men' particularly strongly, of course.

"That's ridiculous. You call yourself a man? My great-aunt Tessi has more manhood than you!" Bella shouted and the workers around them burst out laughing.

"Give me the hammer and I'll finish the job myself if you're too busy, being a bully to get it done?!" Anne had stepped up next to Amybella. The men around her seemed to enjoy what was happening.

Amybella turned to see where Gilbert was, when she saw that he had run to Ruby and was now helping her up. Ruby stared at him like he was an angel descended from heaven.

"Thanks Gilbert!" said Ruby and Bella felt sick from her high childish voice.

"Of course! Thanks for- uh.. coming by and help feed the beasts." Gilbert looked at the blonde girl, who was still avoiding his gaze.
Anne was now talking to Mr. Cuthbert and Amybella was walking towards Abraxas.

"Do you want a lift?" she asked Anne.

"No thanks, we'll walk," said Anne as they ran alongside her.

"You're right Minister! Honesty is the best policy and it's also very satisfying." Anne said as she and Ruby made their way back.
Bella looked after them as they walked away and had to grin at Anne's weariness.

—
"Blythe!" Amybella greeted the boy. He had just stepped out of the door and looked at the girl in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, irritated.

"I wanted to see your father again." she said.

"He's inside, just go in. I'm in the barn," he said.
Amybella went inside to Mr. Blythe's bedroom and knocked.

"Yes?" she heard a scratchy voice and stepped inside. She saw the old man smiling at her.

"Amybella." Gilbert's father looked a mess. His eyes were just dark circles, his face was sunken, you could clearly see how much weight he had lost.

"Good morning Mr. Blythe, how are you?" he coughed heavily.

"It's alright." was his simple reply. Amybella slowly stepped closer to his bedside and sat in the chair.

"I was going to say Mr. Blythe, I can't look after Gilbert if that's what you want me to do. I'm not allowed to talk that much with him anymore. At my age, you shouldn't have anything to do with a boy. So I don't think I'm the right person to make sure Gilbert goes the right way." she gushed, wondering if Gilbert's father had understood her words.
Gilbert's father smiled slightly.
Before he could said anything, she already continued.

„I'm sorry. I really don't want to disappoint you, but I don't want to make a promise to you, that I can't keep Mr. Blythe." she said, looking at him guilty.

"Heavy plague, the heart, isn't it?" he said, then shook his head.

"You do what's right for you, child. I was hoping you'd come again," he said, pointing to a box next to him.

"Open it." He croaked before coughing again. The girl took the little box from the bedside table and opened it. It contained the pretty little wooden figures she had admired so much.

"I want to give them to you." Bella looked at him, grinning happily.

"Thank you very much Mr. Blythe. Thank you." Mr. Blythe smiled.

„Oh please, call me John!"
Amybella said goodbye and walked to the barn where Gilbert was grooming one of his horses.

"We should make our way to school, you're gonna be late." She said and Gilbert turned to the blonde.

"I won't be going for a while." He then said. Bella's grin disappeared and she looked at him in confusion. He sighed.

"I just have a feeling, I should stick around." he said. Amybella eyed him and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Oh. well.." she then said and turned to walk to school. However, she changed her mind the next moment and looked at Gilbert again. She walked towards him and then wrapped him in her arms.

"Everything will be fine. I Promise." She mumbled into his jacket. Gilbert was standing stiffly in her embrace, not moving. The blonde girl broke away from him and looked at him again. He had his mouth pressed into a thin line and his eyebrows drawn together, like he wanted to cry.

"Thanks."

—
Amybella sat down next to Ruby as usual and looked at Gilbert's empty seat opposite her.

"You are not to fraternize, or exert undue influence." said Mr. Phillips to Anne, who now looked in shock at Diana. Bella looked at them both in confusion.

"Ruby. Switch places with Anne." Ruby stood up and Anne sat down next to Amybella.

"What's wrong?" she asked Anne in shock.

"Diana was at my place for tea and we accidentally drank fruit wine. I thought it was raspberry liqueur." The blonde girl looked at her in shock.
She almost felt like laughing, but Anne was so desperate that she stifled it.

"Oh Anne, I'm sorry." she said sympathetically.

"Quiet! Page 136." Mr. Phillips interrupted their conversation and the lesson began.

Later, Amybella was standing at the window, tapping out the blackboard sponges, when Mr. Phillips called her.

"Take these books to Gilbert Blythe. He won't be coming to class for a while and I don't want him to fall too far behind, he's my best student." he said, handing her a stack of books.
Bella nodded and set off.
Arriving at Gilbert's house, she knocked on the door.

Her spirits were suddenly at the earth's core for no reason, which was why it didn't occur to her that Gilbert was probably back in the barn.
You couldn't blame her.
Mr. Phillips had ordered her around all day.

"The way you write, even a blind man writes better McCurthy!"

"Blythe! Open the door, it's cold out here!" Annoyed, she was about to turn around and leave when the door opened.

"Finally, I thought-" she looked in shock at the heavily panting Mr. Blythe.

"Oh my goodness! Mr. Blythe, I'm so sorry! You should be in bed!" She followed the man back inside.

"It's all right. Gilbert's behind the house if you're looking for him." he said.

"Dad, what are you doing? You're not supposed to walk around!" Gilbert took his father from her and helped him back to his room.
Amybella stopped in the doorway and felt bad for not having thought about it. After a short time, Gilbert came back.

"What are you doing?! He needs to rest, you know that! Why don't you come to me?" His tone was stern. Amybella looked at him in shock for a moment.

"I-I didn't know-" I broke off. His gaze quickly softened again.

"Right.. You couldn't have known where I was. I'm sorry. It's just- when it comes to my father-.." he said, glancing over his shoulder.

"It's okay. I wasn't thinking." Amybella pressed her lips together.
Small, fine snowflakes were caught in Gilbert's curls and his cheeks were flushed from the cold. He cleared his throat.

"Are these for me?" He asked, which caused Amybella to return back to reality.

"Oh-yes." She blushed and handed him his books.

"Thank you. Nice of you to bring them over." Gilbert said. Bella nodded and looked around the landscape, shivering.

"Mr. Phillips doesn't want you to fall behind." she then said, looking at the boy again.

"I don't either." he smirked. She looked back up to his eyes and quickly looked away when she realized she was staring at him too long again.

"Hrm so I'm going back then." she said and turned around embarrassed.

"Come inside and warm up, you'll freeze to death," Gilbert said.

"No, I have to go home." she said stubbornly and he sighed.

"Bella can't you even take a favor?" Bella was shocked by his tone, which somehow sounded frustrated but also worried.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you Gilbert. I'm sorry." she said, then turned and left.

—
The bells rang and the cold air rushed through Amybella's lungs, making her shiver. She pulled her coat tighter around her and looked at Gilbert, who walked dejectedly beside the Minister. His body looked slimmer than usual in the black coat and he had a black scarf wrapped half-heartedly around his neck.

They followed the cart with Mr. John's coffin, which was pulled by horses, trudging through the cold snow. Amybella looked to Anne beside her, who was also looking worriedly back at her.
Bella wanted nothing more than to hug Gilbert in this moment. She wanted to be there for him, as his father had wished.

"How old was he, Mr. Blythe?" Marcus asked quietly, walking between her mother and Bella.

"I don't know," She replied quietly.

"Did he have much land?" He then asked and Amybella's stomach turned.

"I don't think that's the right topic of conversation at his funeral." Amybella hissed.

"Watch your tongue child." her mother said warningly. The other people didn't hear their conversation.
Amybella felt a deep dislike for Marcus. He was stingy and you would have thought he had no heart beating in his chest.

They arrived at the cemetery and the pastor gave one of his usual sermons. However, it sounded much more stiff than comforting. When he had finished, the people moved slowly towards the house. There would be coffee and cake.

Bella walked slowly to Gilbert. He sat down on a bench next to the small cemetery and stared at his father's grave. He seemed like he was trying to realize what had happened, a feeling Bella knew all too well. She sat down with him and followed his gaze.

"Your father was a very good man Gilbert. You're a lot like him." she interrupted the silence. Gilbert didn't look at her, nor did he show a reaction.

"You got to spend time with your father. You've had a great last few days with him. If you look at it that way you can be really grateful that you could spend the last days with him!" She said.

"Am I supposed to be happy now?" he asked her.

"You know, that's not what I meant." Amybella sighed, as Gilbert stood up. She followed him as he walked away from her and held him back by his hand.
He turned to face her and looked at her waiting. Bella stared into his eyes. Her piercing green into his soft brown.

"I just wanted to let you know, I'm here for you Gilbert. I always will." She let go of his hand and walked past him towards the house. She expected him to follow her, but he didn't.

Author's Note:
R.I.P John Blythe. You would have loved these modern trains, never coming in time!

What do you think so far?

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2362 words