When she's not crushed under a tire, Melissa looks very much like a young Jodie Foster and she and Mere smile at each other as Smash introduces them. Melissa can't do much talking but she manages to say that she remembers that Mere was there for her when she was trapped. She then seems to doubt the memory and asks if Meredith really was there. Mere tells her that she was, but is having a hard time keeping the smile on her face since this is bringing her back too much to Lexie.

Outside, Bailey approaches her with a slip of paper and says that she's passing on a list of "Tucker-tested" babysitters since Mere is now an attending and has to admit that she can't do every single thing herself. Mere gives her a big smile and thanks her sincerely.

She then takes Zola home and puts her to bed; as she walks out of the room the doorbell rings and her head-voice begs Zola not to wake up all while moaning that she can't deal with anything else tonight. But when she opens the door, she finds... Cristina! After a long moment of disbelief, she pulls her into a long hug. Cristina is three sheets to the wind, having drunk a large share of her bug-out tequila presumably to get her through the flight back. (But now is she going to have to fly back again to get her car? I'll just choose to ignore annoying questions like these for now.) The two both laugh, but after a moment they each crumble a little bit. With tears in her eyes, Mere says, "Lexie's dead." Saving Melissa only drove home that she's never coming back, it seems. Cristina gives her a hug as she replies, "Everyone's dead." I totally teared up both times I watched this scene but at the same time, I'm now doing a little 30-second dance party of my own that Cristina is BACK, baby.

Lauren S is a writer who lives and works in Atlanta with her cats, who are very glad she's crazy enough to have bought them their own emergency survival kit. She wants everyone to know: "The views expressed in my recaps and anything else I might write on TWoP are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer."