The Devil Wears Prada: Science of Fashion Part 19
Title: Science of Fashion (19/?)
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
19
Although Andy and Miranda didn’t get much sleep both were up rather early, their mood better than it had been for days. They were full of curiosity about what the new day would bring. When Andy entered the dining room her grandmother and Miranda were already sitting at the table having breakfast and as it seemed a lively conversation about some new promising designers.
“Good morning”, Andy greeted her grandmother with a kiss on the cheek.
“Good morning, cara mia”, Sophia smiled sensing that something in Andy’s demeanour had definitely changed since yesterday evening.
Everything became quite clear when Andy walked over to where Miranda sat and breathed a gentle kiss on the editor’s cheek as a `Good morning´.
“Good morning, Andrea”, Miranda leaned into the touch of the soft lips against her face.
“I take it you two did have a decent conversation some time last night”, Sophia asked nonchalantly.
“Yes”, Andy nodded on her way to the buffet table, “and I wanted to thank you for being the interfering, stubborn Italian nonna that you are.”
“You are welcome, darling.” The Contessa was delighted that her little scheme had worked out so brilliantly.
“I have to agree with Andrea”, Miranda added, “I’m grateful for your invitation.”
“My pleasure, dear”, Sophia accepted with grace, “although the same honour goes to your daughters.”
“Caroline and Cassidy?” Andy asked with surprise.
“Yes, we had a nice little chat a while ago and afterwards I decided to take matters in my own hands.”
“They are something else.”
“Well, we Priestly-women are very resourceful”, Miranda said with pride in her voice.
“That you are”, Andy had to agree, “that you are.”
Taking her seat next to Miranda Andy smiled when she looked into Miranda’s shining eyes. She covered the older woman’s right hand with her own and gave it a gentle squeeze which brought a tender look to those ice blue eyes. Sophia watched the silent exchange carefully, convinced that it was the right decision to meddle in her granddaughter’s affairs. By the way those two looked at each other it still amazed her that it had taken them so long to get to this point. But she knew how stubborn Andy could be, so no wonder it took so long.
Just as Andy and Miranda were holding hands and gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, the door opened and Emily strolled in. The redhead took in the scene at the table and heaved a sigh of relieve.
“About bloody time you two figured it out.”
Embarrassment coloured Andy’s cheeks while Miranda simply rolled her eyes at her assistant. Yes, she was definitely letting her get away with too much lately.
“Well put my dear”, Sophia seconded the sentiment with a snort.
“I was seriously thinking of whacking them over their heads with a club and lock them up in a room until they figure it out”, Emily huffed with annoyance.
“I know what you mean”, Sophia agreed, “I had the same idea if nothing else would have helped.”
“Hello, we are still in the room”, Andy reminded them. “It´s not nice talking about us like that.”
“Oh, hush, dear!” Sophia chided, “That’s what you have to endure after all the trouble you caused this poor woman.”
“I beg your pardon?” Now it was Miranda’s turn to have her hackles risen.
“Please, ever since Andy left for Britain you were on a romp and breathing fire as if there was no tomorrow.” Emily explained, suddenly feeling very confident in the presence of said fire breathing dragon.
“Emily, I believe you are forgetting yourself”, Miranda warned icily.
“Sorry?” Emily swallowed audibly, reminded again that despite all the romancing Miranda was still Miranda. “Uhm, I thought, maybe, if it is all right with you that is. And if I may, well...”
“Oh, for goodness sake, Emily, spit it out would you”, Miranda snapped at her assistant’s blabbering. Only to be soothed by the warm hand on her own.
“What is it Em?” Andy asked kindly at the woman’s frightened expression.
“MayIborrowahorsethismorningtogoriding?”
“Sure. Would you care for some company?”
“Yes, please”, Emily sank grateful into a chair to eat her breakfast.
“Good. Is it all right with you?” Andy turned to Miranda.
“Of course.” The editor nodded. “I’m sure Sophia and I have a lot to talk about while you are gone.
After breakfast Andy returned to her room to change into her riding outfit while Miranda and Sophia retired to the Contessa´s study. Emily didn’t have the right clothes for horse riding which didn’t matter that much and Andy had promised they would find boots for her in in the gear room at the stable. Emily was already waiting in the hall when Andy returned fully dressed for her morning ride. Hat under her arm and gloves in her left hand she motioned for Emily to follow her.
Outside they turned right and followed the gravelled path to buildings behind the main house. One of the young stable hands saw them coming and greeted them eagerly.
“Good morning, your Grace.”
“Morning, Will”, Andy suppressed a laugh at the young man’s tone and voice. “Remember, Andy will do.”
“I remember, ma´am but my mother said I couldn’t call you that. It wouldn’t be proper.” Will shuffled his feet in the sand. “May I still call you your Grace.”
Sighing, Andy knew there was no way Will would ever call her anything else. It was pointless, so she just gave in.
“By all means if you must.” The Duchess rolled her eyes at the man’s happy face.
Emily snickered at the display. Everybody else would insist on being called by his or her title but not Andy. The man’s face when she gave in was just too good to be true. When Andy shot her a poisonous look Emily couldn’t hold it any longer and burst out laughing loud.
“Well then, Will, my silly friend here wants to join me for my ride. We need to find some suitable boots and the right horse for her. Do you think we can help her with that?”
“Yes, ma´am”, Will nodded vigourously.
“Good man. Come on Charleton before you suffocate.”
“Yes, your Grace”, Emily howled.
“Oh, stuff it!”
They followed Will into the stables to find the right boots for Emily but more importantly to find her a mild tempered horse for she hadn’t been on the back of one for some time.
“So, it seems my little Andy finally found the courage to admit her feelings”, Sophia said as she handed Miranda a cup of coffee when she joined her on the sofa in her study.
“We both did”, the editor corrected.
“I’m glad you took the chance.”
“It goes both ways”, Miranda reminded the Contessa, “I’m not the easiest person to be with and my past hasn’t been a rose garden either. But I’ll do my utmost to make this work.”
“I believe you”, Sophia recognised the seriousness in Miranda’s eyes.
“May I ask you something?”
“Certainly.”
“Why is it that we never met?” Miranda had often wondered how it was even possible to never meet the Contessa. She, Miranda Priestly, might be the Queen of Fashion but the Contessa Adriani was the Goddess. Her name and influence eclipsed Miranda’s, not only because of their age difference but because of the woman’s distinct ability to find talents where nobody else would seek them. Vivian Westwood would still be a mere seamstress if it weren’t for the Contessa. Valentino would be mending clothes in the backroom of some Italian tailor shop. The Contessa knew where to look, she knew how to wield her power for the sake of fashion and she certainly knew how to remind people in the industry of their standing.
“Andy asked me the same thing”, Sophia smiled at the editor. “Many reason, I suppose. Time and opportunity never seemed right.”
“There is more to it, isn’t it?” Miranda inquired, sensing this wasn’t the whole truth.
“Yes”, Sophia sighed, feeling silly for the other reason why she had always consciously avoided to meet Miranda Priestly in person up until now.
“It’s stupid really. Please, don’t be offended but the reason why I didn’t want to meet you was that I was afraid if we did meet I might dislike you.”
When Miranda didn’t say anything Sophia started to feel uncomfortable, even more so when she looked into the other woman’s face and saw the frown and the slight hurt.
“I’m sorry, this sounds completely superficial, I know and I’m usually not that kind of person. I admire you and what you do greatly. There is nobody in the business whose opinion I value more than yours. It’s just that I feared that if we met, being both the strong willed women we are, we would end up as rivals and not as friends as I would want to.”
“My reputation didn’t help”, Miranda nodded in understanding. When she thought about it she had to admit that Sophia’s words had some merit.
“I would be honoured to call myself a friend of the Contessa Adriani.”
“I’m quite certain, given my granddaughter’s intentions you will soon be more than just a friend.” Sophia smiled with a twinkle in her eyes, causing Miranda to blush becomingly.
“Now, dear, tell me about that tiresome situation with this Mr Ravitz Andy told me about.”
“Oh, well”, Miranda was grateful for the change in subject, “where to begin? This man has been a thorn in my side for years.”
“Let’s hear about it and maybe I can help with this little problem.”
“So?” Emily asked when she and Andy were sitting on a fallen tree, letting the horses rest after a nice ride through the countryside.
“So?” Andy feigned innocence.
“Oh, come on Sachs, please. I deserve to know what happened to cause that change of heart since yesterday.” Emily wasn’t above begging.
“All right”, Andy laughed at her friends whining.
“Spill it! What happened?”
“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went downstairs for a cup of tea. Miranda had the same problem and incidentally the same idea. We met in the kitchen, I made some tea and then we talked.”
“Just like that? You could have done that months ago”, Emily couldn’t believe her ears.
“It’s not that easy, Em.”
“But you told her you love her, right?”
“Yes and what’s even more amazing is that Miranda loves me too.” Andy grinned.
“Of course she does”, the redhead rolled her eyes, “I could have told you that at the reception.”
“You could?” Andy looked surprised.
“I’ve known that woman for more than five years and in all those years there has never been anybody who so completely swept her off her feet like you did. Not her husbands and not those who tried so hard to accomplish it. You did it even without trying to by simply treating her like the most precious treasure.”
“Well, she deserves nothing less”, Andy defended herself shyly.
“It’s all right, my friend”, Emily patted her hand, “I think it suits her. She is happy and a happy Miranda is what I prefer over a miserable one any day. It means my days are happier as well.”
“Thank you, Em.”
“Hey, I’m happy for both of you”, Emily sadly smiled at Andy, “now that both of the most wonderful women are happy with each other maybe you can help me find my precious treasure.”
“Oh, Em”, Andy put her arm around Emily’s shoulder pulling her against her body. Knowing that Emily had a crush on Miranda but she knew Miranda loved her and she was happy for both of them.
When Andy and Emily returned from their ride they went to their respective rooms to shower and change. Andy dried her hair pulled it back into a ponytail and went searching for Miranda to show her the estate as she had promised last night. She found the editor still in her grandmother’s study, together they were pouring over some sketches.
“You ready?” Andy asked.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go”, Andy held out her hand and was warmed when Miranda took it without hesitation.
“Where are you two going”, Sophia wanted to know.
“I promised Miranda to show her the estate.”
“Off you go then. I’ll see you later.”
Andy led Miranda to the sun room where she stepped through the French doors and out onto the terrace that led down to the lawn behind the house. Turning right they walked down to a small pond where a mother duck was carefully observing her offspring having a good time at diving and swimming. They watched for a while before they moved on towards a building near a row of trees. It looked like an interesting mixture of English and Italian architecture. When Miranda looked at her with a raised eyebrow, Andy chuckled and explained what it was.
“In former times it was the caretaker’s cottage, my grandfather turned it into this”, Andy laughed. “He tried to refurbish it into an Italian villa for my grandmother. As you can see, his intentions were better than his skills.”
“That’s a nice gesture”, Miranda had to admit, it was a romantic notion.
“It is. Nonna loved it. I think more because of the idea behind it and the rose bushes in the back he planted at the bottom of the veranda.”
“So this is were you learned how to woo a woman”, Miranda teased the younger woman.
“Let’s just say, he wasn’t such a bad role model”, Andy admitted shyly.
“I wish I had met the man who had such a great influence shaping the woman you are. Romantic, strong, intelligent, gentle and caring.”
“So do I. He would have liked you a lot”, Andy whispered softly.
Hand in hand they walked on as Andy showed Miranda more of the place she grew up in. When it became clear that Andy needed to sit down they found a secluded spot in the garden where a bench provided a place for a break. They sat, both women occupied thinking about last night’s conversation, their time spent together and how they enjoyed each other’s company.
“Tell me about your parents”, Miranda finally broke the silence.
“There is not much I can tell you, really”, Andy said with a sad smile. “I only have a few faint memories. If it weren´t for the pictures I´m afraid I wouldn´t even remember their faces.”
“I´m sorry, my darling”, Miranda covered Andy´s hands with one of her own where they lay in the younger woman´s lap. Looking into Andrea´s face she saw a silly grin despite the sad words wondering what had it caused.
“What?”
“Nothing, you just called me darling.”
“I did?” Miranda hadn´t even realised that she had uttered that term of endearment. “Do you mind?”
“Most certainly not”, Andy shook her head.
“Good.” Miranda´s smile was soft and spoke of the love she felt for the younger woman.
Andy told Miranda of the few things she still remembered about her parents, like her mother´s laughter, the warmth of her father´s arms and their love for each other and their children. She also told her about her disastrous first love. The woman she had fallen in love with and who had left her without a word to marry into an upper class family to gain a title and wealth. Andy didn´t seem to be able to stop once she had started to talk. Miranda heard about Sarah, their life together and her death. About the loss of Andy´s grandfather. The more Andrea told her about her life the more Miranda came to understand why Andrea felt compelled to run away from the possibility of her love. Looking at the younger woman as she spoke Miranda observed the myriad of emotions displaying on her face. Sitting there and listening to a lifetime of loss and hurt Miranda fell even deeper in love with this beautiful creature at her side. It amazed her how this woman had remained so full of life and love after everything she had been through and Miranda knew without a doubt she was the luckiest person on earth that Andrea had given her the greatest gifts of all, her heart. She was determined to protect and handle it with the utmost care just as it deserved.
It had been a very emotional afternoon for both women. While Andy had spoken about her life, they had felt the need for more physical contact and Miranda had put her arm around Andy´s shoulder pulling her against her body. With her head on Miranda´s shoulder surrounded by Miranda´s warmth and scent it had felt easier to talk about everything. When they returned to the house Andy only reluctantly let go of Miranda´s hand for her to go to her room and take care of business issues. Watching the editor climb the stairs Andy sighed knowing there were still many things to organize for their dinner this evening. First she had to talk to her grandmother, their cook and George to get everything on track.
Back in her room Miranda couldn´t get her mind on the things waiting to be taken care of. Right now Runway was the last thing on her mind. Andrea was occupying her mind, thoughts of her children, thoughts of all of them as a family. She knew she was getting way ahead of herself but she couldn´t help it. This has never happened before, maybe Maria had been right maybe this was what she had been looking for all her life. No, not maybe, this was definitely it. Grabbing her phone from where it lay on the bedside table Miranda speed dialled the mobile phone of one her daughters. She needed to speak to them, hear their voices.
Andy was driving the people that were commanded to help her crazy. She didn´t stop nagging until everything was perfect and everybody had to admit in the end to endure the woman´s constant pestering and short tempered mood had been worth it. It looked fabulous and Andy was satisfied, she knew she had been horrible to the staff and apologised profusely after the work was done earning more of the respect they already held for her. Andy returned to the house to get ready and to get Miranda. After a shower she pondered over her outfit and her hairdo but finally opted for the simple and elegant. She left her hair open and shrugged into the jacket of her black suit. A crisp white shirt and black shoes completed her outfit. Black cane in hand she left her room for Miranda´s to take her to dinner.
After a soft knock the door opened and revealed a beautiful looking woman in a long dark blue dress, with long sleeves and a very low cut cleavage. Andy swallowed at the sight. Miranda looked divine. Her reaction caused Miranda to smirk, congratulating herself for having chosen the right dress.
“Like what you see?” She asked the speechless biologist.
“You look absolutely breathtaking.” Andy said with awe.
“You look quite dashing yourself”, Miranda put her hand against Andy´s chest where she could feel the rapid beating of her heart.
“You think so?”
“I know so”, Miranda corrected gently. “Shall we?”
“Of course.” Andy took Miranda´s hand and led her down the hall not at all revealing where they were going. When they took the same path as this afternoon Miranda had an idea where they were headed but she wasn´t prepared for what was awaiting them.
As they neared the cottage turned villa it was alight with numerous torches put strategically all around the building and Miranda could see why Sophia had loved what her husband had built for her. In the dusk with the light from all those torches the building looked more like an Italian villa than in bright daylight. They went to the back of the villa where on the veranda a table was set with candles and soft music was playing in the background, coming from inside the house as the windows were wide open.
Andrea led her to her chair which she held out for her to sit down. Waiting for Andrea to take her own seat, Miranda leaned slightly over the table to cover the younger woman´s hand.
“This is marvellous, Andrea. Thank you.”
“I wanted this evening to be special. I´m happy you like it”, Andy said shyly.
“It´s perfect, darling.”
George served the wine and their dinner and bowed before leaving them alone. Nobody was there to intrude on their evening. As they ate conversation flowed easily. Talking about everything and nothing in particular. They kept holding hands as much as possible during their meal and when a light breeze wafted over the veranda it brought Miranda´s scent with it. Causing Andy to inhale deeply at the wonderful smell. feeling light-headed.
At the end of their dinner Miranda remembered what Andrea had said about the reception and the music in the background made her decision an easy one as she got up from her chair. She walked around the table coming to stand in front of Andrea with an outstretched hand.
“Dance with me, Andrea.”
“Miranda, I....” Andy tried to object but when a barely audible `Please´ fell from Miranda´s lips her resistance crumbled.
Andy grasped the offered hand and Miranda led them to the free area on the other side of the veranda where she stepped into Andrea´s arms.
Closing her eyes at the sensation of having this wonderful woman in her arms, Andy felt intensely every where their bodies touched. Her left hand was on the small of Miranda´s back, the length of Miranda´s body was pressing against her own and the editor´s head lay against her right shoulder while one of the older woman´s hands was stroking the skin of her neck. She held the other hand gently in her own against her left shoulder. It wasn´t really dancing what they did, more a very slow swaying due to her leg but it felt wonderful nonetheless. Andy didn´t know how long they danced but when she felt Miranda yawn she had to smile at the woman´s attempt to hide her tiredness. It was no wonder she was sleepy she didn´t get much rest last night after all.
“Tired?” Andy asked against the silver hair.
“I´m afraid so”, Miranda was embarrassed.
“Understandable. Come on, let´s return to the main house.”
“Okay”, Miranda knew it was better to leave even though she would have liked to stay.
Slowly and deep in thoughts they returned to the main house where Andy brought Miranda to her room.
“Thank you for the wonderful evening”, Andy whispered still holding the other woman´s hand.
“I should be the one to thank you for creating another fairy tale”, Miranda smiled at the biologist.
Miranda suddenly leaned in and captured those captivating full lips that had been tempting her all evening. First it was hesitantly but when she felt Andrea respond she deepened the kiss circling the younger woman´s neck with her arms. Andy put her hand on Miranda´s waist and pulled her gently against her body.
The kiss seemed to go on forever, tender, warm and soft. Neither willing to let go. Only did they break when air became an issue. Leaning her forehead against Andrea´s Miranda sucked in much needed air.
“Wow”, Andy breathed.
“Indeed.” Miranda chuckled but blushed when the chuckle turned into a yawn. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologise”, Andy reassured her, “you are tired and you need to sleep. Good night, my love.”
“Good night, my darling.” With one last kiss Miranda slipped into her room.
With a goofy grin plastered on her face Andy returned to her own room.
TBC