A/N: Look at all that excitement from one simple question and answer? You reviewer types are so great - thank y'all for leaving your comments :) Now, will Zoe and Wade finally get closer from here? You betcha! ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

"Oh, sweetie, of course, you're not," said Annabeth kindly, even as Zoe allowed her head to drop back onto the counter with an audible thunk. "I can't imagine how tough this is on you. I mean, yes, I know, Wade has it hardest of all with the amnesia and everything, but when you feel so strongly for him and he doesn't even know-"

Zoe let out a wail, hoping it would stop her friend from continuing. After all, as much as she knew Annabeth was trying to help, she was mostly making Zoe feel worse.

"Hey, come on, Z," said Lavon then, his hand patting her on the shoulder. "It ain't so bad. I mean, come on, now. Why would Wade ask about the two o' you being more than friends if he wasn't feelin' like maybe that was something he wanted to happen?"

That comment certainly got Zoe's attention, her head popping up from the counter as she stared across at her best friend. Sometimes, she really did love the guy.

"You know, what? You could be right," she said, hopefully, sitting up straight in her seat. "I mean, why else would he ask the question? He either thinks he remembers something, which is great, or he just likes me and wants to know if we would be starting from the beginning or picking up where we left off, right?"

Lavon shrugged. "Seems that way to me," he agreed, sipping his coffee. "Personally, I think-"

He stopped talking immediately the back door opened and Wade appeared. In fact, they all stopped talking, and moving, and perhaps even breathing in Zoe's case as they watched Wade walk in. The poor guy looked so self-conscious when he realised.

"What?" he asked nervously.

Zoe just wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay, he just looked so much like a lost little boy. It was so bizarre, because the version of Wade she had known and loved so long just wouldn't have reacted that way. He would have made some comment about having everybody's attention because he was just so damn gorgeous or something, which he was, of course, but it didn't seem to occur to him to say it now.

"Morning, Wade!" she said very suddenly and probably too loudly. "Hey, come over here, sit down, have some breakfast" she said, complete with over-the-top arm-waving gestures.

"I was about to," he said warily as he came to pull up the stool beside her own. "You feelin' okay, Zoe?"

"Sure, sure," she insisted, waving away his concerns. "I just want to have some breakfast with my buddy Wade," she said, faking a friendly punch at his arm.

Zoe knew she was being ridiculous, never more so than when she looked over at Lavon and saw him rolling his eyes dramatically. After all she said before about wanting to try dating Wade again, all she said just moments ago about being happy he might be feeling the same way, and now, she was overdoing the friend thing to the nth degree. There was definitely something wrong with her.

"Okay, then," said Annabeth, moving around the counter to grab at Lavon's arm. "Sweetie, could you come upstairs with me for a little bit? I, uh, need some help finding that thing that I lost."

"Thing that you...? Oh, right," said Lavon suddenly. "That thing that you lost," he said, nodding his head. "Yeah, we gotta go find that," he told Zoe with over-the-top wink of his eyes. "Might take a while too," he insisted as Annabeth pulled him away.

"Wow," said Wade the moment they were gone. "I know I got a brain injury and all, but even I know that was as far from subtle as two people can get," he said, glancing at Zoe, who couldn't actually look at him right now.

"Yeah, they're not great at subtle," she agreed. "I, uh... I think they mean well though, you know, leaving us alone."

It took a lot of effort to make herself look at Wade then, unsure what exactly she expected to see when she met his gaze at last. If anything, he seemed a little confused, but not at all unhappy with the situation of being left alone with her. Zoe took that as a positive.

"So," he said then, "after what I asked you last night, and what you told me, I kinda have a million more questions I wanna ask, but I won't," he added fast, before she could even try and cut in. "I know you can't tell me stuff that I don't remember, and what I decided was, well, maybe that's for the best. I don't know what happened with us, Zoe, whether it was a major thing or not, or why we're just friends right now. All I do know is... well, that I like you and that maybe, if you wanted to, we could go out sometime, just the two of us. You know, like on a date?"

He was absolutely adorable. It was all Zoe could think as she sat there staring at him while he stammered through his attempt to pursue her. He was nothing like the Wade she fell for the first time around, that was for sure. The brash cowboy type, who made lewd suggestions about what they could get up to at night, long before she was ever ready to be leaping into bed with him.

Of course, he could be a real sweetheart sometimes, behind closed doors where nobody knew about it but the two of them, and he could be heartfelt and serious, like the time he told her he loved her. This was another different piece of Wade Kinsella that came as quite a surprise, quite honestly, but she liked it, just as she liked every other part of him.

"Okay, so, this was obviously a real bad idea," said Wade then, alerting Zoe to the fact she had probably been silent for far too long. "I'm sorry, Zoe, I didn't-"

"No," she said fast, grabbing onto his arm when he looked set to run away from her. "Wade, please, don't go. I'm sorry. I just... I was surprised," she told him quickly. "I wasn't expecting you to ask me that."

"And you don't wanna go out with me?" he checked, looking as confused as he probably felt. "I mean, I get it. Like I said, all that stuff I don't remember, there could be a real good reason in there why you and me shouldn't date."

"Doesn't matter," said Zoe fast, shaking her head in the negative. "Wade, look, you don't remember what happened before and... and honestly, I'd rather not remember it either," she said, knowing that right now he could have no idea how very much she meant that. "So, why not take this opportunity to start over?"

"Okay, so, that's a yes to going out?"

"Yes, it's a yes." Zoe laughed at his expression. "I would love to go out with you, Wade."

"Well, alright then," he said, beaming back at her, now he was sure of what was going on. "So, we should prob'ly get to some of this food already, since we're the only two here to eat it right now."

"Sounds like a plan," said Zoe, reaching for the coffee pot and pouring some into both their cups. "Um, Wade?" she asked, concentrating on the task at hand.

"Yeah?"

"Did you have any particular day or time in mind for this date you asked me on?"

Wade laughed and literally face-palmed then. "I gotta admit, I didn't exactly get that far in the plannin' of it," he admitted. "You want the truth of it, I wasn't even sure I was gonna ask you out 'til I walked in here and saw you this morning," he said, catching Zoe's attention and keeping it easily with his intense gaze. "You are somethin' else, Zoe Hart, you know that?"

"Wade..." she said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious," he told her definitely. "I mean, hell, you gotta be the best lookin' woman I've seen in this town, plus you're smarter than most, bein' a doctor and all, and... I don't know what exactly it is, but I just think you're real special."

Zoe swallowed hard and still couldn't clear the lump from her throat. The tears building in her eyes were becoming a problem too - she just couldn't seem to blink fast enough to keep them at bay.

"Well, you're really not so bad yourself, Wade Kinsella," she told him at last, though a whole lot more softly than she really meant to.

He was so close and looking at her in such a way, Zoe was absolutely sure he was going to kiss her. Wade wasn't exactly the type to miss an opportunity for that sort of thing, so it seemed inevitable, and yet, it never actually happened.

"What?" he asked, obviously finding her expression strange.

Zoe shook her head. "Nothing," she told him, very deliberately giving all of her attention to her breakfast. "Just, um, if you could get back to me on the when and the where, you know, for the date?"

"Uh, sure, right. I'll get on that." Wade nodded, looking about as awkward as Zoe herself felt.

It was so ridiculous, just assuming he was going to kiss her and feeling so disappointed when he didn't. This version of Wade, the one that had no memories, he also had somewhat less confidence in himself much of the time, especially where women were concerned, apparently. Zoe couldn't ever imagine him not taking a chance where someone he liked was concerned, if he thought he might get away with it. The problem was, his condition meant she wouldn't make a move either, at least, not yet. It just wouldn't be fair.

"I know that, but I have to go to work, Lavon!" Annabeth suddenly yelled, her voice getting louder as she came closer to where Zoe and Wade were sat together.

They both looked around as the other couple appeared, one behind the other, Annabeth looking frustrated and Lavon awkward as hell.

"You know, if they gave awards for bein' subtle, I'm not sure you two should go expectin' a prize," said Wade with a look.

"Say what, now?" Lavon checked, trying to play innocent.

Even Wade with his lack of memories wasn't fooled by it and only laughed at his well-meaning friend. He was pretty darn sure that the guy really did mean well, after all, and Annabeth too. Obviously, they saw something between him and Zoe and wanted to give them a chance to do something about it. At least Wade hadn't wasted the opportunity.

"Zoe, are you ready to go?" Annabeth asked her then. "'Cause I was thinkin' we could car pool, do a little for the environment maybe?"

"Oh, sure. Good idea," Zoe agreed, hopping down from her stool and picking up the half-eaten waffle from her plate. "I'll just take this to-go," she told Wade and Lavon with a smile, practically waving goodbye with her breakfast item.

"Maybe I'll see you later, Zoe," Wade tried. "You think you might swing by the Rammer Jammer for lunch?"

"Maybe," she said, nodding her head, and then she was gone.

Wade turned back around only to find Lavon grinning at him, full beam.

"What?"

"I think you know exactly what," his friend told him, reaching to grab the juice and pour himself a glass. "You seriously gonna sit there and pretend you don't like Zoe?"

Looking down at his plate, Wade felt his cheeks heat up at being caught out. Not that it wasn't pretty obvious that Lavon and Annabeth already knew what was going on, else why leave Wade and Zoe alone like they did? Still, it was a whole other thing when somebody just came out and said it like that.

"You know, she told me there was somethin' between us before," he admitted, glancing up at Lavon. "Didn't exactly surprise me. I may not remember it at all, but... I don't know, I guess I feel it somehow. Is that weird?"

"Not weird," Lavon insisted, shaking his head. "Means what you feel for her is bigger than memories. It's not from the mind. 'S from the heart," he said definitely.

"Yeah, maybe that's exactly what it is," Wade agreed.

After all, he had no other explanation as to how he just knew he and Zoe were supposed to be more than friends. Whatever had gone wrong before, assuming that it had, she seemed willing to forget it and move on. Since Wade didn't have a choice in the matter, he would do the same. He could only hope it worked out better this go around.

"So," said Lavon then, "you two are...?" he trailed off, waving one hand in a random gesture that could just about have meant anything.

"I asked her out," Wade explained. "And she said yes."

"Alright!" his friend said happily, holding up his hand for a high-five.

Wade didn't leave him hanging, but he had his concerns that were tempering his own happiness when it came to his night out with Zoe Hart.

"'Cept now I got the agreement to the date, I have no idea where to take her or anythin'," he explained. "Any smart ideas, Mr Mayor?"

Lavon look all kinds of thoughtful, actually rubbing his chin as he gave the question a good deal of consideration. Eventually, he smiled.

"You know, the way this town talks, I reckon you'd be best off going elsewhere for your date," he suggested. "Daphne, maybe, or Mobile."

"Which is great, except I don't exactly drive right now," Wade reminded him, "and I don't know where any of these places are. I only learned my way home from work in the past few days," he admitted, feeling dumb just having to say it, even though Lavon, like everyone else, was bound to be understanding given his conditon.

"Alright, well, we can fix that," Lavon told him, snapping his fingers as an idea seemed to come to him fast. "How about I play chauffeur?" he suggested, pulling up the stool next to Wade's own. "Yeah, we could make this a real fancy affair."

"You think Zoe would go for that?" Wade checked, knowing that, right now at least, Lavon should know her better than he did himself.

"Oh, I know she would." Lavon grinned and nodded. "Fancy dinner in a fancy place that needs her to put on a fancy dress, and you on the other side of the table? Sounds like a dream date for our Miss Zoe."

Wade had to admit, he didn't mind hearing that. All he wanted was for Zoe to be as taken by him as he was by her. Sure, she agreed to a date, but that was no guarantee that things would work out.

Something in his gut, or maybe even in his heart, like Lavon had said, was telling him that he had some real deep feelings going on here for Zoe Hart. If there was even a small chance she could feel the same, then Wade wanted to do everything he could to see that it grew.

There wasn't much that made him feel real happy since his accident, but damn it, if spending time with Zoe and having her smile at him the way she did sometimes wasn't one of those rare things. She really was that special.

To Be Continued...