Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew are returning to Grey's Anatomy as Jackson Avery and April Kepner, respectively. The couple first met in season six when Seattle Grace Hospital merged with Mercy West, where they began their residency program together. They survived a shooting at the hospital in season six, episodes 23 and 24, where Jackson assisted in an operation on Derek Shepherd, and April helped distract Meredith Grey while she waited for news about her husband.