Set sometime in mid-season eight. Going to be a two-shot. This is how i think it would have played out if Jackson realized he liked April well before they had sex. Also April is not religious cause i think that was a cop out writing wise. Enjoy!

Jackson Avery was seeing red. He tried to convince himself it was just a glitch, a side effect from staring at his red headed best friend for the majority of the evening. But not so deep down he knew the truth: he was jealous. And the red he was currently seeing had nothing to do with April Kepner's hair, color (Okay, it had a little bit to do with her hair color.) but more to do with the creep shamelessly flirting with his best friend.

He's not really sure when it started; the staring that is. At first he just found her amusing, a dorky side kick that helped him forget about the drama and trauma that comes with being a doctor, surgeon and Avery. But then there was a merger, and a shooting, and an already-in-love-with-someone-else girlfriend, and somewhere along the line he started staring and caring more than he ever thought he would or should. Only he realized what that staring meant too late, so when the rest of the Seattle Grace Mercy Death doctors decided it was a good idea to bring April out tonight with the sole intent of getting her, as Alex crudely put it, "laid" what could he have said? "Sorry April I know you're a virgin and all but I've been eye fucking you for weeks which gives me the right to not allow you to do any actual fucking. That and the fact I think I'm in love with you" No. He couldn't have said that. It was very unbecoming. Especially for an Avery.

So instead he sat at the bar across the room, staring as some frat-esque guy tried to put the moves on the girl that he knew was too good for them all. He was nursing his beer in one hand, surprised that the situation didn't make him want to get mind numbingly drunk, but watch her like a hawk. His hand tightened around the bottle when the guy put his arm around her, giving the pretense that he would show her how to throw a dart. She just went with it, maybe because she was sick of being teased for being a virgin, maybe because she actually wanted to sleep with the guy. But that thought was too much for Jackson to bear. Seeing someone touch her arm was tearing him apart. The thought of someone touching her elsewhere….he couldn't handle that. So, he downed his beer and focused on how pretty he though she looked.

"You know we wouldn't have made her do it if we knew."

Meredith sat at the stool next to him ordering another drink. He gave her a questioning look, not trusting his voice to conceal his real feelings. "Come on Jackson. You like April. You have been staring at her for the past hour like she's murdering your puppy or something."

He couldn't help but smirk at that. He liked Meredith. Maybe it was their similar upbringings or the kindness under her dark twisted exterior, but he liked her. And currently he was slightly drunk and really pissed which made him confined in her, "Yeah well I'm just the best friend. And taking that step with her and it turning out badly…I can't handle that. It's been a shitty year and she is the only good thing to come out of it. I can't risk it."

Meredith rolled her eyes as April laughed across the room, making him cringe again. "She's your person. And trust me; nothing is better, more special, then being with your person. Look we brought her here tonight to get drunk, get laid, and get on with her life. She always wanted it to be special right? Wanted to wait for the right guy? You're her person. There's nothing more special than that. So why can't you be the one to fulfill the intent of this little outing?"

Before he could answer there was a crash on the other side of the room. He looked up to find the frat guy standing above a whimpering April. And he thought he had been seeing red before. He didn't remember walking over to where she was on the floor, a small cut on her face and clutching her hand to her chest, but when he got in the vicinity all he heard was the guy grumble out, "Fucking tease". That was when he lost it. In that moment medicine and legacy and million dollar hands did not matter. Because for once instead of healing he was breaking. A nose to be exact. And nothing had ever been more satisfying.

It took all of his will power not to hit the guy again and again and again. Somewhere in the back of his mind he made a note that this was the second time he was defending April's honor, or maidenhood, whatever you want to call it, and that he had to stop letting her wind up with shitty guys like this. He didn't really question what the devoted protection at a moment's notice meant. After one solid hit, and a significant crack, he turned around to find April still on the floor, tears dangerously close to spilling out of her eyes.

"You shouldn't have done that," she whispered t as he helped her up, carefully and swiftly examining the cut on her face.

"He shouldn't have either. Come on I'm taking you home."

With an arm around her shoulder the two left the bar, leaving the other doctors to deal with the man's broken nose. Meredith stood smiling by the bar when Alex came up. "Damn. What is it with Avery and hitting people for Kepner?"

"She's his person, I would expect nothing less. You're staying at my house tonight. They need their privacy."

Alex gave a chuckle, "So mission get-Kepner-laid is a success?"

"If he follows my advice it will be."

XXX

April Kepner was sick of being teased. That was it. Plain and simple. Why else would she be standing here in the bar laughing at some douche of a guy's half rate jokes? Because the truth was she didn't plan on sleeping with him. Not really. Maybe she would let him make out with her for a bit and claim she had done the deed to her fellow residents who seemed so keen on getting her having sex. Well, except Jackson. She wasn't sure why but he didn't join in on the teasing today. In fact, now that she thought about it he seemed to tense up at the mention of her "getting laid." Maybe he was still missing Lexie or something. Oh well.

April turned her full attention back to Justin (or was it Jake?) , even though only some of her attention was needed to keep up with him. It wasn't that she didn't understand what you had to do to flirt with a guy. Bat your eyelashes. Give little smiles and giggles. Let him touch your arm. Her sisters had taught her it all, it wasn't very hard. But it also wasn't very her. And she didn't want a relationship that was based on society's rules of proper flirting etiquette. She wanted someone who understood her and cared for her to be her first time because while she could do all the flirting, but when it came down to it the physical side of relationships always freaked her out.

It was when he started the whispering that she realized it was a bad idea to come here tonight. Because while she had long since given up on finding a guy to give her the first time that she wanted, she was not quite ready to settle for the one whispering the vulgar, dirty things he wanted to do to her.

"Sorry…um…I think I should go, "she said trying to get out of his grip and away from him as quickly as possible. She spotted Jackson and Meredith in an intense chat by the bar. But, she never made it to the pair. She didn't expect him to hit her when she moved away, the ring on his hand causing a stinging on her face, most of her weight landing on her right hand as she fell. The next few moments happened quickly. Before she even knew what was happening Jackson was standing over the guy, with a look on his face that could be described at nothing but violent. But then he turned to her and the anger washed away just as suddenly as it came, his face softening into concern as he picked her up from the ground.

She mumbled something about how he shouldn't have done that, but she was so happy that he did. Because in her life she had had a lot of relationships, but none of them except her friendship with Jackson had ever involved someone protecting her. Everyone else simply tolerated her or kept her around for her cooking and cleaning habits. He responded, she knows he did, but she was so confused at the feeling she was now getting when she looked at him-the best way to describe it was desire, but he was her best friend and that wasn't allowed-and she was slightly drunk and just really wanted to go home. So, when he put his arm around her and led her out the bar she couldn't be more relieved.

That feeling didn't seem to go away though.