A/N: I know updates have been a bit sparse for the last few chapters. I just graduated college, so I have been busy with ceremonies and the like. And now I am going to be out of town for the rest of the week for my brother's graduation, which means another wait for a chapter. Hopefully, you all enjoy this enough to stick around for the next update. I promise you that it will be coming! Anyhoo, the ALA benefit is finally here! Hope you enjoy it! Lots happens in this one!

Chapter 10

"April would you hurry up?" Jackson called from the living room, checking his watch. "We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago. We're going to be late!"

"I had an eyeliner emergency! Do you want me going there looking like a prostitute?"

"If that meant we were leaving, then yes. I would want that."

"Very funny," she said dryly, coming out of her bedroom. She pulled at the bodice of her tress, tugging it higher. "Alright, let me just grab my purse and then we can go."

Jackson watched her look around the room while she murmured, "Purse. Purse."

"You have no idea where your purse is, do you?"

"The eyeliner emergency threw me off!"

Jackson spotted it resting on the stove. "It's on the stove."

"Oh," April breathed out, smiling happily as she turned on her heel and walked into the kitchen, grabbing her purse. Jackson stood up, and grabbed her coat.

"Why was your purse on the stove?"

"I don't know. Why are you asking?"

"Sort of a weird place for your purse to be," he remarked, handing her coat over. As she slid it on, there was a knock at the front door.

"Did you forget to crack a window for Alex or something?" she joked. He went over to the door and opened it, frowning when Alex stood there.

"I told you to wait in the car," he said.

"You didn't tell me you'd take forever," Alex shot back.

"We were just heading down."

"Well, I have to pee," Alex said. He glanced at April and nodded appreciatively.

"You actually look kind of hot, Kepner," he noted, walking past her toward the bathroom.

She made a face and said, "Thank you. I think."

"Pee fast!" Jackson called after him.

"See, I'm not the only one making us late," April said.

Alex returned from the bathroom, straightening his jacket.

"Alright, let's get this train wreck started," he said.

"It's totally going to be Yang," Alex said as they drove to the banquet hall. "It's not even a competition."

"I don't know. I heard some nurses from oncology are coming."

"You've seen Yang when free liquor is around," Alex said. "She is totally going to be the first one to get wasted."

"I'm with Alex," April chimed in. "It's going to be Cristina."

"Who knows, it might be you, Kepner. You failed the boards. Got dumped. It probably should be you."

"Your sensitivity is astounding," she returned.

"What? Humor is the best medicine, or some shit like that."

"Only when the other person is laughing," April said.

"Whatever."

"I hope the food is good," Jackson said.

"Banquet food is never good," Alex said. "Dude, everyone knows that. It's why they have to do the open bar. Makes you forget the shitty food."

"You've really thought about this," April noted. "I'm not sure whether it's impressive of pathetic. Oh wait, no, it's definitely pathetic."

"Who else is going to be at this thing, anyway?" Alex said, changing the subject.

"Definitely Dr. Torres and Robbins," April said. Jackson nodded while he added, "Sloan, too. I think I heard Hunt mention something earlier in the week."

"Which means Yang will be there, too," Alex filled in. "How was everyone already invited? Robbins only offered me a spot at the table yesterday."

Jackson snorted. "Hey, you should just feel lucky you were invited at all."

"From what I heard, you guys were add-ons too," Alex said. "You know all we are? Seat fillers."

"Who get free drinks and dinner," Jackson retorted. "Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me."

"I second that," April echoed from the back. "Plus, we got to get all dressed up! It's fun!"

"Wearing a dress for a girl may be fun," Alex griped. "But suits are so not fun for guys."

"I don't mind it," Jackson returned.

"Yeah, Avery, you were practically born in one," Alex said, propping his elbow on the bottom of the window. "Normal people don't like to wear suits."

"Well, I think you both of look lovely," April said primly from the back. "As do I."

Jackson grinned at her in the rearview mirror. "We clean up well, don't we?"

Owen was running late. A procedure took longer than he expected, unforeseen complications setting the clock back nearly an hour. He was relieved he chose to drive to work that morning. His and Cristina's apartment was in walking distance, but the few added minutes from driving were precious. He bound up the stairs, flying into the room while Cristina emerged from the bedroom, dressed in a formfitting cocktail shift.

"Cristina," he sputtered, stopping short. He forgot all thoughts of his suit and what tie he would wear when he saw her standing there, her perfume filling the air. "You're dressed up," he noted.

"Well, this ALA thing is formal attire," she said with a shrug. "Couldn't exactly show up in jeans. Although I wouldn't mind that. It'd be kind of funny to see everyone's faces. They'd think I went off the deep end again."

"You're going to the ALA benefit?" he asked. They had bought their tickets a while back, before everything had crumbled beneath them, but he hadn't thought she would still attend.

"We bought the tickets," she said simply. "Figured I wouldn't let mine go to waste."

"Right," he said, nodding his head. "That makes sense."

"You better get dressed," she said, gesturing back toward the suit he had laid out on the bed that morning. "We're already running late."

We're running late, Owen thought. That we meant that she was waiting for him, which meant they were leaving together and arriving together. And he was suddenly filled with such elation, that he could hardly think straight.

"The bed," Cristina said pointedly. "Your suit. Tie. Let's get cracking."

He recovered his senses and walked past her into the bedroom. He changed quickly, settling on the red tie that he had worn at their wedding. When he walked out, her eyes travelled to his tie and he watched her lips curl into a soft smile. Her eyes met his again and she said, "Alright, ready to go?"

"April, I see you took my advice on the dress," Callie said happily when April removed her coat to reveal her strapless pink dress. The table was filled with the usual Seattle Grace players. Callie and Arizona sat together with Meredith and Derek beside them. Mark sat beside Derek with his latest paramour Julia. A half moon of empty chairs faced the others, and the three new arrivals settled in their pick.

"Sorry we're late," Jackson said. He drily added, "April had an eyeliner emergency."

To his surprise, the three girls at the table nodded appreciatively as they mumbled, "Oh, those are the worst" or "Did your smoky turn into streetwalker?"

"I don't understand chicks," Alex mumbled.

"And you never will," April returned.

"Don't worry about it," Callie told them. "All you missed was the speaker; which, believe me, is a blessing in disguise. Besides, Hunt and Yang are still MIA. So, you aren't the latest."

"I'm going to get a drink," Jackson said, rising from his chair. He looked around and asked, "Anyone want anything?"

A few people gave him their drink orders, and April stood up and offered to help him. Callie and Sloan exchanged a look while the pair headed off to the bar.

"You do look very nice, by the way," Jackson noted, slanting his eyes down toward hers with a trademark Avery smile.

"Stop that," she teased. "I am immune to the Avery charm."

"Who said I'm trying to charm you?"

"Friend gets dumped," April sing-songed. "Flirt with said friend to make her think that she is still attractive and desirable."

"No one should make you have to think that," he said, stepping in line. "You are attractive and desirable. And you make that awesome buffalo chicken dip. You're golden."

She smirked. "Thanks. Maybe that's what I did wrong with Dave. I should have made the buffalo chicken dip."

"There's the solution right there," Jackson returned lightly. "Make any man that you date the dip. They'll be powerless to your kitchen charms."

She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"You're doing okay, though, right?" he asked carefully. "With the whole Dave thing?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "It's been long enough now. I'm over it. Sort of."

"Well, sort of is a good start."

She smiled softly. "Yes. I'll drink to that!"

They flanked the bar and Jackson ordered their drinks. He didn't ask for her order, already knowing full well her fondness for whiskey and cokes. He handed it over, along with one of the other drinks, and they made their way back to the table. Owen and Cristina had arrived in their absence, Cristina taking part in a rather loud conversation with Meredith.

"You got your guy with the hair. The Barbie dream house. Plus all these freaks as Zoya's surrogate family."

"Hey, I prefer to be called a lovable eccentric," Sloan cut in.

"There's no way you're moving to Boston," Cristina finished.

"She has a point about the dream house," Arizona said. "Didn't you spend, what, three years building it?"

"Four," Derek said. "But, I can build my dream house in Boston, too. That hefty sum of money they're willing to pay me would help."

"You don't need money," Sloan said gruffly. "I've seen what you charge, Derek."

Derek smirked and returned, "And I've seen what you've charged for all those implants."

"You cannot put a price on self esteem," Sloan answered easily.

"That's beautiful," Derek joked. "That should be your slogan."

"You know, I just might. I'll put it under my name on my business cards."

"So, Jackson, where are you looking at for fellowships?" Derek asked. "You've been very hush-hush about it all."

"I'm looking at a lot of programs around the area," Jackson said noncommittally. "I don't have my sights set on any one place, though. Still waiting to hear back from the program directors and see if I get offered anything."

"I'm sure you will," Derek said. "How about you, April?"

The table grew uncomfortably silent, and Derek flushed when he remembered that April hadn't passed her boards. He went to change the subject, something that only made the situation more uncomfortable, but April stopped him.

"No, it's fine. I heard back from a few places."

"You did?" Jackson asked, surprised that he hadn't heard about it. She nodded, averting her eyes.

"Yeah. They said they wanted a board-certified surgeon."

"You'll find somewhere," Owen said. "You're a good doctor and they'll see that."

"Yeah, sure," April said, draining her drink. "So, next topic of conversation?"

"What's the plan?" Sloan asked Callie as they waited in line at the bar. The two had slunk off to discuss their plans for the night. "Get them drunk? Plant a decoy?"

Callie smirked. "Plant a decoy?"

"You know, get someone to flirt with one of them. Stoke the jealous flames."

"No stoking," Callie said. "We let it naturally run its course."

"What? That is a terrible plan."

"We help the natural course, of course," Callie said reasonably. "Push them together to dance. Perhaps push a bit more liquor than normal. For the most part, though, that ship has already set sail." She rubbed her hands together and remarked, "All we have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jackson asked, him and April out on the dancefloor. She looked up at him and asked, "Tell you what?"

"About the hospitals calling you?"

She looked away, her jaw tensing.

"It wasn't good news to tell."

"Which is exactly why you should have told me," he pressed. "You should have to go through this alone. That's what friends are for."

"I don't want to be that person," she said, shaking her head.

"What person?"

"The one who constantly needs someone to lean on. That's not me, and it's not going to become me. Besides, I don't want you to feel like you have to tiptoe around me with your offers."

"I don't feel that way."

"Yeah, well, if you heard about every rejection call I've received, you would."

He paused for a moment and then asked, "How many?"

"Jackson, please."

"How many?"

She stared at a piece of lint on his shoulder as she softly said, "All of them."

"April-"

"No," she said firmly. "I don't want your pity. I don't want your shoulder to cry on. I'm fine, okay? It's a setback, but I'm fine. I still have Seattle Grace, so I still have a job. I'll just retake it next year and everything will be fine. I'm fine. Everything. Fine."

"Let me get this straight. You're fine?" Jackson said. He felt her relax in his arms as a smile pulled at her lips.

"Perfectly fine. Now, since you have prospects and a board certification, let's talk about you. Why haven't you decided on a program? You barely talk about it."

"I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch," he said with a shrug. "But I promise, when I make a decision, you will be the first to know. That way you can gloat and hold it over everyone else."

Cristina stood up, offering her hand to Owen who looked at her cautiously.

"Come on, let's dance," she said. Beside her, Meredith looked like she had bit into a lemon. Cristina didn't pay her much attention, though. Her eyes were trained solely on him, and he was powerless to his desire as he slid his fingers along the smoothness of her palm and took her hand. They walked out onto the dance floor, and he slid his arms around her waist.

"We don't have to pretend," he told her. "The dancing and all. I don't expect any of it."

"I'm not pretending," she told him.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm choosing."

He stared at her, unable to breathe for the moment as the enchanting creature in his arms gazed at him with an emotion that was all too easy to read.

"Cristina-"

"I'm staying at Seattle Grace," she said. "Teddy has been practically neurotic with showing me all that the program has to offer. She's proven that Seattle Grace is the superior program. I would be a fool to pass it up."

"Are you sure?" he asked, feeling a tension he hadn't even realized he held in his chest release. "You need to be sure, Cristina."

"I'm sure. I've listened to everyone's pitches and I've done my own research. This is where I should be." Her gaze softened and she added, "This is where I want to be."

At her words, he wanted nothing more to kiss her, but he held back. This game would be played on her rules now, and he would wait for her move. To his relief and utter joy, she reached up and laid a hand on the back of his neck, gently guiding his mouth to hers.

For all their ruminations on the drive up on who would get drunk first, Alex, Jackson and April were completely off. The first to be drunk was none other than Miranda Bailey, who wandered over with Ben. He gestured a sort of half-apology behind her back as she rattled on about something.

"This event is…" Bailey snapped her fingers, the action having some meaning to her as she nodded emphatically. "Mmm hmmm. That is what I said!"

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, Miranda," Derek said, his mouth twitching as he tried to stop himself from laughing.

"Your face looks funny," Bailey pointed out, still remarkably observant with a few too many drinks in her. "You're twitching!"

"Facial tick," Derek said, coughing a bit. "I've always had it, remember?"

She nodded slowly, picking up the breadcrumbs of his fake story. "Right. Facial tick." She looked up at Ben and hit his chest with the back of her hand. "Did you know he always had a facial tick? A neurosurgeon with a facial tick! Ha!"

"What have you been drinking?" Sloan drawled. "And where can I get some?"

"I had some wine," Bailey said. "And then some more wine. And then some more wine. And then-"

"Let me guess? More wine?"

"Ha! You got it!" she turned around to look at Ben and again knocked her hand into his chest. Apparently Bailey was a drunk hitter. "He got it!"

"Yeah, I think it's time we call it a night."

"Call it a night? It's early! Even Tuck isn't in bed by now."

"We're going to head out," Ben told the table, putting an arm around her to keep her from heading back toward the bar. "It was nice seeing all of you, though."

"Give her some water and aspirin," Callie said with a smirk. "And poptarts. They're the world's greatest hangover food."

"I will. Thanks for the advice."

He carted Bailey away and Derek said, "Poptarts, really? I always thought pancakes were the perfect hangover food."

"Both of you are amateurs," Meredith said. "Mexican food is true hangover food."

"Cristina," Derek said, glancing at the diminutive brunette as she returned with Owen to the table. "You kicked back a few in your day. Best hangover food?"

Without a beat she answered, "Mexican food. Everyone knows that."

April was dancing with some hospital board member, a flash of pink as her and her dance partner moved across the floor. Jackson tried not to watch. Really, he tried to be engrossed in conversation or do anything but follow her with his eyes, but it proved to be an impossible feat.

"So, when are you going to take advantage of that?" Sloan asked, leaning in toward Jackson.

"Take advantage of what?"

"Kepner. You guys seem close."

"We're friends," he answered. It was the same thing he always said. A stock answer that he now realized only addressed one facet of what she had come to mean to him.

"You're looking at her as more than a friend right now. And as your mentor, I have to say, she's been throwing you similar looks. So, why don't you both stop acting like eight year olds and hook up already."

"It's not that easy."

Sloan credited himself for some progress at that response. It wasn't a blatant dismissal. That he could do little with, but this indecision, this hesitation at the sight of complication he could work with.

"You're both legal adults. What could be so difficult?"

"She's just different," Jackson said. "She's not like everyone else here. I don't totally know how to handle it."

"Well, you could start by laying one on her," Sloan suggested. "That's usually a fool proof first move."

Jackson laughed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know…"

"You know what, just try it," Sloan said. "What do you have to lose?"

Jackson would have said their friendship, but if sleeping together didn't decimate that, he wasn't sure there was much that could.

"I think I'll take it slow," Jackson said. "But thanks for the advice."

"I know my stuff," Sloan said with a shrug. "I used to be quite a ladie's man."

"Yeah, I heard. And saw."

"I'm just saying, don't wait around for the so-called right moment. Because, I'll let you in on a little secret – there is no such thing. Life happens because you make it happen. There's no perfect formula or moment."

Jackson's eyes easily found April and her dance partner on the floor. He thought about what Sloan just said, about making your own luck. Feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline, he stood up and said, "Thanks for the advice, man."

"My pleasure, Avery. Do me proud now."

He smiled a bit before walking over toward the dancing pair and tapping on the man's shoulder. April looked at him with an unreadable expression as he asked to cut in.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I was bored," he answered easily. "I thought a dance could help."

"So, you decided to cut into mine?"

"You looked like you were drooping."

She laughed, setting him with a look. "Drooping? I was so not drooping."

"Yeah, you kind of were. With me here, though, you don't have to worry about any further droopage."

"Oh, well thank goodness," she returned. "We all know what a rampant problem droopage is."

The music slowed down as one Frank Sinatra standard melted into the next. April could never actually identify the song, but she could hum along with the entire tune. Jackson pulled her closer and she tried not to overanalyze it as their knees gently knocked. After a moment she dropped her chin to his shoulder. She almost thought she felt his lips brush against her hair, but she had to have imagined it.

Her neck grew hot as the proximity of their bodies registered, and she pulled back slightly before claiming that she needed some air. She didn't wait for a response before slipping from his arms and heading toward the exit. Jackson stood on the dance floor, staring after her.

"What just happened?" Sloan asked, appearing at his side like some magical genie. Jackson shook his head.

"I don't know. She needed air."

"And what are you still doing here?" Jackson turned his head toward Sloan, and the latter said, "This is the part where you go after her."

Jackson didn't need to be told twice. He made his way toward the exit, wondering what he intended on actually saying once he found her. He still didn't exactly know what was happening, or what they were barreling toward, but he knew he wanted to find out.

She was sitting at one of the benches in front of the banquet hall, arms wrapped tightly around herself. He shrugged out of his coat and sat beside her, draping it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she murmured, tugging at the lapels to bring it tighter around her. They stared out at the parking lot, both of them silent. Jackson broke first, his voice cutting through the silence.

"What's going on here? With us?"

"I don't know," she replied softly.

"I'm not alone then?" he asked, glancing toward her. "What I'm feeling-"

"You're not alone," she echoed. "What that means, though…"

"Yeah," he said. "I don't know either."

It was preposterous. They were sitting their, basically admitting their feelings, and yet neither one of them would make a move. Neither would definitively cross that line, because they knew there was no going back. They'd already gotten a taste. Another, and they were likely to fall over the edge.

But would that be so bad?

Complete surrender wasn't such a terrible fate when you were surrendering to the right person.

"April-"

He never finished that sentence, as her mouth covered his. It was her move again, just like before, but this time he didn't hesitate. He thread his fingers through her hair as his other hand palmed her waist. At first it was all feeling, but then April began to think, and that was never a good thing. She thought about how Dave was only a few weeks ago and right now she was hurtling at a deafening speed toward rebound central. And she didn't want to do that to herself. To Jackson. They both deserved better.

She pulled away, ducking her chin to her chest in embarrassment. She shouldn't have done that. Jackson was her one true friend at Seattle Grace, and if their sleeping together didn't change things, this undoubtedly would. That had been an irrational impulsive action after being worked up from some bar fight. Both were lucid now. She knew exactly what she was doing when she leaned in. Knew exactly what she was risking.

"I-I have to go," she stammered, standing shakily.

"April-"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about all of this. I just need to leave."

Out of the mess of thoughts, the only one Jackson was able to vocalize was, "But I drove you."

"Shit," she bit out. "I'll, um, I'll get a cab."

"Look, we can just forget that happened," he said, his stomach twisting as he saw his closest friendship breakdown in front of his eyes.

"No," she said loudly, shaking her head. "I can't have another thing to not remember with you, Jackson. I just-I can't. I'm going to call a cab."

"I can leave now, too. Let me drive you home."

"No, a cab is fine. You go back in there and enjoy the rest of the night."

That was hopeless after what had just happened, but he nodded, anyway. She was in a panic, and he knew there was no way of talking her down from this one, especially if it was him doing the talking.

"Okay." He pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her. "Call with my phone. I'll go get your stuff."

"Tell the others I wasn't feeling well," April said. "Or something like that."

He nodded and walked into the banquet hall. To his relief, the rest of the table was on the dance floor, and he picked up her purse and coat without any added fanfare. She was standing beside the driveway when he found her again, his jacket still around her shoulders. She glanced toward him when he stepped beside her, but avoided his eyes.

"My jacket," he said, gesturing to suit coat hanging on her small frame.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She removed it quickly, handing it over with unnecessary care. "Thank you for letting me wear it."

"No problem. Do you want me to wait with you?"

"No," she said immediately, shaking her head. "I'm fine. You go inside."

He hesitated for only a moment before turning on his heel and heading back inside.

A/N: Drama! I hope that you all enjoyed this! Just a quick note - I am going to be without internet for the rest of the week, so an update will most likely not be seen here until early next week. I'll do my best to get it written, though, so all I have to do is type it up.