A/N: It has just occurred to me that this was supposed to be a Christmas fic - and - well it's so far not. I'm going to have to swing some festive-ness at the end there. Hope that's fine with you all. To that end, Happy whatever you celebrate (or nothing at all) to you all. 2020 has been an... interesting year... let us hope that we're on the up and up as we move forward with things.

Also, if you are interested, know there will be more After Dark quite soon. I just have to put the finishing bits on the next chapter and then write the rest.

Thank you all for following and showing such love and support for my little dabbling. I adore each and every one of you.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

-0-

Miranda sighed as she flicked off the news. She was standing in her office, overlooking the city and knew this was the end of life as they had known it.

March 18 they had reduced their onsite staff by half. The next day they halved that number again. Despite their history, Miranda was impressed with the decisive action the Mayor and the Governor had taken and had done all she could to make sure that her people were safe.

Today, March 19 they were sending everyone home. Tomorrow, she didn't doubt they would close all non-essential businesses and Runway, despite her feelings on the subject, was included in that.

"Miranda?"

"Yes?"

"Your husband is on line 3."

She sighed, rolled her eyes and sat down at her desk.

"Richard, will you give me one moment to finish." She didn't wait for confirmation. "Rebecca, have Nigel begin the shutdown. Send them home two at a time. Two additional may leave via the stairs. If I find anyone breaking this time there will be no need to work from home. Make sure all those that need it have a HotSpot and make sure that we have copies of all the forms on file."

"Yes, Miranda. I have double-checked that already but will do so again."

"Have Roy pick up my online order from Whole Foods before he comes here and call the twins to remind them that their English assignment is due tomorrow," Rebecca scribbled the last part and Miranda paused for a beat. "Then you and Molly may leave. Coordinate with Nigel as to timing. I will phone you tomorrow to begin the process of going fully online."

"Of course," she said professionally. Miranda did like that about her. "Stay safe, Miranda."

"And you," she allowed.

Already they had been notified of three possible infections. Thankfully, those people were already working from home before the mandate. She knew from the way the current Administration was going that this would not be a smooth transitional period, so she jotted down a note on a Post-It and picked up the phone.

"My apologies," she said, sounding anything but contrite.

"They are refusing to see me."

"Okay," Miranda mused.

In truth, she had expected this call yesterday when the girls had turned down the opportunity to visit their father outside the city. While it seemed wise on the surface, the girls and Miranda were well versed in Richard's political standpoint and the company he chose to keep. He was yet to purchase a mask, nor did he take one that had been offered to him and as far as she knew, he was still working with the public.

"Richard, tomorrow all non-essential businesses will be closed. Your refusal to believe in this pandemic has hurt the children and at fifteen and ten months, I will not be forcing them to do anything they do not wish. They have a stress-free, safe, clean environment which they can use to do their best in this trying time and they do not wish to upend that. I," he spluttered, but she continued. "I am sorry you feel hard done by and while your blatant disregard for our children's safety has concerned me, it is ultimately not my decision."

"It is my right, as a father -"

"To do what?" she almost scoffed, biting it back at the last moment.

"To see them. You are keeping them from me."

"I am not," she said simply. "They are old enough to make rational and sensible decisions. Had they decided to join you outside of the city, I would likewise have made no fuss at all, because they have chosen to do so after careful consideration."

"I am their father," he all but screamed. "I control them."

"No," she whispered, her temper getting the better of her. "Your rights as a father are to protect your children at all costs. I have failed to see you do this but that is beside the point. I will have them FaceTime you tonight so that you may discuss it more with them."

"I will sue you."

"Fine, I wish you luck in finding a sitting court that will trouble themselves with someone deciding that the middle of a pandemic is the correct time for a custody battle," Miranda chuckled evilly. "Let alone find a lawyer," she considered it for half a second and added: "With any legal prowess, that will take on your case with no evidence of a breach of terms. The city-wide mandate is law, Richard. Do not think for one moment that I will not rain a fiery hell down on you, should you pursue this."

"Boil your head," he screamed, hanging up the phone.

Her lips twitched for a moment at the juvenile retort before she got back to business. The IT team had been uploading everything they might need during this time away and would do what they could from their own home offices. In the meantime, Miranda would take what she could from the office. One never knew what one might need at a time like this and, sometimes, you needed to have something to touch while you worked. Either way, she was not looking forward to moving 100% online, even for a short time. The future looked grim enough without this setback.

She glanced outside her office and found Rebecca watching her before she smiled and waved, turning to leave without another word. Miranda was instantly transported back to another time an assistant had waved her goodbye and she sat down abruptly. Her memory supplied her with eight months of montage and by the time she came out of it, her hands were shaking. Rebecca, while being a competent and thorough assistant, was not Andréa. And though Miranda had tried very hard to avoid thoughts of the young brunette, they were becoming more and more difficult to prevent. She tried to figure out when they started creeping into her mind but found that she couldn't. As far as she could tell, Andréa had always been there, in the back of her thoughts, but never far away. She sighed and packed up the rest of her things and procuring her mask from the state-of-the-art UV sanitizer, she put that in its case as well. It would be a godsend for how much time the twins spent on their devices and though she intended to be as isolated as possible, one could never be too careful.

Sighing as she took another look around her office, she wondered when she would be back. Or, whether she would be back at all.

Print journalism was becoming a dinosaur in a land of meteorites. Already some well-known, age-old publications had been forced to wind up, including several subsidiaries of Vogue and even Oprah's magazine. While it made sense to put those entirely online, she did not intend for Runway to be next. Auto-Universe was on the cusp and while she felt for those that would soon be out of a job, she knew the excess capital would come in handy to keep the rest of them afloat. Runway was the flagship, not a flash in the pan and not a subsidiary of another. Runway was fashion and she would be damned if it was going anywhere.

Shaking off the melancholy, she took a seat on the pristine couch and threw her glasses in her purse. Sighing as she looked out over her empire, such as it was, her thoughts could not help but return to Andréa.

When Andréa had left, Miranda had it in mind that she would keep tabs on her. And she did for a time. Then, Emily was promoted, and the new girl left in a cloud of perfume and obscenities and after Rebeccas was hired, it seemed wrong, somehow, to let Andréa come between them all. As it was, Andréa was firmly under Miranda's skin and had been for a long while. Realistically, she could have spent a night looking Andréa up, but she hadn't. She had let her simmer in her brain until she was impossible to ignore.

New York was a large city full of success and failure and she desperately hoped that Andréa was part of the former, rather than the latter. Hearing a noise outside her office, a masked Nigel entered with a knock and stood at the doorway.

"Well," he said, his voice muffled from the covering. "Here's looking at you kid."

She snorted as she put her own mask on and stood, gathering her things.

"Nigel?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever hear from Andréa?"

"Andy?" Nigel asked, his eyes doing all the emotive work needed for her to know the answer before he spoke. "Um, yes, as a matter of fact." There was a pregnant pause. "Why do you ask?"

"Something reminded me of her today," Miranda amused. "It is nothing. How is our bright and shining star."

"Um," he sighed. "Look, you weren't to know," he said sadly, causing a great pit in Miranda's stomach to open up. "But she lost her job, three days ago. Along with the paycheck that was going to pay her rent and all of her health insurance."

"I detest that about this country, Nigel," she seethed. "That health should be tied up with your job is criminal."

"I won't argue, for two reasons: I agree, but also this was a decidedly bad blow for her."

"Is she ill?

"Not her," she watched his eyes squint and knew that he'd winced. She leant forward. "She fell pregnant, quite by accident about 11 months ago now." Her mouth dropped open. "Had him at 31 weeks and spent several weeks in the NICU before he was released, three weeks ago. Last week they were all laid off and with his medical bills and no paycheck," he sighed. "She will not make this month's rent. I," he blushed, even under his mask. "Have already paid her water and heating but I can't," he sighed. "I made some bad investments and I pay for my mother's housing, I have no spare capital to invest."

Miranda's brain was running a mile-a-minute, Trying to both cope and quantify the information.

"Why didn't she -" she shrugged. She wasn't sure what she was asking but she paced without meaning to, chewing on her lip. "She will be evicted?"

"Yes," Nigel sighed. "I have offered her my sofa, but with a baby -"

"Give me her number."

"What?"

"Her number, Nigel. An email, whatever. I shall handle this."

"Mir -" he frowned, even as he drew his phone from his pocket and flashed over her address, phone number and email. "Miranda."

"I don't know why," she muttered, feeling quite tired suddenly. "I only know I must."

"If it's any consolation, she's been in total isolation for the last three weeks since she got home from the hospital. Obviously, with a preemie, she has to be extra careful."

"I remember," Miranda sighed, doing just that. "Thank you," she said before he could go. She stepped forward for a hug from her best friend and remembered that hugs were a thing of the past. "I -" she smiled under her mask at him, knowing he would see it. "Stay safe, my friend."

He offered his elbow and she knocked hers against his.

"And you, darling. Give my love to the girls. We're the last ones so I'll let you go first. I'll check everything is shut down before getting the lights."

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes against her express permission and watched him walk away.

Everything had changed and with it, so must she.