A/N: story was updated June 2013. violence/aggression warning.

Chapter 10

Miranda and Andrea looked at each other in panic. Miranda crawled out of bed, slipped her gown back on and grabbed a robe her as she handed Andrea her cell phone and motioned towards the walk-in closet.

"Go-now. Stephen can't see you here," Miranda said. Andrea didn't want to let Miranda face Stephen, but she knew that Miranda was right. It would be worse if he found Andrea there.

In the closet, Andrea quickly sent a text message to the girls: Stephen is back-call 911 and lock yourselves in your room!

Her heart was racing, and she could only hope the police would arrive quickly. She bit her lip as she heard Miranda unlock the door.

"Andy, you fucking cunt—" Stephen shouted as he barged into the room. Miranda stood with her arms crossed. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and despite the intense sex she recently experienced with Andrea, she looked exhausted.

"Stephen," she said. "Not who you were expecting?"

"Uh, Miranda, uh, what the fuck are you doing here?"

"Last time I checked, I shouldn't have to explain my presence in my bedroom in my own home."

"Uh, but, but," he stammered, "you were in Paris."

"Correct. I was. Now I am not."

"Why—why did you come back early?"

"Stephen, I refuse to explain myself to you. But I am quite exhausted and would like to get back to sleep. I believe you know your way out."

"Where is she?" Stephen said, grabbing Miranda's elbow and pulling her towards him. "Where is that fucking whore? She was just here."

"Let me go," Miranda said firmly, twisting her arm out of his grasp.

"Where is she?!" Stephen demanded, raising his voice and pulling Miranda tightly against his body. She could feel his hardened penis pushing into her abdomen. "I have some unfinished business with her," he whispered into Miranda's ear, his hot breath sending a chill down her spine.

"Stephen, if I remember correctly, Andrea is my assistant, employed by Runway. You should have absolutely no business whatsoever with her. Now if you will please leave—she is not here."

"Okay, but you are," Stephen whispered, pushing Miranda backwards onto the bed.

"Stop it! Get off me!" Miranda screamed as she squirmed and tried to wriggle her way out from underneath him. "No, Stephen—stop—don't!" she cried as he forcefully pinned her body down underneath him and quickly unzipped his pants to produce his throbbing dick. Miranda was frantically kicking at him as she attempted to keep her legs together. "Let. Me. Go!" she screamed as his fingers dug into her hips.

Andrea watched all this from the closet, hidden between Miranda's garment bags. Where were the police? she wondered. As she saw Stephen's fingers digging into Miranda's hips, she decided she had seen enough. She ran over and grabbed the lamp from the table by the door, lunging at Stephen and hitting him over the head. He stumbled away from the bed, and gave Andrea just enough time to lift the brass lamp again, this time striking him in the head with heavy base of the lamp. Stephen fell to the floor with a thud, and Andrea quickly dropped the lamp and turned to the bed where Miranda was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Miranda!" Andrea cried, running to the bed. She brushed the hair out of Miranda's face and pulled her into her arms, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Miranda nodded.

"Hey," Andrea said, brushing her fingers along the editor's cheek. "I know you're scared. It's going to be okay," Andrea reassured, standing to her feet and gently tugging the woman to come with her. Miranda moved to the edge of the bed and sat for a minute, hanging her head. Andrea took the opportunity to grab some clothes for Miranda to change into when the police arrived.

"Let's get out of here, okay?" Andrea asked.

Again, Miranda nodded and stood. Andrea led her out of the room with her hand resting on the small of her back. When Miranda turned to shut the door, she gasped, seeing the pool of blood forming near Stephen's head. "Oh my god!"

"Shh, an ambulance is on its way," Andrea said. "What's important is that he didn't hurt you."

"Oh god, the girls!" Miranda cried, clutching Andrea's hand tighter.

"I told them to lock themselves in their room. They're okay, too."

Miranda took a deep breath as she headed up the stairs to check on the girls. "Will you-will you stay here and watch-I mean-" she trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Yes. I'll make sure he doesn't leave that room until the police get here," Andrea said.

Miranda smiled and hurried upstairs, instructing the girls to let her in.

No more than three minutes later, Andrea saw two police officers burst into the foyer, since Stephen apparently left the door unlocked. "Up here," Andrea called from the top of the stairs. "We need an ambulance," she added.

"Are you hurt, ma'am?" one of the officers asked.

"No. Miranda is upstairs with her daughters. He's in there," she said, pointing to the bedroom.

The officer drew his gun and opened the door. "Get an EMT up here now!" he called back down the stairs. Andrea watched as people rushed in and out of the bedroom, until finally they carried Stephen out on a stretcher.

"Is he-?"

"He was hit pretty hard on the head, but it doesn't look like much more than a concussion. Now, I need to ask you what happened."

Andrea took a deep breath and sat in the 2nd floor sitting room with the two officers. "I'm Andrea Sachs, Miranda's assistant. I was staying here watching her daughters while she was away. Yesterday, Stephen came in and tried to attack me-he tried to rape me," she said, her voice quivering.

"It's okay, you're doing great," the female officer said, reaching out and squeezing Andrea's hand.

Andrea mustered a smile and continued. "Miranda came home early this morning. I was helping her unpack in the closet while she was getting ready, and we heard Stephen pounding on the door, looking for me. He said he had 'unfinished business' with me. Miranda told me to stay in the closet. I thought once he realized that Miranda was home and I wasn't there, he would leave. But he didn't."

"What happened next?" the officer asked.

"Well, he said something about me not being there, but Miranda was, and he pushed her against the mattress. She was kicking and screaming for him to stop, but he just held her down and unzipped his pants. I-I couldn't let him hurt her!" Andrea said, burying her face into her hands as she started crying.

Miranda quietly took a seat next to Andrea, wearing the yoga pants and top she had pulled before they left. She gently draped her arm around Andrea's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm so proud of you, Andrea," she said.

Andrea looked up and smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes before continuing. "I saw what he was going to do, and I knew I needed to push him away. But I was scared that he would attack me like yesterday, so I reached for the closest thing, which happened to be the lamp. The first time I hit him, I kind of missed, but at least he stepped away and let Miranda go. When I saw him looking at me, I just lifted the lamp and swung with all my strength. Oh god, there was so much blood," she cried, turning to bury her face in Andrea's shoulder.

"If it's not clear," Miranda said coolly, "we will be pressing charges. I want him chained to whatever hospital bed he is in so he cannot terrorize my family," she said.

"Ma'am, would you agree that this is the correct chain of events?" the officer asked. "Can you tell me what happened in your words?"

"Oh this is ridiculous," she scoffed. "Arrest him!"

"Ma'am-"

"It's Miranda."

"Okay, Miranda-I'm sorry, but we need your version of the story."

Miranda took a deep breath. "I was in Paris. Stephen assaulted my assistant who was staying with my daughters. I came home early. Stephen started pounding on my bedroom door. He tried to force himself on me. Andrea hit him with the lamp to knock him away from me."

The officer nodded. "Thank you. Now, I'm sorry to ask this, but we need to gather both of your fingerprints. And, ma-Miranda, if you wouldn't mind, my partner here will need to lift fingerprints off your skin."

Andrea began to protest, but Miranda squeezed her hand. "They need this evidence to put Stephen away," she whispered.

Miranda led the female officer to her study while the other officer stayed with Andrea and took her prints. "Where exactly did he touch you, Miranda?" she asked as she wiped the ink off Miranda's fingers.

"My wrist and my hips," she said, demonstrating how he held her. The officer carefully tried to lift a print off Miranda's wrist.

"I'm sorry, but I'll need to take prints from your hips, too. It's the best chance we have of putting him away."

Miranda nodded and stood, carefully slipping her pants and underwear down enough to expose her hips. "Ahh, I see it's starting to bruise," she said. "I hate to say it, but the bruising actually helps support your story."

"Officer?" Miranda said quietly, waiting for the woman to look up. "There will likely be two sets of prints-one Stephen's and one Andrea's."

"Miranda, did she hurt you?"

"No, no, no. She and I were, uh, intimate, prior to Stephen's arrival and I hadn't had the chance to shower. If you can please be discreet...?"

"Oh of course," she said with a grin. "I understand. But just so you know, it will be torture keeping this from my wife."

Miranda smiled. "Well, I'm sure it will be in the papers sooner or later. You may tell your wife as long as you don't reveal Andrea's identity," Miranda said, slipping her pants back up as she led the officer from the room.

"Officers, will there be anything else? I plan to have my bedroom cleaned and redecorated tonight-will that be a problem?"

"No, ma'am, we have everything we need. Here's my card-call if there's anything else you need," he said, handing his business card to Andrea.

"Please let us know if Stephen is released. We would-or I would, anyway-like to take out an order of protection," Andrea said.

"You got it," the female detective responded. "You ladies take care of yourselves and we'll make sure the bastard gets what he deserves, although you gave us a pretty good start!"

"Thank you," Miranda said, showing them out the door.

"How are the girls? Andrea asked as Miranda set the alarm."

"They were very concerned, but relieved to know neither you nor I was hurt. I think I'm going to take them to stay in a hotel for a few days just until this blows over. Would you-if you want-I mean," she sighed in frustration. "Andrea, you are welcome to come with us. I know you have your own place, and I know I probably won't be the best company because the girls will want to sleep with me, but, I'd like you there, too."

Andrea smiled and nodded, softly kissing Miranda on the lips.

TBC…