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.

A/N: Thank you so much for your feedback and positive support of this story. I truly appreciate it.

Chapter 9

"Moms, I can't fix my tie!" Alex whined as he attempted to get the knot right again. He tore it off and tossed it on the bed. "I hate this crap!"

"Alright bud. There is no excuse for that kind of language. Your mother would kill us both if she heard you." Andy said as she retrieved his new tie. "You want to tell me what has you so upset?"

He shrugged his shoulders and pouted. Andy lifted his chin with her finger and raised a brow. He huffed. "I hate your dad and I don't want to go to his stinking funeral!"

Andy tilted her head back and took a deep breath. She took a seat on the bed, careful not to wrinkle her black Chanel dress too much, and pulled him in front of her so they were eye to eye. "Alexander Paine?"

Alex immediately tensed. Unlike his other mother, Andy never called him Alexander. It was always Alex or Bud. Andy only called him Alexander when she was angry or disappointed. When she said called him Alexander Paine, she really meant business.

"Yes ma'am."

"What have I said about using the word hate?"

He bit his lip nervously as she patiently waited for his response. Looking down at his new dress shoes, he mumbled.

"Excuse me, young man. Is that how you respond to someone asking you a serious question?"

Alex stood up straight, lifted his chin, and looked her in the eye. "You always say that hate is too heavy a burden to bear and that everyone and everything that you hate is engraved upon your heart."

"And?" Andy prompted.

"And if you want to really let go of something or move on, you can't hate it…"

"Because it stays with you forever." Andy finished for him. She smiled slowly as the realization of what she had just said set in. Tears rushed to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Moms." Alex said looking troubled. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

Andy blinked back her tears and held his face in her hands. "Oh my sweet boy. Thank you."

Alex blinked with confusion. "Huh?"

She chuckled and started putting on his tie. "You didn't make me cry, sweetheart. Actually… you did me a favor."

"I did?"

Andy nodded. "Yes, you did. You helped me remember something I'd forgotten; something I really needed to hear today."

"I'm sorry I said I hated your dad. I don't really hate him." He said sheepishly.

"It's okay, bud. I know you don't. I don't hate him either."

Alex looked at her skeptically. "But he made you sad and he hurt you. I'm only eight but I hear stuff, you know?"

Andy finished his tie and adjusted his collar. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his big blue eyes. "I know this past week was confusing for you. It's been kind of confusing for me too."

"Really?"

"Yep. For a long time, I thought I had made peace with the way things were between me and my dad, but I hadn't. I was really angry with my dad and I hated some of the things he did, but I never hated him… the person. My dad said some things that hurt my feelings and made me sad. I'm sure I might be a little sad today too because I'll have to remember what made me sad in the first place. You see, my dad didn't know how to love me for who I was. He couldn't see me…" She placed a hand over her heart. "He couldn't see the person I am in here. But that's okay because you see me. Cass, Carrie, Uncle Doug, Uncle Nigel and Aunt Emily can all see me."

"Can Mom see you here?" He asked touching her heart.

"Yes. Yes, she can. She sees me best of all." She said blinking away a few tears. She helped him slip into his suit coat and smoothed down his hair. "And you, my handsome prince, are ready to go."

"Thanks Moms. Can I go play my game until we leave?"

"Sure. But try not to wrinkle your suit. We'll be leaving for the church soon."

"Okay."

She watched him rush over to the door only to pause and turn back around. She tilted her head. He bit his lip and scuffed his shoes before running back over into her arms. She held him tightly and ran a hand through his thick hair.

"I love you, Moms."

"Oh, I love you too, Alex… so much."

She watched him go, noting how much he had grown in the last year. A tinge of sadness filled her for a moment because she knew that he too would eventually grow up and make his way out into the world just as the girls had. She pushed the thought away knowing that time was still a good ways away. When she looked up, she saw Miranda in the doorway putting on her earring.

Miranda tilted her head slightly. "Everything alright, darling?"

Andy stood and met Miranda across the room. Miranda welcomed her into her arms and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah. Everything is just as it should be."

Miranda caressed her cheek gently. "The car has arrived downstairs. Are you ready?"

Andy took a deep breath and nodded. "Think I am."

The church was nearly full to capacity when the family finally arrived. The girls had taken Alex inside already and they had taken a seat on the second pew. When Andy and Miranda stepped out of the limo, they were met by Audrey, Josh, and the priest. After sharing a brief prayer, the four of them made their way into the church behind Father Lucas. Andy had felt her brother's eyes on her but she had kept her focus on the feel of Miranda's hand holding hers as the shiny black casket sitting in the front of the church came into her view. They all took a seat on the front pew with Andy seated between Audrey and Miranda.

The service was simple and reserved. Richard's brother, Henry stood and read Richard's favorite passage from the Bible. Andy and Audrey were both relieved that he appeared to be sober today. Josh followed with a very brief speech about what he would remember most about his father. Andy noted that he kept his eyes down on the small piece of paper on the podium. She could tell that he was struggling with reconciling the father he had adored with the man who had turned his back on his sister. Andy's heart went out to him and her first instinct was to play the protective sister and try to take away his pain. But she could not do that today or any other day to come. She finally realized that it wasn't her job to protect him anymore. Her duty was to the three amazing children behind her and the wonderful woman sitting beside her.

After her brother took his seat, Andy felt both her mother and wife squeeze her hands, silently giving her strength. She made her way up to the podium and looked out over the mass of people.

"I am Andrea Sachs-Priestly and Richard Josiah Sachs was my father. But most of you here already know that. Most of you also know that my father and I were estranged for some time. That truth caused me to struggle with what I would say today." She paused for a long moment. "How do you put a man's entire life into one speech… a man I felt like I no longer knew? It seems that no matter what I said, it would fall short or ring untrue. You see, I think that when someone you love passes away, there is that strong temptation to remember perhaps a little too well. We tend to forget about the offenses, transgressions, or misdeeds accrued over time. You are expected to put away only the most shining characteristics as keepsakes and memories of our beloved one when they depart. The problem with that is that you end up not truly remembering your loved one as they really were."

"My father was not a perfect man. He was human and he made mistakes." She glanced over the crowd until her eyes found a familiar pair of blue eyes. "But some of the greatest life lessons can be learned from mistakes. Through losing my father, I have learned a very important lesson. I've learned that we are not put on this earth to be perfect. We are meant to be whole. A man's mistakes are not the sum total of his life. So rather than focusing on things that no longer matter, I would like to remember what made my father… the man I once knew… who he was." She paused and smiled at her family.

"Richard Sachs was many things, but there are only a few that really matter. He was for many years a husband." She looked at her mother who had tears in her eyes. "He loved one woman in his life and she loved him in return." She looked at her brother. "He was the father of an honorable and kind young man. A man I'm proud to call my brother." She watched her brother wipe away a tear. She nodded to him to let him know that she had meant that.

"Richard Sachs was also a brother, an uncle, a cousin, a friend…" She paused and looked at her three children. "He was the hero who would chase away the monsters under a little girl's bed so she would feel safe… the perfect playmate to toss her into the air and catch her so she could know what it felt like to fly. He was the amazing athlete in the eyes of an adoring little boy because he could actually hit the backboard when he shot a basketball."

A few people, including Josh, all laughed. She paused and looked at the many familiar faces and family members. She was surprised to see many of them smiling back at her in understanding. "He was flawed. He was loved… and he will be missed. Thank you."

As she made her way back towards her seat, she paused by the casket and placed a hand on the shiny surface. "Goodbye Daddy."

TBC...

Quotes Used:

"I have decided to stick to love… Hate is too great a burden to bear." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If you want to forget something or someone, never hate it, or never hate him/her. Everything and everyone that you hate is engraved upon your heart; if you want to let go of something, if you want to forget, you cannot hate." –C. JoyBell C.

"We are not put on this earth to be perfect. We are meant to be whole." -Jane Fonda