Summary:

Andrea comes to see the woman she lov- Miranda after the accident.

Notes:

HEY EVERYONE! HERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER! I hope that you guys are ready for our Andy to make a reveal! This chapter is dedicated to my amazing, brilliant, and beautiful beta reader! Thank you!

The room was spinning around her. Everything was out of focus and the more Miranda tried to push the hollow feeling in her chest, the more difficult it was to keep from collapsing. All the noise such as the chattering and screaming reporters was making her head ache. The flashing lights from the cameras were making it impossible to see what was going on. She could feel people at her side vying for her attention. They called her name seeking her approval. Some were even desperate enough to be a few feet away from her just so they could say that they had met her. Her name was power; her name was also a curse.

Nigel was at her side within moments. The look in his eyes told Miranda that she would never be forgiven. She betrayed his trust and she deserved his hatred.

Then he gazed at her, he saw the dim light of fear in her eyes, the desperation that made her neck a tense column of muscles. Something in his heart gave way when he saw her hands shaking. He peeked behind her for a moment to try and catch Andrea's gaze. If anyone was going to know what had Miranda in such a state it would be her.

She wasn't anywhere to be seen. Andrea had vanished.

"Where is the back door?" Miranda asked. Her voice was low, hollow, and detached.

The crowd around them was loud enough to drown out her words and have them only reach Nigel's ears. "Behind the farthest seat on the right side of the stage. Closest to the start of the runway," he informed her in a rush. There was something wrong, he could sense it. He wasn't able to ask what before Miranda brushed past him and made her way quickly to the back door.

Miranda's feet couldn't carry her fast enough. The people in her way trying to prevent her from getting the hell out of that godforsaken building coward away from her when they noted the dangerous gleam in her eyes. For those people, she had proven right to be called a fire-breathing dragon.

When she rushed out the door, the frigid Paris air was a greatly appreciated slap across her face. Her mind finally was able to claw its way out of the fog of confusion and fear to figure out that she needed to call Andrea. She needed to know where that woman had run off to so she could come back. Come back to Miranda's side. So she pulled out her phone. Within seconds and surprisingly steady fingers, she speed-dialed Andrea's phone. She pressed the phone painfully to her ear and every ring was a stab to her heart. Her feet began to move on her own accord and before she knew it, she was running across the street. Her eyes scanned all around her to try and catch some glimpse of Andrea. The phone was still ringing in her ear.

A small figure in all black caught her eye. They paused by the fountain, only to throw something in. Her phone went dead. Miranda's soul splintered into a million pieces and she began to run. The heels she wore were boring blisters into her skin and every heavy step was painful. Pain shot up her leg when she misplaced her foot, twisting it at an odd angle. Luckily, a lamp post caught her fall. She took a moment of reprieve to just breathe, to calm her racing heart. It wasn't working. She glanced up and Andrea was even farther away. Many people say that when adrenaline is coursing through their veins there is a bitter taste at the back of their throat. That it tastes like ozone or acid. Miranda had that taste flooding her entire mouth, her blood was pounding in her ear so loudly that she couldn't hear the cars zooming past behind her. Panic was making every muscle in her body tense up. The longer she stood there watching Andrea walk away the more little pieces of her heart began to break away. A broken heart was something Miranda had never experienced. She had heard about it through other people, but she had never felt it first hand. She made sure that her heart was untouchable and distanced herself from dangers that would cause it harm. Now she felt every single wall that she had built collapsing, leaving her vulnerable and with her world spiraling out of control. She needed to fix this, she needed to remedy this and get Andrea back. That was it, that was the only thing that she could think of at that moment.

God… Don't leave me. I don't know what I would do without you. Oh God, what have I done?

So she did the only thing that she could do. She screamed out Andrea's name as hard as she could.

Maybe God could feel her pain, maybe it was that God took pity on her, but the wind was able to carry her cry through the space between the two women. Andrea stopped in mid-stride when she heard her name being called out. That was all Miranda needed to push herself off the lamp post and close the space between them. She ignored her likely sprained ankle and the pain that flared up every time she took a step. The pain didn't stop her though, because she was nearly running towards Andrea.

When they were close enough, Miranda called her name one more time. This time her voice was tight, breathless, and the name was dripping in desperation.

"I need you to come back with me." Miranda's voice was stronger this time. Her fists were painfully tight and her entire body strung as a bowstring pulled back ready to release an arrow. However, she wasn't an arrow. She was a lost, confused, hurt, and bitter woman who was tired of losing the people around her.

You were the one that pushed them all away. A twisted voice whispered in her mind.

Something caused her to lean away from Andrea. It sunk its teeth into her soul and made her think that this whole endeavor was futile. She shouldn't be begging for someone to stay by her side. She shouldn't have to explain herself to a woman that she hadn't even known for a year. Then a flash of deep, brown eyes exploded in her mind.

Andrea had cared, she had worried, she had been ready to hide Miranda away for a day as she recovered from the sudden divorce.

Now she was walking away from Miranda and it was too much.

Both women stood in the middle of Paris with crumbling hearts, the weight of so much unsaid was enough to make them fall to the cold hard ground. Yet there they stood, drawing strength from the fact that neither of them walked away. They were still there together. That must count for something, shouldn't it?

Andrea's words were jarringly cold, hurt, and laced with anger. How could she have been so stupid to be caught up with Miranda? She lost everything because of the woman behind her. Then she could feel her heart strain against her chest in hopes of reaching out to Miranda. That was enough for Andrea to come to a realization. She would do it again. She would change everything just so she could finally have Miranda see her. Not just look at her in passing, but to really see her. See Andrea for the woman that she was and that happened. They had shared quiet moments together where the only thing that mattered was the two women. Their aching hearts were consoled by the other and just the conversation of planning the following day was enough to allow a small flower of longing to bloom in their souls.

If only Andrea knew what was swimming in Miranda's heart, if she knew what had pushed Miranda to build so many walls then maybe things would have been different.

"I can't go back with you. I need to stay true to myself and I can't sit back and watch you take advantage of people. What you did to Nigel was wrong. You should have told him, you should have told me, even Emily." The overwhelming outrage that came with a betrayal that began to fester in Andrea's body, made breathing strenuous. Then everything began to hit her. Nigel, her friends, her family, Emily, her entire existence. Everything in less than a year had been turned upside down, shaken up, and torn from her hands. Now she was left with the feeling of a raw form of discovery. This wasn't supposed to happen, this was just supposed to be a two-year job that helped her in her career. It wasn't supposed to be a time of change or discovery. She had done that already, she knew who she was. Rage began to find a small part of her to feed off of and so she turned around, directing her fury at Miranda.

"Why are you so terrible? How can you be loved by so many people and still be this cold?" Andrea was screaming. Her body was shaking. The look in Miranda's eyes, a look that was filled with so much pain, made her heart cry.

You should have told me, Miranda. I would have done anything to help you. God, why does it have to be like this?

Then fire made the blues of Miranda's eyes cold steel. "Do you think I enjoy this?" She cried back. Her voice was strong, cracking with every other word, but still strong. "I do what I do to protect others. I push them away because they would be used against me."

The air around them turned electric and the cold wind wasn't enough to snap them back to reality. They were alone at that moment.

"I did what I had to do to keep Nigel safe. He would have lost everything if I sent him to Holt. That boy is careless and stupid. His dreams were doomed to moment that Irving got him on a leash. They wanted Nigel with him because they knew that Holt would tear his reputation apart. They would have become laughingstocks." Miranda was screaming. The pain that burned her ankle was a mere echo of discomfort when she closed the gap between herself and Andrea. "Nigel deserves better than that. He deserves his own magazine, his own empire, his own name."

Andrea felt the world stop spinning with these words. "Miranda I-"

The woman didn't let her finish her sentence before she went off again. "Then there was you. I was a fool to think that they wouldn't have tried to use you against me. I kept you by my side to protect you. Irving knew that you were my weakness. That's why they sent Christian. They knew how I felt about you…" Those last few words were what brought Miranda crashing back down. She wasn't supposed to admit her feelings. Those emotions were supposed to be buried deep in her heart and never unearthed. Now they were in the air, hanging on hope, fear, and longing.

Miranda could feel her strength leaving her and everything began to ache. Her ankle was on fire by the time she decided to take a seat on the fountain. "They would have burned you just to see me hurt," Miranda whispered to the wind.

Present

Andrea walked towards the hospital as quickly as she could. The only thing that was keeping her from running was the fact that there were cars coming in and out of the parking lot. The last thing that she needed right now was to get hurt because she wasn't paying enough attention.

When she reached the sliding doors, her gaze fell on an old looking woman. Her hair had streaks of grey that stood out in her once black hair. The woman was quick to note that someone had just walked in so she smiled and waited for Andrea to reach her.

"Hello. My name is Andrea Sachs and I am here to see Miranda Priestly. Emily Charlton let you know that I would be visiting." Andrea said with a forced smile on her lips and pain encapsulating her chest. A whisper of desperation was curling at the bottom of her heart and the longer that she waiting in front of the reception desk the louder her desperation was becoming.

The woman turned quickly to her computer and began to type away. Her eyes would sometimes glance away to look at files but only to get information that she needed. It took a few minutes before she turned to look up at Andy again. "She's on the fourth floor, room 415. Visiting hours are from eight A.M. to eight P.M."

Andy was quick to thank the woman for her help and dash towards the nearest elevator. The tapping of her foot on the linoleum floor was something that she was able to draw her attention to as she waited for the elevator to descend.

Forty-seven seconds of silence passed and she heard the soft ding of the elevator doors. It took another fifty-eight seconds for Andy to reach the floor and another twenty-three to find Miranda's room.

Up until that point, Andy had been running on autopilot. She hadn't let her mind process what was happening because she knew that if she did, her entire life would fall apart. Fear would take her senses hostage would torture her to no end until she knew Miranda was okay. Ever since Emily had called her that morning Andy's only thoughts were surrounding Miranda.

How was she doing? Was she going to be okay? How badly hurt was she? When would she wake up again?

Those questions would come flooding in like a tsunami, each one making her chest tighten with a sharp pain that left her breathless. Then it would be hours where she would conjure up the worst scenario possible. Every time her heart would shatter and it was almost impossible not to feel tears trying to tear themselves through her.

Now her hand was reaching for the doorknob, turning it slowly and bracing herself for what was sure to be a painful sight. She could hear Nigel's voice softly speaking to someone. It sounded like he was trying to convince someone to get something to eat. Andy knew exactly whom he had been talking to.

She walked through the door silently to try and not disturb their conversation, but when she was fully inside everything grew quiet. The only thing that she could hear was the beeping of medical machines. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was someone watching her.

"Andrea!" Emily said, relief written all over her face.

Andy put her purse down off to the side so she was free to rush up to Emily and give her a tight embrace. The smell of roses wafted up her noses and it was almost enough to overpower the smell of disinfectant and stale air. "How long have you been here?" She asked against red hair.

Emily pulled back and Andy could see that she had wiped away her mascara enough times that she had decided halfway through to just take off all her makeup. The woman's eyes were red and glassy, her skin dry and flushed from recent sobs. She looked like she hadn't rested for hours or even ate.

"It's been roughly around fourteen hours. She had been in surgery for ten of them."

Nigel walked up to them and pulled Andy away for a moment. His strong arms wrapped around her and she quickly returned the hug. "God Six, it's a breath of fresh air to see you." He murmured.

Unknown to all of them, Miranda was standing off to the side. Her eyes were wide with something indescribable. She looked at Andrea in utter shock and confusion. All she could do was ask herself, why was she there? There was no reason for Andrea to be there. The woman had a job, her own life; she surely had something better to do than visit an old woman in the hospital. Now Andrea was standing in the middle of her hospital room talking to Nigel and Emily. Her deep brown eyes kept looking past them at Miranda. Then for a few seconds, she just looked at the woman's body.

Miranda tore her eyes away from Andrea to look out the window again. Still, that didn't keep her voice from floating through the air and caressing Miranda's ears. It had been a year since she had heard Andrea's voice and now all she could hear in her words was fear and pain. Something worked its way past her throat and she heard herself calling out to the trio.

"You should all leave. I do not deserve you all to be here."

"Did you hear that?" Andrea said.

Nigel looked around to look at her confusedly. "I didn't hear anything. Maybe it was the wind?"

Andrea shook her head and pulled away from Emily and Nigel. Her eyes roamed over the room and stopped at the far right corner. Something at the back of her neck tingle and she could have sworn that she saw a shadow. A shadow that was just too familiar for her to ignore. So she walked towards it, slowly, as if she was scared to frighten whatever energy might have been there. She was being ridiculous of course, there was nothing there and Nigel was right. It had been the wind that caught her attention.

So she moved to Miranda's side, her hand coming out to gently take the older woman's. Andrea looked down at Miranda and could feel as her soul began to shatter all over again. This time she didn't fight back the tears that were burning her eyes. She bent down and quickly pressed her lips to Miranda's forehead. She could feel an echo resonate throughout the entire room that left the little hairs at the back of her neck stand on end.

Miranda gasped as she felt a slight pressure against her forehead, the same spot that Andrea had kissed.

"I can feel you…" Miranda whispered. She walked up to her bedside as Andrea took Emily's seat. Her hand still over Miranda's.

Faint warmth around her hand and wrist was like a kiss over Miranda's skin.

That fateful day in Paris.

Andrea pushed through the lump in her throat and began to search through her small clutch. She quickly pulled out an alcohol wipe and a Band-aid. Her hand went to gently rest on Miranda's knee as she bent down to kneel in front of her.

"Your ankle is hurt," Andrea remarked worriedly as she moved her hands to raise Miranda's injured ankle. All she was given in response was a soft wince and Miranda pulling the skirt of her dress a little higher to give Andrea a better view of her injury.

Miranda looked down at Andrea for a moment as she began to wipe at her bloody ankle. The sting of the wipe was enough to clear her mind of the fog of emotions that had clouded her judgment. Now she was back inside of her body and she could feel the chill of the fountain seeping through her dress and Andrea's soft finger trying to soothe the pain from the scrape on her ankle and ensure that it was clean. When she was finished, she took the Band-aid and pressed it to Miranda's skin.

"I felt like my entire world was falling apart. The only thing that felt stable, something that I could count on was this job." Andrea moved her hand slowly up Miranda's left, the soft skin feeling like silk. "Everything I did was for you. The way that you looked at me made me feel like I mattered. Nate never did that, he looked at me like he expected more, that I wasn't doing enough for him." Her fingers began to travel over Miranda's skirt until they eased between Miranda's hands. "When you called my name the entire world stopped. The only thing that mattered was you." Andrea was able to relax Miranda's hands enough that she let go of her dress skirt. She smoothed out any wrinkles and eased up Miranda's body. Her fingers fixing any little imperfection that she could see. "Nate told me that the relationship that I was in was with the person who I always answered the phone for."

Miranda couldn't breathe. Her body was on fire and everywhere Andrea touched fueled a spark in the pit of her stomach. The softness of the woman's hands against her skin was addicting and she felt something tight form in the center of her body. Her thighs began to tremble and she could feel her heart racing. Andrea was playing a dangerous game. Miranda saw it in her eyes, the way that the brown had almost been swallowed by black. The tops of her cheeks were flushed and the swell of her breasts was a tantalizing sight. It was too much, everything around them was turning electric and Miranda knew that if she pushed it further she would burn.

"They found about my feelings the night of the gala," Miranda revealed. "They could tell with the way that I talked to you. Irving said that I looked like I melted when you got close enough to me." Something like bile rose at the back of Miranda's throat at just the thought of that pathetic, little man. "I should have seen that he was baiting me. I should have read the signs, but it had been too late. Stephen had almost ruined the night and you sweeping in and saving it had me on my head. No one had ever done that for me. Anyone else would have let it happen." Miranda began to move at this point. Her hands reached out and stroked along the side of Andrea's neck. Her fingers brushing against her hair to push it back over her shoulder. Then she moved to stroke along Andrea's jaw and her thumb grazed blood red lips. "He said that if anything were to happen between us that he would be sure to ruin us both. You would have never been able to write again and that thought alone sent me in a fury. I snapped and that was all that he needed. From that, he knew that you have become something more to me."

Andrea looked at Miranda with something blinding, it was love, but Miranda was too scared to admit it. At that moment both women knew that they were doomed.

"Go…" Miranda ordered. "I'll ruin you otherwise."

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