Anonymous: "Can you write a story of when Jackson and April used to date?"

Hi noni, so here's the thing…I don't actually think Jackson and April dated, by my definition…but I do think something like this might have happened. Aiming for "missing scene" between 9x04 and 9x06 but it might go slightly AU depending on what Jackson confesses…Hope you like this:)

100 Encore, Day 59: "Not A Date"

"Hi, I brought wine," April said awkwardly holding it out to him when he opened the door to his apartment.

"Oh, uh great, thanks…" Jackson took the bottle from her and then wrapped her in a quick hug, unsure of what else to do. "Come in, come in…" He stepped aside, letting her walk into the living room. "Hope you don't mind I didn't cook. I would've tried but…"

"It's fine, Jackson. It's not a date, right?" she giggled uncomfortably, staring around the room aimlessly.

"Not a date, right. Just burgers and wine between friends. Here, come sit. I'll open this."

Jackson went in the kitchen to pour the wine and put out the food, while April sat on the couch. "Nice place, thanks for inviting me." It could use a woman's touch. She thought about maybe bringing a throw pillow instead of wine next time she came, if there was a next time. "You know you didn't have to, I know what this…"

"April, I wanted to, ok? We're both off tonight, I wanted to hang out." He handed her a glass of wine.

She waited until his back was turned to speak. "By hang out do you mean sex? Because that would be fine with me."

"Well, I'm feeding you, right? So unless you don't want these burgers and fries…it's not just sex. It's just food and whatever."

"Yeah, ok…food and whatever…" April forced a laugh, and started to eat the food Jackson put out.

"Drink April…relax, it's just me. Just friends. hanging out."

"So what do you watch with your 'just friends' hanging out?" April asked, glancing at the blank TV screen. she took his advice and gulped some wine.

Jackson shrugged, mouth full of burger. "Whatever."

"Whatever…right. Well, not a romantic movie because this is not a date."

"Right, wouldn't want to put you in the mood and bore me enough that all I'm thinking about is sex."

She blushed but recovered quickly. "And an action movie would bore me so much that all I'd think about is doing…something else," she admitted.

"So we just watch t.v."

"T.V. right…" They settled on a "Chopped" marathon and continued eating.

But when their meal was finished and the bottle of wine was empty, the show got a lot less interesting. Jackson's arm found its way around April and he started kissing her neck.

"No, stop," she pulled away when he climbed on top of her. "You would totally do this on a date."

Jackson grinned. "You're right, foreplay isn't our thing." He picked her up and carried her toward his bedroom. "This is fine, right? You said sex was…"

She nodded. "Yeah, I mean…I figured we would, you know…We're hanging out but…"

"It's OK," he whispered in her ear. "Just say you want the sex."

"I want the sex," she admitted. "But…"

"I wouldn't take a girl I was dating to my bedroom, promise." He finished her thought between kisses and threw her on the bed when he entered.

"No?" she asked, as he took off his shirt. The bedroom just seemed like respectful place to go.

"Nah, not until it's like a thing…you know. A real thing. If you must know…on a first date, which is what this would be if…maybe we'd fool around in the living room, if she wanted to..not sex of course..but this isn't a date so…"

"Right…not a date…so…continue."

He listened, undressing her quickly but respectfully and let her pull off his jeans. But he squirmed away when she reached for his boxers; he had other plans. He knew he was the only man she'd ever been with, he knew her entire sexual history. And it wasn't very extensive, considering it had been limited to bathroom stalls and on-call rooms, with one exception.

That night he'd gone slowly and was careful not to try too much, for fear of overwhelming her. After two rounds she'd come down from her high, back to reality, and he'd seen her getting nervous about the test. So he'd left.

But tonight, because she was a little more relaxed, he wanted her to experience new things. "Wha…what are you…" April gasped. She only realized he was staying down there when he was kissing the inside of her thigh.

He grinned, peering up at her. "I think you can guess…" She nodded but didn't say a word. "You're nervous, right…not scared?" She nodded again. "I promise I know what I'm doing. Just relax and trust me. And in case you were wondering…this is definitely not a standard date activity for me, so I'm following the rules."

This was a more casual activity for him than it was for her, but he definitely enjoyed doing it more with someone he was committed to. So he technically wasn't lying, this wasn't something he'd plan for a date.

That's all April seemed to care about. She seemed to want to avoid catching feelings. In her mind, the only way those developed was through dating. But Jackson knew she was wrong. Feelings developed in a lot of ways, for a lot of reasons.

No matter that April wouldn't acknowledge what was going on, not even after she woke up in his arms the next morning, by accident of course. Not even after he made her breakfast, complete with coffee just the way she liked it. But Jackson knew. And he knew that eventually he'd have to work up the nerve to spell it out for her. They weren't just dating at all. This was so much more.