Hi everyone! So I decided to go ahead and write on. I have gotten a lot of support from readers who liked some of my older stories, so I thought I would see where this takes me. It might not take me anywhere, but why not try, eh?

So I hope you all enjoy and continue to give some feedback. Believe it or not, it really does help!

We Dodged a Bullet

Chapter 2

Jackson-One Week Later

Jackson was organizing charts in order when he spotted Bailey down the hall.

"Dr. Bailey," Jackson called, walking towards her, "I know I said I could make it to your wedding, but I have this patient that has developed an infection-"

"An infection?" Bailey interrupted impatiently, "Get the interns to monitor. Isn't that what we pay them for?"

"Yeah," Jackson said, "But I am just worried-"

"Avery," Bailey said, "You are worried that going to this wedding will give April ideas about you and her."

Jackson winced and said, "No, we uh, we broke up."

Bailey looked stunned and said, "Really? This damn Christmas wedding has got me off my game."

Jackson slipped his hands in his pocket and looked at her as she studied him with her knowing eyes, "You think it will be hard to see April in such a romantic setting, like a wedding?"

Jackson's ears perked up, hearing a note of understanding in Bailey's voice. He didn't want to go to this wedding, and he knew April was apart of that reason.

"Maybe" Jackson said, coughing lightly and looking up at her with those eyes. The Avery eyes.

"Suck it up, Avery!" Bailey snapped, her glance hardening and shaming him for giving her the look, "If I have to go, you have to go."

"Oh-okay," Jackson said, straightening and walking away quickly.

Jackson walked towards the nurses' desk and began to flip through his charts and review his next case when April walked up to the counter, grabbed a clipboard, her eyes scanning it.

"Hey April," Jackson said, causing her to startle slightly but then calm. While she wasn't startled any longer, he did note wariness in her gaze.

Jackson tucked his charts under one arm and walked closer to her so that he would not be overheard.

"About Bailey's wedding," he began, "I was...I think if we are forced to go to this wedding then we should both bring dates to this wedding."

April glanced up at him with a look of utter confusion on her face...he loved the way her nose crinkled…. "I just think we would both have a better time if we were able to focus on our dates instead of each other."

April set her clipboard down and Jackson could see she was getting more annoyed and frustrated by the minute. "Or, we could focus on Bailey and Ben."

Jackson sighed and said, "You know what I mean. I don't even want to go to this wedding, so the fact that I have to is hard enough without putting us together in a romantic setting in formalwear and our...history."

April sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose and then sighed and said, "Well, if it makes you feel any better I already told someone they could take me. Now I need to get to work."

Jackson tried and most likely failed to hide the surprise on his face, so he was glad that April wasn't really paying attention to him as she picked her clip board up and walked towards the OR board to schedule the surgeries.

Alex jogged up to Jackson and asked, "I need a favor. I am taking Jo to Bailey's wedding, but she won't go unless I scrounge up a date for another intern."

Jackson sighed and shook his head in exasperation. This day was rapidly getting worse and worse. He glanced at April who glanced from her clipboard to the OR board as she neatly wrote out surgery after surgery in her neat handwriting on the dry erase board that dictated the entire department.

"Yeah, I guess," Jackson said turning his gaze from April to Alex, "I'll go. Meet you in the locker room?" Alex smiled and punched Jackson in the shoulder in appreciation before darting off towards peds where Jackson assumed Jo was.

After his surgery and rounding on his patients, Jackson walked towards the lounge, needing to get ready for this wedding. Cristina was already at the little table getting ready, sticking pins in her hair randomly it seemed.

"Can't believe we have to go to this," Alex said, grumbling as he walked in, pulling his suit off the hanger, "Bailey doesn't even want to go."

Jackson smirked as he tied his shoes. He looked up at the sound of the door opening and April walked in….she looked...stunning. In an emerald green dress that hugged her curves and displayed her cleavage in a strapless...yes, strapless dress. It was winter, what in God's name was she thinking wearing that?

Jackson quickly glanced away, not wanting to be caught staring too long at her. To say things had been tense between them was an understatement. Aside from today, when either of them saw each other, they tried to run the other direction and if they couldn't, they just pretended the other didn't exist.

It sucked. He missed his best friend.

April sat at the table next to Christina and began rifling through a little makeup bag and began to carefully put on makeup as Alex and Meredith yammered about the wedding.

April finished her makeup as Jackson reached for his cufflinks. April tried to engage Christina to talk, but Christina was either in a daze about something or just didn't want to talk. He wondered who had asked April to go to the wedding with.

April reached for her earrings and as she looked in the mirror, she caught Jackson's glance in the reflection. She blushed and bit her bottom lip adorably before looking away. Yeah...why weren't they together again?

Jackson tied his tie, needing to get out of the lounge. There was just too much of April exposed and he was literally shaking as he tried to resist the urge to kiss along her collarbone, with or without the audience.

"Come on," Alex said, pulling his sleeves down through his jacket, "Girls are waiting in the intern lounge."

April glanced up at that and looked to Jackson with an odd look on her face. She quickly schooled her features, but a small part of Jackson was satisfied to see she was affected by the news that he had a date, even if it was a setup and with an intern.

April

April looked down at her hands as she put on a few bracelets, frowning.

"Hey," Christina suddenly said, "You okay?"

April looked up and put a smile on her face and said, "Great. I'm great."

Christina could tell she was lying, but April was glad she didn't mention it.

"You should really get dressed before Bailey comes searching for you," April said standing and slipping her heels on.

"Hey," Kevin said, popping his head in, "Ready?"

April smiled and nodded and said, "Yep."

"You look really good," Kevin said, causing Christina to guffaw and Meredith to smirk. April blushed and smiled and said, "You too."

She grabbed her clutch and her wrap and said to Meredith and Christina, "See you guys there."

They nodded and waved at her as Kevin led her towards the exit nearest the parking ramp where he was no doubt parked.

Bailey had last minute invited Kevin to the wedding and Kevin asked if she wanted to ride together. It wasn't exactly a date like she had alluded to Jackson, but if it got him off her case about taking someone to the wedding so he wouldn't have to feel guilty about taking someone else, April could live with the white lie.

Despite the pain and all the hurt that Jackson had caused her, April just wanted to move on from whatever she and Jackson had had. Whatever it was, it was too ambiguous and detached for April. She wanted more and Jackson obviously didn't. So now was the time to move on. She hoped that Jackson would move on too and without guilt of hurting her.

Kevin helped April climb into the massive truck he owned. She blushed since it was a little harder than if she had been wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She was grateful as Kevin helped push her in as she tried to be as graceful as she could in heels and a tight dress.

"Thanks," she said, after he climbed in as she buckled up, "And thanks for driving."

He smirked and chuckled under his breath before cranking the engine over and saying, "Sure."

"What?" April asked, smiling in response to the look on his face.

"Nothing," he said, smiling at her, "You are my MapQuest, so let me know where we are going."

April nodded and gave him basic instructions and soon they were pulling into the lodge event space that was decked out in Christmas lights and evergreens...it was amazingly beautiful.

"Wow," Kevin said, parking and turning off the engine, "Bailey went all out."

"This isn't Bailey," April said, her eyes darting around the winter wonderland.

"Ben?" Kevin asked in disbelief.

April shrugged and said, "Some men are confident in their ability to throw a fabulous wedding."

Kevin chuckled and said, "Stay put, I will help you out of the car. We don't need you falling out."

April scowled at him and he just chuckled and walked around the car and opened the door as April swung her legs out. Kevin placed his hands on her waist and lifted her out of the truck and gently lowered her to the ground.

As April made sure her dress hadn't pulled down too much, she realized Kevin hadn't removed his hands from her waist.

She glanced up at him and he was watching her with a small smile on his face.

"I really like the dress, Kepner," he said in a low tone, smiling a crooked, flirtatious grin at her. April looked up at him in disbelief, trying to find the right words to say, but they wouldn't come. Before she could figure it out though, he took her hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow and said, "Shall we?"

April smiled and nodded, brushing the moment off and saying, "We shall." Since her and Jackson had broken up, she noticed she was going a little crazy for signs that she still mattered.

He nodded and smiled, leading her towards the lodge doors and taking her coat off her shoulders and leaving her side to check them in. April glanced around, noting people who were here, and taking in the Christmas wonderland that was Bailey's wedding. She honestly expected Santa to appear any minute.

"April," Alex called out, waving her over to where he was standing with Jo the intern. April held her finger up and glanced to where Kevin was and he appeared moments later without their coats, but with two place cards.

"Luckily we are seated at the same table," Kevin said, handing April's to her.

April nodded, slipping the card in her clutch and then walking towards Alex and Jo, her eyes flicking around the room in a daze. It was just breathtaking.

"Hey Alex, Jo," April greeted.

"What table are you at?" Alex asked in interest. It was weird he was even talking to her.

"Uh, seventeen," April said, glancing at Kevin for confirmation.

"Thank God, Bailey seated us together," Alex said.

April looked at him and noticed that he seemed really nervous. And she guessed it was because of Jo, who seemed to be just as tense as he was. Well, she wasn't going to have a tense night and be their security blanket.

"We are going to walk around," April said, touching Kevin's elbow gently and guiding him away. Alex and Jo threw daggers her way, but she just ignored it.

"Nice save," Kevin said, "Are they fighting?"

"No," April said, "I think this is their first date or something."

"Oh," Kevin said, grabbing champagne for the both of them and handing her one.

"Let's go grab some good seats," April said, picking her way through the crowd with Kevin on her heels.

April and Kevin sat down and soon, the chairs around them filled with family and friends waiting for the wedding to start.

"I am so hungry," April complained, sipping the last bit of champagne from her grasp.

Kevin nodded and said, "Me too."

"I wonder if there's a vending machine or something," April whispered scandalously, looking over her shoulder and jolting in her seat when she came face to face with Jackson. He was glaring at her with Stephanie by his side. He glanced towards Kevin before looking to Stephanie and resuming conversation with her.

April turned back in her seat and said, "When is thing gonna start?"

"April," Kevin said, pulling her attention to him.

"Yeah?" she asked, trying to forget Jackson, even though she swore she could feel his eyes on her.

Kevin leaned in close and said, "It wasn't just a ride."

April looked to him in confusion and asked, "What?"

"Coming here," Kevin asked, "I didn't want to just share a ride. I think when I asked you out I wasn't clear I wanted it to be a date. But I do."

April's mouth dropped open in shock and she stammered out, "Really?" She went over their conversation in her head and now that she thought about it, he had seemed nervous. Excited. Oh God...she had totally misunderstood what this was.

"Oh," April said, not knowing what else to say. Kevin...well they hadn't had a great start. She thought he was an ass, but since he had moved here she had a change of heart. He had been here a week and had seamlessly fit in at Seattle Grace Mercy West trauma. He was actually a big help to her since the majority of the time she was left to manage trauma alone.

"Well?" Kevin asked, smirking at her.

"Well," April said, looking down for a second, smiling, "I...I had no idea."

Kevin nodded, frowning slightly and April put her hand on his and said, "I...it's just weird. You're my coworker."

"You've never dated a coworker?" Kevin asked skeptically.

April blushed. Oh boy, he had no idea…

"No...I have," April corrected him. She heard Jackson laugh at something Stephanie said behind her and thought, Why can't I move on as easily? She liked Kevin. She would even call him a friend. She definitely found him attractive.

"Okay," April said, smiling shyly at the new concept, "It's a date."

Kevin chuckled and said, "Good." He draped an arm across the back of her chair, his jacket brushing against her bare back, causing her to shiver.

An announcement was made that the wedding was going to be detained briefly and they were serving hors d'oeuvres until it resumed.

"Let's go stuff our faces on appetizers," Kevin said standing and offering his hand.

"Finally something about this date that I like," April teased, taking it.

Kevin smiled and led April to the reception area where servers were circulating with trays of food and champagne.

"Would it be inappropriate to just follow the servers around and snack as they circulated," April joked. Kevin laughed and said, "I think you could pull it off."

April and Kevin walked to the bar and spotted Alex and Jo, laughing and drinking...hell, it appeared they were just about drunk or getting there.

"See this wedding is full of first dates," Kevin said, following April's gaze, "Alex and Jo, me and you, Jackson and Stephanie."

April smiled timidly and they ordered a drink.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback via message or review! Have a great weekend!