The Truth

Author: JAZWriter/JAZWriter13

Pairing: Miranda/Andy The Devil Wears Prada

Author's Notes: This story is in response to the 2nd Annual Back Door Challenge - BD2 issued at the Janeway/Seven Faction board in the summer of 2010. Their website has a great Mirandy section.

I, along with a few other writers, agreed to write a story for Miranda/Andy. Several other writers volunteered to write a STV Janeway/Seven story. Here's the catch: board members submitted story ideas and everyone voted on them. Once the top stories were tabulated, they were assigned to the writers. Oh, and we were encouraged to write no more than twenty pages. Hm.

Word Count: It's at a cool 9,500 words, less two.

Prompt: Journalist Twin—One of the twins wants to be a journalist and wrangles a week's experience at the New York Mirror. Her mom doesn't know and she uses a false name. Andy finds out when she's assigned as her mentor and finds herself back in Miranda's world.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that are found in The Devil Wears Prada film or the book. Nor do I own Runway, the New York Mirror, Norman Thomas High School, or the Bayard Rustin Educational Complex. I am not making a profit from this story. It is purely created for its free entertainment value. Blah, blah, blah—why are you still reading this?

Rating: A nice, tame R—nothing too graphic. I thought I'd change it up from my last DWP story, Secret Service, which had lots and lots of sex. Ha.

Special Thanks to my great betas: shesgottaread, law_nerd, quiethearted, and Tall Woman. They are the best betas around. And a special thank you to shesgottaread for all her extra work. I really needed help on this one. You'd think a 20-pager would be easier than an 80-pager, but no. If not for all my betas, I would not sound so erudite.

That said, I just couldn't leave the story alone. I tweaked a few more areas even after all my betas' hard work. Therefore, all mistakes are mine.

Author's Notes: Five years have passed since Andy worked for Miranda. I am placing Caroline's age at around 16 years.

Part 1

Stepping into the bustling newsroom, Caroline looks around, interest plain on her face. She's always been told that a good reporter must pay attention to details. She plans to be the best.

Caroline guesses she must be in the bullpen section. It has fifteen desks spread around the large room. At least, they look like desks. It is hard to tell with all the files and papers scattered and stacked on them. Televisions blare from their mounts halfway up the walls, all tuned in to different stations. Some reporters are busily tapping away at their computers while others watch the news crawls, talk on the telephone, or move about the room. Everyone seems busy and intent. Caroline soaks it in.

For a long time, Caroline had wanted to be an editor like her mom, running some high-profile fashion magazine. Of course she would never admit it, but she reads not only Runway but also Elle and Vogue. No, Mom would flip over Caroline's disloyalty.

Over the past year, however, her interests have shifted from editing to writing. She wants to make a difference. Yeah, yeah, she knows Mom affects millions of people, but Caroline wants to touch people in a different way. She wants to write about things that aren't going to cause people to have complexes about their looks, their weight, or their life status. Instead, Caroline wants to shed light on how everyone is worthy, beautiful, and ultimately the same. To that end, Caroline has begun reading more challenging periodicals such as the New Yorker and Time. Her journalism teacher, Mrs. Evans, told her that she can go far if she applies herself.

That compliment is what has set Caroline on this wild, exciting road.

Not daring to discuss it with Mom or even Cassidy, Caroline is determined to make her own way, to prove she deserves this opportunity. Right now, they believe she's at some boring summer writing camp while Cassidy is off at soccer camp. It's perfect. Mom doesn't get home from work until dinnertime, and Cassidy doesn't call until around eight at night, so no one will be the wiser. In addition, she can work on her writing assignments without Mom becoming suspicious. She and Cass may be twins, but their interests have split off since they entered high school. Cass might not understand why Caroline has gone to so much trouble to be here.

Confidently, Caroline walks toward the office at the far corner of the room. She reads the plaque on the door: Greg Hill, Editor-in-Chief. Adjusting her D & G sweater self-consciously, Caroline wipes her sweaty palms on her True Religion jeans before knocking on the open door and poking her head in. "Excuse me. I'm Cara Cavanaugh. I'm here for the student internship."

"Come in. Come in." Caroline enters at the hand wave and sits on the edge of a well-worn chair. Looking up, she straightens as she notices the man sizing her up.

"So. You're the next star reporter, huh?" Caroline smiles. "I read your article. Not bad. With some guidance, you'll do well." He nods and steeples his fingers while continuing to stare at Caroline. "What school are you from?"

Caroline stiffens. This is the hard part. It's one thing to lie on paper, but to make her dreams come true, she needs to lie to this person's face. Caroline won the internship through a scholarship process. She wrote an essay on how global warming affects her generation and filled out an application knowing that if she told the truth she would not qualify. The scholarship is based on a community outreach program geared toward inner-city kids not rich, private-school students. Caroline had been researching newspaper internships and had become excited when she'd seen who funds the scholarship. Her mom. Surely if anyone found out, Mom would cover for her.

Not that she wants her mom's help. That's the whole reason why she's gone to such great lengths. Caroline wants to prove that she can do this by herself without any preferential treatment. So, Caroline wrote the essay and completed the application under a pen name. All the great writers have one: why shouldn't she?

Of course, the little problem of Mom's disapproval of any career so plebian in nature may have kept her quiet, too. It's not that Mom thinks being a journalist is beneath her. Rather, Mom is extremely protective, wanting only the best for her two girls. But they're growing up. Caroline feels a strong desire to step out from her mom's shadow and make her own way into the world.

"Norman Thomas High School. I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens here, Mr. Hill. Thank you for the chance." Caroline is two feet into it now. No going back.

"Well, you earned it. Call me Greg. Everyone does. I have the perfect person to mentor you. Andy Sachs has been with us for five years and has won several writing awards." Leaning forward, Greg says with a grin, "I think Sachs is after my job."

Caroline laughs. This guy is pretty funny, funnier than the idiots who've paraded through her house over the years since Mom's divorce from Stephen. All of them were smarmy, uptight asses trying to win Mom over. They never lasted. Now that she stops to think about it, though, Mom hasn't dated anyone in a while.

Hearing Greg say, "Sachs, get in here," into the intercom, Caroline perks up. She has read The Mirror religiously for months and is familiar with his writing. She can't wait to meet him. Caroline figures he's probably some hard-nosed, straight-shooting reporter. If Caroline had known beforehand who her mentor would be, she would have googled him. She'll be sure to do so tonight.

"Hey, Chief," Caroline hears and swivels her head to watch a pretty, chestnut-haired woman enter the office.

"You're a woman," Caroline says in surprise.

"Ah, attention to detail. That will come in handy," Andy says, grinning so good-naturedly that Caroline's mortification fades away.

"Oh. I just always thought you were a man since your name is Andy," Caroline explains sheepishly.

"My full name is Andrea, but everyone calls me Andy." Caroline notices a sad look flit over Andy's face.

"Well, it's great to meet you. I'm Cara Cavanaugh." As they shake hands, Caroline gets the distinct impression that Andy has a million questions for her. That's okay; Caroline has just as many for Andy. She wants to make the most of this week by picking Andy's brain.

"If you are ready, I'll show you around. Then, we have an interview to get to," Andy says.

"Sounds great." Caroline jumps up and extends her hand toward Greg. "Thank you for this opportunity." Caroline ignores the amused look she receives as he shakes her hand firmly. Mom has always harped on endlessly about good manners.

"I'm expecting great things from you, Cavanaugh. Don't let me down." He seems serious.

"I won't," Caroline says.

"See you later, Greg," Andy says as she turns away. Caroline follows her around eagerly, ready to learn. Twenty minutes later, Andy leads her into a side office and offers Caroline a seat as she closes the door. Andy settles herself into the chair behind her desk and gazes at Caroline with a contemplative look. "Do you want to tell me why you are here?"

"Um, what do you mean?" Caroline rallies. "You are a great reporter. I've read tons of your articles. I'm really excited to have you as my mentor." Silence. Uh, oh.

Andy sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "You do not go to Norman Thomas High School."

"Why...why do you think that?" Caroline is nervous now. If the jig is up, not only will she lose her chance to learn about being an honest-to-goodness journalist, but it will probably be reported back to Mom that she had fudged the application. What a bum-fuck! She will get in so much trouble.

Andy smirks. "No one who goes to that school wears Dolce & Gabbana or True Religion. I didn't get a good look at your shoes, but I'm willing to bet those are designer, too."

Caroline feels her heart sink. Busted. She tried to dress down, but all her clothes are designer. "I got them at a thrift store." Caroline starts to tremble under Andy's stare. That is quite a trick, one reminiscent of her mom's glare, but a bit softer. No less effective, though.

Andy says, "Let's start simple. Who are you?"

Shit. She's going to have to come clean. Caroline doesn't want to since once Andy knows her identity she will probably treat her differently. Everyone who knows of her mom does. Still, maybe if she is honest, she can still find a way to make this work.

"Caroline Priestly." Seeing the flash of recognition, Caroline feels her hopes die. There go all her dreams. "Please, Andy. I just want to be a reporter. If you know anything about my mother, you must know that she will disapprove. Just let me prove myself."

Andy looks thoughtful as she listens to Caroline's pleas. Caroline is not too proud to beg. She wants this so badly.

"Why is this so important to you? If you went to her and explained, I'm sure she would help you—"

"I don't want her help!" Caroline blinks, surprised by her ferocity. "I need to do this on my own so I'll know I can do this, that it has nothing to do with my mom's influence and connections. She doesn't know I did this." Caroline laughs derisively. "You know, I won this internship through one of her own scholarships. She picked my essay as the winner." Caroline grins mirthlessly. "I bet she would never dream in a million years that I can write this way." Caroline searches Andy's eyes, looking for some sign that she won't turn her away. "Please, Andy. Let me do this."

A grimace crosses Andy's face, her brown eyes serious as she gazes at Caroline. "You have put me in a horrible position. There are circumstances that make this much messier than you probably realize." Andy presses her lips together as she breaks eye contact. "I know your mother, Caroline. And, although I did not recognize you at first, I know you. And your sister."

Caroline is confused. "Did you write an article about us?" It is a good guess. How else would their paths have crossed?

Andy's soft laughter nixes that idea. Shaking her head, Andy says, "No, Caroline. I used to be your mother's second assistant a long time ago. A lifetime ago, it seems." Leaning forward with a gleam in her eyes, Andy says, "Tell me. Do you remember receiving the unpublished Harry Potter book?"

Caroline feels her eyes widen as she remembers. She and Cassidy had tricked some naive assistant into going upstairs while Mom and stupid Stephen were fighting. She had felt kind of bad about it, but then they'd gotten that awesome book. All her friends had been jealous, and best of all, Mom never had found out their roles in getting that assistant into trouble.

Normally, Caroline doesn't remember the assistants, and why would she? Mom goes through them so quickly—they travel through a revolving door. That was particularly true around the time Mom and Stephen were getting divorced. Mom was so upset then that nothing and no one could do anything right. Caroline and Cassidy had tried to be very good for Mom by not pulling any pranks on the assistants or anything once Stephen moved out. After awhile, they'd just gotten into the habit of not bothering with them anymore. As a result, it turned out that that had been their last cruel joke on an assistant.

Staring closely at Andy, Caroline blanches. She knew Andy looked familiar.

"Ah. I see you do remember."

"I'm, I'm sorry, Andy. It was just what we did back then. I mean, we were eleven for Christ's sake." Caroline feels tears welling in her eyes. "We never pulled a prank like that again." Caroline shakes her head. Another thought comes to Caroline. "Is that why you left? Did Mom fire you for that?"

"No. If I hadn't tracked down that book I would have been fired. Instead, I went to Paris with your mom." Andy's voice gets soft and wistful. "Some things happened in Paris that made it impossible for me to continue working for your mother." Andy refocuses her eyes on Caroline's. "I learned a lot from her. And I know she would be extremely upset if I allowed you to stay here after lying on your application. Plus, her foundation would be placed into a compromising position. How would it look if people knew that the foundation's chairperson judged the contest and picked her own daughter as the winner instead of a student who actually qualified for this internship without having to lie on the application?"

"But I want this so much. There aren't any scholarships out there for someone like me. I looked. It's like, reverse discrimination or something." Caroline peters out at the grin she receives.

"What if we see whether we can have the internship awarded to the rightful person, and you can continue to shadow me this week?" Andy drums her fingers on the desk while she thinks out loud. "We'll have to get Greg to agree. And we will have to tell your mother."

"No! Oh, Andy. She will be so disappointed." Caroline shudders. "She'll purse her lips and look at me like I've killed the puppy she was planning to kick around." Caroline shakes her head. "Isn't there another way?"

"Believe me, I would rather not have to tell her, either. I haven't talked to her in five years. We didn't part on the best of terms, and I'm sure she won't be thrilled to know I have any part in this. But, Caroline, this is a lesson you need to learn if you are serious about being a journalist: integrity, honesty, and truth are paramount to becoming the best. People need to know you are trustworthy. I know sometimes you may want something so badly you rationalize that it's acceptable to do something wrong, but you have to take the higher road. You have to do what is right so you can look at yourself in the mirror. I learned that the hard way."

Caroline sighs. That glint in Andy's eyes, her passionate words, all amount to one thing: she is royally screwed. Nodding reluctantly, Caroline says, "Okay. I get it. Can we tell her at the end of the week?" Caroline looks up hopefully when she hears a bark of laughter.

"No way. Today."

Damn. "Will you tell her with me? You can tell her that you don't mind my staying on for the week and how much I want to do this." Caroline says.

Andy shakes her head. "What makes you think that I can help you? In fact, I might make things worse. Your best bet is to plead your case as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'll talk to Greg."

What happened to "we"? Caroline tries again.

"But Andy, she'll listen to you. You're one of the only journalists she doesn't hate." Seeing Andy's surprised look, Caroline presses her advantage. "She talks about your articles. That's how I got interested in being a reporter. I figured if you could impress her, there might be hope for me." Caroline shrugs. Andy looks shocked but pleased.

"How about this. You talk to her, and if she wants to discuss it further with me, she can call." Andy scribbles her number on her business card and hands it over to Caroline. "Okay?"

"What if I promise to talk to Mom tonight so we can finish the day?" At Andy's skeptical look, Caroline continues. "I promise I'll talk to her today, even if I have to wait up for her to get home."

Andy rests her chin in her palm while she considers the request. After long moments of silence, she nods. Caroline smiles. She's on her way to becoming a reporter.