Thank you for the reviews! This chapter went longer than I had planned, but it covers some key stuff. Also, if you're waiting for the Jolex, I'm slowly building them up and they will have more focus in the upcoming chapters :)

Enjoy!

Jackson strolled out of his apartment's bathroom clad only in a towel that was wrapped around his waist. It felt like a normal day for him. In fact, he wanted it to be like a normal day for him because this particular day wasn't one he cared to make a big deal about. He hoped to make it through the day without somebody saying…

"Hey, Avery. Happy Birthday, man!" George's voice caused Jackson to grimace as he passed the kitchen where his roommate was eating breakfast.

He slowly spun around on his heel, forcing a smile. "Thanks, O'Malley."

Birthdays stopped being important to Jackson after he turned 13 years old. It helped that his mother and grandfather made it feel less significant as each year passed. Except on his 16th birthday, Catherine Avery surprised him with a shiny new Mercedes. It didn't exactly make up for the days when he was home alone most nights because his mother was working late or away at conferences, but at least he had his own car to entertain himself and his friends. It took Lexie three years to figure out the date of his birthday because he had been tightlipped about it. If she hadn't intercepted a birthday card from his mother, she likely still wouldn't have known.

And there was nothing special about turning 28. Nobody threw special parties for that age. He wanted it to be a low key celebration – without actually celebrating his birthday.

"This was in our mailbox last night," George informed him, picking up a blue envelope from the counter. "It's from your mother."

"Probably just a lame birthday card that she sends every year since I left home," Jackson unenthusiastically said. He took the envelope from his roommate and ripped it open. Inside was a generic birthday card, one of those plain cards with cheesy gold writing that can be found at every Hallmark store. And written inside was the same message he read every year. "Nepotism is for the weak. I swear, she has copies of this card stashed in her office."

"But it's the thought that counts," George noted, trying to liven up the mood.

Jackson softly chuckled, carelessly tossing the card onto the counter. "She doesn't even call. That's how much thought she puts into it." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Do me a favor. Just don't mention my birthday at the hospital, okay?"

"Sure, no problem. Got any plans?"

"Not really. You want to do something? We can hit up some other bar instead of Joe's. We have the day off tomorrow anyway."

George scrunched his nose. "Can't. Night shift in the ER tonight. Sorry."

"No, it's fine." Jackson tapped his fingers against the countertop, then he smirked. "You think April will finally go out with me? It's been about three weeks since she told me she wasn't ready to. We've gotten to know each other fairly well, so maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask. After all, it's my birthday."

The other man snorted while eating his cereal. "So you don't want people knowing it's your birthday, but you'll pull the birthday card on April, so she can't reject a date with you?" He playfully pointed his spoon at the pretty boy. "That's genius. Kind of a contradiction, but it works."

Jackson slightly tilted his head, staring at his friend with concern. "I hope it doesn't bother you that I've been wanting to go out with her. I know you have a thing for her too-"

"It's okay, Avery. It's… well, it's easy to see that she's into you too." Although it was hard to accept initially, George eventually became content with being just another friend. He had been reluctant to listen to Alex, but the latter knew April better than anybody. It was a tough pill to swallow, yet he was glad to know that she considered him to be a friend. At least they could discuss Harry Potter without any shame when the ER wasn't so busy. "We can all see it now."

"Really? Because I have a hard time reading her sometimes," he admitted. "April can crack a lot of jokes, but with her, I can't differentiate between joking and flirting. This has never happened to me before."

George laughed, rolling his eyes. "Maybe you're overthinking it. You want her to be into you, but you're afraid she may not be. You're playing mind games with yourself. Were you like this before you started dating Lexie?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, she was pretty straightforward with me. It was basically, 'Hey, wanna go out? Sure!'" he recalled with a laugh. "The flirtation game was spot on for the both of us."

"And April's more of the teasing type?"

"That's my problem. I don't know what type she is! She's driving me crazy."

"You mean a woman's left Jackson Avery bewildered? Someone alert the press," George quipped. "Just be yourself and don't try too hard. And… put some clothes on already. The glare from your abs is blinding."

Jackson snickered as he turned around and headed towards his bedroom. "Thanks for listening, O'Malley."

George waited until Jackson was in his bedroom to send a text message to Lexie. So far, her surprise party plans remained intact. Now, it was up to her to keep it that way.

"Are you coming to the surprise party tonight?" Jo turned her head to look at Alex and April as she strolled through a hospital hallway with them. She had helped Lexie organize the party, which would be taking place at Meredith's house where the younger Grey currently resided. "Because if you are, be at the house by 7:45. And park your car at least a block away, so Jackson doesn't suspect there's a party."

"I'll definitely be there," April excitedly said. "I love surprise parties. You never know what kind of reaction you'll get and that's the best part."

Jo chuckled. "Avery will be taken aback. He doesn't like people knowing it's his birthday. Lexie had to secretly spread the word and make sure nobody mentions it to his face," she explained. "I suppose he's not the celebratory type. What about you, Karev? You going?"

Alex quickly shrugged. He knew Jackson wouldn't appreciate his presence at his surprise party. His coworker could barely stand being in the same room with him in general. "Dude is gonna kick me out when he sees me, so who cares if I show up or not?"

"Were you even invited?"

"Lexie said, 'Fine, you can come,' so I'll consider that an invite. Whatever," he murmured. "But I probably shouldn't go. I don't want to be the reason that party turns to crap."

"Or maybe you should. It could be the one day Jackson's nice to you," April suggested. "Besides, we drove here together and we both can't drive the car to two separate locations."

Jo waved her hand towards the redhead. "Oh, it's okay. If he doesn't want to go, you can ride with me to Lexie's. It's no problem. Anyway, I could use an extra hand to help me with the food I'm picking up after work." She glanced back at Alex. "Not even a beer keg will lure you to the party?"

Alex cackled. "Beer keg? What is this? A frat party?"

"Says the guy who was doing keg stands during medical school," April scoffed, smirking at her roommate. "Let's face it, Jo. He's afraid of Jackson."

"What the hell? I'm not," he retorted. "I just don't want to get my ass kicked and everybody giving Avery a freaking pass because it's his birthday. And you know me being there isn't going to make things better."

Jo nodded in agreement with April. "You're right. He just admitted that he's afraid."

Alex rolled his eyes as the two women laughed at him together. They arrived at one of the nurses' stations where Jackson was standing nearby. "And speak of the devil."

Ignoring his comment, Jackson smiled at April and approached her. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" She quietly nodded before he led her into a nearby stairwell. He casually slipped his hands inside of his lab coat pockets. "Okay, so I normally don't like sharing this bit of information with anybody because I hate the attention, but it's my birthday today."

April pretended to be surprised, but she genuinely grinned back at Jackson. "Oh! Umm, so am I allowed to do the formal birthday greeting? Or do you hate that too?" she playfully asked.

"Well, I've got a better idea. How about we finally fulfill that rain check you promised me a while back? Remember you called rain check when you already had plans with George?" he reminded her. "And I was thinking, since we never did do sushi either, maybe tonight would be good? I can try to make reservations and I'll pay for everything. I'll spoil the both of us for my birthday. What do you say?"

April kept the smile on her face, yet she knew she had to reject his plan. It was definitely a date, and she really wanted to say yes – if there wasn't a surprise party she promised not to spoil. And she didn't like having to lie to his face on his birthday, but she felt she didn't have much of a choice. "I'd love to, but…" Her face slowly changed into a frown. "I already agreed to run the ER with George tonight. I'm so sorry, Jackson."

Even though Jackson had the urge to chase after his roommate and knock him out with a bedpan, he forced himself to smile and shook his head. "No, don't apologize. I guess I should've done some better planning ahead of time," he insisted. "That rain check will have to wait a bit longer then."

"Okay. Well, I'm on Altman's service today, so I should go ahead and meet with her." April opened the door leading into the hallway, then she sadly smiled back at Jackson. "But Happy Birthday, Jackson."

"Thanks." Standing alone in the stairwell after April left, Jackson sighed deeply. He realized disliking his own birthday had cost him a date. "I'm an idiot."

"Talking to yourself?" Lexie's voice caught his attention. She walked down the stairs from the floor above and stood beside her ex-boyfriend. "And if you want my opinion, you're not an idiot."

Jackson let out a muffled laugh. "Good to know, Lex."

He turned to leave the stairwell, but the brunette tugged on his arm. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

"Probably sit at home, watch whatever NBA game is on. Why?"

"Why don't you come over tonight? I can make us dinner and it'll be nice," Lexie offered. "Mer is working late, so we'd have the house all to ourselves. We can watch some of your stupid favorite movies that I'll never understand why you like them in the first place. Nobody should be alone on their birthday."

Jackson slowly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'm not in a birthday celebrating mood," he muttered. He was going to keep his reasons to himself. Talking about April to Lexie had created awkward tension between them.

"Please? I'll even throw in a dessert," she begged. "Please?"

"Alright, alright. You won me over with the dessert," he softly laughed. "What time should I come over?"

"Does eight o'clock sound good?"

"That's fine."

Lexie grinned widely. "Great! I'll see you tonight then." She quickly planted a kiss on Jackson's cheek. "See you tonight!" As she happily walked down the stairs, she waited until she was out of her coworker's view to send George a text message about the party. Her plan was working perfectly and she couldn't be more thrilled.

With a couple of hours to spare since finishing their shifts at the hospital, Lexie, George, Jo and April were busy setting up the living room for Jackson's surprise party. The latter two had picked up finger foods that Lexie had pre-ordered and a birthday cake from his favorite bakery. George had been in charge of the beverages, while Lexie decorated her house.

Jo and April entered the kitchen to store some of the food in the oven, so they wouldn't get too cold before any of the guests arrived. "This is a really nice house," the redhead stated as she opened the oven door for her coworker. "Meredith and Lexie are the only ones who live here?"

"Yeah. It used to be their parents' house. Their father remarried about five years ago and moved in with the wife, so he left the house for them," Jo explained. "He still lives in Seattle, but he and Mer don't seem to get along for some reason."

"What happened to their mother?"

The brunette closed the oven door, then she glanced back at the kitchen's swinging door hoping nobody would walk in on their conversation. "She died a few months after Lexie was born," she answered, lowering her voice. "Rumor has it she committed suicide. I'm not even sure Lexie knows what happened. Meredith apparently never talks about it to anybody."

"Oh, my gosh," April gasped. "That's terrible, if it's true. At least whatever happened doesn't seem to affect Lexie. She seems relatively normal. I mean, when she's not throwing daggers at me with her eyes."

"It's mostly because you've been on Derek Shepherd's service a lot lately and she's bitter about that," Jo insisted.

April softly laughed. "You don't have to lie to me. I know she and Jackson have history together. Her uncomfortable stares aren't simply because I'm interested in neurosurgery," she confessed, drawing a raised eyebrow from Jo. "Alex told me. He may not be an all-star roommate, but he does have a knack for being blunt and honest."

Jo felt slightly relieved that she no longer had to talk her way around Lexie and Jackson's dating history. It was obvious to her and their friends that Jackson and April shared a mutual attraction towards each other. Maybe that was why her coworker was reluctant to cross the friend zone with him. She was still fairly new and she didn't want to step on anybody's toes, especially an ex-girlfriend's.

Now, she began thinking about Alex and how protective he acted with April. That part of him continued to intrigue her. "So, Karev's really not coming later?"

"He says he isn't. Why?" April smirked back at her. "Do you want him to come?"

"What? No, that's not why I'm- why are you asking me that? Does he talk about me or- or something?" Jo stammered, and she desperately wanted to be anywhere but in that kitchen while April mischievously grinned at her. She was supposed to be interrogating her friend, not the other way around.

April sat down on a nearby stool at the island counter. "He mentions you sometimes."

"That's it? You have to be more specific than that!" she playfully retorted.

"We don't have a gossip hour about you," the other woman laughed. "He said you're… cool."

"Cool?" Jo scrunched her nose. "Just cool?"

April quickly shrugged and smiled. "Take it from someone who's known Alex for almost seven years now. If he's actually looking at you like a person and not an easy lay, then he considers you a friend. And he slept around a lot during medical school," she recalled, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "He was gross back then."

"What caused him to change?" she curiously asked.

Before April could open her mouth, Lexie entered the kitchen and interrupted the conversation. "Everything is all set out there. Thanks for coming earlier to help out," she happily said.

"You're welcome, Lexie," April politely replied. "How do you think Jackson will react?"

"He'll put on a fake smile. He hates surprise parties," Lexie chuckled. "But this is for his own good. He needs to stop acting like celebrating birthdays is overrated. Plus, I have an extra surprise for him. He's totally not going to expect it and I cannot wait to see the look on his face when he finds out."

"What is it?"

Lexie wagged her finger as she walked backwards towards the swinging door with a smug grin on her face. "That's a secret."

Jo waited until Lexie left the kitchen to blurt out, "Probably gonna propose to him in front of everybody." She snickered at the baffled expression on April's face. "Relax, it's a joke. Those two haven't been together since they graduated medical school."

"Why did they break up?" April questioned.

"Beats me. At first, I thought it was a mutual thing because they've been good friends this whole time, but actually, Lexie broke up with Jackson. Apparently, he never saw it coming either."

"Huh," April murmured to herself. "That's very interesting."

Jackson pulled into the driveway of the Grey residence feeling more lethargic than ever. It hadn't been the worst day of his life, but it could easily be a forgettable one in his mind. He didn't even get a chance to scrub in on any surgeries. All he had done on his birthday were post-ops. He blamed himself for having such an uneventful birthday since he hadn't planned anything until the last minute, which failed. Instead, he would be spending his evening with his ex-girlfriend as a last resort.

Standing in front of the door, he rang the doorbell and waited for Lexie to open the door for him. She appeared a minute later and opened the door. "Hey, glad you're here. The food's almost ready."

Jackson eyed Lexie's appearance. She had made herself up more than usual. Her fuchsia top and jeans were noticeably tight to show off her curves, her hair was slightly curled and she applied makeup on her face. "You look really nice, Lex."

"Thank you. So do you." Lexie grabbed a hold of Jackson's hand and pulled him inside. She led him towards the living room, which was dark inside. "Before we eat, I have something to show you."

The lights flickered on and Jackson slightly jumped back when his friends and coworkers shouted, "Surprise!"

He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his friends standing in the living room. Surprise parties weren't his favorite, but after the disappointing day he had, he made an exception. "Wow. I… I don't know what to say."

"Just admit you totally didn't see this coming," George called out with a smile.

"Well, I can't say I did," his roommate laughed, scratching the back of his head. Jackson turned to face a beaming Lexie. "You did all of this, huh? You're probably the only person I know who loves surprise parties."

Lexie grinned and playfully shrugged her shoulders. "Guilty."

Just when he thought he couldn't be more surprised, a set of hands squeezed Jackson's shoulders from behind. "Happy Birthday, baby boy!"

Jackson's eyes widened as he slowly turned around. "Mom?" Despite feeling the urge to run out of the house, he remained frozen and he forced himself to smile at his mother. "You're… here."

Catherine Avery was a very busy woman for as long as Jackson could remember. She was a world class urologist at Mass Gen. The only special occasions she truly celebrated were Christmas and the annual Harper Avery Award event in May. His birthday was never much of a priority after his 10th birthday, so it hardly made sense to him that she would drop her loaded schedule for this particular birthday.

Then again, there were multiple reasons why Jackson chose to complete his residency on the opposite coast – and his mother was one of them. Even though they weren't exactly close, Catherine meddled with his personal life all the time. She wanted to know everything, from the amount of OR time he logged in to who he was currently dating. Since leaving Boston, he only chose to return if it was mandatory. He loved being away from his nosy mother.

"Look at you, sweetheart. You look skinny," Catherine commented, gently pinching her son's cheeks. She couldn't care less that his peers were standing only five feet away in the next room and snickering at the mother and son reunion.

"What are you doing here?" Jackson muttered.

"It's your birthday, baby. Why shouldn't I be here?" Catherine stood beside Lexie, placing her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Lexie flew me in for your birthday. Isn't she the sweetest? I've always liked her. Now if only you would stop feeling embarrassed to have your mother in the same room as you."

Jackson awkwardly smiled as he glanced back at the party guests. Some of them had already moved on to eating and starting their own conversations. Others were staring due to their fascination that the Catherine Avery was in Seattle. He knew many of them were dying to ask her questions, and that was probably a good thing, because he refused to spend the rest of the night with his mother shadowing him and probing into his personal life.

Lexie playfully nudged him with her elbow. "A thank you would be great."

He softly laughed, leaning in to give her a hug. "Thanks. I'm… definitely surprised." His eyes caught April standing by the refreshments and he immediately pulled away from his ex-girlfriend. "Excuse me for a second."

Lexie watched Jackson enter the living room only to feel dejected when she saw who he approached first. She snatched someone's beer bottle as he walked by and quickly gulped down half of it. Not exactly the "Thank you" she wanted.

The pretty boy slipped his hands inside of his pockets and grinned at April. "Hey. I thought something was off when I passed through the pit on my way out and didn't see you or O'Malley anywhere."

"Why were you passing through the ER?" April asked with a smirk. "Checking up on me?"

"Uh, I thought maybe you two would want some extra help. Night shifts can get crazy sometimes," he lied. His real intention was to ensure George wasn't trying to use the opportunity to make a move on her even though he implied he was backing off, but he was relieved to know that they weren't working together at all.

April giggled. "Well, I'm sorry I had to lie to you this morning. Lexie put in a lot of effort for this party and I didn't want to spoil it." She suddenly grimaced. "And I'm also sorry that I didn't get you a present."

"Don't be. I'm glad you're here," Jackson softly answered, smiling down at her.

"Do you mind if I meet your mom? I'm not gonna lie, I was a little awestruck when she entered the house earlier. She performed a surgery at Mayo intern year, and I observed from the gallery. However, I never got the chance to meet her-"

"Go ahead, April. It's fine with me," he insisted. "Just don't bring up my name. Otherwise, she'll bombard you with a million questions about me and you really shouldn't have to answer them."

"Don't worry. I won't," April laughed before she walked past Jackson to speak with Catherine.

George joined Jackson's side and handed him a red cup filled with beer. "Drink up. The night is young."

"Thanks, O'Malley." Jackson sipped his drink, then he turned around to watch April converse with Catherine. "A part of me should've stopped her from talking to my mother. If she ends up liking April, they'll be talking for hours."

"But that's good, right? You said she hated a lot of the women you dated except for Lexie."

"Yeah, but… I want some time alone with April without my mother hovering nearby. I can't let her know that I'm into someone who isn't Lexie yet." Jackson took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm doing it tonight, George. I'm kissing April when I get the chance."

George raised an eyebrow at his roommate. "You're not waiting until you two go on a date first?"

Normally, Jackson wasn't the type to kiss a woman before dating her. Although, it had happened in the past, but he hadn't been sober, so he didn't think they counted. He had gotten to know April and vice versa in the last few weeks. They were comfortable around each other, and he couldn't wait any longer for a date to happen. He was ready to make a pivotal move in their friendship.

"It's my birthday," he determinedly stated. "I'm doing it."

The party had been moving smoothly for about two hours. Jackson felt grateful that there were enough people intrigued by Catherine Avery's presence. He was free to do what he wanted, while she was occupied with answering his coworkers' questions. However, April was one of those coworkers and he desperately wanted to lure her away from his mother – without Catherine noticing him from a foot away. He forced himself to keep his distance and hoped April would eventually run out of questions to ask.

A small group was gathered around Catherine in the farthest corner of the living room. It always amazed Jackson how people bowed down to his mother. She was a great surgeon, but from his point of view, she was just his mother.

And very annoying.

Jackson served himself to some chips and salsa, then he felt a light tug on his arm. "Jackson," Lexie whispered, taking his hand and guiding him out of the living room. "I need to talk to you."

They walked into the kitchen and it didn't take long for Jackson to notice that his ex-girlfriend was clearly drunk. She hit the hard liquor based on the smell of vodka on her. "Everything okay, Lex?" he asked concerned. "You want some water?"

"No, I'm good. I'm really good," she insisted, though her words were partially slurred. Lexie placed her hands against Jackson's chest and drunkenly smiled up at him. "What do you think of the party? Successful, right? It was my brilliant idea to secretly fly your mother in. I hope you're not upset about that."

"I'm not upset," he chuckled, grasping her waist to prevent her from falling over. "I just don't know why you needed her to be here for my birthday. Her yearly generic birthday cards are enough."

"I understand you find her to be a pain in the ass, but she's your mom," Lexie reminded him, drawing an invisible line down Jackson's chest with her finger. "And she was so grateful that I invited her. It's almost a miracle she still likes me after we broke up."

Jackson slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Lexie pressed her body against his. "Why did we break up?" she murmured. "We weren't having problems."

"You tell me," he snickered. "You broke up with me, remember? Or are you too drunk to remember?"

"Well, it was stupid of me. I mean, neither of us have been in serious relationships since we broke up, so maybe it's time we…" She stood on her tiptoes and leaned in closer, so her lips brushed against his. "…try again?"

Jackson held his breath, mainly due to Lexie's awful breath burning the inside of his nose. "You're drunk, Lex."

April pushed open the swinging door, startling Jackson. Lexie remained attached to him, giggling against his chest as the redhead quietly stared at the twosome from the doorway. "Oh! Umm, I came in here to get paper towels. Someone spilled their drink in the living room," she timidly said. "I'll… come back later."

Trying to avoid an uncomfortable encounter following an awkward scene, April rushed out of the kitchen and headed towards the front door. She was surprised to see Alex letting himself in, but she was also relieved to see him. "You decided to show up."

"Yeah, well… don't expect me to make my presence known," Alex scoffed, closing the door behind him. "Just wanted to see if the party blows, so I can assure myself I'm not missing anything special."

"It's your typical party, people getting drunk and… the usual," she replied, rolling her eyes. "But Jackson's mother, Catherine Avery, flew in from Boston and I had a wonderful conversation with her."

Alex's body tensed. That was a name that could easily make him piss his pants. "Catherine Avery? She's here?" He immediately turned around and headed towards the front door. "Shit. I have to go."

"What? Why?" April stepped in front of her roommate before he could leave. "Alex, what's the matter?"

"I'll explain later, but you have to get out of my way right now," he sternly answered.

April continued to block Alex's path. She knew he wouldn't physically move her out of the way, so she refused to budge. "No. Just tell me why the name Catherine Avery makes you want to run and hide," she demanded. "What's your problem with the Averys?"

"It's complicated, April. It's not something I can explain in a minute."

"Alex, please! Just stay and we can talk!"

"Yes. Stay, Alex," Catherine's voice alerted both Alex and April. She stood near the entrance of the living room with her arms folded and a devilish smirk. She slowly approached them, her high heels clanking against the hardwood floor. "How is Dalton, by the way?"

April eyed both of them curiously. "Umm… who is Dalton?"

Alex ignored the question and replied to Catherine through gritted teeth, "He's doing just fine."

"Still working at that miniscule private practice of his?" Catherine sneered.

"For your information, his practice has flourished since he created it. He's one of the best in Des Moines," Alex defended, scowling back at the older woman. "He certainly doesn't need a group full of cake eaters to tell him how to be a successful doctor."

Jackson returned from the kitchen, furrowing his brow at the sight of Alex and Catherine speaking to each other. He quickly joined them, stepping in front of his mother. "Karev, you need to leave," he ordered. "Unless, you're hoping for another black eye, why are you even here?"

"I was invited," Alex firmly stated. "I'm not just going to turn my back on family."

Jackson laughed to himself. "Family? You're not family," he dismissively replied. "Just because my deadbeat father left mine and raised you like you were his own, it doesn't mean we're family. We're not brothers. Hell, I won't even call us stepbrothers because we're not family."

April's mouth dropped open. "W-wait. That's how you two know each other?" She noticed the rest of the party guests watching from the living room. Everybody's attention was on them. "Maybe… this isn't the best place to talk about this?"

"You're right. I'm leaving," Alex grumbled, forcing his way past April to open the door.

April flinched after her roommate slammed the door shut on his way out. She glanced back at Jackson, who remained furious about the altercation, and pointed over her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she murmured before leaving the house to find Alex.

Jackson sighed loudly as he turned to face his peers. They all quickly avoided his stare and pretended they hadn't heard anything. Catherine slapped his chest with the back of her hand. "How could you not tell me that man was working with you in Seattle?" she chided. "How long has he been here?"

"He just transferred into Seattle Grace from Mayo a couple of months ago. I had no idea he was coming. I mean, how should I know anyway? I don't keep track of his ass," he argued. "I'm not his babysitter. Grandpa should've accepted him into Mass Gen since he's apparently Dad's pride and joy."

"You know damn well why Harper refused to accept Alex into our residency program," she noted. "Perhaps this is a reason for you to come home now. You're too distracted here. You'll never live up to your potential with Alex Karev working in the same hospital as you."

Jackson threw his arms up in frustration. "No! I chose Seattle to get away from Mass Gen and the Avery legacy. You and Grandpa are the reason why Dad bailed on us in the first place. He was never good enough in your eyes, and Grandpa pressured him to the point that he gave up and left," he angrily stated.

"That is enough, Jackson," Catherine sternly replied. "Your father couldn't handle the pressure, but that's not on us. He was a coward and you were better off without him. The man never bothered to send you a birthday card. Do you honestly believe he cared about you?"

"I'm done, Mom," he muttered, walking towards the door. "Lexie's in the bathroom puking. Tell her I went home early."

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" April questioned Alex, who was leaning against the side of his car. "We've known each other since medical school. You've told me about your stepfather and how great he is. You couldn't mention the little known fact that he's an Avery? Did you assume I wouldn't understand?"

"Exactly! You wouldn't," Alex countered, kicking a small rock in front of him. "I had no idea about Jackson until high school. That's the truth. We've only encountered each other twice before I started working at Seattle Grace."

"Is that why you followed me here? To stalk your stepbrother or whatever he is to you? This had nothing to do with me?"

Alex shook his head. "It's not like that. I came here for two reasons – to watch your back and… yeah, because I knew Avery worked here. When I first interviewed for the transfer I saw his name on the OR board. I inquired a bit about him, so that gave me more reason to leave Mayo with you," he confessed. "I couldn't tell you the truth because then I'd have to tell you everything."

April took a seat on the hood of the car. She made herself comfortable, folding her arms to somewhat protect herself from the chilly air. "I have all night. Tell me now," she nonchalantly answered. "From the beginning. How did you meet Dalton Avery?"

He sighed in annoyance before sitting down beside his roommate. "I was four. My mom and I were actually living in her car. My real dad, he's uh… well, he was beating her and always high on heroin. She finally decided to do something about it. She packed up some of our things and we left in the middle of the night when he was out. We made it to Des Moines without him ever finding us. I don't think he even bothered," he explained. "It was a shitty winter. I got sick and my mom found this clinic hoping they'd help us out. The dude who owned it was new, and he was reluctant at first to help because she didn't have insurance. But he saw how sick I was, like I could've gotten pneumonia if I wasn't treated, and gave us medicine."

"And that doctor was Dalton," she murmured.

"Yeah. Anyway, after I got better, my mom decided to try to look for work. Dalton offered her a receptionist job at his clinic, so she took it. He let me hang around in a back room until I started school," he continued. "And he was cool. Showed me around the office, let me play with some of the instruments. Within the next year, he and my mom got hitched at the courthouse and we were a family. Got a kid sister when I was eight."

"So Jackson has a half-sister?"

Alex nodded. "Her name's Amber. He doesn't know about her."

"And how did you meet Jackson?" April inquired.

"High school basketball tournament. It's one of those tournaments where schools from different states compete during Christmas break. This one took place in New York," Alex described. "I guess his team was scouting my game and he saw Dalton there. We ended up playing each other and midway through the third quarter, Avery threw the ball at my face. Broke my nose. Dalton explained everything to me after it was all over. I wasn't pissed, but I wasn't thrilled about it either. Whatever. I sort of have a brother. I tried to reach out to him, but nothing worked."

"When was the second encounter?"

"Back when I was interviewing for residency spots during our last year of med school. I tried to get into Mass Gen knowing that was an Avery hotbed. We bumped into each other at a bar the night before my interview. Of course, he wanted nothing to do with me. He probably told his mom about me or whatever because I didn't even get to have my interview the next day," he bitterly said. "I was freaking blackballed. They cancelled my interview and wouldn't allow me to reschedule."

April rested her chin against Alex's shoulder and sighed. "Geez, Alex. I knew you were a complex person, but I had no idea you could be more complicated than what I already knew about you," she teasingly replied. "But thank you for telling me."

Alex softly chuckled. "Don't expect me to cry and become a total sap about this. You don't think I'm a creep or something now, right?"

"No, not at all." April smiled as she sat upright. "I appreciate you even more now – as my best friend."

"I hope you know this doesn't mean I'm gonna become a cleaner person at home," he quipped. She gently elbowed his side in response. "Alright, I'm getting out of here. You coming?"

"Yes. Let me just tell Jo that I'm leaving with you," she said, sliding off of the hood. "By the way, she was asking about you."

A smirk formed off the corner of Alex's mouth. "Oh, yeah? About me how?"

April slyly grinned as she walked back towards the house. "I'll tell you later," she answered, playfully sticking her tongue out at him. She returned to the house to retrieve her purse and to exchange goodbyes with her friends.

On her way out, she noticed somebody sitting on the porch swing at the far end of the porch. As she moved closer, she knew exactly who it was. "Jackson?" The redhead approached him and sat down beside him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm peachy," Jackson unenthusiastically replied, staring down at his shoes. "I meant to leave, but I saw you and Karev talking. I didn't want the extra attention, so I'm just waiting it out until you go."

"We don't have to talk about… any of that right now," April assured him. "But based on what I learned, you can't keep taking out your anger on Alex. I understand why you're upset, but he's innocent in all of this."

Jackson gazed up at April. "I can't look at him without thinking about how much I hate my father. The guy practically raised Karev like he's his son, but he never took the time to make a phone call or send me a birthday card," he miserably responded. "I'm sorry. It's just hard for me."

"It's fine. You're allowed to be pissed – at your father."

He slowly nodded. "And I'm also sorry about Lexie-"

"We don't have to talk about that either," she softly chuckled, lightly chewing on her bottom lip.

"This party was a bust," Jackson mumbled.

April fidgeted with the strap of her purse. "Maybe not completely." Jackson opened his mouth to say something, but she gently grasped his face and kissed his lips. He eagerly responded as she deepened the kiss. After she pulled away, she pursed her lips and smiled. "Th-that wasn't planned. I, umm… I mean, I've wanted to…"

Jackson grinned, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Me too."

"Okay, I should go," she sheepishly replied, forcing herself to stand up. April adjusted her purse along her shoulder and cleared her throat. "I will see you at work. Happy Birthday, Jackson, and goodnight."

Jackson continued to smile like a child who received the ultimate birthday present. "Goodnight, April." He watched her walk away, letting out a chuckle when she looked back and shyly waved at him.

Not a bad way to end an almost completely disastrous night.

Now that the secret is out, let me know what you think please! :)