A/N: So I want your guys opinion. I have two planned endings for this story, one that wraps it up in a couple chapters (which I already have written and they're ready to post if you guys choose that) and then I have another one which will stretch it out for I don't know how long. What I could do is take the stretched out version and write it as a sequel to this one because it'll all flow pretty nicely. Just let me know what you guys think. Honestly I'm leaning to the stretched out version being a sequel, but I still want to know what you guys think.

She woke up the next morning, rested, groggy, and calm. Even though she hadn't fallen asleep in her bed - but his - she had earned a good night's sleep. When she opened her eyes and took in the soft morning light, she scowled. He wasn't in bed with her, nor was he even in the bedroom or the adjacent bathroom. April didn't need to think; she knew what they had done last night, and the only thing that ashamed her about any of it was the bloodstain on the sheets. She searched the room, frantically, before she heard a sink fall in the kitchen and a few loud expletives.

Sighing, she moved from the bed and was clothed within a minute before she stared down at the bloodstain again and shook her head. He had told her not to worry, that they were only sheets, but she couldn't help it. They were his sheets, not hers. With a sigh, she opened the bedroom door and found him in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled delicious even from where she stood. Smiling, she leaned against the door frame and watched him cook. He had not noticed she was there and she felt like a bystander at the zoo, watching an animal in his natural habitat.

Finally, he looked up from the pan and saw her; immediately, he smiled. "Oh. Hey."

"Hey."

"Good morning."

She never had seen a happier smile in her entire life; she was forced to smile, a natural reflex. "How long have you been up?"

"Half hour," he answered, wondering why she hadn't moved from the door frame - why there was distance between them right now when there really shouldn't be. It scared him slightly, to the point where he scowled and stood frozen in his spot. "I...I'm making breakfast."

April sensed a shift, a break from the normal confidence she saw with him. She was so concerned by it that she pushed off the door frame and walked into the kitchen, staring at him from a much smaller distance. There was worry etched in his brow, worry that shouldn't be there. "Robert?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She sighed. "You know, I know you a lot better than that. We went over this a while back. I know something is not right."

"It's nothing, really." He smiled and kissed her gently. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Before she could question him further, he turned around toward the pan which he was using to cook french toast. She surveyed the counter and smiled at the powdered sugar and strawberries. "You remembered?"

He nodded. "Of course."

April smiled and turned to view the food; she was surprised to hear he remembered something she had told him on one of their first dates. He had taken her to a small restaurant that was family owned - and served everything at any time of the day - and they had discussed favorite over, well, their favorite dishes. She had told him that growing up her father would always make french toast once a month because they switched off the sisters' favorite food dishes. On each Saturday they would have something that each sister chose: pancakes the first saturday, eggs the second, waffles the third, and french toast the fourth. Her father had joked that not only did it appease all his girls, but they kept up variety so no one got bored of one specific food. April couldn't believe Robert had remembered that story, and she couldn't help but smile at him again, the way he had paid attention to her even before he knew he loved her. "I just...You really remembered that?"

"Yes," he answered, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "I pay attention to everything you say."

"Well that's sweet of you."

"I'm a sweet guy." He smiled when she chuckled. "Here. Take a seat. The french toast is almost done, anyway."

She allowed him to pull out the chair for her before she sat down, turning around so she could watch him cook. "Are you glad that it's not just you that you have to cook for anymore?"

"Oh, yeah." He dipped the bread in the mix before he dropped it on the pan. "How many pieces of toast do you want, April?"

"How many have you made so far?"

"Two."

"Is that a third?"

"Yes."

"Three's fine." She paused for a moment before she smiled. "Robert?"

"Yes?" He flipped the french toast and turned to face her as it sizzled against the pan.

"Where did you learn how to cook?"

"Well, for one I taught myself over the years. Trying things out is one of life's greatest lessons," he answered. "So I would try things out and if they didn't work, I didn't do them again. I learned quickly what I did and didn't like. Plus, my mom taught me how to cook. She stayed at home with me and my sister when we were growing up because my dad was on the road a lot with hockey games. Every night she would have me start the meal and she would help me as I went. There were a lot of nights when I just cooked dinner for the whole family so my mother could relax after a long day."

"Yeah?"

Robert nodded. "I did. I've been a good guy all along."

"Is that...natural?"

He turned back to the pan and took the french toast out, putting it on the plate. He glanced at her every so often as he sprinkled on powdered sugar, strawberry sauce, and a few strawberries in for good measure. Grabbing a fork and knife, he turned to her and gently slid the plate in front of her. He kissed her before he asked, "Do you want something to drink?"

"What do you have?"

"Orange juice, water, milk."

"Milk is great."

Moments later he set a full glass before her and smiled, sitting down beside her as she slowly delved into the breakfast he had made for her. "What do you mean by natural?"

"Well...behavior can be debated as nature or nurture, or a mixture of both."

"Ah." He nodded. "Well, my parents...They came from a generation where respect was very important. And you respected your partner and people around you because that's just what you did. If you wanted to be treated with respect, you had to treat others with respect; otherwise, in my family, no one would respect you. Besides, I was the kind of kid growing up where I never wanted to be a bad guy. I wanted to be nice to everyone and treat everyone with respect. I mean...I can be a jerk when I want to be, but-"

"You can be an amazing guy when you want to be, too."

He smiled. "Yes, I can."

"I like that about you." She stopped before she took a bite of the french toast piece she had cut and said, "Correction: I love that about you."

He smiled. "I'll never get tired of hearing that, you know."

"Don't worry. I won't, either." She eyed him carefully. "Are you going to watch me eat?"

"No," he answered quickly, standing up and walking back to the pan where he began to make himself a batch. He smiled when he felt her gaze around him and, as soon as he started his own, he turned to face her. "Is it good?"

"Fantastic."

"Good. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"What did your dad do in March, when there are sometimes five Saturdays in that month?" He smiled when she chuckled softly with a shrug. "Did he just keep the pattern going and you'd start over?"

"I think so. I don't really remember," she answered. "It has been a while since I've lived at home."

"Yeah. Columbus is a long way from Seattle."

"You talk to your sister every week, how about your parents? Do you talk to them that often?"

"About every week or every other week. It just depends on my hours at the hospital," April told him. A few minutes later, he joined her with his own plate of food and she asked, "You don't like strawberries and powdered sugar?"

"I'm more a syrup person, honestly." He grabbed the bottle on the table and drowned his french toast, smiling when she gave a disgusted groan. "Hey, I could say the same thing about your powdered sugar."

"No. Powdered sugar is sweet and tastes good. Syrup is sticky and carmelly and doesn't taste good."

Robert shook his head and began to eat his french toast. "To each his own."

"So...Are you working today?"

"I have to go in for a night shift that'll last until tomorrow morning," he answered after a few moments. "And then I have a endoscopy at seven in the morning and then I'm going to come home, shower, and rest for a little bit. Why?"

"Well..."

Her pause troubled him slightly. "What?"

"Remember my sister, Kimmie?"

"The one who you thought was calling you last time?"

"That's the one." She sighed when he waved her on to continue while they both continued to eat. After a few moments, she told him, "She's coming out tonight."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And she's staying for a couple of days because she wants to see me and hang out and do sisterly bonding things," April told him. "And...And I've been telling her about us and the fact that we're dating and...She wants to know if it's all right if she meets you."

"Of course it's all right. Why wouldn't it be?" He stopped after he realized the answer to his own question; looking down at his plate, he sighed heavily before he looked back up at her. "It's the age difference again, isn't it? I thought we got over that and-"

"You're only slightly younger than my father."

"I'm in my late forties," he told her after a moment. "Only a few years away from fifty."

"Fine," she conceded. "Then you're at most fifteen years younger than my father."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not for me, it's not," she told him. Last night, it definitely hadn't been a problem. She couldn't imagine her first time any other way - without an experienced and caring hand to guide her. "But...for other people it might be."

"People like your sister?"

"Or my own parents," she answered. "They've...They've always wanted me to date someone closer to my own age range."

"Age is just number."

"I know that," April told him, feeling like he was going on the defensive; his exasperated tone bothered her, and she wished she had never brought any of this up. He sounded like he had when she first broke up with him, and that was a long way away from what they were last night. "I just...I want you to know that they might-"

"Not like me because I'm older?"

"They just might be a little leery, is all. I just...I don't want you to be surprised."

Robert sighed and decided now was not the time to pick an argument and put her on the spot; if her family treated him one way - because of a biological factor - there was nothing she could do about besides beg them to stop and put her foot down. He was certain she would do that for them; she had proven to him last night - by allowing him the honor of being her first - that she cared for him and would fight for them. That was all he could ask of her. "So...When does your sister's flight get in?"

"Tonight at eight."

"I'm sorry but I won't be able to meet you guys. I...I have to work," he told her. "But tomorrow morning I'd be happy to meet you two for breakfast somewhere."

"I'd like that."

"Is Kimmie younger or older?"

"Younger by a year," April told him. "She'll be happy to come meet you."

"If you want," he offered after a moment, "you can bring her in to meet me at work when you pick her up but I can only give you a couple minutes of my time. I have a consultation with a doctor from Johns Hopkins tonight, so..."

"I don't want to disturb you at work."

"Well, the offer's open if you want to take it. Just make sure you page me before you come over so I can tell you if it's a good time or not."

April smiled. "You'd really meet my sister?"

"Yes," he answered. "I love you. And part of loving you is eventually meeting your family. Now's the perfect time. Does...Does she know that we...?'

April laughed. "I just woke up, Robert. No one besides us knows that we had sex last night. Which, reminds me, how long will I have to wait before we can have sex again?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm sore," she answered after a moment. "How long do we have to wait before that goes away?"

"Honestly, we can do it whenever, but if we don't wait a little bit you're going to be sore and it could hurt," he told her. "It's possible to still feel pain after the first time, April. But that goes away after a few times."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "Depends on who it is. It's different for everyone."

"I wish there was this one solution that's the same for everyone."

"Me too." He smiled. "Sure would make everything a lot simpler, wouldn't it?"

"So..." April wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to change the subject away from sex right now - as it was so fresh in her mind - and right now, not having sex made her want it more. It seemed to be the only thing on her brain right now, mostly because she wanted to feel him love her again. "Because you aren't working today - and I'm not working today - I think we should do something."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

April smiled as she watched her sister walk off the tarmac. Although they were close in age, she and her sister looked nothing alike. Kimmie was shorter, more petite with lean muscle from her dancing days. She had short, blonde hair and green eyes and her personality couldn't be more different. Kimmie had an adventurous personality to her, one that April had never been able to match over the years, except for in rare moments when a burst of adrenaline propelled her to actions that were not like her at all. She gave her sister a hug and a smile, however, because she hadn't seen her in forever.

And despite their phone conversations, she had missed her sister. "How was your flight?"

"Long and boring," Kimmie answered with a laugh - perky, just like her older sister. "Can I tell you how annoying some people can be? This guy kept kicking my seat."

"Did you give me a beat down?"

Kimmie's eyebrows raised at the suggestion. "Discipline is not like you."

"Chief resident now," April told her sister proudly. "Discipline and enforcement is required to be a good one. I'm learning, slowly."

"I wish I could see you in action," Kimmie told her, smiling as they linked arms and began to walk toward the baggage claim together.

"Yeah," April agreed. "Libby always was more of a disciplinarian between us."

"But," her sister told her, slinging her carry on over her shoulder, "what I really want to see is this boyfriend of yours. What's his name again?"

"Robert."

"Does Robert have a last name, or is it just Robert like Sonny and Cher?"

April smiled. "Stark. His last name is Stark."

"Wait!" She stopped their walking in the middle of a crowded area, forcing everyone to walk around them, agitated by the sudden stop. "This guy...Is this the same one that you spent weeks complaining about because he kept blowing you off? That guy?"

"Same guy."

"April!" She hit her sister on the arm before she pulled her along and they began to walk again. With a scoff and a sigh, she asked, "I thought he was a total jackass toward you?"

"He was."

"April-"

"And the key word there is 'was,'" April reminded her quickly. "He's changed. He...Those were just walls that he put up because he didn't want to get hurt again. That's all. It's not like he was being malicious just for the hell of it."

"But he was being malicious."

April shook her head. "I would have done the same thing."

"He acted like a child."

"He did," April agreed. "But, you know Kimmie, he does work with children on a daily basis. Kinda hard not to pick up their habits."

"I can't believe you guys are dating now. I thought you didn't even like him that?"

"Not to begin with," she answered, smiling now at where they had started and how far they had come. She couldn't believe that she had gone from hating him to liking him to hating again and now she loved him and he loved her back. And it was all so perfect and amazing that it still felt like a dream to her. "But...eventually I started to. And...Here we are."

"And where is that?"

April smiled. "I love him."

"You do?" Kimmie smiled when April nodded. "First time for you, right?"

"No. There was that boy in high school. You know, the one I never got up the courage to ever talk to?"

"Pining away from a distance is not the same as openly loving someone and having that love reciprocated," Kimmie told her; despite her adventurous personality, she was still the most mature out of any of the sisters besides Libby. Years of adventure - and learning from those experiences - had taught her a lot, and lessons of love was one of the main subjects she frequently studied - sometimes with reckless abandon.

"Well I love him openly and he loves me, too."

"He told you that?"

"He did."

"And he means it?"

April scowled. "Kimmie, is this you talking or Dad? Because I really can't tell with you anymore."

"I'm just being a protective sister. That's my job, you know."

April smiled after a moment, remembering the night before. "He definitely means it. Not a doubt in my mind."

"I'd like to meet him, after I get settled into my hotel room, of course."

"I don't think you'll be able to see him until tomorrow morning."

"No?"

"No," April answered. "He's working a night shift and he won't get out until eight o'clock tomorrow morning. He said he'd meet us for breakfast if we wanted him to."

Kimmie smiled. "Have him do that. Libby and Alice can't wait for give me the 4-1-1 on this guy."

"Sounds good."

Robert met the next morning at a small, local diner which wasn't hustling and bustling like he half expected; but, after all, it was a weekday. Were they to come in here on a Saturday or Sunday, he was certain they would never have found a seat. Because there was barely anyone in the restaurant at eight, he found April quickly. She was sitting in a booth with her sister - a woman who resembled nothing like her older sister. From this distance he could see similarities in the way they carried themselves or how they both laughed at a joke.

He smiled and walked toward them. Kimmie seemed to be surprised to see him, but didn't alert April of his presence; he placed a gentle hand on April's shoulder and smiled when she almost jumped away from him. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Her face immediately turned to a grin as she stood and greeted him with a soft kiss - completely unashamed of their relationship in public. "Robert, this is my sister, Kimmie. Kimmie, this is Robert."

He turned to her sister and smiled at her warmly - something he wasn't capable of in the workplace - and gently shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"I could say the same for you."

April shot her sister a cold look at the protective and suspicious tone in Kimmie's voice; even though she was a year younger, she had her sister's back. Even though April knew Robert had heard the edge in her voice - because nothing could get past him - she tried to cover up the moment by chuckling softly and sitting back down, pulling him down beside her in the booth. "How'd that endoscopy go this morning?"

"Kid's got cancer," he answered as he picked up a menu. "Golfball size tumor in his stomach."

Kimmie scowled. "You sound so nonchalant about it."

"You can't afford to get attached in our profession," he told her gently, remembering JJ's death and how he was certain he would have drank his pain away were it not for April's strong and unwavering presence beside him. "You get attached and the kid dies and bad things happen."

"Is he going to die?"

"No," he answered. "I hope not, anyway. Surgery to remove the tumor is scheduled for next week."

"Need an extra set of hands?"

He smiled at April, who had asked the question, because she was probably looking for any excuse to be near him professionally as well as personally; not that he blamed her, after all. He had proven to be quite a catch. "As much as I'd love that, I have to give the interns a chance to learn, too. They have to start somewhere."

Somehow the conversation had turned to sports and the differences between Seattle and Columbus, and Kimmie was beginning to see why her sister was attracted to this older surgeon. Not only was he smart and successful, but he had a certain charm that wasn't too exuberant nor barely there. He could be charming and polite at the same time he was complaining about something - like the constant rain - and he treated April not as a subordinate, but as his equal, allowing her to lean on him and throw ideas out there about anything and everything. The age difference had bothered Kimmie slightly at first - because this wasn't anything she expected - but she was beginning to not notice it, and see him for the man he was.

If there was anything she pulled from this meeting, it was that he loved April with all his heart, and that made him all right in her book.

Before another topic could be started and deeply progressed into, his pager suddenly went off and he was forced to excuse himself. Kimmie smiled as she watched him go, turning her gaze to her sister who didn't turn back around until her boyfriend had completely left the diner. When April looked back at her sister, Kimmie was slightly surprised by the giddy smile on her face. "He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"He does."

Kimmie nodded slightly. "I like him. He's not that bad."

April smiled. "He's everything I could ever want."