twelve

She's been on edge, she knew she still had feelings for Jackson but she didn't know if he had feelings for her or else they would've reconnected as lovers and not friends. On the other hand she also felt like it was a good idea, six years could change someone so it's better to get to know the new Jackson Avery and not the one she knew six years ago.

Allison Carter was conflicted. She was ready to go to work, the problem was the necklace, she didn't know if she should wear it. The necklace rested on her neck, where it usually was but now that they are starting over she was conflicted on wether to wear it or keep it in her drawer.

She took the latter, taking it off she felt like a different person. He wasn't hers, and she wasn't his. This is what it meant to start over, to be friends. No keeping any emotional attachments from their past.

***

"The camera man is right there." Allison bumped Alex as she eyed the man holding the camera. The doctors are being filmed today to show their recovery months after the hospital shooting.

Alex and Allison walked towards the camera man knowing it's their turn to be filmed. Both residents being under Peds service.

"It's uh 7:00am. We've been here for two hours." Alex explains, grabbing a chart from the nurse.

"Our interns, they get here before that, they usually check on the patients and report it back to us." Allison nodded as they continue to walk down the peds hallways. "Before we check on the patients and then report it back to our attending."

'Fire and Rain' by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas could be heard from the hallways as Alex stood in the doorway of Lily's room. "Lily, I told you already turn it down or put in headphones. The rest of us don't have Bieber fever, whatever that is."

Allison chuckled, "That was not Justin Bieber."

The camera faces both of the residents, who came to a stop in one of the nurses stations. "How have I've changed since the shooting?" Alex repeated the question before he shrugged, "I don't know."

The camera man pointed the camera at Allison who shrugged as well, "Uh I don't know."

Alex lifted up his shirt, "I got this." He said showing his bullet wound where he got shot

***

"Did Dr. Karev say it wasn't because of the kids?" Allison asked the camera man, "It is because of the kids, he just doesn't want to admit it."

Allison went to the nurses station as she finished doing some post-ops for Arizona.

"I'm doing Dr. Robbins post-ops since Alex is taking Lily's case. For this case, Dr. Robbins only needed one resident." Allison explained to the camera man as she closed one of the charts.

***

The documentary showed Jackson walking down the hallway. The camera man was a few feet away wanting to give him some sort of privacy as Jackson grabbed one of the hospitals trash cans and threw it to the ground, beginning to kick it over and over again.

"It's been, uh—-" Jackson's voice was heard, "—hard since the shooting."

Jackson was now facing the camera, "I-I lost some friends that day."

The scene cut to Jackson having his breakdown once again before Allison walked up to him trying to calm him down.

Allison held Jackson's face as his eyes scanned hers, she repeatedly asked if he way okay knowing he wouldn't let the patient die because he was thinking of his best friend. She immediately pulled him into a hug as she tried to calm him down.

Allison nervously chuckled, "Did you guys uh get that?" She nervously asked as her voiceover was heard, "We're friends. Nothing more to that."

The camera man faced his camera toward Jackson who was in a different hallway, "Yeah. We're friends."

***

These past two weeks have been hectic, Cristina quit the program, Arizona left for Africa causing Callie and her to break up, and Derek is trying to get a grant for his clinical trial. Meanwhile, Allison and Jackson are getting the hang of being friends, once again.

"Welcome." Mark greeted Meredith, Teddy, Owen, and Allison as they arrived to Owen and Cristina's place for their housewarming party. "Wine's on the table, beer's in the fridge."

"I have a fridge?" Owen questioned, surprised.

"And since you actually live here, I'll hand the hosting duties to you." Mark nodded.

"Where's Cristina?" Meredith asked, as her eyes scanned everywhere not finding her best friend.

"Haven't seen her, which is sort of rude." Mark pointed out, "Torres might know. Hang on."

"I'm going to find something to drink." Allison excused herself as she made her way to the kitchen finding Jackson already there, taking shots of whiskey.

"Hey." Allison greeted him as she grabbed beer from the fridge. "Rough day?"

"Yeah." Jackson nodded.

"If they can't see how talented you are Avery, well then screw them. Show them what they are missing out on." Allison said, since she heard Jackson's struggle on the lack of being on anyone service today.

Jackson smiled at her as she smiled back staring into those green eyes of his. Jackson gaze went behind her as his smile faded and turned into a frown,

"April?" Jackson called out to the girl, "April, what happened?"

Allison turned around as she excused herself giving the two a private moment, seeing how vulnerable April looked.

Allison walked away as she was left standing with Owen, "The place is nice." She complimented.

"Thanks." Owen nodded, "Have you seen Cristina?"

Allison shook her head, "No, I can ask and look around."

Owen nodded, as Allison walked some place else as she stood alone drowning her beer. Mark later joined her.

"What's up with you?" Mark asked her, seeing her gloom face.

"Drowning my sorrows." Allison chuckled. Ever since she found out her aunt was the reason for her break up with Jackson she called her and they had a big blowout, not that they were ever close, but she was her mother figure ever since her parents passed away in a plane crash when she was 12. "What about you? Anything new I—"

Allison didn't even finish her sentence as she saw Jackson punch Alex in the face. "What the hell?!"

"All right." Alex nodded as he stood back up. Jackson didn't even give him the chance to say anything else before punching him again, pushing him back into the coffee table, breaking it in the process. He climbed on top of Alex, hitting him repeatedly until Mark and Owen rushed towards them.

Seeing how pissed Alex was once they pulled Jackson off, Allison rushed towards him pushing him back, "Okay. okay, let's go." Allison told Alex "Let's go outside."

Jackson stared at Allison walking with Alex and Meredith outside, not expecting her to go with Alex.

***

"What the hell were you thinking?" Allison scowled at Alex, "She's a virgin."

"Why would you do that?" Meredith questioned as the three of them stood outside the apartment.

"I know." Alex said, as Meredith touched his bruise that was on his face. "Ow! Ow."

"I mean, if you needed it that bad, Alex, you should've gone back to Vegas." Meredith said.

"There's a whole industry there!" Allison chimedin as she leaned against the car.

Alex let out a sigh, "I didn't go to Vegas." He paused for a moment, "I went to Iowa."

"Iowa? You went to Iowa?" Allison asked, clearly confused.

"I went home. My brother—remember Aaron?" Alex asked, as both Meredith and Allison nodded their heads, "The doctor said—he got diagnosed schizophrenic, just like my mom. You know how they figured it out? He tried to kill our little sister. She's 16, she's a kid and her brother tried to kill her and my mom didn't do anything 'cause she's off her meds, and—anyway, I was in Iowa. That's where I went to my brother's commitment hearing. I had to commit him. Whatever."

"Well it's good you were there." Allison reassured.

"I wasn't there. I wasn't. I showed up, I held my sister's hand in the hospital, for like, ten minutes, I shoved some pills down my mom's throat, I signed my brother into a nuthouse and I got the hell outta there as fast as I could. I wasn't there." Alex shook his head. Allison opened her mouth to say something but Alex beat her to it, "I'm the ass who can't stand to be there."

"But you're an ass who can stay here because got you." Allison explained, "We're the annoying friends who will call you out on the dumb stuff you do because we care, Alex."

Alex softly smiled at them, nodding his head.