diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/editor_controller.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/editor_controller.js
index d78b9fd9fc36c..525d9a4bacf02 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/editor_controller.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/editor_controller.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { render, unmountComponentAtNode } from 'react-dom';
 import { FetchFieldsProvider } from '../lib/fetch_fields';
+import { extractIndexPatterns } from '../lib/extract_index_patterns';
 const AUTO_APPLY_KEY = 'metrics_autoApply';
 
 function ReactEditorControllerProvider(Private, localStorage) {
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ function ReactEditorControllerProvider(Private, localStorage) {
     constructor(el, vis) {
       this.el = el;
       this.vis = vis;
+      this.vis.fields = {};
 
       const autoApply = localStorage.get(AUTO_APPLY_KEY);
       vis.autoApply = autoApply != null ? autoApply : true;
@@ -17,10 +19,10 @@ function ReactEditorControllerProvider(Private, localStorage) {
 
     render(visData) {
       this.visData = visData;
-
+      const indexPatterns = extractIndexPatterns(this.vis);
       return new Promise((resolve) => {
-        fetchFields(this.vis.params.index_pattern).then(fields => {
-          this.vis.fields = fields;
+        fetchFields(indexPatterns).then(fields => {
+          this.vis.fields = { ...fields, ...this.vis.fields };
           const Component = this.vis.type.editorConfig.component;
           render(<Component vis={this.vis} visData={visData} renderComplete={resolve}/>, this.el);
         });
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js
index 2282bdb02b131..41b296ed0bc3e 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js
@@ -22,34 +22,7 @@ const MetricsRequestHandlerProvider = function (Private, Notifier, config, timef
             const maxBuckets = config.get('metrics:max_buckets');
             validateInterval(timefilter, panel, maxBuckets);
             return $http.post('../api/metrics/vis/data', params)
-              .success(resp => {
-
-                const patternsToFetch = [];
-                // Fetch any missing index patterns
-                if (!vis.fields) vis.fields = {};
-
-                if (!vis.fields[vis.params.index_pattern]) {
-                  patternsToFetch.push(vis.params.index_pattern);
-                }
-
-                vis.params.series.forEach(series => {
-                  if (series.override_index_pattern &&
-                    !vis.fields[series.series_index_pattern]) {
-                    patternsToFetch.push(series.series_index_pattern);
-                  }
-                });
-
-                if (vis.params.annotations) {
-                  vis.params.annotations.forEach(item => {
-                    if (item.index_pattern &&
-                      !vis.fields[item.index_pattern]) {
-                      patternsToFetch.push(item.index_pattern);
-                    }
-                  });
-                }
-
-                resolve(resp);
-              })
+              .success(resolve)
               .error(resp => {
                 resolve({});
                 const err = new Error(resp.message);
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/__tests__/extract_index_pattern.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/__tests__/extract_index_pattern.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..ea181c396df40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/__tests__/extract_index_pattern.js
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { extractIndexPatterns } from '../extract_index_patterns';
+import { expect } from 'chai';
+describe('extractIndexPatterns(vis)', () => {
+  let vis;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vis = {
+      fields: {
+        '*': []
+      },
+      params: {
+        index_pattern: '*',
+        series: [
+          {
+            override_index_pattern: 1,
+            series_index_pattern: 'example-1-*'
+          },
+          {
+            override_index_pattern: 1,
+            series_index_pattern: 'example-2-*'
+          }
+        ],
+        annotations: [
+          { index_pattern: 'notes-*' },
+          { index_pattern: 'example-1-*' }
+        ]
+      }
+    };
+  });
+
+  it('should return index patterns', () => {
+    vis.fields = {};
+    expect(extractIndexPatterns(vis)).to.eql([
+      '*',
+      'example-1-*',
+      'example-2-*',
+      'notes-*'
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('should return index patterns that do not exist in vis.fields', () => {
+    expect(extractIndexPatterns(vis)).to.eql([
+      'example-1-*',
+      'example-2-*',
+      'notes-*'
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/extract_index_patterns.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/extract_index_patterns.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..81bb6a0cd7105
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/extract_index_patterns.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { uniq } from 'lodash';
+export function extractIndexPatterns(vis) {
+  const patternsToFetch = [];
+
+  if (!vis.fields[vis.params.index_pattern]) {
+    patternsToFetch.push(vis.params.index_pattern);
+  }
+
+  vis.params.series.forEach(series => {
+    const indexPattern = series.series_index_pattern;
+    if (series.override_index_pattern && !vis.fields[indexPattern]) {
+      patternsToFetch.push(indexPattern);
+    }
+  });
+
+  if (vis.params.annotations) {
+    vis.params.annotations.forEach(item => {
+      const indexPattern = item.index_pattern;
+      if (indexPattern && !vis.fields[indexPattern]) {
+        patternsToFetch.push(indexPattern);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  return uniq(patternsToFetch);
+
+}