A/N - I'm not untagging Mark. Not now, not ever. Don't click on the story, k? xoxo
I'm so glad the non-troll readers are enjoying this story! I was so nervous since this environment is SO different lol Thank you!


Chapter 7 - Friends In High Places

"I, uh, well, you see," Alex stuttered, all words, all thoughts flying from his mind. He never, never expected Mark to be awake at this hour!

"Hey, Mark!" Jo exclaimed loudly, then doubled over in giggles.

Mark's blue eyes turned ice cold. "Is she drunk?" he asked, barely getting the words out through gritted teeth.

"Well," the bodyguard started, but was interrupted by the ranting manager.

"How could you do this, Karev?!" Mark roared. "You took her out in public without us? What if something had happend?!" The man began to pace, flinging his finger towards the younger man with each accusation that left his lips. "Anything could have happened! The paparazzi could have found you, reporters, a group of crazed fans! Do you know what you've done?! What if someone took pictures of her? She'll be all over the tabloids by morning!"

"Look, man, I'm sorry, but..."

"There's no buts!" the older man interrupted, stopping and taking a step closer to him. "Except yours! Your ass is out of here, do you hear me?!"

"Mark," Alex pleaded.

"No, I'm serious, Karev! Get your shit and get out," he stressed the last two words.

"Mark, that's enough!" April's voice rang through the mansion as she scurried down the stairs. "Calm down!"

"Calm down?!" the manager turned his wrath to the publicist. "Calm down?! Do you see what he's done?!" he spat and threw his hand in the direction of the actress and the bodyguard.

The publicist looked to the duo, the wheels in her head turning frantically. "Did you get her NyQuil?"

"Huh?" Alex asked, his voice cracking.

"I told you to get her Mucinex, not NyQuil," the redhead sighed heavily, bringing her hand to her forehead. "NyQuil makes her loopy!"

"What are you..."

"Jo had a cold," April cut him off, turning her attention to Mark. "She was sneezing and coughing. I sent them out to get her some medicine."

"Medicine?" Mark asked, his eyebrow rising.

"Alex obviously got the wrong thing," the publicist sighed dramatically. "I should have known to do it myself. I'm really sorry, Mark."

It took Alex a few moments to realize that his friend was covering for him. April was saving his ass. "Yeah, I thought NyQuil was better..." he piped up lamely.

"It makes her sleepy," the redhead snapped, frowning deeply.

The manager's eyes shifted between the two friends. "So, you're telling me that you sent them out for medicine? You didn't even bother to go with them in case something happened?"

April shrugged. "It was late, and Alex is her bodyguard. I didn't think anyone would be at a freaking drug store at midnight."

"It's one thirty," Mark deadpanned after glancing to his watch.

"He got her some icecream too," the young woman shrugged. "For her sore throat."

The guilt was about to eat Alex alive. Mark was still livid, and he couldn't let April take the blame for this. "That's a lie," he blurted out, taking a step towards the two.

"You didn't get her icecream?!" the publicist raised her voice, stepping closer to Alex, standing mere inches away from him.

"April," Alex pleaded.

"He's going to fire you," she hissed back, pushing Alex towards Jo. "Can you at least get her to bed, Karev? After not getting her icecream and giving her the wrong medicine?!"

Mark's gaze followed the bodyguard as he helped the actress towards her room. "NyQuil?" he directed towards the redhead.

"Yep," April nodded back, folding her arms over her chest.

The manager stared at her for several moments, waiting for the woman to fold beneath his gaze, but she didn't. April stood firm. "I know you're lying, Kepner," he finally growled. "You're covering for him."

"You can't prove a thing, Sloan," the publicist sassed, "and you know it."

"She's drunk!" he exclaimed, throwing a finger in the direction of the starlet's bedroom.

"You gonna breathalize her?" April taunted.

Mark grit his teeth together and ran a hand through his hair. "Why are you lying for him?"

"I'm not."

"He took her out on the town, and anything could have happened!"

"I doubt many paparazzi hang around the drugstore at midnight," the woman replied innocently.

"They weren't at the drugstore!"

April took a step towards Mark, holding his gaze. "You can't prove anything, so drop it. Just drop it, Mark." She reached out and pat his shoulder. "It's not good for your blood pressure; you're going to give yourself a heart attack, I swear."

The manager's mouth dropped as he watched the redhead return to her bedroom. "Son of a bitch," he cursed before stalking back to his room, slamming the door closed behind him.

"You okay?" Lexie jumped. "What happened?"

"Jo's drunk," the older man spat, bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"Oh my God, seriously?" the make up artist gasped.

"Yeah, but April swears she isn't," he sighed heavily and dropped onto the bed. "Said something about going out for NyQuil."

"Ooo, NyQuil makes Jo crazy," Lexie tisked, moving behind Mark and massaging his shoulders gently.

"It's not NyQuil," the manager snapped. "She's covering for Karev."

"April wouldn't lie for him," the dark-haired woman said softly, placing a kiss to Mark's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, she did." The manager hoped he could trust Alex, but tonight proved that he couldn't trust the bodyguard as far as he could pick him up and throw him. How could the man think taking Jo out unprotected was fine? And getting her drunk to boot? What on earth had possessed the man to take her out?

Unless...

Mark's back stiffened as his mind roamed to the bodyguard he had to yank off of Jo years before. That man tried to get the starlet drunk so that he could get her into a compromising position and make millions. He knew that the woman's entourage would pay whatever it took to keep the press from slaughtering her.

Tonight seemed all too familiar to the manager.

Considering Jo's inebriated state, what if...what if things had gone too far between the two of them? What if Alex had taken advantage of her...

"Mark!" Lexie exclaimed as the man bolted from the bed and stalked from the bedroom.

Red filled the man's vision as he stomped towards the bodyguard's bedroom, throwing open the door and hauling the man from bed. "Did you do anything to her?!" he glared, pinning Alex to the wall by his throat.

"What?!" the younger man sputtered.

"Did you do anything to her?" Mark repeated. "And you know what I mean, Karev. Did you take advantage of her?"

"No! No, Mark, I swear!" Alex gasped for air.

The older man studied him a moment. "If I find out you're lying..."

"You won't!" the bodyguard promised. "I didn't touch her, I swear!"

The manager studied him a few seconds longer before deciding that he was telling the truth. Alex kept eye contact with him, and didn't look away like a shifty, shady criminal. "Alright," he said and released him, watching as the bodyguard dropped to the floor.

The younger man coughed and sputtered, rubbing his neck as he pushed himself to his feet. "Look, man, nothing happened! I'd never do anything to hurt her."

"Neither would I."

"Clearly," the bodyguard grimaced. "We just went..."

Mark held up his hand, stopping the man from speaking. "It's probably best if I don't know, Karev. Get some sleep; we've got an early morning."

Alex stood in shock as the older man left the room. It was obvious that Mark didn't believe April's lie, but...he wasn't going to fire him either. Relief washed through the bodyguard as he returned to bed. Jo had a good night, and he still had his job. Thank the heavens for small miracles.


Hours later, Jo turned over in her bed, groaning as sunlight streamed into the room and onto her face. Her eyes opened slowly, the numbers on her clock coming into focus. "Eleven eighteen?!" she shrieked and bolted upright, grabbing her head.

"Regretting that last shot right about now, aren't you?" a smug Alex asked from a chair near the window.

"Something like that," the actress groaned, throwing back the blanket. "I've got to go! I've got to get to the set!" Her head pounded with each word, but she had to push through the hangover; Derek was going to kill her for being late! Why hadn't anyone woken her up?!

"Take it easy, Jo," the bodyguard soothed as he moved to her side. "April called Derek and told him you had a stomach virus. He doesn't want you giving the virus to the rest of the cast, so he put off your scenes until tomorrow."

The starlet sighed in relief as he guided her to sit on the bed. "God, my head."

"Yeah, I know." Alex sat beside her and peeled a banana. "Mark says the fruit will ward off the hangover."

"Ugh, I can't eat."

"You can't take any aspirin until you eat," the man pointed out.

Jo glared at him for a moment before snatching the banana and stuffing her cheeks full. It tasted like sawdust. "Thanks," she mumbled as he passed her a bottle of water.

"You must not drink very often," he teased and placed two pills in her extended palm.

"I don't," the brunette admitted.

"What about all those cast parties and stuff?"

"Mark lets me have one drink, and then I sip ginger ale for the rest of the night."

Alex helped her lay back against the pillows and tucked the blanket around her. "Mark lets you?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"He says more than one drink is just asking for trouble," the starlet shrugged.

The bodyguard slowly nodded; he supposed the manager had a point. "That's actually good advice."

A silence filled the bedroom as Jo bit her lip and stared at him. "Please tell me I dreamed Mark found us last night," she finally spoke softly.

"Ha, I wish it was a dream," Alex chuckled.

The woman's face fell. "Did he fire you?"

"He was going to," the bodyguard informed her as he returned to the chair, "but April covered for me. Man, she saved my ass."

Guilt washed through Jo's core. "I'm so sorry."

Alex held up his hand. "It's fine. You deserved a night of fun," he told her before hesitating. "I should have known to keep my eye on you."

Jo giggled, but her laughter was stopped short as Mark and April burst into her room. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the anxiety splashed on their faces.

"We have a problem," the manager sighed and pulled a laptop from under his arm.

April glared at the man, elbowing him in the ribs, before looking to Jo. "How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache, but Alex gave me some aspirin, so it should go away soon," the brunette smiled. Leave it to April to actually ask how she was doing.

"Oh, your headache is about to get bigger," Mark sighed as he motioned for her to scoot over so that he could sit down beside her. "Did you run into any of the paparazzi last night?"

"Well..."

"You can tell the truth," her publicist encouraged gently.

The starlet ran a hand through her hair and sighed heavily. "Yeah, we ran into Leah."

"Leah," the manager growled as he made a few clicks on the laptop.

"What's the problem?" Alex asked and joined April next to Jo's bed.

"There's some pictures circulating the net," the redhead sighed. "They're blurry, so you can't really tell it's Jo, but..."

"If they're blurry, then who cares?" the bodyguard scoffed.

"Whoever leaked them, Leah probably," Mark began, "is saying that it's Jo, and she was out with her boyfriend."

"Oh no!" the brunette gasped, looking at the computer screen over Mark's shoulder. "Oh no, oh no!"

"I'm not getting it," Alex frowned, his eyes moving from Mark to Jo to April.

"Jo's boyfriend is Jackson, remember?" April reminded him. "Everyone can tell that's not Jackson in the pictures, so..."

"Leah is implying that Jo is cheating," the manager finished her sentence.

"Celebrities cheat all the time," the younger man shrugged. "Wasn't that one chick screwing the married director?"

"The fans will pick sides," Mark explained as Jo buried her face in a pillow. "And more than likely, they'll go with Jackson. Jo's offers will drop, and..."

"I'll be ruined!" the starlet exclaimed. "Oh nooooooooooooo!"

"But you can't even tell it's her!" Alex exclaimed after glancing at the computer screen. "That could be anyone! It could be a sixteen year old for crying out loud! You'd have to be an idiot to think that's definitely Jo!"

"Where there's smoke, there's fire," April sighed. "Hollywood loves a scandal, and..."

"Just call Jackson!" her friend cut her off. "Have him say that he was with Jo or something!"

"We can't do that," the redhead frowned.

"Actually," Mark spoke up, "that's not a bad idea, Karev. All we'll have to do is get Jackson to say that he and Jo were out together last night, so he knows that's not her. I'll make a call."

The publicist watched the man leave the bedroom with a mission on his mind. "You okay?" she asked Jo softly as she sat on the bed beside her.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," the actress groaned. "I'm so sorry, Apes!"

"It's okay," the redhead consoled her. "What exactly happened last night? With you and Leah, I mean."

"She was bombarding me with all these questions," the brunette frowned, trying to recall the events of the night before. "I think she bought me a few drinks...it's kind of fuzzy..."

April nodded, keeping her face void of all emotion. "Did you tell her about the mansion?"

"No," Jo promised. "I think I told her I was staying with Jackson outside of the city."

"But you didn't tell her anything else? No celebrity gossip? No Hollywood dirt?"

"No, of course not."

"Look, this is all fine and good, but enough of the chit chat," Alex butt in, frowning deeply. "What are we going to do about this?"

"There's not much we really can do," his college friend began.

"Of course there's something you can do!" he cut her off. "Leah is freaking insane! Get a restraining order! Sue her for defamation of character!"

"Her pictures are of Jo though," the redhead reasoned.

"But she wasn't cheating on Jackson!" the bodyguard argued. "Defamation of character!"

"That takes too long," the actress sighed. "I don't have the time for the court dates, and nothing really gets accomplished anyway." It wasn't even worth it to her. Who cared what some crazy pap said about her?

"You could at least," Alex continued, but was interrupted by Mark.

"You little shit!" the manager raged into the phone as he returned to the bedroom. "She's done just as much for you as you've done for her!"

"What's wrong?" April asked as she jumped to her feet.

"Jackson won't back her up!" the older man spat.

The redhead frowned deeply and walked over to him. "Give me that," she tisked and pried the phone from Mark's hand. "I wouldn't agree with you either if you were screaming at me like a mad man." The woman shook her head as she left Jo's bedroom. "Jackson, hey," she spoke into the phone. "It's April."

He'd know her voice from anywhere. "Hey, April," he greeted in return, then cleared his throat.

The redhead sighed heavily. "Would you help us out, please?" she asked softly. "Jo is in her prime, and-"

"Yeah, I'll do it."

April jarred, stunned. "Y-You'll do it?" she blinked, caught off guard. "I had this whole speech worked up and everything."

Jackson chuckled into the phone. "Maybe you can use it next time."

"Maybe so," she quipped, her cheeks reddening. "I also think a public date today will help put out the fire..."

The actor sighed heavily. "You're right. The media won't believe it unless they see us together."

"My thoughts exactly."

Jackson glanced to his watch. "I'll call Reed and get a response out there. Can Jo meet me at Carmello's in an hour?"

"Yes, yes of course," April replied and bit her lip. "Alex needs to come too...he's her bodyguard..."

"As long as he doesn't touch me, we're cool."

"Thanks," she sighed with relief. "Thank you so much, Jackson! I owe you!"

The prettyboy hesitated, tempted to cash in a favor right now, but he knew that he couldn't. Not as long as he was publically dating Jo Wilson. As soon as he figured out a way to amicably 'break up' with the actress, he was definitely pursuing her lovely publicist. "Talk to you later, April."

The redhead felt butterflies in her stomach at the sound of her name on his lips. She pushed aside her daydreams and returned to Jo's bedroom. "Jackson is calling Reed right now to get a statement to the media. He's going to back up our story. And," she continued loudly as Mark tried to butt in, "you're going to meet him in an hour for a public date. You know, make it seem..."

"Like there's not trouble in paradise," Jo mimicked and rolled her eyes.

"Jo!" the publicist snapped, frowning deeply. "Jackson is going out on a limb to save your butt! The least you could do is be grateful!"

The starlet's eyebrow shifted skyward. "Since when are you so defensive of Jackson Avery?"

"I'm not," April snipped, feeling her pulse spike. "I'm just saying be thankful for what he's doing!" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Now get ready! We have to leave soon."

Mark smirked to himself as the redhead tossed him the cellphone and left the room. "And you thought I was tough," he grinned at the actress and bodyguard. "Hurry up and get ready."

"Yeah, yeah," the starlet rolled her eyes. "Did you see that?!" she exclaimed after Mark left the bedroom.

"See what?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

"April's reaction about Jackson?" the brunette giggled. "She's totally into him."

"What? You're nuts."

"I know these things!" Jo exclaimed. "April so has a crush on Jackson! We've got to get them together!"

The bodyguard looked at her like she was crazy. "I doubt April wants to date someone who's pawing all over you."

"That's all fake though!" the actress sassed. "He'd paw all over April for real."

"You're sick," Alex deadpanned. "Now get ready. I don't want Mark somehow blaming me for you dragging ass."

Jo lay in the bed for a moment, her mind racing. She had to get April and Jackson together somehow! Maybe she could arrange a secret date...or lock them in an elevator... Whatever it was, it was going to have to be big! Ugh, she'd think about that tomorrow.

After showering and dressing, Jo pulled her hair into a messy bun, put on her favorite pair of shades, and left the bedroom behind. "How long do I have to spend with him?" she grumbled as Mark lead her to the limo.

"Until everyone gets a shot of you for the tabloids," he replied smoothly.

"You really are my pimp," the starlet muttered as she whipped out her cell and sent Addison a quick text.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Half an hour later, Alex climbed from the limo, following behind Jo as she met up with her Scalpel costar. The two fake lovebirds wrapped each other in a tight hug, shared an intimate kiss, then moved to a table on the patio so that everyone could see them. The bodyguard felt a surge of jealousy as Jackson took Jo's hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. The actor cupped her cheek, pushed back her hair, and kissed her fingers more times than Alex cared to remember.

But, it worked.

Addison showed up first, snapping several pictures of the couple. Leah was right on her heels, and Reed arrived minutes later to jot down notes for the Rising Star website. Within the hour, the small Italian cafe was surrounded with paparazzi, reporters, and throngs of fans. Girls screamed, cried, and begged for autographs.

After finishing their lunch, Jackson and Jo posed for the paparazzi, took pictures with the fans, and even addressed some of the reporters. They weren't sure exactly what pictures were leaked earlier that day, but the actor promised that he and Jo spent the night before together. Jackson didn't say what exactly they were doing, but he promised that the young woman never left his side until dawn.

"Jackson, Jackson!" Reed called as the two turned to leave. "Is an engagement in the future?!"

"An engagement?" the prettyboy asked smoothly, glancing down to Jo who remained tucked into his side. "Maybe," he smirked, "but I'd like to surprise Jo, so...we'll just see what happens."

The girls sighed, shrieked, and cried simultaneously it seemed. Alex, on the other hand, wanted to hurl until he died. How far were they going to go?! Would they travel together? Have sex? Would the actor actually propose to her?! The thoughts made him angrier and angrier, but...he wasn't exactly sure why. He so needed a one night stand.

"God, I'm glad that's over," the actress sighed as she and the bodyguard climbed into the limo.

"Good job," Mark praised as they headed back towards the mansion.

"I think they bought it," April chimed in.

"Why wouldn't they?" Alex mumbled to himself.

The publicist gave him a strange look before turning her attention to the actress. "The pictures from this morning are yesterday's news."

"Thank goodness," Jo sighed with relief. "What's on the books for today?" The starlet hardly listened as April pulled out her smartphone and began going through the list of obligations; Alex had her full attention. The woman didn't know everything about him, but even she could tell that the man was upset about something. "Hey, are you okay?" she whispered, catching his arm after they returned to the mansion and left the limo.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alex replied, pulling his arm from her grasp.

"Alex?" Jo stuttered, caught off guard.

"It's nothing," the man called over his shoulder and left her standing outside.

Over the next few days, Alex put as much distance between him and Jo as he possibly could. He knew that it was wrong to shut Jo out, but he had to clear his mind. Obviously, the night in the bar had gone to his head, and he'd thought that he and the actress were developing some sort of bond. The bodyguard didn't know exactly what he was expecting-Jo to like him? Go out with him?

Yeah right! Why would she get involved with him when she had guys like Jackson Avery that she could grope? Why slum it with a bodyguard when you could run with the rich and the famous?

But...did Alex even want her to get involved with him? Did he like her? Was he actually falling for his boss? How cliched!

Ugh, it made his head hurt.

Instead of spending his free time with Jo, the bodyguard began buttering up Mark. Hey, it couldn't hurt to have the guy like him, could it? The two hit up the basketball court and even went out for a few beers.

Jo wasn't oblivious to the sudden change in Alex, and...it hurt her. She thought she had a friend, someone who wasn't wrapped up in her life. Someone normal. Jo could truly be herself around Alex, and she actually felt herself starting to like him. Alex was snarky, funny, and hot as hell. Who wouldn't fall for someone like him?

The starlet wasn't stupid though; it wasn't lost on her that Alex did a complete one eighty the day she went out with Jackson. How many times had she told him that it was fake? She didn't like Jackson! Not even a little bit! Ugh, why couldn't that stubborn bodyguard see that?!

Another week passed with Alex keeping his distance from the starlet. It was best to keep their relationship professional. Business. Crossing the line would only get one, or both, of them hurt.

Unfortunately, Jo wasn't playing ball anymore. "Alex!" she barked one afternoon and barged into the living room.

"What?" he asked, barely looking up from a football game.

"What's your problem?" the starlet demanded, standing in front of the television and crossing her arms.

Alex tried to look around her, but finally gave up, making his eyes meet hers. "Nothing. I'm trying to watch the game."

"I'm not talking about the game!" she fumed, frowning deeply. "I'm talking about us!"

"There is no us," the man snipped. "You've got other obligations, and I'm just the hired help."

"I know what this is about," the brunette called as he stood and turned to leave the living room.

Alex stopped in his tracks, slowly turning to face her. Did she really know what was bothering him? Was it possible that she thought something was happening between them? "Enlighten me."

"It's about Ja-," Jo began, but was cut off.

"Your script is here," April chirped as she entered the room and handed Jo a large envelope.

"My script?" the actress frowned, taking the envelope. "Already?"

"Derek said the writers made a few changes," the publicist shrugged. "He thought you'd need more time to prepare. Excuse me," she said and left the room as her cellphone rang.

"Hey, I'm not done with you!" the starlet threw a finger towards Alex as he tried to back out of the room. "Don't think that I've gotten distracted! As soon as I look over this, I..." The words caught in her throat as she flipped through the script, her eyes widening.

"Jo?!" the bodyguard asked as her face blanched. "What's wrong?"

"I...I..." the actress stuttered, panic filling her core. "I have a sex scene with Jackson!"