A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! :)
Disclaimer: Same as usual.
Chapter 3 – That's the One
Jackson pulled April back into his chest to kiss her again. He was going to see her again in four days but he actually couldn't remember the last time that they had been apart for that long. They lived and worked together, they had for years, so they spent hours and hours together, and since they had become a couple, well…he didn't want to be apart from her at all. Even four days was too long.
"Jackson," she giggled against his mouth. "I have to go through security."
They were kissing in the middle of Seattle-Tacoma Airport and neither one of them cared. He liked that she let him kiss her, hold her hand, and wrap his arm around her in public. Some women were weird about that sort of thing and he initially thought that April would be extremely uncomfortable with public displays of affection.
He broke the kiss reluctantly and cradled her face. "Text me when you land."
"I will," she smiled. "And I'll call you tonight."
"Okay." He kissed her one last time. "Have a safe flight. I love you."
She grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I love you too, and I'll see you in a few days."
He slowly released her from his grasp and watched her walk toward the security gates. He smiled uncontrollably when she looked over her shoulder and waved at him.
He left the airport and walked back to his car. Their residency was officially over so now he had nothing to do for the rest of the day. After a quick stop at his apartment, he dropped by Sloan's place for a visit. His mentor had only gotten back from Los Angeles yesterday. He knocked on Sloan's door as he juggled the cardboard box in his arms that was full of food.
Sloan opened the door and greeted him with a small smile. "Hey Avery."
Sloan let him inside the apartment and Jackson set the box down on the island in the kitchen. "April went a little overboard cooking yesterday," he explained with a chuckle. Overboard was probably an understatement, she had made food for Sloan and Torres, he and Alex, and Meredith and Cristina.
The older man laughed and peered into the box. He loved Kepner's cooking so he certainly wasn't complaining. "What did you bring?"
"Uh, there's a lasagna, a turkey casserole, a lemon cheesecake, and an apple pie."
Sloan's eyes widened in excitement as he pulled the dishes out one by one and laid them on the counter. He grabbed a plate, a fork, and a knife and inwardly debated whether he wanted a piece of lasagna or turkey casserole. "You know what," he said to himself. "I'm going to have both. Want some Avery?"
"Sure." Jackson nodded and accepted a plate. "How was LA?"
"It was good," Sloan answered as he dished out servings of food.
His trip down to Los Angeles had been a good idea. Addison always gave him the perspective he needed. He still wasn't ready to return to work but he didn't feel the overwhelming desire to drown himself in alcohol. Overall, he felt marginally better. Addison had at least shown him that breaking up with Julia was indeed the right thing to do. It wouldn't have been fair to either of them to continue their relationship.
He walked to the refrigerator and grabbed two beers. He and Avery took their food to the couch and he turned on sports highlights. His family and Avery were the two other things that made him feel a little bit better. Currently, Sofia was asleep in his bedroom and Callie was at the hospital with Arizona. His chats with Avery brought a little normalcy to his life. They talked about sports, plastics, and Kepner. Surprisingly, talking to him about Kepner made him feel useful and wise, and not bitter and resentful like he had expected to feel when discussing someone else's relationship. It also took his mind off of things. He liked seeing his protégée so happy.
He took his first bite of lasagna and moaned. "Man, Kepner can cook. You could have brought her over ya know? Callie told me about how Sofia's taken to her."
Jackson smiled to himself. They had spent time babysitting Sofia every night that Sloan had been in Los Angeles and the baby had gotten slightly attached to the red-head. "I would have but she's on a plane to Columbus," he answered.
"Oh?"
"She's gone to visit her family," he explained further. "I'm flying out there Tuesday."
Sloan grinned as the younger man's body tensed and he cricked his neck. "You nervous?"
"Oh yeah," Jackson admitted bashfully. Every time that he thought about going to Ohio, his palms got sweaty and his tongue felt too large to form words. "Really freakin' nervous. I haven't met a girl's parents in a really long time and they're…they're going to be my in-laws. April's really close with her family, they have to like me," he stated firmly.
"They're going to love you," Sloan said confidently. "You're a successful surgeon. A good-looking, charming, nice guy. You're every parent's dream. You're an Avery," he laughed.
Jackson frowned before taking a bite of lasagna Being an Avery had meant something all of his life but it meant nothing to April's family. He wished that he felt as confident as Sloan. April had been raised in a completely different world than him. He was a city boy; he had never even been on a farm before. She had had pets growing up, attended church, and spent hours playing with her siblings. She hadn't been popular or rich, or a little bit of a troublemaking slacker like he had been. She had been taught the value of hard work and her parents had believed in her dream of becoming a doctor. Her upbringing had been wholesome and loving, and religious. He was really afraid that he would do or say the wrong thing, and that her family would see that he wasn't good enough for April. It was the truth, he wasn't good enough for her, and he was really scared that she would realize that soon.
"Her Mom seems nice," he told Sloan quietly. "And I've talked to one of her sisters on the phone."
Sloan leaned back in his seat and sipped his beer. "I get it, you're afraid of her Dad." He understood. He probably should have said that he was every mother's dream. He and Avery were a lot alike and fathers weren't typically fans of him either. They were too pretty, too charming…too sexually threatening. Fathers didn't like guys like them around their daughters, especially ones like April Kepner. "He's going to take one look at you and know that you broke ground in virgin territory."
Jackson winced at Sloan's metaphor and turned to him with wide eyes. "Really?"
"Oh yeah," Sloan nodded. "Dads just know these things."
"I'm screwed, aren't I? He's going to hate me instantly." And he understood why. April had been saving herself for marriage, her family knew that, and now all of a sudden, she was having sex with him. Lots of sex…lots of really hot sex…in various locations and positions. He felt like that disgusting guy again, the one who made her break her promise to Jesus. It wasn't like he could explain that losing her virginity had been her idea. "I am so screwed," he murmured.
Sloan couldn't lie to him. "Yeah, pretty much." After all, he already knew that he was going to hate the guy that… He stopped his train of thought and shuddered. His little girl was still a baby. Thankfully he had a very long time before that moment arrived.
"What can I do to get him to not hate me?" He asked curiously.
"Hmm." Sloan pondered his question for a moment. "Avery, it's easy to see how much you two love each other, that will work to your advantage. Just keep your hands to yourself," he warned.
Jackson nodded in agreement. That piece of advice was a given. A challenge but a given. After four days apart, all that he would want to do would be to kiss and touch her. But he wasn't completely sex crazed. He could control himself.
They both fell silent as they focused on the TV. He finished his plate of food and followed Sloan back into the kitchen. Jackson finished his beer as Sloan started to eat a piece of cheesecake.
"This is seriously delicious. Kepner's a keeper," he chimed.
"I know," Jackson laughed.
"Hey," Sloan began as he pointed his fork at Avery. "Do you know what else might get you on Mr. Kepner's good side?"
"What?" He asked intrigued.
"You can't go to Ohio without a ring," Sloan stated sensibly.
Jackson looked at the glass case of rings with as much intensity as he would if he was performing microscopic surgery. Picking out an engagement ring was a big deal. She would wear it all the time. He was glad that Sloan had volunteered to come with him; it somehow made the task less daunting. They had waited for Torres to return from the hospital so that there was someone to watch Sofia before they had ventured to the mall.
"See anything you like?" Sloan asked as he returned to the jewellery store with two cappuccinos.
"I'm not sure," he muttered. All of the rings that he was looking at were nice but none of them stood out.
Sloan looked down at the rings thoughtfully and hummed. "Do you have a price range?"
Jackson shook his head. "I just want to see one and know that it's perfect for April." He wanted something classic, traditional, and unostentatious. Obviously, it had to be beautiful and he wasn't going to play it on the cheap side. He had money.
"What about that one?"
Jackson shook his head again. The one that Sloan was pointing at was too big and flashy. He took a sip of his cappuccino and walked to the other side of the store.
"I have a question for you," Sloan began.
"Shoot," he replied distractedly.
"If you only have surgeries tomorrow then why are you waiting until Tuesday to go to Ohio?" He asked curiously.
The younger man sighed and confessed, "Because on Monday I'm going to Boston." Sloan's eyebrows shot upwards and Jackson nodded glumly. "Yup, I'm going to tell my mother that I'm getting married. She'd kill me if I told her over the phone."
"Brave man, Avery," Sloan complimented with a laugh.
A smile spread across Jackson's face as he found what he was looking for. He caught Sloan's attention and pointed to the ring he was looking at. "That's the one."
Jackson sat in his bed and smiled at the ring he had purchased. It was perfect. Sloan thought so too. He couldn't wait to see the expression on April's face when he gave it to her. He closed the small jewellery box and laid it on his bedside table when his cell phone began to ring. He grinned when he read the caller ID.
"Hey," he answered happily.
"Hi! How are you?" April asked perkily.
"I'm great. How are you? Did you have a good flight?"
"I did. I am now safe and sound at my parents' house. My sister Alice is here too."
"Sounds nice," he smiled to himself. He knew that she was really excited by the prospect of spending some time with her sisters.
They talked a little bit more about their day. She gushed about how nice and relaxing it was to be out of the city and to see her family. He told her about his afternoon with Sloan, conveniently leaving out that they had gone ring shopping.
"So, there's a bit of a change in my travel plans," he finally said.
"Oh?" And he could hear the slight hint of worry in her voice.
"I'm still flying to Columbus on Tuesday," he assured her. "But I'll be coming from Boston, not Seattle. I'm going to see my Mom."
"Oh Jackson, I'm glad! That's a really good idea!"
He laughed at her enthusiasm. "I'm glad that one of us thinks so. It's a good thing that she loves you; otherwise I'd be dreading this trip even more."
"I'm glad that your Mom likes me too, especially after I suctioned the dorsal vein."
He laughed even harder. "Still haven't let that go, have you?"
"It was embarrassing and I felt bad!" She stated adamantly.
"You are too cute." He lay back on his bed and rested his head on the pillow that she usually slept on. "I miss you April," he whispered.
He could hear the smile in her voice when she replied. "I miss you too." He yawned and she immediately said, "I should let you go, you have surgeries in the morning. Have fun! Be awesome!"
"I will," he chuckled. "I love you and I'll see you soon."
"Love you too. Sweet dreams!"
April ended the call with a bright smile on her face and dropped her cell phone into her lap. She sank back into the corner of the sofa and curled her feet up under her. Her parents and Ben were already in bed but she and Alice had decided to stay up and chat while they watched a little late night television. She had needed to stay up a little later than usual anyway in order to call Jackson before he went to bed.
Alice returned to the living room of their childhood home and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. "You are so in love," she said with a wide smile.
"I told you that already," April chuckled as she accepted the mug.
Alice sat down on the other end of the couch with her own mug of hot chocolate and continued to smile at her older sister. "I know but you've never been in love before so forgive me for being a little sceptical, but hearing you on the phone with him…you're so in love," she repeated.
"I am," the red-head confirmed. "He makes me really happy. He makes me feel…I dunno," she shrugged. "He just makes me feel the exact opposite of how every other guy has ever made me feel, and we've been friends for so long, and we know each other so well…it just feels like its supposed to be this way." She took a deep breath before she told her youngest sister her secret. "He asked me to marry him and I said yes."
Alice covered her mouth with a hand to prevent a squeal from escaping. "Oh my God! Are you serious?"
"We're not really telling people yet though," she said quickly. "Only one person knows besides you. Jackson is going to Boston to tell his mother before he comes here and then I'll tell Mom and Dad. So you have to keep it a secret for a few days."
Alice had never been the greatest at keeping secrets. "I will do my best. I promise." She smiled and gently nudged April's foot with her own. "Now I can't wait to meet him! After everything I've heard over the past five years, he better be as amazing as you say he is."
"He is," April laughed. She had a feeling that her three married sisters might even be a little dazzled by her fiancé. He generally had that effect on women. She watched her sister fidget and take a long sip from her mug. "What is it? What do you want to ask me?" She probed.
"The big question," Alice began uneasily. "How does Jackson feel about the fact that you won't have sex with him until after you're married?"
April's views on pre-marital sex were well known amongst the Kepner family. The four Kepner girls had all held the same belief at some point in their life; it was what they were raised to believe. Libby and Kimmy had both gotten married straight out of high school and started families while they attended state college. Alice had moved to Chicago, as far away from Moline as she could imagine at eighteen. She had loved the city when she had gone to visit April there while she was in medical school. And she had let go of a lot of her small town ideals, including the ones regarding sex. She had had a few partners before meeting Ben during her senior year and she had known right away that he was the one. April, on the other hand, had always been insanely focused on her ambition to be a great surgeon and she was by far the most awkward around the opposite sex of the four of them. For April, saving herself for marriage made her life easier in a lot of ways. Or at least it had in the past.
April flushed and shied away from her sister's gaze.
"You dirty little whore," Alice teased good-naturedly. "You're already having sex with him, aren't you?"
April nodded meekly. "I am, and we have been…intimate…for a while," she confessed.
Alice gasped, "I am shocked." She now had one more, huge secret to keep but she was incredibly intrigued. "You are going to tell me every single detail."
April giggled at the absurdity of it all. At thirty, she was about to have her very first sex talk with one of her sisters.
A/N: I hope that you enjoyed a living Mark Sloan. Please review! :)
