Crossover Timeline Concept (Grey’s Anatomy x Scandal AU)
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT • NARRATIVE PUZZLE • CONCEPTUAL TIMELINE
This conceptual timeline explores an alternative narrative link between Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal by crafting a seamless character arc for a supporting role played by the same actor (Scott Foley) in both series.
The challenge: reimagine how this character’s trajectory could evolve across both universes, treating them as a continuous story rather than separate roles.
The timeline charts key life events, professional shifts, and unseen moments that bridge the gap between the medical drama of Grey’s and the high-stakes political world of Scandal. It considers career transitions, personal motivations, and thematic overlaps, creating a compelling throughline that enriches both series while honoring the performances that connect them.
CHARACTERS
Jake Ballard (Scandal) / Henry Burton (Grey’s Anatomy) — Jake is a highly trained covert operative from a secret government agency called B613. Years ago, under the alias Henry Burton, he worked undercover as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, where he unexpectedly formed real emotional bonds—including falling in love with a fellow doctor, Teddy. After faking his death under orders, Jake resurfaces years later in Washington, D.C., haunted by the past and forced to confront the consequences of the lives he disrupted — including one of his final missions: helping rescue a woman his agency had buried.
relationships: Rowan (boss), Olivia (lover), Fitz (friend), Teddy (ex-wife)
Rowan (Scandal) - Rowan is the manipulative and commanding head of B613, known for controlling his agents with fear, secrecy, and precision. Ruthless and far-reaching, Rowan’s fingerprints are on every major event in the story.
relationships: Olivia (daughter), Jake (“employee”)
Olivia (Scandal) — A D.C. political fixer known for managing national scandals and protecting powerful reputations. She shares a complicated romantic and professional history with Jake, unaware of the full truth about his past.
relationships: Jake (lover), Rowan (father), Fitz (lover)
Fitz (Scandal) — U.S. President during the main events of Scandal. Acts on Jake’s tip to locate and free Megan from captivity.
relationships: Jake (friend), Olivia (lover)
Teddy (Grey’s Anatomy) — Teddy is a cardiothoracic surgeon with a calm demeanor and a strong moral compass, shaped by years of working in combat zones. During Jake’s time undercover as Henry Burton, Teddy falls for him and witnesses his alleged death — never knowing it was staged by B613. In this crossover, her emotional memory of Henry becomes a powerful thread, offering the most human and heartbreaking view into the secret life Jake tried to leave behind.
relationships: Henry / Jake (ex-husband), Megan, Owen, Derek, Nathan, Christina, Richard, Lexie (friends)
Megan (Grey’s Anatomy) — Megan is a skilled trauma surgeon and former military doctor, known for her toughness and sharp instincts. After being passed over for promotion, she stumbles upon something she shouldn’t—Rowan’s operation in Iraq—and is quietly abducted and held for years. Her return is eventually orchestrated by Jake, who not only seeks her forgiveness but ensures she’s reunited with her son and her former fiancé, regaining her freedom after years of silence.
relationships: Owen (brother), Farouk (son, adopted), Nathan (fiancé), Teddy, Derek, Richard, Lexie (friends)
Owen (Grey’s Anatomy) - Owen is Megan’s protective older brother and a trauma surgeon with a military background. When Megan disappears, Owen is left in the dark—suspicious but powerless—and becomes increasingly entangled as truths about Jake and Rowan emerge. His character bridges emotional loyalty and hard-earned skepticism, pushing back when others look away and fighting for the people he loves, even when the facts are hard to face.
relationships: Megan (sister), Farouk (nephew), Christina (ex-wife), Teddy, Derek, Nathan, Richard, Lexie (friends)
Derek (Grey’s Anatomy) — Derek is a renowned neurosurgeon who, during a brief government contract, crosses paths with Jake in Washington, D.C. — recognizing him as “Henry Burton.” His discovery puts him in danger, prompting Rowan to order the crash that takes Derek’s life. Derek’s death becomes the final turning point that drives Jake to betray Rowan and help free Megan.
relationships: Teddy, Owen, Christina, Richard, Lexie (friends)
Farouk (Grey’s Anatomy) — Megan’s son, adopted at the refugee camp. Reunited with her after years apart thanks to Jake’s intervention.
relationships: Megan (mother, adopted), Nathan (step-father)
Nathan (Grey’s Anatomy) — Megan’s former fiancé and fellow doctor. Helps reunite her with Farouk after her rescue.
relationships: Megan (fiancé), Farouk (step-son), Teddy, Owen, Richard (friends)
Christina (Grey’s Anatomy) - Sharp, no-nonsense surgeon. Present during Henry’s cardio care year and operated on him during his supposed death.
relationships: Owen (ex-husband), Teddy, Megan, Derek, Lexie (friends)
Richard (Grey’s Anatomy) — Chief of Surgery. Remembers Henry and Teddy’s whirlwind romance and was in the OR during Henry’s alleged fatal surgery.
relationships: Teddy, Megan, Owen, Derek, Nathan, Christina, Lexie (friends)
Lexie (Grey’s Anatomy) — Warm and brilliant resident. Present during Henry’s alleged fatal surgery.
relationships: Teddy, Megan, Owen, Derek, Nathan, Christina (friends)
CONCEPTUAL TIMELINE
1989
Operation Remington (a covert op gone wrong), Jake is presumably 20-23 years old (he likely enlisted at a young age because of his rough home life). We can safely assume that this op really messed with his head, and so he went running back to Rowan and left the Navy for B613.
2007
Megan just lost the promotion because Owen tanked her bid. In-between screaming at him about it, she stormed into the Lieutenant's office and saw something she wasn't supposed to....
…Rowan was there in the middle of the desert, thanking her Lieutenant for "making the right choice" with the promotion. They played it off like it was nothing, but we all know what happened next.... (The woman who supposedly put Megan on an enemy chopper and sent her to years of confinement? A B613 agent.)
Megan is dumped at a local refugee camp that's overseen by, you guessed it-Rowan. She's valuable as a doctor, after all, and could be used as a bargaining chip in any potential future wars, and so she spends the next ten years as just another person Rowan's hidden away from the world.
2009 - Rowan anticipates a shift in global politics with the next election, and sends Jake, now around 40 years old, to Seattle to track down anyone who might be looking for Megan (a potential blackmail or ransom target), and to figure out what her friends knew about what Megan had seen.
2010
Assigned to investigate doctors, Jake infiltrates the hospital as Henry Burton, but ends up with an unexpected (and real) diagnosis— he has Von Hippel-Lindau Disease.
Rowan has no idea that Jake's seeking legitimate medical treatment. Under the guise of no insurance, Henry ends up married to Teddy- the perfect cover to get on the inside. Of course, Mr. Loverboy inevitably falls in love with her for real.
2011 - Rowan finds out that Jake is half-dead and that his feelings for Teddy are genuine (his fave agent kinda has a tendency to get in bed with the targets...). With Henry in an op turned messy, falling health, and emergency surgery, Rowan swoops in to do what he does best (take charge).
…………
It's never known by anyone outside of the room, but Christina, Richard, Owen, and Lexie did in fact save Henry that day, but they were threatened by B613 agents to fake his death (to the extent of bringing in a random body to use as a decoy). Jake continues missions for Rowan.
The storyline we saw with Christina being lied to about who was on the table and discovering after the fact, was all from the perspective of the story that Teddy was told.
2012 - Jake returns to DC and becomes Jake-from-the-Bakery when he “accidentally” bumps into Olivia Pope; is tasked with infiltrating Olivia's life and once again falls in love with the mission.
2014
Jake and Liv run away to the island, eventually heading back to D.C.
2015 - While working for Fitz in DC, Derek runs into Jake Henry Jake Henry, which is weird bc he's"dead". He's initially threatened into silence and this becomes one of the inciting incidents that leads Derek to leave DC for good.
………
However, knowing Rowan, there can be no loose ends, so he sends a B613 agent to Seattle to rent a semi-truck...
Jake hears about Derek's death and remembers the whole Operation-Teddy/Megan mission. Feeling remorseful after all these years, after visiting France with Charlie, he makes a pitstop in Iraq, humbly explaining the entire truth to Megan, and offering safety in return for silence (remember this is their "fuck-Rowan" era). She agrees, and he tips Fitz off with her location, asking his Commander in Chief for a favor— Megan is freed, but spends the next 18 months going between the embassy and the refugee camp, refusing to leave without Farouk.
2017
When the administration changes hands to Mellie, Megan is forced to go home and receive medical care in the U.S.. Nathan eventually pulls his Army strings to get Farouk back, and all is kinda happy in the end...
WHAT’S CANON?
Jake’s background with B613 and Rowan (Scandal).
Megan losing out on a promotion and getting kidnapped shortly after (Grey’s).
Henry’s appearance as a patient in Seattle and his marriage to Teddy (Grey’s).
Christina, Richard, and Lexie’s “unsuccessful” operation on Henry (Grey’s).
Jake arriving in D.C. and being assigned to Olivia by Rowan (Scandal).
Jake and Olivia becoming lovers and seeking refuge on an island (Scandal).
Derek working in D.C. and dying shortly after (Grey’s).
Megan resurfaces and Nathan reunites her with Farouk in the States (Grey’s).
WHAT’S NEW?
Rowan being the reason Megan missed out on a promotion and got kidnapped.
Rowan sending Jake to Seattle on-assignment.
Henry never died on the table — he was brought back to D.C. by Rowan and his death was faked.
Derek running into Jake Henry Jake Henry in D.C. and recognizing him as “Teddy’s dead husband”.
Rowan orchestrating Derek’s death to hide Jake’s identity.
Jake orchestrating Megan’s rescue with Fitz.
Megan refusing to leave without Farouk, Mellie’s new administration forcing her to.
