Author's Note: Hi. So, I know I have a lot of other stories going, and I want to assure you I am not abandoning any of them. I just have so many ideas, and I am not the most patient. This one has been in m head for a while, like, since before season two started, but for whatever reason, I could never quite get around to it. A lot of people have written "If Zoe had gone to Boston after 1x21 Disaster Drills and Departures" Stories. This is mine. Enjoy.

Dearly Beloved

Prologue

"I still can't believe you're getting married." Zoe said. Her best friend of four years, Anna Klein, had apparently found Mr. Right, and was now mere months from walking down the aisle. She had asked Zoe to be Made of Honor, which Zoe agreed to happily. Anna was practically her sister at this point, so there was never even a question.

When Zoe first got to Boston, she felt more lost and confused than ever. It was the second time in two years that she had up and changed her entire life. She left everything behind in Bluebell. That's where she had been staying, Bluebell; Bluebell, Alabama. But she didn't like to think about Bluebell. She didn't let herself think about Bluebell. She had left that crazy town and it's eccentric characters behind for a reason. She didn't let herself think about the reason either.

When she first got here, she thought about the reason. A lot. She thought about how awful she had been and how badly she had screwed up. She thought about how much she missed everyone. She thought about how she didn't say goodbye.

It was the right decision; she knew it was. They were better off without her, and none of them wanted her there anyway, right? Brick was probably throwing a party.

She had thrown herself into her work, which was nice, and a familiar feeling. She had started to reconnect with her dad, which was so great she couldn't even describe it. But the rest of the time, if she wasn't with her dad or working, she felt plain miserable. She would do anything to erase that feeling. So, when one of her colleagues asked if she wanted to hang out after work, her first thought (though she would never admit it) was "perfect distraction."

Anna Klein turned out to be awesome. She was smart and driven and sweet and fun. She had a great sense of humor, and encouraged Zoe to break out of shell a little. It didn't take long for them to become friends. Zoe never used to bond with people so quick but, as much as she hated to admit it, her time in a small-town had changed her. Anna was so easy to get along with, and Zoe loved her. For financial reasons, the two had been roommates for the past two and a half years. Of course, that was all about to change.

Anna was marrying her dream guy, and despite the fact that the wedding was three months away, Zoe had still never met him. It wasn't that they had been avoiding each other at all; it had just worked out that way. Zoe had helped with planning, but, as everybody knows, the groom has little to do with that. Now, however, was crunch time. They were coming up on time for showers and rehearsals, which is why they were driving to his apartment right now.

"You'll love him. He's the best guy I've ever known."

Zoe smiled, "I know. You've been talking about him forever. It is so weird we never crossed paths."

"Well, as we both know, hospital hours are a bitch. And you actually did cross paths a couple times, but you were still asleep and he was sneaking out, so I don't think it counts." Zoe laughed, "So, you given any thought to who is going to be your plus one?"

Zoe groaned. One of the downsides of close girlfriends; they were always trying to set you up. Zoe braced herself for the inevitable. "No."

"Well, if you'd like I could-"

"No." Zoe said abruptly, then laughed, "Sorry about the abruptness, and I appreciated it and all, but, no."

"I just don't want you to feel-"

"Hey, with all these Maid of Honor responsibilities, I don't even have time for a guy."

"Zoe. Come on, you haven't been with anybody since you and Craig split, which was five months ago. The mourning period is over."

"I know that. I'm not mourning. I just haven't met anybody I'm interested in."

Anna shrugged, "Well, maybe you'll meet somebody at the wedding. Ooh, like that Best Man. That's not uncommon, Maid of Honor and Best Man getting it on in a coat closet, and you're in luck, because he is really yummy."

"Should you really be saying that about somebody who is not your fiancé?"

"I'm just stating a fact. He's a very attractive guy. It doesn't mean I would ever do anything. I love Jess, you know that." Zoe nodded, "You could do something however."

Zoe rolled her eyes, "I don't need some random hookup."

"Okay, fair enough. I mean, he's always seemed nice, funny too, but I don't know him all that well. I've only met him a couple times."

"What is he, Jess's old college roommate, somebody who served in the army with him?"

Anna shook her head, "Brother, actually."

"What? He's his brother, and you barely know him. You spend almost all your free time over there. How is that possible?"

"Well, they're sort of working on things. They used to be kind of estranged, but then their father passed a couple of years ago, and it sort of helped them reconnect. Still, it takes time to rebuild a relationship." Zoe nodded, thinking briefly of her father. "Well, this is it."

They got out of the car and Zoe took in the apartment. It was beautiful. Anna's Jess clearly had great taste; point for him. Of course, how much Anna loved him basically gave him all the points he needed in Zoe's book, but she wanted to make sure he was good enough.

Anna unlocked the door with her key (she had had it for a while, but she still got a little excited about it sometimes. It reminded her how close they were, and how they had no secrets), and they came inside. Anna ran into the living area, all excited and in love, and Jess lifted her up and spun her around. It was cute. It made Zoe ache for something like that.

After he put her back down, Jess and Anna turned to face Zoe, which is right about when Zoe's jaw dropped. She could tell from his expression that he was just as shocked as she was.

"Honey, this is-"

"Zoe?" he asked, interrupting her. The surprise was plain in his face.

Her tone basically matched his, "Jesse? Oh my god? What? You? You're Anna's Jess?"

"Apparently."

"You two know each other?"

"Not really" "Sort of." Jesse and Zoe both said.

Anna's face flooded with panic, "Oh god, please tell me this isn't one of those awkward, complicated, we used to date situations?"

"What? Oh, no. I mean, we almost went on a date once, but it never even happened. The truth is, we barely know each other." Zoe said, trying to calm her friend. It wasn't really hard; it was the truth. Jesse and her had flirted and gotten along, and she knew he was a decent, cute guy with a good sense of humor, but she had never been really into him. She hadn't even known him for more than a day.

"You promise?"

"Absolutely." As Anna sighed with relief, Zoe turned to Jesse. While her feelings for Jesse were not romantic, she did like him, and it might be nice to catch up … just so long as they avoided certain topics.

"So, how've you been? I mean, other then the whole falling in love and getting engaged thing?"

Jesse smiled, "Good, good. You? Heard you got a fancy surgeon position?"

"I did at that."

"Well, congratulations."

"Good. This is good. You guys are catching up like old friends. No weirdness or anything. And I am so sorry about the Bridezilla attack by the way, I just freaked for a second."

"That's okay." Jesse said as he went over to hug her. He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead, "I love you, even if you are Bridezilla."

"Hey!" Anna said, in mock-offense. Jesse laughed.

"Well, glad that's all resolved." Zoe said.

Anna nodded, "I concur. I am so glad we won't have to deal with awkwardness like that."

"Actually …" Jesse started.

"What?" he didn't answer, and Anna started to get nervous again, "Sweetie, actually what?"

"Well, it's just, I think it might be a little awkward."

"But I thought you and Zoe-"

"Oh, Zoe and I'll be fine. We barely know each other. It's just … um-"

"Hey, Jess, did you pick up toilet paper last time you were out? 'Cause I was just in there and-" he stopped, mute the second he entered the room. Of course, Zoe had frozen up before that. The shock of it being Jesse had not really matched up in her head with what Anna had said about the Best Man in the car, but the second she heard his voice … well, it may have been five years, but it was still a voice she would know anywhere. She felt like a deer in headlights, and wanted to run, but she couldn't. He entered the room and his widening eyes met her already wide one's. Nobody spoke for a second; it was just awkward, painful silence, which really confused Anna.

Finally, Wade cleared his throat, and spoke up, "Doc. What're ya doin' here?" he said it as casually as he could. The truth was, as far as words, his brain was not really capable of processing much else at the moment.

It had been a while since somebody had called her doc. Every now at then, a patient at the hospital might, but it always felt weird, and wrong somehow. However, it had been a very, very long time since she had heard Wade say it, and it gave her a warm feeling. It was like when you lose your favorite doll as a kid, and then years pass, and you become a teenager, and you don't really think about it anymore, when suddenly, it turns up in a lot of junk beneath your bed. You pick it up, and you smile at it, and it gives you this nice warm feeling to see it again. That was the sort of feeling Zoe got when Wade called her Doc just now.

Her head was still spinning, so before they headed into another awkward silence, Jesse spoke up, "Turns out, she's gonna be Anna's Maid of Honor. Small world, right?"

Wade was quiet for a moment, like he had gone mute again, but finally, he nodded uncomfortably, "Yeah, it's uh, it's microscopic. Listen, can I talk to you for a second?"

Without waiting for an answer, Wade left the room. Jesse shrugged and followed suit.