A/N: Thanks for all the reviews folks, but how did y'all not see Wade's quasi-virgin status coming, huh? :P Well, in his head, that's what he is right now, which is a dynamic I was totally wanting to explore when I came up with the concept of this fic. Zoe chasing Wade for a change, not just for sex, but in general... but yeah, also for sex. Ah well, read on to see how they deal with that! :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 14

"Wade!"

When he heard his name called, he almost jumped a mile in the air. Of course, when he saw who was yelling for him and running full tilt down the bar, he found a smile for the girl.

"Hey, Rose," he said as he stepped out from around the bar. "Oh, okay," he said with a chuckle as she threw her arms around him.

"It's so good to see you looking so... well, like you, I guess," she told him as she finally pulled away, grinning all over her face.

"I didn't look like me before?" Wade checked, retaking his place behind the bar while Rose pulled herself up on a stool.

"In a hospital gown with a really weirded out expression on your face? No, you absolutely did not." Rose shook her head.

Wade smirked at that and offered his young friend a soda, which she gratefully accepted. When Zoe said that Rose would be coming to see him when she got back from her vacation, Wade had really been too distracted with the whole date thing they were having to think about it much.

The distracting continued, post-date, with what happened outside the carriage house, with Zoe seeming to want to drag Wade into her bed or whatever. At this point, he was glad of something or someone to take his mind off that kind of thing. Rose seemed perfect for that and she certainly was all kinds of glad to see him, apparently.

"You definitely look a whole lot more Wade now than you did before," she confirmed, grinning widely at him. "I guess Zoe has helped you a lot, right?"

That pushed the smile of his face just for a minute.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, first off, she's a doctor, so she's gotta be the one who knows the most about what you're going through, right?" said Rose thoughtfully, taking a drink from her soda. "And second, she told me you guys went on a date last night. Was it amazing? I'll bet it totally was."

"Uh, yeah, it was... it was really somethin'," he told her, nodding his head.

In all honesty, Wade definitely had a good time on his date with Zoe, and he couldn't exactly say that her wanting him to kiss on him was a real problem. Taking her to bed wasn't an unappealing thought either, it was only the practicalities of it that were giving him trouble. He was going to make a damn fool of himself if he let her have her way and Wade was not at all comfortable with that.

"Okay, now you're starting to get that weirded out expression back again," said Rose worriedly. "Lemon, does this happen a lot?" she asked as the other bar owner appeared at Wade's side.

"Does what happen a lot?" she checked, looking from Rose to Wade. "Oh, my Lord, what is wrong? Wade, do you need to sit? Do I need to call my daddy at the doctor's office?"

"Will you quit fussin' already?" he insisted, knocking her hand away just as it was reaching up to his forehead, presumably to check his temperature or something. "I'm fine. I'm just... I'm fine," he repeated, looking from Lemon to Rose. "I just have a lot goin' on in my head sometimes is all. It's normal. Ask Zoe if you don't believe me, or your daddy if you want to," he suggested to Lemon. "It's not always easy when there are holes in your memory."

That wasn't his problem this time around, of course, but Wade reckoned he could use the excuse to his advantage here and there if he wanted to. There had to be some perks to his condition. Besides, there was no way in hell he was talking about his sex life, and lack of memory of the same, with either his business partner, who he looked to like a sister, or to Rose, who would probably make a real nice kid sister too, since she didn't seem to want to look at him the way Lemon's sister did. (Thank God!)

"Well, you should probably head home anyway," said Lemon then, continuing on fast when she clearly noticed Wade was going to cut in himself, "and before you tell me you're fine, I am sure that's true, but your shift is over. Go home, enjoy your night off, okay?"

"I'll walk out with you," Rose offered, hopping down from the stool. "It was really just a flying visit anyway. My mom said if I wasn't back in thirty minutes to help her with the big stack of laundry, I can kiss goodbye to a week's worth of allowance," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You be grateful that your momma is still around and still cares where you are and what you're doing, Rose Hattenbarger," said Lemon, perhaps a little more harshly than was necessary.

Still, Wade recalled his own mother had passed and that he hadn't heard Lemon mention anyone but her daddy and her sister these past few weeks. Maybe he knew exactly why she was so snappy about moms.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told her then, finding her a smile and glad to receive the same look back.

"You take care of yourself, Wade Kinsella, because so help me, I won't be responsible for my actions if you don't."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, patting her on the shoulder as he squeezed by to leave the bar.

Rose met him halfway to the door and they walked out together, only to find they both had someone waiting on then. There in a car a few feet away was an older woman that just had to be Rose's mother, and over yonder, sitting on a pile of boxes, was Wade's father.

Waving goodbye to Rose, Wade picked his way over to where Earl seemed to be waiting on him, glad to see the old man smile as he reached his side.

"Hey, Dad. You doin' okay?"

"I am just fine, son," said Earl as he got to his feet, slapping his son on the shoulder. "And you're looking much better yourself. Yes, sir, as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as a young man ever was."

"Well, thank you for that," said Wade uncertainly, wondering why it was that Earl looked real different to the last couple of times he had seen him.

Certainly, he seemed better turned out, clean shirt, combed hair and all, but it was more than that. Something in his eyes was just altered, clearer somehow. It was then that a thought hit him. Earl did not appear to be in any way drunk.

"So, uh, the reason I waited out here for you was because... well, wasn't so sure I trusted myself amongst too many folks, and alongside all the liquor bottles you have in there," he said, gesturing towards the Rammer Jammer. "Truth of the matter is, I have a little news for you, son. I have quit drinkin'," he said proudly.

"That's... good for you," said Wade, nodding his head. "I mean it, Dad, that is great."

Of course, he might feel differently about it if he knew quite how long Earl had been on the wagon, but since nobody was supposed to tell him anything anyway, Wade chose not to ask. If he had to guess, he would suspect it had been quite a while, but that then begged he question, why suddenly stop with the liquor now?

"I know what you're thinkin'. Shoulda done this a whole lotta years ago," said Earl then, and Wade didn't stop to correct him or remind him about the amnesia, because frankly, it didn't seem like the right time for it. "Fact of the matter is, when you had your accident and there was a chance... well, there was talk of you not making it and, son, I just couldn't... The idea of losing you too, it was too much. But then God gave you another chance, and I know you're suffering with your head yet, but you're still here with us. That's a rare gift, another chance at life, and I got to thinking that, as much as it was a gift for you, it was for me too. My boy is still here with me," he said, his hands on Wade's shoulders. "I figured that kind of gift needs to be recognised and... uh, reciprocated?" he said uncertainly. "Anyway, thought the best thing I could do was to quit my drinkin' and be the kind of father a young man like you deserves."

Wade was surprised to find his eyes had grown misty during that little speech. He had no memories of Earl before a few weeks back, and those were minimal since they hadn't spent a huge amount of time together. Still, he knew this was his dad, not just because he was told, but somewhere deep in his gut, he knew. This man, his father, was now telling him he was making changes in his life just for him, and that meant a lot. Meant more than Wade had words for, that was for sure.

"Thank you, Dad," he said softly. "But honestly, I am more glad for you than for myself that you quit like you say you have. You'll be better off for it, I'll bet."

"Oh, I know I will," said Earl with a wide grin. "But I wanna be better for you too, son. You deserve it."

Zoe had hoped that Wade would already be in the gatehouse when she got home from work. His shifts at the Rammer Jammer varied a lot, so there was almost as much chance of him being home as there was of him being out. Unfortunately, it seemed today was not her lucky day and she had to wait over an hour before he finally returned. She watched from her window as he went inside his house, waited all of a minute, and then went rushing out, around the lake to his door.

She knocked like a maniac, immediately regretting it when Wade came rushing to the door as if expecting someone to be having an emergency. He was clearly in the middle of changing and Zoe swallowed hard at the sight of him without his shirt on.

"Oh, wow," she said to herself, shaking her head in the very next moment and making herself meet his eyes - after all, hadn't she treated him like a piece of meat enough already in the past twenty-four hours? "Hey, Wade. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Zoe. I was just changing my shirt is all," he told her, shaking his head. "If you wanna come in, I'll just be a second."

"Okay, thank you," she said, rushing by him and into the house.

Immediately she was there, she turned her back on him, waiting for Wade to finish getting dressed and feeling so stupid for a myriad for reasons.

"So..." she began, still with her back to him and her eyes closed for good measure. "When I said I was sorry, I didn't actually mean for showing up when you were changing. I meant for last night, you know, the post-date weirdness..."

"Zoe."

When he said her name, he suddenly seemed so close, and in front of her rather than behind. Zoe opened her eyes fast to find Wade right there, her nose practically on his chest. She tipped her head way back to meet his eyes and immediately wished she hadn't. It was torture to want him and know she couldn't have him. Honestly, after last night, it was a miracle he even let her through the door.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, swallowing hard. "About last night, I just..."

"Don't worry on it, it's fine," Wade told her, though she noted he couldn't seem to look at her at all when he said it.

"No, it's not fine," she insisted, her hand on his arm so she might regain his attention. "Wade, talk to me, please."

"About what?" he asked then, muscle in his jaw twitching with something akin to anger as he finally met her gaze once again. "About how one minute we're saying goodnight and the next you're... you're scarin' me half to death?"

She hadn't really been expecting that. Zoe was ready for Wade to be awkward, maybe confused or regretful, or perhaps even looking to apologise himself for rebuffing her advances, even though she didn't want that. She hadn't been prepared for anger. Perhaps she should've been.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, hating that there was a shake in her voice and tears welling in her eyes too. "I got it all wrong, I know, I just..."

"No," Wade told her gently, anger melting in a second into something soft and almost guilty now. "I'm sorry. It probably wasn't such a big deal, especially from your side."

"But it was for you," she said definitely. "It's okay, Wade, I do understand. I mean, I didn't last night, but then I put myself in your shoes... I think I'd've been pretty freaked out too," she admitted. "But, you know, you don't have to be scared or worried about anything with me," she promised him. "I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know that," he told her, heaving a sigh. "God knows how I know it, but I do. It's just all so... messed up," he said sadly, moving to sit on the end of the bed with his face in his hands.

Zoe really thought about just leaving. After all, the only thing she could think of to do was sit down with Wade and throw her arms around him. It would only be for comforts sake, since he looked so sad, but she really didn't want him thinking she hadn't listened to a word he said, that she was just trying to get what she wanted again.

Unable to make herself leave him when he was clearly upset, she took a deep breath, walked over and sat down carefully beside him.

"Don't take this as anything but a friend thing, okay?" she said definitely. "Because that's all it is."

She put her arms around him then, hugging him close, and hoping that was going to be okay. It was the sweetest relief to Zoe when suddenly Wade shifted to wrap her up in his arms too, hugging her back and kissing the top of her head.

So, he could be comfortable with her, and she was very glad about that. At dinner last night, he had been so nervous, and just when he seemed to calm down as the evening went on, she went and ruined it by pushing things too far, too soon. This was good, this was a step in the right direction. Maybe they would've got here a whole lot sooner if Zoe had thought more about Wade's feelings than her own.

"Wade..." she began, determined to make another apology as she pulled back to look at him.

When their eyes met then, she forgot all the words, only drowning in the feelings that came over her in waves. It would be so easy to kiss him, to fall into a moment she didn't want to get out of. It took everything Zoe had to resist, because she knew she had to this time. It would be so unfair to break his trust a second time.

"I should go," she said, standing up fast.

"Zoe..."

His hands had a hold of both her arms and when she turned back, she almost thought she knew what that look on Wade's face meant. She just didn't trust her instincts around him anymore, not since his accident, especially not after last night. Still, when he pulled her back down to sit by him, she let him, and when it became very clear that he really was going to kiss her, Zoe just let her eyes fall shut and savoured the moment she only hoped would last.

It felt as good as it ever did with Wade. Unfortunately, it was over far too quickly and Zoe had to fight to keep herself from pushing forward, eager as she was for more. Her eyes popped open and she stared at Wade, almost afraid to speak in case she broke the spell of this moment, the amazing moment when he finally made a move on her, albeit a pretty chaste one.

"Uh, so, I'm pretty sure this isn't gonna sound like me at all," he said then, one hand going to the back on his neck in his usual nervous gesture. "You know, I mean, the way I used to be before," he explained, "but the thing is, Zoe, as much as I don't wanna just be friends, I don't... Well, you think you and me can take this whole thing kinda slow?"

Zoe bit her lip, afraid that if she didn't, she was going to laugh. This was so far from being a funny situation, but it was entirely bizarre to hear such a request from Wade, of all people. Still, if that was what it took, if taking it slow was what he needed, then she would do it without question. It would be worth it for them to be together again.

"Yes," she said eventually, nodding her head. "We can absolutely do that," she promised, thrilled to be rewarded with another perfect kiss from Wade.

To Be Continued...