Final -Thank You for Reading-
Andrea sat in front of the television, her eyes glued to the horrible images it flashed before her. Her heart was hammering so hard against her chest that she worried it might escape. The south tower had fallen ten minutes ago, leaving only the North Tower standing. The last Andy heard Miranda was trying to tear through the wall to get out of a conference room. For all she knew Miranda was still trapped up there.
Nigel and Emily sat on either side of her, grief weighing heavy on their features. They all wept quietly, fearing the worst for everyone in the vicinity of the trade center. Andrea had called her friends after she lost contact with Miranda. They both rushed over as soon as possible.
The girls felt the impact of the planes from their school, and could see the dark smoke in the sky. Maria came to pick them up after Andrea lost contact with Miranda. At the moment Maria and the twins were in the corner of the room. The two small redheads clung to their nanny tight, unable to understand exactly what was going on.
Andrea stood and stared out of the window, looking out into the street. She hoped she might see Miranda but there was no-one. Just hundreds of pieces of paper rolled through with the breeze.
Everyone gasped in unison, their eyes wide and red. It startled Andrea, she was still looking out the window, but she knew what it was, she just knew. She looked around the room at everyone, shock, anger, sadness, all played on their features. They witnessed the North Tower tumble toward the earth at an incredible speed, spraying its guts across the city. The rumble reached the townhouse, and the electricity went out for a moment.
Andrea felt like she was surly going to pass out. She braced herself against the wall as a terrible sinking feeling rolled over her, her every heart beat pumping a dull pain that spread through her entire body, and pulsed in her heart like the blue of a flame.
This morning she was the happiest she could remember ever being. Miranda's beautiful face was the first thing she woke up to. Her tousled silver hair, bright blue eyes and lovely grin was the only thing she could see. And all she could think, was she's gone. She had only just begun to explore the depths of the woman. She would never see her, talk to her, smell her or hold her again. It was the cruelest thing she had ever felt.
Nigel stood up and walked into the hallway; both hands covering his naked head in disbelief. He wanted to be alone for a moment. It didn't make sense. Miranda was superwoman. He thought her to be invincible. He thought this country to be impenetrable. Coming to the realization that his boss was not superwoman and that his country was vulnerable to such an attack shook him deeply.
Emily sat slumped on the couch, crying into her hands, not caring about who witnessed her weeping or who didn't. She silently bargained with some higher power, any which would listen, that she would gladly endure whatever it took if a they could turn back time and change it all.
Caroline wiggled her way out of her distraught nannies arms and ran straight for the front door, opening it with ease and stepping outside.
"Caroline!" Maria called out as the little girl made her escape. Andrea was closest and ran after her. When she got outside she broke out into a run, Caroline was already down the street, her tiny body carrying her along quickly.
"Stop!" Andrea screamed as she pumped her arms to move her body faster. After some contemplation the little girl slowed and came to a stop. She turned to Andy, her baby face full of sadness and confusion.
"We have to go help mom! She needs us!" The small child yelled, tears rolling down her freckled cheeks. Andrea knelt down to her on the sidewalk, and wrapped her arms around her tiny body.
"We can't go down there, we have to stay here and wait for mommy to come home." Her big brown eyes were wet and swollen with emotion, her nose red from all of the tissues she had gone.
"Do you think she's dead?" Caroline asked, wiping her eyes to make way for fresh tears.
The questions surprised Andrea, it shouldn't have. Both of the girls were very intelligent. It just seemed so strange coming from such a small creature.
"I don't know" was all she said before she picked Caroline up under her arms. The girl did not resist, she squeezed Andrea tight, feeling comforted by the closeness of her. They walked back into the townhome and she set her down.
"Why don't you go be with your sister? I need to talk to Nigel and Emily."
"Okay" The little girl said before she turned toward her sister and her nannie and made her way to them; her head down.
Andy walked into the kitchen. Nigel and Emily were sitting at small table with a large bottle of Vodka sitting in the middle of it, three glasses beside it. Nigel and Emily stood when Andrea entered and they both stared at each other for a moment before they wrapped their arms around her. The three of them mourned the loss of the most amazing woman any of them had ever known.
"Runway will never be the same." Nigel said with both arms around the two women.
()-()-()
The car ride back was eerie. The streets were mostly barren, and coated in that toxic yellow dust. There were masses of people walking in one direction, away from the world trade center. Only a handful ran toward the madness. Miranda hung her head, and she heaved a deep sigh.
No words were exchanged the entire ride, both Miranda and Roy were somewhere else, their eyes distant, reliving the horrors inside their heads. Miranda felt tense, and oddly energetic, adrenaline still flowing through her veins. She made a great effort not to think about the pain in her leg, it seemed to help if she just refused to acknowledge it.
When Roy came to a stop outside of the townhouse he hurried to Miranda's door to help her out. He held her waist while she made slow progress up the stairs and into her home. She was barefoot and limping, dust falling from her shoulders as she walked into the foyer. She thanked Roy with a hug and gave him a look of great gratitude.
"I really appreciate you, big guy." She said. He nodded solemnly and stepped back outside. He headed home for the day to be with his own family.
Andrea had heard the noise and made her way toward the front door. Her heart leapt at the site of Miranda. Relief flooded her limbs and poured from her eyes. She was also startled by her appearance. She looked like a wreck. Blood, dust, dirt, and soot covered the woman. Her normally impeccable appearance was nowhere to be seen.
They wrapped their arms around each other. They both shook with their sobs; the hysterical noises they made alerted the rest of the house of their presence.
"Momma you're alive!" Caroline cried before she clung to her mother's hip. Cassidy quickly followed and was at her other side. They both buried their heads in the dusty clothing, relieved to see their mother again.
The remaining guests all stood and watched the reunion; all feeling like some of the weight of the day had been lifted, like they could breathe a bit easier knowing that this woman had survived.
A morning that had felt like hell had taken a slight upturn. Thousands had died in targets all across the country and Miranda had been right in the middle of it. She had survived, in spite of all of the odds. They all breathed a sigh of relief knowing that they had their woman back. They all shared in the pain felt by the entire world, physically feeling the grief inside of them for every life lost in those few hours.
After a while everyone left. Miranda let Maria go home. Nigel and Emily left shortly after, only to visit another friend whose husband had gone missing earlier. The townhome was oddly silent and after all of the noise that morning, Miranda welcomed it.
"You're all dusty mom" Cassidy said as she released her mother's hip from her hands.
"I know bobsey, I'm going to go take a shower and I want you and your sister to go to your room and pack a bag." She explained, brushing the bright red hairs from her daughters' eyes.
"We're going to stay at the house in the Hamptons for a couple of days, okay?"
She forced a big smile, and nudged the girls up the stairs watching their quick ascent. The two redheads chattered about what they were going to bring with them to the beach. They were so young they didn't understand the gravity of the entire day. Their young minds were already thinking of sandcastles, and riding boogie boards on the mild ocean waves. What bathing suits they were going to bring, and what outfits for their Barbies' they were going to pack.
Miranda wanted to get out of the city. There were rumors floating around about bombs in other buildings, bombs in cars, nuclear bombs, even a biological attack. She wanted to escape the hysteria. She was getting her family out. She looked at Andrea and the young girl was still weeping, tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm home, darling. Everything is going to be okay" Miranda said, as she gently wiped away the mess of tears on her young lovers face.
"What do you say we get out of town for a while?" Miranda whispered, her hands cupping the beautiful brunettes face.
"I would like that." Andrea whispered back, with a strained smile.
Andrea helped her up the stairs to her bedroom; they made slow progress, the pain in her ankle beginning to rear its ugly head. She did her best to keep pressure off of it, but climbing stairs with one foot, even with assistance, was not an easy task. There was no big man around to sweep her off her feet and carry her up the rest of the way. The thought of Andrea trying amused her though.
When they were finally inside of her bedroom, she closed the door behind them.
For some reason, now that she was completely alone with Andrea, she felt like the flood gates were being opened, and there was not much she could do to keep all the emotion inside. She had fought so hard to keep it together and something about this young woman made her feel like she could, that it was okay.
Andrea couldn't imagine what the woman had seen, the horrors she had lived, and was reliving at this very moment. She struggled with how to comfort her; she wasn't sure what she could do. But when Miranda's eyes began to swell with tears, and the pain she felt inside could be heard by the sounds that emanated from her chest, it was instinct at that point just to hold her.
They stood in the middle of her large bedroom for a while. Andrea didn't say a word; there was nothing she could say. She just let the woman cry and she did her best to sooth her through the pain.
After the initial waves of emotion receded Miranda let go reluctantly. Andrea nodded and followed the limping woman into the bathroom. She watched the dusty woman peel off each piece of clothing and set them in the sink. Her body was bare and pale in the natural light streaming in through the windows. She looked badly beaten with bruises and cuts littered across her perfect porcelain skin.
Andrea stepped into the shower after Miranda. The older woman stood with her arms over her torso, feeling an odd chill engulf her body. She leaned on her good leg, and let her head fall back, running her fingers through her hair, allow the warm water to rinse away the filth.
Andrea was careful to touch her lightly; she lathered her in a fragrant blue soap. Careful not to hurt her, she washed away the dried blood, dirt and soot. When the water rinsed her body clean, Miranda felt the difference. While the pain in her leg seemed to be getting worse, she felt like she was finally able to take a deep breath.
Once Miranda rinsed the soap from her hair she pulled Andrea close to her. Just wishing to feel her body against hers, the contentment in that moment allowed her to forget. Skin against Skin, the warm water and this feeling, were all that existed. They kissed slowly, love poured into every movement and every touch.
"Be with me always, Andrea" Miranda said as she pulled away from Andreas lips.
"Always" the young woman replied, caressing the weak fashion editor in her arms.
Even though they had only been together for a few days, they felt a connection that they hadn't felt before. Even after years with other partners, they never experienced a love so intense, so all-consuming.
Living through a day like today only proved it to them that they were supposed to be together, their fates were intertwined. Miranda had learned so much about herself that morning. The idea of leaving behind two babies and a young lover was unbearable.
She was looked forward to spending a week away from the city, somewhere far away from tall buildings, airplanes and people. Somewhere that had always brought her peace, where she always went when she needed to get away.
She needed to get away in order to begin to heal herself, she needed to separate herself from it just long enough to spend a couple of days alone with her family. No runway, no phone calls, no distractions. All she wanted to do was to enjoy life. She realized that life is short, and that the best way to live it is with the ones you love.
-Never Forget-