Miranda looked up from her task as Andrea walked into the kitchen. She immediately and automatically gave Andrea a once over, even though she had picked out this outfit herself, "Good Morning, Andrea." She smiled, "You look lovely." Setting aside the bowl she was stirring, Miranda asked. "Coffee?"

"Um...Thank you for the clothes... and the flower," Andy smoothed one palm against her thigh, "and yeah, coffee sounds good." Andy grinned as Miranda took a coffee cup from the cabinet, and pulled a tall thin glass off the shelf as well.

Filling the glass half full of warm water, Miranda added a bit of sugar then set it on the counter front of where Andrea stood, "For the flower."

"Oh, thank you." Andy placed the flower in the makeshift vase and smiled then circled around the preparation island. She took the cup from Miranda's hands, setting it aside, and moved closer. "Was I just dreaming, or did I wake up beside you earlier?" Andy smiled at the slight blush that made it through Miranda's makeup. So it was real... Leaning in, Andy lightly brushed her cheek against Miranda's and whispered, "Best Valentine's Day, ever." Pulling away, Andy's lips ghosted over Miranda's cheek, "Thank you."

Miranda smirked, her eyes searching Andrea's for any sign of deception. Did Andrea truly like waking up to find an old woman in the bed next to her? Finding no trace of deceit in those huge dark eyes, Miranda admitted her own feelings on the subject, "Any time." And there it was again, the incredible urge to lean in and kiss Andrea's lips. She did actually sway forward slightly before she realized what she was doing. Clearing her throat, Miranda didn't miss the glint in Andrea's eyes and stepped back, reaching for the coffee carafe, "The girls should be down momentarily." She poured coffee into Andrea's cup and then some more into her own.

Andy chuckled and moved away, reaching for the cup Miranda had just filled for her as she mimicked Cassidy's favorite response, "Right."

It was, in fact, only a few moments later when Tay trotted down the stairs followed closely by Caroline and Cassidy.

"Mornin' Mom, Andy." Caroline grinned and headed directly for the pantry to grab a box of her favorite cereal.

"Hey Andy! Good morning, Mom." Cassidy smiled brightly and kissed her mother on the cheek, before also retrieving her favorite cereal from its shelf. She spoke as she poured the whole grain bits into her bowl. "I'm going to be so worthless at school today."

"Why's that?" Andy smiled and waited for a response as Cassidy was caught by the question mid-bite.

Caroline wasn't that patient. "There's a dance tonight, at school." Glancing at her sister, ignoring her mirror image's glare, Caroline continued. "She's hoping someone special is going to be there."

Swallowing quickly, Cassidy reached out to shove her sister, not too lightly and order, "Shut up!"

"Cassidy!" Miranda was appalled at her daughter's actions. "Do not shove your sister! Count to ten!"

Cassidy frowned but obediently began, "One... two..."

"In French." Miranda instructed.

Meeting her mother's gaze for a moment, Cassidy continued, "trois, quatre, cinq..."

Andy let the girl's voice move to the back of her consciousness as she contemplated the order she'd heard a few times already. Count to ten. It seemed like a well established rule in the Priestly household, when someone was upset or angry, counting to ten was a good way to help them take a step back and calm down. It seemed like such a good idea that Andy thought she might start doing that herself. Miranda's voice brought her out of her contemplations.

"Now," Miranda focused fully on her daughter, "Is there a special someone I should know about?"

"No!" Cassidy shook her head emphatically, "I just think it's going to be fun. Dancing with my friends... no one special!" Glaring at her sister's snort, Cassidy looked her mother directly in the eye, "Honest."

"Mmm..." Miranda sipped her coffee then moved back to the stove. "Scrambled eggs if you want some Andrea, or would you rather have an omelet?"

"Um... if you don't mind. I think I might just like a bowl of cereal..." Andy smiled tentatively when Miranda smiled and gestured toward the two boxes that were currently on the table then to the pantry door. "There are other choices if you wish."

"Thank you." Andy looked in the pantry for her other choices.

Miranda nodded and watched her very new girlfriend for a moment then smiled and made quick work of cooking her own breakfast.

She had barely sat down at her desk, returning from a long day of interviewing the city workers in charge of clearing the streets of snow, when her editor's mellifluous tones drifted through the bullpen.

"SACHS!"

Andy closed her eyes and groaned, muttering "Now what..." Pushing herself back to her feet, she made her way to the man's office. She was tired, though not physically; she'd actually slept very well last night at Miranda's. She almost wished she hadn't, because all she could remember from sleeping next to Miranda were those few moments when she roused up in the early morning to wrap her arms around her former boss' soft warmth. Her brain, however, was exhausted, every second she'd ever spent with Miranda had been going through the back of her head all day and she'd worried herself almost sick about the dinner tonight. She hoped the outfit she'd picked out would be acceptable. "Yeah, Chief?"

He pointed to two boxes sitting on the couch in his office. "Another delivery."

"Oh..." Andy looked at the packages and knew instinctively that one was a shoe box. "Wow..."

Clearing his throat drew Andy's attention back to him, "I don't know what you're getting into, Sachs..." He blushed slightly as he handed her the card that had arrived with the boxes. "But be careful."

Andy took the envelope from him and noticed that it was not sealed. She gave him a glare, "Did you read this?"

"Yes," He held up his hands to stop her protest, "And I know.. I shouldn't have." He scratched his head behind his ear, and mumbled, "And I'm sorry..."

Releasing a breath, Andy pulled the card out of the envelope. Her eyes widened as she read the instructions.

Andrea,

Please wear this to dinner this evening.

I will send a car for you at 7:00.

M

Unable to contain her curiosity for longer than it took to carry the boxes back to her desk, Andy peeked into the shoe box. She gasped quietly and pulled one of the red soled shoes out for a better look. The black leather was mirror-like. "My God."

"Ohhh..." Megan, the fashion critic at the paper saw the shoe, "Nice knock off Christian Lou's, Andy."

"What?" Glancing back at the shoe in her hand, Andy shook her head, "N...no... It's not." Miranda wouldn't send her faux shoes. Miranda despised the fashion counterfeiting industry. The poor quality of work often gave true fashion a bad reputation.

Rolling her eyes, Megan moved closer, "Sure it is... you can tell by the seams... see... they have to be..." She pointed to the seams at the back of the shoe and then gasped and snatched the item out of Andy's hands to examine it closely. "Oh my God!" She grabbed the other shoe out of the box and her eyes widened. "These are real!"

"Yeah..." Andy took the shoes out of Megan's numbed fingers, "They're a gift." She knew she was holding almost a full week's take-home pay in her hands.

"Some gift," Megan smiled slyly, "Damn, you must have had a helluva Valentine's Night!"

"Uh.. yeah." Andy carefully put the shoes away, "It was nice."

"Nice?" Megan laughed, "Nice gets you six hundred dollar shoes? Wonder what naughty will get you." Her eyes landed on the larger box. "And what do we have here?"

Andy shook off thoughts of being naughty with Miranda in time to stop Megan from opening the larger box. "Another gift... that I haven't opened yet and won't here." She shook her head, "I can't change properly here anyway." That was somewhat true, she needed the hair and makeup accessories she had at home. The real truth was that Andy was terrified of what she would find when she opened the box. There was no way she was going to do so in front of the curious woman.

"Well," Megan gestured toward the flowers, "I suppose expensive shoes and clothes are a great substitute for your daily flower."

"Oh," Andy smiled sweetly at the snarky comment, "I got my flower, this morning. I just left it at...home." Another lie, she hadn't been home today. She'd left the flower at Miranda's but Andy sidestepped that lie with the truth, "I'm going to take these with me tonight so they'll be all together."

"Your rich guy doesn't happen to have tickets to the museum gala on Saturday does he?" Megan was totally hyped for the event but was going to be relegated to the Press area. She would kill to have an inside advantage.

"Not that I'm aware of." Andy responded truthfully. "The subject hasn't come up."

"Figures..." Megan rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Men... he probably has season tickets to every game his favorite team plays, but couldn't care less about all the fantastic museums in the city." she chuckled, "But I guess I can't blame him on this one..." She started to walk away. "I mean, what straight man is really interested in fashion anyway?"

"What?" Andy reached out to stop Megan from leaving. "Fashion?"

"Oh yes... the gala is for the opening of an exhibit dedicated to the history of fashion." Megan grinned and pushed her short brown hair back from her face, "I would have thought you of all people would have kept up on stuff like that, having worked at Runway and all."

Nodding, Andy's over-tired brain tried to process this new information. Miranda would most definitely be attending this event, but would she want Andy to accompany her? That thought brought an even more interesting question to Andy's mind. Do I want to go?

Andy spoke to the driver as they made their way through the busy Friday night traffic. "I didn't realize she would send a limousine... or that you would be driving. Is it okay that I wanted to sit up front?"

Samantha glanced over at her passenger, "Fine by me. It was the most convenient way to get you to her house I'm sure. I was already picking up the car to drive the girls to their dance."

"Ah..." Andy nodded, "Right." She wondered how long the woman had worked for Miranda and then chuckled to herself as she asked, "How long have you been the girls' bodyguard?"

"A little over a year." Sam rolled to a stop as the light turned red. "I started working for Miranda while she and her husband were going through their divorce. That's why she hired me."

That sounded a little ominous to Andy, "um... to help out with the girls?"

"No," The light turned green and Sam began to drive, but continued the conversation, "I guess the guy... Stephen... made some not so thinly veiled threats toward the girls..."

"That bastard!" Andy ground her teeth together and began to count to ten.

Sam cleared her throat, "Yeah, he gave me that impression too." She shrugged, "Anyway, Miranda wanted to make sure that the girls were safe so they called the agency I work for and I got the assignment." She pulled the car up to the curb, "Here we are." Putting the car in park, Sam grinned. "Hang on and I'll open the door for you."

Andy snorted, "Don't bother." She got out of the car quickly and walked to the front door with Sam. They rang the bell and while they were waiting for the door to be opened, Andy fidgeted with her dress. The paper she'd wrapped around the flowers she'd brought, to put with the one from this morning, crinkled in her hand.

With a small grin, Sam assured Andy, "You look great." The blue dress with black accents really did look good on the young woman. "That color suits you. Don't worry so much."

Relaxing her arms down at her sides, Andy gave her free hand a little shake. "Sorry... old habit." The color of her dress was actually a little reassuring as much as it was daunting. Cerulean blue didn't exactly hold fond memories for her, because it was the subject of her very first taste of the Dragon's venom. But the fact that Miranda had sent it to her and specifically asked her to wear it meant that Miranda remembered that event too and was trying to make amends for it, maybe.

Caroline opened the door and blinked at Andy then shook her head, "Whoa! You look great."

Grinning at the girl's reaction, Andy relaxed a little. "Thanks." She looked at Caroline's dress and nodded, "So do you."

"Yeah?" Stepping aside so the women could enter, Caroline yelled up the stairs, "Cass! Sam's here!"

"Caroline!" Miranda appeared from the kitchen, "Modify your tone..." Any other comment Miranda had been about to make died on her lips as she caught sight of Andrea, instead she just smiled and nodded.

Caroline was smug and whispered to Andy, "Told ya... a smile is as good as a whoa." She closed the door behind Sam and Andy then looked back up the stairs. "Cass!.. Ugh..." She shot an apologetic look at the waiting bodyguard. "I'll go get her. Be right back."

Sam bowed slightly and with only a glance at the intense look being exchanged by Miranda and Andy, called up the stairs, "Caroline." The girl had made it to the first landing and looked back. Sam indicated the two familiar overnight bags next to the door. "I'll just take these and wait for you in the car. I'm parked right out front."

"Sure Sam... we'll be right there." Caroline continued on to Cassidy's room.

Sam hefted the luggage and made a discreet exit.

Miranda moved closer, "You look lovely, Andrea."

"Thanks..." Andy smiled and allowed her eyes to roam down Miranda's form, taking in the slightly sexier-than-normal-for-work dress, for a brief second before locking her gaze back with Miranda's. "You look gorgeous, as always." She also moved closer and in a few more steps wrapped her arms around Miranda's waist, smiling as Miranda's arms circled her waist as well. "Hi..."

Miranda's lips quirked into a smile. "Hello."

"Thank you for the lovely clothes." Andy leaned in and kissed Miranda's cheek. "I left the ones from this morning at home. I'll clean them before I return them to you."

Blue eyes twinkled with mischief as Miranda spoke quietly, "You are welcome to keep them here, Andrea, but they, along with the overnight bag and all the rest of its contents are yours... as are the dress and shoes you are wearing now."

"Uh..."

"There's more." Miranda brushed the backs of her fingers against Andrea's cheek, "Upstairs in your room there is a more... casual outfit, for later."

"Later." Andy narrowed her eyes and grinned playfully, "How long do you think I'm going to be staying?"

"That remains to be seen." Miranda's lips quirked again, "We have all weekend."

"Do we?" Andy heard the girls bickering as they took the stairs down and disengaged from her embrace with Miranda. "Wow, you both look great."

Cassidy saw Andy and her jaw dropped. "Whoa!"

Caroline laughed, "I too said, Whoa."

Andy chuckled at the girls' shock, "You two act like you've never seen a girl in a dress before."

"We haven't seen you in a dress before." Caroline informed her.

Cassidy modified that statement somewhat. "Right." She grinned, "At least, not one like that, not recently."

Miranda released her hold on Andrea and moved to hug her children, "Have fun at the dance and be good for your father."

That instruction got her two sets of eyes rolling and a simultaneous response. "Yes, mother."

Andy nodded, "Have a blast guys." She was a little surprised when Caroline and then Cassidy hugged her goodbye, but was shocked speechless when Cassidy whispered in her ear.

"Ask her about the roses."

There was a mischievous twinkled in the girl's eyes and Andy's trepidation about 'asking' Miranda anything resurfaced, but she nodded and waved as they watched the children walk down the walkway. She heard a small sigh from Miranda as the car drove away and Miranda closed the door.

"They are growing so fast."

Andy slid her arm around Miranda's waist. "Everyone grows up, Miranda."

"I know." She tried to smile. "Some faster than others though." Pushing those thoughts away, Miranda guided Andrea toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

Chuckling at that, Andy tightened her hold slightly. "Yes." She figured she may as well admit it since her stomach had been on the verge of rumbling since she walked through the door. "I missed lunch today."

"Why would you do that?" Miranda pulled out a chair at the small table in the corner of the kitchen for Andrea to sit.

"I was busy conducting interviews." Andy smiled as she took in the table setting, fine china on a linen tablecloth, a candle, and a single rose. "Miranda, this is wonderful."

"Thank you." Miranda settled Andrea at the table then moved to the wine chiller. "We have time for a drink before I serve dinner." Choosing a bottle, Miranda opened it and returned to the table. There was an expression on Andrea's face that made her dubious and she paused before pouring, "You do drink, yes? I remember you saying you had gone with your friend... for drinks..."

"Oh!" Andy nodded, "Yes, I do. I... just..." With a deep breath, Andy admitted, "I have a low tolerance for wine, for some reason." Her expression morphed into a playful grin, "You wouldn't be trying to get me drunk by any chance, would you?"

"Mmmm..." Miranda's eyes reflected her mischievous thoughts, "Of course not." Tiny lines appeared at the corners of her eyes as she poured, "Half a glass for you, until we have food on our plates."

Laughing at that compromise, Andy slowly picked up her glass, "A toast then." She waited for Miranda to set the bottle aside and pick up her own drink, "To a glass half full." She touched her glass to Miranda's then took a sip of the white wine. "Ohhh... that's great!"

Miranda chuckled and made a toast of her own, "To sunrises..."

Andy's lips twitched as she countered the sentiment, "To sunsets..."

Miranda smiled, "To dinner with a beautiful woman."

Dark eyes never leaving Miranda's face, Andy tilted her glass to lightly tink against Miranda's, "Absolutely." She tasted the wine again. "This really is delicious. What kind is it?"

"Riesling." Miranda nodded as she took another sip, "It is quite good."

"German?" Andy had tasted Riesling wine before but she didn't remember it tasting like this.

"No, French." Miranda clarified, "From the Alsace region."

"Ah," Andy nodded, "Of course, you would know all the good French wines." Grinning at the beginnings of outrage in Miranda's expression, Andy asked, "Didn't you live in France for a while?"

"Mmm..." Miranda relaxed and nodded, "I was Editor-in-Chief of French Runway for three years." She considered that posting and admitted, "I was your age when I acquired that position." Any further comment was stalled by the timer beeping.

Andy watched Miranda gracefully plating the finished meals. Her eyes widened when she saw the final product. "Wow, Miranda, this looks awesome."

"Chicken Cordon Bleu, roasted baby potatoes and green beans..." Miranda placed a small woven basket on the table and opened the linen cloth it was lined with, "Roll?"

"It all looks delicious!" Andy picked up her fork and at Miranda's encouragement, took a bite of the chicken. She could barely wait to swallow it before speaking. "Oh my God, Miranda... that's great! Did you learn to cook like this in Paris?"

Nodding, Miranda smiled and loaded her own fork with a bit of potato. "Yes, there was a lovely woman there I took lessons from. Julia was her name."

"J..Julia?"

Miranda swallowed her bite quickly to allow her to laugh and not choke, "Not that Julia! How old do you think I am?"

Andy rolled her eyes, "Right... Sorry..." She grinned at her girlfriend, "Sometimes though, from the way you talk, you sound like you're a hundred... then your actions, especially the snowball fight... make you seem more like twenty-something... so I figure somewhere in between is fine." She was quiet for a moment as Miranda processed that then asked, "You said you were my age when you became editor in chief at French Runway. How old do you think I am?"

"You're twenty-six." Miranda now wished she had never made the comment. Bringing up age at this point wasn't really the best thing to do, it wasn't the most romantic of topics. But they needed to discuss it sometime, she supposed. "I am twenty years older than you."

Andy responded instantly. "Doesn't matter."

"How can you say..."

"Miranda," Andy put her fork down and focused her attention entirely on her very new girlfriend. "Your age, my age... the difference between them, doesn't matter. There are things you have done in your life that I haven't, and there are things I have done, that you have never experienced either. That's how it is, different people, different lives." She smiled at her former boss, "I'm looking forward to hearing about your life, since I talked your ear off about mine the other night."

"Andrea..." Miranda shook her head, "I don't often... speak, about my past." She admitted, "It's difficult for me..."

"Miranda..." Andy reached across the table to hold Miranda's hand, "I'll listen to anything you want to tell me and understand that there are things you won't."

"Thank you, Andrea." Miranda smiled and slid her hand out of the younger woman's. She picked up her fork, stabbing a small potato. "Please, eat, before it gets cold."

Andy nodded and took a sip of her wine before asking, "So, what's been going on at Runway lately?" She grinned at the small scoffing sound and her grin turned into a smile as Miranda began a tirade about the incompetence she was surrounded with on a daily basis. Taking a bite of her chicken, Andy chewed, listened and nodded at the appropriate times.

The food was delicious, if she did say so herself, but it was the company that had made this evening special. Before Miranda knew it, their plates only held the remains of their meals. "Would you like dessert?"

"Oh..." Andy placed her hand over her stomach, "Maybe later." She gestured to the table, "May I help you clean up?"

Miranda waved off that suggestion, "Not tonight." She indicated the rest of the kitchen, "I clean as I go, so this is all that's left. It won't take long." Miranda could tell that Andrea was upset about leaving the used plates on the table. "Andrea, will you stay to watch a movie with me tonight?"

"Dinner and a movie?" Andy grinned.

"Mmmm..." Miranda smirked, "That is the traditional, first date, activity, is it not?"

"I suppose it is." Andy nodded, "What movie are we going to watch?"

"While the girls often choose movies in the science fiction, fantasy genre, I prefer the classics." Miranda evaluated the dress she had sent for Andrea to wear. "Would you be adverse to changing your clothes?"

"Changing?" Andy smoothed her palm over her stomach, "Is there a problem with the dress?"

"No, no problem, "Miranda assured her guest, "As I said, you look lovely in it. It just doesn't seem to be...appropriate, for movie watching on the couch."

"Ah." Nodding at that, Andy shrugged, "Sure, I'll change." Dark eyes twinkled, recalling Miranda said there was another outfit for her upstairs.

"Very well." Smiling, Miranda gestured to the kitchen in general. "I will tidy up and change as well." She began gathering the plates from the table and leaned over slightly to blow out the candle.

"Okay." Andy pointed to the stairs, "I'll just go then?"

Miranda nodded, "I'll be up in a moment to show you where the entertainment room is."

Entertainment room... Andy blinked, "Right."