New fic: Busted, DWP, 2/2
Title: Busted
Pairing: Andy/Miranda
Author: chilly_flame
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything related to the Devil Wears Prada. Alas.
Notes: This is a follow up to my Sick Day series, following The Cut. Thanks to Xander for the help, as usual! Took a little longer than expected, but here it is.
---
That night, Miranda is a little cool. She doesn’t speak much more about the incident, but she isn’t snappish either, which is a plus. When Cassidy hears the story, she just announces that Miranda ought to fire Jocelyn if she says anything. That’s a silly idea, and Andy tells her so, but Cassidy says that Jocelyn had better keep her mouth shut or she’ll be sorry. Andy wonders if Cass knows a kid who has parents in the mob, because she sounds awfully sure of herself.
When it’s time for bed, Miranda tucks the girls in without Andy’s help. Sometimes Andy joins in, but not tonight. Instead, Andy lies in the bed and tries to fight the anxious, upset stomach she’s had for a few hours. She’s not ill, but she’s going to have a sleepless night.
Andy closes her eyes when she hears Miranda come in, because she doesn’t much feel like talking. The space between them feels enormous, and a great sadness is welling up inside her. It’s not my fault, she wants to cry out. What will happen to them when more people know? Miranda might pull away altogether, and they’ll lose each other in the ensuing disaster. It’s a horrible, horrible thought.
She listens to the sound of her own heartbeat for a while, till Miranda slides under the sheets next to her. The room is quiet until Miranda says, “Are we not speaking?”
Andy inhales, and glances over. “No,” she says, and it sounds like a plea. “We are. I just… don’t know what to say.”
“There’s no need to defend yourself. I’m not angry.” Miranda reaches a hand out and covers Andy’s shoulder. “It was unfortunate, I’ll admit. I am curious to see what happens next, but whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”
Andy is relieved; the feeling is so sweet and overwhelming that only then does she realize how miserable she’s been since the second she saw Jocelyn that day.
“Come here,” Miranda says, so Andy rolls into her arms. She exhales and shuts her eyes.
“I can deal with this,” Andy tells her. “As long as we stay together, I can deal.”
“Who said anything about not staying together?”
Andy lifts her shoulders in a shrug. “People break up for all sorts of reasons. Maybe you wouldn’t want to do this again. You’ve been through it before.”
“I have,” Miranda replies. “But you haven’t.” Miranda’s fingers twirl a loose curl in Andy’s hair. “What are you expecting?”
“Oh you know, typical press bullshit.”
“Details, please.”
Andy considers what she ought to say, versus what she really believes. She decides on the latter. “They’ll say I fucked my way into the job. Or that you only keep me around because I’m good in the sack. Or that I’m some kind of trophy girlfriend for you, a way for you to stay young.” She shakes her head in disgust. “People will be cruel.”
There’s a pause. “You are good in the sack,” Miranda says lightly, and Andy glares up at her.
“Hey!” she says indignantly.
Miranda is almost laughing. “Well there’s nothing we can do except move forward. People will say what they like, and it’s important for us to ignore it.”
Gazing up in hope, she asks, “Do you really think that’s possible?”
Miranda nods once, firmly. “Of course. Anything is possible if one puts in the proper effort.”
As she nudges Miranda’s knees with her own, Andy decides it’s time to get used to all the scary things she’s been thinking of. No matter how unfair it is, it’s reality. Maybe it’s a good thing that Jocelyn busted them this afternoon, because it will force Andy to confront the consequences of her choices.
All of which she’d make again, without a second thought.
“Okay,” Andy finally says, pulling Miranda closer and sliding her palm down Miranda’s back to cup her ass. “I’m in.” Her skin is hot through her silky nightgown.
This time Miranda’s laugh is low and sensual. “You’d better be,” she rumbles, “because I’m not going anywhere.”
“Well, this is your place,” Andy quips in reply, tension floating up out of her body, replaced by warmth and tingles. “So you’ll have to toss me out, won’t you.”
“I suppose,” Miranda breathes, pulling down the unsexy boxers that Andy morosely donned earlier. “I hate these shorts.”
Andy’s reply is quick. “Then take them off.” She’s overheating, and with Miranda biting at her ribcage as she wrestles with her clothes, her temperature skyrockets.
Miranda’s tongue flicks down her belly, and Andy forgets her misery at once.
Later, she falls asleep easily as Miranda snores in her ear.
---
Five days later, Andy sits at her desk working furiously. She wants to get out at a reasonable hour; it’s Friday, and she’d like to start her weekend on time, if not early. Miranda’s got an event tonight, so Andy has to be home with the girls for dinner and a movie. James is making fresh pasta, which they’ll fold into ravioli.
She hears a cacophony of footsteps behind her coming from the conference room. The senior exec meeting must be over, which means she’ll probably have an editor hanging around her desk in a few short minutes, asking if she has time to handle “just a small project.” It’s happened almost every Friday since she accepted the assistant editor position, but most of the time she doesn’t mind. She enjoys feeling valuable, even if it means she ends up working late.
However, when an editor appears at her desk, she isn’t asked to do extra work. Instead, Jocelyn crooks a finger in her direction. “Do you have a minute?” she whispers.
Andy saves her work and nods. “Sure.”
She follows Jocelyn to her office, and shuts the door when Jocelyn waves her hand toward it. “What’s up?”
“Did you tell Miranda that I helped out on Saratoga?”
Andy immediately goes on alert. “I might have,” she says cautiously.
Jocelyn beams. “She said I’d done ‘good work.’ Can you believe it? I don’t remember the last time she’s complimented anyone other than Nigel in a meeting.”
Andy’s stomach turns over a little. Even though Jocelyn is excited, Andy hopes that Miranda isn’t offering false praise as a thank you for not spilling the beans. “That’s great. I know she liked the photos.”
“Nigel decided to put me on the Martha’s Vineyard shoot we’re doing for the next issue. I’d wanted that one more than anything--and I was so certain Jeffrey would get it. But Nigel told me privately after the meeting that he was wrong to give Jeff so much to do right out of the gate, and that he should have trusted me more.” She shakes her head. “I never expected that.”
The mention of Nigel eases Andy’s mind. She doubts Nigel would hand off that shoot if Jocelyn didn’t deserve it. Then again, she feels somewhat guilty that she second guessed Miranda, who is not one to offer commendations lightly. “Congratulations. I’m so glad! Really.”
“I think for a long time Nigel didn’t have much confidence in me, which is partly my own fault. I’ve… well, I’ve been making an effort to be more self-assured at work. I used to complain a lot to my husband, and he asked me why I was so obsessed with everyone else’s approval. But to tell you the truth I never thought I was strong enough to survive at Runway for more than a year or two, and here it is almost five and I’m still employed.” She looks down at her desk, a little shy. “Miranda isn’t the easiest person in the world to work for, if you don’t mind my saying.”
Andy laughs. “No, I don’t mind.”
“She scares me, still. And Nigel--he’s smart and sure of himself, and he’s so close to Miranda that I felt like I’d never measure up. But last year, when he brought Jeffrey on, I thought he made an error in judgment.” Jocelyn blanches at that. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this.”
Andy’s interest is piqued. “You don’t have to, but my lips are sealed, Joss. Really.”
Jocelyn takes a breath. “I think Nigel hired Jeff because he liked him on a personal level, rather than professional. And I believe it was a mistake for the magazine. I’m surprised that Miranda hasn’t said anything to him about it, but maybe she hasn’t noticed. Nigel’s good at being protective when it suits him.” She leans forward. “I’d appreciate if this didn’t go any further.”
Andy rolls her eyes. “You’ve got dirt on me, so consider us even. Besides, I don’t run to Miranda every time someone talks to me in the office.” This is certainly true; if Andy kept a record of all the shit people had said about Miranda over the last 18 months, the whole staff would have been fired. Twice.
That seems to calm Jocelyn’s concern. “I suppose. Anyway, perhaps Nigel has realized that Jeff’s not all he’s cracked up to be. So I get Martha’s Vineyard.” She smiles. “I just wanted to say thank you for letting Miranda know that I was involved. Jeff couldn’t take all the credit, which I expect he would have.”
Andy says, “You should stand up for yourself when that happens, Jocelyn. You’re so quiet--make yourself heard. Miranda will listen.”
“I know, I know. I’m trying, believe me.” She shivers. “I don’t know how you can be with someone so… commanding. She just strikes me as so cool and collected. Is she really like that all the time?”
Andy opens her mouth, torn. She’s been thirsting for someone to talk with about Miranda. Even though she adores Miranda and their tiny circle consisting of exactly two daughters and one housekeeper, it’s kind of lonely. But before she can say more, Jocelyn speaks up. “Don’t answer that. I’m sorry for even asking. It’s private.”
Andy relaxes with a little chuckle. “It’s okay. I guess you could say Miranda is similar, but not quite the same at home. Besides, I’ve always been attracted to powerful people.” This is a convenient lie; her two serious boyfriends prior to Miranda were nothing at all like her. Nate was a strong guy, but he had a tendency to whine, and Jason, from her freshman year in college, was Miranda’s exact opposite. Then again, Andy was quite different back then too. She’s evolved. And now Miranda’s power is an intense aphrodisiac that Andy has no intention of detailing to Jocelyn. “And seeing her with her kids made me understand that she’s not just an editor in chief, you know?”
Jocelyn nods. “I can see that. And I’ve been curious. You can smack me for asking, but how long have you been… seeing each other?”
After briefly considering what to say, Andy answers truthfully. “After I moved over here as an associate.” She neglects to mention that it started literally the second after Miranda promoted her.
Her eyes grow wide. “That long? That was--well, it’s at least a year, isn’t it?”
“Not quite.” Their anniversary is a little more than two weeks away.
“My. I’m impressed. I never would have thought anything was going on between you.”
“That’s the idea.”
“How long will you--I mean, it must be hard to not tell anyone at work about something so important. What will you do?”
Andy sighs, because she’s still not sure about that exact thing. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to think about.”
“Of course. Well, if you ever need to talk, my door is open.”
Watching Jocelyn carefully, Andy tells her, “I might take you up on that, so I hope you’re serious.”
Jocelyn laughs. “I am. I think I can take it.”
Andy enjoys the feeling of companionship; she’s spent so long keeping everything locked up that it’s a relief to reveal even a tiny bit. “Cool. Maybe we can have lunch next week, if you’ve got time?”
“Absolutely.”
Andy stands up and grins. “I’ll check your calendar and we’ll go somewhere fun. I’d love to talk about your ideas for Martha’s Vineyard.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll talk your ear off. Now, scoot--I know you probably have plans tonight.”
“Just with the kids. We’re making pasta.” Andy enjoys the look of surprise on Jocelyn’s face. “Hey, I like being a homebody.”
“That’s sweet. Have a nice time.”
“I will. And congratulations again,” Andy adds before heading out.
Back at her desk, she settles down to work once more. A few minutes later, she hears Miranda’s staccato steps moving toward her desk, and she glances up. Catching her eye, she blinks once and tries not to smile. Miranda’s expression probably matches her own; her lips twitch, and her eyes warm infinitesimally. Then she’s gone, back toward the conference room with Nigel and Gemma on her heels.
It might not be an ideal situation, but it works for them.
~end
Pairing: Andy/Miranda
Author: chilly_flame
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything related to the Devil Wears Prada. Alas.
Notes: This is a follow up to my Sick Day series, following The Cut. Thanks to Xander for the help, as usual! Took a little longer than expected, but here it is.
---
That night, Miranda is a little cool. She doesn’t speak much more about the incident, but she isn’t snappish either, which is a plus. When Cassidy hears the story, she just announces that Miranda ought to fire Jocelyn if she says anything. That’s a silly idea, and Andy tells her so, but Cassidy says that Jocelyn had better keep her mouth shut or she’ll be sorry. Andy wonders if Cass knows a kid who has parents in the mob, because she sounds awfully sure of herself.
When it’s time for bed, Miranda tucks the girls in without Andy’s help. Sometimes Andy joins in, but not tonight. Instead, Andy lies in the bed and tries to fight the anxious, upset stomach she’s had for a few hours. She’s not ill, but she’s going to have a sleepless night.
Andy closes her eyes when she hears Miranda come in, because she doesn’t much feel like talking. The space between them feels enormous, and a great sadness is welling up inside her. It’s not my fault, she wants to cry out. What will happen to them when more people know? Miranda might pull away altogether, and they’ll lose each other in the ensuing disaster. It’s a horrible, horrible thought.
She listens to the sound of her own heartbeat for a while, till Miranda slides under the sheets next to her. The room is quiet until Miranda says, “Are we not speaking?”
Andy inhales, and glances over. “No,” she says, and it sounds like a plea. “We are. I just… don’t know what to say.”
“There’s no need to defend yourself. I’m not angry.” Miranda reaches a hand out and covers Andy’s shoulder. “It was unfortunate, I’ll admit. I am curious to see what happens next, but whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”
Andy is relieved; the feeling is so sweet and overwhelming that only then does she realize how miserable she’s been since the second she saw Jocelyn that day.
“Come here,” Miranda says, so Andy rolls into her arms. She exhales and shuts her eyes.
“I can deal with this,” Andy tells her. “As long as we stay together, I can deal.”
“Who said anything about not staying together?”
Andy lifts her shoulders in a shrug. “People break up for all sorts of reasons. Maybe you wouldn’t want to do this again. You’ve been through it before.”
“I have,” Miranda replies. “But you haven’t.” Miranda’s fingers twirl a loose curl in Andy’s hair. “What are you expecting?”
“Oh you know, typical press bullshit.”
“Details, please.”
Andy considers what she ought to say, versus what she really believes. She decides on the latter. “They’ll say I fucked my way into the job. Or that you only keep me around because I’m good in the sack. Or that I’m some kind of trophy girlfriend for you, a way for you to stay young.” She shakes her head in disgust. “People will be cruel.”
There’s a pause. “You are good in the sack,” Miranda says lightly, and Andy glares up at her.
“Hey!” she says indignantly.
Miranda is almost laughing. “Well there’s nothing we can do except move forward. People will say what they like, and it’s important for us to ignore it.”
Gazing up in hope, she asks, “Do you really think that’s possible?”
Miranda nods once, firmly. “Of course. Anything is possible if one puts in the proper effort.”
As she nudges Miranda’s knees with her own, Andy decides it’s time to get used to all the scary things she’s been thinking of. No matter how unfair it is, it’s reality. Maybe it’s a good thing that Jocelyn busted them this afternoon, because it will force Andy to confront the consequences of her choices.
All of which she’d make again, without a second thought.
“Okay,” Andy finally says, pulling Miranda closer and sliding her palm down Miranda’s back to cup her ass. “I’m in.” Her skin is hot through her silky nightgown.
This time Miranda’s laugh is low and sensual. “You’d better be,” she rumbles, “because I’m not going anywhere.”
“Well, this is your place,” Andy quips in reply, tension floating up out of her body, replaced by warmth and tingles. “So you’ll have to toss me out, won’t you.”
“I suppose,” Miranda breathes, pulling down the unsexy boxers that Andy morosely donned earlier. “I hate these shorts.”
Andy’s reply is quick. “Then take them off.” She’s overheating, and with Miranda biting at her ribcage as she wrestles with her clothes, her temperature skyrockets.
Miranda’s tongue flicks down her belly, and Andy forgets her misery at once.
Later, she falls asleep easily as Miranda snores in her ear.
---
Five days later, Andy sits at her desk working furiously. She wants to get out at a reasonable hour; it’s Friday, and she’d like to start her weekend on time, if not early. Miranda’s got an event tonight, so Andy has to be home with the girls for dinner and a movie. James is making fresh pasta, which they’ll fold into ravioli.
She hears a cacophony of footsteps behind her coming from the conference room. The senior exec meeting must be over, which means she’ll probably have an editor hanging around her desk in a few short minutes, asking if she has time to handle “just a small project.” It’s happened almost every Friday since she accepted the assistant editor position, but most of the time she doesn’t mind. She enjoys feeling valuable, even if it means she ends up working late.
However, when an editor appears at her desk, she isn’t asked to do extra work. Instead, Jocelyn crooks a finger in her direction. “Do you have a minute?” she whispers.
Andy saves her work and nods. “Sure.”
She follows Jocelyn to her office, and shuts the door when Jocelyn waves her hand toward it. “What’s up?”
“Did you tell Miranda that I helped out on Saratoga?”
Andy immediately goes on alert. “I might have,” she says cautiously.
Jocelyn beams. “She said I’d done ‘good work.’ Can you believe it? I don’t remember the last time she’s complimented anyone other than Nigel in a meeting.”
Andy’s stomach turns over a little. Even though Jocelyn is excited, Andy hopes that Miranda isn’t offering false praise as a thank you for not spilling the beans. “That’s great. I know she liked the photos.”
“Nigel decided to put me on the Martha’s Vineyard shoot we’re doing for the next issue. I’d wanted that one more than anything--and I was so certain Jeffrey would get it. But Nigel told me privately after the meeting that he was wrong to give Jeff so much to do right out of the gate, and that he should have trusted me more.” She shakes her head. “I never expected that.”
The mention of Nigel eases Andy’s mind. She doubts Nigel would hand off that shoot if Jocelyn didn’t deserve it. Then again, she feels somewhat guilty that she second guessed Miranda, who is not one to offer commendations lightly. “Congratulations. I’m so glad! Really.”
“I think for a long time Nigel didn’t have much confidence in me, which is partly my own fault. I’ve… well, I’ve been making an effort to be more self-assured at work. I used to complain a lot to my husband, and he asked me why I was so obsessed with everyone else’s approval. But to tell you the truth I never thought I was strong enough to survive at Runway for more than a year or two, and here it is almost five and I’m still employed.” She looks down at her desk, a little shy. “Miranda isn’t the easiest person in the world to work for, if you don’t mind my saying.”
Andy laughs. “No, I don’t mind.”
“She scares me, still. And Nigel--he’s smart and sure of himself, and he’s so close to Miranda that I felt like I’d never measure up. But last year, when he brought Jeffrey on, I thought he made an error in judgment.” Jocelyn blanches at that. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this.”
Andy’s interest is piqued. “You don’t have to, but my lips are sealed, Joss. Really.”
Jocelyn takes a breath. “I think Nigel hired Jeff because he liked him on a personal level, rather than professional. And I believe it was a mistake for the magazine. I’m surprised that Miranda hasn’t said anything to him about it, but maybe she hasn’t noticed. Nigel’s good at being protective when it suits him.” She leans forward. “I’d appreciate if this didn’t go any further.”
Andy rolls her eyes. “You’ve got dirt on me, so consider us even. Besides, I don’t run to Miranda every time someone talks to me in the office.” This is certainly true; if Andy kept a record of all the shit people had said about Miranda over the last 18 months, the whole staff would have been fired. Twice.
That seems to calm Jocelyn’s concern. “I suppose. Anyway, perhaps Nigel has realized that Jeff’s not all he’s cracked up to be. So I get Martha’s Vineyard.” She smiles. “I just wanted to say thank you for letting Miranda know that I was involved. Jeff couldn’t take all the credit, which I expect he would have.”
Andy says, “You should stand up for yourself when that happens, Jocelyn. You’re so quiet--make yourself heard. Miranda will listen.”
“I know, I know. I’m trying, believe me.” She shivers. “I don’t know how you can be with someone so… commanding. She just strikes me as so cool and collected. Is she really like that all the time?”
Andy opens her mouth, torn. She’s been thirsting for someone to talk with about Miranda. Even though she adores Miranda and their tiny circle consisting of exactly two daughters and one housekeeper, it’s kind of lonely. But before she can say more, Jocelyn speaks up. “Don’t answer that. I’m sorry for even asking. It’s private.”
Andy relaxes with a little chuckle. “It’s okay. I guess you could say Miranda is similar, but not quite the same at home. Besides, I’ve always been attracted to powerful people.” This is a convenient lie; her two serious boyfriends prior to Miranda were nothing at all like her. Nate was a strong guy, but he had a tendency to whine, and Jason, from her freshman year in college, was Miranda’s exact opposite. Then again, Andy was quite different back then too. She’s evolved. And now Miranda’s power is an intense aphrodisiac that Andy has no intention of detailing to Jocelyn. “And seeing her with her kids made me understand that she’s not just an editor in chief, you know?”
Jocelyn nods. “I can see that. And I’ve been curious. You can smack me for asking, but how long have you been… seeing each other?”
After briefly considering what to say, Andy answers truthfully. “After I moved over here as an associate.” She neglects to mention that it started literally the second after Miranda promoted her.
Her eyes grow wide. “That long? That was--well, it’s at least a year, isn’t it?”
“Not quite.” Their anniversary is a little more than two weeks away.
“My. I’m impressed. I never would have thought anything was going on between you.”
“That’s the idea.”
“How long will you--I mean, it must be hard to not tell anyone at work about something so important. What will you do?”
Andy sighs, because she’s still not sure about that exact thing. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to think about.”
“Of course. Well, if you ever need to talk, my door is open.”
Watching Jocelyn carefully, Andy tells her, “I might take you up on that, so I hope you’re serious.”
Jocelyn laughs. “I am. I think I can take it.”
Andy enjoys the feeling of companionship; she’s spent so long keeping everything locked up that it’s a relief to reveal even a tiny bit. “Cool. Maybe we can have lunch next week, if you’ve got time?”
“Absolutely.”
Andy stands up and grins. “I’ll check your calendar and we’ll go somewhere fun. I’d love to talk about your ideas for Martha’s Vineyard.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll talk your ear off. Now, scoot--I know you probably have plans tonight.”
“Just with the kids. We’re making pasta.” Andy enjoys the look of surprise on Jocelyn’s face. “Hey, I like being a homebody.”
“That’s sweet. Have a nice time.”
“I will. And congratulations again,” Andy adds before heading out.
Back at her desk, she settles down to work once more. A few minutes later, she hears Miranda’s staccato steps moving toward her desk, and she glances up. Catching her eye, she blinks once and tries not to smile. Miranda’s expression probably matches her own; her lips twitch, and her eyes warm infinitesimally. Then she’s gone, back toward the conference room with Nigel and Gemma on her heels.
It might not be an ideal situation, but it works for them.
~end