Hey, folks! I've written Japril/Jolex fic in the past and had fun doing it. I was recently inspired to write more after April/Jo briefly worked together in 11x17 and since we never see these four interacting together, I decided to start a one-shot series about them. They'll mostly be connected to the canon world. I'm not sure how often I'll update this, but if an idea comes along I'll definitely write it :)

Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's or its characters. That's all Shonda Rhimes.

Two Guys, Two Girls and a Leech

Alex Karev sat alone at a bar table sipping a fresh bottle of beer while he waited for his burger and his girlfriend to arrive at the Emerald City Bar. It had been a long day for him. Losing a patient on the operating table was always a bitter pill to swallow, but his most recent one was too young. Danny was only 17. He hadn't really lived his life yet. It was difficult breaking the news to his older sister, who had taken care of him for the most part. Now all the pediatric surgeon wanted to do was wind down and stuff his face with a burger, loaded with all the works.

Entering the bar was Jackson Avery, who appeared in a better mood than his colleague. He ordered himself a drink at the counter before turning his back to scan the area. The plastic surgeon spotted Alex nearby and approached him after he received his glass of whiskey. He sat down on the empty seat across from his.

"Don't get too comfortable. Jo's coming any minute now," Alex murmured.

"Yeah, well, I'm waiting for April too. She asked me to meet her here," Jackson nonchalantly replied.

It almost felt strange to have guy time – for both of them. Neither men had any close male friends inside and outside of the hospital. Most of Alex's time spent when he wasn't operating was with Meredith Grey, and occasionally Callie Torres and Maggie Pierce. If he wasn't with them, he was with Jo Wilson. Surrounded by estrogen and boobs. There wasn't much room for dudes like Avery, especially with the recent tragic event that he and his wife, April Kepner, endured a couple of months ago. They seemed to be almost back to normalcy, but Alex couldn't quite tell mainly because he hardly interacted with either of them even before their son passed away. It wasn't like residency when they were together almost every day.

He and Jackson used to hang out frequently, but it helped that his girlfriend was best friends with the pretty boy's now ex-girlfriend, so it was like double dating was forced upon them. But after Jackson interrupted April's wedding in that freaking barn, he practically burned bridges with Jo when he publicly dumped Stephanie Edwards in the process. For Alex, it wasn't as big of a deal to him. He always figured Kepner and Avery would end up together somehow. He just wished he hadn't seen it unfold like a scene in a cheesy soap opera.

But whatever. That was in the past. Jo no longer wanted to rip Jackson's eyes out every time she saw him at the hospital. She seemed to have dropped her grudge against him once she knew Stephanie had moved on with her life. Still, it didn't mean Alex wanted to go out of his way to approach Jackson and ask him if he wanted to hang out. There was the whole issue regarding the board spot Cristina Yang left behind for him. The man sitting beside him basically owned Grey Sloan Memorial thanks to his rich family. He kind of wanted to punch him in the face now.

"So, uhh… how's Kepner?" Alex awkwardly questioned. Back when they were residents, April would be the last person he wanted to care about. However, he softened up to her, but also due to the fact that he didn't have to be around her 24/7 like when they used to be roommates. "Is she doing alright since… ya know?"

Jackson slowly sipped his whiskey before he responded. "She's getting better. I mean, sometimes I think she's pretending to be 100% okay and I know she's not. We're still kind of working on it, but she's better."

"And you?"

"It changes," he said as he slowly traced the rim of his glass with his finger. "I have good days and bad days. It's hard thinking about him, but I don't want to stop thinking about him. He's my kid… was. I hate referring to him in past tense."

Alex gripped his beer bottle and lightly tapped his fingers against it. "I lit a candle for you guys in the chapel that day," he blurted out. Even though it took a few matches to do so, it was worth the small burns on his fingers. "I don't know if you actually care, but-"

"No, it's cool. Thanks," Jackson answered with a half-smile.

"Sloan's looking out for him," he added, drawing a curious look from his coworker. Alex wasn't sure why he decided to tell him that, but Jackson seemed interested in what he had to say. "I'm not a hardcore believer or anything, but if there is such thing as heaven and stuff, I'm sure he's doing alright up there. And O'Malley. I know you never met the guy, but he was good with kids too. Your kid is in good hands."

"Samuel," the plastic surgeon acknowledged, sadly smiling. Only a handful of people knew of his son's namesake. "That's his name."

Alex nodded, sipping his beer again. "Hey, so baseball season is starting up soon. If you want to catch a game together, I could try to get some Mariners tickets," he offered.

Jackson smirked. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Shut up," the pediatric surgeon chuckled. "I'm serious. Jo isn't really into baseball, so I need a wingman."

"Yeah, okay. I could use some time away from everything myself," he admitted. "It's been a crazy ass year."

Twenty minutes passed and Alex was chomping away on his burger, which resulted in Jackson ordering the same thing after he briefly opened up to Karev, of all people, about his recent loss. Now they were simply being guys, talking about sports and topics their other halves would scold them for discussing out loud.

The bar's entrance rang the familiar bell jingle whenever customers arrived or left. April and Jo walked inside having a conversation of their own, both in very cheerful moods. After the case they worked on together, they had a reason to be. The men in their lives, on the other hand, grew instantly confused because they rarely interacted outside of the hospital.

"Okay, find another table, Avery," Alex ordered.

"No, no. Stay. We can make room," Jo insisted. She and April grabbed empty chairs and brought them to the table. They both sat down beside their significant others. "You are never gonna believe what happened in the pit today."

"You and Kepner became friends?" he quipped, receiving a playful eye roll from the redhead.

April kissed Jackson's cheek and smiled. "How was your ear replantation surgery?" she inquired, picking up a French fry from her husband's dinner and eating it.

"It went very well. No complications whatsoever," Jackson proudly answered.

"What about you, Alex? How'd Danny do?" Jo asked. Her boyfriend sighed and shook his head causing her to frown. "Oh, God. I'm sorry. But you know what? I have something that might cheer you up."

Alex furrowed his brow when Jo set a covered cup of water containing a small critter inside. "Dude, what is that? Is that a freaking leech?" He tilted his head sideways to examine the leech with a mouthful of burger. "Why do you have that thing?"

Jo grinned widely. "That thing was inside a lady's nose and yours truly pulled it out," she gloated, pointing at the cup. "And by the way, his name is Herbie."

April softly gasped. "Aww, you gave him a name? That's adorable," she squealed.

Jackson snickered. "And you're actually keeping it?"

"The lady didn't want it, so I called dibs," Jo casually replied with a shrug. She rested her chin on top of the table and smiled at the new love of her life. Growing up as a foster child who bounced from house to house, having a pet wasn't a priority. Technically, Herbie was her first official pet. "And he's easy to take care of. I don't have to feed him every day."

"Since that leech has been living in that woman's nose for a month he's had plenty to eat," April noted. "You probably wouldn't even have to feed him for a while. Leeches can live a year without eating."

"All of that time you spent watching the Discovery Channel finally became useful," Alex teasingly stated before taking another large bite from his burger. He felt a kick against his shin and April smiled innocently back at him.

It had been a long time since they engaged in friendly banter. He wouldn't openly admit it, but he missed poking fun at the trauma surgeon. She would deliver some clever comebacks that would leave him speechless, yet impressed. Of course he wouldn't dare to make any snide remarks towards her after the crap she had been through.

Alex couldn't help but wonder why it had to happen to April. Sure, she used to annoy him all the time with her constant nagging and she was a little too neurotic for him to tolerate, but she was a good person. And she knew how to take care of people even when they didn't want her help. So why was she dealt with bad karma?

Jo was in the middle of recalling her time spent with her patient. She was very enthusiastic about treating a rare case. "And I don't even care that the woman slapped me!" the resident exclaimed. "I mean, what were the odds this woman's headaches were caused by a leech? I really need to hang out in the ER more often. I swear, the coolest things always come through those doors."

"And you know, you can learn from one of the best," Jackson added, referring to April. His wife shyly smiled as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder. She was practically responsible for how organized the ER was. In a way, it all started with the checklist protocol she devised when they were fourth year residents. "Like a drill sergeant, but way prettier."

Jo laughed after April playfully elbowed her husband's side. "But seriously, she knew exactly what to do. I spent around six hours trying to yank this leech out of my patient's nose. All she had to do was tell the lady that Herbie would eat his way to her brain and it was over. We pulled him out in like, five seconds." She placed her hand against her chest. "You know what? I should buy you a drink. If I hadn't called you for help, I would probably still be there fighting that woman."

"Oh, you don't have to, Wilson," the redhead graciously answered. "It was a learning experience. That's what a teaching hospital is for, so you can learn. You did great. Although, I could start explaining why trauma surgery is an awesome specialty…"

"Pulling a leech out of somebody's nose isn't freaking trauma surgery," Alex scoffed.

"I know that," April retorted. "But we're the first in line when a trauma comes in. Don't tell me you never fought for surgeries when you were assigned to the pit during residency."

Jackson cleared his throat. "Can I just say that women are also welcome in the Plastics Posse?"

"Dude, you're still using that name?" Alex chuckled and shook his head. "I get Sloan started it, but it's still shameful."

"You guys, I appreciate the fact that you're all fighting for my affection, but I have no idea what specialty I want to go into yet," Jo intervened. She picked up her cup of water containing Herbie and grinned at it. "At least this little bugger doesn't have to worry about losing my affection."

Alex scrunched his nose in disgust. "You're seriously keeping that?"

"Why not? It's not like Herbie will leave crap on the floor or pee on your couch. He's a harmless pet."

"And what are you gonna do when you're bored with him? Eat him?"

"Eww, no! Why would I eat him?" Jo irritably replied.

April held up a finger. "People do eat leeches like they eat crickets."

Jo gently hugged her cup. "Nobody's going to eat Herbie, okay?" She was about to set the cup on the table when a man passing by accidentally bumped into her causing her to drop it on the floor. The top popped open and water spilled everywhere along with the leech. "Oh, no! Herbie! Nobody move!"

Alex grimaced when his girlfriend quickly slid off of her chair and knelt down on the floor. He noticed bystanders were watching, visibly weirded out by Jo's behavior. "Alright, just pick up the leech and stop freaking out. People are staring."

The brunette popped up holding Herbie in between her thumb and index finger. "I got him. He looks fine to me," she said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Now I just have to refill his cup and- uh oh."

"What?"

Jo moved her thumb and her eyes grew wide as Herbie remained attached to her index finger. "Oh, crap! Wrong end. I think he's feeding off of me," she panicked.

April waved her hand. "Don't worry. He's not dangerous. Just let him eat for about 20 minutes and he'll fall off like it's nothing," she nonchalantly explained. "You won't even notice you lost blood."

"I am not waiting 20 minutes for him to get off my finger. Someone help, please," she pleaded.

"Just calm down. It's really simple. Place your hand on the table," April instructed. She waited for Jo to follow her instructions before using her fingernail to remove the leech from her skin. After it detached from her finger, the redheaded woman flicked it away and watched it land on the table. "See? Easy."

Jo stared at the small bleeding wound on her finger. "Dammit, Herbie."

"So, does this mean Herbie gets a timeout?" Jackson quipped, sharing a laugh with Alex.

"Shut up," she retorted, scowling back at the plastic surgeon. Jo used the end of Alex's fork to push the leech back into the cup. "I'm going to get some more water for him and I'm buying April a drink – after I clean my finger."

April opened her purse, pulling out a small bottle of antiseptic spray and a Band-Aid. "Here you go," she chirped. "Scotch, please."

"You are a savior," Jo softly groaned before she left their table for the women's restroom.

Alex snickered to himself and chugged the rest of his beer. "How'd you know how to do that? If it were me, I would've just stabbed that sucker with a knife," he amusingly stated. "Was that on Discovery Channel too?"

"YouTube," April simply replied, reaching for Jackson's half-eaten burger.

Jackson smirked as he stared at his wife while she ate his dinner. "You really are amazing," he complimented, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Alex rolled his eyes. Based on the cheesy grin on his coworker's face, he knew exactly what Jackson was thinking. "Avery, wait until you're home to start ripping off her clothes. I'm still trying to digest my food here," he teased.

April ignored Alex's comment and smiled at Jackson. "So, what'd you two talk about before we got here?"

"Sports," the two men quickly answered in unison.

Jackson forced a smile as she eyed them suspiciously. Neither he nor April had really discussed the loss of Samuel Norbert Avery with anyone but each other. When they returned to work they both received numerous condolences from their peers, but they weren't ready to actually talk about it. Even Catherine Avery couldn't pry her way into Jackson's head. He wasn't sure if his wife reached that level yet. And he didn't want to ruin her mood. April was so perky and bringing up their dead son would only kill her spirits.

"Ah, I get it. Guy stuff," she brushed off the awkwardness and giggled. "Probably comparing sex stories."

"That's exactly it. And no, I didn't provide Karev with any details you wouldn't want me sharing."

"Like I need the visual," Alex muttered under his breath before eating some fries.

Jackson stood up, nodding his head towards the men's restroom. "I will be right back."

After he was far enough from their table, April leaned forward and softly smiled. "Thank you, Alex." The pediatric surgeon stared back at her with a puzzled expression on his face. She let out a sigh. "I mean, Jackson hasn't had much of a break – from me. Ever since… I know he wants to make sure I'm doing alright all the time, which I'm eternally grateful for, but sometimes I just want him to have time for himself. When I suggest it he thinks I'm trying to push him away and that's not my intention. It would be nice for him to have some guy time, possibly with you. Even though this wasn't planned tonight, I'm happy you two got to hang out a little."

"Oh. Umm, yeah. No problem," Alex timidly responded. "So… you're okay?"

April glanced down at the paper napkin she twisted back and forth in her hands. "I think so. When I was pregnant I used to look at babies through the window of the nursery and become really excited about how my own baby would be in there one day. Now, I can't bring myself to go anywhere near the place," she admitted. "But I think I'm okay. Just not 100% there yet."

"It takes time. Recovering from something like that isn't gonna happen in a snap." Alex shrugged and offered a half-smile. "For what it's worth, I think you would've been a good mom. If you could put up with me and my mess, then you could handle anybody."

She chuckled and smiled back at him. "I suppose. Thanks. You and Jo seem to be doing really well. Are you ever gonna-"

"Of course. I just don't know when." Staring across the bar at his girlfriend, a wider smile formed on Alex's face as he watched Jo talk to her refilled cup of water while she waited for the drinks she ordered. Despite how stupid it looked to be talking to a leech, he accepted that side of her. He loved all of the silly things that she did because he loved her.

"How long do you think it'll take before she accidentally kills him?" April tossed her now balled up paper napkin at Alex, hitting his chest. He continued to smile as Jo approached their table with drinks in her hands. "Well, when that time comes I want a toilet funeral."

Let me know what you think please :)