A/N: This is the second to last chapter of what I have mostly finished while I was tweaking More Than Just Baggage. So there'll be another little wait while I get a few more done. I know where we're going roughly but I don't know how we're getting there except slowly. Hope you all like the low and slow burnies lol Thank you all for the beautiful reviews and kudos you are leaving. I'm very proud of this little weird fic I've got going on here.
See disclaimer, Chapter 1.
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Caroline, Andy discovered, was a much more on-the-ball child than Cassidy. Where Cassidy was sometimes laser focussed on a single thing, she could also be quite flighty otherwise. Caroline noticed everything, just like her mother and Andy couldn't help but chuckle at times.
"You looked just like your mom when you did that," she muttered.
"Really?" Caroline grinned. "Cool."
They walked down the block to 5th and went in a few stores. Contrary to what Andy had imagined, Caroline asked for nothing and she wondered why.
"I have your mom's card, you know. If you want something -"
"I know," Caroline smiled easily. "She told me. I just haven't found anything I want enough, yet."
Andy was charmed and wrapped an arm around Caroline as they walked.
"So," Andy grinned as the girl looked up at her. "What do you like doing, other than drawing?"
"I dunno," Caroline shrugged. "I'm not really into sport, that's Cass' deal but," she shrugged. "I kinda always wanted to try rock-climbing."
"No way!" Andy grinned. "That's awesome, I've always wanted to do that too!" She thought about it for a moment. "Hey, do you reckon we could get your Mom to try it?"
Caroline laughed and laughed, leaning against Andy.
"She's so afraid of heights. Like, the reason she takes elevators alone is cos she like," Caroline rolled her eyes affectionately. "Totally freaks out sometimes. She'd kinda used to the Runway ones, but the small ones, like at Mr Holt's building? They really worry her."
"See, where were you when I needed you!" Andy grinned, grabbing Caroline and tickling her a little. "I wish I'd known that when I started working for her."
"It's her best-kept secret."
"Yeah it is, no wonder she likes to ride alone. Guess I'll have to keep an eye on her.'
"You really like Mom, huh," Caroline asked, looking in the window of H&M. She turned her nose up at the selection and they kept walking.
"I do," Andy smiled. "She's a good friend."
"Mom doesn't really have friends usually. And you work for her," Caroline blushed. "And you said you don't have as many friends as you used to. And I kinda already know that's cos of Mom, so," she trailed off. "I don't get it."
"Is this about me or this Sadie chick who is supposedly not so great."
"She's not terrible," Caroline muttered.
"Really?"
"No, ok," she sighed. "She can be super mean sometimes."
"You know," Andy said gently. "If you know about something bad and you don't do anything about it, you're -"
Her breath caught as she remembered Paris and her hands shook as she tried to finish her sentence.
"You okay?" Caroline asked, her hand sliding into Andy's.
"Yeah," she smiled. "Yeah, sorry. I just meant to say that if someone does something bad and you know about it but don't do anything then you can be as bad as the person doing the thing."
"You just thought something weird cos your face is a weird colour."
"Something happened in Paris and I just kinda had a flashback. But it's ok, it worked out in the end."
"You mean Uncle Nigel? Mom told me," she sighed. "She didn't mean to hurt his feelings, she feels bad about it."
"I know," Andy sighed. "I gave your Mom a hard time about it at the time but," she groaned. "I was just as bad cos I knew before she said anything and I didn't do anything either. I should have told him."
"Just say you're sorry and don't do it again," Caroline grinned easily, pointing across the street. "Can we go to Barnes and Noble?"
"We can but I planned on taking you somewhere like Barnes and Noble, but better. Wanna go in here first or get where we're going and come back if you want to?"
"Where?"
"It's a surprise," Andy grinned.
"I wanna go there first."
They wandered down 5th avenue to Bryant Park.
"A food truck?" Carole looked at her sideways.
"Nope, although we can get something later if you like. This place we're going is even better."
They made their way between the people to 6th and Andy pointed across the road.
"What is that?"
"I'll show you, come on," Andy grinned, crossing the road carefully.
"Oh. My. God!" Andy laughed as Caroline's face lit up! "Andy!" She squealed and threw herself into Andy's arms with a giggle. "This is totally amazing! How did you find this!"
"Just did a bit of smart googling," Andy chuckled. "Go wild, want me to wander around with you or you got this?"
"I can go on my own?"
"Sure," she bit her tongue trying not to imagine Miranda's face when she found out Caroline wandered the store almost alone. "I think there are three floors and I'll come with you to each floor, don't go without me," she ruffled Caroline's fringe a little. "Otherwise go crazy!"
"I love you, this is amazing."
Andy chuckled and found a cute little chair to sit on. She dealt with a few emails and returned a call, smiling as Caroline brought her a book to hold. She flipped through it as she listened to the designer's secretary complain about the unfair demands Miranda was putting on her until Andy put a stop to it and told her in no uncertain terms would Andy be not be recommending the designer again if they didn't get on with providing the samples required.
As the woman put down the phone, she heard the bitch and laughed. She'd learnt a lot from Miranda already and knew not to let it bother her.
She sent the woman on her mind a text, sending her location and a rundown of how excited Caroline has been. She wasn't worried if Miranda didn't reply, but she laughed as she got a picture back.
There, on her screen was a cartoon drawing of Irv, surrounded by up ticking graphs, having a tantrum and crying.
Wish you were here.
And chuckled and replied.
Wish you were here! There'll be a gyro with your name on it if you can get here by 6?
She didn't get another reply and played a game or two on her phone before she decided that she very well could be here for a long time. She went for a wander down the shelves, looking at a few of the books with interest.
"Hey! This is so cool, thank you so much for bringing me, Andy!"
"You are most welcome kiddo," Andy smiled, liberating another book and a DVD from her hands. "You know these are backwards, right?"
Caroline laughed and leaned against Andy.
"Yeah, in Japan, they read from the back. Even when they publish in English, they keep it authentic."
"I totally didn't know that," Andy exclaimed, flicking through a few properly.
"They're really cool. My English teacher reckons they're not real books but if we could read them, I reckon more people would read for fun! They're like reading a movie!"
"Look, I like lots of words but I'd never tell you something you enjoyed didn't count. "
"Exactly!" Caroline huffed. "Jordan, a guy in my math class, told me about these, he's," she bit her lip. "He has that thing where he can't read things? They like squish together?"
"Dyslexic?"
"Yes!" Caroline said. "He reads these cos there are not quite as many words but the story is just as good!"
"He sounds like a smart guy," Andy grinned as the tips of Caroline's ears went pink. "You hang out with him a lot?"
"Um," Caroline swallowed. "Not really."
"How come?"
"Um," she looked sad and Andy realised immediately.
"Sadie?"
"Yeah," Caroline whispered.
"Do you know what?" Andy said gently. "I think Jordan would be a way better friend to have than Sadie would be. Does Sadie do stuff you want to do?"
"No," Caroline frowned. "And I bet Jordan would love this place."
"How about next week you spend some time hanging out with him instead of this queen bitch and see if you like it better," Andy smiled. "If you like. I'm not telling you, but it might be nicer."
"Thank you," Caroline whispered. "Cass is really big, you know? Nobody really remembers me when she's around, which is totally cool," she shrugged. "She's my twin, but -"
"Your mom does, sweetie, and I do too. Any time you feel like that, let me know and I'll take Cass for a run or something and let you get some mom time in."
She grinned lopsidedly and leaned against Andy's side.
"Can we go look at the drawing stuff downstairs?"
"Definitely. While you're looking, you gotta help me pick out some stuff for your Mom."
"She doesn't draw," Caroline frowned. "Does she?"
Andy pulled up her messages and showed her Miranda's little doodle.
"That's so funny! Why didn't I know that?"
"I don't know if she has too much time at the moment. When I see them, I grab them, but she doesn't do it too often. Maybe you can help me put them all into a book one day."
"She's so," Caroline sighed. "Mysterious. Like, I didn't know that she drew and she never cooks but she cooked the other night!"
"She did," Andy remembered with a grin. "I think she wouldn't be as awesome if she wasn't a little mysterious."
"That's true," she sighed. "Okay, I'm going to look at those," she said, pointing to a stack of notebooks. I reckon Mom needs some pencils, like proper graphite ones. And a new book."
"I am in your capable hands, Little Bit!"
"I like that," she giggled. "Does Mom tell you off for giving us nicknames?"
"She does a little, but not too much," Andy grinned. "I think secretly she likes them."
"You're delusional," Caroline giggled.
They picked out some stuff for Miranda and made their way to the counter, paying for it and bagging it up. The girl on the register had black and bright-blue hair and Caroline couldn't stop grinning.
As they went back outside, the usual after-work rush was on and Andy looked at the lines for the better food trucks and sighed. They'd be a good while in the line but they clearly weren't in a rush. Miranda still hadn't texted so Andy assumed they were in the meeting for the long-haul.
"How hungry are you?" she asked. "It's busy, so it'll be a wait and there's no way a Food Truck is gonna do the whole Miranda Priestly thing," she chuckled. "We'll have to wait like every other schmuck here."
"I can wait," Caroline said easily. "We're not brats you know."
"I know that, Little," Andy smiled, wrapping her arm around her as they crossed over to the park. "I just don't want you fainting and me having to carry you home. That would suck in this heat."
"You so silly," Caroline smiled, leaning on her as they got in line.
