I think it's obvious that the last chapter was rushed, so this one should be longer to make up for it. Well, I hope so. On another note, I've changed the rating of this story for well, obvious reasons. You'll find out eventually ;) Anyways, enjoy and keep reviewing! :)
Everything is fine after that day.
The bomb explodes, the OR floor is a mess, Meredith is recovering. But a week later, the hospital is back and running as usual.
A couple of weeks after that, Chief Webber decides to throw some sort of party for his niece.
April shakes her head as she stares at the balloons hanging from the ceiling of the main lobby.
A rush of nostalgia and bad memories from her prom night springs to mind and she shivers at the thought.
William Asher, that was his name. Her prom date. He was her age, a few inches taller, and not that bad looking, but he was kind of dorky. He wore glasses but he wasn't a complete nerd. He was smart in maths, but needed tutoring in Science, so April had gladly offered her services, which is where he got up the courage to ask her out to the prom in the first place. She'd never thought of him as shy, bashful even, but when he'd asked her to be his date, he'd seemed nervous and anxious like he was going to wet himself.
She remembers how she'd spent hours finding the right dress, with the aid of her older sister of course. It was pink and puffy with thin straps. She'd taken forever to get ready, and he'd picked her up, and everything had gone great.
Until she found him doing some cheerleader in the girl's bathroom.
Perfect date.
Ever since, the idea and mention of prom has given her the creeps because all she thinks about is William Asher screwing some blonde bimbo in that cramped bathroom stall. Besides, who the hell does it in a public restroom?
She quickly turns around when she feels someone's breath on the back of her neck as they start to talk, "Are you going?"
She spots Jackson stood behind her and nods, "I guess I have to, I'm on call."
He frowns with a small smile, "You don't sound that happy. Aren't girls excited for the prom?" He asks her in a teasing voice as he nudges her shoulder.
April shakes her head and groans, "No. I hated my prom."
"I didn't. I had my first time at my prom." He tells her casually and she stiffens beside him, suddenly picturing him above some skank.
She fidgets nervously, "That's- That's nice."
He doesn't tell her that it was a threesome, he doesn't see the point. It'll only make her feel even more uncomfortable, even more awkward around him.
And ever since their make-out session a month ago, their conversations have been strained and tense. He's just not sure if the tension is nervous or sexual.
"So..." He trails off before he leans closer to her. She shivers when she feels his breath on the back of her neck and wonders what he's doing, "You smell nice." He tells her and she frowns with a soft smile.
"Um... thanks." She gently blushes and turns her head away from him so he doesn't notice the colour of her cheeks.
Jackson grins when he catches her face flush. He glances around quickly, making sure that Karev is nowhere in sight, before talking, "D'you want to go with me?"
She spins back around to him, "Where?"
He laughs and points at the balloons hanging above them. "To the... thing."
April bites her lip and avoids his eyes. She scratches the back of her neck and stutters, "I- With- You want to- Me?" She's not sure what to say to him. Does she accept? Is he invited her as a friend, or as a pity date?
He smiles down at her and steps closer if humanly possible, "Yeah." He watches her face crease and his eyes stare into hers, attempting to convince of something. His mother always told him that he could get away with murder with those eyes, that he could convince anybody of anything. "D'you want to?"
She stays still, slipping her hands into her pockets as she continues to chew down on her bottom lip.
"I, uh.. I don't think-" She starts to talk but stops herself when she notices the slightly disappointed look on his face. She's not sure if he's being sincere or if he's just faking upset to get her to agree, "Sure."
Jackson licks his lips and smiles as he continues to stare down at her. No.
He tries his best to ignore Karev's voice in his head, reminding him of their pending bet. He's not supposed to ask her out, but he convinces himself that it's just a friendly gesture. He's not supposed to be excited to see her wearing a dress, but he tells himself that it's only because he wants to see her in something other then scrubs.
But then Little Jackson gets the better of him and he doesn't want to see in anything at all, he wants her.
No.
"Great."
She remains in place before springing into action when her pager beeps, cutting the silence between them.
"Torres needs me. So, uh-" She starts to walk backwards, away from him when a smile erupts on her face, "I'll see your later."
He raises his eyebrows and blinks when he reminds himself that he's been staring at her for a few moments. "Yeah." He calls after her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.
"Dude, we need to talk."
Jackson looks up as his friend walks through the door, throwing a bag of chips down on the gurney.
Alex opens his snack and starts to speak, his mouth full of potato chips as he tries to catch his attention, "Dude!"
Avery groans but doesn't reply, instead just glances at him.
The other guy smirks, "So, I heard something interesting."
"What did you hear exactly?"
"That you asked your little virgin friend to the prom tonight. What, she didn't lose it on her prom night, so she's gonna do it tonight?"
Jackson sighs and shakes his head, "You are unbelievable."
Karev's eyes widen and he gasps fake shock, "I'm unbelievable? Dude, you can't ask her out, that's like forfeiting."
"I'm not forfeiting anything, okay? We're just going as friends, that's all. I really don't need you breathing down my neck about it. I haven't lost, I'm not going to lose, I won't. She's my friend. So, if you think about it, you owe me."
Alex takes his turn to shake his head "Dude, look in the mirror." He throws a chip at him and grins, "You've already lost."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He tries to brush him off, and looks back down at the chart on his lap.
"Okay, let me put it like this, " He holds his hand out and points out his index finger, "You're thinking about it." He begins, tapping his finger triumphantly as if he's already accomplished something.
Jackson stares back at him, confusion on his face, "What do you mean?"
"Dude, don't play dumb. You told me yourself, probably without even realized it. Look, you're thinking about her. And then, you're thinking about it. Admit it, right now because I'm saying it, you're picturing her." He smirks when he notices the distant look on Jackson's face. He needs to win this deal so he's going to make him cave, he's going to make him suffer so he'll come clean and give up already. "Sweet little virgin Kepner. You're thinking about it now, aren't you? She's beneath you, begging you, wanting you."
He tells himself that it's getting pretty gay and he's basically writing some sort of girl-porn but he goes on to make his friend quit and give in,
"No one's ever touched her, Avery. She's clean and ready. She's ready for you. You're probably telling yourself that you shouldn't because she's your friend, of course, but admit it, you really want to."
Jackson snaps out of his trance and stands up quickly, shaking off his thoughts. He glares down at Alex's laughing face and he hits him over the head with his heavy chart before he walks away.
Karev groans, "Hey! I was just doing you a favor. Give up already, Avery!"
"April, you look amazing!" Meredith gushes as she applies the final touches to her mascara.
The red head smiles gratefully, "Thank you, but you look beautiful!"
The slightly older woman grins, but gets cut off by Cristina before either of them can speak.
"No need to compliment me, I know I look the best." She vents, crossing her arms over chest. She eyes her friend before turning her attention to April, "Is the Virgin Mary wearing white?"
April glances down at her dress. It's a long white dress with thin straps and a lacy pattern on the back. She scrunches her face and sighs, "I guess I kind of set myself up for that one." She grabs her hairpin from her locker and loosely grips the front strands of her hair behind her head with the clip.
Cristina laughs, "Should we be expecting that dress to turn a different colour later?" She teases and Meredith nudges her when she understands her joke.
"Cristina!"
"Yeah, that's not so funny." April speaks and bites her lip.
Yang rolls her eyes, "Oh, lighten up, Kepner. You might actually have fun for once."
"I- I have fun... Sometimes."
"I'm sure Avery will show you a good time."
Meredith smacks her arms and ushers her out of the locker room before she turns back around to April, "Don't listen to her, she's all dark and twisty." She tries her best to smile.
April nods, "I'm just- We're going as friends, is all."
Meredith shrugs, "It's really none of my business but just be sure that you're both on the same page." She waves briefly before following Cristina out of the doorway and into the hall.
Left alone to ponder her thought, April turns back to the mirror. She stares at her reflection and takes a deep breath. She pats out her dress and checks the clock on the wall. Where the hell was he? Out of anybody, he should know that being stood up is one of the worst things to happen to her, that's how they met after all.
"Hey, sorry I'm late." Jackson rushes past the door and straightens his tie quickly before glancing up at her, "Wow, you look-" He starts, cut off by the small blush on her face. Instead, he just smiles and offers his arm which she gladly accepts.
"Is there gonna be alcohol?" She asks and he chuckles beside her as they leave.
"There better be."
"Okay, this party blows." She states as she sits herself down on the lobby stairs.
Jackson follows her lead and takes a seat beside her on the steps, "I thought there'd at least be something good to drink. Punch is not alcohol."
"We're on call, Jackson." She reminds him, nudging him with her shoulder.
He groans next to her.
She obviously doesn't understand that he needs alcohol to keep himself in check, to distract him from her. It's becoming incredibly difficult for him to be around her, and he's blaming it all on Karev's stupid mouth. The idiot had to go and put ideas in his head and now he's sat feeling like some weird pervert beside the girl he's having the thoughts about.
"Yeah.. you're probably right."
She puffs out her cheeks for a second before sighing, "Do you want to dance?"
"I'm really not a dancer."
She nods slowly, trying to ignore the obvious rejection.
She obviously doesn't understand that he can't be in such close proximity to her, and touching her, for fearing of taking it too far and crossing the line.
She's messing him up, inside and out. He's becoming all awkward and anxious around her on the outside, and it's mainly because he's thinking of her all dirty and nasty on the inside.
He's never been so screwed up over a girl he couldn't have before, and it's partially because he could have any girl he wanted. But now, now that he wants her, he can't have her. Because, despite an incredibly hot few minutes a month earlier, she's his friend and nothing more, and a virgin above all else.
April sighs and taps her knees gently as she nibbles down on her bottom lip. It doesn't go unnoticed to him and he carefully eyes her mouth, gulping a breath when she licks her lips. He shivers and shrugs it off, scratching behind his ear to keep himself cool.
She pulls up the edge of her long dress to scratch an itch on her leg and the way he admires her skin doesn't escape her.
She brushes it off and slouches her shoulders. "I'm feeling very nostalgic."
"How so?" He turns his head to her, watching the way she softly smiles.
"It reminds me of my prom. It's- When I was sat on the bench alone after my date had left me." She speaks fast, clearly embarrassed of being let down for the first time in her life.
He raises an eyebrow, "You're like a magnet for being stood up." He jokes but she fails to see the humour in the comment.
"He did- He didn't stand me up. We went to prom but he just- he... He went off with some other girl." It's a nervous habit of hers and she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, turning her head away from him slightly.
Jackson stares at her, his mouth agape, "Are you serious?" She doesn't respond so he feels the need to insult the idiot, "What a douche!"
"I know. And, to top it all off, I caught them going at it in the bathroom." She shudders and continues, "And it was in my favourite cubicle."
He laughs, "You had a favourite bathroom cubicle?" He sounds shocked and she can't really blame him.
April nods with a bashful smile, "I did. It was in the middle. I remember the one on the left never had any paper, and the one on the right was beside the window, so it was very drafty." She informs him matter-of-factly, a smart look on her face.
Jackson shakes his head, "Unbelievable."
She laughs beside him before a chill runs over her body and she shivers from the cold. He notices her shudder and reaches for his jacket until he realizes that he'd left it in the cafeteria. Instead, he stands up and holds his hand out.
She eyes him, unsure, but taking his hand and allowing him to pull her up. "Where are we going?"
"Shh... come on." He leads her away down the hall until they reach a supply closet.
Oh, no.
"Listen, I didn't-" She starts but cuts herself short when he pushes the door open and hurriedly pulls her inside. The door closes behind her and she leans against it, watching as he searches around the cramped room. "What are you doing? Are you stealing supplies? Because somebody is and Bailey told me to-"
"Shut up." He turns to tell her quickly before continuing his rummage through the shelves. "Aha!" He holds up the object triumphantly and grins.
She stays still as he opens up a blanket and wraps it around her shoulders. She holds it closer to her and smiles, "Thank you."
"You were cold, so-" He stops himself and instead sighs, stuffing his hands into his pockets again. He groans quietly and shakes his head.
April frowns, "What's the matter?" She goes to touch his arm but falters when he backs away. "Jackson, what's wrong?" She goes to reach for him, this time resting her palm on his arm and he chooses to remain still, staring down at her hand on his bicep.
"Look, I don't want to creep you out, or scare you away, or ruin this- this thing that we have going, because it's good. It's good, right? We're friends," He tries to explain, choosing to ignore the fact that he was set up to be her friend in the first place, because it's not about that anymore, "We are, we're friends. And I feel like I can trust you, and I want you to trust me, I do. But when you do that, when you touch me like that, when you even come close to me, I don't know, I just- I don't want to creep you out, or scare you away, or ruin what we have. I don't want to ruin you. I don't. So, can you please stop touching me like that before I do something that I'm going to regret."
She's not entirely sure what he's talking about, but she thinks that she gets the gist.
"You could never scare me. You could never ruin me."
"April, don't say that, okay? Just, please, don't. You don't want to know what's going on in my head, okay? because it's bad, it's terrible. It'll make you scared because I'm thinking of things, things with you, that you could never have dreamed of. And you don't. You don't think like that because you're you. You're fine and nice and innocent and untouched and, Jesus Christ, I really want to touch you. I do, I really want to. But I'm not going to because you're you, and you're waiting for your Prince Charming and I am not that guy so I am not going to take advantage of you, even if that's what you want. And I don't even know if it is. But I do, I do want to. And when you touch me, it makes it very hard for me to not touch you back."
April stays paused, her hands gripping the blanket tight around her body. Her chest feels tight and she watches the way he sighs a deep breath and leans against the metal shelving.
He lets his head fall and she notices the way his hands clench against the railing.
The words leave her mouth before she has a chance to second guess herself.
"Then, do it." She gulps and her fingers nervously fidget before she turns around to lock the door. He lifts his head and watches as she dangerously shuts them in before turning back to him and taking a few steps forward. He stays in place and follows her path as she walks up to him.
She's not even sure what she's doing, or why she's doing it. She's aware that she might regret it later on but right now, she wants this, she wants him.
She bites her lip again, rougher this time, and attentively rests her hands on either side of his neck, her fingers slipping beneath the collar of his white shirt. She grazes the minuscule hairs on the back of his neck before finally speaking, "Jackson," She gulps a breath and lightly bounces on her feet, "Do it."
Before she knows it's even happening, her back's pressing against the cold metal shelves and she moans into him as he trails his hands up and down her sides, taking in the feel of her body beneath his hands. He's not kissing her though, instead just touching her.
Her eyes flutter and close when his hands travel up her body, skimming over the sides of her breasts. Eyes closed, she fails to see when he leans down and captures her lips, his mouth careless and loose against hers. Her tongue slips lazily between his teeth as she feels him lifts her thighs to wrap her legs around his.
She can feel him against her, but she's not sure how far she can go before she'll stop him, before she'll stop herself from giving him everything.
His lips are barely touching hers any more when he reaches down and hikes up her dress, the white material pooling around her thighs. She moans aloud when his hands touch and softly tickled the bare skin of her thighs, resting his thumb on the edge of her panties.
He doesn't do anything else with her underwear because he knows that she's nowhere near ready for that. He's not going to take full advantage of her, he's only going to go so far before he'll stop himself. He's just not sure how far he can go without taking all of her.
She sobs silently when he presses open-mouthed kisses down her throat, his mouth latching onto her collarbone. She wraps an arm around his neck, the other hand resting on his shoulder to steady herself.
He sets her down onto the ground some short time after, her hands immediately flying to his shirt to undo the buttons. He looses his belt from pure uncomfort and lets her slip the shirt from his shoulders. He grabs her legs around, her dress still around her waist, and he lays her down on the ground, hovering over her body.
April quickly straightens out her back and leans into his touch, letting out gentle sobs when he traces sloppy kisses down the cleavage of her dress. She rushes her hands over his chest, her fingers dancing over his toned stomach before she grasps the back of his neck in her hands and pulls him closer, enjoying the feel of his lips against her skin.
Her joy and pleasure is cut short by the sound of someone slamming on the door.