Hi Everyone,

I hope this make up for me not updating ALL my stories this week. My little one is off school for the Christmas holidays so have had little time to myself. I've updated what I can and ask for your patience. Thanks all, Carrots

Gilbert's head had been pounding ever since that slate came down on his head! He was looking in the kitchen cupboards when his father came in the room.

"Are you looking for something Gilbert?" He asked his son.

"Just something for a headache, a tonic maybe I've had a bad head all afternoon I just want rid of it." He said quietly.

John joined with his son finding the tonic for him and handed it to him "Put it in some water it'll be too strong for you otherwise." He told his son.

"Thanks pap." He said putting a small about of tonic in the glass then starting to pump for the water.

"Any particular reason for the bad head?" John asked his son. John had heard about school. Mr Phillips had stopped by the gate and told a gleeful story of punishing the girl and he assured Mr Blythe it would never happen again in his classroom. John had walked away dubious of his claims. Teddy Phillips had no order in his classroom and from what Gilbert had already told him of his new class teacher, he paid no attention to any of his students other than the one he 'pretty eyed with' as Gilbert had phrased it looking a little repulsed. It wasn't long before one of Gilbert's friends had come looking to call on Gilbert and had explained the whole thing, how he had teased Anne before the slate had come down on his head. How Gilbert had tried to apologise but the girl had refused his apology. The boy had looked surprised "I can't remember Gil apologising to any of the other girls he teased."

"No." Gilbert lied putting the glass under the water.

"No?" John asked him. "None?"

Gilbert shrugged and started to drink, he drank a little and pulled a face which showed how unpleasant the drink was.

John paused long enough for Gilbert to think he had got away with his behavior before he said, "Not even some writing equipment coming down on your head."

Gilbert paused in his actions and looked guilty at his father. "You know?" Gilbert questioned.

His father chuckled. "What have we told you about teasing Gilbert." He said half laughing and shaking his head.

"I only wanted her attention for a minute." Gilbert said blushing into his glass.

"Well you got that alright." John laughed.

"GILBERT BLYTHE!" He heard his mother yelling from the front door as she came in.

Gilbert's face dropped further "Oh no." Gilbert said shamefully his mother entering the kitchen.

"What do you think you were doing?! Teasing! AGAIN!" His mother started.
"Ma…" He started pitifully. "Please.."

"Don't 'ma please' me, I have warned you time and time again about teasing Gilbert!" she said sharply to him.

"Dearest, come on now…" John started but was soon cut off by his wife.

"And where do you think he gets it from John? Because its not me!" she said accusingly to her husband.

John fell silent knowing it was true. He was a tease and it was where Gilbert got it from. She turned back to his son. "what are you drinking?" She asked him. She took the glass from him smelling into it. "Tonic?" she said.

"Ma please my head hurts." He said with big eyes.

"Your head deserves to hurt!" she told him.

"I don't NEED you to tell me what an awful person I am ma alright! Anne did that already." He said with a tear in his eye. He left the kitchen and went to his room.

"That was too harsh." John told his wife. "She broke a slate over his head, I think he's learnt his lesson."

"You would have him spoilt." Mrs Blythe said resentfully. She knew she had been harsh talking to Gilbert like that but she was so angry she had told him time and time again!

"Maybe." John admitted. "But he was only teasing dear, none of the other girls… how was he supposed to know anyone could react like she did?"

"He should have listened to us." Mrs Blythe told him.

"he's thirteen, what thirteen year old listens? John smiled hugging affectionately into his wife.

Mrs Blythe sighed. "I'll go and talk to him." She said taking the glass of tonic with her. She knocked on her son's bedroom door.

She heard a small and reluctant "Yes." from inside so she went in, he was lying on his bed the tears which had been in his eyes earlier had clearly been running down his face. She handed him the tonic, he sat up on his bed and looked guilty drinking the tonic.

"She really hit you over the head with a slate?" His mother asked.

"Yes." He said quietly.

"Hard?" Mrs Blythe said with a grin.

"Very hard I'm afraid." (AN: I know this is word for word what happened with Anne in the film I just thought it would be a fun parallel) He said looking at his mother's grinning face. "Mom!" he exclaimed.

"Oh Gilbert!" She said breaking into giggles.

"You're meant to be on my side!" he said defensively.

She stopped dead serious and started to stroke his curls. "I am your mother. It may not seem it, but what I ask of you is to stop you from feeling pain. Physical or otherwise, I'll always be here for you, I will always protect you and I will always be on your side." He looked to his mother. He didn't care about what it was to be a man, he needed to cuddle his mother, he leaned over and hugged into her his head equal to her shoulder she hugged him in, knowing he was growing it maybe one of the last chances she had of real hugs from her boy. "The little girl you teased, Anne? The girl adopted by the Cuthberts?" she asked.

"Yes." Gilbert said quietly.

"Can you imagine what it must be like for her? She doesn't have a mamma or papa who have loved her you know, imagine that?" Gilbert felt for some reason his eyes start to sting with tears again. "Sometime Gilbert, not having that kind of love can leave a person very insecure and very tender, but what if… what if you built up a complex about something, something like your hair, no one around you to tell you that its pretty, or even to calm you and say it doesn't matter if its not pretty, imagine if it became a sore point? How would you feel if someone, a complete stranger who didn't know you, seemed to judge you based on that? Called you names?" She heard a small sigh come from Gilbert by which she knew he had started to cry again.

"I didn't mean it like that ma." He told her. "Honest I didn't, I think her hair is pretty honest I do. I didn't mean it as an insult. I just wanted her attention."

"If you were to make fun of her as children do, what would you pick on?"

Gilbert thought for a moment, "Probably her hair." He admitted. He took a heavy sigh "she thought I was taunting her." He realised fully. "I tried to apologise ma, I did honestly, I even tried to take the blame when Mr Phillips tried to punish her she won't accept it, I've never had to say sorry to a girl before… for her to reject it…" he trailed.

"Well maybe that'll teach you for teasing her." She said plainly. "Maybe if you try and make it up to her, nothing worth having in life comes easily." She gave her son a kiss a top his head and walked out of the room quietly.

Gilbert thought miserably. Wow! He was an insensitive idiot! Did he hurt all the girls when he teased them, the same way Anne actually showed? Was Anne… in pain because of him? Somehow he couldn't stand the very idea! He thought of all the love he had been surrounded in his whole life, it led to a very self-assured boy, imagine, not having that? No wonder she was looking for… how had she heard her put it 'kindred spirits' and 'bosom friends'. He chuckled at that.

None of the other girls had it in them! That fire that burn that danger and he loved it! He loved... "Woah there Gil" he said outloud to himself! Where had the 'L' word come from…!? Especially over someone he had known less than 12 hours! He didn't believe in love at first sight and he was definitely NOT in love… was he?