I don't own The Devil Wears Prada.

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When Miranda first opened her eyes she had for one blissful moment forgotten that she had ever been goaded into going to Andrea's for a confrontation that had been admittedly overdue. Then, she looked around, not immediately recognizing her surroundings, and remembered everything. She remembered Andrea holding onto her hand like she was some sort of plush toy whose purpose was to defend her against the evils brought on by the night, and she remembered that it was quite likely she was lying in the exact spot Aquarius had so recently decided to vacate. The bed wasn't at all comfortable, and Miranda idly wondered if Aquarius's continued preference for staying at her home had more to do with the bed and less to do with the company.

She shook the thought away, knowing that for whatever reasons Aquarius chose to get away, she probably had a more restful night than Miranda had. The only reason Miranda had stayed was because she discovered she had an emotional weakness to Andrea's tears. She simply hadn't had the heart to leave so soon after Aquarius had walked out the door, and somehow Miranda knew Aquarius had already been attuned to that weakness and perhaps had even invested in it.

Miranda straightened out her clothes the best she could and then walked out of the bedroom. She could hear Andrea moving around and was somewhat disappointed that it would be impossible for her to slip out the front door unnoticed. She had no intention of continuing the conversation they had started the previous night, knowing that anything further they confessed to would ultimately be pointless.

They could talk about emotions and feelings all day, but Miranda had long ago decided that entering into any sort of relationship with Andrea was simply impossible. There was too much negativity built up between them, and Miranda quite honestly didn't want to try and overcome it. She, however, felt vulnerable since her actions were proving to contradict her intentions and knew that if given the chance she'd find some way to further compromise her intent.

"I'm not going to stop you from leaving," Andrea called from the kitchen.

Miranda turned away from the front door. "What makes you say that?"

Andrea stepped out of her hiding spot. "You're staring at the door." She shrugged. "So, I guess if you're waiting for something…" She ran her hand through her hair. "Look, I don't want to talk about last night anymore than you do, okay?"

It would be easy for her to walk out the door and return to her home and her life. She had already fulfilled any obligation she felt to ease some of the pain she had caused Andrea, but Miranda knew it was entirely plausible that six months down the road Andrea would be at her doorstep in tears blaming her for once again ruining something. Andrea was entirely too comfortable with using her as a scapegoat, and Miranda was becoming increasingly tired of it, just as she had grown tired of giving into Andrea's emotional whims. Vulnerable or not, their conversation was not over because they had shared a bed.

"It is not okay," Miranda forced herself to say. "I am still very much involved in your career, and as such, that means that we must maintain a professional relationship and it is obvious you are unable to do that."

Andrea dropped her head and then rubbed at her forehead. "I really don't want to do this now."

"Neither do I," Miranda immediately responded, "but I am because it needs doing. When I walk away from you today, I want us to understand one another."

"Fine." Andrea kept her head down. "So what is it you want to do?"

The question wasn't a difficult one, but Miranda didn't have an answer for it. She knew what she wanted, but she had no idea what it was she actually wanted to do. Her life had been completely unsettled for too long and all she wanted was some semblance of balance. She wanted her girls to move back into her home. She wanted Nigel to stop looking at her like she had once again killed his puppy by promoting Aquarius. She wanted the stupid pointless battles she fought on a daily basis to disappear. There was just so many…things she wanted, but she couldn't do much of anything.

She was stuck in a continuous state of maintaining everything around her. The last true thing she had chosen to do was to marry Stephen and that hadn't turned out to be a great decision. "You must stop using me as a scapegoat, Andrea. It might surprise you to discover that I am not the all-powerful being you have mistaken me for."

Andrea raised her gaze. She opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. Her gaze fell back to the ground. "Okay," she whispered.

Miranda swallowed, and she felt the need to turn away from Andrea, but she forced herself to remain still. "And we must become friends, Andrea."

Andrea's head quickly lifted but Miranda spoke again before Andrea could say anything. "It is obvious that neither of us have any immediate intentions of removing ourselves from the other's life. So, I believe it would be best we give up on what we have been attempting and try something different."

"You're serious," Andrea said after a long moment.

Starting up a friendship wasn't what Miranda wanted to do, but she conceded that they needed to move away from the dysfunctional relationship they had somehow managed to cultivate. "We must start somewhere."

"Start? Start what?"

Miranda looked at the front door again. "My greatest failures have been in my personal relationships." She met Andrea's eyes. "And while I think it is an incomprehensible notion, I believe we might benefit from eventually exploring whatever phenomenon seems to continuously draw us together, but I'll not sabotage it by making promises I have no intention of keeping. For now, I am only willing to pursue a friendship."

Andrea looked around helplessly. "I think I need to sit down." She found the wall and then leaned against it. "Why now, Miranda?" She crossed her arms in front of her. "Why not six months ago before we…just why now?"

"I've already answered that."

Andrea squinted her eyes as if she were trying to decipher the meaning of Miranda's word without understanding the language. "You haven't answered anything," she said. "You never answer anything." She pushed herself away from the wall. "You give orders and you use big words that hardly ever mean anything." She took a step closer to Miranda, and Miranda forced herself to stand her ground. "You want me to stop using you as a scapegoat?" Andrea asked her voice slightly elevated. "Then treat me like someone you give a damn about."

It had been a risk starting this conversation, Miranda knew, but she was used to taking risks. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't give a damn." Miranda felt, for the first time in a long time, her composure crumbling. "I am standing here in front of you despite my every desire not to, and for reasons I can't quite comprehend I am subjecting myself to your scrutiny. So please, start treating me like a human being for once. I am a woman, Andrea, just like you and I wish..." She stumbled over her words, and closed her eyes. "I am a woman," she repeated. "Miranda Priestly is just a brand-name that has been bought and paid for by my relentless effort and continued sacrifice." She slowly opened her eyes, but then turned away from Andrea. She didn't want to look at the younger woman, not anymore. "Call me when you finally understand that."

She didn't look back as she walked through the front door, and Andrea didn't bother to try and call her back. Miranda was sure that even if Andrea chased after her, she wouldn't reenter the apartment. She had said more than she had wanted, but refused to regret any of it. She so often found regret in her words and actions because she found she more often than not did what was best for her while completely ignoring the needs of others. She would regret her selfishness, but didn't very often apologize for it.

Now, what she had just done was not in her best interest. It was far from it. She was offering Andrea a way to resolve their constant state of conflict, and in that vein had confessed to something she had never before bothered to say to anyone. Alain had the benefit of knowing her before she had become the infamous Miranda Priestly. When they had met, she was just some youthful girl with more ambition than she knew what to do with. Stephen had the benefit of being in a high enough position within his own profession that he could glimpse under the mask and make out the outline of a human being. Andrea had no such benefits. She had been swept under the hysterical melee that pursued the utterances of Miranda's name, and Miranda had never before seen a reason to completely shatter that.

Yes, she had shown Andrea that she was capable of tears. She had shown that she could be indecisive. She had shown bits of her relentless humanity, but she had never admitted to anything. She hadn't thrown the figurative rock that would shatter the glass that protected her. She had always been too selfish to risk doing something like that. This would be the first time she had so willingly shattered her own defenses. It was the only way she knew how to throw away the regrets she had gathered up through her continued association with Andrea.

If whatever they chose to pursue ended up in failure, then Miranda now knew she could look at herself and say that it had not been because she hadn't tried to make something work. She had handed off the responsibility of carrying the burden of power to Andrea. It was hers now, and what she did with it would remain to be seen.

***

Miranda walked into her home, thankful that she had made it back intact. She was overly tired, and felt like taking a shower. She wanted to rest, but knew her schedule would not give her that single luxury. She walked to the staircase, and then slowly walked up the stairs. She listened for the sounds of someone moving around but heard nothing and suspected that Aquarius had already left.

When she made it to her bedroom, she was surprised to see that a fresh set of clothes had been set out for her. She walked further into the room, until she reached the master bath. There was a note waiting for her on the sink, but she didn't bother to read it; she didn't have to. Aquarius had set out candles and Miranda could smell the lavender that was coming from the newly drawn bath that was waiting for her.

She stripped off her clothes, letting each piece fall to the floor not really caring where it landed, and then slipped into the steaming water. It felt wonderful against her skin and she could feel her muscles beginning to relax against the heated onslaught. This was how she would have preferred to start her day, but she could still not regret what she had done.

"Breakfast is waiting downstairs for you when you're finished" Aquarius's voice carried through the bathroom.

Miranda didn't bother to open her eyes, although she could hear Aquarius step further in.

"Should I give you my resignation?"

Miranda dipped her head under the water, and when she came back up could see Aquarius sitting on the edge of the large tub. She was in the same clothes she had worn the previous night. "And why would you want to do that?"

"I don't." Aquarius shook her head. "But I'll walk away if that's what you want."

"And why would I want that?" She combed her hands through her wet hair.

Aquarius's posture was uncharacteristically rigid. Her eyes were darting around the bathroom, never fixing on a single mark. "You're entirely too composed about this, Miranda."

"Or," Miranda smirked. "I'm too tired to act differently." She ran her eyes across Aquarius's body. "And by your appearance, I'd say you should be too tired as well."

Aquarius looked down at herself.

"Should I even guess at what you did last night?"

"I won't give you all the details," Aquarius finally looked at her, "but when I came I was sure to scream out your name."

She should let Aquarius go, Miranda knew that. She should accept Aquarius's resignation and find another way to take care of her professional life. It would be for the best, but Miranda saw the bruise covering part of Aquarius's face. She saw the bruised knuckles on Aquarius's left hand. "You're not allowed to walk away, Aquarius."

Aquarius looked away. "Do you think Andy will like the fact that I'm sitting here right now? What do you think she'll say about our..." She ran her right hand over her bruised knuckles, her words fading away.

Miranda leaned forward. She reached out and covered Aquarius's unbruised hand with her own. Aquarius looked down at her. "I'll not accept your resignation."

Aquarius pulled away. "Finish your bath," she said as she stood up. "We still have to meet with Patrick and you're supposed to pick up Caroline and Cassidy this afternoon."

Miranda kept silent as Aquarius walked out of the bathroom. When she heard her bedroom door close, she leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes, knowing that Aquarius would never again offer to silently walk away. The unfortunate truth of the matter was that Miranda needed Aquarius, and Aquarius needed her. They had invested too much time and effort into each other for an amicable divergence.

Andrea wouldn't like it, Miranda was sure of that. She wouldn't understand their relationship and would jump to irrational conclusions, but Miranda was unwilling to change her mind. There was a significant possibility that Aquarius and Miranda would tear each other apart in a civil war, but business was business and they understood that. Andrea would just have to learn to accept it.

Miranda dipped her head under the water once more, and kept herself submerged as long as she could stand it. When she lifted herself up, she was gasping for air. She ran her hands across her face as her lungs filled back up. Once her breathing was settled, she lifted herself out of the tub and prepared herself for the day.

She was clasping her watch around her wrist as she walked into the kitchen. Her eyes lifted to the table, not surprised to see Aquarius in clean clothes and looking much better than she had less than an hour before. Makeup was covering the bruise on her face, as well as the marks on her knuckles. Aquarius looked like she always did, nearly perfect and more like an icon than a woman. Miranda suspected that she now looked the same.

She sat down across from Aquarius and then silently prepared herself a plate. Aquarius handed over the newspaper, she had been reading over. Miranda accepted it, and began to quickly read over the front page as she ate.

"Irv called me a few minutes ago," Aquarius's voice broke their silence.

Miranda leaned back in her chair, giving Aquarius her full attention.

" He thinks Teen Runway is a sure thing now." Miranda could see Aquarius's hold on her fork had tightened. "You must have known that hand picking me for the promotion would push Irv into offering me the chance to head up the project."

"You have my congratulations," Miranda said as she reached out to pick up her cup of coffee.

Aquarius dropped her fork. "I knew you were planning something, Rand." She humorlessly laughed. "I just never expected it'd all come crashing down on me within the first forty-eight hours." She pushed her chair away from the table and then stood up. "We both know I'm not ready for it; that's what you're betting on, right?" She turned away from Miranda.

"You could always refuse," Miranda casually mentioned and then took a sip of her coffee.

"I could." Aquarius turned back around. "But then neither of us would get the opportunity, would we? Jacqueline is his second choice since she's breaking up with James, and you don't want her back in your playground." She didn't sound angry, but Miranda hadn't expected her to. "And if I walk away you'll make sure I'm stuck making pizza crust for the rest of my days." She helplessly shrugged. "I'm always going to come in second to you, aren't I?"

"What did you tell Irv?" Miranda didn't need to ask, she already knew. Aquarius was too stubborn and too proud to just walk away.

"Congratulations, Miranda." Aquarius sat back down. "You've just earned yourself Teen Runway. Production will most likely commence next year once all the funding is in place."

"It's a good day, Aquarius." Miranda laid down her cup. "I'm making you a very wealthy and powerful woman."

"Indentured servitude doesn't feel so good from this side of the fence, Miranda."

"No," Miranda shook her head, "I suppose it doesn't." She leaned forward, capturing Aquarius's eyes. "Do you want an apology?"

Aquarius snorted. "What?"

"Do you want an apology?" Miranda repeated. "Will it make anything better?"

Aquarius didn't break their gaze. "It's business. Don't apologize for that."

"Your bruises," Miranda pointed to Aquarius's face, "those aren't about business." She wouldn't apologize for using Aquarius for business purposes. Miranda knew Aquarius already understood that.

Aquarius's hand raised to her face. "I'm the one that left her," she whispered.

"You didn't have to," Miranda admitted. "She would have fallen in love with you."

"No," Aquarius shook her head. "She just would have loved me. Don't minimize what she feels for you, Miranda, because if you do I promise you that I won't walk away again."

Miranda nodded. "And your bruises?"

Aquarius chuckled. "You should see the other guy."

Miranda knew not to pursue their conversation, but she had always seen the woman under Aquarius's icon. She hadn't been able to ignore it. "I'm sorry she hurt you, Aquarius."

Aquarius's eyes fluttered shut and she took in several sharp breaths. "We're done talking about this."

"Of course." Miranda stood up, and then walked out of the kitchen letting Aquarius have a moment of privacy before they walked out into the world that no longer allowed them the privilege of showing their humanity.