A/N First of all, I do not own DWP. Second I really hope who ever ends up reading this really enjoys it. I have wanted to write a fic for this book/movie for sometime and I'm glad I've finally gotten around to doing it. I hope I do it justice. Reviews are always apprciated. Thanks!
April 14th 2011
Andy sat at her expensive desk, in her large study, on the third floor of the town house, when her phone rang, disrupting her worried thoughts of her partner. She half expected it to be Miranda –the object of her musing- calling her down for dinner, it had happened a few times before after all. Andy had seen the woman just once that day, the back of the woman she loved walking out the door in the morning, on her way to terrorize the world. Andy had heard the fashion diva return home some time ago, but had felt no desire to go down and greet her. Miranda had been arctic as of late, constantly pushing the woman she had committed herself to away. Andy tried to fight around it, but even Andy could only take so much pain before she had to retreat and tend to her wounds. She still loved the woman of course, but Andy had begun to question whether or not Miranda still loved her; the reason for her worried thoughts.
"Andy Sachs" Andy answered without looking at the caller ID. It could possibly have been work, even if the hour was late.
"Andy, its Judy…the sting is going down tonight, in thirty minutes…you need to get down here now." The sound of her friend's voice on the other end caused Andy some alarm, but also some comfort. At least there was someone out there who still thought of her; even if it was her very married police informant of a friend.
Andy jumped up from her chair and opened her office closet. "Of course…how did you get me in on this?"
She heard Judy chuckle darkly "Being a veteran detective does have its perks Andy."
Andy laughed with her friend as she pulled out the bullet proof vest she kept hidden in her office closet – away from Miranda and the girls. She knew none of the three would approve of her having one. "Of course it does…how could I think it didn't?"
"I have no idea…you must be going soft up there, must be all that fashion nonsense you live with." Judy teased, knowing Andy would appreciate a joke and the double meaning in her words. While Judy's words hit a definite sore spot with Andy, she laughed despite not wanting to.
Grabbing her bag from the chair by the door that Andy always kept stocked in case of times such as this, Andy walked out of her office.
She headed towards the stairs, trying to put her vest on while holding her bag and still keeping her phone at her ear to talk to Judy.
"Where is the sting going down? I thought the docks where they conducted business was shut down last week." Andy said, managing to put one arm through the armhole of the vest.
"Meat packing district, further south away from the residential apartments and clubs," Judy's voice rattled off details as Andy came to the top of the first floor stair case. She stopped short, one foot on the stair case, the other still on the landing.
Miranda's voice had just reached Andy's ears, it was low, almost hissed, the way it got when she was threatening an employee at Runway, which made Andy curious as to who she could possibly be talking to or more accurately putting the fear of God into. Andy could just see the back of her lover's head, bent low.
And as Andy reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw that Miranda was not alone and was indeed talking to a Runway employee….her second assistant to be exact. Miranda had the girl backed up against a wall, next to the coat closet and was leering over her, standing closer to the girl than what was generally accepted, spitting out harsh words in the skinny blonde's face.
Andy had never liked the girl and so she felt no pity, the way the disgusting, fake blonde looked at Miranda, the way the truly stupid girl sometimes talked to her partner…it unsettled her because the girl sometimes acted like a lover towards Miranda. And what was worse, Miranda had refused to discuss the girl with Andy when Andy brought up her concern to Miranda. Miranda had brushed her off and had always gone back to what she had previously been doing before Andy had interrupted her with her 'childish and all together ridiculous fears.'
Andy could just barely hear what Miranda was so quietly spitting out.
"…and if you ever come into my home again, while my wife is in the house let alone just upstairs, and try to act like we are at work and alone then you are sorely mistaken you stupid girl…you are not worth my marriage…"
Andy chose that moment to step off the stairs, her Jimmy Choo boots clacking loudly on the marble floor. Miranda stopped talking and her beautifully silver head whipped around to stare at Andy, looking slightly akin to a deer caught in head lights, the ugly girl just stared stupidly at her, like Andy had interrupted something she shouldn't have, like she didn't have the right to interrupt whatever conversation the two had been having.
Andy was vaguely aware that Judy was still talking to her, but what Andy was more aware of was the truly and frighteningly sick feeling she had deep within the pit of her stomach.
Miranda and the girl both watched as Andy walked to the coat closet, right next to them, with a calm that almost destroyed Andy to have to exercise.
"And you will have to bring your vest…just in case."
"Of course," Andy said as she grazed the arm of her lover and opened up the closet door. She could still feel Miranda's eyes on her. "How close to the action will I be? Will I need to be packing?" Andy tried her hardest to keep the nervous lit out of her voice, she didn't want to appear weak to Judy, to Miranda, and definitely not to the crude little girl standing in her home. But her nerves were getting the best of her…the current situation in front of her doing little to alleviate her fears.
"Close enough…actually as close as you can be. As long as you don't do anything stupid, I've arranged for you to stick with me…so yes, I will arrange for you to be issued a fire arm." Judy relayed grimly.
"Is that a bullet proof vest?" Miranda all but whispered incredulously as Andy located her coat – a black Burberry trench – and pulled it out. Andy nodded in response, but gave little else for an answer. "Where are you going?" Miranda tried again to get her attention as Andy shut the closet door.
Andy just stood where she stood and stared at Miranda as she asked "How much heat are these guys supposed to be packing?"
"The bomb squad will be there, just in case." Was Judy's answer, the detective knew Andy would know what it meant.
"The bomb squad?" Andy asked as she continued to stare into Miranda's ice blue eyes. The older woman looked like she desperately wanted to say something…do something. Her eyes pleading with Andy for something that Andy would not allow herself to give.
Andy shook her head as she stepped around the pair and began to walk towards the front door; trying with all the strength she had, to not throw up or cry.
"Yes, SWAT is coming too…it could get really hairy Andy, there are a lot of 'ifs' right now…you can still back out."
"No…I need to get this story before anyone else…you know how it goes…"
"Andrea wait…" Andy heard Miranda's voice call out to her.
Andy turned and looked at a woman she felt she hardly knew anymore.
"In that case, meet me at the station in ten…I'll take you myself." Judy said as the sounds of her own vest snapping closed came over the phone from the other end.
Andy raised her eyebrow at Miranda in question, but Miranda simply looked at Andy with a hard expression set on her face…devoid of any emotion or concern even though she knew Andy was heading out to do something dangerous. Miranda could not say or do what she wanted to in front of this woman…the woman she had used for reasons Miranda wasn't quite sure of. But Miranda would not do Andrea the disservice of doing what she really wanted to in front of her…in front of this other woman. Miranda knew that pushing this lie further, even for her wife's sake, was neither acceptable nor tolerable. Miranda would not mix these two things…these two people together when one was so unlike the other.
"Andy you there?" Andy turned away from Miranda at the question.
"Yeah…I'll meet you at the station in ten." Andy hung up the phone as she opened the front door. The night air was still and chilly…almost foreboding. Andy slipped the phone into her bag, and snapped her vest into place before putting her coat on over it.
She turned and looked at the scene by the coat closet one more time, Miranda and the bleach blonde still staring at her, before the door slammed shut behind her…sounding more resolute than Andy cared for it to.
...
Andy stepped out of the town car and looked up at the building that stood in front of her. It was a police station, one she was very familiar with.
She turned to look at Roy who had rolled his window down to talk to Andy.
"Hey kid." Roy said lightly. Andy knew he knew. He had, after all dropped that skinny bimbo off at her house to deliver The Book. And he had, after all had to wait for said Bimbo while Miranda "lectured her". It was just lucky Andy had spotted him when she stepped out of the townhouse, in no condition to drive herself. With any luck said Bimbo would be taking the subway home, though Andy knew Roy would go back just in case.
"Hey Roy, thanks for going out of your way to drop me off." Andy offered him a small smile which Roy returned.
"Any time, you know it was my pleasure."
Andy nodded and turned to walk into the building.
"Hey Andy." Roy called after her just as she reached the steps leading up to the door.
"Yeah Roy?" Andy turned again to look at Roy, who looked worried despite himself.
"Be careful please…and call if you need a ride."
Andy nodded her head. "Of course." She then turned and resumed her walk into the building. She couldn't help the bitter thought that crossed her mind as she stepped inside. At lease someone cares enough to request my safe return.
Inside it was chaos. People running from desk to desk, shouting into phones, snapping guns into holsters as they bellowed orders.
Andy stood and surveyed the scene until she found Judy barking out orders from her office doorway. She moved silently along the wall, staying out of people's ways as they rushed around to get done what had to get done.
"Andy! There you are! I was beginning to think we would have to leave without you." Judy surveyed Andy through her black framed glasses and frowned. "Everything alright?"
"Honestly?" Andy asked as she looked out at the mass of people. At Judy's eager nod, Andy sighed and said, "No, but now is not the time to get into it."
Judy hesitated but nodded her head in assent to which Andy was grateful.
After a moments silence in which both women collected their thoughts Judy snapped back into work mode and started to tell Andy what was going to be happening.
"You'll be riding with me, and once we get there I must stress that if I say duck, you duck, if I say get back behind the line, leave, and if I say get your gun out, for the love of God don't hesitate like I know you'll want to and just do it." Though Judy's words were spoken in complete seriousness, her eyes held a bit of mirth.
Andy cracked a small smile and said "But of course."
"Good, now when we arrive on the scene you have to act as my shadow, stay by my side and I'll do my best to make sure you get your story and more importantly, that you stay safe…does Miranda know where you are?"
"She knows I went out on a story, she was too busy with…with other things when I was leaving the house for me to tell her exactly what's going on." Andy's words were slightly choked and she hated herself for it, but she regained her composure quickly, pushing Miranda's actions to the back of her mind.
Judy raised a questioning eyebrow at Andy's tone but Andy just shook her head, "Later." was all that was said on the matter.
Judy frowned but again nodded and said, "Alright then, let's go catch us some bad guys."
Andy handed Judy her gun holster, which Judy took and snapped into place before putting her coat on.
They both walked out of Judy's office and walked side by side through the outer office, which was still in chaos; all those who were coming, following close behind them.
Outside, there were non-descript cars lined bumper to bumper along the curb, most already occupied by multiple officers. Andy wondered briefly how they had been lined up so quickly because they sure as hell hadn't been there when she walked inside not more than ten minutes prior.
Judy walked to the first car in the lineup and waited by the passenger door. She looked at Andy expectantly, who was still standing on the steps of the precinct.
"Well Ms. Reporter? Aren't you coming? Or have you chickened out?"
Andy sometimes couldn't believe Judy at all, because even in this moment that was so filled with tense air and nervous excitement, Judy managed to hold so much joyful mirth.
Andy scoffed at her friend and with an air of superiority that she felt did not belong to her, but more to her wife said, "Have you lost your mind? Of course I haven't chickened out. I was merely taking in the scenery."
Judy outright laughed at Andy before saying, "Of course you were. Now get in the car."
Andy followed the order and got into the backseat of Judy's car as Judy got into the passenger seat.
"You ready for that adventure you were looking for rookie?" Judy asked of the cop driving the car.
The young boy who looked every bit the rookie Judy called him, nervously nodded his head before putting the car into drive and pulling away from the curb, Judy laughing lightly and Andy wondering what exactly it was that she had gotten herself into.
...
Miranda stared wide eyed at the front door of the town house in a sort of trance. Andrea had just walked out that door, slamming it shut behind her in a resolute way that shook something deep within Miranda.
Andrea's voice echoed softly in a loud sort of way, words such as bomb squad and bullet proof vest resonated and Miranda felt her stomach drop in dread.
A scoff was emitted just inches away from her ears and Miranda was whipped out of her trance like state by the ugly sound. She looked down at the girl who still stood in front of her, leaning against her wall as if she belonged there, an unattractive sneer on the girl's slightly repulsive face.
Miranda could just barely remember the day that all of this nonsense had started, but once it had begun, it was nearly impossible to stop.
It had been a horrendous Monday; Miranda had picked a fight with Andrea that morning over something inconsequential, but it had turned into a huge blow out that had ended in Andrea leaving the house in tears and Miranda still fuming. Upon arrival at work Miranda and been informed that the location for the Micheal Kors shoot had burned down in a fiery blaze the night before, threatening to push back the release of the October issue. Her coffee had not been waiting for her and her new Emily was making a terrible mess of just about everything, undermining Miranda at every corner.
Feeling the sting over the morning fight and the intense need to assert her power over this next to nothing assistant, Miranda called the sniveling girl to her office, told her to close the door, and then proceeded to fuck her every which way to Sunday.
When all was said and done and Miranda was ready to leave the office that fateful Monday, her dominance had been well asserted and she was on her way home to make a dinner for Andrea and the girls that would repair all damage.
Little had she known, the damage had just begun.
And now here they both stood. And this girl was yet again threatening to be the death of her marriage, of the one thing Miranda had said she would never fuck up.
"Have you taken a leave of your senses you stupid girl!" Miranda raged in a quiet and harsh whisper.
The sneer was quickly whipped from the girls face and her eyes held the previous fear that had been disrupted by her wife. She shook her head quickly and stuttered an, "I-I'm ssssorry Miranda."
It was now Miranda's turn to sneer, but in a much more refined and dignified sort of way. "You're sorry?" It was spit out of her mouth like something foul and the girl nodded.
Miranda thought of all the times her wife had questioned her about this girl, of how Andrea had stopped seeking her out in the morning because of all the times she had been snapped at, and of how Andrea no longer talked to her in the evenings but stayed in the sanctuary of her study in order to avoid another fight. She remembered how Andrea no longer called her in the middle of the day to inquire about lunch because Miranda always refused, and of how Andrea now frequently slept in her study instead of by her side.
The image of her beautiful wife walking swiftly out the front door in her Burberry trench and bulletproof vest, gorgeous chocolate locks swept into a hasty ponytail, phone pressed to her ear, and hurt but anxious expression on her lovely face came waltzing into Miranda's head. Andrea had not answered her questions, had simply stared at Miranda and then the girl, and then had simply left on her way to do only God knew what.
The hole in Miranda's chest grew as did her sense of impending dread.
She had let her wife down, betrayed her in a way Miranda had previously thought unfathomable. She had made her wife cry and that was simply unacceptable and yet here she stood, ready to do it all over again.
The feelings of true guilt washed over Miranda in a sudden tidal wave and she felt the immediate need to dispel the emotion from her body.
"Your apology is unaccepted…you know what to do." Miranda hissed at the girl who hastily nodded her head and began to fumble with the zipper of her skirt.
An hour later, as the girl worked furiously to bring Miranda to orgasm yet again, the ringing of Miranda's cell phone went unheard, heralding in Miranda's deepest infidelity and disloyalty to Andrea thus far.
...
The air around Andy was stale and smelled of rotting meat but it held a certain buzz of activity that didn't quite belong.
Judy was crouching behind a building with Andy right by her side as they both watched the SWAT team move into position.
Judy's radio came alive on her hip bone right before the team busted the door of the nearby building down. "Judy my dear, I hope you know how many strings I had to pull to keep you in on this case." A gruff voice came over the line.
Judy had the sense to laugh though Andy didn't know how. She picked her radio up and put it near her mouth before saying "John, don't lie. You owed me and don't make it sound like a huge feat…you're the head of SWAT. How hard could it have been?"
The only answer was a booming laugh drowned out over the ensuing gun fire as the SWAT team entered the building.
"As soon as we get the all clear, we'll be the first ones in." Judy whispered to Andy who in turn nodded her head in response. A few seconds passed but nothing happened. "Something's not right, Andy get your gun out."
The tense lit to Judy's voice left no room for question and Andy did what she was told.
The alley behind them was dark and dirty, holding shadows that sent Andy's heart racing just a little faster. The gun in Andy's hand was cool and heavy with the weight of its power and Andy didn't like the way it felt against her palm, but she held it steady nonetheless.
Andy never saw it coming.
One second the alley way behind them was dark and silent, the next it was full of light and sound.
Judy shouted, "Andy move! Get behind me! Get down!"
But Andy never had the time to comprehend her words. Gun fire sounded and Andy wanted to shoot but she couldn't see where it was coming from. Everything seemed to slow down and become muted. Judy rushed forward with two other officers who had come from seemingly nowhere, guns drawn, mouths shouting words Andy couldn't make out.
And in one split second Andy went from standing against the wall, to kneeling on the ground, to lying on her side.
The first thing Andy registered was that the ground beneath her was wet from the earlier rain and smelled strongly of trash. The second thing was that her right shoulder, side, and leg were burning as if on fire and Andy couldn't quite figure out why. And the third and final thing before a creeping blackness consumed her was that Judy was shouting for her in a panicked cry that made no sense to Andy's ears. Couldn't Judy see? There was no need to shout…the fire that had begun to consume her would make sure she never moved again, and Andy was just fine with that.