Anne spent a week in Avonlea, boxing up all her belongings and answering hundreds of questions about the night of the charity ball. She began to recount the story so many times that more and more callers came to hear the tale of Anne and the madman.

"Oh no," she'd say with enduring patience, "It's a story of a doctor, a madman, and forty-three loyal orphan boys."

"And you," Mrs. Hiram Sloane interjected. Anne had bit her cheek to keep from smiling too wide.

"Yes, and me."

It was that encounter that led Anne to decline taking future callers, instead spending that time in front of her typewriter. She'd come down for an hour or two every time her fingers began to cramp, curling up next to an indignant Marilla on the sofa and saying things like, "I do love you so, Marilla. You've done this hopeless harem scarem some good."

And Marilla's hard exterior would melt away just long enough to reply, "You've done even more good for this cranky old maid."

But on this night, Anne had a pressing worry on her mind.

"You're not terribly upset that I'm leaving Green Gables to go live in the Glen?"

Marilla sighed, eyes falling on the old chair Matthew used to sit in when he was alive. Though he was never very good at expressing his feelings, when it came to Anne, he never hesitated. He would understand if he was here now.

"I always knew you'd have to leave sometime. After all, you're a college graduate with your entire life ahead of you. At some point, we all must go out and seek our place in this world. Mine was with you, and now yours is in the Glen."

Anne caressed Marilla's thin knuckles with a gentle thumb.

"You'll come and visit, won't you? You'll absolutely love the children and the house is beautiful! It's got the sea on one side and the forest on the other. And Gil has been speaking with the staff about allowing me to redo the gardens myself for days when I need to be with myself and the island. There's about a dozen guest rooms for your choosing and Mary plans the most extravagant meals. And-"

"Anne, of course I'll come and visit," Marilla interrupted, not wanting Anne to spoil all the splendor of the Glen. "Do you suppose you'll marry the doctor here or at the estate?"

"We haven't talked about it much since he hasn't made his formal question yet, but he's coming on the evening train." Anne lounged back and turned her face to the setting set dripping in through the window. "If I had my way, we'd get married first here. Maybe out in the valley of Green Gables or in the Blythe Apple Orchard. We'll have our closest family and friends, the spirit of the island, and the boys of course, and be married under the purple dawn. Then, we can go back to the Glen and have the big wedding his business circle will be expecting. I don't suppose I'll mind being a bride twice."

Before Anne could drift too far away into nuptial daydreams, Marilla took a sip of her tea.

"I'm surprised he hasn't arrived yet. Do you suppose the train was delayed?"

"I can't imagine why, though with how old the train master is getting, I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe I'll take a walk into town and see if he's gotten himself lost or wrapped up in some sort of medical emergency." Anne tugged on her heavy sweater, the cream knit perfect for blocking out the autumn chill. "On days like these, I'm so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers."

As Marilla watched her brave, beautiful young daughter cross the threshold of Green Gables, she could not help but feel as though a chapter was ending and soon the book would be closed. A calm breath filled her lungs as she smiled softly to herself. Perhaps the sequel would prove just as beloved.

The island was at peak beauty, with every tree at its most vibrant orange and the White Way of Delight at its bloomiest. Silky smooth petals rained down with each dust of wind, catching in Anne's auburn hair like snowflakes. She was content to walk along this beloved road, remembering all the wonderful times she'd had here, and all of the ones yet to come. She was lost in thought, mind trailing alongside her in the shadows and trees, when a study gentleman appeared at the end of the Avenue.

The sight of Anne ambling happily along the road knocked the breath from him, making him pause to admire how lovely she was among all the warm colors of the autumn sunset. A stiff breeze carried her gaze to him, and the ethereal picture was broken, leaving Anne and only Anne.

The queen dryad herself seemed to be drinking in every sweet detail of him - how fit he looked in his suspenders, the soft curls of his hair that she positively adored, and the sunny grin on his face that rivaled any smile she'd ever witness. She squealed and ran forward toward him, easily swept up in his waiting arms. He lifted her, holding her up and above him so that he might admire her. It wasn't much unlike they were the day she saved him and every day since.

"I'm so glad you made it!" she cried as he lowered her back onto the red roads.

"I wouldn't miss such a wonderful day with you for the world. Not when I have such an important question to ask."

"And what might that be, doctor?" she said lowly.

The whole Island held its baited breath as the doctor knelt down upon his knee, offered his love a small box containing a band of pearls, and offered himself to her. The trees stopped swaying, the birds paused their song, the breeze stood still. Then, with tears that dripped down the sides of her face and into the soil, Anne accepted and the Island rejoiced. The doctor took his betrothed into his arms and pulled her close. His kisses tasted like tears and cinnamon, hers of the sun.

That night, celebration rang out all through Green Gables. In the morning, everything would tilt on a different axis and new paths would form in the earth, ready to be traversed. But for now, Anne, Gilbert, Marilla, and Rachel Lynde sat around the dining room table, exchanging stories of every kind until their stomachs and hearts were full.

"I must say Doctor," began Rachel in her know-all tone. "I'm now willing to admit that perhaps Anne was right raising her voice to me the day you washed up on our shore."

"He didn't wash up, I jumped in after him!" Anne corrected teasingly.

"Credit where credit is due, ma'am," Gilbert agreed with a loyal smile to Anne.

"Well, I still think it's ridiculous the amount of talk going around the Ladies Aid about I wish it had been my daughter to jump in the storm to save Dr. Blythe," Marilla cut in, wiping the table with a damp rag. "Asking if the doctor has any brothers, and if Anne intended to marry the man or not."

Anne and Gilbert shared an amused smile.

"Alas, Gil's brother is married and I intend to marry the good doctor as soon as humanly possible."

"We could go get the preacher this evening," Gilbert suggested when Rachel's back was turned away, brushing his lips against her cheek.

"Or you could wait through a full engagement period as is good and proper!" Rachel shot, sensing the loosening of propriety behind her.

"Oh, do try not to get all twisted up Rachel, and give these two some solitude!" Marilla scolded from the doorway. She practically dragged the grumbling lady away by her ear, leaving Anne and Gilbert alone in the peace of the house. Within moments, they were side by side, hand in hand.

"I can't wait to tell Diana," Anne mused happily, pressing Gilbert's calloused fingertips against her lips.

"She wasn't very thrilled with me the last we saw each other," he confessed.

"Diana only wants what's best for me. Her and I talked and we're both in agreement."

"In my favor, I hope."

"Of course," Anne laughed. She leaned her head on his shoulder, glancing down at the beautiful band of pearls on her ring finger. For once, the exchange wasn't single sided. "I actually have something for you, if you'd like it."

Gilbert leaned to press a kiss to her cheek, smiling against all of her starry freckles.

"I'll take that as a yes," she laughed. His content eyes followed her as she crossed the room to the wooden secretary against the wall, from which she pulled a stack of papers tied together with straw ribbon on each side. She took a nervous breath, then handed him the ream of parchment. Gilbert accepted it anxiously, pushing aside the ribbon so he could make out the typewritten words across the front.

"Is this…?" he asked in awe.

"Our story, yes," Anne finished for him, anxious for is reaction. "I was tired of telling it over and over, and thought it might make an interesting subject for a book. I've had such a block of creative words this past year, but something about these last months has opened me right up. Of course, the manuscript is only half completed. I've only been home a week! But I wanted you to read it so that you knew what you meant to me. Maybe this could help those Saint Anthony boys too."

Gilbert had no words. He merely grazed his fingertips over the pages and admired how lovely the authorial name "Anne Shirley" appeared across the white title page.

"I can't wait to read it, sweetheart, thank you," he said truly. A pleased smile lit Anne into pure light and she laughed.

"You can read it on the train ride home tomorrow while I sleep! I've been up these past nights writing like a woman starved!"

They sat that way for some time, allowing the minutes to tick by on the clock until the clear sky overhead shone a sea full of stars. Green Gables kept them warm on this last night in the beloved home. Tomorrow would bring its own new adventures, of which Anne knew not their names. But the evening was for her and Gilbert alone.

And so, until their candles had burned out, the two recounted all of their present blessings, looking forward to the ones that they could count come morning.

~End

Thank you all for reading! xo