A/N: A/N: So you weren't so lucky to get this when I posted Ch 5 - my apologies. Time got away from me and then my entire household - all seven of us including the one-and-a-half year old - got some poxy gastro bug. Life was not fun last week :|
On to better things however, like this beautifully beta'd chapter by my amazing beta. *See what I did there?!* lol
Anyway. Hope you enjoy. Keep sending me reviews, cos I love them and I can't help but smile when I read them
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"Mom!"
The twins came rushing down the front steps of the house, peering in the car windows with barely restrained excitement.
"Girls, stop leering like you are at the zoo. Wait on the sidewalk where the children can see you, and not feel like they're part of an exhibit."
"Oops, sorry Mom," Cassidy said, pulling Caroline back. "I guess we're just a bit excited."
"And I understand that Cassidy, but we must go very slowly and gently," Miranda said as she cupped Caroline and Cassidy's cheeks. "Be gentle with them Bobbsey's, they're very small and very frightened."
The twins nodded as Andy struggled with her bags.
"I'll help Andy," Caroline volunteered, noticing her struggle.
"What a fantastic idea. Cassidy, if you could get the others and meet us, quietly, in the sitting room downstairs."
The girls did as they were told, carrying Andy's bag in between them along with all the others leaving Miranda to unbuckle Olivia and Sam; carrying him to the steps and holding the little girl's hand. The three of them waited on the sidewalk for Andy to manoeuvre Nicholas into her arms.
"I can carry him Andy. I can do it," Olivia said, looking worried that all the trouble Andy and Miranda were going to would in turn get her into trouble.
"No darling, it's alright," Miranda said, stroking Olivia's hair back behind her ears. "Andréa is more than capable and I promise she won't drop him. Let the adults take care of it."
"Us size six girls are good for something afterall," she chuckled cheekily as she carried Nicholas past Miranda.
"I should not have made that remark Andréa," Miranda called after her, making her stop on the steps, despite her precious cargo.
"Huh?"
"The comment on your size at the beginning of your tenure," Miranda clarified as she patiently waited for Sam to clamber up the steps beside her. "You are not fat, and that comment did not reflect my professional or my personal thoughts regarding you."
"I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse," Andy muttered, continuing without prompt. "That means you were just trying to hurt me."
Miranda didn't say anything, but Andy had already turned away and started up the stairs, nodding to Cara as she did and smiling at the twins, who were practically vibrating in place at the prospect of the new kids.
"Mama!" Nicholas sighed in his sleep, clearing up any qualms about his actual ability to talk. She sat on the sofa, intent on moving him from her arms and onto the cushions, but unable to do so when he gripped her shirt tightly in his hands.
"Easy munchkin," she soothed, stroking his back. "You're alright."
She tried again, but to no avail. Deciding that it didn't matter if he was asleep, she returned downstairs. He would no doubt panic if he woke up in a strange room anyway.
"I thought -"
"He won't go down, and we should wake him anyway," Andy said. "He needs to know where he's sleeping so he doesn't panic when he wakes up." Andy shivered. "That's no fun."
Miranda reached out her hand, but thought better of it at the last minute and retracted it.
"Excuse me Miranda, I made stew for dinner. I thought something hardy would be good for them and it's just warming on the stove," Cara said, smiling at Sam, who precociously went over to introduce himself.
"Thank you, you may go for the day, I apologise for the late notice, but if you are free tomorrow?" Miranda said absently.
"See you tomorrow," Cara smiled, leaving with a wave.
Andy leaned back in her seat next to Miranda on the sofa, watching Olivia clutch Sam's shirt in her hand so he couldn't run around.
"Olivia, he's quite alright," Miranda sighed, rubbing her head.
"Just don't want him gettin' naughty," she said, blushing to the roots of her blonde hair.
"We'll sort him out," Miranda said, taking a deep breath. "I think a late lunch, or rather a light supper and early to bed; baths will have to wait until morning I'm afraid."
Andy smiled as Sam stopped what he was doing and rubbed his tummy.
"Tham hung'y."
"Mom?"
Miranda jerked a little and looked at her girls.
"Sorry Bobbsey's. Cassidy, Caroline," she said, pointing to the correct twin, "this is Olivia, Nicholas in Andréa's arms, and this little monster is Samuel."
"Hi!" they said enthusiastically.
Olivia shrank back, standing against Andy's legs.
"It's alright princess, they're awesome," she said, winking at the girls.
"Perhaps you can set the dining table girls?" Miranda asked, getting up with only a little effort. "Places for everyone, and some water and milk on the table."
"Yes Mom," they said in stereo.
"I'm exhausted," Miranda revealed, even though Andy could already see that she was.
"It's been a long day for everyone," Andy remarked, glancing down at the boy in her arms.
A squeal disturbed the tired silence and Andy almost laughed as Sam threw himself onto Miranda's knee, scrabbling up her body until he was tightly gripping her torso.
"Gonna eats me!" he yelled into her ear, making her wince.
"I assure you Samuel, Patricia will not eat you."
Miranda held out her hand for her St. Bernard to sit quietly at her behest, waiting for the next command.
"Patricia, I would like you to meet Samuel. Samuel, meet Patricia," Miranda said cordially, holding out her hand for Olivia to join her, "and this is Olivia. They're here to stay, so I would like you to make them feel welcome."
Andy smiled as the big dog leaned forward and huffed against his fingers. The boy giggled and withdrew his fingers even as Olivia leaned forward and let Patricia lick her arm.
"Haha, she's funny," Olivia giggled, wrapping her arms around a very patient Patricia, sinking her fingers into her fur.
"Well, that went well," Miranda said, leaning back in her chair with Sam still wrapped around her contentedly.
"I guess there's just Nick when he finally wakes up," Andy said quietly. "Why don't you go and get everyone a seat, and I'll serve up the stew?" Andy suggested, feeling as tired as Miranda looked.
"What about Nicholas?" Miranda asked, looking down at the boy still clutching Andy's shirt.
"I'll wake him and he can come and help me," Andy shrugged.
Miranda nodded and helped Olivia and Sam from the room with Patricia following behind, leaving Andy on her own, absently stroking her hand through Nicholas' hair. He twitched, alerting Andy to his open eyes.
"Hey you, how long have you been awake?" she asked, getting nothing in return.
"Alright, well it's time for dinner, so if you want to go to the bathroom or anything, you let me know, otherwise we have to go and get dinner ready for everyone."
He nodded slowly, refusing to meet her eye, so she she took him by the bathroom, standing outside while he did his business before checking to see if his hands were washed. They made their way into the kitchen, where Cassidy and Caroline were already plating up.
"Oh hi Andy," Caroline said, waving happily at Nicholas, who shrunk behind Andy's leg.
"Don't mind him," she said happily, placing her hand on his head automatically. "I was just coming to do this."
"We thought we'd get a head start, seeing as there's so many of us now," Cassidy chimed in, scooping the stew into seven smaller bowls.
"Let me take two of those and once Nicholas is settled, I'll come back and help."
"Okay Andy, but we've pretty much got it," they said, going back to their task.
Andy did as she promised, depositing Nicholas in the dining room and going back to help the girls. Once they were all seated they dug in, silence reigning over the little family. The emotional toll that the orphanage had on Andy was exhausting, and she couldn't wait until she could just fall into bed and sleep.
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Sam had basically fallen asleep in his chair, and it was only Cassidy's quick hands that saved him from toppling onto the floor. Miranda looked dead on her feet, but Andy felt a second wind now that she had some food. She realised belatedly as she picked Sam up that she hadn't eaten anything at all since leaving that morning. It was a wonder that they'd even managed to make it home in one piece.
She ignored the little query her brain made about calling Miranda's townhouse 'home', but she ignored it in favour of climbing up two sets of stairs to the top floor where she followed Miranda's tired instructions and put Sam down in one of the single beds in the guest room.
"Hmm," Miranda said as she looked around the top floor.
She moved forward without commenting further, helping Andy with Sam's clothing and leaving him in just his underwear, which were in dire need of a wash.
"They'll have to manage tonight," Miranda grimaced.
"Mom?"
They turned to see Caroline standing with a pile of clothing in her hands. "Cass and I wondered if they had anything to wear. It's just t-shirts from that bag we meant to throw out," she shrugged. "They're too small for us, but they might fit them."
"Thank you Bobbsey," Miranda smiled, holding out her hand for the pile.
They selected a blue shirt for Sam and rolled up the sleeves a little, chuckling as it fell past his knees.
"It will have to do," Miranda said. "I cannot even be bothered to call Melody for new clothing."
"We'll do it tomorrow," Andy suggested while offering her hand to Nicholas, who had been watching the whole time from the corner. "Hey munchkin, how about you pick something to wear to bed and then we can get you ready too?"
He stared awkwardly at the pile of shirts for longer than Miranda's patience could last for, and she left to deal with Olivia. Andy waited and waited before Nicholas leaned forward cautiously and poked at the green tank.
"An excellent choice Nick. Do you prefer to be called Nick or Nicholas?" she asked, wondering if that would generate a response.
All she got was another shrug.
"Well, alright then, you'll have to be munchkin for now. Miranda will no doubt call you Nicholas, but I'm more into nicknames."
He nodded and lifted his arms for her to pull off his jumper. He got dressed silently, pulling away when she was done.
"Alright, come with me and I'll show you where everything is." She paused at the door, looking for Miranda, realising somewhat stupidly that she had no idea where everything was.
"Ah, Nicholas, this will be your room and right next door is Olivia's," Miranda said, coming to Andy's rescue. "The bathroom is in between Olivia's room and mine."
Olivia stood holding the same bunny Sam had been clutching earlier and Andy bent down to take a closer look.
"It was his from when he was a baby," Olivia said, pierced with a yawn. "He don't sleep without it."
"Why don't you take it to him princess?" Andy whispered, stroking her cheek. "I'm sure he'll sleep better with his bunny and a kiss from his big sister."
Andy and Miranda watched as she did just that, tucking the rabbit into his arms like she'd done it a thousand times. Of the three of them she was taking it all the best, like she understood she was safe, but Nicholas still looked weary.
"You can go to the bathroom anytime you want, okay buddy?" Andy explained, remembering the times at the orphanage when they were limited to bathroom breaks. "And if you need anything at all, you can come and find one of us. Miranda will be right in there," she said, pointing to the door she assumed was Miranda's room.
He nodded, accepting a hug from his sister before following Andy back into his room and plonking himself down in the bed.
"You're safe here buddy," Andy whispered as she kissed his forehead.
He sighed a little and fell to sleep almost instantly, before Andy had even crossed the room to turn down the lights. She smiled as she watched the boys for a moment before a soft touch on her arm broke her from her thoughts. Miranda smiled gently at the sight.
"They're beautiful," she whispered, leading Andy from the room and pulling the door not quite to. After Andy had poked her head into Olivia's room to say a quick goodnight, they walked together to Miranda's door and Andy smiled, intending to leave Miranda there and find a room to sleep in just as soon as she'd made sure everything was alright downstairs.
"I made an error," Miranda said with a wince. "I assumed we would have enough room for all of us tonight, however, we do not. I had forgotten that I converted the third guest room into a study for Stephen."
Andy realised what she was saying. There was nowhere for her to sleep.
"Ah," she said, running her hand through her hair. "Okay, well I'll just sleep on the sofa."
"No, Andréa, no you, you should sleep with me." Miranda looked stricken for a moment. "In my bed, sleep in the bed I mean, with me."
"Stop, God before you burst a blood vessel!" Andy said, waving her hands as she tried to process what she was hearing. "You want me to sleep in the same bed as you?"
"It is a big bed. There is every chance you won't even notice I'm there," Miranda replied.
"Yeah, right," Andy said without thinking, blushing as Miranda looked a little pleased with herself. "And I can't sleep on the sofa?"
"No."
"I guess I'm with you then. You don't snore, do you?"
Miranda snorted, but didn't answer. Andy assumed that was a no, but her hands were clammy at the thought of finding out for sure.
"I'll get my bags," she said tiredly.
"And I shall check on the girls, I imagine we'll both be asleep before they're even close to going to bed," Miranda nodded, walking down the stairs with her.
Andy left Miranda talking quietly to the girls on the middle level, heading down the stairs again to get her bags and check that they'd put everything away. She wiped over the table and refilled the water container and placed it back in the fridge. She stood by the sink, running her hands over the cool stainless steel, trying to figure out if it was possible to innocently share a bed with Miranda in light of her realisation earlier.
What if she somehow, during the night, cuddled up to Miranda? What then? She shook her head and splashed some water on her face. Her life had been weird before, but this took the cake. Realising she'd been down there too long, she brushed her hair back and prayed to a god she didn't believe in to help her through the night.
She started up the stairs, calling goodnight to the girls through their open doors before continuing up to Miranda's room. The door was closed and she dithered for a moment before knocking.
"Come in," Miranda answered, closing the door again. "I'll open it again before we turn in, but not until we are changed."
Andy nodded, but didn't comment as Miranda went about her nightly routine. She spent some time in front of the bathroom mirror, removing her makeup and Andy blinked a little when she turned down the lights before joining her in the bedroom.
"Why did you do that?" Andy asked, already having an idea.
"Hm? Oh, I'm ready to sleep, hurry up Andréa."
"No, no, no," Andy shook her head, turning the lights back on. "Don't start that now, not after we've talked about the last two days."
"Andréa -"
"Miranda?" Andy said, standing in front of the now make-up free woman and cupping her cheeks. She swallowed as she realised what she'd just done, but she pressed on.
"I have seen you without make up before," she whispered.
"Andréa," Miranda whined, making Andy smile a little.
"Miranda Priestly, you are the most beautiful woman on the planet," she said, smiling as Miranda seemed to stand a little straighter. "Whoever made you feel less than so, needs to be dealt with."
Miranda chuckled, holding Andy's hands against her face and turning her head slightly to press a tiny kiss to the bone of her wrist.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome. Do you mind if I take a shower?"
"No," Miranda said. "I should check my emails, Lord knows how anyone does anything without me."
Andy nodded, happy in the knowledge that she wouldn't be keeping Miranda up. A nice long shower would do her the world of good.
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When Andy emerged from the bathroom she stopped dead in her tracks as she caught sight of Miranda, glasses perched on the end of her nose and the nightgown she was wearing riding up her thigh.
Andy closed her eyes. She felt like she needed another shower, preferably ice cold.
"Are you alright?" Miranda asked, peering over her glasses at Andy.
"I'd be better if you didn't do that," Andy muttered to herself, moving to her bag and shoving her dirty clothing to the bottom.
"If you would like Cara to wash anything, simply place it in that basket and she shall sort everything out tomorrow."
"It's okay," Andy shrugged, pulling a little on her sleep tank.
"You are uncomfortable," MIranda said, putting down The Book.
"Yes," Andy said. "A little."
"You have nothing to fear, this is not classed as work, unless you wish for it to be." Miranda paled, and Andy wondered if this was the first time Miranda had thought of the repercussions. "I should not have asked you, I apologise, I thought perhaps -"
"Stop," Andy said, holding up her hand. "You have to stop putting words in my mouth. I am uncomfortable because, because -" she sighed. "Because you are Miranda Priestly, and I'm," she shrugged, "I'm just Andy."
"Just?" Miranda repeated quietly, taking off her glasses. "You don't realise, do you?" she chuckled, rolling her eyes. "You don't realise that you are the most enchanting creature I've ever seen," Miranda whispered, her eyes only briefly glancing at Andy as she went on. "The way you handled the children today, the children that I should have handled, and the way you took care of me all day, even though it wasn't part of your job. You are amazing Andréa Sachs."
Andy stared at Miranda, waiting for the punchline, and was genuinely confused when she saw that Miranda seemed to mean it.
"But I'm -"
"But nothing," Miranda said, getting under the covers and moving her sinfully gorgeous legs out of Andy's view. "Come to bed and stop worrying."
Andy didn't move for a moment, watching as Miranda rolled onto her side facing Andy, waiting for her to do something. Andy eventually did as she was told, joining Miranda in the giant bed.
"I hope you don't feel that I'm forcing you into anything," Miranda said, sitting up suddenly. "I, I am not entirely sure what we're doing, but I would never force you, or want you to somehow feel like I have. As much as I would absolutely hate it, you are free to go at any time, truly Andréa."
"Miranda?" Andy said, settling in beside her. "Just stop. I was there as your friend today, and I'm here now as your friend. Just, let's concentrate on that, and let me worry about going back to work on Monday and not being your friend."
"I -"
"It's fine, really," Andy said, feeling the exhaustion taking over. "I think it's just time to sleep, we've had a long day. 'Night Miranda," she finished, rolling over and taking a deep breath, filling her lungs with Miranda's perfect scent.
"Goodnight, my Andréa," Miranda whispered after a time, obviously thinking Andy was already asleep.
This revelation warred with the weariness until she could no longer keep her eyes open. Andy drifted off, dreaming that Miranda was curled up behind her, with her arms wrapped tightly around her body, keeping her grounded. Keeping her safe.