Out of the Mouths of Babes
Title: Out of the Mouths of Babes
Fandom: The Devil wears Prada (movie)
Genre: AU
Pairing: Miranda/ Andy
Rating: G
Disclaimer: If I owned them it would be a whole different world!
Author's Note: This started as a drabble for damelola's wonderful comment ficathon. After a few polite comments I decided to take it a bit further. I've posted the whole story but the original first part can be found here: community.livejournal.com/dvlwears_prada/1747191.html
I hope you enjoy!!
Out of the Mouths of Babes
“Mommy?”
“Yes Baby?”
“Who’s Miranda?”
“Wh-What? Where did you hear that name?”
“You were crying for her in your sleep last night.”
“I’m sorry baby, did I wake you up?”
“No. I had to go potty. When I got done I wanted to cuddle with you so I was going to get into bed with you but you were crying and calling out for Miranda.”
“Oh sweety, I’m sorry if I scared you. Mommy’s okay though. I was just having a bad dream like you do sometimes.”
“That’s okay Mommy. But why does Miranda make you have bad dreams?”
“She doesn’t baby.” Andy pulled her six year old daughter up onto her lap and kissed the top of her long chestnut hair covered head. “Sometimes Mommy just misses her. Like when you miss Grandma and Grandpa.” She tried to explain, looking into her babies gentle blue eyes.
“You love her like I love Grammy and Gramps.” It was a statement of knowledge far older than her six years.
“Not exactly.”
“Like how then? Like you love me?”
“Mommy could never love anyone else the way I love you.” Andy smiled and kissed her little nose.
“But if you cry because you miss her then you must love her very much.”
Andy sighed and rested her cheek on her daughters head. “I do Mira, I love her very much.”
The little girl turned to look up at her mother. She could see now how sad she was. “Does she love you too?”
Andy chuckled. Somehow her baby girl always had a way of getting right to the root of a problem. “I don’t know honey.”
“Did you ever ask her?”
Andy laughed. “No. I never asked her.”
“How come?”
Andy sighed. “It’s not that easy baby. She’s not somebody Mommy sees anymore. She has a different life that Mommy doesn’t belong in.”
“How do you know? Maybe she’s just as sad without you as you are without her.”
Andy took a deep breath. How many times had she wished that very thing over the years?
“Come on, let’s get you ready for school. It’s a big day; your fist day of Big Girl School. We have to make sure you’re not late.”
Her little girl jumped down excited. For now she had shifted her baby’s train of thought but she knew it wasn’t forgotten. Mira would undoubtedly bring it up again until she had an answer to her question. Andy just wasn’t sure how she was going to get her the answer she was looking for.
Andy and Mira were standing at the base of the front steps of Dalton. She was kneeling in front of her daughter pulling up her sock when she heard a voice call her name.
“Andy?”
She turned around to see a much older but still recognizable red head looking at her.
“Cassidy.” Andy stood up and accepted a hug from the teen-ager. She stepped back with her hands on her shoulders to look at the girl. “Wow, look at you all grown up.”
Cassidy smiled. “What are you doing here?”
Before she could answer she was engulfed in another set of long arms. “Andy!”
“Hi Caroline.” She returned the tight squeeze.
Almost at the exact same time; Mira wrapped her arms around her mother’s leg and she heard a soft clearing of a throat behind her. Andy’s arm moved to hold her daughter close and turned around to see the figure she knew was standing behind her.
Mira heard her mother gasp the name. “Miranda.”
“Hello Andrea.”
Her daughter pulled her gazed attention away from the older woman’s piercing blue eyes. “Mommy, is that her?”
Andy smiled at her baby girl. “Yes sweetheart.” She turned back to the older girls. “And these are her daughters; Caroline and Cassidy.”
Cassidy bent down and offered her hand to the little girl at Andy’s side. “Hello there. What’s your name?”
The six year old stood proudly and took Cassidy’s offered hand, “I’m Mira Elizabeth Sachs.”
The gasp wasn’t missed by Andy or Miranda’s daughters.
“It’s nice to meet you Mira.” Caroline offered her hand to the little beauty.
“You know my Mommy.” She looked between the older girls, then turned her attention to the older woman who was looking at her with a bit of awe. “And you’re Mommy’s Miranda.”
Miranda looked quickly to a blushing Andrea as she answered the child. “So it would seem.”
Andy’s blush deepened. She turned to Mira. “Come on baby, we should get you inside. We don’t want you to be late on your first day.”
“Just a minute Mommy.” Andy rolled her eyes. Her daughter’s intelligence and independence was going to be the death of her. Mira looked back at Miranda then to her Mom. “She’s really pretty Mommy.”
Andy grinned when she saw a blush begin to rise from the older woman’s neck. Her daughter’s honesty bolstered her own confidence. She looked into Miranda’s eyes. “Yes she is sweetheart.”
“Is that why you miss her?” Her daughter asked.
She continued to keep eye contact with the woman who meant so much to her. “It’s one of the reasons Mira.”
“Okay. We can go now.” The little girl took one of Cassidy’s hands and one of Caroline’s and started leading them to the front doors of the school. She turned around to see her Mother and Miranda still looking at each other. “Are you guys coming?”
Both women smiled. “Demanding little thing isn’t she.” Miranda mused.
“Definitely has a mind of her own.” Andy said as they moved to follow the three girls.
Once the five females entered the school they separated into their two family units. Andy took Mira's hand ready to lead her to meet her new teacher while Miranda stood with her daughters waiting to bid them good bye. The two older women looked at each other both seemed to be at a loss for what to say.
Mira tugged on Andy's hand pulling her from her stupor enough to speak. "It was nice to see you again Miranda. You too girls." She turned to walk away.
"Perhaps…" Miranda said softly. Andy turned to face her again. "Perhaps, if you don't have any plans, you and Mira would like to join us for dinner tonight at the house."
Andy looked down into her daughters shining blue eyes and bright smile. Mira nodded her head happily. "Thank you Miranda. I think we'd like that."
"Splendid." She let a smile tip her lips. "Is seven an acceptable time?"
"Seven would be fine." Andy felt her baby squeeze her hand. She squeezed back answering her in their own silent communication. "We'll see you then. Have a good day."
"Thank you." The editor turned her eyes to the beauty standing next to her former assistant. "I hope you have a wonderful first day Mira."
"Thanks Miranda. I hope you have a wonderful day too." She responded with a smile that reminded the older woman of her mother's warm friendly disposition. Miranda looked back to Andy, "I think I just might for a change."
Andy and Mira were out of earshot before Cassidy spoke. "Mother, please do not screw it up this time."
Caroline added, "If you do, we'll be moving in with Dad."
Miranda stared at her daughters like she'd never seen them before. "What?"
"Come on Mom, even at nine we knew Andy was the best thing that ever happen to you."
Miranda was dumbfounded. "What on earth are you talking about?"
Cassidy sighed, "Mom, we're not kids anymore. All we've ever wanted was for you to be happy."
"Andy makes you happy, at least she use to. Don't you think we know why you haven't dated anyone in the last seven years? Of course we knew no one could ever be as good as her in your eyes. We just didn't know how to fix it for you. We didn't know how to get you to see her as more than just your assistant." Caroline continued.
"But now, there's no reason for you to not see her for the woman that she is; the woman that means everything to you."
Miranda's face softened into a smile reserved only for the two beings closest to her heart. "I do not deserve you two."
"Sure you do Mom. Just like you deserve Andy." Caroline wrapped her long arms around her Mother's waist. "We love you." Cassidy added her arms from behind. "Even if that makes us demon spawn." She giggled.
Miranda snorted. "Get to class you monsters before I have them lock you in the dungeon."
Her darling daughters turned to head to their designated classes. She in turn spun on her heels and headed back to the waiting car. For the first time in years she was looking forward to the future. A future that would possibly include two beautiful brunettes with smiles that warmed her heart.
Andy and Mira stood on the front steps of a door she never thought she'd be standing in front of again. She looked down at her precious baby girl who smiled up at her and squeezed her mother's hand. It was all the encouragement she needed and it fortified her confidence.
Andy reached up and pushed the button to ring the door bell. Moments later she could hear the familiar staccato of heels on the wooden floors approaching from the other side.
"Here we go." She sighed.
"Here we go." Her daughter smiled up at her.
"Andrea, Mira, welcome. Won't you come in?" Miranda's friendliness startled Andy. Yet there was nothing in the tone to suggest her words were anything but sincere.
"Thank you." Andy replied as she ushered Mira inside before her.
"Let me take your coats."
Andy unbuttoned her charcoal Burberry trench, removed it and handed it to Miranda. While she hung it in the closet Andy helped her baby girl remove her own lighter grey matching coat. She noticed a smile float across the older woman's lips as she hung the child's equally fashionable coat next to her mothers.
They followed Miranda through to the rear of the house and into the open kitchen. "The girls decided they wanted to make spaghetti this evening, I hope that is satisfactory." She looked at Mira to find her nodding her head enthusiastically up and down. "Good."
Caroline was at the sink in the island in front of them rinsing the pasta and Cassidy was stirring the sauce behind her on the stove. Andy helped her little girl up onto a stool at the island. "What kind of pasta did you make Caroline?" Mira ask curiously.
The girl froze and stared at the younger brunette. The action was shared by Cassidy, who leaned back to look past her sister and Miranda who raised a hand to her throat in surprise.
Mira quickly turned to look at her mom. "What?"
Andy smiled a huge knowing smile. "I think you just startled them sweetheart."
She looked at each of them. "Why? What did I do?"
"How did you know it was me?" Caroline asked.
Mira looked at her puzzled. She didn't understand. "Who else would you be?" She looked back at her mother. "Mom?"
Andy hugged her girl to her chest. Miranda noticed the girls trepidation and moved closer to the two.
Caroline saw the uncertainty and confusion in the little girls face as well. She reached out and patted Mira's hand. "You didn't do anything Mira. It just surprised us that you knew it was me and not Cassidy."
This time Mira looked to Miranda. "I don't understand."
Miranda granted the child a rare smile. "Very few people can tell my girls apart, especially after only meeting them once." Her eyes and smile moved to meet Andy's eyes. "Actually I only know of one other person to do so."
Cassidy broke in. "Mom and Dad and your Mom are the only people who can consistently tell us apart."
"Yeah." Caroline grinned, "It used to make us crazy that we couldn't trick her."
Cassidy nodded her head in agreement.
Mira looked to each of the other four people in the room still confused. "Why? You're two different people." She finally said.
The sound that followed was one few people heard and even Caroline and Cassidy had heard it less over the last several years; Miranda laughed, a full joyous raucous laugh. She wiped the tears that escaped her shining blue eyes as she spoke to the little beauty. "That they are love." She smiled at her daughters who in return granted her with their own smiles of happiness. "That they are."
Caroline and Cassidy were putting dinner into bowls to carry into the dining room while Miranda was filling two of three empty glasses with milk. "Mira, what would you like to drink?" She looked at the smiling little face, realizing it was probably a mirror image of her mother's at that age. "We have milk, apple juice or water."
"No apple juice, I'm allergic. Milk please."
Miranda grinned at the child's honesty and bluntness. "Milk it shall be then." She set the three glasses on a tray and led the group of hungry females into the other room to eat.
Andy noticed two places already set with a glass of red wine; one at the head of the table and the other to it's right. The older girls set down their bowls of food and took their seats on the left, leaving the unoccupied seat to her right for Mira. Once they were all seated Miranda asked for Mira's plate and began filling it with pasta, sauce and two large meatballs.
Mira accepted the full plate from the older woman. "Thank you Miranda."
"You're quite welcome Mira." She turned to Andy and silently requested her plate to repeat the process. After everyone had a serving of food in front of them Miranda took her seat. She raised her glass of wine. "To new beginnings." She toasted. Everyone repeated with smiles; "To new beginnings." They all took a drink and began their first meal together.
"So, Mira," Cassidy said, "How was your first day at Dalton?"
"It was okay." She looked at her Mom.
"It's fine sweety, you can tell them what you told me." Andy replied to the questioning look from her daughter.
Mira looked back to Cassidy. "I was a little disappointed."
"Why was that dear?" Asked Miranda, curious to know how the child's obviously gifted mind worked.
"Well, I was hoping we would be learning a foreign language I didn't know."
The three priestly women looked up and at her in surprise but it was Caroline that asked. "What languages do you already know?"
"French and Spanish and Sign." She answered nonchalantly as she shrugged her shoulders. Andy couldn't help but beam at their reaction.
Cassidy shook her head. "You speak three languages?"
"Four if you count English." Mira said straight forwardly.
Miranda chuckled. "And how, pray tell, did you learn all those languages?"
"Mom taught me. Well, we learned Sign together." She smiled at her Mom.
"Really? What, if I may ask, encouraged you both to learn such an unusual language?"
Mira was twisting her fork in her spaghetti while she answered. "Mom wanted to be able to read her books to hearing impaired kids in the hospital and I wanted to be able to help her." Another thought occurred to her before she took a bite, "That was one good thing about school today, no one knew who Mom was, so I didn't have to answer a bunch of silly questions." She put the fork in her mouth and chewed happily.
"What do you mean? Why would people want to ask you questions about your Mom?" Caroline asked. Knowing full well how nice it was when she and her sister were not recognized as Miranda Priestly's children.
Mira finished chewing before she answered the question. Miranda had stopped eating all together. Not having what was obviously important information about Andrea and her life during their time apart had suddenly killed her appetite.
"Because of her books." Mira looked at them confused. Didn't everyone know her Mom was a famous author?
"Her b-books?" Miranda's stuttered question caused a blush to appear on Andy's cheeks. She guessed there was going to be no easy way to get out of this now. She'd just have to ride out the storm that she was hoping to avoid. Hopefully Miranda wouldn't be so upset that she asked them to leave immediately. Her baby girl was really enjoying herself.
"The Adventures of Cassie and Carrie."
Two forks clanked against china as both Caroline and Cassidy dropped them at the same time. Miranda gasped.
The older girls turned to look at Andy and began to speak as one. "You're…" Cassidy
"Miriam Alexander?" Caroline finished.
Mira watched as tears began to fall down both girls faces. When she looked at Miranda she saw she was staring at her Mother, who also had tears in her eyes. "Mommy, are you okay?" She felt her own tears starting, she always cried when her Mommy did.
Andy kept her eyes on the twin red heads in front of her as she answered her little girl. "I'm fine baby."
Suddenly two chairs fell back, making a loud noise when they hit the ground. Caroline and Cassidy moved quickly to Andy's side and wrapped their arms around her engulfing her in a tight hug.
"You never forgot us." Cassidy whispered.
"Never!" Andy squeezed them tighter.
Miranda watched the emotion filled display in front of her then noticed Mira's tear stained face. The little girl seemed overwhelmed. They all were, but Mira had no way of knowing the reason behind it. Making a wholly uncharacteristic movement she opened her arms to the confused little girl.
Mira leapt from her chair and threw herself in the older woman's arms. Miranda kissed her soft crown of hair, murmuring gentle sounds. "Shhh."
A tear rolled down her own face as the child snuggled into her arms and she looked at the happy tears still falling from Andrea's beautiful dark eyes.
Caroline and Cassidy released their hold on Andy only to each take a hand as they knelt on both sides of her chair.
"You wrote them for us." Cassidy stated. Andy nodded.
"You used Mom's name." Caroline confirmed. Andy nodded again and looked to Miranda who was holding the other love of her life in her arms tenderly.
Miranda spoke softly. "You never left us."
Andy shook her head and said quietly but with conviction. "I couldn't."
Miranda set Mira down as she stood. Andy rose as well, letting the girls' hands fall away. Mira moved to stand next to the older girls as Andy and Miranda moved toward each other. Miranda took Andy's hands in her own as she spoke. "I should never have let you leave."
Andy smiled. "I had to go Miranda. I had to leave Runway behind. Runway was you. I had to find me."
"And have you found you?"
Andy smiled. "I believe I have."
Miranda looked into her eyes. "So it's safe to say you have returned?"
"If you'll have us."
"I never left you either my Andrea." She smiled.
Fandom: The Devil wears Prada (movie)
Genre: AU
Pairing: Miranda/ Andy
Rating: G
Disclaimer: If I owned them it would be a whole different world!
Author's Note: This started as a drabble for damelola's wonderful comment ficathon. After a few polite comments I decided to take it a bit further. I've posted the whole story but the original first part can be found here: community.livejournal.com/dvlwears_prada/1747191.html
I hope you enjoy!!
Out of the Mouths of Babes
“Mommy?”
“Yes Baby?”
“Who’s Miranda?”
“Wh-What? Where did you hear that name?”
“You were crying for her in your sleep last night.”
“I’m sorry baby, did I wake you up?”
“No. I had to go potty. When I got done I wanted to cuddle with you so I was going to get into bed with you but you were crying and calling out for Miranda.”
“Oh sweety, I’m sorry if I scared you. Mommy’s okay though. I was just having a bad dream like you do sometimes.”
“That’s okay Mommy. But why does Miranda make you have bad dreams?”
“She doesn’t baby.” Andy pulled her six year old daughter up onto her lap and kissed the top of her long chestnut hair covered head. “Sometimes Mommy just misses her. Like when you miss Grandma and Grandpa.” She tried to explain, looking into her babies gentle blue eyes.
“You love her like I love Grammy and Gramps.” It was a statement of knowledge far older than her six years.
“Not exactly.”
“Like how then? Like you love me?”
“Mommy could never love anyone else the way I love you.” Andy smiled and kissed her little nose.
“But if you cry because you miss her then you must love her very much.”
Andy sighed and rested her cheek on her daughters head. “I do Mira, I love her very much.”
The little girl turned to look up at her mother. She could see now how sad she was. “Does she love you too?”
Andy chuckled. Somehow her baby girl always had a way of getting right to the root of a problem. “I don’t know honey.”
“Did you ever ask her?”
Andy laughed. “No. I never asked her.”
“How come?”
Andy sighed. “It’s not that easy baby. She’s not somebody Mommy sees anymore. She has a different life that Mommy doesn’t belong in.”
“How do you know? Maybe she’s just as sad without you as you are without her.”
Andy took a deep breath. How many times had she wished that very thing over the years?
“Come on, let’s get you ready for school. It’s a big day; your fist day of Big Girl School. We have to make sure you’re not late.”
Her little girl jumped down excited. For now she had shifted her baby’s train of thought but she knew it wasn’t forgotten. Mira would undoubtedly bring it up again until she had an answer to her question. Andy just wasn’t sure how she was going to get her the answer she was looking for.
Andy and Mira were standing at the base of the front steps of Dalton. She was kneeling in front of her daughter pulling up her sock when she heard a voice call her name.
“Andy?”
She turned around to see a much older but still recognizable red head looking at her.
“Cassidy.” Andy stood up and accepted a hug from the teen-ager. She stepped back with her hands on her shoulders to look at the girl. “Wow, look at you all grown up.”
Cassidy smiled. “What are you doing here?”
Before she could answer she was engulfed in another set of long arms. “Andy!”
“Hi Caroline.” She returned the tight squeeze.
Almost at the exact same time; Mira wrapped her arms around her mother’s leg and she heard a soft clearing of a throat behind her. Andy’s arm moved to hold her daughter close and turned around to see the figure she knew was standing behind her.
Mira heard her mother gasp the name. “Miranda.”
“Hello Andrea.”
Her daughter pulled her gazed attention away from the older woman’s piercing blue eyes. “Mommy, is that her?”
Andy smiled at her baby girl. “Yes sweetheart.” She turned back to the older girls. “And these are her daughters; Caroline and Cassidy.”
Cassidy bent down and offered her hand to the little girl at Andy’s side. “Hello there. What’s your name?”
The six year old stood proudly and took Cassidy’s offered hand, “I’m Mira Elizabeth Sachs.”
The gasp wasn’t missed by Andy or Miranda’s daughters.
“It’s nice to meet you Mira.” Caroline offered her hand to the little beauty.
“You know my Mommy.” She looked between the older girls, then turned her attention to the older woman who was looking at her with a bit of awe. “And you’re Mommy’s Miranda.”
Miranda looked quickly to a blushing Andrea as she answered the child. “So it would seem.”
Andy’s blush deepened. She turned to Mira. “Come on baby, we should get you inside. We don’t want you to be late on your first day.”
“Just a minute Mommy.” Andy rolled her eyes. Her daughter’s intelligence and independence was going to be the death of her. Mira looked back at Miranda then to her Mom. “She’s really pretty Mommy.”
Andy grinned when she saw a blush begin to rise from the older woman’s neck. Her daughter’s honesty bolstered her own confidence. She looked into Miranda’s eyes. “Yes she is sweetheart.”
“Is that why you miss her?” Her daughter asked.
She continued to keep eye contact with the woman who meant so much to her. “It’s one of the reasons Mira.”
“Okay. We can go now.” The little girl took one of Cassidy’s hands and one of Caroline’s and started leading them to the front doors of the school. She turned around to see her Mother and Miranda still looking at each other. “Are you guys coming?”
Both women smiled. “Demanding little thing isn’t she.” Miranda mused.
“Definitely has a mind of her own.” Andy said as they moved to follow the three girls.
Once the five females entered the school they separated into their two family units. Andy took Mira's hand ready to lead her to meet her new teacher while Miranda stood with her daughters waiting to bid them good bye. The two older women looked at each other both seemed to be at a loss for what to say.
Mira tugged on Andy's hand pulling her from her stupor enough to speak. "It was nice to see you again Miranda. You too girls." She turned to walk away.
"Perhaps…" Miranda said softly. Andy turned to face her again. "Perhaps, if you don't have any plans, you and Mira would like to join us for dinner tonight at the house."
Andy looked down into her daughters shining blue eyes and bright smile. Mira nodded her head happily. "Thank you Miranda. I think we'd like that."
"Splendid." She let a smile tip her lips. "Is seven an acceptable time?"
"Seven would be fine." Andy felt her baby squeeze her hand. She squeezed back answering her in their own silent communication. "We'll see you then. Have a good day."
"Thank you." The editor turned her eyes to the beauty standing next to her former assistant. "I hope you have a wonderful first day Mira."
"Thanks Miranda. I hope you have a wonderful day too." She responded with a smile that reminded the older woman of her mother's warm friendly disposition. Miranda looked back to Andy, "I think I just might for a change."
Andy and Mira were out of earshot before Cassidy spoke. "Mother, please do not screw it up this time."
Caroline added, "If you do, we'll be moving in with Dad."
Miranda stared at her daughters like she'd never seen them before. "What?"
"Come on Mom, even at nine we knew Andy was the best thing that ever happen to you."
Miranda was dumbfounded. "What on earth are you talking about?"
Cassidy sighed, "Mom, we're not kids anymore. All we've ever wanted was for you to be happy."
"Andy makes you happy, at least she use to. Don't you think we know why you haven't dated anyone in the last seven years? Of course we knew no one could ever be as good as her in your eyes. We just didn't know how to fix it for you. We didn't know how to get you to see her as more than just your assistant." Caroline continued.
"But now, there's no reason for you to not see her for the woman that she is; the woman that means everything to you."
Miranda's face softened into a smile reserved only for the two beings closest to her heart. "I do not deserve you two."
"Sure you do Mom. Just like you deserve Andy." Caroline wrapped her long arms around her Mother's waist. "We love you." Cassidy added her arms from behind. "Even if that makes us demon spawn." She giggled.
Miranda snorted. "Get to class you monsters before I have them lock you in the dungeon."
Her darling daughters turned to head to their designated classes. She in turn spun on her heels and headed back to the waiting car. For the first time in years she was looking forward to the future. A future that would possibly include two beautiful brunettes with smiles that warmed her heart.
Andy and Mira stood on the front steps of a door she never thought she'd be standing in front of again. She looked down at her precious baby girl who smiled up at her and squeezed her mother's hand. It was all the encouragement she needed and it fortified her confidence.
Andy reached up and pushed the button to ring the door bell. Moments later she could hear the familiar staccato of heels on the wooden floors approaching from the other side.
"Here we go." She sighed.
"Here we go." Her daughter smiled up at her.
"Andrea, Mira, welcome. Won't you come in?" Miranda's friendliness startled Andy. Yet there was nothing in the tone to suggest her words were anything but sincere.
"Thank you." Andy replied as she ushered Mira inside before her.
"Let me take your coats."
Andy unbuttoned her charcoal Burberry trench, removed it and handed it to Miranda. While she hung it in the closet Andy helped her baby girl remove her own lighter grey matching coat. She noticed a smile float across the older woman's lips as she hung the child's equally fashionable coat next to her mothers.
They followed Miranda through to the rear of the house and into the open kitchen. "The girls decided they wanted to make spaghetti this evening, I hope that is satisfactory." She looked at Mira to find her nodding her head enthusiastically up and down. "Good."
Caroline was at the sink in the island in front of them rinsing the pasta and Cassidy was stirring the sauce behind her on the stove. Andy helped her little girl up onto a stool at the island. "What kind of pasta did you make Caroline?" Mira ask curiously.
The girl froze and stared at the younger brunette. The action was shared by Cassidy, who leaned back to look past her sister and Miranda who raised a hand to her throat in surprise.
Mira quickly turned to look at her mom. "What?"
Andy smiled a huge knowing smile. "I think you just startled them sweetheart."
She looked at each of them. "Why? What did I do?"
"How did you know it was me?" Caroline asked.
Mira looked at her puzzled. She didn't understand. "Who else would you be?" She looked back at her mother. "Mom?"
Andy hugged her girl to her chest. Miranda noticed the girls trepidation and moved closer to the two.
Caroline saw the uncertainty and confusion in the little girls face as well. She reached out and patted Mira's hand. "You didn't do anything Mira. It just surprised us that you knew it was me and not Cassidy."
This time Mira looked to Miranda. "I don't understand."
Miranda granted the child a rare smile. "Very few people can tell my girls apart, especially after only meeting them once." Her eyes and smile moved to meet Andy's eyes. "Actually I only know of one other person to do so."
Cassidy broke in. "Mom and Dad and your Mom are the only people who can consistently tell us apart."
"Yeah." Caroline grinned, "It used to make us crazy that we couldn't trick her."
Cassidy nodded her head in agreement.
Mira looked to each of the other four people in the room still confused. "Why? You're two different people." She finally said.
The sound that followed was one few people heard and even Caroline and Cassidy had heard it less over the last several years; Miranda laughed, a full joyous raucous laugh. She wiped the tears that escaped her shining blue eyes as she spoke to the little beauty. "That they are love." She smiled at her daughters who in return granted her with their own smiles of happiness. "That they are."
Caroline and Cassidy were putting dinner into bowls to carry into the dining room while Miranda was filling two of three empty glasses with milk. "Mira, what would you like to drink?" She looked at the smiling little face, realizing it was probably a mirror image of her mother's at that age. "We have milk, apple juice or water."
"No apple juice, I'm allergic. Milk please."
Miranda grinned at the child's honesty and bluntness. "Milk it shall be then." She set the three glasses on a tray and led the group of hungry females into the other room to eat.
Andy noticed two places already set with a glass of red wine; one at the head of the table and the other to it's right. The older girls set down their bowls of food and took their seats on the left, leaving the unoccupied seat to her right for Mira. Once they were all seated Miranda asked for Mira's plate and began filling it with pasta, sauce and two large meatballs.
Mira accepted the full plate from the older woman. "Thank you Miranda."
"You're quite welcome Mira." She turned to Andy and silently requested her plate to repeat the process. After everyone had a serving of food in front of them Miranda took her seat. She raised her glass of wine. "To new beginnings." She toasted. Everyone repeated with smiles; "To new beginnings." They all took a drink and began their first meal together.
"So, Mira," Cassidy said, "How was your first day at Dalton?"
"It was okay." She looked at her Mom.
"It's fine sweety, you can tell them what you told me." Andy replied to the questioning look from her daughter.
Mira looked back to Cassidy. "I was a little disappointed."
"Why was that dear?" Asked Miranda, curious to know how the child's obviously gifted mind worked.
"Well, I was hoping we would be learning a foreign language I didn't know."
The three priestly women looked up and at her in surprise but it was Caroline that asked. "What languages do you already know?"
"French and Spanish and Sign." She answered nonchalantly as she shrugged her shoulders. Andy couldn't help but beam at their reaction.
Cassidy shook her head. "You speak three languages?"
"Four if you count English." Mira said straight forwardly.
Miranda chuckled. "And how, pray tell, did you learn all those languages?"
"Mom taught me. Well, we learned Sign together." She smiled at her Mom.
"Really? What, if I may ask, encouraged you both to learn such an unusual language?"
Mira was twisting her fork in her spaghetti while she answered. "Mom wanted to be able to read her books to hearing impaired kids in the hospital and I wanted to be able to help her." Another thought occurred to her before she took a bite, "That was one good thing about school today, no one knew who Mom was, so I didn't have to answer a bunch of silly questions." She put the fork in her mouth and chewed happily.
"What do you mean? Why would people want to ask you questions about your Mom?" Caroline asked. Knowing full well how nice it was when she and her sister were not recognized as Miranda Priestly's children.
Mira finished chewing before she answered the question. Miranda had stopped eating all together. Not having what was obviously important information about Andrea and her life during their time apart had suddenly killed her appetite.
"Because of her books." Mira looked at them confused. Didn't everyone know her Mom was a famous author?
"Her b-books?" Miranda's stuttered question caused a blush to appear on Andy's cheeks. She guessed there was going to be no easy way to get out of this now. She'd just have to ride out the storm that she was hoping to avoid. Hopefully Miranda wouldn't be so upset that she asked them to leave immediately. Her baby girl was really enjoying herself.
"The Adventures of Cassie and Carrie."
Two forks clanked against china as both Caroline and Cassidy dropped them at the same time. Miranda gasped.
The older girls turned to look at Andy and began to speak as one. "You're…" Cassidy
"Miriam Alexander?" Caroline finished.
Mira watched as tears began to fall down both girls faces. When she looked at Miranda she saw she was staring at her Mother, who also had tears in her eyes. "Mommy, are you okay?" She felt her own tears starting, she always cried when her Mommy did.
Andy kept her eyes on the twin red heads in front of her as she answered her little girl. "I'm fine baby."
Suddenly two chairs fell back, making a loud noise when they hit the ground. Caroline and Cassidy moved quickly to Andy's side and wrapped their arms around her engulfing her in a tight hug.
"You never forgot us." Cassidy whispered.
"Never!" Andy squeezed them tighter.
Miranda watched the emotion filled display in front of her then noticed Mira's tear stained face. The little girl seemed overwhelmed. They all were, but Mira had no way of knowing the reason behind it. Making a wholly uncharacteristic movement she opened her arms to the confused little girl.
Mira leapt from her chair and threw herself in the older woman's arms. Miranda kissed her soft crown of hair, murmuring gentle sounds. "Shhh."
A tear rolled down her own face as the child snuggled into her arms and she looked at the happy tears still falling from Andrea's beautiful dark eyes.
Caroline and Cassidy released their hold on Andy only to each take a hand as they knelt on both sides of her chair.
"You wrote them for us." Cassidy stated. Andy nodded.
"You used Mom's name." Caroline confirmed. Andy nodded again and looked to Miranda who was holding the other love of her life in her arms tenderly.
Miranda spoke softly. "You never left us."
Andy shook her head and said quietly but with conviction. "I couldn't."
Miranda set Mira down as she stood. Andy rose as well, letting the girls' hands fall away. Mira moved to stand next to the older girls as Andy and Miranda moved toward each other. Miranda took Andy's hands in her own as she spoke. "I should never have let you leave."
Andy smiled. "I had to go Miranda. I had to leave Runway behind. Runway was you. I had to find me."
"And have you found you?"
Andy smiled. "I believe I have."
Miranda looked into her eyes. "So it's safe to say you have returned?"
"If you'll have us."
"I never left you either my Andrea." She smiled.