Author's Note:

So this idea came to me today when I was watching Resse Witherspoon's Sweet Home Alabama with my best friend. That movie used to be one of my absolute favourites and I couldn't help but notice some of the similarities between it and HOD.

The first chapter is a straight COPY from the movie, which means its a little PRO Zeorge unfortunately; but it is needed for my story to unfold according to plan. This is NOT a Zeorge story, I do not like nor ship Zeorge...so please bare with me. This is definitely a ZADE story, but it will be very angsty before it has a happy ending.

Also, please note that most of the dialogue between Zoe and Wade in the first chapter is NOT mine. I absolutely loved Melanie and Jake's first interaction, after not seing each other for the seven years that they were apart; so I decided to use that exact dialogue-That scene was absolutely perfect in the movie and I didn't want to write it any other way, because I would not have done the same amount of justice! With that said, the later dialogues/interactions between Zoe and Wade will be different from the moive and will be my own.

PLEASE leave me a review if you like it! It might actually encourage me to update sooner.

Paris xxx

"George, are you alright? You've hardly eaten any of your food!" Zoe Hart asked her boyfriend, staring at his untouched meal and frowning a little.

"I'm fine." He said lying quickly. "How's the Salmon?"

"Devine." She said before bringing another forkful to her mouth. "Do you want some?"

George shook his head quickly, picked up his fork and started to play with his food. Zoe watched as he tossed his Seafood Risotto around in his plate and sighed heavily. Something was up, she thought strangely. He was definitely acting very weird. It was hardly like him to be playing with his meal. He usually couldn't get it down fast enough. The guy had the best appetite that usually made her green with envy!

They were sitting at her favourite Restaurant in New York. The place was packed as always and buzzing with lively conversations from the other customers.

"So what's up with you, then?" she asked, before having a sip of her wine.

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you eating?" she said rolling her eyes playfully.

"I don't really have an appetite."

"That's not like you."

"I, uh, just think that…" he said trailing off.

Zoe waited patiently for him to continue his sentence but he never did.

"Jesus, George! What's wrong with you tonight?" she snapped irritably.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" she asked sarcastically. "Let's see. You've hardly touched your food…you've barely said two words to me since we came…are you unhappy with me or something? Are you breaking up with me?"

"What?! No." he said quickly, moving his tie from side to side nervously. "Zoe, I am very happy with you."

"Then what is it?"

George sighed heavily and reached into his pocket. "I was going to wait until Desert to do this," he said getting out of his chair quickly. "But I might as well just do it now, before I lose my nerve." He said rambling on.

"What are you talking about?" She a little irritably.

"Zoe Hart," George said bending down in front of her.

Zoe's eyes widened in shock. "George, why are you bending down?" she asked, feeling a little nauseas, despite already knowing what was coming next.

"Since the day I met you, I have always seen you as the woman that I was meant to marry." He continued ignoring her question. "Zoe, I love you more than anything else in the world…would you do me the greatest honour of becoming my wife?"

"George…what are you doing?" Zoe whispered when she noticed that they had the whole restaurant's undivided attention.

"I'm proposing…isn't it obvious?" he asked, laughing a little nervously. "So is that a yes?"

"George…" she said closing her eyes quickly. "You're making a mistake."

"Zoe, I love you and I know that you love me too. So how am I?"

"This is not the right time for us." She whispered softly, watching as his face fell a little in disappointment.

"What are you talking about babe?" He asked after a minute, shaking his head in disagreement. "We have been together for three years! We've even talked about marriage and children! Where you just lying when you said that you wanted those things too?"

"No sweetheart, of course not. I do want those things, it's just…" she said sighing heavily.

She had no idea how to tell him the reason why she couldn't marry him without telling him the truth.

"You don't want them with me?" he said solemnly.

"No, George babe." Zoe said, feeling the chunks start to rise in her throat. "It's just I'm not who you think I am. You are the best guy that I have ever been with George Tucker, and I honestly do not deserve you."

"Baby, what on earth are you talking about?" he said taking her hands into his. "You are my whole world! I love you more than you would ever know and you are wrong if you think that you are not good enough for me! I don't deserve you. Zoe, I am so blessed to have you! Trust me, when I say that. So if that's your only objection then I'm sure we can work things out and that in time you will see that you are the most perfect person for me."

Zoe smiled and fought back the stinging tears that filled her eyes. That had to be the most romantic thing that anybody had ever said to her in her entire life.

"Yes." She whispered quietly.

"Yes you will marry me, or yes we can work it out."

Zoe rolled her eyes quickly. "Yes, I will marry you." She said, wiping her eyes with her hands.

George smiled and quickly slipped the gorgeous engagement ring onto her fourth finger.

"I love you." he said, before he cupped her face in a passionate kiss.

Zoe smiled as the whole restaurant applauded loudly.

"I love you too." She mumbled against his lips.

xoox

"So you had no idea?" George asked, before leaving a trail of kisses down her neck.

"Nope." She said shaking her head a little.

"That's a relief. I wanted it to be a surprise."

They were in a cab on the way back to their Upper West Side apartment that they shared together.

"I was a little worried that you didn't want to marry me." He said between kisses. "I thought I was being rejected for a second there and everybody in the restaurant was looking at us."

"That would have been awkward." She said cupping his face in her hands. "But I would never reject you. I love you too much."

Zoe kissed him tenderly and rested her forehead against his.

"My parents say congratulations." He said reading the text message that had just come. "Zoe, we should call yours!" he said excitedly handing her his Iphone.

Zoe flinched nervously. "I, uh can't right now."

"What do you mean?" he asked frowning a little. "Don't you want to tell them our news?"

"I do, but I haven't seen my parents in ten years. I think this is something I should tell them in person."

"Of course!" George said hitting his head with the back of his palm. "Let's go tomorrow…after we have lunch with mine. I can take a few days off work, I have some annual leave. We could leave tomorrow and be back in time for Monday. I'm sure the Practice will survive without me."

"I think it's something that I actually need to do by myself." she said squinting a little.

"Zoe, I'm going to have to meet them eventually!"

"I know babe. And they are going to love you, but I haven't seen them since I left and I don't want them to be bombarded. I think I should go first and tell them gently and then afterwards we can both go and visit them, you know in the holidays or something? What do you say?"

George sighed heavily. "If that's really what you want, then I'm fine with it."

Zoe smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. There was just one small, annoying thing that she needed to take care of before she introduced George to her family.

"It's because I'm a Yankee, isn't it?" he asked playfully.

"Something like that." she said before crushing her lips against him in a passionate kiss.

xoox

Bluebell, Alabama had not changed one bit in the ten years that she had been away, Zoe had come to learn as she drove down the familiar streets that she knew better than the back of her hand.

Even the radio stations were still playing boring country songs that made her cringe a little. She couldn't believe that there was once a time that she actually enjoyed this garbage!

Being back home was a million times worse than she had expected in her head. She had passed by so many familiar faces when she drove down the Town's Centre; faces of people that she had been more than happy to leave behind ten years ago when she had quickly fled to New York.

Thank Goodness for her dark shades, she thought as she changed the radio station yet again, she would have hated to be spotted back in town by anyone.

She was here only for strict business and she intended on being on the next flight out of Alabama tonight if all things went according to plan.

Zoe pulled into the dirt drive way that lead to the small cottage house by the lake. The place looked exactly as she had left it, much to her surprise. She had intended to find it somewhat more run down and overgrown.

She quickly turned off the ignition to the rented car that she had picked up at the airport and reached for her handbag from the passenger's seat.

What she was about to do was not going to be easy and she would need all the patience in the world to endure it. Unfortunately for her, despite being a surgeon, patience was the one virtue and quality that she lacked.

Zoe checked her hair quickly in her review mirror and tucked some of it behind her ears. She took off the engagement ring that George had given her last night and zipped it into a small compartment in her handbag, before stepping out of the car and locking it.

As soon as she had walked to the front of the car, a large dog started barking loudly. Zoe stepped back, a little alarmed as the dog approached her, continuing to bark instinctively at her.

"Hush, Buddy." Wade Kinsella said, stepping out of his house and walking onto the porch. "Don't worry about him. He ain't gonna hurt you or anything. He's probably not used to pretty girls like you coming round." He said smiling sweetly.

Zoe had almost forgotten how charming Wade could be.

"So what can I help you with anyhow?" he asked walking down the stairs that lead to the driveway.

"Well for starters you can get your stubborn ass down here and give me a divorce." She said taking off her glasses to look him in the eyes.

Zoe watched as the smile from Wade's face vanished instantly and jumped a little as the spanner that he was holding in his hands fell to the ground, making a loud clashing noise.

"Come on Wade, I mean it. The joke's over. Let's just finish this; I have a plane to catch." Zoe said reaching into her handbag for the large yellow envelope.

"You're shitting me, right?" he asked bending down to pick up his spanner.

"You know, I've never really understood that expression…but, no I'm not shitting you. Look, it's even got these idiot proof tabs to make it easy." She said holding up a copy of the divorce papers. "There's one copy for me, one copy for you and one for the lawyers." She said laying the paperwork onto the bonnet of her rented car. "What? Speak?"

"You show up here, after ten years without so much as a 'hey there Wade, remember me your wife?' or a 'hi honey, looking good. How's the family?'"

"You expect me to tell you that you look good?" Zoe asked sarcastically. "Did they run out of soap down at the PigglyWiggly since I left?"

"Do they laugh at that up North, or wherever it is that you've been?"

"You know where I was and don't even pretend that you spent all this time missing me."

"I miss you alright, but at this range my aim is bound and improved." Wade said spinning his spanner in his hands.

"Is that a threat? I have a lawyer who charges $350 an hour. He billed me every time you sent these papers back."

"Well, I'm glad to see that you finally got the message." Wade said quickly, before heading back towards the house.

"What are you doing?" Zoe asked irritably.

"Leaving. You done it, you should recognise the gesture."

"Can we just try to keep this as civilized as possible?" said following him up the stairs to the house. "Please Wade, sign these papers so I can go home."

"What do you know about home? Hell, I bet your folks don't even know that you are in town."

"That's my business." She hissed.

"Get your butt back in your fancy car and go and see them. They are good people, Zoe and they are all the family that you have left."

"I didn't come here to visit my parents. I came to get these papers signed, Wade."

"Go and see your parents first and then maybe we can talk."

"Wade, you dumb stubborn ass!" Zoe huffed loudly. "The only reason why you won't sign these papers is because I want you to."

"Wrong! The only reason why I won't sign those papers, is because you've turned into some kind of snobby Yankee bitch and I'd like nothing better right now than to piss you off." He said before slamming the front door shut in her face.

xoox

"Hey genius," Zoe called when Wade had stepped out of the bathroom, drying his wet hair with a towel. "Next time you lock somebody out make sure that they do not know where the spare key is hidden."

"See, that's the thing about hiding a key…" he said reaching for a beer from the fridge. "It would be nice if your wife told you were it was."

"I'm not your wife, Wade. I'm just the first girl that climbed into the back of the truck. But you're right, I have changed. I don't even know that girl anymore." She said leaving the papers on the glass table in the living room.

"I'm not signing those without having my lawyer take a good look at them."

"Come on, Wade! I've been waiting for you to sign these for years!"

"I know, so a couple more days won't hurt then, would it?" he asked sarcastically. "Now if you wouldn't mind…I'd really appreciate it if you got out of my house. I'm bringing a date over for dinner."

Zoe scoffed loudly. "A date, huh? And you're bringing her here?"

"Yes."

"To this dump?"

"I think the place looks quite nice. I mean, I had to get rid of all your girly shit, but it looks more manly, don't you think?"

Zoe rolled her eyes and ignored the question.

"So, are you leaving Doc, or staying? Because I don't know how lucky I will get tonight if my date realises that I have a secret wife."

"Ugh, you're disgusting." Zoe said scrunching up her nose. "Why is she coming here anyways? It's not like you can exactly cook. Noodles and hot dogs are hardly date material."

"Never you mind what I'll offer her. Just be on your way now because I need to tidy up a bit before she gets here."

"Fine, I'll go." She snapped. "But I will be back in the morning, Wade and those papers better be signed or else…"

"Doc the only reason why you would come back the next morning is to see whether my date spent the night." Wade said playfully. "I'll spare you the hassle, she probably will so there's no need to come in the morning. I'll send you the papers in New York."

"Oh no, buddy! I have waited years on end for those papers! I am not leaving Bluebell, Alabama without them in my suitcase. Capiche?"

"Just go and see your parents tonight, okay?" he said changing the subject.

Zoe sighed and walked towards the front door.

There was no use arguing with him when they were going round in circles.

"I'll be back in the morning." She said before turning on her heel and walking out.

xoox

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