A/N: Hello, you dear, dear readers!

I've been away from this site for a long while now, but I've found myself with an unprecedented amount of free time on my hands lately, and this little story popped out unexpectedly. It's expanding a little on Chapter III from Anne of Ingleside, where as you may recall, Maud included a very innocent aside about Anne's pretty eggshell blouse. That particular chapter has always made me wonder exactly what Gilbert thought of that blouse, and just what they did next.

And I think we could all use some good, old-fashioned Anne and Gilbert lovin' athemo, don't you?

Homecoming

How glad I am I put on this frilly eggshell blouse with my brown suit, even if Mrs Lynde thought I was crazy to wear it travelling. If I hadn't I wouldn't have looked so nice for Gilbert. And he had on such a nice new light-grey suit!

~ Chapter III, Anne of Ingleside

"How nice to have someone meet you at the end of a journey!" Anne cried, as she stepped off the train at Glen St Mary into Gilbert's waiting arms.

Dr Gilbert Blythe's heart leapt in his chest the moment he saw his wife, just as it always had, ever since he was thirteen years old and they were at Avonlea school together.

Anne was wearing a chocolate-coloured suit, perfectly complemented by a frilly blouse in a delicate eggshell colour. The frothy frills and lace cascaded charmingly from her creamy throat over her breasts to her waist, cunningly disguising the slight roundness of her belly. Anne's glorious red-gold hair was adorned by a nut brown, broad brimmed, ribbon-festooned hat which was set at a jaunty angle on her head. But as always, Gilbert's gaze was locked on his wife's clear grey eyes which were sparkling with joy to see her husband. Anne Blythe looked good enough to eat.

"Good Lord, but I've missed you," Gilbert said, squeezing her slender frame tighter to him. "Has it really only been a week?"

In truth, it felt like far longer than that to Gilbert. Even after nine years of marriage, Gilbert felt that his day was somehow incomplete without Anne to come home to at the end of it, no matter how late that hour might be.

"And I've missed you, dearest," Anne replied, her slender arms tight around his neck as she tilted her face upwards and stood on her tip toes to press her soft lips to his.

Gilbert swiftly pulled his bowler hat off with one hand before his arm slid around her shoulders as his left hand caught her waist, pressing her body to him. He bent his head and returned the kiss perhaps a little more warmly than some might deem proper for a respected doctor and his wife in such a public place. But the good folk of Glen St Mary were used to these displays of affection between the doctor and Mrs Blythe by now. Besides, there were very few people on the platform at Glen St Mary this evening.

After a long moment, Anne stepped away from her husband a fraction, but her fingers were still playing with the neatly trimmed brown curls at his nape, causing the same frisson of excitement on his skin as in days of yore. He smiled into her fascinating eyes and Gilbert inhaled the delicious scent of her as it swirled all around him. She was intoxicating.

"How are the children?" Anne began to bombard him with questions. "How is Susan? Oh, I can't wait to see everyone! How is Ingleside? I'm going to gather some pansies from the garden tonight. That letter I received from Jem was so precious, did you help him with it, darling?"

Gilbert laughed at the barrage of questions.

"Let's get you home so you can see everything for yourself," he chuckled as he bent to pick up Anne's portmanteau.

When Gilbert straightened, and offered her his arm, Anne slid her slender fingers into the crook of his elbow. Her other hand slid up his arm and over his broad shoulder, caressing the light grey fabric of Gilbert's suit as she gazed into his twinkling eyes. He had dressed carefully, wanting to look his best to greet his wife at the train station, so he was wearing a new light-grey suit that he'd purchased from Charlottetown a month ago, and which had arrived only yesterday morning. He had donned a charcoal grey necktie and taken great care to fasten it neatly beneath his starched white collar. Gilbert knew how much his wife liked to see him in a fine suit.

"This suit is very becoming," Anne smiled, before leaning in to whisper confidentially close to his ear. "Although perhaps not quite as nice as that blue suit of yours. You know the one, don't you, darling?"

A shiver ran through Gilbert's body and then a slow smile curved his lips at the memory of Anne's passionate response to a dark blue suit he'd first worn to Charlie Sloane's wedding, early in their engagement.

"How could I forget?" Gilbert's skin grew warm and his heart began to beat a little faster.

Anne had been so beautiful that night, her grey eyes sparkling with a heat he'd never seen before, so that Gilbert's crumbling restraint had been stretched to its very limits and he had come close to ravishing her on the way back to Green Gables.

Then there was the first time he'd worn that same blue suit when they were newly-weds. That night was one of Gilbert's most cherished memories of their honeymoon. On the way home from dinner at the Parkers', Anne couldn't keep her hands off his suit, until Gilbert had been so desperate for his wife that he'd taken her against a birch tree on the side of the Lowbridge Road.

The smile on his face grew into a wicked grin as Gilbert remembered the many, many times Anne had requested he wear that particular suit thereafter. Although, not for several years now.

"Later, I'll show you how well I remember," Gilbert said, with his hazel eyes never leaving hers. He could tell by the way his wife's eyes had become tinged with green that she was remembering that night, too.

"Promise?" The tip of Anne's finger was tracing a light path around Gilbert's ear. It was exactly the same question she'd asked him that night long ago.

"I give you my word, Anne-girl." His hazel eyes stared into hers intently and his long fingers were brushing along her arm, before they began playing with the frilly collar of her blouse. "I like this blouse."

"Mrs Lynde said I was crazy for wearing it to travel in," Anne said. Her grey-green eyes darkened as she grinned and squeezed his arm in warm communication.

"I, for one, am very glad you did." Gilbert's eyes were already undressing her as they roamed over the frills and flounces. "And I'd also like the pleasure of removing it tonight. Will you leave it on until then?"

Anne nodded and the smile that lit up her entrancing features took Gilbert's breath away. His pulse began to race in anticipation.

When they arrived at Ingleside, Gilbert smiled as he watched his wife run ahead of him along the daffodil-lined walk like she was a young girl again.

"Ingleside, I'm here," Anne called.

"Mummy's home!" Jem's voice squealed excitedly from inside the house.

The children flew out of the front door together, all laughing and talking at once. Anne rushed towards them, trying to gather them all into her arms. Susan Baker stood in the doorway watching the proceedings with a pleased smile on her face.

"Look, Mummy, we picked some flowers for you," four-year-old Nan announced, extending her posy to Anne. "I got a top stuck up my nose, and Susan had to pull it out because Daddy wasn't here."

"Mummy, I missed you!" Walter was hugging Anne's legs, blinking huge long-lashed grey eyes as he gazed up at her adoringly.

"Look at the pwetty lanterns we put up for you, Mummy." Di tucked one small hand into her mother's and pointed at the lanterns with the other. "Daddy lifted me way up on his shoulders so I could weach."

"Did you get my letter, Mummy?" Jem asked. "I wrote it all by myself."

Little Shirley said nothing, but he was smiling proudly as he toddled along behind the rest of the group, clutching a bunch of daisies in his chubby brown hands.

"Oh, this is a nice welcome home!" Anne exclaimed, kissing their heads and laughing along with them. "Everything about Ingleside looks so happy. It's splendid to think my family are so glad to see me."

"We are! We are!" the children chorused in unison.

"They've been gathering flowers all afternoon for you," Gilbert laughed as he strode towards the front steps with Anne's valise in his hand. "I began to think there might be nothing left in the garden by the time we returned."

Anne bent and swept Shirley up into her arms, kissing his round cheek before she sat down on the step, placing him in her lap as the other children crowded around her.

"They're beautiful," Anne said delightedly as she took the eagerly proffered bouquets from their little hands. "Did you pick these for me? Why, they're just the thing for a delightful welcome home. Thank you, my darlings."

Anne's eyes raised to Gilbert's and the love he saw shining in them took his breath away. Walter and Di sat on one side of her, while Jem and Nan were perched on the other, with their smiling faces turned towards Anne, all still chattering gaily at once. Shirley smiled contentedly from his mother's lap, bringing out the dimples in his little brown cheeks, intent on squashing the flowers in his hands. The picture of Anne surrounded by their children like that made Gilbert's heart swell with love. He smiled at her, unable to speak.

"I love you all so much," Anne said, but she was looking at Gilbert when she spoke. "I've missed you."

Anne reached up to unpin her hat and placed it on the verandah behind her. The sight of her glorious hair shining in the evening light made Gilbert's heart skip a beat. It was coiled into a low chignon at Anne's nape and Gilbert was already looking forward to unpinning those glossy tresses later in their bedroom. After a moment, she turned back to the children, reaching her arms out to cuddle them closer. "Come, tell me everything, darlings. I want to hear all the news."

Supper was a gala meal that night, with the gay Japanese lanterns on the verandah twinkling through the windows. Susan had made everyone's favourite dish to celebrate. The children were even allowed to stay up later than their usual bed time, since this was such a special occasion.

Gilbert knew putting all her babies to bed afterwards was a delight for Anne. He watched her tuck them in one by one, and Susan even permitted Anne to put Shirley to bed.

"This is no common day, Mrs Doctor dear."

Once the children were all safely tucked in, Gilbert attended to some urgent paperwork in his study. But his wife was never far from his thoughts and he was eager to return to her. Especially when he remembered the look in her starry grey eyes as she floated towards their bedroom.

"Don't be long, darling," she whispered, blowing him a kiss.

Just after the clock on the mantle had chimed the quarter hour before ten, Gilbert raced up the stairs three at a time and strode down the hall to their bedroom. But he paused in the doorway when he caught sight of the angelic vision of his wife. The silhouette of her slender form was framed perfectly as she stood at the window, watching a fog creeping in from the sea, over the moonlit dunes and the harbour, right into the long narrow valley upon which Ingleside looked down and in which nestled the village of Glen St Mary. A dreamy smile was curving her pink lips and her hair was tied in a long braid which fell down her back past her waist. She had removed her bustle and it was draped over the chair beside her. From this angle, she looked just like his Anne of old, the Anne he fell in love with as a youth.

A smile tugged at the corner of Gilbert's mouth when he saw his wife was still wearing the frilly eggshell blouse. Her slender fingers were playing with the frills at her throat as she gazed dreamily out over the harbour. The sight of her made his heart ache with joy. Could it be possible I love her even more after all these years?

Gilbert's eyes were feasting on her as he stepped into the room.

"To come back at the end of a hard day and find you!" he said, closing the door firmly behind him and turning the key in the lock. "Are you happy, Annest of Annes?"

"Happy!" Anne bent to sniff a vaseful of apple-blossoms Jem had set on her dressing-table. She felt surrounded and encompassed by love. "Gilbert, dear, it's been lovely to be Anne of Green Gables again for a week, but it's a hundred times lovelier to come back and be Anne of Ingleside."

"I'm very pleased to hear it," he replied, as he drew closer to her.

Gilbert curled his body behind hers and snaked his arms around her waist. One hand was softly stroking the rounded curve of her belly as he buried his face in her shoulder before he placed a tender kiss at the nape of her neck. He loved how those tiny red coils escaped her braid and caressed her pale skin.

"I love you," he muttered as he pressed a trail of kisses along her shoulder. "It's good to have you home again."

Anne turned in his arms and her hands slid upwards until her fingers were threaded through the closely cropped hair at the back of Gilbert's head. She tugged his head towards her and lifted her face for his kiss. Gilbert brushed his fingertips along the length of her thick braid before he loosened the ribbon holding her hair in place. His hand swept lower and he couldn't resist cupping her buttock fondly through the folds of her skirt.

"And I love you, Gilbert." Her voice was husky, and her eyes were full of promise, sending shivers down his spine before his mouth crashed into hers.

"Sweetheart, I've missed you," he said against her lips.

His hands were pulling her body tighter to his and he ran his palms lightly over the soft fabric of her blouse, his fingers trailing between her breasts before he smoothed his hands over the rounded bump of Anne's belly. Abruptly, Gilbert knelt before her, covering her abdomen in joyful kisses while Anne laughed.

"Daddy's missed you, too, little one," he said to the baby. "I love you so much."

"Gilbert!" Anne chortled, as he playfully ran his fingertips across the fabric covering her ribs, still crooning tenderly to the baby. "That tickles."

"Shhh, you'll wake the children," he whispered, grinning up at her. "And I have plans for you tonight, Anne Blythe."

"Do you now?" Anne grinned back at him, still wriggling away from his wandering fingers.

"Oh, yes," Gilbert nodded emphatically. "I can assure you, I have many plans for us this evening."

Anne laughed again when she saw Gilbert's waggling eyebrows and lecherous grin.

"Do tell," she chuckled. Her vivacious grey-green eyes were glittering in the lamp light and the familiar curling began deep in Gilbert's body.

Her laughing lips were too tempting, so Gilbert leapt to his feet and swept her up into his arms. In two strides he was across the room and had deposited her gently on the bed. He sat on the bed beside her and then placed his hands on either side of her before he lowered his lips to taste hers. Anne's mouth opened for him and Gilbert groaned when he felt her warm tongue sliding against his.

Suddenly, he pulled back and Anne gasped in disappointment, her hands reaching for him, trying to pull him back to her.

"Come back here," she demanded.

"But you said I must tell you first," he grinned, evading her grasp.

For a long moment, Gilbert stared at Anne's smiling face, pursing his lips and rubbing his chin with his hand as though contemplating what he might do next. His bright hazel eyes were glittering as they feasted on his wife. She was half-sitting, half lying against the pillows, her long braid now unravelling across one shoulder. Beneath that delicate eggshell blouse, her breasts were rising and falling rapidly with her breath. Her skirts were twisted around her legs and her beautiful face was glowing in the soft light.

"Hmmm, what shall I do?" Gilbert asked, tapping his chin with his forefinger.

"I don't care what you do, Gilbert," Anne sat up and tried to reach for his hand again. "Please, just -"

"You don't care?" he interrupted in a teasing voice. "So, I suppose you won't care if I was to do this?"

Gilbert reached for one slender foot and gently removed her shoe before dropping it to the floor beside the bed. Anne was watching his movements very intently. Slowly, he removed her other shoe before his hand settled on her foot and began stroking it with one finger.

"Mmm," Anne hummed and closed her eyes as he began to massage her stockinged foot gently.

"Or this?" Gilbert's hand moved higher and his fingertips slid over her slender ankle, barely touching her. "Did you know, I've always loved your feet…"

Gilbert bent his head to press a featherlight kiss on the top of her foot as his hands slid higher along her calf.

"Mmhmm," Anne nodded imperceptibly, sighing as she lay back on the pillows and continued to watch him.

"I've been wanting to see you naked in this bed all day, Anne-girl."

"Oh, I've missed you, Gilbert," Anne breathed as his fingers slipped under her skirt, seeking to remove her stocking. He loved to hear her sharp intake of breath when his fingertips deliberately brushed the top of her thigh as he began to roll the silky fabric down her slender leg.

"Shall I tell you what I'd like to do next?" he asked as he leisurely slid her other stocking down her thigh. His fingertips lingered at her knee.

"Yes, please," Anne's eyes had turned exceedingly green as she gazed at him intently.

"Ah, perhaps you do care after all," he chuckled.

"Yes, of course I do," Anne's body writhed a little, causing the pulsing heat in his body to intensify. He loved it when Anne was driven to distraction. "Please, Gilbert."

"Your skirt is lovely," Gilbert said conversationally as he played with the ruffled trim. "This colour is -"

"Gilbert, please," Anne said impatiently with her fingers running upwards along the curve of his bicep. "I do not wish to talk about my skirt."

"In that case, as pretty as it is, I'm afraid I'll be taking this off now," Gilbert continued. His deft fingers were already unfastening the placket. Anne raised her hips to help him as he carefully drew the garment downwards along with her petticoat and dropped them to the floor.

Anne was lying before him wearing only her eggshell coloured blouse and undergarments. There was a delicious smile of expectation on her lips and she was nibbling on her fingertip as she watched him. One leg was bent at the knee so that her frilly pantaloon leg had slipped, revealing more of her creamy thigh to his heated gaze. Her eyes told him she was enjoying his disrobing of her and his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"This blouse has been driving me crazy all day," he said, grazing his fingertips over the frills and lace. "I'm glad you kept it on for me."

"You did ask me to, darling," Anne purred, reaching up to stroke his face with her fingertips. "And your eyes were so gorgeous. How could I not? And this suit is so -"

The rest of her words were cut off as he covered her mouth with his. Gilbert groaned aloud when Anne bit his lower lip, and her hands were on the buttons of his vest as she feverishly unfastened them.

"Oh, Gilbert." The low tone of her voice sent a shiver of pure desire skittering throughout his body.

"Oh, darling, it's good to have you in our bed again," he murmured, as he kissed her lips over and over. "How I've missed having you in my arms."

All the while, he was releasing the delicate shell buttons on her blouse from their fastenings. He drew back slightly when he reached the last one and carefully tugged the blouse over her head.

"Ah, yes, that's better," Gilbert smiled as he reached up to unfasten the tiny buttons of her corset cover. He could feel Anne's heart pounding through her corset as she watched his fingers.

Gilbert leaned down and placed a kiss on the soft mounds of her breasts as he slid the sheer cloth over her shoulders. Anne slid her arms out of the garment and then threaded her fingers in his hair, shuddering as she arched her body upwards. Still kissing her creamy skin, Gilbert unfastened her corset and it quickly joined the other garments beside the bed. He tenderly smoothed his hand over the roundness of her abdomen beneath her chemise.

"I've missed you so much, sweetheart," he muttered, before running the tip of his tongue over her skin. "What shall I do next, hmm?"

"Take off your clothes," Anne commanded, her fingers unfastening his tie and then pushing his suspenders off his shoulders. She was grinding her hips against him. "I want you now."

Suddenly, Gilbert was aflame with the need to see her naked. He was desperate to feel her soft skin against his. His long fingers were impatient now, tugging at the satin bow of her chemise and his ragged breathing sped up with his eagerness to see more of her.

Anne's beautiful breasts spilled out from her lacy chemise and his mouth tasted one rosy peak, his tongue circling and grazing her taut skin as Anne twisted and moaned in pleasure. His lips wanted to touch her everywhere.

"Anne, Anne," he mumbled, spreading wanton kisses over her skin as his fingers wandered lower until he found the silky skin through the slit in her pantaloons, gently circling until she was gasping. Anne moaned again, arching her hips when his fingers slipped inside and she was so wet he knew he couldn't wait any longer. He pushed the undergarment over her hips and down her legs. "Sweetheart…"

Anne leaned forward to kiss him, unbuttoning his shirt then pushing it wide and running her hands over his chest. Abruptly, Anne pushed on his broad shoulders until Gilbert was lying on his back. Her desire was written plainly in her eyes as she knelt above him, frantically tugging at the fastening of his trousers. In a moment, she had pulled his trousers off and, still kneeling beside him, she grasped his arousal firmly. Gilbert groaned in pleasure as her cool fingers slid slowly down and then back up again.

Deliberately, she placed her knees on either side of his hips and Gilbert held his breath while her hand guided him into the deliciously familiar and oh, so heavenly-sweet warmth between her legs. He closed his eyes and another groan of satisfaction tumbled from his lips at the exquisite sensation of being inside her once more. His hands slipped around her waist.

"I love you," Gilbert gasped.

"Yes," Anne sucked in a ragged breath as she threw her head back in voluptuous pleasure. Gilbert loved to see her overcome with desire and he opened his eyes as Anne bit her lip and paused to savour the sensation for a long moment. Gilbert whimpered softly when Anne began moving, sliding up and then an achingly slow movement back down again. "Oh, Gilbert, it's good to be home."

Her slender fingers intertwined with Gilbert's, and she leaned on his hands as her movements grew faster. Anne's braid was almost completely loosened now and the curls of her hair were brushing lightly against his outstretched torso, sending delicious shivers over his skin. Her breasts were swaying, the silvery cobweb of stretch marks adorning them like garlands and only enhancing the beauty of her pearlescent skin. She had never looked more beautiful, and Gilbert gasped when she slammed down on him a little more vigorously.

"Sorry, darling," Anne laughed. "Should I slow down a little?"

"No, I love to watch you like this," he said, his eyes devouring her undulating naked body above him. "You're so lovely, so luscious…"

"It's you, darling," she smiled, closing her eyes and humming as she continued her movements and clenched around him, making Gilbert suck in his breath sharply through his teeth. "Mmm, the feel of you inside me. You don't know what it does to me…"

The lust in her voice sent a shiver of pure delight through Gilbert's body. Eyes heavy lidded, Anne leaned back and placed her hands on her breasts, cupping their fullness and kneading them with her fingers, making Gilbert groan. She knew he loved to watch her touching herself.

One hand grasping her hip, Gilbert couldn't resist stroking the silken softness between her legs, his finger teasing her gently until Anne moaned and bucked against him.

"Yes, touch me," she begged, as she began moving her hips faster in a frantic rhythm.

Gilbert lifted his head from the pillow, his body straining with his efforts. His hips were moving frenetically now as he strove to give his wife the blissful release he knew she sought and that he so desperately wanted to witness.

"Please, Anne," he panted.

Her eyes flew open and they were so green they took his breath away. His hips were thrusting into her hard now, his body glistening with sweat.

"Ah, yes, Gilbert," she said in the passionate tone he loved. "More, please."

Anne leaned forward, with her hands splayed across his chest, her eyes squeezed closed and her mouth slightly agape. Her hips were still rocking wildly when Gilbert's hand instinctively cupped one of her ripe breasts, bringing it to his mouth. He loved hearing his wife's low groan as her body trembled above him.

He knew she was close now, and he moved deep inside her, wanting to drive her over the edge.

"Yes, yes, yes," she panted. "Oh, yes."

Then Gilbert felt her begin to shudder around him and he looked up into her beautiful face.

"I want to see you," he whispered.

Anne clutched at him as she drew her head back, her magnificent eyes locked with his. Her expression was resplendent as she gyrated against him.

"Only you," she murmured. "Only you can do this to me…"

The sultry tone of her voice sent a jolt through Gilbert's body. Then she closed her eyes in ecstasy and her muffled groan when she found her bliss was too much for him.

Gilbert tried to silence his cry of joy in her shoulder as he poured his love into her, clasping her tightly. Anne's body went limp as the last spasms consumed her, and she collapsed on top of him, her panting breath hot on his neck. Then she was brushing soft kisses along his collarbone, licking at the perspiration on his skin. Gilbert wrapped his arms around her, holding her warm body close to his.

"Welcome home, Anne-girl," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss into the damp red-gold curls behind her ear.

Thanks so much for reading. It's my hope this story might serve to spread a little love out to the world, FKAJ-style.

Please stay safe and well in these extraordinary times, wherever you are in the world. Hug your loved ones close if you can. And if you can't, blow them air kisses on whichever online meeting platform you prefer, or from at least 2 metres away.

Much love and many air kisses to you all from FKAJ xx