"Are you ready?"

"You're early." Andy answered without looking up. She was almost finished with the article she was editing, just tightening up the last paragraph before she could send it off and declare herself free for the weekend.

"I'm not early, it's 7."

"Liar, it's only..." she paused to check the clock...7:15. "Shit, sorry Emily. I'm almost done."

"Fine but I'm not waiting for you much longer."

"5 minutes more I swear."

"5 minutes." Emily agreed before sitting quietly down in one of the office chairs.

.
Andy focused and finished up. Save and send. It would make its way into the book tonight. Hopefully it would avoid any serious changes. "Done," Andy announced, turning off her pc.

"Finally, I thought I was going to have to sleep here."

Andy rolled her eyes before following Emily out. "That's a bit dramatic, even for you"

"I don't know what you're babbling about. If any one is being dramatic it's you."

"Fine, where are we going?"

"Do you not listen to anyone else when they speak? I thought Nigel a bit thick when he repeated it three times but I see now it's you who's thick."

Andy wisely decided not to defend herself as they entered the elevator. She continued to ignore Emily as she attacked her fashion sense, eating habits and various character flaws. Truly this was a dead horse and over the last five years she had heard many variations. Emily ran out of steam as they flagged down a taxi.

"Doc Watson's on 2nd and 78th."

"Doc Watson's is on 2nd?"

"Did you not just hear me say that?"

Andy ran her hands through her hair, the Upper East Side again and just 3 blocks away from The Penrose. Why, she silently asked is she constantly being forced to the Upper East Side?

"Because they have one of the best Irish celebrations," Emily answered.

So not so silently. "Saint Patrick's is tomorrow."

"Thank you Facebook reminder. I bloody well know when Saint Patricks is, which is why I made Nigel go out on Friday. If you think I'm going to sit in a bar with sweaty people drinking on a Saturday, you are sadly mistaken. "

.

With nothing more to say on the matter, Emily pulled out her phone and began texting. Andy opted to watch New York slide by. It was loud and dirty and crowded but it was home. Nothing else felt the same. She couldn't even imagine living anywhere else at this point. Besides New York had the one thing she just couldn't seem to do without, Miranda. Even if they were going through a cold spell, since the last month she had avoided Andy even more than January. That wouldn't last much longer since they would both be going on that photoshoot in a week and a half.

Andy bolted upright in her seat. "The photoshoot."

Emily, startled almost dropped her phone. "What?"

"I forgot to confirm with Adam, the writer for next week's photoshoot."

"I'm sure you can do it tomorrow. Now, and this is strange for me to say, but relax and have a pint. We're here."

And with that statement Emily, closed her phone, swiped a few bills out of her purse and shoved Andy out the car door before she could say anything more.

As they entered the bar cheers broke out. Of course Nigel knew the bar owner. Nigel seemed to know everyone who knew anyone. Needless to say the bar was mainly filled with Runway employees.

"The prodigal daughter arrives," Nigel cheers, his cheeks ruddy, and a drink in his hand.

"Cute but I'm neither wasteful nor extravagant. Also how much have you had to drink?"

"Not enough. Come on Six, drop the dictionary and help us celebrate."

A glass of whiskey was pushed into her hand along with a foamy Guinness. With a laugh, Andy toasted Nigel and sipped her drink.

"You'll never catch up at that rate, look at Emily."

Andy looked over at the Brit who drank the pint in one go. She looked at her drink and then at Nigel.

"Bottoms up Andy, it's going to be a long night."

.

4 hours later, bar snacks were floating around and Andy, Emily and Nigel had found a booth and were talking.

"And then I said no. Noooo. I couldn't date him because of Six." Nigel slurred and then ate the fries that had been delivered to their table.

"Nigel, Nigel, Nigel" Andy tried to get him to focus on her and she swayed in her seat. "You totally could have dated him. I wasn't going to." Andy sat back and looked at her glass was that her third or fourth beer and she crinkled her nose, why did her mouth taste like rum? She hated rum. She grabbed another glass off the table and downed it in one go. That was better.

"Hey, you cow. That was mine." Emily, far more sober than the other, two flagged a waitress for another pint.

"How are you so you?" Andy leaned towards Emily.

"If by that you mean perfect, well, I work hard at it."

Andy snorted as she laughed. "No, no, sober. How are you so sober? Are you sober? I think I'm drunk."

"You are a light weight and Pippi here has been drinking since 5:30."

Andy looked over at Nigel, who had a red wig on and promptly fell off her stool laughing. Or she would have if another patron hadn't caught her and helped her with her balance.

"You all right miss?" Tall, dark and handsome asked.

"Yeah thanks." Andy continued to giggle as she righted herself. Without another look Andy focused her attention on Nigel. "Why do you have a red wig?"

"It's ginger wig."

"No, it really isn't," Emily smirked into her drink.

"Why are you wearing ginger?" Andy tried again.

"I'm Irish. Now never mind that, what about him?"

"Who him?" Andy looked around.

"Him, him." Nigel started to point.

"Stop that." Emily grabbed his finger. "You're like a child."

"Him, him" Nigel repeated while trying, and failing, to discreetly nod towards the man that had caught Andy moments before.

"No," Andy shook her head. "No you promised. No more match making." Andy felt her eyes getting tired. She would just rest them for a minute.

"Come on. I'm a great matchmaker." Nigel nodded at his own statement, the wig slipping towards on side of his head.

"No you are not." Emily answered before Andy could.

"What?" Nigel gasped, shocked at the statement.

"Nigel, you're a terrible match maker. This isn't the beer talking. You are terrible. You have set me up on 5 blind dates and each one was worse than the other until finally you turned you attention to Andy. Which I was super supportive of because we both know she needs all the help she can get but,"

"Hey," Andy butted in, her eyes still closed, gently swaying before Emily ignored her and continued.

"But, now it's got to stop. I heard about Rebecca. You gave Andy a stalker."

"That's not fair," Nigel tried to defend himself. "She lost a bet and only had to go on one date. It's not my fault she kept dating her."

"That's true." Emily conceded "What was the bet? "

" Andy had to kiss someone on New Year's Eve but didn't so she had to go on a date." Nigel rambled into his beer glass, his words not completely clear.

Serena slid into the booth with her own drink. "What have a missed?"

"These two," Emily indicated Andy and Nigel, "made a bet about Rebecca."

"The stalker?"

"She isn't a stalker," Nigel tried again.

"Yeah," Serena said "she is. She totally stalked Emma over at Rag and Bone."

"Really, Emma?" Emily hadn't heard that. "But she's so plain."

"I know," Serena laughed "but she seems to have a type."

"Hey," Andy shook herself awake. "I'm not plain."

"Well not now but before," Serena backtracked and patted Andy's arm. "But back to the bet about the stalker." She raised an eyebrow and waited.

"It seems," Emily was quick to gossip, "Nigel bet Andy that she couldn't kiss someone at midnight on New Year's Eve and then she lost and had to date Rebecca."

"That's not what happened," Nigel and Andy said together.

"She only had to kiss someone or go on one date. I didn't make them keep dating. Besides Andy just hid in a room at midnight."

"Andy really?" Serena quirked her eyebrow again, "You couldn't get a kiss on New Year's Eve."

"I hate that. You can do it. I just look surprised." Andy said while lifting both her eyebrows.

"Do what?" Serena asked a little confused.

"The one eyebrow thing," she pointed to her own eyebrows, which she lifted up and down. "See surprised, not surprised, surprised, not surprised." At this point Emily leaned against Serena and laughed until she cried.

"It's a super power," Serena said with a smile.

"Yeah a sexy super power. That's the problem with all you eyebrow people. You just use that power on everyone. Miranda is the worse. It's all her fault. I mean she kisses me and then nothing and she's avoiding me and there is Rebecca and I still haven't gotten you back for that and then Miranda again but no we can't date because it's not appropriate and now nothing but still sometime she raises her eyebrow and bam, I'm back to square one. Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."

With a jump, Emily and Serena grab Andy and haul her into the bathroom. It takes a minute but when she's finally done throwing up they help clean her up.

"I'll take her home," Serena offers.

"Don't be ridiculous, you live in the other direction."

Nigel stumbled over to them. "She can stay with me. I have a spare room."

With that problem solved, Emily closed out their tabs and the three of them got Andy into the guest bed at Nigel's.

"Did you know?" Emily asked Nigel.

"No, of course not."

"Well," Serena "maybe no one knew but we all knew that Andy's was into Miranda."

"Well yes, you'd have to be blind not to see that," Emily agreed.

"And now we know that Miranda is into Andy."

"Wait, we don't know that," Nigel, feeling very sober all of the sudden, answered.

"Of course she is." Emily continued, "if she wasn't she would have destroyed Andy, instead she is avoiding her."

"I have to agree with Emily." Serena nodded as she spoke.

"Fine, so what do we do?" Nigel took off his glasses, polishing them a little before sliding them back on.

"Do? Nothing," Emily seemed shocked that Nigel would even think of interfering. "Didn't we just talk about how awful you were at match making."

"Yes, but this is different. We know they like each other." Nigel sputtered.

"This is precisely why we won't do anything, if a chance comes up to in courage them, fine, but no manipulating situations to force them together. Deal?"

"Fine." Nigel agreed. "It's late. Do you want to stay? I can take the couch." Nigel offers and then yawns into his hand.

"Thanks but I'll just head home." Serena hugs Nigel and then heads towards the doors.

"Can we share a cab?" Emily waits for Serena to nod before also hugging Nigel and leaving.

.

Alone, tired and still a little tipsy Nigel throws himself on to his bed. He won't manipulate things but if there's a chance of getting his two friends together, he'll take it. With that finally thought, Nigel passes out.