A/N: So another AU one shot from me! This one was really fun to write but it is very different so be prepared. You can't say I didn't warn you. Lol.

The title of this fic is taken from the song "Maggie May". Give it a listen. Also, I have to admit that a line in this fic was inspired by Kelly and Brandon from Beverly Hills 90210 (I know, but it's a guilty pleasure). Points if you can spot it! Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: If I owned Grey's I would not be writing fan fiction. Lol.

Jackson Avery changed into his baby blue scrubs with an excited grin on his face. This was the day that he had been dreaming about for years, since he had listened in awe to stories at his grandfather's dinner table as a young boy. It was the first day of his surgical internship at Seattle Grace Hospital. Seattle was his hometown and Seattle Grace was one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

All of the interns had just been given a tour of the hospital by Chief of Surgery Richard Webber and now they had a short break to change before they had to meet their assigned resident.

"Ugh," the tall, broad guy beside him groaned. "I got assigned to Karev."

"Me too," he smiled as he extended his hand. "Jackson Avery, nice to meet you."

"Charles Percy," the other guy answered as they shook hands. "I hear that Karev is a hard ass, as mean as a snake."

Jackson shrugged and smiled optimistically. "We can handle him."

Besides, Alex Karev was the rising star of orthopedic surgery and that's exactly where Jackson wanted his focus to be.

He clipped his new nametag onto the waistband of his pants, slipped a pen into his breast pocket, and slung his stethoscope around his neck before he left the locker room. He was fully rested and had an energy drink, a banana, and a granola bar in his locker. He was prepared and he knew what to do, and what not to do. Sleep when you can. Eat when you can. Don't mess with the pancreas. Don't make your resident look bad and don't doddle. He was from a family of surgeons, his mother even worked at this hospital, so he knew that his first shift would be gruelling and that people would judge him from the first mention of his name. He was nervous but he was incredibly excited, and hopeful.

He and four other interns, including Charles Percy and his friend from high school, Lexie Grey, gathered near the main nurses' station on the third floor and waited for Dr. Karev to acknowledge them.

The third year male resident was standing with his back to them. He appeared to be filling out a patient's chart. Karev was of average height, he had an athletic build, and dark brown hair.

It took the resident a while to notice the group of interns behind him, but when he finally did, he smiled at them rather maliciously. "So," he began thoughtfully as he sized each of them up, "you're my interns. I have five rules, they're simple, memorize them," he stated firmly. "Rule number one: don't bother sucking up. I already hate you and that's not gonna change." He glanced down at the station counter and told them, "Those are your pagers. Grab them. Nurses will page you and you will answer every page at a run. Don't walk, run," he emphasized.

Jackson couldn't help but grin to himself as Karev turned and started to walk away at a brisk pace. They all eagerly followed him after grabbing their pagers like they had been told. He knew that Karev acted like a tough guy, he was harsh on interns and those who were lower than him on the hospital's hierarchy, but he was actually kind of soft. He was good with patients, he respected his superiors, and he was in a committed relationship with a fellow resident.

"Your first shift starts now and lasts for forty-eight hours. You're interns. Grunts. Nobodies. Bottom of the surgical food chain. You do scut work, you run labs, you chart for your attendings, and you don't complain…ever."

They all stopped abruptly when Karev stopped and pushed open a door. "This is an on-call room. Attendings hog them so sleep where you can when you can. If I'm sleeping, don't wake me unless your patient is actually dying. Rule number four, your dying patient better not be dead when I get there. Are we clear? Any questions?"

Lexie raised her hand and spoke timidly, "You said there were five rules, and that was only four."

Karev placed his hands on his hips and smirked when his pager went off. "Rule number five: when I move, you move."

Karev pushed past them and headed towards the ER, and they followed him at a run.

And just like that, Jackson's first day as an intern was off to an exciting start.

After spending all morning in the pit, the new interns finally received a reprieve when they were told by Karev to go and grab some lunch. Karev's page had been for a car accident involving only a single car. To Jackson's disappointment, Karev was on a neuro rotation this week and so he had run off to the OR with Meredith Grey and had left his interns with the most boring and disgusting tasks.

As they ate lunch, Jackson and Charles watched Lexie closely as she shuffled through a pile of flashcards.

"What ya got there?" Charles asked curiously.

"Mini bios on all of the attendings that you want to impress at this hospital," she replied perkily.

Jackson grinned, "You did research. Impressive."

"Of course I did," she chirped. "I have as big of a target on my back as you do, and I don't have the luxury of knowing this hospital and its staff inside and out."

He nodded in understanding. She was Meredith Grey's little sister, great things would be expected of her as well, and all of the summers that he had elected to return to Seattle, she had stayed in Boston. He had spent summers working in the labs of this hospital and she hadn't. He already had a rapport with a lot of the staff. A lot of people already knew him, and liked him.

Charles leaned across the table with heightened interest. "So what can you tell me?"

"Well," Lexie began with a smile. "There's Cristina Yang, cardio attending. She has a Ph.D. from Berkeley and a M.D. from Stanford. She did her residency here and her fellowship at Mayo. She's the best anyone has seen in a very long time. If you screw up in front of her then you're done in cardio. George O'Malley is one of the top trauma attendings. He went to school at the University of Washington, did his residency here, and spent three years in the Army. Then there's April Kepner—"

"Ortho attending," Jackson interrupted. "She did her undergrad at Notre Dame and went to med school at Yale. She did her entire residency here and was Chief Resident, she's been published in practically every medical journal, and she has been instrumental in every program and policy change that the ortho department has introduced in the last five years. She likes old movies and Italian food."

Charles' eyes widened. "Whoa, someone has a stalker."

Jackson simply chuckled good-naturedly as he returned to eating his sandwich and fries.

"To say that Jackson has a crush would be an understatement," Lexie explained awkwardly.

Jackson eyed his brunette friend sympathetically. He and Lexie had dated while they had both attended Harvard but his feelings for April had created a sizable wall between them and had ultimately led to their break-up. He felt bad for the way that things had ended between them but luckily they were still friends…and the way that he felt about April was cemented, it would have been unfair to lead Lexie on.

He had always been incredibly decisive, ever since he was a little boy, so he didn't surprise himself when he wanted April Kepner from the very first moment that he laid eyes on her. The part that he hadn't bargained on was that he would chase her for ten years. He was still chasing her. She was the main reason that he had chosen Seattle Grace for his internship. He had received offers from Mass Gen, Hopkins, Tulane, and a few other great hospitals, but he needed to work at Seattle Grace.

The first time that he saw her was ten years ago, he had been fifteen, and it was one of his most vivid memories.

"Jackson! Wash up for dinner and come down!" Catherine Avery called from down the stairs.

The teenager rolled his eyes as he tossed his PlayStation controller aside and got up off of his bed. He was not looking forward to this dinner. His mother did this every year. Every year she picked one surgical intern to take under her wing and she started the process by inviting them over for dinner.

Jackson loved talking about medicine, he planned to be a surgeon himself, but he was not in the mood to listen to another wannabe spend an evening kissing his mother's ass. He would much rather stay in his room or go out with his friends.

He washed his hands before he galloped down over the stairs and walked into the kitchen. A petite red-head was standing next to his mother with her back to him and he assumed that she was this year's chosen one.

"Oh, baby, there you are," Catherine gushed. "April, this is my son, Jackson."

The red-head turned around to face him and Jackson did his best to keep his composure. He was good with girls, he never got nervous around girls, but she was a woman, and she was the most gorgeous woman that he had ever seen. Her eyes. Her lips. Her hair. Her skin. Her body. Everything about her was perfect.

"Hi!" She smiled at him brightly and he could have sworn that his stomach did a little flip flop. "I'm April Kepner, it's nice to meet you," she stated as she extended her hand.

He gulped as he gently shook her hand, which was freakishly soft. "Nice to meet you too," he replied as steadily as his voice would allow.

Jackson was pulled out of his memory when the door to the cafeteria opened and a group of laughing attendings entered the room. He sat up a little straighter in his seat when he recognized them. It was Yang, Grey, O'Malley, and April. They grabbed their lunches and sat at a table on the other side of the cafeteria.

He hadn't seen her in far too long but she still looked so good, and she seemed happy. He stared at her until she finally sensed his gaze on her and looked up. He shot her a small, playful smile and she instantly looked away.

"Oh my God," April muttered in horror as she focused on the salad in front of her. "You guys told me he was going to Mass Gen!"

"Yeah, we kinda, um, lied," George confessed bashfully.

"Why?" She practically squealed.

"Mostly to see this reaction," Cristina snickered. The cardio attending spun around in her chair and made it obvious that she was checking out the new crop of interns. "He is a pretty boy…and an Avery."

April groaned as she ran a hand through her long hair. She loved the first day of a contract year. July 1st was her favourite day of the year next to Christmas and she always loved meeting new interns. Their enthusiasm, optimism, and passion for medicine always reminded her why she loved being a surgeon and it made her strive to be better. And today had been just like any other July 1st until a few seconds ago. Everyone had told her that Jackson Avery had chosen to do his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and she had been happy about that fact. Mass Gen was a phenomenal hospital, she was happy that he was succeeding, and she honestly didn't need the distraction.

He was a distraction, and now he was working at her hospital.

"What was he like in bed?" Cristina asked nosily. She had been at Mayo the summer that April had had her fling so she had missed out on all the juicy details.

"Cristina!" April scolded.

Cristina shrugged unapologetically and turned towards her best friend. "I remember her using the words unbelievable, incredible, amazing, and a whole other string of impressive adjectives," Meredith supplied.

"Thanks a lot, Mer," April mumbled in annoyance.

"I don't see what the problem is," George butted in. "You like him and you're not seeing anyone, he worships the ground you walk on, just be together."

April firmly shook her head. "No, no way, it was a mistake the first time. I'm not going there again."

She remembered that summer all too clearly. He had gotten a job as a lab assistant working on her and Callie's cartilage project and they had developed a nice, easygoing friendship. She had thought that it would stay that way but to her surprise, he had had other ideas.

"How's it going?" April asked perkily as she practically bounced into the lab.

Jackson looked up at her with a smile. "Good. I'm such a vital part of this project," he joked.

She giggled as she sat down on the lab stool next to his and looked down into the rows of test tubes. "We'll get something before the summer is over. I have a really good feeling about this."

"Okay, I'll trust you."

She paused for a second, and watched him make notes on the pad of paper in front of him, before she playfully nudged his arm. "Are you sure that you want to spend your whole summer hoping to make cartilage? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your girlfriend or something?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," he murmured rather shyly.

"You don't have a girlfriend?" She questioned incredulously. "There is something wrong with this world if you don't have a girlfriend."

He laughed softly as blush spread across his cheeks. "What about you? Are you still dating that paramedic?"

She shook her head as she turned away from his gaze. "No, Matthew and I broke up."

"Why?" And she could hear the probing curiosity in his voice.

She shrugged. "We just weren't on the same page, I guess. He was ready to settle down and I'm just not there yet. Someday, but right now I just want to have some fun."

She hadn't had a fun fling in a very long time, and that's what she wanted right now. She needed to let off a little steam.

"Yeah," he replied understandingly. He cleared his throat before he said, "Well the truth is that I'm into this girl but I'm afraid to tell her."

"Why?" She chuckled. Jackson Avery was every young girl's dream guy. She couldn't imagine any girl saying no to him. He was handsome, smart, funny, and genuinely nice. Guys like him didn't come around very often.

"We're friends, and she's out of my league, and," he paused to exhale heavily. "I'm afraid of rejection I suppose."

"Don't be," she told him surely. "Confidence and determination are very attractive."

He swivelled on his stool until his body faced hers. "Okay." He flashed her a charming smile before he asked, "Do you want to come over to my place tonight? I can make you dinner."

April repetitively opened and closed her mouth. She knew that she probably looked like she was doing a poor fish imitation but she couldn't find the appropriate words. She knew that Catherine was away at a conference and that he was home alone…and was he…was he asking her out? Was she the girl that he had just been talking about?

"J-Jackson," she stuttered. "Are you…? Am I…?" Before she could sound even more inarticulate, her pager went off. She looked down at the device and sighed. "That's the ER. I gotta go."

"Seven?" He called out excitedly.

"Uh…yeah…sure," she mumbled before she fled the room.

"Nice of you to join us April!" George joked as the red-head came into his view. "I need you to reduce a set of hips for me. We're heading to OR 2."

April followed George down to the OR floor. They stood beside each other at the sink and scrubbed their hands and arms while April was unable to think about anything besides Jackson.

"Okay, what's going on with you?" Her friend asked nosily.

April sighed and dried off before she turned to George. "I think that Jackson just asked me out."

"So? He's hot, the two ts kinda hot."

April rolled her eyes. "That's totally not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"The point is that he's too young, he's practically jailbait, and he's Catherine Avery's son!" She cried in frustration. "I can't just go and corrupt my mentor's son!"

George chuckled, "April, with the way that he looks at you, he's just longing to be corrupted."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, April," he laughed. "He checks you out all the time, and has ever since he's known you. He's infatuated with your boobs."

April stared thoughtfully ahead, through the glass window, as nurses and residents prepped their patient. Was George right? Did Jackson Avery have a little crush on her? He did pay an unusual amount of attention to her. He hung on her every word. She had caught him checking her out before but she had just attributed it to overactive hormones.

"Besides," George added mischievously, "he's at his sexual peak and he's eager. Think of the enthusiasm. Think of the stamina."

April gasped and stared at him affronted. "George O'Malley!"

"You need a good roll in the hay, April," the trauma surgeon grinned. "And Jackson Avery is perfect. Now, let's go operate…cougar."

She glared at him as she followed him into the OR. "I'd hit you so hard right now if I wasn't sterile."

April kept telling herself that she was only going to Jackson's house to make it clear to him that this was not a date but despite her intentions, she knew that she was playing with fire. George had planted very naughty thoughts in her head and she couldn't seem to get rid of them. Jackson was young and beautiful. His eyes and his smile were practically weapons, and his torso alone was swoon worthy. She frequently found herself with an overwhelming desire to put her hands on his pecs.

She took a deep breath before she knocked on the door. He pulled open the door with a pleasant smile and she immediately noticed his appearance. He was wearing black slacks and a crisp, blue shirt that brought out his eyes. He had dressed up for her. He had even shaved for her, and to her horror, her first thought was that she thought he looked sexier with a little scruff.

"Hi, come in!" She stepped inside and he gentlemanly helped her out of her coat. "You look beautiful. Do you want something to drink?"

There was nothing special about her appearance tonight and he still told her that she looked beautiful. She was wearing dark jeans and a burgundy blouse, the clothes that she had worn to work this morning, and she hadn't even fixed her hair.

She was in so much trouble.

"A glass of wine would be nice," she sighed. She paused for a moment before she added, "Are you even legal yet?"

He chuckled as he led her into the kitchen. "I can drink in my own house, April."

"So I'll take that as a no," she muttered to herself. She remembered that she had attended his eighteenth birthday party so that would make him…twenty going on twenty-one now. But he was just out of his teenage years, and she was ten years older than him. "Jackson," she began with determination. "I just want to make it clear that this is not a date, okay? We're just two friends sharing a meal."

"Okay." He answered her with a rather mischievous grin and she had a feeling that he didn't truly share her opinion.

He poured her a glass of wine and grabbed a beer for himself before he returned to the stove.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked considerately.

"Nope," he responded with a smile.

She was impressed that he could cook, like really cook; he was making something from scratch. It was attractive. She quickly took a sip from her wine glass and hoped that it would erase her inappropriate thoughts about him. He was a boy, and not just any boy, he was Catherine Avery's little boy. She couldn't be having those kind of thoughts about Catherine Avery's son.

They ate a wonderful meal and they had amazing conversation. They had a lot in common and he was everything that she had known him to be: funny, charming, and polite. He was such a catch, if only he was ten years older, or she was ten years younger.

She knew that she needed to get out of there but she still offered to help him with the dishes. He washed and she dried.

"Done," April announced happily as she dried the last dish and placed it in the cupboard.

He didn't respond and she could feel his presence behind her. She sucked in a breath when he brushed her hair to the side and placed a kiss on her neck. She whispered his name when he repeated the action and placed both of his large hands on her hips. She knew that it was wrong but she could practically feel the want radiating off of his body. She knew that he was horny, he was twenty for God's sake, but he wanted her, it was just as much about her as it was about sex. He could have any girl his age that he wanted, and he wanted her. That was a very powerful feeling and one that she found herself unwilling to ignore any longer.

Without another thought, she spun around and placed her mouth against his. His kiss was nice, good pressure, not too much tongue, he was a little eager but he knew what he was doing. And he was definitely trainable.

They quickly found themselves on the living room couch and he pulled her into his lap. His hands immediately went to her breasts and she noticed that he was already very aroused beneath her. He began to push her down onto her back, and she let him. She settled into the cushions of the sofa and wrapped her legs around his waist as they continued to kiss passionately.

A shrill noise interrupted them and she reluctantly pulled her mouth away from his. His pretty eyes were glazed over and his lips were swollen. She snuck her hand in between them and into the pocket of her jeans. She looked at her pager and groaned.

"I'm sorry, I gotta go."

"Will you come back?" He asked in a hopeful whisper as he stared down at her adoringly.

She couldn't help but smile at him. He was so sweet and so into her. The way that he was looking at her, no man had ever looked at her like that, not even Matthew. She placed both of her hands on his face and leaned up to softly kiss him. "Yes, I will be back. I promise."

April walked towards her car after a very long shift. She was supposed to go home several hours ago but she had been pulled into emergency surgery. She slowly approached her car and smiled when she spotted a figure sitting on her hood.

"Hey," Jackson greeted softly.

"Hi," she smiled. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a burgundy, hooded sweater with his university logo emblazoned across the chest. He was dressed simply, but he still looked delicious. "What are you doing here? Today is your day off."

"I couldn't stop thinking about last night so I had to come see you," he told her honestly.

She stepped up to him as she fought a smile. "It has crossed my mind a time or two since I left your house," she stated quietly. "And I've been really busy; I haven't been avoiding you or anything."

"Good," he smiled broadly. "Wanna go for a drive?"

She nodded as she bit down on her bottom lip. "Yeah."

He hopped off of her hood and walked towards his own car which was parked nearby. He opened the passenger door for her with a contagious grin.

They drove to his old high school and parked behind the gymnasium. It was dark and secluded, and nobody that they knew would find them there.

They climbed into the backseat of his car and although he was way too tall to be comfortable in the small space, she certainly didn't hear any complaints. He laid her on the backseat and climbed on top of her.

April had forgotten how obsessed young guys were with boobs, but Jackson couldn't seem to tear his lips or his hands away from her breasts. She giggled as she placed both of her hands on his face and pulled his mouth up to hers. "You have a one-track mind?" She asked teasingly.

He chuckled as he hitched one of her legs over his hip. "Yeah, a little," he admitted unabashedly. "You have an amazing body. You're so hot."

"Thanks," she laughed. She tugged his Harvard hoodie upwards and he quickly discarded it. A part of her believed that he had worn that sweater just to annoy her. He knew that she had gone to Yale. "You're not too bad yourself," she whispered.

She slowly ran her hands down his chest and dipped her fingers into the front of his jeans. His pecs, abs, shoulders, arms…his entire body was built and hard. College football was doing wonders for him. Also, his torso was completely smooth except for the thin line of hair that began at his navel and disappeared into his pants. That stupid smattering of hair was such a turn on. She continued to explore his torso and he gasped at her touch. She knew that she was teasing him but she couldn't help it. His reactions were adorable.

He roughly captured her bottom lip between his and thrust his hips against hers. She moaned and dug her short fingernails into his shoulder blades. He unbuttoned the rest of her blouse but she stopped him before he pushed the material off of her shoulders. If they were going to do this then they needed to talk. She needed to set down some general rules and regulations.

"Hold on a second," she whispered.

"What is it?" He asked as he kissed along her collarbone.

"You're not a virgin, are you?" She blurted out.

He shook his head and laughed softly against the base of her neck. "No, I'm not. I've been with a few girls, one in high school, a couple in Boston, but I've been hung up on you for years."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Your honesty is refreshing, Jackson."

He raised his head and stared down at her nervously. His eyes roved over her before he spoke. "What if I said that I want you right now? I know that it's not the best location but I don't think I can help myself."

"I would ask you if you had a condom," she grinned. He growled before kissing her again. "But," she said against his mouth, "I want to make something clear."

"What?" He inquired distractedly as he pulled down the zipper of her jeans.

"We're just friends having fun," she stated. "I wanna spend time with you but no one can know about us, okay? I'm older than you and I; uh…I don't think your mother would be too happy about this."

He nodded while placing a kiss in her cleavage. "Whatever you want," he agreed easily.

And he kissed her softly before he rid her of the rest of her clothes.

"Reminiscing?" Cristina teased as she tossed a balled up napkin at April.

April shook herself out of her stupor and slowly stood up. "I need to go cut someone," she muttered. She grabbed her half-eaten lunch and dumped it in the garbage before bolting out of the cafeteria.

She hadn't even noticed that the group of interns that contained Jackson Avery had left the cafeteria until she came across them in the hallway with Alex. She supposed she hadn't noticed because she had been doing exactly what Cristina had accused her of doing, she had been remembering her time with Jackson. She had been remembering her time with Jackson very fondly.

"Hey Dr. K," Alex Karev greeted her.

"Hey Alex," she smiled. "You're on Meredith's service this week, right?" She asked as she ignored the curious interns.

He nodded. "I am. You have anything interesting scheduled for today?"

"I have a meniscus repair," she replied. She could feel Jackson's eyes on her but she wasn't giving in this time. "I have to go." She started to walk down the hallway and as she did, she looked over her shoulder at the new interns. "Welcome to Seattle Grace," she told them with a pleasant smile.

Charles elbowed Jackson in the side once the red-head was out of sight. "She is so hot."

"Yeah, she is," Jackson whispered in agreement as a small grin graced his face.

"Fantasize on your own time, Percy," Karev barked. "Go pick up some labs for me."

Jackson quietly snickered to himself as the burly intern cowered under Karev's orders. He quickly straightened his face when his resident turned to him. "Avery, why don't you go and get me a coffee? Black, two sugars."

Jackson scowled but did as he was told. He headed towards the coffee cart in the hospital that he knew made the freshest coffee. He would much rather practice medicine than fetch coffee but at least he could grab a cup for himself. He still had forty hours left until his shift was over.

His mood brightened considerably when he spotted April ordering a coffee. He sidled up to her and passed the lady behind the cart a few bills. "It's on me," he told her.

She glanced up at him and her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, hey Jackson, you don't have to."

"I want to," he smiled softly.

"How are you?" She asked awkwardly. She could already feel the tension between them and they had only been around each other for thirty seconds. And she couldn't deny that he looked incredible. He had always been tall, handsome, and toned, but now he actually looked grown up. He was more filled out, and his facial hair and shaved head were very sexy, and light blue scrubs looked great on him.

"I'm good, how are you? You look great."

"Thanks," she replied sheepishly. He stared at her without saying another word and she blushed under his gaze. "I really have to get going. I'm busy doing…uh, attending things. Have a great first shift!" She called as she started to walk backwards and away from him.

Jackson frowned to himself as he watched her walk away. She always seemed to be leaving him and it was not something that he enjoyed.

He turned back to the coffee chart and ordered Karev's coffee so he missed the fact that April looked longing at him over her shoulder.

He had always been hard to leave and today was no exception.

"God, you are so incredible," Jackson panted.

April smiled at him as she gathered her clothes from the end of the bed. She pulled on her bra and panties before she walked around to the other side of the bed to give him a soft kiss. "You're pretty incredible too."

This had been their routine for over two months now. They would meet in this hotel room or he would pick her up at the hospital and they would drive somewhere and park. They never went to her apartment. That was far too personal and intimate. What they were doing was very illicit, and secret, and immature. But the sex was off the charts, by far the best that she had ever had, and he was so sweet. He made her feel good and she loved spending time with him and yet a part of her was relieved that he was leaving to go back to school next week. It was time for her to start acting her age again. He was wonderful but she was ready to grow up now. She hadn't been ready for it when she had been with Matthew but she wanted a husband and a family now.

He smiled lazily before moving both of his hands to rest behind his head. "So I've been thinking about staying in Boston for Thanksgiving this year," he began hesitantly as he slowly sat up. "And maybe you could come visit?"

She stilled right in the middle of pulling up her jeans. She regrouped and finished the task at hand and pulled up her zipper and clasped the button before turning to him. "Jackson, I thought that we were very clear about what this was."

"Yeah, I know," he replied as he glanced down at the rumpled bed sheets. "I just thought that maybe…we could…ya know…keep going…It still wouldn't have to be serious…just…" He trailed off and exhaled heavily.

The sad, puppy dog look on his face almost killed her. This was the part that she had been dreading because she didn't want to hurt him. He had talked himself into thinking that he liked her, like really liked her. But really he liked her breasts, and her mouth, and the rest of her body. All of the sex was clearly fogging his brain and she should have anticipated this happening. She was letting him do things that he had never experienced before, and that girls in their early twenties didn't do. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but he was young and resilient, he would bounce back quickly.

She crawled up the bed and surprised him with a passionate kiss. "You are amazing," she told him sincerely. "You're smart and funny and sweet and beautiful. And you're incredible in bed," she added to stroke his ego. "And you're going to please thousands of women and break thousands of hearts so I feel lucky that I got to spend a summer with you." She gave him another firm kiss. "You're a catch Jackson Avery, and don't ever forget it!"

He chuckled to himself but avoided her gaze. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her. She laughed softly as she gently touched his mouth with her fingers. "Smile," she encouraged. "You're not heading back to Boston yet."

It took him a minute but he eventually smiled down at her before joining his mouth to hers.

Once again, April shook herself out of a memory and continued walking down the hallway. Her eyes widened in fear as she watched Catherine Avery stride towards her. Now was not a good time for her to talk to her mentor. She owed a lot of her success in the early years of her residency to the urologist but the woman had no idea that her former protégé had spent a summer sneaking around with her son.

"April, honey!" The older woman greeted her happily. She pulled her into a hug before she asked, "Have you seen Jackson yet? He's so excited to start his internship."

"Yeah," she replied with a forced smile. "I just ran into him actually. He doesn't seem too overwhelmed, which is good."

"Of course he's not overwhelmed," Catherine chuckled. "He's an Avery. Averys are poised and they always get what they want."

April gulped and couldn't help but hope that Catherine was wrong because she was very sure that what Jackson wanted was her.

"Well sweetie, I'll talk to you later. I have a consult to get to."

"Bye Dr. Avery," April replied timidly before the woman began to walk away.

She felt guilt wash over her and she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"What are you doing Kepner?" April jumped as Callie's voice startled her from behind. The older ortho attending laughed rambunctiously. "Sorry I scared you but you seemed a little off in your own world."

"My head is a mess," she admitted. She brought her hands up to her head to rub her temples as she continued her breathing exercises. She squeezed her eyes shut before she reopened them and guiltily peered up at Callie. The beautiful Latina had taken her under her wing when she had decided to specialize in ortho. They had a friendship as well as a mentorship and April knew that she could trust her. "He's here," she simply stated.

Callie raised an eyebrow before she realized what April was talking about. "Jackson?"

April nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's not at Mass Gen, he's doing his internship here."

"Oh, I can see why that would be a problem for you." Callie spoke seriously but it wasn't long before she dissolved into laughter. "He's like dessert, and I say: eat until you puke."

April's facial expression morphed into one of disgust. "I don't think that's a very good metaphor."

Callie chuckled, "I think it's perfect." She elbowed the red-head in the side as she grinned mischievously. "Indulge a little."

April groaned in frustration and ran her hands through her hair. All of her friends were giving her terrible advice and she needed some peace and quiet to think things through for herself. She found the nearest empty on-call room and slipped inside to take a nap.

She tried to empty her mind of all Jackson Avery related thoughts but it was a challenge. That man-boy had had a much bigger impact on her than she had anticipated when she had first gotten involved with him. He had stuck with her. She thought about him all the time, practically every day. She thought about him when the guys she dated didn't measure up. He was twenty-five, and an intern, and she had already had five years to forget about him and she hadn't been able to.

"So," Charles began with a broad grin as he and Jackson patiently waited for lab results. "You and Kepner were a thing?"

"She's a friend and she's a beautiful woman," was all he offered.

Charles chuckled in disbelief and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back on the wall. "You should have gone into politics, Avery." The guy beside him simply grinned smugly and didn't offer a response. Charles looked at his watch and groaned. "I don't know whether I'm glad or annoyed that these labs are taking forever."

"I know," Jackson agreed. "We still have twenty-eight hours left."

"This shift is hell," Charles groaned.

"It's not that bad," Lexie chimed in as she approached them. "Besides, you need to keep your energy and enthusiasm up; the attendings will be picking the first solo surgery in the intern class later today."

Charles' eyes widened and he let out another groan. "Are you serious?"

Jackson nodded. "Yup, it's a Seattle Grace tradition."

One of the lab techs stepped up to the window and eyed Charles. "Got your results here, Percy."

Charles grabbed the results and then rushed away without another word.

"What got into him?" Lexie questioned in confusion.

"I don't know," Jackson chuckled, "but he seems like a good guy."

After a pause Lexie stated, "You know neither of us is going to get the first surgery because of our last names."

Jackson shrugged. "I think that I'm okay with that."

"Of course," Lexie murmured with a roll of her eyes.

Jackson observed his friend's seemingly annoyed posture. "What are you thinking, Lex?"

"Just that you seem more interested in April than you are in becoming a surgeon," she accused angrily.

"Lexie," he sighed. He knew that she thought that he was a tad pathetic but she really didn't understand his relationship with April. It was complicated, but special and unique.

She spoke again before he could say anything else. "She really hurt you, or don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember," he snapped.

He wasn't ignoring all of the bad things that had happened between him. He remembered when he had returned to Seattle the Christmas following their summer relationship.

Jackson waited in a conference room and nervously thrummed his fingers against the tabletop. He had gotten George O'Malley to page her so he hoped that she would show up. He just wanted to see her and say hi. He missed her.

He smiled widely when the door opened and she stepped inside the room. "Hey."

"Hi," she smiled as she closed the door behind her.

He grinned and bit down on his bottom lip when she locked the door behind her. He had already taken the liberty of closing the blinds.

"How was your term?" She asked.

"It was great. We crushed Yale this season," he grinned. "And I got my MCAT results back."

"How did you do?" She inquired as she took a step forward.

"Aced 'em," he grinned proudly. He looked her up and down wantonly before reaching forward and grabbing her hips so that he could pull her down into his lap. She placed her hands on the arms of the chair and comfortably straddled him. "You look so good," he whispered huskily. He still had a difficult time wrapping his mind around how navy blue scrubs could look so sexy.

She ran her hands up his arms before slipping them around his neck. "You look good too, but why are you here? Why did you have me paged?"

He slipped his hands underneath the back of her scrub top as he leaned forward to place a kiss on her neck. "I wanted to see you." He slowly worked his way upward until he reached her mouth. "I really wanted to kiss you."

"Jackson," she sighed as she gently massaged the back of his head. "You need to know that I'm seeing someone."

"Well," he began as he tucked her hair behind her ears. "Do you mind seeing me right now?"

After a long pause, she responded by giving him a hungry kiss, she grinded her hips against his as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. "I definitely want to see you right now," she whispered.

"Perfect," he growled before he practically ripped her shirt off.

After stopping by his mother's office, Jackson rushed to the main lobby in the hope of catching April before she left the hospital. He thought that maybe they could grab a bite to eat or something. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted April with Matthew Taylor's arm wrapped around her waist.

She had told him that she was seeing someone but he hadn't imagined that she had gotten back together with the tall, broad paramedic. Last summer she had told him that they had broken up because they weren't in the same place. Logic would dictate that if they were back together then it meant that they were now in the same place, which meant that she was ready to get married and start a family.

He felt his stomach clench and he took a step backwards so that neither one of them had a chance of seeing him.

If she was ready to marry that guy then why had she spent time this afternoon sprawled out on a conference room table for him?

That was really freakin' cold.

Jackson was pulled out of his thoughts when the lab tech called out to him. He took the results with a thank you and slowly began to walk down the hallway.

Recalling that memory still made him a little nauseous but not long after he had returned to Boston, his mother had informed him that April and Matthew had broken up yet again. He had found it hard to stay mad at her when the end of her relationship had so neatly coincided with their time together.

Jackson found Karev and walked up to him confidently. "Here are Jackie Randall's results."

'Thanks Avery," the resident responded without looking at him.

"What needs to be done next?" Jackson asked eagerly.

"Actually you can take a break. The first intern solo surgery is starting in twenty minutes in OR 3. You can watch from the gallery."

Even though Lexie had predicted it, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he hadn't been chosen. However, he was a positive individual so he knew that he would get his opportunity to prove himself eventually.

Jackson pulled his scrub top over his head and tossed it in his locker. He was relieved that he had survived his first shift as a surgical intern. Beside him, Lexie was sitting on the bench in the middle of the aisle with her head in her hands.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. "You okay?" He asked caringly.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm just so tired." She looked up at him and offered a small smile. "I'm sorry about earlier…what I said…"

"It's okay," he smiled. "You always get a little cranky when you're tired," he teased.

"Yeah, I do," she laughed. "And I know that you love her." She hopped to her feet and gently patted his chest. "Get the girl and be happy."

"Thanks Lex," he responded gratefully. Her support meant the world to him and she didn't even realize it.

"And I'm going to go take the most satisfying nap in history." She grabbed her purse out of her locker before bidding him goodbye.

He chuckled, "See ya later Lex."

After pulling on his street clothes, he turned to Charles and asked, "Wanna grab a drink? There's this great bar across the street."

At Jackson's suggestion, Charles smiled for the first time in hours. "That sounds awesome. A drink, then sleep."

Jackson laughed and lightly punched his fellow intern in the arm as they both left the locker room.

His first shift had been gruelling, like he had expected, and although he hadn't made it inside of an OR, it had still been amazing. He was excited for the next one.

April ran a hand through her long auburn hair as she sipped her glass of scotch. After the day that she had endured, she really needed a drink before going home. She finished her drink and smiled up at Joe. "I'll have another, please."

He poured her another glass and slid it towards her. "Here you go, Dr. Kepner."

"Thank you."

She had just taken her first sip from the second glass when George sat down on the stool beside hers. "Hitting the hard stuff?" He teased.

"Yup," she answered simply. "This is gonna be a rough year."

"Because you're going to spend the entire year trying to avoid Avery's bed?"

April turned to her friend with a hard, unimpressed glare. "Thank you George, you're being so understanding right now," she stated sarcastically.

The trauma surgeon laughed before ordering a drink for himself. He placed a hand on April's back and rubbed it soothingly. "In all seriousness, I think that you should date him. I've never heard you talk about a guy the way that you talk about him. He clearly makes you happy."

April sighed, "What about everything else?"

"So you tell Webber and you tell his mother, they're not obstacles that are impossible to overcome."

April opened her mouth to argue when she heard the doorbell over the front door ring. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed in defeat as she watched a group of interns walk into the bar, and of course Jackson Avery was one of them.

Without thinking, she hopped off of her stool and bolted towards the bathroom.

She splashed her face with a little water before she leaned on the sink and took a series of deep breaths.

The door opened behind her and she was somewhat unsurprised to glance in the mirror and see Jackson staring back at her.

"Hey April," he smiled brightly.

"You know I'm your boss now so you should probably call me Dr. Kepner," she responded sternly.

He approached her in three fluid steps and placed a hand on the small of her back. "Okay, Dr. Kepner," he whispered seductively, "I just moved into a new place, away from my mother, wanna come over? I could use some company after my first shift as an intern."

She turned around to face him and firmly pushed him backwards. "Jackson," she sighed in frustration. "We can't do that."

"Why not? It's not like we haven't before," he replied with a cheeky grin.

She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead. He had always been incredibly stubborn. He was very determined; it was one of the characteristics that meant that he would be a great surgeon one day. "We shouldn't have then and we can't now."

"Why not?" He asked again.

He advanced towards her but she placed both of her hands on his chest to keep him from getting too close. "For the same reasons that we shouldn't have done it the first time, and more. I'm your boss now and I have influence over your career, and I…" She trailed off and looked at him in annoyance. His eyes couldn't seem to focus on anything; they were madly roving over her body. "Stop looking at me like that!"

He bit down on his bottom lip as he gazed down at her. "Like what?" He inquired quietly.

"Like you've seen me naked," she whined almost petulantly.

"But I have seen you naked," he pointed out.

She tossed her head back and groaned loudly in frustration. "No, you haven't, erase the memory! Our relationship needs to start over from scratch in order for us to work together."

He chuckled as he took another step forward and pressed her against the sink. "I've tried to do that and I can't, and you're being very unfair to me."

"I'm being unfair to you?" She asked incredulously as she raised an eyebrow.

"Yup," he nodded. "You ruined me for all other women and now you're blowing me off."

She couldn't help but laugh at him. "Ruined you for all other women? I don't remember you being so dramatic."

He chuckled but remained honest. "It's true though, I compare every girl I date to you." He tilted his head and did an exaggerated impersonation of himself. "She's not as funny as April. She's not as smart as April. Her skin's not as soft as April's. She doesn't kiss like April. I'm a wreck," he admitted. "I've been a wreck for five years. You messed with my head."

She glanced down at her feet before she looked back at him regretfully. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I…I never wanted to hurt you. That was the very last thing that I wanted to do. I'm sorry," she repeated.

"I know," he smiled softly. He brought both of his hands up to gently cup her face. "I live in that apartment building right across the street from the hospital, apartment 405. Come over anytime." He leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers. "At the very least we'll both have a good night," he whispered enticingly. "I want you. I've always wanted you."

And with that he slipped out of the bathroom, leaving April feeling very confused and very conflicted.

Jackson was lying in his bed and he had almost fallen asleep when he heard a knock on his apartment door. He tiredly pulled himself out of bed and didn't bother to put on any clothes over his boxers.

He padded to his door and was pleasantly surprised to find that his visitor was April. She breezed past him without a greeting and immediately began to speak in an authoritative voice.

"If we're going to do this then there are going to be rules."

He raised an eyebrow before slipping his arms around her waist. "I have a few conditions of my own," he revealed.

"You do?" She questioned sceptically as he pushed her up against his closed door.

He nodded as he licked his lips. "I do. For example, we have to tell my mother."

April cringed but quickly countered with, "We have to tell Chief Webber. I'm an attending so everything we do has to be out in the open." She paused as she placed her hands on his naked sides and slowly slipped them up his back. "And there will be no special treatment. I only want you on my service if you're genuinely interested."

"Oh, I'm interested," he grinned as he pressed the full length of his body against hers.

"Interested in ortho," she corrected with a giggle.

He laughed and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I want my surgical education to be very well rounded, and I already know that you're a great teacher."

She dropped her purse to the floor and started to walk him backwards, hopefully in the direction of his bedroom. "I have taught you a thing or two," she flirted.

He hummed in agreement as he nibbled on the corner of her jaw and pushed her jacket off of her shoulders. "I wanna be with you for real, April. Not just friends. Not just sex. I want a relationship, and I'm in it for the long haul."

She looked up at him and a level of seriousness was etched into his face that she had never seen before. She knew that he liked her…that he was into her…but for the first time she realized that his feelings for her ran a lot deeper than just like. It had never been about just sex for him. She placed both of her hands on his face and kissed him sweetly.

"Are you in love with me Jackson Avery?" She asked in a whisper.

"I am," he smiled. "I am very much in love with you, April Kepner. I've been in love with you since I was fifteen."

She kissed him again, much more passionately this time. "Take me to your bed."

He effortlessly lifted her into his arms and wasted no time in doing exactly what he was told.

Jackson smiled as he propped himself up on his elbow and watched April sleep. She was lying on her back with the thin bed sheet pulled up to her chest and some of her hair was in her face. He knew that he should probably be asleep as well, but he couldn't seem to stop staring at her. "God, you are so beautiful," he whispered as he stroked her bare arm.

"Thank you," she murmured as she kept her eyes closed.

He dipped his head and kissed along her neck. "Hey, you're awake."

"I am. I'm just resting."

She stretched her limbs before she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. Being with him was just as good as she remembered and she was going to shamefully take advantage of his energy.

He grinned at her and wasted no time in manoeuvring his body so that he was hovering above her. He leaned down and kissed her affectionately, and she lazily kissed him back. She hummed and entwined her legs around the back of his calves.

"Can we stay in bed all day?" He asked in between kisses.

"I can't believe you have the day off," she giggled. "You've only worked one shift so far! They're letting you interns off easy this year. They should be running you ragged."

"You can run me ragged here," he purposed mischievously. "I would definitely not complain about that."

She smirked, "I'm sure you wouldn't."

He chuckled huskily as he slowly moved down her body. He pushed the bed sheet aside and kissed along her flat stomach as a thought struck him. "Actually I have a better idea than staying in my bed all day."

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

"We could stay in your bed all day. I've never been to your apartment before."

"That is true," she acknowledged. "But it's not that special."

He softly kissed her mouth before he responded. "That's not the point. If we're going to do this then I want to see your apartment."

She knew that he had a point. She couldn't hide from him anymore. She didn't want to. "Okay." She kissed him before she pushed on his chest for him to let her up. "Get dressed and let's go."

April led Jackson by the hand up the stairs to her apartment. She could tell that he was excited and she found it adorable. She unlocked her front door and Jackson's insistent hands on her hips guided her over the threshold.

He kicked the door closed behind him and latched his lips onto her neck.

She giggled at his actions as she asked, "Don't you want the tour?"

"Of course I do," he chuckled.

She grabbed her hand and threaded her fingers through his. She tugged him through her apartment and announced each room. "Living room. Kitchen. Bathroom. Laundry room. And finally, the bedroom." She flicked her bedroom light on and watched Jackson's eyes focus on her queen sized bed. She stood on the tips of her toes and gently kissed his cheek. "How about I make something to eat? And you could take a shower or nap, or do whatever you want, and then we can stay in here for as long as you like."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her firmly on the lips. "That sounds amazing."

"What do you want to eat?" She asked against his mouth.

"Right now all I want is French toast."

She giggled, "I think I can do that." She removed his hands from around her waist and stepped back from him, but not before kissing him again. "Go take a shower, you smell like hospital," she teased.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked naughtily. "You didn't seem to mind an hour ago."

She playfully smacked his chest. "Go!" He started to walk towards the bathroom but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her. "Hold on a sec," she whispered with a small smile.

"What?" He asked in confusion as he looked down at her.

She knew that George was right, Jackson Avery was different from any other guy she had ever dated, and she wanted him to know that. He really did make her happy, regardless of his age. "You're really incredible, and I really really like you."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Why does it sound like you're breaking up with me?"

"I'm not!" She assured him quickly with a small laugh. She placed her hands on his chest and slowly moved them upwards until she cupped his face. "I'm trying to say that I'm not where you are yet but I'm getting there. I adore you Jackson Avery."

A wide smile slowly spread across his face. "Well, I've waited ten years already, I think that I can wait a little longer."

A/N: Please leave a review! I'm interested to read your feedback! :)