A/N: So, the finale happened. I think that all the ladies of Grey's deserve a round of applause, they all killed it in the finale. And I'm thrilled that we finally got some honesty from Japril! So proud of April. I read one review of the finale that called "Unless you can give me a reason not to" the best line of the season and another that said that Sarah Drew's performance was Emmy-worthy. Pretty proud to be a Grey's fan and Japril shipper right now!
Anyways, enjoy this final chapter! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's.
This is the last time you tell me I've got it wrong,
This is the last time I say it's been you all along,
This is the last time I let you in my door,
This is the last time I won't hurt you anymore
- The Last Time by Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody
"Ten bucks says this wedding gets called off," Callie Torres casually commented after taking a sip from her glass of champagne.
Arizona turned towards her wife and scolded her. "Calliope!"
The Latina looked around the table at the rest of the Seattle Grace contingent. She was certain that everyone else at this rehearsal dinner who knew April Kepner was thinking the exact same thing. "What? Anyone wanna take my bet?"
Alex replied bluntly, "I'm not in the mood to lose any money."
Callie nodded in satisfaction and stared confidently at her blonde counterpart. "See? Kepner has Avery and one of Wakely's exes just came out of the woodwork. It's all too mysterious and coincidental. It's a sign."
Mark looked around the restaurant in concern and Lexie placed a comforting hand on his leg. "What is it?" She asked curiously.
"Avery isn't here," he answered. "And he's not answering my texts." He looked towards Meredith and Cristina and inquired, "What happened at Kepner's bachelorette party exactly?"
The two friends exchanged guilty looks before Cristina spoke, "It's a long story."
Bailey nosily leaned forward in her chair. "The bride and groom have disappeared so I think we got some time."
April and Peter sat side by side on the back step of the restaurant's kitchen exit. The night air was refreshing but a little chilly. Peter noticed her shiver so he removed his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She smiled at him in thanks but remained silent.
He was the one who had said that they needed to talk so he supposed that he should speak first. He just wasn't sure what to say or where to begin.
"So, what's going on?" He questioned eventually.
She ran both of her hands through her hair and sighed. "I'm so confused and I feel awful, and I don't even know what to say to you to make any of this okay."
He nodded in understanding as he placed a hand on her knee. He felt the exact same way. "Do you ever…?" He began tentatively. She turned her neck to make eye contact with him and he swallowed before continuing. "Do you ever think that you're more in love with the idea of something?"
April's breath hitched at what he was implying. "Is that how you feel about me?" Was in love with the idea of her more than he actually was with her? She knew that he had had feelings for her for years so maybe she was more of an ideal than anything else. Maybe she had never truly lived up to his expectations. She was a little crazy after all.
"Not all the time," he answered quickly. "But sometimes. Being with you was like a dream come true," he smiled sincerely.
She grabbed his hand on her knee and squeezed tightly. "I feel the same way about you," she responded honestly.
"But I…I think that we both need something a little more real…"
April smiled happily as tears pricked the back of her eyes. She was happy and relieved that they were having this real, honest conversation and it was the reason why she was so emotional. He really did understand her and she loved him for it. "I think so too," she whispered. She placed her free hand on his face and gently stroked his cheek before she pressed her lips softly against his. She kissed him twice before she pulled away. "I do love you though; I want you to know that."
"I love you too," he replied softly. "It's just that what we have…"
She finished his thought, "Is not enough because we both have something more with other people." The love that they shared was one that could only exist between very good friends. She paused before she said, "Tell me about her."
"Uhh…" He scratched his head as he gathered his thoughts. "Her name is Mandy and I've known her forever. We dated in high school…she was my first," he added quietly. "We dated for four years but my parents hated her." He laughed without humor, "They said she wasn't good enough for me. She's not from money and she's a struggling actress. My parents told me that I had to breakup with her or otherwise they wouldn't pay for medical school." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's probably the time in my life that I'm least proud of."
"I'm so sorry," she told him sympathetically.
He shrugged, "I've spent my whole medical career trying to make up for it…for being a heartless snob. I thought that I had forgotten about her, buried that part of my life, and I thought that my feelings for you were so much stronger…but seeing her again last night, everything just…"
"Came rushing back?" She supplied with a soft smile.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I guess that's how it is for you when you're with Jackson."
She groaned before laughing melodiously. "Yeah, pretty much, it's like I gave him my heart and I've spent the past few years trying to get it back, and he just refuses to let me have it."
Peter smiled at her, she was so in love with that guy and he never thought that acknowledging that would make him happy. Even though she had betrayed him, it was impossible for him to be truly mad at her. It would be different if she had done it just for the sex or for the thrill. But she had done it because she really loved Avery, and if they weren't meant to be then he needed to know that she would be happy with someone else, and Avery seemed to make her happy, even if he didn't really like the guy. He suddenly furrowed his brow in confusion when something troublesome occurred to him. "Wait. I thought that he was dating his friend from Tulane? Lauren?"
April laughed as she shook her head. "No, she's gay."
"Oh," Peter replied in shock before laughing along with her.
April couldn't help but think that it felt good to talk like this again, like friends. They hadn't done it in so long. They had been trying so hard to be the perfect couple that they had forgotten the foundation of their relationship. They had forgotten about the capacity in which they were the most comfortable. It was time for them to let go of the lives that they had imagined themselves leading when they were children. Perfect wasn't always right.
"Peter," April began hesitantly. "Can we still be friends?" She was hopeful but she could understand if his answer was no.
He shot her a genuine, happy smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
She squeezed his hand again before she spoke rapidly. "Hey! You should use our travel plans to whisk Mandy away! Bora Bora is beautiful!"
"Wouldn't that be a little awkward?" He inquired with a puzzled facial expression. "I mean, it was supposed to be our honeymoon."
"Live in the moment, Wakely," she retorted teasingly.
He laughed before he responded with advice of his own. "You need to go after him. I remember that I once told you that if I ever had you I would never let you go, but there's a difference between letting you go and setting you free." He got to his feet and extended his hand. "Come on, we have a wedding to call off."
She placed her hand in his and he pulled her up. "Yes, we do." She handed him back his jacket before she pulled her engagement ring off of her finger. "Here, you have to take this back," she said as she held the ring out for him.
"You sure?" He asked. It was hers so if she wanted to keep it, he would be perfectly fine with it.
She nodded, "Yeah." She took his hand and placed the ring in his palm. "I want you to take it."
"Okay." He slipped the ring into his pocket before he forced a large smile. "Let's do this."
They bravely returned to the packed restaurant and approached the podium. They were confident in their decision but that didn't make them any less nervous.
Peter cleared his throat before he spoke into the microphone. "Hi everyone, we have an announcement to make."
Hundreds of faces anxiously peered up at him and he lost his voice. Thankfully, April took over. "We're really sorry to tell you that there won't be a wedding tomorrow. We're sorry for the inconvenience and you're free to leave whenever you want." Her comment felt short and disingenuous but she wasn't sure what else to say, it's not like she had ever done this before.
April stepped away from the podium and headed towards the table where her family was sitting while Eleanor Wakely stormed towards her son.
At the back of the room, Callie was unable to stop herself from triumphantly sing-songing, "Called it!"
"What the hell is going on here?" Eleanor Wakely demanded.
"Mom, calm down," Peter said in a soothing voice.
"I certainly will not," she responded haughtily. "Tell me what's going on. Was this her idea?" The way that she said 'her' made it very clear that she was not happy with the woman who had gotten so close to becoming her daughter-in-law. "Is she running off with that Jackson Avery?"
"Mom," Peter sighed. "It was a mutual decision. We both decided that it's not right for us to get married." Peter started to back away as he said, "Don't you dare say anything to April. She did nothing wrong."
His mother was not pleased with his responses and she was even less impressed by the fact that he seemed to be leaving. "And where are you going?"
"I've got somewhere else to be," he replied nonchalantly.
Meanwhile, Karen Kepner approached her daughter with concern.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" She asked.
"I'm fine, Mom," April nodded. "Peter and I talked and we just don't…we don't love each other that way. We can't get married. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, sweetheart." She ran a hand over April's auburn hair as she smiled. "This is nobody's fault. You're just not meant for each other, there's nothing wrong with that." She could see her daughter's eyes flickering around the room and she knew exactly what, or more specifically who, she was looking for. "He's still not here," she said sadly.
She spoke and her voice quivered, "I don't know where he is."
"Well, you have to go and find him."
April nodded before she spotted the only person in the room that probably knew of Jackson's whereabouts. She rushed towards Lauren and blurted out, "Where is he?"
The thought of not telling her passed through Lauren's head but she knew that she couldn't do that. "He's on a plane back to New Orleans," she sighed.
April digested the information before she fled the restaurant. She knew what she had to do.
June 17th, 2016
"Dr. Avery, there's someone here asking for you."
Jackson looked up from his work and glared at the intern standing in the doorway of the lab. "I'm busy, Wilkes. I'm growing skin. Tell them to make an appointment."
"It's a woman and she's really pretty, sir," the intern added with a smile. The attending continued to glare at him and he cowered slightly. "Right, growing skin," he muttered as he left the room.
Jackson groaned once the door had firmly closed behind the bothersome intern. His plane from New York had landed late last night and he had only gone home long enough to feed Brody and then he had come straight to the hospital. He just wanted to work until he couldn't see straight anymore. Since he didn't have any surgeries scheduled, he had retreated to the lab.
Being busy didn't allow his thoughts to wander back to New York City and April Kepner. He needed to work and he was thankful that he had an appointment with Dr. Summers later in the day. He really needed to talk too.
The door to the lab opened once again and Jackson growled in annoyance. He wasn't in a very good mood today, for completely understandable reasons. "What is it?"
The unexpected visitor was his friend, general surgeon Ryan Collins. "There's someone waiting in the lobby for you."
"I know, I told Wilkes to take care of it."
Ryan grinned as he stepped farther into the lab. "I think that you'll want to deal with this yourself."
Jackson rolled his eyes as he removed his gloves and tossed them on the lab bench. He figured that if he didn't do this then people would continue to bother him. He might as well take care of this unwanted guest. "This better be good," he muttered.
He took the elevator down to the main lobby and spotted the very last person that he expected to see. She was just standing there in a t-shirt, jeans, and a jacket. Her hair was down and she looked tired, and frankly, a little lost. She didn't even have any luggage with her.
"April, what are you doing here?" There was an unmistakable note of frustration and annoyance in his voice. He looked at his watch before he added, "You're supposed to be getting married right now, and you made it very clear that he's the one that you want."
The red-head merely shrugged, she was at a loss for words. She had practiced this on the plane but now that she was finally here, looking at him, it was hard to speak. "I-I," she stuttered. "It's you," she declared after a deep breath. "It's always been you. It's only ever been you."
Jackson's face softened as he walked towards her. She was picking him.
"But this is it," she continued with determination. "I'm done with the chase, and hurting each other, and this is the last time that I—"
He cut the rest of her words off with a firm kiss. She gasped and placed her hands on his biceps before she eagerly kissed him back. She practically melted against him as he slipped both of his hands up her back.
When he ended the kiss, he pressed his forehead against hers and smiled uncontrollably.
"I had more to say but now I forget," she told him with a laugh.
He chuckled as he lovingly tucked her hair behind her ear. "I think I get it." This was the last time that she was going to let him in and he wasn't going to screw things up this time.
She stared into his eyes before she looked around the busy lobby. She saw a few of her old coworkers smiling happily at them and she blushed due to the nature of their very public reunion. "Can we go somewhere else?" She asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, of course," he answered automatically. He wasn't even supposed to come into work today so he could bail without feeling guilty. And honestly, he knew that it wouldn't have mattered to him anyway, at least not today. He and April had too much lost time to make up for.
Jackson unlocked the front door of the home that he had bought for the two of them and they were instantly greeted by Brody, the excited golden retriever.
"Hi Brody!" April exclaimed happily as she leaned down to scratch his ears.
Jackson smiled as the dog barked and jumped around April's feet. The animal was just as happy to see her as he was. He patted Brody's side and sent him away before he impatiently pulled April up the stairs.
She knew exactly what he was thinking but she had one last thing to talk about before they got lost in each other. "I have a question to ask you," she giggled as he led her into his bedroom.
"What is it?" He asked with a boyish grin as he placed his hands on her waist.
She continued to giggle as she reached a hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out the ring box that he had left behind at her apartment. "Will you marry me?"
He chuckled as he snatched the small jewellery box out of her hand. He kissed her before he stated, "That's supposed to be my job." He opened the box and carefully picked up the diamond ring that he had purchased months ago. "I will marry you. Will you marry me?"
"Yeah," she whispered as a few tears slid down her cheeks.
He slipped the ring on her finger and their lips met in a frenzied kiss. He pushed her jacket off of her shoulders while she impatiently tugged at the hem of his t-shirt. He raised his arms above his head and reluctantly pulled away from her mouth so that she could remove the garment. He quickly rejoined his mouth with hers while wrapping his arms tightly around her frame and carrying her to the bed.
Her back hit the mattress and he held himself above her. He had to take a moment to look at her because he almost couldn't believe that she was here. It felt like he had been alone in this house for so long.
"What are you thinking about?" She asked curiously as her hands held his face.
"Marrying you," he smiled.
April stared at him lovingly before tossing her head back and laughing happily. She couldn't believe that after so many years he was saying that to her. "I don't want a big wedding," she said seriously after a moment. "Can we just go to the courthouse?"
"Whatever you want." He actually thought that the courthouse sounded perfect. Lauren would be there and he could fly their mothers down. "I'm just glad to have you back."
"I'm glad to be back," she purred as she grasped the chain around his neck.
His brow furrowed in intense thought as he reflected on what she had left behind. "What about your job? What about Columbia?" He knew how much she loved working there and how much everyone there respected her.
He was way more important to her but she was able to answer his question because she already had a plan. "Ochsner Medical Center is looking for a new Head of Trauma," she replied. "I already looked into it."
A wide grin spread across his face. She would be working in New Orleans and he didn't even care that they wouldn't be at the same hospital. "God, I love you."
"I love you too, Jackson, and I'm sorry for the things that I said yesterday."
He responded by kissing her. "Don't even worry about it," he murmured against her mouth. "I'm sorry for leaving; I'll never do that ever again."
"I know," she whispered as she trailed a hand down his chest. Her other hand was still firmly tangled in his chain. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Trust me; the feeling is more than mutual. I feel like I've waited far too long for this."
She grinned mischievously as she rolled him onto his back and straddled his waist. "It'll be worth the wait."
He placed a hand on the back of her neck and guided her mouth down to his. "I have no doubt about that."
A/N: I have been so unbelievably humbled by the response to this story, so thanks to everyone who's left a review. It really means a lot.
I hope that you enjoyed the ending and feet that I did all of the characters, even Peter Wakely, justice.
Please leave me your final thoughts! :)