A/N: This is a gift to one of my best readers on AO3, who follows me not only on this fandom, but on the Supercat fandom too and always leaves very good comments on my stories.
PS: I have no idea how NYC works during such dangerous storms, nor do I know how to deliver a baby in any way, so, sorry for the inacuracies and please let's pretend this is all very normal.
PS 2: No beta this time, so please forgive the mistakes. English is not my first language. (Edit: it seems I had changed the baby's gender in two paragraphs, but that's fixed already, sorry guys. That's what happens sometimes when you edit your own stuff x.x)
PS 3: For those of you that read Power, I'm working on the next chapter, I promisse, I just had a busy week and needed to finish this one first.
That's it, enjoy guys!
It was the afternoon of the 22nd of December, the stores were packed with people making last minute shopping, too many people on the streets making hard to walk in a moderate pace without being pushed or shoved aside. Andy had already made her Christmas shopping a week before to avoid this level of stress and to not risk herself in the middle of the crowd; her condition wouldn't allow it. Andrea Sachs had just entered the 8th month of pregnancy after a one night stand.
The strained relationship with her family got worse before they could move past everything, the baby was just what they needed to fight and say what was necessary to forgive and move on. Of course, her parents weren't happy that she decided to stay in New York alone instead of going back home to have her child and the help her mother and father could provide. However, they respect her more and trust her enough to stay by herself and ask for help. The child's father was a topic to be avoided, he was out of the picture and Andy wanted it to stay that way; she earns enough money to provide a good life for the baby and herself.
After the events of Paris two years prior and the unexpected recommendation letter, Andy was able to get the job at The Mirror, only to stay there for 6 months and discover it wasn't what she expected or wanted for her life. So she went searching again using the connections she made at Runway and got a job at a serious magazine as freelancer, writing about important matters to society and leaving her mark. The response to her articles were amazing and after a few months she was hired as a columnist. The work schedule was flexible and the payment great, soon she moved out from the old apartment once shared with her ex and bought a cozy house she fell in love with while researching for an article.
She met the father of her child on the open house visits, she was shocked the moment her eyes landed on him. A tall and well-built man in a dark blue suit that brought on the sky blue of his eyes, he was probably on his late 30s, but what got her enthralled for all the wrong reasons was his hair; his short and silver hair. His presence commanded attention, the way he moved, the way he talked, it made her more mesmerized than ever; and it seemed the same happened to him as he could not stop looking at her. They engaged in a conversation about the house, going to all the rooms together exchanging opinions. It wasn't until they got to the large master bathroom that things took an unexpected turn, and they found themselves half naked, fucking in the sink and telling each other how they were not the kind of person that did this kind of things. They never saw each other after that and the brunette spent a week beating herself up for having sex with a stranger just because he reminded her of one Editor in Chief of a fashion magazine.
And now? Now she was walking the snow packed streets of the Manhattan, eight months later, to interview none other than said EIC. It would be a challenge, of course, to keep composure and maintain professionalism after two years without seeing the beautiful and inaccessible Dragon Lady.
Her feet carried her slowly but surely to the door of the townhouse, the snow making her progress harder than it already was with her not so huge belly. Her genetics were proving to be a blessing in this case.
The street was empty and quiet, making the doorbell ring much louder than it really was; her trembling fingers had nothing to do with the cold. A blonde woman on her early 40s opened the door.
"Hello Cara." Andy greeted with a smile.
"Andy! Hello. Come on in." the blonde pulled her into the warm house, effectively blocking the cold by closing the door. "Let me look at you." the housekeeper examined her from head to toe. "Oh my, I see congratulations are in order." without any warning she pulled Andy once again, this time for a tight hug. "Let me help you out of this coat. Miranda is waiting for you in her study. Do you want a drink or something to eat?"
"I accept some water, please." Cara was always a very nice person to her.
"I'll be right up with it and some cookies. Can't have you starving with this little baby inside you." the coat was placed inside the closet at the entrance.
"There's no need." it was a futile attempt to protest.
"Shh. I don't want to hear it. Now off you go, we know how Miranda likes to be kept waiting; wouldn't want to ruin her good mood today." the blonde whispered the last words like it was a secret.
"Thank you."
"Do you need any help to go up the stairs?"
"It's fine." she dismissed the offer already holding the railing and making her way up. Even though her genetics made that she didn't get as big as most women did, her back was still killing her; the kid was heavy.
When she finally got up to the second floor, she was startled to see two redheads sitting at the steps that led to the third floor, looking intently at her with their blue eyes.
"Oh, you guys scared me!" her hand went up to her heart.
"Sorry." the girls spoke in unison.
"It's okay. Hi, Caroline. Hello, Cassidy."
It wasn't so hard anymore to differ the twins; Cassidy was the one with shorter hair and freckles that went from her nose to cheekbones, Caroline had longer hair and freckles only on her nose. Seven months working for their mother and helping with homework made them create a certain affection for each other that pushed them to keep in touch after Andy's departure. The three of them exchanged emails once in a while, the girls commenting on Andy's articles while the brunette kept tabs on their academic life and sometimes personal too; that's how she knew exactly who was who as they talked about haircuts on the last conversation.
"Hi Andy." the brunette was engulfed in a strong group hug that was cut short as the baby stirred inside her.
The girls were fascinated by it and soon two pairs of hands were pressing against her belly, the baby seemed to be just as fascinated and kept moving against their palms.
"This is so cool." Caroline commented.
"Yeah." her sister agreed.
"I know, right? But sometimes it can hurt a little, especially when the kid is in a happy mood, like now." there was no way to hide the wince as her ribs were kicked.
"Sorry."
"No need to apologize."
"Is it a boy?" Cassidy asked.
"Or a girl?" Caroline finished the question.
But before Andy could utter a word, a very familiar voice came from the end of the hall.
"Girls. Andrea is here for a reason and you know how much I like tardiness." the cool and collected voice of their mother carried through the hallway, making the three of them grimace.
"I better go girls, but I can talk to you guys before leaving, how that sounds?"
"Okay."
"Okay."
They smiled at each other before Andy proceeded to the end of the hall, heart pounding and palms sweating. Pausing before the door, the brunette took a steadying breath, willing her heart to calm down and her mind to stop racing.
"Hello, Miranda."
That voice, so familiar and yet so strange, it stirred things inside Miranda that she dared not to name it, barely acknowledging it, fearing the consequences of such wishful thinking. However, none of that stopped her heart from beating fast with just the sound of the doorbell, or her hands from shaking with the sound of such a sweet voice.
"Andrea." distance was her best chance, although she was the one that had decided to torture herself by saying she would only give the interview for one Andrea Sachs.
And what was her surprise when blue eyes connected with chocolate ones, full of hope and something more, something new and yet familiar again. A shy smile adorned full lips, a glow emanating from alabaster skin that made the older woman want to touch, to caress such beauty, but nothing prepared her for the pain of recognizing that glow, gaze descending fast to the protruding belly, a delicate hand upon it, protecting, loving.
"Don't stand there like a statue, you know how much I like that." she was already regretting this decision.
"Okay." it looked like she was going to interview La Priestly and not Miranda, what a shock.
Taking her beloved notepad and pen, Andy setup the recorder on the table between the sofa she was sitting and the armchair Miranda was occupying. Turning it on, she went through a few basic questions she had prepared beforehand, all the while feeling those sharp eyes burning a hole on her belly. It was clear her ex boss wanted to ask some questions, but as always, the silver haired Editor would not be the one to make the first move, would not bend to her curiosity and ask and Andy could not handle this anymore.
"Alright, we're not doing this anymore." the sound of the notepad slapping closed made the Editor jump slightly.
"Whatever do you mean? Did you not came here to interview me?" well, she was more transparent than she thought. But who could blame her? Andrea was pregnant!
"You know, I don't work for you anymore Miranda, and I am not that naive girl from two years ago, and even then, I could read you well enough by the end of everything." the brunette stopped the recorder and sat straight, hands on her lap. "You are not paying attention to any of my questions, you're staring a hole through my belly with your curiosity, so, I'm going to answer so you won't have to beat yourself up to find some courage to ask. Yes, I'm pregnant, 8 months to be precise; no, it is not from the 'cook boy' as you called him; the father is not in the picture and I'm perfectly fine with that. Anymore questions?" the words came through gritted teeth, she had to stay calm for the baby's sake.
"I-I…" no words would come out.
"I think I have enough material to work with, and if I need anything more I'll give you a call, or not. I should get going." she hastily put her things back on her messenger bag and got up.
"Wait."
The voice seemed so distant for a second.
"Please."
Now it was so close, but so small. A hand touched her wrist, making her stop in place without turning. A simple touch and Andy's body was alive, goosebumps on her arms, her breath hitched; she would not dare to turn around.
"I'm sorry." it was a whisper, so close to her ear, and then, then arms wrapped around her waist, tenderly, carefully; a warm body pressed up against her back.
The lights went out, the wind picked up outside, they could hear Cara's voice calming the girls downstairs, the wind howling. Andy was shaking with the power of her emotions, the surprise such gesture caused; she was a pregnant woman with very unstable hormones, so...
Hesitantly, one of her hands made its way to the hands on her waist. Her gentle touch made Miranda hold her tighter, giving a squeeze and whispering words that shattered the brunette's world. "Don't leave me again. Please."
If the tremors of the small body wasn't enough to warn her of the Editor's state, the feel of tears soaking her silk shirt gave it away. Miranda Priestly was crying, holding her ex second assistant for dear life in the middle of her study during a snowstorm with the powers out. Nothing could have prepared either of them for this moment, for this level of raw emotion in the air. All the times they argued, that Miranda humiliated Andy or the brunette complained about her 'bitch boss' came to their minds like a movie, all the stolen glances when no one was paying attention, or the shared glances after that eventful party Stephen ruined; everything came back: the pain, the loneliness, the unrequited feelings, the responsibilities, the fear of the consequences, of the press, of others, of rejection. It was all too much. Too much for Andy to bear in her unstable condition.
"I-I can't." the words were a broken whisper, tears running down her face, hands going limp by her side. "I'm so sorry." she gave a step out of the embrace, body screaming for her to go back.
The pain, the suddenness of it all, the craving of her soul became unbearable and the brunette found herself supporting her body on the threshold, a scream piercing the darkness.
"Andrea!"
"Andy!"
Miranda helped the writer to the floor, laying her down carefully and trying to find the source of pain. It was impossible not to hear three set of footsteps running up the stairs and towards the study. A new scream made them stop at the door.
"What happened?" one of the girls asked.
"I don't know. Andrea, where it hurts, please, tell me?" Miranda was so desperate that she didn't even attempt to dry her tears, letting them ran free down her cheeks.
"The… the baby." her breath hitched again, a wave of pain making her groan and turn on her side, trying to hug her legs.
Miranda didn't hesitate to torn open the silk shirt, buttons scattering through the hardwood floor, her hands immediately going to the exposed belly, touching, prodding, feeling just like her grandma had taught her many years ago.
"Girls, I need your help. Go downstairs and get me as many cleans towels as you can find in the bathroom, pick three lanterns, a sharp scissor, use the stove to warm some water and bring everything to my bedroom, please." for the first time the girls did not argue, they simply gave a nod and ran to do what was asked.
"Cara, I need you to help me get her to my bedroom and strip her, also, grab me a bottle of vodka."
"The baby is coming, isn't it?" Cara went to the bar and took a new bottle of vodka from one of the shelves.
"Yes, if my memory serves me well." she was finishing taking Andrea's shirt off.
"Shouldn't we call an ambulance?" they put Andy's arms around their shoulders to get up, Cara still holding the vodka.
"We're going to call them after putting her on the bed, I'm pretty sure they're going to have to deliver the baby here. The storm is awful and I need to see how far the child is."
They made their way slowly through the hallway, the power was still out; she would have to talk with her Interior Designer and demand she finds someone to install a power generator in the townhouse. The girls followed them with most of the items, the hot water the only thing missing. Depositing Andrea on the luxurious bed, Miranda caressed her girls hair and went to the window make a call.
"Stay with Andrea, but do not give your hand for her to hold; she may hurt you without knowing."
The twins sat by her side, waiting to see what would happen next.
"911 what's your emergency?"
"Hello, my name is Miranda Priestly and I would like you to send an ambulance to my house. There is a woman going into labor right now and I estimate the baby is going to crown soon." her voice was collected like all of that was a very normal occurrence in her life.
"I'm sorry to inform you ma'am, but dispatch is impossible to send someone to your location."
"What do you mean, impossible?"
"The storm got worse in the last hour, covering most of the streets to the point where the cars can't pass through."
"Well, send a helicopter, I don't care. Just do something!" her voice raised a little in frustration.
"Ma'am, the only thing I can do right now is help you through the steps to make the delivery until a unit can be sent to your location and that might take a while, maybe even a day."
"I'm very disappointed with the city's way of dealing with such emergencies. I'll be sure to let the mayor know how his inability to organize the city's money to proper equipment has caused me such inconvenience. And I don't need help to deliver a baby. Bye." she threw the cell phone on the chaise and took a deep breath.
"Andrea, help is not coming anytime soon." the brunette whimpered in pain and desolation. "Do you trust me to deliver your baby safely?"
"Mom?!"
"How are you gonna do that?"
The girls were perplexed with such notion.
"My grandmother was a midwife, and she taught me many things. So, do you trust me, Andrea?" she asked impatiently, already rolling the sleeves of her own purple shirt, ready to do what was necessary.
"Yes, Miranda. I trust you." the pain had subsided a little, just enough for the writer to breathe easily and answer.
"Thank you. Girls, you do not want to be here to see this, it is going to be ugly and there'll be some blood and a screaming Andrea and then a screaming baby and some goo that is the placenta. I won't order you to leave, but you may stay in the hallway if you want."
"We want to stay."
"Yeah, for Andy."
The brunette in question smiled at them before grunting with a new wave of pain.
"Okay then. Cara, help me take her pants off. Cassidy, go downstairs and bring the hot water; Caroline go grab a clean bed sheet in my closet."
"She wasn't supposed to come so soon, there is still a month to go. Why is this happening to me?" Andy was losing control of her emotions once again.
"It looks like she has a mind of her own, just like her mother." the Editor tried to calm her down. "Now, let me help her achieve her goal of coming out today and relieve you of this horrible pain." to everyone's surprise, Miranda bent down and kissed Andy's forehead, putting a few loose strands of hair behind her ear before going to the foot of the bed. "Help me here grandma." it was just a whispered prayer.
Fortunately, nobody had much time to dwell on things. When Andy was finally divested of her clothes and wearing only a bra, Miranda covered her with the bed sheet and took a pick at what was going on; the baby was very close to crowning and thank goodness was on the right position. It took the baby 30 minutes to crown and 10 more to finally get out.
By the end of it, Cara was sitting with Cassidy on the chaise; the girl got a little nauseous with the bloodied baby; Caroline was lying next to the newest mother of a baby girl, Andy was more exhausted than everyone, but her eyes remained locked on her beautiful baby and the beautiful woman that was taking care of her child. Miranda had just delivered her baby, had asked her not to go away again, had held her for dear life; did that mean there was some kind of feelings involved? Was it possible that Miranda missed her just as much as she missed the older woman? That this feeling that consumed her for two whole years was not one-sided as she thought?
"Now, now, you're all cleaned up, aren't you? Let's get you to mommy, shall we?" she cradled the baby in her arms, smiling tenderly. "Here we go." the baby relaxed on her mommy's arms.
"Oh, she's so cute." Caroline cooed, touching the chubby cheeks.
"Come take a look at the baby before you and your sister go to sleep, Cassidy."
The girls were amazed with the baby and in awe with their mother, never had they seen her so determined; and not in a scary way like when she was at Runway. The adrenaline coursing through their veins subsided, and they played with the baby girl just a little, not being able to keep their eyes open for long. They were so tired that never occurred to them that it was still day; not by much though, but still; and they went to their room with Cara, carrying a lantern each and swaying a little on their feet.
"Hey." Andy called, her voice a little hoarse from the screams.
"Hm?" Miranda looked to the brunette on her bed.
"Thank you. For everything."
"It was the least I could do. Now, let's find something for you to wear and change this bed sheets for you and the baby to sleep." the blush rising on pale cheeks made the older woman smile.
Miranda worked silently, helping the brunette clean a bit the sweat with a wet towel and change into a set of old pajamas from her time pregnant with the twins, then she changed the bed sheet and gathered all the items laying on the bed, taking everything into the master bedroom, only leaving the half empty bottle of vodka on the nightstand.
"Are you comfortable?" was her question after finishing the cleanup.
"Yes, thank you." Andy gave her most genuine smile.
"Well, I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll be sleeping on the chaise in case you need or feel anything."
"Nonsense. This bed is big enough for the three of us, Miranda." this was such a bad idea, but after this insane day, there was no way Andy was going to pass the opportunity to have Miranda so close.
She must have dozed off, because next thing she knows, she's waking up to a soft humming very close. The only light in the room was coming from a few lit candles, giving a warm glow to the space. Andy blinked a few times and turned to her side, smiling when she saw Miranda peacefully humming and playing with her little girls mop of red hair with a few strands of white.
"Her hair looks like mine when I was a child." Miranda spoke softly. "Did you know it is a rare condition that does this?"
"No, I didn't."
"Have you decided on a name yet?" it was best to ignore this coincidence for now.
"Claire."
"It's a beautiful name, suits her just fine. Right, little Claire?" the baby girl grumbled and took a hold of Miranda's index finger. "I think she likes it."
A few minutes passed between them just looking the baby, admiring the life that was just brought into the world. However, Andy needed some answers.
"Why are you doing all of this, Miranda?"
"Do you have someone to help you these next few days? You're going to need some help until you recover."
"No, I don't. But I can take care of myself." Andy took a deep breath. "Miran-"
"Let me take care of you Andrea." the older woman interrupted, eyes finally connecting with deep brown ones.
"What?" the brunette was not expecting that, at all.
"Let me take care of you and Claire."
There's a moment in one's life where everything changes, they make one decision that changes the entire course of their lives. It is not the universe, destiny or fate, just a person making an important decision. Miranda's moment happened when she saw Andrea got up to leave her again; she couldn't lie anymore to herself about all the feelings that innocent girl evoked on her from the moment they met or how it would shatter her heart to see her go once more. So, she decided to hold on and fight for this beautiful woman no matter the consequences.
Andy spent her life searching for something and she didn't know what it was until she was hired to work at Runway. Miranda was the most complicated person she ever met in her life, and for a while she would find any excuse possible to hate the older woman. What she didn't expect, was to find it harder and harder to hate Miranda with each passing day. The Editor was an unstoppable force that pushed everyone around her to be their very best, a woman with tremendous power surrounded by enemies and wannabe friends, a single mother struggling with her responsibilities at home and job; how Andy could hate someone so human? She never denied the woman's many flaws, using her powers to destroy someone with a few well-placed words, her mercurial moods and ability to run and hide from her own emotions by attacking others, but there's much more to Miranda Priestly than just her Devil in Prada facade and need to be in control. Andy had taken a lot of life changing decisions the past couple of years; leaving Miranda in Paris and later what she thought was her dream job, buying a house and sleeping with a stranger male doppelganger of Miranda, carrying the pregnancy to the end and repairing her relationship with her family; this moment, lying in Miranda's bed, watching those ocean blue eyes full of vulnerability and desperation, pale hands still playing with the tiny hands of her little girl; this moment would define everything from now on, it was the biggest decision of her life.
"We have much to talk, Miranda. So many things that happened and changed us over these two years and everything that happened before that. I am a different person and so are you." the older woman inhaled sharply. "But for now, I'm going to say yes." her hand caressed a warm cheek.
"Thank you, Andrea." it was Miranda's first warm smile directed at the brunette.
"Do you think I can take a shower before Claire gets hungry? I'm feeling kind of gross right now."
"She's been very calm for the past 20 minutes, maybe she'll stay like that for 20 more."
Miranda got up, careful to not disrupt the baby's peace, arranging pillows around the little girl, so she wouldn't roll around on the bed. Then she went to Andrea's side and extended a hand to help the brunette up. Their eyes met and the world stopped for a minute, deep brown and ocean blue eyes connected by something far stronger than they were ready to voice. Miranda's hands made their way slowly up Andy's arms, just the fingertips touching the soft skin until they halted at her neck. As if pulled by an invisible magnet, they leaned forward, eyes closing, hearts beating as one as their lips brushed against one another.
The kiss was slow and gentle, a chance to taste and learn a little the other. But Andrea had waited too long for this, and though she was not pregnant anymore, her body still had a little way to go about balancing the messy hormones. Her hands grabbed hold of the older woman's hips, pulling her as close as the still protruding belly would allow, hands caressing the skin beneath the silk pajamas, scratching what she learns is a very sensitive back. Miranda responds by raking her nails on Andy's neck, massaging her scalp, a breathy noise escaping someone's lips.
"Andrea." Miranda tried to call, only to be interrupted by a tongue invading her mouth and stealing a moan. Body heating up quickly, she had to stop this before escalated. "Andrea, darling. We need to stop."
Andrea, however, was having none of it, descending to taste alabaster neck.
"Now, Andrea." she growled, pulling the hair on her hands.
Andy's eyes were glazed over, dark, pupils blown away with lust. Their foreheads touched, both panting.
"We need to stop, darling. I won't be able to hold myself if you keep going and I don't want to hurt you; you just had a baby, this is not advised at least for the next two weeks." the explanation flew out of her mouth, not wanting to hurt the writer's feelings.
"Okay." the brunette breathed deeply to calm her racing heart. "Okay."
"Let's take you to the bathroom so you can have a nice and hot shower, I'll even let you use my stone bench so you won't have to stand up."
"Oh my, Miranda. You are being too forward here, we just met!" her voice was full of faked shock.
"Believe me darling, you have no idea how forward I can be." it was a simple murmur into the brunette's ear, followed by a mean tongue licking the shell of that same ear.
"Damn."
The ambulance would come as soon as it was possible, Andrea and Claire would go to the hospital to be checked out and hopefully, both would come back to the townhouse and spend more than just the holidays. Laying down on the California king bed, watching little Claire nursing while sleeping, both women thought about what the future holds. Not once did they regret the decision made earlier that day, knowing the only regret would be not taking a chance on the one person that held their hearts.
A/N: That's it folks, hope you enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts on my first T rated story!
See you guys soon on Power (hopefully)! Bye :3