Christmas Eve. The Chief is teaching Meredith a suture and he tells her that it should be a dance, that she should let the needle be the man and take the lead. He then flatters that he hasn't seen skill like that since her mother and wistfully adds that she could dance. It sounds like he means both with a needle and thread as well as on a date. Mere sees an opening and tells Richard that he should make up with Derek since it is Christmas, and in general it's just time. He doesn't seem too excited about it, instead just correcting her suture.

Lexie apparently likes to leave her decorating to the last minute -- she's trimming the tree when Mark comes over to her and checks on her finger, which is reportedly nearly healed though still all bandaged up. Both look over at Sloan, who is doing her nails, and Mark asks Lexie how long she's planning to stay. Obviously his communication skills haven't improved, and Lexie illustrates this by reminding him that he's spoken all of three sentences to his daughter over the past month and suggests he talk to her himself. She tries to tell him that Sloan is easy to like once you get to know her, but Mark expresses doubt and Lexie admits that Sloan is completely vapid. That said, she's still the fruit of Mark's loins, and she pushes him in her direction with orders to try. Sloan turns around and sees him standing, again unable to speak, and asks jokingly, "What are you looking at, you old perv?" Ew, don't make that joke about your dad, even if you only just met him.

Bailey is at her own home when there is a knock at the door, and she's shocked to open it and see her father standing there. He says that her mom sent him, and Bailey knows that means he's heard, which he confirms he does through the family grapevine. He works his way in before she can ask him in to the slightly dreary apartment, and she stutters that she was going to put up a tree. He asks where Tuck is, and Bailey admits that he's back east with Tucker and his family since she had him for Thanksgiving. Her dad seems not to have really believed about the divorce until he hears that, and he asks if it is true. Bailey sighs and seems just like a kid again, rather than an accomplished surgeon, but isn't that what happens to all of us around our parents?