Andy had avoided talking to Miranda the whole night before. When she woke up the next morning, she saw a few messages and two missed calls. As much as Andy wanted to give her the cold shoulder, Miranda was still her boss. And, Andy still loved her. So, she finally gave in and called her back.

"Andrea, are you alright? I've tried calling you a few times?" Miranda asked on the other end of the phone when she picked up.

"I'm fine, I just figured we both could use some space right now." Andy explained.

"I know you're upset, and I should have listened to you. It's just…with Stephan, and even James, they wanted me to be someone else. I felt like I had to change myself for them. I know that's not what you were asking, but it brought up some old feelings," Miranda told her. "The girls are going to their father's tonight. Come over after work, and we can finish our conversation."

"I can't tonight, I'm meeting with some friends for drinks." Andy said. She heard Miranda breathe in.

"Which friends?"

"Doug, Nigel, Lily, and uhm, I think Nate is going to be there as well." Andy replied, trying not to let her nerves take over.

"The fry cook?"

"He's a chef, Miranda. You know that," Andy sighed with a slight eye roll even though Miranda couldn't see her.

"Yes well, I suppose it would be for the best if I join you then."

"You know we can't be seen together, Miranda. And there's no way my oldest friends won't suspect things. Not to mention, all they know about you is that you are my dragon of a boss. It would be obvious that something was up if you came tonight." Andy reasoned with the older woman.

"Andrea, I don't like the idea of you going out with your ex who probably still has feelings for you." Miranda admitted. She sounded vulnerable, and Andy almost caved, but she didn't.

"I've known Nate for a long time, there's nothing to worry about."

DWPDWPDWPDWPDWPDWP

Miranda was angry. She couldn't understand why Andrea was so set on having drinks with her ex. Miranda knew she had messed up yesterday by not hearing Andrea out, and by pushing her feelings off. Still, it seemed ridiculous for Andrea to go running to her ex. Was she trying to prove a point?

To make matters even worse, Andrea was gone practically all day. Miranda had given Emily a list of errands, not realizing the redhead would force the second assistant to do all the running around. Andy had left the office at 10:00, and had been gone for four hours. Miranda sighed, she had to go meet with Betsey Johnson, and likely wouldn't be back until Andrea was gone for the day. She wanted a chance to talk to her girlfriend, and to smooth things out, but it didn't look like that was happening today.

Miranda pulled out her notepad and decided if she couldn't talk to her in person, she would at least leave her a note. She wanted Andrea to know that even after they had fought, Andrea still meant the world to her. And, she wanted nothing more than to fix this rift between them.

Andrea, my darling,

I feel as though we have been two ships passing in the night since our phone call this morning. I know things with us are rocky, but I love you. I am still learning how to be a good partner to you. I am bound to make mistakes, but I promise in the future to listen to your concerns. I shutdown last night, and I couldn't be more sorry for it. I understand that you are busy tonight, but if your plans wrap up early, I will be home. Please, stop by if you would like. We can have some wine and talk. I miss you already. I love you, always.

Love, M

PS please don't let the Fry Cook try to win you back

Miranda carefully slipped the note into Andrea's desk after making sure that no one was paying attention. She hoped Andy would see it, and that they would talk soon.

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After getting back from errand after errand, Andy had found Miranda's letter in her desk. She had thought it was more instructions for another task, but she was pleased to see it wasn't. She had read the letter at least ten times, her heart swooning more each time. She almost called to cancel on her friends to go see Miranda instead, but decided she still needed some time to think.

Andy arrived at the bar and was greeted by Nigel and Doug who waved her over to the table. She smiled and made her way to them. Just as she was sitting, Nate and Lily came back from the bar. Lily had even gotten Andy her drink of choice, which made Andy grin. She wanted her friendship with Lily to be okay again, and she hoped when she told her about Miranda, Lily would be accepting.

"Six, how was your day?" Nigel asked her, taking a drink of his vodka soda.

"Ugh, awful. Emily had me running all over 5th Avenue today." Andy replied. Nigel chuckled. "Miranda had a bunch of things she needed, and Emily volunteered herself to stay and answer phones, which I understand. She's still recovering, but she could have asked anyone else to help out."

"Maybe Miranda should hire a third assistant while Emily recovers." Doug suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, maybe I can run it by her tomorrow." Andy nodded.

"So, Andy, was Paris magical?" Lily asked. Andy felt her cheeks blush as she thought of the moments she spent with Miranda. A glow appeared on her face. "Oh lala, did Andy find some romance in France?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that as well." Nate said, looking at her seriously.

"Please, we were so busy with shows, we had no time for romance." Nigel jumped in, saving Andy from having to explain herself. She sent him a grateful smile. "Six here is just smiling about the macarons we got to sample at Dolce and Gabbana."

"I can make you some of those anytime you want, Andy." Nate smiled at her.

Andy gave him a small smile back. She was getting the feeling that Nate was hoping to reconcile things. She had no interest in doing so, but she was hopeful that they could salvage a friendship, at least for the sake of the group. The four of them shared a lot of history, and despite how they had treated her in recent months, she wanted to keep them in her life.

"Andy, are you doing any more traveling soon?" Lily asked her.

"There's a fashion event in Miami in a few months. If Miranda decides to take both assistants, I'll be going with her." Andy replied. She would be grateful for the invite, but what she really wanted was a trip away with just Miranda. She'd be even happier to take Caroline and Cassidy with them, but until the girls knew the truth, that was unlikely to happen.

"Do you get to model swimwear?" Nate asked her with a wink.

"It's not that kind of show." Nigel said with an annoyed eye roll.

"So, Doug, I heard your sister is expecting." Andy said, trying to steer the conversation away from herself.

"Oh yeah, Hannah is due in March. My money is on a boy, but she and Rob are waiting until the birth to know the gender." Doug explained. He turned to smile at Nigel. "I'm hoping Nige and I can go out and see them soon. Mom would be ecstatic for me to bring someone home."

The group continued on for a bit longer. They caught up on work, hobbies, and any other topic that came up. When Nate suggested they go to another bar, though, Andy declined. She made up an excuse about wanting to get some writing done. Knowing that Andy wrote fiction in her freetime, no one questioned her. Andy had more fun than she had expected, but she was also missing Miranda. She had enough time to think, and just wanted to see the woman she loved. She took a cap to the townhouse, hoping it wasn't too late.

DWPDWPDWPDWPDWPDWP

Miranda had tried desperately to stay awake. She was still hopeful that Andy would show up. She drank a glass of wine, and waited in the den. The reclining chair Stephen had left behind was rather comfortable. She had still been wearing her Chanel dress, and thought it was a bit restricting, she somehow fell asleep. She woke up with a start when she felt someone gently shaking her.

"Miranda, honey, wake up. Let's get you upstairs," She slowly opened her eyes to see her beautiful Andrea kneeling before her. Andy gave her a small smile. "Hi, beautiful."

"Andrea, you're here," Miranda beamed in a still sleepy state. "What time is it?"

"Just after midnight. Sorry I'm so late, I didn't want to wake you, I just really wanted to see you." Andrea said, squeezing Miranda's hand. Miranda sat up, feeling a pain in her back from the position she'd been sleeping in. She winced. "Sweetheart, why are you down here?"

"I was waiting for you, I wasn't sure if you were coming, but I was hoping you would. I fell asleep waiting." Miranda explained. Andy helped her from the chair, and took her hand. She led her up the stairs.

It wasn't the first time Miranda had waited downstairs for her partner to come home. There were nights when she knew Stephen was with his mistress of the week, and she'd spend all night waiting for him. This was the first time someone showed up for Miranda, and showed her this much care.

As they reached Miranda's bedroom, Miranda offered Andy some pajamas, which the younger woman accepted. Miranda excused herself to wash her face, and when she was done, she let Andy take the bathroom. Miranda crawled into bed, happy Andy was with her for the night.

"Are you okay if I turn out the light?" Andy asked. Miranda nodded. The brunette hit the switch, and then climbed in next to the older woman. Miranda hesitated, unsure if Andrea was still angry with her. She was relieved when her assistant pulled her into an embrace. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, my love. I am so sorry for how I handled things. I'm learning how to keep this a secret, I find it hard not to want to ravish you in the office. I guess I took it to the extreme instead of finding a better solution. I will do better for you." Miranda vowed, snuggling into Andrea's warmth.

"I might have overreacted too. I just got so comfortable with being together, and then when you were able to switch back to previous roles so easily, it threw me off." Andrea explained. Miranda nodded her head in understanding. "I'm sorry I walked out that night, I should have stayed so we could talk it out."

"Maybe we can agree that from now on, when we argue, we can take space, but we can't just walk out like that." Miranda suggested. Andy agreed with her. "If you need some time, we can set a time in place. For example, if we're arguing and you need to leave, you can say we'll talk in the morning, or that you just need to take a walk."

"That's reasonable." Andrea replied. "Will that help you feel better?"

"I'll never feel better while we're arguing, but it'll help with my anxiety if I know when we'll talk again. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Talk to me about your feelings, don't put up the walls I've been working so hard to break down." Andy suggested. Miranda nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry," The editor said tearfully. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." Andy vowed, placing a kiss to Miranda's forehead.

"I hated that you went out with your ex boyfriend, but I didn't want to try and control you," Miranda told her, wanting Andy to hear her out. "Your break up seemed so sudden, and while I know you love me, I sometimes wonder if you have regrets about everything. You have history with him, and your relationship was so much easier, and much less complicated. Not to mention, you didn't have to hide when you were with him."

"Oh, my love. I am glad you told me you were feeling like this. I want you to know that even when things get hard, I have no regrets about our relationship," Andrea said, adjusting so Miranda could see her face better. "I love you, and I want this relationship more than I have ever wanted anything. If tonight was anything, it was a reminder about how much happier I am when I am with you."

"I love, my darling," Miranda told the younger woman. "So much."

"Let's get some sleep, honey. We're both tired, and I just want to hold you."

Soon the two women drifted off. Neither of them stirred the whole night as they held each other close.