I don't own Grey's Anatomy and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: The midseason premiere restored my love for both April and Jackson and the pairing. Hope you enjoy!
With the hospital's new policy about to take effect, Jackson and April knew their three weeks of secret wedded bliss was about to come to an end. But they found they didn't mind so much – they wanted everyone to know the truth, wanted to share it with the world. They just had to be extremely mindful of the situation because of the way it had come about. Unfortunately, this meant they had to talk to Stephanie and Matthew. Jackson and April regretted hurting them, and they should have done it sooner. They were just afraid to talk to them, but it was past time now – especially in the wake of someone going to HR to complain.
"So we'll meet back up so we can tell everyone?" she asked her husband.
Jackson nodded. "Yes. I can't wait to officially introduce you as my wife. It's been killing me keeping this a secret."
April laughed. "Same here. You're my husband and I want everyone to know that." God, she loved this man. She couldn't wait for people to start calling her Doctor Kepner-Avery (because April Avery did not sound right, something they had been debating for a while).
He checked to see if they were alone and then kissed her before reluctantly parting ways. Jackson then headed to go find Stephanie, hoping she wasn't too pissed off. He'd deserve it, but that was beside the point. He took a deep breath when he spotted her – when she caught his glance, she definitely looked pissed. Fuck. "Stephanie, can I talk to you for a minute?" He was glad the others weren't around.
She glared at him. "What do you have to say to me? Are you here to apologize? It's been three weeks."
Jackson cringed. "I know – I waited too long, but I was afraid to face you. I'm sorry. I should have handled this a lot better than I did. If I had just realized sooner, I would have broken up with you in a less humiliating way. It wasn't right what April and I did to you and Matthew. And I'm apologizing again." He sighed after he was finished (well, he still had to tell her about the marriage, but that could wait a few more minutes).
Stephanie didn't look impressed. "Well, that does go a long way, but I am still so pissed and hurt you have no idea. You don't realize how truly humiliating that was for me, and you'll never understand. But I accept your apology."
He sighed in relief. "I'm glad to hear that. And there's one more thing I have to tell you. After April and I ran away, we drove to Lake Tahoe and got married. We were just keeping it to ourselves for a little while, but it has to come out now, and I didn't want you caught off guard," he explained.
She definitely looked shocked. "Wow. Well, congratulations, I guess. Hope you're happy." Stephanie smiled at him and then walked away.
Meanwhile, April was waiting in vain for Matthew to show up at the hospital. She was a little worried about facing him, but this was better. They needed to clear the air. The look on Matthew's face when he saw her after the ambulance pulled up was heartbreaking. He rattled off the details to the doctor waiting for them and went to walk away when she called his name. "Can I talk to you, please?"
"What do you need to talk to me about, April? You left me at the altar and ran off with your ex-boyfriend."
"I need to apologize. Matthew, I never once thought that would happen. But at least we realized our mistake before we actually got married. I'm sorry for hurting you, and I really hope you find someone who treats you better."
He eyed her warily. "Well, seems like you found your someone so good for you, April. I don't want to talk to you."
April stopped him. "Wait a minute! I need to tell you something. Jackson and I are married now. We just thought you should know before word gets around the hospital."
He didn't say anything except for turning around and walking away, back towards the ambulance. April knew she deserved it and didn't blame him for it. She'd probably feel the same way in his position. She felt even guiltier now, even though she was happier than she had ever been.
April and Jackson met back up an hour later. "So you ready for this?"
April nodded. "Yes. Matthew hates me. How'd it go with Stephanie?"
"She hates me too, but she accepted my apology. Now let's go in and tell everyone."
"Why are we here?" Meredith questioned when the two walked in. She was confused as to why this meeting had been called (and at least she wasn't the only one).
"You're together," Arizona observed. Last she heard, April and Jackson weren't speaking to each other. This was weird.
"Yes. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Doctor April Kepner-Avery. We eloped right after we ran away from her wedding." He enjoyed all the jaws literally dropping at the news. He had never seen so many do that at the same time.
"We have our marriage license if you want to see it. We wanted to keep this news to ourselves for a little while, but this new fraternization rule forced our hand." God, April got a little thrill every time she thought of Jackson as her husband.
Meredith was the first to recover. "Wow. Did not see that one coming, but congratulations! I'm happy for you. And no need for the marriage license. We believe you."
"I want to hear details, but in a little bit," April promised. She was glad she and Arizona had become close in the past few months. She was a great friend.
"Good." Arizona grinned and then gave a thumbs up.
"Well, I'd like to see the marriage certificate," Owen said. Jackson nodded and then handed it over. Owen seemed satisfied and then handed it back a few minutes later.
After a long day of work – during which they broke the news to multiple co-workers and received many surprised stares and congratulations – Jackson and April finally headed home. They sat down on the couch to relax. "I am so tired right now," he complained.
She laughed. "So am I. That went better than I thought it would. At least we cleared the air with Matthew and Stephanie. And now all we do is need to tell your mom. I'm a lot more terrified about that."
Jackson scoffed. "Why do you think I put off telling her? I had to make Richard promise he wouldn't tell her until we were ready, but I don't know how long we can keep it from her."
She laid her head down on his shoulder. "I just want to enjoy tonight with you, and we can think about that later."
He kissed her. "Love you."
"Love you, too." She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with this man and raise children with him (something that terrified her a lot, especially with Catherine Avery as a mother-in-law, but April was sure they could handle it). April was thrilled they had finally gotten their act together.
"I can't wait to see what happens next." Jackson was ready for whatever life threw at them next. The first three weeks had gone really well so he hoped this streak would continue.
Sure, April and Jackson's marriage wasn't their little secret anymore but it was better to have it out in the open. And now they were free to do anything they wanted together for the rest of their lives. And married life was awesome – made them both wonder why they hadn't done this sooner. They wasted a lot of time on petty issues.