He'd managed to get on his mother's lap while she was writing something. When she rolled up her right sleeve, he saw some markings.

"What's that?" he'd asked, wriggling around to get into a comfortable spot.

His mother smiled at him, showing him the numbers on her upper arm.

360617

She took his finger and pointed to the digits. "Do you see these six numbers?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Three, six, zero, six, one, seven!"

"Very good!" His mother unrolled her other sleeve. "Now see these letters?"

"Um, that's... J and B, right?" He'd frowned a little. He'd always found numbers easier.

"Yes, Gilbert. Now, listen very closely. When you reach your fifteenth summer solstice-"

"What's that?" Gilbert interrupted.

She laughed. "Right, sorry. Have you noticed how in the summer, the sun is in the sky for a longer time, and in the winter, the day is shorter?"

Gilbert wrinkled his nose. "Yes. I thought I could eat dinner when I got home after it was dark but it wasn't time yet."

"Summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest sunlight, and winter solstice is the day with the longest night. Do you understand?"

Gilbert nodded. "I think so. What happens on my fif- fifteenth-" goodness, that word was hard to pronounce "-summer sol- something?"

"You get two letters on your left arm. They are the initials of you soulmate."

"Momma!" Gilbert complained, exasperated. "Too many new words in one day!"

She nodded solemnly. "Right, sorry. Initials are the first letter of each word, and a soulmate is like your best friend. They'll understand you better than anyone else, and you'll marry them and keep being best friends."

"Like Daddy to you, Momma?"

"Yes, like Daddy to me. See? J stands for John, and B stands for Blythe."

Gilbert nodded slowly. "So... my soulmate is not Charlie, even though he's my best friend."

His mother laughed uncontrollably. "No, he's not your soulmate."

Gilbert grinned, satisfied. "Good. I got scared. What about the numbers, Momma?"

"The numbers," she replied, sobering, "stand for your soulmate's birthday. Those appear on your eighteenth winter solstice."

"Why do we need to know their birthday?"

"Because, darling, there might be a lot of people with the same initials."

"But can't there be people who have everything the same? How who you know who goes with who?" He frowned. "Or something like that."

His mother smiled at him. "Well, first of all, they would have your initials, too. Then, you would feel a natural friendship with them that you have with no one else."

Gilbert put his head on her chest. "I hope I find my soulmate, Momma."

"You will, darling. You will."

And today is the day. The day he receives his first clue of the identity of his soulmate. His best friend, the one who understands him.

The one that's not Charlie.

He has to crack a smile at the memory. Charlie will also be getting his mark today. He wonders what his soulmate will be like. He cannot imagine any girl in Avonlea who would be suitable for the remarkable qualities of Charlie Sloane.

But what about himself? What would his own girl be like?

He's so wrapped in his thoughts that he hasn't noticed the black ink swirling on his left arm.

He wonders, for a brief moment, where the ink came from.

Then his thoughts move on, trying to guess the letters that are being formed. It looks like an H, but not quite... oh, it's an A!

He's excited, now. Her name starts with an A. Clue one down!

He watches in fascination as the ink begins to twist, almost as if it were alive.

S.

So now, all he has to do is find a girl that clicks with him and named A- S-.

Not a great prospect, but he's content as he settles down to sleep.

"Katherine, dear, would you like the blueberry pie or the cranberry pie?"

"I'll have the blueberry." She takes the plate from Anne. "What's the occasion?"

"It's my eighteenth winter solstice, Katherine." Anne sits down and grins at her companion. "It's so exhilarating."

Katherine waves her fork at Anne. "No, I don't believe so. I got my second mark five winters ago and am not any closer to meeting this D.E. It's just another indicator, Anne, that will help you make sure he's the right one. In the meantime, it serves no purpose."

Anne laughs. "Oh, Katherine, you make it sound so prosaic and not one bit romantic."

Katherine shakes her head. "It really isn't, Anne."

"Do you remember how we used to dream about finding our soulmate?" Anne asks after eating some pie.

Katherine smiles fondly. "You used to say that when a dark, handsome stranger comes, he would introduce himself to you, and his name would match the initials you have. You'll be great friends, and when his birthday comes to pass, you'll give him a present, so he'll know it's you, and happily-ever-after."

"And you, Katherine, said that you'll just meet him and eventually figure it out." Anne smiles. "We had quite the time with our imaginations in the Home for Girls, didn't we?"

"I didn't; you did. I just got you out of scrapes."

"Do you know, Katherine, that I've always thought of you as my older sister?"

"And you were the first family I had, Anne." Katherine pauses. "Which reminds me, Miss Patty said she'll take me along with her when she goes 'globe-trotting' with Miss Maria, and she asked if I wanted to bring anyone else! Will you go with me?"

Anne shakes her head remorsefully. "I'm sorry, Katherine, but I got accepted into college here, so I can't leave. Besides, 'globe-trotting' has never appealed to me as it has to you. Miss Patty and you were very kind to offer, though."

"She really is the best. It's hard to forget she's just a landlady. Oh, Anne, maybe you can stay at Patty's Place while we're traveling and you're studying here! The house has been kept well, and I know you'll love it! But," she sighs, "I'll miss you while we're away, Anne Shirley."

Anne bounds up and hugs her. "I'll miss you too, Katherine Brooke. Well keep in touch, especially since there are so many new things popping up everywhere. Come on, let's go to the park. I want to be in the company of trees when I get my new mark."

Upon reaching the park they find a young apple tree. They sit on the boulder beside it, and Anne rolls up her left sleeve.

"Today I find out your birthday, G.B.," she says to her arm. "I wonder if you already know mine?"

Katherine leans against the tree. "Do you always talk to your arm?"

"No, I don't," Anne replies indignantly. "I talk to him." She rolls up her right sleeve, checking for ink. "Do you think you'll meet your soulmate on this trip around the world?"

Katherine shrugs. "I don't know. But if I do, I hope it means that he loves to travel, too. I will be a bit disappointed otherwise."

Anne nods. Then she gasps. "Oh, Katherine, look!" She points to her upper arm, where ink starts to swirl and slowly form shapes.

731027

"Wasn't that fascinating?" Anne whispers reverently.

Katherine wraps an arm around Anne's shoulders. "Happy winter solstice, Anne."

Three Witches' Coven. What a name for a bookstore! Gilbert deems it worthy enough to provide the next present for his girl.

Not that he's found her, of course. Every time a lady is introduced to him, he holds his breath until the reveal of her name. Needless to say, his mother had to remind him to breathe quite a few times.

His current behavior only adds more to the many proofs that Gilbert Blythe is impatient for the arrival of that day. He's on extra-alert today, as today is the fifteenth of March. Not that statistics have shown that one is more likely to meet one's soulmate on their birthday, but it would certainly feel very romantic.

Hence his trip to a bookstore. He wants to buy a book for her this year. Last year it was an enamel heart necklace, and the year before that was an apple that he'd carved from dry applewood and painted himself. Who knows if she'll like something like that, but he'd been decorating the apple with such care that he decided he should save it for her. The year before that was a bundle of pressed flowers.

You get the idea.

He has made up his mind that he would get a book this year, because he's sure that it's impossible for his soulmate to not love reading. They can't be soulmates otherwise.

What she would like to read is something he had a hard time deciding on. A book of poetry? Keats, maybe? Or a book of verse? Bingen on the Rhine was one of his favorite reads from his days of naïveté.

He discovers, upon entering the shop, that there was no-one at the checkout stand. Wandering around, he sees a young woman with her back to him, sorting books on the shelf.

"Excuse me."

Despite his (nonexistent) attempts to announce his presence, the girl starts in surprise, and, whirling with surprising speed and agility, whacks him with the book in her hands.

"Ow," he mutters, rubbing his forehead.

The girl's grey-green eyes widen. "I'm sorry! I was organizing books and must not have heard you coming." She winces. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Gilbert grins at her. "Can I see that book you're holding?"

"Of course." She glances at him. I'll be at the counter if you need anything. My name is Anne."

A.

Well, it's worth a shot.

"I'm Gilbert." He holds up the book, Great Expectations. "Do you mind showing me the other classics are before you return to your post?"

The girl watches him for half a beat, then turns away. "Follow me."

She speaks again as they walk through the shop. "So, who is this book for?"

"My soulmate." Gilbert can't keep in the grin that came with saying that.

"Ah, I see. Well, what would she like to read?" Anne asks as they stop by a shelf.

"Well, that's the thing." He leans against the shelf behind him. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Gilbert shook his head. "I don't know. Haven't met her yet, see."

"Oh." A pause. "So you're buying her a present beforehand?"

"Yeah. Is that cheesy?"

Anne laughs. It's a delightful laugh, Gilbert thinks. "No, not at all. I think it's sweet. I write letters to him myself."

"So you haven't met him yet either?"

"No." Anne smiles. "I wonder if he'll like books."

"Well, you evidently like books, so he's bound to like them too."

"I certainly hope so."

The more he talks with Anne, Gilbert realizes, the more intrigued he is. He's going to make one more risk.

"Might I ask for your last name, Miss Anne?"

"Shirley, my good sir. Why do you ask?"

He can't believe it. A.S. And they seem so much alike!

"Am I mistaken in wishing you a happy birthday?"

Anne gasps. "No." She grins at him. "Might I have your full name, Mr. Gilbert?"

He tips his imaginary hat at her playfully. "Gilbert Blythe at you service, my lady. Born on the twenty-seventh of October."

"It really is you," Anne whispers. She steps forward to wrap Gilbert in a tight hug. At the same time, Gilbert extends the book towards her.

Not the smooth meet he had dreamed of.

Gilbert chuckles awkwardly. "Yes, it is me." He rubs his neck. "So, uh... do you want to pick a book for your birthday present? I got you gifts for your birthday every year since the day I knew, and they're all waiting at my house."

Anne smiles at him shyly. "Okay, but I think meeting you is a rather nice present." She tugs him towards the counter. "I have the letters with me though. I wrote them every year on your birthday, and occasionally when I'm in the mood."

"That eager to meet me, eh?"

That earned him a jab in the ribs.

AN: Thank you for reading to the end! Since you're already here, I would greatly appreciate it if you tell me what you thought of the oneshot :).

Additional thanks and credit go to kslchen, who helped me a great deal through the planning and writing of this story! Also, thanks to everyone who left a kind word on the first oneshot!