Thanks again for the reviews! So the finale gave me hope and I'm still not over the epicness that is Sarah Drew. She rocked last night's episode. Now all I want is for Jackson's balls to grow back. Hopefully, we don't have to wait too long!
Anyway, I know some of you are bummed at how douchey Jackson is in this fic, but please be patient. He's got a journey to maturity set up for him ;)
Enjoy!
Jackson had been frustrated with the lack of progress he hoped he would make with April. His first and second impressions only rubbed her the wrong way and she hardly wanted to be around him. He also wasn't used to rejection. Women practically fought in line for him and all he ever had to do was choose which attractive lady to bring home with him. It was a reversal of his nerdy teenage years when nobody noticed him or barely acknowledged his presence.
April was only one woman, a person from his past. Why was he beating himself over a childhood friend he knew little about? He could have any woman in Seattle, perhaps in the entire world.
What made the pediatric surgeon any different from them? He slept with bombshells, women with slender bodies and gorgeous long flowing hair. People called him shallow for it, but he wasn't sorry for his lifestyle. Most of their judgments never bothered him. He had been living this way for many years, even before he arrived at Seattle Grace, so he didn't feel he should change for anybody.
But Jackson couldn't shut April out of his thoughts. Not a bombshell, but she was beautiful. Didn't have long legs like most of the women he picked up, but her smile brought out the single dimple he admired when they were teenagers.
So he did what he knew best to distract himself from thinking about her – by finding a one night stand at Joe's. The woman he brought home to his condo was stunning. Her slightly curled blonde hair ran midway down her back. Perfectly tanned skin. Very nice, well-rounded breasts. Not a screamer. The sex was amazing, but unlike with his past one night stands, he asked her to leave afterwards rather than allow her to spend the night. No explanation whatsoever. He didn't walk her to the front door like he did with everyone else, making him a bigger douche than he normally was.
One night stands just didn't give him the same excitement anymore. He blamed the good-natured redhead from his past for ruining his mojo. She was so sweet and innocent, while he was sleazy and egotistical. His arrogance was a mask to cover his insecurities. As much as he wanted to believe his former nerd persona no longer existed, he still existed deep inside, but he refused to accept that.
The following morning, Arizona organized an early meeting solely for the attendings at 7:45 AM. Every surgeon from their respective departments were gathered inside of one of the larger conference rooms, engaging in light chatter with each other and indulging in the pound cake their Chief brought in for breakfast.
It was never muffins, bagels or gourmet croissants from the Chief of Surgery. Always pound cake. Nobody understood why, but she loved pound cake. Each attending gradually learned that the fluffy dessert was the ultimate key to her heart, especially when kissing her ass was necessary.
"Alright, everybody. Good morning, doctors," Arizona brightly greeted her staff as the conference room quieted down. She stood at the end of a table wearing a dark red blouse and a black skirt beneath her lab coat. "First off, I hope you've all had a chance to-"
The sound of the door opening interrupted her introduction. Lo and behold, Jackson entered the conference room late. The man was never late for anything and his tardiness surprised his colleagues. The silence inside was nerve wracking, especially with all eyes focused on the plastic surgeon. His routine had been ruined since his alarm clock buzzed. Instead of following his daily morning routine, he hit the snooze button and slept an extra thirty minutes, altering the rest of his habitual tasks.
There was an empty seat available in the one area he didn't want to be – at the table a foot away from Arizona. His boss eyed him all the way to his chair until he sat down, but she wasn't upset. More amused than anything else.
"It seems Mr. Perfectionist isn't so perfect after all," she scoffed, eliciting laughs from the other surgeons. "Dr. Avery, glad you can join us. Funny how things work out. The rest of my staff arrives on time and you make your grand entrance by being late. How about a nice round of applause for Dr. Avery?"
Jackson slightly shifted in his seat trying to make himself as small as possible, while his coworkers playfully applauded and cheered on his tardiness. He pursed his lips and personally wanted to respond with a snarky comeback, but disrespecting the Chief would only draw more hatred towards him.
"And where was I? Oh, yes. What I was about to say until I was rudely interrupted," she continued, smirking at the agitated plastic surgeon beside her, then she looked back at the rest of the room. "I hope you've all had a chance to meet our newest peds attending, Dr. April Kepner. She's a Seattle native, but spent the last eight years completing her residency and fellowship in Ohio. Please help her feel as welcome as possible if you haven't done so yet."
Lexie raised her hand, smiling at the group after Arizona called on her. "I also want to inform everybody that we're having a 'Welcome Home' party for April at the Sloan residence on Saturday beginning at 6 PM. You're all invited to come, so try to drop by whenever you're available," she announced.
"Thank you, Dr. Grey-Sloan," the blonde attending acknowledged before staring down at her print out of notes. "Moving on to the next topic of discussion on my list…"
April had zoned out Arizona when she began talking about the residency program. Her eyes drifted towards Jackson, who lightly tapped his fingers against the table while he stared down at his lap. She was the only person who hadn't applauded him for being late. She knew he had been bullied at camp, so the teasing he endured after arriving late probably reminded him of his nerd days. In a way, she felt a bit sorry for him because the reactions from their coworkers was brought on by his own bad actions.
She almost didn't want to believe he was the same Jackson she befriended at camp. Everything about him was completely different. His looks, his personality – he transformed into a gorgeous man with an ugly attitude. She had difficulty accepting him for the person he was in present time because she wasn't sure if she could trust him.
And the peds surgeon wondered if Lexie or George ever figured him out. Neither of them said anything about him being their old friend from twenty years ago. Jackson must have fooled them both, she thought. But at the same time, he didn't seem to recognize them either. Or maybe he did and refused to associate himself with former nerds like himself. She couldn't be sure without talking to her best friends about what she learned about him.
Following their staff meeting, April and Lexie decided to swing by the daycare center to visit their daughters. Both of them were three years old and almost spitting images of their mothers. Their only babies were born on the same exact day, June 8th. Perhaps it was simply a coincidence, but they liked to joke that giving birth on the same day showed how strong their friendship had been since they were six years old.
Madison had red hair just like April. She was a miniature version of the peds surgeon when she was a child, shy and soft-spoken. Lexie and Mark's daughter, Kylie, was a chatter bug like her mother and more outgoing.
Each little girl sat on their mother's lap while they doodled on a piece of paper with crayons. April decided to use their seclusion from the rest of the doctors to tell Lexie about her most recent encounter with Jackson.
"Do you remember Jackson Fox from Wazi?" she inquired, glancing down at Madison's drawing of what appeared to resemble a pig farm. "He only came to camp once and he was nerdy with huge glasses-"
"And a retainer!" Lexie finished, laughing as she remembered their friend. "Yeah, I remember. What about him?"
April looked up at her best friend. "Well… turns out he's actually Jackson Avery," she murmured. "The Jackson Avery who works here."
"No way!" the urologist gasped, her mouth dropping open. She shook her head in disbelief. Of the trio of friends, Lexie had the best memory, but based on her reaction she hadn't recognized Jackson at all since he started working at Seattle Grace. "Oh my gosh! How did I never figure this out? I'm usually good at remembering faces."
"He has changed a lot since we were thirteen. George had no idea either?"
"I highly doubt it." Lexie softly chuckled to herself. "I've worked with Jackson for about a year now. I can't believe it's him. Huh, Jackson Fox… I haven't thought about that name in ages. Why did he use that name?"
"Some silly excuse about not wanting people to know he was an Avery," April replied, rolling her eyes. She wasn't as annoyed with Jackson like she had been the previous day, but it didn't necessarily mean she was ready to make nice with him. "Is it strange that I want to loathe him even though a part of me doesn't?"
The brunette doctor slowly shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but I understand why you're upset. You totally liked him when we were thirteen. He was your first boyfriend, your first slow dance, your first kiss…" she recalled. "Now, he's just a big douche."
"Jackson was so cute and sweet back then. Oh! And get this, I thought I was such a loser for keeping the necklace he gave me, but I found out he still has my friendship bracelet… and the letter he never responded to," she bitterly added. April felt extremely hurt and offended when her summer camp boyfriend didn't write back to her. She cried to Lexie about it after it took her a month to realize she was never getting a letter back from him. "It's impossible to avoid him in this hospital."
"Just be professional around him and if he says or does something douchey to you, then tell Robbins," Lexie advised. She thought back to their staff meeting that morning and giggled. "You broke him, April."
"What do you mean?" her friend responded, raising an eyebrow.
"Since he started working here, Jackson Avery has never been late for anything. He's a perfectionist, always on time for his appointments with patients. Right on the dot," Lexie explained, while she helped Kylie color her cat drawing with a purple crayon. "And I thought Mark was Mr. Perfect. Must be a plastic surgeon thing, but Jackson takes it to another level, so it was very uncharacteristic of him to be tardy."
April dismissively waved her hand. "There's no way you can prove he was late because of me," she skeptically replied. "He could've hit traffic on the way to work or… or the power in his home went out and he overslept because his alarm couldn't wake him up. Besides, I don't believe I'm that important to him."
Lexie smirked at the redhead sitting across from her. She could sense her friend was in denial about the situation. "Oh, please. Jackson was smitten over you. I observed you two during that entire summer and he stared at you with puppy love eyes," she argued and smiled. "You were definitely that important to him."
Summer 1993 – Day fourteen
Two weeks had passed since the beginning of Jackson's stay at Camp Waziyatah. It was a Saturday night and it marked the first official dance for campers ages thirteen and up. The dance was held in the small gymnasium where camp directors and counselors chaperoned the evening event. The walls were decorated with cheap colored streamers and a disco ball hung from the ceiling. Most of the teenagers were semi-dressed up. The boys wore collared shirts and jeans, while the girls took the dance more seriously, many of them wearing dresses they had packed for the three dances taking place over the course of the summer.
Jackson crept by the refreshments and snacks table. There was a punch bowl sitting beside the pretzels, trail mix and chocolate chip cookies. Not much to eat, but he was too nervous to consume anything. He stood by a wooden post partially hiding himself from the world. His tormentors were grouped together on the opposite side of the room, wearing their sunglasses and trying to act cool in front of the girls. He spotted April dancing in the center with Lexie and other campers as the pseudo DJ blasted "Jump" by Kris Kross on the sound system. George was seated against a wall reading another one of his books. They hadn't spoken much since their small quarrel over April, but they occasionally greeted each other during breakfast, lunch and dinner.
He spied on his adorable girlfriend, who wore a sleeveless yellow blouse and a white skirt. Her red hair was down and slightly held back by two white hair clips with a small plastic daisy on each one. She was already pretty in his mind, but she was even prettier made up.
Because he had been hiding since he arrived at the dance, he and April hadn't seen each other yet. Although, Jackson was determined to share a dance with her. Boyfriends danced with their girlfriends. He refused to be the lame boyfriend who avoided his girlfriend all night due to his awkwardness.
Double checking his outfit – a forest green Polo shirt, which was overly tucked into his khaki pants – he smoothed out the creases of his shirt, then he bent over and adjusted his Reebok Pump sneakers, giving each shoe two quick pumps. He pushed up his glasses with his finger and wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck with a handkerchief.
The song ended as he timidly approached April with his hands stuffed inside of his pockets. Tapping her shoulder, he sheepishly smiled when she turned around to face him. "Hi, April," he softly greeted her. "Y-you look really nice."
"Thank you. So do you," she answered, her cheeks quickly blushing. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you."
"I uhh, I just got here," he reluctantly said. The dance started an hour ago and he actually spent that hour hiding from her and everyone else. "Do you umm… want to dance with me?"
April nodded eagerly and grinned. "Of course, boyfriend," she happily accepted.
With perfect timing, the following song was slow. Jackson instantly grew nervous when Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" started playing from the speakers. It was his first slow dance and he could tell it was hers too because neither of them were moving from their spots as the campers surrounding them were already embraced in each other's arms.
Lexie didn't hesitate to push her friend towards the nerd. "You can't slow dance if you're not touching, dorks," she teased, picking up April's arms and resting them over Jackson's shoulders. "Do I have to do all of the work for you guys?"
Jackson shuffled his feet as he placed his hands on April's waist. There was about a foot of space between them when they started slow dancing together. Both of their eyes wandered anywhere but directly at each other's. He was relieved he hadn't stepped on her foot yet.
When they finally made eye contact the two teenagers bashfully smiled at each other. "I'm sorry if I suck at this," he muttered. "It's my first slow dance."
"No, it's fine. It's mine too," April replied, then she gently bit down on her lower lip. "Umm… we can probably move a little closer. I mean, if you're okay with that."
He quickly nodded. "Uhh, okay."
She stepped closer to him, her arms now wrapped around Jackson's neck. His hands rested against her lower back and he slowly grew comfortable slow dancing with her. Perhaps he had initially made it more awkward than it had to be. She was already his girlfriend, so he should've known better than to assume she would judge him from the second they met at the dance.
"What are you doing after the dance?" he asked.
"Going back to my cabin," she chuckled. "Our curfew starts an hour after it's over, remember?"
Jackson softly laughed, shaking his head in embarrassment. "Oh, right. Curfew. Stupid question."
"We could probably hang out for a little while or whatever," she suggested. "I don't really know how this boyfriend-girlfriend thing works, but I can't just ditch you after the dance. That would make me a lame girlfriend… I think."
"I… I can walk you back to your cabin," he offered.
"I'd like that," April agreed, grinning widely at Jackson. "You're so sweet."
Watching them from afar was George, who had set his book aside when the song first came on. He wanted to share a slow dance with April, but his new nemesis got to her first. Seeing them together made him insanely jealous and he wanted to do something about it.
So he jumped up from his seat, making his way towards the refreshments table. After pouring himself a cup of punch, he approached his fellow nerds as he casually sipped his drink. Once he was close enough to them, he pretended to trip over his own foot and spilled his punch all over Jackson's pants. April yelped as she stepped back hoping none of the punch stained her white skirt.
"Oh, geez. I'm really sorry about that," George apologized, though he obviously wasn't sympathetic. He watched Jackson stare at the giant red stain on the front of his khaki pants as bystanders laughed at him.
"Hey! Dweebles got his period!" The Hawk announced, pointing at his favorite nerd. His joke only made the campers laugh even harder.
April frowned as Jackson ran out of the gymnasium covering the front of his pants. Their first slow dance ever was spoiled by her clumsy friend and unnecessary heckling. She felt bad for him because she doubted he would want to show his face anywhere again after the unfortunate incident. She noticed George snickering beside her causing her to shoot a glare at him. He immediately stopped and shrugged.
"It was an accident," he claimed, then he cleared his throat and slightly smiled at her. "Wanna dance?"
"Sure, Georgie," she sighed.
April placed her hands on George's shoulders, while he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist. He hardly wanted to make it obvious, but he felt like a kid in a candy store. He was slow dancing with his dream girl. Staring down at her chest, he tried his hardest to fight back a grin. But something else on his body wasn't as easy to restrain.
And it was in his pants.
"Oh, man," the uneasy nerd groaned.
He suddenly ran off towards a random direction, leaving a confused April alone on the dance floor. "George! Where are you going?" she irritably called out, but her friend was long gone. First, Jackson left her and now, George. It was official – the first dance of the summer was pretty much a disaster.
Driving through the gated community of Mark and Lexie's neighborhood on Queen Anne Hill, Jackson arrived at his boss' home after leaving work a little later than he hoped he would. A routine nasal reconstruction took longer than expected after one of his numbskull residents dropped the cartilage he planned on using for his patient's new nose on the floor. The mishap forced him to harvest another set of cartilage and kick out the resident who screwed up.
After assigning a reliable resident to his post-ops, he could finally relax for the rest of his Saturday night. Most of his coworkers had already arrived at April's homecoming party making him the tardy person again. At least he hoped nobody would notice this time around.
The door was unlocked, so he let himself into the house. The sounds of people conversing with each other and music playing in the background filled the large living room and kitchen. Jackson carried a bottle of wine in one hand while he removed his sunglasses with the other. He scanned the area for April and found her mingling with Cristina by the kitchen.
"So, cardiothoracic surgery's been your dream since you were in high school?" April questioned, trying to spark an interesting conversation with Cristina. The Asian doctor was slightly reserved and mostly talked when she was required to. The peds surgeon had trouble understanding Meredith's relations with her.
"Yes. I always knew I would be a cardio goddess," Cristina confidently answered before sipping her beer. "It would be better if I could work under a boss who I can understand. Have you listened to Hunt speak? No freaking clue what he says 75% of the time with that Scottish accent of his."
"I haven't had the luxury yet, but I hope to work with him soon. Oh, and you too," she enthusiastically said. Glancing over the cardio surgeon's shoulder, she spotted Meredith nearby and she decided to ask, "How long have you and Meredith been together?"
Cristina blankly stared back at her. "What do you mean?"
The redhead nervously laughed as she brushed strands of her hair behind her ear. "Well… you two are umm, dating. I mean, that's what I've heard and I've known Mer my whole life, so-" She paused when her colleague walked away from her without responding to her question. "It- it was nice finally chatting with you!"
She gently slapped her forehead, shaking her head and mentally scolding herself for bringing up the touchy subject. Lexie had warned her that neither Meredith nor Cristina would confirm to anybody about their supposed relationship. Her first impression with the so-called cardio goddess wasn't the best and she knew it.
"Don't worry about her. She's a little kooky," Jackson assured April after sneaking up on her from behind. She turned around to face him, but she simply forced a half-smile at him. They hadn't communicated much since he revealed his identity to her. Just a few quick greetings in the hallway. He held up the bottle of wine. "I brought this as a gift."
"Thank you," she politely said, taking the bottle from him.
"And I brought along something else," he added, reaching inside of his jacket pocket. He pulled out the friendship bracelet and one of the Polaroid pictures taken of them at camp. "I thought you would like to have these."
April took the photograph, but she waved her hand at the bracelet. "Keep that. The bracelet's yours," she insisted before looking at the picture. She smiled at the sight of their teenage selves. They stood beside each other with the lake behind them. Jackson's arm rested comfortably around her shoulders. She giggled at his eyeglasses. "Gosh, you had the worst set of glasses. I can admit that now."
Jackson chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I can't disagree. They were awful," he concurred. "Listen, I was wondering if you and I could have dinner together next Friday night. It doesn't have to be a date. Casual. It can be casual if you want. I know you aren't impressed with how I live my life, but I just want to talk. It'll be completely innocent, I promise."
She sighed as she contemplated on her decision. He hadn't been forceful, but rather genuine. Everybody deserved a second chance – or third, in Jackson's case – to redeem themselves, she thought. "Alright, sure."
"Seriously?" he replied, a smile forming on his face.
"Yes, but don't even think about making a pass at me," she warned as she walked past him. "Trust me. You will be very sorry if you try."
The plastic surgeon grinned as he watched her walk away. "Believe me. I will be a really good boy," he teasingly said. Standing by the food was Alex, which didn't surprise Jackson at all. His wingman was always eating. He quickly approached him and nudged him with his elbow. "I just scored a date- well, sort of a date with April."
Alex wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Shit, really? What'd you say to change her mind about you?" he asked curiously. "I tried talking to her earlier and she flat out walked away. Freaking rude."
"I do what I know best. I work my charm," he bragged. Jackson's eyes followed April as she strolled through the living room to chat with other doctors. "Besides, we have a special connection. You wouldn't understand."
"Whatever, dude," the peds surgeon muttered. "Just remember to let me know how good she is after you screw her."
George pushed his way in between the two men and scooped dip onto his small plastic plate. "You guys are unbelievable. April's an amazing woman. Neither of you deserve her," he retorted after overhearing their conversation. "She probably pities you, Avery."
Jackson rolled his eyes. "And you think you deserve her? I get you're the best friend who's been in love with her forever, but it's possible you two were never meant to be," he harshly replied. "Who knows? Maybe April loves it rough."
"Don't talk about her that way," the trauma surgeon angrily said, shoving the pretty boy with one hand. "Going out with her one time doesn't mean anything either. You think you're so much better than me because you can have any woman you want? At least I have respect for others and myself, which is what you're lacking."
Mark approached them before anything serious could erupt. He stood in between Jackson and George, spreading his arms out to separate them. "Do I need to kick some people out of my house? You know the rules. Mess up my home and you're out of here," he scolded them.
"I'm sorry, Sloan. Avery here thinks he's gonna score with April because she agreed to go out with him," George explained, smirking at Jackson from behind Mark's shoulder. The shorter man was one of his biggest ass kissers, but Jackson never understood why. They had nothing in common, yet his boss had the tendency to protect him.
"Is that so?" Mark grasped Jackson's shoulder as he led him away from George and Alex. He brought his coworker to a secluded area in the corner of the living room. "Let's set the record straight. I don't like guys like you going after my sister."
"Your- your sister?" Jackson replied with wide eyes. He glanced at April from across the living room before switching back to the Head of Plastics. The resemblance was nonexistent between the two people. "April's your sister?"
"Stepsister, but her old man and my mom got hitched when she was four and I was nine, so we practically grew up together like we were always siblings. Anyway, she's my kid sister and I've always protected her from chumps like you." He poked Jackson's chest with his finger. "Hurt April and I will hurt you. I'll be watching you closely, Avery."
The younger surgeon swallowed hard as Mark left him alone, but not without turning around and pointing two fingers at his eyes, then pointing at him. When Alex mentioned April was living with her brother, never in a million years did he assume that same brother was Mark freaking Sloan. Learning she had a daughter was already a big enough obstacle, but now he also had to deal with her overprotective stepbrother, who also just happened to be his boss at work.
And when he finally thought he was off the hook, everything suddenly became even more complicated.
I hope you enjoyed my little twist for the Plastics Posse (and April) ;D