Okay guys. So I started writing this just to get my feelings out and it turned into three chapters in less than two hours. I could honestly see Shonda going in this direction. It has really been a nice release for me, too. It gives me hope that no matter what the show throws at us, Japril are endgame. Just forewarning.. this is definitely an angsty storyline and not for the faint of Japril hearts. Please keep in mind Japril are endgame ALWAYS and prepare for the ride. I'm going to try to explain both of them and their feelings throughout the chapters, although I suppose the first three are majority Jackson. April is coming too, though, I promise! Well please enjoy and leave a review, they keep me goin.

Jackson Avery was feeling on top of his game. The Seahawks won, he'd finished all of his stupid administration paperwork that the rest of the board like to push off on him, his mother was in Boston for the week and not nagging him constantly, and he'd spent the whole night prior having some pretty good sex with a pretty cool woman. Today was a good day.

He rounded the corner to the E.R. en route to a minor burn patient when he heard her. She was talking to Hunt with her back facing him. Her hair was still short and she looked like she had put on some muscle but for the most part, she looked and sounded the same.

Hunt caught his eye over the top of her head. Jackson shook his head once and darted off in the opposite direction. He was absolutely not prepared for this. It had been just over 6 months since the last time he saw her. He didn't even mean to see her then. He thought she was still at the hospital when he walked into their home and saw her walking out of their bedroom with two duffle bags. He had never felt such a soul crushing feeling in his entire life. She had really chosen to leave him and that hurt more than he ever thought possible.

"Jackson.." Her lip quivered when she said his name, on the verge of crying. "I have to go." She whispered. "I know you don't understand but.."

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Taking it in that this was the end of his marriage.

"No. No, I really don't April." His voice was pained and it made her wince, a tear falling down her cheek. "But if that's what you want to do, then you should go."

"Jackson, please.."

He finally left his spot by the front door that he was frozen to since he walked into the apartment. He rounded the corner of the kitchen island and grabbed a beer from the fridge. April watched him, crying silently.

"Can't you at least kiss me goodbye?" She asked desperately. Jackson leaned back against the counter and looked at her. Really looked at her for a moment.

"No, I can't. Goodbye, April."

And with that he took off to their bedroom and shut the door behind him.

Three months had passed and when they hadn't had any contact at all, he knew it was time to do what needed to be done. He contacted Mike Farris and filed for divorce. The post-nuptial agreement actually came in handy, making for very little paperwork. The day he went to sign them, he had a full blown meltdown in the office. His lawyer didn't know what to do, never seeing the man so distraught, actually crying and speaking words of anger and disappointment and sorrow. He finally pulled himself together and went page by page signing each dotted line. It broke his heart, but it also gave him a feeling of freedom he hadn't experienced in a very long time. The papers were sent to April the next day.

He started to get out again. He joined a basketball league at the Y which was fun as hell considering how much he loved to play, and was good at it he might add. He started checking out some concerts and going to Joe's every once in a while for a beer. His best friend from college Ethan came to visit him about a month ago and the two went to check out the Seattle night scene. Jackson was never a huge fan of clubs, but he figured what the hell. What else did he have to do?

It was there he met Elena. She was out with a group of friends celebrating a bachelorette party when she stumbled into him and spilled her drink all over his shirt. She apologized profusely, trying to dry him off with tiny red party napkins. Jackson couldn't help but laugh.

"It's fine, really. Just a little.." He smelled his shirt. "Rum?"

"Guilty." She smiled at him and he couldn't help but notice she had a beautiful smile. "I am very sorry. At least let me buy you a drink?" Jackson could tell she was flirting with him, looking him up and down with a grin. He had been out of the game for a long time, but not that long. He was used to hoards of women throwing themselves at him ever since he was a young teenager. He actually started to find it annoying by his 20s, but still, the stroke of an ego could also be appreciated. He hesitated for a minute, before reminding himself he was a free man and why not?

They didn't sleep together until the second time they met up at a concert about a week later. Jackson felt incredibly guilty the first time. He had to keep reminding himself that his wife left him, made the choice to leave him, and he had not seen or talked to her for the better half of a year. But it was almost like ripping off the bandaid. He was needed affection so badly that after feeling guilty the first time, he just wanted to keep feeling good. Elena was easy to talk to and had absolutely nothing to do with the medical field. She was an artist and kind of a hippy and Jackson appreciated her laid back attitude about life. She made him laugh and it had been a long time since he laughed. It felt really great.

He told her about being divorced from his wife for only a few months and that he wasn't really ready for any kind of serious relationship. He just wanted companionship. Elena was totally cool with it, like she was most things, and ever since they'd been hanging out on a pretty regular basis.

Now, here he was. About to face his ex-wife for the first time since their separation. He felt like he was going to be sick. He stepped into the men's room and splashed some cold water on his face, taking a long look at himself in the mirror. He could do this. She chose to leave him and they were over, but that doesn't mean it has to be awkward. He knew he was only kidding himself. It was going to be awkward and a million other emotions that he wasn't ready to face. He was so angry with her for abandoning him like she did. He'd never opened up or tied himself to another person as strongly as he tied himself to her. He let her into places he didn't even know he had. He cared more for her than anyone, or anything, in his whole life.. and she just left him. Even after he told her that meant the end for them, she left anyway. He felt betrayed and disappointed more than he'd ever felt before in his life. He trusted her with his heart and soul and she let him down so greatly that it physically hurt sometimes to think about it.

He took one last deep breath and exited the men's room, heading back down to the ER. He did have a patient to attend to after all. His heart rate increased with every step and started to beat loudly in his chest. He rounded the corner and looked around the ER, not seeing her anymore. He let out an immediate sigh of relief and went to his patient who was playing on a Nintendo D.S. He dodged the bullet for at least while longer.

Jackson finished up with his patient and headed back to his office to get himself together. When he opened the door, he stopped in his tracks, seeing April standing there in front of him with a sad smile.

"Hi, Jackson."