So... I'm apparently alive and well. Go figure. Anyways, things are getting...wild now. I know some things seem really random, but this was actually the original plot for the first one that I scrapped, so it's interesting to come back to it. The next few chapters will be bouncing around between events that push the plot alomh, because this definitely isn't the main storyline, but it servss itsi purpose.
Enjoy and drop me a line if you feel so inclined, telling me what you think.
Later!
The days dragged by for Andy, who spent countless hours trying to juggle her position at Red Dot and the issues at Elias Clarke. She'd had her lawyers and accountants going over the newly acquired shares she obtained in both Elias-Clarke Publishing, and Runway with a fine toothed comb. In addition to that, she also had a private investigator looking into Irv and Christian. As she'd expected, there was enough evidence to suggest they were working together.
While Andy planned her next move, she kept Miranda as informed as she safely could. She didn't like the feeling of keeping secrets from Miranda, much to Grace's amusement. The older woman had told her on several occasions to just ask her out, but Andy knew there was too much at stake to worry about personal relationships.
"Andy, Miranda is on line 2," Joey poked his head into her office, "she said she only had a minute so you should probably…"
Andy smiled a little, picking up her phone to answer the waiting call, "this is Andy."
"Really, you should come up with a more suitable greeting," Miranda's eye roll was heavily implied in her tone as she spoke.
"Hello to you, too," Andy chuckled, "what can I do for you?"
"The girls have expressed an interest in you attending their recital this weekend," Miranda sounded almost hesitant to speak about it, "they've apparently grown accustomed to you attending such events as my assistant."
"Well it just so happens that I'm free," Andy couldn't fight her grin if she wanted to, "I'll just assume it's this Saturday as the usual time and place?"
"Yes," Miranda agreed, "but we usually have dinner beforehand at around 5:30."
"Well, I'll be sure not to eat before then," Andy bit her lip, "would you like me to meet you at the townhouse or are we having dinner elsewhere?"
"The townhouse will do," Andy could hear another voice in the background, and knew their time was cut short, "I have to go. Don't be late."
Miranda hung up before she could respond, and Andy shook her head and chuckled. As she went back to her own work, she couldn't help but feel anticipation building in her stomach. She hadn't physically seen Miranda in almost two weeks, which wasn't really long, but it was still something that required adjusting to when she was used to seeing her everyday. Even though it was now months since Paris, she still had Miranda on the brain.
Andy arrived to the townhouse to pure chaos. Miranda was impeccably dressed and put together when she answered the door, but the calm was broken the moment Andy stepped foot inside. Cassidy was screaming at the top of her lungs, asking her sister, who Andy assumed was on a different floor, if she had seen her shoes. Caroline, for her part, opted not to scream her answer back, but took her time moving from the kitchen to the second floor. This only made Cassidy call out to her again, and Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose as she took a deep breath.
"I take it they're not always like this," Andy looked at the older woman in amusement.
"Of course not," Miranda gave her an annoyed glance, "the moment I informed them you would be joining us for dinner, they had a sudden desire to completely change their outfits. Several times."
"All this for little ol' me," Andy grinned, "I'm flattered."
"You would be," Miranda looked almost amused as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Andy, "come along, Andrea. We'll wait for my indecisive bundles of energy in the kitchen."
Andy followed behind her dutifully, the grin still planted firmly on her lips. She sat at the breakfast bar, watching as Miranda moved comfortably around the kitchen, preparing to serve dinner. Andy wasn't sure, but it smelled decidedly Italian. Fettuccini, if she had to guess. Idly, she wondered if Miranda had cooked herself, or if this was Cara's doing.
"Andrea," Miranda's tone was sharp, causing Andy to immediately look her way.
"Yes, Miranda?"
"I was speaking to you," Miranda looked far from amused.
"I'm sorry, I guess I've just got a lot on my mind," Andy offered an apologetic smile, "won't happen again."
"See to it that it doesn't," Miranda's tone left no room for arguing, not that Andy would have, "I was inquiring about the progress of your investigation."
"Oh," Andy bit her lip, "you know, it's mostly just logistics at this point. We have proof that Irv is involved in something, it's now been a matter of what and why. I have my guesses, but it's early days."
Miranda looked unimpressed with the answer, and Andy could guess that it as most likely because that was the same answer she'd given the last time Miranda asked. It wasn't that she didn't trust Miranda, it was more so that she didn't think Miranda would react well to finding out the truth. There were certain things that Miranda didn't stand for being violated, and Irv had already attempted to violate her magazine. She wasn't sure how much more she could take before she attempted to murder him.
"You know," Miranda casually returned to cutting the bread that would be paired with their meal, "there was a time when you were too afraid to lie to me. I'm beginning to miss those days."
"I was never afraid of you," Andy blurted, before she could stop herself.
"Oh," Miranda's attention was completely focused back on her.
"I um... maybe a bit intimidated," Andy stretched the truth a little, "but not afraid. Not like Emily."
"I hardly-"
"Andy!"
"When did you get here?"
Andy turned, relieved for the interruption. Twin redheads entered the kitchen in a ruckus, only slowing down at their mother's disapproving glare. Cassidy immediately took the seat to Andy's left, and Caroline to her right.
"Hey, Kiddos," Andy smiled at them, "I haven't been here long. Did you find everything you needed?"
"Uh huh," Cassidy ignored the way her mother rolled her eyes at her answer, focused solely on Andy, "we saw your new ad on the way home from school yesterday!"
"It was on the side of building," Caroline added on, "but the colors were all wrong."
"Were they now," Andy looked at her in amusement, "and just what would you have done differently?"
Miranda watched with amusement as the twins listed off the various changes and critiques they had for Andy's newest marketing campaign. Andy listened attentively, pointing out when things would not work in the context they were presented in. The twins soaked up the attention, and the conversation flowed easily over dinner, and even through the ride to the recital.
They very reluctantly joined the other students, as Andy and Miranda found their seats. Andy looked lost in thought, as her phone buzzed nearly silently every few seconds.
"If it's important, you should take it outside," Miranda motioned to her phone.
"It's not," Andy shook her head, smiling at Miranda, "just needed to send some last minute instructions to the research department before they go home for the weekend."
"I see," Miranda's raised eyebrow was all the question Andy needed.
She sighed in amusement, "I might need to borrow the twins for a few days during their winter break, if that's ok with you."
Miranda looked scandalized at the words, "Andrea you do not simply borrow children."
"You know what I meant," Andy gave her a look, "you're not fooling me, Priestly. I know you get some deep level of enjoyment from letting people think you take everything they say literally."
Miranda didn't reply, but the twinkle of amusement was all the answer Andy needed as the lights dimmed and the recital began.
"Andrea," Miranda entered the den, later that night with two glasses of wine, "you mentioned borrowing my children during their break. What could you possibly need two 7 year olds for?"
"Well the original plan was to take them to the park and use them to pick up single mother's, but I decided against that fairly quickly," Andy grinned at the displeasure clear on Miranda's face, "I've been having some issues with my Research Department lately. All they seem to come up with is the same ideas packaged slightly differently with the occasional update every few models. Obviously I'm not Apple, so that doesn't interest me at all."
Miranda noticed that Apple seemed to rub Andy the wrong way, "I can understand frustration with your staff. Especially if you pay them as well as I pay mine."
"It's frustrating that spending a few hours with a pair of 7 year olds yielded more new ideas than a week's worth of meetings with supposed experts," Andy took a deep sip of her wine, "while Caroline definitely has an eye for marketing, Cassidy seemed more worried about what our latest laptops didn't do that they should. I've never been lectured by a 7 year old quite to thoroughly."
"Yes, my girls are quite opinionated," Miranda gave her a blank stare, but her blue eyes hid amusement.
"They must get it from their father," Andy teased, "because you're the paragon of patience and understanding."
That drew an unexpected laugh from Miranda's lips, who couldn't stop the sound even if she tried. She glares at Andy, but didn't bother to fight the smile that pulled at her lips.
"You're insufferable," Miranda accused her, rolling her eyes.
"I try," Andy grinned, "but, I really do want to do a focus group with the girls. We'll bring in a few other children around their age, set them up for a few days in a spear office, and unleash them onto my research team. They'll either drive them to madness, or a stroke of genius."
"People don't give you enough credit," Miranda tilted her head as she studied Andy, "you're quite devious, Andrea."
"How do you think I survived working for the Devil in Prada," Andy laughed at the look on Miranda's face.
"Touche," Miranda inclined her head, showing she wasn't angry at the playful jab.
"Andy, sit down," Grace's words were sharp, as she watched the younger woman pace, "you're making me dizzy."
"Sorry," Andy bit her lip, reluctantly taking her seat across from Grace, "I just...this feels really wrong. I don't like keeping secrets from Miranda, but this? This is not just some regular secret. She's involved in this, blindly."
"I understand, Andy, but you have to be very careful with this situation," Grace soothed her, "if Miranda reacts too rashly, this could cause a domino effect for everyone. Runway will be ruined."
"Grace, he's…this is so much deeper than we thought," Andy could feel the tears of frustration pooling in her eyes, "all those people...how did I never notice? I was there, I saw these people almost every day and I never suspected-"
"Of course you didn't," Grace placed a hand on Andy's knee, "you see only the good in people. But, now that we know, we have to do this properly, or Miranda will be swept up in all of this, not just Runway."
Andy ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm herself down. They'd just heard back from their Private Investigator, who dedicated all of his time following Irv, and anyone associated with him. In the past few weeks, he'd uncovered what they'd initially assumed was just a laundering operation through Elias-Clarke, but recent sightings between Irv and known movers within New York's sex trade had raised red flags. He'd contacted local police, and Andy and Grace were due for a meeting with detectives from the Special Victims Unit.
"It's not just Miranda I'm worried about," Andy admitted, "Nigel, Emily, Serena...oh god, Serena used to be a Runway Model."
"Calm down," Grace squeezed her knee, a little more harshly than she'd intended, "if any of them have been victimized by Irv, then we will offer them the full support of our positions in life."
"What if-"
A knock at Grace's door cut off whatever horrible line of thought Andy was about to voice, and Grace stood up. She cast Andy one last look, before opening her door, knowing who was on the other side. A relatively tall, olive skinned woman and a blonde stood in the doorway. They were both dressed in business attire, but the darker of the two was much more casual not only in dress, but also in demeanor. She wore black slacks with a badge clipped to her belt, a maroon button up and a black blazer. The blond had on a grey pencil skirt, with a China blue blouse and her own jacket was draped over her arm that held a briefcase.
"Grace Clarke? Hi, my name is Detective Olivia Benson, and this is ADA Alexandra Cabot," Olivia offered her hand to Grace, who shook it.
"I would say it's nice to meet you, but given the circumstances, I'm sure you understand why it's not," Grace offered a polite smile, "this is my Goddaughter, Andrea Sachs."
"Andy," Andy corrected her, offering her own hand, "no one calls me Andrea."
"Of course," Alexandra smiled politely, "may we come in? We just need to go over a few things so that we're not missing any information. This is a very delicate situation, and I'd rather not have any unforeseen circumstances sping up on me."
"Of course," Grace led them inside, offering a seat, "make yourselves comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?"
"I'll have a coffee, if it's not too much trouble," Olivia gave Alexandra a knowing smile, "mine was...a casualty of a busy morning."
"I'll get it," Andy stood, shooing Grace away when she moved to get up, "and for you, Alexandra?"
"Alex," the blonde insisted, "and I'll have a coffee too, thanks."
Andy nodded, feeling her stomach churn uncomfortably at what she knew was ahead of her.
The next Monday morning, Andy had made another unexpected visit to Miranda's office. This time, Emily knew better than to argue, and she simply went to inform Miranda of her arrival. The woman was a little surprised to see her, but not bothered. She told Andy to shut the door behind her, and they took a spot on the comfortable leather couch off to the side of her office.
"I would ask if this was a social call, but I can tell something is wrong," Miranda broke the silence, sensing Andy's anxiety.
"Do you trust me," Andy couldn't help but ask, shifting nervously.
Miranda gave her a look that would cause lesser men to question themselves, "don't be absurd. Would I allow you around my children if I did not?"
"I'm going to need you to remember that," Andy swallowed, "I know you're wondering why I haven't been talking about the investigation, but I need you to understand that as of right now, I can't. At least...not really."
"Andrea," Miranda's tone was a warning, Andy knew that much.
"Please, Miranda, just trust me," Andy pleaded, "I'm doing everything I can to protect you, and Runway. Sometimes that means I'm going to ask you to do things that you normally wouldn't, but you need to understand that alternative would be...very public and very damaging."
"Andrea, I am too old to be playing these games with you," Miranda's eyes were blazing as she glared Andy.
Andy, in her panic, couldn't think of anything to say. She knew what she wanted to say, but she knew telling Miranda the truth would have horrible consequences should anyone find out. So, she did the next best thing. She told another truth that she was reluctant to admit to, but for completely different reasons.
She kissed Miranda.
The few seconds the kiss lasted seemed to simultaneously slow down and spead up time, and when she hastily pulled away, bracing for the verbal storm heading her way, she opened her eyes to see Miranda's own eyes still closed, face frozen in surprise. Blue eyes blinked open, and stared at Andy. She shifted under her gaze, but held it as she dared Miranda to see her truth. Maybe if Miranda understood that it was how much she cared about her that was preventing her from telling her the truth, perhaps she would be more willing to accept it.
"Andrea," Miranda's tone was subdued, like she wasn't quite sure how to react.
"I care about you and I don't want to be responsible for anything bad happening," Andy swallowed, "so you have to either accept that, and do what I ask, or you'll have to deal with the police, who are far less understanding…"
"The police," That seemed to draw Miranda's attention back to the original situation, "is it that bad? What has he gotten into?"
"I can only tell you this because the department has already done a very thorough background check of you, and you're cleared of involved as of now," Andy bit her lip, "it turns out we stumbled across an ongoing investigation. They want our help, and you're the key to cracking the case."
"Me? But what could I possibly offer besides an unmatched eye for fashion," Miranda, to Andy's disbelief, was entirely serious.
"I can't really say much right now," Andy admitted reluctantly, "but it involves Runway and Irv. The department wants to plant an officer in your office, to keep a better eye on everything."
"Absolutely not," Miranda immediately resisted the idea, "I won't let anyone disrupt the progress of the next issue, especially so close to print. Have them placed in security, if you must."
"Miranda, I know that the idea of some cop stumbling around in here is the last thing you need," Andy's voice had a slight edge to it, "but wouldn't you rather that, than to end up in jail?"
"Jail?"
Miranda looked as if Andy had stuck her just by saying the word.
"Irv is going down," Andy pointed out, "and he will take everyone else he can down with him, especially you."
Miranda's silence gave Andy the answer she needed. She grabbed Miranda's hands, squeezing them in reassurance.
"I'm working with the undercover detective," She smiled just a little, "she's a little rough around the edges, but she's smart and has an amazing eye for detail. Just your type."
Miranda's hand squeezed back, as blue eyes lifted warm brown, "I highly doubt that, Andrea. I have yet to meet anyone remotely close to you."
Andy momentarily forgot to breathe, at the implications of her words. Her eyes dropped to Miranda's lips, which held a smirk, and just as she was about to lean in, the door to Miranda's office opened, and a panicked Emily poked her head in.
"Miranda, Nigel is on line 2," she spoke like they were her final words, "there's been a mixup with the Dior dress…"
And like that, Andy watched as Miranda built herself back up into the Queen of Fashion. She couldn't stop her smile, even as she was shooed away by an extremely annoyed Miranda.