Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything remotely attached to this show, only the basis of this story.

CHAPTER TWO
THE UNDERSTANDING

"Dinner?" Lexie raises a brow, tilting her head to one side with a hand on her hip, fingers tapping against her jeans. "Some guy asks you to marry him, out of the blue, and you agree, and then all he can do to ease you into this is dinner?!"

April licks her lips, lowers herself down onto the small sofa in the clothing store. She grasps one of the pink cushions, pulls into her lap comfortingly and plucks the corner, nodding her head slowly.

"I don't think it was really his plan. His publicist kind of- I think she decides stuff for him. I don't know." The redhead shrugs, pouting softly as she looks up to her friend.

The brunette stands with a frown playing on her forehead, lips pursed, "This is crazy." She nods once, eyes wife as though it'll get her message across better.

"I know."

"You agreeing to do this? That's crazy, too."

"I am aware."

"D'you even get a decent wedding dress out of all this?"

"Lexie!" April rolls her eyes, places the cushion back down, drops her hands to her knees, just below the material of her skirt. "Just…tell me I'm not stupid for doing it."

Lexie sighs, "Look, I'm probably not the best person you could ask about this, to be honest. I mean, look, the- He's good looking, right? You could do a hell of a lot worse." She reasons, grinning slightly, "And he's rich, and could probably cater to your every…desire." She stiffs a laugh then, holds up both hands defensively when April quickly tosses the cushion at her.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I! I've seen his hands! You know what they say…" She flicks out her thumb and index finger, waving her hand about. "The distance between the tips is most likely the length of his penis, April. He has long fingers." She states matter-of-factly.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Chill, I'm kidding. But, you know, I'm not." Lexie smirks, smugly placing her hands back on her hips. "Okay. Right." She begins, noticing April's clearly uneasy expression. "Just…walk me through what happened."

"I've explained it all twice already!"

Lexie huffs, folding her arms this time, watching as April slouches back in her seat and leans her head against the back of the comfy sofa. "So…are you sure you want to agree to this? If you marry this guy, your life is going to be changed forever. You do realise that, right?"

April nods, teeth chewing at her bottom lip nervously. "Yeah. I think so."

"No more dates."

"I don't date anyway."

"No more casual sex."

"Do you know me at all?" The redhead blinks, breathing in a sharp intake of air at the thought.

"You're going to have to change your name."

The Kepner name had been around in her family for maybe a quiet hundred years, mostly remaining in Ohio, on the farms. Could she, could her family, handle her name being brought up on the news once it changes? Future hopeful Mayor to marry country girl April Kepner, soon-to-be Avery.

Maybe the headline wouldn't make the news though? If they're already getting married tomorrow tonight and she changes her name straight away then maybe her family wouldn't have to hear about it? Wouldn't need to know that they're second daughter has gone off to another state and become a politician's wife.

Her mother's a teacher, her father's a farmer. Who the hell does she think she is to do this? She doesn't come from a political background. She wasn't brought up worrying about human rights and policies and laws.

She'd always envisioned her wedding to be beautiful, simple. She'd always imagined herself getting married to some vet or a high-ranking employee of some kind.

A courthouse marriage wasn't what she wanted. A hotshot husband wasn't what she'd pictured.

She wanted a house with a white picket fence, not a fancy apartment on the upper side of town. She wanted children and a lifetime of happiness, not some loveless marriage with a man who knew absolutely nothing about her.

She wanted her wedding, and the intimacy that would come with it to be beautiful, meaningful. Not a chore, a favour.

Was she prepared to swap the dreams she'd once had for her recent desires.

She needed the money, and the security, and he seemed like enough of a gentleman.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he'd be even more charming once she got to know him? Maybe she could find herself loving him eventually?

But would she even need to? Unsure on how long they were expecting them to stay married, April couldn't decide whether it was in her best intentions to possibly fall for a man who may never see her as anything more than a favour and an investment.

Could she even live with herself for making a decision like this?

"I know."

"Are you…" The brunette begins, squinting brows eyes slightly, "April, you do know you're probably gonna have to sleep with him?"

"I'm-" April pauses, glancing up at the ceiling with parted lips momentarily, still thinking over her options. "I know."

"It might not be so bad though. So make sure he knows that you're-"

"I know, Lex. I don't need reminding of my prolonged virginity."

"Okay. Just- Are you sure? You can't just rush into this, April. It's life altering." This is the best Lexie, the one that worries.

The temp takes in a deep breath, feels her lungs vibrate as she exhales.

Would she ever find love anyway? Would she ever be courageous enough to find someone to marry her? Would she ever lose her innocence any other way? It's not like men were knocking down her door, trying to win her heart.

Why not give him a chance? And, even if it goes bad, at least she'll have tried, learned something from the experience. Granted, the "experience" will have changed her life but it had to be worth a shot, right? And it would solve all of her problems, despite how selfish she felt for thinking of it.

"I'm sure, Lex."

"Okay." Her best friend smiles reassuringly, supporting her decision. It's her life after all, she was just an advisor. "So, when is the dinner?"

"In…" April glances down at her watch, "two hours!"

Her eyes bulge then and Lexie claps both hands together, "Well, we need to hurry up and get you ready then!"

"Am I that hideous?"

"You're that…basic, April. Sorry to tell you." The brunette points out, "Have you seen Michelle Obama? She has class. You have…ass. And it's nice ass. I'm sure he'll love it. But, you know, we need to focus on scrubbing you up all nice and fancy now, don't we?"

"You're really not helping my confidence here, you know? How is it going to be believable that he'd marry someone that looks like me when he looks like…that?" She pauses, her eyes catching sight of the television playing in the food court across the way. Pointing a finger out at the image of her impending groom grinning smugly to whatever he was being asked on the screen, "Come on!"

"I am going to make you look totally fuckable, alright?"

"Lexie!"

"Oh, hush!"

Somehow, Amelia had managed to score her address and arrange for some driver to pick her up.

Heading out of her apartment building and into the chilly Seattle air in a short dress was already a step too far for April, but having an a-little-bit-too-shiny black car pull up and a man open the door for her and offer her a drink in the backseat was way tok much for her to handle.

It was strange. Being waited upon, treated like some sort of prize, gift, when in reality she wasn't the kind of person who deserved or needed such things.

She could have driven herself to the restaurant, or bar, or whatever. And she definitely wouldn't have been drinking on the way over.

She had the impression that Jackson was nice, decent, would at least pick her up himself if her was going to force her into a private car.

But, no, he was nowhere to be seen until she arrived at the bar, and the attendee led her to his table, and she'd found him in deep conversation on the phone.

He was obviously busy, so she could kind of excuse him for his absence in the car. But it was still ridiculous.

She tugs on the edge of her dress as she nears the table, glancing around at her surroundings timidly. It's dark, and loud over in the opposite corner of the room, probably from a bunch of women enjoying their Friday night a little bit too much.

"Hi." She speaks softly, biting into her bottom lip as she stops in front of her, purse clasped in front of her lap.

Jackson nods once, glances up at her with a small smile, still clearly distracted by his call. He mouths something to her but she's too out of her comfort zone to try and interpret the word, and he gestures a hand down beside him, urging her to sit down.

She slides in the booth by his side, thighs pressing closely together with uncertainty and she even contemplates leaving as she places her small clutch on the a-little-bit-too-shiny black table.

Maybe this, all of it, was a bad idea. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this?

Could she handle these dark restaurants and secluded conversations, and having to sit through it all in a dress that she felt was too tight, and heels she couldn't wait to get out of.

Lexie had talked her into wearing a cream coloured tight-fitting dress, with short sleeves and stopping mid-thigh.

It was so far out of April's usual sense of fashion, that she'd refused at first, held up her own for a good thirty minutes until her friend had pointed out that he'd appreciate it.

She never did anything to impress a man, her very short list of ex-flames proving that to be true. But he was going to be different. She'd have to alter her ways slightly.

Granted, he needed her just as much as she needed his offer, but he could probably find at least ten other girls like her in the Seattle area. She was just convenient, and probably a little bit too innocent, which was probably why she was chosen.

April crosses her legs after a second's thought, deciding that her unbearable heels would be easier to manage if she was only relying on one of them. They were a deep nude colour, contrasting perfectly with her pale skin, and Lexie had curled her hair to one side, applied the faintest but kindest touches of makeup to her face.

She had to admit that she looked nice, a definite upgrade from her usual flats and floral skirts. But was it not too much of a change?

"Hi."

She turns at the sound of his voice then, feels the heat radiating from his smile catch her gaze.

April licks her lips, "Hey." She tightens her grip on the edge of the table, taps her fingertips against the side.

"Did you already eat?"

"Yeah." Lie number one.

Jackson nods then, waves down some waiter that seems to be lingering in the corner at his every beck and call for the night.

He orders some drinks, decides in her place. Of course. He probably thinks she's uncultured and unable to know a good drink when she sees one.

"So," He folds both hands together on the table, facing her again, "How are you?"

Damn, he has piercing eyes. And that smile could probably break her heart if she let it.

"I'm okay." She manages to squeak, almost hitting herself in the face as she realises what she must have sounded like. "I mean, I'm, you know, I'm alright."

April nods, mostly to herself, feeling a soft blush rush to her cheeks when he grins, obviously amused by her awkwardness.

"I'm alright, too, by the way." He informs her, brows knitting as the waiter brings over a tray.

"Sorry." She ducks her head, takes a deep breath and glances down at his outfit. Who the heck can pull off just a simple pair of black trousers and a white shirt and tie so good? And it's dark!

"Nah, I get it." He offers her a drink. Martini. Damn it. He literally means business.

April kindly accepts the glass, feels her shoulders drop a little more comfortably when he licks his lips, tastes his own scotch. She gulps, flicks her eyes over him, studying his frame. And then her eyes drop to his hands and she feels her face flush, her cheeks and neck reddening softly. Luckily, he can't tell the difference of in her complexion, his green eyes darkened by the crappy-but-probably-actually-very-fancy lighting around them.

Did he pick this little spot intentionally?

"Tell me about yourself, April Kepner." He raises a brows, faces her again and watches her expression change, from surprise to a smile.

"I- Uh-" She starts, places her glass back down on the table, messes with the small straw. "I'm from Ohio." She holds back from telling him that she comes from a farm. Maybe that'd be off-putting. And she's put in the effort up until now so she really doesn't want him flacking just because she grew up with cows and chickens.

"Yeah." He nods, waits for her continue. So he's not even going to share anything about himself?

"And, I-" She shrugs, swallows a sharp breath before picking her glass back up, holding it the way Lexie had showed her how to. Wrap your fingers around the stem and make it classy, April!

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to right now. But I will need to know about you eventually, April." He grins, leans closer towards her, "And I plan to learn everything about you."

She loosely smiles, feels her breath stop when he drops his hand to her knee softly, only for a fraction of a second, only momentarily.

"Why do you need to know everything about me?"

"Because once we go through with this, people could use information about you against me. You need to be completely honest with me." Jackson explains, hand falling to the space between them on the leather seat.

April watches as he blinks repeatedly, tongue grazing his lower lip as he talks.

"What kind of information?" Not that she has anything to hide, any dead bodies under her belt.

"I'm gonna need to know about your family, and where you grew up." She stills then, obviously aware that she'll have to tell him about the farm. "I'm gonna need the names of anybody you've ever had sexual contact with, stemming from a kiss to intercourse."

He speaks so eloquently about sex and she has to stiff a laugh, holding a hand up against her mouth when he frowns, noticing her pause. "Sorry."

Yeah, that isn't going to be a long list.

April clears her throat then, eyes wide as she engages his full attention again, "What else?"

"Your friends, your circle of people, your family. We're going to need you to lie to them, April."

"I-" Could she even do that? "What about just one person? My best friend, she- She would never tell anybody." She nods, tries to reason with him, swallows a nervous breath when he continues to frown. Lexie already knows. Oops. Maybe they should have mentioned this earlier.

"No." He firmly tells her, "Look, I'm sorry but we can't have anybody know about this being a business arrangement. It could backfire on all of us. Okay?" His voice deepens and she nods slowly after a moment, eyes lowering to her thighs when his hand drops to her knee again.

He doesn't let go this time, however.

"Are you positive that you want to do this?" Jackson lifts a brow, erases his seemingly semi-permanent frown. "I would understand if you didn't, April. I wouldn't hold it against you. It's a lot to process in such short time."

"I just fail to see how I'm the best candidate, I suppose." The redhead confesses, brushing her hair behind her ear even though it doesn't fall, and her eyes shift back and forth from his face to his hand on her skin.

"You're you."

"You don't know me"

"But I will do." He swallows, nostrils flaring for a brief moment and she could swear she sees his gaze drop to her lips. "You seem opinionated, April. Which is good. We need that, I need that. It's gonna me. You get to do whatever you want at a small price and in return I get you."

"What do you mean, 'you get me'?"

Jackson chuckles, shifts his hand from her knee to her thigh, long fingers wrapping around her flesh softly.

She would smack him away if he was anybody else. But he's nice and he isn't exactly pressuring her into doing anything and she's going to marry him anyway.

"I get your image, April." He reassures her, though she's still sure there will be more to their agreement. "The women of this city seem to have a problem with me, and-"

"Because you flirt with them." She slips out suddenly,clamping a hand over her mouth as soon as she realises her spill.

He stares at her, slightly stunned by her outburst, "I- What?"

"When you- when you're on TV or whatever. You- you do this thing where you smile and you like bat your eyelashes without actually doing it. It's like you're trying to score some brownie points just by flirting with women you've never even spoken to."

"Okay…"

"And then, I mean, you've got that whole six-pack thing going on. I mean, did you really need to do that photoshoot in just your pants? Was that for the women, too? I don't think it worked. And you obviously know it didn't. While you're certainly charming and attractive, women aren't as foolish as they once were. We can see through it. You can be a little transparent."

He just sits there smirking to himself as she rambles, continues on about why his campaign for the women's vote hasn't worked thus far.

"See?"

"What?" Her eyes widen, realising what she's just done.

"You're opinionated. You know what women want, and what they need. Women will love you."

"So… I'm like the mayonnaise to your french fries." She tries, herself confused by her comparison, a little embarrassed by it even. Great. Now he probably thinks she's an idiot.

"You're like my mayonnaise, yeah." He confirms, holds back a grin when she blushes.

April lets out a small giggle at her own expense, head throwing back against the back of the booth, "That was a really bad example. I'm sorry."

"It was fine."

"I guess we're gonna have to work on my slang."

"I'm gonna have to Eliza Doolittle you into the real world of politics." He teases her, proudly smiling when she laughs, closes her eyes and feels her chest pant as she breaths.

"Like the movie, yes!"

"Yeah."

This is exactly why he (and his advisers) wanted her. She's sweet, clearly too down-to-Earth for her own good.

"Educate me." She picks up her glass, chews off the olive from the small stick tastefully, unaware of his hungered gaze sweeping over her features.

She's gentle, soft, womanly but with young eyes.

"Right now?"

"Yes!" April turns to face him fully, ignoring the feeling his hand sparks when it slides further up her thigh as she shifts.

She folds one leg beneath the other, sits sideways and drops her hands to her lap, contemplating whether or not she should try and touch his hand

She doesn't have to, because he does it first, moves his fingers across her lap until he taps against the back of her hand, eyes oh her face.

"What do you want a lesson on?"

She bats her lashes, feels her past discomfort no longer present, suddenly at a complete ease around him. She needs to get used to this anyway, to being around him, and having him touch her.

"Everything."

She nods eagerly as she speaks, licking her lips dryly and watches his own face, noticing his change of expression, darker, tanned skin glistening in the lighting.

"You need to be more specific." Jackson informs her, eyes squinting at the corners as he takes in her body, face and mind, taking in the way she keeps glancing down at his mouth.

"Well, I'm not very experienced." She tells him, biting into her bottom lip for a moment before she continues, clearing up the air before he gets the right idea. "In politics, that is."

"Just in politics?" He picked it up, didn't he? The smirk on his face confirms it. Damn it. But he plays along, lifting his other hand to the side of her neck gently.

"Yeah." She breathes out, feels her skin erupt in goosebumps when his right hand cups her jaw and he nears her, gaze lowered solely on her lips.

April raises a hand to his own face, pressing her index and middle fingers to his chin, running the pads of her fingertips over his bottom lip softly.

Her palm scrapes against the gentle scruff of his jaw, eyes unable to tear away from his.

Is this what being married to him would be like? She could do this all day.

They don't move for a moment, and the only sounds she can hear are of her own breathing, and the sound of her deep gulps burning her eardrums.

She breaks the silence eventually though, feeling her legs clamp shut when his hand traces higher, just below the edge of her dress. Oh, crap.

"I need to pee." She doesn't.

"Oh." He knits both brows, removes his hand from her lap as she goes to move, unfolding her legs and shuffling out of the booth, making sure her dress is still covering her thighs.

April smiles, takes a final sip of her drink as she stands up, grabbing her clutch from the table and walking around towards the front. "I'll be right back."

He just watches as she goes to the end of their little room, stops to ask the waiter for directions towards the restroom.

April walks away with heavy breaths, her chest tight as she thinks over what had just happened. How is she supposed to do this?

She stops at the sinks when she slips into the women's bathroom. Resting her clutch down in front of her, she drops her eyes to the tiled floor, taking deep breaths.

"April?"

Her back stiffens when she hears the familiar voice, and she slowly glances up to see Arizona stood beside her at the sink, body facing her directly and eyes shocked.

The blonde woman hitches a brow, looks her up and down accusingly, "Is this why you didn't want to come out with us tonight?"

Is it- Was it here?! Damn it.

"I- Uhm…"

"I get it, April. You had a date. That's cool. You could've just told me." Arizona smiles reassuringly, resting a hand on her shoulder as she stands up straight, taking one final sharp intake of air.

"It's not-"

"You look hot, by the way! He must be worth it, because wowza!"

The women begin to head out of the bathroom and April hopes to God that nobody else from the office sees her here, or that Arizona doesn't drag her off towards their table for a little visit.

"Where is he, huh?" The older blonde grins, folding her arms over chest and messing with her heart necklace as she glances around the bar, searching for her colleague's supposed date.

"He's-"

April grits her teeth behind closed lips when she spots Jackson approach them out of the corner of her eye.

Arizona turns around them, as though on time because she knew of his arrival.

Her eyes widen as the man stops beside them, hands behind his back and a smile plastered on his lips.

"Oh, hi!" The blonde greets him, "Boss, what are you doing here?"

Because Arizona works closely with him. Because Arizona knows him. Because Arizona knows him as her boss and not as a boss and future husband.

"I'm here with my fiancée." He tells her, voice low, husky as he talks and April's breath catches when he flicks her a brief glance.

"Oh, uh, you're engaged?" Arizona pouts as she shakes her head, expression turning to a smile, "I must have missed that memo. But, wow! Congratulations."

"Thank you." Jackson grins smugly, slowly moves a hand to the low of April's back and keeps his eyes focused on Arizona for a second longer, waiting for her reaction. "You ready to go?"

The redhead looks up at him curiously, forehead creased and mouth dry. "Yeah." She whispers, turning back to her friend with an uneasy smile.

Arizona glances between the pair, keeping a disbelieving but stunned look on her face, eyes wide and lips pursed.

"You-?" She waves a finger around, a little confused by the image in front of her. When the hell did this happen?

"We'll see you around, Robbins. Enjoy your night." Jackson nods once, twice, slips his hand on the redhead's back around her waist, pulling her into his side comfortably.

April quickly says her goodbyes to the blonde, shooting her a look over Jackson's shoulder.

I'm fine. Don't worry. I agreed to this.

NOTE: I loved writing it and I'm loving this story, and as long as you all love it too then that gives me more fuel to write more of it, and quicker even. So, tell me what you think please, and mostly just enjoy! :) x

I imagine some lovely guest reviewers will have some harsh words to say about this because it doesn't feature rape, or unicorns or rainbows, or women portrayed as submissive creatures to their men, and well, it's by me. This piece of work has feminist undertones, so if you'd rather spike your interest with a story about abuse against women and violent men, then look elsewhere. Excuse me for actually being able to write something good, of substance, in-character. Feel free to read and review something else if you already know you don't like me. Leaving anonymous hate is laughable. Have fun.