A/N: So, I heard this song on the radio yesterday, and I realized how well it fit ZW. This is written from the point of view that Zoe hasn't returned to Bluebell yet, and she's only been in New York for a few months. None of the events in the premiere have happened yet. I wanted to explore Wade's character a bit. Throughout these first two seasons, we've seen how fragile he is. Zoe really allowed him to feel a sense of security and warmth. This fic explores that idea. Thanks for reading. :) XO.

I'm also very pleased with how fast I'm updating—I owe it to all you guys who alert, favorite, and review this story! Thanks so much for the support!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hart of Dixie or the song Without You. Maybe I'll try making a fanvideo for the two of them sometime soon.

Without You

…

He held is phone in his hand, gingerly, glancing at the clock on his bed side table. He groaned when he noted the time: 2:35 AM. He tugged the sheets off his body, shivering at the sudden exposure to the cool temperature around him. He missed the warmth her body provided his with. He missed the way she would cuddle up underneath his arm and rest her hand on his chest, stroking it delicately. He missed the way she would whisper in his ear every night, before they went to sleep, "I'm lucky to have you." He missed waking up to her and watching her sleep, watching her breathe softly. He would lightly tuck the strands of hair that had fallen to rest in front of her closed eyes during the middle of the night behind her ear, kissing her forehead after. His heart ached for her this very moment. He rolled out of bed, taking his phone with him, and planted himself on the couch in front of his television. Running a hand through his hair, he dialed her number. He didn't have to look her up in his contacts; he knew her number by heart. The dial tone rang loudly in his ear, and he could hear his breathing become sharper.

He felt a twinge of anxiety and uneasiness in his stomach. The last time he had spoken to her was when she had decided to leave for New York. It was the day he had uttered those three words: I love you. It was the day Zoe had broken his heart and returned to the place that she could call home. He didn't have time to tell her she was home for him. She provided him with the warmth and comfort his home couldn't. His mother was dead, his father was a drunk who lived on the outskirts of Bluebell, and Tansy had left him months ago. He had no one in his life to give him what he needed…what he deserved. Instead, he put on the façade of a play boy bartender whom everyone knew would instantly hit on any girl that walked into the Rammer Jammer. He didn't like the person people saw him as, but it wasn't exactly easy for him to tell people how much he hurt inside…how broken he was. No one took him seriously. They all thought he wouldn't go far in life…that he didn't have dreams…that he would never be able to settle down with someone. They were wrong.

He was fixed. He did find someone that he saw himself settling down with and loving for the rest of his life. It was the first time in a while when he felt complete again; his heart was slowly started to piece itself back together. He was able to start opening up to her, to show her the person he really was…not the person everyone thought he was. She helped him transform his image into someone greater, someone he could see himself being. He was finally able to be proud of himself and what he was working towards. And he owed it all to the one doctor who had stolen his heart the first day she arrived in Bluebell. The one girl he couldn't be himself without.

"Wade?" A smile instantly spread across his lips. It was her. He loved the way his name rolled off her lips, quietly and with passion.

"Hey, Doc," he replied, feeling the anxiety and uneasiness in his stomach start to disperse.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everythin's fine. I, uh, just wanted to hear your voice, that's all."

He looked down at his fingers that were fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"At 2:35 in the morning?"

"I missed it." His answer was the truth. He did miss her voice. He missed more than her voice. He missed being able to call her his girl. He missed being able to make her proud. He missed the way she challenged him to evolve into someone she knew he could become.

"I missed yours, too," she whispered into the mouthpiece of her cell phone, her voice barely audible. Though she couldn't see Wade, she could feel him smile on the other end of the line. That's how their relationship was. It was something special, really, that Zoe didn't share with anyone else. It was only Wade. Wade was the only person she let herself truly open up to. She knew, like everyone else, how immature he could be at times, but she also knew that behind that immaturity, there was another part of him. There was a part of him that she could trust and confide in. There was a part of him that would understand her. There was a part of him that she knew she loved.

"What are you thinkin' about? When you're quiet for this long, something ain't right," he teased.

"Shut up," she replied, feigning annoyance. "I was actually thinking about you."

"Oh?" he questioned.

"Yeah and how you were the only person that I knew I could really trust and build a connection with."

He was silent for a few seconds before simply stating, "It's been two months, Zoe."

Zoe was confused before she realized he was talking about how long she had been gone.

"I know."

Her reply was simple, but he could feel the pain and sorrow in her voice.

"I miss you. I miss us."

The line went silent. He heard her stirring in the background.

"Wade, it's past two in the morning. Do you really feel this is the right time to have this conversation?"

"We need to have it at some point or another. You can't run from me for forever you know."

Zoe sighed and let her eyelids close as she propped herself up in bed, her pillow providing a cushion for her back.

"I'm not."

God, she was so stubborn. He stood up from his spot on the couch and walked out onto his porch. He looked over the lake and let his eyes fall on her empty carriage house.

"You know what I'm doin' right now?"

"Clearly not sleeping."

"I couldn't sleep."

"Oh."

"I'm looking at your carriage house…and realizing it's been empty for a damn long time."

"I don't need you to tell me that."

"I just thought you'd like to know."

"Well, I don't. I don't need you to remind me about Bluebell and what my life there was like and how it was filled with complications, drama, heartbreak."

That word hit his heart like an arrow.

"Is that how you saw your life here?"

"Pretty much. I fell for this guy. He was engaged. I then befriended this other guy. My feelings for him deepened. We tried being a couple. He breaks my heart. I'm left to heal on my own."

"How many times do I have to apologize, Zoe? You know that I never meant to hurt you. I was in a bad place. I didn't feel I deserved your loyalty and love."

"Well, I felt otherwise."

"Then tell me, how did you feel?"

"It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. We can't change the past, Wade, no matter how much we want to."

She was beginning to drift off to sleep, but somehow hearing his voice, with that Southern accent she loved, helped her stay awake.

"You're right, we can't change the past. But, we can build a future…together."

He paused.

"Not if I stay here, in New York."

"What?"

"I'm thinking of permanently moving back here. This is where I belong. This is where I can truly be myself. This is where I call home."

He could feel Zoe's voice grow quieter with each sentence.

"Oh."

"You know that Bluebell will always have a place in my heart, though."

"Yeah..."

They were both quiet for a little too long.

"You want to know why I really called?" Wade asked, after letting the awkward silence fade away.

"I thought it was because you missed my voice."

"That's part of it."

"Okay…"

"The other part is that I can't live without you, Zoe. When you're not here, I can't sleep. I can't be the person I see myself being. You, baby, gave me the courage and support I needed. Before you I was broken and damaged. I didn't have a family to call home. Hell, I didn't even have a town to call home."

"Then what was home for you?"

"You."

Tears started to form in her eyes and she shed a few.

"Home doesn't have to be a place, Zoe. It can simply be a feeling you get when you're with someone you love. It can be the feeling of safety and comfort, and the knowledge of knowing they'll never let you get hurt or leave you."

"I felt that once."

"I did, too."

More silence.

"Dammit, I miss that feeling Zoe," Wade started, rather suddenly, "I miss that feeling I got whenever you were around me. Whenever you whispered to me, "I'm lucky to have you." Whenever you cuddled up beside me, providing the warmth and comfort I needed to feel loved. I miss, you."

He couldn't stop himself from feeling the way he felt about her…those feelings were just there. And he knew with every minute she was gone and with every minute he was without her, he wouldn't be himself, and he wouldn't have a home.

"I'm tired, Wade. I should get some sleep. It was nice hearing from you, though."

Zoe didn't want to say good-bye, but she also didn't want to continue this conversation over the phone. She wanted to see him again, face-to-face, when she was ready. She promised herself that when that day came, she would give Wade all her love and the home he yearned for, needed, and deserved. As the line went dead, Wade set his phone down softly on the patio table, and looked up at the stars.

"I loved you," he whispered to her, "And until you return to Bluebell, to me, I'll never stop."

Even though Zoe was states away, Wade knew she would get his message. He let himself doze off, and for once, he was finally able to sleep.

I won't run, I won't fly

I will never make it by

Without you, without you

I can't rest, I can't fight

All I need is you and I,

Without you, without you