The Fifth Valentine's Day
The Freakboat and I are at it again! This is our take on the first 14 Valentine's Days. This might not make as much sense to you if you haven't read our previous opus, The Gift of Possibilities, detailing the first 12 Christmases; but this story falls within the universe we created in TGOP.
All hail the Freakboat. Or blame. Your choice!
Disclaimer: The Devil Wears Prada belongs to neither me nor ceelyn . No infringement intended, no money being made. The building belongs to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox. We're just redecorating. When finished, we will tear down the new curtains and fancy artwork, but leave the festive paint…
Rating: T
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada
Pairing: Mirandy
-------------------------------------
The Fifth ~ CeeLyn’s
This was going to be fun.
NOT.
Andy leaned over and took a hefty swallow of Miranda’s drink, coughing a little at the amount of alcohol she discovered.
“A double? And I thought I was the one in bad shape,” she joked halfheartedly.
Miranda simply raised an eyebrow and yet another glass appeared before her like magic, the waiter duly informed of his requirements for the evening. Though it would be in horribly bad taste to drink to excess this evening, Miranda couldn’t deny the fact that if she were another person, in another place, she would be hammered by now, and totally shitfaced by the end of the evening. No, this was not going to be a fun night.
“Incoming,” Andy called quietly as Doug and Lily appeared in the doorway of the darkened restaurant.
Miranda surreptitiously tossed back her drink as Andy’s friends were led to their table.
“Hey, Andy! How’re you doing? Hello Miranda.” Doug’s and Lily’s greetings were pleasant, but something in their eyes told Miranda that they knew this evening was not about a casual dinner but standing beside their friend as she prepared to do battle with her parents.
“Hello, Lily, Hello Douglas,” Miranda said as Doug kissed her on the cheek. As the two newcomers took their chairs the waiter appeared again, drinks in hand. Lily looked first at Andy, then at Miranda, and laughed.
“Well, okay then. I guess it’s on. You two seriously going to do this, huh? Braver than I am.”
Both Miranda and Andy knew that marriage was not what Lily referred, but informing Andy’s parents of such. Without further comment the four raised their glasses, tinking them together for a silent toast.
After a long pull on his beer Doug sat back and whispered, “Showtime. Once more into the breach…”
********
Andy’s parents weren’t quite sure why she had asked them to visit, but they had high hopes it had everything to do with one of the people sitting at her table. Why else would she have flown them in on Valentine’s Day? As they were ushered to the table, Andy’s mom leaned over and whispered, “Richard, look! Don’t they look adorable?”
“Mom! Dad!” Andy stood to hug both her parents, surprised by the extra squeeze her dad gave her.
“Oh, my baby girl,” he whispered. Andy gave him a quizzical look as she pulled away. He chucked her lightly on the chin.
“Oookay, then. You guys want a menu?” Andy was ready to get this show on the road.
Her dad looked somewhat startled as the waiter set a tall glass in front of him and a glass of white wine in front of his wife. “What’s this?” he questioned.
“We took the liberty of ordering your drinks for you, if that is acceptable, Mr. Sachs. A light beer for yourself, and a white wine for your wife, correct?” On the outside Miranda was gracious as always. On the inside she was starting on a pretty good buzz.
“Why, thank you Mrs. Priestly, that’s very kind.” Andy’s mom took a small sip. “Oh, this is quite good. Is it Gallo ?”
“No, it is not. And please, call me Miranda.”
“If you say so, Miranda. I guess we all will be getting quite a bit closer by the time dinner comes around, wouldn’t you say?”
Miranda wasn’t quite drunk yet, but did Andy’s mom just wink at her?
“I’m so glad you could come, Mom, Dad,” Andy started, and then stopped. How on earth was she going to say this?
“Well, kitten, you said it was important, and from the looks of things I guess it is,” her dad answered, his eyes roaming around the table until they settled on Doug.
Miranda caught the startled look on Doug’s face, following it back to Andy’s dad. Oh, God. Surely he didn’t think…
“So, how’s work, Son?” Andy’s dad asked pointedly of Doug.
Lily spit her drink halfway across the table, and Miranda raised her eyebrow. Another glass appeared before both of them in moments.
“Work? Work is…fine. Mr. Sachs. Fine,” Doug stammered.
“Good to hear, good to hear. Always good to start things with a strong financial foundation, know what I mean?” Richard Sachs was reaching for his second tall glass as Andy decided it was time to make her move.
“Mom, Dad? I know I was pretty vague about why I wanted you to come…” she started.
“Oh, honey, that’s fine. These things really are too important to be handled over the phone,” her mom cooed, finishing her second glass of wine. Apparently everybody thought it was a good idea to toss a few back this evening.
“Um, right. Anyway, what I wanted to tell you, what we wanted to tell you…” Andy paused to toss back a shot of her own liquid courage. Her mom took the moment for her own long swill of wine and her dad plastered a huge grin on his face and leaned forward. “We...I’m getting married, Mom. Dad. We’re getting married.”
Andy’s parents leapt from their chairs, her father’s being knocked over in the process. The waiter, well tipped in both the fiscal and informative sense, moved to set the chair right as he carried over another round of drinks for everyone.
“Oh, my baby girl! Oh, my baby girl is getting married!” Andy’s mom was squealing as she ran around the table to wrap her daughter in a bone-crushing hug.
“About damn time, boy, about damn time!” her father chortled as he yanked Doug from his chair and pumped his arm like a Vegas slot machine. “Hey, you wanna come out and go fishing this summer?”
Lily tossed back the entire contents of her glass and stared wide-eyed at Miranda, who by now had drained her own glass and was reaching for its replacement. Both chose to ride out the wave of chaos as Andy’s parents began to wind down from their uproar.
“Mom, MOM! Stop! No. NO! Sit down… SIT DOWN!” Andy finally shouted, grateful Miranda had requested they be seated in a back room, away from the main dining area. “Mom, Dad. You have this wrong. Dad, let go of Doug, NOW!”
Finally getting her parents seated again, she faced the couple as they grinned at her and Doug alternately. Taking first, a deep breath, second a healthy swig from her own glass, and third, Miranda’s hand, Andy rose to her feet, pulling Miranda with her.
“Mom, Dad. Doug and I are NOT getting married. Miranda and I are getting married. We are getting married. She and I…us,” she paused, then turned to Miranda. “Us. I asked her to marry me, and she said ‘yes.’” For an instant, there was no one else in the room. For an instant, it was just Miranda looking back at her with a slightly watery glaze in her eyes. For an instant, it was just-
“I don’t understand…” her father started.
“What?” her mother asked nearly at the same time.
“What are you talking about, ‘you’…what ‘you’? How can there be a you? You mean you, him, you…”
“Mom, please. You knew about us. I told you about us! Dad, why would you think I meant Doug?”
“Well, if you’re getting married, who else would it be? You can’t marry her, you can’t marry a-“
Andy dropped Miranda’s hand and stepped closer to her father. “Be very careful, Daddy. Be. Very. Careful.”
Andy’s father seemed to shrink a little. “But I thought, I thought you would, it would, it was…”
“You thought what, Dad, it was a phase? That I would get over it? That I would suddenly ‘come to my senses’? Is that what you thought too, Mom?”
Andy’s mom was sitting in silence, her hand slightly shaking on her empty glass. She looked to be truly in pain. No one was more surprised than Miranda at the hand that settled over Mrs. Sachs’ own.
“Mrs. Sachs, I understand your…surprise...at the end result of Andrea’s and I’s relationship, but you should not be surprised at the depth to which your daughter’s emotions run. She is a very, very special woman, Mrs. Sachs. And a woman to whom I have promised to be faithful and true for the rest of my life. I intend to take very good care of your daughter.”
“And I intend to take very good care of Miranda, Mom,” said Andy, moving up behind Miranda. “I love her, Mom. With everything that I am. And hey, grandkids aren’t out of the picture; Caroline and Cassidy come with the package!” she joked, all the while watching her mother’s face for a reaction.
Finally, her mother seemed to steel herself. Pulling her hand from Miranda’s, she reached for the newest glass of wine and took a small sip. Replacing the glass on the table she raised her hand back to Miranda, offering it to the woman being held gently by her daughter.
“Then I guess you better start calling me Helen, Miranda, because it looks like this is something that’s going to happen no matter what I think or want.”
Gently taking the woman’s hand, Miranda replied, “I would hope you want your daughter to be happy, Helen. I intend to make that happen.”
“She already has, Mom. She already has,” Andy chimed in again, standing close behind Miranda and holding her by the shoulders. “This is what I want, what we want. Hey, nobody was more surprised than the two of us, trust me. But it works, and it’s right, and we are going to do it with or without your blessing. I’d like for you to be a part of our lives, Mom, and I want us to be a part of yours. Can we start with that?”
Miranda reached up to take one of Andy’s hands that rested on her shoulder. Pulling it to her, she kissed it lightly. At that, something inside Andy’s mom seemed to slip, and a small smile cracked on her lips.
“You two are in for quite a ride. I can see that already,” she quipped.
Miranda only smiled back, as Andy leaned down to kiss her cheek and reach across for her mother’s hand. Doug reached for his latest beer and looked at Andy’s still stunned father.
“So, we gonna go fishing or what?”
All hail the Freakboat. Or blame. Your choice!
Disclaimer: The Devil Wears Prada belongs to neither me nor ceelyn . No infringement intended, no money being made. The building belongs to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox. We're just redecorating. When finished, we will tear down the new curtains and fancy artwork, but leave the festive paint…
Rating: T
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada
Pairing: Mirandy
-------------------------------------
The Fifth ~ CeeLyn’s
This was going to be fun.
NOT.
Andy leaned over and took a hefty swallow of Miranda’s drink, coughing a little at the amount of alcohol she discovered.
“A double? And I thought I was the one in bad shape,” she joked halfheartedly.
Miranda simply raised an eyebrow and yet another glass appeared before her like magic, the waiter duly informed of his requirements for the evening. Though it would be in horribly bad taste to drink to excess this evening, Miranda couldn’t deny the fact that if she were another person, in another place, she would be hammered by now, and totally shitfaced by the end of the evening. No, this was not going to be a fun night.
“Incoming,” Andy called quietly as Doug and Lily appeared in the doorway of the darkened restaurant.
Miranda surreptitiously tossed back her drink as Andy’s friends were led to their table.
“Hey, Andy! How’re you doing? Hello Miranda.” Doug’s and Lily’s greetings were pleasant, but something in their eyes told Miranda that they knew this evening was not about a casual dinner but standing beside their friend as she prepared to do battle with her parents.
“Hello, Lily, Hello Douglas,” Miranda said as Doug kissed her on the cheek. As the two newcomers took their chairs the waiter appeared again, drinks in hand. Lily looked first at Andy, then at Miranda, and laughed.
“Well, okay then. I guess it’s on. You two seriously going to do this, huh? Braver than I am.”
Both Miranda and Andy knew that marriage was not what Lily referred, but informing Andy’s parents of such. Without further comment the four raised their glasses, tinking them together for a silent toast.
After a long pull on his beer Doug sat back and whispered, “Showtime. Once more into the breach…”
********
Andy’s parents weren’t quite sure why she had asked them to visit, but they had high hopes it had everything to do with one of the people sitting at her table. Why else would she have flown them in on Valentine’s Day? As they were ushered to the table, Andy’s mom leaned over and whispered, “Richard, look! Don’t they look adorable?”
“Mom! Dad!” Andy stood to hug both her parents, surprised by the extra squeeze her dad gave her.
“Oh, my baby girl,” he whispered. Andy gave him a quizzical look as she pulled away. He chucked her lightly on the chin.
“Oookay, then. You guys want a menu?” Andy was ready to get this show on the road.
Her dad looked somewhat startled as the waiter set a tall glass in front of him and a glass of white wine in front of his wife. “What’s this?” he questioned.
“We took the liberty of ordering your drinks for you, if that is acceptable, Mr. Sachs. A light beer for yourself, and a white wine for your wife, correct?” On the outside Miranda was gracious as always. On the inside she was starting on a pretty good buzz.
“Why, thank you Mrs. Priestly, that’s very kind.” Andy’s mom took a small sip. “Oh, this is quite good. Is it Gallo ?”
“No, it is not. And please, call me Miranda.”
“If you say so, Miranda. I guess we all will be getting quite a bit closer by the time dinner comes around, wouldn’t you say?”
Miranda wasn’t quite drunk yet, but did Andy’s mom just wink at her?
“I’m so glad you could come, Mom, Dad,” Andy started, and then stopped. How on earth was she going to say this?
“Well, kitten, you said it was important, and from the looks of things I guess it is,” her dad answered, his eyes roaming around the table until they settled on Doug.
Miranda caught the startled look on Doug’s face, following it back to Andy’s dad. Oh, God. Surely he didn’t think…
“So, how’s work, Son?” Andy’s dad asked pointedly of Doug.
Lily spit her drink halfway across the table, and Miranda raised her eyebrow. Another glass appeared before both of them in moments.
“Work? Work is…fine. Mr. Sachs. Fine,” Doug stammered.
“Good to hear, good to hear. Always good to start things with a strong financial foundation, know what I mean?” Richard Sachs was reaching for his second tall glass as Andy decided it was time to make her move.
“Mom, Dad? I know I was pretty vague about why I wanted you to come…” she started.
“Oh, honey, that’s fine. These things really are too important to be handled over the phone,” her mom cooed, finishing her second glass of wine. Apparently everybody thought it was a good idea to toss a few back this evening.
“Um, right. Anyway, what I wanted to tell you, what we wanted to tell you…” Andy paused to toss back a shot of her own liquid courage. Her mom took the moment for her own long swill of wine and her dad plastered a huge grin on his face and leaned forward. “We...I’m getting married, Mom. Dad. We’re getting married.”
Andy’s parents leapt from their chairs, her father’s being knocked over in the process. The waiter, well tipped in both the fiscal and informative sense, moved to set the chair right as he carried over another round of drinks for everyone.
“Oh, my baby girl! Oh, my baby girl is getting married!” Andy’s mom was squealing as she ran around the table to wrap her daughter in a bone-crushing hug.
“About damn time, boy, about damn time!” her father chortled as he yanked Doug from his chair and pumped his arm like a Vegas slot machine. “Hey, you wanna come out and go fishing this summer?”
Lily tossed back the entire contents of her glass and stared wide-eyed at Miranda, who by now had drained her own glass and was reaching for its replacement. Both chose to ride out the wave of chaos as Andy’s parents began to wind down from their uproar.
“Mom, MOM! Stop! No. NO! Sit down… SIT DOWN!” Andy finally shouted, grateful Miranda had requested they be seated in a back room, away from the main dining area. “Mom, Dad. You have this wrong. Dad, let go of Doug, NOW!”
Finally getting her parents seated again, she faced the couple as they grinned at her and Doug alternately. Taking first, a deep breath, second a healthy swig from her own glass, and third, Miranda’s hand, Andy rose to her feet, pulling Miranda with her.
“Mom, Dad. Doug and I are NOT getting married. Miranda and I are getting married. We are getting married. She and I…us,” she paused, then turned to Miranda. “Us. I asked her to marry me, and she said ‘yes.’” For an instant, there was no one else in the room. For an instant, it was just Miranda looking back at her with a slightly watery glaze in her eyes. For an instant, it was just-
“I don’t understand…” her father started.
“What?” her mother asked nearly at the same time.
“What are you talking about, ‘you’…what ‘you’? How can there be a you? You mean you, him, you…”
“Mom, please. You knew about us. I told you about us! Dad, why would you think I meant Doug?”
“Well, if you’re getting married, who else would it be? You can’t marry her, you can’t marry a-“
Andy dropped Miranda’s hand and stepped closer to her father. “Be very careful, Daddy. Be. Very. Careful.”
Andy’s father seemed to shrink a little. “But I thought, I thought you would, it would, it was…”
“You thought what, Dad, it was a phase? That I would get over it? That I would suddenly ‘come to my senses’? Is that what you thought too, Mom?”
Andy’s mom was sitting in silence, her hand slightly shaking on her empty glass. She looked to be truly in pain. No one was more surprised than Miranda at the hand that settled over Mrs. Sachs’ own.
“Mrs. Sachs, I understand your…surprise...at the end result of Andrea’s and I’s relationship, but you should not be surprised at the depth to which your daughter’s emotions run. She is a very, very special woman, Mrs. Sachs. And a woman to whom I have promised to be faithful and true for the rest of my life. I intend to take very good care of your daughter.”
“And I intend to take very good care of Miranda, Mom,” said Andy, moving up behind Miranda. “I love her, Mom. With everything that I am. And hey, grandkids aren’t out of the picture; Caroline and Cassidy come with the package!” she joked, all the while watching her mother’s face for a reaction.
Finally, her mother seemed to steel herself. Pulling her hand from Miranda’s, she reached for the newest glass of wine and took a small sip. Replacing the glass on the table she raised her hand back to Miranda, offering it to the woman being held gently by her daughter.
“Then I guess you better start calling me Helen, Miranda, because it looks like this is something that’s going to happen no matter what I think or want.”
Gently taking the woman’s hand, Miranda replied, “I would hope you want your daughter to be happy, Helen. I intend to make that happen.”
“She already has, Mom. She already has,” Andy chimed in again, standing close behind Miranda and holding her by the shoulders. “This is what I want, what we want. Hey, nobody was more surprised than the two of us, trust me. But it works, and it’s right, and we are going to do it with or without your blessing. I’d like for you to be a part of our lives, Mom, and I want us to be a part of yours. Can we start with that?”
Miranda reached up to take one of Andy’s hands that rested on her shoulder. Pulling it to her, she kissed it lightly. At that, something inside Andy’s mom seemed to slip, and a small smile cracked on her lips.
“You two are in for quite a ride. I can see that already,” she quipped.
Miranda only smiled back, as Andy leaned down to kiss her cheek and reach across for her mother’s hand. Doug reached for his latest beer and looked at Andy’s still stunned father.
“So, we gonna go fishing or what?”