"Misty, honey," Cordelia called, sliding out of her coat and hanging it in the hall closet. "I'm home. You wouldn't believe the day I had. One of the girls in the downtown house accidentally set the couch on fire, so I had to go down there and sort everything out…"
As she spoke, she moved through the cozy house, leaving her purse and keys on the kitchen table before climbing the stairs.
"Dearest?" she called, entering their bedroom. "Where are you?"
"In here," said Misty's voice, issuing from the adjoining bathroom.
Smiling, Cordelia slipped off her shoes, leaving them at the foot of the bed, and made her way over.
As she opened the door, she was greeted by a billow of steam and soft yellow light. Candles covered every available surface, their flickering flames illuminating the huge claw foot tub filled with bubbles.
Misty sat on the edge of the tub, her white silk robe hanging open across her shoulders to reveal smooth, tanned skin. A slow, sensual smile spread across her lips as Cordelia entered. She held out her hand, allowing the robe to fall from one shoulder.
"Finally," she drawled, taking Cordelia's hand and drawing her close. "I've been dyin' for you to get home."
"Mmmm," Cordelia hummed, bending down and capturing Misty's lips in a slow kiss. Pulling away, she ran her fingers up along the seam of Misty's robe, drawing it further open. "And what are you going to do now that I'm here?"
Misty responded by drawing her down into another kiss. Cordelia's hands continued their path up Misty's chest, one stopping over her heart while the other curved over her shoulder.
As she smoothed her fingers over Misty's exposed shoulder, she felt something crumble away in her palm. Breaking the kiss, she glanced down to see her fingers now covered in ash. She looked back up in horror, watching as Misty's skin drained of color, turning an ashy white, and cracks appeared along its surface. Misty's eyes were wide in fear.
"No, no," Cordelia whispered, her fingers scrabbling over Misty's skin, trying to stop the cracks as they spread down her body. "Not again, please, not again…"
Even as she tried to hold her together, Misty's body crumbled into ash, sifting through her fingers and mixing with the cold, gray water.
Cordelia screamed.
Suddenly, she jerked upright, back in her bed at Miss Robichaux's, a scream dying in her throat. Sunlight streamed through her curtains as birds chirped around her.
Cordelia looked wildly around her, a sinking feeling in her chest as she came back to reality.
"Misty," she choked out, beginning to weep as the full realization hit her. It had all been a dream. Misty was dead, and she was never coming back.