[Misty/Cordelia, set immediately after Hank leaves in episode nine]
Misty stood awkwardly for a moment, torn between consoling Cordelia and saving her from the embarrassment of talking about it. She would wait, she decided and see what Cordelia wanted to do. "So you married that guy, huh?" she said. Patience had once been her strong suit - she had spent years waiting for a place to call home - but now that she was part of something, now that she was sharing magic with someone that she could teach and be taught from, patience was less forthcoming.
Cordelia pressed a hand against the table, looking at her with mismatched eyes. "Nobody's perfect," she said simply, taking a few deep breaths.
"Stevie might be," Misty replied, suppressing a grin when Cordelia gave her a look somewhere between exasperation and endearment. "I mean, right. Nobody's perfect."
"I - I thought once that maybe Hank was. He loved me. We were going to start a family together. I could picture it so vividly," Cordelia's voice trembled and her features contorted, her new eyes welling up. She had been so strong standing up to Hank, Misty thought, and now she was broken in a way that Misty couldn't fix. "I thought that maybe once, I could have something wonderful."
Misty reached out a hand, placing it on Cordelia's shoulders in support. Stevie played on in the background. Cordelia had been so happy before, showing her the power in unexpected places and things, and Misty had been so happy to learn. She'd never been happier with another living or recently-dead soul in her life. And now there was this, this pain, this anger and loss.
"Well, shit. You still can, Miss Cordelia," she tried uncertainly. "You want to help me do some magic again? That makes you smile."
Cordelia laughed a little bit and it was just enough to make Misty give her a small smile. Stevie sang still, about love and the kind of connection it creates between people, the way hearts and souls can come together in unexpected and moving ways.
Cordelia hugged her then, just for a moment. She wrapped her arms around Misty and brought her close and held her there and everything Misty thought Stevie had taught her about love was redefined.
"Sure," Cordelia said, pulling away.
Misty nodded and said nothing.
