Rotherfield Greys, South Oxfordshire, December 17th , 1942

I am so excited! On Friday evening, Molly and I will arrive to Oxford, in order to spend the weekend with Meredith and her family. I adore the atmosphere of her house, everything is very interesting and inspiring. Derek has always motivated me, giving me the most useful advice. I hope he will be able to bring us to the University for a tour, it would be a dream...

Meredith Shepherd née Grey was an artist.

She was a painter and a sculptor and she was very good, too. She was born in England but raised in New York, after her parents' divorce. Meredith moved to the States with her mother Ellis who had never come back to England. However, she wasn't the family type, at all. Her mother was a career woman, one of the first physicians in Great Britain, and her job expectations had been one of the main causes of her divorce. Tatcher was a simple and traditional man and for him women did not work if it wasn't necessary. He was an Earl too. For all those reasons, working seemed so petty and plebby. Nobles did not have to make money to live wealthy. Meredith was conscious that her family wasn't typical. After their departure to United States, Tatcher remarried with a kind and devoted woman, Susan, who gave him two daughters: Alexandra and Molly. Nevertheless, Meredith was never able to know them in person, until two years earlier.

Then, after Ellis death, she was able to arrange an exhibit of her works in Europe and the first leg would have been Oxford. She left New York with her husband, Derek Shepherd, and they arrived to England in a sunny Spring morning.

If Meredith had been anxious and nervous by the chance of meeting her family, Derek had been very excited. He was grown-up in a large family, the oldest of five children, and his parents had always cared about him and his sisters.

In any case, everything went in the best possible way. Alexandra was eager to meet her and her sparkling and cheerful behavior had seduced Meredith and she discovered the joys of sisterhood. Molly was very funny and sweet too, though she was too young to bond with Meredith.

Because of the war, Meredith and Derek decided to stay in England, with her newly discovered family, and after some months she found out of being pregnant.

Derek was a physician too, and he had the opportunity of becoming professor at the prestigious University of Oxford.

On the other hand, after the birth of their first son, Derek Bailey, Meredith decided to accept a job as art teacher at the Spence Academy for Young Ladies. It allowed her to keep cultivating her interest in art and to be a mother and wife.

It was a quiet and peaceful fall evening when the letter arrived. Meredith and Bailey were in the sitting room and the fire was crackling in the fireplace. She was drawing some sketches of his little boy, her favorite subject since his birth, crawling on the carpet and playing with his wood toys.

Derek entered into the room and he waved a letter in his right hand, widely grinning : "You will never imagine who is here, now!"

Meredith looked up at him with a quizzical expression on her face and then asked: "Who?"

Derek sat beside her on the sofa before speaking: "Mark is here! He's at the Welford base and he wrote me he'd be able to come and visit us tomorrow. He can stay for the whole weekend!"

Meredith smiled, visibly surprised. Mark Sloan and Derek Shepherd had known each other since the first grade and they had practically grown up together. They had even graduated together at Columbia University.

Because of the war, traveling from and to Europe was difficult and dangerous. Thus Mark and Derek had not seen each other for almost two years. Meredith knew how much her husband missed his best friend, she suspected Derek missed him more than his own family.

"Derek, that's awesome! So he has been sent here, hasn't he?" she asked.

"Actually, he chose to come to Europe instead of the Pacific frontline. Finally, he will be able to meet Bailey! Mark is so amazed by the idea of being a godfather, after all." Derek exclaimed and he was excited as a child on Christmas Day.

"Lexie and Molly will arrive on Friday, too. It will be a crowded weekend." Stated Meredith. She was a little worried about the organization but she couldn't be happier for bringing back together all the people she loved.

...

Rotherfield Greys, South Oxfordshire, December 18th , 1942

This afternoon I lived one of the strangest and most unexpected experiences of my whole life. I was wandering with Athena, when...

Winter seemed to arrive suddenly that year.

The afternoon was crisp and cool and Alexadra's breath sparkled in the cold air.

She was wandering around the fields which surrounded Greys Court with Athena, her red English Cocker Spaniel, when she heard the noticeable buzz of an aircraft, getting closer and losing altitude.

She watched how it was flying in circle for a while, trying to land safely in a hopeless attempt.

"Athena!" she cried in order to call for her panic-stricken dog, who was barking and running away.

She widened her big brown eyes as the aircraft twisted and crashed, before keeling over.

Without thinking, Alexandra ran across the field in order to help the crew members... if they were still alive after the terrible crash.

The fuselage was emitting smoke and a man was crawling out the aircraft, trailing another one out the cockpit, when suddenly a line of fire flashed along the right wing.

"How are you?" she shouted, forgetting all the good manners her grandmother had thought her since her birth.

"Get out of here! You could blow up!" exclaimed a voice behind a leather flying helmet and a pair of aviator goggles. Alexandra was pretty sure he was American, according to his accent.

He stood up and, grabbing her arm, pushed her away.

"You need some help. May I help you?" suggested Alexandra, even if he kept ignoring her. The man was knelt beside his fellow, who was whimpering, analyzing his injuries.

The young woman squatted down too and explained: "I am a nurse. Well, actually I am still studying to become one, but I guess I can-"

"For God's Sake! Are you deaf? You have heard, haven't you? It is too dangerous for you being here!" he yelled "Thank you, for your offer, but we can reach the Welford base by ourselves."

Alexandra frowned and, after a deep breath, replied bluntly: " I guess, you can't. There is no way you will be able to walk nearly 25 miles through British countryside with an injured man."

He gazed at his fellow, who was lying unconscious on the floor.

The man removed his goggles and Alexandra's bother loosened; he was extremely handsome, probably the most handsome guy she had ever met. He had a scruffy facial hair, chiseled features and the most piercing blue eyes. He stared at Alexandra and she felt completely dazed, barely remembering how much insolent and rude he had been.

The man sighed heavily before adding: "Where are now, exactly?"

"Rotherfield Greys, in the South Oxfordshire." Alexandra replied promptly.

"That is a little unexpected. However, we were able to give our waypoints to the base, before the crash. An ambulance is going to arrive at every moment." he explained. Then he stretched his right hand out to Alexandra, smiling cockily: "I am sorry for my rudeness, Miss-?" .

"Miss Alexandra Grey, nice to meet you. And you?" She asked, shaking his hand.

"Captain Mark Sloan, pilot and physician enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force. It is a pleasure meeting you."

"M-Mark-" his fellow whined and the softness in his voice astonished Alexandra.

Mark helped him to remove his helmet and to show his face.

Alexandra couldn't help but widening her eyes: his fellow was actually a... woman.

"I think I broke my leg, where are we?" She asked, trying to sit up.

"Not very far from Welford, an ambulance is coming here. Your emergency landing has been our salvation!" explained Mark, while Alexandra was still too shocked to speak. A woman was the pilot of the aircraft, it was rather unbelievable.

"Miss Grey, let me introduce you Major Arizona Robbins, one of the most talented pilots of the American Air Force. Without her, probably I'd not be here now."

The wounded pilot smiled politely at Alexandra and she had a sweet face. Her eyes were bright and friendly as well as her expression. She looked like a kind woman and Alexandra was very surprised she was a soldier.

"Well, I can not deny my surprise. Seeing a woman pilot is not something so usual here." Alexandra said in a whisper.

Arizona laughed slightly: "Trust me, neither in U.S. Anyway, are you alright?"

Alexandra smiled at her affirmation: "I am fine, thank you. I have lost my dog, though. She was scared and run away."

Mark stated without hesitation: " Let me help you. It's the least I can do, after yelling at you."

"Thank you. And do not worry, it was an emergency situation." Alexandra reassured him, before calling for Athena. "Athena! Where are you?"

They heard yelping and whining and both Mark and Alexandra run behind a shrub.

There, Athena was whimpering because of a splinter of iron stuck in her paw.

"I am afraid she needs a vet." stated Mark, picking up the dog in his arms.

Alexandra petted her on the head, whispering sweet words.

In that moment, the familiar and unmistakable noise of the siren echoed in the air, getting closer and closer. The ambulance was coming.

Mark gently passed the dog to Alexandra, saying: "Meeting in different circumstances would have been better, but I am really delighted to have made your acquiescence."

Alexandra blushed, smiling shyly.

I hope this chapter has met your expectations. You have met some of the main characters: Lexie and Mark of course, and Arizona, Meredith and Derek too. In the next chapters everything will become more and more interesting.

Please read and review. Since this story is very unusual, I would love to read your opinion.

As always, forgive me for my possible linguistic and historical mistakes.

PS: In my profile, you can find my LiveJournal contact, where there are some pictures which inspired this story.