AN: Sorry y'all for the delay in updating! I had to do some overtime at work, and I'm still trying to figure out the best schedule for having two WIPs. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and reviewing. I know this is a slow-burn fic/relationship, but I really wanted to develop this world and some of these friendships/relationships. Chapter title comes from "We Used to Wait" by Arcade Fire- "Now our lives are changing fast/Hope that something pure can last". See you at the bottom, hope you enjoy!

Mark Sloan was handsome; he was charming, Bailey supposed, in that roguish, irascible way. Derek Shepherd had been described as "McDreamy" on Rate My Professor, while Bailey was dubbed the Nazi. If Mark Sloan were to be added to that website? His nickname would undoubtedly be McSteamy. Bailey had helped Dean Webber find an impressive array of guest lecturers and instructors for the 1L moot court, especially considering the short notice, and were trying to fill the last slot. Sloan, however, was proving to be uncooperative.

"Richard, I'm not gonna get out of bed for 1L classes. First years don't know anything." Mark Sloan laughed and stretched his legs across expanse of Webber's office. "Plus, you know what they say: those that can't do, teach." Bailey scoffed under her breath, her eyes remaining on his legs. He was sure making himself comfortable, considering he was sitting in the one of the most respected law schools in the country's Dean's office. Sloan turned to Bailey. "Sorry," he winked. "No offense."

She eyed him beadily. "None taken."

Webber decided to intervene before things escalated any further. "It's our moot court. You know how important it is that these kids have to get exposure to process of actually trying a case in court. And what are you doing for work now? Consulting with the mayor's office? Come on, Sloan, challenge yourself. Pass some knowledge on to the next generation of lawyers."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Sloan smirked as he stood up and made his way to the door, but he stops at Webber's next words.

"Hmm, I guess it's alright though. I mean, when was the last time you actually tried a case in court, did any of the grunt work?" Webber sighed heavily. "You've spent the last however many years lobbying politicians in DC. It's probably for the best, actually. We need our first years to learn from lawyers with actual litigation experience."

From Bailey's spot leaning against the wall, she could see how Mark's jaw clenched oh-so-subtly, before he turned his head slightly to respond. "I kick ass in the courtroom. I've always kicked ass in the courtroom. Just because I haven't needed to for a while, doesn't mean I can't."

"Oh sure," Webber smiled understandingly. "We'll go with that. I'm sure that's what everyone will think- they won't think that you can't hack it. I mean, everyone was so excited for Derek Shepherd handling the moot court, and I thought you'd like a chance as well. But I guess I was wrong."

Sloan turned around even more fully, his voice rising in anger. He stalks forward to lean over Webber's desk. "Alright, that's enough. You want a moot court professor?"

"Guest professor," Bailey coughed under her breath.

Mark glared at her as he adjusts his tie. "Well, you've got a moot court professor. I'm going to teach those kids so hard. So hard. They won't know up from down when I'm done with them." With that, he furiously strode out of the room.

The office is silent in the wake of Sloan's dramatic exit for just a moment, before Webber begins to laugh heartily, clapping his hands together in victory. "Who's the man? Who's still got it?"

Bailey sighed before she began to chuckle as well. The Dean's ability to get the results he wanted from the people he wanted was what made him the best Dean Seattle Grace could want, and was one of the reasons Bailey had been eager to work for him.

"You the man, Dean. You the man."

As everyone returned from winter break in mid-January and got settled back into their classes, before they knew it January became February. Currently ranked first in their class was Cristina, which April wasn't all that surprised by. April had recognized from the first moment she met her that Cristina Yang was a shark and would do exceptionally well in law school. The 1Ls would be ranked more officially at the end of their first year, but overall they were adjusting to the start of their second semester of classes relatively well. However, Meredith seemed more distracted than ever, and more distant from everyone besides Cristina. She would be gone at random times of the day, and kept trying to sneak and check her phone during class. That stopped only when she was called out by Bailey, who delivered a scathing tirade that had everyone cringing. Izzie also was struggling a bit. Whenever they were learning about cases, the blonde kept wanting to look beyond the facts of a case, at the people involved, their stories. While April absolutely understood that feeling, she could tell that the professors were starting to notice, and she worried that Izzie was going too far and her grades would start to suffer.

April knew she wasn't going to be at the top of her class, but she would take that 3.3 GPA right about now, considering how worried and anxious she had been about her finals and how vicious Seattle Grace's curve could be. The only real negative aspect at the start of the spring semester was that April wasn't seeing Jackson as much since he'd starting dating Lexie. While that was to be expected with a new girlfriend, his absence was exasperated by the fact that Meredith would grow too uncomfortable if Lexie stopped by the house, and Jackson, therefore, would often spend the night at his girlfriend's place. April hadn't had chances to hang out with her friend as much, so she was pleasantly surprised one night when Jackson got home early from a date with Lexie. April was still hanging out in the living room, curled up on the couch with the tv on and book in hand. Jackson pocketed his keys, grinning as he made his way into the room.

"Hey. What are you reading?" Jackson asked as he sat on the other side of the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. April flipped her book over, showing him the cover- Pride and Prejudice. Jackson chuckled. "Haven't you read that before?"

April shrugged, her hair bouncing over her shoulder. "Maybe once. Or twice. Or a few more times than that. You should try reading it, it's a classic, you know."

"I've seen the movie. Someone's proud. Someone's prejudiced. Enough said." Jackson smirked, and April rolled her eyes.

"There's a bit more to it than that. Anyway, long time no see. How are you?" April asked. She's wearing cozy socks and flannel pajamas, letting herself enjoy a rare night of relaxation in between all the craziness of law school. She'd been working on her resume for the internships she was interested in, and she knew once moot court ratcheted up in intensity, she'd have less time to decompress.

"I'm doing good. Great, actually. Me and Lexie are great. Everything's great." April quirked her eyebrow, thinking that Jackson seemed to be protesting a bit too much.

"Do you realize how many times you've said great?"

Jackson smiled sheepishly before rubbing the light scruff on his face. He needed to shave, he thought absentmindedly. Usually, he preferred to be a lot more clean-shaven. "I mean, she's great, but it's like sometimes we're on two different wavelengths, you know? Plus, I know school is just going to get crazier, and I'm applying for summer internships, and… well, I think I'm going to apply to study abroad next year, and none of that really fits with a serious relationship." He hadn't told anyone this so far, but over the last few months, April had become his person to confide in and truth be told, he missed talking to his best friend.

April looked at him curiously, a small smile curving her lips. "Study abroad? Where?"

"I'm not sure yet; I'm still looking over my options. I never got a chance to study abroad in undergrad because of football," Jackson said, thinking back to the team's intense training schedules. Between that and his schoolwork, studying abroad just wasn't a feasible option. "And, I don't know… I think it would be cool."

"You should." April closed her book to focus more on this conversation. She thinks once again how it's nice that both Jackson and her are studying law and can talk about stuff like this; Reed's great, but if April ever started talking too in depth about law, Reed would get bored to tears. "I think you'd have fun, plus it'd be fascinating to learn more about other cultures, and how their legal system compares to ours."

"You could write the brochure." Jackson joked, and April slapped him lightly on the arm. "What? I'm just saying, you'd be a perfect candidate."

"Shut up, Jackson."

"Seriously though, would you want to go?" In his mind, Jackson could already envision April's excited exploration of new countries, and he'd like to see that. She'd probably take tons of pictures and write a travel journal, he mused, and that'd be hilarious, or she'd already have an extensive itinerary planned for them both. Or-

"No, I don't think so." April interrupted Jackson's thought process. At his surprised glance, April gave a wry grin. "I need to focus on being amazing here at Seattle Grace first, before I go gallivanting off to other countries."

Ignoring the slight feeling of disappointment roiling around in his stomach, Jackson teased, "Are you sure you won't miss me too much?"

April gasped in faux-horror, her hand flying to cover her mouth very dramatically before she leans back against the cushion. "Oh, what will I do without you?"

"Funny. You're funny." Jackson remarked drily as April giggles beside him, hunched over in laughter. "Hilarious."

"Ok, so you're thinking about fleeing the country in the near future." April grinned, catching her breath from her laughter. "Anything else new?"

"Well, my mother's coming to town soon, along with my grandfather and cousin." Jackson leaned his head back against the couch cushion. He's already exhausted and they're not even here yet. While it was for a work conference, Jackson knew his mother had something to do with their scheduled appearance- after all, she helped dictate where Avery & Associates hosted such conferences with their West coast connections.

"Your cousin?" April asked. Considering his issues with his family, it's not surprising that Jackson never talks about them much. However, right now April's wracking her brain, trying to think of any details about this cousin.

"Sean. He's works for my family's firm in Boston. He's tallish, blondish."

"What a wordsmith you are." April sarcastically notes with an arched brow, and Jackson laughs.

"Come on, you know what I mean."

"OK, I sort of know who you mean. Tallish, blondish, sure." April can now remember some pictures from Catherine's Facebook, but knowing Jackson's feelings on that, she decides to keep her source to herself.

Struck by a brilliant thought, Jackson leans forward excitedly. "Hey, do you want to come? My mom would love to see you." Whenever Catherine would call to check in on him, she'd always ask about April and how she was doing, if she had loosened up at all. From what Jackson could tell, Catherine had a soft spot for April, more so than Reed and Charles, his other college friends. Furthermore, he still had a sinking suspicion that April and his mother were Facebook friends.

April rolled her eyes and looked at Jackson affectionately. "And you also want a buffer."

Jackson returned her grin sheepishly. "That's partly true." Also, it just seemed like it would be a lot more enjoyable if April was there with him.

"Why don't you bring Lexie? I bet your mom would like her." Lexie, with the degree from Harvard, Lexie, with the photographic memory. Even though they aren't friends, April can still recognize that Lexie Grey will probably go on to do great things, and April knows just how much Catherine would appreciate that.

Jackson shrugs, leaning back against the couch cushion before he starts throwing the remote high in the air, his fingers nimbly flipping it, catching it every single time. April watches it spin for a few moments, before she casually remarks, "Karev will kill you if you break the remote, you know."

"I know."

April waits patiently at first, but when the silence continues to stretch between them she decides to speak up.

"Jackson."

"What?"

"Why don't you want to bring Lexie?" April asks, poking his knee with her sock-covered toe. Throughout the course of their friendship, April had discovered Jackson had a tendency to bottle things up. Sometimes you had to drag things out of him, inch by inch.

Jackson sighed and rubbed the back of his clean-shaven head. "I don't know if we're there yet. I mean, I really like her, a lot." For Jackson, this was positively effusive. "My mom would probably scare her off, and my grandfather? I don't really want my girlfriend to hear my family scolding me over appetizers, you know?" Jackson clenched his jaw and threw the remote even higher.

Jackson looked worried enough that April sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll go. Oh God, though if your mom tries to set me up with someone…" April trailed off, shaking her head. "It's always so mortifying."

"Wait, when has she tried to set you up with someone?" How had he not heard of this before? He's pretty sure he would remember that.

A slight blush grew on April's cheeks and she looked down at the blanket, fingers picking at a loose thread. "You remember Dylan Marshall?"

Jackson had the vaguest memory of a goofy guy with light brown hair, who was constantly telling corny jokes and was always determined to be the life of the party. "He was a douche." Jackson frowned and furrowed his brow. "She shouldn't be setting you up with guys like that."

April laughed before she stole the remote back. "Jackson, he was a nice guy, just not my type. Plus, he was going to join the Peace Corps. Isn't he in Ghana right now or something?" She said as she turned to the news.

Crossing his arms, he watched as April let herself be distracted from their conversation by the news, listening to the details of a mugging gone wrong which resulted in the deaths of a couple downtown. "Still a douche." He mumbled stubbornly under his breath.

Outside of Bailey's office, the first years eagerly awaited the posting of the moot court teams. "I better not be with any duds," Cristina says, gazing around at their class. "We've got more than a few in here."

George looked around at the others, peering at their faces closely. "She looked at me, right? She did, didn't she. Cristina-"

A sharp voice interrupts George's irritating ramblings. "Excuse me." April turns to see the diminutive Bailey standing behind her.

"Oh, sorry," April smiles sheepishly before moving out of Bailey's way. The professor quickly maneuvers between the excited law students, stapling a piece of paper.

Jackson, the tallest of the group, craned his head over the rush of people. "O'Malley, Grey, Stevens are on a team, me and Yang are together, and- April and Karev."

"Kepner and Karev are on the same team? That should be interesting." Cristina glances over at the perky redhead and the perpetually scowling Karev. "Something tells me they're going to have different litigation styles. You better not slow me down, pretty boy." Cristina says as she flips her curly hair over one shoulder.

Jackson grinned crookedly, and casually brushed the shoulders of his jacket. "Watch and learn, Yang. We'll be winning with my research, superior intellect, and charm."

While everyone else was preoccupied with the division of teams, George quickly scanned the list of guest instructors for the moot court. "Owen Hunt? Isn't that your Owen?"

Before Cristina can respond to Jackson's ego, she's distracted by George's words. "He's not my Owen," Cristina replied as she snatched the list from George's hands. Even though she and Owen had been casually seeing each other for the past few months, their relationship hadn't progressed beyond casual hookups and a few dinners in Owen's apartment- but only takeout, Cristina requested. If Owen were to cook for her… that's a relationship thing, not a casual hookup thing. "But yes, that's Owen. But who's Teddy Altman? I've never heard of her. We've gone from Derek Shepherd to some nobody."

Meredith rolled her eyes as she adjusted her purse on her shoulder. "Sorry, ok?"

"I'll forgive you eventually." Cristina sniffed imperiously.

Izzie peered over her shoulder. "I haven't heard of Altman, either. And Arizona, isn't that Callie's ex?"

Cristina smirked as she returned the list to George, slapping it on his chest. "It is. That should also be interesting. And Mark Sloan is on here?" Impressed, Cristina shakes her head.

"Who's Mark Sloan?" George trailed after the others as they began to leave.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "He's been a lobbyist for a couple of different firms." Associating with lobbyists wasn't necessarily on the up and up with the Averys. Lobbyists were considered one of the more unsavory aspects of DC politics, and his family viewed them as a necessary evil. Anything that could negatively affect their public relations status was considered something to be kept on the down-low. He's about to elaborate on it when he can feel a presence behind his back.

"Jesus, she just appears, doesn't she?" he whispers to April, and she nods fervently in response.

"You seven, get in here." Bailey's voice cuts through their chatter. She's pointing at her office and her foot is tapping expectantly. "Now."

"Are we in trouble? I think we're in trouble." George whispers to April quietly.

"Well, I didn't do anything. Did you do anything?" April whispers back, biting her lip nervously. Even though Bailey had been one of their primary professors for a while now, April was still incredibly intimidated by the Nazi.

Once they were all in Bailey's office- Jackson snagging a chair for April before Karev could slouch in it, and Jackson winked at her- the professor turned an evaluative eye on the first years.

"I called all of you in here because believe it or not, you lot are considered some of our best and brightest first years. I spoke with your other professors, and they also recommended you for this opportunity. I am working on helping a wrongly convicted inmate appeal his conviction, and I need some research assistants to help with the case." Bailey passed out a copy of the case brief to each of them, and they all began flipping through it. "This is a chance for all of you to prove yourselves beyond your classes, beyond the moot court. This isn't a practice case; this isn't a hypothetical situation in class. This is a man's life and liberty we're talking about, and if any of you don't feel prepared for this challenge, or if you feel you may be too distracted to handle the rigor of assisting me on this case," she stared at Meredith in particular, "I ask that you kindly remove yourselves." They all stared at Bailey, no one saying a word or getting up. "Ok, if you are committed to this, I look forward to working with you."

April could feel her adrenaline pumping and she couldn't wait to get started. It was situations and cases like this that made April want to go to law school in the first place, and the fact that they could work on something like this in their first year? April exchanged an excited glance with George, and she could feel Jackson practically thrumming in anticipation behind her. Meanwhile, Izzie flipped through the case, already starting to peer closely at some of the details. "Professor Bailey, who is the client?"

Bailey smiled around at them. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to save Denny Duquette."

That weekend, Jackson and April were entering the restaurant Canlis, where they were meeting Jackson's family for dinner at one of the city's most exclusive and expensive restaurants. Boasting impressive views of Lake Union, April had heard about this restaurant, but she'd never been here herself.

"Do I look ok?" April asked, smoothing out her dress for what had to be the fiftieth time.

Jackson lets out a frustrated groan. Holding the restaurant door open for her, he replied, "April, for the last time, you look fine. You don't need to be so anxious. You've met my grandfather before, and you know my mom."

April scoffed and a little crease appeared in her forehead. "I'm about to have dinner with both Harper and Catherine Avery. At the same time. Excuse me if I'm a little nervous." Jackson raised his eyebrows expectantly and cleared his throat. "Well, you'll be there as well. And your cousin." April continued, wincing apologetically. "Sorry."

Shaking his head in amusement, he chuckled. "It's fine." He said before making his way to the podium and checking in with the hostess. With a bright smile, she led Jackson and April back through the restaurant, until they were near a private, secluded table with soft candlelight.

"There's my baby." April heard Catherine Avery before she saw her. Gorgeous and intimidating at the same time, Catherine looked as if she could simultaneously conquer the world and manage everyone in it, while wearing high heels.

"Hi Mom." Jackson said as he leaned down to accept his mother's kiss on the cheek.

Catherine examined him closely, turning his head from side to side as her face was drawn in concern. "You look a bit peaky. I'm not sure how good this Seattle weather is for you…" Jackson rolled his eyes, turning to greet his cousin while Catherine now turns her attention to April, grasping her gently by the arms.

"And April, sweetheart. Don't you look pretty."

"Hello, Mrs. Avery." April hugged Catherine as Sean and Jackson did a complicated handshake next to them, both looking considerably more boyish than their actual ages.

"How many times do I have to tell you, call me Catherine." She smiled, patting April's cheek affectionately. "Now, April, I'd like you to meet my handsome nephew here, Sean."

Sean is indeed handsome, that's for sure. While he doesn't have the same indefinable magnetism Jackson has- the other patron's eyes don't trail after him the way they do after Jackson- his dark blond hair and blue eyes are quite attractive. There's just something about this family, April thinks.

"It's nice to meet you, Sean." April smiles politely.

Sean grinned broadly, shaking her hand, and it's a good handshake. April's father had always told her that a person's handshake says a lot about them. "It's nice to meet you too. Though I have to admit, I sort of feel like I already know you, considering how much Jackson has mentioned you. Here, let me get your chair."

Jackson stops, his hand already awkwardly outstretched for April's chair. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Jackson is distracted by a sharp poke in his side. Looking down at his mother, she's tilting her head subtly towards Sean and April. "Don't they look cute together?" Catherine chuckles quietly as Sean gently pushes April's chair in. Rolling his eyes, Jackson pulls his mother's seat out for her; it's not like pulling out someone's chair is such a big deal. He's about to take his seat but first feels the need to squash any of his mother's attempts at a set-up for April. Leaning closer to his mother, Jackson whispers, "Mom, don't meddle. Seriously, I think April appreciates it as much as I do- which is to say, not at all."

Catherine smiles as she gracefully places her napkin in her lap. "They'd have adorable babies, that's all I'm saying!"

"Mom, stop!" He doesn't want to hear about, or think about his cousin and his best friend's potential babies.

Catherine stared at him bemusedly. "Hush, Jackson. I'm just teasing. Plus, you better get used to it-I know April's your friend, but you're not always going to be the main man in her life."

Jackson's throat suddenly feels like it's full of sawdust, and he takes a quick sip of ice water. Eager to change the subject, he asks, "Where's Grandpa?"

"He'll be here soon."

Throughout the evening, April genuinely enjoyed each of the Averys in their own way. While Harper was bossy and, to be honest, terrifying (April was still having trouble maintaining eye contact with the legend), and Catherine could be meddlesome, they were both electric, and incredibly smart. Sean was quite funny and nice, and Jackson was… Jackson. Her best friend. But even though it had been a nice dinner so far, there'd been an underlying tension, some unknown dynamic between the Averys that she did not fully understand.

"Sean did some consulting for Lansing and Shaw before he started working as a partner at Avery & Associates," Catherine tells April, referencing one of the top political consulting firms in New York. April's both impressed and starting to feel a little inadequate. Beyond her experience as a first year at Seattle Grace, she has zero experience in the law, and virtually no connections whatsoever. Her father was a farmer, and her mother was a teacher, and while she's not embarrassed or ashamed of her background, it's a little strange to be in the presence of people like the Averys; this is so second nature for them.

"Did you like it there?" April's genuinely curious, as she's not sure what specialty she'd like to pursue, or even what work environment really. Does she want to work in one of the uber-competitive law firms, where your billable hours are of the utmost importance, of which Avery & Associates is the peak? Does she want to be a defense attorney, or go into environmental law… the possibilities are endless.

Sean nods thoughtfully, considering his answer. "I did, but overall I'd say the political game isn't for me. I like working at Avery & Associates a lot more- the cases are interesting, but it's still a challenge."

"Well, it's nice that one of my grandsons appreciates the legacy he was born into." Harper huffs, staring Jackson down. "Jackson would do wonderfully, if he could decide on a proper specialty and stop messing around."

Plastering a false grin on his face, Jackson cuts his filet mignon a little too fiercely, and his knife makes an awful scraping sound against his plate. "And if I don't want to be a partner at Avery & Associates? What, you're going to disown me?"

"Jackson!" Catherine scolded. "We don't talk about inheritances at the dinner table- it's so gauche."

Jackson rolled his eyes. Of course his mother would be concerned with the proper etiquette. "Jackson, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," April whispers quietly in an aside to him. Throughout the evening, April had been a somewhat calming presence by his side, and she kept trying to pivot the conversation whenever it turned too awkward. Jackson smiles humorlessly, taking yet another sip of wine, signalling for their waitress once again. At this point, maybe she should just leave a couple of bottles. He feels guilty for dragging April along to the horror show that is the Averys at dinner.

Harper continues, "You have such potential for greatness and I don't want to see you waste it. Your father had a similar potential for greatness, and he threw it all away."

An awkward silence hangs over the table at the mention of William Avery. Jackson's jaw visibly clenches and his fingers tighten minutely around his wine glass. Jackson knows enough to know that it's his father's birthday next week, and that may help explain his grandfather's mood tonight, but right now, Jackson's blood is boiling and he doesn't really care about the reasons behind Harper's behavior.

April looks at Jackson, and she knows him well enough by now to know when he's really upset; and while she doesn't know all the details, she knows enough that Jackson's father is a sensitive subject. Biting her lip, April doesn't like seeing him so upset, and before she knows it, she's speaking clearly and staring Harper Avery directly in the eye.

"Jackson is already great, actually." April cuts in sharply, her voice hard, and all eyes turn to her. "He's near the top of our class, and all of the professors respect him. He's smart and he's a hard-worker, and he's going to be a great lawyer someday. I have…" April hesitates now, and Jackson finally looks over at her. Their eyes meet, and they maintain eye contact before April blinks and returns her stare to Harper. "I have faith in him. And so maybe you should appreciate the fact that you have a fantastic grandson, of whom you should be very proud, instead of trying to find something wrong with him."

The entire table remains silent before Catherine bursts out laughing. "Well, she told you!" Sean's lips quirk, and he hides his smile behind his glass of wine. Harper's jaw clenches, and he opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted by their smiling waitress.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Harper smiled grimly. "The check, please."

"Oh my God. Oh my God."

"April, it's fine."

They're leaving the restaurant, and April is walking away as quickly as her high heels will let her, attempting to nimbly dodge puddles as she walks. They had said a quick and slightly awkward goodbye to Catherine, Sean, and Harper and were now walking down the street to where Jackson had parked his car. "I can't believe I did that. I just yelled at Harper Avery, Jackson! Oh my God." Jackson trails after her, with his hands in his pockets and an amused smile on his face. Only April could be so strong and so determined one second, yet second guess herself the next. It was incredibly… endearing, and Jackson was in a remarkably better mood than he had been during dinner.

"He could blacklist me! He could- he could make it so I never work in the legal community again. Who knows how many connections your grandfather has, I-" April stops in her tracks, a horrified look on her face as she turns to face Jackson, and he has to quickly stop as well so he doesn't crash into her. "Your grandfather wouldn't blacklist me, would he?" She looks so terrified, Jackson bursts out laughing.

"He wouldn't. And even if he would do that, I wouldn't let him. Honestly, calm down." Jackson tries to stifle his laugh and pats April gently on the back.

"It's just- Jackson, your grandfather is so scary. Your mother is scary. Your cousin is- well, ok, Sean's not scary, necessarily, but he is intimidating too. They're all intimidating."

"Hey," Jackson nudges April's arm with his own. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

April smiles brightly up at him. "Well, you always stick up for me, so I'm glad I could return the favor."

"Seriously though. My grandfather can be… as you said, intimidating." April chuckled and nodded her head in agreement. Jackson swallowed; he wasn't big on sharing emotions, or feelings. Overall, he knew he was much more reserved than his friends, but he could get this out at least. "You're a good friend. A really good friend."

April felt suffused with a flush of pride and warmth. She hasn't had a ton of friends in her life, and even according to Reed, she was hard to like at first. Having Jackson tell her she's a good friend? Well, that did make her feel slightly better after the catastrophic way the dinner with the other Averys ended.

"Come on, let's go home. There's gotta be some Friends reruns or something we can watch." Jackson grins, knowing April's favorite sitcom.

April returns his smile. "Sounds like a plan."

"I like her. That Kepner girl." Catherine looks up from her phone startled. She had been checking her email on her phone in the dark town car, and the light pitter-patter of rain had been a soothing distraction from some of the tension of the evening. Jackson always feels a need to push back- against her, against Harper, against the Averys in general, and she didn't know why. Sean had left to go meet up with a friend of his from law school, and now it was just Catherine and Harper together.

"Who? April? Yes, she's a dear. I wouldn't think you would be as fond of her after she scolded you so soundly," Catherine responds, looking back down to her phone before sighing. One dinner where she didn't check her email, and now her inbox was flooded with emails. The demands of being an Avery never seemed to end and usually, she didn't mind it- but tonight, she felt like maybe seeing an old friend would be more fun.

"She's got gumption," Harper continued as he gazed pensively out the window, and Catherine was struck by how old Harper looked in that moment. Sometimes she forgot that she wasn't the only one who lost William when he left; Jackson lost a father he barely knew, and Harper lost a son who rejected everything he stood for. "She's got spirit."

"And you do like gumption, don't you?" Catherine smiles, thinking of when she was first introduced to Harper, how he had cast his stern gaze on her. William had feebly tried to defend her; meanwhile, Catherine Fox had held her head high like a queen. If you wanted respect, you had to act like you deserved respect. In law school, nothing was handed to Catherine; she had had to fight tooth and nail to get to where she is now.

"Honestly, I've never heard her talk like that to any sort of authority figure. Usually, she's so sweet. Uptight, but sweet. I've tried to keep an eye out for her, help her loosen up, but…" Catherine trails off. She truly did like April Kepner, she cared about her, but she did not understand that girl.

Harper nods his head before casually asking, "And how long has she been in love with Jackson?"

Catherine is struck dumb for a moment before she begins to laugh heartily, but her laughter slowly fades away as she realizes Harper is serious.

"Harper… they're just friends. Trust me. If something was going to happen between the two of them, it would've already happened by now. She's not in love with Jackson, and he's not in love with her."

"Maybe not yet…" Harper smiles before he leans back against the leather car seat. "But my grandson isn't a complete idiot. Mark my words, that girl will be an Avery someday."

We have about two more chapters for 1L, and I'll go ahead and tell you guys now... there may be some time jumps in this story *hint hint*, haha. Anyway, please review, as reviews honestly make my day and really do inspire me to keep writing. See you guys in the next chapter, which should be updated sooner than this one- it's mostly already written.