Corruption, Purity and Desire - (4/14)
Title: Corruption, Purity and Desire
author: ragelikeafire
rating: pg-13
pairing: andy/miranda
Disclaimer: The Devil Wears Prada does not belong to me. No infringement intended to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox. All characters are purely fictional. Thanks to various crime fiction for the inspiration behind the dialogue.
Summary: Two and a half years after leaving Runway; Andy Sachs is now working as an investigative journalist for a New York newspaper. Miranda Priestly continues her reign as The New York Fashion Queen, but under the surface the cracks are beginning to form. The unfortunate events of one cold winter’s evening force them to face the unrelenting demon that hides in the shadows. When do you run and when do you stand your ground?
WARNING: There are some scenes of violence and heavy language. If you are easily offended or squeamish I DO NOT suggest that you read this!
A/N: Please leave me your comments, both positive and constructive.
A/N2: Edited (03 Jan 2011)
<1> <2> <3>
Part four
“My Dictaphone” She repeated her throat was raw forcing her to speak in a whisper. “I got it; I got it all on tape. I need it!” She paused, nausea taking hold again. “Redemption, they’ve got to pay for what they’ve done, Miranda. I wont let all this be for nothing” Her eyes were wild, her breathing shallow.
“Calm down, Andrea.” Miranda pleaded as she placed her hand on the young woman’s arm. She struggled to see her so overwrought, but she knew that this level of passion was one of the reasons she had captured her heart. She reached over the bed and pressed the call button.
“I need it, what did they do with my things? I don’t remember what happened afterwards, the last thing I remember was the church.” The door opened quietly and a summoned Nurse May stepped inside.
“Yes Ladies, how can I help you?” She looked from one woman to another, her cheery smile drained away at the sight of distress on both faces.
“It appears that Andrea had some belongings when she was brought into the hospital. She is concerned that they may fall into the wrong hands.”
The nurse paused trying to recall what had happened during Andrea’s admission. “I know that your clothes were discarded after the emergency team cut them off you. But any other belongs would have been brought up here with you. Give me a few minutes and I’ll check what we have.” The nurse left the room leaving Andy and Miranda alone again.
Andrea looked at Miranda, felt her warm and comforting hand on her arm and remembered how she had promised herself that if she got to Miranda again how she tell her…everything. There’s no time like the present! Andy thought. “Miranda, I have so much I want to say to you, but I can’t seem to find the words.” Andrea’s voice was still whispered and forced from the intubation tube, making Miranda lean in closer to hear her.
“I suppose you are wondering why am I here?” Miranda asked gently.
“Before you say anything, let me say how grateful I was to see a…um…friendly face this morning. I am truly sorry for everything that happened between us, the way I left; it was incredibly unprofessional. There isn’t a day that goes by, where I don’t think about it, and if I have to spend every minute making up for that, I will do it.” Andy cleared her throat and Miranda fed her the remainder of the melting ice chips, careful to catch the water droplets with her fingers. Breaking the silence, Andy continued. “I know that you are very selective over whom, you choose to give your time to and I feel honoured that you have chosen to give it to me today.”
“Andrea.” Miranda wanted to tell Andrea that none of this mattered right now and that she was there for her.
“Please let me finish?” Andrea pleaded. She took Miranda’s silence as permission to continue. She felt that if she didn’t get the words out now she would lose her nerve. “I was so scared.” The tears were brimming again. “All I could think about was what I haven’t done yet, what I have to say to the world, how much love I have to give.” A tear escaped and she let out a small laugh. “God, how shallow does that make me sound?”
“Are you quite finished?” Miranda raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, but her tone lacked any malice. “Thank you for bestowing several chapters of war and peace, Andrea. But I simply wanted to say that I am here, because I realised that you mean something to me. It’s taken a long time for me to admit this, but a world without your smile would be a lonely place.” Miranda looked into her eyes and offered a shy smile, a slight pink tingeing her cheeks. Andy stared back, now speechless, mouth open imitating a goldfish.
Nurse May bustled back into the room. Perplexity streamed across her soft features. “Well, it seems we do not have your possessions.”
“Explain!” Miranda stood to face the nurse her arms folded across her chest.
“I have been informed, that as part of an active criminal investigation case, the NYPD internal affairs officers have confiscated your belongings.” She read from a piece of paper in her hand. “A watch, a card wallet, a set of keys and a recording device. Also, I believe that there are more items they are holding from the crime scene; everything has been taken down-town. The two officers outside, are asking when you will be ready to be interviewed too.”
“Thank you for the information, Nurse! However, Andrea is not ready, I will be sure to inform them when she is. That’s all.”
‘Clearly, this woman has delusions of grandeur!’ Nurse May thought as she rolled her eyes, but she didn’t need to be told twice to leave.
“Oh fuck!” Andrea breathed her response.
“We do not need to resort to vulgarism Andrea. We just need to review the situation. It is…” she reached for her BlackBerry® again. “…ten past six. I will take a few minutes to clean up and then make some calls to get the day back on track. All I require is for you to lay back, close your eyes and relax. You need to focus on getting better. Am I making myself clear?” Her face was stone cold but her eyes were filled with warmth.
“Yes Miranda.” Once again, Miranda reached out and gently squeezed Andrea’s arm before disappearing into the en-suite.
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Miranda looked into the mirror, her make-up was now freshly applied and her hair had been restyled to its usual standard. With years of experience in all night run-throughs and emergency rewrites under her belt, erasing a night in a hospital chair was a breeze. Her reflection stared back, the usual emptiness in her eyes had disappeared; she felt alive again.
After closing her bag, she opened the bathroom door as quietly as possible. The sight of Andrea resting peacefully was beautiful. The steady beat of the monitor, forced the harsh reminder of how lucky she was to be here with her. A smile danced across Miranda’s lips…this was her second chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andy had closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the pillow. A trillion thoughts were rushing around in her brain, images from before the accident and after. The medication took the edge off the pain but it slowed everything down and she fought to make sense of flashes of memory.
When she had analysed it in the past, leaving Runway had not been a difficult choice. Leaving the lifestyle, the power, the glamour, she could put it all into perspective. Leaving Miranda however had been one of the hardest decisions of her life. She had spent what felt like every-waking-second of her day, for almost twelve months, anticipating the woman’s wants and needs. It was pure dedication and on her part, much to the detriment of all the relationships in her life. Miranda made her want to be the best she could be, to strive for perfection. At the time she had no explanation as to why she did it; what was driving her? How did Miranda have such hold over her?
To Andy, Miranda was like a drug; an addiction. She had taken over her nervous system and the detox when she’d left Runway had been almost unbearable.
What was it Nigel had said? “When your life goes up in smoke, its time for a promotion…’”
The job at The New York Post had helped her make the transition, allowing her to put all her time and energy into something new, but it was no twelve-step programme. She had simply substituted one narcotic for another-though in reality, it was like swapping Heroin for an Aspirin.
Andy was born to write. She knew it was how she would make the world a better place, her contribution. Her inspiring work, uncovering the horrors of the child protection services had propelled her into investigative journalism and the crime desk. In the last few months, she’d been approached by several publications and was considering the leap to free lance work.
Her personal life was different story; basically, she didn’t have one. Friends, old school and college acquaintances were long gone. Lovers were few and far between; nothing more than fleeting one night stands. Work came first but with the bravado aside, she was incredibly lonely.
Miranda’s presence was like a dream, would she wake and have the last twenty-four hours disappear? Would this all be some cruel trick of the mind? No matter what had happened, no matter how much pain she was feeling, right now. She knew didn’t want to wake up to a reality without her.
This was the real Miranda here beside her, not the icon. The woman she had been fortunate to catch glimpse of in the past, she was here to be with her. Andrea couldn’t lose this again, the feeling was euphoric.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily Charlton closed the door to the five star hotel suite with a muted click. She carried her four-inch heels until she reached the carpeted hallway, mindful of the obtrusive sound on the marble floor. The elevator door pinged open and she stepped in, grateful that she was alone. She took a moment to examine herself in the mirrors covering the walls, taking in her appearance she sighed in disgust. Her clothes looked distinctly worn, which was unavoidable considering the previous night’s activities. One saving grace was that she had taken the time to reapply her face and make her hair presentable, before starting the walk of shame.
As she took a step into the lobby her phone began to vibrate. There was only one person it could be at this time and so she flicked open the clasp and took a deep breath before answering.
“Good morning Miranda.” After the previous evening’s interruption, she had been anticipating this call all night and had played out a million different scenarios in her head, each one infinitely worse than the next.
“Emily, go to the town house, prepare my overnight bag. I’ll expect you at my location, with coffee in forty minutes.” The call released leaving Emily frozen to the spot.
“Buggery, shitting, bollocks!” She cursed out-loud. “I may as well just kill myself now!” ‘Where in God’s name was she? AND what were the remote chances of any overnight bag she packed, meeting the Priestly standard?’ Emily took a deep breath. “Good god woman, you have got to calm down!” She said aloud again. Taking a breath to compose herself, she flicked her cell phone back open. “Roy, please tell me you know where she is?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miranda left Andrea’s room and walked up the hall, blanking the officers sat outside. She turned the corner and approached the Nurse’s station.
The stilettos signalled her approach as all heads lifted in her direction. “Excuse me.” Miranda spoke gently to Nurse May as those behind Nurse May remained frozen to the spot. “My assistant will be arriving in approximately thirty minutes. I would appreciate it if you could authorise her admittance. She will be carrying some of my personal items and fresh coffee. I trust that this will not be an issue?”
“I’ll deal with it personally Ms. Priestly.” Nurse May smiled.
“Thank you Nurse.” Miranda nodded courteously, pondering why her employees didn’t display this simple level of competence?
Miranda walked back down the hall, intent on dealing with the savages guarding the room. Miranda addressed the burly officer as he stood to attention upon her approach. “Sergeant Reynolds.”
“Yes, Ma’am?”
“I will need the name of the investigating District Attorney, as well as the Chief of the NYPD Internal Affairs bureau, I trust that this request does not surpass your intelligence threshold?” She smiled at him through gritted teeth.
The officer retuned the same clenched smile. “How I look forward to our little chats Ms. Priestly.” He answered and considered questioning the need for the information but then thought twice. He knew that his woman was a big deal for some reason and it had been a long night. “I’ll speak to my Captain and get right back to you.”
“Do try and move faster than a tectonic plate.” She snarled, pursing her lips at the officer before walking away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miranda took out her BlackBerry® again to make her second call of the morning. She spoke as she heard the line pick up. “I see that you decided to accept my call this time, Mr. Curran?”
“Always a pleasure Miranda!” His voice dripped with acidity and there was no attempt to hide the contempt in his voice. “How is my girl?”
“Her condition improved through the night. I’m sure she would appreciate your concern, but then, that is Andrea’s way.” Her tone was as cold as ice. “It is my observation, Mr. Curran that you and your little rag are not in control of this situation, which I find wholly unacceptable. My assistant will contact you to obtain any relevant information and I strongly suggest that you cease from running with this story.”
“You’ve got some nerve Priestly!” Curran balled his fists tightly. ‘Who does woman think she is? She has got no idea what she is getting into.’ He fumed.
“I would think very carefully before you continue that sentence, Mr. Curran.” She had no intention of holding any punches. She knew very little about what exactly had happened but this-the media-was her world and if need be, she knew how to fight dirty. “It seems to me that you have no story? All that can be substantiated, has already been broadcasted in real-time. With your key witness unavailable for interview, with all evidence to support a story locked away downtown, you have nothing. As far as I am concerned; anything you may attempt to publish at this stage will only be conjecture and may only serve to endanger Andrea’s life further. Mr. Curran, I would urge you not to fight me on this. That’s all. ”
Miranda pressed the release key and looked at the time on the digital display of her cell phone. ‘Where is that insufferable girl? She thought, desperate for her hit of caffeine. ‘Has she gone to Brazil for the coffee?’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily had opened the door before the car reached a full stop, her heels hitting the pavement smoothly. Some how she miraculously managed to slam the car door, whilst throwing a Louis Vuitton Cruiser bag over her shoulder, clutching onto a bundle of daily publications and juggling a tray of Coffee without spilling a drop. Her stride had built to a canter by the time she reached the reception desk.
“Emily Charlton, to see Miranda Priestly.” The breathless British woman clipped sharply.
The woman behind the desk looked Emily up and down and in return she received a well-practised death stare. A plump woman in white scrubs rolled her eyes at Emily and stepped forward from behind the receptionist.
“Look!” Emily leaned forward eyeing the name badge. “Nurse Robinson is it? If I do not deliver these items this minute, the consequences do not bear thinking about.”
Nurse Robinson struggled to contain her smirk as she pressed the release button on the security doors. “Cortez!” She called. “Please take Miss. Charlton to the Trauma ward, Nurse May is expecting her.”
Emily heaved a sigh of relief and galloped through the open doorway. “Do come on CorrrTez!” Emily purred, over enunciating the orderly’s name, as she threw the travel bag at him. “I don’t have all bloody day.”
After what felt like a hike through the Himalayas to her suffering feet, they arrived at the Nurse’s station on the trauma ward. Cortez announced Emily’s arrival and placed the bag at her feet before turning to sprint away.
During the journey and on the torturous trek through the endless hospital corridors, Emily realised that she hadn’t actually thought about why Miranda was here. ‘Always the last to know’ She thought as she sighed deeply. Then there it was, sound that caused Emily faintheartedness, anxiety and blind panic to this day. The sound of the heels and the distinctive stride, there was no mistaking the footsteps; it was Miranda.