AN: Thank you so much for all the support this story is getting! I hope you like this chapter :)

Cordelia's POV

October, 2013

My heart is heavy with words unsaid. I am not happy with the life I live, but I don't know what to do to make it better.

During the past few weeks, everything I once believed was flipped upside down. My eyesight was stripped from me, but I'm glad that it was because now I see the truth. Hank's been cheating on me; all those business trips were just excuses to go fuck some pretty, young redhead.

I loved him, I trusted him, and he betrayed me. I wasn't exactly satisfied with our love life either but I didn't go behind his back and screw other people. Every time I think about it my blood boils.

I'm furious, but I'm also deeply hurt. Hank had been my best friend. He could always make me smile and laugh, and he was always supportive of me. I wonder how much of our relationship was his bullshit lies.

I'm completely alone now. Myrtle Snow, who was like a mother to me, is dead and the school is basically empty. Now I'm lying in bed, staring into a world of darkness, feeling empty too. Sighing heavily, I try to direct my thoughts to something other than my failures.

"Cordelia?" Zoe knocks on the door. "Someone's here who needs to talk to you."

"Alright, I'll be out in a second." I don't have much of a desire to get out of bed, but the tone of Zoe's voice was desperate. So I drag myself to my feet and head downstairs.

As I enter the room, something in the air feels different. I can sense the presence of someone with a good heart, someone who's been through more than their fair share of trauma yet radiates happiness. It's someone I've met before, but who?

"Someone tried to kill me. I don't wanna impose or anything, but do you think my friend and I could stay here till it's safe?"

That sweet Cajun voice sounds so familiar. Holding out my hand, I gesture for her to take it. After a silent moment I feel her soft, slightly dirt covered skin, and within seconds the visions start:

A beautiful young woman being dragged across the ground to a stake. Fire raging over her flesh while she screams. A tiny shack in the middle of the swamp. Alligators and thriving plants.

I don't believe it. Misty Day, the angel from the swamp 21 years ago, is standing right in front of me. I have to stop myself from bursting into tears and hugging her. After all this time, I had pushed her to the back of my mind. When I married Hank I had to try and leave Misty behind me, but I never truly forgot her, the woman who gave me hope when I had none.

"You're Misty Day. You were set on fire and left for dead. Whatever troubles you had, they are ours now. You are under the protection of this coven. This is your house."

With my hand still holding Misty's tightly, I can feel her sense of relief. But I'm not sure of she recognizes me. "Can my friend stay too?"

Raising an eyebrow, I nod. "Any friend of yours is a friend of ours."

Never letting go of my hand, the swamp witch leads me to the greenhouse. I know the path well; I walk it every single day. The greenhouse is my sanctuary. It's kind of ironic that the savior from my childhood is taking me to the only place I feel safe in adulthood. This is only the second time in all my years that I truly feel like everything is going to be alright.

Zoe opens the door and I immediately know who is inside. I don't believe this! "Auntie Myrtle!" I run to her, not caring that I stumble, and wrap her in my arms. "Oh my god, it's really you!"

The two most cherished people in my life, whom I thought I'd never see again, are standing here with me and suddenly everything seems a little brighter.

xxxxxxx

As night falls over the sky, my previous optimism diminishes greatly. My mother is still alive, power hungry, and if Misty really is the new Supreme, my mother will stop at nothing to eliminate her. I just want there to be peace in this coven for once, but I don't think that will be happening anytime soon.

A cool breeze comes through my cracked-open window and I have to pull my quilt tighter around me. The air is cold but it helps me think clearly. After all these years, I had given up hope of ever seeing Misty day again, but now she's sleeping just down the hall. I'm very conflicted. I want to go to her, find out if she remembers me. At the same time, I want to hide under my blankets and disappear.

Since I was 16 I've dated men, trying to convince myself that liking girls was only a phase. For a while it worked. I met Hank and started a life with him. I wanted to be a mother more than anything in the world, so I figured that was worth being in a heterosexual relationship for. Well look how well that worked out…

I don't want to admit it, even to myself. Being gay has always been seen as a horrible, disgusting thing in the coven, and the last thing I want is to be treated the way I was in high school again. But there's no denying the butterflies I got when I heard Misty speak again, the way my heart sped up when I got to touch her hand. There is something between us…it's like being near her makes me feel alive.

A soft knock comes from my door, followed by that sweet Cajun voice. "Miss Cordelia, can I come in?"

My heart races and my palms sweat. I sit up in bed and quickly try to fix my hair. Wow, I'm ridiculous. "Sure, come on in Misty." I can hear the door creak open and light footsteps that stop next to my bed. Misty's closeness puts me at ease yet I can feel nervousness coming off her skin.

Patting the spot beside me, I encourage her to sit down. The bed dips as she obeys, and her knee presses to my thigh. The unexpected physical contact sparks another vision:

Us together in the swamp. Her lips on mine. Misty standing in the same spot for weeks after, waiting for me. Misty humming Landslide by Fleetwood Mac as she scribbles my name across her notebooks.

She remembers, she never forgot me.

"Miss Cordelia…" Misty pauses, her voice small yet hopeful. Neither of us knows what to say now that our long awaited reunion has finally come.

Tears build up in my damaged eyes and all I can do is wrap my arms around Misty. I cling to her, needing to make sure she's real. A strange mix of emotions washes over me; happiness, relief, joy, fear, and longing all swim inside me.

Misty clutches me just as tightly as I cling to her, her strong arms shaking from sobs. "I finally found you."