A/N: This one is going out with a massive shout out to Callie-G over on FFNet for providing the prompt.

Summary: Years after the events in Paris, Miranda finds one of her darling Bobbsey's remained in touch with the assistant that got away, Andréa (Call me Andy) Sachs. What will happen when the editor comes face to face with her past? Will she still see a lot of herself in the brunette?

Disclaimer: As always, I am just fooling around with these characters. I do not make any money from them because Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox own them.

xxxxxxxxxx

Andy pulled back from the embrace as Ethan stirred and started to whimper. She stepped quickly towards him as he rubbed his eyes furiously.

"Mooooooomeeeeee." Ethan's wail bounced off the wall. "Monsters."

Andy picked him up and moving the cushions settled him across her lap, attempting to soothe him as he cried. "There's no monsters here, sunshine. I promise." She brushed the curls from his sweaty forehead and kissed the spot gently.

She looked up towards Miranda and watched her shoo the twins away with whispered words and a small smile. She heard them call for Patricia and a minute later the front door slammed shut. Andy frowned.

Miranda stepped quickly and sat beside her, leaving a small slither of space between them. She wiped the tears from Ethan's cheeks gently. "Little man, your mom is right, there are no monsters here."

"Bu..but..." Ethan rubbed his eyes again. "Me sees them, they snarly and haves big teeths."

"Do you honestly believe the Dragon Lady would allow such a thing in her home?" Miranda asked. "Can I tell you a big secret?" Ethan nodded quickly. "Monsters are afraid of Dragons. To them, I am the most frightening thing in all the world."

Ethan giggled and clapped his hands together happily. "I come live with yous, M'wanda."

"Your mommy would miss you very much, Ethan," Miranda responded seriously.

Ethan yawned as Miranda continued to run her forefinger across his cheeks. "Mommy comes too, and Fizzy. Yous keep us all safe from monsters."

Miranda swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she watched the little boy lost his battle with the Sandman. She somehow found the words she wished to speak. "As much as I wish otherwise, I cannot make that kind of promise, little man."

Andy was stunned by the words. To give herself time to consider their meaning, she asked the first question that came to mind. "Where did Cassidy and Caroline go?"

"They came down to ask if they can take Patricia to the park. They wish to have a private conversation. They used to have what I thought was a secret language, but apparently, it was just part of their process in learning to verbalise things." Miranda sighed. "I have always believed they were special. They use sense when something is wrong with each other. They always seemed to read one another's thoughts, finishing each other's sentences. And yet, if I am honest, I have recognised there is a distance growing between them. I assumed it was due to hormones and growing up, or some such."

Andy turned slightly and saw the sadness in Miranda's eyes. "I've spoken to Cassidy about certain things. I can't tell you all she has ever told me, that would break her trust in me, but she admitted there have been a few times a miscommunication has arisen between herself and Caroline when attempting to read one another. It hurts Cassidy. She often feels Caroline is unwilling to listen to what she's actually saying."

"What else can you tell me? I feel like I have been so blind." Miranda whispered, suddenly ashamed she had not realised just how bad things were between her daughters.

"The whole new friend thing hurt Cassidy. It was the new school year after I left Runway. Ethan was just a few months old and Izzy was starting school at Dalton. For the first few weeks, Izzy talked about the cheeky redhaired twins that spent all their time together causing mischief. She liked Cassidy immediately and they spoke often about their love of art and music, but Caroline remained distant with her after seeing me dropping her off." She worried her lip between her teeth before continuing. "Suddenly, I started hearing stories about Cassidy being left alone at recess while Caroline was pulled in by the cool, popular kids. Her new friends didn't accept Cassidy, and teased her for various reasons, primarily for being a bit of a geek. Apparently, Caroline did little to defend her sister. In her loneliness, Cassidy found a like-minded soul in Izzy, who was equally hurting and frankly just as geeky. Over time they became inseparable."

Miranda was, once again, surprised by Andy's honesty, although she was factual, she was not cruel. "Why are you being like this?" She asked desperately.

"Like what exactly?" Andy asked, confused beyond words.

"Most people would take great delight in pointing out just how much I am failing as a parent. You though, you have been quite gentle, putting this on the twins." Miranda stated brokenly.

Andy sighed. "This is not you failing as a parent, Miranda but succeeding. You have raised the twins to be individuals." She turned slightly to catch Miranda's eyes. "And why would I want to hurt you?" Andy shrugged. "Apart from the initial meet and greet today, you've been quite nice." She licked her lips and let her mischievous side out to play. "Actually, it's been surprisingly pleasant. Today has been acceptable."

Andy grinned as Miranda let out an inelegant snort upon hearing the emphasis on the final word. "You shocked me beyond belief by swearing at me, I think I would hate to be on your wrong side. Clearly, gone are the days it was all golly, gosh and shoot."

"Aw heck, sheesh, golly, gee whiz." Andy rubbed the back of her neck pretending to be embarrassed and Miranda slapped her arm playfully. "I'm a New Yorker now, baby. Na' mean?"

The slang had Miranda chuckling quietly. "So I see. Now, do you want to put Ethan back down?"

"Yeah, that'd be good. He's dead weight right now." Andy smirked as Miranda scooted away, leaving more space between them. Standing up, she settled Ethan back into his previous position and watched as he wrapped himself around the throw off the back of the sofa. "You know, I thought I knew what love was, but then Izzy and Ethan came along. There's nothing like it." She glanced from Ethan to Miranda. "Being a mom is the most conflicting experience of my life. My family come above all else, the professional recognition, the awards, it pales in comparison."

"I was right. You are an exceptional mother. I believe your children are lucky to have you." Miranda stated. "Now, it's too early for wine, but would you like another drink?"

"A water or soda would be great, thank you." Andy sat back on her heels and smiled up at the editor.

Miranda's eyes caught and held Andy's. "Yes, well, I have a few more questions to ask, and I would appreciate your continued honesty."

Andy brushed her hair from her face, suddenly nervous about the next conversation. Squaring her shoulders, she did the only thing she could. "Of course, Miranda." She agreed.

xxxxxxxxxx

Miranda thought of all the things she wanted to say to the woman sat in her library.

She allowed herself to consider all that had happened in Paris and her words to the brunette. In a way, they had come from love, as well as a healthy dose of fear.

The fear came from her own deep-rooted insecurities, implanted from the multiple failed relationships she had left in her wake as she did whatever she could to succeed professionally. The multiple boyfriends, two husbands and soon to be two divorces had left their mark. Each of the men she had dated or married would happily attest to her being cold-hearted and uncompromising.

She had sworn to herself years ago that she would let Andréa go and live her life, unwilling to risk hurting her and tearing away the gentle and sensitive fabric that made up the very core of the beautiful woman she loved, only to replace it with bitterness and disillusionment.

She had once told Andréa everyone had choices and like herself, she seemed to be choosing to get ahead. She spoke that day of that particular subject because the freedom to choose was important. She knew when you loved someone, you had to give them the freedom to choose for themselves, regardless of the pain it caused. Andréa's choice to walk away proved just that.

Her heart had ached.

It still ached.

Now it was time, to be honest with Andréa. She had to see what, if anything, could come of meeting again. Could they be friends?

People often said, if you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. Perhaps Andréa could be her forever?

Scoffing at the sentimentality of her thoughts, Miranda continued to fix herself a coffee and grabbed a diet coke.

Turning towards the door, she jumped slightly when she spotted the brunette leaning against the frame watching her intently. She raised an eyebrow and Andréa blushed.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Andréa stated quietly, blushing further. "I forgot how captivating you are when you're having one of your internal debates."

"I doubt I am that interesting, Andréa. My thought processes less so." Miranda frowned. Why did she have to be so challenging towards the younger woman? What was it about Andréa that kept her from baring her heart?

Andréa pushed off from the door towards her, searching her eyes. She nodded once, a confirmation of something she must have thought and then seen in them. "I used to pride myself on being able to read you. Let's see if I still have the knack."

Andréa stepped into her personal space but leaned around her to grab the soda and coffee. Taking her elbow, she propelled them towards the kitchen island where they had eaten lunch. Andréa pushed her down onto a stool as she placed the drinks down and folded her arms across her chest, gazing into her eyes.

"You wonder why you feel the need to challenge me. You wonder if pushing me away was for the best. You haven't wanted to see me over the last four years in case you treated me differently to anyone else. You read my articles and follow my career. You are frightened of the feelings you have for me. You wonder what you can offer me. You worry that you would change who I am or disappoint me." Andréa licked her lips. Pulling the tab from the diet coke she sipped at the cold drink. "Am I close?"

Miranda was stunned. Standing up she stalked away from the brunette trying to get a handle on her growing anger. Was it all so obvious? "What I wonder, Andréa is how you get through life being such a smart arse." She hissed furiously.

Miranda glared at Andréa who sighed and slumped down on the stool she had vacated, twirling the can of coke between her hands, her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry. It's not obvious, you know? I've been told certain things over the years. Things I couldn't and wouldn't let myself believe. Do you wonder if I think of you the way you think of me?"

Letting go of her anger, Miranda found herself nodding. "Yes."

"I have a subscription to Runway, not because I like the fashion choices held between the pages, some of it is too far out there for my plebian taste, but I read your editor's letter religiously. I try to read between the lines, to work out if it's been a good month for you, or not." Andréa stood up and placed her drink down. She took the three steps to reach Miranda and gazed down into her eyes. "Do I think of you, Miranda? Everyday. When faced with difficult situations I ask myself, what would Miranda do? I work my ass off to succeed so I don't become just another disappointment for you. You once said you saw a lot of yourself in me, but I couldn't see it. I could only ever hope to be half the woman you are."

Miranda saw the steely determination held within the brunette's expressive eyes.

"You admitted to me that I set your soul on fire. That was so brave, love. It left me speechless, but it also gave me hope, Miranda." Andy brushed the forelock from Miranda's eyes. "Why are we fighting this connection? Why are we making it any harder than it has to be? Don't you see how rare this is? I could make you happy, I know I could if you'd just give me another chance to prove myself."

Miranda looked up into clear dark eyes and felt like she was falling into their depths. She saw the sincerity behind the words and the flicker of hope Andréa mentioned. "You know, this could end badly for the both of us." She whispered. "Once word gets out, the press would be relentless and..."

Andréa raised her hand and placed a finger on her lips, a small smile playing on her full, kissable, lips. "The press can kiss my size four ass, Miranda."

Miranda's lips twitched in the ghost of a smile as Andréa moved her finger from her lips. "Really, Andréa?"

"Truly." Andréa looked at her, her eyes blazing with deep affection. "This isn't some feeble spark that will fizzle and die if things get difficult. This is a fucking huge roaring flame, a wildfire."

Miranda stood on tiptoes and brushed a light kiss against Andréa's lips. "Well, I hope neither of us gets burnt." She stepped back and looking up, saw Andréa looking punch drunk. "Now, I hope you'll be staying for dinner?"

"Just try and get rid of me, Priestly. You've not got a cat in Hells chance." Andréa gave her one of her brightest megawatt smiles.

Miranda knew this decision would be life-altering, yet she knew she could no longer resist the pull of the younger woman.

xxxxxxxxxx

Andy was stunned to be pulled back into Miranda's small library and onto her lap. They spoke softly as their hands mapped each other's bare skin. Arms, hands, neck and faces had warm, soft, fingers trailing across them, a way of knowing each other and sharing an intimacy that had been missing from their lives prior to this moment.

The twins returned, noisily banging their way upstairs while Patricia padded into the room slowly, and jumped on the end of the sofa, resting her head on Ethan's foot.

Miranda smiled tolerantly at the large dog.

Andy made to move from the embrace but Miranda held in tightly. "Not yet." She whispered.

"What about the twins?" Andy whispered back.

"What about us?" Caroline's voice accosted them and Ethan stirred. "It seems our wishes will not be taken into consideration."

Miranda glared at her eldest daughter. "And what wishes are those, Caroline?" She asked coldly. "And keep your voice down, Ethan is sleeping."

Caroline huffed and Andy extracted herself, casting an apologetic glance at the editor. She moved to sit on the floor by Ethan's head. Patricia's tail thumped and she stroked her hands through the fur around her ears and jowls.

"Just give it a rest, Caro." Cassidy pushed past her sister and grinned at Andy. She plonked herself down next to her and rested her head in the crook of her neck. "Hey, Andy. I'm glad you're still here."

Caroline grimaced. Andy looked up at her and frowned. She saw the battling emotions in the young woman's eyes. It wasn't so much that Caroline hated her, but she could see the wariness. Caroline didn't trust her. She knew things had to change.

Moving from Cassidy loose embrace, she placed a soft kiss on her head before standing and stepping towards Miranda. Bending, she gave her a swift kiss on the lips. Pulling away, she grinned when Miranda leaned forward, her lips slightly parted and her eyes unfocused as she sought another kiss. "Do you trust me?" She whispered. She saw Miranda swallow before nodding. Offering her a smile, she straightened and looked towards the elder twin. "I think it's time we had a little chat, Caroline, don't you?" She stated softly.

"I've nothing to say to you," Caroline stated, looking away.

Andy stepped into her line of sight, refusing to back down. "I'm sure that will change once you hear what I have to say, Caroline. I mean, I'm happy to give you a piece of my mind in front of your mom and sister, if you insist on refusing my request, but you will no doubt be embarrassed once I have finished with you."

"You can't...mom, tell her she can't speak to me like that?" Caroline demanded, spinning to face her mother.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I cannot stop Andréa from doing anything. You see, she doesn't work for me, and if I wish to build a relationship, which I do, I cannot start it by being high-handed with her." Miranda shrugged unapologetically.

Andy could see the increasing wariness in the editor's eyes. She gave Miranda a reassuring smile which seemed to relax her imperceptibly. She turned back towards Caroline. "So what's it to be, here or..." Caroline flounced away and Andy smirked before striding from the room after the young woman.

She found Caroline rummaging in the fridge. Clearing her throat she watched the young redhead jump.

"Just say what you want, Ahn-dréy-uh," Caroline demanded.

"You should drop that shitty attitude, Caroline. Trust me, you get nowhere in life by having a chip on your shoulder the size of New York." Andy stated. She watched as Caroline rolled her eyes. "Don't believe me? Ask your mom. She takes particular pleasure in chipping away at an overly inflated ego. She is not alone in that. People like your mom, take you, break you, and then if you are lucky enough or prove yourself, build you back up. It's a necessary lesson for some."

"For you, maybe," Caroline stated.

"For sure. I don't disagree with that." Andy agreed good-naturedly. "You know, you remind me of my cousin, Amy. That's Izzy's mom. We were the same age and inseparable until middle school when she got in with the cool kids. She started to make my life hell alongside those so-called friends of hers. She got pregnant, and not one of those people stood by her, not even the boy who sweet-talked her into handing him her virginity."

"I've heard all this already." Caroline hissed. "Cassidy was perfectly eloquent..."

"Did you listen? Have you taken your sister's words to heart?" Andy interrupted, demanding answers. "Do you feel her pain? Do you feel the hurt you and your friends cause? Do you actually fucking care?" She thundered. She watched Caroline cringe and took a deep, calming breath. "I'm sorry. It's not just Cassidy you hurt. You hurt my Izzy too. She's been through so much already, she's lost so much, and yet you and those fucking assholes seem to think it's okay to pour more hurt upon her. It's cruel and unnecessary. Each one of you has kicked her when she's down, and that is an absolutely shitty thing to do, kid."

"I am not a kid and you are not my mom, you can't come in here and tell me what to do." Caroline had tears streaming down her face and Andy felt the change in atmosphere that indicated Miranda was close by, probably pulled in by the raised voices.

"You are not an adult, as much as you wish otherwise, Caroline. And I realise I am not your mom, but I am old enough to be. Sure, I only just turned thirty, but there are kids your age, young men and women, at fourteen and fifteen, who are having children or who have caught an STD from having unprotected sex." Unable to watch the redhead crying, almost broken by her harshness, Andy pulled her into her arms. "I just don't want to see you go down the same path as Amy. All it takes is one wrong choice. But you also need to realise that Cassidy will always be the one person who has your back, and in this world, you will need someone like that. Don't throw that away to fit in with those who will not stand by you when the shit hits the fan."

"I'm sorry. Okay? How many times do I have to say it?" Caroline cried. "I already told Cass."

"The words are easy, Caroline. It's your actions that will prove how truly sorry you are from here."

"Who do you have?" Caroline mumbled into her neck.

"I have Ethan, his dad Christian, Nigel, Cassidy, Izzy, my boss Greg and hopefully I can now add your mom to my list." Andy swallowed. "And maybe one day, you too."

"You love her, don't you?" Caroline asked, pulling back and swiping at her eyes. "Mom, I mean? Was it mom who made you question yourself? "

"It's a little soon to be making lovey-dovey declarations, Caro. But frankly, it is more than that. Your mom knocked me down to size, but then she built me back up, she did that because she saw something in me and wanted me to be the best version of myself that I could ever possibly be. She taught me so much." Andy swallowed, considering her next words. "Your mom captured my soul the moment I saw her and my heart shortly after. It just took my mind a little time to catch up."

"How long?" Caroline asked.

"It was after Paris," Andy admitted. "I told myself it was a crush, throughout my whole tenure at Runway. But my feelings didn't disappear when I returned to New York. I interviewed at the Mirror and was offered the job. As I was walking back from my interview through Midtown, I saw your mom. I'd just been told I was her greatest disappointment but was offered the job anyway. Rather than being angry, as I should rightfully have been, my heart just hurt, because I knew I no longer had a place in her life. I'd chosen to throw it away."

Caroline nodded. "That makes sense. Surely you both realise you've wasted far too much time?"

"I know, but it was for the best." Andy had her own tears forming. "Please don't be angry with me, Caro," Andy whispered.

"I never hated you, Andy. I was just angry, because I missed you and because after you left Mom was even busier than before. Not one of those replacements, nor Emily could manage her schedule the way you did. It seemed she had even less time for us, and she was sad too." Caroline told her, pushing herself back into Andy's arms. "I'm sorry I was mean to Izzy, Andy. She's actually pretty nice and funny too. I was being stupid, I was jealous because she had you when we didn't anymore. We missed you."

Miranda cleared her throat, having watched Andréa's not so careful handling of the situation. She'd almost intervened after hearing the journalist cursing at her daughter, but watching them, she saw she was handling things in the only way Caroline would respond to.

She was amazed at how Andréa had levelled with her daughter, being truthful without giving too much away. Glancing up, as Caroline pulled herself from Andy's arms, she held her own arms out, and her daughter and her Andréa rushed forward, almost toppling her over, in their haste. She wrapped them both up against her chest holding them tightly.

xxxxxxxxxx