Avonlea MB  Fan Fiction   Nothing Else Matters Support Search RSS runboard.com       Sign up (learn about it) | Sign in (lost password?) Page:  1  2  3  4  5  ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters The next day Dad went out and got me my guitar. It was a beautiful looking instrument, and I couldn't wait to start playing on it. I even printed off the tabs for "Nothing Else Matters" online, except it turned out to be a lot harder than it looked. For one, I had to move my fingers in time, and they refused to follow me when I wanted to. Two, I couldn't make the chords in the chorus go fast enough without hesitating on where to go next. Three, there was a small guitar solo, and I couldn't bend the notes that far up without fear of having the strings pop out. And finally, I had to actually sing the song and memorize the whole thing. Now there's a challenge for you. And they say med school's hard? Ha! This definitely beats it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, but then again, it's not about me. It's all for Anne, and if I have to go through blood, sweat, and tears to get this done, then by gosh I'll do it. After a couple of weeks, I finally had most of the song down, not enough time to actually perfect anything but just enough so I could get through everything without sounding like I didn't know what I was doing. Christmas had arrived, and everything was perfect. To my delight, it was a white Christmas; everything was blanketed in snow, creating an absolutely gorgeous picture. I went to service in the afternoon with my parents, hoping to see Anne. I looked over at the Cuthbert pew and noticed that Anne wasn't there. Was something wrong? Was she okay? Something had to be terribly wrong in order for her not to show up like that. My mind couldn't think straight for the rest of the service, so when it ended, I immediately went up to Marilla. "Merry Christmas, Miss Cuthbert," I said. She smiled at me as she said, "Merry Christmas to you too, Gilbert." "Where's Anne?" "She's at home sick with a bad cold." I hope I didn't get her sick by having her out too long the other day. "Oh." "She tried to convince me to let her go, but I thought that it would be best if she stayed home and rest. After all, I wouldn't want her giving her cold to anyone else." I looked over at my parents. "Do you think I could stop by a little later to give Anne her present?" "Of course you can. I know Anne would love to see you." "Thank you." I went back over to my parents and told them that I needed to make an important errand after we went back home. Dad patted me on the back and whispered, "Good luck." I was sure I was going to need that. 1/1/2007, 9:51 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters As soon as I got home, I put my guitar in its case along with the tabs and went out the door. I had to take a few deep breaths in order to calm myself down, but I managed to be okay. As soon as I got to Green Gables, Marilla answered the door. “It's nice to see you again, Gilbert,” she said. “Anne's in the living room.” “Okay, Miss Cuthbert. Thank you for letting me do this,” I said. “Don't mention it.” She went into the kitchen after closing the door, and I went to the living room. Sure enough, Anne was in there stretched out on the couch. She was in a Redmond University sweatshirt and plaid pajama pants with a box of tissues in one hand and the remote control to the TV in another hand. Even though she was sick, she looked cute. “Gil!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” “Just paying a Christmas visit to my friend,” I said. “You just had to get sick on Christmas, didn't you?” “Yeah. It's just my bad luck.” She frowned. “Oh cheer up, Anne. It's Christmas, and I know you don't want to be sad on Christmas.” “That's true.” I put my case down and took a seat next to Anne on the couch. “What's that?” she asked. “Part of your present,” I replied. I was starting to get nervous now. “Not before I give you your present first.” She reached over to the coffee table and handed me a box with red glitter wrapping paper on it. “Open it.” I tore off the wrapping paper and was shocked at what I saw. Inside that box was The Godfather Trilogy DVD set, possibly the top three movies on my all time favorite movie list. A set like that doesn't come cheap. “Thanks, Anne. You really didn't need to do that.” Now I didn't know if my gift to her would be enough. “But I wanted to, Gil,” she objected. “You deserve it after everything you've done for me. This is nothing.” Yet another reason why I love this girl: she rarely thinks about herself. “Well, I guess my present for you is nothing compared to that,” I said. “I'll love whatever you give me,” she said. The look in her eyes assured me that she meant it. I sighed. “I decided to be original this year and wanted to give you something that no one's ever given you before.” “Really?” Her ears perked up. “What is it?” I swallowed hard. “A song.” I relaxed a little when I saw her smile. I got the guitar out of the case and spread the tabs across the table. I plucked each string to see if it was in tune, and it was then that I started shaking a bit. My heart started racing, my palms were sweaty, and I could feel sweat starting to form. Anne sat there patiently waiting for me begin. I don't know why, but I was more nervous here than when I proposed to her the first time. I took a deep breath and prayed that my vocal cords wouldn't give out on me. I then began to start the song. So close no matter how far Couldn't be much more from the heart Forever trust in who we are And nothing else matters... I took my time since I didn't want to rush things. I made my way through the song without any major mess ups, but I did manage to hesitate a bit. Anne didn't notice though. I snook a few glances at her during some of the easier portions, and to my relief, she was loving it. I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time, and I couldn't have asked for a better reaction. When I was through, Anne clapped and hugged me. “That was the best present anyone has ever given me, Gil,” she said into my ear. “I'll remember that forever.” She then gave me a quick peck on the mouth, causing me to blush. I don't blush often, so she caught me at a rare moment. “Since when you learn how to play? I don't ever recall you playing anything.” “Well...” I began, “it's never too late to start now, isn't it?” “Yeah, I guess you're right.” She looked at TV. “Do you want to watch a movie with me? I mean, if you can stay and don't have to go right away.” “I don't have any plans,” I said. And even if I did, I wasn't going to leave Anne like this. “What do you want to watch?” “Chocolat.” “Is that a chick flick?” “Yes...” “Uhh...” “Please, Gil!” she begged. “Just this once? For me?” There was no way in the world that I could resist those puppy dog like eyes, so I agreed to watch it with her. I noticed that she was shivering, so I put a blanket around her shoulders. Since she wouldn't stop shivering, I put my arm around her. I was going to do that anyway, but now I had a legitimate excuse to do so. The film turned out to be much better than I had anticipated, but half way through it, Anne fell asleep on my shoulder. I wasn't complaining or anything. She looked so peaceful. It was a little awkward though when Marilla walked in to check on us. I gave her an “I-don't-know-what-to-do” look, but she just smiled and walked away. After the movie was over, Anne was still fast asleep. I decided that it was time to go, so I gently got Anne off my shoulder and laid her down on a pillow. I put my guitar and tabs back in the case, but before I left, I kissed Anne on the forehead and whispered, “Merry Christmas, my love” in her ear. I quietly said goodbye to Marilla and slipped out. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. 1/1/2007, 9:53 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters I got an unexpected present the next day resulting from my time spent with Anne because it was now my turn to be sick. Great. I don't regret spending time with her though. I'd gladly do it again, but the thing was that Anne was miraculously better and wanted to do something. Unfortunately, I had to turn her down because I was in no condition to go out, and I didn't want to get her sick again. Luckily she understood, but she begged me to get better by New Year's. And that I did. I was invited to a New Year's Eve party by Josie Pye, but knowing it was her party, I didn't go. Anne didn't go either because she didn't want her holiday to be ruined by some spoiled rotten little brat. After all, Josie would be bugging me all night, and I know she knew how to make Anne's blood going. Besides, I didn't want to ruin things with Anne after we had re-established the grounds we were on before I proposed and possibly went a little bit further. So on New Year's Eve, Anne and I were over at my house while Mom and Dad went to a New Year's party. We got a whole bunch of movies and just batched out in front of the TV. Anne challenged me to a mini popcorn eating contest to see how many times we could catch a kernel of popcorn in our mouths after we threw it up in the air. I'm happy to say that I won that little match, but Anne wouldn't have it. She stuck her nose up in the air at me and challenged me to a water chugging contest. I think all that popcorn I ate made me full, and as a result, Anne won that round. She laughed and stuck her tongue out at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. Yep, that's the Anne-girl I knew and loved. I looked up at the clock and noticed that it was one minute until midnight. I nudged Anne. “It's almost the new year,” I said. “There's one minute left.” We both stared at the clock until there were ten seconds to go. “10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!” Anne started humming the tune “Auld Lang Syne” that they sing every year on New Year's. I was happy yet sad at the same time. I was happy because the new year brought in a fresh start, but that meant that we would both have to return to school again soon. And I would have to face both Roy and Christine when I got back, but I wasn't going to let that spoil my evening. I took charge of the moment and did what almost any man would do with with his love at midnight; I kissed Anne. When I pulled back, I saw something unusual in her eyes. Was it disappointment there? Did she actually want to keep going? As thrilled as I was, I knew I couldn't push my luck and misinterpret what I saw. There was no way that I could be that lucky. I guess I'll take what I can get and pray that she realizes that I mean as much to her as she means to me. 1/1/2007, 9:54 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters Unfortunately for us, it was time to hit the books again and head back to Redmond. I definitely wasn't looking forward to it. I liked my vacation and savored the joys of being able to do what I want, when I want, and how I want without people looking down on me, meaning professors, Roy, Christine, and their numerous spies. Oh well; what can you do, eh? I hoped that Roy wouldn't be in any of my classes this semester because if we were stuck in the same class and were forced to work on the same project together, then let's just say that it's not going to be pretty.  Anne and I left Avonlea at the same time, so we could make our lunch stop and break stops together. It was a lot of fun just hanging out with her because I knew we wouldn't have as much time to do so this semester. Before we left our last pit stop, I made sure to give Anne a kiss on the cheek since we would be heading our separate ways to our dorms. She blushed and gave me one too before getting in her car and driving away. As soon as I arrived in my dorm, I received a frantic phone call from Anne. “Gil, I can't believe what's happening!” she cried. She sounded absolutely hysterical. “What?” I asked. “I've been apparently fired from work!” “Huh?” “That's right. My jerk of a boss fired me because I took Christmas break off to go back home after he gave me that lecture on how I should show up everyday and yadda, yadda, yadda. He makes me so mad, Gil! You'll never believe who he hired to replace me.” “Who?” “Roy...Gardner!” Whoa. Am I hearing things correctly? “Anne, are you serious?” “Yes, I'm serious!” “Roy Gardner is working at a bookstore? Does he even need a job if he has all that money that he claims he has? Does he know that that job requires reading, a skill that he doesn't have?” “I don't know. What makes matters even worse is that my old boss happens to be Roy's cousin.” That sounded way too suspicious to me. No wonder he gave Anne such a hard time before the holidays. It wasn't that she wasn't doing her job; it was because of family favortism. And of course, Roy wanted to make himself look good to his cousin by putting down his ex-girlfriend in order to get work. I simply didn't agree with it and hated to watch Anne get treated unfairly. Why does Roy always have to stir up trouble? Can't he leave well enough alone and get a life? Maybe it's because he doesn't have one. I guess the same goes for Christine. What I have learned from this whole ordeal so far is that appearances really are deceptive, and you need to go deeper than them in order to get the real picture. As cliché as it sounds, it's true, and sometimes you don't realize it until it's too late. “I can't believe it, Anne,” I managed to say. “It's not right what he did to you.” “But there's nothing I can do now,” she said sadly. “At least I can move on and do something else. Besides, maybe things happen for a reason. You never know.” I shook my head. “Hang in there. It's not the end of the world, and maybe you'll find some place else where the people are nicer and pay you much more.” She chuckled slightly. “I can only hope, Gil.” I heard her blow her nose into a tissue. “Well, I guess I'll let you go since I've bothered you long enough.” “You never bother me, Anne,” I said sincerely. I was really tempted to tell her that I loved her at that moment, but I restrained myself. “You can call me anytime, even if it's at 3 A.M. My roommate might hate it, but I won't.” She laughed. “Take care of yourself, okay?” “Okay. Bye!” “Bye.” 1/1/2007, 9:54 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters My first official day in class the next day was horrible. Why? It was déja vu all over again with Roy. Yes, he was in still in my history class, but thankfully that was the only class we had together. “Oh look who's here,” said Roy nonchalantly when he saw me walking in. “It's the highly intellectual Gilbert Blythe!” I rolled my eyes at him and had a seat on the opposite side of the room, hoping not to repeat last semester's fight. Sure, I hated him, but I didn't want to cause trouble because of it. As a result, I sat quietly in my seat and bit my tongue whenever any word came out of his mouth. Nothing happened between us, so that was good. At the end of the day, I saw Anne with Christine outside the library. Anne was doing her best to ignore whatever Christine was saying to her, so I decided to join her to see what was going on. “Oh hello, Gilbert!” greeted Christine with phony sweetness. “How are you today?” I blew her off and said hi to Anne instead. I heard Christine pouting in the background, but I didn't care. Anne whispered a few things to me, and we walked away together. Just to tick Christine off since I knew she was still watching us, I put my arm around Anne's back. Anne smiled, but Christine made the loudest gasp just to draw attention to herself. I don't know what happened next, but I could almost guarantee that she was going to tell Roy and her friends. Sure enough, Roy glared at me the entire time the next time we were both in history class, but I just looked away and paid attention to the professor. These antics with Roy and Christine continued up until spring break. It was the last day before everyone left, and unfortunately, it was just Roy and me out in the parking lot. “So, Blythe, have any plans for spring break?” asked Roy. “Yeah,” I replied, trying to figure out the reason why he would want to talk to me after everything he did to Anne and me. “Do any of those plans include getting lucky with Anne Shirley?” My eyes narrowed with that question. I knew what it meant all right, but why was he asking that? “Why do you care what I do or not?” He laughed for some peculiar reason. “Good luck, man. You're gonna need it.” “What's that supposed to mean? You didn't even answer my question.” “Why don't you answer this?” He came running at me and knocked me to the ground. I got back up and punched him in the face. He came back stronger, but I just countered every single one of his attacks. Then out of nowhere, he got an object of some sort, I think it was a club (I don't remember), and whacked me over the head with it. I fell to the ground and was knocked out cold. I don't remember anything that happened after that moment, but from what I've been told, one of the security guards on campus that was watching us rushed over to pin down Roy. He called for an ambulance for me and called for back up for Roy. I was immediately rushed to the nearby hospital where doctors could hopefully get me out of my coma and treat my concussion. 1/1/2007, 9:56 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters I was unconscious for sometime. I have no idea how long, but I can recall how I got out of it though. I heard a small weeping noise in my left ear, so I turned my head to the left. I also felt something touching my shoulder. The noise stopped, and I felt something squeezing my hand. I squeezed back to see what it was, and I made out the figure of a little hand holding mine. I just had to know whose hand it was, so I forced myself to open my eyes. Slowly but surely, I saw the hand in mine, and I knew that that hand belonged to Anne. “Anne...” I managed to say. She looked up at me as she got her head up from my shoulder. “Gil!” she whispered. Hot tears started streaming down her face. “You're okay!” “Of course I am.” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “I thought you were dying!” “But I'm not.” “I know, but I just had to see you for myself. I was so scared, Gil, especially after everything that happened. I couldn't bare the fact of losing you; you mean everything to me.” You mean everything to me. How I loved the sound of that one little sentence! She went on. “Did you hear what happened to Roy?” I nodded no. “The authorities have him in custody and are going to take care of him. I don't know what will happen now, but at least he can't do anything stupid. If he does, then he'll get in much deeper trouble. The university officially expelled him about a few hours ago because they didn't want him ruining their image, and rumor has it that Christine has already dropped out.” That was a lot of information for me to handle at one time, but I got it. I then looked into Anne's gray eyes. They were no longer filled with tears but now had the look of love of them, something I haven't seen before. Could it be? I couldn't take it any longer and had to say what I truly felt. “Anne, I love you.” The look on her face said it all. “I love you too, Gil.” She kissed me. It was the sweetest kiss I ever had, and knowing that it came from the girl of my dreams made it so much sweeter. She pulled back and rested her head on my shoulder. “I'm so sorry,” she said. “For what?” I asked, wanting to know what she was apologizing for. “For being so blind and not realizing my feelings sooner. It's my fault you're in here.” “Stop right there, Anne. None of this was your fault.” “If I hadn't gone out with Roy, then you wouldn't be in here right now.” “But if it wasn't for him, then would you have realized your feelings for me when you did?” She stopped to think about it. “Maybe not as soon as this, but eventually I would have.” I shook my head. “You're here with me now, and nothing else matters. I love you, Anne, and that will never change.” I kissed her this time except one of my doctors walked in on us. “I guess I can say that my patient is up now,” he joked. “Hi, Doc,” I said, embarrassed. “You sure know how to get a guy awake from a coma,” he said to Anne. She laughed. “I do what I can.” He then asked me a few more questions before leaving the room. He said that I should be released from the hospital within a day. Anne told me that she had called my parents to let them know what was going on. As worried as they were, she said that they sent their love to me, and she promised them that she would take me home as soon as I got out of the hospital. Visiting hours were almost over, so we had to say goodbye. “Good night, Gil,” she said. “Sweet dreams.” “Of course they'll be sweet now that I have you,” I said. She blushed. “Bye.” “Bye.” With one last kiss, she walked to the door, blew me a kiss in the air, and went back to her dorm. I have never slept so good in my entire life. 1/1/2007, 9:57 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters Love can do strange things to people, and in my case it made things go for the better. When I woke up the next morning, I felt as if I was on Cloud 9, blissfully happy with life and couldn't wait for the day to begin. It was as if the incident between me and Gardner never happened; Roy who? As soon as visiting hours began, Anne walked in my room. “Rise and shine, sleepy head!” she said with a wide grin on her face as she greeted me with a kiss. “Sleepy? Who are you calling sleepy?” I teased her. “Oh, no one. If you want, I can come back...” “NO!” She laughed. “Don't be silly. I'm not going anywhere.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.” The same doctor that walked in on us the day before came again, and he was genuinely surprised with my condition. He said that an injury like mine would have to take at least a few weeks to recover, yet I looked perfectly fine and miraculously better the next day. He had to look at me two or three times since he didn't believe his eyes and had to call in a couple of his colleagues to see if it was real. It was. After my examination was complete, he concluded that I was well enough to be discharged. He gave all the credit to Anne for my quick recovery (and I do, too). After I got out, Anne drove me back to my parking space at school to retrieve my suitcases out of the trunk of my car, for we were going home. (I was going to head back prior to the confrontation, but because of obvious reasons, I couldn't do it.) She put my suitcases in the trunk of her car despite my objections to let me do it, and we were on our way. It was an interesting ride to say the least because we fought a bit over the radio. I would change it to one station, and she would change it to another. I liked hard rock, and she liked pop/soft rock. Then there were times when we actually agreed, and we would roll down our windows to blast the Backstreet Boys or Ricky Martin while singing along badly. When we weren't doing that, Anne and I would talk about anything. It was so nice to hold a conversation with someone that was as smart if not smarter than me and not feel intimidated; I loved hearing what she had to say about things. I was almost saddened to see our ride end since I loved spending so much time with Anne, but I was glad to be home. Mom and Dad were worried sick about me and immediately came out to the driveway to greet me. Mom threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek a few times. Dad just embraced me in a bear hug. But once they both saw what good condition I was in, they relaxed a little. I invited Anne over to stay for a bit, but she declined. “Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner, Anne?” I asked. “Mom and Dad won't mind.” “I'm sure, Gil. Marilla will be worried about me. And besides, you need your rest after all that traveling we did today. Even though you're out of the hospital, you still need to take it easy before you fall off of Cloud 9,” she replied with a wink. “But -” She put a finger to my lips. “I won't have you risking your health and well being for me. I'll never forgive myself.” I sighed. “Fine. Can we go for a little walk tomorrow then?” It was my turn to bring out the puppy dog eyes. “Okay. Where do you wanna go?” “I don't know.” In reality I did know, but I didn't want her to start calculating stuff just yet. “Umm...how does Hester Gray's garden sound?” She smiled. “Wonderful.” “So I'll see you tomorrow then.” “Bye, Gil.” “Bye, Anne.” I kissed her goodbye and watched as she went to Green Gables. I didn't know that Dad was still outside watching us, so I jumped when I felt him pat me on the back. “Way to go, son,” he said. “Way to go.” 1/1/2007, 9:57 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters When I went by Green Gables the next day, I found Anne waiting for me on the porch. She wore a green dress that left me speechless...again. It was as if she came out of a dream, and I never wanted to wake up. I pinched myself to see if it was real, and sure enough, I felt the pain. I wasn't in a dream after all. Anne had a picnic basket in her hand, knowing that we would need food since we would be out all day. We walked hand and hand on the way to Hester Gray's garden, and I couldn't have asked for a prettier day. The sun was out, the weather was nice, and I had my Anne-girl next to me. When we arrived, Anne laid out the picnic blanket, and we sat back and relaxed. “Gil, it's so beautiful out today!” Anne exclaimed. “I'm so glad you thought of this.” “Me, too,” I said. And I meant it. The real reason why I brought her out to Hester Gray's garden was so that I could propose to her yet again. I knew what I did wrong the first time, and I learned form my mistakes. This time I would not rush things and would trust my gut in telling me when the time was right. I was nervous in that we had just established a new level in our relationship not too long ago, and there was fear lingering in the back of my head that she would turn me down a second time. But I just knew that I had to do this now. My instinct was telling me to swallow my pride and make another attempt because without Anne, I'm nothing. I turned to look at her and noticed that she was lost in thought. “What are you thinking about, Anne?” I asked. “Hopes and dreams,” she said. “What things would be like if they happened differently.” “Like...” “What would happen if cows actually talked?” “Huh?” “I mean, do they actually moo, or is there something they're trying to tell us but can't due to lack of communication skills?” I laughed. “I don't know. So are you implying that your cow Dolly has subliminal messages hidden beneath her moos?” She looked both ways rather quickly. “Maybe.” We both laughed this time. How I loved her and her randomness! She's everything I want and everything I need rolled up in one package. “Anne, I'm never gonna think of cows the same way again,” I commented. “I'm taking that as a compliment, Gil,” she said with a smile. “So...do you ever wonder what would happen if things worked out differently?” “Well...I can't say that I've never thought about it.” “Really? Like what?” Now I got nervous. My gut was telling me that this was the perfect opportunity to get somewhere, yet I didn't want to just blurt it out. So I took my time and tried to act calm. “Like what would happen if dogs could talk, if cats could bark...and what would happen if I wasn't such a fool.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “What do you mean by that?” I sighed. “Wanting what's in my wildest dreams even though they might not come true.” She shook her head. “That's not foolish, Gil. I do that, too.” I took her hands into mine and looked directly into her eyes. “Anne, I love you more than anything, more than you'll ever know. You are my love, my life, my soul, everything. I can't go on without you. You don't have to give me the answer to this now if you're not ready, but will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?” The look on her face told me everything that I needed to know. “YES!” Anne threw her arms around me. I was absolutely stunned. All the worrying I did was for nothing, but I didn't mind. I finally had her after all these years. I kissed her on the forehead before moving down to her mouth. Forget the world around me, I'm happy and in love. Anne pulled back and looked me in the eyes. “So you've forgiven me for all my faults?” “Faults? What faults?” I asked, surprised that she would ask such a thing. “You know...umm...I talk too much, I'm a klutz, I have dreadful red hair - “ “That's enough, Anne.” “...I have freckles, I'm stupid - “ “You can stop, hon.” “...I turned you down the first time you proposed to me, I hurt you the first day we met, I totally acted like a jerk to you for years - “ “Anne...” “...I went out with Roy – I can't believe I did that! - and...” Since she wouldn't stop rattling on about her so-called faults, I made her stop with my mouth. She blushed afterwards. “I love you, all of you, and whether you have pink hair, cat ears, or a bushy tail, I love you all the same,” I said as I gently moved her hair from her face. “I love you, Gil,” she said, putting her head on my shoulder. “But I must say that that thing you just described would look pretty weird.” I laughed. “It would, wouldn't it?” “Yeah.” We spent the rest of the day in Hester Gray's garden eating, talking, and relaxing. After everything we've been through together so far in the year, we could use a break. “What are you thinking about, Carrots?” I asked as I laid down on her lap and she messaged my temples. “Our life together,” she replied dreamily. “Our wedding, our honeymoon, our family, our kids...” “I can't wait to have kids.” “Really? Me, too.” I smiled. “I wanna have a house full of them. I can see it now: little Blythes running all over the place.” She laughed. “I can't wait for that to happen, Gil, but you do know that those kids will grow up eventually, right?” “Of course, I know that.” “Like when they start dating, what are you gonna do?” “I know exactly what I'll do.” Her ears perked up. “What's that?” “If we have a girl and the boy she likes comes over to the house, then I'll bring the guy close to me to have a one-on-one chat. I'll tell him, 'You see that girl right there? That's my little girl, man. She's my life, so if you have any thoughts about hugging or kissing, remember these words: I ain't got no problem going back to prison!'” She burst out laughing. “Wow...I have no words for that.” “I'm taking that as a compliment, my dear,” I said. “But what if we have a boy?” “Then I'll give him tips on how to win girls that are like his mother.” “Gil!” She playfully slapped me. “You're incorrigible.” It was my turn to laugh. “I know, babe. You don't have to tell me.” I winked at her. I realized that it was getting late, so I reluctantly got up from Anne's lap and got Anne on her feet. She put the picnic blanket back into the basket, and we went back to Green Gables. We decided not to tell anyone of our engagement until the next day since we were both tired, and there was still the issue of the ring. I dropped Anne off at the gate and kissed her good night. I went back home with the biggest smile on my face. Mom and Dad knew something was up when I walked in and still had that goofy expression on my face. 1/1/2007, 9:59 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters “Gil, is there something you want to tell us?” asked Mom, her eyes filled with hope. “Maybe,” I replied, trying to hide my smile but failing miserably. “You can't lie to me, son,” said Dad. “I know that look well enough.” “Well...there is something actually,” I admitted. “Like?” asked Mom. “Something so great that I feel like running around Avonlea and screaming at the top of my lungs.” “And what is that?” “I've asked Anne to marry me, and she said 'yes'.” “Oh, Gil!” She ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. Dad just sat back in his chair and smiled. “I told you so,” he said. “I know,” I said, looking over at him. I couldn't help but smile. Mom and Dad were thrilled, and the whole house was buzzing until late into the night. I went to Green Gables early the next morning. I assumed that Anne couldn't really sleep either since she was up waiting for me. She let me in, and I sat at the kitchen table as she cooked breakfast. Marilla woke up soon after and was shocked to see me there. “Good morning, Anne. Good morning, Gilbert,” she said as she was walking in the kitchen. She stopped herself, took a step back, and looked at me. “Gilbert?!” “Marilla, I know what you're thinking,” said Anne. “I promise you that nothing happened like that.” “Honest,” I added, putting my hands up in the air. “I believe you, but I'm just shocked to see you here so early. That's all,” Marilla yawned as she took a seat at the table. “I know you and Anne had a long day out yesterday.” “We did. We enjoyed it. Didn't we, Anne?” Anne walked over with three plates full of eggs and bacon. “We did.” She came around the back of my chair and put her arms around my neck. Marilla looked at Anne before looking at me and looked back at Anne. “Is something going on between you two that I don't know about?” she asked. Anne took a deep breath. “Marilla, when Gilbert and I went on our walk yesterday, we went to Hester Gray's garden. There, he proposed to me, and I accepted.” Marilla didn't say a word for a moment and remained emotionless. I got scared. Did she still hold a grudge against my father after what happened many years ago? Was this so-called feud ever going to end? My worries vanished as a smile slowly came on her face, followed by laughter. “It's about time you came to your senses, child!” Marilla exclaimed, coming over to give Anne and me one massive hug. She looked me in the eye and said fiercely, “Take good care of her, Gilbert.” “I will,” I said with the same conviction in my voice. 1/1/2007, 10:00 pm ladybell101 Dance Card Stealer Global user Registered: 12-2006 Posts: 100 Kindredness: 4 (+4/-0)  |  Re: Nothing Else Matters We ate our breakfast and happily discussed plans for the future. Rachel Lynde stopped by and was as shocked as Marilla when she first saw me there, but she was not at all surprised by the news of the engagement. She along with the rest of Avonlea called it way back in the beginning, and I was glad that she was right...for once. (Don't tell her I said that.) Anne did the best she could to convince her not to tell anyone of the engagement just yet because she wanted us to get a ring first. After a little while, we said goodbye to Marilla and Rachel as it was time for us to solve the issue of a ring. “Anne, I need to get you a ring,” I said as we were walking. “So what kind of diamond do you want, Carrots?” “I don't want a diamond, Gil,” she replied. I froze in my tracks. She didn't want a diamond? I thought all girls, regardless of their age, wanted diamonds. “Huh?” I asked, incredulous. “I don't want a diamond,” she repeated, turning towards me. “Are you serious?” “Yes, I'm serious. When I was little, I used to imagine that they were purple. But then I found out that they weren't, and I was sad.” “They do make purple diamonds, you know.” There was no way that I could possibly afford a real purple diamond for her after all the money I had to pay towards my tuition, but I was willing to do whatever I could for her. “I know,” she said, “but I'd rather have pearls.” “Pearls?” I asked. “Aren't they for tears?” “Tears come in many different forms: in joy, in surprise, in sadness, in frustration, in pain. Some of my best moments came with tears, Gil.” “Like?” “When I realized that I loved you.” I smiled and kissed her. “You have a point, Anne-girl.” “So give me pearls, and I'll willingly accept anything that comes our way.” “Okay.” Together, we walked into Lawson's. Alice Lawson was a little shocked to see us enter her store hand in hand, but she was happy nonetheless. Luckily for Anne, she had a wide variety of pearl rings to choose from since she too favored pearls over diamonds. “How do you like this one, Anne?” asked Alice as she pointed to a ring in the display case. “It's too big,” she replied. “I don't want anything too flashy.” “Hmm...” Alice picked out another ring. “How about this one?” “It's too small.” I started to scan the selection and spotted a ring that seemed just right. It wasn't too big or too small in size, and the design was beautiful. It had a medium sized pearl as a center stone with smaller pearls framing the sides of it on a gold band. I pointed the ring out to Anne. “How's this one, Carrots?” She gasped. “Gil, it's beautiful! Alice, can I have a closer look at it?” Alice got the ring out of the case and handed it to Anne. Anne put it on her finger, and I knew that I had found the perfect ring. “It's so beautiful,” she whispered. “I love it.” “Do you want it?” I asked. She nodded. “Then you shall have it, ma chère.” I saw her blush, and then she kissed me. “Alice, how much do you want it for?” “Nothing,” she said. I almost choked on my own saliva. “What?” She laughed. “It's on me, Gilbert. I've known both you and Anne for so long, and it's about time you two had your happiness. This is only small one thing that I can do for you.” I held out my hand to her. “Thank you so much.” “Don't mention it,” she said, shaking my hand. “Alice?” asked Anne. “Yes?” “Do you mind helping me look for something?” “Sure. What do you want to look for?” “Do you have any...umm....I don't know...any masculine looking gold bands?” My ears perked up. Was she looking for what I was thinking she was looking for? “I do,” replied Alice. “Right this way.” She lead Anne to another display case. Anne examined it until she found what she was looking for. She pointed to a simple gold band that had diagonal stripes with little stones in between four of them. “Can I see this one?” Alice took the ring and gave it to Anne. “Gil, give me your left hand,” Anne said. I gave her my hand, and she placed the ring on my ring finger. “What do you think?” “It's beautiful, Anne, but what's the meaning of it?” I asked. “It's my engagement ring for you. I know it's not traditional to do such a thing, but you've done so much for me. I love you, and this is only one way to show it. Besides, I don't want any other ladies to get any ideas about taking my man.” I laughed. “No one's going to take me away from you, Anne-girl. I promise you.” After a few more minutes, we said goodbye to Alice and thanked her for both of our rings. I looked at Anne, and she was glowing. I guess pearls aren't such a bad thing after all. 1/1/2007, 10:01 pm Page:  1  2  3  4  5  Link to us   -  Blogs   -  Hall of Honour   -  Chat You are not logged in (login)      Board's time is: 11/30/2009, 2:22 am