Later that day in another part of town, a more polished pack of journalists were trying their best to keep up with hitherto unexplored levels of weirdness. Miranda Priestly had recently arrived – and what an entry it had been!

"Nobody has ever seen her like this, " Emily whispered. She shushed the new Andy – a plain jane named Joanna – before she could speak her mind.

Joanna's mouth was hanging open. Very unsightly, Emily judged, if understandable, given the circumstances.

The facts were these: Miranda Priestly, famed fashion empress, had only just trudged into her headquarters at 12.30. Yes, she trudged not floated. Midday not morning. On top of that, Miranda was wearing an unimaginable, disastrous, fugly set of LEISURE clothes. And she was muttering to herself.

Emily was the first to recover from the shock. She jumped up to get Miranda's jacket. A retro black pleather nightmare not even an aging Elvis impersonator would choose to wear, but today, it hung from Miranda Priestly's back.

"Um- Miranda, you're scheduled to have a meeting with -" Emily started, trying hard not to stare at Miranda's out-of-bed hair and sorely makeup free face. It was like a movie… a horror movie.

"Nooo I'm NOT!" Miranda parroted Scarlett O'Hara's famous words with similar catty fervor.

"But…"

"Get me Andrea Sachs! NOW! " Miranda yelled.

Emily ran to comply. Of course, Andrea again, that treacherous little pet of Miranda's. Emily was not a stupid girl, she recognized Miranda's pet favorites. Because that's who she always wanted to be but never quite managed. Andrea, though, was a dark horse favorite whom not even Emily could resist. Andy had found her way into everybody's heart and then, poof she disappeared. There's a major head-scratcher, Emily concluded.

"Why on Earth does Miranda want her here?" she muttered, frantically fishing for Andy's contact. "Joanna, get me Andrea Sachs!" she hissed across the room.

"Who? " a bewildered Joanna asked.

"Knock-knock! Are you deaf? I said, get me Andrea…"

"… Sachs." said a soft voice in the doorway. Andy stood there. Just like one of those Harry Potter characters who touch a portkey and go places. Well, damn, what a coincidence!

"Andy Sachs!..." Emily was lost for words.

"The one and only," Andy smiled. Her face was a bit pale with some smudged eye mascara, but even so, she looked lovely.

"Hm! It's just as well, " Emily recovered. "As long as you're here, Miranda wants to see you. "

The three girls took a moment to peek into Miranda's office. The Dragon Lady paced there like a caged tiger.

"Good luck, " Joanna managed a faint smile.

"Oh shut up. Well, chop-chop Andrea!" Emily urged. Andy smiled back at both girls. She knew the kind of stress they had to endure day in day out. But that was going to change.

She confidently walked into the office.

"Hello, Miranda, nice to see you again! "

Miranda spun on her (flat) heels.

"Oh! As if! " she growled. "Close the damn door."

Andy did as she was told. Behind her cool front, she was desperate to keep Greg's instructions in mind. Greg had explained about the fanfic script thing which Andy barely followed. The gist was about creative power combined with great passion and an unresolved conflict, resulting in some Star Trekky energy lock between two people. The energy lock bound Greg and Andy together when Greg thought he was going to die and fervently started looking for a daughter figure. Greg had passed on the scriptwriting power to Andy, who in turn locked with Miranda, the object of her desire. What a shady business, Andy thought, a spiritual energy lock that caused electric power outages! Eek. But Greg had been clear: resolving conflict with Miranda was an absolute first priority for Andy.

"Here we go, " she sighed.

The Dragon Lady seemed ready to spit fire on her general surroundings.

"It is anything BUT nice to see me, Andrea. I am not fit to look at, and I have a dark suspicion it's thanks to YOU!" Miranda heaved.

"I like the way you look today," Andy smiled.

"Do you, now?" Miranda's hair and outfit did not improve on second look and she knew that. The pain was almost physical.

"You look lovely to me," Andy affirmed. Her velvety voice took Miranda off guard, the lady almost blushed.

She had to sit on her expensive glass desk. Andy's eyes traveled freely on her jumper-clad figure and Miranda felt naked under that look. How idiotic! All these idiotic feelings, really, taking hold of her! Shame! The room heated up and she suddenly felt sweaty under her zipped-up gray tracksuit top.

"Stop that nonsense, Andrea. I'm either suffering some psychotic episode, or there's black magic involved. I… *I*! personally mail-ordered THIS shirt and put it on today! LOOK! "

Miranda ripped off her tracksuit top to reveal a T-shirt that said,

SORRY I'M SUCH A BITCH

She stood with her arms stretched and waited for Andy's laughter.

"Well?!" she urged.

Andy bit her lips because the scene was very very funny. But she managed to hold the laughter back.

Instead, she stepped over to Miranda and took her by the shoulders very gently.

"Let's see the back of the thing. "

Miranda was numb enough to cooperate. She turned awkwardly. The back of her tee said, in proud bold script,

I NEED A HUG

"I love this shirt! " Andy whispered.

Her hands still rested on Miranda's shaking shoulders.

"Don't you DARE hug me" Miranda hissed.

CHAPTER 5 SOON :)