A/N: Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews, folks. Poor Zoe and her daddy issues. Unfortunately, I speak from experience when I say sometimes fathers suck! On the upside, Wade has been a gentleman in very trying times, and now, may I present the morning after the night before! :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

Zoe woke up to someone using her brain as a drum, which they were playing very, very loudly. At least, that's what it sounded and felt like when she picked her heavy head up from the pillow and tried to figure out what the hell happened last night. She didn't remember much at first, certainly not how she got home. The room was her own, however, which was somewhat of a relief, and she was alone, which was even better.

Sitting up straighter and pushing her hair back off her face, the covers fell away from Zoe's body and she felt cold. She looked down with bleary eyes to see she was still wearing her underwear but nothing else. Her hand came away from her face smeared in last night's make-up and her dress was dumped haphazardly on the floor.

"Okay, no more alcohol, ever," she said out loud, immediately regretting it since even her own voice at a normal volume sounded way too loud.

Moving to get out of bed, Zoe's co-ordination was the worst it had ever been, and as her legs caught in the sheets, she found herself falling, landing in an ungainly heap on the carpet.

"Oh God," she groaned pathetically, attempting to pick herself up.

She moved a whole lot faster when she realised she heard footsteps coming towards her room and then the door was flying open and she was no longer alone.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed, wincing all over again as her own yelling made her head pound harder.

"What the hell is right, doc," said Wade, crouching down to her level. "You're seriously not a morning person, huh?"

Zoe pulled at the tangled bedsheet, covering as much of herself as she could manage, her mind racing as she looked at the guy in front of her. For all the effort she put into trying, she really could not remember last night, at least, nothing concrete beyond going out to the club and ordering drinks.

Damn her father for being an ass and making her level of self-worth drop below zero. Damn the bartender for continuing to serve her when she was clearly way past drunk. Damn Wade for being so cheerful and attractive first thing in the morning when Zoe herself looked and felt like death.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, almost afraid of what the answer might be.

"You don't remember?" he checked, tilting his head as he stared at her.

"Would I be asking if I did?" she countered crossly, trying to get up and finding she still couldn't with the covers all caught up around her limbs.

She would rather not have needed Wade's assistance but couldn't really deny she did when he tried to help her out. Eventually, she was on her feet, the bedsheet wrapped around her toga-style, and her stomach rolling around like it was trying to decide whether to escape her body or not. Zoe tried not to think about that last part.

"Look, you seem like you could use some time to freshen up," said Wade, suddenly looking awkward somehow. "I, uh... I'll go put on some coffee while you hit the bathroom, then we'll get to talkin' about what the hell happened last night, okay?"

Zoe took a moment for her fuzzy brain to process all of that and then she carefully nodded.

"Okay," she agreed, heading past Wade towards the door. She stopped before she got too far and looked back at him. "One thing I have to know. Last night, you and me, we, uh..."

"Don't worry, doc," he told her, shaking his head. "I'm still waitin'," he promised her.

Zoe smiled at that, it was tough not to, even though she felt pretty damn lousy. Until she heard the whole story, she couldn't know exactly what had happened last night, but at least she knew now she hadn't done something she might regret. Not that sleeping with Wade would be a bad thing exactly, but forgetting all about it by the morning? That would definitely suck!

Though he had done the decent thing by Zoe last night, Wade couldn't say he was exactly looking forward to explaining her own behaviour to her when she got out of the shower. After all, she was bound to feel foolish when she heard how she had been acting, and while Wade could save her blushes and just not tell her, he had a feeling Zoe would not go for that somehow.

Besides, he had to explain how he got into her apartment and why he stayed. Also, she may wonder when her clothes came off and he wasn't taking the blame for even that much of what almost occurred between them.

After he put on the coffee machine, Wade started raiding the fridge and kitchen cabinets, hoping to make Zoe a decent breakfast. She didn't seem to keep much in that wasn't a microwaveable dinner or candy, but a quick dash to the corner store was all it took for him to have everything he needed. By the time Zoe was done in the bathroom, he had bacon and eggs in the pan, bread in the toaster, water, coffee, and orange juice all lined up on the counter, and a smile on his face.

"Hey now, Zoe Hart," he said as she wandered into the kitchen in an over-sized Yale sweatshirt, sweatpants, and bare feet. "You feelin' better?"

"Just barely," she admitted, heaving herself onto the nearest stool and leaning her head on her hand. "Why do people drink alcohol? I mean, seriously, why?"

Wade didn't really think she really wanted or needed an answer to that, so he didn't give one, just served up her breakfast and encouraged her to eat.

"I couldn't find any painkillers," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Bathroom, already taken of," Zoe confirmed. "Thank you for this," she said then of the food he laid before her and the drink choices to go along with. "You didn't have to."

"All part of the Wade Kinsella service, ma'am," he assured her, leaning on the counter across from her. "Seriously, Zoe, you doin' okay there?"

"I'll live," she promised, finding him a half a smile as she picked up her fork and stabbed at the eggs. "So, last night," she said, taking a small bite. "I remember being very mad at my dad. I remember getting dressed up and going out. I remember drinks. After that, a whole lot of fuzzy nothing," she admitted, waving her fork around. "Did I meet you at the club? Was it...? It wasn't a date, right?"

"It was not," Wade confirmed. "You did call me, but my phone died. I keep forgetting this newfangled one doesn't last as long without a charge. By the time I found the message, it was pretty late, then Cas called me."

"Cas?" Zoe echoed, looking confused. "The security guy from the club?"

"That'd be him. Seems he was worried about you, called me to come pick you up, get you home safe. You were every kind of drunk, doc. We're talking all out crazy type of hammered."

"Crazy?" she checked.

"Crazier than a bag of frogs," Wade told her too seriously.

"Wow, that must've been so attractive," she said, putting down the fork and hiding her face in her hands. "I am so sorry, Wade."

"Don't worry on it," he assured her, pouring more coffee into her cup, for something else to do, to be honest. "Besides, you were attractive enough, especially when we got back here."

Zoe's fingers parted in front of her eyes when he said that and she peered at him with something akin to nervous curiosity.

"Oh God," she said shakily. "What did I do? No, wait, I don't want to know," she said, covering her face again. "I'm such a mess!"

Wade did so hate to see her suffering like this. It had been bad enough the night before when she was wasted, but at least she seemed happy then, and really into the idea of dragging him into her bed. Now she was so sad and seemingly ashamed of herself, that was the last thing he wanted for Zoe.

"Hey," he said, prising her hands gently away from her face and making her look at him. "You think I haven't done my share of actin' crazy when I was drunk? 'Cause, doc, I am here to tell you, I absolutely have. A lot of people have, so don't go beatin' yourself up over it, you know, just maybe don't make a habit of it," he advised. "So, you got a little drunk one time and you got a little... looser than you usually are," he said, delicately as he could, "but it all worked out, didn't it? I got you into your bed, by yourself, and I slept on the couch, you know, just in case."

"Just in case?" she echoed.

"Well, you're the doc, doc," he reminded her with a smirk. "Bad things can happen to unattended drunks, right?"

"Right," she said, nodding carefully. "Thank you, Wade, and I don't just mean for staying over to make sure I was okay," she told him, meeting his eyes. "Translating what you said just now, I'm guessing I... I made you an offer that you could've easily not refused?"

"Sweetheart, you don't know how much I wanted to not be a good guy last night when you were standin' there in nothin' much and tryin' every trick you had to get me into bed," he said seriously, "but I figured that'd be the start and the end of this thing we have goin'. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready for this to be over yet, not by a long shot."

Wade wasn't usually so good with the grand gestures or the fancy speeches, but he figured he was doing okay on this occasion when Zoe suddenly smiled at him. Next thing he knew she was leaning forward and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"You're a really good guy, Wade Kinsella," she told him softly. "Thank you, for everything you just said, and everything you didn't do last night," she said pointedly.

"You're more'n welcome, Zoe Hart," he told her, with a smile. "Now, I need to make use of your facilities and then I gotta make a call. I will be back in ten minutes or less, and by then I expect you to have eaten all those eggs and bacon, and drunk down all your coffee, okay? Come on, girl, get into it," he urged her, as he walked by her to the door.

"You're bossy in the mornings, cowboy," she called over her shoulder, though she also picked up her fork and tried to eat some more too.

"Get used to that," he told her, before the bathroom door closed in his wake.

Zoe laughed, putting her hand over her mouth so her food didn't fall out. She really wasn't used to waking up to find a guy in her apartment, and honestly, she hadn't been too thrilled to do so this morning, until Wade explained everything.

She had made such a fool of herself last night, but Wade had been the perfect gentleman, apparently. Not only had he got her home safe, rejected her drunken advances, and stayed over to make sure she was okay, he had also made her breakfast, explained everything to her patiently, and still seemed interested in her, even though he had seen her at her worst. That all had to mean something. Mostly, Zoe was pretty sure it meant there was a whole lot more to Wade Kinsella than the internet ever told her after they first met. She knew that much already, but now, she was kind of bowled over by how great he really was.

By the time Wade got back from the bathroom, Zoe had eaten just about as much as she could stand of the breakfast he had made her and downed two cups of strong black coffee, as well as some water. He seemed impressed with her efforts and had no problem with tidying up the kitchen for her either.

"So," he said, as he washed the dishes. "You wanna talk about what sent you on some crazy drinking binge in the first place? I mean, you don't have to-"

"My dad," Zoe told him straight, not really minding sharing if he was willing to listen. "He just... It became very clear to me yesterday that he really does not care about me, at all," she said, hating the quiver that came into her voice before she was ever done speaking. "It sucks a lot when you realise something like that."

Wade dried his hands on the dishtowel and came back over to Zoe, sitting down on the stool beside her and pulling her into his arms as she cried.

"Wish I knew what to say when stuff like this happens," he said with a sigh. "Truth is, I just don't. All I do know is that if there is anybody is this world who does not see what an amazing person you are, Zoe Hart, then that person is a fool, even if he is your daddy."

Somehow, those words only made her want to cry harder, but Zoe also gained comfort from Wade's arms around her, his hand rubbing her back as he tried to calm her down. He didn't know anything about her family situation, but he was on her side instinctively. That might be misguided but it was also kind of beautiful, Zoe thought.

"Come on, Zoe," he said softly, kissing her hair. "No more tears now. Pretty sure he's not worth it anyhow."

"You know, what?" she said, sniffing hard as she lifted her head to look at him. "You're probably right. I'll bet your dad is a nice guy."

"He's not so bad." Wade shrugged, realising this conversation was becoming a little bit of repeat from last night, though Zoe wouldn't remember that. "Bet your ass he would just love you."

"Tell me about him," she said, wiping her face clean of tears with the back of her hand. "I'd love to hear more about your family and Bluebell and everything. I mean, unless you have someplace you need to be...?"

"I don't," Wade assured her, gently moving her hair off her face. "I can be here just as long as you want me to be, sweetheart."

Zoe smiled at that, hopping down from her stool and putting out a hand for Wade to take. As soon as he took hold, she led him back through to the living room where they curled up comfortably on the couch together.

"Alright then," said Wade, holding Zoe against him. "Now, put on your listenin' ears, because there are tales aplenty to be told about good ol' Bluebell..."

Zoe settled in to hear all of Wade's small-town stories, feeling safe and comforted in his arms. Honestly, she was pretty sure she had never felt so comfortable in her whole life.

To Be Continued...