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Andrea woke up with a groan and checked the time. 10:14 am. She flopped back down on her sheets. Her whole body ached, and she just wanted to go back to bed. She knew she couldn't of course-she just had to open her big mouth yesterday and accept Miranda's invitation. So with a reluctant sigh, Andrea dragged herself out of bed, slowly showered, and got dressed. She wore a zip-up jacket with just a black lacy bra underneath so she could change into the different outfits faster. She fluffed up her short hair and applied foundation over her dark shadows, skipping mascara and eye shadow.
Andrea buttered a piece of toast and stared out of the window while she ate. After rinsing off her dishes, she sat on her couch and watched mindless television shows to keep her mind at ease. After a couple hours of watching a marathon of Say Yes to the Dress, Andrea's eyes felt like sandpaper and her head hurt from watching her tiny television screen. She rolled her neck slowly and rubbed her eyes. Yawning, she checked the clock. It was time for lunch already. Andrea made a small sandwich with turkey, cheese, and lettuce on it. After eating, Andrea picked up her phone and dialed a number by memory.
"Hello?"
"Lily, hi," Andrea leaned against the table.
"Is everything okay?" Lily asked immediately.
"I'm fine," Andrea let out a weak laugh. "I was wondering if you were still available tomorrow to drive me to and from the hospital."
"Of course girl," Lily wanted to cry. "Your appointment's at 10 am, right?"
"Right," Andrea felt herself choking up too. "It shouldn't take that long. Probably an hour or two at the most."
Lily squeezed her eyes shut to quench the tears. "Alright."
"Thank you Lily."
There was a pause.
"Are you afraid?"
"Very much so," Andrea choked back a sob. "I'm so nervous."
"Don't be honey," Lily tried to comfort her. "You're in good hands, the doctors are wonderful, and you'll be done in no time at all."
Lily listened for a response, but all she could hear was her friend's erratic breathing on the other end. She felt her own heart break.
"I love you Andy. You're my best friend. I'm confident that you will be okay."
"I love you too Lil," Andrea took a shaky breath. "Thank you so much for everything you're doing."
"No problem Andy. How are you going to pay for everything?"
"From doing Les Misérables, I received a substantial amount of money. I've been really careful at spending it. You know I'm still living in the same apartment that Nate and I shared? It's pretty cheap compared to moving into a new condo. I also have money saved from babysitting Mrs. Plighton's kids. I swear, that woman's made out of money. And I'm not wearing any fancier clothes-Hey, speaking of which, guess what?"
"What?"
"Miranda contacted me yesterday and wondered if I could do a photo shoot," Andrea couldn't help the smile that stretched across her face when she thought about the white-haired woman.
"Miranda Priestly?!" Lily yelped into the phone. "You haven't spoken with her for over four years! What did you say?"
"Well I said I could do it!" Andrea pulled out a chair and sat down.
"How did you find time in your schedule to do that?"
"Easy. Today is the last day I have open for a while, so I said I would do it today," Andrea crossed her legs.
"That's really how you want to spend your last day of freedom?"
"Yes, I think it will be fun."
"Does Miranda know about-" Lily started.
"No," Andrea cut her off, "and I intend to keep it like that. I'll just do the photo shoot today and then I won't contact her anymore. It'll be just like it has for the last four years."
"You sound sad," Lily felt like an ass but kept pushing. "Why?"
"Because today is the last time I'm going to see her!" Andrea blubbered into the phone. "I miss her Lil."
"Andy, the woman took away a year of your life, pushed you to your limits, blacklisted you, and you miss her?" Lily was aghast.
"I know it sounds crazy," Andrea said, "but I have feelings for her. It took yesterday for me to realize that truly."
"Wait. What happened yesterday?"
"I had lunch with her," Andrea said weakly. "We talked, I gave her advice...It was nice."
"Wow." was all Lily could say.
"I know you really dislike her," Andrea started. "But-"
"Hey, I was a bitch," Lily shook her head, "and I'm sorry for that. It was totally unfair to you, and I should have been more supportive. I guess I felt like Miranda was taking over your personal life."
"Well, she did," Andrea blushed. "So I understand your reasoning for hating her."
Lily sighed. "Sure she doesn't make my list of top ten favorite people, but I don't hate her. Besides, if she makes you happy Andy, then how can I?"
"Thanks Lil," Andrea breathed a sigh of relief since she didn't have to put up with Lily's constant complaining of Miranda again.
"So you have feelings for her…" Lily trailed off.
"Yep," warmth spread itself across Andrea's cheekbones.
"Are you going to do anything about it?"
"No, I already told you," Andrea felt tears prickling again. "I'm not going to."
"Why on earth not?"
"I'm scared. What if I don't…survive?" the last part came out a whisper.
"Oh sweetie," Lily started crying too. "Don't say that. You will survive."
"I don't want to put her through it with me. I don't want you to go through it with me," Andrea tried to voice her frustration. "I just feel so guilty."
"If I don't, then who will?" Lily's voice came out shaky but firm. "We're best friends. We stick by each other through the thick or thin."
"Thank you so much Lily," Andrea rested her head in her hands. She looked at the clock as she wiped her eyes. "Hey I have to go. Photo shoot time. I cannot thank you enough Lily."
"Love you Andy," Lily said softly. "See you tomorrow. I'll come by around 8."
"Love you too, and sounds good," Andrea responded and hung up.
She wiped the last of her tears away, and stood up. After grabbing her winter coat, she made her down the stairs quickly and opened the door. Shivering when the chilly winter air hit her, she burrowed deeper into her coat and hastened down the sidewalk. She soon reached the bustling area of Times Square. Andrea always took a moment to absorb all the color and the flashiness advertising different shows before continuing on, and today, she was shocked to see her own photo running across a billboard. It was advertising for Les Mis, and soon, her image dissolved to reveal Amanda Seyfried's picture.
Andrea suppressed a huge grin, and started walking again. She stopped at Starbucks briefly, and picked up Miranda's favorite drink before continuing on her path to Runway. She opened the big doors, and nodded to the guards who smiled at her. They seemed to remember her from the time she was Miranda's assistant.
"Or, they know me from Les Mis," Andrea thought with a small chuckle.
She made her way up to Runway's floor, and walked down the long hallway to Miranda's office. Her heartbeat quickened when she saw the infamous silver coif. Miranda was currently bending over something, her black frames resting on the tip of her nose, and a red pen in her right hand.
"Oh my goodness!"
Andrea was startled out of her study of Miranda by a loud voice. She turned to see a woman who faintly resembled herself sitting at Emily's desk. The woman was wearing a bright yellow dress, and her brown hair tumbled down her back in ringlets. She wore dark makeup and her lips were painted a bright shade of pink. Andrea personally thought the outfit was horrible, since there was too much going on, but the woman's panic caused her to panic, leaving no more time to speculate upon it.
"What?" Andrea swiveled her head around, looking for the source of the other woman's alarm.
"You're Andrea Sachs!" the copy of her cried out.
"Uh, well yes, I am," Andrea felt self-conscious.
"Wow! I'm such a huge fan," the woman stood and practically skipped around her desk. "My name's Kelly."
"Nice to meet you Kelly," Andrea awkwardly shook the enthusiastic woman's hand. "What happened to Emily?"
"Oh you mean the redhead?" Kelly cocked her head to the side, reminding Andrea of a puppy. "She moved on to being a Design Editor. She's studying with Nigel now. I was the second assistant, so voilà! I took the position." Kelly giggled.
"Ah," Andrea took a moment to process that information. Too much had happened since she'd been gone. "Well I have an appointment with Miranda now. May I go in?"
"Of course, of course," Kelly could hardly contain her delight.
Andrea gently rapped on the door, and when Miranda looked up, she had to remind herself to breathe normally. Gorgeous blue eyes pierced hers, and they softened.
"Hello Miranda," Andrea smiled and stepped into her office. "I brought you coffee."
She leaned over to set the drink down on Miranda's desk.
"Good afternoon Andrea. Thank you," Miranda said softly.
Andrea gaped at the foreign words coming from Miranda's mouth. "N-no problem Miranda. I was happy to do it." Happy to do it? You sound like an idiot.
"Just let me finish up here, and then I'll show you where we'll go," Miranda gestured to a chair. "You can sit down if you want."
We'll go? In a daze, Andrea sat and busied herself by looking around Miranda's office.
After a few moments, Miranda looked back up and took off her glasses.
"Are you ready Andrea?"
"Yes," Andrea said.
"Andrea!" Miranda called.
Andrea looked confused.
"I call my first assistant Andrea," Miranda quietly whispered, liking the shock that flitted across the brunette's face.
Kelly came running in with her trusty notepad.
"Yes Miranda?" she snuck glances at Andrea, which made Miranda's jealousy flare.
"Get 10 skirts from Calvin, 5 tops from Banana Republic, and call Patrick to tell him that I will be attending his party. When you're done with that, the twins' need new shoes and Patricia needs a bath. Proofread the twins' essays. If they receive less than an A, I will be very disappointed," Miranda fired off, incensed.
Kelly scribbled as fast as she could. When she was done, she looked back up and shuffled her feet.
"Is there some reason you're still here?" Miranda spat.
"Uh, I have a question," Kelly squirmed much like a puppy who was trying to contain its energy.
"Yes?" Miranda said impatiently.
"Can I have your autograph?" she blurted and held out her notepad and pen to Andrea.
Andrea blushed. "Sure." She took the items from the eager hands, and signed 'To Kelly, love Andrea' quickly. She gave it back to Kelly with a smile. Kelly shrieked out loud when she read Andrea's inscription.
"LOVE ANDREA?!" she squealed.
Miranda's jealousy meter flew through the ceiling. "If that's all, kindly remove yourself from my office and stop shrieking like a banshee. Do the things I asked, and if you're not done in the next hour and a half, consider yourself fired."
Kelly gaped, her joy momentarily forgotten when Miranda asked the impossible of her. Then she re-read the note, licked her lips, and grinned. She threw her arms around a stunned Andrea, and flew out of the office. Miranda's hands clenched as she watched her assistant run away. A small laugh broke the silence.
"She reminds me of my childhood puppy, Pencil," Andrea chuckled. "So full of energy and life."
"Energy is one way of looking at it," Miranda groused.
She stood up and brushed off her slacks. Andrea followed suit, and held out her hand.
"Ready?"
Relief flood through Miranda's heart, and she gratefully interlaced her own fingers with Andrea's.
"Let's go."
As always, please review! Thank you! PS. I think you can guess what's wrong with Andrea now!