Hi there!

Merry Christmas dear reader.

Let me start saying that this fic is a present for worst_liar_ever (at LJ) and that I hope you all are having a great time :D

This time my beta was Lara (xenavirgin at LJ) who was kind enough to check this in the middle of Christmas time. Thanks Lara! ^^

Now, this is Merry Christmas, darling

1.- Dragon

Miranda always hated these little Christmas gatherings Irv organized, he hated them too, but he threw this kind of celebration probably just to bother her. She sighed looking around. She saw the employees of Elias Clarke saying their greetings, talking, laughing, and getting drunk…

So pedestrian, she pursed her lips.

She could see how Emily talked to Serena, they kept their distance, but they were so obvious. They were totally in love, they moved through the room in sync, like lovers. Miranda shook her head, Christmas and love… What could be more sickening?

As if fate wanted to make her feel worse, there was Nigel, obviously he had been invited, despite the fact that it's been practically a year since he left Runway. Miranda didn't want to think of his departure as betrayal, no… she would have done the same, but deep down inside she couldn't stop wondering why eventually all the people she cared about ended up leaving her.

Jonathan, well… he couldn't cope with her lifestyle… the job, Runway, the models, no hobbies at all, an eagerness to improve and reach perfection, the need to reach the top, and struggling to agree in the decisions about how to raise their children. He left her when Cassidy and Caroline were two years old and to this day Miranda thought it was for the best, life for her twins was easier without knowing how it was when their parents were together.

Matthew, Matthew just wasn't meant to be. Just as workaholic as she was, his only distractions were the twenty year old bimbos he liked to take to his bed. They didn't even last a year, and Miranda was glad that she never truly loved him, otherwise she would have suffered and she wouldn't have known how to handle it.

Stephen, he was an illusion. She was in her fifties when suddenly this knight in shining armour appeared. He promises to respect her, he admires her work, he apparently likes her daughters and he is patient, he is a lawyer and despite the fact he isn't as wealthy as she is, she truly thought this time it would work. It didn't, and she ended married to a bitter man who didn't respect her points of view about how they should handle their life together. He ended up jealous of how successful she was in her work, making her feel bad for being efficient, for doing what she was paid for. He disliked Caroline and Cassidy, he was never mean or evil with them, he just didn't care and he couldn't wait for the weekends when Jonathan would take them to his house. Finally all he wanted was a fast divorce and a good part of what she had earned through her hard work, the same work he had despised over and over, and over again while they were married. He might be a good lawyer, but Miranda was resourceful. He ended up publically humiliated, with a horrible reputation and without seeing a cent of Miranda's fortune.

Caroline and Cassidy were a different matter. Miranda had never been selfish with them, she knew that somehow they were borrowed treasures and eventually they would have to leave her to find their own path. The knowledge of that fact didn't help much when her two little girls decided to leave home in order to make their own dreams come true. Caroline decided to go to Washington to study anthropology, her dream of being part of the team of the Smithsonian Institute was what lead the way, Miranda couldn't be more proud. Cassidy, well… Miranda always knew she was a talented painter and she could draw effortlessly. Jonathan had had huge headaches thinking that his little girl would end up studying fashion design and following in the steps of her mother. He couldn't have been further from the truth, that's why at eighteen little Cassidy was living in Los Angeles, studying Animation with prospects of a minor in film at UCLA. Both girls, well… women, stayed in New York as much as they could, but it wasn't the same, both had left her, not completely, but technically both were gone.

Nigel, she had betrayed him, not once or twice, but multiple times, and poor loyal Nigel had just hidden his wounds and stayed by her side during battle. She had been incredibly selfish with him. She had had a ridiculous number of opportunities of letting him go, of furthering his career, but she had convinced herself that the only place suitable for Nigel was Runway. No, the only suitable place for Nigel was by her side, being her right hand. By the time the James Holt fiasco happened, she had denied at least ten possibilities for Nigel without his knowledge. Ten! But having done it to his face, having seen him sink in his chair while she announced that the dream job he'd been waiting for for years was being taken away by the same woman he had served so loyally had made her cringe, made her want to scream that he would never be better than by her side. If she hadn't been so focused on the pain she saw in Nigel's eyes she would have noted the expression of the woman next to him.

Andrea…she had been naïve, childish, irresponsible and totally right leaving her. Miranda wanted to scream at her too. Let her know that, like Nigel, she would never be better without her, but the stupid girl had proven her wrong. Now, six years later, A. Sachs, as she was known, was not only a respected journalist, but a best selling author. The extension of her net of contacts wasn't as big as Miranda's, but it definitely had bigger fish. Politicians, judges, lawyers, and every single journalist or writer wannabe seemed to know who she was, and respect her for her insights, which had been published in the New York Times for at least one year. Her way to the top had been harsh; she had decided to sign her articles just as 'A. Sachs,' since apparently women weren't really taken seriously. It had been hard, but the girl had fought back and at thirty-one she was at the top. She ended up doing it better than Miranda herself, and knowing that she had done it without her total support or help only made it better in Miranda's eyes.

Suddenly, Miranda was whole dynamic in the room changed, and she knew why, there she was, in a vintage Dior dress looking directly at her. For the first time in years, Miranda just wanted to run away and hide.

Just a few meters away Nigel saw it all happen and he couldn't help but giggle, it couldn't be possible, Miranda Priestly, Ice Queen, Dragon Lady, the most elegant bitch in the world (Page Six's words, not his), and cold hearted editor was running from simple, small town girl, size six… well, four, Andrea 'Andy' Sachs… Interesting.

Andrea walked directly towards him, she looked at him intently. "Good night, Nigel," and smiled that sweet smile that now only a few could see.

"How is it going Six?" he asked while sipping his Dom Pérignon.

"The usual, social gatherings, people who want to talk to me, give me leads, and little time to actually do what I'm being paid for," she said looking tired, but content.

"You know, for being a 'simple' journalist you have a huge fanbase," he said looking at the group of men that looked at her obviously talking about how she looked. She shrugged. "Who would have guessed that little Andy would scare people," he said with a wicked smile.

"Huh?" she said trying to get him to explain what he meant, but seeing that he wouldn't she added. "Well, they are just staring at my ass, Nige. It's not comfortable, but it's not that unusual either," she was starting to drink, when Nigel said one simple thing.

"Miranda," if she hadn't learned over the years how to control herself she would have spilled her wine all over Nigel's Armani suit.

"What?" she looked dumbstruck.

"She left just after you arrived, didn't you see her?"

"YOU are asking ME if I've seen her, Nige? Seriously? Of course I did," Andy admitted reluctantly.

"Even after six years she is still uncomfortable around you, it's oddly comforting," he said smiling.

"Get to the point, Nigel. I don't like these games you like to play," she said tiredly, as he looked at her curiously.

"It's time for you to start the chasing, little doe." He saw how his friend stiffened. "It's time for the lioness to get caught, and I'm gonna sit and watch and love every minute of it." He added with a wide smile.

"What is this?" asked the editor in chief throwing a box onto her second assistant's desk. The girl looked at the box.

"It's part of the daily mail, it was next to all the other letters and packages," the girl was tempted to sneak a look at the content of the box, but since it seemed to bother Miranda she thought it wasn't a good idea.

"Find out who sent this, that's all." Miranda said, taking the box and walking back to her office, she closed the door with more force than necessary. Once alone, she threw the box on her desk, as if it was on fire, and breathed noisily. She tried to calm down, took the box and there, between wrapping paper and cellophane there was a little stuffed Dragon. Whoever sent it had a sick sense of humour.

"You did what?" asked Andy while starting to panic, "Are you out of your mind?" She looked at him incredulously.

"C'mon it was just a joke," he answered smirking and drinking his wine, while sitting in Andy's apartment.

"When you said that I should finally pursue her, I never thought you had this in mind, Nigel." She sighed.

"Six, just imagine her face when she saw it, imagine it!" He laughed out loud, "I would have paid to see her face," Andy laughed at this statement.

"What now, Nigel? I go and say 'Hey, sorry, but in an attempt at humour Nigel sent you a dragon. This is his idea of how I should woo you, hey! By the way, I've been thinking of you for a while now, actually, for the last, well, six years, have a nice day and let me know when you would like to go on a date," she looked at him intently while he couldn't control his laughter.

"Woo her? Seriously Andy?" he tried to stop his laughing, "Look you can't approach her in the normal, conventional way. She'll run away just as she did two nights ago. You have to do it slowly and make her curious, that's the way it will work."

"She'll find out that you sent the dragon, she's resourceful and she'll make you suffer for the joke."

"Nonsense, I just asked dear Serena to put the box there before the assistants arrived, she won't say a word and there's no other way to track the package."

"So… What do you suggest?" asked the brunette, her eyes shining.