(no subject)
The Proposal (5/9)
by Coco (i_heart_cuddy)
rating R
pairing Miranda/Andy
disclaimer I do not own the Devil Wears Prada or the characters herein. I make no money off of this and I intend no infringement. Also, I don't own The Proposal and I mean no infringement there either, I make no money from this.
summary Shamelessly borrowing the idea from The Proposal because of Ebert's comment that it was what DWP should have been (or something to that effect). Miranda's citizenship is in question and she latches onto Andy to save her, as usual.
Miranda bit her lip, looking out over the table and taking in all the carbohydrates. She did a quick appraisal and decided she would only eat eggs and bacon. She figured Danny would eat her share of the pancakes and hash browns.
Miranda had taken two of the allergy pills and was beginning to feel like she was sure she was going to live through the day.
After breakfast was almost finished Josephine smiled, "Andy, Miranda, I was going to wait until after breakfast but I'm just going to go out of my mind with excitement if I don't say it now."
Andy looked sideways at Miranda. She finished chewing her bite of hash browns and swallowed. "Okay."
Josephine reached over and took Richard's hand. He didn't look up from his food. "Andy, your father and I talked about it. We're sorry we reacted so judgmentally yesterday. Of course we're happy for you. We thought it might be nice if the two of you got married on our anniversary."
Andy's eyes widened, "Monday?"
"Is it too soon? I just thought it would be sweet if we shared an anniversary." Josephine smiled sweetly. "I don't want to mess up any plans you may have already made but if you don't have any yet..."
"Oh mom, that's very nice and we haven't made any plans yet but the twins have school on Monday."
"Actually," Miranda started, "the girls have Monday off for a teacher's workshop."
"We could make the guestroom up for them." Josephine said hopefully.
Andy turned to Miranda, "what do you think, Miranda?"
"Yes." She nodded, "yes, let's get married on Monday. Andrea, book a flight for the girls and forward the flight information to my ex-husband."
Andy pulled out her Blackberry and started making the arrangements. "There's a flight from LaGuardia to Cincinnati at noon, do you think they could make that?"
"Yeah, book it." Miranda opened her phone and started dialing Lucas, "use the Platinum Master Card. Lucas," she said when he answered.
A couple of hours later Miranda and Andy were sitting in the airport waiting for the twins. Miranda was flipping through Vogue and correcting things she deemed mistakes on the part of Anna Wintour. Andy was silently watching the muted news program. She finally turned to Miranda. "I sort of saw your tattoo this morning."
Miranda looked up. "Oh?"
"Yeah, it's on your lower abdomen." Andy said and Miranda nodded, "I didn't see what it was though."
Miranda was silent.
"You're not going to tell me?"
"You saw it on a technicality when I was dying, that doesn't count." Miranda flipped a few pages in the magazine and looked over and caught Andy's big brown eyes making puppy eyes. She sighed, "oh, alright. It says sealed with a kiss and it's in a Gothic font and it has a little kiss."
"Oh. That's cool. Why did you choose that? And why on your lower abdomen?"
"Because, Andrea, it covers my c-section scar." Miranda threw the magazine down on the bench, "where are they? The receptionist told me that the plane left on time."
"I think she told you that because you were scaring her." Andy admitted.
Miranda sneered, "and why would that prompt her to lie?"
"Because she wanted to tell you what you wanted to hear so you wouldn't keep talking to her. It's okay," Andy took Miranda's hand.
Miranda slowly looked over at Andy's hand. Andy blushed and released her hand quickly, muttering embarrassed apologies. Miranda sighed and patted Andy's hand, she threaded her fingers through Andy's and looked down at the ring she'd given her to wear.
When she looked up Andy was looking at her, a question poised on her lips. Miranda squeezed her hand, "just getting into character."
Andy smiled and tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. She was about to speak when they both heard excited squealing of red headed twins. "Mom! Mom! Mom!"
Miranda let go of Andy's hand and got up and embraced her girls. "Hello babies, how was your flight?"
"It was good, who gets to be flower girl, mom?" They both tugged at her.
"Neither of you." Their little faces fell, "because I want you to both stand up there with me. You're not little girls, you're my maids of honor."
Andy smiled at Miranda interacting with her girls. There it was, there was Miranda's humanity. It was beautiful and Andy was happy to be part of it. Andy's head snapped up as the man she recognized to be Lucas sauntered up to the Priestly women.
Miranda stood up slowly. Her Jones New York leather boots left her taller than her ex-husband, Andy knew that that made Miranda feel good. "What are you doing here?"
"Like I would pass this up. You came to heckle at my last wedding."
"I didn't come to heckle, I was still breast feeding, you wanted the twins there you had to have me." Miranda folded her arms across her chest. "I really don't recall inviting you."
Lucas put his hands on the twins' heads. "It's my week to have the girls. If you want the twins there yo have to have me."
Andy wanted to get out of the way of the tension that was building. "Hey girls, why don't I go get your suitcases." Cassidy handed Andy the baggage claim and silently cursed her for taking the one get out of this conversation free card in the game.
"Miranda, for Christ's sake, is she a high schooler?" Lucas scowled as Andy fled the scene.
"She's 24." Miranda smirked, "she's the most mature person I've ever been with."
"No, no, I get it, Miranda, she's your midlife crisis." Lucas condescended, "I thought that the Mercedes was going to cover it but clearly I was wrong."
"I am in love with Andrea, Lucas, don't try to cheapen it."
"Mom, how come we've never met her?" Caroline asked, speaking for herself and her sister.
"Because, girls," Lucas started, "she's characteristically using this girl. She's inviting her into your lives for just long enough for you to grow to care about her and then she's going to yank your stability out from under you. Again. Just like Stephen, just like Todd."
The girls' identical deploring eyes focused on Miranda, "you wouldn't do that to us, mom..."
"...would you?"
Miranda's heart wrenched with guilt. She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. She cleared her throat. "You haven't met her yet because I didn't want to introduce her to you until I was sure. Your stability is my top priority, babies."
"So... you're sure about her?"
"Yes." Miranda was surprised at how effortlessly the assurance fell from her lips. She was further surprised at how much truth there was behind the word. She was sure. Sure in what capacity was yet to be determined, but it didn't alter her certainty. "In fact, my darlings, Andrea and I are going to take you out today."
Their eyes lit up and they smiled, "where?"
"It's a surprise... you know, local little places that only a native would know..."
After a lengthy argument between Miranda and Lucas he agreed that the twins could stay the night at the Sachs, but only one night, and he got them a day into Miranda's next week. Andy maneuvered her mother's Toyota Avalon through the streets of downtown Cincinnati.
Andy was stifling a smile as Cassidy and Caroline were giving a joint-Miranda-like rant about the service on the plane.
"I ordered the chocolate milk and she gave it to Cassidy!" Caroline explained with incredulity.
"It wasn't as if we switched seats while she was gone." Cassidy rolled her eyes. "I mean, is it so much to ask that there be decent service on the plane?"
"Well, I hope that the service at dinner was better." Andy fidgeted. She was feeling self-conscious despite the fact that they'd all seemed to enjoy themselves.
Their first stop had been to Andy's favorite new age coffee shop, the one she'd gotten coffee at every morning of her senior year when she drove herself. She and Miranda got coffee and the girls got fresh fruit smoothies. The Priestlys didn't praise her decision but none of them made any complaints so she considered it a victory. Their next stop was the art museum because Andy knew it would make Miranda happy. The most she'd gotten was a reserved smile but Andy knew her well enough to know that was high praise indeed. Andy knew that the bowling alley was hit or miss but the twins loved it and Miranda seemed happy to read and offer encouraging advice to her daughters. Andy was rusty but she still threw a couple of frames so the twins would beat her. She caught Miranda's eye after throwing her second frame and Miranda raised her eyebrows knowingly. Andy winked. Finally Andy took them to the trendy vegetarian restaurant that she and Lily frequented in high school when they decided to be vegetarians. It didn't last and she didn't think that it was the best choice, but all of the other restaurants she liked were definitely not Miranda sort of restaurants. At least this one had the benefit of being very chic.
"The service was adequate." Caroline shrugged. "Food was good though."
Andy looked over at a quiet Miranda. "Did you enjoy the food?"
Miranda gave a curt nod, "I did. It was distinctly lacking in red meat but that was to be expected."
"Is that humor, Miranda?" Andy teased.
"I'm fully capable of making jokes, Andrea." Miranda smirked playfully. "I did hire you, after all."
"Ooooh." Caroline and Cassidy giggled from the backseat.
Andy laughed warmly. She pulled into a parking lot. "Finally, the pièce de résistance, The Flying Cow, the best ice cream in town."
The girls practically jumped out of the car and the adults followed them at a reasonable pace. Cassidy and Caroline got their tried and true favorites in sugar cones and Andy got a chocolate-vanilla twist in a plain cone.
"You don't want any ice cream, Miranda?" Andy nudged her.
"I'm not a big fan of touching my food," Miranda shook her head, "and ice cream gets very sticky."
"You can get it in a dish."
"I'd still get sticky."
"I find it difficult to believe that you've never been sticky."
"Not in public." Miranda smirked.
Andy choked on her ice cream and blushed.
"Mom! Mom!" The girls ran over to them, "there's a pinball machine! Can we have some quarters?"
"I'm sorry, babies," Miranda made a sympathetic sound, "I don't have any coins."
"You know, girls," Andy smiled, "there's an all-night arcade around the corner. I used to spend so much time there, it's great."
Their eyes lit up with undeniable excitement. They were practically buzzing with enthusiasm as they looked up pleadingly at their mother. Miranda looked down at them and then over at a similarly enthusiastic Andy, though she was able to pull it off with a lot more subtlety.
"I'm not really an arcade person and I finished my book at the bowling alley."
The girls looked crushed. Andy looked over at them and then back to Miranda, "you know, you could take the car home and I could take them and then get a cab back."
"No, I'll take a cab, I'd feel better if you and the girls had the car." Miranda furrowed her brow, "are you sure you want to go to the arcade? It's awfully late."
Andy smiled, "we three are at the beginning of a very promising sugar high and I have a DDR high score to defend."
"Alright," Miranda nodded and the girls rocketed off in flurry of happiness. Miranda dug her wallet out of her purse. "I'll just give you some money-"
"Miranda, stop that," Andy shook her head, pushing Miranda's hand away.
"Don't be silly. They're my children, take some money for the arcade." Miranda insisted.
"No. You're their mother but I'm going to be part of their lives for a little while and I want to do this, you insisted on paying at everything else and this is the thing that I'm doing for them." Andy said firmly, "keep your cash for the cab."
Miranda was touched. She watched Andy as she put the money slowly back into her wallet. "Alright. How should I go about getting a cab?"
"You can call a cab or you can walk down the block and get one in front of the hotel. They're always there."
"Thank you." Miranda took Andy's hand and gave it a little squeeze. She hesitated for a moment but leaned in and kissed her cheek. Andy smiled and leaned into her a little. They pulled back and watched each other's faces. "You should go wrangle the twins before they run off in a frenzy of ice cream fever. Do you think you'll be long?"
Andy shook her head, "no, we shouldn't be too long."
Miranda nodded, "alright." She was reluctant to leave them. She was enjoying her time with them and she was loathe to let it end but at the same time she wouldn't enjoy sitting in a dark, stuffy arcade with lots of bells and whistles. She gave Andy's hand another squeeze and let her go.
She kissed her girls foreheads and wished them a good time. Then she walked the block to the hotel. During her walk her guilt started to fester. The girls seemed to adore Andy and what was almost equally as bad was that Andy seemed to adore the girls. She was beginning to think that marrying and divorcing Andy may prove to hurt more than it helped. In the end though, her ability to stay in the country and stay with her children and ensure Andy's employment should be reason enough to push aside her reservations.
This was in everyone's best interest.
If it was in everyone's best interest why did she feel so terrible about it? She stood on the curb, prepared to hail a cab when she caught site of a bar across the street. She sighed and thought about it for a moment before crossing the street and entering the alcohol serving establishment.
♥
by Coco (i_heart_cuddy)
rating R
pairing Miranda/Andy
disclaimer I do not own the Devil Wears Prada or the characters herein. I make no money off of this and I intend no infringement. Also, I don't own The Proposal and I mean no infringement there either, I make no money from this.
summary Shamelessly borrowing the idea from The Proposal because of Ebert's comment that it was what DWP should have been (or something to that effect). Miranda's citizenship is in question and she latches onto Andy to save her, as usual.
Miranda bit her lip, looking out over the table and taking in all the carbohydrates. She did a quick appraisal and decided she would only eat eggs and bacon. She figured Danny would eat her share of the pancakes and hash browns.
Miranda had taken two of the allergy pills and was beginning to feel like she was sure she was going to live through the day.
After breakfast was almost finished Josephine smiled, "Andy, Miranda, I was going to wait until after breakfast but I'm just going to go out of my mind with excitement if I don't say it now."
Andy looked sideways at Miranda. She finished chewing her bite of hash browns and swallowed. "Okay."
Josephine reached over and took Richard's hand. He didn't look up from his food. "Andy, your father and I talked about it. We're sorry we reacted so judgmentally yesterday. Of course we're happy for you. We thought it might be nice if the two of you got married on our anniversary."
Andy's eyes widened, "Monday?"
"Is it too soon? I just thought it would be sweet if we shared an anniversary." Josephine smiled sweetly. "I don't want to mess up any plans you may have already made but if you don't have any yet..."
"Oh mom, that's very nice and we haven't made any plans yet but the twins have school on Monday."
"Actually," Miranda started, "the girls have Monday off for a teacher's workshop."
"We could make the guestroom up for them." Josephine said hopefully.
Andy turned to Miranda, "what do you think, Miranda?"
"Yes." She nodded, "yes, let's get married on Monday. Andrea, book a flight for the girls and forward the flight information to my ex-husband."
Andy pulled out her Blackberry and started making the arrangements. "There's a flight from LaGuardia to Cincinnati at noon, do you think they could make that?"
"Yeah, book it." Miranda opened her phone and started dialing Lucas, "use the Platinum Master Card. Lucas," she said when he answered.
A couple of hours later Miranda and Andy were sitting in the airport waiting for the twins. Miranda was flipping through Vogue and correcting things she deemed mistakes on the part of Anna Wintour. Andy was silently watching the muted news program. She finally turned to Miranda. "I sort of saw your tattoo this morning."
Miranda looked up. "Oh?"
"Yeah, it's on your lower abdomen." Andy said and Miranda nodded, "I didn't see what it was though."
Miranda was silent.
"You're not going to tell me?"
"You saw it on a technicality when I was dying, that doesn't count." Miranda flipped a few pages in the magazine and looked over and caught Andy's big brown eyes making puppy eyes. She sighed, "oh, alright. It says sealed with a kiss and it's in a Gothic font and it has a little kiss."
"Oh. That's cool. Why did you choose that? And why on your lower abdomen?"
"Because, Andrea, it covers my c-section scar." Miranda threw the magazine down on the bench, "where are they? The receptionist told me that the plane left on time."
"I think she told you that because you were scaring her." Andy admitted.
Miranda sneered, "and why would that prompt her to lie?"
"Because she wanted to tell you what you wanted to hear so you wouldn't keep talking to her. It's okay," Andy took Miranda's hand.
Miranda slowly looked over at Andy's hand. Andy blushed and released her hand quickly, muttering embarrassed apologies. Miranda sighed and patted Andy's hand, she threaded her fingers through Andy's and looked down at the ring she'd given her to wear.
When she looked up Andy was looking at her, a question poised on her lips. Miranda squeezed her hand, "just getting into character."
Andy smiled and tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. She was about to speak when they both heard excited squealing of red headed twins. "Mom! Mom! Mom!"
Miranda let go of Andy's hand and got up and embraced her girls. "Hello babies, how was your flight?"
"It was good, who gets to be flower girl, mom?" They both tugged at her.
"Neither of you." Their little faces fell, "because I want you to both stand up there with me. You're not little girls, you're my maids of honor."
Andy smiled at Miranda interacting with her girls. There it was, there was Miranda's humanity. It was beautiful and Andy was happy to be part of it. Andy's head snapped up as the man she recognized to be Lucas sauntered up to the Priestly women.
Miranda stood up slowly. Her Jones New York leather boots left her taller than her ex-husband, Andy knew that that made Miranda feel good. "What are you doing here?"
"Like I would pass this up. You came to heckle at my last wedding."
"I didn't come to heckle, I was still breast feeding, you wanted the twins there you had to have me." Miranda folded her arms across her chest. "I really don't recall inviting you."
Lucas put his hands on the twins' heads. "It's my week to have the girls. If you want the twins there yo have to have me."
Andy wanted to get out of the way of the tension that was building. "Hey girls, why don't I go get your suitcases." Cassidy handed Andy the baggage claim and silently cursed her for taking the one get out of this conversation free card in the game.
"Miranda, for Christ's sake, is she a high schooler?" Lucas scowled as Andy fled the scene.
"She's 24." Miranda smirked, "she's the most mature person I've ever been with."
"No, no, I get it, Miranda, she's your midlife crisis." Lucas condescended, "I thought that the Mercedes was going to cover it but clearly I was wrong."
"I am in love with Andrea, Lucas, don't try to cheapen it."
"Mom, how come we've never met her?" Caroline asked, speaking for herself and her sister.
"Because, girls," Lucas started, "she's characteristically using this girl. She's inviting her into your lives for just long enough for you to grow to care about her and then she's going to yank your stability out from under you. Again. Just like Stephen, just like Todd."
The girls' identical deploring eyes focused on Miranda, "you wouldn't do that to us, mom..."
"...would you?"
Miranda's heart wrenched with guilt. She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. She cleared her throat. "You haven't met her yet because I didn't want to introduce her to you until I was sure. Your stability is my top priority, babies."
"So... you're sure about her?"
"Yes." Miranda was surprised at how effortlessly the assurance fell from her lips. She was further surprised at how much truth there was behind the word. She was sure. Sure in what capacity was yet to be determined, but it didn't alter her certainty. "In fact, my darlings, Andrea and I are going to take you out today."
Their eyes lit up and they smiled, "where?"
"It's a surprise... you know, local little places that only a native would know..."
After a lengthy argument between Miranda and Lucas he agreed that the twins could stay the night at the Sachs, but only one night, and he got them a day into Miranda's next week. Andy maneuvered her mother's Toyota Avalon through the streets of downtown Cincinnati.
Andy was stifling a smile as Cassidy and Caroline were giving a joint-Miranda-like rant about the service on the plane.
"I ordered the chocolate milk and she gave it to Cassidy!" Caroline explained with incredulity.
"It wasn't as if we switched seats while she was gone." Cassidy rolled her eyes. "I mean, is it so much to ask that there be decent service on the plane?"
"Well, I hope that the service at dinner was better." Andy fidgeted. She was feeling self-conscious despite the fact that they'd all seemed to enjoy themselves.
Their first stop had been to Andy's favorite new age coffee shop, the one she'd gotten coffee at every morning of her senior year when she drove herself. She and Miranda got coffee and the girls got fresh fruit smoothies. The Priestlys didn't praise her decision but none of them made any complaints so she considered it a victory. Their next stop was the art museum because Andy knew it would make Miranda happy. The most she'd gotten was a reserved smile but Andy knew her well enough to know that was high praise indeed. Andy knew that the bowling alley was hit or miss but the twins loved it and Miranda seemed happy to read and offer encouraging advice to her daughters. Andy was rusty but she still threw a couple of frames so the twins would beat her. She caught Miranda's eye after throwing her second frame and Miranda raised her eyebrows knowingly. Andy winked. Finally Andy took them to the trendy vegetarian restaurant that she and Lily frequented in high school when they decided to be vegetarians. It didn't last and she didn't think that it was the best choice, but all of the other restaurants she liked were definitely not Miranda sort of restaurants. At least this one had the benefit of being very chic.
"The service was adequate." Caroline shrugged. "Food was good though."
Andy looked over at a quiet Miranda. "Did you enjoy the food?"
Miranda gave a curt nod, "I did. It was distinctly lacking in red meat but that was to be expected."
"Is that humor, Miranda?" Andy teased.
"I'm fully capable of making jokes, Andrea." Miranda smirked playfully. "I did hire you, after all."
"Ooooh." Caroline and Cassidy giggled from the backseat.
Andy laughed warmly. She pulled into a parking lot. "Finally, the pièce de résistance, The Flying Cow, the best ice cream in town."
The girls practically jumped out of the car and the adults followed them at a reasonable pace. Cassidy and Caroline got their tried and true favorites in sugar cones and Andy got a chocolate-vanilla twist in a plain cone.
"You don't want any ice cream, Miranda?" Andy nudged her.
"I'm not a big fan of touching my food," Miranda shook her head, "and ice cream gets very sticky."
"You can get it in a dish."
"I'd still get sticky."
"I find it difficult to believe that you've never been sticky."
"Not in public." Miranda smirked.
Andy choked on her ice cream and blushed.
"Mom! Mom!" The girls ran over to them, "there's a pinball machine! Can we have some quarters?"
"I'm sorry, babies," Miranda made a sympathetic sound, "I don't have any coins."
"You know, girls," Andy smiled, "there's an all-night arcade around the corner. I used to spend so much time there, it's great."
Their eyes lit up with undeniable excitement. They were practically buzzing with enthusiasm as they looked up pleadingly at their mother. Miranda looked down at them and then over at a similarly enthusiastic Andy, though she was able to pull it off with a lot more subtlety.
"I'm not really an arcade person and I finished my book at the bowling alley."
The girls looked crushed. Andy looked over at them and then back to Miranda, "you know, you could take the car home and I could take them and then get a cab back."
"No, I'll take a cab, I'd feel better if you and the girls had the car." Miranda furrowed her brow, "are you sure you want to go to the arcade? It's awfully late."
Andy smiled, "we three are at the beginning of a very promising sugar high and I have a DDR high score to defend."
"Alright," Miranda nodded and the girls rocketed off in flurry of happiness. Miranda dug her wallet out of her purse. "I'll just give you some money-"
"Miranda, stop that," Andy shook her head, pushing Miranda's hand away.
"Don't be silly. They're my children, take some money for the arcade." Miranda insisted.
"No. You're their mother but I'm going to be part of their lives for a little while and I want to do this, you insisted on paying at everything else and this is the thing that I'm doing for them." Andy said firmly, "keep your cash for the cab."
Miranda was touched. She watched Andy as she put the money slowly back into her wallet. "Alright. How should I go about getting a cab?"
"You can call a cab or you can walk down the block and get one in front of the hotel. They're always there."
"Thank you." Miranda took Andy's hand and gave it a little squeeze. She hesitated for a moment but leaned in and kissed her cheek. Andy smiled and leaned into her a little. They pulled back and watched each other's faces. "You should go wrangle the twins before they run off in a frenzy of ice cream fever. Do you think you'll be long?"
Andy shook her head, "no, we shouldn't be too long."
Miranda nodded, "alright." She was reluctant to leave them. She was enjoying her time with them and she was loathe to let it end but at the same time she wouldn't enjoy sitting in a dark, stuffy arcade with lots of bells and whistles. She gave Andy's hand another squeeze and let her go.
She kissed her girls foreheads and wished them a good time. Then she walked the block to the hotel. During her walk her guilt started to fester. The girls seemed to adore Andy and what was almost equally as bad was that Andy seemed to adore the girls. She was beginning to think that marrying and divorcing Andy may prove to hurt more than it helped. In the end though, her ability to stay in the country and stay with her children and ensure Andy's employment should be reason enough to push aside her reservations.
This was in everyone's best interest.
If it was in everyone's best interest why did she feel so terrible about it? She stood on the curb, prepared to hail a cab when she caught site of a bar across the street. She sighed and thought about it for a moment before crossing the street and entering the alcohol serving establishment.
♥