Author's Note: So, not that fastest update, but not the slowest either. I mean, it's still the same month, so that's progress. I hope you like this, the penultimate chapter. Longer author's note at the end.

To Those Who Reviewed:

Storyteller906,

Thank you for reviewing. Unfortunately, as you just reviewed chapter ten, and do not have an account I can respond to directly, it may be some time before you get to this chapter, and therefore my response.

I am glad it made you so happy. It only took a minute to remember which part you meant, because I like that part too. I'm sorry it woke your toddles though. I am glad you think it is worth it, and I hope you continue to enjoy it, and continue to review.

Guest from December 1st,

Thank you for reviewing. I am glad you think it was wonderful. Here is the update.

Kwack,

Thank you. Here is the update, and it was a bit quicker. I hope you like the cliffhanger at least. Thank you for reviewing.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Fredrick Dean was hanging out at the pond, skipping rocks. He had not been out here in a while. When he was younger, he used to come here when he was sad, or frustrated, and throw rocks and pretend he was throwing them at his problems. Then, he met Rose, and it seemed like he always had someone to talk to. Of course, there was the problem when he liked her and she didn't seem to see him, but that didn't make him want to skip rocks. He wasn't sure why; it just didn't seem like that kind of problem. Now he was back though.

"No wonder you never tried out for a school team. Your aim sucks." He turned. Magnolia was standing there in a bathing suit, staring at him with that defiant, teasing, Magnolia-esk look on her face.

"What are you doin' here?" he asked. He realized that it came out harsh, and while she didn't look particularly offended, it wasn't her he was mad at, "I mean, I didn't expect anyone out here."

Magnolia shrugged, "Felt like swimming. That, and getting out of the house. It's all kinds of crazy there. When Lemon isn't doting on me, making sure I'm okay, she's talking with Lily, Lavon, and George about the adoption."

"Adoption?"

Magnolia nodded, "Lemon's adopting Lily. There may be a grandparent who contests it in court, but George thinks it should be fine."

"And you? How're you doin' with it?"

Magnolia smiled at him briefly. Even after they broke up, Fredrick Dean was always nice to her. If she was in a different place in her life, she might have wanted to get back with him, but a boyfriend was the last thing she needed right now. "Oh, I'm fine." She rolled her eyes, "Between Lily's adoption, and … other things, Lemon is worried about me more than anythin'. And while it is nice to know she cares, she can be a little, well, annoyin'." Magnolia picked up a rock and chucked it. "A lot actually. By the way, that's how you skip rocks."

Fredrick Dean laughed, "Thanks for the lesson."

"Anytime."

"Are you gonna swim?"

"Not while you're throwing rocks. Although, with your aim, probably not a big risk." He nodded, "So, how 'bout you. Why are you out here?"

"Rose's goin' to New York."

"So?"

"So, I'm … I mean, I like her, a lot. And she's gonna be gone."

Magnolia nodded, "I suspected you might. So, does she know how you feel?"

He nodded, "Yeah, we've been goin' out for a little bit now." He picked up a rock and chucked it as hard as he could, "We're together, and she knows how I feel, and she's still goin'!"

"Why?"

He shrugged, "Some big internship with The New Yorker."

"And you want her to pass that up so she can stay with you in this hick-town forever? You are such a guy."

"It's not that. I just-"

"You just nothin'. Stop bein' a selfish ass, and go congratulate your girlfriend. There's more to life than dating and sex, and you cannot expect her to put her dreams on hold for you."

"I'm not. I just don't want her to go. I want to be with her."

"Well, she wants to be in New York, so either buy a ticket and stop whinin', or let her go live her life without you. Just 'cause she's you're girlfriend doesn't mean you own her. She wants her own life, and she should get to have it, without you tryin' to force her to be somethin' she's not, or do somethin' she doesn't want to, or, or be with you."

"I would never force her to do anything. First off, I never could. She's too smart for that. And second, I want her to do what makes her happy, I just want to be with her."

"If you want her to be happy, let her make her own choices. Otherwise, you're just some selfish bastard who wants what he wants and will do whatever to take it."

"Why are you gettin' so mad? You don't even like Rose."

Magnolia shook her head, "I guess I just thought Bluebell was different. That guys here were … just let her live her life. I've always thought you were a good guy. Don't prove me wrong."

She turned around, "Where're you goin'?"

She shrugged, "I don't feel like swimmin' anymore."


It had taken a long time for her to get here; it had taken a long time for her to have the guts to ask him this question. She was so terrified of the answer. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, or trust that he loved her, but he deserved more than she could give him. Still, they could never move forward until they talked about it. They needed to stop avoiding the issue.

She entered the kitchen to see him filling the dishwasher. He looked so domestic, and for a second, it made her smile. But then she remembered what she had to do. She took a deep breath, and gathered her courage, "Will you still love me if Lily is the only child we can ever have?"

He turned, startled. She could have led into it, she knew, but she saw no reason to waste time with pleasantries. She had wasted too much time. And besides, she knew if she did not dive right in, she could easily lose her nerve.

"What?"

"I need to know. We've been trying for so long to get pregnant, and we can't. There is a good chance I may never be able to give you children. I love Lily, but we both know it's not the same. So I'm asking you what I should have asked you months ago, and I need you to answer honestly. Will you still love me, if I can't give you children?"

He was still looking at her stunned, "Lemon, how could you even think-"

"Yes or no? I need a straight answer, and the truth please, because I can take it." She took a gulp of air.

"I'm sure you could. But the answer is yes."

"Are you sure? Are you sure you still want to be with me? Would you still have married me if you knew that I couldn't -?"

"Lemon, I love you. I have always loved you. Nothing could ever change that."

Lemon shook her head, "My parents loved each other, but they couldn't make it work. Sometimes, there are obstacles too big. And I'll understand. I need you to know that I'll understand. I don't want to trap you in this relationship out of guilt when-"

"Lemon, stop. Yes, I wanted kids. Yes, I was hoping we could have them. But I would rather never have kids with you then have a thousand kids with anyone else."

"Really?" Lemon looked at him, tears in her eyes.

Lavon nodded, drawing Lemon toward him. He brushed the tears from her eyes, and kissed his wife with all the love he had.


"Don't say anything." Rose said, firmly. Fredrick Dean at been surprised to see her at his door, but he did as she asked, "I care about you. I have always cared about you. You have to know that. I think I might even," she trialed off, looking down, "but if you feel as strongly about me as you claim too, then you should want me to be happy and follow my dreams, whatever that means for us. You know me. You've known me for years. You know that it's my dream to work as a reporter in New York. It's been my dream for as long as I can remember, and I'm not the kind of person who could just throw that away. I do care for you, and I don't want to throw away what we have, what we've," she took a deep breath. Her throat was starting to close up, and she could feel the tears building, but she soldiered on, "What we've just found with each other, but I can't let it hold me back either. We'd just wind up resentin' each other, and I don't … I don't want that. I don't want to hate you. So … I'm gonna go. I have to do this. Please try and understand that."

She turned to leave. It wasn't until she was halfway down his front walk that Fredrick Dean broke out of his daze. He ran after her, calling her name, "Rose!"

She turned, and he was right there. He grabbed her in his arms, crashing his lips to hers. He could taste her tears, or maybe they were his. He kissed her harder, and she let him. Then, she pulled away, and cupped his cheek with her hand, smiling at him sadly. As she walked away, they both had the same thought. That kiss had tasted like goodbye.


Zoe looked up from her breakfast when she heard humming. Lemon came in, smiling brightly as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"You seem happy."

Lemon smiled at her, "Lavon and I talked. You have your memory back. We are adopting Lily. Things are good."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it."

"So, how about you?" lemon asked, sitting next to her friend.

"How about me …?"

"How are things for you? Are they good? How did your talk with George go?"

Zoe looked down at her breakfast, "Good, I think. I mean, it was hard, obviously, but …" she shook her head, "I did the right thing. We both know that. It'll take some time to get used to it, but it was the right choice."

Lemon nodded, "And Wade? Have you talked to him?"

Zoe shook her head, "I've left him a couple messages, but he hasn't called me back."

"So go talk to him in person!" Lemon said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It kind of was, but Zoe shook her head again. "I want to, but … I'm not so sure he wants to see me. Maybe he needs space?"

Lemon shook her head, "He needs you. You need to talk to him."

Zoe looked at Lemon, surprised, "You've never seemed to be … that is, when this all started, it didn't seem like you were rooting for Wade."

"Well, I was rooting for both of them. I have a lot of guilt about George getting his heart broken by a woman who agreed to marry him," Zoe snorted, "And they are both my friends. They are both good guys. And you are my friend. I want you to be happy, and I honestly did not know where you stood. Now I do, and the George ship has clearly sailed. There's no sense in breakin' both their hearts, especially if you really want to be with Wade, which it seems pretty clear you do."

Zoe stared down at her breakfast.


When Rose opened the door, she was surprised to see Magnolia standing there.

"What-?"

"I talked to your boyfriend earlier today. I figured … well, I figured you might need a friend. Not that we're friends or anything but …"

Rose looked at the blonde on her porch skeptically. Then, she smiled, "Come in."


The Rammer Jammer was closed, but the closed sign had never mattered much to her. Wade heard the click-clack of heals, and he knew who was coming. It didn't take a genius to figure out. He'd been avoiding her the past couple days, but he knew he couldn't avoid her forever. He just felt so bitter about the whole thing, and he knew he needed to get himself together. He'd been here before. Zoe had chosen George, and he had been bitter, and an asshole, and he had lost her as a friend. Then she had her accident, and he nearly lost her for good. She was back in his life, and he wouldn't lose her. He needed to swallow his pride and find a way to be happy for her. It was just hard.

"Barkeep?" He heard her call out.

Shaking his head, he opened the door of his office, and headed out to the bar. She was there. Of course she was there. She stood there, smiling. Her hair was down, and she was wearing a frilly, slightly low-cut top and those short-shorts of hers. She couldn't make this easy on him, could she? Of course, he knew it didn't matter what she wore. She could dress like a nun, and he'd still think she was the sexiest thing in Alabama.

"What can I get the lady?" He asked, trying to sound pleasant and normal.

"Something sparkly." She said, smiling.

"That narrows it down."

"Come on, Wade, I wanna celebrate. I'm me again, charming, brilliant, me."

"You forgot humble."

She smiled, "Well, I was kind of baiting you." He let out a small laugh. This wasn't so bad. He could do this. "Actually, I'm not really here for wine."

"That's good, 'cause we're closed. Not that that's ever stopped you. You always do whatever the hell you want." Bitterness alert. Okay. Calm down. Just keep calm. Let her tell you what she has to tell you, pretend to be happy, and go get drunk.

He noticed Zoe reacted a little to his tone, but she shrugged it off, "You have been avoiding me, Mr."

"Not avoiding. I just … figured you had a lot of time to make up for with … people. 'Sides, you clearly know how to find me. Figured you would when you needed to."

"So, ignoring my phone-calls?"

He looked down, "I've been busy."

Zoe shook her head. She went to the tiny door that lead to the area behind the door and unlatched the lock. "I've heard that before." She said, approaching him, "When I got out of the hospital, you said you were busy, but I don't think you were any busier then than you are now."

Wade sighed, shaking his head, "What do you want from me, Zoe?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you five days ago when you got back." He kept shaking his head. He walked around her, heading out from behind the counter, trying to get away. She followed him, "I wanted you to care that I got my memory back. I wanted you to come see me and-"

"I did, okay!" He yelled, turning to face her, "But you were … busy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I get it, okay? You and Tucker … there's a lot of history there. He's a good guy, and he loves you. I can't expect you to want to walk away from all that just 'cause of me."

"I don't … what … I … what are you talking about?"

"I saw you with him, Zoe! I saw you together, having your big romantic reunion in front of the main house! And I'm sorry if I wasn't ready to be around you yet, but … I'm not good at this, okay? You bein' with him before nearly killed me, and now, after you and I've been together, after I know what it's like to be with you, really be with you, and you knowin' how I feel, and for you to still pick him …" Wade sighed, running his hands through his hair as he often did when he was frustrated. He tried to calm himself down a little. He didn't want to yell at Zoe. Even if he was kind of mad at her, he knew it was an irrational mad. He just needed her to hear him. "I don't want to make you feel guilty. I don't want to be an ass to you, or lose you as a friend. And I know it's not your fault who you love, but," He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then, he looked at her, this beautiful girl he was in love with. He locked eyes with her, and he knew she could read the desperation in his. He knew she could hear it in his voice and, as embarrassing as it was, he needed her to hear it, "but, I'm gonna need some time. And I just need you to give me that. Please. Just … just give me some time." He looked down, feeling exhausted.

Zoe shook her head, "What you saw, between me and George wasn't some big romantic reunion. Wade, what you saw was goodbye."

Wade's head shot up, confused, "Goodbye?"

"Not goodbye like, I'll never see you again, but, yeah, goodbye."

She was smiling at him, and he couldn't figure out what was going on. Something was off here, but …"I don't understand."

"Wade, you're right. George and I do have a lot of history, and he is a good guy, and he does love me, but you're wrong to think you're not enough for me to walk away. Because you, Wade Kinsella, are more than enough to walk away from George Tucker for. And because I didn't pick him. I picked you."

Wade just stared at her, shocked. Was this some kind of trick? It didn't make any sense. Something in his brain kept saying 'does not compute.' Was she really saying what it sounded like she was saying? "You … you didn't pick Tucker?" She shook her head, "You … you picked me?" He knew he sounded incredulous, but he just couldn't seem to wrap his mind around it.

"Yes, you idiot."

"But … but why?"

Zoe shook her head, laughing a little, "You're making this really hard, you know that?"

"I just don't-" She cut him off in the best possible way. She grabbed his face and crashed her lips to his. It still didn't seem real. It still didn't seem possible. But it was. Zoe Hart was kissing him. She had picked him. For some crazy reason, the crazy doctor wanted him. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and he smiled. She smelt amazing. It was that smell that was so purely Zoe, and he drank it in. He ran his hands up and down her arms, enjoying the feel of her, and the smell of her, and the taste of her. It all felt so good.

When they finally came up for air, he smiled at her. "Well, that was …" he didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"Something we should've started doing years ago." Wade nodded in agreement, "The good news is, we're both young, and healthy, and probably have years ahead of us to make up for lost time."

"True, but, you never know. Fires, car accidents, thugs with guns. It ain't exactly been quiet around here, Doc. If you ask me, we best make the most of the time we have. Who knows what disaster could strike next."

Zoe nodded, "I guess that's true. I mean, for all I know, you could get in an accident, get amnesia, and discover you actually want to be with Shelley."

Wade laughed, "Not a chance Doc. For me, it's always only been you."


Author's Note: So, what did you think? I know it took a while to get to Zoe and Wade talking, but I really wanted that to be how the chapter ended, and there were some things that the other characters needed to work out as well.

I was trying to figure out who should talk to Fredrick Dean. I considered Wade, but I thought Magnolia was a better choice. Given what she's just been through, I think she would be pretty adamant about not wanting Rose, or anybody, to cow to a male.

Then, of course, there was Lemon's talk with Lavon, which was long overdue, but fear can cause people to put off things for a very long time. I hope people felt that that scene was accurate for that sort of situation.

I know Fredrick Dean's scene with Rose was short, but I just didn't feel like there was anything else for them to say.

I hope people liked the Zoe and Wade scene. I wanted it to be the right balance of angst and light humor/banter. I hope it seemed believable, and not too forced.

So, after this, there is just the epilogue, and then this story is over. I am so sad right now. I would right about it, but I feel like I should leave my proper farewell for the epilogue's author's note. All I will say now is that I am really going to miss this story, and I am very grateful to every reader, follower, favoriter, and reviewer. Don't worry, I will be gushier next author's note. Please review, and I hope you liked this chapter.