A/N: My darlings. Social isolation is what we have always wanted. Time to sit down and devote to our glorious fandoms and our shipdoms and our secret tropes. Now is our time to shine as examples of how the world must proceed. If you can, hang out at home, like you always do. Don't panic, don't stress, take up meditation, yoga, pilates or all three. Check in on each other and don't hoard stuff that you don't need. Unless it's chocolate. I'm all for that. In the meantime, smile. Go for walks - in uncrowded, separate, open spaces. Talk to people. Draw, paint, colour, write, make music. This is an excellent time to enjoy yourself in your own company. It will all be okay.
Remember - if you are healthy, with a robust immune system, it's not about you getting it. It's about you passing it to someone who is LESS healthy, with a LESS robust immune system. Be safe and protect the people around you. And disinfect your phones, earphones/buds, desk, chair, glasses and keyboards. Cos. Ew.
For disclaimer, see Chapter 1.
-0-
"Well well well," Andy looked up with a smile at the new voice. "Look what kind of riff-raff you can find around here if you look hard enough."
"Em!"
"Alright?" she grinned, accepting the hug.
"Absolutely, you? I haven't seen you for ages!"
"Quite," she smiled.
"I hear Serena and you finally worked it out. Only took you -"
"Yeah, alright, alright," she grinned, schooling her face quickly and sniffing airily. "It's not terrible, I suppose."
"Uhuh, I'll be sure to mention that to her, next time I see her."
"Alright, it's fabulous but if you ever mention that I said that Andrea Sachs, I'll kill you."
"Emily, when you are quite finished?"
"Yes Miranda," she gulped.
"Andréa, make a note," she flashed a wicked grin. "Emily is still scared of me."
Andy laughed loudly as the door snicked closed and did just that, copying it to Emily as well as Miranda. She got up to make two coffees and just as she was about to carry them in, she noticed Irv lurking at the end of the corridor. She had left the budget notes on her desk and couldn't retrieve them without making it obvious that she knew he was up to something. Thankfully, as always now, she had already taken photos of all of them and had uploaded them to the private server. One that they'd had IT set up which had two authorised users: Andy and Miranda.
She quickly flicked on her video and recorded Irv talking to someone from editing. The man listened and then nodded, coming her way. She abandoned the coffee, dumping it in the catch-all and starting on another with her back to the door, leaving her phone in prime position to record the office. She knew the security cameras covered every inch, but she wasn't taking any chances.
"Hey," he said, confidently striding in. "I'm supposed to pick up some prints?"
"Sure," Andy turned, smiling. "Which ones?"
He was clearly not bright. All of the editing department had the pictures sent digitally. Which he would have known if he was good at his job.
"Um, that guy Nigel asked me to get them."
He really was a moron.
"Oh yeah, no problem."
She got up and went to the filing cabinet. It moved him out of her sight for barely a minute but he looked mightily guilty when she returned. She passed him copies of the prints she'd already sent to Nigel and smiled.
"Was there anything else?"
"No, that's it. Oh, hey, do you wanna maybe go for a drink sometime?"
She heard the door to Miranda's office open and answered.
"Nah. You're not my type," she shrugged.
"You gotta try, you know?"
He must have realised Miranda was there and scarpered from the room.
"Is there some reason my coffee isn't here yet?"
"A very good one," Andy mused. "Go, finish your meeting, I'll make new coffee."
"Andréa -"
"I'm pretty sure he took something off my desk. He doesn't know I know but I recorded him the whole time. Right from the minute he spoke to Irv before coming in here."
"What?" Emily's confused face looked between them. Miranda nodded and Andy explained.
"Irv's been causing trouble," Andy said to Emily. "Appearing unannounced when we're not supposed to be here, etc. Making underhanded remarks both to my face and in front of Miranda. He's doing shady shit on the other floors, though this is bold of him."
"What did he take?"
She took a look on her desk and nodded.
"At least one of the budget notes pages."
"Did you -"
"Of course," Andy scoffed. "What do you take me for?"
"Don't say anything. Make the budget with your digital notes but try and make it look like you're having trouble. If I know Irv, he'll put it back with an altered bottom line or something, so that my silly assistant will do the budget wrong and embarrass me."
"As if Andy would do that."
"Quite," Miranda chuckled. "We shall turn it on its head. Emily, if you would, keep an eye out. Obviously, he has a hold over some of my staff that I did not anticipate. Andréa, I want the name of that man. If nothing else I shall fire him for being an idiot."
Emily snorted and nodded.
"Go," Any said, nodding to the office. "Back to your meeting, I'll make coffee and get Security to send me the files from just now as well."
"Good plan," Miranda nodded. "Come, Emily. I'm ready for you to dazzle me."
Emily gulped again and Miranda not only smirked, but she also giggled quietly as well. As she followed Miranda into her office, Emily turned and stared at Andy, mouthing the words WHAT THE FUCK? Which just made Andy laugh harder. She gathered up her notes and left them in a little neater condition, close by if she needed to shove them in a drawer post-haste and made their coffees.
"Thanks, Andy," Emily said as she accepted the cup.
"I see you have finally figured out how to be the best at what you do," Miranda smiled. "I am glad."
"I," she blushed a deep red that clashed with her Westwood shirt. "May have had someone talk to me about it, yes."
"No more cheese?"
"I can't give up cheese, And-reya. I just now eat a small but robust diet of mostly vegetables as well."
"Good," Miranda hummed. "One cannot rule the world on an empty stomach."
Emily snorted but sipped her coffee. Any left them to it again and made her own, wondering at what the world would look like in ten or twenty years. Emily at the helm of Runway, Nigel at the helm of Men's Runway and Andy on Time's Best Seller's for the third month in a row. She grinned to herself and got back to the budget. Time was what they needed. Time to work on the Youtube channel, time to gather evidence of Irv's machinations. Time for Andy to make some serious headway into her future-proofing. She figured the best way to do that was to make sure of what she had currently so she put her head down and worked like she always did.
-0-
Friday afternoon swung around in a flurry of text messages from people she'd dropped small hints to about keeping their eye on Irv.
She'd made a spreadsheet on their private server, and showed Miranda, telling her she should add to it when she could. It was password protected and scrambled if you didn't have the right key, but it was going to be his downfall once they'd compiled all the evidence that he was not doing right by Elias Clarke. Miranda knew enough of the investors that Irv's time as CEO would not be for much longer.
Miranda had gone home at four to see the girls off, leaving Andy time to update the spreadsheet quietly on her phone and finish off a few tasks she'd been meaning to do all week. Miranda had also sent her a list of properties and had asked her to narrow the list down to between three and five. Considering there were over fifteen on the list, it was not an easy task.
By the time she looked up again, it was dark. She'd already locked up for the weekend and as Joey, the guy from printing, arrived with The Book, she was ready to be done. She texted Miranda that she was on her way and left, flicking off the lights and locking the doors.
"Andy!"
She blinked, stopping mid-stride on the sidewalk and turning to see Roy waving at her from the curb.
"What are you doing here?"
"She sent me back to get you, dummy. Get in the car."
She laughed and did as she was told, sliding into the front seat and not the back while being secretly thankful that she didn't have to take the subway.
"So," he said carefully. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she smiled. "Doing my thing, you know."
"Mhmm," he said with a wry smile.
"Don't tease me," she whispered. "You know I can't control her any better than you can."
"Hey," he shrugged. "Ain't nothing to do with controlling her. You do what she says and I get it."
"I don't know what she's doing."
"No?"
She looked at him with a frown and the smile he was wearing turned comforting.
"Don't worry about it Andy, it'll make sense one day, I shouldn't wonder. It's all okay. You know I'm not going to say anything."
"I know Roy, I just wish I could understand what she was doing."
"Nah, just roll with it. Like I said to her the other day when you got lunch, it's all just a big adventure."
"I'll take your word for it, Roy," she laughed when she felt the car slowing.
"That's the way. If in doubt, listen to Roy. That's everyone's motto ain't it?"
"Goodnight Roy," she said gently as she got out of the car.
"G'night ma'am," he said, tipping his hat with a grin.
"Fuck off," she said without malice.
"Enjoy your weekend!"
She was still shaking her head when she opened the door to find Miranda coming out of the kitchen to join her.
"Good evening," she said with an arched eyebrow.
"Hey," Andy sighed. "Not that I don't appreciate these clothes, and I really do these days," she watched the amusement grow in Miranda's eyes. "But I'm ready to put my PJs on."
Miranda chuckled and nodded to the kitchen.
"Well once you've done so, dinner is ready for you when you are. The girls and I ate already, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about me!" Andy said, shaking her head.
"And if I just want to?"
"Then I'll be five minutes," she smiled.
"Good. Bring that list of apartments with you."
"Oh, yep. Be back in a minute."
She changed and took the stairs two at a time back to the kitchen where Miranda was pouring two small glasses of wine.
"I have had enough really, but as you said. It is not proper to drink alone."
"I'm impressed you remember," Andy said, feeling chuffed. "You weren't really in a great frame of mind."
"I was not," she chuckled. "We had salmon, I hope that's alright?"
"Miranda, I'd be happy with toast."
"Well," she huffed. "I can certainly do better than toast."
She brandished a plate from the oven, complete with salmon and couscous and some sort of potato something.
"You ate potatoes?"
"Well," Miranda smiled. "No. But the girls enjoy them. I thought you might."
"Come, sit," Andy nodded to the chair. "Unless you have places to be?"
"You tell me?" she said with a smirk.
"Sittdown, willya?"
"A passable New York accent at best," Miranda chuckled. "You are getting better though. Don't think I couldn't hear you on the phone to the printers the other day."
Andy coloured as she took her first bite and closed her eyes.
"You're selling the world short by being the best magazine publisher on the planet. You should be cooking."
"I don't have a love for it," Miranda shrugged. "I'm good at it, as I am at everything I do -" Andy laughed. "But no, publishing is where my heart lies."
"That makes sense, I'll just consider myself extremely lucky and not say another word about it."
"Good," Miranda nodded.
"How was your day?"
"Andréa!"
"I'm serious! I can see what you did in a day, not how it went!"
"Yes you can," Miranda rolled her eyes. "It was," she paused. "Excellent, if you must know."
"Good," Andy grinned at her. "I'm glad."
"Yes yes," she swatted Andy's arm with a tea towel. "Alright, you are quite brilliant, is that what you wanted me to say?"
"What?" Andy said, feigning shock. "Me? Come now."
They laughed as Miranda drained her glass and stood to make some tea.
"I'm going to cue up a film. Join me when you're done. I have your tea."
"Yes Miranda," she sing-songed as the woman walked upstairs.
She shook her head at herself and considered how close they'd become. If someone asked her to answer truthfully, she'd say that Miranda was becoming her best friend and though she wasn't sure how or why that had happened, she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Eventually, she'd move out. She knew that deep down and she'd sort of, almost, come to terms with that. She had no doubt that in the darkness of her room, she'd cry when it finally happened because this family had come to mean so much to her. She felt so loved and cherished that she just couldn't imagine going back to living on her own, or god-forbid, with someone.
These were her people and as she'd said to Miranda over and over, she was sticking with them, whether she was staying with them or not.
