A/N: Don't own DWP or anything related, just out to play ;)
Please, R&R if you like it - I thrive on the comments and update faster if people like it))
ps. I know I'm a baby, please indulge me.
Chapter 1: In which page 6 breaks loose.
"Oh my God!" Doug exclaimed, shaking his head incredulously. Andrea sighed internally, settling down next to her in a small cafe near the skyscraper offices where Doug worked.
"What is it?"
"What is it? Are you fucking serious? Tell me more!"
"Tell you what exactly?"
Andrea couldn't help being short with her friend. In the last two days her life had been turned upside down. She had lost her job, her boyfriend, her almost-friend (it was quite difficult to picture Emily as a real friend) and most-importantly her self-respect. Well, the last one she had tried to get back but it was still lingering on the border between non-existent and merely there. Also she believed she had lost her future career. And Miranda. That too. The woman was a constant presence in her life for almost a year now and it was surreal to actually be her own person. It's been two days and Andrea felt exceptionally weird. She found she missed the Editor in Chief terribly and the thought appalled her, as it was obviously a manifestation of Stockholm syndrome. There were a lot of things to admire about Miranda Priestly - her unassailable style and beauty, the way the air shifted in the room whenever she walked in, the grandeur she brought to anything she was engaged in, the sarcasm that she reigned so freely, and especially the indifference towards the opinion of others, the confidence and ambition, the drive, the energy about her. But being her assistant had truly been a fucked up job. If it hadn't been for Nigel's friendship, Emily's tolerance and Andy's own desire to prove worthy, she wouldn't have lasted as long as she did. And now she regretted even that, having betrayed Emily and having watched Miranda betray Nigel. She hated that she had to see that - Miranda had truly disappointed her. Somehow in spite of the woman's bitchiness Andy had developed a deep affection towards the stern Editor and seeing her stoop so low was painful, almost as painful as realising she herself was no better.
"A lot of fucked up shit went on in Paris, so forgive me if I'm not too chipper this morning" Andy groaned and took a big gulp of her latte.
"Oh I know!" Doug was weirdly giggly and Andy felt coldness creeping up her spine.
"Out with it." The ling in his eye was truly scaring her. "Now!"
"Oh I see some of the Ice Queen style rubbed off on you." He teased and opened the morning post on page six.
Andy closed her eyes.
Andy opened her eyes.
It was still there.
The article was huge. As i HUGE. And the photos were huge.
The huge headline said:
Miranda Priestly is out of the closet having a lover's quarrel with her female assistant in Paris!
Andy grabbed the paper and started reading. From then it got even worse.
"There have been speculation, but who could have thought that the impeccable Miranda Priestly who is we remind you currently married has her own dirty little secret? Little as in young - the assistant in question is only 25. However, it looks like this time the Ice Queen lost some of the control she is famous for - with her young lover storming out of the car at the Place de Concord and throwing her phone in the fountain! Surely that can't have been about the job, or not the kind of job that is appropriate to talk about in public…."
Andy stopped reading and murmured to herself: "this is vicious…" There was a huge photo of Miranda, looking over her shoulders with a controlled, but clearly unhappy expression and a huge shot of herself, throwing the phone into the fountain. "Oh my God…" For a split second Andy forgot she wasn't alone.
"What's this about Andy?"
"What?" she jumped and stared at him.
"Is it true?" Doug seemed to be serious.
"What?! Of course it's not true! Why would you ask me that?!" Andy knew he was not the person to be furious with, but she couldn't help it. Lately the amount of daftness and the extent to which her so-called friends didn't really know her was astonishing.
"I mean… You do kind of have a crush on her and you did throw your phone in the fountain. Seems pretty personal to me."
"Well duh! First of all everybody has a crush on her. It's unavoidable. It's like part of the job ok? And secondly - yeah, i did throw the fucking phone into the fucking fountain and you know why? I just couldn't take it anymore. All of it. The job, the unfairness, the deceit, the Miranda ways! I was fed up." Another bug gulp of coffee and she was not feeling better at all. "I need something sweet."
"You know that was really stupid of you?" Doug's voice followed her to the counter.
"One piece of triple chocolate cake please." Andy turned to face him."I know, ok? I know my career in this city might not even start now after all that! But you don't get it, do you? It just got too intense. I didn't feel like I was myself, like I was living my own life anymore." They made their way back to their table as Andy dug into the cake.
"The night before that she told me about her impending divorce and I felt like I just wanted to hug her and make it all go away. This is so fucked up. Taking care of her had been my job for too long, it's like I felt she was family or something." the cake was disappearing fast. "I don't need this. It's an illusion, it's weird, I get all those feelings… I had a one night stand with an awesome guy. An amazing guy. Very handsome."
"What? Do you mean you and Nate are over?" Doug had a hard time digesting.
"Of course we're over! Do you know what he told me? He told me that the person whose calls I always take, namely the infamous Miranda Priestly is the person I am in a relationship with. And you know what? He was right. The woman just grabs you, the normal person, and makes you love her and then just enjoys walking all over you and then ultimately betrays you whenever you stand in the way of something she wants. It's just wrong."
"Andy?"
She was still busy, stuffing the chocolate cake in her mouth.
"I'm lost between a one night stand with a random guy and loving Miranda Priestly. You did say the word love."
"An awesome guy, Doug! He was an awesome guy. He took me out on a perfect romantic night in Paris and it was wonderful. It was the best time I've had in years! But guess what? As soon as I found out he was involved in the plot against Miranda I ran out of his room half-dressed, never looked back, hated him instantly and I ran like a fucking puppy to lick her boots and try to warn her just to be kicked aside like said annoying puppy because of course she already knew and had a plan and I was just stupid."
"You lost me."
"I'm sorry, that's too much information." Andy looked him in the eye and tried to relax.
"You did say you love her."
"Well, I suppose I do… In a way. In a twisted weird way."
"Like in a lesbian twisted weird way?" Doug's famous chuckle was back and Andy allowed herself a little laugh:
"Shut up! No!"
"No? Really? Do you want to tell me that if the gorgeous La Priestly asked you to fuck her you would say no?"
"Are you kidding? Who am I to say "no" to the Queen?!" This time they shared a real laugh.
"God." Andy looked at the paper again. "I should really get in touch with Emily. Everyone must be going crazy over there."
"Didn't you mention the impeding divorce? I bet you'll get to be the other woman!"
"Oh shit."