A/N: Where did all my lovely readers go? Well, maybe a lot of you just didn't have time to review, but I do hope you're still here and enjoying the adventures of the kids in 90s Bluebell :) Here's the ending to the summer of 1994.

(For disclaimer, etc. - see Prologue)

Chapter 9

Sunday 7th August 1994

Zoe thought it was strange that Reverend Mayfair was talking about loving your enemy today. It was as if he could tell what she was thinking and then aimed his sermon directly at her. That was just a little freaky as far as Zoe was concerned. Of course, she knew it was better to be nice to people than to be mean, even if they weren't very nice themselves. She also knew that some people just didn't make it easy to be nice to them.

Dr Breeland wasn't so bad. He got along well with Harley and was never exactly mean to Zoe, but she always got the feeling he would rather she wasn't around. She stayed out of his way as much as she could, it seemed better that way, and when Lemon would come around with her mom to visit at the practice, Zoe made a particular point of being elsewhere. She really did not like Lemon or her stuck up attitude. She just seemed to think she was better than anyone else and that didn't sit well with Zoe at all, never more so than today.

Her eyes kept drifting across the aisle to where the Tuckers were sat in the same row as the Breelands. George and Lemon were next to each other and Zoe just didn't like that. Out of all her friends, George always seemed to be the first to defend Lemon, even beating AB to it, and she and Lemon were supposed to be so close, at least when it wasn't the summer and Betty wasn't around.

As the service ended, Zoe comforted herself with the fact that George would be coming over to her house for the afternoon, and so would Wade. They were going to have lunch and hang out at her house, and Lemon could just go and do something else, away from Zoe's friends. At least, that was what she thought, until she and Harley got outside.

"Dr Wilkes?" said Mrs Tucker, coming over to talk to him with a smile on her face that Zoe wasn't quite sure was real. "Oh, I'm so sorry to trouble you, but I'm afraid George won't be coming over for lunch as planned today."

"Oh, there's no problem is there?" he asked her, as Zoe looked back towards the church door and saw George himself stood between his father and Lemon, shifting awkwardly.

"No problem at all," Mrs Tucker said smoothly. "It's only that Mr and Mrs Breeland were hoping to have our company for dinner, the whole family, and it's been so long since we had a chance to catch up. I really think the boys should be there too, it's only proper," she said, smiling too much.

"Of course, Mrs Tucker. That's no problem to me. I hope you have a fine time," Harley told her politely.

Zoe was incensed.

"George was coming to our house," she said crossly, the moment Mrs Tucker was gone. "She can't just say he's not!"

"Now, Zoe honey," her father said gently, "Mrs Tucker is George's mother, and if she wants to take him elsewhere, there's nothing you or I can do about it. Come on now," he urged her, when she looked pouty still, "I'm sure Wade will still be coming over and you'll see plenty of George Tucker on other days. The world won't end just because one lunch didn't go according to plan. Now, you wait right here, I just need a word with Ms Warner for a minute."

Zoe huffed as she turned to look at George stood too close to Lemon still. When they saw her watching, George glanced away, but Lemon met Zoe's gaze and promptly poked out her tongue. Just as Zoe was about to react, other people got in the way, blocking her view.

"She's just awful," she muttered to herself.

"Who, Lemon?" asked a voice behind her.

Zoe didn't even have to look to know it was Wade.

"I hate her," she said

"No, you don't. You just don't like her much."

"I can hate her if I want to, Wade Kinsella."

"I guess you can," he admitted, moving to stand beside her, "but my momma always said that it takes too much energy to hate people. You should love 'em instead or, if you can't do that, just ignore 'em altogether."

Zoe looked up at Wade, about to say something that sounded a lot like sympathy. He seemed to know as he glanced her way and he clearly didn't want that.

"Come on now, let's get goin' back to your place," he said, bumping her shoulder. "I'm hungry already."

"You're always hungry." Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Not always, but your dad cooks better than mine." He shrugged, smiling at her until she returned the look. "Come on, girl. Let's get out o' here."

.

Friday 19th August 1994

After almost a week of her friends being back in school, Zoe was definitely missing them all. It seemed as if at least one of them was always around up to then, usually Wade, quite often George, and Annabeth too, so she was never without company. Even now, she had Mrs H when she was at the practice and her dad when she was at home, but it wasn't quite the same. When she tired of reading her medical books, Zoe just got bored.

"Well, here is a sight for sore eyes," said Mrs H as an older man came into the doctor's waiting room.

Zoe looked up from the magazine she had been skimming through and felt her eyes go wide. The stranger looked so familiar. If she had only looked quickly and didn't know better, she would've sworn it was her dad, Harley Wilkes, standing there. Sure, he looked a little different, but not very much.

"Emmeline. Well, you are as pretty as a picture," said the man, looking Mrs H over. "Yes, sir, you get prettier every time I see you, that's for sure."

"Brando Wilkes, you are ever the charmer," she said, rolling her eyes. "You come to see Harley?"

"Yes, indeed," he agreed, as Zoe continued to stare.

Mrs H had said his name was Wilkes, so he really was related to her dad, and to Zoe herself, she supposed, though that made his visit all the more surprising. She knew very well that none of the Wilkes wanted anything to do with her. They wouldn't even talk to Harley when she was around.

Before anyone had a chance to knock on the exam room door, Harley emerged, looking equally surprised to see who was there.

"Well, there he is," said Brando. "Working hard, little brother?"

Harley laughed and then moved to hug him. They spoke quickly and quietly to each other and then suddenly they were each looking at Zoe.

"Brando, I want you to meet your niece," said Harley proudly. "This is our Zoe. Zoe honey, this is my brother, Vernon, but we call him Brando."

"Hi," she said, getting to her feet and staring up at him. "I didn't think you wanted to meet me at all."

"Zoe," said Harley with an awkward look.

"No, now, come on, Harley," said his brother, patting his arm. "The child does have a point. The Wilkes clan haven't exactly been welcoming to you, have they, little lady?" he said, looking back at Zoe then. "Truth is, your daddy here caused quite the scandal, but that's not your fault, and I'll be darned if anyone is going to tell me I can't meet my niece or spend a little time with my own brother anymore."

Zoe wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to that. It was a good thing, as far as she could tell, if Harley's brother wanted to be nice to the both of them, but she still didn't like that anyone in her father's family would choose to not know her just because of how she came to be born. She looked at her dad and saw his hopeful smile. Regardless of what she thought, she would be polite, just to make him happy.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," she said, holding out a hand for her uncle to shake.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too, ma'am," he said, putting on a fancy voice and almost bowing as he took her hand. "But, you know, I'd like it better if you'd call me Uncle Brando. How'd that be?"

"Okay." Zoe nodded. "I guess that is who you are so it does make sense."

"Alright then." Brando grinned. "So, Harley, you got many patients this afternoon or can you spare your older brother an hour or two? I had plans to take you and my niece here out for some ice-cream and a gay old time."

Zoe's eyes lit up at the word 'ice-cream' and they all knew she would welcome the chance to go somewhere and do something with someone to alleviate the boredom if nothing else. It was also clear that Harley would love to spend some time with his brother too.

"You have nothing in the book until five," said Mrs H before Harley even had a chance to ask. "Seems to me you should go enjoy yourself while you got the chance," she said with a smile, looking from Harley to Zoe and back.

"You know, what?" said Harley, taking off his white coat. "I think you're absolutely right."

.

Tuesday 30th August 1994

For once, Zoe had managed to get her dad to arrange a flight home for her that left later in the day. That meant her friends would have a chance of getting out of school to come say goodbye before she actually left, without anybody (namely Wade) needing to get themselves into trouble. It had been a good plan, but sometimes, even the best plans just went a little wrong.

It wasn't anybody's fault. Accidents happened, and in such emergencies, people needed a doctor. Dr Breeland was out of town that day, so it was Harley who had to rush to the practice and tend to the Parker sisters, taking Zoe with him. She begged to be left at the house, where Wade and George were due to come see her in just a few minutes, but Harley had to tell her no.

"You can come get me when you're done with your patients. I promise, I won't leave the house and I won't open the door to anyone but Wade and George," she swore faithfully.

"Zoe honey, time was always going to be tight anyway, and I don't know how long I'm going to be held up at the practice," he told her. "I certainly wouldn't have time to get back here, pick you up, and still make it to the airport on time. I'm afraid you're just gonna have to come along with me now."

She really didn't want to do it, not when there was no way to let her friends know where they were gone. It meant this time Zoe wouldn't get any kind of goodbye with her friends, and it would ten long months before she saw them again. Still, she tried not to complain or get too upset. It wasn't her dad's fault, or the injured people's fault either, she supposed. Of course, that didn't mean she felt any better about her own situation.

Zoe watched out of the window, in the vain hope that somehow the boys would figure out where she was and make it in time to see her before she left, but as the minutes ticked by, she started to lose hope. They weren't coming and she really did have to leave.

"Well, we might break a speed limit here or there," said Harley, hustling her towards the car at last, "but I think we'll just about make it on time."

Mrs H came out to hug Zoe and tell her to have a safe flight, but it was little comfort right now. She looked down the street once more in the hopes of seeing her friends, but all she did see was Lemon, moving away from Mrs Breeland, who was in deep conversation with Reverend Mayfair, and coming straight for her.

"My, my," said Lemon, smiling dangerously. "If it isn't little Zoe Hart leaving us again already. I'm sure the whole town will just be lost without you," she said, giggling to herself.

"You don't know anything about me or my friends, Lemon," said Zoe smartly.

"Your friends?" she replied, one eyebrow arched. "Yes, because you have so many of them," she said, looking around at the empty space surrounding them.

There was only Harley and he was checking everything was packed into the car, unaware of the girls' conversation.

"Seems to me nobody around here ever misses you when you're gone, Zoe Hart. We all have better things to do than that."

Zoe opened her mouth to reply, only to be swept into the car by her father without a moment's pause. She was fastening her seatbelt, as instructed, and feeling every shade of sad and angry until suddenly somebody yelled.

The car was already in motion and Zoe knew she couldn't ask her dad to stop, not when they were already late, but it was something to turn around and see Wade waving goodbye to her through the back windshield, and then what must've been George too as he came barrelling around the corner to join his friend. Zoe waved back to them, not sure if they saw her, but knowing Lemon must've seen it all. That was enough to make Zoe smile.

To Be Continued...