A/N: Thanks for all those lovely reviews, peops. Isn't it great when Wade & Zoe are just so together and happy? I love this part! :) Still lots of other stuff to happen yet though...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 15

Zoe Hart wasn't much for making New Year's resolutions. As far as she was concerned, if there was something in her life that she needed to change, there was no point in waiting for some arbitrary date in the calendar to do it. Better to strike while the iron was hot and just make it happen already. All that being said, when it came to her first new year in Bluebell, her mind was on things she might just be regretting, and it didn't take long for Wade to notice.

"You know, you've been looking all moony-eyed like that since last night," he told her from across the bar. "Penny for 'em, doc," he said of her thoughts, pouring a glass of wine and pushing it towards her.

"I was just thinking about all this new year, new start stuff. You know, moving forward and looking to the future and everything," she explained, her finger moving around and around the edge of her wine glass. "I don't know, all I seem to keep doing is thinking about the past, the one I don't have."

Wade was frowning when she glanced up at him then. "Okay, you lost me," he admitted. "The past you don't have?"

"With my family, my real family," she told him. "I never got to meet Harley, not really, and even though he has pictures all over his office of so many relatives, I don't know any of them. It's like I don't belong at all."

Anybody who didn't know Wade Kinsella too well would probably think he didn't have a serious side. In fact, Zoe was pretty sure some people who did know him well might believe as much, but she knew better. Not everything was a joke to Wade. When it mattered, he knew how to be kind and sweet and helpful. It was just another thing that Zoe loved about him.

"Okay, hold that thought," he said, disappearing from her view within a second.

Zoe barely had a chance to wonder what was going on before he was back again, holding out a hand to her as he exited from behind the bar.

"Well, come on, girl," he urged her, smiling when she grabbed a hold of his hand and let herself be led outside into the bright mid-afternoon Alabama sunshine.

Though she asked where they were going, Zoe really didn't get a straight answer.

"To get you what you're missin'," was all Wade told her as he carried on leading the way into town square and then on further, arriving at last by the side door of the practice. "Right this way, doc," he urged Zoe, the moment she stopped walking, taking her all the way into her office that still bore Harley's nameplate on the door, even now.

"Wade, seriously," she complained at being dragged into there. "What are you doing?"

"Like I said, Zoe Hart," he said, letting go of her hand to take a gentle hold of her shoulders and encourage her to sit down on the front edge of her desk. "You just told me you had no past, no family connections. That these walls here are covered in a million relatives you can't ever know. Well, we are about to do somethin' about that."

She opened her mouth to say something, to question exactly what he meant or maybe even protest at how he was taking what she was saying and making a bigger deal that it really was. She realised there was no need, as Wade pointed at one photograph and then another, telling her the name of the person pictured and everything about them that he knew. It was like something from the history channel, but much less boring, and so very relevant to her own life.

"Now, this is where I'm gonna start to come unstuck a little bit," said Wade then, rubbing his chin. "I only go so far back and I didn't know ol' Harley as well as some others did, so there are gonna be some holes in even my knowledge," he explained, staring hard at a seemingly very old photograph of an even older couple.

"Well, I'd say this would be the part where I might step on in," said a voice from the doorway.

Zoe looked over at Brick and immediately hopped down from the desk, feeling too much like a teenager caught out by her father. Not that she and Wade had been doing anything wrong. Not that she looked to her partner in the practice as family so much, though they were getting along a lot better these days.

"Wade was just trying to cheer me up," she explained. "I was feeling a little... disconnected, I guess? I mean, all of these people are related to me, right?" she said, making vague gestures at the photo-covered walls.

"Some of 'em, not all," Brick told her as he considered the display. "For instance, that fine upstanding gentleman right there by Wade's head? He's not a Wilkes. In fact, he was a president," he explained with a smirk. "Of course, this one right here, now he is a relation," he went on, walking over to point at a different picture. "Well, sort of, anyway. That's Harley's cousin Olin, only he's not really a cousin. See, his mom - your Grandma Claire - she took him in when they were kids, so it was like they were related. He lives in Japan now, retired over there."

Zoe moved closer to the display on the wall, standing close by Wade and smiling as his arm went automatically around her shoulders. Her eyes went to Brick and she smiled at him. "Can you tell us more?" she asked hopefully. "Wade was trying, but he's not as... well, he hasn't been around as long as you, so he can't know everything about these people."

Brick sighed and glanced at Wade. "I'm sure you did your best, son," he told him, patting him on the shoulder, "but I doubt anybody knows quite as much about Harley's family as I do. So, here, let's see what we can tell you about... Well, here we are, that right there is your Grandma Claire, and her second husband, Guy, only he pronounced it 'Gee' 'cause he was French Canadian, but no one around here obliged him..."

It was almost a magical experience for Zoe to stand there between the two guys, hearing tales of her biological father and his sprawling family tree. They knew so much, most especially Brick, but Wade had his fair share of anecdotes too, even if they were just small but fond remembrances from his childhood. Zoe started to feel like she was really a part of something, as she heard about it all, even discovering that Harley had lived in Alaska for two years, alongside so many other amazing facts.

"Of course, all this is the Wilkes that have passed on or have moved far away," said Brick at last, gesturing once again to the vast collection of pictures in front of them. "If you really wanna get to know your family, Zoe, I would suggest you concentrate on the living."

"Do I have many living relatives?" she asked curiously.

"Good gosh, yes."

"I'll say you do, doc," Wade agreed, one hand rubbing the back of his neck "I just wasn't sure if that was the direction you wanted to go in. There aren't so many Wilkes around Bluebell these days, but Lillian is damn near crawling with them."

"Practically an infestation," Brick agreed easily, "which is not meant as an insult," he added fast, clearly having realised how it sounded. "The Wilkes are fine people, there just happens to be an awful lot of them in that one town is all."

Zoe was more blown away by that news than by anything she had heard about the Wilkes clan up to yet. She wasn't sure why she ever thought there wouldn't be plenty of family for her to meet in Alabama, just because Harley himself was gone.

Before she could blink, Brick was listing off brothers and sisters of Harley's own that would therefore be her aunts and uncles by blood. Wade had knowledge of a few potential cousins that he recalled from his school days and Zoe suddenly felt the need to sit as her head spun a little.

"You doin' okay there, doc?" asked Wade, watching her sink down to the edge of the desk once more.

"Sure, I'm just... It's kind of a lot," she admitted then. "I mean, I never thought about it. Obviously, Harley would have living family as well as all the older people who are gone. I have aunts and uncles. Cousins in all shapes and sizes, I guess."

"I should say so." Brick nodded his agreement. "But you know, you don't have to go meeting them all at once. That would be a little overwhelming for anybody, I shouldn't wonder."

"Agreed," said Zoe without pause, "but I'd like to meet somebody. Maybe just one aunt or uncle?"

"Hmm, let me see now. There's your Aunt Maureen," Brick considered, "but she's... well, respectfully, she can be a little much to deal with straight off, and you might not be exactly what she would be expectin' in a niece."

"Yeah, he has a point, Zoe," Wade considered. "Unless you were thinkin' of joining the Belles, I'm not so certain you and old Maureen Wilkes would hit it off so well. Hey, but I'll tell you who'd prob'ly love to meet with Harley's daughter. How about Brando?" Wade asked Brick with a grin.

"Oh, my gosh, yes. I'll bet Brando would just love that."

Zoe shook her head and stood up from the desk again. "Hold on a second, I have an Uncle Brando? Seriously?"

"Well, no, not really," Brick explained. "His name is... well, you know, I think I have plum forgotten his real name. Everybody always calls him Brando."

"On account of his impression of The Godfather and all," Wade explained. "'Course it ain't that great, but nobody wants to tell the ol' guy that. He's the decent kind, Zoe, you'll like him a lot. Prob'ly as close as you'll come to meeting Harley himself."

"I can't argue with that," said Brick thoughtfully, before suddenly snapping his fingers. "Vernon!" he declared loudly. "Brando Wilkes' real name is Vernon. You know, I'll bet I can rustle up his number and address, no trouble at all. Just give me a minute."

He was gone in a flash and Zoe felt her head start to swim a little again. She leaned into Wade and was glad of the support he leant her. "I'm going to meet my uncle. My real live blood uncle. That's so..."

"Good? Bad?" Wade tried.

Zoe shook her head. "Amazing, but weird, I think," she went for in the end. "I don't know, I mean, I wanted to know more about my roots, but I was thinking about Harley and all the pictures. I just don't know how it never occurred to me there would still be family around that I could meet. I just hope this Uncle Brando likes me."

"C'mon, doc, he's gonna love you. Who wouldn't?" he asked with a playful grin, and yet, she knew he meant it too.

"Thank you, Wade," she said then, leaning up to kiss him quickly on the lips.

"What for?"

"For trying to fill me in on my family tree. For thinking of Brando Wilkes. For... everything, really. I don't know what coming to Bluebell would have been like for me if you hadn't picked me up off the side of the road that day and tried to be my friend, but I can't imagine it would have gone this well."

"Well, you are more than welcome, Zoe Hart," he told her, returning the favour by planting a kiss on her lips that lingered just long enough, Brick saw.

"Really?" he said, trying to look stern, but not doing very well at it somehow. "So, here are Brando's details. I suggest you call first. He's not getting any younger and I don't want the shock of you just showing up causing a medical emergency that we all have to deal with."

"Thank you, Brick. I promise to use this responsibly," she said, partly teasing in her tone, "but seriously, thank you for everything today. I really appreciate it."

"Well, you may have seemed like an uppity little New York miss when you first came here," he said, a smile pulling at his lips, "but the more I know you, the more I see the Wilkes blood in you. I don't mind that one bit."

If Zoe didn't know better, she would think he was going to cry or something. Actually, more to the point, she felt like she just might, even as Brick turned and walked out the room.

"Wow. That is absolutely the nicest thing he's ever said to me."

"I believe it," said Wade, his hand on her shoulder. "Old Dr Breeland is the cranky type a not-small part of the time, but he's not a bad guy. He's not wrong about you and your Wilkes blood either. I reckon there's a lot o' Harley in you, doc, and I just know he'd be real proud to have you here. As it is, I can't think Brando will be anythin' but thrilled when you call him up and ask to meet him."

"You think I should do it now?" she asked, waving the paper she still held, whilst using her free hand to swipe away an escaping tear.

"Up to you, sweetheart." Wade shrugged. "But whatever you plan on doin', I can't exactly hang around for that. See, I skipped out on Wally kinda early on account of wantin' to help you out. If I'm not back at the Rammer Jammer for the late rush..."

Zoe checked her watch and her eyes went a little wide. "Wow, I didn't realise the time. Go, go, don't get in trouble for me."

"Hey, come on now," said Wade, even as she hustled him towards the door. "If anybody is worth my getting into trouble for, it's you, doc," he told her, going in for a kiss that she happily let him have, if only briefly.

"That's sweet, but you really should go now," she said, laughter in her voice as she pushed him gently down the hallway to the front door. "I'm gonna give Brando Wilkes a call, see if he wants to meet for lunch tomorrow or something. I'll let you know later how it goes."

"Sounds good to me," Wade assured her, raising a hand to wave goodbye before he finally left.

Zoe watched him go and let out a contented sigh. She had a really nice day, all told. It hadn't started out so great, but it definitely improved beyond measure as it went on. Wade and Brick had both been so kind to her, so helpful in filling her in on so much of her family history. Now, she also had the chance to meet an uncle she didn't even know existed a few hours ago. That was a little strange, but she also felt good about it.

Of course, she might change her mind if it turned out that Vernon 'Brando' Wilkes didn't want to meet her. The smile slid from her face as she re-read the information from the paper. What if she called him and he didn't want to know her? What if he was mad at Harley for having a kid outside of marriage or something? A lot of people in the south seemed to have very traditional, old-fashioned values.

"Just ask. You'll never know until you do," Zoe told herself, marching back into the office and right over to the desk, picking up the phone and dialling before she could change her mind.

After three rings with no answer, she almost hung up, but before she had quite decided to do so, there was a click and someone said, 'Hello?'

"Hi, uh, Mr Wilkes? My name is Zoe. Um, you don't know me but... well, it's kind of a long story..."

To Be Continued...