A/N: Wow, I have loved this summer, but there was A LOT to get through! Nice to know you guys have enjoyed it too - thanks for all those lovely reviews :) Do feel free to ask any questions you have or tell me what you think is going to happen, etc. I love all that stuff :) Now, the final part of the Summer of Zade love!

(For disclaimer, etc. - see Prologue)

Chapter 24

Tuesday 10th August 1999

Zoe felt exhausted. The last few days had been so intense, more emotionally than physically, though there had been a little of that too. First, all the drama with the Kinsella family, and then helping out Mrs H with both the practice and taking care of Rose when Annie and her husband had some issues. Zoe felt as if she just needed to get away and find a little peace, and with her dad and Wade both working, she figured she could wander off by herself and no-one would mind much. She headed for the old pier, recalling it as a place people wouldn't really be at on a random Tuesday afternoon. Of course, she was wrong about that.

"George?"

He was sat on the bench, staring out at the water when she found him, looking strangely older than his seventeen years. Zoe could relate at the moment.

"Hey," he greeted her, scooching from the middle to one end of the bench and offering her to join him. "What are you doin' out here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," she said as she sat down. "I was just looking for a little alone time... not that I mind sharing it with you," she added quickly. "Honestly, it's nice to see you, George Tucker," she said with a genuine smile. "I've been here all these weeks, and yet I feel like I've hardly seen you at all."

"Yeah, that is weird," George agreed, nodding his head.

The truth was, they had seen each other in passing several times, but never enough to really have much of a conversation. They both had their own family, their other friends, plus he had Lemon and she had Wade. Things were very different from when they first met.

"Is it just me, or were things so much simpler when we were ten?" asked Zoe, running her hand back through her hair.

George smiled that old familiar Golden Boy smile. "You mean back when you found out your whole life was a lie? That kinda simple?" he reminded her.

Zoe laughed. "Yeah, maybe not," she agreed. "Family is never straightforward. The last few days with Wade and Jesse and Earl have been... I don't even know how to describe."

"I get it." George nodded. "Been in the middle of a Kinsella family crisis myself a time or two. It really screwed up the whole balance they had going when Wade's momma passed on. It'd be nice if they could find a way back to that, but somehow it just doesn't seem likely now, does it?"

"It really doesn't." Zoe sighed and shook her head. "Well, Jesse only stayed for the weekend. He and Wade managed not to kill each other and Earl managed to stay out of the liquor cabinet, so I call it a rousing success. Playing referee in all of that was not exactly fun though."

It was nice to be able to say these things to someone and not feel bad about it. There was no way Zoe would go discussing Wade's private business with anyone else. A little bit with her own father maybe, but not much. It was different with George.

"Sometimes I forget you guys knew each other before I ever came along," she said, looking across at him in the bright sunlight. "You don't seem so close anymore."

"You kidding me?" George asked, eyes widening slightly. "Me and Wade are more like brothers to each other than we ever have been with Harry and Jesse," he assured her. "We don't see each other much in the summer, maybe, 'cause we got other places to be and other folks to see. Not surprisingly, Wade wants to spend any spare time he has with his girlfriend," he said with a look. "I mean, she is only here for the summer and, from what I know, she's a pretty special girl."

Zoe felt herself blush at his comments though she wasn't sure why. She turned away a moment, smiling too much and feeling foolish about it. To think, even a year ago, she might have reacted very differently to George Tucker telling her how special she was. She was still flattered and happy about the compliment, but things had definitely changed.

"You know, and I can't believe I'm actually telling you this," she began, eyes fixed firmly on the water still, "there was a time when I thought that... well, that there was someone I liked better than Wade. He was my best friend, always, but as for a potential boyfriend, I was kind of looking elsewhere," she said, daring a sideways glance at George just as he looked down and smiled.

"Yeah," he said eventually. "I have to admit, before Lemon and I officially got to bein' a couple, the thought had crossed my mind a time or two," he said, finally looking at Zoe again and meeting her eyes. "I mean, come on, Zoe, you were... you are somethin' special, just like I said. I thought about it, I really did, but you and Wade? It was like somethin' else with you two, even when we were ten years old. It just made more sense, the two o' you together."

Zoe considered that for all of two seconds and then realised just how true it really was. George Tucker was often right, so it came as no surprise, but still, she really hadn't thought about her and Wade being destined from the very beginning before.

"I know it got weird for a while there, and like we said, we don't see each other as much as we used to," she said then, "but I hope we can always be friends, George. You think that'd be, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am, I do," he said, smiling widely, his arm sliding around her shoulders and pulling her close for a moment. "You're a real good friend, Zoe Hart, and you know, as much as it freaked me out at first, I'm happy you and Lemon finally found some common ground too."

"Yeah," said Zoe, her head on his shoulder. "Strangely, I'm also happy about that."

They sat in comfortable silence for quite a while after that. Zoe felt the stress and worry of the past few days just slip away from her. It had been so good to talk to George, to know that she always could. It seemed that when her best friend became her boyfriend, the guy she always thought might be her boyfriend some day had moved to fill the spot of her best friend. As exchanges went, Zoe figured they had made a pretty good one. Personally, she couldn't be happier with the arrangement.

.

Monday 16th August 1999

There was always something different about the day Zoe's friends all went back to school, their summer vacation over while her's continued on. There were plenty of days in the weeks before when she saw little or nothing of George, AB, Lemon, or even Wade from one day to the next, and yet, just as soon as they were all so definitely out of her company from eight until three, Zoe seemed to feel the loss so much more. It was why she had been waiting outside of CLJJ High before the final bell ever rang, why she had run and thrown herself into Wade's arms the second she saw him emerge from the building, why she had him drive them someplace quiet and secluded where she could show him how much she had missed him today.

It hadn't exactly been a plan to seduce him in the backseat of his own car, not that Wade complained at all, and Zoe never expected him to. He seemed only a little surprised that she wanted to and then just happy enough to go along with it. Zoe was plenty happy too. She found she seldom ever felt any other way when she was with Wade.

When he told her he loved her, she never doubted him, and when she said it back, she meant it with all of her heart. When they made love it was so special, and those vague niggling doubts she had in the beginning about maybe not being all that Wade might want or need in that department just faded away. Unfortunately, sometimes, they also came back, when she was forced to think about how long they would have to be apart very soon.

They were outside of the car by now, fully dressed and passions temporarily sated, laying in the long grass by the lake with their arms around each other. For a while they were talking, not about anything important, just what had happened in each of their days, but Zoe had long since got quiet and Wade checked to see she hadn't dozed off on him. He soon saw her eyes were wide open, but she was wearing an expression he didn't much care for.

"Well, that can't be good," he said, peering at her.

"What can't be good?" she checked, meeting his gaze.

"That look on your face only means one thing, Zoe. There's this whole Olympic gymnastics routine going in your head. That only happens when you're puzzlin' over something and that leads to bad things."

"I was just thinking," she said snippily, pulling out his arms and sitting up too fast. "It's not a crime."

"Baby, I never said it was," Wade assured her, moving to sit up beside her. "Come on, what's on your mind?" he asked, rubbing her tense shoulders. "Hell, you should at least be able to tell me about it."

"It's nothing. It's just... stupid," she insisted, tearing up clumps of grass with both hands and throwing them aside. "I'm stupid."

"Well, that ain't even true," said Wade definitely, his hand at her cheek, turning her head until she was facing him again. "What's goin' on, Zoe?" he asked again.

She sighed. "I can't help it. It's been the same since we were kids. When you go back to school it reminds me that soon I have to go back to school. I have to leave Bluebell and not see you for nine whole months. It was bad enough before, but it's going to be so much worse now," she reminded him of what he, of course, already knew. "It's tough enough for me knowing I won't see you at all, that I can't be close to you," she said pointedly, "but you..."

"But me, what?" Wade prompted when she fell silent again. "Zoe, come on now, you don't seriously think that the second you're gone, I'm just gonna-"

She cut him off with a kiss that took his breath away.

"I don't think that," she promised when she finally pulled back a little. "I trust you, Wade, you know I do. Trust is a part of love and I couldn't love you more."

"Then what is the problem here?" he checked, completely lost at this point. "You know I love you, baby. Sure, it sucks to be apart so much, but it's not forever. You'll be back again next summer and we'll both be done with school by then. Things'll be different. In the inbetweentime, we'll just have to find ways to deal with the distance, just like before. We're strong enough for that, I know we are."

Zoe nodded her agreement, even as tears welled in her eyes.

"I believe in us too," she promised. "I just... it's different for me. For me, there's only ever been you. You know, that way," she said pointedly, oddly shy about saying it despite what they had been doing all of an hour ago. "You were always... There are girls here that like you, a lot," she reminded him. "I know you wouldn't cheat on me, but I'll be gone so long, and some of them are not above trying to tempt a guy. It's going to be hard... difficult for you," she amended fast, though the smirk had already spread over Wade's lips and it was tough not to laugh at herself too. "Oh my God, I was really trying not to say that!"

Wade pulled her close as they both laughed, some of the tension broken at least by Zoe's slip of the tongue. Of course, what she meant wasn't exactly funny, but Wade understood. She wasn't worried about him cheating on her, because he absolutely never would, only that it would be tough on him, as a guy, not getting any for as long as she was gone.

"Hey, listen now," he said, pulling out of their hug to look at her. "Like I told you last summer, Zoe, it's not just that I can be faithful to you, it's that I want to," he promised her. "There is no other girl in the whole damn world that I want to take to bed with me, or get in the backseat of my car," he added fast, before she could doubt it. "You are the only one that I want to be with, in any way you wanna imagine those words can be meant. Sure, it kills me to think about those nine long months without you. Without getting to hold your hand," he said, looking down to where their fingers were now intertwined. "Without getting to kiss you any time I want. Without being able to hold you or touch you or... or be with you that way, but like I said, it's not forever. Somehow, we're gonna find a way to figure this out and then we'll be together always, right?"

"Right," she agreed, smiling widely at his beautiful speech. "I do love you, Wade Kinsella. So, so much."

"Yeah, well, I love you, Zoe Hart, with the whole of my heart," he swore, kissing her soundly as they fell back into the long grass where no-one else could see.

.

Friday 20th August 1999

"So, this is the final selection?" asked Mrs H, leafing through the pile of college brochures on the reception desk of the practice.

"Kind of, maybe." Zoe shrugged. "There are so many good options and I want to apply to enough because there's never any guarantee of being accepted, especially with the Ivy League schools."

"Zoe honey, it's like I told you, any of these schools would be lucky to have you," her father insisted as he appeared out of his office. "I'll tell them so myself if they don't already believe it."

"Harley's right, Zoe," Mrs H agreed. "You're a smart cookie, always have been, and a real nice girl too. I can't imagine any one of these colleges turnin' you down."

"I don't know about you fighting to get into them places," said Shula Whittaker from her seat in the waiting area, "seems to me they should be fighting for who gets the honour of havin' you, sweetheart."

"I'd fight for your honour, Zoe!" Tom Long told her happily before sneezing very loudly into his handkerchief and declaring that summer colds were the worst.

"Thank you, all of you," said Zoe, smiling as she looked around the room. "You're all incredibly sweet, but I do still have to fight for my place wherever I want to go, just the same as everybody else."

"I'm afraid that is just the way of the world," said Dr Breeland as he came out of his office to collect his next patient, ushering Cole Maliska through and telling him he'd be right with him. "Of course, that doesn't mean you can't help yourself along in tipping the balance a little bit," he said, smiling at Zoe then as he held out a book to her.

"'On Writing the College Application Essay'," she read from the cover as she took hold of it with both hands.

"Somehow, we seemed to wind up with two copies of that thing in our house, and of course, Lemon only needs one," he said, clearing his throat. "Uh, you take that one, on me, okay?"

He looked so weird and awkward about it, and Zoe was so surprised by his kindness. If she didn't know any better, she would almost think that Brick had deliberately got a second copy of the book just for her rather than acquiring a double for Lemon by mistake. Dr Breeland really did seem to have decided that Zoe wasn't so bad these past couple of summers and the situation had certainly been helped along this year by Zoe and Lemon making friends too.

"Thank you, Dr Breeland," she said politely, even as he moved to walk away into his office again.

"I think you're grown up enough now, Zoe, you can call me Brick," he told her with a smile.

"Thank you, Brick," she tried again. "I really appreciate it."

He nodded his head and then walked into his office, closing the door behind him.

"Well, wonders'll never cease," said Harley, picking up the next patient file from reception.

"Amen," Mrs H agreed too seriously, making Zoe giggle.

It was amazing how people could surprise you sometimes.

.

Saturday 28th August 1999

The last day of summer always came around too quickly. As a young child, Zoe always hated her twelve weeks being gone, and since she started coming to Bluebell, it only got harder to leave behind the fun and laughter of a summer spent in Alabama with her father and her friends.

Last year, parting from Wade just a few short weeks since they figured out their relationship, she wasn't sure anything could hurt as much, but she was wrong. It was agony to know they had to be apart after a whole summer of being so very close, though Zoe tried her best to put a brave face on it, for her father's sake, if nothing else.

"Shouldn't we have my trunk and bags in the car by now?" she asked, looking over at the pile of luggage stacked near the door.

"Well, we can load them up, if that's what you want, Zoe," said Harley, "but young Wade came to have a talk with me yesterday and... well, he was hopin' to be the one to drive you to the airport today."

Zoe wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was always her dad that drove her on her last day and gave her a hug at the gate before she got on her plane to fly back to NYC. Even last year, she and Wade said their goodbyes at her house, then she leapt in the car and drove away, leaving him behind. Maybe it would be better to have him right there, before she got on the plane, but the last thing Zoe wanted to do was hurt her father.

"Now, don't you go worryin' about me," he said, almost as if he read her mind. Zoe figured he could probably read her expressions the way Wade sometimes did and knew she was concerned. "I can say my goodbyes right here well enough," he promised, coming over to give her a hug even now. "Trust me, I remember what it's like to be seventeen and head-over-heels for someone," he told her definitely.

"I love you, Daddy," she told him, hugging him back tightly. "I really do."

"I know, Zoe honey, and I love you too, sweetheart," he swore, kissing the top of her head before they parted. "Now, you need anything at all, you know you can always call me anytime. I'll be up to visit at Christmastime too."

"I can't wait." Zoe grinned at him, even as one lone tear escaped from her eye and she quickly wiped it away.

A knock on the door got their attention then and Harley moved to answer it, welcoming Wade into their home. The two of them had Zoe's luggage into the back of the Chevy within a minute and then it was time to go. Zoe gave her dad one more hug and then she and Wade got into the car and set off.

"This is okay, right? I mean, me taking you to the airport and all? I did ask your dad but-"

"It's fine," Zoe told him quickly. "It's good," she said, nodding her head, though it was clear she was already struggling to keep smiling.

They didn't say much all the way to the airport, there was just the soft sound of the country radio station playing in the background as they went along. Zoe stared out of the window, taking in the scenery of Alabama while she still had the chance, something she did most years when it came time to leave again.

A part of her wondered why she kept insisting that she had to go back to New York all of the time, a part of her that she tried to ignore because it felt too dangerous to listen to somehow, especially with college calling her, just one year from now.

Before long, Wade was parking the car in the lot outside the airport and being a gentleman about carrying as much of Zoe's luggage as possible, leaving her just one small bag to bring along.

Not long after, they were sat, side-by-side, waiting for her flight to be called.

"You don't have to stay," she said, swallowing hard and fighting the urge to bawl already. "I can wait by myself if you need to go."

"This is the only place I wanna be right now," Wade assured her, gripping her hand tightly in his own. "That okay?"

"More than okay," she promised, leaning into his side as they waited.

All too soon, the announcement came and they had to say goodbye. Zoe was full on crying before they even stood up and Wade pulled her close in his arms.

"Now, you listen to me, Zoe Hart, and you listen good," he told her. "You're gonna go back to New York and you're gonna have you one epic Senior year, alright? And I expect to hear how you applied to all your colleges and how they all want to take you on. I wanna know that you're having a good time with your friends and... and making the most of everythin' like you should. No sittin' around pining for the likes o' me, okay?"

"I can pine if I want to," she said stubbornly, though the words came out too quietly and too strained around the emotion thick in her throat. "I really wish I'd thought about this sooner. I should've stayed here for Senior year, wouldn't that have been better?"

"Prob'ly," Wade admitted, "but, baby, that's not how it worked out," he reminded her, his hand at her cheek and then running through her hair. "Now, you heard what I said, you go show those New Yorkers how an Alabama girl handles Senior year, and then you come back here next summer and we'll have us the time of our lives, alright?"

Zoe nodded, no more words in her to say as she reached up and kissed him like her life depended on it. Wade kissed her back, holding her so tight, Zoe could hardly breathe between one thing and the other, and she didn't care at all.

Another announcement of her flight broke them apart. She really did have to go.

"I love you," she whispered as she backed out of his arms. "Always."

"Love you too," he promised. "Always."

Zoe turned to go then, not daring to look back, knowing she wouldn't be able to leave if she did. She never saw the tears that Wade had managed to hold in until the very last moment, and that was probably for the best.

To Be Continued...