Megan Hunt x Jake Ballard x Henry Burton (a Shondaland fan theory)
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT • NARRATIVE PUZZLE • CONCEPTUAL TIMELINE
COMPLETION TIME: ~1HR
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) — a troubled upbringing led Jake to the Navy, where he got entangled with a life of criminal operations (falls in love with both Teddy and Olivia).
Rowan (Scandal) - a criminal mastermind, leader of B613– the most secretive and powerful spy ring in the world, in charge of protecting The Republic of America.
Megan (Grey’s Anatomy) — an Army surgeon, was deployed with her older brother Owen from ~2006-2007. Engaged to Nathan.
Owen (Grey’s Anatomy) - an Army surgeon, platoon leader, deployed with his younger sister Megan before returning to Seattle to work as Chief of Trauma at Seattle Grace Mercy West (SGMW).
Teddy (Grey’s Anatomy) — an Army surgeon and Owen’s best friend / eventual wife. Ended up in and around Seattle.
Christina (Grey’s Anatomy) - a cardio surgeon at SGMW
Richard (Grey’s Anatomy) — a general surgeon at SGMW
Lexie (Grey’s Anatomy) — a surgical resident at SGMW
Olivia (Scandal) — a D.C. “fixer”, and Rowan’s daughter. She’s having an affair with Fitz, and Rowan eventually sends Jake to keep an eye on her.
Derek (Grey’s Anatomy) — a neurosurgeon at SGMW, his research was requested by “The President” ~ 2010, when he began traveling back and forth for work and his home life.
Fitz (Scandal) — President of the United Stated from 2010-2018.
Farouk (Grey’s Anatomy) — a boy Megan took in and raised as her own son while in the refugee camp.
Nathan (Grey’s Anatomy) — an Army surgeon and Megan’s fiance, eventually ended up at SGMW.
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. But a problem quickly surfaces - assigned to investigate doctors, Jake goes to SGMW to get a lay of the land, and ends up with an unexpected (and real) diagnosis— he has Von Hippel-Lindau Disease.
2010 - Jake fully infiltrates SGMW and we meet Henry Burton, only 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).
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. Jake continues missions for Rowan.
2012 - Jake returns to DC and becomes Jake-from-the-Bakery; is tasked with infiltrating Olivia's life and once again falls in love with the mission.
2014 - Jake lives on the island with Liv then heads back to D.C. with her
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...
