"Welcome to O'Hare International Airport. The local time is 6:00 PM." The familiar message echoed in Spanish as Dr. Alex Karev fumbled to fit all of his technology back into his briefcase, mentally kicking himself for letting his TSA PreCheck clearance lapse.

Alex looked up at the departures screen just as his 7:10 on-time departure flashed and was replaced with a delayed departure at 10:15. He sent off a quick text to Izzie, telling her that he'd be home late and could Facetime with the kids before they went to bed. It was not even two minutes later when his phone flashed with the faces of two smiling seven-year-olds. Alex started in the direction of his preferred airport bar and clicked to answer the call, where the static photo of his children disappeared and a moving and talking version of the same two faces took its place.

"Hi Daddy!" Alexis spoke with even more energy than her mother had ever had. Alex didn't know where it had come from, but her effervescence was one of the things he loved most about his daughter. She would go out of her way to tell someone she thought they were wearing a pretty dress and explain to the cashier at the grocery store exactly why she had decided to buy apple juice instead of grape juice that week. She loved helping Izzie fold the laundry and would help Alex sort out all the ingredients when he made them brunch on Sundays.

Tonight, Alexis Stevens-Karev was chattering on about the status of the patients in her stuffed animal hospital. Joey the bear had mets in his right paw, but she was certain he'd pull through.

Alex chuckled and took advantage of the brief silence in his daughter's speech to ask Eli about his day. While Alexis at times seemed to be a carbon copy of her mother, Eli was much more like Alex. He would play doctor with Alexis but never initiated the make-believe games. He was happiest curled up next to his dad watching a basketball game or watching him fix the swing set in the backyard, which was definitely a sight to see as Alex tended to struggle his way through the handy-man type tasks he insisted he attempt himself.

Tonight, Eli was sitting next to his sister on the arm of Alex's favorite chair and grinning until Alexis stopped talking and it was his turn. He told Alex all about his third week of baseball practice, which was quickly becoming his favorite hobby, in half the time that Alexis had needed to provide an update on her patients. He said it was hard but that it was also a lot of fun and Alex's heart swelled with pride as Eli asked his dad when he was coming home.

"I'll be home tonight, bud. But not until after you to sleep. So be good for your mom, make sure you brush your teeth, and I'll be there to make waffles in the morning."

Eli and Alexis grinned widely and nodded.

"Yes, daddy!" they chorused.

"Good! I love you both so much. Put mom on the phone for me?"

Alexis nodded and hopped up to carry the phone to Izzie. The bounce in the video told Alex that she was skipping her way into the kitchen, as it very quickly stabilized once Izzie's face filled the screen.

"So how'd it go?" Izzie asked.

"As well as can be, considering. I'll probably have to come up here one more time this month to follow-up but I think they're going to take him home."

Izzie gave Alex a sad smile. He'd been flying up to Chicago twice a month to consult on a patient who had been declining rapidly. He had actually extended this most recent trip by three days in hope that they'd be able to come up with something to recommend beyond palliative care.

"So you'll get in when?" Izzie asked.

"Not til around midnight." Alex responded. "I'll try not to wake you when I get home. Kiss the kids goodnight for me?"

"I will." Izzie promised. "Have a safe flight, Alex."

"Thanks, Iz." Alex said, turning off his phone and looking up to signal to the bartender that he was ready to order. He ordered a burger and a pint and settled in for a while to read some of the articles he'd been meaning to catch up on.

Alex had finished the burger and was halfway through his second pint and an article on advances in minimally invasive techniques when, as if tuned to his brain's specific frequency, the word "tequila" cut through his thoughts. He set his tablet down on the bar and turned his head to look at the other end of the bar.

"Mer?" his voice was low and quiet, questioning whether or not she was really there, but just as he'd picked up on the one familiar word she'd spoken, she noticed and turned to face him.

I know this prologue was quick, but I just had to end it there. The next chapter is already drafted so likely to come soon. A few notes:

Yes, this is likely to be a Merlex endgame. No, I won't promise that because I haven't written to the end yet. Yes, you'll see Jo, Andrew, Cormac, Izzie, Jackson, Miranda, and more. No, I'm not sure when I'll pick back up on Unconditional - I do have quite a few more chapters written, but they're not in sequence so I'll dabble there again once I'm done following the Merlex muse.