Disclaimer: The Devil Wears Prada does not belong to me. No infringement intended. The characters belong to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox. I own nothing.

Chapter 6

"Is everyone down for the night?" Andy asked from her place on the bed.

Miranda slipped off her robe and climbed into bed. "Almost. Alex was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and I think all the traveling finally got to Caroline."

"So that leaves Cass. She's still the night owl huh? Some things never change."

Miranda fluffed her pillow before lying down. She propped up on her elbow facing Andy. "Something's going on with her."

Andy took off her reading glasses and tossed her magazine aside giving Miranda her undivided attention. "What do you mean?"

"Have you noticed that Cassidy has been on her phone either texting or checking her messages the entire time she's been here?"

Andy snorted. "What's new about that? Both of our girls have been phone crazy since they were twelve."

"I don't know. She's blushing and smiling all the time. I think she's seeing someone."

"Again… what's new about that? Cass has never been shy. She's had more boyfriends and girlfriends than I can count."

"That's just the thing. Cassidy has always been so blasé about dating. When she told us that she liked girls as well as boys, she did it over dinner like she was telling us about her day."

Miranda paused and rolled over on her back. She stared at the ceiling as she pulled on her fingers; a nervous habit from childhood she had never been able to break.

"I've kept an eye on her the past few months. Something is different about her. She never talks about going out with anyone or meeting someone new anymore. And every time that blessed phone goes off, she looks at it and blushes. Cassidy does not blush. I'm telling you. She's seeing some and it's serious."

Miranda noticed that Andy had gone quiet. She looked over at her wife and raised a brow. "What do you know?"

Andy laughed nervously. "Wha… I… I don't know anything."

"Andrea, you do realize that you are a dreadful liar and most importantly you cannot lie to me. So… what do you know?"

"Baby… you know I love you and I would love to tell you, but…" She cringed.

"So, it's true? She is seeing someone. Who is it?"

Andy bit her lip. "Cassidy begged me not to talk to you about it."

Blue eyes bore into brown. She sat up and sniffed. "You would keep a secret from me about our daughters?"

"Miranda, you know that I would never keep anything from you about the girls if it was serious. It's not even really a secret. Cassidy just wants to tell you herself. She promised she would when the time was right."

They both stared at one another, Andy giving Miranda her most innocent doe eyed look. Miranda sighed and flopped back on her pillow. "Can you at least tell me if it's someone of which I will approve?"

"She didn't tell me who it was, I swear. She just told me that she'd met a very special woman and that she was serious about her. I think she's really in love."

Miranda groaned and put her arm over her eyes. "I thought I was done worrying over their dating escapades when they grew up and moved out. Now one of my babies is talking about love. She's too young to be talking about love. She's probably just infatuated with this person."

"She's only a few years younger than I was when I fell in love with you." Andy said wisely. "And what I felt was much more than infatuation."

"I know." Miranda sighed. "But love can break her heart beyond repair, Andrea."

Andy moved over and straddled her wife's hips before leaning in for a gentle kiss. "Love is also when the heart can bloom and be filled with indescribable joy. Love can grow in the most unlikely situations and make all of your dreams come true; just look at us. I want Cassidy to find what we found. So, if this… woman is the one, then we can rejoice in her happiness. If she's not, then we will be there for Cass and help her through the heartache. But we can't prevent it. Falling in love is a part of life and it's one of the best parts. I don't want her to ever be afraid to fall in love. It's what makes life worth living."

Miranda sat up and pulled Andy close. The kiss that followed was a kiss of love and devotion. "You don't play fair. You always did have a way with words."

Andy grinned and pushed Miranda back and found her place between Miranda's thighs. "You always told me to use all of my abilities to the fullest. I'm just following your sage advice."

Miranda smirked. "Really now? Care to share any of more of your talents this evening?"

Andy's only answer was a mischievous grin and a kiss that would lead to a lovemaking session long into the night.

Miranda woke up to a sound that she loved and had missed hearing for quite a while. She pulled on her robe and made her way out into the living room area and found all three of her children giggling. Alex was trying to teach his older sisters how to work the controls on his new gaming system. They were all still in pajamas with bed-head and Miranda thought it was the most precious sight.

"Good morning, my darlings." Miranda said kissing each of her kids on the head as she passed the sofa.

"Morning Mom." Came a chorus of greetings.

"I see you three have already put that thing to use."

"Yeah. It's actually pretty sweet. I am so getting one of these when I get back to school." Cassidy said trying to keep her race car on the road.

Miranda smirked and shook her head. Making her way across the room, she was pleasantly surprised to see a carafe of coffee with warm croissants and fruit already on a cart. She and Andy's activities the previous night had lasted until the early morning and she had to admit that she was a little tired and famished.

"Whoever ordered breakfast is now my favorite off-spring."

Caroline laughed. "Well, I guess we have a new sibling then."

Miranda simply raised a brow as she sipped the piping hot coffee.

"The front desk called up and said your assistant Keisha had it pre-ordered. Moms said she was good."

"Mmmm." Miranda took a bite of the fresh cantaloupe then placed some fruit and a croissant on a small plate.

"When are you going to tell her that she's getting the job a million girls would die for by making her your new executive assistant when you take over as the new chair?"

"We will see." Miranda said settling across the room to read the paper. Cassidy elbowed her sister, giving her the Priestly glare."

Caroline shrugged her shoulders. Cassidy rolled her eyes and went back to the game while Caroline took her own coffee and joined her mother across the room.

"I heard Moms leave about an hour ago. She go for a run?"

"Unfortunately no. She and your grandmother needed to take care of some last-minute details for the funeral tomorrow."

Caroline bit her lip. "Mom?"

"Yes, Bobbsey."

"How is she… really? I mean… she's still Moms, but she's been a little… quiet too."

Miranda finally looked up from her paper and over the rim of her glasses. "Andrea just lost her father, Caroline. We mustn't expect her to be the life of the party at all times, darling. She's going to have down moments."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Mom. It's like… she's pretending like we're just here for a visit… like it's not even happening."

Miranda made sure Alex was still preoccupied with his sister before she continued. "Andrea is handling this as well as one would expect under these circumstances. Losing a parent can be very difficult, especially when one has a relationship as complicated as Andrea had with her father. You are very lucky that you haven't had to go through that."

"Trust me, I know. Dad may be a jerk sometimes, but at least he's never been a complete douche like Mr. Sachs."

Miranda's eyes widened. "Caroline! Language."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to speak ill of the dead and all." She apologized obviously not meaning it.

"Despite what you may think you know I assure you that there was more to the story. Things are never simply black and white, Caroline."

"Yeah well… Cass and I knew a lot more that you and Moms ever thought we did." Caroline said remembering a night a long time ago.

-Flashback 12 Years Ago- One Friday Evening

Caroline and Cassidy waved goodbye to Roy and slowly dragged themselves through the back door with their soccer gear. They promptly dropped it on the floor of the laundry room and mentally promised to take care of it later… or at least before Miranda saw it. It had been a long and hard practice and they were both ready for a hot shower and food. They headed up the first flight of stairs and heard a familiar voice. They both grinned. Their Andy was here. In the year since their mother had begun dating the younger woman, the twins had grown quite fond of her. Andy had proven to be completely different from all the other people their mother had previously dated. Andy was genuinely nice, almost too nice. She could always tell them apart and never talked down to them. She paid attention and listened when they talked. She simply treated them like people and not accessories to their mother. Somewhere during the past year, they had fallen in love with her and had decided to keep her.

Even though Andy and their mother had been dating for 'like ever' as the twin's often said, they still didn't live together. Andy still had her own apartment across town but stayed over several nights a week, sometimes all week if the Priestly women could talk her into it…and they could. The girls had started placing bets on how much longer it would be before Andy finally got over herself and moved in with them. They knew their mother wanted her to. Miranda had even asked their opinions on the matter. They didn't know what the big deal was. Grown-ups were so weird.

When they rounded the corner, they could hear Andy's voice more clearly coming from the study. She was talking to someone on the phone. They were about to go inside when they heard something in Andy's voice that gave them pause. Her voice cracked and it sounded so sad. Cassidy placed her hand on her sister's arm and held her in place as they listened from behind the door.

"No. We've already talked about this. I love Miranda and we're going to be together. That won't change. She's asked me to move in and I said yes. You had to know this was going to happen." Andy said pacing.

The twins watched with great interest, trying to figure out who was on the other end of the call and what they were saying to make their Andy so upset. Why would Andy be crying about moving in with them? It didn't make sense.

"Dad, please try to listen to what I'm saying."

Cassidy's eyes widened. "That's Andy's dad."

"Shh… listen." Caroline said.

"I've already spoken to Mom and she understands. Why can't you?" Andy held the phone to her ear as she looked out the large window. "Because I love her. I don't know how many times or ways I can say that. I love her and I love her daughters as if they were my own. I won't apologize for that."

"She's talking about us." Caroline whispered.

"Don't you ever say that about them…ever! They are my family too!" Andy practically yelled.

Cassidy and Caroline saw Andy turn away from the window and make her way back towards the center of the room. They could see tears on her face.

"Dad, please… please don't turn this into a choice between them and you. Please."

There was a long pause.

"Because I will choose them, Dad. You're not hearing me. No matter what you say, I still love them. They are my family and I won't give them up. I can't."

Cassidy and Caroline both gasped.

Andy sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa. "I guess we understand one another then. I just wish you could… Dad?... Dad?"

The girls watched Andy slowly place her phone on the coffee table. She sat there just staring at it for a long moment before she started to cry.

Cassidy looked at her sister, silently communicating in their usual twin speak. Cassidy shifted her eyes towards the crying brunette and Caroline shook her head. She knew that they were not supposed to overhear that conversation. They silently climbed the stairs to the next floor and slipped into Caroline's room, closing the door behind them.

"What the hell was that?" Cassidy whispered.

Caroline sighed and flopped down on her bed. "You're not stupid, Cass. You know what's up."

"That's why Andy always tenses up when we ask about her dad. He must totally hate us." Cassidy replied.

"It's more than just that. It sounded like he wanted her make a choice."

"Yeah, him or us."

"And she chose us."

They sat on Caroline's bed in silence for a long moment trying to make sense of all they'd heard. Caroline was the first to speak.

"We can't let Andy know that we heard that."

"What? Why not? She's crying. We should go try to make her feel better or something… shouldn't we?" Cassidy asked.

Caroline shook her head. "It will only make her feel worse. You know Andy. She will feel like she needs to apologize for her dad being a jerk. I don't want her to feel bad. Besides… if she changes her mind, we can act like we never knew."

Cassidy's eyes bucked. "Changes her mind?!"

"Shhh! Be quiet!"

Cassidy lowered her voice. "Why would she change her mind? That would totally kill Mom!"

Caroline shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think she will. You heard her. She said we were her family and that she loves us. I'm just saying… we can make sure Andy knows how much we love her too. That way, she never has to know and she won't want to leave us."

Cassidy thought for a moment then nodded. "Ok. So the plan is…"

"We make sure Andy never regrets choosing us… ever."

Cassidy nodded again. "Ok. Let's go shower then find Andy. We know she's moving in, but we can ask her to stay over for a movie night like we don't know."

"Deal."

"Neither of you ever said anything." Miranda said softly.

"What were we supposed to say? Hey, Andy I'm sorry your dad hates us but thanks for choosing us." Caroline said sadly. "He made her choose and that wasn't fair. She lost her dad because she loved us."

Miranda tossed her paper aside and pulled Caroline into her lap. "Come here, Bob. I wish you two hadn't overheard that."

"For a long time after that… we were so afraid that she'd change her mind and leave. A part of me didn't want to love her… because I knew it would hurt that much worse if she ever did change her mind."

Miranda shook her head at how much Caroline reminded her of herself; such a soft heart underneath a hard shell and slow to trust. "I felt the same way for a while, but I also trusted Andrea. Your mother promised that she would never leave and she never did."

"No one should ever have to make a choice like that." Caroline said softly. "You love who you love. You can't help that."

"I agree. I hate that Andrea was forced to make that choice, but I thank god that she chose us every single day. It's also the reason why I never let a day go by without letting her know just how much we loved her for it." Miranda said kissing Caroline's head. "And just so you know, Andrea and I would never make you, your sister, or your brother make a choice like that. We love you all… unconditionally. Always know that."

Cassidy watched her sister and mother across the room. In tune with her sister as always, she met Caroline's gaze and nodded. She smiled at Miranda and mouthed 'I love you' before going back to her game.

"So is that it?" Andy asked quietly as they left the funeral home. All the arrangements were finished and the final touches had been made to the obituary.

"I think so. Your father's lawyer called. He needs to meet with you about Richard's estate following the funeral tomorrow. Are you planning to come back to the house today?"

"Maybe later. There's a new art exhibit at the museum Caroline wants to see so we will probably go there to give Miranda some time to work in peace. I might take them by my old high school too, nothing special. I just want to spend as much time with them as I can while I have them all together, you know?"

Audrey nodded in understanding. "Your brother's flight will be here at one." Audrey said eyeing her daughter. "He said he was really looking forward to seeing you."

Andy nodded. "I want to see him too. I just hope he's willing to keep an open mind this time. I'm really not in the mood for another fight about the past."

Audrey drew her oldest child into a hug and held her tight. "Just remember what I said. You get to feel however you want to feel about all of this. You did nothing wrong." She pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "And I think it's about time that you stop being the bad guy too. Joshua is a grown man and he deserves to know the truth about his father just like the rest of us. You don't have to always be the big sister and play protector anymore."

Andy smiled sadly and started back to the car. "Of course, I do. That's my job." She said over her shoulder.

Following breakfast, Caroline and Alex had gone off to their respective rooms to shower and prepare for the day. Cassidy had just finished putting Alex's gaming system away when she sat down and checked her phone messages again. Miranda wandered out of her room and watched her for a moment.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your outing with Andrea? She will be back to pick you all up shortly."

Cassidy jumped slightly and quickly slipped her phone into the pocket of her robe. "I'm just waiting for Carrie to finish in the shower. You know she's a total water hog."

Miranda smirked before crossing over to the sofa and taking a seat. She looked intently at her oldest child. "Would like to tell me anything, Cassidy?"

Cassidy groaned and fell back against the sofa. "You know, don't you?"

"Is there something that I should know?"

"I should have known Moms would never be able to keep a secret from you. She told you that I was seeing someone, didn't she?"

"Actually, your mother told me nothing. I figured it out myself actually. It wasn't exactly difficult considering you've had your eyes on that phone nearly every moment since you've been here."

Cassidy blushed when she realized she was again holding her phone in her hands. "Sorry about that."

Miranda tilted her head. "Cassidy Anne, I don't believe I've ever given you reason to think I would be anything other than open-minded about anyone you chose to spend time with. Why is this situation any different?"

Cassidy bit her lip before meeting her mother's eyes. Miranda's breath caught in her chest at the look of pure love she saw in her daughter's eyes.

"Because… it just is."

Miranda's eyes softened and she smiled warmly. "You love her."

Cassidy sighed and nodded. "Very much."

"Then tell me about her."

"She's gorgeous… and smart, so smart. She graduated from NYU last year. She's into the whole art and fashion thing like you and Carrie. She's kind and funny. She makes me feel like I can do anything and she's always pushing me to work harder. She's just… amazing. She's the most incredible woman I've ever met, Mom."

Miranda's heart melted as her daughter gushed about this new woman in her life. She took Cassidy's hand into her own and squeezed it. "She sounds quite lovely. I would very much like to meet this person that means so much to you."

Cassidy took a deep breath and met her mother's gaze. "Well… you kinda… already know her."

Miranda raised a brow.

"Her name is… Keisha."

Miranda sat still for a moment trying to recall the name. Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Keisha Norwood… she's… your assistant."

Miranda opened her mouth to speak but no words came. It was one of the few times in Miranda Priestly's life that she was completely speechless.

"Mom? Say something… please." Cassidy said worriedly.

"Umm…."

"Please don't fire her. Keisha loves that job and she's great at it. Please, Mom. She had no idea who I was when we met."

Finally able to somewhat gather her thoughts, Miranda cleared her throat. "How did this come about?"

Cassidy paused and released a slow breath. It didn't look like her mother was angry. She just seemed surprised which was a positive sign.

"Well… I met her at the RUNWAY Masquerade Gala last year. I know it sounds cliché but I saw her across the room and there was just something about her. I knew I had to meet her. I waited until she was alone at the bar and approached her. We both had on masks and she wasn't working that night so there was no way either of us would have known the other's identity. We talked like… all night. I had this feeling... you know, like I couldn't wait for the next word out of her mouth."

Miranda found herself nodding. She knew exactly what that felt like. She'd felt that way about her wife for years.

"I asked her out and she agreed… until the masks came off at the end of the night. That's when she realized who I was. You can guess how that went." Cassidy said rolling her eyes.

Miranda hid a smirk. "I can imagine."

"Once she realized I was your daughter, she freaked and said that she couldn't see me. She said it would be highly inappropriate and she was worried about what you would think."

"I'm assuming you didn't take no for an answer." Miranda said knowing her willful daughter.

"I'm a Priestly after all."

"Touché."

"I pursued her until she gave me a shot and… it's been amazing, Mom. I love her."

Miranda took a deep breath and sat back against the sofa. She was quiet for so long, Cassidy began to worry.

"Mom? Mom, what are you thinking?"

Miranda sniffed haughtily. "I'm wondering how my assistant and my daughter managed to carry on a yearlong affair under my nose without me being aware."

"That was my idea. Keisha wanted to tell you. Please tell me you're not going to fire her. Keisha will be devastated."

"And if I was… to fire her?"

Cassidy's stomach rolled and she felt ill. "I'd promise not to see her again. I'd give you my word if you'd allow her to keep her job."

Miranda raised a brow. "You'd do that? Why?"

"Because she loves her job. It makes her happy and… I love her." Cassidy said as tears filled her eyes. "So… if that means I have to stay away from her for her to be happy that's what I will do."

Miranda smiled a genuine smile. She looked at her headstrong daughter and felt immense pride. She had finally grown up in every sense of the word. She reached out and caressed Cassidy's cheek. "I'm very proud of you, Cassidy."

Cassidy's head jerked up in confusion. "What?"

"You would be willing to sacrifice your own happiness to ensure the happiness of the one you love. That takes maturity and a depth of love that many never have the opportunity to experience. I hope she is worthy of this devotion."

"She is. Like I said, she wanted to tell you from the beginning and she offered to quit so she could see me properly, but I wouldn't let her. I was hoping she wouldn't have to." Cassidy said nervously.

Miranda chuckled and pulled Cassidy in for a hug. "No one is going to be fired, darling. Keisha's employment is secure at the moment. As you know, finding competent assistants has been a lifelong struggle for me. I would not dare fire the best assistant I've had in years because she has impeccable taste in women."

"So you admit it? She is the best assistant you've ever had?" Cassidy grinned.

Miranda sniffed and rolled her eyes.

Cassidy laughed and kissed her mother's cheek. "Thanks Mom."

"What I don't understand is why you felt you had to keep this from me, Bobbsey." Miranda said feeling a little hurt. "I've told you time and time again that you could come to me about anything."

Cassidy shrugged her shoulders. "You've fired assistants for getting your coffee order wrong, Mom. I didn't know how you'd handle finding out an assistant was sharing your daughter's bed."

Miranda closed her eyes for a moment and held up a hand. "I want you to come to me about anything, but let's leave the… bedroom out of it for the time being. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet."

Cassidy laughed. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright."

"It was never about trusting you, Mom. I just wanted to tell you when I was sure. I needed to be sure that what I was feeling was for real."

"And are you certain now?"

Cassidy nodded without hesitation. "Yes. She's the one, Mom."

Miranda sighed and nodded. "Well alright then. I suppose you should invite 'New Gi…' I meant… Keisha over for dinner soon. I'd like to be introduced to her properly… as your mother."

Cassidy beamed. "Of course. I'll… I'll call and let her know."

"Do that." Miranda said giving her a pat on the knee before getting up. "You should go get ready. Your mother will be back soon for your outing."

Cassidy stood and headed towards her room. She stopped abruptly and turned back around. Before Miranda knew what hit her, she was nearly lifted off the ground with a bone crushing embrace. Cassidy kissed her cheek. "I love you, Mom."

Miranda caressed her cheek gently. "Oh. I love you too, Bob. Always."

Cassidy stepped back and flashed a brilliant smile before rushing off to the other room. Miranda stood in the middle of the room and stared at the now closed-door. She smiled sadly. Her daughter was all grown up and in love. She felt elated and a little sad at the same time. A buzzing noise on the sofa drew her attention. She looked down and saw Cassidy had left her phone behind. She glanced at the screen and smiled devilishly.

"Hello Keisha… how lovely of you to call."

"That one looks kinda weird." Alex said tilting his head to the side as if the new angle would make the particular sculpture they were looking at would make more sense. "Is it supposed to look like that?"

"Yes."

"It doesn't make any sense though. It looks nothing like what the sign says."

Cassidy and Andy both snorted with amusement and moved on to another piece leaving them behind. Caroline rolled her eyes at the two and ruffled her brother's hair. "It doesn't have to, little brother. That's the beauty of art. It's all about perception and our interpretation."

Alex shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so."

"You should listen to your sister, young man. She seems to know what she's talking about." A voice said from behind them.

Alex and Caroline turned to find a pretty African-American woman with a friendly smile standing behind them. Caroline's eyes zoomed in on the official museum ID badge attached to the stranger's jacket.

"Your sister is right. Art really is about perception and interpretation, but it's also about expression as well. Art can provide a means to express the imagination in non-grammatical ways. In art, one is not tied to the formality of spoken or written language."

Alex frowned adorably at the piece. "It's still ugly."

Caroline and the woman laughed.

"Well that explains why Moms and I are completely lost. Journalists are all about the written language." Cassidy added walking up to the group.

The woman turned and blinked when she saw what looked like an exact replica of the young woman she was speaking with. Caroline and Cassidy both grinned. People's reactions to seeing them together never really got old.

"Hi. I'm Caroline and this my sister, Cassidy and this big guy is our brother, Alex."

The woman smiled. "Well, welcome to the Cincinnati Museum of the Arts. I'm one of the curators here. I'm Lil…"

"Lily Thomas." They all turned to see Andy staring at the stranger with a look of surprise.

Andy couldn't believe her eyes. There standing before her was an older version of her former best friend; the friend she had not seen in years.

Caroline noticed that the woman appeared shocked as well.

"Andy. Wow. Hi."

The three siblings stood just off to the side and watched their mother and this stranger simply staring at one another. What surprised them even more was that their very tactile mother held out her hand for a handshake, purposely avoiding an embrace.

"Hello Lily." Andy said evenly holding out her hand.

Lily blinked and glanced down at the outstretched hand. She frowned slightly but accepted the handshake. Looking back into familiar brown eyes, she found them blank. Her eyes shifted to the three people standing a few feet away and started to make the connection.

Andy watched her friend's face carefully as recognition of what she was seeing dawned. Lily was still smiling, but there was a slight flinch before she could cover it. Andy had lived with Miranda Priestly long enough to catch even the smallest of things.

"Do you two… know each other, Moms?" Cassidy asked taking a step closer to her mother.

Andy smiled softly at her children. "This is Lillian Thomas. She and I grew up together actually." She glanced back at Lily. "Lily, this is my son Alexander. I believe you might remember my daughters, Caroline and Cassidy."

The kids all took turns shaking hands with their mother's friend. Cassidy and Caroline shared a quick glance. They could feel the undercurrent of more going on and nodded. Cassidy quickly provided a distraction.

"Hey, Alex how about we let Caroline finish telling us about all these weird things made by dead people. If we both learn something, I'm sure Moms will take us for pizza at her favorite place. Right Moms?"

Andy winked at her daughter, thankful for her perceptiveness. "Sure, whatever you guys want."

Alex shrugged his shoulders. "Cool. I'm always up for pizza. We just can't tell Mom, right?"

"Well duh. Of course not."

Cassidy gave her mother a quick squeeze on the forearm before leading her siblings down the corridor.

"Wow. They are still as identical as I remember them being in the papers. It's like they're mirror images."

Andy tilted her head slightly and shook her head. "Nah, they're really nothing alike. You just have to know what to look for."

Lily simply nodded. "I guess you would know, being their mother and all."

Andy just nodded.

"Well, he certainly looks like you. I had no idea you had a son."

Andy kept an eye on the three people slowly making their way around the corner. "Why would you? We haven't seen one another in what… thirteen years?"

Lily had the decency to look away in embarrassment. "Yeah. It's been a long time. I uh… heard about your dad. I'm sorry. He was a good guy."

Andy bristled slightly and tried changing the subject. "Thanks. So… you're the curator here now?"

"Yeah. I'm in charge of American sculpture and drawings as you can see. There are other curators for the other departments."

"I thought you wanted to own your own gallery back in New York?"

"I did, but it just didn't pan out." She shrugged her shoulders. "Things changed so… "

"You changed." Andy supplied with a hint of sarcasm. "Imagine that."

They stared at one another for a long moment, so many things unspoken.

"Hey, it was really good seeing you Lily but we should be going. I promised the kids that we'd spend the day doing whatever they wanted so…"

Lily shook her head. "So that's it? We've known each other all of our lives and I get a handshake and 'it was good to see you?'"

Andy blanched in disbelief. "You haven't spoken to me in years, Lily. What do you expect from me?"

"I don't know, more than a handshake. We used to be best friends."

"You're right. We used to be, but you're the one who wouldn't take my calls. You're the one who decided our friendship wasn't worth saving. That was you, not me remember?"

"There was more to the story than that, Andy."

"Oh you're right. I'm sorry that I broke up with my boyfriend and moved on with my life. The past is over and done with and quite frankly I don't care anymore."

Lily snorted. "I guess I was hoping that if I ever saw you again, it would be the real Andy Sachs in front of me. I guess I still don't know who you are…even after all this time."

Andy found herself laughing softly. "God, all these years and you're still harping on that. When are you going to realize that this is the real me? It always has been. I can't help that you didn't like what you saw."

"You changed Andy. You changed and you know it."

"Of course I changed! We all changed, even you. You're supposed to change as you get older in life."

"But that wasn't just about life. You let RUNWAY take over your entire world. You dropped your friends and Nate like..."

Andy held up her hand. "Let me stop you before we even go down that road. Maybe I didn't have time to hang out with my friends and maybe I'm even guilty of neglecting Nate, but I had a job. Maybe it was a job you didn't like, but it was still my job. Nate and I broke up. Did my job help things along?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure it did. What's funny is that no one ever complained when he worked late or had to cancel at the last-minute."

"Nate was never obsessed with his boss." Lilly said folding her arms.

Andy laughed humorlessly and shook her head. "It's always going to come back to Miranda, isn't it? Despite what you or anyone else thinks, there was nothing going on between Miranda and me when I worked for her. She wasn't the problem between Nate and me. What Nate wanted wasn't who I was, so we went our separate ways. It's just that simple. It happens to couples all the time. Last time I heard anything about Nate, Doug said he'd found someone and he had moved back home. So apparently, he got over it. I got over it. The question is why you didn't?"

Andy met her dark eyes and was surprised to find no anger there. If she wasn't mistaken, it looked almost like guilt.

"You hurt him, Andy. He never really got over you."

Andy tilted her head slightly at the statement. She eyed her old friend. "Well… that's really unfortunate for him then because it's been years, Lily… years! We were high school sweethearts and… so incredibly young. Thinking back on it now, I don't think what we had was really love."

"Oh, believe me. It was for him. No one else has ever stood a real chance since."

Andy frowned sensing that there was more to the story that she didn't know. A conversation from long ago resurfaced in her mind.

Flashback 11 Years Ago-

"Come on Andy! That was like four miles. I'm wiped. Can't we call it a wrap? Us mere mortals aren't used to running six miles every morning like some people." Doug panted as he rested his hands on his knees and struggled to breathe.

Andy was still jogging in place. "Sorry Dougie. I told you I was worked up. I can't help it. Running is the only thing that helps take the edge off."

"And by edge, you mean La Priestly? I thought you two were getting it on like bunnies lately?"

Andy walked over to an empty park bench and went through her cool-down stretches. She then sat down taking a long swallow from her water bottle. "We were… are…I mean we do… but…"

"Hey." He sat down and placed a gentle hand over Andy's shaking hands. "Slow down and tell Uncle Dougie what's going on."

Andy sighed and took another drink of water. "I think I want to ask Miranda to marry me."

Doug was silent for a long moment before facing his friend. "You think you do… or you do?"

"I do."

"Okay."

She glanced at him suspiciously. "That's it? You're okay with that?"

Doug laughed. "Why would my opinion matter? It's your life."

Andy sighed heavily. "Because you're like the only friend I have left and… you matter okay."

Doug nodded. He knew what she was really saying. She didn't want to lose him too. He knew that Andy was still hurt that their old friend had stopped speaking to her after she and Nate had broken up. He had tried talking to Lily, but the woman was just too stubborn. It was like Nate could do no wrong in her eyes. It wasn't until recently that he'd started understanding why.

"Look Andy, I know why you pulled away when you were at RUNWAY. I get it. It was a demanding job that took a lot of your time." He shrugged his shoulders. "There are times when I'm busy for weeks and we don't get to hang out. That doesn't mean that we're not still friends and I don't love you. To be completely honest, I told Nate he was being an ass and that if he were a real boyfriend, he would have supported you instead of trying to make you feel guilty for doing your job."

Andy blinked and looked at her friend with surprise. "Really?"

"Of course, I did." He frowned, a little hurt that she didn't already know this. "When I found out that Nate had packed up while you were in Paris and that Lily had helped him, I gave them both a piece of my mind. Not that it did much good."

"She helped him move? I didn't know that." She said quietly.

Doug mentally kicked himself for letting that little tidbit slip. "Yeah. She had the nerve to call me and ask me to help out. I think her ear is still ringing from the sound of me banging my phone on my desk." He chuckled.

She smiled sadly. "I know I let things go and she said that I changed, but I don't think the changes were all bad, you know. I mean… Lil was my best friend and suddenly Nate became more important to her than me. What's up with that?"

Doug looked away nervously for a moment. "Who knows what was going on in Lily's head? We don't really talk anymore either. But you know what, I couldn't care less. I, for one, think the changes were good. I love this new you and I think Miranda Priestly is going to be one lucky woman."

Andy nearly leaped into his arms and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. You don't know what that means to me."

"You've always been there for me, Andy. I love you and you're family, babe. That will never change."

"Thanks. I feel the same way about you, Doug."

"Now, back to this proposal."

"So, here is what I was thinking…"

The memory faded away and Andy's investigative skills kicked into high gear. She shook her head as the pieces fell into place. "I can't believe I never made the connection before now. You were in love with him."

Lily laughed nervously and moved away. "Andy…"

"It's okay, you know. I don't care. It's just a little… I don't know… bittersweet."

Lily turned and just stared at her. "Nothing happened while you two were together." She finally admitted.

"It all makes sense to me now. You took his side because you were in love with him."

"He was a great guy and you just…"

"You know… if you wanted to be with Nate, you could have just said so. I might have been confused, but eventually I would have understood. Who knows maybe we would have all remained friends. You didn't need to make me out to be the bad guy or make me feel like I had been a horrible friend."

They both stood awkwardly together not really knowing what else to say. It was sad that two people who had once been best friends couldn't even manage to have a decent conversation.

"Look, I really should be going. Miranda will be expecting us for an early dinner soon."

Lily smiled sadly. "You two still together, huh? I guess you proved us all wrong."

"I was never trying to prove anything to anyone. We fell in love. That had nothing to do with anyone except Miranda and me."

"You look happy." Lily admitted.

Andy glanced over at her kids again and beamed as she watched her son walking towards her. "I am happy… very happy."

"Moms, do we have time to go to the Aquarium?" Alex asked wrapping his arms around her legs. He was flashing a bright smile up at her.

Andy glanced at her watch before leaning down placing a quick kiss on his head. "Sure, bud. Go tell your sisters and we'll go."

"Okay."

Andy returned her eyes to her old friend and she managed to smile. "Goodbye, Lily. Take care of yourself."

Lily watched Andy walk over and claim her family and she knew this really was goodbye. Andy was right. It was bittersweet. She had thrown away a lifelong friendship in exchange for Nate only to realize a little too late that he had only wanted a substitute.

"Moms, who was that lady again?" Alex asked as they made their way towards the exit.

"Just someone I used to know." She heard Andy answer.

TBC…

A/N: Thank you so much for the feedback. Your encouragement and suggestions help a great deal. I know the pace may seem kind of slow, but the good parts are coming soon. I promise. Like always, let me know what you think.