Prompt: Boat scene, but after 3x06
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"Spring is the most magical season of all, wouldn't you agree, Diana?"
"You said that about summer... And winter... And fall," Diana chuckled. "But I suppose they're all enchanting in their own way."
"Oh," breathed Anne. "This is exactly why I call you my kindred spirit, Diana. There isn't and ever won't be a soul more perfectly intertwined with mine as yours."
They both laughed at that. They were roaming through the woods in the cold March air like wild animals, imagining that they were as much part of nature as the flowers growing in the damp grass or the songbird sitting on top of the blooming orchard trees. The splendid silver watch on Diana's wrist, one that she got on the eve of her 16th birthday from her parents told them they were already late for their meeting with the other girls at the Lake of Shining Waters. Anne thought that silver suited Diana's rosy complexion much more than gold ever would. When they finally arrived to their destination, the Barry's mansion, Anne could see two familiar figures in the distance, wandering through Barry's garden. Gilbert noticed them and waved in their direction. Anne shot Diana a nasty look when she lifted her hand up in response, herself ignoring Gilbert.
"When are you going to talk to him again?" Diana asked carefully.
"Never," said Anne. "I shall never forgive him for being so oblivious to having broken my heart during Dashing White Saergent at the fair."
"Frankly, I can't fathom what I saw in him in the first place. It was a lunatic moment on my part, Diana. I let my imagination roam free and it led me to believe in such delusions as the two of us being perfect for each other."
Anne crossed her arms, stubborn as always, amusing Diana. "You know he asks about you all the time..."
Anne's eyes widened. "He does?"
"Yes, just yesterday he and Bash joined us for supper to talk about their involvement in my father's export and he admitted he misses your companionship. He couldn't leave it be, he kept asking why–" Diana spoke, only to be cut off by Anne.
"Well next time he comes over, you can tell him that I couldn't care less about what he's missing. And as my bosom friend, I would expect you not to answer any of his further questions."
"Of course, I won't tell him anything, but don't you think–"
"I don't, Diana," Anne said. "From this point on I want nothing to do with Gilbert Blythe. I shall pass him silently every time I come visit Bash and Delphine and I shall ignore him at meetings of the Avonlea's Gazette and the Queen's study group. And that is final. I won't hear anything more about it."
Diana could see it was pointless to argue with Anne, so she dropped the subject, hoping Anne would come to her senses all by herself.
"Ruby's here!" Anne exclaimed and ran to the golden haired girl jumping up and down near the bridge with a basket of baked goods in her hands. From behind the bridge two other girls emerged and Anne recognized her dear fiends, Tillie Boulter and Jane Andrews.
"Where were you? We got everything ready for the picnic," Ruby said disapprovingly, to which Diana just waved her hand in the air, as to hint it was only another one of Anne's adventures.
Anne looked behind Ruby and indeed, everything was prepared splendidly for their study picnic. They were assigned by Miss Stacy to write an essay about the Tennyson's poem in Idylls of the King, one that they all read two years ago. Muriel Stacy thought it best to pick something the children were familiar with and Anne was ever so grateful she picked this particular one, seeing as they didn't get the chance to act it out that year. The other girls didn't care much, but Anne and Ruby, being hopeless romantics, were awfully set on it and it was nice to spend time with their friends in the afternoon, so they agreed to it.
Ruby glanced over her shoulder at Gilbert and Bash and giggled.
"Gilbert looks awfully handsome when he's brooding, don't you agree?" she asked, earning a shove from Tillie and an eye roll from Anne.
"What?" Ruby continued. "Just because I like Moody now doesn't mean I can't appreciate the view."
"You've been spending less and less time with him, Anne, isn't that right? What's that about?" Jane asked and they all diverted their gazes at her expectingly.
"Oh girls, must you ruin this wonderful day for me? I will hear no more of this Gilbert Blythe nonsense! Besides, we have more important matters on our hands. Who wants to be Elaine this time?"
A silence fell between the girls once again, annoying Anne.
"We don't have to decide right now," said Diana. "Let's have some of these scrumptious scones first!"
And so they began the sweet feast. Anne thought Ruby's pie was simply luscious, not having touched any of the other pastries the girls brought and stuffing her face with it instead. Jane talked about how annoying her older brother was being, making Anne glad he was no longer attending school and she didn't have to deal with him. Josie hasn't been to school for the past few days and Anne hasn't published her article yet, wanting to go over it with Josie beforehand and make sure she agrees to publishing it first. She made a mental note to ask Gertie about her sister as soon as possible, or to make a stop at the Pye estate on her way from school tommorow. Tillie once again referred to her two boy issue as "not a problem" and Anne couldn't help but envy her. She too wished for a boy to be gone over her, yes, there was still Charlie, however Anne saw his presence more as a nuisance rather than something to flaunt off in front of her friends. She wanted somebody different, adventurous, fair and kind, someone who would think of her as an equal and a partner and not a good, obedient wife. She looked behind her shoulder and saw that Gilbert was still very much present in the garden and sighed loudly...
"Is he planning to leave sometime this century?" she said aloud accidentally, attracting Diana's gaze.
"He's studying our flowers. Bash wants them to start a garden in Mary's memory, something for Delphine to cherish when she's older. My father lets him roam around here."
"Marvelous," Anne said ironically. "Can't he go study flowers in Winifred's garden instead? She comes from a respected family, I'm sure they too have an abundance of them in their yard."
"I suppose so," Diana raised her shoulders in response. "But I like to think ours are the prettiest in all of Prince Edward Island. My mother had them shipped all the way from the Netherlands. Isn't that tremendous?"
The girls nodded simultaneously.
"My father said he'd order some for them too."
Anne felt a pinch in her chest at that. Not once did Mr. Barry offer to do that for the Cuthberts. She pulled herself out of such malicious thoughts, though. I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to get some for me had I asked, she assured herself.
"We should really get back to studying," Anne remarked. "And by studying I mean reenacting, of course..."
Ruby practically squealed at that: "Oh, how I just adore tales of tragical romance..."
"We know, Ruby," the girls laughed.
Not long after, Anne found herself laying in the boat and waving the girls goodbye. They got into an argument over who should be Elaine once again. Anne thought it unimaginable that someone with hair such as hers could possibly be Elaine, Ruby's golden locks seemed much more appropriate for the situation, however since Ruby's scared of everything, including water and being alone, Anne made the sacrifice. I'll just imagine them away, thought Anne. She became quite good at that, imagining her awful red hair away, seeing as she'd been doing that ever since she was little. She was supposed to wait for a few minutes, so the girls would have time to get to the other side of the lake. Jane offered to play Lancelot and Anne couldn't wait to see her acting skills. Laying like this on the shore, she felt at peace with nature. Another thing that brought her peace was the fact that Gilbert was nowhere to be seen. How splendid, she thought, I can finally enjoy myself without stupid boyish distractions.
Anne decided enough time has passed and pushed the boat on the water, getting in. Little did she know a familiar face was watching her from behind a tree...
Flowing on the boat, taken by the stream, Anne could practically hear her mind buzzing. She was Elaine of Astolat, floating lifeless on a river on her way to Camelot, lily in hand. The only thing that would make this more perfect would be if she had the letter that Elaine originally clutches in her hand in the poem, but Anne supposed that problem could be easily dealt with using her wild imagination. She imagined what it would be like to die of heartbreak. Two years prior, a time when she hadn't experienced heartbreak she would've said it would be poetic, but now, having encountered it, she felt dreadful sorrow for dear Elaine. She tried imagining Lancelot, her unrequited love, but failed miserably, a face wretchedly similar to Gilbert's creeping into her thoughts. I will not think about him, she said to herself.
She was trying to envision the agony Elaine must've felt before she passed when she felt biting coldness spreading through her socks. She stood up abruptly, looking at her feet and almost had an episode of the heart. The boat was sinking. How could she not notice it was damaged? Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, you are the most foolish girl in all of Avonlea...
She looked around, panicking. The shore was way too far away, the lake was deep and the stream was strong. Is this how I die? She had no time to sink in the melancholy of it all, she had to figure out some sort of a plan. It certainly didn't ease her mind that the water was still freezing cold... No time to lament over her situation now, though... She wasn't the best swimmer, she had had only one lesson her whole life, but she could see that the bridge wasn't all that far away. She tried to remember exactly what Matthew had told her and decided to stay on the boat a little while longer, as it wasn't sinking all that quickly and she wanted to shorten her time in the cold water as much as she could. She would then swim to one of the pillars and wait for help there. It won't take long for the girls to realize that she's not coming and Diana will surely call for help immediately.
Saying a quick prayer she jumped out of the boat and gasped at the sudden shock brought on by coldness overcoming her body. Great, if I won't drown, I'll certainly freeze to death... She scolded herself for thinking such thoughts, and began swimming calmly. Stressing will only worsen my situation, after all, that's how people drown...
She exhaled in relief when she managed to clutch onto a pillar, leaning her forehead against it. How can fish live in this temperature was a mystery to her. She tried not to let her mind spin and wonder how long she'll be stuck there, but rather started humming a lullaby she made up when she was 10 and taking care of Mrs Hammond's second twins... She found it eased her worries, even though she could still feel the big lump in her throat that formed as soon as the reality of her situation dawned on her.
What if they don't come for me?
A tear streamed down her cheek just then, but she fought the urge to wipe it. There's no use, it's just me and the fish...
She had always wondered why a pair of fish couldn't be referred to as two fishes, she liked that phrase better than just saying fish... Especially if there's not a figure in front of the word stating the exact number of fish. There can be one or two, a dozen or maybe even a thousand fish, but noone can know this way. It belittles all fish, it's not fair...
"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, what in the hell are you doing?" She jumped at those words, startled...
She turned her head around.
Gilbert Blythe on a boat rowing towards her.
"You shouldn't use such words, Gilbert, it's a sign of poor taste," Anne said, stubborn as ever and he extended his hand to her.
Anne looked at it suspiciously.
"Oh, come on, Anne... Do you want to die out here?"
"I won't. Help should be on its way soon."
"Help is here, Anne," he said firmly, extending his arm once again, Anne taking it this time.
He pulled her up on his boat and started rowing backwards to the shore. Anne studied his sharp face, his deep hazel eyes, the little dimple that appeared on his cheek every time he smiled or concentrated very hard on something, just like right now. She hated herself for still thinking him handsome and chivalrous and dreamy... Has she not learned anything from Elaine? If heartbreak can kill you, why fall in love in the first place? Why is it so hard to stop feeling what she's feeling, even though it causes her utter agony?
"Would you like to tell me why you're avoiding me?" Gilbert said, pulling her out of her thoughts... He seemed angry. Or hurt. She couldn't decide between the two.
"Oh, really?" he said sarcastically, raising his brows. "Then why is it that every time I come to Green Gables you lock yourself in your room, closing the curtains? Or Matthew tells me that you have just left out the back, right that second? Why do you only visit Delphine when I'm away, making Marilla ask about my whereabouts beforehand?"
"Do you think me a fool?" he raised his voice. "I miss my friend, Anne... I thought we were finally honest with each other, way past these childish games. I literally had to rescue you in order to get you to speak to me..."
She froze, unable to look him in the eyes.
"What have I done that's so terrible to get you to treat me like this?"
Anne fought back the urge to cry. She wanted to scream, but realized there was no point to it. He was right. He did no harm. He's entitled to happiness and all he did was seek it. There's nothing wrong with that, even if he didn't seek it with her.
Everything dawned on her in that moment... She wasn't ignoring him because she was angry at him, she was ignoring him because it hurt her to be near him. Now she understood that.
They got to the shore in silence, Gilbert stepping out of the boat first and Anne following after him. She was finally able to turn away from him, and turn away she did, silently letting a few tears out.
She stood like that for a while, so lost in her feelings that she had managed to completely forget the world around her. When she emerged, she was sure he was long gone and so she span around without thinking, her eyes red and her face still wet with tears, only to be met face to face with a very confused Gilbert.
"I'm sorry," she cried out.
In that moment it was as if Gilbert had completely forgotten he was angry with her. He couldn't stand to see her like this, especially knowing it was his doing. He took off his coat and put it around her, wiping the tears of her face. She stared at him speechless, completely in awe.
"Come here," he said and opened his arms. Anne didn't hesitate and thrust herself onto him, letting him wrap his arms around her and stroke her back soothingly.
They stayed like that for some time, until Anne pulled away. "No," she said. "I don't deserve this... I was a bad friend and I don't deserve your kindness, Gilbert."
"You should be screaming at me. You have every right to do that," she continued.
"Oh, Anne," he breathed. "Can't you see? I don't ever want to hurt you."
"You already have," Anne said and immediately regretted it, knowing full well he would want an explanation now.
The look on his face was... Shock. He had no idea what she was talking about. She took a deep breath, wishing she could imagine herself away from that situation.
"It's not your fault, trust me... I know it's not."
"No, let me say it... I was avoiding you because I was hurt. I was hurt when I saw you with Winifred at the fair..."
She opened her mouth to continue, but no sound came out, confusing even herself. Gilbert's eyes never left hers, stabbing her with an unreadable glare.
She half-expected him to walk away. After all, why would he stay after hearing her say such wicked things... But he didn't.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
If there was a hopeful tone to his voice, Anne didn't notice, too angry at herself for even starting this conversation.
"Yes. I am saying that my very wild imagination has led me to convince myself of untrue things, to tell myself untrue things and to expect something I should've known in my heart wasn't going to happen. And I'm sorry you got swept in all that..."
And then she was running away, through the woods to Green Gables, to the safety of her room and to the feeling of heat, who was she kidding?
But then she heard branches breaking behind her.
"Anne–" Gilbert called out. Once. Twice. Thrice.
"Please," he pleaded. "Will you let me explain?"
Explain what, she thought. She was the one who screwed everything up, he must be aware of that. So she stopped, panting for breath...
"I didn't know you felt that way–" Gilbert said, but she cut him off.
"It's okay, Gil, I don't need you to comfort me, I–"
"For God's sake, Anne... Will you let me finish?"
"I really didn't know you felt that way... About me. If I had I never would've started talking to Winifred in the first place."
Her mouth fell open, bit she didn't even notice. She was too fixated on his words, almost sure she heard him wrong. He closed the distance between them.
"Anne, I'm a fool for you."
"What?" she asked in disbelief. Had Cole been right after all?
"I thought you knew... I was sure you didn't feel the same way so I did a horrible mistake. I'm sorry."
And with that Anne threw herself at him, closing his mouth with hers. She hung one arm around his neck and put the other one one his cheek. He wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Anne had read that kissing is supposed to give you a thrill, but she couldn't have imagined such a feeling in her wildest fantasies. When they pulled away she felt as if her heart was going to jump right out of her chest. She had never felt such joy in her life and she saw he felt it too... For a moment they just stood there in silence, gazing into each other's eyes and smiling like a pair of clowns.
Then Anne's eyes widened and she blurted out: "Diana!"
Gilbert laughed. "Is that really what you're thinking about after we've had our first kiss?"
"No, Gil," she panicked. "They must think I've drowned!!!"
That made him burst into laughter.
"That's not funny, Gilbert!!" she screamed, but then couldn't help the twitching of the corners of her mouth. A second passed and she was laughing too...
