Chapter 15

The page was dripping with incriminating images of Irv with Susan Grant, a wealthy investor in the Elias-Clarke publications and building as a whole. They were caught making out at the back of a restaurant days before a huge company development, in which stocks had nearly doubled. It was reported that she had readjusted her share of the company, and then had sold out the following day, only to buy back in less than before. Not only her recent money gain had been reported, but several other investors had adjusted for the momentary raise in Elias-Clarke stock, thus alerting several officials to the fact that insider trader was occurring.

Miranda had known all about it, she'd always known. Irv was a shrewd business man and knew how to move investments around, but he'd been, recently, taking part in illegal adjusting. It had just gone under the radar until now. This allegation, these photos. This would result in some major investigation.

"Now there's a cop waiting to get in to see me, what the fuck were you thinking Miranda?" Irv cried. "After all the money I pulled for you, you ungrateful bitch. I had to do it! Primarily for you over anybody else because you have to make this little publication of yours unnecessarily over the top, when it's fine several million dollars back. This is as much your fault as it is mine." Irv tossed the paper down on her desk. "I'll see to it that you go down with me."

"Oh, I don't think that will be happening, Irv. I have nothing to do with the money you secure for my 'little publication'. And out of all the publications you run, Runway is the most lucrative, so thanks to my ability to make the publication 'unnecessarily over the top' I am actually making you more money than you're shuffling around. You have no ground to stand on, Irv. And, I know more than I told…" her cold, blue eyes finally flashed to meet his angry, about-to-burst, bright red face.

Irv tossed the newspaper angrily in Miranda's direction, the edges fluttering against her cheek, causing her to jump. She watched as he turned and stormed out of her office, only to be met with an FBI official on the other side. Miranda tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips to ward off the smile that was threatening to come through, and observed Irv as he shook his arm out of the FBI agent's grasp.

Irv had crossed Miranda one too many times and she wasn't one to be crossed.

~*~
A dinner followed a photo shoot and by the time Miranda returned home she was ready to collapse. She stepped inside the front door, grabbed 'The Book' that Emily had already brought, and moved towards the kitchen. However, a figure seated in a chair in the den caused her to stop dead in her tracks and take a step backwards.

She registered the red-head as her heartbeat returned back to normal. Her eyes leveled with the girl sitting in the chair, legs curled up to her chest. Her own blue eyes moved to meet Miranda's and she looked as if she'd just finished crying.

"Why are you still awake?" Miranda inquired, continuing on into the kitchen.

"I was waiting for you." Cassidy's little voice filled the den.

"Is she…"

"Gone. She left with dad at five." Cassidy sniffed, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

Miranda didn't react. She pulled a bottle of wine out of her wine cooler, and turned to get a glass out of the cabinet. She uncorked the wine and filled her glass, taking a sip before turning to find Cassidy standing strangely near her. "What do you want?" Miranda demanded, not sure how to deal with her distressed daughter.

Cassidy took a step back, suddenly afraid of her mother. "I miss her."

"She just left." Miranda sipped her wine again, attempting to move to where 'The Book' was, but Cassidy didn't move. "How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Since she left." Cassidy whimpered, backing away from her mother.

Miranda observed her daughter. She looked pale and when she let her finger's trail across her cheek, she found she was cold. "Did you eat dinner?"

Cassidy shook her head no. "I was waiting for you."

"I already had dinner. Why didn't you have someone make you something, or find something to eat yourself?"

"I wanted to eat with you." Cassidy's tears returned.

Miranda sighed. "Sit down," she instructed, pointing towards the barstools.

Cassidy climbed in to one and watched as her mother pulled out a pan, followed by some bread and cheese. This was not something she often witnessed her mother doing. It was an exclusive comfort that only happened once or twice a year. When Miranda would cook for her daughters. Or daughter in this case.

"You know I don't care." Cassidy's voice was soft, teary sounding.

"Don't care about what?" Miranda asked, her blue eyes flashing up to look at her daughter.

"That you kissed Andrea." Cassidy shrugged, pushing her wild red hair out of her face, as if she were discussing her school work.

Miranda gave her a confused looking smile. "Yes, well too bad your sister can't share the same sentiment."

Cassidy shrugged. "Do you like Andrea?"

Miranda had never had such a conversation with either of her children. She'd never discussed any of her past three relationships with them, and now Cassidy wanted to talk relationships. "I do, very much."

"But she used to work for you."

"Well, yes, she did. But, I don't see why that matters. She doesn't work for me anymore."

"She's a lot younger than you."

"You make a lot of observations, Cassidy." Miranda quickly cut her daughter off before she could ask any more questions, pacifying her by placing the newly made grilled cheese sandwich on to a plate and setting it in front of her. Before her daughter could touch it, however, Miranda mindlessly cut it in half. Cassidy smiled.

"Thank you."

"Yes, well next time, don't wait up for me." Miranda scolded, but then noticed the smile fall from her daughter's face. "But, I should be home tomorrow night for dinner." Cassidy's smile half-heartedly returned.

~*~

Somehow the duo found their way, with Patricia at their heels, up to Miranda's bedroom. Cassidy shyly slipped under the covers of her mother's bed, not bothering to ask if she could or not. Though Miranda didn't really want to share her bed, and though she still had work to do that night, she didn't force Cassidy back to her own room, her own bed.

Miranda let her daughter sleep, or attempt to sleep, and moved to her bathroom to undress and wash up. Instead of going to her study to look over 'The Book', she slipped into the bed beside her daughter, almost relieved to have a body next to her. She'd missed that.

And as she flipped from page to page of 'The Book' making comments with sticky-notes on almost every page, she watched her daughter sleep. And once 'The Book' was studied from cover to cover, Miranda set it on her bedside table, checked to make sure her alarm was set, and then turned to pull the covers up and around Cassidy. She kissed her gently on the cheek and then turned to shut off the light. Turning back to her daughter, she watched as she peacefully slept. Her fingers brushed away Cassidy's tangled hair, and in that moment Miranda realized what had happened that day and finally let herself cry.

~*~

It was two in the morning when Miranda was pulled from her sleep by a sudden, restless, panic-like feeling. She realized, in her foggy, dreamlike state that she had not done something. What was it? She had forgotten. She hated forgetting to do things she was supposed to.

Attempting to roll over, Miranda found that her daughter had cuddled very, very close to her. She had to gently push her off in order to sit up, a sudden pang of nighttime nausea overtaking her as she did so.

Andrea. She had forgotten to call Andy back.

"Fuck," she muttered, pulling herself out of her warm bed, grabbing her phone off her nightstand, and moving towards the cold bathroom. She wrapped a robe around her, knowing she needed to call the girl. She had to, or else she wouldn't be able to sleep. And she wanted to talk. Now, at two in the morning, she wanted to talk.

But as the phone rang, she realized now might not be such a good time for Andy.

But to both her surprise and relief, the girl groggily answered on the fourth ring. "Miranda? Why the fuck are you calling at two in the morning? Did you just return from some party or something? Some big event that's more important than calling me and telling me what's wrong? You can't just avoid me, Miranda." Her words were languid, and hoarse.

Miranda didn't know what to say. She hadn't thought that the girl would be capable of forming a sentence at this early hour, much less sleepily tell her off. "Excuse me, Andrea Sachs, but I merely forgot to call you. That's why I'm calling you now." Miranda's words were seemingly less energetic than Andy's.

"Couldn't you call at a descent hour?"

"You didn't seem to mind last week…"

"But last week you didn't cancel on me."

"Andrea, listen to me." Miranda paused for a moment, challenging Andrea to talk. When she didn't, Miranda went on. "Caroline decided to go live with her father this morning and I didn't want to have to think about it, much less talk about it, so I couldn't handle going to lunch. All right? Don't expect me to just come running to you every time my world falls apart, I don't operate like that, Andrea."

"Well you might want to try it sometime. I want to know what's going on in your life. Your life means the world to me, Miranda. And if you're hurting because Caroline left because of me, because of us, then I need to know. You can't lock me out. I won't let you." Andy defiantly stated, her voice returning to her, her mind working again.

Miranda's hadn't quite caught up, but she was beginning to understand Andy's sudden sharp tone. She realized that what she had done in relationship world had not been wise. She also realized that this behavior that had become so normal to her- lock everyone out until the problem gets fixed- wasn't going to work with Andy. And Andy was young, she could easily find some other handsome young man…or woman, or whatever her little heart desired who didn't have as many hang ups as Miranda. But Miranda wasn't sure she had other options. And right now she wanted Andy more than she had ever wanted anyone, and she didn't want to lose her again over something as trivial as a canceled lunch date. And so she took a quick inhale in and then exhaled slowly as she spoke. "Andy, you mean the world to me and I don't want to lose you again." Miranda let her head fall against the bathroom wall, her eyes closing.

"I'm not going anywhere, Miranda." Andrea's voice was suddenly softer.

Miranda, relieved, sighed.

"You'd better go to bed."

Miranda nodded against the cold bathroom wall. "I know and you'd better get back to bed."

"You know, Caroline will come around. It's going to be okay."

"I hope so. I want her here with me."

"I know." Andy smiled, in awe at Miranda's very real love and adoration of her daughters.

"Goodnight, Andy."

"Goodnight, Miranda."

And with that Miranda shut her phone, pulled herself away from the wall, and back to her big, warm comfortable bed. After pushing Cassidy gently away, she snuggled into her side of the bed, Andy's words floating in her head, almost lulling her back to sleep….

I'm not going anywhere, Miranda.