Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie...unfortunately.

People were talking about her like she wasn't even there.

She supposed that wasn't really much of surprise; ever since the day she'd set foot in town, she had been at the center of the town's gossip. It was her default position; an outsider, a New Yorker who couldn't distinguish a tick from a taxi cab.

But this time it was different. She felt the pity in their eyes and, for a moment, she wished to go back to the days when they didn't even want to make eye contact with her.

It had all started last night when her best friend Gigi slept with her soon-to-be boyfriend, Judson. In her bed. Zoe chewed on her lip, her face turning red as she remembered the look on their faces when she caught them.

She didn't know why she was so mad, though. To be honest, she didn't like Judson that much and Gigi, well, she couldn't say she was surprised with her behavior.

Deep down, Zoe knew she was upset because of George. He had caught her attention the moment she'd set foot in town and she hadn't been able to take him out of her mind, since then.

But then Judson showed up and she saw an opportunity in him. An opportunity to fall in love with someone who wasn't George Tucker, an opportunity to stop being so damn lonely.

That was why she ran to Lavon's and cried her eyes out, after catching her best friend and her date in the act. Her chest still tightened at the memory.

Her heels click against the ground as she crosses the short distance between the mayor's house and the carriage house. Summoning all of her nerve, Zoe pushed open the door and glanced around her bedroom. She spotted a bottle of champagne and a couple of glasses thrown around the floor but she decided to ignore them. She was there for another reason.

"Gigi." She knocks on her bathroom door twice. "Come on, Gigi. I know you're in there."

She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for her to open the door. "I just wanna talk." Zoe added, feeling her friend's fear going through the door.

"Come in." Gigi unlocks the door, running back to the toilet instantly.

When Zoe opens the door, she finds her friend kneeling in front of the toilet, her blonde hair covering her pale face.

"If you came here to punish me, don't bother." Her voice is small, as she looks at Zoe before turning her gaze to the toilet once again.

"I'm not. I just want to talk about what happened last night."

"I know...I screwed up. Somehow, I always find a way to screw everything up." Gigi sat straighter against the wall.

"You left him alone to go take care of some medical emergency and the poor guy was kind of down. You know me, I'm a sucker for vulnerable guys."

Zoe nodded, trying to avoid the little smile on her lips. Gigi proceeded. "So I dared him to get drunk with me. I gotta say, he is a little weak. He drank two glasses of champagne and he was already on top of me."

"Ew,I did not need that image." Zoe squeezed her brow eyes, feeling disgusted with the image that came to her mind.

"Sorry." Gigi apologized. "For everything. You're my best friend and I've hurt you. I can never forgive myself for that."

"You screwed up, Gigi." The blonde turned her gaze to the floor, her face heating at the embarrassment.

"Sometimes I ask myself why I even bother to be friends with you."

Gigi shot her a hurt look. "I know, okay? You don't have to keep reminding me how stupid I am for doing this kind of things."

"You,-" Gigi interrupted her.

"I wouldn't have slept with your vet if you hadn't left with that Wade, in the first place." She had been trying to hold back her tears for as long as she could but she had reached her limit.

"You're not trying to blame me, are you? I left with that Wade because of a medical emergency. If I want to prove
myself as a doctor in this town, I need to make sacrifices and if that means leaving a stupid party, so be it."

"Fine, if you prefer being with those rednecks than your best friend that's your problem, Zoe. Not mine." Gigi raised herself from the floor and walked out of the bathroom.

Zoe followed her to the bedroom. "Those rednecks are my friends; they have been the few people I can count on. This year has been awful, Gigi. I found out that the person I've been calling 'dad' since I was a little girl, is not my biological father. And now I'm trapped in a freakin' small town because I couldn't get the stupid cardiothoracic fellowship and my real father left me his practice. Do you think I like my life? I don't. I have left you tons of messages, telling you how miserable I am and you didn't even bother to call me back."

Gigi sighed, as she let her body fall on top of Zoe's bed. There was nothing she could say, nothing she could do to make things better. She screwed up. Big time. Not only because she slept with her best friends date but also because she hadn't been very much of a good friend to Zoe since she'd left New York. She never was.

"I'm sorry if I haven't been a good friend." Zoe lay down beside her. "I'm selfish. I've always been selfish; that's why people get tired of me. I guess I thought it would be only a matter of time until you stopped being friends with me."

"So you decided that sleeping with Judson would make me interested in being friends with you?" Zoe snorted a laugh.

Gigi frowned. "I don't know why I did it, Zoe. But if you think about it, I actually I did you a favor."

"What?"

"The guy's not even interesting. He talked on and on about a stupid pig and if he had not made a move, I would've killed myself."

"Yeah. He is a little boring, isn't he?"

"Yup. Besides that hot lawyer is way more interesting. You should have sex with him." She says, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Gigi, no." Zoe squeaked. "He's an engaged man. Besides, you know I'm not that kind of girl."

"How do you know you're not that kind of girl if you never tried it? It's just a one night stand, Zoe." Gigi says, like it is the most normal thing ever.

"Oh, trust me. I know I'm not that kind of girl." Zoe said as she raised herself from her bed. Gigi followed her with her eyes.

"Excuse me? Did Zoe Hart have a one night stand, right here in the town of Bluebell?" Gigi's amazement was enough to offend Zoe.

"No, I didn't go through with it."

"Well, who was the almost lucky guy?"

"Wade." Zoe threw her head to the floor, her eyes avoiding Gigi's. Of course she was embarrassed; she almost had sex with Wade Kinsella for God's sake. She almost became another bimbo on his list...even if he owned some of the most decent abs in town. Okay, definitely the best abs in town.

"Oh, wow." Gigi muttered, letting her jaw fall open. "Wow. He's hot. Not your type, but hot."

Zoe shook her head, as a smile grew wider in her lips. She was right, he was definitely not her type. And even though, the thought of having a one night stand with Wade had crossed her mind before, she would never think of having something else, something bigger with him.

...

Gigi left the next morning, her blonde hair back in the right place and a clean and sophisticated dress in her body. No, Zoe couldn't say she wasn't relieved to see her enter the boarding gate, even though they had resolved the problems between them.

If there was something she had learned with her best friend's visit it's that Gigi and Bluebellians do not get along. Especially when the whole town knew she was the one who slept with Judson.

"I am so sorry to hear about what happened after the Homecoming party, Doctor Hart." Dash Dewitt approached her as she entered the Rammer Jammer.

She looked at him from head to toe before replying. She didn't catch any sign of his recorder, but still...

"Thank you, Dash."

"Break ups are tough." He nodded, his white hat stirring with the movement. "So tell me, are you ready to get back in the market or have you decided to quit on your love life?"

There it was: the recorder was back in his hand and a curious look on his face. "I have no comments."

"But I need to update my blog." Dash shouted as Zoe turned her back on him, walking towards the bar.

She was grateful that no one else paid her attention as she sat down at the corner of the bar and took in the familiar surroundings. She didn't belong there; she belonged in New York, with a cardiothoracic fellowship and having lunch at Per Se. It was like a maze: and she needed to find a door. One that led her outside instead of around to somewhere she'd never been before.

Zoe looks around. Lemon Breeland speaks in her squeaky voice along with her best friend, Annabeth probably discussing the napkin's color for the wedding. The great and wonderful wedding, which everyone expected excitedly. Dash Dewitt sits at the bar, a defeated look in his face while speaking to Mr. Maynard. It still surprised her that everyone got along; as a New Yorker she needed a certain daily amount of drama and Alabama didn't seem to be very dramatic.

"Hey, Doc. What can I get you?" Wade's husky voice wakes Zoe from her thoughts. His hands press against the table and his body is propelled forward, his perfume in the air.

"A shovel to dig a hole to hide and die. Please."

Wade grins. "Yeah, maybe you should give a look at the menu."

"I don't need to, I already memorized it. Fried fish. See?" He already knows the sarcastic smile she gives him. It's too big and fake not to notice.

"Well, I'm sorry if we don't have sweet corn risotto." Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"How do you know that's my favorite dish?"

"How do I not know? You've talked on and on about New York since you got to town." He straightens his back. "Are you going to order something or not, Doc?"

"Fine. Just bring me a cup of coffee, please." Wade nods and leaves with a hand in the back pocket of his jeans.

Zoe checks her phone for any new e-mails. She hadn't been able to talk to her, well, father since she'd left New York and he didn't seem very worried with the fact that his supposed daughter had finally found out, after twenty-eight years of existence, that he wasn't her biological father.

Sometimes she wondered how her life would be if she had known that Harley Wilkes was her father all along. Maybe she would be a part of that town and, who knows, she could even end up enjoying it. By that time, she would probably be engaged to some extremely kind guy, who enjoyed Woody Allen just as much as her and actually understood her fascination with New York... Crap, there she was thinking about George Tucker again.

"There you go." Wade appears out of nowhere, placing the cup of coffee on the table. "Oh, and Doc: I wouldn't come to the Rammer Jammer later, if I were you."

"Why not?" She knew she wasn't very much appreciated but come on...forbidding her of going to the Rammer Jammer was too much.

"Just take my advice." He says before leaving, a small part of him knowing that she wouldn't.

...

Zoe wasn't sure she'd ever get any patients, apart from Crazy Earl with his drinking problems or Shula Whitaker with her false symptoms.

The silence in the waiting room was only interrupted by Brick's voice in the exam room with another of his hundreds of patients. Zoe sits still, her eyes turned to the ceiling as she curses her life and the whole town of Bluebell.

"Hello?" George calls as he knocks on the door.

Zoe's eyes suddenly open widely and the ceiling didn't seem to distract her from her messy life, anymore. George was there, in the practice, while Brick was busy with another patient. George was there, in the same room, breathing the same air as her.

She curses her life, once more.

"Zoe." Her name in his voice sounded too good. "Is Brick here?"

She could feel her cheeks heating as George walked towards her, his small smile disturbing her thoughts. "Um, he's with a patient. Can I help you with something?"

"Ah, I don't know." He scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed. Zoe looks at the floor, trying to avoid eye contact, afraid it would give away how disappointed she was. "You know what? Sure, you can help me."

Zoe gave him a small smile as she entered her office, followed by George. "So what's wrong with you?"

"I have a sore throat and I've been coughing since last night. I must be a cold or something."

"Yeah, it must be. I just need to examine you." She takes the stethoscope of her neck and lands it in George's chest.

Zoe could feel her cheeks heating at the proximity as she tried to casually glance around the room. George couldn't help but notice how she refused to look at him and took it as an opportunity to examine her, himself.

She was pretty. Well, maybe even more than pretty. She loved Woody Allen just as much as him - maybe even more - and he couldn't deny there was something there, something that connected them. But he quickly shoved his thoughts away. Lemon Breeland was the love of his love and he wouldn't allow himself to think about another woman.

"I'm going to prescribe you an antihistamine for your throat. Take it two to three times a day. It may cause you some insomnia, but apart from that, you should be fine." She says as she gives him a prescription.

"Thank you." He mutters as he takes the paper out of her hands.

They stare at each other, not sure of what to say next. Zoe tries to avoid eye contact but when George meets her gaze once again she couldn't help but think about the last time she'd had the opportunity to be straight with him.

He gets up and walks to the door and Zoe realizes it's now or never. "George." She calls, her heart racing as he turns around.

Do it, Zoe. Tell him. It's now or never. But the thought of Lemon waiting for him at home stopped her. There was no way she could have something with George Tucker; he was too good for her. Zoe Hart was not a home-wrecker and although the idea of being with George made her heart beat faster, she knew it would never happen and she needed to take him out of her mind. For her own good.

"Feel better."

…

Zoe leaves the practice earlier, after Brick almost kicking her out. "You don't have any patients, go home." Asshole.

As she walks home, she can't help but notice how crowded the Rammer Jammer is and she immediately thinks about the advice Wade gave her, that morning.

I wouldn't come to the Rammer Jammer later, if I were you.

Well, she didn't care about his advices. No one had the right to forbid Zoe to do whatever the hell she wanted. So with a determinate walk, she pushed open the Rammer Jammer door and glances around.

Tables are filled with people, Tom Long sits at the bar drinking a girly cocktail and Dash Dewitt stands beside a big white chart titled "Will Zoe Hart end up alone?".

She looks at it two, three, four times until she's able to believe her eyes. That was mean. She knew they didn't like her but still...

"And with 65% of votes, we have "Yes, I believe Zoe Hart will end up alone"." Dash says out loud with an enthusiastic smile.

"This is mean." Zoe shouts suddenly, every head turning around to look at her. "A poll? Seriously? What gives you the right to discuss my private life, publically?"

She notices the look Wade gives her as he gazes at her. "I told you not to come." She reads in his lips.

"Doctor Hart, I didn't know you were going to join us for the reading of the poll results." Dash says.

"65%? 65? Almost everyone in this freakin' town really believes I'm going to end up alone?" She keeps screaming.

"Cause I'm not. I am not going to be alone for the rest of my life and I'm gonna prove that to you!"

"The results don't lie, Dr. Hart."

"And what do you people know about that? You know nothing about my life! You think you do but you don't." Her yelling eventually brings more people inside the Rammer Jammer.

"Well, we know you don't have a boyfriend." Lemon says with mock pity. Of course she'd be there.

"You don't know that." Zoe yells, not really knowing where she was going with that.

"Oh really? Where is he, then?"

Zoe glances around the room, unsure of what to do or what to say. She bit the corner of her lip as she looked at Tom Long, thinking that if she said she was in a relationship with him, he'd go for it. But then again, everyone in town didn't like her already and if she dated Tom Long, ten years younger than him, they would probably kick her out of Bluebell forever.

She was ready to give up and walk away when she made eye contact with Wade. She thought about it for a moment. He was good looking, of course, but would they buy it? He was the biggest heartbreaker in town and to think that she could have his... It was ridiculous.

But these were desperate times.

"Wade." She yells, watching as he suddenly turns to her, his eyes mirrored with confusion. "He's my boyfriend."

A murmur went through the crowd as all eyes turned toward them. "What?" Lemon squeaks.

Zoe walks toward the bar and stands in front of Wade. "Doc, what the hell are you doing?" He mutters.

"Wade, please just help me out with this. I'll do anything you want but please...don't let me get humiliated in front of the whole town." She begged, her big brown eyes stuck in his "Please."

"Anything I want, huh?" A grin grows in his face accompanied by a devilish look.

"Yes, Wade." She tells him, impatiently.

"Alright then." She watches as he nods and makes his way toward her. "Everyone, I'd like to present you my girlfriend."

His arm crawled around her waist and she could already fell the repentance taking over.

Another murmur goes through the Rammer Jammer. Zoe gave them a small smile as she tried to resist the urge of breaking Wade's arm that continued its way down her waist to other locations.

"Wade Kinsella and Zoe Hart? Uh, that will make the visits to my blog increase, for sure." Dash Dewitt spoke up while he looked for his recorder in his pocket.

"What now, Doc?" He asks, his lips brushing against the temple of her ear.

"Now you to take your hand out of my ass and go back to work." She tells him through gritted teeth.

"Oh Doc, that's no fun." Wade pulls her into his arms and kisses her as though he had all the time in the world. He cupped her cheeks, thumbs brushing over her skin as his tongue traced over the seam of her lips. Zoe moaned, opening her mouth to let him in. Her hands came to rest on his hips, enjoying the warmth of his skin. And then it hit her. She was in the middle of the Rammer Jammer kissing Wade freakin' Kinsella.

She pulls away and glances around the room, noticing how everyone kept staring at them.

"Oh, we're gonna have fun." Wade murmurs reaching for her waist once again as his stupid grin refuses to leave his lips.

"I hate you." She mumbled, cursing her existence for the third time in the same day.

Hi, everyone. This is an AU story so things will be a little different from the show, for sure. I'd love to hear what you think about the first chapter, to know if I should post more or not.

So, what did you think?