Notes: So life is getting more interesting and tense on both sides. Same as before this is a story where April and Jackson are the main characters. Some details are changed and some are the ones that were in the show. There are probably some grammar mistakes so… Just enjoy and always comment if you have any ideas, opinions etc but please no hate.
JACKSON AVERY, IN THE APARTMENT
I instantly recognized him from pictures April once showed me and a second later his companion. It is impossible not to recognize, because of the scandals that surrounded her years ago. April once said that he is a very good companion: loyal and very understanding. She didn't say that they were friends or very close to each other. She didn't even mention any names. So I thought that they were not close, but it seems more and more otherwise. I remember him, because he doesn't look like someone from Northern Russia. It seemed weird and I have to admit wrong. He has darker skin, bald head, a bit of beard, which is well kept. He is tall and very muscular. I would say he looks like someone who is capable of protecting himself and everyone else. Although right now Charles uses crutches because of his right knee. It looks like it has had some kind of surgery or damage. I can't tell exactly which one unfortunately. From his look I would have guessed that he is some kind of arabian terrorist or something like that.
I tell him and the woman, who is with him, to take a seat. They do it and they sit right across from me. Charles looks like he is not happy, more like passive aggressively pissed. I have seen that look so many times on April's face, when she is not happy with something, but doesn't want to complain, because she already assumes that other people play down her feelings or she thinks her unhappiness with something might seem ridiculous. But on his face, it seems like he is going to voice them out loud right now to everyone who is in front of him.
He starts talking by telling me that he is sorry that he couldn't come to the lawyer's office. There was no way to come unfortunately. He also says that he would appreciate it, if I would not interrupt what he is going to say next. So I simply nod, because there was no way to say anything else. He had put me right in the spot, where he wanted and I had no way to get out of it. Charles started by telling me, that he is the one who has authority to deal with her stuff, but he is not going to do anything with it now. It confuses me. It seems like I have to convince him to sign the papers and I want to try it, because I have nothing to lose. He continues by telling me, that he has no idea, why he has the authority to do it. There are people who are more close to her than him and one of them named Tarjei seems to be trying to pressure him to sign the papers. It instantly confuses me. Why don't I know that about my wife? After that he asks all of the people in the room if we know what she is doing at the moment? Where is she? Because he also has gotten several phone calls from different government agencies, who say the same thing. They want to have a conversation with April Kepner. I am shocked. I had no idea about this. Although I am still legally April Kepner's husband. Why didn't they notify me and call? I am pretty sure that the phones work. It is the 21st century.
Before I even have a chance to voice my opinion and questions, he turn directly to me and asks bluntly, what the fuck I did to April Kepner that she is acting the way she is? I just stare at him. I don't know what to do or say. The words just said shocked me. Why is he accusing me of April's actions? I tell him that I have no idea and I wish to know it as much as he does. But he just tells me with a straight face, that he is not believing that I don't know, because April Kepner is not a coward and if she is acting like one, there is something going on and it has a good reason. After all of that Charles says that he is going to find out what's going on whether I like it or not. So I just simply nod and in the future try to be as polite as possible because I realize that I can't piss him off. He and his companion can be possible allies to find April and get to know the truth. He sits there without a single word coming out of his mouth. His eyes are constantly roaming me and the surroundings.
Finally he asks if he can look around here before he leaves the city, because he has to be on a 7.00 PM flight. I tell him that he can do it although I am not sure what he wants to find. As an answer to that he tells me, that there is no way here in here her home has no trace of, where she might be or, where she is heading. There has to be and we just need to find them. So we started working. All 4 of us, who were there.
APRIL KEPNER, EVENING
Luckily my visit to some important places in my life went well. I made it to 3 out of I don't know how many. I visited what was once a big luxurious marketplace. It was not meant for people like me at that time or average people. It was commonly visited by people who were wealthy. Unfortunately it also included terrorists, their relatives and workers. So armed forces and many other agencies used it as a place to make contact with persons of interest and communicate with them. I remember that the entire building was with a quite decent exterior. It was not very luxurious according to western world standards, but in Afghanistan it was different. I heard it was considered one of the high end buildings. Lucily my duties here usually involved being a security person for an agent, who had to communicate with people. I basically had to walk close to him or her and look around with open eyes and ears.
The second location was a field. It was very bare. Then it means that it causes so much trouble and unnecessary stuff to do. It meant that trouble was more likely to come. One of my biggest fears came true there. I had to do something that I didn't like then and even now. Although I should be over it. In my mind I know that there is nothing that I could have done differently. I mean it is like a car crash that is not your fault. Yet you do it. Accuse yourself because it is a damage to property or because you are afraid. Certain chemicals that are released after an incident that make you feel a lot of emotions. I felt some of them publicly, but some of them that I expected never came.
The third location was where used to be our barracks and I would say home base. There currently still are the ruins of tents, containers and air control tower. I understand it. Very little has changed since the forces were pulled out. The situation is still bad or sometimes even worse. It has been nearly two decades since the war and yet there are ruins of temporary buildings. Armed forces left everything behind because there was no point in bringing everything back. We only took weapons and everything that in our opinion contained classified information or would have helped the enemy. It was very rushed. Within two weeks we were on our way to the US. We left behind a disaster zone. There were burned items, fires, ruined items and actions that should have never happened. It all happened due to scandals that surrounded us and our actions in foreign soil. In the end most of them were unmorral nightmares to publicity.
After walking, thinking and memorizing everything I remembered. I headed back to the hotel. In reception when I ask for the key to my room. The hotel worker says that there is an envelope for me and it is delivered to my room. Instantly I think that it can't be anything good. I make my way to my room. I can clearly see that it has been cleaned. The sheets are fresh and clean. I can also see that the cleaners must have washed the windows and cleaned the dust. But what's worse, they have dug into my clothes and items. I instantly start checking them to see if anything's missing, but I don't see it. They probably must have been curious, because it is not every day you see a white people here, but luckily I had taken everything that might be controversial to a room that I rented in the other part of the city. Here is nothing illegal or anything that would make people question my identity. I eat and then open the letter with big wide eyes.
JACKSON AVERY, COUPLE HOURS LATER
We have watched through a lot of items and documents. This apartment is basically turned upside down. So far we have checked the living room, kitchen, most of the study, walk-in robe and extra room. We still haven't checked the bedroom and big bookshelves filled with hundreds of books about everything. I don't want to check either of them. It feels too personal for me to touch. I don't want to intrude on her privacy because I am pretty sure, if she gets to know I dug in, there would be no mercy. Usually April is very sweet and nice, but when you get her pissed you don't want to be on her way. She can be like someone entirely unknown and cause more damage than you would ever believe. So books were usually April's thing. It has been that way since we started residency. I didn't like reading them then and now, but she liked to read a lot even then. Now usually she gets the books from the library a couple blocks east. After reading them she bought the books that were her favourite or just useful from a local bookstore downtown. I remember the first time I walked there. Outside the shop seemed like a piece of shit, but inside it was very beautiful and quiet. There were plenty of places to sit down and order perhaps a piece of cake or pie or a cup of coffee.
There are books from classical literature to newest bestsellers to science and history. At first those were stacked in the corners of the room. There were like 3 or 4 rows of them that were quite high. When we got married I had to let big bookshelves be built in study because there was no other way to put her books somewhere nicely that would let them be politely a part of the room. In the end she liked the idea although at first she wasn't very sure about it, because she didn't want to intrude into my place.
I try to convince Charles and her companion to do the bedroom and bookshelves themselves, but they refuse because they definitely don't want to intrude. So I start with the bookshelves. At the top are a few books about science, faith and history. Luckily that interest didn't last very long and most of the books she read weren't bought home in the end. Although I have to mention that there are some books that seem very interesting to read like "Medicine and religion". In the middle are novels and books that are not part of any series. Some of these are thicker than the others although most of them are quite thin. But before I have managed to look through books on the lover shelves which are given out as a series something strange catches my attention. There is a book that in my opinion is in the wrong place. "Mockingjay'' by Suzanne Collins. According to what I remember, the book is part of the Hunger Games trilogy. So I pick it up, but instantly there is a big question mark. In my opinion the book seems too light for such a big book. I open it and to my surprise inside is a hiding place and inside is a harddrive. I have never seen it so I tell everyone else that I found something.
Everyone gathers around me and soon after that all 3 of them make a suggestion to watch what is on it. I plug it into my laptop. Device is nearly empty except for a big video file. I open it and we watch it. After watching it I don't know what to think. I heard April and someone I don't recognize from the voice yelling. She was desperately trying to hold off the bombing, but other side just threatened her and fighted with her. In the end bombing happened and April threatened the man with court and telling the truth. Then instantly the man yelled at her that you know what will happen if you do it! After that the video was abruptly cut off.
I just sit for a moment and turn myself to Charles. He seems shocked. So I try my luck and ask point blankly what the fuck is this? What happened? He looks at me with eyes full of absolute panic and fear. At first not a single word comes out of his mouth but then he starts talking. He said that this is something that he has no idea how to explain properly. So I tell him to just start from the beginning. He tells me that this is not so simple. As I am annoyed because people keep me in the dark I repeat myself that he would just start. After a short pause he tells me that this will change your opinion about April and this doesn't suit him but after another although a little longer break he started.
APRIL KEPNER, LATER THAT EVENING
I sat there shocked. Someone from my past knows that I am in Afghanistan. I was just threatened to be killed if I stayed here and kept doing what I did. I am pretty sure that the letter was meant as a warning that if I keep digging then it won't end well. I now start to feel fear and get a feeling like there would be eyes on my back. It feels like I am in a cage and I am publicly shown to everyone who wants to watch. Instantly it lets my mind start thinking about the past.
30.05.2005
Afghanistan, Camp Bastille
After planning and dealing with weapons I try to rest. Here it is always a good idea to do it. You might never know when life gets extremely busy here. Once it happned on the most suckful time it can ever happen. We hadn't even had a proper meal or sleep that day. After the call to do a job or as I would say emergency job. We were out for more than 48 hours. It can be excruciating mentally and physically. It can happen with a blink of an eye. After resting and a little nap I go to the canteen to grab lunch. It is mostly some kind of canned food that has been heated up, vegetables or pasta. Sometimes if you are lucky it is possible to get pre-made meals but mostly it is unlikely. I chose pasta and vegetables because yesterday I took canned food. Making different meals varies is very useful. It keeps you from going crazily pissed. Suddenly I hear my teammates Wesley and Tove. I am quite close with both of them. Tove is also from Northern Europe. He is never quiet. Always talking and having fun. Never being still and always smiling. But Wesley is something else, I think I am in love with him. We talk a lot and spend plenty of time together. He is a very good companion. I would say the best one I have ever had. I am quite close to him. So after hearing them I decided that I would go and sit with them while eating. It can be useful because over a short period I have known them it has become apparent that they are very social and know about basically everything that is going on in the base. But today, they only talk about soccer and guns and together we decide that we are going to have some fun. After discussion and thinking we decided to go to the bar. There we watch some sort of old, but very boring movie and play a couple rounds of darts that I won. Surely but consistently I have become the master of darts in this base. I have won against everyone, who has wanted to play against me officially. So after all of that together we went to eat again and this time we got a very decent meal for an American soldier: hamburgers and french fries. Tove instantly starts whining that he doesn't like hamburgers so I make an offer to switch my french fries with his hamburger. He instantly agrees and we start eating. Soon Casey joined us and after everyone had eaten he said that at night we are going out. We should prepare ourselves because we are going with special forces. That usually means it is going to be a rough time. So we start doing preparations. At 8.00 PM there was a meeting about our plans and what were every team orders. After that we dressed ourselves and collected necessary equipment. At 10.00 PM we were ready to go into action.
I don't know what I should do. I don't want to leave, but it is not very safe to stay. But in the end I decided that I have to try and keep fighting for what I want. It is the least I can do to myself right now. Everything else has been taken away from me: my husband or I don't know what he is now, Wesley and Elena. As I speak about the last two of them, I didn't want them to be taken away from me. I loved them bigger than I ever have loved anyone else. They were more than friends. They were my family. People say that sometimes water is thicker than blood and I know it is true. I loved them unconditionally with that feeling my eyes start to close and my body slacks with sleep taking me over.
JACKSON AVERY, AFTER CONVERSATION
I just don't know what to say. I open my mouth and then close. I was shocked because I didn't know about half of what he said. I have to admit I know the overall story, but it was very superficial compared to what I just heard. Of course I knew the basics and beyond my wife, but this is a side of her that I have never heard. She didn't even mention Wesley, Elena or Tarjei. I just wish I had known about this sooner.
I open my mouth and tell him that I don't know what to say or think. It is a lot to take in. I continue by asking why I didn't hear about it from her. At first Charles watches away, out of the windows and then turns his head towards me and tells me with a very serious voice that it was nothing that he should have told me and besides there is still a lot I don't know. Now I start to feel pure anger and I just ask him why didn't she tell me anything about this when we got married. I know it would have been a lot to take in, but still I wish I had known about it sooner.
I am afraid to admit it but with some situations I would have dealt differently. Maybe if I had known we wouldn't be in this situation with our marriage. After a moment of silence he tells me that she was probably afraid. More specifically afraid of reactions and the result of telling because there is a very bad example of telling and by doing it ruining relationships and rebuilt life. After that he takes a post it note and writes on it numbers and then gives it to me. I take it from him and then ask him what is this? He tells me that on the sticky side is his phone number and on the other side is Tarjei's number. He tells me that if I want to get to know more about April then he is a very good place to start. Long time ago they used to be like brother and sister. They never went anywhere alone and even sometimes represented themselves as a package. If you chose one of them then you also got the other one and there was no point in arguing with them about it. Also it is widely known that April still pays some of Tarjei's bills and health care stuff.
I just watch him because I have no idea what to say. I had no idea that April had had such friends once and now I want to know what changed it. That question is already on the tip of my tongue, but I don't ask it now, maybe later in the future. After all of that I ask him if we should keep looking around here and to my delight he agrees. Only minutes later his companion comes out of the bedroom with shocking items.
