"How many times do you think that we were in the same place in Boston and didn't even know it?"

Margaret Pierce was sitting on her living room floor of the lavish apartment she shared with her soon to be husband. They were just weeks away from their big day and things were getting increasingly stressful. Within the last few months, she had visited numerous venues, cake tastings, and she tried on over a dozen wedding dresses. Finally, the cake flavors had been chosen, the dress selected, and the venue paid for all thanks to her future mother in law and the wedding planner she hired to oversee the menial yet important things. With the flowers and decorations ordered, Maggie was now tasked with selecting photos for their wedding slide show. She was currently digging through the boxes that housed her mother's many photo albums. Her father had sent them after he had flown down to Hawaii to pack up her mother's house after her passing. They'd sat in Meredith's attic until today. She'd never dare to look at them for fear she'd instantly burst into tears. It had been years since Diane's death and she'd finally felt ready. Jackson had promised he'd help her, to be a shoulder to cry on if she needed it. His mother had already chosen his photos and had sent them via bike messenger for his approval. They were currently sitting on their dining room table. He came sauntering from the kitchen with two empty wine glasses and a bottle of pinot noir. He filled the glasses and they began.

Hours passed as they pored through thousands of pictures each having their own unique story. Jackson watched as his fiancée's face lit up as she recounted memories of her family's trip to Disney World back in 1995. She had had a difficult school year. She was 12 years old and a high school freshman. She had been used to the bullying, but she had hoped that high school would be different. She, unfortunately, had been proven wrong, but that Disney trip made it a little more bearable. Jackson smiled as he went through photos of Maggie at the Magic Kingdom. There were a series of photos that captured that bright, toothy smile as she was mid spin on the famous teacup ride, one that featured her embroidered mouse-eared hat that sat haphazardly on her crown of curls, and one that showcased her excitement as she toured the "Innoventions" exhibit at Epcot. At that moment he'd hoped that one day they'd take their children to what was commercially the most magical place on Earth. He flipped through a few more pictures: Maggie accepting a perfect attendance award, winning first prize from the National Science Fair, and photos of Maggie in her cap and gown as she walked across the stage as valedictorian of her high school class at the age of 14. She was brilliant. He was constantly in awe of her.

It was several albums later when he saw it, a photo of an 18-year-old Maggie smiling, sandwiched between her father and mother in front of the Charles River Country Club. He chuckled at his cherub-faced fiancée; her hair was pulled back into a ponytail; her large glasses coming past the bridge of her nose and her smile was a mouth full of braces. She had been wearing the all-white uniform he'd often seen employees dressed in when he visited. She was absolutely adorable. Behind the seemingly perfect family spanned the club's vast golf courses, a large swimming pool, and a sizable veranda where many of the club's members brunched on Sundays. He himself can recall having lunches on the same veranda during the summer months with his mother. He then gasped loudly. Maggie concerned nearly leaped up from her sitting position on the floor.

"Babe, what's wrong? Are you okay?" she said with panic in her voice.

"Yeah." he quickly reassured her. "Take a look at this!" he said excitedly.

Maggie took a glance at the photo that had him so animated.

"Yeah, that was from my first day of work at the club. My parents felt the need to document the occasion," she said taking a sip of her wine. Jackson then pointed to what he meant for her to see. "No, Maggie look." There in the background of the family's impromptu portrait was a gangly, twentysomething Jackson Avery. He was standing along the veranda's railing with his mother standing to his left and his grandfather standing to the left of her. He had a mop of curls and was almost unrecognizable.

"Is that—" Maggie began but Jackson was already up from his spot on the floor and was headed to the dining room table. After flipping through several pictures he'd found what he was looking for and practically sprinted back to Maggie. He handed her the photo and there it was; a close up of what had been in the backdrop of her photo: Her handsome fiancé, those curls and that 1000-watt smile alongside Catherine and despite the scowl on his face a very much alive Harper.

May 2001—Maggie

"Maggie dear…" Diane, Maggie's headstrong no-nonsense mother began "… you don't need this job. You should be taking an actual vacation. Isn't that why it's called a vacation month?" A youthful Maggie sighed and tried not to roll her eyes.

"Mom, it's my last year coming up. I'm 18 and I want my own car."

Many of her cohorts were to begin their fourth-year clinical rotations within the week and while Maggie would have jumped at the opportunity, she already knew she was far ahead of the rest of her class. "Let them try to catch up," she mused. She'd opted for a vacation month; a mental break; a month of working at the extravagant and exclusive Charles River Country Club. She knew the tips would be overgenerous and calculated that she'd have enough money for a used car by the end of the month. She had been teased relentlessly by Kiki Thompson who never let her forget that she was the baby of the class. The last thing she wanted was Kiki witnessing her parents dropping her off at her apartment in New Haven in June. She was legally an adult now. It was time she'd show her bully.

"It's only for a few weeks… just until clinicals start, "she pled to her mother. Diane resigned any further argument on the matter and suggested they'd take a picture to commemorate the event on her father's new digital camera. He'd been obsessed with that camera and used it every chance he could. They gathered close and Bill happily snapped the photo. She kissed her parents goodbye and then went in to work.

May 2001—Jackson

Jackson was annoyed. Utterly irritated. His mother had dragged him to brunch with his grandfather. It was her not so subtle attempt to introduce him into the family's business. He was the heir of the Avery empire and it was past time that he learned the ins and outs of running the foundation. He'd just completed his third year of medical school and had aimed to begin clinical rotations immediately. He had been avoiding this: spending any significant time in his grandfather's presence. He'd escaped the past two summers choosing to backpack through Europe and then spending the summer months on a friend's family yacht. He had been looking forward to busying himself that summer, but his mother arranged for him to take a vacation month. He'd be trapped for four weeks; four weeks of traveling around the country overseeing multiple Avery Foundation hospitals; 4 weeks of sitting in on countless board meetings; 4 weeks of being in a room for hours on end with his grandfather; 4 weeks of pure hell. Currently, Jackson just wanted to get up and leave the table. Before they had sat down, a country club employee asked for a photo. Harper was ready to dismiss the young man, perhaps have his job for interrupting them, but Catherine convinced him it would be nice to get a family photo and he obliged her. They lined up against the railing and donned their fakest smiles while the timid country club employee snapped the photo. "You can pick it up at the front desk, ma'am," he said the Catherine and quickly departed. Once seated, his mother and grandfather got down to business. As they droned on about an Avery Foundation hospital opening in Austin, Jackson opted to play Snake II on his Nokia; he was 23 and he'd have plenty of time to fall in line.

"This will be beneficial to you one day Jackie, his grandfather shouted, "so pay attention!" Jackson sighed, straightened from his slouching position, and pretended to feign interest. When the waitress finally took their orders, he ordered the endless mimosas. If he was going to sit here and listen to this monotony, he'd be drunk doing it. What seemed like hours had passed; hospital budgets were being discussed and Jackson wanted nothing more than to gouge his eyes out. Harper then looked over to his grandson. "You're going to have to cut that mop off of your head, Jackie," he said. "It's time to put away childish things and be a professional." With that Jackson had finally reached his limit. He dramatically stood up from the table and stormed off and headed toward the restrooms.

May 2001—Maggie and Jackson

Maggie had been on her current shift for about two hours. She had caught on quickly to how everything operated and had already impressed her supervisor. She had been busing tables, taking drink orders, and acting as a concierge to a very wealthy family. She had been told by her supervisor to carry out fresh, white towels to the pool area. The stack of towels nearly towered over her small frame. As she crossed the corridor, she felt the impact of someone running into her and with that, something that felt like an electric current shooting through her body. The towels went tumbling to the floor along with her glasses. She had her back turned when she heard him. "I'm so sorry" a young man's voice came. She turned searching for this disembodied voice but saw nothing. "It's okay," Maggie said as she scrambled to collect the towels. "Sir, it's fine. We've got it from here," a coworker said. Maggie was sure she'd be blamed for this small fiasco and wanted to apologize but when she turned around, she only saw the back of what looked like a tall, gangly blob. Once her glasses were back in their rightful place, she and her co-worker gathered all the towels and headed to the pool area.

Jackson, feeling frustrated and angry, had finally escaped his grandfather's clutches. How was he going to survive this month? With an exasperated groan, he made a beeline to the restroom and was not paying attention when he crashed into what he observed was a rather tiny club employee. Her face was practically concealed by a large stack of white, fluffy towels. Upon contact, he felt what he could only liken to an electrical jolt. He saw that her glasses had fallen off and knocked to the floor with the towels. He apologized and went to kneel to pick up her large framed spectacles, but a club employee ran over immediately and ensured that he need not worry; with that, he reluctantly continued to the restroom. He wanted to go back out to help her; to at least see her face and apologize properly, but upon leaving the restroom, she was gone. He figured she was probably headed toward the pool and was heading in that direction when his mother cut through his path. She wanted to assuage and soothe her child; reassure him that he'd get through the next few weeks. She convinced him to head back to their table. "Harper arranged for a few members of the board over at Mass Gen to sit down and meet with you. Please come back, baby." He knew that the only way he'd get through this month was with his mother by his side. "Okay," he sighed and followed her back.

October 2020—Maggie and Jackson

"You!" Maggie exclaimed. "It was you?! That rich boy who bumped into me?" "Wow" seemed to be the only word Jackson knew at that moment. "I knew that we were likely in the same area at the same time but what are the odds that we'd literally bump into each other?" Jackson questioned with fervor. In disbelief, "We were in the same photo 13 years before we even met…" Jackson started, "…and 17 years before we fell in love," Maggie completed. Her heart began to thump erratically, her skin tightening in what she knew was goosebumps. Jackson had that effect on her. "…Guess we were meant to be," she said.

Jackson had always felt this intense pull toward Maggie Pierce; even when he had first met her. When their friendship became more, that pull had only gotten stronger. He began to wonder: What if the universe had been pulling them towards each other all this time? So much so that he literally collided with her all those years ago. What if that pull had led her to seek out her birth mother and ultimately led her to Seattle, to Meredith…and to him? He was reminded of that jolt he felt when his skin first touched hers. It was the same intense quake he felt every time his lips touched hers and every time they made love. He was extremely thankful that they developed romantic feelings for each other when they did. Before that, he hadn't been ready for the type of love he now had with Maggie. He had a lot of growing up to do. He needed to be mentally and emotionally mature for her. It had been a bumpy road, but they had made it. In just a few short weeks, she'd be his wife. He was even more certain now that she was the love of his life. His true love. A love that seemed to have always been there waiting in the wings ready to make its debut. A love he'd treasure until his dying day.

He stared into her eyes drinking her in. That passionate stare had always made Maggie weak in the knees. He walked over to her pulling her as close as possible and kissed her beautiful lips over and over as if he was committing it to memory. He broke the kiss briefly to say, "I can't wait to spend forever with you." and crashed his lips to hers once again. He lifted her up, her legs immediately wrapped around his waist as he carried her to their bedroom.