"Sorry to keep you two waiting" Principal Coleman said stepping into her office, a teacher following behind her

"It's Ok" April said to the older woman with a smile

The Principal took her seat, the teacher standing next to her.

"Let's get right to it shall we?" she said getting a nod from both parents "Mrs. Taylor" she said to the teacher, her signal to speak

Mrs. Taylor was Lydia's first grade teacher.

"Your daughter has gone through something no six year old should have to" Mrs. Taylor began "And, it affected her behavior, attitude and school work a lot. She seems to be back to her normal self now...except when it comes to school work"

"We know" Jackson answered

"We've been trying to figure out why she seems to be doing better in everything except school" April shared

At first, the parents thought that the shooting was still affecting her, but wondered why it was only her learning and not anything else. They really wanted to help their daughter, trying to get her interests in school back, but it seemed like whatever they did didn't work.

"Well, I think I've figured out why"

"Really?" April asked after her and Jackson shared a surprised look

"I believe that Lydia is...gifted" the first grade teacher said

"What?" Jackson asked

"I know, it sounds a bit weird. But admit it, you have thought that your daughter was a bit too smart for her age"

Jackson nodded; he had thought that many times when his daughter would ramble on about things he didn't expect her to.

"Why would you think Lydia is gifted?" April asked

"One of the things I noticed about Lydia was how easily she got bored and disinterested in learning." Mrs. Taylor started

April nodded, she had noticed that too. Her daughter loved reading, but her interest in it lately had fallen. She would buy as many new books for the little girl as she could, but after reading them for a while, Lydia would get disinterested.

" I remember being told in one of my courses that that was a trait of gifted children. Whenever they aren't challenged by what they're doing they get bored and pay no attention to it. So I decided to test it. I put her aside from the class for a while, and started giving her second and third grade work. I swear to you, it was like the old Lydia was back. She was so into it and excited again"

Mrs. Taylor went on to talk about different traits in gifted children that she saw present in Lydia. Her parents had noticed them too, but they never thought that would mean their daughter was gifted.

"So what you're trying to say is that our daughter is some genius?" Jackson asked

"Well...yes" the first grade teacher chuckled "Or at least advanced for her age"

As surprised as the couple was, they were also very proud.

Principal Coleman then decided to join the conversation.

"With students like Lydia, we put them through a series of tests to see how advanced they are and too see if the teachers and/ or parents' theory is correct"

"What if it is?" Jackson asked

"Well, it depends on what the parents want and what the school suggests. At this school we usually put them in a gifted program and allow them to skip a grade. There are some parents who don't like the idea of their child skipping a grade and the gifted program is enough for them. At the end of the day though this is all your decision. Would you like us to proceed with the testing?"

"Yes" they both answered quickly

"Good" Mrs. Taylor said "I'll get everything prepared and I'll let you know when it's time"

Jackson and April said their goodbyes to the principal and teacher and exited the office. They made their way down the empty hallway, their hands intertwined.

"So, our daughter's a genius" Jackson said after walking in silence for a while

"It seems so" April answered

"I always knew Lydia was smart but..."

"Not this much?"

"Yeah"

"I know what you mean"

"You know she got it from me right?" Jackson teased

April laughed amused by his statement.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing" her voice high pitched

Jackson froze in his spot as April let go of his hand and kept walking. Was she trying to say he was stupid?

"Hey!" he said picking up his pace to catch up with her

A fun banter started between them as they left the school and headed home. Through the teasing, there was a relief that nothing wrong with their daughter, all she needed was more challenge.

______________________

"Hey, be careful" Derek said as his kids ran past him, making him almost drop the drinks in his hands

"Sorry daddy" Bailey yelled as he continued to chase Zola and Lydia

Derek shook his head as he made his way back to the living room couch. He handed the glasses to Meredith and April.

"Does this have a lot of tequila in it?" Meredith asked "I need it after the day I've had with these three"

Meredith had the day off and thought it would be nice to spend it with her children. Bailey and Zola wanted Lydia and Sophia to come over, and Meredith succumbed to their pouts. Sophia couldn't make it, but Lydia could. She spent the day playing and trying to keep them entertained, and now, she needed some alcohol to ease her nerves.

After a tiring shift, Jackson and April came over to pick up their daughter. The children were well into their game and the two decided to wait until they were finished. Derek, who had arrived only an hour before, offered them drinks while they waited.

"I'm sorry if Lydia was too much trouble" April apologized, knowing exactly how her daughter could behave at times

"It's ok" Meredith smiled " I'll just drop my two off at your apartment on your day off" she added jokingly

"Can't wait" April replied

"So, what was that meeting in the school about the other day?" Derek asked taking a seat next to his wife

The Shepherds had to keep an eye on Lydia while they rushed to the school for the meeting they almost forgot about.

"Apparently our daughter is too advanced for her class" Jackson answered "She took a test on Monday and it proved that she was gifted"

"And they want her to skip as grade" April added

"Oh wow" Meredith commented

"Yeah"

"What are you guys going to do?" Derek asked

"We don't know yet" April answered "We have a lot of things to consider"

"Well I think you should let her skip" the neuro surgeon said "Let her get challenged. If she doesn't, things are going to get too easy and too boring. Shell eventually loose interest and not care"

Jackson nodded at his advice.

"You don't have to listen to me though, that was just my opinion" Derek added

"Well allow me to add my two cents" Meredith jumped in "Lexie got skipped a few grades and she hated it"

"Really?" April asked

"Yep. The kids in her class were always bigger and bullied her. And all the girls in her class got boobs before she did. And she said it was really hard being a teenager in college"

Jackson and April looked at each other, they had a lot to think about. There were pros and cons with a child skipping a grade, and they had to figure out which outweighed what in their situation.

The two were brought out of their thoughts by the laughter of children.

"No playing in the kitchen" Meredith called out

The group of three ran passed them and headed in another direction. Jackson stared at the children's receding forms, and Bailey's and Lydia's hands locked together. Derek noticed the staring and followed his eyes. A smile appeared on his face when he saw what Jackson was looking at.

"Don't worry Avery, my son doesn't have cooties" he teased

Jackson sighed in annoyance.

"What's wrong?" April asked

"He saw Bailey and Lydia holding hands" Derek explained

"Aww" April cooed

"They've been doing that a lot today" Meredith informed

"And you let them?" Jackson asked

"They're kids Jackson, they don't think like that" Meredith said "Plus they looked really cute"

"There's nothing cute about them holding hands" Jackson said

"Stop being such a grumpus" April teased

"It's not like they're gonna run away and have a love child or anything" Meredith added

"It's probably just a crush" Derek said

The others laughed while Jackson sat sipping on his beer, not finding anything funny about the situation. There was nothing cute about his daughter possibly liking a boy or anything funny about him having a problem with it. Six year old shouldn't be having crushes.

___________________________

It was a few days after the play date at the Shepherd's house and Jackson and April had finally found the time to discuss Lydia's schooling.

"So what do you think we should do?" April asked, getting right into it

"I think we should let her skip" Jackson answered

"Why?"

"There's no doubt that our daughter is smart, why should we limit her when we know she's capable of so much more?" He explained "We see how not being challenged is affecting her now. I'm afraid she'll eventually lose interest in school cause it's not exciting and challenging as she wants it to be"

Jackson expected April to agree with him right away, but she didn't respond and the silence grew.

"You don't agree" he stated rather than asked

April sighed.

"I just think that it might be too much for her" she said

"Why do you think that?"

"What if she went through what Lexie went through? Those kids would be bigger and older. They'll bully her"

"April they're only a year older, they won't be that much bigger. Lydia is probably just as big as they are, maybe bigger than some"

"What about when she's a teenager Jackson? All the girls will be hitting puberty before she does"

"As far as I know, puberty doesn't happen at only one age. She can be a year younger and still hit puberty before the other girls in her class do"

"Well we don't know that for sure" April spat back

"April we're not talking about skipping two or three years, we're talking one. One year doesn't make that much of a difference"

"Yes it does Jackson"

"April..."

"I don't think she's ready for this Jackson" April said getting up from her seat at the table and heading to their bedroom

Jackson leaded back with a huff, they weren't anywhere close to making a decision like he'd expected.

______________

April held on tightly to Lydia's hand as the little girl excitedly looked around the book store.

The talk about Lydia skipping a grade was really getting to her, and she thought book shopping with her daughter would cheer her up.

She let go of Lydia's hand when they got to the kids section, so that she could look around and pick a book. April had already browsed the shelves and found one for herself, but she decided to keep looking around to see if she could find a book Lydia would like.

One quickly caught her attention and she picked it up. After a while of searching, Lydia showed up next to her mother with a book in her hand.

"Found one mommy" she said holding up the book to her mother

April's eyes squinted at the book, it wasn't like the one she picked. It looked more like a novel. April took it and looked through the pages, it had pictures, but not as much as she'd expect. This book didn't look like one a six year old would read.

"Sweetie, are you sure you want this book?" she asked her daughter

"Mhm" Lydia nodded

"Don't you want one with more pictures, like this one?" she asked holding up the book she picked for her

"No, I want this one"

"It might be harder to read Lydia"

"It still want it" Lydia said, a bit frustrated with her mother

April could sense a tantrum coming on, and she wasn't in the mood for that.

"Fine" she said handing the book back to an excited Lydia

They made their way to the cashier, April still holding on to the book she picked. Maybe her daughter would realize she was right and end up picking the one she chose.

________________

April stood in their kitchen and cleaned the island as she watched Lydia sitting on the couch reading.

It turned out that she was wrong, and her daughter was well emerged in the book. Even though the book isn't what she was used to reading, the little girl had no trouble with it. Whenever she met unfamiliar words, she would ask her or Jackson what the word was and what it meant. Watching Lydia, she regretted wanting to take the book away. Now the book she watched was a total waste and she may have to take it back

Jackson stood next to her, watching her as she watched their daughter. There was silence between them for a while before April spoke.

"I was going to take the book back" April said

"You were?"

"I thought it might be too hard for her and she won't want to read it anymore"

"Well she proved you wrong"

"She did"

"Still think she shouldn't skip a grade?"

April groaned, she didn't want to answer that question, she didn't even want to think about it.

"Why are you so against it?" Jackson asked "And don't tell me anything about her getting bullied. She's Lydia Avery, do you really think she'll let someone bully her?"

April dropped the cloth in her hand and sighed. Maybe it's about time she shared the real reason. Jackson waited silently, ready to listen to the long speech he knew was coming.

"I remember when she was just baby, all tiny and dependant on me. I remember thinking, how was I going to raise her all by myself. She was all I had. She'd do and say all these crazy and cute things and I thought I had a long eighteen years to enjoy it. It feel like I was thinking all these things last week. Now, she's six, and turning seven in a few months, it's all going too fast. And now they want her to skip a grade, turning eighteen into seventeen and making her leave us earlier than she's supposed to" April said all this with her eyes glued to Lydia

"April..." He soothed, taking her hand in his

"Is it wrong that I want her to stay a kid forever and never grow up?" she asked

"Probably is" he answered

"But she's my baby" she said, her eyes teary

"Come here" Jackson said pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her "I know you don't want her to grow up, I wished stay that all and cute forever too, but we have to let her grow up. And we have to allow her to do the hard things we know she's capable of doing, even if we think it's too hard. We have to let her reach her potential. We have to let her grow up, even though those teenage years are going to be a bitch"

April slapped his arm, he wasn't supposed to use those words around a sponge like their daughter. But he was right, with a daughter like Lydia, they were sure to go through some trouble when those teenage years rolled around.

As much as she wanted Lydia to stay the way she was, there was no denying that she was advanced and need the right environment to help her thrive, even if it was a whole grade ahead.

"You know, you're getting really good at this dad thing" she smiled up at him

"I do my best" he shrugged

April turned and looked at Lydia again.

"What if she doesn't like it?"

"Maybe we should ask her" Jackson answered

Lydia then appeared in front of the island, looking up at them. She had found a new word and needed help. She saw them hugging and instantly thought something was wrong.

"Is mommy ok?" she asked, alerting them

The two pulled away.

"Mommy is just worried about something" Jackson finally answered

"What?" Lydia asked

"You" April answered

"Why?" the little girl asked again

Jackson and April looked at each other; maybe it was time that they had this conversation with her find out how she felt about it.

"Come on" April said leading her to their small round dining table, Jackson following behind. Once at the table, Jackson helped her to her seat and then sat next to April

"Remember that special test you had to take a while back?" April asked

Lydia nodded in response.

"Well that test told us that you were very very smart, too smart for the second grade" April said

"Really?" Lydia asked

"Yeah" Jackson answered "And because you're so smart, your teachers think it's better to put you in the third grade instead"

The curly haired girl eyes widened.

"The THIRD grade?!"

"Mhm" her mother nodded "How do you feel about that? Do you want to go to the third grade?"

"You don't have to go if you don't want to" Jackson added

Lydia sat there, her brows furrowing like her father's when she thought hard. Then, something came out of her mouth that her father certainly didn't see coming.

"Does that mean I get to be in the same grade as Bailey?"

Jackson's eyes widened in surprise, and April, seeing his reaction, giggled.

"Yes sweetie, you'll be in the same grade as Bailey" she answered

It only took a few seconds for Lydia to share her feelings on the situation.

"I think going to the third grade will be cool!" she grinned

Jackson couldn't believe his daughter right now. It seemed like she didn't care that she was about to be in a more academically challenging class, which was want she wanted and needed. All that mattered was that Bailey was in the third grade too.

"Ok" April said, ignoring Jackson's not so pleased expression "Daddy and I will talk about it more and we'll tell you our decision later ok?"

"Ok"

"You can go back to reading your book now"

"Wait.." Jackson spoke before Lydia could move "Lydia...do you like Bailey?"

April shook her head at him, did he really just ask their six year old that?

"Of course I do daddy" she answered, causing Jackson's eyes to almost bulge out "He's my best friend"

Jackson calmed at the last part.

"Best friend?"

"Yeah"

"Oh, ok. You can go now"

Lydia jumped off the chair and grabbed the book sitting on the table.

"Mommy, can you come help me please?" she asked once she was on the floor and her book was secured in her hand

"Sure sweetie" April answered before Lydia ran off to the couch

"I guess we have our answer" Jackson, seeming more released

"Yeah, we'll talk to Principal Coleman tomorrow"

Jackson nodded in agreement. April got off the chair and headed to the couch. But before she got there, she thought it would be fun to mess with her husband.

"Jackson?" she looked over her shoulder

"Yeah?" He looked up at her

"Didn't we start of as best friends?" she smirked

Jackson's relief quickly left his body.

"On second thought, maybe third grade is too much"

__________________

And there you have it, Chapter 16. Hope you guys liked it. Sorry for the long wait. Thank you to all of you who are still reading this, I appreciate it a lot! Your comments, votes and suggestions are always welcomed, remember that. 

As for the next chapter, I'll try to post it on the same day Grey's premieres. Are you guys ready? I know I'm not the only one ready to see Jackson and that baby girl! It would be the cutest thing ever!

Better. Calm myself down.

Now, there are two things I want to talk to y'all about.

First of all, I would really like it if you guys checked out my other stories The Element Table and Wright Magazine. DanielleEasterday checked out Wright Magazine and she liked it, so y'all should go check it out too. Ill leave the links in the comment section.

Second. If you don't already know, I usually write reviews for Grey's Anatomy episodes and post them on Tumblr. I was wondering, if I posted the reviews here on Wattpad, would you guys check it out? Just wanted to see if it would make sense to do it.

Anyway, thanks again for reading and maybe you'll see a new chapter on September 22nd!!