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"Victoria! Hurry up, you're going to be late for school!" Caroline yelled out, grabbing Victoria's attention.

She had gone to bed late as she decided to spend until the early morning hours memorising her lines for the Christmas pantomime. Fixing her purple dress, Victoria hurried downstairs where the rest of the family were almost ready with breakfast.

"You eat while I do your hair. It's a mess!" Caroline exclaimed once she noticed the state of her hair. Victoria didn't say anything and simply listened to her as she reached out for a cup of tea.

"You already know your lines backwards and forwards, sweetheart. No need to stress." Benedict reassured as he helped Edward tie his shoelaces.

Victoria scoffed. "I have been blessed with the lead, father! I have to be perfect to make William Shakespeare proud!"

Once Caroline finished with her daughter's hair, she turned to her husband. "This is your fault, Ben. You raised her to be too English."

Benedict silently shrugged, not finding anything wrong with the statement.

"You do it too tight, mother. It's going to give me a headache." Victoria said with a wince as she tried to loosen her braid.

"Yes, well, at least you look good. You will impress." Caroline said as she eyed the elaborate hairstyle. Victoria eyed her reflection in the shiny teacup in front of her. She had to admit that she did look better.

"Trust me, there is no one there that I want to impress," Victoria murmured as she quickly swallowed down her food.

"Are you ready, Edward?" She asked, mouth still full.

"I am the one who's waiting for you," Edward grumbled as he went to grab his coat. Victoria refrained from saying anything else, not wanting to start an argument.

Grabbing her coat as well, the pair bid goodbye to their parents and rushed towards the schoolhouses. "Are we going to be late?" Edward asked as they came to view.

"No, we should be right on time. Have fun today!" Victoria called out to Edward who was sprinting away from her. Edward turned around slightly and waved.

Victoria ran the last few steps to the school and relished in the warmth once she entered. "You were one minute from being late. Hurry up." Victoria rolled her eyes at her teacher's scolding. She removed her coat and turned to join them only to stop at the sudden surprise.

Gilbert Blythe was sitting on the other side of the room and was openly staring straight at her. Victoria noticed that it must have been awkward, she was practically standing in the middle of the room while they both silently looked at each other. Victoria settled for a smile for that moment which he instantly returned.

She sat on the empty seat beside Anne, right across from Gilbert. When she turned to whisper to Anne, her eyes opened wide at the sight of her extremely short hair.

"What happened?" Victoria asked. Anne wasn't looking at anyone and was staring holes into her book.

"Some problem with hair dye," Anne mumbled almost inaudibly. "It doesn't look that bad. It will grow before you know it." Victoria reassured with a weak smile. Anne tentatively returned it. She knew that Victoria was trying her best to make her feel better and she was grateful for that, but it wasn't enough to give Anne the confidence that she needed.

Mr Phillips continued his class as the students read along with their books. He only stopped every once in a while to provide some lame jabs at Anne's haircut or ask questions to humiliate clueless students.

Although she tried to pay attention, Victoria found it incredibly hard with Gilbert's presence near. Since she saw him her heart was beating at an alarmingly fast rate and didn't cease to stop.

Victoria had sent him multiple letters asking him to come back and written paragraphs filled with subtle- alright, not always subtle- flirting, but now that he was seated a few centimetres away, she felt her insides churn into tight knots of nerves.

It certainly didn't help that he was glancing at her often from the corner of his eyes. Victoria's skin was burning just by him existing near her. She wondered if she would be able to function once she tried talking to him.

What should be the first thing to say? She didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing and scare him off.

Where were William Shakespeare and his beautiful poetic verses when you oh so desperately needed them?

Time seemed to simultaneously take forever to pass and go by too quickly. Victoria was waiting in anticipation for the bell to ring to give her an opening to speak to the boy.

The bell finally rang indicating that recess is to start. The students cleared their books away before going to grab their lunches.

Victoria told Anne and Diana to go on without her as she took longer than usual to pack her stuff. She was fiddling nervously with her inkpot when she noticed that Gilbert was doing the same thing, waiting for the area to clear out so that they can get the privacy they needed to talk.

It was deadly silent when the pair were left alone as the only source of sound came from the crackling wood in the furnace. Victoria took in a deep breath, the air almost hitching in her throat and turned around to face Gilbert properly.

"Hello," Victoria settled for lamely as she took a good glance at the boy. Gilbert had gotten taller during his months away. His dark hair messier than she was used to and a jawline so sharp that it could cut even the brightest of diamonds.

She wondered whether or not she had changed in his eyes. She as well had grown in size quite a bit and the freckles speckled against her cheeks were more prominent than ever.

"I missed you," Gilbert replied as a smile broke his handsome façade. It didn't take long for Victoria to return it, finding it extremely contagious. Victoria didn't add anything else as she walked closer to Gilbert and wrapped her arms around him. Gilbert instantly hugged her back as he let out a sigh of content.

"I missed you too," Victoria murmured, her head leaning against his chest. The pair stayed in their embrace for quite some time, not worrying if anyone saw them or what they might say. Nothing mattered, not when they were in each other's arms.

A few seconds later, Victoria pulled away as a thought dawned on her. "Wait, you didn't come because of the gold? There's no gold, great fires of London, I made you come back here for nothing. I think I might be sick."

"Vic, calm down, I didn't come back for the gold," Gilbert reassured as he placed his hands gently on her shoulders. Victoria tilted her head upwards causing her green eyes to meet with Gilbert's hazel. "Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better, right?"

"The gold isn't why I'm here. There are much more important things here." Taking a leap of faith, Gilbert reached out for Victoria's hand, running his thumb gently across her knuckles.

"That's good," Victoria was breathless as she felt the friction of his skin on hers. "So, mind telling me about where you went? Your letters could only describe so much." Victoria asked as she hid her blush.

"It would be an honour, Miss Edwards."

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"I can't hear anymore, my ears are too damaged," Victoria said as she handed Cole the bucket of paint. Victoria alongside her classmates was rehearsing for the upcoming pantomime. Mrs Lynde was in charge of everything, including the children's choir which was not going well as they were all tone deaf.

"It's coming along well." Victoria complimented as she nodded her head towards the piece of wood that he was artistically painting. Cole smiled shyly. "You think so?"

Victoria was cut off by Mrs Lynde screaming for her. "Hurry up, Miss Edwards!" The brunette sighed as Cole snickered at her exasperated look.

Victoria gestured to his work of art before joining Mrs Lynde. "I know so. Now, excuse me, I have been called. It's not easy being the lead of the play." Cole pointed to his head with his free hand. "Don't let your head get any bigger, it's not a good look."

"I'm playing a boy, Cole, I think it would be rather fitting for the part." Leaving Cole be, Victoria joined Mrs Lynde and the Minister who was babbling through his lines.

"About time, girl. Now, we'll go through the second scene. Make sure that you know at least the first act by the end of the week." Mrs Lynde said as she flipped through the script. "Done."

Mrs Lynde looked up from the pages and raised an eyebrow incredulously. "What do you mean, 'done'?"

"I mean, that I already know it by heart. I can practically quote 'Hamlet' like the back of my hand, this was nothing. I even tweaked some of the words here and there." Victoria noticed the tired and worried look on the elder woman's face and took in a deep breath before continuing.

"Nothing personal, I just thought it would make the text more cohesive. No complicated words or British phrases, I promise." Rachel Lynde looked at the Minister to see his reaction, only to see him too focused on memorising his lines.

Rachel raised her hands in defeat. "Do whatever you want, Miss Edwards."

Victoria spent at least an hour practising the lines and after noticing that she got them down, Rachel dismissed her just in time for Hamilton to enter the town hall.

Hamilton nodded at his sister, his hands currently busy carrying buckets of paint. "Here, this is pretty much what I had left over," Hamilton said as he placed it beside Cole, underneath the ladder.

"How are the renovations going?" Victoria asked as she joined him. Hamilton blew a few strands of hair out of his face. "Great. Well, I think so. I'm not the one working on it. I just point, judge, and people have no choice but to do as I say."

Hamilton's gaze turned to a specific boy who was hammering at a plank of wood. "Is that Gilbert Blythe? You didn't tell me that your lover returned. Hey, Blythe!" A mischievous grin fell on Hamilton's face as Gilbert waved in their direction.

Much to her horror, he was making his way towards the siblings. "If you embarrass me, you'll be the one who has to find a doctor." Victoria hissed at Hamilton, as his eyes shone with mirth.

"Mister Edwards, it's good to see you," Gilbert said, offering a smile to each of the siblings. "Call me Hamilton, Gilbert. Mister Edwards is my father and I'm much more handsome and younger than him."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Maybe someday you'll delude yourself into believing it." Victoria told her brother who retaliated with an elbow to the side.

"I've heard of the good news. Congratulations on getting your licence." Gilbert said. "Aren't you nice? Thank you, Gilbert." Hamilton replied proudly.

"I hope I'm not crossing a line, but I've recently decided on my vocation and I wondered if you might help me." The statement caught both Hamilton and Victoria off-guard.

"You want to become a doctor?" Victoria asked in both surprise and awe. "Yes. It dawned on me while I was in Trinidad." Gilbert added.

Hamilton grinned as he patted Gilbert on the back. "An excellent choice, Gilbert. It would be a pleasure to help. Although I must warn you, it will have to wait until after the new year. I'm too busy overseeing the renovations for the office."

"I wouldn't mind the wait, sir."

Hamilton turned to his sister giving her a wink. "Nice and smart. You found yourself quite the catch, little sister."

If looks could kill then Hamilton would be six feet under the ground. "Don't you have renovations to oversee, lives to save, or another sibling to bother?"

"I'm on my way, I won't embarrass you further. We'll keep in touch, Blythe." Hamilton was about to leave when Rachel Lynde pulled him forcefully aside.

"Hamilton, we need all hands on deck. Grab a hammer and help out." She shrieked into his face as she handed Hamilton the hammer.

Hamilton grabbed the hammer disdainfully and frowned at it. "I'd rather not." He shoved the hammer back into Rachel's hands, ensuing an argument.

"How is the star of the show doing?" Gilbert said, focusing on Victoria instead of the arguing pair. He nodded towards the script in her hand. "Brilliant. I'm ready to woo the town with my inevitably outstanding performance."

"That I don't doubt. You already wooed me." Gilbert said causing Victoria to grin at the compliment. "I indeed did, didn't I? And I was not even trying." Victoria joked. "I don't think I would function properly if you did."

Their conversation was interrupted by the shocking sounds of screaming, snapping both of them out of their trance. "Oh no, Cole!" Abandoning her script, Victoria ran to Cole who was lying on the ground beside the ladder and yelling in painful agony.

"Everyone get out of the way! Give him some space!" Hamilton tossed his hammer aside causing it to fall on the wooden floor with a loud thud. He leaned by Cole's side as he grabbed Cole's wrist gently causing him to wince in pain. "Oh no, it's broken. Come with me, Cole, I'll help you fix it."

Hamilton helped him get up as he encouraged him to push through the pain. "Is he going to be alright?" Anne asked worriedly.

Hamilton nodded solemnly. "Nothing life-threatening. You'll probably be good as new in a couple of months, but I cannot promise anything. I'm sorry Mrs Lynde, but I have to leave you without a painter. If you'll excuse me."

Cole and Hamilton left the town hall, and the rest fell into a state of panic and furious whispers. "This is your fault! You bumped into him on purpose!" Anne immediately yelled as her head snapped at Billy Andrews. "I didn't mean to hurt him!" Billy instantly defended himself.

"But you meant to bump into him?" Victoria added as she sent a harsh glare at him. "I-uh-I didn't mean to!" He replied as he desperately avoided the girl's gaze. "Why do we even bother? We all know that it was on purpose. The least you can do is admit it."

"Stop blaming me for everything!" Billy bit back in frustration. "Anne, pass me my shovel, I'm going to knock some sense into this wanker."

Gilbert, thankfully, decided to intervene just in time as he stretched his arms between the pair that were glaring daggers at one another. "Let's all take a deep breath and calm down. Pointing fingers won't fix anything, even if they're pointed in the right direction." Gilbert sent Victoria a nod, indicating that she should refrain from saying or doing anything that she might regret.

Victoria groaned but didn't say anything else as she walked away from the scene and grabbed her fallen script, choosing to step into the written one instead.

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"I apologise for the mess here, Mr Mackenzie. It's been hectic recently. Luckily, I already bought all the medicine and tools which means that we have all we need to fix that wrist of yours. Take a seat." Hamilton gestured towards an empty seat. Cole gazed around the pristine room and watched as the doctor opened up a cabinet to gather what he needed.

"Thank you for offering, Doctor Edwards, but I don't think I can afford your services," Cole said. "Doctor Edwards, I'll never tire of hearing that. And don't worry about money. Business isn't technically open so you have nothing to pay for. See! Loophole!" Hamilton stated with a grin.

"Did you hurt yourself anywhere else besides your wrist?" Hamilton asked as he grabbed a clean piece of cloth and placed it underneath the tap. "Probably just a bunch of bruises," Cole replied solemnly.

"Good, good. You were lucky you only hurt your wrist. You could've broken your neck. Here, press this against your wrist, should help keep the swelling down." Cole took the damp cloth and did what he was told, clutching it against his throbbing wrist.

"Hey, Ham- oh, am I interrupting something?" Gideon popped into the room as he wiped debris off his coat. "I have my first client. Did you get everything?" Hamilton asked as he grabbed some gauze and unravelled it. "Of course, I did. I live to serve you." Gideon replied.

Hamilton let out a snort as he shook his head and started wrapping Cole's wrist.

"I also stopped to send a letter. To Mr Williams... I told him that I was going to stay here and that he should employ someone else." That grabbed Hamilton's attention causing him to look up. "You...did?" He asked as a small smile grew on his lips.

"If you do not mind, of course," Gideon added as he took off his coat and threw it across a chair. "Of course not. That's amazing news." Hamilton looked at Cole silently and in turn, Cole looked back at him with an awkward smile.

Hamilton cleared his throat. "Well...uh, talk about it later...alone." He showed him the gauze and Gideon moved his head in understanding. "Can't wait. Hope that you'll feel better soon, Mister." He gestured towards Cole's arm before leaving the room.

"I hope he didn't bother you. Here we go, try flexing your hand a bit." Cole listened to what he said and watched silently as the smile on Hamilton's face was still as bright as the moment that the Gideon man had entered the room.

And as he observed he realised that he was not the only one, that he was not alone.

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Hello!

It's good to finally post again.

For those who don't know, I have exams spread throughout the whole month of June and the beginning of July which was why I couldn't work on this book.

But, I just did my last A-level biology paper today so at least I got the worse done with and can relax a bit more.

Soo, I noticed that the story has reached almost a 100k reads! Which is flabbergasting! I never thought I'd go anywhere this far and I would like to thank all of you who read or simply gave my story a chance even though I take forever to post. I really appreciate it, and you guys above all.

Thank youu.