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

CHAPTER SEVEN
THE DETRACTION

"So, just how is married life treating you?"

Alice slides into the seat across pfrom her sister, palms spread across the sticky wooden table and eyes wide, curiosity evident.

"It's good." The older Kepner smiles the faintest of acknowledgements, crossing her legs and dropping her hands into her lap properly, like a lady, like she thinks she should.

Alice rolls her eyes, dabs a finger against the sticky, round print left behind on the table, "Good? Is that it?" Her tone pitches as she talks, feigned surprise passing her sister by. "You mean there's no honeymoon period?"

"Well, I- Well, yeah. Yes." April nods slowly, unsurely, chewing at her lip and curling her tongue for a second. "Of course, there is a honeymoon period. Have you seen him? I can't keep my hands off him!"

She grins with wide eyes, half convincing her younger sibling that she was actually telling the truth.

Alice would fall for it if she didn't already know otherwise.

"I just meant, you know, it's good because I have nothing to compare it to." She raises her shoulders before dropping them, shrugging nonchalantly as a waiter approaches their table.

They order their food after a very quick glander at the menu, deciding on a basket-full of french fries and some chicken sandwiches with weird names that Alice can't even begin to pronounce.

She's surprised even April can. Had she been practicing? Perfecting the curl of her tongue, learning new words?

"I was thinking that when we've eaten, and gotten Lib and Kim back from wherever they went, we can go down to that lingerie place."

Alice picks up a breadstick from the pot in front of her, biting into the end of it with a smirk.

"Um…why?" The older sister frowns, feeling her muscles tighten at the dreadful idea of spending time looking at fancy, overpriced, skimpy underwear.

"Because your sex life is only good, and I think we can make it great."

"And underwear is the way to do that?"

"And lingerie is the way to do that." Alice points out, with a raised brow and a smug grin spread across her lips. "That husband of yours sure seems like the kind of man who'd enjoy it."

To Alice, Jackson came across as caring but demanding, only half of what she'd always envisioned as a spouse for her older sister.

He's playing her, or maybe they're even playing a game together, against one another. But Alice is certain is only going to end up losing to the city's favourite former bachelor.

"You mean he seems like a pervert?"

"No." She trails the word, eyes wide in amusement as her sibling's naiveté. "I mean he's a man man, not a man. You know? They like feeling in control, and powerful, and-"

"That's already his job." April falters, plucking another breadstick from the bunch and twirling it around as she talks. "And that makes no sense. I don't- I don't see how me in lacy underwear could make him feel more powerful. That's just-" She haunches her shoulders, lips curled up at the sides. "I don't get it."

"Maybe that's why your sex life is only good."

"Yeah, well, maybe so. He's just gonna have to deal with it."

The younger Kepner had thought that talking about sex and anything remotely related to the topic would break April's façade, but it hadn't.

Growing up, the older sister had always been awkward talking about certain things, intercourse being a key problem area for her. She blushed, and got weird, and stuttered whenever someone asked something that made her slightest bit uncomfortable.

But now, now that she was all grown up, and finally able to act her age, and not feel as anxious around attractive men and the conversation starter that was sex, she was different, Alice had noticed.

Her big sister was a woman now, a married, made-over, beautiful woman.

But behind the twisted kind of game she was playing with a man so perfectly suited for her, her marriage was still just a sham, and her sex life was still at ground zero, but at least her lying skills had considerably improved.

And Alice was determined to get her to come clean. But that's not to say she wasn't happy for her.

"Who wants lingerie?!" There's a cry of joy behind April's head as he older sister approaches, carrying bright pink bags full of stuff.

Kimmie grins as she waves her new purchases around, stepping up by the side of their lunch table and pinching a breadstick.

"Have you ordered already?"

"Yep. Yeah, we have." April nods, reaching down by her side to retrieve her purse, "But you know what? I think I, uh, forgot something back at the office, so- So, you guys enjoy your lunch, and- I'm sure you can make your way back to the apartment safely, right?" She hitches a brow, stands up to pull down the edge of her skirt, "Enjoy my sandwich. I'll see you later."

If it were any other day, she'd feel guilty about leaving her three sisters in some mall in a city foreign to them.

But guilt was on the bottom of her priority list today; curiosity was first.

"You can't go in there!" Amelia tries to stop her from entering the man's office, with a hand out in front of her chest and a file between her fingertips.

"I'm his wife, I can go wherever I want." The redhead informs her, arms folded over her chest as she peeks over the brunette's shoulder. "You told me that."

"Yes, well, I shouldn't have done in so many words."

The assistant moves to step in front of her completely, curled hair blocking the glass door from sight.

"Amy. Please."

"He's busy."

April takes a small second to ponder the possibilities before she asks her question, eyes sharp and lips dry. "Is there a woman in there?"

There's a silence and April receives all the answers she needs when she hears a woman's groan sound from inside her husband's office.

Maybe she should have had sex with him. Maybe her presence and allowance to let him maybe get to third base wasn't enough.

"Amelia."

"It's not what you think." The brunette rolls her eyes before sliding the stack of folders down onto some intern's desk and grabbing April by the arms. "It's his mother."

"His-" The redhead stammers, brushing her hair behind her ears and widening her eyes. She nods once, tries to comprehend the situation. "Oh."

"Yes, and she's not exactly… How do I put this?" Amelia pauses, shifting her eyes around the room as she spins to face the office, allowing April a look into the room. "…sweet? Yeah. She's not sweet. She's hardcore."

"Right." April gulps, almost chocking on a swallowed breath. She inhales deeply, "Does she know? You know, about me?"

The publicist nods straight away then, "Oh, yeah. She's been in on it since day one." She begins to walk towards her boss' office and stops outside with her palm wrapped around the handle. "She just wants what's best for her son."

"So she's not going to terrorise me?"

With a light laugh from the brunette, April steps beside her.

"No. She cares. If Jackson likes you, and chose you, then she'll like you, too." She nods to affirm her words, adding a quick 'maybe' as an afterthought.

April brushes a hand through her curls swiftly, her sisters long forgotten for the moment. Her new mother-in-law is a much bigger priority right now.

"So what exactly is she here for?"

"I'm not supposed to say, April."

She sympathises, fingers curling around the metal handle tighter as Catherine Avery approaches the doorway.

"Five, four, three…two…"

Amelia drags the glass door open then, just as the older woman in the office reaches for the handle.

April feels all of the air in her lungs evaporate when she looks in her direction, eyes shining but dangerous at the same time.

Catherine casts her up and down, much like Jackson once had, taking in her appearance.

"You must be my daughter-in-law."

"Yeah. Yes. Yes, I am- Hello." April clenches her fist at her slip, chewing into her bottom lip as she forces a smile to match the woman's polite one. "I'm April."

The darker skinned woman raises a sharp brow at her introduction. "You're plain."

"Mom."

The redhead peers over the woman's shoulder to see her husband stood against the door, arms folded over his chest in irritation.

"Don't 'mom' me! It's a good kind of plain. She looks nice. Simple, but…nice."

"I'm not simple." April feels the need to unconsciously interject, lips parted after her words escape in surprise.

Catherine smirks at that, tilting her head to one side and eyeing her carefully. "No, I suppose you're not." She squints, turns to face her son proudly. "I like her."

"Great." Jackson fakes a smile, clearly careless about his mother's opinion on his wife.

"I need to talk to you, actually."

If she's already got an in with the mother, then she might as well continue down her warpath.

"I need to talk to you, too." He nods over at April, ushering her into the room and waiting for his mother to move from the doorway.

"Oh, well, I see how it is. I'll plan a dinner for us later then, alright? April, you're welcome to join."

Catherine grins, glancing back and forth between the two younger adults cautiously.

"Don't do anything I would do."

"Bye." Jackson slams the door as she leaves, eyes rolling in annoyance.

He runs a hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose with a deep sigh.

April settles down into the seat in front of his desk as he copies, dropping into his warmed, comfortable, warn chair. "Does Alice know?"

"What?"

"I mean, does she- Does she knows that we're- Fake? Has she said anything to you?"

"April, I've barely spent five minutes with either one of your sisters." Jackson replies, brows raised and eyes flickering over her face as he licks his lips, convincing her of his words.

Is this what she meant when she said he played with women?

Probably.

Could he let her know that her little sister was in on their little act?

Definitely not.

She'd cave.

"Right. Yeah." She nods to herself mostly, slouching in the seat and dropping her handbag down onto the carpeted floor. Her heels dig into the soft rug, and she flings her coat over the arm of the chair. "Of course."

"Yeah, so, listen-" He begins, standing up again after a second's thought and walking over to her side of his desk, shifting onto the edge and sliding his hands in his pockets. "We have a problem. That- That's why my mom was here."

"What is it?" April perks up, lifting her gaze to meet his own intense one.

Money? Business? Tabloids?

"Somebody I once had a…fling…with…is claiming I got her pregnant."

Damn. Shit. Fuck.

"What?"

Her nostrils flare in disbelief, eyes widening with a sharp sting behind her lids.

Of course. He'd be too smart to have an affair in his office. Of course, he'd done it somewhere else, just to spite her.

"I didn't, April." He blinks, leaning down to face her more directly.

His eyes are convincing her of his truth, but she's begun to learn how he operates.

"I don't- It's been like ten years like we had sex."

"Who is she?"

"A girl from my high school. I went back home over Christmas, you know, and met up with a bunch of people from back then. She was there, but I don't- We didn't have sex."

"So she's, what, lying?"

"She's telling the press that I knocked her up and then told her to abort the baby. Now she's asking for money." He groans, picking up a newspaper from his desk and handing it over to his wife.

April takes in the cover story of the local newspaper, a woman around her age with dark skin and glasses gracing the cover with her hands clutching her stomach. "Adored and abandoned"?

"This is so television movie, I swear."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Look, you don't. You can't, really. I'd be surprised if you ever trusted me, to be honest. But, right now, I really need you to." He nods, blinks rapidly with deeper green eyes than his usual. "I was abstinent back then. I didn't- I haven't had sex in like a year, okay? Believe me. And I'm not rushing into it again."

She feels her cheeks flush at his words, for some unknown reason, and she finds herself willing to believe him.

"You're not?"

"It ruins things, April." Her husband frowns, "And I don't want to ruin this."

"Oh." She breathes out, feeling a weight placed on her chest as her body tightens.

Damn.

"I want you, when I'm ready, and when you're ready." He divulges, searching her gaze for some hope, "I want you, and I think I've known that since before I even met you. There's a little secret for you."

"You're really good with words, you know." She grins girlishly, ducking her head to hide her reddened cheeks.

He lowers himself down to her level, hands on her knees, "I know." He smirks boyishly, "But before we get into any of that, I need to fix this."

"We need to fix this. We're a team now. For better or for worse, right? I think this constitutes a worst case scenario, don't you?"

"April, tell me a little bit more about yourself." Catherine leans back against her padded seat as the waiter pours her a little more wine.

They've enjoyed a three-course meal by the time the interrogation comes around.

With her sisters back at the apartment, keeping busy in their antics and probably snooping through the married couple's stuff, April had somehow managed to make it through dinner unscathed.

The mother-in-law is buzzed from her wine, but her tongue is still sharp and her stare is still intimidating as heck.

They've talked about work, and Boston, and family. But now the conversation has shifted onto the latest physical addition to the Avery Foundation.

"There's not much to tell."

"Oh, I don't believe that for a minute. My son can't stop talking about you. Seems to me like there's a lot to tell."

The former intern feels Jackson grasp her hand beneath the table, thumb running over her palm and pads of his fingertips smoothing her freckled flesh.

April smiles softly, muses Catherine's curiosity.

"Really?" She smiles at her husband from the corner of her eye for a second until she catches sight of something more alarming.

"Not that much." The businessman smirks with a casual shrug, denying his mother's truthful claims. He wraps an arm around the back of April's seat as she leans forward, keeping her gaze locked on something, someone across the room. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Ignoring the nickname and the desire to internally shriek, April loosely shakes her curls, pulling down the edge of her evening dress.

She holds up a finger and smiles over at Catherine politely. "Would you excuse me for a second?"

"Of course." The Avery woman waves out both hands, freely letting her new daughter stand up and exit the table. She waits until April is a few steps before speaking, sharing a knowing look with her son. "I can see the appeal."

"The appeal?" He picks up his scotch as his eyes widen and his brows lift, confused by his mother's approval.

"She's wholesome. A good match, good for you."

He sometimes forgets it's all a stunt.

"Right."

"Though I do have to say, she's a little bit odd. I've never known anyone excuse themselves from dinner to chat with a waiter." Catherine purses her lips, clasping her hands beneath her chin, dropping her elbows onto the neat table cloth. "Wait."

"She's just a nice-" Jackson stops as he turns to admire what his mother was so entranced by. "No."

"Yes. I do believe your lovely little wife has spotted your new scandal."

Across the room, April has stopped dead in her tracks in front of a woman of her height, maybe an inch taller, but darker skinned.

Her black curls are worn loosely, pulled to the side. Her glasses adorn her sight and she feels her lungs dry when she spots the redhead.

"Hi."

"Hello." April sweeps her eyes over the woman, trying to refrain herself from accusing her of something without clearance. "I don't believe we've met." She sticks out a hand, almost forces the obviously pregnant woman shake it.

Her stomach now at the stage of protruding, Stephanie Edwards awkwardly shakes her hand, "I don't think we have, no."

"I'm April Avery."

Her mother had always told her to play nice. To make friends and be a good girl and never wrongfully accuse someone without proof.

Her aunt Maisie however? Aunt Maisie had told her to keep her friends close, but her enemies closer.

She'd never given that much thought until now.

"I believe you're supposed to be carrying my husband's child?"

"Yes." Stephanie nods, flicking her gaze over towards the Avery's table. He sighs, scratches her forehead. "Look, I'm only here to talk to him. Not to you."

"Right. Okay." April nods, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear before dropping her hands down in front of her lap, diamond ring flashing smoothly in the dimly lit restaurant. "But, you see, the thing is…He doesn't want to talk to you. But I do."

She taps a finger at her own chest, between her breasts and beneath her simple necklace.

"Because, well, I'm not a fan of women claiming to be birthing my husband's children. Do you see my problem? I mean, if anybody's going to be having his kids, it's gonna be me."

"Why are you convinced he's telling the truth? Did he tell you how he got me pregnant?

"How? No. But let's face it, sex isn't exactly a huge mystery." She opens her hands in front of her, holding them out from each other at a certain distance, smirk toying on her lips.

"This is ridiculous. Look, I just want to talk-"

"No." April denies her, staring her down intently. "My husband, or a reporter looking to make a good buck for a juicy headline, may not know what an actual pregnant woman looks like, but I do. I'm an aunt, three times over, and you? You're not pregnant."

"I am." Stephanie clutches at her stomach at that moment, eyes sweeping the floor as April continues to analyse her.

"If you were, you wouldn't have a minibar-sized bottle of Jack in your handbag or a pack of Malboro Lights. Yes. I'm not blind. Or maybe you are pregnant, but just careless about your baby's health. Which, I mean, I'm sure people would love to hear about an unfit mother trying to raise a child. And if you are pregnant, and Jackson is the father, I'm sure he's gonna have fun in court claiming all parental rights."

"I-"

"I'm talking to you, not with you."

She's either making her mother, and God, very ashamed right.

Or she's making Lexie, and Amelia, and her new family very proud.

You can't win both fights. And she isn't losing this one.

"So, are you pregnant, or are you just trying to extortion my husband?"

"Look, I'm not sure why he married you or what he even sees in you, but I don't think he'd be happy to know his wife was talking to the mother of his unborn child like this."

Whether she was pregnant or not wasn't even Stephanie's biggest problem. And, not that she was, but if she was in fact pregnant, money would definitely be the highest thing on her list of priories.

Her biggest problem? April Avery, née Kepner.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a dinner to get back to." She fakes a smile, biting her lower lip sweetly. "And then I'm gonna go home and blow my husband."

Damn it. What happened to her?

"You expect me to just disappear?"

"No, I expect to see you again. But at least you now know I'm not gonna roll over and let you walk all over us. We're married. We're happy. Have fun trying to ruin that." She nods with her words, confirming her statement.

Maybe this is the kind of control, the sort of power play, the manipulation skills he'd been teaching her.

"I'll see you around, Stephanie. Enjoy the rest of your night."

Shit.

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.