Chapter 1
Present time

Meredith is looking out through the small airplane window. She is going back to Seattle for the first time in 5 years.

Five years ago

She is standing in front of Cristina Yang and Preston Burks families and friends. It is on her to tell them that the wedding is off.

"It is over, so over" she says.

Derek is trying to catch her eyes as Preston's best man but she keeps her eyes on the floor. She walks back along the aisle and drives Cristina back to her apartment.

The following morning they are at the airport going to Hawaii on a non wedding trip. They walk for hours on the beach or sits in the sand talking about life and men. Cristina wants to pursue a career in cardio thorax and Meredith wants to go into neuro. They both agree on that this will be a problem because of their previous relationships with Derek Shepherd and Preston Burk.

"We could transfer to another hospital, like on the east coast."

"I'm not a east coast girl" says Cristina "and cardio sucks in L A."

"Neuro is good in N Y" says Meredith thinking that Derek had his education there. "We could go abroad" she continues "like London or Johannesburg."

"How good is your French?" Cristina asks Meredith.

"That was the only subject Ellis forced me to study and I practiced a lot on her many consultations around the world."

"Me too, it was important to mother and the only thing I agreed with."

"If we both speak French and we could go abroad and do our residency at Doctors without Boarders, the MSF. They have an excellent program and Ellis has contacts I can call."

Chapter 2

Present time

Cristina is once again passing Meredith's seat in a hurry for the restroom. She has been running there very often the last couple of days. Meredith hopes she'll get better soon so that they can have a fun time with Alex, George and Izzy. It is their graduation party. They will finally finish their residency. Cristina and herself did that almost 2 years ago, due to their program's faster and harder curriculum.

Four years ago

"Wake up Meredith, we are late. Our plane to Sudan leaves in 3 hours. We have to get going."

Meredith moans and rolls out of bed and makes a run for the bathroom. Tequila is so much more fun in the evening than it is in the morning after. Cristina brings her a bottle of water and some pain killers.

"Thank you. I will never drink again."

"You can't since where we are going, there is no alcohol. Get your ass into the shower and get ready. The cab leaves in 30 minutes."

When Meredith runs into the kitchen, she gets a coffee mug from Cristina. They make it in time for their plane.

Their hard work during their first year with the MSF pays off during the following years. Cristina finishes her residency in cardio thorax and Meredith in neuro. They are excellent general surgeons as well. There are always more patients than they have time to tend to. The MSF, works all over the world and only with people that really have no other options. They usually work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 4 weeks and then they have a 2 week vacation. Those two weeks are usually spent at a resort or in their apartment in Geneva. They eat, sleep, drink and pick up random men.

Cristina met an American doctor during one of these vacations. His name is Major Dr Owen Hunt.