A/N – As always, Shonda owns the characters, I'm just borrowing them for a bit. Thanks to Anna, Kesah, Danielle, and Hilary for letting me pick their brains as I write. I really enjoyed writing this particular chapter so I hope you all like it! Please review!
The sun streamed in through the bedroom windows, arousing the red headed trauma surgeon. She blinked her eyes a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. As she became more awake, April lifted her head to see if her plastic surgeon boyfriend was awake.
It had been 6 months since they reunited at his mother's wedding. He was now living in Mark's old apartment. Callie had offered it to him not long after the storm had passed. She offered it partially because he needed a place to live because he no longer wanted to live at Alex's now that Jo was living there, and partially because she wanted to prevent Arizona from moving in there after their split.
April had been clear she wasn't ready to move in with him, but she had been staying over most nights now that they had resumed their physical relationship. They didn't rush it this time. Instead they made a point to address their issues and to communicate better with each other.
The past six months had been great. Both Jackson and April were happy with where their relationship was. April finally was at peace with the past, both were honest with each other, which was a big deal for both of them, and April was no longer withholding sex, so of course Jackson was happy.
He was still soundly sleeping so she began to plant soft kisses on his bare chest. She started on his well-defined abs working her way up his chest, eliciting groans. She lingered at his neck for quite a while before focusing her efforts on his lips.
"Jackson," she whispered into his ear, "Am I going to have to do all the work?"
"Mhmm," he responded, his eyes still closed, enjoying every minute it.
"If that is how it's going to be," April jabbed him jokingly before flopping onto her back.
Moments later he rolled on top of her, planting deep kisses right on her lips before pulling away.
"How about I make you some breakfast to make it up to you?" Jackson offered.
"You? Make breakfast?" April responded, rolling on to her side and propping her head on her hand, "Don't you remember the last time you cooked for me?"
"Hey!" He laughed to himself, "Well maybe you have a point." The last time he cooked for her was their first real date. Needless to say, that did not go so well.
Jackson stood in the kitchen nearly elbow deep in a chicken cavity. It had been about a month since he told her he loved her. It was his first real date with April and he had offered to make her dinner. Big mistake. He knew how to cook, sure, but his resume was simpler fare. Date food was not in his repertoire.
He decided on roast chicken. That was simple enough. Cut up a few carrots, potatoes, and onions, top with the chicken, and roast. Not simple at all. He pressed on with the chicken anyway. He had the vegetables in the pan and ready to go. He just needed to finish the chicken. He had it buttered and seasoned, it in the pan before he remembered the giblets.
Now he had his hand down the chicken's neck, pulling out the guts. As a surgeon this really shouldn't bother him, yet somehow it grossed him out. When he got the last of it, he chucked it all in the trash and washed his hands. He got the bird in the oven as fast as he could and headed for the shower. He couldn't wait to wash himself clean of that.
After he got out of the shower, he pulled on a crisp, clean navy button down shirt and his grey slacks. H wanted to look nice for April, since he knew how much she appreciated good old fashioned romance. He added a touch of the cologne he knew she liked and headed into the kitchen to check on his bird. He opened the oven door slightly and peeked at his entrée. So far so good, he thought to himself.
He got the bottle of wine off the top of the fridge and made quick work of opening it. He grabbed a few glassed from the cabinet and set them next to the bottle. He had borrowed some candles from Callie and had them on the table with two place settings. He pulled a lighter from the drawer and went to light the candles. As he lit the second candle he heard a knock on the door.
He opened the door to see April in a royal blue knee length dress, her red waves cascading down her shoulders. He always thought she was beautiful, but in this moment she topped them all.
"You look beautiful, April," he said as she glided toward him.
"You don't look so bad yourself," she replied kissing him before she walked into the kitchen, "This looks amazing, Jackson."
"Would you like a glass of wine?" he asked gesturing toward the bottle and glasses sitting on the counter.
"Yes, please." she answered walking toward the living room. He followed after her carrying the glasses in one hand and the bottle in the other. She sat on the sofa and he sat kiddie corner from her on the oversized arm chair.
"So," Jackson began timidly, "I was thinking since neither one of us wants to screw this up again we should probably talk about the problems we had the first time around."
"That's probably a good idea," April agreed, taking a sip of her wine, "I should probably go first. I know I have already said this, but I'm sorry I blamed you. I shouldn't have taken out my issues on you. Plus it wasn't your fault at all. I kissed you first. I initiated it. In answer to your question, Jackson, I'm not sorry about what happened between us. The image I had for myself when I was young isn't the same image I have for myself now. It took me a while to understand it all, and I'm really trying hard to leave my issues in the past and start fresh because I love you so much."
April took a deep breath. "Your turn," she added before taking another sip.
"Okay," he began, "I wasn't nearly honest enough with you about how I felt about you. We talked about it but I wasn't able to tell you how I really felt. I've never told anyone I loved them or loved anyone for that matter…until you. My dad walked out on my mom, my sisters, and I before I can even remember. Ever since I've always assumed people I cared about would eventually leave. As I grew up I learned otherwise, but after Mark died that whole mindset came back to me. I hate that I let it get to me and kept me from being honest with you because I've loved you for a long time."
She leaned close to him, grabbed hold of his shirt collar and kissed him softly. Before long, these kisses became passionate, neither coming up for air until a beeping sound that was impossible to ignore.
"What's that?" April asked disoriented in the moment.
"Oh shit! That's the chicken!" Jackson cursed when he realized he'd burned their dinner. Both hurried to the kitchen, April opening the oven door and Jackson grabbing the fire extinguisher. "Great, now I ruined our first real date," Jackson fumed as he slammed it down, "I really wanted it to be nice."
"Jackson," April said softly as she gently touched his biceps causing all the tension to leave him. She brought her hands to his face. "You know," she began, "I never cared what you made for dinner. I just wanted to spend tonight with you." She kissed him before walking over to her phone. "I'm going to order a pizza while you throw that out and pick out a movie," she said as she began to search for the number in her contacts.
Within thirty minutes the pizza had arrived, the charred chicken was in the trash, and Jackson had popped in Ocean's Eleven, a favorite of theirs since intern year. April kicked off her heals and Jackson his shoes as he rolled up his sleeves. April set the pizza down on the coffee table next to the bottle of wine and grabbed two plates.
The two sat down on the sofa, snuggled up next to each other, scarfing down the pie, and legs tangled up on the coffee table as they watched the movie.
"Best first date ever," April whispered in his ear as she kissed his cheek, eliciting a rarely seen Jackson Avery smile.
April was snapped from the memory by the buzzing and beeping of the alarm clock. Slapping the snooze button she turned her attention to her boyfriend.
"If we don't get up, Jackson, we're going to be late. I'm going to take a shower and then I'll work on breakfast while you're in the shower," April told him as she started to get out of bed.
Jackson grabbed her arm before she could even stand up. "Just 5 more minutes," he begged pulling her toward himself in bed as he kissed her lips and then her neck.
"Jackson," she moaned, "we both know 5 minutes is never just 5 minutes…" she trailed off as he slowly worked his way down her neck.
April regained her composure and pulled herself out of bed. "Now we are really going to be late. You probably won't have time to shower and eat," she said as she walked around the bed toward the bathroom.
While her back was to him, he quietly opened the drawer on his bead side table. He peeked in at a little felt box he had for a week now, a fact unknown by April. By the end of their first "date" he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Now he finally had the ring. Next he had work up the nerve to ask her. He had no idea when or how he'd do it. He just knew he would. There wasn't any rush. As she turned around, he quickly shut the drawer.
"Jackson!" she exclaimed noticing he was daydreaming, "Get up already! The head of the board of directors really shouldn't be late two days in a row," she lectured, laughing at the pattern she was creating in his life.
Jackson pouted at her, still keeping her from the shower and getting to work on time. "Fine. I guess you'll just have to join me," she responded with a teasing smile. With that, he jumped out of bed and chased her into the bathroom, eliciting squeals and laughter from the redhead as she turned on the shower while he grabbed her from behind.