Chapter Two:

Though her body language screamed that she was less than two seconds away from destroying an ego, when Miranda spoke, it was as calm as if she was discussing highlights of upcoming shows. "Elizabeth, please tell me that I have fallen into some horrible nightmare and within the next sentence I shall be waking up to the delightful screeching of my alarm-clock." She waved a hand in Andy's direction. "Why is my ex-assistant gaping at me like I'm wearing red plaid over beige bottoms?"

Elizabeth snorted, "Miranda, you're being over-dramatic."

Andy closed her mouth and tried to keep a look of indignity off her face. She wasn't gaping, geez!

Doctor Michael sighed and pressed a finger to his temple. "Miranda, I'm merely making sure the girl's all right before Elizabeth releases her to do whatever it is twenty-some-odds do on Saturdays."

Miranda turned on him, her mouth pressed in a thin line. "All right?" her gaze slid to Andy, then she returned her attention to the doctor. "Why wouldn't she be all right?"

Elizabeth smiled, "Oh, it's nothing, Miranda, really."

"Really?" Doubt oozed in the word.

Andy thought she saw Elizabeth's smile waver a fraction before she nodded and repeated herself.

Miranda sniffed, then whirled on Andy. "Well?"

Andy blinked. Well? Well what? What on earth did the woman want from her now? Oh, if it was a coffee, she could tell Miranda to shove it right up her-

"...right?"

Andy blinked again. She'd missed something from the Oh-you-moron look she was receiving. "Huh?"

"For heaven's sake. Are you all right Andrea?" Miranda tilted her head, the look still there.

"I... er..."

"Were you struck mute suddenly?"

Damn her. Andy took a breath. "No, I mean, yes! I'm all right. I mean, yes, Miranda, I'm all right."

Answer found, Miranda resumed talking with Elizabeth and Andy could have made it home-free; but her mind had never been clear when it came to Miranda and within a heartbeat she found herself adding to her statement. "Well, I mean, I'm all right now. I got hit in the head with a camera and I think a large dog bit me because there's this -really- nasty-looking bite on my shoulder but that's ok, it doesn't sting at all and... what?"

Miranda was staring at her again, the look gone, her face pale. "What did you say?"

"Uh, it was," Andy looked to Elizabeth for help but the redhead was staring heavenward with a wince. "I mean, ah, nothing?"

"You said you were bitten?"

Andy only managed to squeak out a yes as Miranda stepped within a foot of her. She willed herself to not shake as the editor leaned in. "Mir-Miranda?"

Miranda snapped out of it when Andy spoke and took a step back. "Where?"

Andy pointed to her collar, confused.

Miranda scowled. "Take that tunic off."

"What?" Andy hadn't heard right, surely.

"Take off the tunic so I can see the bite, Andrea. What, are you five?"

"I, wait, no, why?"

Miranda's eyes rolled skyward. "I own a large Saint Bernard, Andrea, I know when a dog bite is shallow or if one needs to go in to receive stitches even if a doctor," her lips twisted around that word, "cleans it."

"Oh." Andrea still didn't budge.

Miranda tapped her foot, then let out a frustrated sigh. "Please, Andrea, humor my whims."

She just said please! Andy's mouth fell ajar as she fumbled to tug the loose collar down enough to expose the bite to the room. She caught Elizabeth's gaze and even the redhead appeared shocked at the words.

Miranda stepped close enough that her breath floated over Andy's neck, and she reached out a finger to trace the same path Andy had earlier. The touch brought no pain, it tickled though. When Andy squirmed away, Miranda's eyes were clouded and her expression pinched.

She was livid.

Andy was clueless. Again.

Elizabeth coughed. "Perhaps, Andrea, it's time for you to see yourself home. I'll have Mary call a taxi for you."

Andy shifted the tunic, and brushed past Miranda, hoping to get out before the doomsday clock went off. She barely brushed a toe over the archway when:

"Andrea, you will wait in the hallway for me, that's all."

Andy growled under her breath as she went to the railing and leaned against it. "Wait for her? For her? Who does she think she is?"

Doctor Michaels patted her shoulder as he slipped past. "Miranda Priestly, of course. I suggest doing what she says."

Andy opened her mouth to retort but he was already halfway down the stairs. "Yeah, what else would I do?" she groused, dropping her head onto her arms. She didn't understand why she had to wait for her, she wasn't her assistant and-

" ...could you?"

Andy's head popped up. She sent a sly glance over her shoulder. The door was cracked just enough for their voices to slip through. She bit her lip, worried on the ethics for half a millisecond, then allowed her journalistic nosy nature take control as she crept over to eavesdrop.

"Miranda..." that was Elizabeth, her voice quiet.

"You knew, you of all people knew that... that, damn it, Elizabeth, you knew!"

"It wasn't me, Miranda!" her voice stayed soft but the bite was there. "How dare you even suggest I'd betray your trust like that!"

"What am I supposed to think, Elizabeth? That she was accidentally nibbled on at your biggest get-together after nearly half a year of promoting her as your protégé?"

"For God's sake, will you think straight? I admire the girl's talents but I would never, look, you were close enough; did you smell me on her?"

Andy shook her head, trying to dislodge that statement. She heard wrong. Side-effect of head-trauma. Inside the room was a long pause.

"No."

"It could have been any one of the others, or even a mongrel that wasn't properly dealt with, they're always lurking around..."

"I suppose." Miranda sighed, then continued, "but that brings up the utter carelessness of bringing her to a meet-and-greet!"

"Oh, so now I'm not only betraying your trust, I'm leading your little lamb to slaughter? While we're at it, want to accuse me of sleeping with her too?"

"I'm leaving." There was a shuffle of movement and Andy banged her elbow into the railing as Miranda opened the door. "Andrea? Good, come along." She breezed past her without waiting for a response.

Andy looked to Elizabeth who had rounded into view. The redhead offered a terse smile and nodded. "Go, dearie, I'll call you later." She disappeared into another room down the hall.

"Andrea!"

"Coming!" Andy spun on her heel and double-timed it down the stairs, meeting Miranda's huff of exasperation. "Did you want to wait outside for Roy?"

Miranda flashed her a variant of the Were-You-Born-Stupid look and stepped out onto the front veranda. "Why would I call Roy?"

Andy knew to shut up, really, but the words slipped past before she could reason with herself. "To pick you up? You never drive, Miranda."

Miranda's gaze could make a king feel small. "Really." She quipped, already taking the keys out of her purse. She headed to a silver 2007 Bentley Continental GT Coupe and opened the driver's side door. She waited until Andy had shakily opened the passenger door before gracefully settling behind the wheel.