Title: You're My Buddy

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: "You're my buddy." "Oh, I am? I thought I was your husband."

Author's Note: Just some ending scenes for last night's premiere. Needed about 40 minutes more of Japril, don't you agree? :D Thank you if you read and comment!

Jackson happened to catch Owen heading out of the locker room at the end of the shift. Remembering his wife's pleas to "buddy" the man, he called out his name, raising a hand awkwardly as he caught up to him.

"Hey. Ready for that drink now?"

"Uh... okay," Owen shrugged tiredly. "Beats goin' home alone."

They made small talk as they walked to Joe's, talking about the unusually warm summer in Seattle and what would happen with Cristina's Board seat. After grabbing beers from the bar, they slid into a booth, staring at each other awkwardly as Jackson tried to remember all of April's detailed notes.

"So, I hear you studied abroad in Scotland for a few years," Jackson began, fingers tapping on the table as he tried to ease into a smooth conversation.

Owen stared at him for a moment in surprise, but nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I loved it there. The people, the culture, the food."

"Scotland's with the kilts, right?"

Owen smiled the slightest bit as he nodded again. "Yeah, Scotland's with the kilts."

There was another moment of silence as Owen looked around the bar, eyes landing on Meredith and Alex sitting together at a table. The new twosome looked comfortable together, but the usual addition to their group in the form of one Cristina Yang was clearly missing.

"I hear you like dogs," Jackson blurted out, turning Owen's attention away from Meredith and Alex and back to him. "You have any?"

"No," Owen answered slowly in confusion. "It's hard with the hours we work."

"Yeah, of course."

"My mom was a vet, so she was always bringing animals home. Are you just... did April tell you everything she knew about me so we'd have something to talk about?" Owen questioned over the beer he was nursing.

"What? No, no, I just..." Jackson stammered quickly. Knowing he wasn't fooling the Chief one bit, he nodded and admitted, "Yeah, she texted me a list of topics to hit on."

For the first time all night, Owen laughed. It was a warm and boisterous sound, despite being tinged with a little bit of heartbreak for what he was going through right now. But he smiled at Jackson, shaking his head in fondness for one April Kepner's very determined tactics.

"Kepner, I tell ya. She is somethin' else."

"She is," Jackson said proudly with a grin.

"Well, despite all the man-dates I've been asked on thanks to her," Owen gestured toward himself and Jackson as proof of April's handiwork, "I'm doing okay. It's just gonna take time."

At a loss for words, Jackson tried to imagine the scenario April had posed - how he'd feel if she was on the other side of the world, and he was all alone. Being separated from the one you loved, knowing it wasn't going to work out despite your feelings for them, despite knowing in your heart you were meant to be... it sounded like pure agony.

"I'm sorry, Owen," he said honestly.

Owen smiled at him kindly to thank him for his words. "It's fine. There are some people you're meant to be with, and some people who are meant to pass through... or so Kepner keeps reminding me," he added with a chuckle. "She must have a book of inspirational quotes or something."

"Yeah, she does. It's called the Bible," Jackson joked with a grin, and Owen grinned again.

"You're really lucky, you know that, right?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Jackson? You're home already?"

Jackson hung his keys on the hook by the door and followed the sound of his wife's voice back to their bedroom, finding her curled up in bed with a book. Tossing his jacket on the floor and stepping out of his shoes, he lay down, head in her lap as he cuddled close to her side, sighing with pleasure as she began running her hand through his short hair.

"You're gonna pick up your coat, right?" she questioned, and he ignored her resolutely, dropping a kiss on her baby bump under the t-shirt she was wearing. "How'd it go with Owen? You're home early."

"April, we're not teenage girls up at a sleepover all night. It was just drinks."

"Well, how'd it go? Did you hit on all the topics I gave you? Did he tell you about Scotland?"

Jackson chuckled as he remembered how Owen had seen right through the list of topics. "Yes, we talked about Scotland."

"Did he seem okay?" April asked softly, the worry for her mentor and friend evident in her question.

Jackson shifted up the bed, turning on his side to look into his wife's eyes. She cared about people, and that was one of the things he loved most about her. How could he blame her for wanting to take care of people when she took such good care of him?

"He's sad. I think he just needs time. He'll be okay."

April smiled at his reassuring words, leaning in to kiss him softly, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him in for a hug. "You're my buddy."

Jackson chuckled, always won over so easily by her. "Oh, I am? I thought I was your husband." He moved to nuzzle the soft skin of her neck, smiling when she giggled at the feel of his scruff.

"You are my husband, silly. But before that, you were my best friend. I mean, you still are my best friend. And you're a good friend," she told him confidently. "And you're a good husband. And you're gonna be a great dad." Her hands cradled his face, looking into his eyes and reading all the insecurities he tried to hide.

He took a deep breath, accepting her words and allowing them to battle his ghosts from the past, to push them aside for one more night. "Thank you," he said softly, pulling her closer as they lay together in bed.

"Oh, did you give the Chief, I mean, the old Chief, his ring back?"

Jackson nodded. "Yeah. I felt bad. He looked... lonely."

"It's too bad it didn't work out," April sighed. "He's a really nice guy. But, you know, it's like I always say, some people you're meant to be with, and some people-"

"-are meant to pass through," Jackson finished.

April stared at him in surprise, her eyes narrowing as she watched him smirk at her. "Wait. Did you and Owen just talk about me the whole time?! Jackson!" She hit him playfully on the stomach, pretending to be angry as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Sort of," he answered. His lips met hers and he rested himself on his forearms as not to put weight on her stomach. She smelled like the cinnamon body wash she used in the mornings, and he ran a trail of kisses down her jaw, watching her shiver with pleasure in his arms.

"Wait, Jackson, wait," she stuttered, moving away to meet his eyes. "Can you promise me something?"

"Not again," Jackson groaned, dropping his head into the crook of her neck in exasperation. "I am not going on another awkward man-date. You can invite him over for dinner here if you want but-"

"No, no, not that," April said with a watery chuckle. Her eyes filled with tears as she recalled the patient she had that day. "Can you just promise that if our child loses a frisbee, you'll buy him a new one? Don't climb up to get it, just... you're super rich. Buy him a new frisbee."

Jackson recalled the case that Owen and he had talked about over drinks - the father who passed away and all he'd been doing was playing in the yard with his son. He wiped away a tear that threatened to fall from April's eye, resting his forehead against hers. "I promise. I'll put money aside for a frisbee fund right now."

April smiled at him, understanding passing between them as she moved to resume kissing him. "I love you."

"Love you too, babe."

the end ~