A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! :)

Disclaimer: Same as usual.

The next day was Valentine's Day, and even though love was in the air, all that anyone could talk about was Ellis Grey resigning and who could possibly be the next Chief of Surgery.

"I think the hospital board is forcing her out," Cristina theorized as she and Meredith purchased their morning coffee. "Avery tells us that she's being investigated and then she announces that she's resigning, it's too much of a coincidence."

Meredith nodded in agreement as she handed the coffee cart lady a few dollars. Cristina's story made sense. Her mother would rather resign and retire than have her legacy attacked. Her mother would protect her pride and reputation at all costs. It was a very plausible theory that the hospital board threatened to fire her if she didn't agree to retire. She decided that she would ask her father about it later on, maybe he would know something.

"So who do you think the next Chief will be?" She asked as they headed towards the elevator.

"Well, a month ago I would have said Dr. Montgomery Shepherd." Cristina paused to push the button to call the elevator down to the main lobby. "But now," she sighed thoughtfully, "Robbins might be the front runner."

"Robbins would be good." The elevator doors slid open and they both stepped inside. "Dr. Hunt would also be good," Meredith added. Cristina remained facing forward and didn't offer a response of any kind. She didn't even twitch. "How's that going?" Meredith inquired softly.

Cristina finally turned to face her and spoke dejectedly. "There is nothing to be going. What about you?" She intelligently redirected. "How are things going with McDreary? Actually, you know what? We need to come up with a new nickname for him. What about McDreamy?" She posed excitedly. "He's been pretty dreamy lately."

"Yeah, he has," Meredith smiled happily. "He even has this big thing planned for tonight."

"For Valentine's?" Cristina spat in disgust.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded.

The elevator opened on their floor and they began to walk towards the locker room.

"I feel like we're moving too fast though," Meredith vented. "He has a lot of big plans, like building a dream house in the woods kinds of plans, and maybe I'm not as bright and shiny as I think I am, maybe I'm really dark and twisty." Cristina arched a sceptical eyebrow as they turned into the locker room and she laughed. "Right."

The only person in the room was Alex and Cristina greeted him in her trademark snarky way. "Good morning, Prince Charming." The Chief Resident shot her a disgruntled look and she turned to Meredith with a laugh. "We need a new nickname for him too."

Meredith, although laughing at Cristina's humor, was a bit more polite. "Hi Alex, how are you?"

"Good," he smiled. "How are you?"

"Great," she answered honestly. "Are you taking April out tonight?"

Alex searched her face for any trace of regret or jealously but unfortunately, there was none. "Yeah, I am," he muttered.

"Have fun and do something nice for her," she advised quietly.

Alex nodded as he adjusted his glasses. His ex-fiancé was giving him advice concerning his new relationship. This wasn't exactly the reaction that he had been hoping for. "Listen Mer," he leaned in and whispered. "Have you gotten any of my messages?"

Before she could answer him, Avery strode into the room and announced. "Some of the fourth years are starting to take bets on who will be the next Chief, anybody want in?"

"Yup, fifty bucks on Robbins," Cristina declared as she raised her hand.

Meredith spun around with a smile. "I'll put the same amount on Torres."

"Torres, really?" Cristina questioned incredulously.

"Makes sense," Jackson nodded with an impressed grin. "Torres is Grey's favourite." He removed his jacket before he turned to Karev. "What do you think?" He asked mischievously. He could already tell that the normally perky guy was in a bad mood and he knew that any prodding from him would make it worse. He knew that he should feel bad that pestering Karev was one of his new favourite pastimes but he really didn't. The guy had the girl he was falling for; he could behave any way he wanted.

"Doesn't matter," Alex murmured crankily before he left the room.

Meredith looked at Jackson knowingly and he just smiled with a shrug.

Jackson's good mood, caused by bothering Karev, quickly deflated as the day passed. At the end of day, Alex was taking April out on a date and he wasn't. He didn't have any kind of a date to speak of; he had had a date for Valentine's Day every year since he was fifteen. But he didn't this year because he was into another guy's girlfriend. His love life had really taken a dive this year and he needed to figure out what he was going to do about his feelings for April because they were getting stronger every day.

When they had studied together last night, he had needed to make a conscious effort to focus on his books and not her. The way that her auburn curls framed her face was breathtaking. He couldn't get the way she smelled out of his head.

And the worst part was that she seemed really in love with Karev, and oblivious to him.

His mood had plummeted and as a result, the last place that he wanted to be was where he found himself in the middle of the day. He was in the operating room with Hunt, Torres, and Cristina. The supposedly happy married couple was discussing their plans for the evening while he and the other resident stayed silent.

Surprisingly, he and Cristina had been on better speaking terms since he had confronted her and so he felt bad for her. He was listening to his mentor talk to his wife about their kids and their romantic evening while knowing that the woman across from him had feelings for the guy. It was awful.

"Our babysitter is coming over at eight, honey," Torres stated.

"That's great," Hunt responded. "More suction, Avery."

Jackson did as he was told as he casually made eye contact with Cristina across the operating table. Her gaze was downcast and focused on her work but he could tell by her posture that she was uncomfortable.

Luckily, they were just about to close.

He and Cristina scrubbed out alongside of each other and she groaned loudly. "If anyone else mentions Valentine's Day they are going to lose a limb."

Jackson laughed, "I am totally on the same page." His plans for the evening included studying for the Boards with Lexie and ordering takeout. She had invited him to take advantage of her photographic memory and he wasn't about to say no.

She dried her arms off before she turned to him. "Do you want to do something tonight?" She asked after a moment.

Jackson sighed and bit down on his bottom lip. He knew what "something" was and he wanted to…he really wanted to, but what was the point? He wanted April, she wanted Hunt. "We shouldn't."

"Wow," Cristina whistled, "turning down no strings attached sex again? The Virgin Mary has really done a number on you."

"How do you know this is about her?" Jackson answered defensively.

Cristina grinned as she hit him with a towel on her way out of the room. "I'm brilliant, remember," she called over her shoulder.

April finished her glass of wine as she looked at her phone for the millionth time. She was trying her best to keep her composure but it was slowly crumbling. She had never felt so worthless and insecure in her entire life.

She had spoken to Alex earlier in the day and all of their Valentine's Day plans had been set in stone. Since they were both busy with work today they were going to meet at the restaurant at eight o'clock. He had smiled, kissed her cheek, and told her to wear something nice.

She had showed up on time, but it was now just after nine and Alex was still not here. She kept staring at the door but there was no sign of him. The waiter was starting to take pity on her. He kept refilling her bread basket and asking if she wanted more wine. He was making her feel pathetic, sad, and lonely. Along with her overly attentive waiter, the dozens of happy couples that surrounded her weren't helping either.

She had put more effort into getting ready for this date than she had for any date ever, and she was being stood up. She had been so excited…and she just couldn't believe him!

She was actually being stood up on Valentine's Day!

Her self-loathing quickly turned to fury, and there was only one person that she was mad at.

With an angry huff, she left enough money on the table for her wine and a big tip for her nice waiter, and stormed out of the restaurant. She called a cab and cried in the back seat as the driver took her home.

She burst through her front door and heatedly discarded her purse. She ran up the stairs and didn't even notice the two sets of eyes on her.

Jackson turned to Lexie in confusion and she snappily replied, "What are you looking at me for? You should already be up those stairs comforting her."

He jumped to his feet, sending his books to floor, as he realized that she was right. He ran up over the stairs and took a deep, composing breath before he softly knocked on her door.

She promptly opened the door and he could tell that she had been crying. "April, are you okay?"

"No," she muttered.

She didn't say anything else but she opened the door for him so that he could step into the room. He sat down on the edge of her bed and looked up at her in concern while she paced in front of him. "What happened?" He questioned cautiously. She was home from her date a lot earlier than she should be.

"I got stood up," she cried. "On Valentine's Day! I got stood up on Valentine's Day!" She stopped pacing, furiously removed her stiletto heels, and tossed them across the room. "And I wore those stupid uncomfortable shoes! And I bought a new dress! And I spent hours doing my hair and makeup! And it was all wasted because I got stood up!"

Jackson gulped as she finished her rant. Karev was even a bigger idiot than he had initially thought. It should be illegal for her to get stood up in that dress. It was black, short, and strapless. Her hair was pulled up into a fancy up do and she was wearing red lipstick. She looked indescribably gorgeous and ridiculously sexy.

She sighed heavily before she moved to sit next to him on the bed. "I know that he's in surgery," she stated quietly. "I called the hospital and they told me. But still, he didn't even call me himself, or send me a text." Fresh tears pricked her eyes and she brushed them away in frustration. "I'm so stupid. I knew better. I knew better than to get involved with him."

He wrapped his arm around her lower back and she rested her head on his shoulder. "This isn't your fault," he whispered.

"Yes, it is," she whispered back petulantly. "And you saw this coming, admit it. I was essentially his mistress so why would I expect him to treat me any differently now. I never demanded any respect from him."

He shifted away from her so that he could cup her face and force her to look at him. "But you deserve to be treated better and he should know that." He smiled as he gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "And you can stay in that dress for a little while longer if you want, so that's it not a waste."

She chuckled, "Thank you, Jackson, but I think that I just want to go to bed."

She slowly got to her feet and walked to her dresser. She pulled the clips out of her hair one by one and her curls slowly tumbled to her shoulders. Jackson watched in fascination but she was unable to see his expression.

"Hey, can you unzip me?" She called over her shoulder.

He shook his head to rid himself of his very inappropriate thoughts. He stood behind her and pushed her hair to one side. One of his hands pinched the zipper at the top of her dress while his other hand rested on her waist. It was the most exquisite torture. His breath hitched when he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Nothing about this was fair.

"You should have gotten Lexie to do this," he joked huskily.

"Come on, Jackson," she giggled, "you're like the perfect gentleman."

"It is becoming increasingly difficult," he admitted.

She giggled again before speaking. "You don't have to do that just because I got stood up. I know that you think of me as a sister. You're like my brother."

"Ouch," he responded automatically as he took a step back from her.

She spun around and held her dress to her chest as she looked at him in a panic. "I didn't mean that in a bad way, not in like the annoying brother way," she attempted to explain. "I just meant that me and you…well…we would never…come on," she laughed. She had no idea why she was talking about the two of them possibly being together but it was as if she couldn't make herself stop talking. "I'm not your type, Jackson," she finished.

"Right," he nodded awkwardly.

He could hear Lexie's voice in his head chirping him, so instead of backing off, like he would normally do, he advanced towards her and stared down at her with a heated gaze. "I definitely don't think of you as a sister, and would you still think of me as a brother if I kissed you like this?" He cupped her jaw as he dipped his head to kiss her. His arm slipped around her waist and pulled her body closer to his as he kissed her passionately. She moaned and fisted her hands in his shirt as he ran his tongue along her bottom lip.

Or at least that's how it happened in his head.

In reality, he just smiled at her as he slowly backed out of her room. "Goodnight April."

"I'm sorry, Jackson," she called out to him regretfully. He had seemed offended by her words. "I didn't mean to bruise your ego. You know that you're incredible."

"You didn't bruise my ego," he laughed. "Relax. I will survive."

She sighed as he left her room. She really needed to get a filter. But she had been right; he had just been saying those things to cheer her up. Jackson was definitely not attracted to her. They had been friends for too long, he had seen her at her very worst.

There was no way that…

She closed her door with a sigh and grabbed an old button-up shirt from her drawer. She slipped it on and prepared for bed.

She had a hard enough time deciphering her feelings for Alex so she had absolutely no idea what her feelings for Jackson were. But she couldn't stop herself from smiling when there was a knock on her door and she opened it to find Jackson standing in her doorway.

"So maybe you did bruise my ego a little bit," he admitted with a playful smile.

She giggled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside her room. "Come in and talk to me."

Jackson had returned to her room after encountering Lexie at the bottom of the stairs. She wouldn't allow him to give up so he was following her instructions.

He lay on her bed next to her and waited for her to speak. When she finally did, he was completely taken aback by her topic of conversation.

"I'm jealous of penguins."

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"Penguins," she repeated as she stared up at her ceiling. "Male penguins will search the beach for the perfect pebble to present to their future mate. Is something that romantic too much to ask for from the male gender in humans?" She turned her neck to read his expression and dissolved into laughter at how bewildered he looked. "I'm sorry," she laughed boisterously. "I had a glass of wine while I was waiting at the restaurant; obviously it went to my head."

"No, I see your point, penguins are awesome," he stated with a teasing grin.

She laughed and reached out to smack his arm.

"I don't think your problem is the male gender," he began seriously. "Don't lump us all together." Her problem wasn't men, her problem was Alex Karev.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "But you're right." He was one of the good guys. He had probably never bailed on a date in his life. "What would you have done if you had had a date tonight?"

"What would I have done?" He pondered quietly to himself. The truth was that if he had gotten a date with April for Valentine's he would have gone all out. "I can be pretty cheesy so I probably would have done candy, flowers, and jewellery. There's always an appropriate time to treat a woman like a princess."

She turned over on her side as she smiled at him. And she had thought that it wasn't possible for him to get any more attractive.

"I would have made reservations at my favourite restaurant in town," he continued. "It's a soft jazz bar, great music, great food, and then we would go for a walk on the pier."

"Please confess your deepest, darkest secret," she laughed, "because you sound more and more like the perfect man every time you speak."

He laughed off her comment and dropped his eyes to the hem of her shirt. He was trying not to stare at her bare, slender legs for too long but it was difficult. "Is that Karev's?" He thought that maybe mentioning her boyfriend would keep him in check.

She was confused for a brief moment until she realized what he was referring to. "Oh, no, college boyfriend," she answered as she pulled on the hem of her shirt. "It's too comfy to throw away. His name was Blaine."

"Blaine?" Jackson repeated with a laugh. "Are you serious?"

She giggled along with him and smacked his arm again. "Stop it! He was a nice guy."

And with that they started to talk about a topic that they had never really breached before: past relationships. Past relationships turned into embarrassing stories and embarrassing stories turned into secrets.

She ended up telling him more about herself than even Meredith knew and she loved talking to him. He made her feel comfortable and cared for, and safe. She felt as if he was actually listening to her, instead of just pretending to listen like some other guys did. She felt...connected to him.

Jackson glanced at his watch as he noticed April's eyes droop. "Shit," he groaned as he sat up. "It's almost two o'clock. I should get going."

She grasped his wrist as he started to move away from her. "This is going to sound a little weird, and maybe a little juvenile," she began timidly. Jackson just smiled at her so she blurted it out. "Will you stay and cuddle?"

She was waiting for him to deny her request but instead he smiled and responded, "Big spoon or little spoon?"

"Little spoon," she giggled as she hopped off of the bed.

She pulled her bedcovers back and slid underneath them while she watched Jackson remove his t-shirt and socks. She had seen him change into his scrubs countless times but this time, for some reason, she was unable to take her eyes off of his torso. He was so wonderfully toned and muscled, and his skin was smooth and such a lovely colour.

Her best guy friend was dangerously beautiful.

She turned onto her side to hide her blushing face but smiled uncontrollably when he slid into bed next to her and slipped his arm around her waist. She and Alex never cuddled, he never wanted to, but it felt so nice. She loved the feeling of his large, warm body wrapped around her own.

"Goodnight Jackson."

He placed a kiss in her hair and smiled happily. "Night April."

At some point during the night, something stirred Jackson from sleep. He groggily opened his eyes and glanced down at his waist. He was still lying on his side and April was trying to pull his belt out of his jeans. For a brief moment, he thought that he was dreaming but the sensation of her breath on his neck was very real.

"Whatcha doing?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Your belt buckle was digging into my butt," she told him in slight annoyance. "I'm taking it off."

She continued to struggle with his belt and her hands were everywhere. Now this was real torture. He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and groaned before he finally grabbed her hands. "April," he grunted.

She peered up at him in confusion. "What?"

He supposed that in a few hours he would blame the fact that he was still half-asleep for what he said next. "I'm not your brother. Stop treating me like your brother," he demanded in irritation. "I'm attracted to you and you're practically groping my junk."

Her hazel eyes widened and she unsuccessfully tried to form words to begin an apology. She wasn't sure if it was his body, or his husky voice, or the fact that he had stayed and talked to her for hours because she had been upset, but something made her kiss him. She tilted her head upwards and roughly pressed her lips against his.

When she pulled away for air, panic set in. "Oh my gosh! I shouldn't have done that! I shouldn't—"

He cut her off by grabbing her face and passionately kissing her.

A/N: Little bit of a cliffie...but I think that was a solid Japril fix lol.

Tell me what you think! :)