Just one time
Rating: PG, I guess
Pairing: andy/miranda
Summary: What happens if Andy meets Miranda an other way...
Disclaimer: Nope, sadly, don't own any of them. They belong to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox.
A/N: This is unbeta'd, so all the mistakes are mine. This is supposed to be a one shot, because I don't know what happens after the ending, but I think it won't be appreciated if I leave it at this.
Just one time
What is happening to her? Andy tries to steady herself against a wall, but fails. Her knees are wobbly and the world is spinning in front of her eyes. Just a few minutes ago she was exploring New York, the big city she had recently moved to and now, she is sick, really sick. She takes a few more steps and then sits down on stone stairs that lead to a gigantic house, which isn’t a surprise, seeing she is on Fifth Avenue. She places her head in her hands. She has a sour taste in her mouth and before she can stop herself, she throws up. Behind her the door opens.
‘Mom!,’ she hears, ‘Mom, there’s a sick lady here. She has thrown up. I told you I heard something Caro. It’s really gross.’
Andy turns towards the sound and sees a red-headed girl, about eleven years old. Behind the girl appears her twin sister and their mother. When Andy sees the woman, the little color that was left in face disappears. The regal looking silver-haired woman with blue eyes and a porcelain skin takes her breath away. The dark red silk of the woman’s robe falls around her curves like liquid. The world starts to spin again and the last thing she sees is that the woman elegantly rushes towards her. Everything goes black.
Andy wakes up with a terrible headache. Where is she? Definitely not in her own apartment. The bed isn’t lumpy and she doesn’t hear the squeaking of the central heating. Then she hears voices. How can there be voices, she lives alone. With a great effort Andy opens her eyes. She is lying in a room that is probably the size of her apartment. The bed is king-size and the sheets are incredibly soft. Very slowly she turns her head. Two red-heads are sitting on a sofa in the corner of the room. Red-heads, then she remembers. She got sick and ended up in an enormous house on Fifth Avenue.
‘Is she waking up?’ one of the girls asks.
‘I don’t know, should we look?’ the other replies.
‘Girls,’ another voice says.
This voice is mature and soft, and it sends a shiver down Andy’s spine. She turns her head and sees the beautiful silver-haired woman in the doorway. She is holding a tray with what looks like soup on it.
‘Go down stairs, Edith made you dinner.’
‘Yes, mom,’ the girls reply and they leave the room.
The woman moves towards Andy and places the tray on the night stand.
‘How are you feeling?’ she asks.
‘I don’t know. Not well.’ Andy says in a groggy voice.
‘My cook made you some chicken soup, if you want some,’ the woman says and pauses before she asks, ‘What is your name?’
‘Andy, well Andrea, but everybody calls me Andy.’
‘Andrea. I’m Miranda. Do you need anything?’
The way the woman says her name sends another shiver down her spine. Andy never heard anyone say her name like that. Instead of an ordinary name it sounds luxurious and French.
‘Some aspirin, maybe. Thank you so much for helping me.’
‘I couldn’t just let you lie on my doorstep. Despite what may be said about me, I do have a heart.’
‘What might be said about you? What do you mean?’
Miranda raises an eyebrow. Andy can’t decide whether it is a surprised one or an amused one.
‘Never mind,’ Miranda says, ‘you should eat something, if you can. Then you must take a bath to relax. When you’re feeling better, I’ll have my driver drive you home.’
‘Thank you again. I don’t know what to say.’
‘Eat, then talk.’
Andy sits up and Miranda places the tray in her lap. The soup smells delicious. Andy takes a sip and realizes how hungry she is. Within fifteen minutes the bowl is empty.
‘I have to get dressed,’ Miranda says, ‘ If you want to shower, the bathroom is right next to your room. The clothes are being cleaned, but I have arranged another outfit for you. Will you be alright?’
‘How did you know my size?’
‘I guessed it. It’s six, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, well thanks again.’
‘Okay.’
Then Miranda leaves and Andy can’t help but notice the sway of the woman’s hips underneath the silk. When the door closes, Andy lets herself fall back on the bed. What is happening to her? She is sick and immediately she becomes a lesbian. This is wrong, so wrong. She forces herself out of the warm bed. She shivers when a cold breeze brushes against her legs. It’s only then that she notices she is not wearing her clothes, but a deep purple nightgown. Andy wonders if Miranda changed her clothes. With her head still a little spinning Andy makes her way to the door and opens it. Just when she is about to open the door to what she thinks is the bathroom, she hears soft singing, almost murmuring. Curiosity gets the better of her and she tiptoes to the end of the hall to a door that is slightly open.
She peaks into the room. This bedroom is even bigger than the room she was just in. Her attention immediately gets drawn to the woman in the middle of the room. Miranda is softly singing a French song, but Andy doesn’t notice that anymore. She is completely hypnotized by Miranda’s movements. She sees how almost in slow-motion Miranda puts on a silk stocking around her beautifully shaped leg. Andy sees a flash of black lace on Miranda’s hips. Suddenly the singing stops and Andy looks right into Miranda’s widened blue eyes. She runs into the bathroom and locks the door.
‘Shit, shit, shit,’ she breathes.
What is going on? How can she lust after a woman? How can she like a woman that has two daughters, is probably married and is like twice her age? Andy finds some aspirin and a glass of water waiting for her on the sink. Quickly she takes the aspirin, maybe this will help her think clear. she runs a bath a tries to relax herself in the warm water, but she can’t. All she can think about is Miranda. What will Miranda think of her?
When the water has gotten cold, Andy steps out of the bathtub and puts on the clothing that has been laid out for her. They fit her like they were made for her. Before putting on the blouse she looks at the make. She gasps for air when she sees it. Armani. She checks the brand of her pants, Dior. Great, so not only did Miranda see Andy watch her, she also happens to be extremely wealthy.
While walking down the stairs Andy hopes that Miranda isn’t there, but when she reaches the bottom of the stairs, quite the opposite is the case. Not only is Miranda still there, she is wearing a beautiful black gown that accentuates her hips and displays her cleavage in a way that makes Andy blush. She watches how one of the twins ties the white ribbon on Miranda’s back. Then Miranda turns her head and looks Andy straight in the eyes.
‘It’s good to see you have some color on your cheeks. How are you feeling?’
‘I’m feeling better, the aspirin really helped,’ Andy manages.
‘That’s good to hear. Do the clo…’
The phone rings. One of the twins rushes towards it and picks up.
‘Hello, this is Cassidy.’
‘Hi Cara.’
‘Yes I’ll give you my mom.’
‘Mom, it’s Cara for you.’
Miranda almost glides to her daughter and takes the phone from her.
‘Yes?’
‘And you’re so incompetent that you couldn’t have told me this sooner? Did you arrange anybody else?’
‘Well than, don’t bother to ever come here again.’
With pursed lips Miranda puts the phone back.
‘Cara cannot come tonight to look after you, girls. I’ll have Roy bring you to your father.’
‘What?! No, mom. Don’t send us to dad, ‘ one of them starts.
‘Oh, please don’t. I hate Sharon. She calls us Cassie and Carrie and when she’s angry she calls us ‘young ladies,’ the other finishes obviously doing an impression of this Sharon.
‘I’m not leaving two eleven year old girls alone until eleven thirty. There’s no other way.’
‘Maybe I can stay,’ Andy suggest.
The second the words leave her mouth she regrets them. Of course Miranda won’t allow that. Why would she want some girls she doesn’t know that was spying on her, looking after her daughters?
‘Oh can she mom? Please.’
Miranda narrows her eyes and looks at Andy. She sighs.
‘Are you well enough to do that?’
‘I think so.’
‘Alright then.’
Andy’s jaw nearly drops. She had not expected that.
‘I’ll must introduce you properly,’ Miranda starts, ‘This is Cassidy,’ she says and points at the girl with the blue shirt, ‘and this is Caroline,’ and point at the girl in the green blouse.
‘Hi, I’m Andy.’
‘Andy? Isn’t that a boy’s name?’
‘Yeah, my name is Andrea, but everybody calls me Andy.’
‘Oh, okay. Hi Andy,’ Caroline says.
‘The girls go to bed at nine o’clock, okay?’ Miranda says.
‘Yep, okay.’
‘I’ll be back around eleven-thirty.’
‘Okay,’ Andy replies.
She watches how Miranda kisses both her girls a goodnight and how she makes them promise they’ll be nice for Andy, especially since she not well yet. Then Miranda is gone and Andy is alone in a strange house with two strange children.
‘Let’s watch a movie,’ Cassidy suggest.
‘Yeah!’ Caroline exclaims.
‘Okay, what do you want to see?’
‘Step up!’ Cassidy says.
‘Yeah, can we watch that?’ Caroline asks.
‘Sure you can,’ Andy replies, ‘Uh where is your television?’
‘Follow us.’
The girls run up the stairs. On the second floor they disappear in a room and Andy follows. Her eyes widen when she sees it. It’s like a mini cinema. A small cinema screen hangs on the wall and a sofa stands on the other side of the room with some pillows around it.
‘Wow, this is amazing,’ Andy says breathless.
‘Yeah, I know. Mom had it made for us after she divorced our dad.’
‘Is it difficult having separate parents?’ Andy asks.
‘Nah, it was at first, but after the custody thing was over, things settled down. They both remarried and now we sort of have two families,’ Cassidy says.
‘Yeah, it’s only too bad that we don’t like Sharon or Stephen, but what can you do?’
Andy shrugs. Somewhere she is disappointed that Miranda has a husband. Not that there was a possibility that she would make a pass on Miranda anyway, but the percentage just went below zero.
‘They both love you, I’m sure,’ she says weakly.
‘Who? Mom and dad or Sharon and Stephen?’
‘All of them.’
Now it’s the twins turn to shrug.
‘I guess,’ Caroline says.
‘Where is Stephen? I haven’t seen him yet?’ Andy asks.
‘He’s in Europe for his job. He’ll be back tomorrow,’ Caroline replies uninterested.
‘Shall we watch the movie now?’ Cassidy asks.
Andy nods.
‘Yeah, let’s.’
It’s exactly eleven thirty when Andy hears the front door open. Unlike Miranda, Andy isn’t that punctual. The twins went forty five minutes later to their beds than they were suppose to go and then Andy talked to them for like half an hour.
‘Hello,’ Andy says when she sees Miranda.
It’s incredible. Miranda is probably the only person she knows who can still look the same as she was when she left, after attending a party for two and half hour.
‘Good evening, did they listen?’ Miranda asks.
‘Yes, they did.’
‘Okay. How are you feeling?’
‘Not completely well, but a lot better. Thanks again for your help.’
‘It was nothing. My driver is outside waiting for you. Just give him your address and he’ll bring you home. I’ll have clothes delivered to you when they’re ready.’
‘Okay.’
Andy walks to the door and Miranda follows. When Andy opens the door, Miranda stops her and slams the door shut. She grabs Andy’s head and presses her lips against Andy’s. Andy feels Miranda’s tongue against her lips and opens her mouth. She completely gives in to the kiss, tangling her fingers in Miranda’s silver hair. Then Miranda pulls away and Andy lets go, breathless. Miranda cheeks are flushed and her eyes sparkle, but her voice is cool and businesslike when she speaks.
‘I know that’s what you wanted and I think it’s best if we never meet again,’ she almost whispers.
‘Okay,’ Andy says, while fighting back her tears.
She opens the door again and rushes to the car. She tells the driver her address and falls back in the seat. She looks one more time at the house and sees Miranda in the doorway. Andy turns her head away and let her tears run over her cheeks. She can’t believe what just happened.
The next day Andy sends the designer clothes back to Miranda with a note saying:
Thank you so much for your help.
Give my love to Caroline and Cassidy.
I’ll never forget you,
Andy.
A week later Andy is standing in the lobby of Runway. A job interview at a fashion magazine, things can’t get crazier. She let’s the first assistant talk to her like she’s an idiot about some woman called Miranda. Miranda, the name brings back memories. Those soft warm lips against her mouth. She’s brought back to reality when Emily starts to freak, because this Miranda is coming. Emily is running through the whole office and disappears after a minute to go to the elevators. Andy has been placed at the desk of the second assistant, the job she applying for. Then she hears the clacking of two pair of heels and a familiar voice. No, it can’t be, can it?
‘…And then call my husband; ask him to please meet me for dinner at that place I went to with Massimo. Also tell Richard I saw all the pictures that he sent for that feature on the female paratroopers and they’re all so deeply unattractive. Is it impossible to find a lovely slender female paratrooper?’
‘No,’ Emily says, but she is not heard.
The rest of Miranda’s words are not heard by Andy. This is not happening. Miranda, Miranda who helped her, Miranda who kissed her, Miranda who told her she never wanted to see her again is standing in front of her and there is no way in hell she will give Andy a job. Andy wants to get up and leave before Miranda notices her, but it’s too late. Emily doesn’t notice, but Miranda’s eyes widen when she notices Andy. She goes still for a second, but then continues her list of orders and ends very subtle with:
‘Who’s that?’