10
As the four were finishing lunch, the doorbell rang again. The girls jumped to get it but Andrea beat them to it by interrupting, "I'll get it. It's for me again." She smiled at the girls with a huge Cheshire grin. Andrea stood and walked to the front door then returned quickly.
The singer was carrying a large envelope, she was grinning from ear to ear as she returned and sat back down at the table.
"Well?" Cassidy asked
"Well what Bach?" Miranda laughed inside at the nicknames she had labeled the girls with since their performance the night before.
"Who was at the door?" asked Caroline
"Oh, no one. Let's just finish our lunch." Andrea was fighting to contain her excitement. They finished lunch while the girls and Miranda continually glanced at the package sitting on the table next to the singer.
Miranda finally spoke looking at Andrea with a raised eyebrow. "Is this to be a common occurrence with you, this teasing?"
Andrea licked her lips at the woman, "yes, and trust me," she leaned into whisper in the older woman's ear, "this is nothing compared to what I'm capable of." And she nipped her ear lobe playfully.
Miranda felt her whole body shiver and gasped, "Oh" she barely breathed.
"Indeed" the younger woman replied with her own eyebrow raised.
They finished lunch and Andrea was just too excited to contain it any longer. She abruptly stood, startling Miranda. "Excuse me please." The singer grabbed the envelope and headed up the stairs to the entertainment room.
"What was that all about?" asked Caroline
"I have no idea." Miranda watched after the blur that was her love. "I have a feeling", she looked at the girls, "that our lives are now going to be filled with lots of surprises and lots of what was that's. How do you two feel about that?"
"Mom are you happy?" Caroline asked moving to her side.
"Yes bobsie, I am. Happier than I've ever been I think."
Cassidy moved next to her sister, "then we feel just fine about it. We love Andy. If she makes you happy…"
"Then we are happy too." Finished Caroline
"I love you both so much. Thank you." The three Priestly's cleared the table and just as they were finishing they were summoned from the top of the stairs.
"Sweetheart, Mozart, Bach, could you come up here please."
They all looked at each other. The twins bolted and Miranda followed. The girls entered the room but waited for their mother to join them. When she walked through the door Andrea approached them with a remote in her hand.
"Have a seat."
Caroline and Cassidy took their regular over stuffed bean bag chairs and Miranda seated herself on the couch.
"I have one last surprise for you today." Andrea beamed. She walked over to the couch and took a seat next to Miranda. She pushed a button on the remote and the giant flat screen on the wall came to life.
Suddenly the room with it's sound system was full of applause and on the screen was Andrea, just as they saw her the night before at the concert.
"Cool" Caroline yelled over the sound.
As they watched, the previous evening's events replayed in front of them, but it wasn't from the beginning of the concert. What they were watching was the point in the show where Andrea introduced the girls.
"Oh my goodness" Miranda said softly. Andrea looked at the woman sitting next to her with her eyes glued to the screen, and took her hand. Miranda squeezed it without breaking her stare at the scene in front of her.
"That's us!" Cassidy screamed
"Shhhhh" Miranda insisted. As she watched, the three people she loved most in the world moved across the TV. She was in awe as the cameras moved from one to the other, capturing each as they made their contribution to the beautiful song Andrea had chosen to sing for her. Mostly they panned in and out on the twins playing. Miranda had tears falling down her face and she squeezed Andrea's hand tighter.
After the performance ended and the girls took their bow with Andy, the camera moved to Miranda in the wings, waiting for her girls to run to her.
The twins saw the pride in their mother's face and beamed as they remembered her words of love.
Andrea stopped the DVD and was pounced upon by the girls.
"You are the absolute" Caroline started
"Best Best Best!" Cassidy finished. Both girls giving her vice grip hugs.
Andrea laughed, "I just thought you might like to show off for your friends." The girls hugged her tighter.
"Okay girls, let Andrea breath."
They pulled away, but didn't move from her side. "We are going to miss you so much Andy" Cassidy said
"I'm going to miss you guys a lot too!" Andrea said taking the girls back into her to hug them again, "I love you very much."
"We love you too Andy" they said in unison
"If you loved us so much you wouldn't leave us alone with her" Cassidy whispered as she moved her eyes to her mother, "for so long." She smiled
"She's going to be a monster while you're gone" Caroline finished smiling as well.
"She is sitting right here" Miranda scowled, but then chuckled.
All four laughed
The two older women rose to leave but the girls decided to watch the concert from the beginning. Before the women had reached the bottom of the stairs they could hear the twins singing along with Andy at the top f their lungs.
Miranda slipped her arm around Andrea's waist." You are amazing, do you know that."
"As long as you think so." She leaned into the older woman
"I do my love, I do."
Without conscience thought the women made their way to the music room. Andrea moved to the piano bench and sat down. Miranda sat next to her and smiled. The singer lifted the lid from the keys and began to play.
The music filled the room. The older woman sighed and laid her head on Andrea's shoulder.
"What kind of music do you like besides classical?" the younger woman asked while gently stroking her hands across the keys.
Miranda made no movement when she spoke, "I'm becoming quite a fan of country of late." She smiled
Andrea grinned. "What else?"
"I enjoy several types. Usually it's the song itself I like as opposed to it's musical category or a particular artist." She lifted her head and kissed Andrea's neck
Andrea shivered. She was almost willing to say patience be damned and take Miranda right there, but her head won out over her hormones. That is not how she wanted their first time to be. Instead she lightened the mood by playing a little ragtime.
"Mmm, Scott Joplin", Miranda listened a moment, "Maple Leaf Rag I believe."
"Correct. You like?"
"Yes" she sat and listened. As the song ended, "how about something from the big band era."
Andrea began to play 'In the Mood' which she soon blended into 'Bugle Boy'. "I've always been a huge fan of the Andrew Sisters" she told Miranda
"Me also" Then to Andrea's surprise, the older woman began to sing. The singer tried not to show her shock though it was a pleasant surprise. Her pitch was perfect, her voice, like her speaking voice, was soft but strong and clear.
When the song ended Andrea turned to her, "obviously I'm not the only one with secrets."
Miranda blushed. "Don't be silly, my voice is nothing compared to yours."
"Why didn't you tell me you could sing?"
"I haven't sang since the girls were infants. I use to sing them to sleep at night. I doubt they remember or even know. Honestly, nothing in my life since then has made me want to." She smiled at Andrea and the younger woman leaned in to kiss her.
"Who taught you?"
"My father. He was a musician. After my mother and myself, it was his true love." Miranda sighed deeply at the memory. "Until I met you, I had forgotten how much it truly impacted my life." The older woman lifted her hands to the keys and began to play.
Andrea watched in silence as Miranda's fingers moved gracefully along the ebony and ivory. "Do the girls know that you can play? They've never mentioned it."
"No, I haven't played since my mother died. That's when my passion for it did as well." She continued to stoke the black and white keys lovingly. "I lost her to cancer when Caroline and Cassidy were three months old. I've always hated the fact that they never got to know her."
This time Andrea leaned her head on Miranda's shoulder as she played. "I've never had anyone play or sing for me. I'm honored."
"You brought music back to me my darling. You have filled me in so many ways, ways I didn't realize I was empty." She turned to look into Andrea's eyes. The younger woman captured her lips in a searing kiss. Miranda stopped playing and leaned her whole body into the other woman. Her blood was boiling, her desire to have the singer touch her unbearable.
Andrea raised her hand to touch Miranda's face, then ran her fingers through her soft white hair to the back of her neck and pulled her in stronger, deepening the kiss, causing a moan in the back of Miranda's throat.
Andrea broke the kiss gasping, "Oh God"
"Please don't stop" Miranda begged
"If I don't now, I won't be able to at all." Andrea stood to put a small distance between them.
Miranda wanted to cry. She was willing to plead, beg, promise, anything. There was no way she could wait six months for Andrea to touch her.
"I think maybe I'll go take a cold shower real quick…" Andrea was interrupted
"NO!" Miranda had panic in her voice and it scared them both. "No, please darling , no" She was not beyond begging for this at all.
Andrea sighed and dropped her head, "Baby, I don't think you realize what you're asking, not just of me but of yourself as well."
"Maybe I don't, all I know is I have never in my life wanted someone to touch me so much." Miranda lowered her eyes, feeling weak and ashamed to admit her desires to Andrea.
The singer moved back to her. "Don't you know I feel the same way." She cupped the older woman's chin and smiled that breathtaking smile Miranda now lived for. "I swear to you, when we make love, the rest of the world will cease to exist." Miranda gasped. "has anyone ever truly made love to you? Not just your body, your whole being. That's what I need for us, what I need from you." She sat back down and put her arm around the older woman pulling her in close. "I want to know I can do that over and over, night after night, day after day. Being away from you and not being able to have that would destroy me. Please Baby," she pulled her away to look at her, "please. Let me get through this tour and I promise you with all my heart I will spend the rest of my days touching, feeling and loving you."
Miranda had silent tears running down her face. She took a deep breath and nodded.
Andrea pulled her in again, "I love you so very much."
"And I love you darling." Miranda slid her arms around Andrea's waist and they held each other.
They sat rocking each other, holding tightly, both lost in their own thoughts. A quiet knock on the door pulled them back to the world.
Cassidy, "Mom?"
"Yes bobsie"
"We were wondering about dinner. We're getting hungry." She watched as the two women slowly extracted themselves from each other and saw the tear stains on her mother's face. She moved to her mother's side, "are you okay?" she asked worried.
"Oh, yes. Andrea and I were just…well, I'm fine dear, honest." She looked from Andrea to her daughter.
"What time is it?" Andrea asked
"About five" Cassidy answered
"Wow" the singer looked at Miranda, "I guess we lost track of time." They had been sitting and holding each other for several hours, time neither would want back.
"So it would seem." Both women rose and moved towards the door. "I'm going to go freshen up. Go get your sister and we'll meet you in the kitchen and decide what we want to do for dinner."
"Okay" Cassidy still seemed a little unsure. She went to get her sister. "They were just sitting there, with their arms around each other and Mom had been crying." She told Caroline
"Holy cow. We never saw Mom cry with Stephen, even after they had been fighting." Caroline replied. "You don't think they were fighting, do you?"
"No, I don't think so. They didn't even hear me come in."
"I think it's because Andy's leaving tomorrow" Caroline decided
"I guess. Mom really loves her a lot." Cassidy turned to go to the kitchen.
"Yeah and Andy loves her a lot too." Caroline followed her sister "You think it's gonna be weird?"
"What?" Cassidy stopped and looked at Caroline
"Everything, you know. Mom being with a woman, both of them being famous."
"I don't know. I mean I guess it'll be different, but it doesn't bother me. Does it bother you?" Caroline asked
"No, not really, I mean we love Andy and she loves us. It's kinda like it's always suppose to have been this way, ya know."
"I think she's going to be a great step mom, better than Dad's new wife, that's for sure." Caroline sneered.
"What do you think he'll say when he finds out?" Cassidy looked nervous
"Well I'm not going to tell him, are you?"
"NO WAY!" Cassidy replied "Mom's never ever been this happy. Not even when she goes to Paris."
"I know." Caroline mused "You know, I think she's going to be a real bear 'til we get to see Andy in Colorado."
"We'll just have to try to keep her happy til then. It shouldn't be too bad, I mean we'll miss her too, but we're just as happy about her being a part of this family as mom is, right?"
"Right" Caroline smiled "Hey, what do you think we should call her. I mean we never called Stephen Dad, but we never really like him."
Cassidy put her finger to her chin , a mini Miranda imitation, "I don't know, maybe we'll ask mom later, see what she thinks."
"You think they'll get married?" Caroline asked as they started towards the kitchen again.
"I don't know. I think it would be cool though, then we really would be a family."
"Yeah, that would be awesome, but I don't know if mom would want to after two divorces."
"But mom really loves Andy. You can tell." Cassidy replied "She never acted the way she does with Andy with Dad or Stephen."
"That's true." Caroline agreed "You think we should work on it?" she asked with a sly smile
"Absolutely!" Cassidy smiled and hooked her pinky with her twin.
When they finally made it to the kitchen their mom and Andy were sitting at the table holding hands. Miranda looked at the girls, "So what shall we do for dinner?" the older woman asked the other three.
After dinner the four settled in to watch a movie. Miranda curled up next to Andrea on the couch, resting her on her shoulder and arms around her waist. The younger woman ran her fingers through her hair, lost in peaceful bliss. The girls were comfortable in their designated bean bag chairs, pulled up close to where the older women snuggled on the couch.
They all sat quietly enjoying the movie and being together as a family in a way none of them had before.
When the movie ended Andrea turned the TV off to a silent room. The twins had fallen asleep in their chairs and Andrea could see the soft rise and fall of Miranda's chest, her eyes were closed as well.
The singer took a deep breath, God she was going to miss them. She turned her face upward and spoke in an almost whisper, "Thank you Grams, Thank you." Just as she thought her heart would burst from all the joy she was feeling, Miranda squeezed her waist, and she knew this was exactly how her life was meant to be.
They sat holding each other tightly for a while then Andrea spoke softly. "I think we should put the girls to bed."
"I don't want to move" Miranda replied sleepily
"I don't either, but the time we've been dreading has come." Andrea hugged her tighter
"I don't think I can let you go."
Andrea smiled into the soft white head resting on her chest. "You can. You're the strongest woman I've ever met."
Miranda rose and looked at her, "I think my darling, you need to look more closely in the mirror."
Andrea leaned in and kissed her languidly. After parting, "I hope you're right, 'cause it's going to take everything I've got to leave and be away from you for two months."
They could see the love and sadness in each other's eyes.
"Come on" Andrea said rising, "I want to tuck them in before I go."
Miranda leaned down and retrieved a dozing Cassidy while Andrea picked up Caroline.
"Come on Mozart, time for bed."
"Andy" Caroline mumbled
"Yes sweetie"
"Love you" and she snuggled into the singers neck
"Love you too honey." She squeezed her
The two women carried the girls to their room and put them into bed. Andrea tucked Caroline in, "Sweet dreams baby girl. I'll miss you." She kissed her forehead.
Then she moved to Cassidy's bed. As Miranda stepped back she could see the girl fighting to keep her eyes open to see Andy. She leaned down and tucked her sheet up around her.
"I'm gonna miss you so much Andy" the girl said through a yawn.
"And I'm gonna miss you too." She leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Take care of your mom for me okay. I'll call you guys tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay. Andy"
"Yes Bach"
"I love you"
"Oh baby, I love you too. Sweet dreams." Andrea rose and moved back to look at both sleeping angels. Miranda came beside her from Caroline's bed. The older woman reached up and wiped the tears from the singers face. Andrea spoke through her tears, grasping Miranda's hand and kissing her palm, "I didn't know it was going to be this hard."
Miranda leaned in and rested her forehead to the singers. "For all of us darling, for all of us." She raised up and kissed Andrea's forehead with all the love she felt for her.
They turned to leave the room but Andrea stopped and looked at the twins one last time, "I love you my angels" she whispered then closed the door.
The soft spoken words of love for her children brought the tears Miranda was holding back run down fully on her face.
They walked silently downstairs holding hands, fingers linked. Once they reached the bottom Andrea called for her car. Miranda stood staring at her while she made the call. "He'll be here in about fifteen minutes."
Miranda leaned into the younger woman and kissed her with all the passion and love she was feeling. Andrea gripped her strongly around her small waist, both moaning into the kiss. Suddenly their bodies were so close together they couldn't tell where one stopped and the other began.
Andrea fought to control the frenzy her body was in. Taking the woman in her arms right there and now would be so easy. Before her hands could begin the journey of exploring Miranda's torso she broke the connection of their lips. "Dear God help me" she muttered.
She stepped back from her, looked into her eyes and saw all the desire and lust she knew was in her own eyes. "I have to go my love." As she clasped Miranda's hands in front of them and moved backwards to the door. "We'll talk tomorrow." She pecked her on the cheek and moved to open the door and go to her waiting car. "I love you Miranda Priestly." She said. "Take care of my heart til I come home for it" she smiled.
Through her tears Miranda replied "and you with mine til you bring it home" with a sad smile. "I love you Andrea Sachs. Come home to me soon."
The driver opened the door, Andrea stood just inside of it, before sitting, she blew Miranda a kiss.
Miranda stood at the door watching as the car door closed and her love drove away. She closed the front door and leaned against the cold wood and smiled. Andrea loved her like no one in her life ever had before. "Hmm" she hugged herself, "so this is how true love feels." The fashionista wiped her tear stained face and headed to her room to sleep and hopefully dream of beautiful love filled brown eyes.
Tomorrow would start the longest two months of her life. However, she resolved, like her beloved magazine, the result would be truly splendid.
