A/N Welcome to the adventure! This is going to be Epic! What are the McKids up to more than 20 years from now? Is there a cure for Alzheimers? What happened ten years ago? And where is Derek? Tragedy, Loss, Angst... but also Love, Memories, Science and maybe a happy ending! Eventual MerDer.

The first few chapters of this story are going to begin from the point of view of the McKids, Bailey, Zola and Ellis at certain points in their lives. There will be appearances of other GA Characters and/or their children- but I will not be diving too heavily into their personal lives so use your imagination. This first chapter is set when Bailey is 25 and an Intern.

Enjoy!

They say that one should make a name for oneself... It's hard to do that when your name was already made. Seriously. Living up to the legend of your parents accomplishments is hard. I am screwed, and I haven't even started.

January 2038

Bailey

"Crap," I muttered as I rolled over in bed. There was a familiar dull ache in my head and I wondered how much alcohol I consumed the night before. My hand touched something warm and smooth. I blinked, light flooded and burned my pupils, when they adjusted I was looking at the back of a woman's head, long wavy brunette hair spilled on the pillow. "Ahh!" I bolted up in my sheets

"Ahh!" The girl screamed awake, grabbing the blanket to cover herself. We both looked at each other, and I recognized her brilliant emerald eyes.

"Rebecca?" I asked.

"Bailey?" she asked.

"Crap." We both said at the same time.

"You have to go," I said. I handed her her bra, which had been buried in the sheets.

Rebecca scoffed and rolled her eyes. She looked around taking in the cramped and cluttered space, "A trailer?" Rebecca glanced at me,"This...is embarassing on so many levels." She got up, clutching a sheet to her body as she anxiously rooted around for her clothes."You live here?"

I reached on the floor for my jeans. "It was my dad's" I stammered. Nothing nicer than a 30 year-old trailer to impress the girls. Way to go Shepherd, I chided myself.

"Odd... a little moldy," She wrinkled her nose.

I hoisted my jeans up and zipped the fly, sorting through the clothes on the floor to find my lucky blue shirt. "Well, uh you know, we don't have to do the thing... uh exchange details..." I threw my shirt on. I didn't really feel she had to know anything more about me. I was terrible with commitment. .

Rebecca still sat on the bed, her clothes in a pile in front of her. She stared at me with those gorgeous eyes,"Whatever," she said, biting her lip.

I tilted my head at her and smiled. The way the light from the back window caught her skin and made her hair shine was something I didn't want to forget. I smoothed out my shirt and tucked it in. "You can take a shower if you want, I gotta go to my sister's, pick up some stuff... it's my first day, don't wanna be late..." I rambled as I threw on my socks and deodorant.

"So... What does this mean?"

I coughed, it must be the dust or mold or whatever. "Um, well it was- you were...great." I felt my face flush. It was great. Too much scotch probably.

"And?" Rebecca asked.

And? She wasn't a relationship person was she? I didn't do relationships. Or I tried not to. Women tended to get clingy around me. Better end this now. "And um, goodbye... Rebecca, nice to meet you again."

"Goodbye... Bailey," I heard her say as the door slammed behind me. I was going to be late.

So Screwed.

XXX

The hallways of Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital echoed nostalgia for me. I practically grew up here. As a kid, I followed my parents around watching them perform from the OR gallery. I napped in the on-call rooms, played on the elevators. Now, after four years of college and four years of med school I was back, this time I would be working here as an intern.

On the catwalk I gazed out the large windows and basked in the early morning light. I wondered how many times my parents had stopped here and talked. How many times they stared out the window and contemplated. This was where my father was shot, where my mother pressed so hard on his chest to keep him from bleeding out. Now I was on the catwalk, heading to the office of the Chief of Surgery. I was stepping into the path my parents took. I shuddered. I hoped I wouldn't get shot.

The door was open slightly as if she was expecting me. Chief Miranda Bailey looked well for for her age, her dark hair highlighted with silver and grey, she still exuded that powerful confidence. I knocked on the door, and she waved me in. She gave me her biggest smile and approached me, arms open for a hug. "Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Bailey Shepherd. Look at you." I was squeezed in a vice-grip that left me gasping for air, "Look at you." Her dark eyes looked me up and down, appraising me. "Spittin' image of your mother, except for those blonde curly locks. Not as tiny though. My oh my, here you are, at this hospital, in this office. A brand new generation." She leaned against the desk and crossed her arms, a look of pure pride on her face.

"Good to see you too, uh Chief."

She waved her hand in dismissal. "I came back to cover Grey, but I don't forsee being here for very long."

"It's been four years, no one's stepped up?"

"I said I would stay on as long as necessary, but I think they like me too much. I will be retiring soon though, if Ben Warren has anything to say about that," She walked back behind her desk and I plunked myself down on a seat. "Enough about me, How are things...?"

I shrugged, "Fine, everyone's good."

"Mmm hmm..." She shook her head, but she knew better than to pry. "On to business then- since you are a late transfer you have a lot to catch up on in regards to hospital policy and practice," She plonked an old worn out binder in front of me. "Make sure you familiarize yourself with that. Next, your resident will be Dr. Perretti."

"Dr. Perretti?" I asked, shocked. "Rebecca Perretti?" My one night stand was my boss. Great. I was trying to avoid clingy.

"You have a problem with that, Shepherd?"

"Ah, no problem."

"Good then. Pager, wear it at all times." She tossed the small white device to me. "Your locker number, get changed. You know your way around. Page Perretti when you're done, she'll assign you. Don't expect anything glamorous, it won't be long before people figure out you're Grey and Shepherd's son so enjoy it while it lasts."

"Uh-okay... thanks Chief." I picked up the binder and pager and made my way out the door.

"You're welcome. Be gone," Chief Bailey's voice lingered behind me, but by the tone I could tell she was grinning from ear to ear.

After changing into scrubs and my white coat, I went to the nurses station and paged Dr. Perretti.

"Bailey?" I heard a familiar voice. Definitely not one that I expected.

"Sof?" I turned to see my friend, Sofia Torres. She hadn't changed a bit. Her trademark dark waves were loose over her shoulders and despite my last growth spurt, she was couple inches taller. "What're you doing here?"

"Parental pressure." Sofia rolled her eyes.

Of everyone I knew, Sofia Torres understood me best. We were both the children of famous ambitious doctors. Although she was a couple years older than me, we became close, especially when she acted as a buffer between me and Zo when we had our epic sibling battles. In high school, I asked her out. We had one date, I tried to kiss her and she cracked up giggling. It wasn't meant to be. Still, we remained friends. I was happy to see her.

"What're you doing here?" She asked, picking up a tablet from the desk.

"Transferred." I smirked.

Sofia smiled a huge grin and punched me in the arm.. Hard.

"Ow!" What was that for?" I rubbed my sore bicep.

"You didn't even call or anything! Bailey Derek Shepherd- I oughta..." Sofia laughed and shook her head.

"I missed you too."

"Yeah." Her pager beeped. "Drinks later?"

"Sounds great."

"Kay, later." And off she was, barking orders to a nearby intern who scrambled to keep pace.

There was a shuffling noise behind me, "Ahem." Someone cleared their throat.

I spun and again faced those brilliant emerald eyes. "Reb- uh Dr. Perretti."

"Dr. Shepherd. Since you're late... she handed me a clipboard. "Rectal exams."

"Re- Rectal exams?"

Rebecca quirked her lips into a half smile. "I was drunk, and you took advantage. This is your punishment."

"Uh huh," I smiled. "I seem to remember we were both drunk-"

"We are so not talking about last night," she interrupted, but she was still smiling. Yup, she definitely had a thing for me.

"Oh come on, it was great and you know it." I egged her on. I couldn't help it. What was wrong with me?

"You left me in a moldy trailer Shepherd," She pushed the clipboard closer into my chest, "And stop staring at me like you've seen me naked. Rectal exams."

"Of course. Rectal exams." What was I going to do? My college crush was my boss, and now I kinda liked her. Crap.

xxx

After rectal exams was SCUT, and after that was a late lunch, I hadn't even met my fellow interns yet, so I didn't know where to sit in the cafeteria. I settled for a small table off to the side so I could eavesdrop peacefully. Snippets of conversation floated my way.

"Did you hear about the new intern?"

"Shepherd right? Isn't he..."

"Surgical royalty? As in the the son of Shepherd and Grey the former chief of surgery?"

"Whatever. I heard Dr. Grey went crazy... Maybe he's crazy too"

"I heard Dr. Peters had to walk her through a simple surgery right before she retired."

"Dr. Peters? Isn't he the neuro attending?"

"Man I would love to be the child of two surgeons."

"I don't think I could handle the pressure..."

I closed my eyes and sipped my energy drink. This was going to be a long year.

"There you are." Sofia stood over me with her lunch tray. I moved my tray a little so she could join me. "Everything ok?" She seemed to sense my mind was elsewhere. It was, overhearing those interns made me think about my mother. I felt a pang in my heart. I hadn't been the best son of late.

"It's nothing." I said, "I'm fine."

"Don't listen to those dimwits, they don't know anything."

"Yeah, I still have to work with them." I took a few mouthfuls of mac and cheese.

"Look, do something cool and you'll get their respect."

"I sense a plan in the works."

"Perretti is on a surgery with Peters right now, she could be a few hours. I'm on trauma, so I'll page you if something cool comes in. Then you do that Shepherd-take-charge-thing and bam! Instant respect."

I shrugged, noncommittal. "Whatever." Sofia's plans were always hardcore. I guess she got that from her one of her mothers probably, Callie.

Sofia harumphed but she didn't press. "So Perretti made you do Rectals? Gross..."

xxx

I was dozing in the on call room when my pager beeped. Sofia had a trauma. I jumped up and grabbed my white coat. Time to show them my stuff, maybe.

As I entered the trauma bay a stretcher was being pushed past me

"Sixty year-old male James Anderson," The paramedics rattled off stats,"Fell down the stairs, Rib fracture... possible concussion."

"I'm fine," James insisted as they wheeled him into trauma one."Where's my wife?"

I gowned and gloved and came up beside him on the stretcher. "Sir, just lie back so we can examine you," I responded, begining my exam. The gash on his forehead was superficial. I pressed some gauze on it. There was redness around his ribs, but no distension, so internal injuries were unlikely. It was the head injury I was most worried about. "Sir, do you know where you are?"

"I'm at the friggin hospital, I'm fine. I have to get home. My wife-"

"Just let us get a good look at you, and then we can help you with your wife." I shone a penlight into his eyes, his right pupil was slow to respond. Not good. We had to move quickly on this, I had to know the extent of the bleed, if it would stop on its own. "Okay, lets get him for a head CT and an X-ray for his ribs." The nurses and orderlies nodded and did as I ordered. I was glad they didn't seem to care about my pedigree. Rushing Mr. Anderson to the CT room I passed Sofia and mouthed a thank you. This was better than rectals, for sure.

"Damn," I muttered when I saw the CT scan. There was definitely bleeding. Just as he was being pulled out of the machine, he started seizing. "Crap! Page Dr. Peters and Perretti now!" I yelled as I ran into the CT room. "Stablize him." A couple nurses came on the other side and held him. "Get me ten cc of lorazepam. A syringe ended up in my hand and I injected it quickly into his vein. He still continued to sieze.

"Dammit." My gut told me that it was the brain bleed. There was too much pressure in his brain.

"What's going on?" Sofia asked breathlessly.

"He's seizing- I think his ICP is too high. Where's Perretti and Peters?"

"They're still in surgery."

"Sofia, page an attending-" I was terrified, every second we wait, he was in danger of permanent irreperable brain damage.

"No. You can do this Shepherd."

"I- What?"

"We just need to drill some burr holes." She snapped some gloves on, "Get me a crainiotomy kit," She ordered a nurse.

"Have you done this before?" I asked, astonished.

"Nope. But you have."

I flashed back to when I was fourteen and had snuck into my dad's class to observe him teaching crainiotomies to med students. Afterwords I tried it for myself. "That? That was a stupid sneaky thing I did on a skull in my Dad's classroom. There's a brain in this skull."

"We have to do something Shepherd."

"Like wait for Peters!"

"He won't make it in time! Glove up!" The crainotmy tray was in front of me. The patient had stopped seizing as the nurses had administered a powerful sedative.

Screwed. I'm so Screwed.

"All you have to do is drill some holes, ok? You can do this," Sofia was saying.

A calm came over me, like I knew what I was supposed to do. Like I knew what would happen next and it would be okay.

Suddenly a drill was in my hands. Time slowed down, the noise of the drill overwhelmed my senses as I stared at the man's head. Suddenly I felt a shift in the drill, so I quickly lifted it. There was pink, and then there was blood pulsing out. Sofia said something and pointed to another spot on the man's head. I pointed the drill. Before I could continue, I heard shouting. I was shoved out of the way, the drill ripped from my hands. Rebecca, and someone else, showed up in my peripheral vision. I assumed Peters. He barked some orders, but he held the drill. After a second, he drilled into the man's skull. Suddenly I couldn't breathe. Oxygen had left the room. Air. I needed air. I ran out of the room down the hall and through the exit. Nausea overtook me and I horked the remnants of my mac and cheese onto the sidewalk.

I stood there, panting, my mouth all gross with stomach acid, my throat burning. I wanted to curl up and die.

"Shepherd, get in here, now." Rebecca said. She had a serious expression on her face. Crap.

xxx

We were in the conference room. Sofia, Rebecca and Peters.

Dr. Peters was a small man, but he was intense, and that was scary. He glared at me and Sofia like he wanted to squash us. "Mr. Anderson is being prepped for surgery as we speak, so I'll keep this short. Dr. Torres, Dr. Shepherd, You ever do anything like that without an attending present, I myself will throw you onto a table and drill holes into your skull! Is that understood?"

"Uh, Yes sir." We both replied.

"That said, he's alive, and there's a good chance he'll have a full recovery if crainiotomy I perform is successful."

I nodded, and resisted the urge to look at anything other than my shoes.

"Dr. Shepherd, you'll be scrubbing in."

"Huh?" My head shot up so fast I got dizzy.

"Don't make me change my mind."

"No sir."

Dr. Peters nodded, turned and left the room. Now I was left with Rebecca.

Sofia cleared her throat. "Well, I'll just..." She started toward the door.

"Oh no you don't, Torres," She snapped. But Rebecca's wrath was on me. "I didn't assign you to trauma, Shepherd. You were supposed to be on SCUT. If that man dies or has brain damage I will make sure you never practice medicine again!" She paced, stopped and pointed a finger back at me.I kept my face emotionless as she continued to rant, but she was so cute when she ranted. "You were irresponsible and reckless," She continued, "You were so concerned with trying to prove yourself, you forgot that you were putting everyone in that room at risk for malpractice. God- you are just so... so stupid!

"And you Sofia, What the hell? You let an intern drill burr holes? Both of you will be getting a write up. If this goes bad, you will be on probation if not worse. Now get out of here."

We scurried out of there, Sofia snickering behind me. "Holy cow, she was so worried about you."

"What?"

"I think she has a crush on you."

"I-Huh- what are you talking about?" I could feel my face flush and I averted my gaze.

"Oh my God... you slept with her."

Nothing could escape Sofia's love radar. I smirked, "Yeah, the old Shepherd method." But my face betrayed my feelings as I felt the heat in my cheeks again.

"Oh. My. God. You like her!"

I shook my head no, but she knew the truth. "I better go scrub in," I said as I pushed past her and turned down the hall to the scrub room, leaving Sofia on her own.

xxx

Thankfully, Mr Anderson's surgery was successful. I was scrubbing out when Dr. Peters entered the scrub room.

"Dr. Shepherd." He turned on the tap and started the scrub-out routine.

"Dr. Peters."

"You'll be monitoring Mr. Anderson's Post-op recovery tonight."

"Of course."

"You know, I worked with your mother, she reccomended me for a neuro fellowship here, she made a very generous offer to keep me."

I didn't know what to say about that. "Oh."

"The last year I worked under her, she was, scattered to say the least. Then she retired."

"Yeah, well it was time." Again, I felt a pang in my heart. Why did he have to bring up my mother? Why was it always about her?

"Who's George?"

"What?"

"She called me George once."

"Oh, I don't know," the name sounded familiar, maybe Uncle Alex mentioned him once.

"You've got your mothers instincts, and it's only because of her that I let you scrub in." Dr. Peters said.

I was silent for a minute, pushing the soapy water up my forearms. "Dr. Peters, I hope that you, as an experienced attending, will be able to see past my parents name and take me for the doctor I am, not the doctor everyone thinks I will be." I brought the soap down and lathered between my fingers. "If I had been anybody else, I probably would be on probation for my actions today. I know you covered for my mom and she helped you get your neuro fellowship, but you should know that she did that because you deserved it, not because of anything you did for her." I rinsed the soapy water off and shook my hands over the sink. Droplets of water spattered over the stainless steel. "In fact, you're lucky she didn't kill you for not reporting her sooner. So, to be clear, I'm an intern. I'm going to screw up and make mistakes. Make sure I learn from them."

Dr. Peters regarded me sternly as I dried my hands. "Very well, Dr. Shepherd."

xxx

I pulled up into the driveway of the old house. It was my mothers old house. Years ago, she sold it to Uncle Alex, but after her diagnosis, she bought it back because the house that my father built was too far from anything and too close to the woods where she might wander off in.

It was early in the morning, the sun just peaked over the horizon. I was beat. Zola called me last night and informed me that the movers had finished moving my furniture in, so I didn't have to sleep in the trailer. Thank God. It was moldy in there. Entering the house, I immediately noticed Zola fast asleep on the couch. I covered her with a blanket and walked to the kitchen. I thought mom would be in there, even if she wasn't a cook. But it was empty. I poured myself a glass of O.J and checked around for her. "Mom?"

There was no answer. I walked to the stairs, but decided to check the den first. There she was, in a chair. Legs crossed, hands clasped over her knee. Her hair was a mess, and the lines on her face seemed deeper and darker, matching the bags under her eyes. A large plain grey sweatshirt masked her small frame and clashed with her blue pajama pants. She was missing a slipper.

But what if everything you made for yourself was gone? What if you couldn't even recall what you had done with your life? If everything that made you who you are was gone- who were you? Could you become yourself again?

I wanted to think that she was lost in thought, but by the blank look in her eyes, I knew she was just...lost. "Mom?" I called as I entered the den, hoping for that look of recognition that would flash over her features. Even if she called me Derek, as she sometimes did. But today there was nothing. The den was a mess. Books and articles and papers scattered the room. Pieces of paper with my mothers handwritten notes covered her desk. I felt her fear. The treatments weren't working. She was running out of time.

I sighed and ran my hands through my thick hair and sat in the chair opposite her. "Hi Mom, I'm home." She tilted her head slightly, her mouth moved but no words came out. She fiddled with her bracelet. It was a special bracelet, equipped with a sensor that would trigger an alarm if she left the house without us deactivating it first. But she didn't know that. To her it was a watch, I often caught her glancing at it, like she was checking the time.

"You wouldn't believe the day I had..." I started, sipping my juice. With a smile, I told her everything about my first day as an intern at Grey-Sloan Memorial. I told her about Chief Bailey and rectal exams; lunch with Sofia and burr holes and crainiotomies. As I did, I could see that she was trying hard to come back, she would nod, or squint, or try to repeat a word I said.

Finally I sighed, drained the last of my juice and rested the empty glass on my knee. "Mom?"

"Are you the doctor?" she whispered.

I smiled but shook my head. "No mom. I'm not your doctor. But I am a doctor."

"Oh." She said softly. She twisted the bracelet again. "I think I was a doctor."

"You were. You were a surgeon. One of the best."

"Oh," she said, she blinked, "Do I know you?" She looked up, her grey-green eyes searching mine.

"It's me mom... Bailey." I took her hand in mine, rubbing her tired fingers. "I'm your son."

I guess you just have to start over with what you know... what's familiar. What you love. And from there... fill in the gaps.

A/N So what do you think? What's your reaction? I would love to hear from you! I will let my readers know that this will be a long story-longer than any I have written before, and it's not a simple story- it will be complex, but definitely not boring. For MerDer fans, it will be awhile before Derek will be here, but it will be worth it in the end, Promise! Up next we go back in time four years... What's Zola doing these days?