"Pierce! Pierce!" Maggie stopped to look and saw Collins rushing to her "you headed out for the day?" she said trying to control her breathing upon catching up with Maggie
"Yeah, it`s been a long rough day"
"I need a huge favour, can you please do a cardio consult for me, gosh I need to get my life together and start working out" she said with her hands on her knees still trying to catch her breath
"A consult, is it on you because you need to get that heart rate under control, can it wait till tomorrow?" Maggie said checking her wrist watch
"No, no, it's for me but not on me and I am afraid it cannot wait till tomorrow" Maggie squinted her eyes contemplating whether to agree or ask someone else "tell you what, you do this and next time drinks will be on me, please" she said pleading with Maggie. Maggie smiled at her, turned and walked with her; upon finishing, she informed Collins that his heart rate was inconsistent so she will need to keep the patient overnight to do more tests the next day. From the look of things it was just arrhythmia but she wanted to be sure. Collins thanked her and then insisted they go get a drink at Joe`s because she needed one. Maggie didn't protest because she figured she also could use one so they walked across the street to Joe`s.
"So was that your dad?" Maggie asked casually as they sat after ordering some burgers and fries
"Yeah, was it obvious?" Collins said taking a bite
"Not really, I couldn't help but notice the same surname, I saw that your name wasn't on the chart and I figured he was probably family"
"Yeah, he came all the way to lecture me about life and the choices I have made. He was going on and on and then he suddenly sat still for quite some time without talking, I then realised his jugular was bulging so much that I could see his pulse a few feet away. He isn't pleased with my life choices at the moment"
"Well that`s bad" Maggie said "have you two always had a good relationship?"
"Yeah we had, I mean we have, it`s just rough right now"
"I am sorry about that"
"It`s cool, we will get over it, I just want him to be okay. And you, I didn't know you were adopted"
"It wasn't a secret, at least I didn't realise it was until today"
"Why, what do you mean?"
"Richard is so mad at me right now"
"How come?"
"It's a part of his life he isn't proud of and I just aired it for the world to know"
"Come on, obviously no one is proud of an affair but he sure is proud of you. I have seen you two, I honestly thought he was your dad when I first got here because of how you interacted and all"
"Yeah, I know"
"He is a nice guy, Richard, he is a good guy"
"True, so what are you going to do about your dad?" Maggie asked
"Honestly I don`t know, will have to take it one day at a time, it`s my ex who is ruining everything"
"Hey, don`t let your ex ruin a lifelong relationship you two have. Tell him everything and let him make up his own mind after getting both sides of the story" Maggie said as her phone rang for the 100th time.
"Aren't you going to get that?"
"It's the TV guys, they are so persistent" Maggie said switching off her phone
"Hey, he will come around, he is Richard" Collins said encouraging Maggie. The two continued their night for a while ordering some drinks, chatting away about life and how Collins was finding her feet around Grey Sloan. They later decided to call it a night
...
Maggie got home, showered, put on some tiny shorts and one of Jackson`s sweatshirts. She then made herself some strong coffee because she wanted to catch up on some paper work and made her way to the study, Jackson`s home office. She needed to get some things done while she had time. Her eyes were captured by a big envelop that was on the desk with both their names on it. She set her papers on the desk and opened the envelope. She started reading with her other hand holding the coffee and realised that it was the prenup they had talked about with all the adjustments done. Jackson had already signed it. She smiled as she read through it once again, remembering the conversation they had a while back. She immediately remembered that she was supposed to call him so she went to look for her phone in her bag she had left in the kitchen counter. She walked back to the study switching on her phone that was off; she stood before reaching for the desk waiting for it to come on when she heard a voice she wasn't expecting to hear
"Hey" the soft deep voice startled her
"Jackson, what are – what are you doing here?" she said turning and walking towards him as he stood leaning on the side of the door frame
"I missed you" he said pulling her in for a hug "was trying to get hold of you but your phone was off"
"I am sorry, I switched it off" she said searching for his eyes planting a soft kiss on his lips. They pulled away from each other and kept their gaze on each other
"You were supposed to call me back" he rubbed her left cheek in a soothing manner "I was worried"
"I know, I am sorry, I was literally switching it on to actually face time you right now" she said trying to avoid his gorgeous eyes.
"Oh really" he put his arms around her waist. Their eyes connected once again for a second, he leaned down while bringing her head up and their lips connected. She deepened the kiss resting her palms on his cheeks as she usually did. The kissing became more and more intense. He took her by the waist and carried her to the desk while wrapping her legs and arms around him. He pushed everything off creating room and gently sat her on top with him standing between her legs. He tugged at the bottom of the sweat shirt she was wearing, his hand slid up her spine. Maggie felt a tremor go through her body melting into his sensual touch. She moved her hands to his chest pulling his shirt off whilst he did the same with the sweat shirt. She felt his lips against her shoulder, soft and scorching and tender, so gentle she could almost believe this was their first time. His hand slid back down her spine while the kisses moved down her torso to her navel. He moved his hand forward unzipping her little shorts. Maggie unconsciously tilted her head as she felt the kisses, his mouth moved back up to connect with hers while she unbuckled his pants pulling them down. He moved his mouth to her neck which made Maggie weak on her knees, he continued showering the kisses moving down once again this time all the way to her inner thighs, all this made Maggie squirm in pleasure as she dug her fingers in his hair. He teased her a little with his tongue on her clit making her scream his name out loud. He stood once again upon feeling that Maggie was so wet and his hardness wasn't helping the situation either, he wasted no time flipping her around to face the desk with her back on him...
...
"Babe come on, I need my shorts" she said trying to grab them from him. He on the hand had managed to put on his pants even though they were still unbuckled.
"No you don`t, he said holding them up so she couldn't reach them" Maggie sighed shaking her head as she put on the sweatshirt with just her panties
"So we are now onto my sweatshirts, babe you do realise its June?" he said with a slight chuckle looking at her tiny body in his shirt
"Well, I was missing you and they are so snugly and more comfortable" Maggie said while Jackson pulled her into his arms.
"Is that so?" he said checking his phone that had just dinged
"Yeah, you have a picture and I have sweatshirts" she said smiling at him "is everything okay?" she asked after seeing a little frown on his perfect face.
"Yeah yeah, everything is fine" he planted a kiss on her forehead, Maggie then moved to take a seat on the sofa in the office and Jackson followed her to sit next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and the room became silent for about a minute. He put his arm around her back bringing her closer to him.
"How are you babe?"
"I am fine, you know, all things considered, I am just happy to see you" she said lifting her head to face him "please don`t tell me you came all the way because of me"
"I found an excuse to come, we didn't get to finish our conversation so I wanted to finish it in person" he said with a smirk that made Maggie blush a little
"He hates me" Maggie said letting out a big sigh
"You know that`s not true" he kissed the top of her head "he doesn't hate you"
"You didn't have to come all this way though, I am okay" she looked up at him
"I know but I wanted to" he smiled at her "I didn't like how you sounded over the phone, I knew Mer was busy with her 28 hour surgery and with Amelia in Baltimore I had to"
"Babe, you have a briefing tomorrow" Maggie said to him as if he was unaware of it
"I know" he pulled her to make her sit on his lap "will fly out early tomorrow, pushed it to late in the day"
"I am sorry for not talking with you right away, I was going to though" she said wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I know, I got a little worried when your phone was unreachable" he said with his hand around her waist while the other rubbed her bare thighs soothingly.
"You didn't have to come all this way, I won`t lie, it did hurt to hear Richard say those words but I am fine. Funny story I actually went for drinks with Collins" Jackson's eyes widened upon hearing that
"What?" he exclaimed looking in her eyes as if he wanted to make sure if he heard her correctly
"Yeah I know" she rolled her eyes avoiding eye contact with him "she is actually not that bad"
"Hey, I am just happy you were not all alone because I was worried" he said raising his hands a little like someone who didn't want to argue "so why did you switch off your phone?"
"Good morning Seattle was calling nonstop, a podcast was one thing, but television huh uh, plus it's not even about medicine anymore. It's "Genius surgeon finds out she's the illegitimate love-child of other genius surgeons" I'm morning show fodder and besides Richard won`t like it because he is already angry with me and I don`t want to give him any more reasons to hate me" Maggie said going on one of her little rants
"You're in the genius surgeon segment, okay? This is your story, Richard shouldn't be the reason to stop telling it and it's not like you're going in there to make French toast" he said rubbing her back to ease her nerves.
"No, that would be the worst segment in the world, they'd just be watching me fishing around looking for eggshells with my fingers" she said gesturing with her fingers
"Yet I would still pay to see that" he said looking her straight in the eyes. The same eyes that made her weak also made her safe and secure when she was nervous. She sat quietly on his lap and thought for a minute, looked at his eyes once again and said "so you're saying I should do it?"
"I'm saying it`s your story and you have every right to tell it however you want, you don`t need to be afraid of anyone or nervous about anything because you will be great" Maggie smiled at his words, she knew exactly what she needed to do right away.
"You are amazing" she said rubbing his cheek with her thumb placing a little kiss on his lips. She then walked to the desk to confirm her availability for the show.
"I know" he said with a smirk "so what were you working on?"
"Just needed to do a few reports and have a look at Collins` dad `s case, I was just getting started when I found this" she said holding an envelope she had seen earlier "why you never told me you had it already?"
"I am sorry, we have just been so busy and I didn't want to add any more staff on our plates"
"I see you already signed" Maggie said shooting him with a look
"Yeah, I am good with it" she stood without saying a word looking at him "are you having a change of heart?" he asked.
"No, of course not" she said putting both her phone and the envelope standing with her back on the desk slightly seated on it "it would have been nice though to let me know as soon as you got it"
"I know and I am sorry" he stood and walked towards where she was, he stood in between her legs slightly touching her bare thighs. He gazed at her longingly; she smiled looking away because she could never win the staring contest with him even if her life depended on it. He placed a warm kiss on her neck
"Speaking of which, we need to talk about the wedding" she said running her hands on his bare chest before looking up at him "or set a date at least. I am pretty sure questions about our engagement will come up and I have no idea how I will answer them" he stopped boxing her in resting his hands on each side of the desk with his body slight bent and their faces an inch apart
"Okay, do you have a date in mind?"
"We are a few days away from summer so I don`t know, maybe we can wait till next summer"
"Next summer! You do realise that is like a year away? Do you want a summer wedding?" he said expressing a little shock at her suggestion
"I don`t know, I mean most people get married in summer; I am just throwing it out there. My favourite season is fall but I thought that would be too soon; we both know a winter wedding is a bit tricky. Maybe we could do next spring that will give us enough time. Right now we are both busy; I mean your spray on-skin demands your time between here and Stanford. I just don't know, are we even having a big wedding or are we eloping, obviously the latter might be an issue" she stopped upon seeing Jackson smiling uncontrollably "am rumbling am I?"
"Firstly it`s adorable" he said taking one of her hands into his "I would personally want it to be rather sooner but it's up to you, you are the bride so whatever you want we will go with that" he said placing a kiss on her forehead
"But we are so busy and we are already in June" Maggie said with a concerned voice looking at him
"Babe, we are doctors; we will never have a convenient time because our lives are hectic. We need to learn to make time because there will always be something, a wedding, marriage, careers, kids, our families, our friends, all of that will always demand our attention so from where we are right now, I think we are in a good position to do it sooner because it won`t get any easier as time goes"
"Kids, are we there already" Maggie said taking her hand from his rubbing it against her other hand
"I mean, I believe we will get there eventually, won`t we?" he said stealing glances at her
"Yeah eventually" Jackson noticed she was getting a little uncomfortable. He knew it was her time to duck away but instead she didn't move, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep passionate kiss. He stopped for a sec and looked at her once again; he then took her into his arms and held her tight burying his head in her loose tied hair "hmmm, babe, we still need a date" Maggie said sounding a bit cramped because she could feel he was tightly holding on to her and she couldn't breathe properly.
"Oh right, yeah the date of course" he said loosening the tight grip rubbing the sides of her arms with his hands.
"Let`s see, we are in early June now so how about" Maggie tilted her head grabbing her phone to check her calendar and said "September 21st, it will give us at least three months to do all the planning"
"Now we talking, sounds good to me, not next summer or next spring okay" he said lifting her chin with his hand to look at her and their eyes interlocked
"Okay then, that is settled" she said with a beaming face
"It's actually perfect, my birthday is on the 20th, yours is on the 22nd and our wedding is on the 21st. It`s perfect even though the months are different, I like it" Jackson said checking his phone. It was Richard letting him know he was downstairs.
"Richard`s downstairs" Jackson said to Maggie "should I get rid of him"
"You spoke with him didn't you?" Maggie asked casually
"Well, I..." Jackson said scratching his head
"It`s okay" she said smiling at him "where are my shorts, I need to get dressed and you need to put on a shirt"
...
Richard knocked on the door and was met with Jackson
"Jackson"
"Richard" he gave him a scornful look letting him in. Jackson decided to excuse himself and made his way upstairs
"Can we talk?" Richard said standing in the middle of the pent house looking around
"Sure, can I get you something to drink?" Maggie asked walking towards the kitchen
"Oh no, thank you I am not staying actually" she stopped on her tracks and walked back towards him
"Maggie" he cleared his throat "I'm ashamed of what I did back then, I know I can never take back what I said but I want you to know I'm only grateful for your existence" the old man said expressing his regrets
"I know" she said with a smile of reassurance, she let out a big sigh "it's a scandal, I'm a scandal"
"No, I'm a scandal" he said pointing at himself before his face change into a prideful smile "you're a miracle" he said softly not being able to contain his joy "the best of Ellis, the very best of me, and the best of a mother and father who raised you so beautifully" he sighed deeply "I am proud to be any part of you Maggie Pierce and if the press asks, that'll be my only answer"
"My dad's going to listen to that podcast, he's going to be so proud and excited and then he's going to hear me giving all the credit to you and Ellis"
"Your father raised a remarkable woman, you are his daughter and nothing will take that away from him" he said pulling Maggie in an embrace and Jackson emerged from upstairs. He watched the two as they embraced in silence.
"I must hurry home, my wife is waiting"
"Hey Richard, while you are here, please tell mum we have set the date" Jackson said coming down the stairs
"Oh really, that is nice" Richards said removing Maggie from his embrace looking at her
"Yeah, September 21st" Maggie said with a big smile "but we haven't told anyone yet, not even my dad"
"Understood, well I should be heading out. Congratulations to you two, it`s about dame time, I can`t wait to share the news with Catherine"
...
"You called him didn't you?"
"I did and I am sorry if I crossed the line" he said walking towards her after closing the door behind Richard.
"Babe, it`s okay and thank you" she said putting her arms around his waist laying her head on his chest.
"Really, thought you would be mad"
"Now why would I be mad?" she said lifting her head looking at him
"I don`t know, for meddling into your business"
"Hey, we are getting married in about three months so my business is your business and vice versa, speaking of which, I need to sign that damn thing right now" she said walking to the study to get the prenup. She came back with the document, signed it while he stood beside her with his arm around her. She turned to face him, put her hands on his cheeks while wrapping his around her waist as they kissed. She pulled away from the kiss and looked straight into his eyes and said "so this is it" with a smile on her face
"This is it, so you might as well start going by Dr Avery" he said with a little smile
"Nope, we are not married yet" she said as they kissed one more time
N.B: I made up Jackson`s birthday date because I don`t know when it is!