The Gift of Possibilities - The Tenth
Ah, aren't I precious? It's the Little Freakboat, everybody!
Disclaimer: The Devil Wears Prada is neither mine nor Ruari's. No infringement intended, no money being made. The building belongs to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox. We're just redecorating. When finished, we will tear down the new curtains and fancy artwork, but leave the festive paint…
Rating: T
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada
Pairing: Mirandy
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Tenth ~ CeeLyn’s
“No. I- no. That is not going to happen. Uh, no. Nope, not that either.”
Andrea motioned for the vendor to keep the change while cradling her phone between her ear and shoulder. Grabbing a fist full of napkins she scooped up her hotdog and turned back to the intersection. Damn it. Missed the light again.
“I’m telling you, there is no way, Mom. NO! I’m not yelling. This is New York-we’re all loud. Mom, look, let me call you when I get home. No, Mother, our home. Mom, please, I need to go. I’ll call you later.” Without waiting for a reply Andy closed the connection and slid the phone into her coat pocket.
Great. How am I going to explain this one?
The signal finally gave way and Andy stepped from the curb-right into a huge puddle of slush. Shit. Great. Fine. Slogging out of the puddle she made it halfway through the intersection before the blare of a horn and squealing of tires scattered the surrounding crowd. Thump.
Abso-freaking-lutely Amazing. Andy stared at the shopping bag she had been carrying, which now lay in a drippy mess at her side. The bumper of the cab rested barely 2 inches from her leg. The other pedestrians, New Yorkers through and through, barely gave a glance as they stepped around the woman swearing a blue streak at the cabbie while threatening to bludgeon him with a sausage.
“…and your sister’s dog, too!” she finished, as she picked up the soggy remains of her package.
Her phone rang again just as she reached the other curb.
“WHAT?”
“…Andrea?”
“What? What is it?”
“Nothing. I just haven’t been screamed at in the last 4 minutes and thought I would give you a call and see if you could fit me into your schedule.”
The thought of anyone actually screaming at Miranda forced a laugh from Andy.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just…It’s been a bad day, okay? It’s been a bad several days, actually.” Andy released a heavy sigh. “Do you- will you- are you coming home soon?” She finished hesitantly.
“I don’t know. I want to, you know I want to.”
The fiasco in London had caught everyone by surprise. Between the legal ramifications and the public image nightmare it was either going to be Miranda or God Himself over there coordinating the damage control, and there was no way Miranda was trusting this with anyone but herself.
“Miranda, it’s Christmas.”
“Really. Well that explains all the singing, I suppose.”
Silence hung on the open phone line for several seconds.
“I miss you, Andrea.”
“I miss you too.”
“You could-”
“Miranda, the girls are already here. We talked about this. I just really thought you’d make it home…”
“I know,” Miranda answered quietly.
“This is so not what I wanted for this year. Especially this year.”
“I know, darling, I know. Andrea, you are obviously in the middle of some intersection, and if I know you you’re eating some God-awful street food and up to your ankles in slush. Call Roy. Have him pick you up and Go Home. Call me when you’ve warmed up and eaten a decent meal. I’ll call the girls in the mean time. All right?”
Andy hated it when Miranda pulled one of her psychic-friends moments, but knew if she didn’t call Roy he’d show up anyway, as Miranda probably had some weird-ass GPS tracker implanted in her shoe or something. That’s not fair. I’m just pissed. I’m cold, and wet, and hungry, and pissed. Her hotdog had taken a beating during her arm waving campaign against the cabbie so she tossed it in the nearest trashcan and dialed Miranda’s driver.
“I’m home!” she called a short time later as she peeled off her wet coat and boots. Silence answered her as she called out again. “Hello?” Padding through the house she went from room to room. Empty kitchen, empty den, empty bedrooms. Returning to the entryway she only then saw the note propped up on the sideboard.
Andy,
Went out. Be back later.
Love you!
C&C
Out. Of course they went out. I stayed home so they could go out. I’m missing Christmas with my wife so they could go out. Our tenth Christmas, so they could go out.
Standing there, cold and alone, she felt the onset of tears at the same time as she heard the phone.
“Hello?” Her voice was quiet and shaky, and she knew Miranda would already know why.
“Andrea. Darling, I’m sorry. I spoke with Cas-”
Andrea cut her off. “You didn’t tell them to come back, did you?”
“No. I did not. Actually, I didn’t have a lot to say to either one of them after they informed me of where they were. Are you all right?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know,” sliding her back down the wall Andy sat in the dark hall. The threatening tears were closing in fast. “I know they have- I mean, I understand-Shit. I don’t know- I never thought I‘d be spending Christmas alone.”
Miranda now cut her off. “Andrea, you’re angry. And rightly so. It was thoughtless of the girls to go off and leave, knowing full well you would be by yourself. But sweetheart, you are not alone. You are never alone. Where are you right now?”
“In the entryway,” Andy mumbled.
“Darling, get up.”
Andy smiled. “How do you do that?”
“Do what, darling?”
“Know what I’m doing? I was sitting on the floor.”
“Well of course you were. Where else would you be? Please. I love you dearly but you are a bit predictable. Now go into the family room. Are you there? Good. Now, sit on the couch. Tell me what you see.”
Andy did as instructed, pulling her feet up under her as she gathered a throw across her legs. She looked about the room, knowing without asking what Miranda was wanting her to see.
“I know. I see it. I see both of them. What’s your point?”
“My point? I have no point. I just wanted to hear you look at it.”
At that Andy had to laugh. “Miranda, you are so weird sometimes. That doesn’t even make any sense!”
“Actually it does. To me, at least. I can see it when I close my eyes, but I can feel it when I hear your voice. I love you, Andrea. And so do the girls. They are unfortunately just acting their age at the moment. That was the main reason I didn’t say anything to them about coming home. They need to realize the repercussions of their actions on their own or they don’t learn anything. They love you, Andrea. You know that. They may be acting like selfish brats right now-”
“Miranda, they are not brats,” Andy defended. “They are young women. Practically adults.”
“I know, but they are acting like brats, and I want them to discover that on their own. It will make it all the more satisfying when I discuss this with them when I get home.”
“You don’t need to discuss anything. I’m fine.”
“No, you are not. You say you are, and perhaps you feel you are, but spending Christmas alone is not fine.”
“You’re alone…”
That statement hung in the room for a full minute before Andy heard the voice on the phone ask softly, “Tell me what you see?”
Pulling the throw up under her chin Andy snuggled into the cushions. Okay. I’ll play.
“I see you, and I see a world of possibilities. I see what was, what is, and what can be. I see fear, and insecurity, and desire, and hope. And I see acceptance, and I see love. And I see Caroline and Cassidy on the sidewalk…”
“What? That’s not-”
The rest of Miranda’s words were lost as the front door burst open. Caroline and Cassidy lumbered in, their arms loaded with bags and sacks, the air around them filling with the smells of warm bread and garlic.
“Andy? AN-DY!” Cassidy called.
“Please inform her our home is not a field house. There is no reason for screaming…”
Miranda’s words were again lost in the shuffle of the girls’ piling their food stuffs on the low table.
“Andy! Oh, Andy, we are so sorry. We didn’t mean to be gone so long. We stopped by and got food though-pizza and breadsticks and calzone… God, Cas, you are such a pig, move-”
“Miranda? I think I need to let you go for a while. Cheese is flying kinda freely around here.”
Miranda could hear the smile in Andy’s voice.
“Miranda? Are you there? Did you hear me?”
“Yes, Andrea, I heard you. It’s all right. Go eat. It’s not exactly the meal I had in mind but it is surely better than whatever you were planning on your own, hmm?”
“I know. I’ll call you in a bit. Hey, why aren’t you in bed?”
“What would be the point?”
Andy was all too aware of Miranda’s inability to sleep without her wife nestled in behind her.
“Miranda,” she said menacingly. “You need to get some sleep, please? I’m fine. Really. The carpet may never be the same- Caroline! Watch it! But I’ll be fine. I just miss you.”
“And I miss you.” There was a long pause before she spoke again. “Andrea, you know I would be there if I could, don’t you? You know I would rather be there with you…”
Andy didn’t really know how to answer, except honestly. “I know that is where you feel you need to be. I understand it, but I can’t say that I particularly like it. Listen, I’m fine. Really. But if I don’t grab some of this there won’t be any left. Can I call you later? Better yet. GO TO BED. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. You sound exhausted. I love you. Go to bed. I’m fine.”
“Fine. Abandon me for grease laden carbohydrates. I’ll go to bed. And I love you, Andrea. And the girls are not getting off that easy. They may be able to buy you off with food but I don’t fold so quickly…I love you darling, good night.”
“Goodnight.” The line clicked off. Andrea set down her phone and picked up a slice of pizza. She couldn’t help the heavy sigh that escaped her as she leaned back into the couch, listening to the girls friendly bickering. I understand it, but I don’t like it.
Two days later Andy sat at the desk in the study whacking herself in the head with a legal pad.
“Not the most profound method of journalistic endeavor, but you definitely get points for creativity.”
“Miranda!” Andy leapt from her chair and wrapped the taller woman in a bruising hug.
“Please, dear, you’ll wrinkle the silk, not to mention me.” Miranda said it jokingly, but returned the embrace with as good as she got. “Oh, I missed you,” she whispered in Andy’s ear.
Andy pulled back far enough to plant a big wet kiss right on her mouth. “Mmmwah! God, I’m glad you’re home.” Closing the distance for another kiss she caught a glimpse of something in Miranda’s eyes. “What? What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Andrea, dear, we need to talk…”