Finally a new Grey's this week! I'll be updating this again really soon :)
"Jackson, I would like to ask your mother to marry me."
His fists clenched together and his jaw tightened. This guy had a lot of nerve. Jackson's mind started racing. First the man started banging his mom the night of his boards, one of the most important days of his life so far. Then they made no effort to keep the relationship under wraps, even when Adele was still alive.
"No." Jackson answered him, as if the conversation were closed. He continued on down the hallway towards his meeting and became increasingly irritated when Dr. Webber did the same.
"No? You know I uh, I was just being courteous Jackson…it wasn't really a question—" He contended somewhat apologetic.
"It's Dr. Avery. And I don't have time for this right now. Thanks to you and thanks to my mother I have to run this place now. So no. No, you can't marry my mother. Is there anything else Dr. Webber or are we done here?" Jackson asked him curtly, not even looking up from his preparation notes for his meeting.
"We're done, for now. But this isn't over. I care a lot about your mother, I always have. I care about you too…I know we're not close anymore and I guess you don't like me, but I'll be here if you need me. I'm a good helping hand Jackson, especially if you need help sorting out all of this administrative stuff." Dr. Webber informed him, patted him on his shoulder and took off in the other direction.
The meeting went by ridiculously slow. It was exactly what he'd spent his whole life running from. Board meetings. Foundations. Long tables filled with people who were more concerned with the fiscal wellness of the hospital than the health and the patients.
He did see some familiar faces like Grey, Shepherd, Yang, Robins and Torres. Hunt was still there as Chief of Surgery but other than that he still hadn't meant many of the other board members and he didn't care to. He noticed how they each made efforts to introduce themselves to him and why wouldn't they? No time like the present to suck up to an Avery that they know nothing about except that he might be able to help them get ahead somehow.
As soon as the meeting ended he rushed out. He just needed to see April. It had been such a long day that he didn't even change out of his scrubs which was something he almost never did.
Jackson knocked on the door to April's apartment as he opened it and found her finishing dinner in the kitchen. She had a glass of red wine poured that she appeared to be halfway finished with and the open bottle next to it on the counter. She had some quiet music playing in the background and the aroma from whatever she was making smelled like heaven.
"Hi." Was all she said as her face lit up at the sight of him. His did the same, despite his sour mood. He scooped her up into his arms and gave her a kiss that made her swoon. He was leaning down to meet her face and started peppering kisses all over her and down her neck while she giggled uncontrollably. His arms were packaged tightly around her torso and his hands slipped down the back of her shorts gripping her bottom.
"Jackson! What has gotten into you?" She laughed as her boyfriend continued to grope her. She loved this playful but also kind of needy side of him. He set her up on the counter and moved in between her legs. His hands were still under her thighs and he went to lightly rub the back of her knees.
"Missed you so much. You smell amazing …" Jackson said in a husky voice that was laced with lust. His face moved into her thick mass of hair that fell down her shoulders and he inhaled the sweet vanilla scent he loved.
"I-I missed you too…so much." She replied, tossing her arms around his shoulders and letting her desire take over. She found his lips again and she enjoyed the way his lips on hers made her feel safe. He found her hands again and linked his fingers through hers.
"I can't stand how lonely I am without your fingers between mine." He admitted and rested his forehead against hers. It had only been a couple weeks since they got back together and since he told her he loved her but so much had changed. He felt different. To him there was something amazing that happened when he realized he fell in love and stopped even giving a damn about what day it was anymore. She did that to him.
"Let's go somewhere, get away from it all. I need to clear my head. We can leave in the morning. Just for the day. We'll drive until the city lights turn into a country haze…me and you?" He asked her and watched her ponder the idea. It was obvious her mind was racing with the schedule she had in store for tomorrow and everything she had to do or what have to rearrange.
"I guess I could take just one day off… I scheduled more than enough people for the pit tomorrow…" April reasoned with herself. She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth as she carefully thought out every detail of her day tomorrow.
"Yeah, let's do it. We can drive to the ocean, build a campfire, watch the sunset…you can get your mind off of everything hospital. You're so stressed." She rambled as she her hands fell to the top of his scrub pants and she started untying them. Her gaze never left his. When they fell down to the floor he stepped out of them and unzipped her green hoodie and then pulled off her tank top. To his delight she wasn't even wearing a bra underneath. She pulled off his shirt in response and he pulled down her pajama pants and panties at the same time.
Jackson had her in his arms again and was about to carry her to her bedroom. "Wait! I have to turn off the stove." She told him between more kisses and he didn't set her down but instead carried her over to the stove. She reached over and clicked it off and pulled the hot pan off the burner. On their way out of the kitchen she grabbed the two wine glasses and the bottle she opened for them and he finally made it to her room. After she set the glasses down he dropped her onto the bed and fell on top of her.
Only twelve hours later and after an almost four hour drive they were at the beach. Washington beaches weren't like California beaches, the sand wasn't as soft and the weather wasn't as warm. There were rocks big and small that covered the shore line and the beach was disserted, but it was exactly what they both needed. Somewhere to go together and clear their heads. The serenity and seclusion gave them the break they needed.
"What's on your mind?" he asked her after he watched her in deep thought without ever finding the answer. "There's just….I don't think there's anything more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to leave the shore line, no matter how many times it is sent away. You know? There's something beautiful about that kind of love." April told him, not looking up at him and not looking away from the crashing white waves.
Sometimes the things she said just amazed him and this was one of those times. Every now and then she would just drop some kind of profound philosophical thought on him that left him silent. He reached for the hand she had closest to him and held it in his, rubbing it to shed any warmth upon it he could.
"Webber wants to marry my mom." Jackson told her, still holding her hand only this time he was the one staring at the endless water.
April turned to him, speechless…one of the very few times she was ever left searching for words. "He asked you first?" She finally questioned him.
"Yeah, but then he told me it was basically just a courtesy…so I mean, why bother?" He grumbled, his mood going back to the poor one from the night before.
"Well you told him yes, right?" She asked rather nonchalantly, using one hand to rub his back and sooth him.
"No April, why would I tell him yes? He has no place being with my mother. Absolutely not, no." Jackson snapped at her coldly. His face softened a few moments later when he realized he was taking it out on the wrong person.
After she saw he was a little calmer she tried to assure him, "Well he seems to make your mother really happy. At least that's the picture I get when I see them…" She started reasoning with him.
"I just don't like it. I don't really have a reason, I like Richard. Or Dr. Webber. Whatever. I just don't want him to hurt my mom. The last real relationship I remember her having was with my father and look how that turned out. He treated her like crap and I won't let that happen to her again." Jackson argued back.
"I know, I understand…I do. But there's some things we just have to learn to let go of Jackson, for no other reason than that they're heavy. You can trust him; you have to because your mom does. And if somehow he does hurt her then all you can do is be there to pick up the pieces and tell her everything is going to be ok." She hummed, trying to be helpful and comforting.
"You're probably right." Was all that he said and then he pulled her up into his lap. She tucked her head into the space between his neck and his shoulder and closed her eyes. She could hear his heart beating and naturally she started counting the beats, listening to its rhythm. It was oddly comforting to her and ended up lulling her to sleep in his arms.
The drive home was long but April spent most of it sleeping. When they got back to her apartment he walked around and opened her car door for her and walked her to the front door.
"I don't want to leave." He whined, he was still holding his arms around her waist tightly.
"I don't want you to leave." She admitted, kissing him again despite her exhaustion from their drive.
"Maybe just one more night?" He begged her when she started aimlessly digging through her purse for her house keys.
She stopped digging and looked up at him. "You could just move in. I mean, if…if you wanted to. You don't have to or anyth—" She asked and he stopped the flow of her endless chatter by throwing her over his shoulder and going right into their bedroom.
The next chapter should be up very shortly. It's done, just editing. Thanks again for all of the kind reviews… they always make me want to update as soon as possible!~