AN: This is a sequel to previous work Unexpected. It is not necessary for you to read it first but it will help.

I hope you enjoy and as always comments are appreciated. As usual, I don't own anything related to The Devil Wears Prada, Law and order.

1

Andy knew from the purse of Miranda's lips that it was bad news. Miranda hung up the phone and turned to Andrea and shook her head starting to feel a certain amount of hopelessness beginning to set in. All her careful plans to acquire enough Elias Clark stock to protect herself from another coup attempt had been undone with the death of Timothy Clark. Timothy had owned more than forty percent of the company and with her acquisition of thirteen percent gave the two of them a controlling interest in the company. That plan was now as dead as her longtime business partner and truth be told her friend. She looked up at Andrea and shook her head. Timothy's will left the majority of his holdings to his older children and his first wife with the Elias Clark stock going to his current wife and their children.

Andy did not think that sounded like a disaster; sure Miranda had been closer to his first wife but she and Claire had gotten along just fine. Miranda pursed her lips again realizing Andrea did not see the problem just yet. She decided to remain silent to see if she would figure it out. "Shit," Andrea breathed as the penny finally dropped.

"She's going to sell the stock," the younger woman concluded. Miranda shook her head in disgust as the phone call had just confirmed that Irving Ravitz, the current Elias Clark CEO who was not a friend or ally, is putting together a group to purchase the stock. Andy saw it all now, "and the first thing he will do is fire you," she concluded. Miranda had already come to this conclusion and had gone through every permutation of how she could change things but Claire had young children to look after and would want the security a billion and a half dollars would bring. Despite her considerable assets she just could not pull together that much money in such a short period of time. Timothy's will was uncontested and therefore it wouldn't take long for it to get through the probate process.

Andy had been quiet for a while as she too went through the same process that Miranda had already completed. The one difference is that Andy did see a way out of the predicament. As soon as the eureka moment occurred to her she spoke, "We need a white knight". In fairness, Miranda had considered the option of getting someone they could trust to purchase the stock. She was just unable to come up with a person who both had the money and that she was willing to be in business with. She had briefly considered and discarded Donatella who had the money. Miranda was afraid that their friendship would be severely tested by a formal business relationship. There was also the conflict of interest to consider. If one designer had so much influence in what turned up on the pages of her beloved Runway, it would hurt its credibility.

Before she could express all of this to Andrea however, the other woman spoke, "Ophelia Dean is our white knight". Miranda stared at her wife with a look of dismay as she thought, "why would the tech billionaire want to get involved in a publishing company."

Andy once again displayed the type of mind reading that made her an excellent assistant and an even better wife as she spoke, "Ophelia has been spreading her companies reach she now owns a couple of new sites and she is invested in several media-related digital platforms."

Miranda gave that some serious thought she had developed a detailed plan to drastically increase Runway's digital footprint but she had been outmaneuvered by Irving and his allies on the board.

"If we wanted to make this happen how would we go about making the pitch to her," Miranda said. The smile on her wife's face let her know that she was still one step ahead.

An hour later Andy was standing in the gleaming offices of Original Tech the firm formed and wholly owned by the woman who she hoped would become their white night Ophelia Dean. A pass was waiting for her at the security desk and she was given access to the top floor where she was met by Alexandra Wright Ophelia's assistant and a friend she'd met when she worked as Miranda's assistant. Alex and Andy had become quite good friends and she had easily integrated into her small circle of friends. Their bond had grown considerably when she and her boss had taken extraordinary measures to prevent an evil man from hurting Miranda and a lot of other women.

"Alex how are you;" she greeted the tall pretty blonde.

"I am doing well," Alex said though Andy thought that she saw different in the other woman's eyes.

Before she could ask Alex cut in asking, "what can I do for you, Andy?"

Andy made the invitation and they spoke for a few minutes before concluding that tonight would be the only free night in the next few weeks that they could get Ophelia to the townhouse for dinner and to make their pitch. As they began planning how to approach the woman about having dinner the woman in question breezed in. Andy watched as her friend's eyes lit up when the beautiful older woman walked in tall proud and stunning. The mixed race woman with an African American mother and an Italian father displayed the best of both in her elegant features. Andy thought she now knew what was going on with her friend. Andy had also once been hopelessly in love with her boss. Luckily for Alex, she had the advantage of knowing her boss was famously gay and currently single if the media had if correct. Andy watched as the two made prolonged eye contact and then saw Ophelia's gaze turn her way.

Alex quickly jumped in, "Ophelia this Andy, Andy this is Ophelia."

Ophelia took Andy's offered hand before asking "and to what do I owe the pleasure of your company Mrs. Priestley?"

Realizing she had been recognized which happened more and more since her marriage to Miranda, Andy plowed ahead, "Miranda and I would like to have you and Alex over for dinner and it seems tonight is the only night that works in your busy schedule."

Andy decided at the last minutes to improvise by including Alex in their dinner plans. Her short observation of the two women together suggested that Alex's feeling were not one-sided. Her intuition was telling her that all it would take is for the two to be provided a little push. And since she and Miranda owed both women so much Andy was more than happy to be the pusher.

Ophelia looked at Alex for confirmation that her schedule was indeed free and to ask if she was free to join them. When she got a slight nod from Alex, she accepts the invitation for drinks at seven thirty followed by dinner at eight. Andy found it very interesting that the two had silently communicated not one but two questions in a single look. Ophelia said her goodbyes before she entered her office and closed the door behind her.

As soon as the door shut Alex grabbed Andy's hand in near panic, "why did you invite me to this dinner?"

"Calm down Alex I just thought you could use a different setting to make a different type of impression on her." Alex just stared back dumbfounded and began denying whatever Andy was insinuating. Andy held up her hand to stop her friend, "don't even try it I know that look, I wore it for nearly three years before Miranda and I figured things out." Alex lowered her head and asked, "is it that obvious?" Andy took pity and answered kindly, "only if you know what to look for."

"What time do you get off Andy?" asked.

"At five, why?" Alex responded.

Andy grabbed a notepad and wrote down an address, "meet me here at five thirty," she said. Andy then got up to leave denying the other woman a chance to object. Andy was now on two missions one to save Runway for the woman she loved and two to give Alex and Ophelia a chance at the same happiness that she and Miranda had already found.