Hey everyone, welcome to day 24 of the Hart of Dixie countdown to Christmas! I do hope everyone has a good Christmas eve and a good Christmas to boot!

Enjoy!

Wade rushed downstairs, he thought about taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. But someone was getting off the elevator making it perfect for him to slip on, hitting the door close button repeatedly, wanting the doors to close and to be on the first floor in a blink of an eye. He wasn't late, he still has a good five minutes before he'd even be on time. Zoe has enough to deal with what with her father showing up unexpectedly. He doesn't want to add more fuel to the stress she is dealing with, by making her think that he was using her.

He frowned to himself seeing Zoe standing by one of the windows watching the activity going on out on the slopes, some flurries falling. The way she was standing there, not paying attention to anything around her, had him guessing that just maybe she was already thinking that he got what it was he wanted from her. It crushed him to see her looking so defeated.

"What are we looking at?" Wade asked, keeping his voice light, nudging her shoulder with his.

"People getting to enjoy their time," she shrugged.

"And we're not enjoying our time?" Wade asked, getting nada from her. "Zoe, if this is about what we did yesterday, I want you to know that I wasn't using you or anything of the sort. Being friends with you was more than enough, but I don't regret what happened," he told her, wanting her to understand where he is coming from.

"I know, Wade," she smiled softly at him, leading him to their couch. No one else ever sat there and it's been the one spot they'd sat in since they'd met. "I don't regret anything that we've done, it was special and you mean a lot to me," she assured him, softly kissing his cheek. "I've had a lot of fun with you, and I'm just in my head with my dad," she slightly told him, not sure if she wants to explain everything to Wade and ruin the last few hours they have with each other.

"Talk to me, Zoe," he prompted her. "Whatever it is I want to hear about it, we became friends over you crying your eyes out on me when it came to your dad, let me be the shoulder you need once more," he urged her. He had a feeling that whatever was going on with Zoe and her dad, that it was going to linger between them until she spoke about it. He didn't mind being the shoulder she needs to get her feelings out when it comes to whatever she is dealing with.

"I'm not sorry about that," she smiled, getting a small chuckle from Wade. Why should she be when it leads her to having a best friend; one that she is going to miss immensely when she gets home to New York. In such a short period of time, she has come to easily trust him.

"I know," he winked. "Does your dad have a family hidden away or is it something else?" Wade questioned, lacing his fingers with his own. "I'm here for you," he whispered, his thumb caressing her hand.

"He's not my father," she shared, knowing that Wade wouldn't ridicule her over this. If anything she can believe that he is going to help her feel better for a little while anyway.

"Huh," Wade hummed. "I guess that explains his behavior," he said, needing to hear more from Zoe.

"It does," she nodded. "I don't think my mom was ever going to tell me. I highly doubt my dad wanted to say anything, taking the blame for my mom," she said, turning to look at him. "Get this, he wants nothing to do with me because I'm not his biological daughter, all because he can't step on the toes of my true father, who I have no idea who he is," she snorted. She can't believe the words she is saying. It's like some horribly scripted movie.

"I see that making sense, if you were told who your real father is, but being family has nothing to do with blood," Wade spit out, feeling for Zoe. He wouldn't know what to do if he was in Zoe's spot. He's fighting with Jesse, but that can easily be fixed, Zoe's family, not so much.

"Try telling that to my dad," she snorted. "I don't think my mom is going to tell me who my bio father is, because she swears up and down that no one is going to want a 16-year-old to show up in their life unannounced with such a life-changing event," she told Wade, rolling her eyes. "I think it's because she doesn't want me to know him and spend the next two years with him, in some fit of anger over her keeping such a huge lie from me," she explained.

"I'm sure she'll come around. I'm not taking her side in this, but I'm sure like you, she needs time to come to terms with everything being out in the open," Wade told her, afraid that she is going to hate him for saying what he did. "I have gotten to know you pretty well over the last few days, and I'm certain that you will figure out who your bio father is without your mom telling you anything," he told her what he had only come to know about her.

"Maybe," she shrugged. "It's going to take a while to get my head wrapped around that everything I once knew isn't true," she shared. "What's going on with you?" She asked, wanting to change the topic and get her mind off her family drama. She didn't want today to be all about her and her family drama.

"Just a little brother drama, he's enlisting, thought he didn't need to tell me, my parents forced this vacation on us to make us get along," he quickly told her. "We've sorted through it," he nodded.

"That easy?" She asked, raising an amused eyebrow at him.

"Yep, it was that easy," he shrugged. "I've come to terms with it all, and moving forward all we can do is try to work on our brotherly friendship. If not I guess it's not a great loss," he stated.

"Don't say that," Zoe admonished him. "He's your brother, of course, it will be a great loss if things don't work out," she told him, not understanding how he could be so calm with not having his brother in his life.

"It's not like we have a great bond now, so it won't hurt if we don't make amends once we leave here," he said. He's not going to dwell on the possibility of having his brother in his life or not having him in his life. He'll deal with it once it comes to a head. "Today isn't about my family problems or your family problems, they will be there tomorrow and the following days. What do you say we try to conquer the slopes one last time?" Wade asked, a small smirk on his face.

"I say, let's do it," Zoe stated, getting up, and pulling Wade with her. "I don't promise that we're going to conquer any of the slopes, but we can do our best and that is what matters, right?" She asked, not certain in what she is saying.

"It sure does," Wade nodded, leading Zoe to the rental area for the skis and snowboards.

They had managed to fall, thankfully the snow is a soft landing. They fell with laughter on their lips. It took a few hours, heck most of the day but they finally managed to conquer the slopes, smiles on their faces as they made it to the bottom of the mountain serval times. They thought about trying the harder trails, but they decided they better not, as they didn't want to fall and get hurt where they needed to be saved by a rescue crew. Once they got their fill of the slopes now that skiing and snowboarding came naturally to them, they headed inside to warm up by the fire and get a cup or two of hot chocolate.

"I guess this is goodbye," Wade said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's been fun getting to know you, Zoe Hart," he smiled, pulling her into a hug.

"It's been something becoming your friend, Wade Kinsella," she teased, hugging him tightly, not wanting to let go. She's not ready to leave this place, to leave Wade.

"That best be something good," he scowled playfully, tickling her.

"Only the best," she got out between fits of giggles. "My vacation would have bombed if not for the boy who consoled me when I was nothing more than a mere mess," she told him, once she had caught her breath.

"I believe I showed you just how much of a man I am," he teased with a wink. "Frankly, it wasn't like I had anything better to do than give comfort to who was going to fastly grow into the best friend I could have asked for," he told her growing solemn.

"I wish things could be different," she told him. "I will forever cherish the time we've spent together," she shared.

"As do I," he said, softly pressing his lips against hers. "Maybe another time, another place," he shrugged, resting his forehead against Zoe's. "Until then, it's been a real pleasure," he teased with a semi-serious tone.

"Is that so?" Zoe giggled, cupping his face with both hands. "Another time, another place," she repeated, sorrowful. "Take care, and do whatever it is that makes you happy, Wade. Promise me?" She pleaded with him.

"I will," he promised, taking a deep breath. "Take care and became the world's best doctor," he told her. "Or you know do what makes you happy, Zoe," he tacked on, wiping the lone tear that fell down her cheek.

"I can't say goodbye, Wade," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "This can't be our goodbye, can it?" She asked. How cruel was fate to bring them together for such a short amount of time, let them have this strong bond, and cut it short by sending them away to never see each other again? It can't be possible. It can't!

"For now it is," Wade nodded, wanting to take the heartbreak away from her. "Who knows one day years from now, our paths might very well cross, and that is what we can hope for while living our lives," he told her. There wasn't anything else they could do. They're teens, and having a long-distance friendship, or relationship just wasn't going to work for them.