Newly Unforgotten

Prompt: April and Jackson are married and April finds out that about the time Jackson slept with Mara Keaton and gets upset. Sex is very sacred to her and she feel like he always throws that away like it means nothing.

Jackson deposited his keys on the hook, actually remembering today, walking into the kitchen as he called for April. He found her shortly, sitting at the breakfast bar, silently tracing his path. "Hey, why didn't you answer?" He turned to the fridge as he looked for some food before realizing that he would have to cook something if he didn't want leftovers. "April?" She still didn't answer. Taking a better look at his wife, Jackson saw an expression he couldn't quite discern. Fear? Sadness? Resentment? "Is everything okay?" Silence. "Is the baby okay?" He rested his hands on her protruding stomach only for her to push him away.

"Fine. I guess." Her answers were short, terse.

"You guess? What's wrong? Come on, talk to me. Please." Instead April walked into the living room leaving Jackson to trail behind her. She stopped to press a button on the answering machine before crossing her arms over her chest.

Suddenly a vaguely familiar voice filled the room and Jackson jumped to shut it off. "Leave it." The command was simple but full of disgust. He stood there with his tail between his legs, filled with shame, as the words floated to his ears. "Hi Jackson, it's Mara. How are you? I wanted to let you know that I'm in Seattle for the week- doing a solo surgery- and I hope to see you! I certainly enjoyed our time together…" A low laugh and short sigh ended the call, the line reduced to a murmur of static.

"April, I didn't-"

"Stop. I don't want to hear it." She rubbed her hand over her tired eyes, huffing in frustration. "You didn't what? Sleep with her? Lie to me about it?"

"It's not like that," Jackson tried but judging by the look on April's face it wasn't working.

"I thought we were done with this; done with the lying and half-truths!" Her hands were motioning wildly, picking up speed as her anger increased. "You know that lying by omission is still lying! It's a thing, you know! Lying's in it's friggin' name!" He moved to comfort her, to wrap his arms around her waist and tell her that he barely remembered Mara, to stop her hyperventilating. If only she would let him. "I'm going to bed." April began to walk towards their room however hearing his footsteps behind her, she stopped. "Don't follow me." He could hear the anger causing her voice to waver and even above the slamming of the door he heard her tiny whimpers. Surely she was curling into a fetal position on the bed, maybe even against the door.

Banging his hand on the nearby wall, Jackson let out a frustrated growl. "Dammit, April!" He shook his head. "I had sex okay! I didn't cheat on you. There wasn't even a me and you!" He was still met with stone cold silence, something that only proved to further enrage him. He didn't do anything wrong. This wasn't his fault. What was her problem? "Stop throwing a damn tantrum and tell me what the hell I did wrong!"

Almost immediately the door swung open, April's slitted eyes counteracting her tearstained face. "You don't know? You don't know?" Her voice raised slightly as she repeated the question, an expression of incredulity overtaking her face. "You had sex with everyone! The sex doesn't matter to you as long as you're getting some!"

"I had premarital sex, so what? It's actually normal. Most people don't wait 'til they're thirty! Let it go," he rubbed his hand over his shaven head to avoid clenching his fists.

"Yes, because sex is important! It's big- not just something you give away!" Throwing her hands in the air, April continued despite the tears running down her cheeks. "Was I just another screw? My first time?"

"You know what, I'm done. If you honestly believe that-" He paused, dropping the sentence. He couldn't even deal with that right now. "I can't change what I did and obviously you're never going to let it go. So I'm done." Jackson shook his head as he turned back down the hallway, leaving April in the doorway.

"Where do you think you're going?" She called from her spot, not moving an inch.

"Out." The door slammed as he left, the key gone from the hook. He wasn't coming home tonight.

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