𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑦 ; shirbert oneshots

3

DUST OF SNOW IN A HEMLOCK TREE
( anne )

WINTER was Anne Shirley Cuthbert's favourite season. Back at the orphanage, she'd never had much experience with Christmas, but from what she'd read it seemed truly remarkable. The idea that everyone would come together and sing jolly songs around the fire, despite the cold and the harsh winds outside was a rather fantastic concept, Anne thought. But it wasn't Christmas that made the girl adore winter so much, it was mainly the snow. It was, or so the thirteen-year-old thought, a truly mesmerising sight. The snow had so much personality, Anne thought. The way it blanketed the cold earth had always lifted her spirits.

It was the fifth of December, and the second Christmas that she'd spend with the wonderful Cuthberts. Gilbert was still travelling, not that Anne was thinking about that, and it had been a little dull at school without the competition.

Green Gables was truly a sight for sore eyes. The place had been decorated by Anne herself, with a stunning holly wreath on the door, a beautiful tree adorned with china decorations and, of course, hanging mistletoe above the fireplace. The place smelled comfortingly of firewood and pine needles, with a hint of cinnamon from Marilla's baking.

That day was a Sunday, and Anne had headed out after church to run a few errands at the winter market in town. The girl was well into the Christmas spirit, and a smile seemed to be permanently glued onto her face.

"Hello!" She grinned at a woman and her daughter as she walked down the street, practically bouncing with exhilaration.

Ignoring the strange look she received in response, Anne continued to skip along down the snowy road. She was too exhilarated by Christmas and all it's charms to worry about tripping on her untied shoelaces or bumping into a stranger.

It wasn't long before Anne had caught sight of a stall that she liked the look of. I'm the far corner of the market, was an old woman selling little embroidered patches with Christmas themed designs on.

"These are simply divine!" Anne gushed, picking up one with an angel on. "Do you make them yourself?"

The woman snatched her patch back off Anne. "Yes I do, and a lot of hard work goes into them, so I'll thank you to keep your grubby fingers off it."

Anne tried not to glare at the woman, remembering Marilla's stern words about manners and politeness.

"Sorry ma'am," She said, awkwardly side stepping away from the stall.

When Anne was out of sight, she rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to let a grumpy old woman ruin her wonderfully festive mood, mind. The girl continued to walk through the market, with a smile on her face and totally away with the fairies.

Thud. Anne had bumped into someone as she walked along.

"Sorry!" The redhead yelped, bending down to pick up the person's groceries that had spilled all over the ground.

"Anne?" A familiar voice spoke.

The girl looked up and inhaled sharply. Looking down at her was none other than Gilbert Blythe, with an endearing smile on his face.

Anne felt her lips stretch into a wide grin, and she stood up quickly, brushing herself off.

"Gilbert, you're back?" The girl gasped.

"I sure am," he grinned, leaning down to pick up a stray tomato that had fallen from his grasp.

He was taller than when Anne had last seen him, and his dark curls were cut a little shorter. Other than that, he was pretty much the same Gilbert he'd been a year ago.

It wasn't long before the girl realised that she had been staring, and looked down at her feet quickly.

"Where did you go?" She asked, avoiding eye contact.

"Back to Alberta for a bit," Gilbert was still beaming. "Then I went on to travel to Europe."

"Wow," Anne's voice had become a little breathy, it got like that when she was overwhelmed or excited.

Just then, the girl was both overwhelmed and excited, with a fair measure of dumbfounded. Anne knew there was a possibility that she might be dreaming, it wasn't as if Gilbert's return hadn't popped into her dreams before. Anne mentally scolded herself. She reached down to pinch herself on the arm, the same way she had on the way to Green Gables for the first time. She was awake, alright.

Moments passed, and the two children continued to stare at each other, as if they were registering what was happening.

"So, anything happen while I was gone?" Gilbert questioned, gesturing for Anne to walk with him.

"Well, the minister says honesty is the best policy," Anne began. "And if I'm being frank, school's been relatively dreary without the antagonism that you had to offer when you were there."

"Come again?" Gilbert smirked.

"There isn't enough competition."

"Well, I'll be back at school soon, and I'll be sure to bring my usual level of antagonism," the boy chuckled as they walked down the snowy road.

"Well, you'd better practice before you come back, I've got pretty good," she allowed a smile to creep onto her lips.

"Is that so?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

Anne nodded, puffing out her chest with pride. She'd been studying harder than usual for the past year and, although she'd never admit it, it was in the hopes that Gilbert would return. And now he was.

"Spell... 'audacious'," Gilbert challenged.

Anne scoffed. "Easy."

"Oh really?" The boy laughed.

"A-U-D-A-C-I-O-U-S," Anne said confidently.

Gilbert slow clapped, to which the girl took a curtesy.

"I missed you," the boy said quietly.

"I missed you too," Anne replied, a nervousness that didn't quite match her usual personality tinged the girl's voice.

"Every good protagonist has to have its antagonist," Gilbert grinned.

Snowflakes had begun to settle on the boy's long, thick eyelashes and bouncy curls. It was a very pretty sight, Anne thought. The sort that one might paint, if one were an artist, that is.

Gilbert Blythe was a sight for sore eyes, and Anne was glad to have him back. Although, he'd never hear that from her...

"It's funny to think that this time last year, in this very town, we were saying our farewells to each other? And now, it's like we're meeting for the first time all over again. Or like we're old friends reunited after a long and agonising separation. It's quite poetic, if you think about it," Anne blathered on with a quite overwhelming enthusiasm. "Oh god, did I say that out loud?"

Gilbert let out a low laugh. "You've got a lot of stuff in your head, don't you Anne?" He asked.

It was funny how such a simple phrase of only twelve words could make Anne feel more understood than she ever had been before. A collection of words that felt like they had been waiting for her her whole life.

"More than you could ever imagine," Anne said, her voice breathy again.