After Runway
Disclaimer:I don't own Miranda and Andy. I wish
Author's note : Just my vision of Miranda and Andy relationship after Runway.
Miranda Priestly is a strong woman. She never smiles, she never jokes and she speaks only when it's necessary. This afternoon, at the bottom of the Elias-Clark building, Miranda rolls her eyes and smiles. Andrea was there, waving at her, and Miranda smiled.
Miranda Priestly is a strong woman. She never cries, she endures everything, grits her teeth and bites her lips. That night in Paris, she cried, she talked, she let herself go. Andrea was there, listening. Not as if it was her job, but as if she really care for Miranda, as if Miranda meant something for her. Andrea was there caring for her and Miranda cried.
And Andrea left.
Miranda is a lonely woman. For years, she had built up a shield, a glacial defence to protect herself. No emotions, no question.
Miranda wondered often if she is happy. What is happiness?
If it means being as powerful as the Mayor of New York, travelling on jets, eating in the most well-known restaurants, reigning over others night and day? Then, yes she's happy.
If it means being understood, listened, waited, cared, loved? Then…
Miranda Priestly is alone, unhappy, and also very lucid. She knows that apart the girls, nobody loves her genuinely. Her "friends"are interested, her employees are terrified and her husbands flew away.
It's her choice. She chose long ago to not get involved in personal relationships. She was hurt deeply and she doesn't want to suffer anymore.
With her husband and her girls she compromised.
For Runway, she never compromised. She expects from the other what she demands from herself. It's been years since she would expect anything from the others, she was too often disappointed. She never links with her entourage and nobody would link with her.
It is better this way she thought. No emotions, no illusions.
It is better this way. Well, it was better this way. Until Andrea Sachs.
This morning, Andrea is a speaker at Dalton's. John sent her to explain what it is like working as journalist at rich private school. It's funny, she thinks, I met Miranda yesterday at the bottom of Elias Clark building and today I'm at her girls' school.
Andy lets out a sight of relief when she hears that she won't meet the twin's class. Weirdly, she wouldn't have known how to react in front of her former boss daughters. Though, she doubted the girls would actually recall her.
Andy gave her speech and at the end of the afternoon she spotted Roy collecting the girls and she couldn't help but feel a sense of regret at the sight of the Mercedes.
Andy's life was good since she left Runway. Even though Nate got his job in Boston, they have decided to stay friends. Andy has chosen to give an extra push to her career. And she acknowledges now that Runway was an incredible experience and not just in a bad way.
That night, lying on her couch, Andy is attempting to finish her paper about the Waldorf Astoria doorman strike. "Another useless paper which will not bring me closer to the Pulitzer Prize" she thinks.
Typing absentmindedly on her laptop, her mind wanders about her day and she ends to think of Miranda. Not Miranda Priestly, the editor in chief of Runway, the Dragon Lady. No she thinks of the mother, the woman, the neglected wife crying on the couch of the hotel bedroom, she thinks of the extreme loneliness of this woman.
Not that Andy is sorry for her, Miranda terrorizes her employees, and she barely respects others. After all, Miranda has only what she deserves.
Andy tries to focus again on her assignment before heading to bed. The image of Miranda keeps roaming about in her mind. A sneaky feeling of guilt is creeping up on her. "She was alone, her husband just told her he wanted a divorce and I left her without explanation. She talked to me for the first time in the car. Not talked at me, she talked to me. Telling me that she was seeing a great deal of herself in me, and I left her" these thoughts just wouldn't leave her.
Andy was fully aware that she wouldn't get much sleep in that state of mind. So she finally decided to take a sleeping pill and managed to fall asleep.
The next morning, Andy wakes up queasy from her nightmare where Miranda was rolling in the streets of Paris, dishevelled and scruffy while Andy is watching her, laughing sardonically in the Mercedes. She gets up quickly, feeling the urge to freshen her mind up with a cold shower and a hot coffee.
She heads towards the New York Mirror building trying to focus her mind on the agenda for the day. It was a very hard and busy day. John asked her to stay late for the internet update.
She gets back home around 10pm exhausted, falling on her bed. Instantly, the mixed feelings that she managed to keep at bay all day long overwhelmed her again.
"I have to do something, I have to apologize or I wouldn't be able to sleep anymore" she thinks. Andy's body is aching from exhaustion but she manages to get up. She grabs a pen, a card and starts to write a short note
«Miranda,
I never intended to hurt you when I left you in Paris.
Please, believe me.
Andrea»
At least it is clear. She feels better after writing her note and she manages to sleep more peacefully.
On her way to work the day after, she feels relieved and almost happy. John has assigned her an interview only 2 blocks away and she was grateful to not have to lose the whole morning in the traffic.
Noticing a mailbox on her way, she recalls her note, wondering if she really wants to send it.
"I've nothing to lose after all!" she says out loud, sliding the envelope in the box.
Few days later, the editorial meeting has started since 10 minutes when Andy entered the room in late. The assignments for the day are quickly divided out and an endlessly discussion starts about the opportunity to launch a new column.
Andrea is drinking her latte distractedly when the Scissors Sisters suddenly filled the air. All the heads on the room turns towards her and she realizes too late it was her phone ringing.
"Oh, oh sorry" she apologizes embarrassed.
Opening her phone discreetly, she reads the rolling message "You have a new message from 1646 6455231". Intrigued, she clicks on and reads.
"I believe you. You've never really left me. MP"
Astonished, Andy nearly spills her coffee. "MP? MP? …Miranda? Miranda Priestly?!?" After sending her note, her thoughts about Miranda had faded and she is startled to see that her former boss had reacted after all.
She wondered how she got her number, realising almost immediately that getting her new cell number would be as easy for Miranda as getting her Starbucks.
Anyway, not paying attention at all to the discussion and the people surrounding her, Andy carried on thinking. Her mind is boiling. What does that mean "You've never really left me"?
She wonders what she would do now. Call Miranda? No, that is not an option. Go and meet at her office, no she's too young to die!
She opts by using the same way Miranda did and she types a text.
«You neither»
The meeting ended few minutes later. She is in charge of two papers for tomorrow and she gets to work on a report for next weeks supplement.
Engrossed in her work, she hears her stomach grumble. Looking at the clocked she realizes that it's 6 pm and she's missed lunch. She has got a great deal of work done and she is about to leave when she hears a knock and spots Roy's head popping at the door.
"Roy? What's going on?" she asks surprised "What are you doing here?"
"She wants to see you," he replies, deadpan.
"What?" exclaims Andy
"Just come with me please."
"Ok, ok I'm coming" she says grabbing her purse and her jacket "I'm too young to die" she mumbles for herself.
To Andy's surprise, Miranda was not in the car.
Roy drives her in the French restaurant "Le D'Artagnan" in Newark. When Andy enters the room, she spots Miranda in the corner reading her paper. Andy can't help but feel a pitch in her stomach. She comes closer and says.
"Hello, Miranda."
"Andrea. Take a seat" says a stone-faced Miranda, still looking her paper.
"Thank you" said Andy trying hard to hide her discomfort
"How's your job?" asks Miranda without even looking up.
"Well, it's fine, even great. I guess I should thank you".
Miranda, engrossed in her newspaper, doesn't even care to reply.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Andy doesn't know what to say, what to think. But after all, it was Miranda who wanted to meet her.
After endless minutes of silence, Andrea couldn't help but ask.
"Are you mad at me about leaving you in Paris?"
Even though Miranda's head was bended on the paper, her eyes shut down. Her throat clenches preventing her to speak. Recomposing herself, she says what her mind hasn't wanted to acknowledge for 2 months now:
"It hurt" says Miranda sternly. Andy is astonished and speechless. She would never think hurting Miranda.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Miranda, I never intended to" tries to apologize sincerely Andy.
"Never mind" was the last sentence Andy heard just before Miranda left abruptly the table and the restaurant.
TBC
A/N : Review is my crack !