A/N: Hi guys! This is my new story. It's semi-AU, semi-canon! I just had this idea in my head and I've been writing like a mad person for the last week! I already have the first five chapters written and most of the story outlined! I'm thinking about updating the story every week or every two weeks! It all depends on what kind of a response this gets! –Mia

Chapter One: New Beginnings and Adjustments

Sitting on the bench in front of her locker, April nervously fumbled with her hospital badge and marveled at its significance. She had already changed into her baby blue scrubs and her new white coat. Today was the day she had been looking forward to for the past eight years, even longer before that. She was finally a doctor. A surgeon, if she could call herself that already. Her older sister was a surgeon. Her brother-in-law was a surgeon and everyone in his family were doctors too. Having them as role models during her formative years, she had decided to pursue medicine pretty early on. Her original plan had been to stay on the east coast for her surgical residency. After all, that's where she had grown up and had gone to school. Mass Gen had offered her a spot in their surgical program. She had wanted to stay close to her family and her best friend, Lexie Grey, has also been planning on accepting a position at Mass Gen. However, that was then and this was now. Things had changed for the both of them. A desperate phone call from her older sister a few months ago had changed her plans. Her brother-in-law had packed up his bags and moved to Seattle and had taken up the position of Head of Neurosurgery. A couple months later, her older sister had followed him out west. April didn't know the details of the situation. Her sister hadn't been ready to tell her but, her sister had pleaded with her join her at Seattle Grace Hospital. Her sister hadn't given details but her desperation had left April anxious. And that was how April had found herself in this new, unfamiliar city. She was thousands of miles away from her home, further out west than she had ever ventured. The situation had called for a big move and April had had no other choice.

Things had changed for April and Lexie and they had packed their bags together and moved across the country. They needed to be closer to their families. Lexie had the comparative advantage in that she had actually grown up in Seattle. She had attended school on the east coast with April. But for April, being in an unfamiliar environment only increased her anxiety. She had only arrived in Seattle last week. And in that week, she and Lexie had been busy settling into the new apartment that they shared. Then, there was the intern mixer and orientation. She had been busy and hadn't yet gotten a chance to see her older sister and brother-in-law, the two closest people in the world to her. They were better surrogate parents to her than her own parents had been. Not knowing what was going on with them was only adding to her stress and anxiety. Her brain had been addled with theories she had come up with—both good, bad and worse situations. Was Addison pregnant? Had they finally decided to start a family in Seattle? Addison had always had a hard time starting a family with Derek. Or was one of them sick and that was why they refused to tell her anything on the phone? Why had they just picked up their well-established lives in New York and decided to move across the whole damn country? She wrung her hands tightly together, trying to calm herself down. Now was not the time to think about it…There was a time and place for everything, she reminded herself.

"Apes, let's go. It's almost time to go meet our residents. I know you don't want to be late on the first day." Lexie gave April's hand a tight squeeze and April squeezed her hand back. April nodded and followed Lexie out of the locker room. Lexie had just lost her mother at this very hospital. She'd recently discovered that her father had a daughter from a first marriage who was also a resident at this hospital. A sister who she'd had no idea about until recently. A sister who probably didn't want anything to do with her. But if losing her mother so unexpectedly had taught her anything, it was that she should hold on tightly to the bonds she had left.

They were sad, stressed messes. They weren't always like this. Granted, April had a tendency to get nervous and anxious. There was also the fact that April's life had always been a big mess since the day she was born, but she didn't want to dwell on that right now. There was a time and place for everything and she would be damned if she let herself have a nervous breakdown on her first day of work as a doctor all before her shift had even started.

The girls had met as freshman undergraduates at Harvard and they had hit it off almost immediately. They were best friends and were as close as sisters. Of course, they did have their own biological sisters. April's was 13 years older than her and more of a surrogate mother to her than a traditional sister. Lexie and her sister, the one she had grown up with, weren't too close. They simply wanted different things out of life. Lexie had pursued a career in medicine while her sister had gotten married at a young age and had already started a family. So, yes, April and Lexie were basically like sisters to each other in the more traditional sense and had been there for each other through every boyfriend, bad breakup, family drama, difficult exam and Harvard. That's why they had decided to move to Seattle together. They were both needed there and they needed each other too.

Despite coaching herself to calm down, April's nerves were starting to get to her. The only thing that could, perhaps, provide some solace at this moment was a bottle of vodka. But it was too early for that. It was only a little bit before 7am and they had yet to start their first 48-hour shift as surgical interns. She had only learned the name of her resident the day before. She didn't even want to think about how she felt about him being her resident. April and Lexie each took a deep breath and put smiles on their faces. Albeit, they were fake smiles but, they couldn't let the world know that.

April and Lexie arrived to the lobby of the surgical floor and were joined by their fellow interns. "Do you see that girl with dirty blonde hair over there? The one talking with the girl with the curly black hair?" Lexie murmured. April nodded in response. "Well, I think she's my sister. Her name is Meredith. Remember how I told you that, apparently, my dad was married to another woman before he met my mom?" April nodded again. "Well, she's my half-sister to be precise and I want to know her."

April hummed in understanding. "Do you remember Jackson Avery? He went to Harvard with us for undergrad and med school, except he was a year older? You dated his roommate?" Lexie nodded. "Well, he's standing over there. He's a surgical resident here too. Well to be precise, he's my supervising resident, meaning that I'm going to be working under him and he's my boss."

"Oh my god, no way! What a small world! I wonder if he remembers us. Damn, what are the odds that we would end up at the same hospital and that he would be your resident? This would be a wet dream for 20-year-old April." Lexie chuckled.

"Shut up! Don't let anybody hear you! Besides, that was like 6 years ago. I'm pretty sure he's forgotten about me. I mean, there's no reason for him to remember me. It's not like I was a significant person in his life. He was just Henry's roommate and he just knew me as your best friend. I'm just gonna be as professional as possible…" April rambled on.

"Relax, Apes! You're gonna be fine! He probably does remember you and that's fine if he does!" April nodded, trying to see her friend's point of view.

Jackson and the other residents in his group waited in the lobby of the surgical floor for the new class of interns to arrive. He and his friends were practically shaking with excitement. They would no longer be at the bottom of the surgical food chain. They finally had their own groups of interns to boss around. To pile on the scut work, charts and labs. However, Alex's and his excitement over the new class of interns was more precisely due to the prospect of new, attractive girls joining the staff of Seattle Grace's surgical department.

"I really hope there's gonna be some new hot interns to bang. I'm bored with the nurses and the residents at this hospital," Alex murmured. Jackson chuckled. He and Alex had become fast friends upon starting their surgical internships together at Seattle Grace Hospital. Although they came from different worlds, they had hit it off based on their mutual interest in medicine, sports, and girls. They both lived together with Meredith Grey and Izzie Stevens at the frat house.

"What? Are you saying that you're not tired of the attendings yet?" Jackson replied, grinning as he scanned the gathering crowd of interns for any potential girls. The new interns looked nervous, naïve, optimistic and eager to practice medicine. God, they looked like a bunch of babies. Had they been like this last year?

Alex grinned. "Nah, I don't have the hots for the attendings the same way Grey and Yang do. I'll admit that She-Shepard is hot, though. Montgomery-Shepard? What does she go by now?"

"I think she goes by just Montgomery now that divorce has been finalized," Jackson answered. "Well, what about you and Izzie? Or that Ava chick?"

"Whatever. Izzie still has her Denny issues and whatever she's doing with O'Malley and Ava's married." Alex chose not to elaborate further. "I need to move on and the new interns are perfect for hot hook ups in an on-call room or supply closet. The nurses are getting fed up with doctors all no thanks to Sloan."

Before Jackson could reply, they were interrupted from someone behind them. "There will be no such shenanigans going on in my hospital!" Dr. Bailey sternly reprimanded. Jackson and Alex sheepishly turned around to face their former supervising resident. The new second year residents may no longer be her intern babies, but Bailey felt a certain amount of responsibility for them. Plus, she couldn't handle them getting involved in even more scandals and having it reflect badly on her. She had had enough of that with them as interns. Though, she had to be thankful that Jackson Avery had given her the least trouble in terms of scandals out of the rest of her interns. She favored him the most amongst the group and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was an Avery. Miranda Bailey did not give into nepotism like that. She continued her tirade, "There will be absolutely no fraternizing with the interns, Karev and Avery. They are your students and you are their superiors and mentors. It is grossly unethical behavior and I will not tolerate it even if I am no longer your supervising resident. Need I remind you what Yang and Grey had to go through last year? Surely, I can depend on you gentlemen to maintain some level of class and decorum now that you are residents?" Bailed pointedly asked as she handed out the rosters of interns to the men.

"You will not be disappointed in us, Dr. Bailey." Jackson replied. He gave her a charming, reassuring smile. Bailey nodded at him and walked away to hand out the rest of the rosters. She knew she could depend on Avery.

"Kiss-ass!" Alex laughed and chided Jackson.

Jackson rolled his eyes in response. "Whatever. Just give her what she wants and she'll leave you alone. Dude, you gotta learn to be smooth and discreet like I am."

"Not everyone has the Avery charm that they can work like you do. You flirt with the nurses, paramedics, residents and even some attendings to get your way into any case. Anyways, you spot any girls yet?"

Jackson's eyes roved the crowd and the luscious auburn waves of a particular girl caught his eyes. The hair had caught his attention at first. The more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. Her features were striking, but not in the obvious, conventional way. She had a unique face, but she was gorgeous, Jackson decided. However, he couldn't exactly place where he had seen her before. She was looking at him too. Their eyes met briefly before they realized that they were staring at each other. She looked away quickly and Jackson noticed her pale cheeks reddening. He smirked. He could make a girl blush with just one look. He still had it in him. "That girl…." Jackson said, subtly motioning her to Alex.

"Yeah she's cute. But I dig the brunette with short hair standing next to her."

Jackson's eyes moved to the brunette friend standing next to the red head and chatting with her. He hadn't even noticed her at first. His eyes widened in shock. "Are you referring to Lexie Grey?!"

"Did you just say Lexie Grey?" Meredith questioned, as she, Christina and Izzie joined the men with their own rosters in their hands.

"Yeah, you know her? She went to Harvard for undergrad and med school with me, but she was a year younger. She dated a buddy of mine during undergrad, though. She used to be over at our house all the time while they were still together. She was quite popular at Harvard," Jackson replied.

"Yeah, I think she might be my sister. Well, not my sister. But, you know, I think she and I share the same biological father. I mean, I'm pretty sure that she's Susan's other daughter. She mentioned something about her once," Meredith murmured.

"Shit, I knew her at Harvard, but I never thought she could be related to you. I mean I know that the Grey name has meaning in the medical world, but she never said anything, so I just assumed that it was a coincidence that you guys shared the same last name."

"Right, because she's not related to my mother whatsoever. In fact, she's not related to me either." Meredith narrowed her eyes.

"Well, whatever. She's hot, so I call dibs on her, Avery." Alex piped in.

"Alex, there is no way you're hooking up with her. We hate her," Meredith snapped.

"Why do we hate her?" Izzie asked.

"Because we hate her. Ugh, she looks so happy and perky and that red head next to her looks even more happy and perkier next to her. They look they're about to combust into glitter, sunshine, and rainbows. I hate interns," Christina said.

"But we were just interns last year?" Izzie reminded her.

"And your point is?" Christina snapped. She looked down at her roster and noticed that Lexie Grey was in her group. "Looks like I've got her."

"Give her hell, Christina," Meredith replied.

Jackson shook his head at his squabbling friends and looked down at the list of names on his roster of interns for the first time and noticed a vaguely familiar name. "April….Montgomery?" The last named intrigued and confused him. "Montgomery…as in…?"

"Oh, god. The rumors must be true then. I heard from the mill that Addison has a younger sister and that she's coming here as an intern. I can barely handle the wrath of one red headed she-devil and now another has come to haunt me," Meredith answered. The group of residents noticed the resemblance between the sisters in their rich, luscious auburn waves.

"That must be the red head standing next to happy Grey," Alex motioned back to the interns. The group stared down at the intern duo.

"Did you just call her 'happy Grey', Evil Spawn?" Christina snickered.

"Great. They look like besties. Looks like they've come to wreak havoc further into my life," Meredith muttered.

Before Jackson could reply to his friend, his attention was called by the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Richard Webber, giving the same spiel he gave to the new interns ever year.

The Chief of Surgery finished his speech and the chief resident started calling out the names of residents. The interns were supposed to join their groups as the names got called out. April and Lexie gave each other's hands one last squeeze of encouragement before they were called away. They could do this. They had prepared for this and they would get through it with each other's support.

"Dr. Jackson Avery!" The chief resident called out. April took a deep breath and walked forward to join her intern group and resident.

As his interns gathered around him, Jackson introduced himself to the group. "Hey you guys, I'm Dr. Jackson Avery."

Before he could go on, he was interrupted by an intern named Sarah Kim. "Avery as in Harper Avery?"

Jackson sighed in annoyance. He really couldn't go one day without someone mentioning his family or grandfather to him. "Yes, he's my grandfather. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't discuss my grandfather, family or the foundation with me. Anyways, let's get back to business…" Jackson motioned for his interns to follow him as he briefly showed them around. Dr. Bailey had been strict as a supervising resident, but he had learned a lot from her. To channel the same vibes the fifth year resident gave off, Jackson started listing off the very same rules that she had recited to her interns on their very first day. He listed the first four rules and paused, briefly looking at April for a second. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere. He looked at her for a second and noticed that she was looking around the hospital in awe. However, he was brought back from his trance when one of his interns interrupted his thoughts.

"Okay, but what's the fifth rule then?" One of the interns asked Jackson. He remembered that his name with Andrew Freeman.

Jackson was stumped for a second. When Dr. Bailey had given them the spiel last year, her stating the last rule had been momentous with her getting paged right away. "The fifth rule is that, when I run, you run." Jackson replied. Five pairs of eyes stared at him, waiting for him to go further on. It was pretty intimidating, to be honest. An awkward, silent moment passed. He had five pairs of eyes staring at him, expecting something great out of him. Jackson cleared his throat. "Right. Anyways, we can get started already. Freeman and Ali, you're on labs for the patients in 4032 and 3026. Kim and Gonzalez, you're on scut." He was greeted by grim faces and soft, subtle groans from his interns. "Yeah I know it sucks, but you guys are pretty much incapable of doing anything at this point. Besides, this is how you learn," He sternly addressed the group.

"What about me?" April questioned.

"What about you?" Jackson replied.

"You gave everyone else something to do, but me. What should I be doing?" April clarified.

She had thrown Jackson off. All throughout his spiel to his new interns, he had felt her eyes staring at him, burning into him. Her presence made him nervous somehow and it wasn't often that Jackson Avery found himself nervous. He was still trying to put a finger on how he knew her or where he had seen her before. He had an inkling that it may have something to do with Harvard, since he had seen her chatting with Lexie Grey and he had already identified her friend. Her name had sounded familiar and not because she was somehow related to Meredith's boyfriend. He just couldn't put a finger on how they already knew each other. Jackson had been meaning to get her alone somehow. He needed to figure out where he already knew her from. It was bothering him too much at this point.

Jackson cleared his throat. "Right, you can-"

"Little Red, is that you?! Wow, I haven't seen you in such a long time! Damn you grew up." Mark Sloan's boisterous voice called out, as he gave a low whistle. He had always flirtatiously teased April—that was just their relationship. Jackson, April and pretty much the everyone else's head turned to the sound of the loud man's voice.

A/N: Alright, well that's chapter one! Please let me know what you think! So obviously, April is Addison's little sister in this story. She has a much different up bringing than what we've seen in the show. However, I tried to characterize her as close to canon as possible—hence, the ramblings, nervousness and insecurity. Also, Jackson is a part of the original intern group at Seattle Grace. Anyways, please give me a follow/favorite /review! I'd love to hear what you think of it so far!