The Devil You Know - Part 4
The Devil You Know - Part 4
By: mercurial_muse
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada (film)
Pairing: Miranda/Andy
Archive: Oh, I'd be flattered, but please ask first.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters are owned by Lauren Weisberger and 20th-century Fox, not me. Please don't sue me. Seriously... I'm too poor for it to be worth your while.
Summary: Miranda Priestly has become the most successful woman in the fashion industry, but at what cost?
Previous Parts:
Part 1 Located: http://mercurial-muse.livejournal.com/2535.html
Part 2 Located: http://mercurial-muse.livejournal.com/2585.html
Part 3 Located: http://mercurial-muse.livejournal.com/3006.html
Author’s Note: Thanks once again to everyone who is reading this story, and extra thanks to those of you who are taking the time to comment. Without your encouragement, I wouldn't be enjoying this nearly as much as I am. Y'all are awesome! Now that the thanks are out of the way, it's time for some actual notes. First of all, don't panic! Things will not be all doom and gloom from here on out, but happy endings that come too easily just aren't all that fun, so prepare to endure at least a little angst. I figured it would also be a good idea to remind all of you that I've been sending parts out every couple of days, so look for Part 5 sometime on Thursday night.
----------------------------------------------------------
With the final edit of the upcoming issue of Runway due in less than a week, the amount of work left to do was staggering. There were previews, meetings with the editors from each department, countless phone calls to make and one last photo shoot to squeeze in. At times like these, it took a major effort on Miranda's part to make time for her girls, and the idea of carving out some time just for herself was laughable. But although she was aware that she really didn't have a second to spare for it, she still found herself wasting her valuable time thinking about Andrea over the next several days. More specifically, she spent a whole lot of time thinking about why she had to say goodbye to her.
Miranda's justifications were very selfish at first because, honestly, calling an end to a relationship was a lot easier when the other person's feelings weren't taken into account. She told herself that she couldn't afford to pull her attention away from maintaining Runway's success, not to mention her personal ambitions, to focus on a relationship that had been fated to fail before it had even began. And then there was Miranda's pride, of course. Her deal with the devil had almost completely taken away any say-so she had in her own lovelife... almost. But there was one thing still within her control if she acted quickly enough. She could end the relationship first. Miranda had willingly yielded that relatively small measure of control in the past, settled for being loved while it lasted and ended up heartbroken time and time again when the illusion finally shattered and she was left all alone. She wouldn't just wait around for that to happen, not this time.
She tried to be angry with the girl, even as she acknowledged that the only person who truly deserved that anger was herself. Miranda had been the one to make a deal with the devil, after all. She had tested the strength of her love against the power of that pact and failed twice. She had allowed herself to get involved with Andrea, loved her enough to try to work against an inevitable fate yet again, but hadn't loved her enough to resist her feelings and spare the girl from heartbreak. Hurting Andrea wasn't something Miranda could prevent, not at this point, but she could at least try to minimize the pain. She realized that she loved Andy enough to do that now, to choose the girl's feelings above her own. It was best to end the relationship immediately, before either of them fell deeper than they already were.
When Friday arrived, Miranda had made sure that she wouldn't arrive home until after the twins' father had already come to take them for the weekend. Emily and the other Emily- the second assistant hadn't made herself worthy of Miranda memorizing her name yet -had both been told not to interrupt her unless something catastrophic happened regarding Runway. With the final edit of the magazine finally sent off to the printers, there wasn't any work that absolutely had to be done before Monday. Free from distraction, Miranda could always spend the next couple days looking over the Book for the next edition as she often did, but this weekend she had other matters that needed her attention. This weekend she had to figure out how to say goodbye to Andrea.
The editor was letting herself into the townhouse when she heard a vehicle slow to a stop at the curb behind her. She turned her head to see Andrea stepping out of a grimy cab, a wide smile on her face and an overnight bag slung over one shoulder. Miranda eyed the bag and then raised a cool gaze to meet Andrea's warm one. "I don't recall you scheduling a visit this evening," she commented, her tone void of emotion.
Andy shrugged and, although her smile faltered under Miranda's callous tone, a hopeful hint of it still remained on her face. "No, but I haven't seen you at all this week. I remembered you saying that the girls will be with their father until Monday, so I thought we could spend the weekend together." She took the first couple of steps up to the front door, but froze when the older woman nailed her with a glare so menacing that it made her heart lurch in her chest.
Miranda turned to fully face the girl, hissed a deep breath in between clenched teeth and let it out in an aggravated huff. "So you just thought you would invite yourself into my home, into my life, without the slightest regard for my wishes," she snapped, a statement rather than a question.
"I... I'm sorry." Andy's brow furrowed in confusion. "I didn't mean to be inconsiderate. We haven't seen each other all week and I miss you, Miranda." Emotion had crept into her voice even as unwanted tears filled her eyes and she paused, trying hard to push back both. "I thought you..." Nerves had her stumbling to a stop while her mind searched frantically for the right words, a difficult task when she wasn't even sure what was wrong. "I'm sorry," she said once again. "We can do this another time, when it's better for you." Andy was clearly flustered, concerned and more than a little hurt.
Andrea's reaction was like blood in the water. In that instant, Miranda was certain that the end of their relationship could come quickly, and she moved towards that end before her aching heart could bring about second thoughts. "No. I think it would be better for both of us if we didn't do this another time." With that said, she turned her back on Andrea and opened the door.
"Miranda!" Panic edged in over confusion and hurt, and the tears Andy had tried so hard to keep at bay began to spill down her cheeks. "What..."
Miranda peered over her shoulder. "It's over. I'm done with this, done with you." She wasn't, never wanted to be, but it would be easier for both of them if she pretended otherwise. Chocking back the apology that burned on her lips and fighting the almost overwhelming instinct to run down the stairs and take the girl into her arms, she instead turned to face Andrea again, stiffened her shoulders and glanced at her as if she couldn't be more bored with the entire scene. "That's all," she snapped, and then spun on her heels and disappeared behind the slamming front door.