Tickle Tantrum Part 6/?
Tickle Tantrum
Chapter 6/?
Pairing Miranda/Andy
Rating: Um PG 13 maybe... eventually?
Disclaimer: See Part 1
AN 1 For those who may wish to know, the issues I have given Miranda regarding her emotions are related to some forms of high functioning Asperger’s Syndrome (sometimes called Autistic Spectrum Disorder). A condition with which I am quite familiar as my own Lady Wife has been diagn osed with Asperger’s.
AN 2 Once again this is for my Dandy Mirandy Pals Quiethearted and AkaSarasmom, cause they keep nudging me in the best possible way to make sure I work on completing this fic. And of course to TLW for beta reading for me as I provided her with copious amounts of coffee and Baileys. (Anything for a good review by the Mrs.)
AN 3 For them as weren’t born and raised on the North American continent, a PB&J is a Peanut Butter and Jelly (or if you’re a Canuck that would be ‘jam’) sandwich.
***
Andy stretched and turned her head into the back of the couch wincing as she felt a stinging pain around her eye, the unexpected discomfort pulling her into full consciousness. She blinked as she adjusted to the light and raised a hand to the left side of her face wincing again at the tender feeling around her eye. Her movements caused the woman in her arms to murmur and nestle in closer to her side. Looking down Andy could see that Miranda’s sleeping face was peaceful even though it still bore some signs of her earlier crying.
As she continued to lay there she was amazed at how incredibly natural it felt to be holding Miranda, as if she had been made for just this purpose. She wasn’t sure what Miranda would do when she woke up, how she would react to what had happened earlier, but the memory of her soft lips and even more the whispered thank you filled Andy with hope for the best.
Without warning Andy’s stomach gave a loud rumble and she was reminded that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Not wanting to wake Miranda, she began to move as gently as possible, attempting to manoeuvre herself out from under the sleeping woman in her arms. Miranda murmured and her brow creased in displeasure as Andy fully extricated herself from the couch.
“Shhh, sleep, I’ll be here I promise,” Andy whispered as she settled Miranda’s head on a pillow, and re-settled the throw so she was fully covered. The younger woman gave in to the temptation and paused in order to gently stroke the silken strands of white a few times before standing up. She smiled at Miranda who hummed in contentment and snuggled deeper into the couch.
Leaving the older woman in the study, Andy went down the short hall toward the kitchen in search of something to stop the rumble of her hungry stomach. She figured if she didn’t get fired for giving Miranda a tickle torture, she was unlikely to be fired for raiding her fridge for a midnight snack. The thought made her glance at her watch and with some surprise she realised she’d slept for almost an hour and it was now nearly one in the morning, no wonder she was hungry, she hadn’t eaten in almost seventeen hours.
She quickly went about throwing together a PB&J and a glass of milk, smiling all the while at being right that where there were children there would be the four most important food groups, milk, bread, peanut butter and of course jelly, even here in the Priestly household. Sitting down at the kitchen table she bit into her sandwich and chewed with gusto. As she ate she looked around the kitchen noting with some surprise its country style design and furnishings, it was homey, welcoming and warm. She smiled to herself as she pictured Miranda and the twins having a lively dinner time conversation or a cosy Sunday morning breakfast in what would be a sunny, well lit room. As she washed, dried and put away her dishes she expanded her vision to include herself in the scenario making her famous marmalade French toast for the Priestly women. Sighing she sent up a small prayer that her fantasy might someday become reality and went back to the study to see how Miranda was doing.
On her way there she detoured to the half bathroom opposite the study. Looking into the mirror she gave a tiny gasp as she saw why the left side of her face felt so stiff. The eye was red and swollen and the area around it and her cheekbone were beginning to discolour. With some dismay she realised that by the morning she was likely to have one hell of a shiner. She couldn’t help but smirk, just a little as she remembered Miranda elbowing her in the eye in her mad attempts to get away from Andy’s menacing fingers.
“I won’t even be able to say you should see the other guy,” she chuckled to herself as she grabbed one of the soft face towels and wet it with cold water to make a compress for her eye. Holding the cloth in place she went back into the study where Miranda was still peacefully sleeping on the couch, her arms hugging the cushion Andy had rested on earlier like a teddy bear.
Andy found her bag on the floor just outside the study and took out the notes she’d been working on before the Book was delivered. She hoped that if she could expand on the two ideas she’d come up with one of them might be able to save the shoot and minimise the need for changes in the June issue. Nipping back to the kitchen she made herself a cup of herbal tea and then returned to the study where she made herself comfortable at Miranda’s desk and began to work.
***
Miranda stirred at the familiar sound of the clock in the hall striking the hour. Blinking sleepily, she let go of the cushion she had been pressing her face into and sat up as she shrugged the throw from her shoulders. Reacting to the sound of the hall’s time piece, she squinted at her watch and saw that it was 4:00 in the morning. She stretched and tilted her neck back and forth to work through the kinks she’d developed sleeping curled on the couch. As she moved her head to the right her desk came into view and she was treated to the sight of her second Assistant sound asleep and sprawled across the desktop pen still in hand, as if waiting for a new stream of instructions to note down.
“Andrea,” she whispered with a note of wonder threaded through her voice.
Sitting back into the couch she watched the amazing, perplexing, and gently beautiful girl sleep as she sorted through her memories of events earlier in the evening. Miranda didn’t know what had prompted Andy to do what she’d done. At the time it was happening she’d truly thought the girl had snapped under the pressure of the job and her boss’ terrible moods. Miranda snorted as she thought about her abysmal behaviour since Paris, and shaking her head at herself, she quietly said, “Who could blame Andrea if she had snapped?”
Apparently however, Andy had known exactly what she was doing and somehow the tickling assault had led to a much needed release of her scrambled and intense emotions through her subsequent crying fit. Miranda’s cheeks shaded a light pink as she remembered that part of the evening, realising that she must have looked an absolute fright, red faced, snot nosed and tear stained. Those thoughts led her to memories of Andy’s gentle and comforting caresses and the way she’d taken care of her, cleaned her up and held her close offering her silent comfort.
Miranda’s eyes grew large as she remembered what had happened next, the look of love Andy had graced her with had touched an answering feeling inside the editor’s own heart. She remembered the feel of the smooth skin of the girl’s cheek, the incredibly soft, pliant lips as she’d kissed her, not once but three times. She also remembered falling into a dreamless sleep wrapped in strong, protective arms feeling safe and at peace.
‘What now?’ The thought intruded into her mind as she watched Andy move in her sleep, dropping the pen and folding her arms under her head, seeking a more comfortable position, finally resettling herself with her face now pointed toward the couch. Miranda continued to watch the sleeping girl as her mind thought furiously about what she should do next.
She knew she should feel shocked and maybe even distressed at having kissed Andy, she should feel surprised at finding herself attracted to a woman. She should be concerned that Andy was half her age, that the girl was her employee, that she was straight, that Andy was, as far as she knew, straight as well. She should be considering the idea that her feelings were only the result of her emotional overload and should not be trusted. She knew she should be worried about the twins and how this could affect them. She knew she should be concentrating on the fiasco of Stephen’s blackmail plans and the media circus that was going to occur. She should also be worried about the press feeding frenzy that would continue if she pursued anything further with Andy. She knew that Irv could and would try to use this against her if given the chance.
She knew she should be feeling and considering all these things, but the simple fact was, that she wasn’t. She wasn’t feeling shock or concern or worry, what she was feeling was calm, centred and whole, and she knew that was due entirely to the woman sleeping less than ten feet away. She knew on the most basic and essential level that she and Andy were meant for each other, and that they would be stronger together than apart.
Miranda stood up and folded the throw over the back of the couch. As she turned toward her desk she was reminded of something her grandmother had been fond of saying. “Miranda, life is always a challenge, but it is only hard if that’s the way you choose to make it.”
“Well Bubbe, I hope you’re right. I’ll deal with the challenges that being with Andrea sends my way and I won’t make this any harder than it needs to be.” Miranda whispered this pledge into the silent room as she moved to wake the sleeping girl at her desk.
Miranda stroked the brunette locks away from Andy’s face and then gently shook her shoulder. Andy mumbled something into her arm but remained sleeping. Miranda shook her shoulder again and quietly called her name.
“Andrea. Andrea you need to wake up darling.”
“M’randa, wha’s wrong, whatchoo need?” was Andy’s muffled and sleepy response as she raised her head and looked at Miranda with bleary eyes.
“My God! Did I do that?” Miranda was shocked to see Andy’s swollen eye and reached out to gently touch her cheek, “I’m so sorry Andrea, I had no idea I’d lashed out that strongly.” Filled with remorse for her clumsiness, she continued to gently stroke the bruised skin.
The feel of Miranda’s velvet soft fingertips grazing her tender cheekbone brought Andy to full wakefulness in a matter of seconds. She looked up at the older woman who continued to delicately cup her hand around Andy’s injured face. Andy reached up her own hand and held it over Miranda’s hand lest she take it away and deprive her of her touch.
“It’s not so bad really, it looks worse than it feels,” Andy reassured her.
Andy was nervous and a little uncertain about what to do now that Miranda was awake. Looking into clear blue eyes she saw the warmth and tenderness the woman was feeling as well as an interesting tinge of La Priestly determination. Wanting to respond in kind she took Miranda’s hand from her cheek turning it over and pressing a single feather light kiss in the palm before entwining their fingers together.
“How are you feeling now Miranda?”
“Considerably better Andrea.” She gave the brunette’s hand a tiny squeeze and continued, “Thank y…” She failed to finish the expression of gratitude as she scrunched her face into an enormous yawn, followed by a second in quick succession.
Andy’s eyes twinkled and she let out a delighted chuckle at the expression of surprise on Miranda’s face. As she laughed she realised her nervousness had completely disappeared, and she was feeling truly at ease and comfortable with their interaction. She decided to go for broke with this comfortable feeling and took her confidence in hand as she stood up from the desk, let go of Miranda’s hand and enfolded her in a firm hug.
“You’re welcome Miranda. I’m glad I could help.” She pulled back and looked deeply into the older woman’s eyes as she continued. “I will always want to help you Miranda, always.”
Miranda pulled her back into the hug and thanked Andy once more, or at least that’s what Andy thought she was saying, the words were a bit muffled as they were being spoken into the base of her neck where Miranda had tucked her head. After what Andy thought was an entirely too brief period, Miranda pulled out of the hug again and took a step back as she reached for both of Andy’s hands and held them gently in her own.
“Andrea, I know that we have a great deal we need to discuss, and I promise we will discuss it. For now, I want you to know that I care about you…care for you a great deal, and I have hope that you feel the same…” she paused and smiled at Andy who was vigorously nodding her head in assent before continuing with a pleasant twinkle in her eye.
“Well then, I’m pleased we’re agreed on that point. I want to tell you…” again she was caught short by a huge yawn which was instantly mirrored by Andy. They both smiled sheepishly before Miranda continued.
“I want to tell you about what’s been happening, but it’s complicated and not at all pleasant and I’d prefer to wait till the morning to do that now. I…I would greatly appreciate it if you would be here tomorrow when my lawyer and some… other people arrive.” Miranda paused not sure how to voice her next request. She knew what she truly wanted to ask Andy, she wanted to ask her to finish the early morning hours the way they had begun, with her strong arms wrapped around Miranda holding her close and safe. But as wonderful as that would be, she accepted it was too soon to invite the young woman into her bedroom even for something as platonic as comfort cuddling. She stayed silent as she tried to figure out how to proceed.
Andy watched Miranda ponder how to ask for what they both wanted and needed. She didn’t think Miranda would ask her to actually share her bed, but she sensed she didn’t want her to leave either, and that was fine by Andy because she didn’t want to leave. The soft chime of the clock striking the half hour gave Andy an idea and she pulled Miranda back into a loose hug.
“Of course I’ll be here for you tomorrow and the day after that, and the one after that and next week and next month. Always Miranda, I will always be here for you as long as you want me to be.” Andy held Miranda closer and continued.
“Now, it’s four thirty in the morning and we’re both tired, you should go to bed and get some more sleep.” On a whim she reached up and tapped Miranda’s nose playfully, “Don’t worry about me I’ll be fine, I happen to know from experience that the couch over there is quite comfortable.”
She grinned openly at Miranda and started to move toward the piece of furniture in question. Miranda stopped her move to the couch and took her hand as she headed toward the hall Andrea following along behind her.
“Don’t be ridiculous Andrea. I have several perfectly good guestrooms for you to choose from, all with very comfortable beds.” Without further explanation she led Andy up to the third floor of the townhouse pausing at a doorway at one end of the landing.
“Cara always keeps this room ready in case of unexpected guests, not that we’ve ever had one in the ten years she’s worked for me, but it seems to make her happy to have the room prepared. You’ll find toiletries in the adjoining bathroom and sleepwear in the dresser. My lawyer should be here at 10:30 tomorrow but I would like to be up by 9:00 so that we can talk before he arrives.”
Andy was a little bit taken aback by Miranda as she babbled on with more details than the older woman had ever given her in the entire time she’d worked at Runway. The brunette realised the stream of information was probably due to a bit of nervousness on Miranda’s part and tried to put her at ease. She drew Miranda in for a fierce hug and as she released her she bent and kissed her ever so sweetly, first on the lips, then on the forehead and then with a sparkle of mischief in her eye, Andy kissed the tiny little bump on Miranda’s nose just for good measure.
“I’m sure it will be wonderful, but as you saw downstairs I can pretty much sleep on anything, couches, desks you name it I can conk out on it.” Andy grinned at Miranda urging her to share in the banter, and Miranda didn’t disappoint giving a perfectly gauged rejoinder.
“Yes apparently you can even nod off while leaning on editors of fashion magazines it seems,” Miranda teased.
“Only one and she’s not just an editor, she’s the Editor in Chief,” Andy tapped Miranda once more on the nose and leant in for a more thorough kiss before moving away toward the bedroom door.
“Goodnight Miranda, I hope you sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.” With that promise she slipped into the room and gently closed the door behind her.
“Goodnight Andrea. Sweet dreams my darling.” Miranda murmured to the closed door before turning and making her way to the other end of the landing and her own bedroom. As she made her way into her en suite she hoped that they would both manage to get at least a few more hours sleep before the gruelling day they had ahead of them.