Miranda Rising (11/15)
Miranda Rising (11/15)
Coco // i_heart_cuddy
rating R
pairing Miranda/Andy
disclaimer I don't own the Devil Wears Prada, I don't own Meryl Streep or Anne Hathaway and I make no money off of my exploits herein.
summary Sequel/Prequel to Devil May Care and Ghosts of My Girlfriend's Past, Present & Future. Settling into retirement, spending time with her wife and children, reconnecting with her sister, entertaining her dead ex-husband and translating ancient manuals of the occult are all parts of a normal day in Miranda Priestly's life as she delves into the question that has always haunted her: why me?
genre I guess maybe it's a crossover. It's a little bit Ghost Whisperer, a little bit Ghost Town and maybe a tiny bit X-Files. None of which I own or make any money off of. ♥
warnings abuse.
AN Title idea borrowed from HANNIBAL Rising, not Mercury Rising because it has to do with learning about how Miranda became who she is.
AN2 I'm going to be making up physics here. YE BE WARNED.
AN3 Sonia Rykiel is a real person and I'm completely making up a personality for her. No infringement on her character is intended.
Click to enlarge!
Click here for the ficmix!
Character Cheat Sheet for this Universe
"My mom's doing something weird." Cassidy said as she closed the door behind her. "I mean, she's always doing something kind of weird... I mean, she grew up in two different foreign countries so she's got some of these weird sayings and weird customs or whatever. But I think this is a different weird something. She and my Aunt Joanne are always doing something but Andy's in on this one and she's almost never in on the weird things. Didn't you see how nervous she was at dinner?"
Jesse shrugged, "I don't know, I don't know your family as well as you do. I can't really speak to any supposed nervousness or weirdness. I defer to your expertise."
Cassidy laughed, straddling his hips, "god, you are such a politician."
"You'd vote for me?" He grinned, nipping at her lips.
"I don't know, you never really seem to say where you stand on the issues..." she teased.
**
Miranda was standing in front of the mirror brushing her teeth. Andy put her toothbrush away and turned to Miranda, "so do you want to talk about why it feels wrong for Lucas to be staying with Joanne?"
Miranda spit her toothpaste out and rinsed the toothbrush, "what do you mean?"
"I mean, I have my suspicions about why it feels weird to you and I want to see if you've had the same thought."
Miranda furrowed her brow and started to take off her make-up. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me your theory first?"
"Alright." Andy grinned, pulling herself up to sit on the counter, "you're jealous."
"Absurd!" Miranda retorted immediately.
"I mean, not like I think you want to get back together with Lucas or even sleep with him, but I think it bothers you that Joanne wants him."
"Yes, it bothers me that Joanne wants him but not because I'm jealous. Not because if I can't have him no one can. It bothers me because up until ten hours ago his body was in a ceramic urn in Cassidy's room."
"Yeah, but Miranda-"
"Shit." Miranda cursed, throwing down the make-up wipe and starting to pace the bathroom. "Cassidy's room..."
"What?" Andy was unnerved by Miranda's uncharacteristic cursing and subsequent erratic behavior.
"The urn was in Cassidy's room, I never put it back." Miranda said in a hissed whisper. "It wouldn't be an issue if she wasn't already so suspicious... she's going to know it has something to do with Lucas and then, you're right, it's only a hop, skip and a jump from there."
"No, Miranda, you were right, she's not just going to assume you raised him from the dead." Andy insisted.
Miranda bit her lip. "But she could suspect it and she'd get it out of you in five minutes flat."
"I think I'd be more insulted by that insinuation if I didn't agree with it so whole-heartedly..." Andy sulked. "Maybe one of us could put the urn back tomorrow before she notices it's gone."
"Unless she already noticed it's gone, or if seeing it in its rightful place again makes her realize it wasn't there for a while."
"Or we could be completely overreacting."
Miranda stopped pacing and turned to look at Andy. "Need I remind you that that girl has half of my DNA? And that the other half is Lucas's?"
Andy sighed, "you're right. We're fucked. She's as good as figured it all out already, hasn't she?"
"We need a counter-strategy." Miranda agreed, nodding.
**
"Okay, I would like you to take the bed." Joanne said after Lucas had finished his dinner. "And I'll take the couch."
"No, I won't hear of it. I can't put you out of your bed." Lucas waved off the idea.
"The couch is pretty comfortable." Joanne shrugged, "and you haven't slept in two years, I think you should have the more comfortable bed."
"Joanne," Lucas smiled charmingly, "I'm not going to argue with you. I'm not letting you sleep on the couch."
Joanne took a deep breath and then smiled back, "if you won't argue, how about a compromise? What if we both slept in the bed?" She felt herself blush, "it's large enough for both of us and I want you to sleep in the bed, I don't want to let you sleep on the couch."
"You don't have to share your bed with me."
"Do you not want to?" Joanne bit the inside of her lip.
"I didn't say that..." he responded softly. "In fact, I think I'd like that very much."
"Me too..." she admitted, looking up into his eyes. She laid her hands over his chest. "I just can't believe that you're here, that you're real, that I can touch you."
"I wouldn't believe it myself if I weren't living it." He attempted to keep his breath steady as Joanne's hands roamed freely over his chest and shoulders and were starting up his neck.
Joanne's fingers moved gently over his neck and up to cup his cheeks. He smiled weakly at her; she smiled shyly at him. She started to lean up, he started to lean down and their lips met somewhere in the middle.
**
Andy was awoken by the sound of her phone ringing. She frowned and picked it up, putting it to her ear, "hello?"
A few minutes later Andy shook Miranda's shoulder gently, "hey, Miranda?"
"Hmm?" Miranda groaned.
"I have to go in to work for a few hours."
"You're kidding." Miranda pulled off her sleep mask. "It's Saturday. Have they no sense of decency?"
"You used to make me go in on Saturdays."
"I'm a sadist." Miranda pursed her lips.
"And I'm a masochist." Andy covered Miranda's lips with her own.
"We're the perfect couple," Miranda murmured against Andy's lips. "You won't be long?"
"Hopefully not."
**
By the time Andy was showered and out the door Miranda was ready to go, too. She taped a fifty to Cassidy's door with a note that told them that they should get breakfast. Miranda dropped Andy off at the Mirror and then pointed the Ferrari toward Joanne's apartment.
She called Joanne and they arranged to meet at the diner around the corner from the apartment.
"Lucas was still sleeping." Joanne explained after they'd ordered their coffees. "I didn't want to wake him, he's probably exhausted.
Miranda's feathers were already ruffled because she couldn't get a latte. She snorted her understanding and sipped the coffee flavored hot water that had been set in front of her. The only thing that quelled her rage was the fact that the food was served very promptly and it wasn't greasy like she'd expected it to be.
"I don't understand how you eat that all the time. Aren't you worried about your cholesterol?"
"I have pills to worry about my cholesterol for me." Miranda said as she finished chewing her first bite.
Joanne laughed but shook her head as she started in on her egg-white omelette.
"Anyway, I called this meeting because I think we should check Lucas out. I have a blood pressure contraption and we should listen to his heartbeat. We can't do the sophisticated tests but I'd like to do some of the smaller ones, at least. Who knows what could be wrong with him."
"Well, I can tell you he doesn't have erectile dysfunction." Joanne said devillishly.
Miranda pushed her plate away, "that's it. I'm done eating. Forever."
"No, come on, Miranda. We didn't sleep together, well, we did sleep together but we didn't have sex. Just, you know, in the morning it sometimes happens. We did kiss though. A lot."
Miranda shook her head, "unbelievable..."
Joanne took Miranda's hands, "no man has made me feel this way since Henry died. Miri, can't you be happy for me?"
"Up until now I would have said that you were the more sensible of the two of us but... but this is just ridiculous. Have you forgotten that he's dead?"
"He was dead. You brought him back."
"Yeah, don't worry because that's an exact science." Miranda rolled her eyes. She softened and gave Joanne's hands a squeeze. "Joanne, I'm not trying to be unhappy for you, I would love to be happy for you, but I just can't because I don't believe that this is going to end well."
Joanne considered this for a moment before looking back up into Miranda's eyes and defiantly declaring, "you're just jealous."
"You think I'm jealous?" The word was spat more than spoken and Miranda stared at Joanne with incredulity.
"Yes, I do." Joanne nodded, "you're jealous because he was all about you for so long and now he's spending time with me and you miss the attention he used to give you."
"Oy gevalt, Joanne..." Miranda rubbed her eyes wearily. "I just think that it's foolish of you to jump in with both feet when we don't even know if his incarnation is permanent. I don't want you to get your heart broken. You've only dated, what, two men?"
"You think that just because I haven't had five divorces and wasn't promiscuous as a teenager that I don't know what heartbreak feels like?" Joanne's eyes were wide with ire. "I watched my husband of twenty-six years die slowly from cancer. I didn't leave the house for weeks and I couldn't stop crying for months and you don't think I don't understand heartbreak?"
"Liebchen, I didn't mean it that way." Miranda attempted, trying to take Joanne's hand. She still wasn't quite used to having to apologize for or explain her words. Quite frankly, she wasn't very good at it. "I'm just afraid that you're going into this with blinders on. I'm afraid that you think because we rose Lucas from the dead that he won't ever die. I'm afraid that he might not stay alive and I don't want that for you."
"Following one's heart should never be contigent on hoping that the other person doesn't die. We should all be fortunate enough to have someone more than half our age in love with us." Joanne said pointedly. Miranda pursed her lips. "I could say similar things to you, Miranda, I could say that you chose Andy because she's so much younger than you and you won't have to go through her death."
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Life has no guarantees. We can't know."
"Yes. Which is exactly why I plan keep seeing Lucas. We can't know what's going to happen, he could outlive us all. I can't tell my heart that it can't have him just because it might be fleeting. Can't you understand that?" Joanne asked, Miranda remained begrudgingly silent. "He makes me feel so good and so young and I just want to hold onto that feeling forever."
Miranda sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
**
Paris, France 1972
Miranda walked to work at eleven and when she got there she was surprised to see Sonia Rykiel talking to Alice.
"Zere she is." Sonia smiled, "ze belle of ze ball. You were a huge hit last night, cherie. You were ze epitome of beautiful. Alice tell Miranda how beautiful she is."
Alice smiled, "you're beautiful."
Miranda set her bag down in the corner, she was unsure of why Sonia was there. Part of her was leary to approach the two older women, afraid that she would be whisked off and be kept up until three again. She remained silent.
"Would you stand here in ze middle of ze room?" Sonia asked, pointing to the stand for the dressmaker's dummy.
Miranda silently complied. Her long white hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. Sonia stepped up onto the stand with her and pulled her hair out. She stood back and smiled, "I just cannot get enough of ze hair. I got a little tipsy and I got a little handsy, didn't I, cherie?"
Alice stiffened. Miranda smiled uncomfortably, "my hair's never gotten so much attention. Well, not positive attention."
"Cherie, I shan't beat ze bush. I want you to be ze face of my winter collection. I want to start an ad campaign wis your face and I want you to be at every preview and showing."
"Oh, Mme Rykiel..."
"Appele-moi Sonia, cherie."
"Sonia, this is so... unexpected and it's so generous... I don't know if I..."
Sonia held up a hand to stop her with a smile, "cherie, I know how much you get paid here and I sink ze raise you'll get for ze job change will settle sings in your mind." Sonia held up a check, "zis is for last night for allowing me to hijack you and for saving my winter collection."
Miranda lost her breath when she looked down at the check. It was more money than she'd ever seen in one place. Miranda looked back up at Sonia.
Sonia took one of Miranda's hands, "Miranda, cherie, I want you."
Miranda looked over to Alice. Alice smiled weakly. "You should take the job, darlin, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"She's right, cherie."
Miranda nodded, "alright, yes. I'll be your model."
"Cherie!" Sonia grinned happily, she kissed both of Miranda's cheeks, "you shall be unstoppable. I'll wait outside in ze car, you can gazer your effects and meet me, oui?"
Miranda nodded. Sonia's departure from the salon was signified by the bell and Miranda looked over at Alice. She wanted to say something but she wasn't sure what there was to say.
"I'm happy for you." Alice whispered.
Miranda stepped down from the stand and took one step toward Alice. "You don't look very happy."
"I didn't say that I was happy." Alice sighed, "I just said that I was happy for you. I'm going to miss you."
Miranda stepped up and hugged Alice, laying her head against her collarbone. "I'm going to miss you too."
Alice closed her eyes and stroked Miranda's hair gently.
Coco // i_heart_cuddy
rating R
pairing Miranda/Andy
disclaimer I don't own the Devil Wears Prada, I don't own Meryl Streep or Anne Hathaway and I make no money off of my exploits herein.
summary Sequel/Prequel to Devil May Care and Ghosts of My Girlfriend's Past, Present & Future. Settling into retirement, spending time with her wife and children, reconnecting with her sister, entertaining her dead ex-husband and translating ancient manuals of the occult are all parts of a normal day in Miranda Priestly's life as she delves into the question that has always haunted her: why me?
genre I guess maybe it's a crossover. It's a little bit Ghost Whisperer, a little bit Ghost Town and maybe a tiny bit X-Files. None of which I own or make any money off of. ♥
warnings abuse.
AN Title idea borrowed from HANNIBAL Rising, not Mercury Rising because it has to do with learning about how Miranda became who she is.
AN2 I'm going to be making up physics here. YE BE WARNED.
AN3 Sonia Rykiel is a real person and I'm completely making up a personality for her. No infringement on her character is intended.
Click to enlarge!
Click here for the ficmix!
Character Cheat Sheet for this Universe
"My mom's doing something weird." Cassidy said as she closed the door behind her. "I mean, she's always doing something kind of weird... I mean, she grew up in two different foreign countries so she's got some of these weird sayings and weird customs or whatever. But I think this is a different weird something. She and my Aunt Joanne are always doing something but Andy's in on this one and she's almost never in on the weird things. Didn't you see how nervous she was at dinner?"
Jesse shrugged, "I don't know, I don't know your family as well as you do. I can't really speak to any supposed nervousness or weirdness. I defer to your expertise."
Cassidy laughed, straddling his hips, "god, you are such a politician."
"You'd vote for me?" He grinned, nipping at her lips.
"I don't know, you never really seem to say where you stand on the issues..." she teased.
**
Miranda was standing in front of the mirror brushing her teeth. Andy put her toothbrush away and turned to Miranda, "so do you want to talk about why it feels wrong for Lucas to be staying with Joanne?"
Miranda spit her toothpaste out and rinsed the toothbrush, "what do you mean?"
"I mean, I have my suspicions about why it feels weird to you and I want to see if you've had the same thought."
Miranda furrowed her brow and started to take off her make-up. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me your theory first?"
"Alright." Andy grinned, pulling herself up to sit on the counter, "you're jealous."
"Absurd!" Miranda retorted immediately.
"I mean, not like I think you want to get back together with Lucas or even sleep with him, but I think it bothers you that Joanne wants him."
"Yes, it bothers me that Joanne wants him but not because I'm jealous. Not because if I can't have him no one can. It bothers me because up until ten hours ago his body was in a ceramic urn in Cassidy's room."
"Yeah, but Miranda-"
"Shit." Miranda cursed, throwing down the make-up wipe and starting to pace the bathroom. "Cassidy's room..."
"What?" Andy was unnerved by Miranda's uncharacteristic cursing and subsequent erratic behavior.
"The urn was in Cassidy's room, I never put it back." Miranda said in a hissed whisper. "It wouldn't be an issue if she wasn't already so suspicious... she's going to know it has something to do with Lucas and then, you're right, it's only a hop, skip and a jump from there."
"No, Miranda, you were right, she's not just going to assume you raised him from the dead." Andy insisted.
Miranda bit her lip. "But she could suspect it and she'd get it out of you in five minutes flat."
"I think I'd be more insulted by that insinuation if I didn't agree with it so whole-heartedly..." Andy sulked. "Maybe one of us could put the urn back tomorrow before she notices it's gone."
"Unless she already noticed it's gone, or if seeing it in its rightful place again makes her realize it wasn't there for a while."
"Or we could be completely overreacting."
Miranda stopped pacing and turned to look at Andy. "Need I remind you that that girl has half of my DNA? And that the other half is Lucas's?"
Andy sighed, "you're right. We're fucked. She's as good as figured it all out already, hasn't she?"
"We need a counter-strategy." Miranda agreed, nodding.
**
"Okay, I would like you to take the bed." Joanne said after Lucas had finished his dinner. "And I'll take the couch."
"No, I won't hear of it. I can't put you out of your bed." Lucas waved off the idea.
"The couch is pretty comfortable." Joanne shrugged, "and you haven't slept in two years, I think you should have the more comfortable bed."
"Joanne," Lucas smiled charmingly, "I'm not going to argue with you. I'm not letting you sleep on the couch."
Joanne took a deep breath and then smiled back, "if you won't argue, how about a compromise? What if we both slept in the bed?" She felt herself blush, "it's large enough for both of us and I want you to sleep in the bed, I don't want to let you sleep on the couch."
"You don't have to share your bed with me."
"Do you not want to?" Joanne bit the inside of her lip.
"I didn't say that..." he responded softly. "In fact, I think I'd like that very much."
"Me too..." she admitted, looking up into his eyes. She laid her hands over his chest. "I just can't believe that you're here, that you're real, that I can touch you."
"I wouldn't believe it myself if I weren't living it." He attempted to keep his breath steady as Joanne's hands roamed freely over his chest and shoulders and were starting up his neck.
Joanne's fingers moved gently over his neck and up to cup his cheeks. He smiled weakly at her; she smiled shyly at him. She started to lean up, he started to lean down and their lips met somewhere in the middle.
**
Andy was awoken by the sound of her phone ringing. She frowned and picked it up, putting it to her ear, "hello?"
A few minutes later Andy shook Miranda's shoulder gently, "hey, Miranda?"
"Hmm?" Miranda groaned.
"I have to go in to work for a few hours."
"You're kidding." Miranda pulled off her sleep mask. "It's Saturday. Have they no sense of decency?"
"You used to make me go in on Saturdays."
"I'm a sadist." Miranda pursed her lips.
"And I'm a masochist." Andy covered Miranda's lips with her own.
"We're the perfect couple," Miranda murmured against Andy's lips. "You won't be long?"
"Hopefully not."
**
By the time Andy was showered and out the door Miranda was ready to go, too. She taped a fifty to Cassidy's door with a note that told them that they should get breakfast. Miranda dropped Andy off at the Mirror and then pointed the Ferrari toward Joanne's apartment.
She called Joanne and they arranged to meet at the diner around the corner from the apartment.
"Lucas was still sleeping." Joanne explained after they'd ordered their coffees. "I didn't want to wake him, he's probably exhausted.
Miranda's feathers were already ruffled because she couldn't get a latte. She snorted her understanding and sipped the coffee flavored hot water that had been set in front of her. The only thing that quelled her rage was the fact that the food was served very promptly and it wasn't greasy like she'd expected it to be.
"I don't understand how you eat that all the time. Aren't you worried about your cholesterol?"
"I have pills to worry about my cholesterol for me." Miranda said as she finished chewing her first bite.
Joanne laughed but shook her head as she started in on her egg-white omelette.
"Anyway, I called this meeting because I think we should check Lucas out. I have a blood pressure contraption and we should listen to his heartbeat. We can't do the sophisticated tests but I'd like to do some of the smaller ones, at least. Who knows what could be wrong with him."
"Well, I can tell you he doesn't have erectile dysfunction." Joanne said devillishly.
Miranda pushed her plate away, "that's it. I'm done eating. Forever."
"No, come on, Miranda. We didn't sleep together, well, we did sleep together but we didn't have sex. Just, you know, in the morning it sometimes happens. We did kiss though. A lot."
Miranda shook her head, "unbelievable..."
Joanne took Miranda's hands, "no man has made me feel this way since Henry died. Miri, can't you be happy for me?"
"Up until now I would have said that you were the more sensible of the two of us but... but this is just ridiculous. Have you forgotten that he's dead?"
"He was dead. You brought him back."
"Yeah, don't worry because that's an exact science." Miranda rolled her eyes. She softened and gave Joanne's hands a squeeze. "Joanne, I'm not trying to be unhappy for you, I would love to be happy for you, but I just can't because I don't believe that this is going to end well."
Joanne considered this for a moment before looking back up into Miranda's eyes and defiantly declaring, "you're just jealous."
"You think I'm jealous?" The word was spat more than spoken and Miranda stared at Joanne with incredulity.
"Yes, I do." Joanne nodded, "you're jealous because he was all about you for so long and now he's spending time with me and you miss the attention he used to give you."
"Oy gevalt, Joanne..." Miranda rubbed her eyes wearily. "I just think that it's foolish of you to jump in with both feet when we don't even know if his incarnation is permanent. I don't want you to get your heart broken. You've only dated, what, two men?"
"You think that just because I haven't had five divorces and wasn't promiscuous as a teenager that I don't know what heartbreak feels like?" Joanne's eyes were wide with ire. "I watched my husband of twenty-six years die slowly from cancer. I didn't leave the house for weeks and I couldn't stop crying for months and you don't think I don't understand heartbreak?"
"Liebchen, I didn't mean it that way." Miranda attempted, trying to take Joanne's hand. She still wasn't quite used to having to apologize for or explain her words. Quite frankly, she wasn't very good at it. "I'm just afraid that you're going into this with blinders on. I'm afraid that you think because we rose Lucas from the dead that he won't ever die. I'm afraid that he might not stay alive and I don't want that for you."
"Following one's heart should never be contigent on hoping that the other person doesn't die. We should all be fortunate enough to have someone more than half our age in love with us." Joanne said pointedly. Miranda pursed her lips. "I could say similar things to you, Miranda, I could say that you chose Andy because she's so much younger than you and you won't have to go through her death."
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Life has no guarantees. We can't know."
"Yes. Which is exactly why I plan keep seeing Lucas. We can't know what's going to happen, he could outlive us all. I can't tell my heart that it can't have him just because it might be fleeting. Can't you understand that?" Joanne asked, Miranda remained begrudgingly silent. "He makes me feel so good and so young and I just want to hold onto that feeling forever."
Miranda sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
**
Paris, France 1972
Miranda walked to work at eleven and when she got there she was surprised to see Sonia Rykiel talking to Alice.
"Zere she is." Sonia smiled, "ze belle of ze ball. You were a huge hit last night, cherie. You were ze epitome of beautiful. Alice tell Miranda how beautiful she is."
Alice smiled, "you're beautiful."
Miranda set her bag down in the corner, she was unsure of why Sonia was there. Part of her was leary to approach the two older women, afraid that she would be whisked off and be kept up until three again. She remained silent.
"Would you stand here in ze middle of ze room?" Sonia asked, pointing to the stand for the dressmaker's dummy.
Miranda silently complied. Her long white hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. Sonia stepped up onto the stand with her and pulled her hair out. She stood back and smiled, "I just cannot get enough of ze hair. I got a little tipsy and I got a little handsy, didn't I, cherie?"
Alice stiffened. Miranda smiled uncomfortably, "my hair's never gotten so much attention. Well, not positive attention."
"Cherie, I shan't beat ze bush. I want you to be ze face of my winter collection. I want to start an ad campaign wis your face and I want you to be at every preview and showing."
"Oh, Mme Rykiel..."
"Appele-moi Sonia, cherie."
"Sonia, this is so... unexpected and it's so generous... I don't know if I..."
Sonia held up a hand to stop her with a smile, "cherie, I know how much you get paid here and I sink ze raise you'll get for ze job change will settle sings in your mind." Sonia held up a check, "zis is for last night for allowing me to hijack you and for saving my winter collection."
Miranda lost her breath when she looked down at the check. It was more money than she'd ever seen in one place. Miranda looked back up at Sonia.
Sonia took one of Miranda's hands, "Miranda, cherie, I want you."
Miranda looked over to Alice. Alice smiled weakly. "You should take the job, darlin, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"She's right, cherie."
Miranda nodded, "alright, yes. I'll be your model."
"Cherie!" Sonia grinned happily, she kissed both of Miranda's cheeks, "you shall be unstoppable. I'll wait outside in ze car, you can gazer your effects and meet me, oui?"
Miranda nodded. Sonia's departure from the salon was signified by the bell and Miranda looked over at Alice. She wanted to say something but she wasn't sure what there was to say.
"I'm happy for you." Alice whispered.
Miranda stepped down from the stand and took one step toward Alice. "You don't look very happy."
"I didn't say that I was happy." Alice sighed, "I just said that I was happy for you. I'm going to miss you."
Miranda stepped up and hugged Alice, laying her head against her collarbone. "I'm going to miss you too."
Alice closed her eyes and stroked Miranda's hair gently.