Thank you guys for the amazing response to this story! I know the chapters are a little short, but I'm aiming to get this story finished soon. It won't be very long, around 4-10 more chapters depending on my muse, but I'll leave it open so I can always add to it in one shots later on.

As for Andy's retirement, she's medically retired, which is actually pretty common in the military. My mom is medically retired from the Army after only 6 years served. I drew my inspiration about Andy's situation directly from what actually happened to my mother. I know the Navy and the Army are different, but this is fanfiction so excuse the obvious errors. This is just for fun!

Don't forget to drop me a review to let me know what you think! Enjoy!


It's during a rainy afternoon, while she's visiting her cousin in his fancy place in Manhattan that Andy figures it out. For nearly a month, she's been secretly going crazy trying to figure out exactly why Miranda looks so familiar. Seeing the woman at least once a week, with the occasional text or email between actual meetings didn't help her restless mind. Andy never forgets a face. Never. It's as much a blessing as it is a curse. She possesses a photographic memory, of sorts, and her inability to recall where she knew Miranda from had irritated her to no end.

So, imagine her shock when she's casually relaxing in her cousin's place, making jokes and catching up, and she just so happens to look up at his mantle. There, near the end of a surprisingly long row of pictures, was her cousin standing next to Miranda. Andy nearly choked on her wine, and did a double take. She couldn't understand how she hadn't noticed it immediately. Then, it all clicked. Miranda Priestley. Her cousin's boss. Nigel. Miranda. Caroline and Cassidy. The dots all connected, and Andy felt like smacking herself. Exactly how she didn't realize that the welcoming -if slightly distant- woman who's children had a weekly play date with Braden was the same woman that was plastered all over magazines she passed by daily, she wasn't sure.

When she took Braden to Miranda's house that following week, she got an odd vibe from Miranda. She shrugged it off, and watched as Braden helped the girls put clips on Patricia, who looked far too used to the treatment to be bothered. She chuckled, and accepted Miranda's offer of tea. They're drinking their respective beverages, when Miranda finally speaks up, looking at Andy curiously, if a little cautious.

"Braden always speaks of his father, but you never do," Miranda starts casually, "I take it you're on peaceful terms?"

"Of course. Doug is practically my brother, we're so close. I mean, he trusts me with his kid, after all," Andy now realizes she's never explained that Braden isn't her child.

She has custody of him now, yes, but that's only until his father is fit to care for him again. As it stands, they go visit Doug every other weekend. She was named his godmother when he was born, and she's just slipped into the role of a mother figure for him, especially since his own mother wasn't there. It was just natural to treat him like her own, and people assumed he just looked like his father. It was true, though. Braden was a carbon copy of his father, with the exception of his bright green eyes and the freckles fanned across his nose and cheeks. He even had the shaggy brown hair Doug had growing up.

"So...he's not your son," Miranda was clearly surprised.

"No," Andy shook her head.

"And his mother?"

"She died in childbirth with Braden's twin. Braden barely made it himself, he was so tiny," Andy sighed.

She remembered Doug holding Braden close to his chest, extremely protective and desperate to reassure himself that he had a son, that even though he lost a child, he hadn't lost them both. She stayed with him every night for nearly 3 months, and they both took on the responsibility of a newborn. They were both young military grunts at the time, and had no clue what to do with a baby, but they figured they would figure it out together, like always.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Miranda's reply was genuine, as she looked at her own children, unable to imagine losing one of them that way.

"It's ok," Andy shrugged, "everything worked out ok in the end."

"Indeed," Miranda agreed.

"So, what's the story behind the scar," Miranda suddenly asked, catching Andy off guard.

"Excuse me?" Andy blinked in confusion.

"The scar along your right hip and back," Miranda elaborated, "I saw it last week when you were knocked over by Patricia."

Andy shifted uncomfortably, the reminder of her past not exactly on her list of things she expected to happen today. It was like the mention of the scar had flipped a switch, and the memories came back full force. It was like a horrible nightmare playing before her eyes, only she wasn't dreaming and the pain was a harsh reminder that it was very real. Not even her imagination could come up with the horrors she saw daily when she was overseas.


Andy and Doug were coming back to base, having been out long before the sun was up. Being Seabees meant they were one of the first to come into contact with a new war zone, in order to build the roads and structures needed to keep people safe. Andy had accepted that she wouldn't have a direct combat role, much to her mother's relief. So, she settled into the next best thing. Naturally, they would come into contact with the enemy while trying to establish base, and she was trained for months in preparation. Besides, she got to serve with her best friend, and that made any worries she had disappear.

"I'm not looking forward to the trip home," Andy groaned, looking at Doug.

"You are the worst sailor I know! Why join the Navy if you hate boats," Doug teased, pushing her slightly.

"Pop was always so proud of his accomplishments, I guess I thought it would be a lot different than reality," Andy admitted, "but it's been years, and I still hate ships. I love everything else though."

"You're ridiculous, And-" Doug was cut off by a small thud, and a click.

Everything happened so fast, Andy wasn't even sure if it had happened at all. One second she was joking around with Doug, the next second she was being forced to the ground. Shots rang out, nd she could hear them whizzing over her head. She gasped, struggling to regain the breath that had been knocked from her lungs. Doug was screaming something to her, but all she could hear over the ringing in her ears was the rattling of the guns going off around her. As the ringing died down, she realized she couldn't see very well. Blinking rapidly did little to help, and her mind slowly realized that the noise she heard just before being forced down was likely a Flashbang grenade. It explained the lack of vision, and it explained the ringing in her ears.

"Fuck! Fucking...Fuck! Andy, C'mon! We gotta move," Doug was tugging on her arm, as her vision slowly returned.

Andy stumbled to her feet, her shaky hands wrapping around the standard issued M16A3 all active Seabees carry. The familiar weight of the weapon centered her better, and she attempted to keep pace with Doug, who managed to turn away in time when the grenade went off. He was still shaky, but he was in better shape than Andy. They found cover with the marines stationed with them for protection, and Andy had enough time to catch her breath and gather her bearings.

"Sachs! Are you injured," one of the marines got her attention, snapping her from her daze.

It was then that she became aware of the sharp pain in her leg. Looking down, she saw the trail of bloody footprints that lead to her. Her hand reached down into the hole in her fatigues, and she pulled back a palm covered in blood. She blinked rapidly, unable to fathom why she had blood on her fatigues.

"I...there's blood. Lots of it, Sir. Oh shit, Dougie! Where's Dougie!? Is he ok, I have to find him! He's bleeding and I have to help him -LET GO OF ME!" Andy worked herself up, until she was screaming at the marine as he attempted to keep her from getting up.

"Sit your ass down, kid! You're in shock," the marine forced her back none too gently, "you've been shot."

"Oh," was all she could mutter, her eyes wide as she watched him cut open her pant leg and assess the damage.

"You're in luck, Kid. It's just a flesh wound. The bullet must have grazed you when you wend down for cover," he ripped a few strips from is fatigue jacket, and patched her up as best he could, " it should be ok to walk on, or run if need be, but it'll slow you down."

"Thank you, Sir," Andy took his offered hand, and stood up, "where...is Dougie here? I mean, did he-"

"He's by the barricade," the marine offered, pointing him out, "he's a hell of a shot, too. Saved my life when I was pulling you inside."

Andy didn't reply, she immediately took off towards the barricade, where the fighting was the heaviest. Just like promised, Doug was situated in a window, firing off shots as the targets came into view. When he ducked to reload, he glanced up at her and grinned.

"Hey, Welcome back! You were pretty out of it earlier," he grunted, pushing the magazine into the gun.

"Yeah yeah, you can crack jokes when we're out of this fucking mess," Andy took the safety off her rifle, and took a position on the other side of the window.

"Agreed," Doug chuckled.

The battle was relentless, as the marines and Seabees held out for backup. When the announcement that they were minutes out was given, it lifted everyone's spirits. The convoy took out what was left of the enemy troops, and as the medics checked everyone over, they moved from the hostile area. Andy was separated from Doug, and put with the other injured. She was exhausted, and her leg was more injured then what was originally assessed. She would require a minor surgery when they got back to base, but that was the leas of her problems. She was alive and well, and that's all that mattered.

Andy was just dozing when she heard it. The truck in front of her had run over an IED, triggering an explosion. The truck flew back, causing a ripple in the convoy. Because her truck was right behind it, they flipped 3 times, before landing upside down. Andy heard screaming, the horrible sound of metal ripping apart and she felt a sharp pain on her right side, before everything went black.

She woke up in a hospital in Ireland a week later. She suffered from a brain hemorrhage, and when the truck flipped, a stray piece of shrapnel had lodged its way into her side, rendering her temporarily paralyzed. The only good thing that came out of the whole thing was that Doug managed to escape with minor injuries. He broke his left and 4 ribs, but was expected to make a speedy recovery. He visited her every chance he got, sneaking her ice cream and burgers from local restaurant.


"I was in a car accident," Andy finally answered Miranda.

She looked away from questioning blue eyes, and finished her tea in silence. She wasn't ready to talk to anyone about what happened, and she made that clear with her silent dismissal of the topic. Miranda must have understood, because she stopped the question on the tip of her tongue, and went back to watching the children playing without another word.