Author's Note: Hey guys! Hopefully y'all like this fic. I'm hoping that it will be a long one, so please review! I love to hear what you guys think. This story takes place in a happy magic dream time before Flight and the boards happen. As usual, I don't own the characters, show, etc.


As much as April Kepner loved being a surgeon at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, even she could admit that she needed a break from all of the chaos and death that came with her job as the go-to Trauma resident. She hadn't taken a vacation in almost a year, so when a couple of the other surgeons invited her along to their group vacation to Honolulu, there was no way she was turning it down. Her last night at the hospital before the trip was chaotic, and it wasn't until almost two in the morning that she finally got out of surgery. She let a wide smile spread across her face as she changed out of her scrubs and into street clothes. This is going to be just what I need.


April could hear loud music echoing through her apartment as she fumbled with her keys. Finally finding the right one, she opened the door to see Jackson stirring something over the stove, dancing along to the Kelly Clarkson song reverberating throughout the room.

"Jackson! Turn it down!" She couldn't help but grin at her best friend, who jumped when he realized that he wasn't alone. As per her request, he turned the music down to a normal volume before smiling at her. Tossing her bags down next to the door, April joined him at the stove, peering into the pot he was diligently stirring.

"Oo, mac 'n cheese!" April exclaimed, resting her hand on the taller man's shoulder and standing on her tiptoes, trying to get a better view into the pot. "I'm starving."

Jackson nodded as he continued to stir the neon-orange noodles. "Good thing I made enough for both of us," he said, sticking the spoon into April's face. "Is it ready?"

April slid the noodle into her mouth, accidently smearing the bright cheese sauce on the side of her cheek. Jackson shook his head, a smile growing on his face. "How can the most organized person I know manage to be such a messy eater?" he asked, using the back of his hand to wipe the cheese off of her pale skin. April stuck her tongue out at him in response as she grabbed two bowls from the cabinet.

"I can be disorganized if I want to!" April insisted as she ladled the noodles into each bowl. Jackson raised an eyebrow at her skeptically, accepting the ceramic bowl of macaroni that she offered him. "It's true," April nodded. "Just wait until we get to Hawaii. I'll be so messy, you're going to all think I'm Karev!"

Jackson laughed at April's dig on Alex Karev, their other roommate. "Are you ever going to forgive him for eating that pie you made?" Jackson asked, grinning at girl leaning on the counter across from him. She rolled her hazel eyes at him.

"I forgave him for eating my pie! I just won't forgive him for not apologizing for eating my pie!"

Jackson smiled into his bowl of macaroni and cheese. As neurotic his best friend was, spending time with her made Jackson feel more carefree than ever. With April, his last name didn't matter. He wasn't an Avery, he was just Jackson. Jackson and April had been close friends ever since their first days at Mercy West, and their bond had only strengthened after the merger and the shooting. April was his little safe haven from all the craziness in his life, and he was hers.

"I would kill for a beer right now," April mused as she opened the fridge. "You want one?" she asked, holding up two brown bottles.

"You read my mind," Jackson agreed, gratefully accepting the Budweiser she held out for him. He watched in amusement as she struggled with the twist-off cap. Finally resigning, she held her bottle out to him with a pleading look in her eyes. Jackson twisted off the cap easily, a smirk on his face as he handed it back to the redhead.

"Show off," April grumbled as she brought the bottle to her pink lips and took a swig. Wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, she narrowed her eyes playfully at the green-eyed man in front of her. "Have you packed?"

Jackson had never quite mastered his poker face. The guilt in his face was evident, and April smacked his arm with her hand. "Jackson!" she exclaimed. "We leave in like five hours, and you haven't packed?"

"We can't all pack three days in advance, Apes," Jackson explained, squirming under the glare of his best friend. "I've been too busy to pack!"

April raised her eyebrows. "There have been five traumas in the past two days, yet I seem to have had enough time," she chastised. There was a shift in Jackson's eyes, going from looking guilty to hopeful. April knew what he was going to ask before he got a word out. "Fine, I'll help!"

Jackson grinned and pulled her into a hug. "You're the best, Apes!" April struggled to escape his powerful arms, with no luck.

"Jackson! You're- crushing- me!"

Rolling his eyes, he let April out of his grip. "Weakling," he teased. April scrunched her nose at him in return, sighing as she drank the last sip of her beer.

"Alright, come on, let's go pack your stinky boy clothes," she said.

Jackson looked at April in mock offense. "My clothes aren't stinky!" Seeing April's disbelieving look, he smiled and stuck his armpit in her face. "Are they?" April pretended to gag, the sound of laughing filling the apartment as the pair made their way down the hallway to his room


April had just finished brewing a pot of strong coffee when Jackson pulled his suitcase into the kitchen. There was a stack of pancakes sitting on the counter, which Jackson pounced on like he hadn't eaten in a week. He moaned happily as he stuffed the pancakes into his mouth, earning a disgusted look from April. "These are so good," he groaned, his mouth full of food.

"You say that about everything I make," April said, pouring herself a cup of coffee and adding spoonful after spoonful of sugar to the dark beverage. She smiled happily after taking a sip, then poured Jackson a cup. "Black, just how you like it," she announced, sliding the mug across the counter. Jackson nodded, taking a gulp of the caffeinated liquid.

"Coffee is meant to be taken black, Apes. You ruin it with all of that sugar."

April hugged her mug to her chest protectively. "I don't ruin my coffee! It's fine this way!" Jackson shook his head, stuffing more pancakes into his mouth. Their bickering, however, was interrupted by a very grumpy Alex Karev slamming the door to the apartment. Alex scowled as he collapsed on the sofa. April and Jackson traded amused looks before walking over to the Pediatric resident. "You okay, Alex?" April asked delicately. She was all too aware of the pain that came with bothering Alex Karev when he was in a bad mood.

He frowned at the girl. "Yeah, April, I'm freakin' fantastic. Because you all decided to pack up and go to Hawaii for a freakin' week, Stark is taking over for Dr. Robbins. I have to deal with Robert Stark for five whole days!" April nodded sympathetically. She knew from experience that Stark could be a little bit of an asshole, especially after the whole "dating" incident she had with him months before.

"I'm sorry, Alex," April hummed kindly.

Alex shrugged. "At least I won't have to be on a beach with the hospital's three power couples. That's going to suck more that Stark does," he snickered. It was true, April thought. She and Jackson would be going with Cristina, Owen, Meredith, Derek, Callie and Arizona. Although she was looking forward to having fun on a beach, she knew that traveling with three happy couples wouldn't be a complete picnic. Jackson was evidently thinking the same thing, a worried expression taking over his features.

"As long as they don't start making out in public places, it'll be ok..." Jackson pondered, looking to April for agreement.

The red haired girl nodded at Jackson. She was a little bit nervous about the level of PDA that would be going on during the trip, but she didn't want to think about it too much. This vacation was supposed to be carefree, and thinking about Cristina and Owen sucking face on a beach was definitely not making her feel light and happy. Besides, it wasn't as if she was the only single person in the group. Jackson wasn't dating anybody either. They could be pathetic and single together.

After all, April would've been perfectly content only going on the trip with Jackson. She loved all of the other surgeons, of course, but Jackson would always be April's first choice.

The knock on the door shook April out of her haze. "That must be Meredith," she called, unclicking the lock and opening the door to reveal Meredith holding a beaming Zola in her arms. "Hey!" April exclaimed, cooing at the little girl in the surgeon's grasp. Zola let out a little belly laugh when April pulled a face, causing her mother to smile.

"I'm going to miss her so much!" Meredith cried out, tickling Zola's stomach. "But it's okay, ZoZo. You're going to have tons of fun with your Uncle Alex!" Zola shrieked in agreement, holding her pudgy arms out to Alex, who was walking towards her with a smile on his face.

"Hey there Zola," Alex smiled, taking the girl from Meredith and swinging her around. "We're going to have so much fun while your mom is away. I'll get you your first tattoo, teach you how to take shots, it'll be freakin' awesome." Meredith shot him a dark look, handing him a paper bag full of Zola's food, clothes and toys.

"Alright, Alex, I'm trusting you. Just drop her off at daycare while you're at work, okay? And no dirty skanks in the house!" Alex rolled his eyes at the worried mother.

"Don't worry, Mer. Zo and I will be fine over here by ourselves. Oh, maybe we can go get your ears pierced! Would you like that, Zola? Yes you would!" Meredith's eyes widened, a look of fear covering her face. "Relax, I'm just kidding. Go have fun without me," Alex urged. With one last kiss to Zola's forehead, Meredith grabbed her bags.

"You guys ready?" she asked. Jackson and April nodded, as they followed the blonde out the door. Jackson grabbed both his and April's bags and carried them out to the car where Derek was waiting.

As soon as the door shut, Alex turned to the little girl next to him. Looking around to make sure nobody could hear him, he leaned closer and whispered, "I wasn't kidding about getting your ears pierced."


The car ride to the airport was relatively uneventful, save for Meredith's constant worrying over leaving Zola. Thanks to April's meticulous planning, they were all right on time when they met up with Cristina, Owen, Callie and Arizona when they were boarding the plane. April and Jackson were seated next to each other, both completely exhausted from staying up all night packing. April's hand twitched nervously, something that did not go unseen by Jackson.

"Hey, you okay?" He nudged her, putting his hand on top of hers to stop it's shaking. She looked up, a nervous smile on her face.

"Planes kind of freak me out. I'll be fine once we're in the air, just…" She shrugged. "You never know if they're going to crash." Jackson could understand that. Even though he had been going on planes for years, something that just came with being an Avery, there was always a sense of unease.

"Relax. It'll be okay," he said. Jackson's words were soothing, and before she knew it, April had fallen asleep on Jackson's shoulder.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Again, please please please review. It helps me know what I can do better! xoxoxo