A/N: This is my first attempt at Fanfiction. I woke up with the idea in my head after inhaling so much DWP/Mirandy fanfic. This is not beta'd. All mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: I do now own any of the Characters belonging to The Devil Wears Prada. These are owned by Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox.
Summary: Andy leaves Paris with final words for Miranda.
A/N 2: I have spent some time since my last update editing this story in the hopes it would coax my muse from hibernation. There are no major changes to the storyline/plot.
xxxxxxxxxx
Chapter Thirteen:
They sat in silence together in the chair for a short time until Miranda stirred. "Come with me my darling, I have something to show you." Miranda slid off Andy's knee and grabbing Andy's hand pulled her to her feet she walked them out of the Formal living room and up the stairs to the guest room opposite their bedroom.
Opening the door, Andy's eyes met twin sets of blue eyes. Her eyes scanned the room, and she spotted the stack of gift-wrapped presents on the floor. "Miranda?" Andy queried softly.
"You didn't think I'd stop at the ring did you, darling?" Miranda smirked as Andy nodded. "I couldn't very well make you carry your own gifts downstairs this morning."
"Miranda it's too much...the cell phone too..." Andy trailed off.
"My darling, please hush. Open your gifts. We'll start with the ones from Cassidy and Caroline." Miranda smiled softly as Andy sat on the floor in front of the stack of presents.
Turning her head she looked into their faces she gave them a bright smile. "C'mon then my imps." Cassidy and Caroline jumped off the bed as they pulled their gifts from the pile and placed them in front of Andy. Miranda sat on a chair in the corner of the room where she could happily watch.
Andy was amazed at the gifts in front of her. Pulling a rectangular package towards her she shook it. "Well, it's not chocolate." She grinned. Looking at the tag she gave Caroline a wide smile and opened the gift. Two books fell out and looking down she saw Caroline had given her two titles she'd been itching to read. A Thousand Splendid Suns and Thirteen Reasons Why. She looked at Caroline and offered her a bright megawatt smile. "These are amazing Caro, they were on my to-read list. Thank you." Caroline went pink and smiled back shyly. Looking down at the thinner rectangular package she saw it was from Cassidy. Opening it she laughed when she saw Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and its sequel Dawn of the Dreadfuls. "Trust you, Cass."
Cassidy smiled widely. "You mentioned P and P was a favourite. This is just the classic with a twist. We bought ourselves copies of each book too."
"You two are amazing. I look forward to reading all four" She was thrilled with her gifts so far. Pulling another gift towards her she unwrapped it and was stunned to find a personalised leather bound journal with her name and the year embossed on the front. "Oh God, this is so beautiful. Part of me never wants to spoil it by writing in it." She stroked the soft leather and smiled happily. "Thanks, Cass." Opening another gift she found a solid pen case from Cross. When she opened the case, she found two pens with her name and the year engraved. "Oh wow." She felt tears spring up in her eyes.
"Why are you crying? Don't you like it?" Caroline asked nervously.
"Caro this is an amazing gift, and these are happy tears. I love all my presents, my little love. They're all so very thoughtful. I'll use the pens all the time and each time I hold one in my hand I'll think of you, of how much you mean to me, both of you. Thank you so much." Andy told her softly.
Caroline launched herself at Andy and gave her a tight hug. "Love you," Caroline whispered before letting go, and running up to Miranda and climbing on her knee. Looking at Caroline and Miranda she saw their happiness.
Smiling she stood and stretched. Holding her arms out to Cassidy she following her sister's footsteps threw herself into Andy's arms. "Love you, Andy," Cassidy whispered as Andy placed a kiss on her head. Untangling herself she also ran to clamber up on to Miranda's knee, elbowing Caroline in her rush. "Move Caro." She hissed.
"You move. I was here first." Caroline stated her eyes, so like her mom's, filling with ice. Miranda winced as the girls fidgeted.
"Girls, your mom has two knees and you two are fighting each other on them. Please settle down and be considerate of one another and your mom." Andy told them softly.
"Yes, bonus-mom." They said together grinning. Turning to their mom they said. "Sorry, mom."
"So that's the one that will stick?" Andy smiled at them. "Any preference where I start with the rest of this pile of gifts?" Andy asked Miranda.
"There's a large rectangular box at the front." Miranda smiled.
Walking over Andy looked at the large stack of gift-wrapped items and sighed softly as she pulled the box Miranda suggested and got to work unwrapping her gift. Looking down she saw the iconic Chanel logo on a black box. "Oh, my God," Andy whispered. Looking towards Miranda she saw her smirk. Opening the box she looked down to find Chanel black lambskin leather thigh high boots. "Miranda sweetheart..."
"Before you say a word, I got them before our conversation earlier, obviously. I remember very clearly the day you wore the ones from the closet." Miranda smiled softly.
"Thank you, my love," Andy whispered. She unwrapped in earnest, amazed at the number of clothes. A vast array of t-shirts from Armani, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Alexander Wang and Gucci. Jeans from Rag and Bone, True Religion, 7 for All Mankind and Levi's.
There were items from the Paris shows that Miranda believed would suit her Andréa and some that she'd noticed had caused Andy's eyes to sparkle with interest. As Andy unwrapped a tie-dye dress from the Balmain show that was showcased by Angela Lindvall she knew she'd chosen right. Andy's eyes expressed her bewilderment. "You noticed what I liked."
"Mm." Miranda hummed noncommittally.
Andy moved on to find a short, strapless shift dress from Valentino in black with a flower print and the vibrant Valentino red one-sleeved evening gown. She opened more gifts to find shirts, skirts, dresses, and pants from DKNY, Lanvin, Versace, Elie Saab, Oscar de la Renta Gucci, Zac Posen, Calvin Klein, Armani, Phillip Lim, Christian Dior and Stella McCartney, she lost count of the different designer labels she had encountered. She shook her head in disbelief.
Looking up she saw Miranda watching her intently, both twins had disappeared without her realising. She was about two thirds through the items when she got to the shoes, Louboutin's, Jimmy Choo's, Manolo Blahnik's, ankle boots from Michael Kors and Chanel, a pair of UGGS. There was also two new pairs of Converse Chuck Taylor's, red low-tops and black hi-tops. She opened more gifts to find accessories from Hermes, Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. "Sweetheart this is too much, There's enough here to see me well into the next five years." She smiled at the older women in the hope no offence would be taken.
Miranda stood and walked over to where she was sat crossed legged. Sitting down next to her with her legs outstretched she explained. "Yesterday morning, when the story broke I was inundated with emails. Everyone knew you were back from Asia and they wanted to know if the story about us was true. Many people expressed their delight, some their disbelief. Valentino was effusive in his joy." Miranda grinned. "So many were asking what they could do to welcome you home. I explained to a select few that when you left New York, you shipped everything off to Ohio, to travel as lightly as you could, I told them you had given Emily and Runway all you had received in Paris. You garnered so much goodwill and respect in the industry when you worked for me this was the result." Miranda offered her a beautiful smile. "I was as shocked as you are but upon reflection, it is not overly surprising."
"This was all done in the space of a day?" Andy was stunned.
"Well yes, by late yesterday afternoon. When I left you and the twins baking Roy and Nigel arrived and we quickly and quietly moved everything up here. The jeans, t-shirts, UGGS and Converse, well they're from me. It's what you are obviously comfortable in and I want you to be comfortable my darling. The two Valentino and the Balmain dresses and the Chanel boots are from me. There are other gifts within what is left to unwrap that are from me and our girls too. If you have had enough unwrapping, for now, we can go eat lunch, it is all prepared."
"Lunch sounds good." Andy grinned. "Thank you for all of this Miranda. It was unexpected. I was happy with the ring and iPhone."
"I know you said you do not want to benefit from my position in the world, my wealth, but I will want to buy you things, knowing I'll experience the joys of your beautiful reactions, Andréa," Miranda told her.
"But I can offer you so little?" Andy mumbled.
"I have worked hard in my life Andréa, to ensure I can possess everything I required. A good home for my family, a great education for my children. I would gladly give you and my Bobbsey's the world if I could." Miranda spoke quietly. "You unknowingly give me so much my darling. And your gifts today were wonderfully thoughtful and uniquely you. In all honesty, the best gift I received this year is that sketch of my girls and knowing it will sit on my desk or on the wall in the New Year. I do not require material possessions, and what I get from you, from your presence in my life, well that cannot be bought." Miranda tried to explain.
"I love how generous you are Miranda and I wouldn't change it for the world. I have seen so much beauty in you over the last year, but this side you are letting me see now, the side you share with me and our girls, that has to be the most beautiful." Andy told her softly. "It is everyone else's generosity that has me dumbfounded."
Miranda stood gracefully. "My darling Andréa, one day you will realise just how spectacular you are. You are the best kind of person to know." She held her hand out for the brunette. "Now I should feed you before you waste away to a size zero."
"I thought you'd be happy the smart fat girl was not so fat." Andy grinned cheekily. "Being a size two isn't so bad."
"Size two is acceptable, however, I miss those delicious curves of yours in couture. You told me the last night how you watched my backside as I walked in front of you, I can happily admit to doing the same every single time you walked out of my office, your long legs in skirts was another focus for my attention as you sat cross-legged opposite me, notebook in hand." Miranda smirked. "Come with me, my darling, we shall eat and then come back for the rest of your gifts."
"Maybe I should allow the twin tornadoes in here. I'm sure they'd make short work of all this stuff." Andy grinned as she unfolded her legs and stood tall.
"Maybe I should invest in a thesaurus for you." Miranda smiled up at her love as she entwined their fingers. "Stuff." She sighed shaking her head. "That word will become the bane of my existence."
Grinning happily Andy pulled the editor from the room and led them down the stairs to the kitchen.
xxxxxxxxx
Miranda spent lunch taking Andy into unpacking. Andy sulked that it was not how she expected to spend her Christmas Day, her attitude causing the twins to grin at her as they left the kitchen to play more Guitar Hero. Miranda and Andy cleaned up their dishes before heading up to the master suite.
As Miranda made room in her closet and drawers for Andy, she looked at the brunette she smiled at the sight of her holding her new t-shirts and placing them away neatly. Andy was taking a lot of care with the clothes she had received and it made the editor's heart smile to see the young woman making herself at home. She wanted Andy to feel as if she belonged.
Spotting a silver toiletry bag on the floor Miranda scooped it up and stalked towards the en-suite before Andy could realise. Within less than a minute she was walking back out of the bathroom clutching the bag and laughing warmly. Andy looked up and saw what Miranda held in her hands and blushed. She stood quickly.
Miranda stood in front of her attempting to get her laughter under control. "My darling, I expected to find a toothbrush, not...not..." She wheezed out another bark of laughter.
Andy felt tears of mortification spring into her eyes and covered her face. Sobering quickly Miranda stepped into Andy's personal space and pulled her into her arms and her hands away from her face. "My darling Andréa, do not be embarrassed with me. May I show you something?" Andy nodded wordlessly.
Miranda led the young woman across the room and sat her down at her side of her bed. "Open the second drawer my darling." Andy did, to find a similar sized purple bag. "I should have spotted the similarities." She chuckled. "Ann Summers produce a wonderful range for women." She grinned. "Thank God for International delivery and discreet packaging."
Andy giggled, still slightly embarrassed. "I found the shop in London, on Oxford Street. I'd walked past a few in Soho, they were sleazy looking. It was the window displays that captured my attention, they had some lovely lingerie." Andy smiled.
"You were in London?" Miranda queried.
"Only for the one day. I decided against the direct route back to New York when I was planning to leave Paris, at the time I wasn't sure if I wanted to come back here. The thought of returning to the empty apartment was a little off-putting. I'd never lived on my own before." Andy was nervous admitting her fear.
"What did you think of old Blighty?" Miranda asked. "I possess an innate fondness for my home city."
"I enjoyed the little I saw, I loved the architecture. The sound of Big Ben was the second most amazing sound I'd ever heard."
"What's the first?" Miranda asked curiously.
"Your voice, especially when you're saying my name. It gives me butterflies every time I hear it." Andy admitted shyly.
Miranda grinned and closed her drawer. Walking around to the other side of the bed she placed the bag in the drawer of the bedside table on that side. Biting her lip she looked towards the brunette. "Would you let me watch you Andréa?" She nodded to the bedside table.
Andy blushed even more furiously and stuttered. "Um...I...Well...I...Sure..."
Miranda stalked around the bed and sat by Andy's side. Entwining their hands she said. "You don't sound too sure, my darling. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"You don't Sweetheart, not really. You make me feel surprisingly at ease." Andy blushed again. "God, I feel so gauche. I've just never, well, you know, talked about this, never mind let someone watch me. It's always been a private thing. An outlet at times I'm excessively stressed or exceptionally frustrated."
"I've never watched anyone; it is not something I ever contemplated," Miranda admitted. "With you though, seeing the contents of that bag, it has lit the fire of my imagination. I would return the favour if it was something you wanted to see, we could share the experience."
"You would?" Andy whispered. She was thunderstruck by the offer. Thinking about Miranda stretched out on the bed fucking herself made her breathless. "That would be so hot." She let out a deep breath as Miranda brushed an errant curl out of her face.
"We should finish unpacking your things. It doesn't look like there's much more but there are other presents to get through." Miranda smirked.
"You've spoiled me," Andy said lightly. "I would have been satisfied today just being here with you and the twins. I don't need all these things."
"I know that my darling." Miranda offered a small honest smile. "You are one of the few genuine people I have met that expects nothing from me. Are you afraid that having any expectations may hurt or disappoint you?"
"No, I live by the one motto, appreciate everything and expect nothing. I love you but never expected you to love me back. When I found my feelings were returned, I allowed myself to become invested in our future." Andy struggled to find the words. "It's like dealing with Em, I always attempt to act towards her with kindness, but it cannot be expected for her to return that kindness. I can't really explain it."
"I always had the mentality of not expecting anything from anyone as you can only rely on yourself. I've struggled to trust and communicate with others, I struggled with intimacy. Maybe that's why my marriages failed. I instead invested my energies into establishing high levels of security and self-sufficiency while ignoring my loneliness. I can make demands on others without the fear of rejection because I have the Dragon Lady to fall back on." Miranda explained.
"With my relationship with you I have no fear about being disappointed, I am content with what we have together. I have expectations from this relationship though, Sweetheart; they are things I will also freely offer you." Andy told her.
"Tell me what you expect from us," Miranda asked as she moved against the headboard.
Andy offered her a small smile. "I expect affection; I don't care how it is expressed. Physical affection, such as hugging, kissing, or holding hands is especially important for me. That's a deal breaker. I'm a fairly tactile person. I won't, however, do anything in public that could be an embarrassment to you." Andy explained. I expect intimacy too. I'm not just talking about sex. I doubt after the last few days we'll ever have difficulties in that department." She grinned. "It means letting you know me and allowing yourself to be known."
"What else do you need from this, my darling?" Miranda asked gently.
"I expect compassion. If I hurt, I will need you to be the soft place I fall. I will, at times, need your tenderness. I expect respect, for me as a person and for my boundaries. I'll need you to be gracious about any weaknesses you may find in me. I expect consideration, you don't have to do everything I want all the time but occasionally I will expect you to look at things from my point of view." Andy looked up at Miranda and finding her looking relaxed took a deep breath before continuing. "I expect time. We will need to make time for each other. It can be ten minutes at the end of the day for all I care. I don't want to end up asking myself how much of my time I'm willing to spend waiting for you to fit me in."
"Have there been any expectations I have already met?" Miranda asked teasingly. "It is a fairly thorough list." She grinned at the brunette who blushed.
"In some ways, you have met each of my expectations and even some I didn't know I had," Andy told her with a small smile.
"Explain please." Miranda requested.
"I didn't expect you to have such an interest in me. I'm just Andy Sachs from Cinci, Ohio. I'm an average person, yet you seemed thrilled to learn more about me, about my artistic side. You seem interested in my opinions, thoughts and feelings. It wasn't something I had even considered that I should expect from you." Andy swallowed. "I didn't expect you to be so generous."
"It would be a reasonable thing to expect. If I wasn't interested there would be no point in continuing this relationship, my darling." Miranda spoke softly. "And by generosity, I assume you don't mean my gifts?" Miranda questioned.
Andy shook her head in response. "No, I do not mean the material generosity. It is the way you have helped and soothed me through all this. You have given yourself fully and that feels like the ultimate gift. It has been the definitive act of generosity."
"I will always try to meet your expectations in our relationship Andréa. I do not wish to take this for granted. It has been so easy being with you the last few days and I don't want to become complacent. I will fight for us..." She was interrupted by her cell chiming. "Sorry." She said. Looking down she sighed as she read. "It's Gregory, he would like to come and see the twins."
"You should go on down and ask them, after yesterday..." Andy shrugged. "...I don't want to see them upset Miranda, more than they have been today. My mom was ridiculously puerile earlier. How she thought I'd just leave with them is beyond my comprehension." She shook her head sadly.
"I will say nothing bad about your mother my darling, I hope she can get over the issues she has regarding our relationship, for your sake. Will you come down with me?" Miranda stood and stretched.
"I will join you in the den after I've finished putting everything away," Andy said. "It shouldn't take too much longer. We kind of got side-tracked with our deep and meaningful conversation." She grinned up at Miranda. "When I'm done here would you like coffee?"
"That would be glorious. Thank you my darling" She bent over and placed a kiss on Andy's forehead before stepping from the room.
xxxxxxxxxx
The doorbell rang an hour later Andy was making her way down the stairs. Caroline charged past her running down the stairs quickly. "Hey kiddo, take it easy," Andy called after her.
"Dad and Charity are here," Caroline explained.
"Ask them if they want coffee, I'm just going to make some for your mom and me." She grinned at the young girl as she walked into the kitchen. Hearing the young girl greet her dad coldly she was amazed at how similar she could be to her mother. Shaking her head, she smirked. Hearing the tread of footsteps making their way up the stairs she was shocked to hear the chirpy voice coming from the doorway.
"Good afternoon Andy. Happy holidays." Spinning around, cups in hand she was smiled at warmly by a petite, tanned blonde.
"Hi, Merry Christmas. You must be Charity?" She watched the blonde nod enthusiastically. "It's nice to put a face to the name." Andy offered a small smile.
"Ditto. Tales of Andy Sachs are legendary in our home; I heard they're just as legendary within Runway too." Charity offered her a wide smile.
Andy grinned and pointed to the coffee machine. "Do you and Greg want one?" Andy asked.
"That would be amazing. Thank you." Charity said. "So, I'm not known for beating around the bush, may I ask you something?" Seeing Andy nod she continued. "Are you really going to adopt the twins? They're a handful and Greg is concerned."
"Charity, that decision is not mine alone to make. It is something that Miranda, Caroline and Cassidy have a say about too. What exactly are Greg's concerns?" She asked as she continued to prepare coffee.
"Your age, then there's the fact that you have only been with Miranda such a short time. We are aware you have been travelling; the twin's talked about you a lot."
"My age is not a problem; in fact, I believe it will allow for me to understand the girls better. I believe I have a good three years on you, you're 22, right?" Charity stuttered out a quick yes. "The twins are quite a handful, as you have said, but they respect me, they stopped playing serious pranks on me a long time ago. Greg is correct when he states Miranda and I have only been together a short time, however, I have known Miranda for over a year now and as new as this relationship is I have loved her for a long time."
"How can you love her? Greg always says how impossible she was." Charity asked.
Andy spun around and leaned against the counter frowning at the young woman. "Miranda can be impossible. In her professional life she demands excellence, she expects perfection. But she never asks for anything she doesn't give herself." Andy grinned. "I will not discuss how I can love her. That is between me and her. I am content in knowing she allows me to express it, and that she returns my feelings, we fought against them for so long." Andy sighed. "I don't know what happened between Greg and Miranda, but I know whatever it was hurt her deeply. With any relationship you build there are expectations, I believe she may have been left disappointed when they weren't met. You and Greg see the person she portrays to the world, I have always been able to see beyond that. I see the ways her eyes sparkle with amusement or dismay even when her face reflects no other emotions. I've seen the way her lips quirk when she's amused and she's trying to hide it, or the way she purses her lips holds different meanings. I have been able to read Miranda since shortly after I began to work with her."
"Wow. Your face really lights up when you speak about her." Charity exclaimed clapping her hands happily. Andy rolled her eyes and turned back to the coffee.
Pouring four mugs she set them on a tray and moved to the fridge. She poured cream and grabbed juice for the twins. Turning slightly she asked. "Do either of you take sugar?" Seeing Charity shake her head she lifted the tray and made her way out of the kitchen. Meeting Charity's eyes she nodded for her to follow and they made their way up the stairs.
Entering the den Andy sensed the atmosphere was tense. Cassidy was studiously ignoring the adults and banging away on the Guitar, focusing solely on the screen as Knights of Cydonia rolled in the background. Placing the tray on the coffee table she added cream to her coffee and picked up one of the juices. Walking towards the TV she sat crossed legged next to Cassidy placing the juice in front of the young girl. "You okay honey?" She asked softly. Seeing a small nod she sat and watched as Cassidy missed a string of notes and muttered darkly under her breath. "Hey Cass, may I have a go?"
Cassidy handed her the guitar and offered a small smile. "Let's see how well you do." She said cheekily. Andy flicked through the songs in quick play grinning when she saw Hit Me with Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar. She changed the difficulty to medium which caused Cassidy to laugh. "You will go down in flames Andy."
Arching her eyebrow at the young girl she played, keeping time with the notes as they moved up the screen, humming along to the music. She was on a 200 note streak when Caroline sneaked over and shoved a handful of ice cubes down the front of her t-shirt. As she missed notes, laughing as she squirmed against the cold and wet the performance meter fell rapidly, sound effects moved from cheering to boos' and the song ended in an epic fail.
Andy laid the guitar down and pounced on Caroline capturing her in her long arms as the young girl giggled. "Gotcha my little imp. I'll teach you for ruining my perfect streak." Caroline squealed as Andy picked out a few stray ice cubes and shoved them down her back. Andy was tackled and tickled within an inch of her life when Cassidy jumped on her back. She let go of Caroline as she twisted trying to get a hold of the redhead on her back. She erupted into loud laughter as Cassidy continued to poke and tickle the brunette. Laughing hard she struggled to catch her breath and wheezed. She stuttered. "St...Stop Cass..."
Cassidy backed off fearfully seeing Andy red-faced and wheezing and coughing, her laughter had disappeared only to be replaced with rising panic. Miranda stood and stepped towards her concerned. Caroline made her way to Cassidy as they watched hands entwined. "Darling, look at me." Miranda requested as she knelt before the brunette. Andy continued to wheeze as she struggled to speak.
"Move Miranda," Greg said impatiently, lifting her out of the way. Hearing Andy's squeak of protest at him manhandling Miranda he rolled his eyes. "Miranda sit next to Andy. Andy, look at me." She glared at him angrily. "I know right now you probably want to cuss me out again, to do that you need to breathe." He waited for Miranda to sit down next to Andy and continued to speak. "You have the choice to sit up straight or lie down but you need to follow my lead." He saw her struggle to sit up straight. "Now breathe in slowly through your nose." He looked at her as she took a slow deep breath. "And exhale...slowly." He stood over her while she closed her eyes and concentrated on his voice. "And again." He told her.
He made her repeat the action until she got her breathing under control. She looked at Miranda and croaked. "I'm sorry."
"No need for apologies my darling. Will you be okay?" Miranda questioned gently clasping her hand.
"I'll be fine." She looked at Cassidy and Caroline and saw their fear. Holding out her arms she whispered hoarsely. "C'mere my little loves."
They charged into her arms causing her to let out a large breath. Miranda looked at her daughters. "Please be careful with Andy." She told them.
"I'm not that fragile Mira." She grinned at the older woman who rolled her eyes at the use of a nickname. She held the twins lightly on her lap and explained hoarsely. "When I was younger than you two are now me and my sister played a prank on my Grandpa. We were in the barn at their farm and we dropped a big pile of curdled cow's milk and hay over him." She grinned. "I saw he looked like a scarecrow and burst into an amazing fit of laughter which brought on an asthma attack. When my mom and dad took me to the E.R they diagnosed me with laughter-induced asthma, I also have hay fever which can make it worse. What has confounded my doctors over the years is that it's rarely affected by exercise, as you know when the weather permits, I like to jog. If I keep on top of my symptoms, it is not a problem. Now and then I forget and a burst of laughter nearly empties my lungs and then I struggle to catch my breath."
"Is it scary?" Cassidy whispered.
"It can be, yes honey. I carry an inhaler in my purse or jacket. I can't stop from laughing for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't want to. That would be ridiculous." Andy told her.
"I'll be gentler in the future," Cassidy told her.
Andy shook her head. "No my little ones, there's no need for gentleness, as I told your mom I am not breakable. What your dad did to help regulate my breathing works. Sometimes, at that moment, I panic." She looked at Greg as he sat back on the sofa and smoothed his hands down the creases in his trouser legs. "Thanks, Greg."
"You're welcome." He blushed.
"How did you know what to do Gregory?" Miranda asked.
He looked at Charity who nodded. "Charity is asthmatic. I had to learn to help her regulate her breathing. To ease your mind Miranda I can confirm what Andy said about her symptom's being fairly mild. They could be much worse." He looked at the brunette and offered her a small smile. "Now about that cussing out?"
"I'll let you off, just this once," Andy told him with a grin. Greg and Charity laughed. "Please do not manhandle Miranda again in my presence though."
Miranda scoffed at the warning in Andy's tone. "I should call Elizabeth." She stated. Andy looked at her in confusion. "Dr Henry, my personal physician."
"No sweetheart, there's no need for that. I'll be fine now." Andy said. "There's no need to fuss."
Miranda stood and gestured to the twins to get up off Andy's lap. Before they did, they both placed a kiss on her cheeks and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry for scaring you, my imps." She told them.
"As long as you are okay, that's all that matters," Caroline told her. Seeing Andy's eyes drooping she and Cassidy looked towards their mom.
"Come on my darling. Up off that floor." She stepped forward and held her hands out to Andy. Grasping them she pulled herself to her feet. Miranda led her to the large comfy chair she had vacated and pushed her into it. "Do you need anything?"
Andy shook her head and whispered. "No, I'm good thanks, my love."
Cassidy stepped up to her side and placed a throw over her. "Can I sit with you?" She asked hesitantly.
"Sure my little love, get up here." She yawned as Cassidy settled on her knee. She covered them both with the throw. Caroline sat at their feet wanting to be near Andy and her twin. "There's room for you too, Caro," Andy told her sleepily. Caroline grinned and climbed up onto her and the three of them snuggled in.
xxxxxxxxxx