Part 2 of "The Three of Us"

218. Snow

NO, you're not hallucinating- this IS my second update in one day. lol. Also if you only got one notification check the previous chapter.

--

They had nowhere to be and no responsibilities.

Gilbert had two weeks off for Christmas vacation- and so they spent a couple of days lazily, curled up on the sofa talking, and eventually getting lost in the newspaper, that igniting more conversation. It was nice to know that they were alone, and no one would come by- all of the townsfolk understood that this was to be their honeymoon.

On only the second day, though, Anne started to miss Walter.

"Look at what a nice afternoon it is," she said sadly. "Such perfect snowball weather, too."

Gilbert joined her at the window. "Do you want to go out and play?" he asked. "I have to warn you, I can throw a mean snowball."

Anne laughed. "I was thinking of Walter."

"They have the same snow over at Green Gables," he reminded her.

"I know," she said, but only went back to looking out the window.

Gilbert rubbed her shoulders. "You want to go back for him?" he asked.

Anne turned to her husband, facing away from the window. "I know this is supposed to be us together...and it was so nice of Marilla and Matthew to keep him. But..."

"But you're his mama," Gilbert understood. "And he's little. I get it."

"Are you disappointed?" Anne feared.

Gilbert was already getting his boots on. "Not for a moment. I miss him, too. Besides, a week is an awfully long time to be apart."

Anne nodded. "It didn't feel that way to me before. But you're right- I've never been away from him like this. And he's just so little..."

"Let's go," Gilbert said. He brought Anne her coat. "But why don't we see if you can do just a visit? Marilla might be disappointed to lose him after losing you. ...I was thinking about Green Gables being quiet."

"Oh, I didn't think of that," Anne responded, crushed.

"We could spend the afternoon with them, have fun with Walter. And then- just see how you feel, all right? If you can leave without him, or if you can't manage it. Either way is all right, but let's just see how it goes."

Anne agreed.

Matthew and Marilla were surprised to see the newly married Blythes at their front door. Marilla hugged them both as if they'd been gone for a century.

Marilla set to work immediately on an enormous dinner because she was so pleased to have the company.

Gilbert and Anne took Walter out in the snow and played with him until their noses and cheeks were pink.

"Come in, you lot," Marilla called out the door. "You've been out long enough. You'll catch your death."

Before it got dark, Anne had to make a decision about if she could go home without her child or if she absolutely had to bring him with her.

She and Gilbert bid farewell to Matthew and Marilla, and she saw Matthew and Marilla's face fall a bit at the pending departure, and so she decided not to mention anything about wanting Walter to come home with her.

"Walter, you keep grandma and grandpa company for a little while longer," she said to him cheerfully. "Are you having fun with them? ...I like the fort you and grandpa made in the parlor."

He nodded, but hugged her for a long time, only letting go when Gilbert wanted a hug, too.

--

"I wanted to know what you thought about my last name," Gilbert asked on their drive back.

"It's very nice," Anne responded, and then laughed at Gilbert's reaction because she knew that wasn't what he meant.

She answered for real this time: "You're thinking of his name, aren't you? But...Walter John Shirley-Cuthbert-Blythe. My, that's a lot to saddle a child with!" She shook her head. "And can you even hyphenate something three times?"

Gilbert nodded, disappointed. "You're right. ...It would be too long for him."

"Do you think...we might let it just be Blythe?" Anne considered.

"You'd want it too?" Gilbert asked.

"If it's all right with you," Anne said. "It's your name, after all."

"It isn't mine, it's ours," he said, forever delighted that Anne now shared his name. "And I'd like for it to be his, too- but not if you don't want it to. ...Maybe you want him to keep Shirley-Cuthbert to honor your parents...all four of them."

Anne smiled. "That's a nice thought. But if I'm going to be Mrs. Blythe-" Anne couldn't help smiling when she saw how Gilbert automatically grinned hearing those words- "Then I want his name to match ours. Yes, I think that will do nicely: Walter John Blythe."

Gilbert let go of the reins a brief moment in order to kiss her gloved hand.

But then Anne said, "I suppose it will be nice for you to have someone who carries on the name Blythe, because otherwise..."

Gilbert shook his head. "That doesn't matter."

"On the other hand, if we ever do have any children of our own," Anne thought, "It'll be good for Walter to already have the name Blythe...so that he won't feel like he's different from the rest of the children. ...They'll all have the name, so he should too."

Gilbert shrugged. "No pressure," he reminded her. "I'm happy whether we do or don't."

In truth, Gilbert wanted children with Anne very much. He was fervently hoping that Anne's fear of intimate relations would not be a permanent condition- and not just so they could have children. Gilbert loved Anne living with him, but because he was wildly attracted to her, it was hard to have to move so slowly around her. He wanted to indulge in her but had to keep himself in check so as not to frighten her. He reminded himself often that the important thing was for Anne to feel safe with him...but he also silently prayed that this period of their lives would be brief.

--

Rachel Lynde came over the following day and when she heard that Anne and Gilbert had disrupted their alone time to play with Walter, she remarked: "It's just as well. I don't expect they'll have much of a honeymoon!"

Marilla sighed, "I expect not."

Rachel said, "Still, it's good he's patient with her. Many men wouldn't bother."

Marilla nodded. "I miss her dearly, but at least I've got no qualms about the boy. He'll do right by her. He understands her story and he's got the sensitivity to put her needs before his own."

"Yes," Rachel agreed. "But at some point he's going to want more. He can't help it, it's the nature of being in love. Hopefully Anne will start to feel better as time goes by. Do you think I might speak to her about it?"

Marilla shook her head. "She's got Emily, if she has questions. I'd be of help to her myself if I could, but maybe it's for the best she's got another younger woman to talk to."