Avery Boys

"I think I've got all the rooms assigned for the test run." Owen walked downstairs side by side with the man once his boss, now associate, in the new enterprise. After almost a year of renovation, the Dragonfly Inn was ready to be inhabited.

"Hit me." Jackson smiled, cracking his finger and neck joints at once, frowning as he prepared himself to bear with the final details in anticipation of the test run that was the pre-opening launch of the Inn. As much as he had loved setting every detail, seeing his own business reach fruition, making a successful living, he was ready to put hands on work he'd prepared his whole life for, and getting paid for it.

"Torres is in room one, Grey is in two. I put Webber in three, the corner room. The Karevs will go in five, you and Sammy are in six -

"Wait, what happened to four?" As they reached the front desk in the small, wooden lobby, Jackson turned around to face the ginger, frown already set as his mind fast-forwarded to the endless possibilities of problems that could have happened in the last two minutes. He was not that unlucky, was he?

"Four is taken."

"By whom?"

"Friends of mine. Ben and Miranda…"

"Which friends of yours?"

"You said I could invite friends of mine, did you not?" Owen looked down to the tablet in his hand, tapping meaninglessly before taking a deep breath and staring into focused green-eyes. "So, I did that. I invited two of my friends and I put them in room four, and now room four is taken with my friends as you suggested. Any problem with it, Avery?"

"Paw-paw and Chin-Chin cannot come to the test run." Jackson kept his focused attention on the man, his unblinking stare resonating the firm resolve of his words.

"Why is that?"

"Because they are dogs, Owen!" Frustrated, but fighting a laugh over the man's absurdity, Jackson crossed his well-built arms, straightening his back while towering over the other.

"They cannot stay home by themselves! They get lonely and eat expensive British things."

"Then get yourself a Chow sitter, because room four is for human beings only." The younger man pointed his index finger towards the other's chest while turning away to check on the rest of the construction.

"I don't understand why you get to bring Samuel, and I don't get to bring my Chows." Owen, voice high, still slightly pouting, papers hanging loosely from his right hand, went after the brown man.

"Because I'm mad with power." Avery got around the other man once again, heading to the fireplace room, acknowledging him only with a sarcastic smile.

"They are cleaner than he is," the redhead continued, with a lower and spiteful tone. "They are quieter than he is."

"Stop comparing your dogs to my kid."

"As much as you love Sammy, that is how much I love Paw-paw and Chin Chin."

The last phrase made Jackson finally turn around and stare once again at the man, startled at how far he had headed to win the argument and so have his way.

"I gave my genes to him! I watched him growing inside his mother, and nine months and twenty-six hours later, he came out and I was there, waiting to take him home, alone, refusing to give him up to some weird random family!"

"If I could have given birth to them myself, I would have, but I didn't have that choice!"

"You have to talk to your wife. And put Maggie and Andrew in room four."

"You cut me."

"Okay, so is that it for the rooms?"

"Basically, yes. You and Samuel in six, Kepner in seven."

"April?" That once again caught the younger man's interest, even though, for unknown reason, he tried to play it cool. He stopped the reflex action of grabbing the list from the other man's hand and checking for himself the name written down.

"Yes, April."

"So, is she coming? April's coming?"

"Is she not supposed to?" It was Owen's time to smirk teasingly, taking a step closer, encroaching on Jackson's personal space thereby not leaving him much room to avoid his insinuation and inquisitive questioning.

"No, no, of course, she was." Jackson took a step back, fidgeting with his hands for a second before awkwardly smiling while reaching to scratch his bald head, looking down at his feet." I mean, she was invited quite a while ago ... before anything happened." He noticed his misstep before hearing Owen's tongue snapping. That only made him close his eyes and focus on the task at hand. As in running away from the situation. "I mean, I didn't know she was coming, that's all. Okay, so good. April is in room seven. Lucky number seven. Not that it's lucky for April, 'cause I don't know what's lucky for April, okay?"


"Oh, pretty garnish! That's some good mincing there. Just enough walnut. Is that fish done? It should be done. Perfect." Amelia Shepherd was almost sliding against the ceramic floor, hopping from cook to cook while checking her employee's abilities, satisfied and proud of the work they were showing.

"Ooh, man, it smells great in here." The voice that followed a knock on the kitchen's back door got higher as it turned open, being signaled with the ringing bell over it. Inside came a small redhead, curls bouncing over her back while jumping into her friend's direction, a huge smile plastered on her cheeks, showing a soft dimple on the left.

"This is the best kitchen staff I've ever had, ever!" The brunette exclaimed, holding the newcomer's hand and pulling her into a tight hug, before quickly letting her go and linking their arms to now walk together around the place. "I don't know how we got them, but they're amazing! I got to show you this mincing. Seriously…"

"No, no, no, no. I believe you. They seem terrific. But, um, Amelia, so there are seven workers in here, and we're only budgeted for five."

"I know."

"Isn't that a problem?"

"Yes. See, I hired seven, figuring that at least two would crap out, and then we'd have five."

"And?"

"And none did."

"So, what will you do?"

"I don't know."

"Well, maybe the test run will break a couple of them, but if no one quits, honey, you got to fire two of them..." Back at the same place as before, after having made a complete turn around the center island, April finally glanced at her friend's face, knowing the worried look she would end up seeing as she realized the decisions that had to be made. While at it, though, she remembered, with a hit to her own forehead, the reason she had left her diner almost at lunchtime.

"Oh! Oh! Amelia, come here." April pulled the other woman into another hug, stronger if possible, making the brunette chuckle and hold her by the shoulders after some seconds.

"What is that for?"

"In all the craziness, I completely forgot that today is your wedding anniversary." The redhead was ready for Amelia to smile and jump with her, telling all the planning she probably had made for the day. Instead, she was met with her face only becoming more worried.

"Oh, my god!"


"I can't believe you didn't wake me up." A boy looking to be on the cusp of manhood but still with the youthful countenance of teenage-dom, walked into the colorful but warm and cozy vintage looking diner. He circumnavigated a path through the mismatched dining tables and chairs, heading straight to the beacon that was an older version of himself.

"Me and what army?" Jackson turned his attention from the counter where a petite redhead wearing an apron stained with the makings of some culinary diner fare, talked to two customers, handing them a plate of freshly made donuts for them to sample.

"I only have so much time off. I don't want to waste it all sleeping until noon." Samuel sat by his father' side, not giving any attention to his slight off behavior, ignoring the well-known menu in front of him, only serving to rest his elbows.

"There was no waking you up. You were completely out of it. We're talking Farrah on Letterman… Hey."

"What?" The change in the tone of his father's voice finally made the boy focus on him, mimicking his expressionless face, not knowing how else to reply.

"April is coming over here. I want you to pay very close attention."

"To what?" Samuel quickly looked to his left, trying to catch a bit more on the situation he had just fallen into, only in time to already see the woman approaching the table by his side with a pot of coffee held high by one hand, the other one caringly reaching his shoulder, a welcoming loving smile on her face.

"Shh."

"Coffee?" She asked, looking down at the boy. Samuel was about to open his mouth when his father again interrupted, this time with a cracking voice that made him sound more a teenager than himself.

"Oh, sure, coffee would be great. Coffee, bud? Yeah, he'll have coffee." He nodded, lips tight.

"Okay... You want a minute?" Something shifted at April' smile while shifting her attention to Jackson, a gaze she didn't keep for long, soon turning back to the boy, this time with a slight blush on her face.

"Yes, a minute would be great."

"Okay." She nodded, again shifting looks between the two sitting, stumbling a little before finally walking away, and Samuel could have sworn that her look stayed for a little bit too long for his dad.

"Well?" Jackson nudged the chair the boy was seated on, refocusing his attention.

"What?" Samuel smirked, straightening himself over the table they shared, thinking he had figured out what was happening. Finally!

"You notice anything?"

"Anything?"

"Anything weird, anything different?"

"About April?" He had waited his entire life for the man to grow a pair, watched during his entire childhood this… situation build up. He was not letting his father off so easily.

"No about the tables and chairs … of course about April! Did you notice anything different?" The man was getting exasperated at the lack of insight by his most trusted man.

"Like what?"

"Like a vibe, an attitude. Did she look at me differently?"

"Differently than what?"

"Differently than she did."

"Differently than she did when?"

"Before."

"Before what?"

"Before before, Sammy!"

"How on earth can you be frustrated with me right now?"

"Damn. Fine. Come here." He pulled the boy up and to the glass door by the collar of his shirt, practically tossing him just outside the diner, checking through the window to see if a certain someone was not watching them, finding her distracted with some orders as usual.

"What's your damage, Heather?"

"I think I'm dating April."

"What?" Samuel almost choked on air. Of course, he expected his father to finally realize he had feelings for the closest figure he had to a mother, but to only discover it after it had happened…? He wanted to be a first-hand witness to the moment, now how had he just missed it?

"I'm not sure. It's just a possibility. I could be wrong." What?

"But how? When?"

"I asked her to go with me to Mark and Lexie's wedding and it was really nice. We had a really good time. We laughed a lot, and we ate, and then we danced." Jackson shrugged his shoulders, hands in pockets, trying to look nonchalant while staring at the street.

"Danced? How?" Samuel was trying to contain a laugh, as for the first time in his life, he was witnessing his father being awkward about … a romantic prospect?

"We pop-locked."

"Was it a fast dance, slow dance, flash-mob?"

"It was a slow dance. What is a flash-mob?"

"The hustle, the hora."

"No hustle, no hora. It was a slow dance - a waltz. April can waltz." The man was smirking, a shift in the sparkle of his eye, and Samuel could almost see the memory replaying behind them.

"April can waltz?"

"April can waltz." He stared at his son, eyebrows raised, the smirk larger if possible.

"Look how you just said, 'April can waltz.' Jackson and April sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G … first …"

"Stop that. What?" he turned defensively, at once resuming his previous pose. "I'm just saying, I'm surprised that April can waltz."

"That sounded more like, 'I'm surprised I still have my clothes on,' dad."

"Sure."

"What else happened?" The younger knew that, at this point, if he did not push his dad to keep talking, he would not resume the story and just go back inside. And he would still not know his intentions. At the beginning, he expected the man to be sure of his long-time feelings, but it turned out to be as angst-ridden as a teen dealing with his first crush. Clueless.

"Nothing. We spent the evening together. We danced, I walked her home, then I asked her to a movie. All of these things individually do not add up to dating, but together, I don't know. And there was this moment, when I was walking her, where I thought - I don't know."

"Did she say yes?"

"When?"

"To the movie. Did she say yes?"

"Yes."

"That sounds like dating to me." Internally Samuel was jumping for joy. His own emerald eyes sparkled with the prospect of April 'officially' joining their family, and not only being a constant presence. An always loving, extra seat.

"But maybe she didn't mean it as a date thing. Maybe she just needed to get out of the house, and since I'm currently one of the friends sitting home alone, she accepted."

And then it hit him. As his father's face changed to an insecure one, he knew that his dad was being aware of his feelings was not the problem, but the fact that he was scared of it not being reciprocated. Of being wrong. And what made Samuel believe he was not?

His memories all contained April at some point. His childhood was interspersed with images of the redhead making them breakfast, sitting with them, entertaining him while his father went to work, picking him up at school when his dad couldn't, letting him cry his first heartbreak tears on her shoulder, helping him write valentines cards to a finally successful first date, going to his mid-school, high-school graduations, all birthdays… Every single step of his life, she was there. She was the mother he otherwise was denied. And he knew that the woman who tried to give him up for adoption would have never been as wonderful a mom as April Kepner was. So, what would he do if she ended up not liking his dad? What if she didn't want to be a grown teenager's mom … his mom? What if she ended up leaving too?

"Okay, whoa … this is April."

"I know."

"Our April - the town's April. Okay, you know what I mean. Not in the town harlot sense, but…"

"Whoa there buddy, where are you going with this?"

"I mean that she belongs to us, to the town."

"Where did I go wrong? What have I been teaching you? April is a person, she doesn't belong to anyone … or too many anyone's."

"C'mon dad. You know that's not what I meant! Anyway. We see her every day. She's a part of our lives."

"I know."

"I mean, everyone will know. They'll know if you're together, they'll know if you're not together."

"I know."

"And you can't just date April. When you're with April, you are with April. And if it doesn't work out, it will be really bad for both of us. I mean, how do you feel about this? Do you want to be dating April?" Samuel needed to ask. He needed to know. His own heart was at play. He couldn't deal with not only watching his dad suffer over a failed relationship but also having his family break apart.

"Okay, we're getting ahead of ourselves here." Jackson held his arms, looking deep into his eyes, a similar shadow of doubt passing across their eyes." I don't even know if this is what she's thinking. This could be a totally innocent situation, and then we've done all this what-iffing for nothing. Let's just go back in there and see if anything's weird, okay? Everything is fine. This is nothing." The man forced a smiled, taking a deep breath to compose himself as if the moments before had never existed, Samuel doing the same. If he left the questions aside just for a second, he knew he was sure about where this was heading.

"Okay."


"Two radish roses for a carrot curl?" Jackson raised his chin to take a better look at his son's plate in front of him. Playing games with words, objects, even food, has always been one of his favorites pastimes instead of wasting the moments that he was forced to spend at the Avery Mansion every Friday night with awkward silence.

"Deal."

"You're trading garnish?" Catherine stared at both of them from one end of the long table, eyebrows raised as she judged their behavior.

"Yes, but only because the dinner's gross."

"Very nice," his mother responded sarcastically. "And don't say gross."

"I don't like the rabbit," Jackson added under his breath while turning a piece with the fork, staring at it from afar.

"How convenient. You're not eating rabbit."

"But this is rabbit sauce."

"It is rabbit sauce," the peanut gallery chimed in.

"It is not rabbit sauce. Do not tell him that it's rabbit sauce." Catherine was quite exasperated with the lot of testosterone she was surrounded by.

"It tastes like rabbit sauce to me," Robert mouthed while chewing his own portion, a sublime expression crossing his features, while indirectly addressing everyone that had just turned to look at him.

"That just goes to show how much attention you give to meals that are prepared for you," his wife answered, staring daggers at him. How could he still not side with her, while she was the one keeping his life and his house under control?

"If it isn't rabbit, then what is it?"

"It's duck."

"Oh, well, where's that carrot curl?" Jackson suddenly said, trying to break the tension that had arisen.

"I haven't seen a radish rose," Samuel added, eyes bulging.

"Never mind. Don't eat it. Sriva, come get the plates. We're done." Catherine raised her voice slightly at the end, to allow for the maid in the adjacent room to hear and obey her instruction.

"Not everyone is done." Robert was outraged, as his plate, with his meal not even half eaten, was taken away. Inhaling deeply, almost tossing his white napkin over the wood, he shifted in his seat. "Just bring out the dessert, please," he requested before turning to address his grandson. "So, Sammy, I was thinking maybe we should go away this summer, just you and me. You should do Europe right at least once in your life, and this seems like the perfect time."

"Oh, well, Grandpa, I don't really know what I'm doing this summer yet, but that sounds great."

"And really out of the blue." It was Jackson's turn to sound on edge, being caught unexpectedly, knowing how tricky both of his parents could be at the art of manipulating those around them.

"I agree," Catherine added, feeling not only surprised but cheated. If she needed proof that Robert was excluding her from his life and plans, even after all these years together, this was it. She knew they were going through a rough patch, but not for a moment did she expect them to reach this low point. "Were you ever going to mention this to me?"

"I just did."

"No, before you opened the peanuts."

"Plans aren't made, Jackson. It was just an idea. If Sammy doesn't want to go, then Sammy doesn't have to go."

"Sammy didn't say he didn't want to go."

"That's right. Samuel's father was just marveling at the 'hey, look over here' approach to the invitation."

"When is dessert? I have work to do." The older Avery decided to ignore the entire conversation, rolling his eyes and simply staring at the opposite end of the table, his gaze landing on the only female presence in the room.

"It's coming as quickly as the woman can spoon fruit over ice cream."

"Well, clearly, she has carpal tunnel or some other modern disease which is slowing her down."

"If she's going too slow for you, why don't you just go into the kitchen and give her a hand?"

"I forgot to mention…" Jackson again trying to intervene, the growing spat not subtle at all "… we're doing a test run at the Inn this weekend."

"What?" For the first time, in a couple of months, his parents had the same reaction about something.

"We're inviting all our friends to spend the weekend, just to make sure we're ready to open."

"Well, that sounds sensible."

"Hey, you know what would be great? If the two of you came."

"What?"

"For the weekend."

"Oh."

"Well..."

"I mean, I've been working toward this for, my God, what is it, Sammy? About twenty years or thereabouts? Right?"

"Twenty years."

"Twenty years… So basically, this is the biggest thing that's ever happened to me in my life, except for Samuel being born, and I'm sure my parents wouldn't want to miss it. I mean unless there's some specific reason why you guys can't come, both of you together." His face kept turning from one to another. What he wanted the most was for them to have the courage to lay their problems on the table at least once. Would it be possible that they would let their marriage of decades be ruined by a lack of communication? As both traded looks over the table, silently agreeing to keep quiet about their secret separation, Jackson decided that he would keep pretending he did not know anything about it. "No? Okay, good, so you'll be there. Isn't that great, Samuel? Grandma and Grandpa are coming to the test run together."

"Jackson –"

"Dad, seriously, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world."


"So, inviting them to stay at the Inn is going to do what, exactly?" After some uncomfortable dessert and coffee, they were finally getting inside the sedan parked in front of the mansion.

"I'm not inviting them to stay at the Inn. I'm inviting them to stay in the bungalow 150 feet away from the Inn." Jackson gave his son a knowing smile, eyebrows raised while simultaneously clipping in the seat belt and starting the car.

"Diabolical."

"I'm going to lock those two in a room, and they are either coming out reconciled or in a body bag. Believe you me, I'm fine either way."

"Well, look who died and made you Hayley M."


"Doubles digits! Oh, my God, I'm kicking your ass!" Arizona exclaimed after having rolled dice drunkenly. Gleefully clapping her hands, she reached out for a glass half full (or half-empty, depending on your perspective) of wine, while April laughed at her antics, but kept a watchful eye all the same at the goings on in the lobby.

It was the first night at the Inn, and everything was going as expected. After arriving in the early afternoon with the group, April was the last one to enter the main building. She spent some time admiring the huge garden overflowing with wildflowers. It seemed to extend all the way to the border of the forest with its multitude of butterflies and the soft sound of hidden crickets. No to mention the barn, which reminded her so much of her own childhood home. Her hidden intention though, was to try to spend a little more time with a certain owner of the building, and not just a quick hello. She was surprised when he was the one to descend the porch stairs to stand at her side, after which he gave her a tour of the property, cracking jokes during the entire excursion, only leaving her at the door to her room. A lovely surprise of a bouquet of the same wildflowers, addressed especially to her, permeated the air with its sweet fragrance.

The rest of the evening passed off fine, until halfway through dinner, when she saw Jackson's attention shift from the guests he was conversing with to a beautiful woman who had just entered the building. Excusing himself he approached the lone figure and engaged her in conversation. His expression anything but open he didn't appear too pleased to see her. Although everything appeared circumspect and above board – their exchange far from romantic – upon observation of their interaction, the redhead had an uneasy feeling in her chest.

"Hey, Arizona, who's that?"

"Who's what? Oh, that's Stephanie Edwards. She was Jackson's girlfriend for the last six months or so."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Not exactly who I pictured him with, but she does have a very nice body." She winked at her friend, turning in her chair while finishing her drink. "Anyhow, they were hiding their relationship from his parents, 'cause Stephanie was his father's business partner. Well, of course, the Avery's found out about it, and all hell broke loose. Stephanie wound up suing Jackson's father."

"They still together?"

"I don't know. I thought they broke up, but she's here, so maybe? I could ask Callie for you if you want. Sometimes she gets the news first, 'cause her phone line picks up other people's conversations - something about proximity to the power lines. I tell ya, it's all about location, location, location."


"Hey. Are you okay?" It was even later, and April was expecting to come across Jackson, as he had not gone up the stairs yet. It was not like she had expectations for the night, after the last few weeks, and the fact that he pointed out how their rooms were adjacent to each other. But after helping clean the dining room, she ended up at the entrance, where Stephanie still sat, texting something on her phone.

"Yes. You?" The brunette thumbed off her phone, turning to April with an honest smile.

"Good. I'm April Kepner."

"Stephanie Edwards."

"So, I see you had the pot roast." Sitting next to her after shaking hands, she decided to pry … at least a little bit. It's not like her heart depended on it.

"Yes… very good."

"All the food was great tonight. So, Stephanie Edwards… the name is familiar..."

"I'm a friend of Jackson's."

"Oh, me too! I own the diner in town!" April grinned broadly, her smile huge as she talked about her passion, her accomplishment, what she was most proud of. It had belonged to her parents after they moved them from Ohio to Connecticut during her early-teen years, but she'd turned it into the success it now was, after having inherited it from them.

"Yeah, he's mentioned you."

"Has he? Well, it's nice to be mentioned." April allowed a small giggle to escape her and she watched as Stephanie's expression closed up a bit. Deciding to keep digging, she cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact. "So, uh, you know Jackson from where?"

"Actually, we're dating." Stephanie declared decisively, staking a prior claim. In any way, April felt her chest tightening, her insecurities coming to the fore. She became convinced that Jackson's actions towards her were mere acts of friendship and that she, being needy and alone, must have read more into it than was intended.

"You're dating?"

"Going on six months."

"You're dating now?"

"Yeah."

"Oh sorry, my mistake. I thought you two had, uh –"

"Well, we hit a rough patch, but we're working through it."

"Well, good for you."

"When it's right, it's right, and Jackson and I are right."

"That's great. I'm very happy for you." April nodded, holding her own hands in her lap, not wanting to let tears form behind her eyes because of her own stupidity. She was not even able to keep looking at the other girl, feeling guilty she was in love with her… boyfriend, she guessed.

"Thank you. You have any idea where the ladies room is?"

"It's back through the dining room."

"Thanks, it was nice meeting you."

"Sure, you too." She only nodded her goodbye, watching with her peripheral vision the other woman leaving. As a physical reflection of her inner heartache, she pantomimed drying non-existent tears. She also decided to get up, but to head not to her room in the Inn, but to her own place, as she did not want to spend more time in the same building as the man she had feelings for. Feelings so strong that she was about to commit an idiot's mistake.

"Hey. The last one up?" Her hand was almost on the handle when the husky voice startled her, the resonance causing her to jump slightly. April had expected to have to dodge him, at least during the days following, now having no choice but to face Jackson immediately. And directly.

"No, not the last one."

"You okay? I heard Arizona was kicking your butt at Yahtzee." She turned towards the sound of firm steps approaching her and the mere sight of him, in such an enclosed space, made her heart accelerate. The reflective light of his eyes gave them an otherworldly look, and his unflinching gaze appeared to impress upon the subject of his attention that he could read that mind and deepest, darkest secrets. Even with his hands in the pockets of his pants, she could feel his arms around her, body cornering her, giving her no space to think, to breathe. His unique scent seemed to surround her too, even in her dreams. But she needed to wake the heck up. Because looking behind him, she could still see the chair in which Stephanie had been sitting mere moments before, the empty seat taunting her accusingly. Her eyes drifting from his all-seeing, all-knowing sight orbs she gave a dry laugh, crossing her own arms, trying to put some space between them. He had a girlfriend, and he would never see her as more than a friend. Perhaps even as a sister, who knew. Shaking her head at her own wild thoughts, she laughed once again, staring at her own feet.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty stupid right now."

"Why?" He stopped immediately, voice filled with concern and confusion, head tilted slightly, trying to catch her attention.

"I'm not a weird woman, am I?" She startled him, with both the impatience in her voice and the stare filled with hurt. Of course, her behavior was different than earlier, so he thought he might have scared her with his approaches. Maybe she needed space. But not in any way had he expected this kind of an answer. All he feared hearing was that she was interested in another guy, or that said guy had broken her heart. At the same time, he knew that if she needed a shoulder to cry on, he would never deny his. After pummeling the one who hurt her. A couple of times. Many couples of times.

"Well, the wardrobe's a bit of a head-scratcher." He tried to make her laugh, he knew how she loved to hate his jokes and making her a little bit happy in the mix wouldn't hurt. But all he saw in her eyes was more anger.

"I thought you had been very, very clear about your intentions –" April started, her arms shaking as she started to walk around the room, back to him.

"My…" What had he done wrong? He needed to know the reason why he would be punching himself to death. He also thought his intentions were clear, but she didn't make it sound like that was the problem. She didn't make sense at all.

"You know, the wedding, the movie invite, the flowers…?" Yes, exactly!?

"April…" What is going on?

"And you knew what I was doing!"

"Well, no, not officially." What were you doing? What is happening?

"Not officially? Oh, come on." She gave up. Suddenly she was bursting through the door, mentally-laden steps carrying her down the porch stairs, where they'd met earlier in the day, a lifetime ago. He was almost on the stairs when she turned around, climbing back up until she was right in front of him, eyes filled with anger and… some other nameless emotion he couldn't define. "I mean, I didn't have a ref present, but other than that."

"Well, you didn't say anything official." Jackson was too confused to say anything else. She was fighting with him because he had done things but not… more things? If they were both making moves on each other, why would she be fighting with him? "And what was I supposed to say? I did things. I let my actions speak. That's what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to let your actions speak. That's the romantic way to do this, damn it." And now he was screaming back at her. Damn it, Avery.

"And I went along with all of it." And she can get louder… "So naturally, I assumed we were on the same page, and then your girlfriend shows up here at the Inn that I invested in…"

"Whoa, wait, w… what girlfriend?" What is happening?

"Are you talking about Stephanie?"

"No, Maggie. Of course, Stephanie."

"You guys were talking?" Didn't she leave? "What did she say?"

"She said you were together. I mean, I was sitting there listening to this girl go on and on about how it's right, you're right, she's right. The whole time, I'm thinking, 'What the hell have I been doing all this for? He's taken.' You've made a cheater out of me."

"I'm not taken! We broke up!"

"Well, she obviously doesn't know that!" April started to laugh again, all the while fighting tears. What was she supposed to believe? And if they were indeed not together, what was she going to do with the information, now that everything was out in the open? Now that she had poured her heart out to him. Now that she screwed it all up.

"April, please, just calm down!"

"I don't want to calm down!" The redhead started to make a move as if she was going to leave again, gesticulating in the air, furious at herself. "I did everything right! I did exactly what the book said!"

"The book?! What book?"

"I thought we were on track, and now you're standing there looking at me like I'm crazy."

"I'm not looking at you like you're crazy!" What?

"You know the last time someone bought flowers for me? Never! That's when! Very easy stat to remember!"

"I loved giving you the flowers!" Can you just stop and understand that?

"And then when you walked me home after the wedding, there was a moment. I thought there was a moment." And then there she was, right in front of him, looking into his eyes with desperation behind hers, as if she wanted to hear how it was all a product of her imagination. As if she couldn't fathom the reality that everything could work out in the end. That those two persons that have met in a small town in the middle of nowhere, in the weirdest of circumstances involving coffee and horoscopes, could be perfect for each other. That she made him believe in Stars Hollow. That he looked at her and loved her. Even the things that he didn't like, he loved. How could he make her believe in herself enough to believe in his devotion for her?

"There was… There was a moment." There is… He stepped closer to her, trying to memorize her expression in the moment his hands reached for her face, tucking a loose strand of red hair behind her ear and holding onto her face at the same time. As he started to move his face towards hers, as if she had just woken from a dream, she took a step away, staring at him with large surprised eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Will you just stand still?" Jackson laughed, holding her face again, but this time not giving her time to think too much, sealing their lips with a soft kiss, letting his lips taste hers for the first time, deciding that they were better than his mind could have conjured. April tasted like coming home. After a moment, he decided to let her go, for she also needed to make a decision. He had done all in his power, and could only hope it would work. When she moved towards him and then held his face in her hands, getting closer, it was his time to take a surprised step back.

"What are you doing?"

"Will you just stand still?"

And when April was the one to kiss his lips, she felt her heart accept her fate. That she was not crazy, that she was not imagining things, and that all the past eighteen years of her life finally made sense as she realized that the uncomfortable feeling was simply fear of accepting this thing between them. What they somehow already knew had been growing from the moment of its conception. Merely scared of how much they had come to love each other and the life they could build together. As they embraced each other, deepening the kiss, the only certainty they had was that, in one way or another, whatever life threw at them, they would never be apart from each other's lives. And if that wasn't what soulmates were, she didn't know what was…


SORRY for the late uploads. Exams and it was all my fault :) Please leave a review!