Chapter XXXIII

May 1962

Green Gables was always magical in the month of May. The grass, the trees and the flowers danced in the rhythm of the wind blowing and it was obvious for everyone else that it was a pure magic flying in the air next to the nervous flies. On this particular day, there was a big celebration in the Green Gables house, for it was Julia Ford's fortieth birthday party and her whole family couldn't not come for this wonderful day at the old, enchanting Green Gables.

However enchanting or magical it was, it was not quiet. How could it be? With all the "children" laughing, dancing and talking at the top of their voices? Not mentioning the grown ups laughing outloud just as much.

There was Julia herself sitting next to all of the women in her family. Julia didn't look any different since the last time we saw her, neither did any of her cousins for that matter. Her hair was still curly red, her eyes were still as hazel and as shining, and she still had those eight frecles on her "Anne Shirley's" nose. Although it had to be said that that some of the women from the older generation did get a few deep lines on their faces, near their eyes or on the chin, but each of them looked as lovely as they always did.

"Our family couldn't get any bigger, could it?" asked Lake Meredith "her girls". Lake married Jake in the autumn of 1956 and moved with him and her son Benji to the old Sunflower House for good. From that day on, she wouldn't stop smiling for even a single day, neither could Jake for that matter.

Julia smilled at her friend "You couldn't be more right about that." she replied and put the bundle in her arms closer to her breasts. The newest addition to the clan was Julia's and Blythe's small baby girl who arrived into this world just two months earlier. Her name was Liberty Blythe Ford and was the favourite great-grandchild of Gilbert Blythe, and he had a good reason for that as Liberty was born on the day of his 100th birthday. Liberty was a "surprise baby" as Blythe would always call his youngest child, and was a true beauty. She had red curls on her small head and hazel eyes of her mother, but she had also the longest eye-lashes anyone had ever seen.

"And soon, it will get bigger!" proud and excited Rose Davidson said, patting her big round stomach tenderly "I am sure that this one will be a little girl!" she told her family and everyone laughed.

"Well, you guessed all your other children's genders so I suppose you must be right, dear daughter o'mine." Nan said to Rose and squeezed her hand.

Rose was a wife of Ian Davidson for almost eleven years, and she always used to say that those eleven years were one of the happiest years of her life. She lived in Avonlea, just two streets away from her Juliet with whom she grew to be closer than twin-sisters can ever get.

"Remind me Julia, darling, when is your next book coming out?" Grandmother Blythe asked her granddaughter with a hint of excitement swimming in her eyes. Anne Blythe, even though she had more wrinkles on her face, and her hair was entirely white, could never change in her personality; she always was and always would be a loving, imaginative Anne Shirley of the old and therefore the gleam in her eyes was nothing unusal for her family to notice.

Julia took off her eyes from the sweet face of Liberty and looked with a smile at her Grandmother "Next month." she replied gaily "And so it happens that Blythe's another book of poetry will be published just two months after."

"Oh, that's a wonderful coincidense!" Faith exclaimed "Is it his sixth book now? It seems that I've lost the track of your novels and Blythe's books of poetry completely." she sighed and every chuckled.

"It's his seventh." Julia grinned at her mother "And this will be my fourth novel! Not including the other two which are my autobiographies."

"I hope that you're not planning on going to England, Australia, Italy or California for its publication, again?" Rose said to her friend decidedly and Julia laughed.

"No, not this time." she assured her "Although I know that Joy would like to go and visit her Fairfax again." she winked at the female part of her family surrounding her and everyone laughed merrily again.

"It's just such a sweet thing that it is your Joy who is in love with your Olive's son!" Rilla smiled at her daughter-in-law "But it's a shame that he has to live all the way in London."

Julia nodded and sighed "That's true, but then when Joy sits down to write a letter to him, it will never take her less than an hour." she smiled mischievously again.

"Joy's romance with Fairfax is nothing compared to my Jackie's romance!" Rose sighed dramatically "Can you believe that my baby boy is twenty one years old? And this girl, this Tracy whatever-her-name-is, is just horrid!" she waved her hand "Make-up and lipstick and high heels, that's all she is."

"He will go to his senses, you'll see Rose." said Lily "Just give him some time, he's just a man after all." and everyone laughed again.

"Well, don't tell me Lily Blythe," Rose replied, her stomach shaking "-that your own daughter has a romance of her own!"

All eyes went on Lily who could do nothing else but to smile at sitting next to her Cilia "That's true, Julienne is in love with Knox, although she won't say it outloud." she responded.

"My Knoxie and your Julienne really do suit each other." Cilia added, her eyes shining "Julienne always makes Knoxie so much more talkative than he usually is."

Lily nodded "That's true." she turned to Faye sitting next to her "But tell me Faye dear, talking about romances of our children, is your Eddie in love with Rose's Nanny?" she winked at Rose knowingly who humphed, making Julia to laugh again.

Faye chuckled "Oh, yes, he is." she replied merrily "And I'm so happy that they keep in touch so regularly even though we do live in England and Nanny lives here."

Rose smilled at her friend "Yes, it is ever so good." she agreed "My Nanny always worries if she doesn't receive a letter from 'her' Eddie in just two weeks time!" everyone chuckled again.

"That exactly what happens to my Joy when she doesn't hear from Fairfax for a while." Julia said and kissed Liberty's small hand as she reached it out for her mother's chin "I am so glad that I still have my three other children out of the romantic part of their lives!" she sighed.

All women around her sighed in unison "At least all of my grandchildren are still as small as little babies should be." Di said cheerfully and looked at her daughter Cordelia who watched her three kidlets running around and giggling on the blanket next to them, and at her daughter-in-law Magda who held a one year old baby girl in her arms and the other one playing with her doll at her feet.

Cordelia grew to be very beautiful and she looked like a perfect copy of her mother. She and Julia grew to be quite close, regardless their age difference, as they both shared one passion; midwifery. Cordelia was a trained midwife and worked part-time in Toronto, and the next half of the day she worked as a mother to her three-year-old triplets, beautiful Bella, energetic Atticus and naughty Will.

Magda, a Polish immigrant, who met Di's son Tom at her studies in Redmond College, was blessed with four girls (a fact about which everyone would always tease her husband Tom), Di's favourite five-year-old Kalina, Grandmother Rosemary's favourite three-year-old Cecily and one-year-old twins Matylda and Natalia who looked exactly the same.

Cordelia and Magda smilled at each other and then at Di "That's so true, dear Mother Di." Magda agreed and kissed little Natalia's forehead.

"I can't wait to see what will they all be like in the future." Julia said absent mindedly, a dreamy smile crossing her face as her eyes wondered off to the loud and big group of the youngest generation of Blythes, Merediths and Fords lying on the grass in the garden. All of the women followed Julia's gaze.

The oldest of them all, Jackie couldn't be called "little" anymore. He was a tall, handsome man of twenty one. He looked just like his mother with his brown curls, and pink cheeks, but his eyes were all John's, they were bright blue. Jackie talked with Jem and Marshall, something about his own studies in medicine which he was about to finish next year at Redmond.

Next to Jackie, seventeen year old Julienne and born on the same day as her Knox started picking the apples from the tree next to the blanket where everyone else was sat. Julienne was her father's girl, with Walt's hazel long and thick hair and his pointy edges of her face. Her eyes were just as blue as the sky was on that day. She laughed at something the shy Knox whispered to her ear as she was sitting on his shoulder while picking up the apples from the tree. Knox, wasn't as appealing and handsome as the rest of his cousins were, but there was something in his grey eyes (maybe the fact that they reflected how clever he was) which could cause any girl to want to talk and joke with him.

Then there was Julia's and Blythe's very own oldest child, the sixteen-year-old Joyce. Joy was reading out her poems which she wrote over the past few months, to her friends Sheba and Uta. Joy grew to be a real beauty over beauties, with her short curly red hair, small smooth frecles on her crimson cheeks, and grey glistening eyes full of poetry. She was the pride of both her father and her Grandmother Blythe because of that. As a personality she was also just like her father, just as poetic and as romantic, full of new ideas for a bright future.

Sheba listened carefully and sighed with delight over what her cousin and a friend read out to her. She was just as her father said she would be like, she looked and behaved just like her Luna, the quiet little melancholy sweet girl of a beauty of the moon. Uta, her twin, was a total opposite to her and could always find understanding with her father. She looked and was just like Merry, with her red hair and hazel eyes, and a personality as wild as the wind.

Nanny's head was resting around Eddie's arm as he was sketching the Green Gables's garden. Nanny was the opposite to her older brother, as she looked just like John, except for her mother's eyes. She watched her 'boy' draw and was commenting on how wonderfully he caught the atmosphere of the garden. She knew what she was saying as she herself was taking art lessons from her step-father, Ian. Eddie blushed every single time Nanny whispered something into his ear and he would put his head up high with pride. He was just as handsome as his father, as he looked exactly like him. Any girl could give him her heart but his own heart belonged only to Nanny.

Then there was fifteen-year-old Jem-Jem tap dancing with his friend the year younger Paris. The two "crazy dancers", as they were called by their family, were the bestest of friends even though Jem-Jem lived in Kingsport and Paris in Avonlea. Jem-Jem was very much like his namesake, the grandfather Jem and just like him, Jem-Jem wanted to become a doctor one day.

Paris, the handsomest boy in his clan, looked as if he was seventeen and not just fourteen years of age. His black hair, pointy chin, hazel eyes and tiny frecles spreading across his whole face could capture and steal any girl's heart. Not mentioning his mother's personality rumbling in his chest and his ability for dancing just as spectacular as his uncle Merry's and Gilly's always was.

Eddie's younger sister Melia (the spitting image of her mother), was sitting on the blanket, playing her flute while looking at the notes lying next to the notes for Jonah's violin who was playing right next to her. They played Vivaldi's "Spring" like the pair of a perfect small orchestra.

Jake, who was holding his little three-year-old son, the fearless Lancelot, and holding the hand of his five-year-old daughter, also fearless Guinevere (or rather Gwennie), was smiling at both of his "students" while they played. After he got married to Lake and moved to the Sunflower House for good, he started composing his own music and began giving out lessons to children like Jonah and Melia who adored music just as much as he always did. He thought that he could never get over his love for Leslie, but when Lake entered his life this belief somehow disappeared into darkenss and his eyes couldn't see it anymore. Ever since he married "his Lake-darling", he was never seen worried or unhappy, never. And his sweet children were the proof of that.

Then it was the thirteen-year-old Cuthbert playing chess with his younger cousin the eight-year-old Matthew (called by everyone "Matt"), the brother of the eleven-year-old Maya who was watching them play very carefully. Cuthbert, the dear son of Luna, was just like his father but looked like a perfect mix of both his mother and father for he had auburn hair and dark blue eyes. Even for his thirteen years of age, he could make any adult laugh to the loss of tears. Matt was named after Matthew Cuthbert of the old and Cee couldn't name him any better for he was indeed just like his namesake, just as timid and shy. His sister, Maya, was only eleven but everyone knew that she would grow up to be a real beauty with her black hair, brown skin and hazel big eyes. She was like her mother, but with one difference, andthat was that if needed, she could always speak her mind outloud.

Eventually there was a not-small group of the 'middle' children, laughing together over something the centre of attention, Hope Ford, said. Hope grew up to look just like her grandmother Rilla looked like when she was her age, she even inherited her dented lip and was always her Grandfather Ken's favourite grandchild. She was loud, but not too loud, very caring and musical. She started playing cello at the age of just five, ever since she heard it on her mother's record of Bach's best compositions. Hope was also the great animal lover, and wasn't afraid of any animal whether it was a cat or an alligator. Then there was Lake's Benji, who was just like Hope except for being musical for he was not at all, which was always seen as a bit weird with his step-father, Jake, being a great composer and a violinist.

Nancy's and Owen's only child, Delilah, sat next to Benji and already showed that she clearly didn't inherit her mother's flirtatious and troublemaking personality ("Thank God for that!" as Cee said), although she did inherit her mother's beautiful black hair and hazel eyes. And eventually there was Leslie's and Roland's "miracle child", Bertha. She was sitting quietly next to the loud Hope, and was thinking whether she could laugh louder or not. She wasn't like her mother or father at all, she was very shy and modest ("Just like I imagined my own mother to be like." said Anne Blythe one day).

"I know one thing." Julia said after a moment of peaceful silence "They will always be our sweet children."

"Grandma, would you like to have another cup of tea?" Joy asked Anne Blythe who was sitting comfortably on the sofa in Green Gables' living room.

Grandmother Blythe smiled at her great-granddaughter "Yes, please, darling." she replied and as Joy started to head off back to the kitchen she called after her "And tell Gilbert that if he will stay on the verandah any longer he will catch the pneumonia!". Joy nodded at her grandma with whom she could always understand each other without words and hopped out of the living room.

Anne sighed contentedly, Joy was just like she imagined her first born daughter to be like. Pretty red-headed poet of grey shining eyes full of dreams and hopes for the future. No, Joyce wasn't her favourite great-grandchild, she didn't really have one, she loved all of her great-grandchildren equally, but she did feel that Joyce meant something meaningful to her, maybe because she was named after her own Joyce Blythe.

Anne looked around the room. How much Green Gables changed! But it was a good change, she thought. After all, it had been almost eighty years since she left this dear house before moving to Four Winds.

She was a frequent visitor of Green Gables ever since Julia and Blythe moved there with their children almost eleven years earlier. She was glad, oh how glad, that her own family lived there for so long! And she knew that Julia, even though she wasn't as happy to leave her Sunflower House, was happy at Green Gables, just as happy as she herself, Anne Blythe, was while living there.

Suddenly, she heard a sound of laughter outside, at the lawn, and she quickly turned her head towards the window. There was Gilbert holding sleeping Liberty in his arms, telling her some invented story of his. Next to him was Julia and Blythe, Blythe holding Julia in his arms and kissing her while she laughed over something he just told her.

Anne giggled like a little girl herself, even though she was ninety-seven years of age. Julia and Blythe were just like she and Gilbert were in their age, as carefree as children even though they had children of their own. There was always something in both of them Anne could never resist. Blythe always reminded her of her Walter, both in looks and personality, but Julia always reminded her a bit of herself and a bit of Gilbert in one person.

Suddenly Joy came into the room with two cups of tea in her hands "There you go, Grandma." she said cheerfully and sat down on the sofa next to the old Anne Shirley.

"Joy," Anne said to her all of a sudden, as she picked up the cup in her hand "-what do you think it is, dear, that makes me so happy whenever I am near my family? Do you think it is simply because they are my family? Or maybe because of the fact they they are my family, they bring me my happiness?" she asked, looking at her great-grandaughter questioningly.

Joyce took a sip from her own cup and then put it on the table. Her grey eyes started to twinkle "I think it's neither, Granny." she replied wisely, a small smile creeping upon her face as she looked at her parents through the window.

Anne looked at Joy even more questioningly but her eyes also started to twinkle in the same way as her great-granddaughter's eyes were "What do you mean, sweetheart?" she asked.

Joy kissed Anne's cheek gently and both her and her grandma's eyes looked deeply into one another "It's love." Joy said "A word which is the most powerful word you can ever find in a dictionary."

THE END

I don't think that I will ever quite believe that I have just finished this sequel! I wanted to thank you all for reading, reviewing (special thanks go to Alinyaalethia, Kim Blythe, Avonlea Blythe and IrishPrincess) and simply enjoying (hopefully) this whole story :)

I shall start another fanfiction, this time taking it all back to the 1920s, where I will tell my own version of Di's story after the "Rilla Of Ingleside". I will post the first chapter on Friday, and therefore keep your eyes open, my readers!

Once again, the big and loud: Thank You! :D - Bathsheba Blythe