Chapter 12

**Louden Pines**

Rebecca couldn't relax, knowing the police were on the street had sky-rocketed her tension. It didn't matter that they weren't there for her, they were there.

"I don't understand," Elizabeth said quietly to her sister, "if they're here for a drug bust why are they waiting?"

The two adults were watching out the front window, trying not to be seen.

"I don't know. You don't think they're here for anything else, do you?" Rebecca raised her eyebrows and tilted her head toward the twins.

"No," Elizabeth answered quickly, "they wouldn't have come to our door if they were watching us."

"Why would they be watching us, Mommy," Cassidy asked sweetly.

"Are we in trouble or something?" Caroline joined in.

"Of course, not. Dinner's over. Go to bed," Elizabeth snapped at the little girls.

"Um, I'm sorry, but Mo-uh, Miranda didn't tell us to pack bags today, so we have no clothes with us," Caro said quietly.

"Auntie Rebecca will get you each a t-shirt to sleep in for tonight and then tomorrow, Mommy and Daddy will take you shopping for all new clothes. No more ridiculous fashionista stuff for my twins."

Blinking at the woman, Caroline simply nodded and let her sister do the speaking. They followed Rebecca into the bedroom where she yanked open a drawer and quickly grabbed out two baggy, old shirts before slamming the drawer back shut and stomping back to the living room.

"Cass, what are we going to do?"

"There is nothing to worry about, Caro!" Cassidy smiled, whispering back to her sister. "Didn't you hear what she said?"

"Yes. I've been listening. I just don't understand why you're so excited about never seeing Mom again!" Caroline turned her back on Cassidy and started to change out of her uniform.

"Honestly, you may have been listening but you didn't hear the best part! She said that Mommy and Daddy would take us shopping. Daddy! If we're with Dad then we can go back to Mom right away! Do you really think Dad would leave Jenn and Chris to get back together with crazy Elizabeth? As long as it's true that we're going to be with Dad, we'll be home by tomorrow night," Cassidy hugged Caroline tightly before she, too, changed her clothes.

In the living room, the older pair of sisters was also disagreeing.

"Get away from the damn window, Elizabeth," Rebecca spat, "if they see you watching they're gonna want to know why you're so interested."

"No they're not, Rebecca. Wake up. We live in a trailer park. What the hell else would we be doing if we aren't watching the action out the window?"

"Well, what are we going to do with the kids? We can't exactly parade the two of them out there in front of a street full of cops. How are we going to get the money from that bitch?"

Elizabeth rounded quickly on her sister, "I told you already, I don't care about the money. None of it is for me. I just want my family back. James and the girls should be with me. That's the goal. The money is for you and Stephen and I don't want to hear about it again."

"You're going to hear about it again because we need the money to get the papers, remember? Stephen is only going to do those forms for you if we give him two and a half million."

In the bedroom, Cassidy and Carline were quietly listening by the door. Both girls were relieved to hear that their real father was not truly implicated in their situation.

"C'mon, Caro, let's get in bed. We don't want them to know we're listening. We should act like we're excited to be going home with her and Dad tomorrow and that we want to go to bed to make tomorrow come faster," Cass whispered.

Caroline nodded, though she kept her thoughts to herself. She didn't have the great feeling about tomorrow that her sister did. Caroline thought that there was a really big chance that anything with Stephen's stamp of approval on it could easily go bad and end up hurting them. What would Elizabeth and Rebecca be capable of when they realized their mom would never give them up? What would they do when they found out Dad would want nothing to do with Elizabeth? No, Caroline was not going to happily go to bed. The only reason she would be able to sleep at all was knowing there were police officers right outside.

**On the plane**

Andy jerked awake to the quiet sound of knocking.

"Miranda? Andy? We're going to start our final descent in a few minutes. You two should be buckled into seats for that, please."

"Yes, thank you," Andy called back through the door. Miranda hadn't stirred and Andy took a moment to look at the woman sleeping on her shoulder. She's finally resting but she's not nearly at peace. Even in sleep right now she looks so stressed. I hate to have to wake her.

Andy gently rubbed Miranda's back before whispering, "Miranda?"

Instead of waking, the older woman snuggled in closer reaching her right arm across Andy's body to rest on Andy's hip…where her shirt had inadvertently ridden up.

Andy took a deep breath, calming her suddenly racing heart. Well, I have to leave Runway anyway, may as well go for broke. Turning her head slightly, she pressed a light kiss to the other woman's forehead and brushed her fingers through the iconic hair of the editor. "Miranda, the plane's going to land in a few minutes, we need to be strapped in so we don't get hurt."

Andy felt the older woman wake up, the petite body tensed as she tried to pull away but Andy held tight to her. "Miranda, it's okay. Take a moment to wake up before you try to move. We're both still exhausted, let's not rush. Are you okay?"

"I apologize, Andréa. I did not intend to…to…"

"Snuggle?" Andy smiled.

Miranda sat up, looking at the sleep softened face of her companion. She sniffed haughtily, "I am Miranda Priestly, the Dragon Lady. Do you not know? Dragons do not…snuggle."

"Well, I'm Andy Sachs…and Andys DO…snuggle."

"Hmm, and Andréas? Do Andréas snuggle, as well?"

"Absolutely," Andy answered. Are we flirting? I think we're flirting. Holy shit. Flirting! With Miranda Priestly! I'm never going to recover from this! Just then, Andy felt the plane shift. "Quickly, Miranda, we need to get buckled up."

"Andréa!" Miranda said sharply, getting the young woman's attention.

Turning back, Andy looked at Miranda questioningly.

"These panels on the wall here are emergency seats. Come here and help me pull this down and we can strap in right here."

"Oh," Andy answered meekly.

The two women made quick work of it and were seated before the most intense part of their descent began. The silence was heavy with unspoken words…charged with feelings.

"Miranda," Andy said quietly, turning to the other woman.

"Yes, Andréa?"

"I, um, can I, that is, may I ask you a very personal question?"

"You may."

"Are you getting divorced?"

"As soon as possible, I will have my attorney review the paperwork and will sign whatever is necessary to have this finished as swiftly as is reasonable."

Andy nodded.

"Was there a reason for your question?"

"I…it feels inappropriate to say it."

"Please," Miranda whispered, looking into Andy's eyes.

"I think there's something here, Miranda. Something big, between us. I want to explore that but I don't want to do it with your divorce hanging over us," Andy answered honestly, her hands and voice shaking in equal amount.

"Andréa Sachs, you are quite possibly the bravest woman I have ever met," Miranda said with a smile.

Andy grinned a little, and tilted her head, "I am?"

"You are. You have done so, so many things in the last two days that no other mere mortal could attempt. You offered me, the Dragon Lady, solace last night. Most people would have quickly sold the story of the Ice Queen crying to the paparazzi…but, not you. You raced all over this morning trying to warn me of Irv's scheming instead of standing back and watching with everyone else who was probably cheering Irv and Jacqueline on in their quest. You walked away from me when you thought I had done or said something terrible. You came back – which may have been the bravest thing of all. You have held my hand and dried my tears, stood up to me and for me and with me. Andréa," Miranda laughed, "you put the American Ambassador in his place when he wouldn't do what I wanted him to do. What would I ever have done without you here? And, finally, you acknowledge what we both know is here but I would have left unsaid, unexplored. Yes, Andréa Sachs, you are the bravest woman I know," Miranda finished with her hand gently cupping Andy's smooth cheek.

"If I confessed one more thing would you promise to call me brave and not foolish?"

"Yes," Miranda breathed.

"I want to kiss you right now. Every molecule in my body wants me to kiss you right now but I won't," Andy reached up and held Miranda's palm in place, "I'm going to submit a letter of resignation, find and train a replacement for myself, spend as much time as possible with you and the girls and then, when your divorce is final and I no longer work for you, I'm going to kiss you senseless."

"I like your plan," Miranda answered, blushing lightly and leaning back into her own seat before she was unable to refrain from kissing the other woman any longer.

When Andy tangled their fingers together and leaned her head back, closing her eyes, Miranda quietly spoke again, "Andréa, you truly think whatever plan Detective Benson has cooked up will work? Honestly, Andrea, do you think it will work?"

"Yes, I think the detectives and ADA who are working on this have put together the best possible plan for getting your babies back safely. It makes me nervous that I don't know what the plan is, but I do trust that it is a good one. Okay?" Andy gently squeezed the hand in hers.

Miranda nodded.

The two sat quietly as they felt the plane bump down. The captain spoke over the speaker system, "Ladies, we are being held here for a moment until the ramp is ready and we can move into position. We're going to de-plane you here on the tarmac, there are police cars waiting to escort you wherever it is you need to go. Good luck."

"Before we do that, Andréa, I would like to be as brave as you."

"What is it, Miranda? You have a confession?" Andy's heart pounded loudly in her throat as she waited for Miranda to tell her she needed some distance.

Miranda took a deep breath and turned toward her soon-to-be-ex-assistant, "I want to kiss you, as well."

A/N: It took me FOREVER to get that much done and I felt that I should post it so you know I'm still working! Please review – love it? Hate it? Bored by it? Let me know, please!