Thanks for the reviews! Well, I certainly needed a small break from Japril since the last episode was a little meh, so hopefully you'll settle with some AK2 ;)

Enjoy!

It felt good to be back at work. April missed being at the hospital and she was ready to prove to Owen she deserved the Head of Trauma job. Her first couple of days were rusty, but she managed to return to her usual routines without much trouble. Occasionally, she received stares from nurses and doctors who still felt sympathetic towards her. She overheard one nurse question her ability to take care of three young sons by herself. As much as she wanted to strangle her for doubting her parenting skills, she kept her cool and moved on. She knew she was a good mother and her coworkers agreed. She refused to let a clueless nurse tell her she couldn't handle being a single parent. Besides, Karen was still living with her, so she wasn't completely alone.

Since the camping trip, she and Alex had been hanging out more often, typically with the kids around. In fact, his mood had changed for the better, though nobody could figure out why. He wasn't going to tell anybody how he actually felt about her. He knew people would spread the gossip faster than the common cold. She wasn't ready to date. And he didn't want to look like the ass who got rejected.

At the same time, he was confused. He thought maybe his feelings were out of pity. April was the poor widow who just lost her husband. He figured he wouldn't have these types of feelings if Jackson hadn't died.

The day Owen was choosing his new Head of Trauma arrived. April had been nervous since she woke up that morning. She thought she had done enough to impress her mentor and be rewarded with the promotion. He did point out to her that the ER was less hectic and more organized when she returned to work. That had to mean something.

She stood by the nurses' station in the ER, tapping her pen against a chart and waiting for a page from the Chief. Kevin hadn't gloated about landing the job, but then again, maybe he hadn't met with Owen yet. One of them would be first and one of them would be leaving his office on a good or sour note.

"Hey, Hunt talk to you yet?" she heard Alex's voice ask her from behind.

April turned around to face him and shook her head. "No. Still waiting on a page." She scanned the area for Kevin, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Maybe Banks is with him. Maybe he is getting the job after all. I don't see him in here."

"He's operating right now. I passed by the OR board on my way down here." He smirked at her. "I thought you would've known that. You normally have the OR schedules memorized, even for the surgeries you're not involved in."

"Obviously, I'm thinking about this promotion more than anything else at the moment," she muttered, then she placed her elbow on top of her chart and covered her face with her hand. "What if I don't get it? It's going to feel like I've been fired for a third time. I can't handle that."

Alex gently rubbed her shoulder. "You'll get it. You're too good not to become Head of Trauma," he comforted her and smiled. "And if you don't, I'll kick Hunt's ass, alright?"

April softly laughed, then she sighed. "I wish Jackson was here. This is one of those times when I need him."

He slightly frowned. Here he was, trying to keep her calm and assure her that everything would be fine, but she would rather have her husband with her. It stung a bit. However, he couldn't blame her. She was still very much in love with Jackson. Her feelings weren't going to fade away any time soon.

Thankfully, her pager interrupted the awkward tension building up. "It's Hunt." She took a deep breath before she closed her chart and handed it to a nurse. "Wish me luck?"

"Good luck," he half-heartedly said as she walked away from him.

April rode the elevator a few floors up. She had been breathing in and out as if she were in labor and preparing to give birth. Walking across the catwalk to Owen's office, she could see him sitting behind his desk through the window. She stood in front of the door, taking another deep breath before she lightly knocked.

"Come in," he called out. Owen smiled when she entered his office. "Dr. Avery, have a seat, please."

She sat down across from him, putting on her brightest smile. Good news, here we come.

"First off, I want to congratulate you on how far you've come since you arrived at this hospital," he started, folding his hands on top of his desk. "You persevered through hard times over the years and you've grown into a fine trauma surgeon. I know these past two months have been difficult, but you fought through them and bounced back quicker than any of us expected. I'm very proud of you, April."

"Thank you, Dr. Hunt," she chirped. "And I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you for giving me another chance a few years ago. I promised I wouldn't let you down again and hopefully, I succeeded in that."

"You did. You exceeded my expectations, actually," he acknowledged. "And it's unfortunate I have to tell you this, but I've decided to give the Head of Trauma job to Dr. Banks. I will let him know when he's out of surgery."

April's smile immediately faded away. "What?" It didn't take long for the tears to form in her eyes. "Wait… what?"

"Listen for a minute-"

"It's because I'm a single mother, isn't it?" she snapped, jumping up from her chair and slapping her hands against the desk. "You don't think I can manage the department with three little boys at home! This isn't fair! You can't build up my hopes with all of these compliments and you can't deny me this job because Jackson died two months ago!"

Owen raised his hands and sighed. "April, please sit down. Let me finish what I have to say."

She returned to her seat, angrily wiping away her tears with the sleeve of her lab coat. Her face was beet red. She literally wanted to rip the Chief's head off for deciding to appoint Kevin as the new Head of Trauma. She always knew he was his favorite.

"There's a reason why I chose not to give you the job. It has nothing to do with Jackson or your inability to manage our department. In fact, I wanted to offer you the position," he insisted. "But I received a phone call yesterday – from Stanford. They are looking for a new director for their Trauma department and they want you."

"St-Stanford?" she stammered. April cleared her throat as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Why me?"

"Well, you're certainly qualified for the job and you were highly recommended by Samantha Avery," he answered and smiled at her. "I decided not to give you the same position here because I want you to take advantage of this opportunity. I also had a brief discussion with Catherine about this yesterday and she agrees with me. You passed up the option to work at Stanford before. This time, you really may not have another chance like this again."

Owen was right. Before she retook her boards, she impressed Stanford with her handy checklists and they offered her a fellowship. But she passed it up because she wasn't ready to leave Seattle. Jackson was also in his first year as a fellow and Jordan was just a baby. They weren't married yet and they were still trying to settle down as a family. And she had to pass her boards to even have a shot at the offer. A move from Seattle to Palo Alto wasn't quite an ideal situation at the time anyway.

Perhaps this was the big break she needed and deserved. Moving to a new city and hospital would be a fresh start for her. She would have family in the area with Samantha. Although arrogant and sometimes intimidating, it meant a lot to April that her sister-in-law wanted her to join her at Stanford. In her only visit to the campus five years ago, she loved it. The doctors there appreciated her company and she felt like she could fit in with them. This was her chance to truly make a name for herself.

"So, uhh… would I have to fly there for an interview or call them?" she asked curiously.

"Actually, the job is yours if you choose to accept it," he informed her. "Samantha apparently spoke very highly of you and considering her father-in-law is the Chief of Surgery, it wasn't very hard to convince him to offer you the position. But if you don't take the job, they'll search for other candidates then."

April gazed down at her hands. "When… when do I have to make a decision?"

"They would like to hear from you as soon as possible, but take all of the time you need. You would tentatively begin working over there by mid-August. You'll be taken care of. They're willing to provide you with a house close to the hospital," Owen added. He laughed when she looked up at him with wide eyes. "I know it's a lot to take in right now and I'm very sorry for misleading you earlier. I do think you earned this job. You've taken good care of the ER since you've been here. Now it's time to do the same thing at Stanford."

"I need a day to let this sink in, but I can't pass them up again," she answered with a smile on her face. "I really don't know what to say. I mean, wow. I never thought Stanford would be knocking at my door after I turned them down a few years ago."

"Don't be surprised if Samantha calls you soon. She'll most likely be talking your head off until you tell her you're taking the job." He stood up from his seat and she did the same. "Well, that's all I had to say to you. You could stay quiet about Stanford until you officially make your decision or whatever you want to do. Let me be the first to tell you that I'll miss having you around here."

April walked around the desk and hugged Owen. "Thank you, Dr. Hunt," she cheerfully said. "I'll miss this place too."

"What a freaking joke," Alex grumbled as he slapped his tray onto the table in the cafeteria, startling Meredith and Cristina Yang in the process. He had heard Jo bragging to Stephanie Edwards and Heather Brooks about Kevin landing the Head of Trauma job and was livid. He tried paging April to talk, but she wasn't answering. He figured she was hiding in a supply closet and having a mental breakdown. "Banks over Kep- Avery? Seriously? Yang, your husband's an idiot."

Cristina rolled her eyes. "Owen had his reasons, but he wouldn't tell me. I may have to sleep with him later to get it out of him," she quipped. "I'm sure it was a very hard decision. He lost sleep over it for Christ's sake."

"It's not right. She deserved it a hell of a lot more than Banks," he argued before he dove into his spaghetti. "Fucking bullshit, I tell ya."

Meredith stared at Alex amused. She noticed there had been a change in their friendship since Jackson passed away, though she never questioned him about it. His usually better mood also didn't go unnoticed. Then again, he was close to the plastic surgeon and his death hurt him just as much. She was in the OR with him and the other doctors when they failed to save him. Still, she started to wonder if maybe there was something the peds surgeon wasn't telling anybody.

"Have you seen her since she found out?" she asked.

"No. She didn't answer any of my pages," he replied disappointedly. "I don't know where she is."

Izzie approached their table with her lunch and sat down beside Meredith. The two Twisted Sisters didn't mind the oncologist's presence, having rebuilt their friendship, but Alex continued to loathe her. The scowl on his face let her know she wasn't entirely welcome, but it didn't matter to her.

"Hey, you're all going to be at Logan's birthday party, right?" the blonde happily asked. "April told me she has an announcement to share with everyone on Saturday. She seemed pretty excited about it."

Alex raised his eyebrow at Izzie. "You saw April?"

Izzie nodded as she chewed her food. "Right before she got called down to the ER for incoming trauma. She wouldn't give me any hints about what she wants to announce, but she was in a really good mood. Maybe Owen offered her a better promotion," she implied.

"Or he actually appointed both her and Kevin as co-Head's," Meredith suggested. "If April's not crying over this, then it must be juicy. We'll know in a few days."

"Where's Little Kepner? Maybe one of us could threaten to have her fired if she doesn't tell us," Cristina said with a mischievous grin on her face. "Now, I'm dying to know."

"Oh, c'mon, you guys. I bet April wants all of us to be surprised, so let's not spoil the fun for her," Izzie insisted.

Alex smirked at Izzie. "You bringing your husband to the party? Uhh, Brody or whatever?"

Izzie groaned. "Oh my God, it's Brad! For the thousandth time, Alex, his name is Brad!" She shook her head in disgust as he snickered at her. "I swear, you pretend to forget his name just to spite me. He's always been nice to you, so stop acting like such a douche about him."

"I've only met the guy like three times," he scoffed. "Let's not pretend he and I play golf together and are good drinking buddies, Iz."

"Okay, so instead of constantly annoying me by getting his name wrong, why don't you get to know him better? You could use more male buddies since you obviously can't hang out with Banks like you apparently used to and Jackson-"

"Shut the hell up about Jackson!" Alex snapped, causing bystanders nearby to stare at their table. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and pursed his lips together. Since his awkward moment with April earlier, he slightly hated hearing Jackson's name. It made him feel like an asshole, but it hurt him that he was trying to be a good friend and she didn't seem to care.

Meredith looked at her friend concerned. "Everything alright, Alex?"

Alex quickly shook his head as he poked at his spaghetti. "Nothing. Whatever," he muttered. "And you can't force me to be friends with your freaking husband, Iz. Not gonna happen."

Izzie raised her hands in front of her chest. "Okay, okay. We'll drop it. Sheesh," she surrendered, exchanging glimpses with both Meredith and Cristina. Even she began to sense something was off about her former flame. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Alex had another scowl on his face. As if he wanted to tell Izzie, of all people, that he was developing romantic feelings for one of her closest friends. She would tell April in a heartbeat. "Yeah, like I'm going to open up to you," he sneered, picking up his tray and standing up. "I'm not making that mistake again."

Meredith watched him leave the cafeteria, then she faced Cristina and Izzie. "He's been acting weird lately. He's not just his douchey self these days. Just… weird and then douchey. He's hiding something."

"I don't think he's gotten laid in months. Maybe tiny Karev isn't working the way it used to," Cristina jokingly said, making the other two laugh. "But he is acting strange. Mer, he'll talk to you. Go find out what's up his ass."

"I'll do it when the opportunity comes. Not today, though. He'll be too stubborn."

"Stanford?!" Alice recited as she grinned at her older sister, while they scrubbed in at a sink together. April requested her for her upcoming surgery on an emergency appendectomy and to break the news to her first. "So, you're going?"

April nodded, smiling down at her soapy hands. "It's still unofficial, but I'm going to call David's father later to tell him I'm accepting his offer. I can't wait to tell Mom later." She looked at Alice. "And they're giving me a house! You know how much money I'll be saving because of that? Palo Alto isn't a cheap place to live in."

"They must really want you if they threw in a house," she added. "I'm happy for you, Apes."

"Are you going to be okay up here? I mean, you moved to Seattle for medical school and residency because of me," she guiltily asked. "I kind of feel bad about leaving you behind."

Alice chuckled. "I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself, but you helped me so much since I moved here, so thank you for that." She grinned again as she rinsed the soap off of her forearms and hands. "Besides, I won't be completely alone."

April raised her eyebrow at her baby sister. "Is there a new man in your life?" she asked eagerly. Alice responded with a simple nod. "So, who is it?"

"Umm… I've been sort of dating… Shane," she confessed.

"Shane?" The trauma surgeon almost couldn't believe it. Not because Shane Ross was a terrible guy – he was quite adorable. But Alice had always been into the bad boy, rebellious types. The fifth year resident most definitely was not a bad boy. He was the exact opposite, as a matter of fact. "Since when?"

"Since… I don't know. Two months ago?" Alice shyly admitted. "It started after Jackson died, so we were quiet about it. I guess I didn't want to upset you or anything."

"Why would that upset me?"

"You just lost Jackson."

"Oh… but you having a boyfriend doesn't upset me," April insisted. She sighed as she dried her hands with a towel. "I never thought you would go for Shane, but if he makes you happy, then I'm happy for you both."

Alice softly laughed. "To be honest, I never thought I would date him either. When I first met him at your wedding I thought he was a huge nerd. He kept rambling about how catching the bouquet and garter didn't mean much using statistics and stuff," she recalled. "But hanging around neurosurgeons a lot forced me to talk to him more, so yeah… it just happened."

April had really hoped Shane would convert into a trauma soldier like herself, but he was always keen on becoming the next Derek Shepherd. They were still friends, occasionally meeting up to catch up with each other's lives. He consistently gave her credit for shaping him into the surgeon he was today, even though he chose to specialize in neurosurgery. It was nice to know he had fallen for another Kepner. She knew he would treat her sister right.

"Well, I think you two are cute together," she cheerfully said. "Both of you should come over for dinner one day, so Mom can meet him and also before I move to California."

"I bet Dad would've loved him," Alice said, slightly frowning. "So… you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but when do you think you'll be ready to start dating again?"

The redhead slowly shrugged her shoulders. "It's too early to even think about dating other guys. I don't know. I have thought about it, but then it makes me feel like I'm cheating on Jackson," she replied. "Which sounds stupid because marriage is supposed to be 'til death do us part, right? So it wouldn't be cheating."

"Of course not, but if you're not ready, don't force yourself to date anybody," Alice advised as she dried her hands with a towel. "Focus on your boys. They're your first priority, always."

April nodded, then she led her sister into the OR. "C'mon, we have a really pissed off appendix to deal with. Actually, you have a really pissed off appendix to deal with," she corrected herself.

"Huh? What?" Alice stared at April with wide eyes as she wore a new pair of gloves. She hadn't been the lucky intern chosen in the beginning of her internship to botch their first solo procedure, so this would be her first ever solo. "Really?"

"Yes. This is kind of like a present from me to you before I leave," she declared, grinning behind her surgical mask. "Don't worry. I'll be beside you in the case something goes wrong, but I certainly hope that doesn't happen. I may be your sister, but I'm still your boss and if you screw this up, I'm going to kill you."

Alice gulped. "Thanks… Dr. Avery," she hesitantly said before she stood next to their patient and held out her hand. "Ten blade, please."

Logan's first birthday party was set up in the backyard of April's house. There was a swimming pool for the older children to splash around in with their parents and a small playground for those who didn't want to get wet. April hired a clown, which turned out to be a horrible idea because Cameron screamed bloody murder at the sight of it and refused to leave his mother's side, clinging tightly onto her leg. Alex ended up being in charge of the barbeque because it was the only cooking he didn't fail at. Whatever made her happy, he thought. It was the little things that counted to him.

Their coworkers continued to wonder what major announcement was in store for them. The only people who knew about her new job were Owen, Catherine, Karen and Alice. Even Izzie and Lexie weren't allowed to join the fun just yet.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Derek and Mark were teaching their sons how to swim. Zola and Sofia chased Jordan and Addison Montgomery's son, Henry, around in the backyard trying to kiss them. They fought back with water guns. Libby and Kimmie's families visited Seattle for the weekend and the following week to celebrate their nephew's birthday. Also, April wanted them to find out about her Stanford gig in person.

"Cam, the clown's gone. He went bye, bye!" April insisted, bending over to speak to her middle child. He literally felt glued to her left leg for the whole hour the clown was at the party that it was sore. She pried his fingers off of her leg and picked him up, pointing at their surroundings. "See? No more clown."

"Clown scare-wee," Cameron quietly said with a frown on his face.

April kissed his cheek. "I know, but he's not here anymore," she promised, then she started tickling his side to make him laugh. She smiled when he stopped frowning and adjusted his little glasses. "You're okay now."

Catherine approached her carrying Logan in her arms. "Why don't you make your announcement before we cut the cake, honey? I think everybody's been waiting long enough."

"You're right." April set Cameron on the grass before she walked towards the nearby picnic table and stepped onto the bench. She waved her arms to get everyone's attention. "Hey, guys! Could you all listen for a second? Umm, before we sing Happy Birthday to Logan, I'd like to tell you my big announcement."

"It's about time, Avery!" Cristina shouted from a few feet away. "C'mon, no more time wasting. Spill it."

The trauma surgeon clasped her hands together and grinned brightly. "So, I really would like to thank all of you for coming to my baby boy's first birthday. It means a lot to me. As you know, it's been a rough two months for me, but your support's helped me pulled through. With that, I want to congratulate Kevin Banks for becoming the new Head of Trauma at Seattle Grace Mercy West."

Alex stood by the grill on the deck and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered to himself.

"And I'm very excited to announce to everybody that I've accepted the same position at the Stanford University Medical Center!" She couldn't stop smiling when her coworkers applauded and cheered. Some of them were surprised, but happy for her. "I will be moving to California next month, so start preparing your farewells. Okay, now that's over with, let's sing to the Birthday Boy!"

As the guests gathered around the picnic table to sing Happy Birthday to Logan, Alex stayed behind on the deck with a disappointed look on his face. From afar, Meredith was quick to notice his reaction and watched him retreat back into the house. She wasn't entirely confident, but she thought maybe she finally connected the dots. Sneaking away from the scene, she followed him into the house. She found him in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and drinking a fresh cold beer.

"Why aren't you out there with the rest of us?" she asked curiously.

"Not in a partying mood right now." He waved his hand at Meredith. "Just go back outside. I'll be out in a minute."

"You're pissed about something, so just let it out," she demanded. Meredith walked towards Alex and stood beside him. "You can't crawl into your shell and hide from me, Alex. I'll get it out of you eventually. Does it have to do with April?"

Alex immediately turned away from his friend. "I'm not talking about this."

That was the moment she was 100% confident she figured him out. "Oh my God," she gasped, placing her hands on her hips. "Alex, no. She lost Jackson almost exactly two months ago. It's too soon. She's not going to be ready for a relationship, especially now with her moving away."

"Dude, I know that!" he replied in frustration. Alex sipped his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I tried not to feel this way about her, Mer. I'm not even sure if they're true feelings. I could be freakin' pitying her for all I know. I swear to God I never felt this way about her when Jackson was alive. What the hell's wrong with me?"

Meredith sadly smiled at Alex. "Nothing's wrong with you. You and April have been spending a lot of time together since Jackson died. I guess you didn't realize just how much you actually care about her until now," she suggested.

"But I feel like a douche. I mean, swooping in after her freaking husband dies? Jackson was my best friend. It's like I'm trying to take away what was his," he guiltily said. "I'm crazy about those kids. And now, April's moving away and taking them with her. What about me?"

"I don't want to sound like an ass, but you're not their father, Alex."

"Yeah, but I'm the closest to being their father now. You don't see how excited they get when I'm around," he explained and pointed at himself. "They need me."

Meredith waved her arms and forced herself to laugh. "Okay, slow down. You're getting a little ahead of yourself. As your friend, I'm telling you – it can't happen. You and April can't happen, Alex. I'm not saying this because I don't think it would work. I'm saying this to protect you both from getting hurt. It's seriously not the right time, so it's best if she doesn't know how you feel."

Alex furrowed his eyebrows as he sipped his beer again. He knew Meredith was right. It wouldn't work out because the timing was horrible. She was moving to California in a few weeks and he would be stuck in Seattle. And she also wouldn't be ready for a relationship. If it took her 30 years to lose her virginity, it would probably take 50 years for her to be ready to date after losing her husband. By then, she would be old and gray and maybe in her death bed.

"I wish I didn't care so freaking much," he mumbled. "Izzie should've never came back either."

"What does Izzie have to do with any of this?"

"Remember when she died in my arms and then left me, Mer? She had the nerve to return to Seattle with her perfect husband and her perfect kid and act like everything's alright," he complained. "Just seeing her reminds me of how happy I was when I was married to her. I promised to take care of her and she left! Now I'm doing the same thing with April and she's leaving too! I can't win!"

Meredith sighed. "You've dealt with a ton of crap. I get it, but that doesn't mean you'll never be happy again." She smirked at him. "And she's… April. There's never a day that goes by when you two don't argue over something ridiculous. You used to hate her voice more than anything. You said it was grating."

Alex stared down at the floor. "Well, I'm gonna miss that grating voice, so shut up."

April walked into the kitchen and was caught off-guard to see Alex and Meredith. "Oh, I didn't know you were in here," she said, softly chuckling as she opened the freezer. "Just came in to get some ice cream. You two want some?"

"No," the peds surgeon replied and began walking out of the kitchen. "I gotta go. Hospital paged."

"Okay… did you want some cake-" She heard the front door slam and looked back at Meredith confused. "To go? Uhh, is everything fine?"

"He's… he's pissed because one of his residents might have screwed up one of his patient's post-op treatment," Meredith lied, then she smiled at April. "You know how angry he gets when that happens. Let me help you with the ice cream."

April shrugged off Alex's bad mood and handed an ice cream carton to her friend. "So, how much will you all be celebrating when I leave?"

Meredith chuckled. "Oh, April. You may have been a pain in the past, but it's different now. We're going to miss you," she insisted and followed her out of the kitchen. "We'll miss you a lot, some of us more than you think."

Things are getting a little more complicated, eh?