A/N: Thanks to those who left reviews on the previous chapter. We're shooting forward in time a little more now, then the remaining four chapters will all be in the same timeframe... but I can't say more than that because it might spoilt things. If y'all are waiting for Zade, the seeds are right here in this chapter. It's not the entire point of the story, but it'll play a big part in it's way. Again, explaining would spoil things, so you'll just have to trust me ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4

December 1992

Her daddy always told her, 'If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all.' Zoe tried to stick to that, even when it was hard to do. She just wasn't sure what the protocol was when you didn't know what to say, not because only mean and nasty thoughts were all you had to share, but because the situation was just so awful, the words wouldn't come.

She hadn't expected to see Wade at the party in town square. Not that he ever missed it before, not even last year when his momma was sick. The whole Kinsella family showed up and tried to embrace the idea of the new year dawning, full of hope and promise. Back then, everybody thought that Ms Jackie was going to get better. Now, she was gone, and it was as if a light had gone out, all over town, but most especially in Wade.

Zoe had been wanting to talk to him all day, but feared saying the wrong thing and making matters worse. Still, as the hour grew late and midnight was fast approaching, she felt like she couldn't end the year they had just been through by turning her back. She had to be strong, had to be brave. After all, some day she was going to be a doctor like her daddy and they had to deal with this kind of thing all the time. More than that, of course, Wade was her very best friend in all the world.

"Hey," she said as she reached his side.

Wade drew his arm across his eyes before he turned to look at her.

"Hey," he replied. "Uh, I was just... I was wonderin' where you got to."

Zoe nodded like she believed him, even though she didn't. Wade had been crying, but big boys of their age didn't admit to things like that, not even when their mommas had passed on. Zoe wouldn't call him a liar and tease him like she would on any normal occasion. Nothing had felt all that normal since Ms Jackie was gone.

"It's almost midnight," she said, sitting down beside him. "There'll be fireworks soon."

"Yeah, I guess so," Wade agreed, before sighing. "Look, I ain't exactly happy about much right now, not even fireworks nor hotdogs nor anything at all. That's not your fault, I know, I just..."

"I understand," Zoe assured him, trying to recall all the times she had heard her father try to bring comfort to those suffering a loss. "At least she's in a better place now, not suffering anymore. I'm glad about that, even though I miss her so much."

"You can't miss her more'n I do!" Wade snapped then.

Zoe recoiled as if he struck her and had to swallow hard before she could answer at all.

"I know. I just meant..."

She didn't know what she meant, or maybe she did, but she couldn't properly explain it. Repeating things that she heard her daddy say was all well and good, until somebody actually answered back. Not that what she said about Ms Jackie wasn't true, of course, but she really didn't know how to properly give comfort this way. She only wished she did, but Zoe supposed at not-yet-eleven, she couldn't be expected to.

Wade sighed, hid his face in his hands for a few seconds, and then looked at Zoe again.

"I'm sorry, Zo," he said, as honest as he had ever been with her. "I know... I know you loved her too. You know, Momma always said she woulda adopted you, if she could. Not that she ever would take you from your daddy or anything but-"

"I know." Zoe nodded, even as tears filled her eyes. "She was always so nice to me. I did love her too, Wade. I really did."

Her voice cracked without her meaning for it too and suddenly Zoe was all-out crying, feeling like a terrible failure when Wade put his arm around her and pulled her close, trying to calm her when she was supposed to be the one comforting him. Holding onto him just as tight, she hoped maybe they could just help each other. Lord knows, they both needed each other right now, if they were ever going to get past this awful event.

"Least I still got you, I guess," said Wade then. "We got each other and that ain't nothin'."

Zoe lifted her head from his shoulder and met his eyes. "No, that's not nothin'," she agreed. "You'll always have me, Wade, and I'll always have you. That's the deal, isn't it?"

He managed a watery kind of smile then as he nodded his head. "Yeah, that's the deal, Zoe Wilkes," he promised, holding out his hand to shake on it.

It was what they always did with any promise they ever made since they were old enough to understand the concept.

Just then, people started yelling, counting down from ten to one, then cheering and yelling about a happy new year, as fireworks flew overhead, exploding in red, and white, and blue.

Zoe tipped her head back to look up and found herself a smile. Somehow, it was going to be alright.

December 1996

"Will you look where you're goin', Zoe Wilkes!" Lemon snapped at her. "My goodness, I don't know why you always have your nose in those dusty old books so much. Don't you have anythin' better to do?"

"Not if I want to become a doctor someday, no," Zoe told her smartly, though she closed up the book all the same on seeing she had company. "Did you actually need me for something or...?"

"I was just visitin' with my daddy at the practice, when your daddy asked me if I would come out here and see if I could find you," said Lemon, rolling her eyes. "Why on earth we each have to be messenger girls for our fathers, I am sure I will never know."

"Busy doctors and their busy lives." Zoe smiled and shook her head.

"Well, you would know better than I would, I guess," said her friend, peering at the book clasped in Zoe's hands yet. "More medical jargon and disturbing images?"

"You could put it like that, I guess," she told Lemon, shrugging her shoulders. "I can't help it, I'm obsessed. I need to be a doctor. It's in my blood."

"Technically speaking, it's in my blood too, but I can certainly find better things to do with my time."

Lemon's eyes went past her friend to something posted on the noticeboard. Zoe really didn't need to turn around to see what she was staring at, but did so anyway and was completely unsurprised.

"Miss Cinnamon Cider," she said, reading from the poster. "You're a shoo-in, Lemon. You know you're going to win. I remember you telling me how your mom won it when she was our age, so you're a legacy."

"One cannot be a legacy for a pageant, Zoe Wilkes," Lemon told her firmly, "but I will certainly be doin' my best to come out on top. It would be a thrill to win Miss Cinnamon Cider."

"You're a shoo-in, Lemon" said George as he approached from behind her. "No doubt about it."

"That's what I just said," Zoe pointed out.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure if you wanted to enter, you'd do pretty good too, Zoe," said George, looking nervous and awkward as ever when potential conflict presented itself between his friends.

"Pretty good?" said Wade, marching right up to Zoe and throwing an arm around her shoulders. "This girl right here? Man, she would walk all over the competition if she had a mind to enter."

"But she doesn't want to enter," said Lemon sharply. "Do you?" she double-checked, practically glaring at Zoe.

"I already told you I don't," she insisted, before turning to Wade. "And you're crazy. Win Miss Cinnamon Cider? Not a chance. I don't even have a talent."

"You have all kind of talents, Zoe," George insisted, just as Wade grabbed the book from her hands.

"Yeah, understandin' anything in these kinds of books makes you plenty talented, as far as I know."

"Thank you... both of you," said Zoe, even as she snatched her book back, "but I really don't think anyone at a pageant wants to hear me name all possible symptoms of gastric flu or label a diagram of the digestive system."

The look on Lemon's face then proved for certain that she would not wish to bear witness to either of those things. Zoe couldn't exactly blame her. Unless you wanted to be a doctor, it wasn't likely they would be of interest at all. Zoe knew she was an oddity, being a fourteen-year-old girl who was more interested in medicine and biology than dresses and make-up, but she was happy, and Daddy was always assuring her that was all that really mattered.

"Come on, Zo, you got more talents than that," Wade insisted.

"Yeah, I've heard you sing," said George happily. "You have a beautiful voice."

"Absolutely." Wade nodded his agreement. "And you know, when your daddy convinces you to step outta those short-shorts and into a dress and all, you ain't exactly a hardship to look at either," said Wade with a salacious grin.

Zoe was laughing even as she pushed him away, the surprise of her 'attack' very nearly sending him sprawling, though he was laughing just as hard as she was.

"I am not entering the pageant," she insisted, "and you boys shouldn't want me to either. We're supporting Lemon in Miss Cinnamon Cider, okay?"

"Sure, Zo, whatever you say." Wade shrugged.

"I don't think you have much in the way of real competition, Lemon," George told her with a bright smile. "Especially if Zoe's not entering."

Zoe slammed her forehead against her book. Sometimes, it was painful to watch George Tucker operate. He clearly liked Lemon and had for a while, but no compliment he paid ever seemed to come out quite right, and he seemed to just get so tongue-tied where Miss Breeland was concerned.

It was crazy because he could outtalk anyone in debate class and was bound to be a great lawyer someday. Lemon just made him nervous, or his feelings for her did, Zoe supposed. She just couldn't imagine feeling like that about anybody herself.

May 1999

"Oh, my goodness, you are just the cutest kid! Yes, you are!"

Harley wasn't sure whether to smile or frown when he stepped out of his office to find Zoe with a baby in her arms that she was fussing over like crazy. He did love to see her happy, especially when she was also clearly helping out a friend.

Poor Emmeline was far too busy working to be babysitting her niece, but with poor Rose's parents both real sick with flu, options were limited. At the same time, Harley did worry about Zoe getting a little too enthusiastic about a cute nine-month-old. The last thing he wanted was for her to throw away a promising career to have a baby way too early.

"Oh, Daddy, look at her," said Zoe then, pushing Rose towards Harley as he came out into the reception area. "Isn't she adorable?"

"Well, of course she is, aren't you, Rosie?" he said, tickling the little girl under the chin and making her giggle. "Seems only yesterday you were a little bundle just that size yourself."

"It's been seventeen years." Zoe rolled her eyes. "Not exactly yesterday."

"Trust me, Zoe, when you get to my age, seventeen years isn't so long."

"Oh, I feel that, even at my age," said Emmeline as she hung up the phone, looking awfully harassed. "Zoe, sweetheart, I am so sorry. I'm sure you don't wanna spend the first day of your summer vacation babysittin'," she said as she rushed around the desk to take the baby back.

"It's no problem, Mrs H," Zoe insisted, even as she let Rose go. "It's good practice for me, getting used to kids. I don't know what field I might specialise in yet, but paediatrics might be a possibility."

Harley sighed with relief on hearing that. It was so stupid, he knew his Zoe was smart enough not to be having babies at seventeen when her other choice was college and medical school and a great career. It was all she'd talked about since she was knee-high to a boll weevil and he would hate for her to throw it all away now.

"Of course, I'm pretty sure I'll end up being a GP, if a certain practice has an opening for me," she said, deliberately fluttering her eyelashes at her father.

Harley smiled at her gall and semi-joke, but it was Brick who verbally responded to Zoe's comment.

"You get yourself fully qualified and then we'll see what room we might make for you, shortcake," he said, faking a stern look. "Your daddy and I won't work with any slouches, isn't that right, Harley?"

"Yes, indeed," he agreed, nodding his head. "You have a long way to go yet, Zoe. Another whole year of high school for one."

"I know," Zoe assured both Harley and Brick. "Trust me, I absolutely know how much work I still have to do."

"Which is why the summer is a time for having some fun before all that works hits you in the face again, Zoe Wilkes!" Wade called as he came striding into the fray, aviators on and arms thrown wide. "Come on, now, baby, we got places to go!"

"Wade, I can't go right now," she complained, hands on her hips. "Can't you see, Mrs H is struggling with baby Rose? She needs my help."

"Oh, Zoe, that's very sweet, but I'll be just fine," Emeline promised her. "Annabeth Thibodaux is coming by in a half-hour, she's gonna take lil' Rosie off my hands for the rest of the afternoon," she explained, even as the phone rang again and a pile of papers slipped onto the floor.

"And since I have no patients to see for the next thirty minutes, I am more than happy to fill in," said Brick, reaching to retrieve the child. "C'mere, pickle. Come on to Uncle Brick."

"And as your father," Harley said to Zoe then, "I'm going to agree with young Wade here. With all that work ahead, you should go have some fun while you can," he insisted, hand at his back pocket, retrieving some cash which he duly pushed into Zoe's hand. "Have a good time, okay?"

Zoe grinned widely, then reached up to throw her arms around her father's neck and hug him tight. "Thank you, Daddy," she told him, kissing his cheek before pulling away. "Wade, let's blow this joint."

"You got it, sweetheart," he agreed with a grin, their arms around each other as they headed out together.

"You sure they're not dating?" Brick asked Harley, still bouncing baby Rose in his arms.

"Zoe says not," he explained. "You know, they've been best friends since before either of them could talk."

As Brick took Rose off to his office, and Emmeline continued to field phone calls, Harley stood alone staring after Zoe and Wade. No, they weren't dating, they were just good friends. He hoped that was true, for so many reasons. Unfortunately, even if it was for now, he had a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't be for long.

To Be Continued...