Author's Note: Hello. I'm glad you all seemed to like the prologue. There appears to be some confusion as to what this story is about. I didn't want to make it too obvious from the beginning, but I thought between the title, the description, and the chapter, it would be clear. Hopefully, this chapter will clarify. If there is still any confusion, please let me know. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

To Those Who Reviewed:

First Guest from Mar 29,

Maybe. Though it is not necessarily her imagination. Then again, maybe it is. The old Wizard of Oz quandary.

Thank you. That is very sweet.

Thank you for reviewing.

Second Guest from Mar 29,

I am glad you liked it.

Tom is awesome. I am glad you thought it was a good choice. I was a little nervous, but it felt right.

Thank you.

I don't know about regularly, but I'll do my best.

Thank you for reviewing.

Third Guest from Mar 29,

I am glad you think it is cute.

Here is the update.

Thank you for reviewing.

Nicole,

Thank you. I am glad you like it so far.

Yea! People seem to be liking the choice of Tom. I agree. That's why I did not pick him.

There will be a lot of affects on all of them, but especially Lemon, though it may take a few chapters before we get the whole story.

Here is the more.

Thank you for reviewing.

SFogh,

It's not necessary exactly, but it will sort of be explained as the story progresses.

Thank you for reviewing again.

It stinks that the site won't let you review chapter twice.

Chapter One

What the hell was going on? George was standing in front of her, smiling, half naked, and she was lying in what she could only assume was his bed. Was this his apartment? What was she doing here?

"What … what happened last night?"

George looked at her, confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean this? We're … how are we … how did we … why aren't you freaking out?"

"Is there some reason I should be?"

"George, I'm naked. In your bed. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Well, now that you mention it," George said, smiling, "I don't like you bein' naked in my bed without me." Before Zoe could respond, George leaned down and kissed her. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. It was just what she always thought kissing George Tucker would feel like. Her head was spinning, and she couldn't think. "Unfortunately, I have to get to work, but-"

"George, what about Lemon?"

"What about Lemon?" He asked, looking at her confused.

"What if she finds out that we, you know… slept together." She said, whispering the last part.

George chuckled like she had made some sort of a joke. "I hardly think Lemon Breeland will care that I slept with my fiancé."

That's when she noticed it; the ring on her finger. It was Lemon's engagement ring. What the hell was going on?

"George-"

"I'll see you later." He said, placing a kiss on her cheek. As pleasant as the feeling was, she was really freaking out.

Okay, Zoe, relax. So, you woke up in the bed of the guy you have a crush on with no memory of how you got there, with an engagement ring on your finger, and him apparently under the impression that you two are engaged. Nothing to freak out about. The more she tried to rationalize it in her head, the more freaked she became. Slowly, she got out of bed, looking for something to wear. Before she even got to the closet, her eyes locked on a set of pictures on the dresser. Her and George in matching caps and gowns. Her and some girls she had seen around town, wearing those bizarre, over-the-top Belle dresses. She was wearing a dress like the ones Lemon Breeland always wore, old-fashioned and fluffy and way to long for Alabama weather. Then there was her and … her heart stopped. There was her and Harley. Her father, the one she had never known, never spent anytime with, was standing with her his arm wrapped around her shoulder, smiling for all the world to see. She could see the pride in his eyes, and she felt like crying.

Her mind flew back to last night. She remembered talking with Wade, wondering what her life would have been like if Harley had raised her here. She remembered thinking about it as she fell asleep. And now … but no, that was impossible. That only happened in cheesy Christmas movies, and it wasn't even Christmas. This was just a weird situation. It was a dream, or some prank that Lemon was playing on her. Well, if it was a prank, or a dream, she could play along. She was sure to either wake up, or hear gotcha soon. In the mean time, she would just … just what? What should she do? What did you do in these situations? Maybe she should have paid more attention to those Christmas movies.

Quickly, she pulled out her phone, and checked the date. It was early September. In fact, it was the exact date she had moved to Bluebell. That had to mean something.

Still confused, Zoe went to the closet, and found a bunch of dresses that she would never wear. She looked around desperately for something else, but came up short, Sighing, she put on one of the Stepford-Wife dresses in the closet and headed out. She needed to know what was going on. If this were a dream, her subconscious would place a clue for her somewhere. If it were a prank, Lavon would be honest with her. She liked to think George was her friend, but Lemon was his fiancé and if she put him up to something … though it was hard imagining a universe where Lemon would tell George to kiss Zoe, even for the sake of a prank.

Wade groaned, reaching for his cell phone. It had been a long night. He wasn't exactly in the mood to be social, but he also wasn't in the mood to listen to his ringtone for the next hour. Answering the phone seemed like the best course of action.

"Hello?"

"Wade. Thank god. Thought you were dead in a creek or somethin' when you didn't turn up for breakfast."

Wade rolled his eyes. Lavon. He should have figured. Lavon was one of his best friends, not to mention his landlord. He was a good guy, and Wade was grateful for all Lavon had done for him, but that man could be a tad overprotective at times.

"I'm fine Lavon. Just crashed at Earl's."

Lavon hummed in understanding.

Earl was Wade's father, though he had given up that title to a large extent when he became the town drunk. Wade couldn't exactly blame him. Losing the love of his life, Wade's mother, had been too much for Earl to handle. The man had just sort of lost it, and Wade had been trying to help him find it ever since. Some times were worse than others, like early December, the anniversary of her death, or early September, her birthday. Many people forgot. Wade put on a strong front, so people didn't really give a second thought to the anniversaries where he was concerned. That was how he preferred it really. Earl was another matter though, and with Jacqueline Kinsella's birthday approaching the old man was worse than usual. Wade had spent the past night keeping the man from injuring himself in one way or another, and he himself hadn't fallen asleep until well after 5:00 in the morning.

"Well, if you wanna come by, got plenty of leftovers." Lavon said.

Wade glanced at the clock, "No. I should head to work. Thanks though."

"Sure man, any time."

There was a pause. Wade could tell that Lavon wanted to ask if he was okay, wanted to help somehow, but both men knew that there was nothing Lavon could do.

"I'll see you for dinner." Wade said, before hanging up. All he could hope for was a quick, simple day, because lord knew, it was going to be another long night.

Zoe considered going to the plantation, but it seemed risky for some reason. Better to look for Lavon in a more public venue. Aside from that, dream or not, Zoe needed something in her stomach. The ideal would be alcohol, but it was a bit early for that. Still, if she was going to take one this insanity, she needed something, preferably something caffeinated. That meant The Rammer Jammer. The question was, how to get there. It was not as though she knew where she was, but she didn't want anyone to know that she was lost. So, she followed the road as best she could.

After a few missteps, she finally saw the big light up sign indicating she had reached the local watering hole. She headed in and took a seat at her normal spot at the bar. Except Wade didn't come over. He usually served her right away, but for some reason, he was off cleaning glasses. She cleared her throat, but he didn't even look up.

"Wade!" She called, exasperated.

He turned to her, putting the glass down, and headed over. "What can I get you Miss Wilkes?" Wilkes. Miss Wilkes. The words sounded so strange. She wasn't Miss Wilkes, or was she?

"I guess you're in on this too?" She asked, doing her best to gage his reaction.

He looked honestly confused. "Uh, Sorry?"

She shook her head, "Whatever. It's fine. I'm doing good. I just-"

"You gonna order, 'cause I got other customers?" he asked impatiently.

This was too weird. Wade usually let her rant about her problems as long as she wanted. "Um, I'll have scrambled eggs and coffee." She said. What she really wanted was a glass of wine.

"Coming right up." He said. Then, he just walked away. He placed her order, and went to take someone else's. That was it. No snark, no jokes, not banter. Just, 'what do you want?' and 'coming right up.' And then he was gone. Before she knew it, Shelley placed the eggs in front of her and headed off. They were both totally ignoring her, Wade more than Shelley. It was like she was just another customer, and not a very valued one at that. Before she had another second to ponder it, she her a shriek, "Zoe, there you are." Someone said behind her. She turned to see that girl from the picture. Annabelle or something.

"Um, hi." She said, awkwardly.

"I've been lookin' for you everywhere. We were supposed to meet at The Butter Stick ten minutes ago. You're never late. I thought you'd fallen down a hole or somethin'."

"Right, and, um, this meeting is for what exactly?"

The girl looked at her like she had lost her mind, "Founder's Day. We have so much plannin' to do. The Belle's Float needs a theme, and we have so much choreography to do-"

If Zoe had ordered that drink, she would have choked. The Belles? She was a Belle? Sure, it had looked like she might be in the picture, but seriously? No. This could not be right.

"Um, you can handle that without me right?" she asked, desperately.

The girl looked like she had been struck or something, "What is wrong with you? Since when do you shirk on anythin'? You know Elodie is always lookin' for a chance to usurp you as Head Belle. Now, come on."

Head Belle. This just kept getting better and better. Sighing, Zoe got up and started to follow the girl out.

"Uh, Miss Wilkes." She heard Wade call after her.

She turned, "What?"

"You forgot to pay."

She had, hadn't she? She didn't usually give it much thought. Wade usually took care of it, "I'm not in the mood for this Wade."

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed, taking out her purse, which was clearly not designer. Zoe Wilkes had clearly never known Gucci or Prada. The thought made Zoe sad. She handed Wade a credit card, which he swiped, still looking at her like she had two heads. She headed out, following her 'fellow Belle' to the door.

"Good Evening George. Table for two?" Lemon said as politely as she could. Her maître d' ad called in sick, as had three of her servers. Normally she would have found people to replace them, but it had all come over so suddenly, she hadn't had the time. It had been a while since she had been a member of the wait staff, but she remembered how to do it. It was simple enough, like riding a bike. Still, it had been a long day, and Lemon was struggling to keep the smile on her face as she faced customer after customer. Thankfully, George Tucker was one of Bluebell's more polite, considerate residents. It was one of the reasons she had liked him so much in high school. That was ancient history now though.

"Lemon? What are you doing here?" George asked, surprised to see Lemon acting as maître d'.

"At my restaurant?"

George shook his head, "Taking care of reservations. Don't you have people for that?"

"We're understaffed today." She said, "I'm fillin' in. You an' Zoe got a reservation?"

George nodded, looking slightly anxious, "Is she here yet? I haven't been able to get a hold of her." He looked off to the side awkwardly, "She seemed a little off this mornin' actually."

Lemon gave him a sympathetic smile. She felt bad for him. Her and George weren't really friends, hadn't even resembled friends in years, but he was a nice enough guy. "I'm sure its just pre-wedding jitters." George smiled, checking his phone again. No texts. No messages. "I heard she was in The Rammer Jammer earlier. You could try there."

George seemed surprised, but nodded. Lemon understood. She had been surprised as well when she heard what happened from Wade. Zoe was a Belle, and while Belle's might hit The Rammer Jammer for the occasional glass of wine, they were more often found at The Butter Stick or Fancies. The idea that Zoe had nearly skipped out on a Belle meeting to get breakfast at The Rammer Jammer was not exactly normal. The fact that she nearly forgot to pay was also somewhat strange. Lemon didn't want to bother herself with it though. Zoe Wilkes wasn't exactly her favorite person. She hardly planned to waste time on it, especially when she was understaffed.

"Um, I'll just head over there I guess. I guess it's too late to cancel the reservation."

Again, Lemon felt for him. "You could always get somethin' to go. Wouldn't be a total waste then."

George nodded, offering Lemon a grateful smile.

This day had been far, far too long. Zoe didn't know how much more she could take. These women were insane. They put way to much importance on centerpieces, and if she even suggested that there might be more to life they would start fussing over her and making sure she didn't have a fever. She was going to The Rammer Jammer, and this time, Wade was sure as hell going to serve her. It did not matter if she had to wring his neck to get him to do it. She needed alcohol. Now!

Again, she sat in her usual spot, and again, Wade ignored her. "Wade!" She called.

He rolled his eyes and came over. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I need alcohol."

He stared at her, "Well, that was … blunt." He said, "You gonna remember to pay this time?"

Scowling, Zoe nodded. It wasn't her fault. He just usually took care of it.

He turned around and started mixing a cocktail that looked far too pink for her taste, "What are you doing?"

"Um, getting you your usual." He said, confused.

"My usual is red wine." She said, then, tilting her head, she added, "But I'm in the mood for something a little stronger. Bourbon maybe?

"Whiskey, you, really?" He asked, mystified. Then, he shrugged, and turned to get her drink, "All right. Though for the record, your usual may have wine in it, but it's usually so diluted with club soda you barely get a buzz."

Zoe snorted, downing the shot of bourbon he put in front of her. He was still standing there, looking at her curiously, "Well at least your acting somewhat normal now." She placed the glass down and motioned for another. Wade obliged, "I gotta tell you, this has been one wackadoo day."

"Isn't this a conversation you should be having with a, well, a friend?"

Zoe put the shot glass down, "Ouch."

"Hey, there you are?" Zoe turned to see George coming up behind her, "I thought we were meeting up for dinner."

Zoe blinked. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." She said, pretending like she remembered them making some sort of plans, "I just needed a drink. It's been a long day." She looked up at Wade, but he had already moved on to the next customer. Surprisingly, she was disappointed. Talking to him just now was the most normal she had felt all day.

"You couldn't get a drink at Fancies?" George asked.

Zoe shook her head, "I'm kind of beat. I think I'm going to call it an early night."

George looked disappointed, but he just said, "All right. Well, the car's outside. I got us take-out, so we can just head home if you like." Zoe nodded, unsure of what heading home entailed. How far was she supposed to take this? Sure, she wanted to be with George, but not like this. Not when he didn't know who she was. Because after everything today, she firmly believed that this was not a prank. It could be a dream, though an annoyingly long one, but regardless, she was certain that everyone in Bluebell believed she was Zoe Wilkes. George clearly did.

When they got back to his place, a place she found a key to in her purse, she quickly got in bed and pretended to fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow. She wished she really could fall asleep that easy, but her mind was going a mile a minute right now, trying to figure out how she ended up in this alternate universe, and how in the hell she was going to get home. She prayed she would wake up, and this would all just be some bizarre nightmare. The doctor in her said that that's what had to be happening. Still, somewhere deep inside her, she knew it wasn't.

Authors Note: So, what do we think of the first chapter? Good? Bad? Ugly?

Initially, I was just following Zoe, but it was too short, and not broken up very well. It seemed off, so I added some stuff. The Wade stuff is meant, in a lot of ways, to show the differences in Zoe Hart's relationship with Wade, and Zoe Wilkes' relationship with him, both to the reader, and to Zoe herself.

The bourbon is from 1x06; Zoe Wilkes' regular is partially from Lemon's regular in 2x05, partially from the fact that I wanted this Zoe to be the sort who does not drink something one can get drunk on. There is a reason for that, and it will be addressed as the story progresses.

In some ways Zoe may seem a lot like Lemon, and in some ways she is. I've always felt that Lemon and Zoe were very similar in nature i.e., stubborn, independent, bossy, controlling, abandonment issues, etc. It is more there upbringings that are different, and given a different upbringing, Zoe could be a lot like Lemon. Let's not forget the events of 2x11. Of course, there would be differences, because they are different people, and those differences will come out as the story moves along and we learn more about Zoe Wilkes.

I am grateful to everyone who reviewed the prologue, and look forward to reading your thoughts on chapter one.