A/N: Once again, thanks for reviewing! Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: Same as always!

Chapter 5 – Perfect

Anderson smiled and rested his hand on April's knee as she ate her lunch with her colleagues. He had grown accustomed to eating lunch everyday with April, Jackson, Alex, Cristina, and Meredith, and in fact, he kind of enjoyed it. The food wasn't terrible and their conversations, from hospital gossip to ground-breaking surgeries, were always interesting.

Cristina grinned excitedly as her pager went off. "Teddy is paging me! Gotta go!"

"Why is she so happy?" Anderson whispered to April.

"We all get excited for surgery," she smiled.

"You guys are weird," he teased light-heartedly.

He was lost in a lot of surgical talk when Dr. Hunt and Dr. Sloan approached their table.

"Are you all coming to the basketball game this weekend against Seattle Pres?" Hunt asked as he looked at each resident individually.

"Yes Chief," they all answered in unison.

The women looked less than enthused but Jackson and Alex were clearly looking forward to it.

"And how's our star player feeling?" Sloan asked as he placed his hands on Jackson's shoulders.

"I feel good, sir," Jackson chuckled.

"Thank God we're better at basketball than we are at softball," Hunt stated gratefully and everyone at the table nodded in agreement. His eyes lit up when he locked gazes with Anderson. "Mr. Matthews, I seem to recall you saying that you played college basketball."

Anderson nodded, "I did play college ball."

"Where?" Hunt asked curiously.

"He went to Duke," April chirped happily.

Sloan whistled, Alex stopped eating he was so impressed, and Jackson was trying his best not to look annoyed and bitter.

Hunt pointed at Anderson and smiled gleefully. "Until after our game against Seattle Pres you are the chief resident's administrative assistant."

"Cool," Anderson smiled.

"You don't have to play basketball for the hospital," April stated once they retreated to her office for a little privacy.

"I know," Anderson grinned. "I want to. It should be fun."

April reached up and placed her hand on his chest, over his ICD. "You'll be okay?"

"Yeah," he answered firmly. "I know how to pace myself."

April walked towards her desk and picked a paperback novel up off of a large stack of files. "I finished your book. I loved it," she smiled brightly. She had finally gotten the opportunity to buy and read Anderson's first novel and it was well worth her time and effort.

"Thanks." He grinned shyly before he placed a hand under her chin and titled her head up for a kiss. "A beautiful woman telling me she loved my book is an incredible turn on," he murmured.

She laughed and felt her face flush. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders to return the kiss and he began to pull her back towards her sofa. Normally, she would be the last person to fool around in the workplace but they would page her if they needed her, and Anderson was hard to say no to. She fell back onto the couch as they kissed and he gently lay down on top of her.

"Ya know," he laughed, "there's something about these scrubs and coat that I find incredibly sexy." He kissed down her neck as he pushed her white coat off of her shoulders.

"Now that's kind of weird," she giggled.

One of Anderson's large hands slipped into her scrub pants and she froze. They had been going out for almost a month and their physical intimacy was still very innocent because she kept putting off "the talk". She assumed that he was either getting fairly impatient or confused by now so she couldn't stay silent any longer. She clasped his wrist in her hand and pulled away from his hungry kiss.

"Hold on a second," she panted. She kissed him chastely and smiled to break the tension. "Anderson, I've been meaning to tell you something but I keep getting really nervous and…"

He cut off her ranting with a kiss and smiled. "Hey, hey, slow down." He ran a hand through her hair and then ran his thumb along her cheekbone. "Just tell me," he whispered quietly.

"I'm a…I've never…I'm 29 years old and I've never…" She stopped talking and groaned in frustration. "I'm a virgin!" She finally blurted out. She watched him process the information before the shock registered on his face. "Whatever you say right now, just be honest."

"Well," he chuckled awkwardly as he brushed her hair out of her face. "I can't say that I'm not surprised because you're so…I find you to be overwhelmingly beautiful…but I don't have a problem with you being a virgin. We can go as slow as you want."

"Really?" She squeaked.

"Yeah, really," he repeated. "I really like you April."

She smiled and pulled him down for another kiss. "I really like you too," she spoke against his lips.

"I just hate that guy," Jackson grumbled petulantly as he watched Anderson snake his arm around April's waist as they laughed with Hunt.

The Seattle Grace Mercy West surgical team was celebrating their basketball win over Seattle Presbyterian at his place and Anderson Matthews was the center of attention. Jackson loved basketball, he had played basketball his whole life, and he was really good…but Anderson was better. He had played for Duke for God's sake, as if Jackson didn't hate the guy enough already. Anderson's all-star performance was also earning him quite a bit of attention from April.

Karev walked up to him and handed him a beer. "Looks like you could use one of these."

"Thanks man," he replied gratefully.

"No problem. There has to be something wrong with him, he seems too perfect," Karev commented as he sipped his own beer.

Jackson glared at him. "You're not helping."

Karev laughed and Jackson sighed. He never thought in a million years that Alex Karev would become his confidant. But then again, he never thought that he would fall for April Kepner. He could barely recall his first impression of her. He remembered a girl who was shy and timid around her fellow interns, yet a perky, know-it-all in front of the residents and attendings. He had tonnes of memories with her in the background from his early days at Mercy West but since moving to Seattle Grace, she had become the most important person in his life. He couldn't stop thinking about her now.

Karev interrupted his musings with a blunt question. "Are you going to tell her how you feel anytime soon?"

"I already tried," he answered in frustration.

"Well try again," Karev prompted passionately. "I'm sick and tired of watching you mope."

April smiled at the man in her bed as she closed her bedroom door. After a great but long day, she had invited Anderson to spend the night with her. He was so wonderful with the people that she worked with, social, engaging, and understanding. And watching him play basketball had gotten her a little hot and bothered.

She crawled into her bed and straddled his lap. "Did you have a good time today?"

He slipped both of his hands underneath her t-shirt and stroked her sides. "Yeah, I really did," he smiled. "I goof around with my friends all the time but I haven't played a really competitive game of basketball in a really long time." He laughed, "You guys really hate Seattle Presbyterian."

"Just hospital rivalry," she explained.

She leaned forward and kissed him passionately. "Thank you for spending all day with the people I work with," she murmured.

He grinned, "I'll do it every day if that's how you thank me."

She laughed and grabbed his face to kiss him again. "It really meant a lot to me."

"I had fun but you can thank me one more time if you want," he teased.

She smiled and shook her head at his playfulness as she climbed off of him and lay on her side. She pulled him close and kissed him goodnight. She was happy and content. The man lying next to her was practically perfect but something felt different…off. His frame was longer and not as warm as the man that she was used to sleeping beside, Jackson's embrace felt more protective.

It took her much longer to get to sleep than it normally did.

Jackson sat at his kitchen table, in the dark, and repetitively drummed his fingers against the tabletop as he nursed a glass of water. He was unable to sleep. Normally that problem would constitute a visit to his best friend's room but she had company. Jackson clenched his teeth at the thought of Anderson sleeping over. He really didn't like the idea of another man sleeping in her bed.

As if on cue, Anderson walked into the kitchen in his boxers, and he seemed startled to see him sitting at the table.

"Oh, hey, I just came down for a glass of water."

Jackson nodded and neglected to verbally respond. He assumed that Anderson could find the glasses on his own. This was the first time that he had been alone with the older man since he was a patient and Jackson was not exactly in the right mood to be in this particular situation.

"You played great today," Anderson started conversationally. "We should play one on one sometime."

Jackson knew that the man standing in his kitchen was a nice guy but he couldn't stop the disdain that dripped from his words when he spoke. "So, you're spending the night now?"

Anderson was taken aback and he instantly got defensive. "Yes, not that it's any of your business."

"It is my business," he stated firmly.

"Excuse me?"

Jackson stood up from the table and crossed the kitchen so that he and Anderson were face to face, almost chest to chest. "She's my best friend so it is my business to make sure that you're not using her."

"I'm not using her," Anderson replied definitely.

"Do you know anything about her?" He questioned quickly. "Do you know why she became a doctor?" Anderson shook his head and something inside of Jackson snapped, and he couldn't stop himself from talking. "Her mom is a teacher. Her dad's a farmer. She has three sisters, four nieces, and two nephews. She wanted to be a cheerleader in high school but she didn't think she was pretty enough. She did her undergrad at Ohio State because she didn't want to be far from her family. Her best friend died in a shooting almost two years ago. She's terrified of fires because it reminds her of the first patient whose death she was responsible for. She has a beautiful voice but doesn't let people hear her sing. When we were interns she often sang to the babies in the nursery and was embarrassed when we caught her. And," he sighed with a smile, "when she has a bad day, she talks in her sleep. She's almost unbearably kind; she'll let you have the last cup of coffee in the pot. She's crazy competitive in everything that she does and she's a perfectionist but she's sensitive and a tad self-conscious." He paused and took in the look of astonishment on Anderson's face. "She's special. She's my best friend, I know her better than anyone else, and it is my business to make sure that you're not using her. You seem to make her happy so if you're going to be spending the night then get to know her."

Jackson turned around and started to head out of the kitchen when Anderson's voice stopped him.

"Is that all she is to you?"

"What?" He asked in confusion. He didn't even turn back around to face the other man.

"Is that all she is to you? Your best friend?" Anderson clarified his question and there was a note of sadness in his voice.

"No," Jackson answered simply before he walked away.

A/N: How cute is Jackson? Lol. I just couldn't resist making April a singer. Sarah Drew has an amazing voice for those of you who haven't heard. Thanks for the strong response to this story. Continue reviewing! :)