A/N: Whoa. It's been a while, and I'm utterly sorry it has been! I couldn't even guess when the last update was but I know it was AGES ago...
Again... my apologies. I shall go back and see... one moment please... oh my god! April 27!
I am so sorry! I'm devastated.
No more. I'm going to get on it. In them meantime, please enjoy this chapter. I think it has been beta-d by the wonderful Spin, but I can't guarantee it as I simply cannot remember. It seems unlikely that I made no mistakes in it so if you do find some, assume they're mine and that Spin did an excellent job and getting rid of all the other ones!
As always huge hugs to Spin and her brilliance, and all my love and affection to my darling fiance (did I mention I got engaged in my downtime - one engagement, two trips to the US? Christmas? I can't keep up can you?!) illestviking :)
Who says FanFiction can't bring people together. I found my soulmate on here!
Enjoy people
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SUNDAY - Drinks with Colleagues
"Are you sure you're going to be alright here on your own?"
"Andréa, we'll be fine."
Andy knew she was being silly, but she kissed Miranda again.
"You're sure?"
"Andréa, if you don't leave this very instance, I shall be exceedingly displeased. Cara is here and the boys are asleep for goodness sake, what could ummf -"
"Please don't ever say what you were going to say," Andy whispered, her hand easing from Miranda's mouth. "Because you know that it is at that precise time when everything will."
Miranda rolled her eyes and kissed Andy, so deeply her toes curled.
"Now go," Miranda chuckled pushing her towards the door. "This club has very good reviews and perhaps, at a later date if the reviews are on par, we could visit. I used to enjoy Jazz bars."
"Alright, I'm going," Andy chuckled. "Bye kids!"
There was a chorus of goodbyes and Andy stepped through the door, keeping her eyes on Miranda until it closed behind her. She set down the road, nearly missing her phone ringing.
"Hey, slow down," Roy said with a laugh. "I'm behind you."
Andy rolled her eyes and blew a kiss in the direction of the townhouse, before sliding in the front of the car.
"Your girlfriend said that I should pick you up, seeing as I was joining you."
Andy laughed again, but was glad of the lift. She was a bit nervous to see the rest of them, and the subway from Miranda's house was downright awkward. Quite often, she would get out along the way to Elias Clarke and take the subway the rest of the way, because it would take just as long to get to the closest station.
"Ever been to this place?" Andy asked conversationally as they pulled into the nearest parking lot.
"No, you?"
"No," Andy muttered as he maneuvered into a park. "I think they're going to grill me."
"Ah," he muttered, tidying up his hair. "Let them. You know it's real, Miranda knows it's real. I know it's real."
Andy grinned and kissed his cheek.
"You're a good guy Roy."
"Remember to tell your girlfriend that when it's bonus time," he chuckled.
It was a joke and Andy knew it. She had not, and would never discuss how much Miranda payed Roy to drive her, but it had to be more than enough. Miranda valued loyalty above all else, and Andy was sure that Roy had been the most loyal man in Miranda's life.
"You look very dashing by the way," Andy said as they walked in together.
"And you look gorgeous," Roy grinned. "Your pick or the Lady's?"
"The Lady's," Andy snorted. "Who else!"
Nigel was already nursing a cocktail at an empty table and they joined him with hugs and handshakes.
"I take it our magnanimous leader is not joining us."
"As if," Andy said. "Someone has to stay home and look after the children."
"And that, my dear," Nigel said, polishing his glasses, "is how far you've got under her skin."
"Don't be like that," Andy frowned.
"No, I didn't mean it maliciously kid. I mean, back when she had the twins, they were with a Nanny for longer than they were with her. Even on a weekend. She's mellowing, maybe, or you're just really good." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"NIGEL!" she squealed, laughing and blushing at the same time. "I am not discussing that with you either."
"Oh come on, just a juicy morsel? A tasty tidbit?"
"Yeah?" Andy said, looking around. She could tease Nigel like this, but she figured that when Emily arrived it would be a different atmosphere. "Alright, come closer."
He leaned in and presented his ear. Roy gave Andy a little look, but she ignored him. She leaned in and took a breath.
"In your dreams Nigel," she whispered darkly, leaving him to laugh this time and pat her thigh.
"You're alright kid."
Andy ordered them another round of drinks and they sat talking quietly about other things until Emily and Serena arrived.
"God, would you believe it, no phone calls today," she groaned as she slumped into her seat. "It's almost worse, I keep expecting them."
"She's with the kids," Andy muttered quietly. "No phone calls today at all. I promise."
"That is weird," Emily said, looking at her sideways. "But bizarrely, understandable. You both were always odd around each other."
"We were not," Andy laughed, looking around. Her laughter trailed off as she saw them all nodding.
"Were we really?"
"She touched you," Serena said. "I don't know if you noticed, but she was always touching you, or letting her hand linger on your arm. I said to Emily that something was going on, but she didn't believe me. God forbid Miranda should have sex."
It was Serena's way to be blunt and to the point, it was why Miranda let her quit modelling and join her magazine, but it still made most of them choke and spill their drinks.
"Serena!" Emily gasped.
"What?" Serena said. "The woman has two children, how do you think babies are made?"
"I don't particularly want to talk about it," Andy muttered. "And I'm not talking about anything like that."
"Sorry Andy, I didn't mean it like that," Serena assured her. "My querida still has love for Miranda that is perhaps a little too intense."
"I love you, idiot," Emily hissed, blushing from the roots of her hair to the ends of her hands when she said it. Everyone did their best not to say anything, knowing how volatile Emily could be, but Serena was not everyone. She leaned forward and captured Emily's lips, kissing her sweetly, but with fire.
"As I love you." Andy heard her mutter.
She grinned around her bottle. Hearing those words reminded her of Miranda, and she wondered if they would be as sickly cute as Em and Serena were when they were 'out'.
"So," Nigel said, turning to Roy. "Got any good goss?"
"I -" he glanced at Andy, and she rescued him with a chuckle.
"He means about everyone other than Miranda," she explained. "Of course, you have to be the one to work out whether you're going to get fired, or worse, if you tell us and then word gets around because Nigel cannot keep any sort of secret to himself."
"I can too!" Nigel said. "I've kept yours."
"Keeping a secret for Miranda and keeping a secret about Lawrence in Accounting are two very different things," Andy laughed.
It was like something had loosened in her, listening to the stories Roy told of his life as a driver and the stories of Emily, Nigel and Serena. Before Miranda, and the children, she would have lapped this up, obsessed over it and wanted it to go on forever, but now? Now she felt balanced. Complete. She felt as though this interaction with her friends was merely the icing on the cake. Miranda had made more of a difference in her life than she'd thought. She looked around, checking the bar out as Nigel rehashed his story about nearly walking in on Michael from Auto-Universe and Doris, Irv's assistant in the conference room. Andy smiled during the funny parts, but she'd heard it before. The club was one Miranda would definitely like. It was dark enough to remain inconspicuous, but light enough and quiet enough even with the live jazz, that you wouldn't have to shout.
The thought of bringing Miranda here on a date warmed Andy's body just a fraction. She imagined them sharing a booth, a bit further away from where they were sitting now, sequestered in the dark, drinking good cocktails, or perhaps something else. The world that Miranda was a part of was a world that Andy could have never imagined herself in, and yet, she was already there. Roy drove her part of the way to work, she had clothing brought home for her and even placed in a closet like it had been there the whole time.
She'd rung Nigel about it the first time, panicking when a Closet piece had appeared in her own, personal, not-the-Runway closet and he'd laughed and said that they hadn't even optioned that for the magazine and that Miranda had taken it with her immediately. She'd confronted Miranda, but the woman had waved her off.
I'm the Head of Runway darling, she'd said. It's my prerogative and it will look so beautiful with your colouring.
And that had been the end of it. Things occasionally appeared in Andy's closet and Miranda would pretend they hadn't. Today however, Miranda had made a point to casually, or not-so-casually, ask what Andy was planning on wearing. Andy had contemplated shrugging and saying that she'd find something, but a spark in Miranda's eyes made her stop. There was a look there, tentative, but fierce. It wasn't challenging, Andy knew that look well, this was more hopeful. Andy figured that whenever she had given advice to her husbands, they'd taken it as being ordered. And perhaps she had ordered them. But Andy wasn't them, and she recognised that Miranda wanted to dress her. And so she let her.
"Andy!"
"What?" she jumped, looking around the table to find her friends staring at her. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"Oh, you're gone," Serena said with a chuckle. "Hopelessly in love with the woman."
"Shut up!" Andy laughed, pushing her a little. "It's not like you aren't."
"No," Serena conceded. "But I wasn't sitting daydreaming about her kisses."
"I wasn't," Andy said, catching the disbelieving looks. "Really! I wasn't, I was just thinking about how life has changed."
"Too right," Emily said, knocking back her drink. "It's weird."
"You're not wrong," Nigel said. "It is odd to see our fierce leader reduced to a pile of mush whenever her phone rings."
"She does not!" Andy said, laughing at the thought.
"Yeah Andy," Roy said quietly. "She really does."
Andy sat back, looking at her friends and shaking her head.
"We're all going to get over this," Andy said quietly. "Because I really like you guys and I'd hate to lose you. It's bad enough the others left, I'm not sure I can survive any more friends leaving me."
"We'll work it out," Serena said quietly, squeezing her hand. "Just give us a bit of time."
"I'm still not sure of everything," Andy chuckled morosely. "So you guys can have all the time in the world."
"Well, I for one am proud of you," Nigel said. "You go get your dreams kid. Enjoy your family and your woman and be happy."
"Amen," Roy said in his quiet way.
"I'll drink to that I suppose," Emily grinned, slugging back the last of her cocktail. "You would be the odd one of us all."
Andy chuckled, and it was as if the umbrella hanging over them had been put away, and their laughter and chatter went back to normal as if things weren't happening behind the scenes. As if Miranda and Andy weren't living together, as if Emily didn't have an eating disorder and as if Andy didn't know that Miranda was changing, even for the better.
-0-
"Hi sweetie," Andy said, accepting a hug from Cassidy as she walked in the door.
"Hey, did you eat? Mom cooked."
"No, but even if I had, for your mother's cooking, I'd pretend I hadn't."
"I know," Cassidy said gleefully. "You'll die when you have some stew. It's so great. Mom says it's the only thing that Dad gave her, except us, that was worth anything."
Andy chuckled, entering the kitchen and delighting at the smell.
"Hello gorgeous," Andy said cheekily.
"It went well," Miranda said, but not as a question. "Good."
"It was good," Andy nodded. "It was really good."
"Did you sufficiently berate me?" Miranda smiled, accepting Andy's arms around her.
"No," Andy said kissing her shoulder. "It was more about how much of a mushball you are."
"Great," Miranda rolled her eyes. "Just what I needed."
Andy leaned forward, using her height to her advantage and accepted a mouthful of stew that Miranda offered.
"Oh my God!" Andy groaned. "Why didn't I know you could make this?"
"'Cos Mom only makes it for a treat," Caroline said, hugging them from the side.
"Indeed," Miranda said. "Would you get the bread and the butter and place it on the table, and get the others from upstairs please?"
"I'll get the others," Andy said, kissing Miranda and moving away. "I'll get changed as well."
Andy raced up the stairs, feeling refreshed and able to conquer whatever life threw at her.
-0-
"Oh my gosh, I'm stuffed," Andy said, dropping onto the sofa much later, after clearing up the dinner plates.
"Three bowls will do that for you," Miranda grinned, patting Andy's round stomach.
"Did you put some in your shoes Andy?" Olivia asked, clambering up onto her knee.
"I think it's all in my tummy baby. Might be a bit in my legs, but it's mostly in my tummy."
"Well," Miranda smiled. "You do have such lovely long legs."
"Nice one Mom," Caroline giggled, looking up from the floor where she was reading, resting against Miranda's leg.
Andy just blushed, smiling as Olivia got down again and Nicholas hopped up.
"Hey little prince, is it time for bed yet?"
"NO!" Sam called, hiding under a beanbag.
"Sam? Sam! Where are you?" Andy called, winking at Nick as she passed him off to Miranda and crawled onto the floor. "Sam? Where are you Sam?"
A little giggle floated up and she skirted around where the beanbag was shaking next to her.
"Ooh, what's this?" she said, poking Sam's leg. "This doesn't look like a beanbag!"
She could hear Miranda chuckling, and the girls were laughing, but Andy was too caught up in playing. She eventually prized Samuel out from under the beanbag and rolled around on the floor tickling him mercilessly.
"Alright alright children," Miranda said, getting up when Nicholas stood on the sofa and allowed him to wrap his arms around her neck. "Ooh darling, careful," she said, catching him just as he was about to fall off. Andy lay back and let Sam rest on her chest as Nicholas scrambled up into Miranda's arms. "Right, up to bed everyone, let's go."
There was a few mumblings and groanings from the girls, but Miranda simply gave them a look and they scurried up the stairs. Andy rolled Sam onto the floor, his little eyes already drooping before she got up and let him into her arms as well.
Bed time was easy, the late night and full belly helping to send them straight off, leaving Andy and Miranda to retire to their room relatively quickly.
"You're pretty amazing," Andy said as they lay beside each other.
"If I was a house-wife I would be a disappointment."
"But you aren't," Andy said, her hand rubbing Miranda's stomach. "You are the premier name in fashion, responsible for surviving, outlasting and besting all other men in the same industry. You cannot do everything, not even you. Tonight was special, but you had the time and the inclination."
"You can cook, can't you?" Miranda mused, looking over her glasses.
"Well, yes, but I've not cooked since I've moved in, so," she shrugged. "Maybe we should start thinking about adding that into our routine," she chuckled. "Or maybe try and make a routine."
"Oh?"
"Well, I don't mean let's go wild. Neither of our jobs are very consistent in terms of home time, but it might help the kids, especially once the little two start school."
"As always your ideas have merit, but right now, I'm not going to look at The Book and you are not going to think of routines. We're going to lay here and be sappy."
"We are?" Andy smiled.
"We are," Miranda confirmed, taking off her glasses. "Now come here."
Andy grinned and rolled into her arms, breathing in deeply as she was surrounded by Miranda's scent.
"You have such wonderful ideas," she muttered as Miranda captured her lips.