The beginning is based on Anne With An E, but the rest is based on the books.

Summary: You and your father just moved to Avonlea from White Sands, money is very tight for you, and the kids at school like to make fun of you. However, one day, Gilbert Blythe walks over and asks to be friends.

QOTP: Who's you favorite character?

Word Count: 8607

You moved to Avonlea from White Sands shortly before the end of that summer - you and your father. He found an older, smaller house for cheap and decided to make the move because he could make more money in Avonlea. He never told you much of the details of your finances as he didn't want to worry you, but you knew you were poor.

And when you start school, the other kids make sure of that.

The girls make fun of your dress; it's been patched a thousands times over, and it's getting too small. You don't have a bow for your hair like they do, either. (They look at Anne Shirley the same way, especially at first, but she's friends with Diana Barry, so you never speak to her for fear of the other girls.)

The boys like to make fun of you, too. Only they do it to your face, so you take the opportunity to defend yourself. They don't like that.

There's a few boys and girls who simply leave you alone, which you're grateful for, but there's one boy that's just arrived who's going to make up his mind to neither tease nor leave you be.

Anne Shirley cracked her slate over his head on his first day back.

////

"Look! It's an ugly little good for nothing girl, eating alone because she has no friends," Billy Andrews says to the other boys. You're sitting by the brook, eating your lunch. You don't reply, thinking that if you ignore them, they'll go away.

They don't.

"I know who she could be friends with!" Charlie Sloane says. "The orphan girl. They'd be quite the pair. No one would be able to tell who's uglier."

The dig at Anne bothers you, and you're tired of listening to them, anyway. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're saying; I don't speak stupid."

Billy gets angry. "Think you're funny, huh?"

You look up at him and coolly reply, "At least I'm thinking at all."

He scowls. "Come on; I don't have time for this trash."

"And a good day to you, too."

As he and his friends walk away, another boy walks towards you - Gilbert Blythe. "Well, you sure told them, didn't you?" he says, looking down at you.

"Maybe I did," you reply, barely looking at him, "though my father would call it a very unchristian thing to do."

He sits down next to you, and jokingly says, "I could get the minister if you like."

You stop and look at him silently for a moment. "What do you want?"

"I'm not going to make fun of you like the other boys, if that's what you're wondering," he replies sincerely.

You quirk a brow at him. "So you're going to make fun of me in your own way, then?"

"I'm not going to make fun of you at all," he says hurriedly. "I just wanted to talk to you... see if you might like to be friends."

"Why?"

He shrugs. "Why not?"

"You already have friends, don't you?" you ask, a hint of resentment in your voice. "Those boys - they're your friends."

"No. I know them, sure, but they're not really my friends..." He sighs. "I want a real friend. A nice one, who doesn't poke fun at people just because they can."

You can tell he's being genuine, so you turn towards him a little and decide to make a joke. "I suppose Anne Shirley hitting you with that slate taught you a lesson, then? That was hilarious."

He smiles, noticing the glint in your eyes and remembering the event you're referring to. "Yes, it did, and yes, it was." Then, he sighs. "I was just trying to be friends with her, too - at first. But then she wouldn't talk to me."

You shrug, increasingly growing more comfortable around him. "Maybe she doesn't want to be your friend. You're a boy, you run around with the other boys, and they say the most dreadful things to her."

"I would never say things like that about her - or about you."

"Good to know."

After a pause, he asks, "So?"

Your brows furrow yet again. "'So' what?"

"Do you think you'd want to be my friend?"

"Why?"

"I already told you: Why not?"

Resentment makes it's way into your voice again; you can't fathom why in the word this boy is so insistent upon being your friend. Truthfully, you can't fathom why anybody would want to be your friend. "I don't need you to be my friend out of pity, Gilbert Blythe. I'd rather not have a friend at all if that's what-"

"No, no, no," he says, cutting you off. "I just think you're interesting, and I really want to get to know you. And, like I said, I want a real friend."

"And you think I'd be a real friend?"

"I know you would." You give him a look, so he adds, "I have a feeling."

"Plenty of people have plenty of feelings," you reply.

"And do you feel you'd like to be friends?" he asks hopefully.

"You aren't going to drop this unless I hit you with a slate, are you?"

He sighs. "Honestly, I don't think even a slate could stop me; once you've been struck once, you generally know what to expect the second time."

You hesitate, looking at him for few moments. "Fine, then. I'll be your friend."

"Well, that sounded very reluctant," he jokes.

You sigh deeply, then be as dramatic as you possibly can, even going so far as to hold his hands. "Oh, Gilbert-" you pause for a second, realizing you don't know his middle name "- Harold Blythe, I promise to be your very best friend until the sun and the moon themselves turn to dust in the sky and the very Earth we're on has no life left to give." You drop the act and his hands. "There. Happy?"

"I'd be happier if you used my actual middle name, but otherwise, it was very nice."

"Well, I don't know your middle name."

"It's John," he says. "What's yours?"

"Y/M/N."

He clears his throat dramatically, then gently takes his hands in yours. "Y/F/N, I solemnly promise to be your very best friend until my earthly days are numbered, and even after, if Heaven lets it be so."

"How poetic," you deadpan as he lets go of your hands.

He smiles. "Thank you, Very Best Friend."

////

At the end of the day, you grab your worn coat and shabby hat that once belonged to your mother and start to head out. Gilbert jogs to catch up with you.

"Good afternoon, Very Best Friend," he says. "Are you heading home?"

"Where else would I be going?" you ask jokingly.

He shrugs and laughs a little. "I don't know. I'm heading home, too. We could walk home together; I think your house is on the way to mine."

(Everyone knows where your house is; it had been vacant for some time. The people who owned it moved away years ago when they came into a large inheritance, but they we never able to sell the house until your father came along. It had been something of a joke in Avonlea.)

You look back at a group of girls looking at you and Gilbert with contempt. Ruby Gillis is among them, and she looks as if she's going to cry. You sigh. "There are some girls who wouldn't like that very much."

"What does it matter what they think?" he asks, not even looking at them.

You shrug. "Nothing to me; I figured it might to you."

"It doesn't."

You smile a little. "Alright, then, Very Best Friend; let's go."

You set off down the path in comfortable silence, enjoying the slight breeze. Suddenly, Gilbert asks, "Do you like apples?"

"I suppose so," you reply, slightly confused. "Why?"

"No reason."

"Okay, then..."

You spot a fallen tree trunk and step up onto it, holding your arms out as you walk along it. You're not looking at Gilbert, so you don't see the amused smile on his face as he watches you. "So, Very Best Friend - what's your favorite color?"

"My favorite color?" you ask, though you don't look at him, still making your way along the trunk. Gilbert doesn't seem to mind that he has to wait for you.

"Very Best Friends need to know these things about each other."

"It's Y/F/C," you reply, looking up at him. "What's yours?"

He thinks for a second, then says, "Y/E/C."

You hop off the trunk and continue your walk down the path. "What's your favorite... food?"

He grins. "My mother's pound cake."

"That's a dessert."

"It's still a food."

"Alright, fine. Mine is... Y/F/F."

The walk continues this way - both of you asking each other about your favorite things - until you reach your house, where you part and he says that he'll see you tomorrow.

////

The next day, you walk in the school, hang up your hat and coat, then go outside to put your milk in the brook to keep it cold. You stand to go back inside but find a group of girls barring your path: Josie Pye, Tillie Boulter, Jane Andrews, and a crying Ruby Gillis. Anne Shirley and Diana Barry are also present, though they stand back and don't look angry like the other girls.

"Leave Gilbert Blythe alone," Josie says with her arm around Ruby.

You cross your arms and raise a brow. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," she replies. "Leave him alone."

"And why would I do that?"

Josie answers you again, and you assume the other girls are just there for moral support. "Ruby has liked him for four years; she has dibs."

You stop for a second, brows furrowed. "What does that matter to me?"

"I can't believe you would say such a thing," Josie says, incredulous and gesturing to Ruby. "Look at her; she's in tears!"

You sigh deeply and resist the urge to roll your eyes. "She can have him all she likes - court him, kiss him, marry him for all I care. Gilbert and I are just friends and nothing more. I wouldn't like him like that if he were the last man on earth. But he's my friend, and I will talk to him and walk home with him all I like. Because we're friends."

The girls look at you skeptically for a few moments. "You promise?" Josie asks.

"With all my heart," you deadpan. "Are we done now?"

Suddenly, Anne says, half under her breath, "I don't see how you could be friends with Gilbert Blythe."

Your tone turns more sympathetic. "Well, I can see why you might think that. He's not mean, you know, and he's very sorry he teased you. You taught him a lesson with you hit him with that slate. Oh, that was amazing by the way - one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time."

The other girls gasp. Josie says, "You call yourself his friend and yet you say things like that."

"Gilbert said the same thing to me yesterday! He deserved it, and he knows it, too," you reply.

"It was kind of funny..." Tillie trails off. Ruby looks even more upset at this statement.

"And he's no worse for wear because of it," you add.

Josie looks at you skeptically again. "Just know that if you're lying about just being his friend, you're going to be very sorry."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," you reply sarcastically. "Even if I was lying, he has no interest in me in that way, anyhow. So don't get your stockings in a twist."

Josie rolls her eyes and leads Ruby inside. The other girls follow, Anne and Diana trailing behind. You decide it's high time that you talk to Anne; the girls don't bother you very much now that you've stood up to them.

"Anne," you say. She stops and turns, waving Diana on. You continue. "I just wanted to tell you to ignore what anybody says about you. You're not ugly at all; you're very pretty, and I love your hair. And you're possibly one of the most interesting people I've ever been around."

She looks taken aback and her face turns red. "I... Thank you. I'm not pretty at all, but it's nice to hear you say so. You're extremely pretty. Just the other day, I thought to myself, 'I wish I had hair like Y/N's.' It's simply scrumptious. And you seem very interesting, too. I'm sure I can get past you being friends with Gilbert to be your friend. Though, we can't be bosom friends because I already promised Diana Barry to be her bosom friend forever."

"That's alright," you reply, smiling. "Gilbert and I already promised to be best friends, so no one else could be my best friend, either."

She grins happily. "Oh, this has just worked out wonderfully. It really seems to me that we are kindred spirits." She laces her arm through yours as you walk inside, and you don't mind at all.

////

Meanwhile, Gilbert - who arrived before you - is talking to the boys inside. At first, it's just general, boring conversation. Then, Billy Andrews says, "So, bud, you've moved on from the crazy orphan girl?"

Gilbert's expression sours. "She's not crazy. And her name is Anne, you know."

Billy's brows furrow, but he keeps going. "I know, bud. Why is it that you keep going for the ugly, trashy ones, anyway?"

Gilbert looks up at Billy incredulously, his anger level rising with every word out of Billy's mouth. "Neither Anne nor Y/N are ugly and trashy."

Billy raises in his hands in surrender. "Alright, bud, no need to get offended. To each their own, I guess." He spots you and Anne walking inside, arm in arm as you talk. "Oh, look; there's your girlfriends now."

Gilbert turns and sees you and Anne talking to each other animatedly, and his anger melts away when he sees your smile.

Billy chuckles. "Seems like Y/N took my advice from yesterday."

Gilbert turns back to him. "You had nothing to do with that."

"Gilbert," you say. He turns to look at you and smiles. You smile back, taking your seat next to Tillie and directly in front of Anne.

////

At lunch, you go outside and sit in the same spot from yesterday. Gilbert comes and sits down next to you. "I figured you'd be sitting with Anne and the other girls."

"Why?" you ask. "They aren't my Very Best Friend. Besides, the only girls I like out of that group are Anne and possibly Diana; she seems nice, and Anne likes her and I'd trust her judgement on something like that... Though, she hates your guts, but I guess that's your fault, anyhow."

"She said that to you?" Gilbert asks, surprised. He knows she doesn't like him, but surely she doesn't hate him that much.

You shrug. "Well, not that exactly. But she really doesn't like you. Serves you right, anyway." Gilbert laughs a little, then goes to reply, only for you to cut him off. "Oh, I almost forgot!" You pull a piece of paper and pen out of your lunch basket and hand it to Gilbert. "I wrote down our promises yesterday when I got home. They're probably not word for word, but I tried my best."

Gilbert notices your name signed at the bottom. "So this is a contract, then?"

"If anyone ever promises me anything, I consider it legally binding. So, I might as well get this in writing," you reply. Gilbert laughs, takes the pen from you, and signs the paper.

As you put both pen and paper back in your basket, Gilbert remembers something, too, and pulls it out of his own lunch bag. "I brought you an apple, by the way. From my family's orchard."

"Ooo, Gilbert Blythe has an orchard," you tease, taking the apple.

"Yes, Gilbert Blythe's family has a small orchard," he corrects, chuckling.

You take a bite of the apple. "Always loved orchards. They're pretty."

He looked at you as you said those last two words. "Is that so?"

"You own one, don't you?" you ask rhetorically through a bite of apple. "You should already know that."

"Ah, yes, silly me."

"You are far too sarcastic for your own good."

"Well, I've got to combat you somehow."

"I suppose you do, Gil."

He stops. "Gil?"

You shrug. "It's a nickname. I can't possibly struggle all the way to the end of your name. What a waste of breath."

"Hey!"

You laugh. "I'm kidding, Apple Boy."

He sighs. "I like Gil better."

////

The next few months are a joy. You join Anne's story club (you first story is about an idiot named Filbert who keeps screwing things up and gets slapped on multiple occasions - but he learns his lesson at the end of the story), and you and Anne play together when Gilbert and Diana aren't available.

You run through the fields, pretending to princesses, go and enjoy nature, and even just hang around Green Gables. Matthew and Marilla seem to like you a lot. Marilla even makes you a dress. (She told Anne that you could stay over for a night and took the measurements from your old dress while you were asleep. It was the most wonderful surprise you've ever received.)

Sometimes, when with Anne, Gilbert comes up in conversation. You mention him first, then Anne mentions her resentment towards him. You find it amusing, but try to convince her he's not that bad. She'll have none of it.

You spend most of your time running around with Gilbert, though. Sometimes you play games, but he's fond of taking walks. You usually talk, bantering and joking around, and you stop to climb trees or walk along logs or some other dangerous thing that worries him. He can't stop you, though, so he has to just let it happen.

Sometimes Anne will come up in conversation. You'll usually bring her up first, but sometimes he'll ask to see if she still hates him. The answer is always yes. He's given up apologizing to her at this point, seeing as it's not working, but you convey some of the things he says to Anne (i.e. "I wish she'd just forgive me.").

His parents think you're a joy, and his mother even knitted you some stockings and a ribbon for your hair. You almost didn't take them, but both Gilbert and his mother insisted.

You go everywhere you possibly can together, and people have certainly noticed.

////

"Anne is almost at the top of her class. Gilbert Blythe is the only one above her," Marilla says.

Rachel Lynde is sitting across from her, sipping tea and doing what she does best. "Well, she might get ahead of him yet."

Marilla doesn't doubt Anne's academic ability, but Rachel's tone spoke of something more to be told, which it often did. "What do you mean?"

"He's always with that girl from White Sands - Y/N Y/L/N."

Marilla, of course, knows you very well, and concernedly asks, "What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, nothing at all," Rachel replies sincerely, "but Gilbert seems to be paying an awful lot of attention to her, if you know what I mean. Now, every boy eventually starts paying more attention to girls than anything else, but never usually this early."

"Maybe they're just friends, Rachel," Marilla replies, doubtful.

"I don't know... Some say they think he thinks an awful lot of her. He just better not let that girl be his downfall."

Marilla is still skeptical when Anne comes down the stairs. "Where are you off to?" she asks her.

"Y/N, Diana, and I are going out for a walk," Anne replies.

"Y/N Y/L/N?" Rachel asks, though she already knows.

"Yes."

"I figured she'd be out with Gilbert Blythe."

Anne's mood droops a little at the mention of Gilbert. "They're best friends, but she made plans with Diana and I today."

"They're best friends?" Rachel asks, brows furrowed.

"Yes," Anne replies, pulling on her shoes. "Diana and I call it 'bosom friends'. It sounds much more romantic - but Y/N wants nothing romantic to be connected to her and Gilbert."

"Really?"

Anne grabs her coat. "She said she wouldn't like him like that if he were the last man on Earth." As she leaves the house, she mumbles, "And I don't blame her."

Marilla looks at Rachel, almost smug. "Told you."

"That's just what she says," Rachel replies. "But what does Gilbert say?"

////

As the days drift into summer, you take up doing work around the house to help out your father, but when he eventually waves you off and tells you to go have fun, you go and find Gilbert or Anne.

Anne still won't forgive Gilbert, and Gilbert has half a mind to start being mad at Anne. He's asking about her more consistently now, and Anne's even mentioned Gilbert all on her own a few times. It's really getting tiresome.

"Has Anne said anything about me?" Gilbert asks one evening. You're sitting up in one of the apple trees in his family's orchard.

You roll your eyes. "Only that she still doesn't like you."

"Seriously?"

"You made fun of her hair! And that's really a sore spot for her, you know; she hates it," you reply.

"She cracked her slate over my head!" Gilbert exclaims. "We're even."

"Evidently not."

"Is she ever going to forgive me?!"

You sigh and roll your eyes again. "Oh, for goodness' sake, Gilbert, will you two just make up already? This is ridiculous, and I am sick of being the middle man."

"I've already apologized to her multiple times!"

"Well, try again. I'm going to talk to her, too - tomorrow. And if I need to be there when you make up, so be it. I can't take this any longer."

You go to Green Gables the next day and do exactly as you said you would.

"Anne, would you please forgive him?" you ask almost desperately. "It's been months since it happened, and he's apologized multiple times since. And I am sick of being the middle man in between you two. So just forgive him and kiss already. Please."

Anne blanches, then struggles to get her words out. "K-Kiss? Kiss?! I would never kiss Gilbert Blythe - not in a million years!"

You shrug. "If you're afraid of offending Ruby, she'll get over it eventually. Besides, Gil doesn't even like her like that. He's told me about a hundred times."

"No, I'm not afraid of offending Ruby!" Anne exclaims, still reeling. "I can find it in my heart to forgive him for your sake, but I could never, ever care for him like that. Ever."

"Well, you both could've fooled me."

Anne stops, noticing your tone and expression as you said that. "You seem awfully happy to be saying something so sarcastic..."

"I'm just happy you're going to forgive him so I don't have to hear about it anymore," you reply defensively.

Anne squints at you, a smile growing on her face. "Are you sure that's all you're happy about? I mean, I just heard you call him Gil..."

"Yes, I'm sure!" you reply, trying to hide your blush. "Can we drop the subject now and go to Gil...bert's?"

Anne doesn't say anything, but gives you a pointed look. You decide to ignore it and set off, Anne beginning to talk about the trees and flowers excitedly as you walk.

When you reach the house, you knock on the door. Gilbert answers it. "Hello."

You don't even reply, and neither does Anne. Instead, you give them both a pointed look. Finally, Anne sighs. "Gilbert... I suppose I should forgive you now seeing as it's been a while... and I'm sorry I hit you with a slate."

"I accept your apology," Gilbert says formally, "and I'm sorry I made fun of your hair... It's really nice."

"I accept your apology. And thank you, even though it's not."

You sigh. "Good enough."

////

When the time to begin studying for Queen's entrance exams arrives, you listen to Gilbert, Anne, and a few others talk about it constantly. You don't say much during these conversations. You want more than anything to go to Queen's, but you can't; you can't afford it.

So, you keep your longing a secret and feign happiness when Gilbert, Anne, or anyone else discusses it around you.

However, Gilbert sees right through you.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

You widen your smile. "Nothing. I'm fine. Why?"

"I started talking about Queen's and you looked upset."

"I wasn't upset." He gives you a pointed look, and you sigh. "I'm just... I'm sad that you're going away - you and Anne."

"We haven't even taken the exams yet," he replies. "I might not even be going."

"Oh, shut up. You and Anne are top of the class; you'll both pass and go off to Queen's and leave me here alone."

He goes quiet for a few moments, then says, "You could come, too."

"Gil-"

"You'll surely pass the exam if you take it-"

"Gil, I can't," you cut him off. "We don't have the money to pay for it. And if even we managed to pull it together, I'd show up there with my one dress and one ribbon that doesn't even match it and my one pair of good stockings and it'd be just the same as when I came to Avonlea because the only thing anyone cares about in this world is money and clothing."

You turn away from him and try to stop yourself from crying. He can't say anything out of shock; you never mention your finances to him or anyone else, and you always seem so happy despite the circumstances. Like you don't even care that you barely have any money.

You take Gilbert's silence as a bad thing and consciously realize what you said. "Oh, I didn't mean I'm not grateful for the dress and the ribbon and the stockings; I love them - I really do - and I'm grateful to Miss Cuthbert and your mother for them."

"I know," Gilbert says. "I just..." He sighs. "I didn't even think about that." He thinks for a few minutes as you dry your eyes on your sleeves and try to keep yourself from crying further. Finally, he asks, "Do you really want to go?"

You hesitate before answering, but finally nod. "Yes."

"Maybe there's a way to get you there."

"Oh, Gil, please just leave it alone."

He shakes his head. "No, I think we can manage it. Just start studying and I'll see what can be done."

"You don't have to do that."

"But I want to. If you want to go to Queen's, then you should be able to go."

You smile sadly at his sincerity and lay your head on his shoulder. "The world doesn't always work that way, Gil."

"Well, it should."

"I won't argue with that."

You drop the subject after that, but Gilbert has already made up his mind to do everything in his power to get you to Queen's.

This starts with study sessions, which you, at first, object to. Then, unbeknownst to you, he finds a way to combat your money problem. Because of this - other than the study sessions and school - you don't see Gilbert very much and often end up with Anne.

A few weeks before the exam, you find out why.

Your father calls you downstairs and you come down and see Gilbert standing next to him. "Hi?"

"Hello to you, too," Gilbert jokes.

Your father is practically beaming. "Gilbert has something he wants to tell you."

Confused, you look at Gilbert, waiting for him to speak. Instead, he holds out an envelope you didn't realize he had. You take it. "What's this?"

"Your ticket to Queen's."

You look inside and find money. You're not sure how much. "Where did you get this?"

He shrugs, blushing a little. "I did some odd jobs when I could. Farm work and moving things, mostly. The Cuthberts and the Lyndes donated to the cause, and my parents contributed, too. I didn't ask them to, but they found out what I was doing and wanted to help."

"Gilbert!" you exclaim. "You don't even know if I'll make it in; we haven't taken the exam yet!"

"Oh, you'll pass," he replies, though he's worried by the fact that you called him Gilbert instead of Gil.

"I can't believe you did this."

"Y/N-" your father starts.

"Did you know?" you ask, cutting him off.

He shakes his head. "Not until today."

You turn back to Gilbert. "If I don't get in, you're taking this money back." He nods, but before he can reply your arms are wrapped around him tightly. "Thank you."

"It's no problem," he replies, hugging you back.

After that, you go to the Cuthbert's, Lynde's, and Bltyhe's to thank them for the money.

From this day forward, you're more determined than ever to pass that exam.

////

"I'm so happy we get to board together," Anne says. You're in your new room - at least, for the next two years - settling in.

"Me, too," you reply. Then, you sigh, "I'm happy I'm here at all."

"All thanks to Gilbert," Anne says with a slight laugh.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me what he was doing all that time."

"I can't believe it either; I was sure I'd just end up blurting it out one day."

"I'm glad you didn't; I would've put a stop to it if I knew."

"I'm glad I didn't, too," Anne replies, smiling.

Those next two years were spent studying, earning as many scholarships as possible, and becoming even closer with Anne. You spent time with Gilbert as much as you could, but unfortunately there were many days when you both were too busy.

The next few years are going to be much the same way; when you arrive back at Avonlea, you get a job teaching at White Sands, and Gilbert's going to teach at Lowbridge. You'll only see each other - and Anne, who's teaching in Avonlea - on weekends.

But you're going to make the most of it.

////

"I saw Gilbert and Y/N out walking today," Rachel Lynde says to Marilla Cuthbert. They're drinking tea at Green Gables.

"Did you?" Marilla asks.

"Seemed very happy together."

"You don't say."

"Well, I do say that he's courting her. He has to be."

Marilla's brows furrow. "I recall Anne saying they were just friends - multiple times."

"That was then, Marilla," Rachel replies, "and if he wasn't courting her then, he certainly is now."

"I'm not so sure about that, Rachel. I know them both very well, and I don't think they would be. At least, Y/N certainly wouldn't," Marilla says, taking a sip of her tea.

Rachel shakes her head. "Oh, no, I think she's just good at hiding her real feelings. As for Gilbert, everyone in Avonlea says he worships the ground she walks on."

Marilla thinks for a moment, then shouts, "Anne!"

"Yes, Marilla?" the girl asks, coming down the stairs. She was grading compositions in her room.

"Are Gilbert and Y/N courting?"

Anne shakes her head. "Oh, no. They're still just friends."

"Hmm..." Rachel hums.

Later, after Rachel leaves, Anne tells Marilla, "I didn't want to say this to Mrs. Lynde for fear she'd spread it through Avonlea, but Gilbert blushes whenever I bring Y/N up in conversation. He won't admit to anything, though - not that I've asked. But I've asked Y/N plenty of times, and she insists that she could never care for him in that way."

Marilla can tell by her tone that she doesn't believe you. "What do you think?"

"I think she's going to realize she's wrong one day," Anne replies. "I just don't know when."

////

After a few years of teaching and saving up as much money as possible, Gilbert and Anne are going off to college. You don't have enough money to pay for it yet, so you'll be going in a few years time.

Or so you think.

Your father has been saving up money to pay for your college since the day Gilbert told him what he did to pay for you to go Queen's. He has enough for your first year and then some, and coupled with the money you've saved, you almost have enough for your second year.

Your father also tells you he's getting a slightly better-paying job, and if you work some odd jobs over the summers, you should be able to pay for all four years. Gilbert offers to help out, but you tell him you'll be fine and he's done too much for you already.

So, here you are, going to Redmond college and boarding with Anne and Priscilla.

Gilbert calls frequently, and Priscilla takes notice.

"So, Gilbert?" she asks you, wiggling her eyebrows.

You pretend not to notice. "What about him?"

"He seems to like you an awful lot," she says. Anne smiles from her spot in the corner.

"Well, we're best friends. Why? Are you insinuating we're something more?"

"You're not?" Priscilla seems surprised.

"Of course not!" you exclaim. "I nearly threw up in my mouth just thinking about it."

"It's very unchristian to lie," Anne butts in.

"That wasn't a lie. I exaggerated a bit, but it wasn't a lie." You look back at Priscilla. "If you want him, you can go for it."

She shakes her head. "Oh, no, I couldn't take him away from you."

"We're just friends!"

Priscilla and Anne exchange knowing glances.

You've also made friends with Phil, and she seems to really like Gilbert. You're sitting outside talking when she sighs. "Oh, if I could have Gilbert Blythe."

You pretend to be nonchalant. "I don't think he pays much attention to girls."

"What do you mean?" she asks. "He certainly pays attention to you."

"We're just friends. And I mean that he's far too absorbed in his studies to think about girls - or anything for that matter. He's going to study himself into the ground."

"You sound worried," Phil says, smirking.

"Of course I am! I'm his best friend."

"But of course you are."

"I am!" you argue. "And nothing more. If you want, you can have him - only don't hurt him, and don't be upset if it seems like he's ignoring you for days on end. He's just studying."

Phil sighs wistfully. "Oh, no, I won't go after him, so don't you worry. And since it seems to bother you, I won't talk about him when you're around either."

"It doesn't bother me!"

"But of course it doesn't."

You get a scholarship for next year, do some babysitting and housework over the summer, and pull from the money your father saved up for your second year. You end up moving into Patty's Place with Anne, Priscilla, Phil, and Aunt Josephine.

After meeting him a few times, Aunt Josephine really likes Gilbert. "That Gilbert," she says to you one day, "is a fine boy. You've picked a good one, Y/N."

You look at her with a raised brow. "You mean a good one for a friend?"

Phil sighs. "Oh, here we go again."

"What?" Aunt Josephine asks.

"Y/N will not admit to the fact that she and Gilbert belong together and continually says that they're just friends when people assume otherwise," Priscilla explains.

"Best friends," you mutter.

Phil heard you. "What?"

"Nothing," you reply a little too quickly. "It doesn't matter."

Phil raises an eyebrow at you. "Oh, really?"

You roll your eyes. "Can we stop talking about him for once? You know, contrary to popular belief, my entire life doesn't revolve around Gilbert Blythe."

The girls drop the subject, but it comes up again periodically that year. You manage to get another scholarship by the end of it, and in the summer, you babysit and do housework for more money. That plus some money your father saved gets you enough for your third year, and the same gets you enough for your fourth.

That year, Anne gets engaged to Roy Gardner, which excites everyone in Patty's Place. It seems like it's going to be a great final year.

Then, Christine Stuart shows up.

Gilbert's never mentioned her, but he's been spending an awful lot of time with her. More so than with you - at least, it feels like it.

"People are saying that Gilbert's going after Christine," Priscilla says one day. "Is it true?"

You shrug, a pang of anger hitting your chest. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Phil asks.

"He hasn't talked to me about Christine before. I don't know who she is or where she came from."

"Well, surely he's not," Priscilla replies.

"I don't know."

Phil taps her chin, pretending to think. "Hmm... I'm detecting something in your tone... Are you... jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" you ask. "She can court him all she wants to. Doesn't matter to me."

Phil raises her hands in mock surrender. "Okay."

////

That Friday, Gilbert calls at Patty's Place and you make plans to go for a walk on Saturday, like you used to do back in Avonlea.

Then, he says, "I was wondering if my friend Christine Stuart could come with us."

You stop. "Christine?"

"If that's alright," he replies. "She doesn't have many friends here and-"

You cut him off. "She can come."

"Are you sure?" he asks skeptically.

"I just said she could come, didn't I?"

"You don't seem happy about it."

"I'm very happy. See?" You flash a very obliviously fake smile at him.

He laughs. "Alright, alright."

Anne comes down to talk for a while, then Gilbert eventually leaves. After he's gone, Anne turns to you. "You seem upset."

"I am!" you reply. "Gilbert Blythe is an idiot!"

She almost wants to laugh. "What happened?"

"He invited Christine on our walk tomorrow."

Anne is almost smug. "So?"

"So?!" you exclaim. "What do you mean 'so'?!"

"You said you weren't jealous of Christine."

"I'm-" you start angrily. Then, you stop and put your head in your hands. "Anne... Oh, Anne, I'm an idiot."

"Why?" she asks, leaning towards you, though she thinks she knows the answer.

You look up at her, tears already falling. "Anne... Anne, I love him. And I'm too late. It's too late."

"It's not too late," she replies, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder.

"Yes, it is!" you shout. "He's in love with Christine, Anne. I just know it. I'm too late."

"You don't know that."

"He invited her on our walk, Anne - our walk. And he's spent more time with her than me as of late." The last part you say bitterly.

"They have a class together is all," Anne says reassuringly. "I don't think he loves her, Y/N. You're not too late."

"But what if I am?"

"You're not. He could never love anybody but you."

You sigh. "I've wasted so much time. Oh, Anne, I'm an idiot."

She chuckles. "Well, I can't really argue with that. But we're all idiots sometimes, aren't we?"

"I'm taking comfort in the fact that he's being an idiot right now - as he has been many times in his life. Sometimes that boy lacks common sense."

////

You put on your second best dress (a birthday present from Gilbert and the girls) for the walk the next day, but when Gilbert and Christine meet you at Patty's Place, it appears Christine has on her best dress.

You just try your best to be polite.

The walk starts out okay - you talk about school mostly - but then Christine steers the conversation towards Gilbert. You don't mind talking about Gilbert, but everything that Christine says irks you.

It's like you don't even exist. Gilbert doesn't try to include you in conversation at all.

Finally, you make your way to where Christine is boarding and she leaves. The sun is only just about to set, and Gilbert wants to continue your evening out. "Do you want to keep walking? I think-"

You cut him off and start walking back towards Patty's Place. "No, I'd rather go home. See you later, Gilbert."

"What's the matter?" he asks, walking next to you.

"Nothing's the matter," you reply, your tone icy.

He shakes his head. "You only call me Gilbert when you're mad at me."

"No, I don't," you argue. "I'm tired, I'm going home. See you later." You walk faster away from him; you're about to cry and you don't want him to see. You're know you're being ridiculous. It's your own fault, not realizing you love him until now.

Still, it hurts.

"I can't even walk you home?" he asks, catching up with you.

You refuse to look at him. "No."

"Why are you mad?"

"I'm not!"

"Clearly you are!"

"I wasn't before you started asking stupid questions!" you shout back, willing yourself not to cry. "I'm tired, and I'm going home."

You keep walking, but he stops. "Y/N."

You turn to face him, tears pooling in your eyes. "What?!" He doesn't answer for a few moments, so you prompt him. "Well?"

He was obviously trying to thinking of something to say when he went silent because he asks, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing!"

"Okay, okay, wrong question," he says hurriedly. He pauses. "Is it about Christine?"

"Why on Earth would it be about Christine?!"

"Well, judging by the way you practically spat her name out of your mouth and how our evening went, I'd say that you were jealous of her."

"Why would I be?!"

"You tell me. You've been jealous the second I mentioned her, haven't you?"

"Stop accusing me of that!" you shout defensively. You throw your hands up in defeat and turn to go again. You're crying at this point. "I'm not arguing with you anymore-"

"She's engaged."

You stop but don't turn around. "What?"

"She's engaged to a boy back home."

You turn, then. "And you only thought to mention this now?"

He's almost sheepish when he answers. "Well, from the very start you seemed not to like her, and I thought you might be jealous. I wanted to confirm my theory."

"So you lied to me just to prove to yourself that I was jealous?!"

"I couldn't've outright asked if you were, could I?!"

"Yes, you could've! You can speak, can't you?!But, apparently, you can't think!

"Y/N-"

You cut him off. "Ever since you started hanging around with her, all the entire school could talk about was you and her. The words 'courting' and 'engagement' were thrown around all the time, and for once - for once - my name wasn't attached to yours. And I thought it should be a relief, but it wasn't. It was horrible. I felt absolutely snubbed, Gilbert. You were with her far more than you were with me-"

"We had a class together," he explains, "and she would talk to me constantly. She didn't have many friends; I couldn't just tell her to leave me alone. And I've been studying so much-"

"That may be, but I have never felt such bitterness in my life toward another human being and now that I know it was needless because she's engaged...! I could slap you right now, you know. It was utter agony."

He looks incredulous. "You want to talk to me about agony? Ever since school in Avonlea, Y/N. Ever since the first day that I saw you..." He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I loved you. I know I did - I still do. And constantly hearing people talk about you and me being together, and then to hear you shut it all down. That hurt, you know."

The anger just drains out of you. You can't even look at him. "Well, I never knew you felt that way."

"I never told you," he replies, his anger also ebbing away, "because I recall you saying, 'I wouldn't like Gilbert Blythe in that way if he were the last man on Earth.' Yes, something to that effect."

"Well, I was stupid, Gil! All this time I've been so stupid..."

"But I still love you anyway," he jokes.

"Oh, shut up."

He chuckles, then turns more serious. "You know, the reason I wanted to see if you were really jealous was to make sure you felt the same way."

"And I do, Gil," you reply, stepping closer to him, tears still running down your face. "I love you."

He smiles. "Well, now that I know you won't slap me..." He takes a step forward, cups your cheeks in his hands, then wipes the tears from them, leaning in and pressing his lips to yours. When he pulls away, your hands are resting on his shoulders. He smiles, then seems to realize the sun's gone down. "It's late," he breathes.

"And?" you ask quietly.

"We're still very near Christine's house. And that's slightly awkward..."

You laugh and reluctantly separate, then start to walk home. You grab his hand and swing it between you as you walk. It reminds you of your walks back in Avonlea when you were just eleven, only there's something a little bit different.

It's a good different.

At the front gate of Patty's Place, Gilbert kisses you again. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Gil."

You turn to go to inside, but he stops you. You turn back around, but he doesn't say anything - just kisses you again. "Sorry. I just had to."

You laugh. "I don't mind."

The whole of Patty's Place hears about every detail of that evening after he leaves.

////

"How long is he going to keep this up? He's practically been courting you since you were eleven! Propose and get it over with!" Phil exclaims.

You're making a cake in the kitchen as the other girls and Aunt Josephine are in the sitting room. You smile contentedly, stirring the batter. "Well, I'm in no rush."

"You don't want to marry him?" Aunt Josephine asks.

"Oh, no, of course I do," you reply. "But the very idea to be courting somebody is just..." You sigh happily. "It sounds wonderful. Romantic."

"You sound like Anne," Priscilla says, laughing.

"Well, Anne is always incredibly happy, isn't she?" you reply, glancing back at said red-haired girl.

"Not always," she says, though she's smiling.

"But most of the time," Priscilla adds.

"I suppose so," Anne replies. "You know, being engaged is a wonderful feeling, too."

"I think Gilbert's just waiting for the right moment," you say decidedly.

"He might propose at the graduation dance this weekend," Phil suggests.

"Don't tell me that! Now I'll be on edge the entire night. I want him to propose but the anticipation of it is killing me. It could happen at moment, and I'm not going to be ready. I'll just... faint. I'll faint right there in the middle of the dance, and he will never let me live it down. That boy is going to make me have a heart attack."

Anne laughs. "I wouldn't worry if I were you; it's going to be a wonderful proposal."

You stop, brows furrowed. "How do you know?"

"I'm friends with him, you know," she replies.

"What has he told you?"

"My lips are sealed."

"You're both going to be the death of me, Anne."

////

You went to the dance with Gilbert and had the absolute time of your life, but he didn't propose. Phil and Priscilla were disappointed by this, but you weren't bothered. You knew he would at some point.

That summer, you go back to Avonlea and help Anne with wedding preparations - along with Diana, Phil, Priscilla, Miss Cuthbert, and Mrs. Lynde. You're Anne's Maid of Honor, seeing as Diana is already married, and you're her closest friend after her. Roy's best man isn't Gilbert - they haven't known each other long - but you still dance together at the wedding.

There's a few minutes during the night that you can't find either Anne or Gilbert, but then Gilbert shows back up and dances with you again.

It's a lovely evening, and it's bittersweet when it's over. After you help clean up, Gilbert offers to walk you home. You head for the main road, but Gilbert grabs your hand and gently pulls you in a different direction. "Let's take the long way 'round."

"The long way 'round?" you ask.

'The long way 'round' ends up being the path on which you both walked to and from Avonlea school. Gilbert looks over at you. "Is your favorite color still Y/F/C?"

You smile, remembering the day you first spoke to him. "Yes. Is yours still Y/E/C?"

He smiles. "Well, your eyes are still that color, aren't they?"

Your mouth drops open. "That's why you said it was your favorite color?"

"I was very flirtatious as a child," he jokes. "Good thing you didn't notice, seeing as you didn't care for me yet."

You lean your head on his shoulder. "I think I did - I just didn't realize it; all it took was one conversation at recess, you know. After that I couldn't imagine life without you."

He pauses, then asks. "Do you remember what we promised that day?"

"Of course I do. I still have the paper I wrote them on."

"Are you sure about that?"

You stop. "What do you mean?" He stops, too, and takes a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Where did you get that?"

"Anne gave it to me. I needed it."

You think you already know the answer, but you ask, "What for?"

"I want to make a new promise to you... And I would very happy if you'd make a new one to me."

"Gil..."

He takes a deep breath and glances down at the paper still in his hand. "Y/F/N, I want to solemnly promise to be your very best friend - and husband - until my earthly days are numbered, and after, if Heaven lets it be so - and if you'll have me..."

You take the paper from his hand, look at it, then reply, "Oh, Gilbert John Blythe, I promise to be your very best friend - and wife - until the sun and the moon turn to dust in the sky and the Earth we're on has no life left to give." Then, you remember what you said next, though you didn't write it down. "There. Happy?"

He smiles and kisses you. "Very much so, Y/N. Very much so."

////

"What did I tell you, Marilla? I knew they'd end up together yet," Rachel says to Marilla over tea.

"Yes, I suppose you did," Marilla replies.

"Took him long enough to propose, and it'll be three years before they even get married; he's off to med school. And then he'll marry her and carry her right off the island."

"He won't do that," Marilla says, "Even if he tried, Y/N would never let him."

Rachel chuckles. "Well, I suppose you're right about that."