(For disclaimer, etc. - see 1.)

9. Lonely This Christmas
Characters/Pairings: Zoe
'Verse/Timeline: canon - pre-series
Date: December 2010

It wasn't as if she cared too much about celebrating Christmas. Though Zoe's dad was technically a Christian, he wasn't exactly super-religious, and she was Jewish on her mother's side, so really if she was going to celebrate anything, it'd make more sense to get a menorah.

The truth was, at Zoe's apartment, it would be tough to tell it was the Holidays at all. She just hadn't had the time or the inclination to decorate or anything. The hospital kept her so busy, and when she was home, she was either reading her medical journals or catching up on sleep, maybe watching a little TV. Gigi dragged her out to party sometimes, and other nights her mom insisted she go over to her place so they could keep in touch.

Of course, there was the occasional time when Zoe was home alone, no friends to go out with, no family to want her around either, no work to go to, and no feeling like she needed to sleep. The DVR was empty, she was up-to-date with her reading, and outside, snow was beginning to fall.

Before she knew what she was doing, Zoe found herself humming, 'Blue Christmas', berating herself the moment she noticed. Picking herself up off the couch, she wandered around the living room in a rough circle, looking for something to tidy or pick up or do. Her eyes fell on the pile of mail she had yet to get to and she grabbed it with too much glee.

Sitting down lotus style on the couch, she began to flip through envelopes. There were the usual bills and junk mail that she quickly tossed aside, but in amongst them were a few cards. She wondered at anyone still sending real Christmas cards, wasting the paper, paying for the postage, but in a way, she supposed it was nice.

The usual random 'aunts' and such were present in the pile, along with a couple of old friends, and then, towards the bottom of the stack was a surprise.

"Bluebell again," she said, noting the writing in the corner of the postcard's pictures.

The scene was of a pretty town square, no snow, the like of which was falling past her window, but then, who expected that kind of weather in Alabama? Zoe wasn't sure if it ever snowed in the south. She had never been there and never bothered to find out.

Turning the card over, she smiled as she read the message from the same man, Dr Harley Wilkes, wishing her a Merry Christmas, and once again, inviting her to come visit Bluebell and take up the job opportunity he had for her.

"Crazy old man," Zoe muttered, shaking her head, but the smile remained as she flipped the card back over to admire the picture again.

It did look like a nice place. Cute, friendly, probably a heck of a lot warmer than New York right now. There was a minute there when Zoe genuinely thought about it. She could go and visit, just for a couple of days, just to see what all the fuss was about. It wasn't as if anybody at home was going to miss her, and she was only rostered on for one shift over the Holidays, which she was sure she could get out of. She could take a vacation if she wanted to. She had probably earned one after all the time she put in lately.

"Nah," she said in the next moment, tossing the card onto the table. "Maybe next year."