The Devil Wears Prada: Science of Fashion Part 21
Title: Science of Fashion (21/?)
Author: vicar_dibley
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada
Pairing: Andy/Miranda AU
Rating: G (for now)
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from The Devil Wears Prada
Author's note: English isn't my first language, this hasn't been beta'd so forgive me. The mistakes (language wise and otherwise) are all mine. This is my first DWP fan fiction. Hope you like it:) Comments are welcome!
Summary: It’s an alternative universe, Andy is about 35 and Miranda is 50. In my story Andy is not cheery.
Science of Fashion
21
Just when they had finished their tea in the sitting room George informed them that the car was waiting to take Miranda to the airport to get the girls. Andy thanked him and accompanied Miranda to the front door.
Charles, their driver, was opening the back door of the Bentley when the women exited the house. With Miranda’s hand firmly in her own Andy strolled with her to the waiting car.
“You take good care of them Charles and bring them back safe and sound”, Andy instructed the driver with a touch of steel in her voice. Causing Charles to swallow visibly and Miranda to raise her left eyebrow.
“Yes, your Grace.”
“We’ll be fine, Andrea”, Miranda put a soothing hand over the younger woman’s heart.
“All right”, the noblewoman relented giving the hand on her chest a gentle squeeze.
“I have to go”, Miranda kissed Andrea before she let her help her into the car. “We’ll be back soon.”
“I can’t wait.”
Andy watched the car drive off and finally returned to the house to play the promised game of cards with her grandmother, Bridget and Emily.
The drive to the airport was a pleasant one. Miranda was lost in her thoughts contemplating the last week she had spent with Andrea. It had been wonderful. Andrea was attentive, loving and sweet. Given her current situation the younger woman was also her knight in shining armour. The thought caused Miranda to smile knowing that she had always fought tooth and nails when a man tried to treat her like that. It had always made her feel weak, small and needy. A feeling she abhorred. But with Andrea she felt loved and cared for. Maybe because Andrea was a woman. Miranda suspected it had more to do with the certain knowledge that there was no hidden agenda with Andrea, no need to make her submit to her. Andrea simply was that way, with her it came naturally. For the first time it felt good. Also Andrea’s relationship with her girls felt right. It wasn’t forced but genuine. With a loving smile when she thought of the woman who had so completely captured her heart Miranda leaned back into the soft leather of her seat, looking forward to see her daughter’s surprised faces when they would find out who they were staying with.
At the airport Charles drove to the section where the private planes were stationed and parked in front of the hangar for the plane they were waiting for. It didn’t take long until the private plane was rolling towards the car. Charles got out of the car to open the door for Miranda and help her out. The plane had come to a stop when Miranda stepped out of the Bentley, the door of the plane was opened and the steps were lowered by a blonde attendant. The woman vacated the door and two little redheads raced down the stairs into their mother’s waiting arms.
“Mom!” “Mommy!” Caroline and Cassidy shouted with glee upon spotting their mother already waiting for them.
“Babies!” Miranda crouched down to gather them in her arms. She held them tightly inhaling the scent of their hair and absorbing the warmth of their bodies.
“We’ve missed you, mom!” Cassidy said against Miranda’s neck, glad to be with her again.
“I’ve missed you two, too.”
Charles had taken care of the luggage and was waiting next to the car for the Priestly women to get in. Miranda took her daughters´ hands in her own to climb into the car with her. As soon as they were settled in the big comfortable limousine they drove off. With a girl under each arm firmly pressed against her sides Miranda felt complete. Andrea was waiting for them back at the estate and she had her daughters with her, spending a whole week together without any interruption. Life couldn’t possibly be any better.
“So tell me, how was your time with your father?”
“Boring”, Caroline muttered.
“He never had time for us and Diana is only nice to us when dad is there”, Cassidy complained.
Sighing at her ex-husband’s attitude Miranda deposited a kiss on each girl’s head, feeling angry at Greg’s carelessness. He has never been much of a husband and now it seemed as if he wasn’t much of a father either. The girls loved him but he obviously didn’t deserve them. Ironically enough it had been him who wanted children with Miranda hoping they would make her change somehow. But when he realised that she wouldn’t he lost his interest. Unbeknownst to him Miranda had blossomed in her role as a mother. At that time their already fragile relationship was in its last breaths and Miranda didn’t think there was much to do to safe it and she didn’t want to. Contrary to Greg’s believe and opinion of her Miranda always put her daughters before business. Something he never could, just as he did this time.
“Where are we going, mommy?” Caroline asked as she watched the landscape rush by in the early evening.
“We are going to stay with a friend. It’s in the country, with lots of place to play outside.”
“What friend?” Cassidy asked suspiciously, already fearing it might be one of those people who wanted to impress their mother to gain her favour.
“A very good friend. A real friend. You are going to like it, you’ll see.” Miranda smiled at her daughter’s frown.
“If you say so.” Caroline was anything but convinced.
For the rest of the drive the twins told their mother about the things they did at their father’s although they insisted that it hadn’t been that much fun. They told her about a few of the pranks they played on Diana much to Greg’s chagrin. Thankfully none of them were too bad. It didn’t help though in winning their stepmother over. On the contrary Diana made it known quite clearly that she was glad to send the little devils back to their demonic mother. Miranda had no illusions about what her girls were capable of but Diana’s undisguised dislike of their mother didn’t sit well with the twins. They always felt compelled to defend Miranda and sometimes tended to go a little bit over board with their games.
When they turned into the driveway of Edgewood Hall both girls hung open mouthed at the car window. They were used to big houses but something like this they only knew from TV shows set in England.
“Wow”, they said in unison.
“Wow, indeed”, Miranda agreed with a smirk.
As soon as the car stopped at the front steps the entrance to the house opened revealing George who welcomed them with a smile for the girls.
They got out and the girls were too impressed by the grandness of the place that they firmly stayed at their mother’s side.
“Welcome back, Madam”, George greeted them without his usual snotty attitude. “And this must be Miss Caroline and Miss Cassidy.”
“Thank you, George”, Miranda was grateful for the man’s warm words. “Yes, they are.”
“Welcome to Edgewood Hall ladies. I’m George, the butler.”
“Good evening”, the twins greeted shyly.
“Where is everybody, George?” Miranda asked curiously.
“Her Grace, the Contessa, her Ladyship and Miss Emily are still in the drawing room playing cards”, George informed her, already leading the way.
The girls followed with their heads swirling from side to side trying to take in everything at once, completely overwhelmed by the new impressions.
“Mrs Priestly and her daughters have arrived, Madam”, George said as he opened the door to the drawing room.
“Finally”, Sophia and Andy got up to welcome them.
Miranda was the first to enter the room, winking at Andrea when she stepped aside to reveal the surprise for her daughters. When they saw who was waiting for them all shyness and reluctance was forgotten as they raced towards Andy with beaming faces.
“Andy!” They tackled their hero nearly to the ground in their exuberance to greet her with a hug.
“Whoa”, Andy took a balancing step back when two torpedoes connected with her body. “Does that mean you are happy to see me?”
The girls merely tightened their hold and nodded against Andy’s stomach causing the biologist to laugh.
“So am I.” Andy winked at Miranda.
“Now, cara mia”, Sophia was getting impatient to meet the twins, “am I going to meet my partners in crime?”
“Of course, nonna”, Andy smiled sheepishly.
With an arm around the little redheads Andy introduced them to her grandmother.
“Caroline, Cassidy meet my grandmother. Sophia Sachs, the Contessa Adriani.”
“Hello Caroline, hello Cassidy”, Sophia’s warm hand and voice set the girls instantly at ease with the elderly woman.
“Hello”, the twins said shyly. “Ma´am.”
“No, no, no ma´am. Call me Sophia!”
Thinking about it Caroline looked at her sister and after a short wordless communication she answered for both of them.
“We can’t.”
“You can’t?”
Shaking her head at the question, Sophia was perplexed and looked at Miranda for some explanation but the editor only shrugged her shoulders equally puzzled.
“No”, it was Cassidy’s task to do the explaining. “It wouldn’t be right. You see, you are Andy’s grandmother and now that she and our mother have figured it out well we thought that, maybe, you know...”
“Ah”, understanding was dawning on the older woman’s face. Sophia suddenly knew what the girls meant and she was touched beyond believe at what they were asking. Obviously so were Andy and Miranda, both looked surprised but equally touched. Sophia felt it prudent to ask for Miranda’s permission. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” The editor was stunned by her daughters´ behaviour. What was it about the Sachs women that made all of them so at ease with things they had always waved off so easily?
“Well, then I would love for you two to call me nonna.”
“Great”, the girls hugged Andy’s grandmother.
“Well, well, two more glorious redheads in the family, about bloody time”, Bridget announced from the back with a big grin on her face.
“Girls”, Andy sighed, “this loudmouth is my cousin Bridget.”
“Hi!” “Hello!” The girls could definitely relate to the sentiment and shot the woman beaming smiles of their own. Followed by a good natured “Hello, Emily!”
“Hello!”
“So, would you like to share a room or do you prefer separate ones?” Sophia asked the girls before making the wrong assumptions.
“We share”, Caroline answered for both of them.
“Well, then, Andy why don’t you show them their room. It’s the one next to Miranda’s.” The Contessa suggested. “And when you are settled in we’ll have dinner.”
“Right”, Andy nodded, “come on ladies.”
Leading the way to the first floor Andy had a smile on her face listening to the girls´ excited chatter about the wonders of Edgewood Hall. They couldn’t believe their eyes, having known such houses only from movies so far. Andy knew without a doubt that she would spend tomorrow with them exploring the house and its treasures.
Andy stopped in front of the room right next to Miranda’s before she opened the door to let the girls in.
“Here we are.”
“Wow!” Cassidy exclaimed when she saw how big the room was. The bed looked soft and inviting and big enough for four people to sleep in it.
“That’s great, Andy!” Caroline finally found her voice.
“Well, I’m glad you like it”, the biologist smirked. “Take a quick look and then get ready for dinner, please.”
“Okay!”
On her way out Miranda stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm and a kiss to her scared cheek, causing Andy to blush becomingly.
“Thank you, darling.” Miranda knew for Andrea this was her way to assure that her children would have a good time spinning fantastic tales in a room like this but it was a sweet gesture nonetheless. Done so effortlessly it made her fall even harder for the younger woman.
“You are welcome.”
Dinner was relaxed and full of good humour at everybody’s expense. Miranda could see her daughters were having the time of their life. Conversation was flowing easily always including the twins one way or the other. Sophia was asking them a lot of interested questions and Andrea and Bridget were telling funny stories of their childhood. Even Emily seemed to warm to her little devils which in itself wasn’t such a surprise to the editor because she knew when people had the chance to know her daughters they usually couldn’t resist their charm.
Afterwards, Sophia and Miranda retired to the sitting room while the others took the girls on a little expedition of the ground floor, saving the best parts for tomorrow.
“You have done a wonderful job with your daughters, Miranda”, Sophia said with admiration while sipping her tea.
“Thank you”, Miranda didn’t know why but she felt prouder than usual at the words. “It hasn’t always been easy for them, for us. To balance the demands of my work and their needs has often been a real trial.”
“I can only imagine”, Sophia agreed sympathetically. “They love you very much and they are happy.”
“I love them too and do hope that they are happy. I try my best.”
“They are”, Sophia patted Miranda’s hand gently. “I have to say I was a bit surprised at their great affection for Andy.”
“Make no mistake”, Miranda tried to explain this special relationship, “Cassidy and Caroline do not easily open up to other people. But with Andrea it has been different right from the beginning. Andrea is their hero. She always takes them serious, takes time to explain everything to them, her never ending patience when asked endless questions is admirable.”
“It seems to me this feeling is quite mutual”, the Contessa smiled, “I saw my granddaughter’s face when you returned with the girls. She was genuinely happy.”
“I know”, the editor agreed with fondness in her voice.
When the girls returned from their thorough tour it was decided to call it a day. Together all women of the newly founded tribe climbed the stairs to their respective rooms for a good night’s sleep.
Andy had finished her ablutions and was looking forward to a few chapters of her novel before she would succumb to sleep. Getting comfortable on top of her sheets, clad in her pyjamas she put on her reading glasses and opened the book were she had left off the other night.
Andy was completely engrossed in the hunt for a murderer when a soft knock followed by two little redheads startled her from her concentration bringing a smile to her face.
“Hey, Andy”, Caroline smiled sheepishly.
“Hey, yourself”, Andy couldn’t contain the face splitting grin that appeared, “shouldn’t you two be in your bed already, fast asleep?”
“Yeah, but we can’t”, Cassidy provided helpfully, “we’ve already slept on the plane.”
“Get in you little minions”, Andy ordered playfully patting the empty spot on the bad next to her.
“Great!” The girls raced to the bed, jumped in and wiggled around to get comfortable next to their hero.
Andy put the book and her glasses on the night stand wondering what was on the girls´ minds that brought her to her room.
Miranda drew her soft grey bathrobe over her cream coloured night gown before she left her own room to take a last look on her daughters to tuck them in. She lightly rapped on the door to announce her presence before she opened it quietly, in case they were already asleep.
Her eyes wide with surprise she stared at the empty bed then, towards an obviously empty bathroom wondering were her girls had wandered off to.
“They just slipped into Andy’s room”, Miranda jumped at the unexpected voice right behind her. With a hand over her thundering heart the editor turned around with murder in her eyes that instantly softened at the apologetic look on Bridget’s face.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you”, the redheaded woman said with raised hands.
“It’s quite all right”, Miranda waved off the apology, “I just didn’t expect anybody.”
“My fault”, Bridget shuffled her feet nervously. “Uhm...”
“Yes?” Miranda asked with an amused gaze at the younger woman. She did remind her of Andrea very much right now. Tall, handsome, self-confident and at the same time shy when it came to being forward with a woman.
“I just wanted to say that I think it’s great that you and your daughters are here. Andy loves you, everybody with eyes and half a brain can see that. Which is wonderful because you are a great lady. She deserves to be happy, I’m glad she finally found what’s missing from her life.”
“Thank you”, Miranda was slightly flustered.
“Yeah, well, you are welcome”, Bridget scratched her chin thoughtfully, “well, good night.”
“Good night”, Miranda softly called after the retreating woman.
Through the slightly ajar door to Andrea’s room Miranda heard the distinct voices of her daughters talking to the woman she loved. Peeking in without the three of them noticing she found them huddled together on the bed looking adorable each and every one of them. Her daughters were wearing their Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger pyjamas while Andrea was wearing a t-shirt sporting Paddington Bear and pyjama trousers in tartan. But what nearly brought her to her knees was the conversation between her three favourite girls. She knew she shouldn’t be eavesdropping on them but she just couldn’t help it. This was just too important and precious a moment.
“Andy, are you mad at us?” Cassidy asked with a worried voice finding the pattern on Andy´s pyjama trousers most interesting.
“What?” The biologist asked confused, “Why should I be mad at you?”
“Because we meddled with you and mom.” Caroline took over from her sister.
“Come here you two”, Andy held out her arms, waiting until both girls were safely tucked under an arm, kissing their heads before she answered.
“How could I be mad? You just made sure I got the much needed kick in my butt.”
Both girls giggled snuggling deeper into Andy’s warm body.
“So you don’t mind that we told your grandmother about you and mom and that she invited mom?”
“Nope, absolutely not.” Andy emphasised. “It was necessary to work things out between your mom and myself.”
“You love her, don’t you?” Caroline asked looking up at Andy with hopeful eyes.
“More than I can possibly tell you”, Andy smiled at the girl.
“Awesome”, the little redhead whispered as she snuggled against Andy.
“Are you mad that we asked your grandmother to call her nonna?” Cassidy needed to make sure it was okay even though she had a feeling that it was more than okay.
“Don’t be silly, Cass! Nonna was anxious to meet you and she is ecstatic you call her that”, Andy reassured them, “I’m happy you do.”
“What do you say, love?” Andy asked with a smirk having spotted Miranda in the door earlier.
“I agree, darling”, Miranda smiled from the doorway. “Girls it’s time for you to leave. It’s late and you should be in your room.”
“Aw, mom!” “Come on, Miranda!”
Blinking at the protest from her loved ones Miranda couldn’t help but laugh out loud, Andrea sounded just like her daughters. So this was what lay in her future? Andrea siding with the girls? Could she be any luckier? Probably not.
“Come on, Miranda. Close the door and come in.” Andy suggested with an outstretched hand.
“Andrea, I’m not sure...”
“Yes, mom! This bed is huge”, Cassidy seconded the sentiment.
“Room enough for all of us”, Caroline added eagerly.
Gazing into three sets of expectant eyes Miranda knew she had no chance at all. She couldn’t resist, not that she wanted to. This was a battle she gladly lost. Who would have thought that losing could hold such a wonderful reward.
Pushing away from the door frame, Miranda closed the door behind her and slid off her robe to join the girls and Andrea under the covers. The twins had taken up the space between the adults each cuddling against Miranda or Andy. The women sought out each other’s hand over the comforter, entwining their fingers together. Everything had happened so fast but it felt so right to both of them.
After a few more stories about her childhood mischief with her brother and her cousin the girls were sound asleep, neatly tucked under the covers, surrounded by the love and protection of their mother and their Andy.
Leaning over her sleeping daughters Miranda gently kissed their foreheads before she leaned further to kiss Andrea’s lips.
“Good night, my darling.”
“Good night, love.”
TBC