My Fairy Queen Anne

you're holding me like water in your hands

"The train's pulling in," Marilla noted as the faint sound of chugging intensified. Josie and Anne were waiting beside her, arms linked and both in polar opposite states. Anne was quite disgruntled as she had been forced to come, and Josie seemed to vibrate faster with each moment, though she'd never admit it to Alexander. Sebastian had stayed in the carriage to wait for Gilbert to avoid the rush of a Toronto train coming to their station, mostly to protect his daughter from all the stray lingering looks he knew he would've received.

Josie concealed a giddy smile (she had a little bit of dignity left, thank you very much) while Anne rolled her eyes.

Low enough for just Anne to hear, she murmured, "You need to talk to him about what's happening. You can't just go these two weeks without talking to him. If it really is over between you two, affirm it with him instead of making assumptions."

"I suppose you're right," Anne agreed reluctantly, leaning on Josie to rest her head. "But this is all on him. If he does end up... leaving me," her voice broke at that. "It'll be entirely his fault."

Josie sighed and planted a small kiss on the crown of Anne's head, the raw pain in her friend's voice not lost on her. "Whatever it is, you'll be alright. And I'll be here no matter what."

Anne flashed her friend a grateful smile as the big black steam engine pulled in loudly, coming to a slow stop in front of them, smoke billowing and blackening the winter sun and warming the frigid December air.

Their eyes searched through the crowd for the two people they were looking for, but only one was spotted. Josie caught a flash of the blonde through the crowd, and without a second thought (and almost toppling Anne right over!), she took off towards him with a purely joyful grin. He seemed to forget himself, smiling just at the sight of her, but his expression changed to one of urgency, running over to them with equal fervor. Josie, quite unaware of his news, all but fell into his arms, and he hugged her tightly for a moment, closing his eyes and trying to take comfort for that one precious instant. 

"Where's Gilbert?" Anne asked, narrowing her eyes as she and Marilla caught up. He wouldn't not come home but still send Alexander just to avoid her, would he? No, that wasn't like him. At the very least, he loved Sebastian and Delphine enough. 

"You need to come with me," he breathed, panting from the sprint through the crowd.

"What? Why?"

"Gilbert, he fainted on the train. We got off at one of the stops, and the medics took him to Charlottetown since we were about an hour out from there. I took the train back to tell you." He looked expectantly between the two of them, gauging their reactions.

"Hospital? Well, I -- He told me had a cold, but -- he said it was -- " Anne stammered, blue eyes blown wide. Any residual anger at him drained out of her in an instant. As furious as she was, she loved him. She might have been enraged, but she loved him more than she could fathom, more than she loved herself. Even if he no longer reciprocated, she would have put all of it behind her in an instant for him to be okay.

"He's been playing it down," Alex said with a reproachful shake of his head.

"Of course he has. He wouldn't want to worry anybody," Anne whispered, her tremoring voice barely loud enough for Josie to hear. Her friend stepped away from Alex's side to squeeze her hand. She allowed a tear to slip down her cheek before her resolve hardened and she shook her head, her face tensing as she made up her mind. "We have to go. I need to see him, make sure he's alright, even if he doesn't want to see me."

Alexander's brows knit together. "Doesn't want to see you? Anne, you're all he's been talking about for the past month." Her mouth fell agape, narrowing her eyes at Alex warily.