Author's Note: Hi. Sorry for the wait. This chapter took a lot longer to write than I thought it would. Hopefully it was worth the wait.

To Those Who Reviewed:

Mollie, you are most welcome, and as the lateness of this chapter should imply, I know all about taking a long time to post.

I am glad you enjoyed the pond scene. It was fun to right. And I agree, Wade is very selfless. Sometimes it really hurts him, but it also makes us love him so much that we can forgive him for certain horrible events in the show that shall go unnamed.

Yeah, Wade's accidental speech to Earl was fun. It was a little hard, because it had to make sense for him to start talking about Zoe without realizing he was talking about Zoe, and then sort of get lost in it, but I am glad it seemed to work. Thank you for your review.

A, Thank you for your review, and especially for being one of the few who responded to my plea for input on Wade's plus one. AnnaBeth is definitely an interesting choice. I was actually considering her, but I did not expect anybody to suggest her. Whoever he ends up tasking though, I really appreciate that you answered my query.

I know what you mean. It always drives me crazy when they have them get together in the second or third chapter. I mean, I like them together, but the tension and the foreplay is so much fun, and the writers already robbed us of so many opportunities by having Zade get together so early in the series. Personally, I like long, drawn out, when-the-hell-are-they-getting-together-already romances. Like Luke and Lorelai in Gilmore Girls. Now there is a show that knew how to drag out a romance. And I totally agree with you about jealousy. Mistresses and Misunderstandings was one of my favorite episodes in season one, with the peanut butter and the pickles. That scene was so awesome, and how he was trying to make her jealous. Old school. I miss it. Did I mention I think the writers made them get together too soon? I'm mostly teasing. I respect the choices the writers have made, even though I would have done it differently.

Yeah, I really like Jesse. Partially because of the actor (Oliver Queen, Smallville, seasons 6-10), and I also like his character.

Thank you so much for your review.

Amber W, Thank you so much for your sweet words.

HoD, Thank you for reviewing

Guest, Thank you for reviewing and for identifying yourself. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your kind words.

Chapter Thirteen

Wade glanced at his watch. He considered walking back to the payphone and trying the Wilkes' again. It had been forty minutes since he called Zoe, and she still wasn't here. A part of him worried she was not actually coming, and that she had just said she would to shut him up, but most of him knew she wouldn't do that. She may hate him sometimes, but after everything he'd done for her … she was too good of a person to just bail on him.

Earl was passed out, snoring in the back seat of the car. Wade sighed. Sometimes, he didn't know why he'd bothered. He wondered if his dad would ever heal up. It had not even been a year yet. Maybe in time he would go back to normal. Wade hoped for it, but did not really expect it. Earl only seemed to get worse with time.

He heard the sound of tires on blacktop and got out of the car. A yellow taxicab stop within sight of his car, and a familiar petite brunette got out.

She headed over to him, and he gave her an awkward smile. He was embarrassed about the situation to say the least, but he had not had any other option.

"Hey." She said.

"You have trouble sneakin' out?"

Zoe shook her head, "I didn't sneak. I just told Harley I had to go help somebody and I would be back as soon as I could."

Wade's eyebrow went up, "He let you get away with that?" Zoe sighed, "Sorry, I'm just surprised."

Zoe nodded, "I told the cab to wait. I've never had to do anything with cars, so I don't really know how it works. We passed a gas station on the way up. It's about a mile from here." Wade groaned a little, "What?"

Wade shook his head, "Nothing. Guess we could use the exercise."

"Exercise?"

"Yes princess, exercise. Without a tow, the only way to get this thing to the gas station is to push."

"Oh." Wade waited a beat, then realization dawned on her face, "Wait, did you say we could use the exercise?" Wade nodded, "As in you want me to help you push this hunk of junk a mile and a half?"

"First off, last time you insulted her she shut down on me for the night," Zoe rolled her eyes. Boys and cars. "Second, you're here, and you came to help. This is how you help."

"I already hiked to the bus station, and I brought gas money."

"It's not that far of a walk."

"Sure, when you're not pushing a car." Zoe mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, can't the cab driver help you?"

Wade snorted, "And how much is that gonna cost me?"

"I'll cover it."

"You can't just throw money on somethin' and expect it to fix the problem." Wade snapped. Zoe looked taken aback, and Wade regretted being so harsh. He hadn't meant to, it was just … money stuff was complicated.

"I was just trying to help."

"Sorry, I didn't mean…" he put his hand to his forehead, trying to get rid of the headache he could feel coming on.

"You okay?"

Wade nodded, "Fine. Just a headache, nothin' major."

Zoe nodded, "You're doing that wrong you know." Wade looked at her, confused, "You need to massage the temples, not the forehead." He just kept looking at her, "Here, I'll show you. Watch what I do." She searched in her purse for something to hold her hair back, and once she found something, she put her hair up in a ponytail so Wade would be able to see that she was doing better. Then, she reached her hands up to the side of her head and pressed down on her temples with two fingers on each side. She started making circular motions, and then stopped, "See?" He was still staring at her like he had no clue what she was doing, "Just try it. Trust me."

Finally, Wade reached up with his hands, imitating what she did. He had to admit, it felt better than what he had been doing. He looked over at her; she was looking very smug, like a told-you-so was just on the tip of her tongue. He couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Better?" she was trying to sound innocent, but he could tell she was going for bragging and praise.

"Yeah, yeah. We pushin' this thing or what?"

"I believe I was still loitering in the "or what" category."

"Well how about you move to the behind the car category."

Zoe sighed, but finally she came around behind the car, "You take that side, do what I do."

"I think I can figure it out. It's not rocket science."

"Whatever you say." Wade said rolling his eyes.

Wade bent down and started to push the car. Zoe sighed, and then did the same. She followed Wade's lead, and was surprised when he stood up a few minutes later. Looking around, she saw that they had just pushed the car onto the grass next to the road,

"I – I thought we were pushing it to the gas station."

Wade was wearing that annoying smirk again, "I can't believe you actually did that." He said, chuckling a little.

"You said it was the only option."

"Yeah, well, it's not." She looked at him, shocked, "We're not gonna push it all the way to the station; that would be ridiculous, and not the best way to handle the situation. We just needed to get it off the road so no passing car runs it over while we're workin' out the gas issue. You really know nothin' about cars, huh?"

Her look of shock changed to a death glare, which just caused him to laugh even more. She looked around for something to throw at him. The only thing she could find were her heals. They were nice, but not insanely trendy, and besides, it would be worth it. She leant down, took of her shoe, and chucked it in his general direction.

"Whoa, hey, what are you, Mulan or somethin'?"

"What's a fourteen-year-old boy doing watching Disney movies?" she shot back.

"I'll make-out to anything."

"Excuse me?" they both turned at the voice of the cab driver, "I'm sorry, but, miss, the meter is still running, and while I'm more than happy to take the extra cash-"

"Yeah, you should probably go. Hold on." She dug through her purse, "How much?"

"Twenty-five fifty-two."

Zoe reached in her purse and took out a twenty and a ten, "Here. Keep the change."

The guy nodded. "Thank you. Good luck."

Wade just stared at her. When she turned around, she caught him, but when she asked him, he couldn't think of anything to say. What could he say? The way she just paid that money and let the guy keep the change, how she passed off thirty dollars like it was nothing, like it was chump change. He'd seen adults do that sometimes, like Dr. Breeland, but she was no older than him, possibly younger depending on when her birthday is. One thing he knew for sure, if he thought he didn't have a chance with her before, now…

"So what's this other option? And you better not jerk me around again. I have another shoe, and these things are sharp. Besides, I'm bailing you out here-"

"And what? I'm bein' ungrateful and annoyin'? Don't feel so good, does it?"

Zoe sighed, "Look, I am sorry that I am not always as grateful as I should be, but what you did was just plain mean, and it kind of makes you an asshole."

Wade laughed, "Okay. I got it. I apologize." He waited, but when Zoe didn't respond, he continued, "I'm gonna stay with the car, you are gonna take this container," he held a bottle out to her, "Fill it up with gas. You come back, we put the gas in, should be enough to get us to the gas station where we can fill her up for real."

"And you're not going because?"

"Hey, if you wanna switch places, I ain't gonna fight you, but the reason I'm stayin' back is because somebody's got to keep an eye on my dad. You want that job?" Zoe was silent, "That's what I thought."

"But how do I -? "

"Find somebody who works there, explain the situation, they'll help you out."

"Ya know, if I knew this was the plan, I wouldn't have sent the cab away."

"What's a matter? Scared of a little hike?"

"I already took a little hike." Zoe said through gritted teeth. Wade laughed, "Remind me to never help you again."

She started off, but before she could go, Wade grabbed her elbow and spun her around, "Zoe, wait." She looked confused, but she waited, "Look, I, uh, I'm sorry, okay. That prank with pushin' the car was a little mean," Zoe scoffed, "I shouldn't have … thing is, I am grateful to you, for comin' here, helpin' out, not tellin' Harley." Zoe nodded, "I guess what I'm tryin' to say is, thanks."

Zoe smiled, "You're welcome." She turned to leave, calling over her shoulder, "But we never speak of this again." Wade chuckled as he watched her jog away.

"George Tucker, I swear, if you don't take your hands off my eyes in the next ten seconds-"

"Patience, Lemon." Lemon heard George say, "Do you not know what the word surprise means?"

Lemon huffed, "Yes, it means somebody is keeping something from you, and you have to sit stewin' until they decide to put you out of your misery."

He laughed, "All right, here we go." He uncovered her eyes, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Oh my." Lemon looked breathlessly at George's surprise; a perfectly set candlelit dinner beneath the stars and the moonlight. It was a little cliché, but it was still beautiful. George had pulled out all the stops.

"And, there's more." He said, taking a basket out from under the table. Lemon tentatively opened it, "There are exactly three hundred and eighty three lemons in there. The exact number of days since I started datin' the most beautiful, most amazin', most perfect girl in all of Bluebell."

"Just Bluebell?" Lemon asked, looking up from the basket.

"Well, I mean-"

"Relax. I'm teasin'. I can't believe you did this."

"I would do anything for you Lemon." George said, walking over to her and wrapping her in his arms, "You mean everything to me."

Lemon felt herself start to tear up. She loved having George Tucker's arms around her. It felt so right. Still she could not help thinking about how easily arms opened up, how quickly the one keeping you safe can leave you defenseless. Her mother used to hold her when she was scared or upset, and Lemon had just assumed it would always be that way. She had been wrong. Her mother was no longer there to hold her. Her mother had left her. What if George chose to leave her as well? He was being so sweet, and every day she fell more and more in love with him. She did not know what she would do if she lost him; she might just break. "Well, we should probably start on dinner before it gets cold." She said, stepping out of his embrace, "It would be such a shame, after all the trouble you went to."

George stood there confused for a moment, "Um, okay." He said, walking over and holding out her chair.

Lemon gave him a fake smile. Why did he have to be such a goddamn gentleman? Why did he have to be so perfect? The more amazing he was, the more he cared for her, the more special he made her feel, the more it would hurt when he decided to leave her behind. She didn't know if she could take it.

"You should know that this dinner, is only part one of your Valentine's Day surprise."

"George, you didn't have to-"

"Are you kiddin'. I can still remember a little over a year ago, me, that scared little kid, tryin' to get up the courage to ask the mysterious, iridescent Lemon Breeland on a date."

"Oh, now, it couldn't have been that scary."

He leaned forward and grabbed her hand, "When the girl is as amazin' as you, it's downright terrifyin'." Lemon blushed and chuckled awkwardly. "And our first date, such a nightmare-"

"It wasn't that bad-"

"Come on. I got the movie time wrong, so we ended up watchin' somethin' neither of us wanted to see, I was so nervous I spent half the movie in the bathroom, and I spilled my soda on your dress."

Lemon chuckled, "Well, it was certainly memorable."

"But look at us now. A year later, you and me, still together, and closer than we've ever been." Lemon smiled, "Lemon, I've – I've been thinkin' about us a lot lately, and there's somethin' I think it's about time I said to you. It's somethin' I've known for a while, but I was too scared or, I don't know." George gulped, "Point is, I'm - I'm just gonna come out and say it. Lemon, I l-"

"I'm allergic to basil!" lemon blurted out.

"What?"

"Basil. I think this has basil. I cannot have basil. I will swell up like – whoosh." It was a lie, and a pretty weak one, but it was the only thing she could think of. She thought she knew what he was about to say, and once he said it, there was no going back. She knew she did, and a part of her had hoped he did, but if she heard him say those words, if she knew for sure that he was where she was, and then she lost him … she couldn't bare that.

"I'm sorry. I – I didn't know."

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm just sorry for ruinin' tonight. You went to all this trouble, and it looks so beautiful."

"Well, there's still desert, and then the rest of the surprise. Actually, you know what, I think we'll do desert after. Come on, I want to show you somethin'." He motioned with his head for her to follow him.

"George Tucker, if you cover my eyes again, I swear-"

"I'm not goin' to. Just come on."

Wade held the door open for Zoe. She had gone to the gas station, gotten the help of some girl who probably worked there part-time after school, and brought the bottle back. Wade gassed the thing up, and was now waiting for her to get in the car.

"I assume you wanna sit up front?" he asked, waiting.

"Why would-"

"Well, there's what happened last time you sat in the back seat of a car," Zoe blushed, "and the fact that my dad is sittin' in the back. Somehow, I don't see a New York princess like you enjoyin' sittin' next to someone with alcohol breath who is only half aware of where he is."

Zoe nodded and got in the front, "Thanks," she said, putting on her seatbelt, "Hey, how come you don't have to have him sit up here? I mean, how are you gonna poke him?"

Wade chuckled, "Nice to know you retained my little tutorial." Zoe rolled her eyes, "the good thing about my dad, he's a snorer." Wade buckle up as well, "And, if he's snorin', he's breathin'. If he's asleep, and not snorin' for some reason, then I pull over and check."

She nodded.

Lemon once again found herself staring in shock and awe, "How?" was all she could get out.

"You said how you always wanted to ride a Ferris wheel, and how it sucks that the fair stopped comin' through here few years before we were born."

She turned at stared at him, "George Tucker, you sure know how to spoil a girl."

He shrugged, "It wasn't a big deal. I just got my dad to make some calls. It's not like I built it or anything."

Lemon rolled her eyes and pulled George in for a kiss. She played with the hairs on the back of his neck as he ran his hands up and down her back. When they finally came up for air, he just grinned at her. Her heart was jumping all over the place.

"Well, let's get on this thing then." He took her hand and helped her onto the ride. Lemon had never felt so special and content in her life. She wished it could go on forever. But what if it didn't. Whenever things were going well, they just seemed to fall apart.

The ride jerked and Lemon shrieked. George grabbed her hand, "You okay? Are you scared?" she nodded. She was scared. Just not for the reason he thought, "It's okay. I'm here, I got you. I'm not goin' anywhere."

"Just to set the record straight, I think I've more than paid you back for that thing of mouthwash. What with the cab, and the gas."

Wade nodded. It was all still so awkward to him, watching how easily she could just throw out twenty-dollar bills like they were nothing because she knew she could get more. He tried not to talk about it.

Wade drove for a little bit, the silence getting to him. He reached for the radio, turning on some random station. Anything was better than the silence.

"Oh!" Zoe shrieked, causing Wade to jump, surprised.

"What?"

"I love this song!"

"And that's worth shriekin' and distractin' the driver?"

"Oh, shut up." She started singing along. Wade started laughing.

"What?"

"You got the worst singin' voice I have ever heard."

"Hey!"

"Just bein' honest." He said with a shrug. He was still smirking, "Seriously, you'd be better off pullin' a Johnny Cash and speakin' the words. Be harder to tell that you can't sing that way."

"And what, you're some expert singer?"

"As it happens, I am in a band. Play guitar and everything." Wade said proudly.

Zoe snorted, "Why am I not surprised. Guys like you are always in bands."

"What's that supposed to mean? Guys like me?"

"You know, guys who just like girls and sports and sex."

"So all guys?"

"No, not all."

"You just described all the guys I know."

"You're brother isn't like that. And neither is George."

Wade rolled his eyes, "You've known George, what, a week? Jesse even less time. What makes you think you got them all figured out?"

"They just seem more mature than that."

Wade rolled his eyes.

"Could you shut up for a minute? The songs almost over."

"What, so I can hear your oh-so-pleasant to listen to musical stylin's'?"

Zoe ignored him and started singing again. She had obviously been wrong though, because the song was not almost over. It was only half way through.

He considered changing the station, but she liked the song, and as much as he hated to admit it, he liked the smile it put on her face. Plus, it was kind of funny hearing her attempt to sing.

"That was Crush by Jennifer Paige. You're listening to 97.5 WABD as we count down the top twenty songs to snuggle up to this Valentine's Day."

"It's Valentine's Day?" Zoe asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh. I forgot." Wade nodded, "It's just everything's been so crazy lately, and it's not like I have anybody to celebrate with."

"Hey, you don't have to explain to me. Okay, the only reason I know is 'cause my dad brought it up earlier."

"You're dad?" Zoe asked, surprised.

"Yeah. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he's, uh, quite the romantic."

Zoe laughed, "So, I guess you're not really the Valentine's Day type, huh?"

"You crazy? You ask a girl out for Valentine's or even to the Sweetie Pie Dance, she'll start to think you're engaged. I do not need that drama. No thank you."

"I'm sorry, the Sweetie Pie what?"

"Oh, yeah, that's a, uh, town tradition. Doesn't usually fall on actual Valentine's, normal somewhere around it, the weekend before, or the weekend after. It's just this big, mushy, lovey-dovey kind of party that the town throws."

Zoe laughed, "You're kidding."

"God's honest truth."

"And I'm sure you always go, being such a romantic and all." Zoe teased.

"Oh yeah. I'm all over it, doin' the whole roses, chocolate's thing. Totally my style."

Zoe laughed a little, and Wade joined in, "Hey, are we laughin' at the same thing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just, ya know, are we actually agreein' here, ya know, findin' the same thing funny?"

"You're reading a little too much into that, don't you think?"

Wade chuckled. "You know," he said, after a moment or two of quiet, "You're actually not so bad when you let your hair down."

"My hair's actually up. Usually it's down."

"You know what I mean, relaxin', laugin', lettin' yourself have a good time."

Zoe shrugged, "I have a good time."

Wade nodded, "Yeah, but I mean a really good time, ya know, like where you're face is flushed and you're laughin' so hard you can't breathe."

"I have those." Zoe lied. Her voice was small. She knew it had been a long time since she had had that kind of fun.

For a minute, Wade didn't say anything. He seemed to be thinking hard about something, trying to decide what to say, or how to say something. "They'd want you to be happy, ya know?" Wade finally said. It was quiet; in fact she almost missed it. She didn't respond, "Just 'cause you made it and they didn't don't mean you gotta make yourself miserable. They wouldn't want that."

"I'm not-" Wade put one of his hands up to stop her, careful to keep the other on the wheel, "You don't gotta say anything. Take what I said or don't. Your choice."

As George helped her off the ride, Lemon let herself start to relax. She was fine. She and George were fine. He had done all this for her. She was going to be okay. They were going to be okay. George wasn't going anywhere.

"Time for dessert." He said, smiling. He went back to the car and returned with a Lemon Meringue Pie. "Lemon Breeland, will you be my Sweetie Pie?"

"Are we almost there?"

"Yeah, Harley's is just up that rode."

"Harley's? Why are we going there?"

Wade looked at her for a second, confused, but quickly shifted his eyes back to the rode, "I was gonna drop you off."

"It's not even five yet. I can stay out a little longer. I figured we'd go back to your place." Wade's eyes widened, and she could see the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, "Not like that. God, you are such a jerk."

Wade rolled his eyes, "Do you have, like, some disease where every third comment has to be an insult?"

"I don't know. Do you have a disease where every third comment has to be a lewd remark."

Wade shook his head, "No, those are pretty intentional."

Zoe smirked, "Anyway, I was talking about the project. I mean, I'm here, and I can call Harley from your place. He knows I'm with you so-"

"Whoa, wait. I thought you didn't tell him-"

"I said I had to go help a friend, and he assumed it was you." Zoe said with a shrug.

Wade's smirk came back, "So, we're friends are we?"

"I didn't say that."

"You kinda did."

"I did not."

"Wow, and you call me immature."

"You are immature."

"I'm not the one who started a 'did-not' 'did too' fight just now."

Zoe turned pink, "That's debatable." She folded her arms and slouched down a little. She was puffing air out of her nose like she was an angry animal that they put the stay away signs at the zoo up for. It was kind of cute actually.

Finally, she spoke up again, "As I was saying, since we have the time, and you're heading there, I figured we could get it out of the way."

"Finish up as soon as possible and get me out of your hair?" Wade asked, trying not to sound disappointed.

"Pretty much."

"Yeah, I guess we could do that."

"George, I … I " Lemon tried to think of the right words, "I am so sorry. I can't."

George's face fell, "You can't?" she shook her head, "I'm confused. I mean, we went last year-"

"And it was amazin', daddy scarin' the pee out of you, sneakin' into the pool-"

"And we weren't even a couple then. We had only been out a couple times."

"I know."

"So, you can go with me when we've only started dating, but now that we're together-"

"It's not like that George. Of course I want to go with you, it's just," she sat down and took a deep breath, "Look, every year since before I was born, my parents would go to the dance together. Daddy used to buy her a corsage like they were kids goin' to prom, and then Mrs. Hattenbarger would stay with me so they could spend the night at the Whippoorwill Blossom Bed and Breakfast. And this is the first Sweetie Pie Dance since she left. I – I have to be there for my dad George. He's gonna need me."

George nodded, "All right."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not. I understand that you gotta be there for your family." Lemon nodded, "Hey, maybe I could come over. The three of us could have a nice dinner, and I could help cheer your dad up."

"I don't know if he'd be up for that, but…"

"But?"

"Well, there is somethin' you could do."

"Anything."

"You could watch Magnolia that night. I can't take care of them both, and everybody who I might otherwise ask we'll be at the dance. But you won't. I mean, you wouldn't go without me, right?"

"Of course not."

"So, you'll do it?" George nodded, and Lemon threw her arms around him gratefully, causing him to chuckle.

"Crap." Wade said, slamming his hands on the steering wheel. They had just pulled in in front of his place.

"What?"

"Lights are on."

"And you're afraid of going blind?"

"No, it means Jesse's home."

"Well, yeah, it's like five thirty the afternoon."

"Yeah, well, usually I don't have car trouble so I beat him back."

"I'm still failing to see the problem."

"The problem is I gotta get my dad in the house without Jesse seein' how wasted he is."

Zoe nodded, "So, he doesn't know then."

"No, he doesn't know." Wade sighed, "Okay, here's what we're gonna do, you're gonna go up to the door and when Jesse gets it you can tell him … I don't know, you're lookin' for me to work on our project or somethin'. While he's busy talkin' to you, I'll sneak my dad in through the back way."

"You want me to be you're diversion?"

"Can't you for once just do somethin' without bein' a pain in the ass." Wade snapped. Zoe looked slightly shocked, "Sorry, I didn't mean … I'm just, stressed." Zoe just sat there, "Look, it ain't that hard, okay. I mean, you like my brother enough, you just gotta talk to him."

"I don't know. Seems kinda dishonest."

"Yeah, guess you're right. By the way, how's that internship with Dr. Wilkes goin'?"

"Point taken."

"So? Come'on, sooner or later he's gonna notice us sittin' out here, and my dad's gonna wake up."

Zoe bit her lip, "This is a one-time-thing, and you owe me big for it."

"Fine."

"Okay."

"Zoe. What're you doin' here?"

"Ouch."

"No, it's great to see you, just suprisin'."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. It's the good kind of surprise." Zoe blushed, "So, what are you doin' here?"

"Well, I was supposed to meet Wade to work on our project. I have to see how he lives and stuff."

"Ah, Great Gatsby project. Got it."

"I'm guessing you had to do it?"

Jesse nodded, "Couple years ago."

A couple years ago? What grade was Jesse in? She knew he was Wade's older brother. He certainly looked older. God, as if she wasn't nervous enough about their date. He was probably all experienced. What if he wanted to have sex? She was not at all ready for that. Zoe had never even kissed a boy before. She wouldn't even know how. What if she did it wrong?

"Zoe?"

"What?" she asked, her head snapping up.

"I asked if you'd like to come in and wait."

That depends, had Wade snuck his dad in yet? "Um, I'm good here."

"In the doorway?"

"Yeah, well, I like the fresh air. In fact, it's, it's a beautiful day, why don't you come out too?" Zoe's eyes widened, "I mean, come outside, not come out like gay come out. Not that there's anything wrong with coming out, or being gay, it's just that you're not, and I'm not, what I meant was-"

Jesse started to chuckle, "I get what you mean."

Zoe bit her lip, embarrassed, "Sorry."

"You got nothin' to apologize for."

"So, what do you say? You want to come outside, maybe take a walk?"

"Don't you have to work with Wade? You might miss him if we take a walk."

"You're better company anyway." Zoe said with a shy smile, which Jesse returned with one that was less shy but just as kind.

"All right, just let me go grab my coat and-"

"No!" Jesse looked at her, surprised, "I mean, this is Bluebell. You don't need a coat. Do you want to get heat stroke? And what about Vitamin D? Did you know that since the invention of sunscreen combined with the publicizing of the dangers of skin cancer, the amount of Vitamin D most people get has gone down drastically?" Great. Now she sounded like an encyclopedia. He probably thought she was boring and a know-it-all. And she wasn't even a know-it-all who actually knew it all because she couldn't even give him any actual statistics. God, why am I such an idiot? I am going to murder Wade for this.

"All right, come on, here we go." Wade said as he hoisted his dad out of the car. Earl was starting to come to, which meant he could help, but it also meant he could be a major pain.

"Who were you talkin' to?"

Wade humphed as he tried to get his dad through the kitchen door, "You! Tryin' to get you to move or help-"

"No, in the car. You were talkin' to somebody."

Wade sighed, "Dad, can you just - "

When Wade finally got his dad to the kitchen door, he realized it was locked. He had the keys, but getting them out meant letting go of his dad, who needed more supervision than a three-year-old.

"Dad, I'm gonna put you up against this wall here. Don't wander off. Don't go to sleep. Don't … just don't do anythin', okay?" He propped his dad up against the side of the house as he got out his keys and unlocked the door. His dad, it seemed, had dozed off, which meant he was like a sack of potatoes, but he had not been helping much before anyway, and at least now, Wade did not have to worry about him struggling and making things difficult.

He could hear the voices coming from the living room, Jesse and Zoe. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but she was keeping him distracted, which was what mattered.

"So, you ever go for walks like this in New York?" Jesse asked.

Zoe smirked, "Not really. Exercise was more a go-to-your-local-gym-thing."

"Well, it seems like the gym worked for you." Zoe blushed, "Maybe I should look into it; get myself into better shape."

"Believe me, that is so not necessary." Jesse raised an eyebrow at her questioningly and Zoe's face grew even redder. Did I just say that out loud? "I just meant, um, that, well, you have the great outdoors here, so, you, you wouldn't need it." she stammered out, trying to cover her tracks.

"Yeah, I guess your right."

Zoe sighed in relief. She was not sure if he had bought her cover, or was just letting her off the hook to be nice. Either way, she was grateful. His brother, she knew, would never have let her off the hook. Wade would have pounced on that comment if she had made it to him, saying something about how she had noticed his body, and how he would be more than willing to show her how 'in shape' he was. It would have been cocky and flirtatious and annoying and … wait, why was she thinking about Wade right now?

"Um, we do get some outdoors though; it's not like we live in some secluded bomb shelter. I mean, there's Central Park and the Bronx Zoo. Both make for really fun daytrips. Only, with the Bronx Zoo, you have to pay attention to time of year, because the exhibits you can see change. It would be a shame to psych yourself up to see something and then go and find out it's been hibernating and is not open for display… Not that the animals are, like, put on display, I mean, zoos have gotten way more humane than they used to be. They recreate the habitat and the climate with weather machines and things so the animals feel right at home and have room to roam. Oh god, that rhymed. I swear that was not intentional. Am I talking too much?"

Jesse chuckled, "How about this, if you do somethin' wrong that you should apologize for, I'll tell you, and until then, just assume that you haven't stepped on any major mines."

Zoe nodded awkwardly, "Sorry, I'm just, not very good at this."

"What? Going for a walk?"

Zoe laughed, "No, I'm great at that. I'm an old pro when it comes to walking. Been doing it since I was three years old."

"Not to brag but, I had it down at two."

She laughed again, "I just meant that I can be … socially inept, sometimes."

"I don't know. I think – I think you're better at it than you think you are."

Zoe smiled, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They walked quietly for a little bit, "So, two huh?"

"Yeah. Guess I bloomed early."

"I learned to read at five." Zoe tried.

"Four and a half." Jesse said proudly.

She thought for a minute, "How about telling time? I got that down by five too."

"Yeah, that, uh, that one took me a little longer." He said, embarrassed.

"How much longer?"

"I'd rather not say."

Zoe laughed, "Come on. You have to. I won't mock, I promise."

Jesse took a deep breath, "All right. Seven and a half."

"No!" Zoe said, her eyes almost as wide as her smile.

"It's true. I was slow on that front. But, I was potty-trained by four."

"Three." Zoe said proudly.

Jesse smirked.

After what seemed like forever, Wade finally got Earl situated. Neither Zoe nor Jesse were in the house, which was a little strange, but he figured he would just sit and wait. He poured himself a glass of juice and sat on the couch in the living room. Then he heard the sound of the key in the lock, and voices.

"Are you calling me a liar?" he heard Zoe ask playfully.

"I just think it's a little young to have fractions down by. They don't even start teaching them until third grade."

"Well, my dad was a doctor. He wanted me going into first grade knowing my stuff."

"All right, how about the alphabet? 'Cause for me it was five."

"Six." He heard Zoe say grudgingly. "But in my defense, it was a very recent six. Like, my birthday had just been a couple months before."

"Jess." Wade called, "That you?"

Jesse and Zoe made their way into the living room. They looked flushed and happy, "Hey. You had a very pretty girl waitin' on you earlier." Wade notice Zoe blush and look down, "Don't worry though, I kept her warm for you."

"How charitable of you." Wade said sarcastically as he stood up.

"Where were you anyway? I figured you would be back here over an hour ago."

"We, uh, just had some car trouble. No big deal."

"Ya know, I think this family should invest in a new car." Jesse said.

Wade rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure Jess. We'll get on that right after we pay off silly stuff like the heating and water bill."

"Geez, you sound like dad."

Wade looked down awkwardly, "Well, Wade, um, the reason I came over was for us to work on our project, so, we should probably get on that." Zoe said. He knew she was trying to change the subject. He was partially grateful, partially annoyed.

She turned to Jesse, "It was, um, it was nice walking with you. And talking with you." She said nervously, then, she winced, "God, I just did that rhyme thing again, didn't I?" she looked down awkwardly and bit her lip. It was weird for Wade to see her so awkward. She was never like that with him. In the short time he had known her, she had always said what was on her mind … except when she was doing that silent thing. But she certainly never got all awkward and shy and embarrassed like she was being with Jesse.

"Hey, don't sweat it. I like a good rhyme every other time."

She smiled gratefully, "You're sweet." Sweet? She thought Jesse was sweet? How the hell was he sweet? This is the guy who used to dunk his head in the toilet for fun. Wade wondered how sweet Zoe would find Jesse if she knew that.

"Hard not to be around you Miss Hart." Oh, come on. That was so cheesy. Zoe's too smart to fall for a line like that; she'll see right through it.

Except she didn't. Zoe blushed and brushed a piece of hair out of her face, "Well, um, I, um, I guess I'll- I'll see you later?" Stuttering? She was stuttering now? Jesse really made her so nervous that she stuttered? "Saturday, I mean. Right, that was -"

"Yeah, Saturday." Jesse said, chuckling. "And I'm looking forward to it."

She blushed even harder, which Wade wouldn't have thought possible. Then, Jesse leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Wade watched in horror as Zoe's eyes went wide in surprise and her blush increased even more. He felt his fist clenching; he wanted to punch Jesse's lights out so bad right now. He wasn't sure what bugged him more, seeing Zoe turn to mush as opposed to being the strong, annoying, opinionated girl he was coming to know, or knowing that it was somebody other than him turning her into mush. He didn't like seeing Jesse all over Zoe, or how he was making her all blushy and girly, and he really didn't like the fact that the odds were nine to one that Jesse was only doing this to mess with him, which was beyond unfair to Zoe.

Jesse glanced at Wade, a challenging sort of look in his eye. He wanted a reaction, that much was obvious. He was wearing a smirk that said, 'I just did what you've been wanting to, and I dare you to tell me I'm wrong.' He kind of was. Wade wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss Zoe on the cheek, but the fact that Jesse got to, that Zoe let him!

He tried to keep his face neutral. He was not going to give his brother the satisfaction of knowing that he got to him. "Wade." Jesse said, nodding in his direction, and then heading to his room. Zoe just stood there, frozen. Wade felt like he might hurl from the look on her face. She was still blushing, and she had a strange, goofy sort of half smile on her face.

"Zoe."

She looked up startled, like she had forgotten he was there. Which she probably had, "Hm?"

"We doin' this or what? Come on, my room's this way." He tried to keep the bitter annoyance from his voice, but he knew that it was coming out anyway. Wade wasn't always so good at hiding what he was feeling. He really needed to work on that.

Zoe took the room in, and her first reaction was pretty much, ick. The bed was unmade; there were socks everywhere, dirty towels, and piles of laundry. The whole place was disgusting. "So, this is your room?" she asked, trying to keep the judgment from her voice. Based on the look he gave her, she was not all that successful.

"I wasn't expectin' company, okay? It's not like I get a lot." Zoe snorted, "What?"

"It's just, I would have figured this bed would get a lot of traffic."

Wade rolled his eyes, "I don't usually bring girls back here." he said as he started shoving socks under the bed so she had room to move around.

"Why not?" He gave her an are-you-kidding-me sort of look. "Your dad?" he didn't answer, which she took as a yes.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm going to need room to move around." Wade sighed and started shoving more stuff under the bed. Zoe rolled her eyes and carefully made her way to his closet. It was mostly just shirts and jeans, all of which were worn and basically looked the same. Hoping to find something of substance, she pushed the shirts back and began exploring.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Wade said from his place by the bed.

"What do you know about Ruby Jeffries?"

He stood and turned to face her, "Ruby? Um, senior, head cheerleader, Pageant Queen, female lead in all the school plays, doin' long-distance with Lavon Hayes-"

Zoe spun around, "Wait, she knows Lavon Hayes? As in the linebacker for the Crimson Tide?"

He stared at her, surprised, "How do you-"

"I used to watch with my dad. Whenever a player got injured, he would explain to me what happened to them and what the doctors would have to do to fix it. He would make charts and diagrams. I learned a lot about sports injuries that way."

"Sounds … fun."

"Yeah." It had been. But that had been before everything had happened. Don't go there Zoe. Don't think about it.

Zoe cleared her throat and turned back to the closet, "So, um, you were saying? Ruby Jeffries."

"Right, well, like I said, she's a popular senior. She also happens to be Lemon's mortal enemy, so if you were thinkin' of hangin' out with her for some reason, I would strongly advise against it unless you want to be murdered in your sleep."

"Actually, Lemon was the one who wants me to hang out with her. Something about being a spy."

"Ah." It was a simple word, but the way Wade said it gave the impression that he understood her predicament.

"Yeah. Any clue how I can get out of it without, you know, getting murdered in my sleep?"

He shrugged, "Well, I can talk to her if you want. I don't know if it'll help but-"

"Thanks."

"So, now you owe me again." He said cockily.

"Actually, you still owe me for distracting Jesse, so this is just payment."

"You didn't seem to mind a minute ago. Almost seemed like you enjoyed it," he said sort of bitterly.

"So?"

Wade paused, and then started shifting uncomfortably, "Listen, Zoe, uh about Jesse, I feel obligated to warn you. I'm, I'm not sure that he … well, that he likes you as much as you may think."

"What do you mean?" Zoe asked curiously.

He stood there awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck, "It's just, you seem kind of into him, and, I don't know that his intentions with you are all that … honorable."

"You mean he plans to try and kiss me before proposing marriage?" Zoe asked in mock shock, "Unthinkable!" She giggled a little. She couldn't help it. Sure, she wasn't as 'experienced' as Wade, but did he really think she was that stupid? Suddenly, it stopped being funny. In fact, it was starting to piss her off.

"Listen, I'm just tryin' to warn you-"

"I'm not some innocent lost lamb that you have to protect. I've taken Sex Ed., I've read the pamphlets, I've heard the whole, 'boys only want one thing speech,' and honestly, I'm kind of surprised that you of all people would be giving me a lecture about it."

He sighed in agitation, "That's not what I meant. I just, I know my brother, okay, and I just think you should be careful. He may not be interested in you for the reasons you think."

"What other reasons could he be interested for?" Wade didn't say anything, "Look, I appreciate the whole big brother overprotectiveness thing and all, but I can take care of myself."

"Whatever you say." He said before continuing his attempt to tidy up. She thought that was it, but then Wade started up again, "Except, you seem pretty green when it comes to this stuff."

"I'm not green!"

"Isn't that why you wanted to double? 'Cause you didn't know-"

"I may not be as experienced as, oh, say, you, but that doesn't make me green." Okay. Now she was stretching the truth a little. She had zero experience. But she had read things and watched ShowTime. She had had 'the talk' and taken health class. She wasn't ignorant.

"I saw you out there. Blushing like some pathetic school girl, stutterin', tryin' to string sentences together." Zoe felt her face getting hot. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment, she wasn't sure, "You may know the facts about what guys want, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to remember them when you're with a guy you like and you're heads all fuzzy. It's a lot easier to remember to say no in a classroom than in a movie theatre."

"What, you think I'm just some … some slave to my hormones? Some girl who can't think straight because she's standing near a guy?"

"Out there you were."

"Who asked you?"

"You just did."

"I didn't start this."

"I'm just tryin' to look out for you."

"I never asked you to do that either!"

"No. Harley did, remember? And I just thought you should know that Jesse isn't as honorable and innocent and sweet as he may come off."

"Well, thank you for that warning! I'll try to remember it when my dumb girly brain is all fuzzy!"

"I never said you were dumb. You're not. Annoying, yes, but not dumb. But this isn't about smarts, its about experience, and sweetheart, you have about as much experience in this department as that queen who was famous for being a virgin."

"You mean The Virgin Queen; Elizabeth the first?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, as far as she's concerned, that was just the reputation she cultivated, and while she never married, she was supposedly very promiscuous and concupiscent."

"When did this become a history lesson?"

"You brought her up."

"I was trying to make a point!"

"Yeah, I get it, you think I'm all virginal and pure."

"You're more than welcome to prove me wrong." He gave Zoe a slightly suggestive look. She just rolled her eyes and turned back to the closet.

"Can we just drop it? Please. My throat's getting sore from yelling."

"And what's the prescription for that? Shutting up and admitting you're wrong?"

"Shut up."

"I'm just askin'. You are a future doctor after all."

"You know, for somebody who accused me of always picking fights, you do your fair share of starting them." Finally, Zoe found something other than piles of dirty clothes. It was a box stuffed way in the back. She dragged it out and blew the dust off. "What's this?"

Wade shrugged, "Just a bunch of old crap I never got rid of."

"Why? Is it sentimental?"

"Nah, I was just lazy."

Zoe made her 'why-am-I-not surprised' face and opened the box, coughing on the dust the came out.

"You want some water?"

"Sure. Thanks."

Wade stared in the bathroom mirror, trying to calm himself down. Why had he pushed the Jesse issue? What had he been thinking? Sighing, he filled a Dixie cup with water and headed back to his room. She was sitting on the bed looking through something.

"What'd'ya find?" he asked, handing her the cup.

"So far, just a bunch of old yearbooks." She held it up for him to see. It was from fourth grade. He nodded and she put it back on her lap and continued flipping through pages, "So far, there's nothing all that … wait, what's?"

Wade saw it the same second she did. The flash of pink stuck in-between the pages. Shit! He had forgotten that that was in there. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the book from her, snapping it shut.

She looked up at him questioningly, "You're right. Yearbooks, nothing all that interestin' in 'em."

"Uh-huh. That why you grabbed it so fast?"

"I just don't think you should waste your precious time on somethin' so insignificant."

She reached around him and tried to grab the book, but he kept it out of her reach, "What's so horrible in there?"

"Nothing."

"Then let me see it!" She was still grabbing for it, and Wade could tell she wasn't letting this go. Finally, he sighed and handed it over. She opened up to the page with the pink, heart shaped card. It was nothing special. Just a piece of paper with the words:

Happy Valentine's Day, ~From Taylor

"Who's Taylor?"

Wade shrugged indifferently, "Just some girl from my class."

"She gave you a Valentine?"

"It's not a big deal, okay. You remember how it goes in elementary, everybody gives everybody valentines."

"Okay, but, you kept it."

He shrugged again, "I told you, I never got around to junking this stuff."

"It was stuck between the pages. There aren't any other Valentines from kids in your class." She scanned the page until she found a picture of a pretty girl with strawberry blonde hair and a big toothy smile. The name said Taylor Jennings, and their was a big black X drawn across her face, "Is this her?" Wade nodded, "Who was she?"

"Just, don't make a big deal, okay?" Zoe nodded, "She was the first girl I … well, my first crush I guess."

"Awww."

"Don't do that."

Zoe sat up straight and put on a serious face, "Sorry. Continue."

"What's there to say? She was a nice girl. Pretty, smart, polite. And I liked her." He was praying she would drop it. He really did not want to go into it. He should have known better.

"And the X?"

Wade sighed. Looks like he was going to have to tell the whole story, "Taylor was nice to everybody. She was always smilin' at people and helpin' 'em out with stuff. One time, I got a bad grade on a paper and she talked the teacher into lettin' me do extra credit to make it up." He smiled a little, remembering. Then, he held up the card, "When she gave me this, I got a little excited. I mean, I knew she probably gave them to everyone, but still … there was this Valentine's party one of the kids was havin', and it was a boy-girl party, even though in elementary, you never did more than hold hands and stand around all awkward. There was a rumor goin' round that Taylor liked someone, and that she was plannin' to ask him to the party. Supposedly, she even baked him cookies. So, when I got the valentine, I thought maybe she was thinkin' of askin' me." Zoe was looking at him enthralled. He had no clue why she was so interested in this story. Being interested in him, he wouldn't mind, but this story? "Tucker and I were hangin' out outside school, and she walked up to us carryin' this tray of chocolate chip. They were homemade and still smelled warm. She smiled at us, and I got all nervous and sweaty. Then she turns to George and gives him the cookies. George knew I was sort of into her, so he turned her down of course, but … anyway, that's why her face is crossed out. As for the valentine, I don't know why I hung onto it. I guess I couldn't bring myself to throw it out at the time, and then I just forgot about it."

"Wow. That's so sad."

Wade got up from the bed, "Yeah, well, it was a long time ago. And I got used to it."

"Got used to what?"

Wade shrugged, "You know, the role I have." She looked at, curious, "Guy like George Tucker, they're the guys girls want to go to dances with and date. Guys like me, we're the kind girls want to sneak off for a romp in the sheets." He shrugged again, "Like I said, you get used to it. Not like it's a big deal."

She was still looking at him curiously, "That's gettin' kind of creepy. You gonna say somethin' or?"

"Sorry, it's just … I can't figure you out."

That made him smile, "I didn't know you wanted to."

"I don't like things I don't understand, and you-"

"Yeah, I'm a regular Rubik's Cube." She shot him a smile.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Hey." Jesse. Talk about your unwelcome intruder.

"Can we help you?"

"Um, Harley Wilkes is on the phone for Zoe."

"Shoot." Zoe shot up, "Um, where's the-"

"I'll show you. Come on."

Author's Note: Okay, so let's see. First off, I didn't remember until after posting the last chapter that cellphones were uncommon in the nineties, so I added in a payphone.

Second, I know absolutely nothing about cars. I asked multiple people what they would do if their car ran out of gas a mile and a half from a gas station, and 90% of them said they would just call AAA. I finally found somebody who knew about going to get a thing filled and coming back, but by then, I had already written about pushing the car, and I liked some of the lines, so I decided to keep it in and have Wade mess with her. It seemed kind of mean though, so when I found out that you might push a car off the road to stop it from getting hit, I changed it again. I think it is less mean this way. Because Wade is not mean. He teases, but he is not mean.

I wanted to break up the Zoe/Wade scenes with George and Lemon's Valentine's Day, but it took some time for me to figure out what they should do. I know over a year may seem like a long time to go without having said the L word, but they have not actually been a couple that long. That is how long ago George asked her out, and I figured they would date for a bit before he would ask her to be his girlfriend. Also, George is a good, honorable guy, so I don't think he would say it until he was sure. He is also young, and this is his first relationship, so he's never said those three words to a girl before, and it can be really scary, especially the first time. I feel like Lemon and George would pace themselves; relationships are not a race. If you disagree, feel free to let me know.

The parts about Brick intimidating George, and George and Lemon sneaking into the pool, and Brick's tradition with his wife all were mentioned in the show. Thank you Hart of Dixie wikia.

It took me a while to find a radio station for Alabama in the nineties that might be playing something for Valentine's Day, but WABD. It started in seventy-three, and it plays top 40. I do not know if it played crush on Valentine's Day, but I looked at songs from the nineties again, and I wanted to find something appropriate for Valentine's Day, but at the same time, not too romantic, if that makes sense. If it was to romantic, I think Wade would have just turned it off. I do not know if Zoe likes that song, but I do, and it was popular then.

I also checked to make sure "Mulan" had come out by then, and it had. Good movie.

As for Queen Elizabeth, I cannot site anything for that, because I do not remember where I learned it. The truth is I have been obsessed with Queen Elizabeth since I was a little kid. You know how people ask you, if you could go back in time, who would you want to meet? Guess my answer?

I know we did not get to the double date. There was no time. However, I really, really would like to know who you guys think Wade should take. I am not picking until I get at least five more suggestions. That means either I won't update, or I'll just keep stalling the date. Either way, please, PLEASE tell me who you think he should take! So far, we have one vote for AnnaBeth, and two for Tansy. Feel free to get creative. Predictability is the enemy or writing.

I came up with the Taylor story a while ago. I was trying to figure out how to have it make sense for Wade to open up so easily, but he is younger so he is not as good at hiding his feelings, and I also feel like Zoe and him have this sort of understanding about each other's secrets.

Also, does anybody else think that Hart of Dixie should come out with a CD of all the songs the characters sing throughout the show? Lily Ann's Run from Wade, You Disgust Me, and Why Don't He Ever Wear A Shirt, Scott Porter's Jolene, Ramblin' Man and The one he sang in New Orleans, Tom and Wanda's Islands in the Stream, Lemon's You're The Top, the song Magnolia sang at Bluebellpalooza (I have no clue if that is spelled right). I mean, they have some seriously talented people on that show, and sure, you can get most of those songs by other people (Except Lily Ann's which you cannot find anywhere. Believe me. I've checked) but I like the way they do it. I really think they should consider coming out with a soundtrack like that. Most shows do soundtracks with the background music, and don't get me wrong, they have good background music, but you can find those other songs other places. I want to listen to Scott Porter, Jamie King, Ross Philips, Mallory Moye, Claudia Lee, etc. I can't be the only one out there who wants this, right?

Okay, well, I think that's all I have to say. I hope you liked this chapter, and please review, especially if those reviews contain suggestions for who Wade should take on the double date.