Author's Note: Okay, so, after the unbelievably awesome Finale of Hart of Dixie aired, I thought, wow, that is such a great ending. I want to know what happens. A lot of people have written their opinions on . What surprised me, however, was that while there are at least twenty Zoe/Wade fan-fictions, and almost no George/Zoe ones. I was expecting an outpour from both sides, after how things end it, but only one side came to play. Plus, at least half of them make George look like a jackass, which he is not. It would be easier if he were. Do not get me wrong, I love Zoe and Wade. My other fan-fictions should prove that. However, I love Zoe and George too. I wish there were two of her so they could each have one, and then another George for Lemon, and another Lemon for Lavon … I am getting off track. The point is, everybody is either convinced or hoping she will pick Wade. I think part of the reason people see her ending up with Wade more than George might be because we have seen him with Lemon, so we know he can be happy with somebody else. Wade has only ever been in love with Zoe. He needs her more, and it is hard to imagine them not being in each other's lives. However, that does not necessarily mean she is meant to be with him. His need of her does not translate into her needing him. We know she has feelings for him, and that is great, but since there are not two Zoe's, she is going to have to figure out who she feels more strongly about, and that might not be Wade. Maybe she will pick him, and maybe she will not, but I think both sides should get a voice. I was just re-watching scenes from Destiny and Denial, so I am in a Zoe/George mood, and I just wanted to do something. So, here it is. A Zoe/George Post-Finale fan-fiction.
All Things In Time
It had been a month since the wedding was called off. A very, very long month. Zoe was sitting in the carriage house, playing with the piece of paper a straw comes in when you get take-out. She kept replaying everything in her head. How did it get to be such a mess?
When George had shown up that night and told her everything she had been waiting so long to hear, that he had called off the wedding, and that he had done it because he could not get her out of his mind, she had been so stunned, she could barely respond. She had let him kiss her, but she had not really kissed him back. Why couldn't he have done it twenty-four hours earlier? She remembered thinking. If he had, it would have been perfect. Now, she was just confused, and screwed. No matter what she did now, she would hurt somebody she cared about, and sever her relationship with that person forever. She did not want that.
She had walked back, and seen Wade lying on her bed, waiting for her. She came up with some excuse about a medical emergency, and Wade had left her to it. It had made the most sense to her. If she told him the truth, about George being there, he would get angry and storm out without giving her a chance to explain that she did not know what she wanted. If she lied and crawled back into bed with him, as fun as it would be, and then she decided she wanted to be with George the next morning, well, that just seemed cruel. Wade would never forgive her if she did that, and she could hardly blame him. No, she had needed him to go. She needed to think. She had stayed up all night, trying to figure out what she wanted, and she had been half-dead the next day at work.
Everybody was talking about the wedding that wasn't. The good news was, nobody seemed to suspect why the wedding had been called off, which she knew would have made her more of a pariah than she had been after crashing the float at the Founder's Day Parade. The bad news, the look on Wade's face when she entered the Rammer Jammer told her he had heard.
"Hey." She said, awkwardly.
"What can I get you?" he asked, not looking at her.
"Can we talk?"
He grabbed a glass a started to pour her the wine she liked," 'Nothin' to be said, doc. It's just one of those things. Timin', ya know. I knew the rules last night. I'm not an idiot."
"Please," she said.
He looked up at her, her eyes big and begging, and then, with a sigh, relented.
"Shelley, I need to go out back for a minute. Can you cover?"
"Sure thing."
Wade headed out back, and Zoe left the bar and walked around to meet him.
"So, you wanted to talk." Zoe sighed, but didn't say anything, "Doc, if you don't-"
"Listen." She said. She was silent again, and Wade started to open his mouth, but she cut him off, "Last night was … unbelievable. And totally unexpected. It wasn't just a one-night-stand, at least not to me. You were right when you said there was something between us, and we clearly have chemistry. If George hadn't come to the door last night-"
"That was him?" Zoe sighed, but nodded, "Figures."
"Look, Wade, I care a lot about you, and I care a lot about George. I am attracted to both of you; I have chemistry with both of you. I value your company and his. Both of you mean a lot to me. I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm just really confused right now. I don't know what I want. I know that's not fair, and I don't expect you to wait around forever for me to make up my mind. But, I hope that you might consider giving me a little time to figure things out. And I hope that, no matter what happens, we'll always be in each other's lives. Because you're friendship means a lot to me, as was proved by that little tap-dance yesterday."
Wade chuckled a little, but it was half-hearted, "Listen, doc, I get it. You've been moonin' after Tucker for almost a year now. Those kinds of feelings don't go away over night. I should know." He chuckled, "If you need time to figure this out, I'll give it to you. I ain't waitin' around forever, but I'll give you some time to figure it out. 'Cause after last night, and after everything, I think you and I could have something pretty amazing." He turns to walk away, then stops, "One thing though, um, that bit about us always bein' in each other's lives; that's not happenin'. You and George end up buying some house together and bookin' a church, I could be wrong, but I have trouble picturin' us stayin' friends through that. "
Zoe stood there, stunned. She sort of guessed. Wade had basically ended their friendship after the Bluebell battle, and picking George after they slept together would be way worse. Still, she had hoped …
She had gone over to George's then, knocked on the door, and waited. When he opened it and saw her there, a huge smile spread across his face.
"Zoe."
"Hey." She said nervously.
"Come in."
Zoe came in, carrying two cups of coffee, and a bag of bagels.
"I brought breakfast."
"So you did."
She put her offering on the table, and took a deep breath, preparing herself for round two, "George, we need to talk."
"I agree." He said, his face turning serious, but his smile not fading. God, he had a great smile. Why did he have to make it so difficult?
"Um, last night, when you … um," she took a deep breath and started again, "This thing, with you and me, it's so … when we were in New Orleans, things fit so well, but now … I need to tell you something, and I don't know how you're going to take it. See, I thought you were getting married." Zoe paused, trying to figure out where to go next.
George nodded, "I think I know what you're going to say."
Zoe stared at him, slightly mortified. He didn't already know, did he? No, how could he? Only her and Wade knew.
"You were a great friend to me Zoe, I was engaged to somebody else, and I flirted with you when I shouldn't have, and you were still a good friend, and you were there for me when I found out about Lemon and Lavon, and you got me to deal with it. And at the Bluebell Battle, you put yourself completely on the line for me, and I chose Lemon, and then I waited until the last possible second to call off the wedding, and I come to your house like I just expected you to be waiting for me."
Zoe was silent. She did not know where he was going with this, but she was curious,
"I know I was unfair to you Zoe. When I met you, I felt something, and I tried to pretend it wasn't there. But then, after New Orleans … I've always tried to do the right thing. I love Lemon, I always have, and I felt I owed it to her to go through with the wedding. I told myself you were a crush, a phase, something I would get over once Lemon and I said our vows. I wanted you to be. It would have made things so much simpler. I thought I was supposed to marry Lemon; she risked paralysis to win me back during the Bluebell battle. A part of me will probably always love her. But ever since I met you, especially after New Orleans, I've been falling in love with you too. I could not, in good conscience, marry Lemon knowing that. She deserves more than that, and so do I, and so do you. We all deserve to be able to have our happy ending, find what's right for us. I realize I put you through the wringer, and I don't deserve a shot with you, but I just … I was hoping you might consider giving me a chance. I'll understand if you can't; maybe I don't deserve it. But I really like you Zoe; in fact, I think I'm in love with you. And I was hoping, praying, that maybe you hadn't closed the book on me just yet."
Zoe sighed, "That … wasn't what I was going to say George."
"Oh … well, I still meant it, every word."
"No, don't get me wrong, what you said, about … I mean, it was tough. On me I mean. But I get it, I do. Sometimes, there are two paths in front of you, and you don't know which one is right. And you don't want to hurt anyone, and it's confusing. You try to do what you think is right, and sometimes, even though it seems right, it just … isn't."
She took a deep breath, "The reason I get what you're going through is because, well, last night, when you came by to see me, I wasn't exactly … alone."
She waited for George to respond, but he didn't, "See, I thought you were getting married. Not that it's your fault, or anybody's for that matter, but that is, was, the situation. I left town, and went up to Mobile so I wouldn't do something stupid like try to stop the wedding and make a fool of myself … which is kind of ironic, considering I sort of stopped the wedding without actually being there. Anyway, I left town, and I got caught in the storm with … someone. There's someone who I … who has had feelings for me for a while, and I never noticed, because I was so busy focusing on, well, you," she said, motioning to him like he didn't know who 'you' was, "He's a good guy, a good friend, and last night, things sort of just …happened. We, well … you know. We did that thing two people do when-"
George put up his hand to stop her, as if to say he knew what she was implying and he neither wanted nor needed to hear the details, "Okay. You get it. Good. Um, it … it would be easy to say it meant nothing, but that would be a lie. It would be easy to say it got me over you, but that would be a lie too. I wanted this, you, so much, and if you had come earlier … and I'm sorry I didn't tell you he was there, but I was so stunned, I couldn't think, and then you were kissing me, and then you were gone. I was thinking about it all night, and I still don't know what I want. And I know this must bring back a lot of bad Lemon/Lavon memories for you, although the situation is different, but I would hope, you of all people, after everything you just said about you and Lemon and you and me, would understand how difficult this is and how confused I am. Okay. That's it, I'm done."
She took a deep breath, which she really needed after the monologue she had delivered. She tried to read his face, but she couldn't, "Please say something."
"I," he tried, but his voice caught, and he started again, "It's not like Lemon and Lavon. You're right. I was getting married. You were trying to do the healthy thing and move on. That's fair. Neither of us could have predicted that I would call off the wedding."
"So you're not … upset?"
George shrugged, "Sure, I'm upset. The thought of you in bed with someone else, it doesn't exactly bring a smile to my face. But you didn't do anything wrong. I'm not mad or hurt. I get it. I wish it hadn't happened, but I get it."
She sighed in relief, "I'm glad. I mean, not thank you're upset, but … well, you know."
He nodded, "So, where does this leave us?"
"I think … I think I need some time … to figure out what I'm feeling, what I want."
George nodded, "We just can't catch a break, can we?" he chuckled dryly.
Zoe smiled, "I like you so much George. You have no clue. I have wanted this, with you, for … I don't know how long. You're the first person I ever thought I could love. But just like you can't string Lemon along, I can't string you along, and after what happened with Wade, I-"
"Wait, What?" George had snapped to attention at something she said, shock on his face.
"What?"
"Did you just say Wade?"
Oops, Zoe thought, wincing, "Yeah."
"Wade? Wade Kinsella? Works at the Rammer Jammer, played on the football team in high school with me, has a brother named Jesse, an ex-wife named Tansy, and lives across the lake from you on Lavon's plantation? That Wade?"
Zoe nodded uncomfortably, "Yep, that's the one." looked at her, stunned, "I know. It took me by surprise to. With his reputation, his history, I never thought he was capable of looking at someone like that, in a non-one-night-stand sort of way. But, believe it or not, he actually really cares about me. And for some reason that I don't really understand myself, I care about him too."
George nodded, "You do, huh?" Zoe started to open her mouth, but thought better of it, and just nodded. George looked at her, concern in his eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No, come on, what?"
George sighed, "I'm not sure you're going to want to hear this," he stopped, but she nodded for him to continue, "Look, I'm just worried. I've known Wade for a long time, and he is a great guy. He is a great friend, and he's got a great heart. And if he really has finally found someone who he wants for more than a roll in the sack, I'm happy for him, and proud of him. 'Course, I wish it wasn't you." Zoe chuckled, "But in my experience, the affection girls put into a relationship with Wade is usually a lot more than he returns. I don't want to see you get hurt." Zoe was silent, "I know it probably just sounds like I'm jealous, and I guess I am a little, but that's not why I'm sayin' this."
"I know," Zoe said with a nod, "I can tell. That's one of the things I like about you. You're selfless." George smiled at her affectionately, "But give me a little credit. I have no intention of becoming another notch in Wade Kinsella's bedpost. It took him almost a year to get me into bed, and I wouldn't have done it if I thought I was just going to be one of the many. I don't do one-night-stands. I'm not that kind of girl. I've tried to be, but I'm not. And I know Wade pretty well. There was a time when it would have been just sex to him, but, as strange as it seems, he's developed real feelings for me. I've seen it. Believe me, it wasn't just sex to him. I'm a big girl; I don't hop into bed with anyone."
"I wasn't tryin' to imply you did." George said quickly.
"I know. I'm not offended. Okay, maybe a little." She chuckled, and so did he.
"So."
"So."
"You need time?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. I certainly owe you that, after everything. But I am not giving on this."
"Well, you gave up a fifteen-year relationship for me, so I didn't really expect you to kiss me and run."
George laughed, "You once told me you'd wait for me, no matter how long it takes. And I will wait for you too. Because you, Zoe Hart, are one hundred percent worth the wait."
She hadn't spent much time with either of them over the past month. Wade and her still talked, but only about his bar. She had been helping him out with raising the money, coming up with small things that small-towns love, like bake sales and fashion shows. Okay, so fashion shows are more New York, but Zoe had the contacts to make it happen, and it had helped. It was slow going, but Zoe wanted Wade to get his bar. It was a great thing for him, and he deserved it. More than that though, she really wanted to help him get it. She figured that whatever happened, she at least owed him that much.
She avoided the Rammer Jammer most nights, because they could not talk about the bar there, and she was worried about the conversation heading in another direction. She had seen George a couple of times. They waved to each other when they passed each other in the street, smiled when they ran into each other at the grocery store, and made somewhat awkward small talk when they were waiting for coffee and bagels in the morning.
She had thought Wade would be harder to avoid because of the close proximity, but she knew his hours at the Rammer Jammer, and they didn't always eat breakfast around the same time. Her and George however, had so much in common that they tended to run into each other when buying breakfast at the same café or looking for the same item at the Dixie Stop. Still, they kept their encounters brief and talked of nothing substantial. The benefit of this was that nobody in town had any reason to suspect she had broken up the William and Kate of Bluebell.
She had heard from Rose that George and Wade had had a confrontation the day after her and George had talked. The girl had been lucky enough to be in the prime eavesdropping position at the time, and out of respect for Zoe, had kept the juicy gossip off her blog, The Bluebell Beat. However, she had written the whole thing down the second after it happened so that she did not forget a word, and had then headed straight to Zoe. According to Rose, the scene had played out something like this:
George: Wade, I need to talk to you.
Wade: (Grunting. Rose assumes he is heaving something heavy.) Kinda busy here George.
George: It's important. (Pause) It's about Zoe.
Wade: (Sighs) You've got five minutes.
George: Zoe, she uh, she told me what happened. With you two. On the night of the storm.
Wade: Did she now? (Pause) Well, what exactly did she say happened?
George: She said, well, implied, that you two slept together.
Wade: (Pause) Okay. So?
George: Do you love her?
Wade: What kind of question is that?
George: An important one.
Wade: I'm done with this conversation.
George: You're not goin' anywhere 'til you answer my question.
Wade: Really? (Pause) And how is it any of your business how I feel about her?
George: I just (sigh) I need to know.
Wade: Because … ?
George: Because I do. I love her. I want her to be happy. When she told me what happened, she told me she had feelings for you, and that she didn't know what she wanted.
Wade: (Sarcastic) And let me guess, she asked you to give her time, right? (Pause) (Frustrated) What, did she memorize that speech?
George: I was surprised when she told me, to say the least, because I know you, and you're not exactly one for serious relationships. I thought back to that night in the jail cell when you were grillin' me about my relationship with her, how concerned you were, and I guess I can see it. But the thing is, I love her, and when you love someone, you want that person to be happy. Now, of course, I want her to pick me. You don't call off a wedding unless you know in your heart of hearts you want to be with somebody else. But if it turns out that it's you she wants, you who'll make her happy, I won't get in the way. Don't get me wrong, I plan to fight for her, but the decision is hers to make, and I won't hold it against her. Except I don't want her to get hurt. I don't want her picking a guy who just wants her as a sex playmate, or to prove he can get her. I know you're a good guy Wade, but Zoe's a relationship girl. She deserves the best, meaning complete and total devotion. So I just need to know, do you love her?
Wade: (Pause) Yeah, yeah I do. Don't get me wrong, I never wanted this. It took me by surprise. I'd see you and Lemon, and think fallin' in love was worse than a death sentence, but Zoe … she's somethin' else. When I'm around her, it's like the rest of my life was just a dream, and only now that she's here am I truly alive. She gets under my skin in a big way, drives me up the wall all the time, but no matter how rotten she treats me, I can't help comin' back. I can't stand to see her in pain. When she smiles, or laughs, or even scowls, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And when we slept together, I wanted to see her face still there when I woke up. It's not easy for me to say, and if you repeat a word of it to anyone, I'll deny it, and then tell some embarrassing anecdotes about you from high school. But, see, never in my life have I thought I could do something, be somebody, but Zoe makes me want to try. She makes me want to change, to grow up, to be good enough for her. I want to be someone she deserves. Because for me, she's it. Zoe Hart is it for me.
George: (Pause) Okay. That's all I needed to know.
Wade: (sarcastically) Happy to put your mind at ease (pause) it goes both ways, you know.
George: What does?
Wade: I don't want you to hurt her either. 'Cause if you do, I swear to god Tucker, you'll be prayin' for the fires of hell just to escape what I'll be puttin' you through.
(Pause. Footsteps. Rose runs from hiding place as not to be caught.)
Zoe was very touched by what George and Wade had said about her, and it did not make her decision any easier.
She was snapped back to the present by a knock on her door.
"Wade." She said, surprised. He had been avoiding her as much as she was him, and usually if they were going to talk about the bar, he would call or text to let her know he was coming over. He was grinning. It was a big grin, almost scary big. "What's going on?"
"I got it."
"What?"
Held up an envelope, "I. Got. It."
He handed her the envelope, and inside was a check for $5,000.
"Oh my god!"
Wade beamed at her, "I don't know how you talked those donations out of people, or how you came up with all those crazy schemes of yours, but they finally paid off."
"This is amazing. I thought it would take longer for everything to come through."
"Well, apparently, when Zoe Hart is promoting you, people just can't say no."
They were silent for a moment, and without warning, Wade picked her up and spun her around. At first she was angry, but then she smiled. She was happy for him. Happy he was so happy. Happy he was getting what he needed.
When he put her down, he said, "Now, once I'm open, you ain't never payin', got that?"
Zoe giggled and pushed a hair out of her face. Then she noticed how close they were standing. They had not stood that close to each other for a month. He seemed to notice the same thing, and backed up.
"I'm really happy for you Wade."
He smiled, then got serious, "So, what now?"
"What do you mean?"
"For a month, you and I have been ignoring the huge elephant in the by focusing on this bar, but the money's up and raised."
"Well, you still have to get a lease, buy materials, decide on a theme, and a name, start construction, figure out-"
"Zoe." She stopped, "I said I'd give you time. And I have. I think I've been pretty patient. But it's killin' me, not knowin' whether or not there's hope for us."
Zoe nodded, "I don't want to lose you," she said quietly.
"Doc, I hate to break it to you, but puttin' this off ain't exactly the best way to keep me around."
She was silent, "I care about you a lot. Life has been so harsh to you, but you are such a good person. You deserve to get everything you want. You deserve a real relationship, not just a string of one night stands."
Wade nodded, "I appreciate that doc, but this ain't about what I deserve. It's about what you want."
Zoe nodded, "I … I don't want to lose you." she said again.
"Heard you the first time." She was silent, "Doc, stop thinkin' about the other stuff, hurtin' me or whatever. Just answer the real question; who do you want to be with?"
Zoe thought hard. She thought over everything she had gone through with Wade, and everything she had gone through with George. Every moment for the past ten months that had led up to this one. She hated that she had to choose; she knew it meant she was going to have to say goodbye to someone, maybe forever. But she also knew she couldn't keep stalling. That was not fair to anybody. She knew what she had to do.
Her eyes met Wade's for a minute, and she swallowed, "I'm sorry." She said in a whisper. He nodded. She couldn't tell if he was angry or not. She knew he was hurt. But she also knew it had to be done. It was the right thing to do.
"Hey stranger." Zoe said when George came to the door.
He smiled at her, "Well, this is a nice surprised. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
She smiled, "I know that I've been …" she trailed off, having just noticed something on the table. A box half wrapped in wrapping paper. "What's that?"
George looked over, and smiled, embarrassed, "Oh. That. I was just wrapping it up for you."
"For me?"
He nodded, "Now, I know you need time, and I ain't tryin' to push you, but I just … I guess I needed to know I didn't just sit back and do nothing. If you pick Wade, I need to at least know that I did every possible thing I could think of."
She walked over and picked it up, "May I?" he nodded. She unwrapped it, and found a scrapbook. On the first page was a picture of her from Rose's Bluebell Beat, covered in dirt with a bandana on her head. On the second page was and add from the Internet for the kind of suitcase she had been dragging behind her when they had first met by the side of the road. The third page the paper she had filled out Old Man J's eye chart, which had resulted in him driving and running George over. She chuckled at that. Next, there was the prescription for pain meds she had given him. There was a gumbo recipe, and a receipt for all the supplies he had helped her buy to cook her gumbo. A copy of the menu from, Per Se, a great New York restaurant they had discussed. Ticket stubs from the Woody Allen film festival. A picture printed off the Internet of a crossbow… Zoe closed the book.
"You tracked down all these things?" George nodded, "How?"
"Some effort and some bribery." Zoe laughed, "I just … I guess I just wanted to show you that each moment we spent together, well, I remember them all. And they all meant something to me."
Zoe smiled, "I talked to Wade." George's face became serious, "He got the money for his bar. That's great, isn't it? He's opening his own bar." George nodded, nervous about where this was going "I helped him raise the money. I've been trying really hard to make sure he got it. I wasn't sure why it was so important to me to help him, but now, I know I get it. It's funny how you can behave a certain way and not understand it until suddenly, you just do." George waited, his face a little sad, "See Wade deserved that bar. He deserves to be happy. And I think part the reason that t was so important to me that he get it, was because deep down, I knew I could never truly give him what already belongs to you. My heart."
George's face lit up.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out, I was just-" and then, he was kissing her. He was kissing her with everything her had, and she was responding in kind. She could feel how much she loved him in that kiss, and she knew he felt it too. The moment seemed to go on forever. It was just … well, it was perfect.
Author's Note: So, what did you think? I really want to know. I spend a lot of time on this, and I hope you liked it.