Title: My Love Will Clothe Your Bones

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: I was so happy the Japril baby was okay in the finale that I started writing a collection of snapshots for the rest of the pregnancy. This story begins after the church scene in 10x22, because it is just one of my favorite Japril scenes for so many reasons. I wanted to continue on that night after they return home together and follow the pregnancy from there.

Much thanks to KepnerAvery for letting me use her wonderful Japril baby name, and her encouragement along the way as I finished this monster of a fic! Title from the amazing Josh Record song Bones that played during the Japril scene in 10x13.

There will be a total of four parts so please comment and let me know what you think. Thanks in advance if you do!

Hi.
Hey.
How did you know I was…
I know who you hang out with.
You okay?
Yeah. Yeah, I just needed to sit down for a bit. Should probably get use to these seats though… I can't change who I am, but that doesn't mean I wanna sit at home every Sunday when my family's off at church.
You would go to church with me?
You're my wife, of course I will. As long as we can get waffles after.
We can have waffles after.

"Waffles are my favorite breakfast food too," April reminds him, her eyes fixed on the altar at the front of the chapel.

"I know," Jackson replies, "I remember. We have that in common." He gazes down at April, sees that her eyes are locked on the cross on the wall. He holds back a sigh at the idea of another potentially hurtful argument with his wife and softly says her name to get her attention. "April?"

She looks up at him, smiling as she meets his eyes. "What?"

"Nothing, you just... drifted off."

"I was just saying thanks... because I was praying that we'd make up."

Jackson looks at her, this woman with the heart of gold and the smile of sunshine. He was right about what he'd told his mother - she's the one.

"Then I'm glad your prayers were answered."

"Me, too," she replies with another smile. She grabs his hand and squeezes it, looking at him with pleading eyes to ask, "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we can go home," he answers with relief as joy spreads through his bones.

Maybe prayer does work.

April smiles as she watches him put his keys on the hook as they enter their apartment. It looks like he's a hook guy after all, doesn't it?

He's apologizing for the mess that's accumulated in the living room over the week she's been away, but she interrupts him to say what's been bothering her all night.

"Jackson, I'm sorry about Webber and everyone. I can't imagine just sitting there and having to be professional while everyone is judging you and being angry at you, and just... it's not your fault, it's just a last name!" she exclaims, her hands flying in frustration as she thinks back to the OR gallery where Jackson had been humiliated.

He shakes his head and shrugs it off. "It's okay. Being an Avery means you get used to it."

"Well... that sucks," she says ineloquently, and he chuckles. "It does! And I'm sorry. I didn't realize how hard it is for you to feel all alone in a hospital full of hundreds of people, even if you technically own the hospital. But... you're not alone, okay?" She takes another step closer, her hands reaching for his shoulders, leaning up on her tiptoes to meet his eyes. "I'm an Avery too... right?" She asks it hesitantly, because they've teased each other about this but she's being absolutely serious right now.

"Right," Jackson confirms, nodding at her. "Which means they'll just hate you too."

"Well, maybe, but it also means you're not alone. You have me. And," she takes a deep breath and reaches for his hand, and for the first time since she's told him the news, she brings his hand to her stomach, feeling the warmth of it through her t-shirt, "you have this baby. That's three Averys in one hospital. You are not alone."

Jackson swallows back a knot of emotion, his hand on her stomach flexing with need and want as he soaks in her words. He's always been alone. In every prep school he went to, in college and in med school, in every ballroom dance class his mom made him go to, and every fundraiser he was forced to attend because he was an Avery and of course he'd pull out his checkbook and donate if they got him there. He was always alone.

Until he met April.

Me and you.

"April..." He rests his forehead against hers, inhaling deeply as he holds her tight. He just missed her so much and she's finally home. "I love you."

She wraps her arms around his neck, and he flashes back to a hotel room in San Francisco and a men's bathroom stall, but then she kisses him and all he can think of is right here and right now.

He holds her tight as they make love, but manages to shift his body to fall next to hers on the mattress. Usually he'd stay on top, she loves the feel of their bodies aligned from top to bottom, but he reminds himself that she's pregnant now. She might not be showing yet, but he has to be keep that in mind, he has to take care of her. He smiles in pleasure as she turns on her side immediately to face him, their faces mere inches apart as they breathe heavily, climbing down from the high of being together after nearly a week's separation. It's the longest they've been apart since they got married in Lake Tahoe.

Jackson reaches out to brush away a curl that's sticking to her forehead. The tender gesture is all it takes for April to burst into tears. He jerks away immediately, eyes widening in panic at the tears running down her face.

"April? What's wrong, what happened? Was I too rough?" He pales at the thought, but she quickly reaches out to reassure him, her hands wrapping around his neck as she pulls him close.

"No, no. I loved it."

"Were you not ready to-" He breaks off again as she shakes her head, her entire body shaking with the sobs she's holding in. "What's wrong, babe? Talk to me."

"It's just... just..." She takes a deep, shuddering breath and Jackson rubs her back through it, urging her to continue. "You're my only friend."

"Hey, come on, that's not true," Jackson tells her immediately, shaking his head at the comment. "You have tons of friends. Meredith and Cristina, well, Cristina's a bit of a reach for both of us, I guess," he adds, "but Arizona and Callie, and-"

"No, no." April reaches up to cradle his face between her hands, sighing as she tries to explain. "Callie and Arizona got so tired of me hanging around, and Meredith yelled at me about Cristina not getting the Harper Avery, and, and..." she takes a deep breath before she looks at him with watery eyes and declares, "no one loves me like you do."

Jackson holds her closer, and finally moves aside that strand of hair that had caught his attention. He thinks of how everyone avoids him in the hallways at the hospital, how he's had no one to eat dinner with all week, how the bed felt too big without her despite him having slept alone for years. He kisses her forehead, then her cheeks, then her lips.

"No one loves me like you do either."

"Our little fetus!" April says again that night after their OB/GYN appointment as she moves to put the sonogram picture on the refrigerator with pride.

"Don't you think it might be hard to keep this a secret if the sonogram is the first thing people see when they walk into our apartment?" Jackson comments from behind her.

Her back is to him but he can imagine her frown of disappointment at his very rational thought disrupting her excitement. He's right though, and she relents, turning around with a nod. "Okay, fine, you're right. Follow me." She leads the way into their bedroom and tucks the picture into the frame of the mirror on the wall. "There. No one will be coming in this room."

"They better not," Jackson mumbles against the skin of her neck as he drops a kiss there. They stand in front of the mirror, arms around each other as they gaze at the new sonogram picture. The mirror reflects a couple in love, a family in the making. "It's perfect."

Two days later, April watches Jackson from where they're cuddled on the couch together after a twelve hour shift at the hospital. It's nice being an attending and being able to schedule her shifts to match Jackson's so they can have the same day or night off. Of course, he still has to go in for Board events and meetings even if he's off and sometimes she'll go with him instead of staying home. But the nights they have off, they enjoy making dinner together and Jackson can catch a basketball game while she reads, those are the nights she loves most.

"Oh, come on, dammit! That was so close!" Jackson yells at the television, shaking his head to himself as he watches the game. He reaches for the popcorn and sees April watching him. "Sorry. Am I being too loud?"

"No, you're fine," she tells him. But she smiles and says, "I have something to tell you."

"Okay," he says, dragging out the word as he frowns at her sudden seriousness on a carefree Thursday night. "What is it?"

"Well," April takes a deep breath and puts her book on the coffee table, turning to face him completely on the couch, "I don't want us to lie to each other or keep secrets, I want us to be honest with each other about everything. Don't you?"

He nods as he tries to decipher the hidden meaning behind her words. "Of course, babe. What is it? You're scaring me. The baby's mine, right?" He smirks at her when she hits his chest playfully. "Ow! Okay, sorry, sorry, continue."

"Remember when you said you told Stephanie about the baby?" Jackson nods. "Well... I told Callie."

"Ha! I knew it! I thought you were being too calm for some reason." He tugs her into his arms, grinning widely at the satisfaction that he was not alone in spilling the beans about their news too early. "Well, babe, thanks for being so honest, but I'm not letting you out of telling my mom now."

April giggles as his hands slide under her t-shirt, gliding over her stomach. He loves to touch her there where there's just the slightest of a bump that only he knows about. "Jackson, that tickles." She straddles him on the couch, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she kisses him sweetly. "I had to be honest. I figured you need the support. You're such a chicken when it comes to your mom."

"Thanks for that," he replies sarcastically, his hands sliding around her back and pulling her closer. Their lips meet again as their hips align, and he groans at the contact as she rocks herself on top of him. "And I'm not a chicken. She's just crazy. But can we not talk about my mother when we're having sex?"

"We're not having sex," she informs him. But with the way his hands are cupping her breasts and the way hers are sliding down his sweatpants, she knows it's only a matter of time before they are. "What about your basketball game?" She can vaguely hear the announcers on the TV behind her, something about ten minutes left on the clock and it being a very exciting game you don't want to miss the end of.

"Forget the game," Jackson mumbles against her lips as he pulls her closer.

"Evan?"

"No. I knew an Evan once, he was a jerk."

"Edgar? Wait, no, that's too Edgar Allen Poe," April says just as quickly. "Let me go to the next page. Marcus?" She crinkles her nose at the name as she waits for Jackson's response. They're in bed and she's reading out potential baby names while he's finishing up some work. Though they don't know the gender of the baby yet, April is determined to have a list of both boys and girls names picked out to choose from. "It sounds too... stuffy."

"I agree. What's next?"

"Ma-" April giggles in amusement, her laughter echoing in the bedroom. She hides her face behind the baby book when Jackson looks at her in puzzlement. "Nothing, it's nothing."

"It's something," Jackson teases as he puts aside his laptop. It's time for bed anyway, and his wife is always more entertaining than any hospital work. "What is it? Tell me."

"No, no, it's nothing." April shakes her head, still laughing even as she tries to compose herself.

"April..." Jackson grabs her close and slides his hands under her tank top, tickling her sides and grinning as she shrieks with laughter. She twists in his hold but he only holds on tighter, enjoying the way she squirms in his arms as she tries to escape.

"Stop, stop! There's a baby in there!" April takes a deep breath to stop the laughter, smiling up at him with a grin still on her face. "Tickle attacks aren't fair."

"Keeping secrets from your husband isn't fair either. What baby name was it?"

April bites her lip, trying to hold back a smile, and says, "Matthew."

Jackson stares at her for a moment in silence, then growls as he goes to kiss her, hands moving to her stomach again to tickle her mercilessly. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that."

"Here you go, Dr. Avery."

April looks up from her paperwork to find Jackson approach her with a blueberry muffin from the coffee cart outside. She smiles as she accepts the snack, reaching up to peck his cheek. "Thank you, Dr. Avery." The pregnancy cravings have begun, and she's been craving blueberries every day around noon. It makes no sense to her either, but apparently there's nothing logical about cravings.

Jackson wraps an arm around her shoulder then moves it down to her waist. He has no idea he's unconsciously brushed lovingly at her stomach on the way down. He's never been able to keep his hands to himself where his wife is concerned.

"So... pregnant, huh?" Alex comments from next to them, a sparkle in his eye as he watches the panic appear on their faces.

"I- What? Who?" April babbles in her usual fashion.

"Who's pregnant?" Jackson asks coolly, as if he's interested in whatever hospital gossip Alex has to share.

"Oh, come on, you knocked up the Virgin Mary. We all know it wasn't an immaculate conception." Alex grins at his own joke.

"I'm not- we're not- I'm not-" April tries to form an argument, and of course that gives her away more than anything else. Jackson says nothing, merely waiting for Karev to continue.

He does not disappoint.

"Kepner, you've been eating blueberries every day for like a week, and you hate blueberries. You never made blueberry pancakes when you cooked, said you hated the smell. Plus, your boobs look bigger," he adds with a wink as he blatantly stares at her chest for a second.

April gasps in outrage, crossing her arms immediately to hide his view. "Hey, don't look at my boobs!"

"Don't look at her boobs," Jackson tells their friend firmly from her side.

"Yeah, sure, I won't," Alex says in a tone that means he absolutely will. "Congrats. A mix of you two... no wonder Yang left town." But he tosses one of his rare, bright smiles their way before he barks an order at his intern, then turns back to add, "Avery, I hope it's a girl so I can watch you try and scare away any guy that might de-virginize her. I need more laughter in my life."

April tries to hold back a chuckle at the sudden paleness of Jackson's face. "Jackson..."

"If it's a girl, she's not allowed to have sex ever. Ever!" His eyes widen in terror, hands flying all over the place as he tries to control the thoughts running through his head.

April only grins and gives him a peck on the cheek before she heads for the elevator.

"I mean it, April!" he calls out after her.

"Sure, Mom, yes, I know, rule with an iron fist, the mighty don't make friends, it's lonely on the top, all that good stuff," Jackson repeats as he listens to his mother on the phone while browsing on his laptop in bed. He hasn't talked to her all week so he figured he'd call before she flew back to Seattle just to check his temperature and assure herself he's well.

He catches April's eye in the bathroom mirror where she's brushing her teeth, and rolls his eyes in amusement at her as his mom continues to chatter away. Something about a fundraiser for a charity fundraiser coming up in two months, and how his cousin Patrick aced his SATs, and how his grandfather was being picky about his medication again, and...

His thoughts drift off as he watches April pull on her pajamas, then sees her frown as she tugs harder on the hem of her tank top which no longer covers the slightest baby bump that's showing. She stands in front of the full length closet mirror turning this way and that, looking at her reflection from all angles, palming her growing stomach as she observes herself carefully. Jackson takes it all in; the curve of her spine, the way her hair shines like red silk, the line of her neck leading to that spot at her collarbone which he loves to nuzzle when he's buried deep within her.

"Jackson, are you there? Are you listening to me, child?"

"Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I'm here," he answers. He watches as April moves to the dresser, tugging off her tank top and grabbing one of his t-shirts to sleep in. It looks like his pajamas will be her pajamas now.

And he doesn't mind one bit.

Catherine huffs over the phone line. "Well, you sure sound distracted over there. Don't know why you even bothered to call if you weren't going to pay attention to me half the time. Go on then, go be a newlywed." Her tone is very clear that she knows exactly which newlywed activity his mind is on.

Jackson chuckles at her attitude, and can't help but feel a bit smug at how he's going to pull the rug out from under her with his news. He's nervous how she'll react, but it has to be done sooner or later. His eyes meet April's, and she looks at him curiously. He takes a deep breath and says, "Actually, Mom, we're not just newlyweds anymore. We are expectant parents."

There's a moment of silence, then a whoop of delight echoes so loudly in the room that April can hear it too. She grins as she watches Jackson wince and pull the phone away from his ear, then comes to snuggle next to him, the movie they were going to watch completely forgotten. He puts the phone on speaker, relishing the sounds of his mother's happiness as he and April grin at each other like fools.

"Mom, are you done cheering now?"

"Jackson! You're pregnant? I mean, April's pregnant, not you, of course, I'm so happy for you! I cannot believe this. Wow, that was fast. You Avery men sure-"

"Okay, Mom, that's enough of that," he interrupts with a grimace. "April's here too, if you want to say congrats to her since she's doing all the work."

"Uh, h-hi, Dr. Avery," April says, stumbling over the words with nervousness. Jackson reaches out to hold her hand, squeezing it tightly and she takes a deep breath, feeling his strength rejuvenate her own. "Um, surprise?" She laughs shakily, still a bit hesitant on what to expect from her mother-in-law.

"Surprise, indeed!" Catherine exclaims with a laugh. "And none of that 'Dr. Avery' nonsense, dear, I told you to call me Catherine. Oh, sweetheart, a virgin to a momma-to-be, I cannot believe it."

Jackson winces at the comment. "Can everyone stop referring to my wife as a virgin? Please?" He rolls his eyes at April who tries to contain her laughter. She runs a hand through his hair, pulling him closer so she can drop a kiss on his cheek. The mention of their first time always makes her sentimental, always takes her back to that hotel room in San Francisco and how he'd been so gentle with her.

"Oh, shush, Jackson, we were all virgins once. And she's certainly not one anymore. Well, tell me everything, April, honey! How far are you? Did you go to the doctor? Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Did you have an ultrasound done? Can I see the sonogram?"

"I- we- yes, yes!" April says with a laugh, not knowing which question to answer first, but so relieved that they're all questions she can answer right now. They're not questions about the child's choice of religion, or how they'll handle managing a million dollar empire, or how they'll behave during their first board meeting. Questions on vitamins and ultrasounds, excited questions on prenatal care are question she can happily discuss with Catherine.

"Yes, Mom, we have the first ultrasound pictures. I'll send it to you if you ever let me off the phone," Jackson tells her in exasperation.

"I'm done talking to you, Jackson, you go do whatever you need to do and pass the phone to my daughter-in-law," Catherine orders.

"Finally," he exclaims dramatically, making sure Catherine can hear him.

"I heard that, young man. Just so you know, I won't accept that kind of sass from my grandchild. Now, April, who is your OB/GYN? Where did she go to school? Did you do your research, darling, because it is the most important information you need to know..."

Jackson dutifully takes the phone off speaker and hands it to April. He's done his part - he broke the news. The rest of the girl talk is all on April.

to be continued ~