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8. stars

Anne was lying in the grass.

It was dark and cold and there was rain falling down from the star-scattered sky. There was the moon too, large and solemn and endlessly shining upon the world. On the sodden grass around Anne were deep red stains. They seeped slowly from her wound.

Anne's head was dizzy and the world was swimming in front of her. She'd lost a lot of blood and wasn't in charge of her own thoughts anymore. She was thinking a lot of crazy things, her mind making up even more unusual stories than usual. She felt nauseous and as weak as a feather.

Lying down seemed like a good idea at first - after all, she had been walking for what felt like hours - but now she could see she'd never get back up again. Perhaps she'd die there on the grass by the side of the road.

Anne couldn't think much more after that. She fell unconscious.

Anne's dream was bright. It was shining and dazzling, sunbeams dancing on her freckled, rosy face. It was summer and she was in a beautiful meadow, blooming with glorious flowers and grasses that went up to her middle. Butterflies danced around her and she had blossom in her curly hair.

Her hair was auburn and she was wearing a wonderful pale blue dress with puffed sleeves. She felt divinely happy and she laughed with joy when she saw Marilla and Mathew not far off sitting on a large porch around Green Gables, waving with beaming faces. Everything was well. Everything was perfect.

Then a voice came. It was familiar and brought a tingle down Anne's spine. She turned, and saw a boy. Tall and broad, dark curly hair framing a handsome, pale face. A boy she knew, changed by time way travelling. He had grown up, he was here and he was happy to see her.

"Gilbert." Anne couldn't help but smile.

He was getting closer. He was smiling a soft, fond smile. It made Anne feel beautiful and loved. She felt shy. Anne took a deep breath. It was hard to breathe and Anne winced. She couldn't inhale deeply, her muscles felt torn. Suddenly, Gilbert's face changed. It was worried.

He was saying something, although his voice sounded like it was under water. She couldn't make it out. Anne moved to him and he reached out. He was yelling now but she couldn't hear his words. She felt afraid.

"Gilbert?" Anne wanted this to stop.

Then she heard his words. "Anne! Wake up!"

...

Gilbert and Diana didn't want to admit it to each other but they both were beginning to believe they'd never find Anne. They'd been riding all night and all they'd discovered was terribly worrying clues that Anne was hurt and had been in an accident. They were on a road which might be the wrong one and had come across no more clues.

"Gilbert, we should head back." Diana said loudly over the lashing rain and wind. "We won't find Anne tonight... We're going to catch chills in this weather or get in an accident ourselves."

"We can't stop now." Gilbert muttered, riding on.

"Gil, please. We must turn back." Diana tugged on his shoulder.

Gilbert stopped the horse and steered it under a nearby tree for shelter while they spoke. They were both drenched through and frozen cold. Gilbert could barely feel his fingers. He knew there were a few farms up the road not far from here. Perhaps Anne would be there? He was jumping at any small possibility, as the alternative to her being safe and sound was beginning to be too painful to bear thinking of.

"You know I can't just leave her out here. She's hurt." Gilbert stared at Diana, praying she'd understand.

"How are we supposed to find her in this? It's coming down harder than hail. We will get hurt too and then we won't be able to help her!" Diana pleaded.

Gilbert sighed, gazing out at the stars. He wondered if Anne was looking at them too.

"It will be difficult to find the way back in the dark." He finally admitted. "But we can't go back. We can find shelter and see if they have any dry clothes and lamps so we can continue our search."

Diana sighed. This was as good as she would be getting. Gilbert was stubborn and fiercely loyal to those he cared about. She was beginning to see just how much he cared for that fiesty red head... Anne had seeped under his skin and made a home in his heart and Diana knew Gilbert would do almost anything to see Anne again. It was beautiful to see and Diana knew Anne would have appreciated the romanticism about the situation, if it didn't involve the boy she detested and saw only as competition to prove her intellect against.

They were turning the horse when Diana called out. "Oh! Stop! There's something in the road!"

Gilbert frowned and looked down. Along the hedgerow a short way away beneath the trees lying amongst the grass like some fallen angel was Anne. She was deathly pale and soaked in blood. Her eyes were closed and her auburn hair tangled.

Gilbert felt like his heart dropped out his chest and he was off the horse in less than a second. His cold hands were trembling even more than before and everything was moving slowly to him. He felt as though this could not be real. Anne was strong and fierce and she was too clever to ever get into this kind of trouble. This couldn't be her, lying bleeding by the road.

Gilbert fell to his knees beside her body and leant down to Anne's mouth and felt a warm breath on his cheek. His breath caught in relief. She was alive. For now.

Suddenly Diana was by his side and Cole was being tied to a tree. Diana had torn some strips from her skirts and she was bandaging up Anne. There was a gaping wound in Anne's side and when Gil saw it he felt sick to his stomach. How had this happened? Who had done this? He felt fire in his veins. It was anger.

"She tried to stem the blood." Diana was knotting the fabric tightly. "Anne taught me this. She insisted I knew basic nursing skills, she said every woman should know how to save a life. Thank God for our Anne and her cleverness."

Gilbert realised Diana was shaking but she didn't seem hysterical. She was in shock, reacting from instinct and using the fear in her heart she was running on adrenalin. She finished the knots and Gil pressed his hand to Anne's side, applying pressure. He knew this was important.

"Anne." He was saying. He couldn't say anything else, his brain wasn't cooperating.

Anne was feverish and murmuring incoherently.

"We need to get her on the horse, Gil." Diana said. "We have to take her to a farm. We need to lift her together, okay?"

Gilbert nodded, unable to speak. Anne's blood was slick on his hands and he felt her warmth slipping away. He forced himself to focus and stay calm. He felt like screaming.

"You take her body, I take her legs and we lie her over Cole's middle. I will hold onto her and you ride okay? I'm only light - Cole should manage all three of us just a few miles to a farm." Diana was rambling.

Gil had seen Diana in a crisis before and she was absolutely useless - running round crying and panicking. But here she was, relatively calm and making sensible plans. Anne wasn't able to save the day this time. It was Diana's turn to save Anne.

Somehow, they carried Anne's body to the horse and they all managed to get on Cole's back. Gilbert remembered that ride as a blur, the rain and wind and darkness and blood and pulsing fear in their hearts. It was a nightmare. Every thought rushing through his head of reaching the farm and finding Anne cold in his arms.

They had to save her. He'd never forgive himself if they lost Anne.

A/N didn't have time to proof read or edit as my sister was messing with my phone and published this ! Hope you like it x :)