A/N: Once again Shipsterella has provided a Tumblr prompt, this time she apologised in advance but it didn't stop my muse from stomping her feet when I tried to tell her no.
Once again it is from a Reedsy prompt:
"I'd like to buy a plane ticket to your furthest destination today."
What if, after leaving Miranda in Paris, Andy impulsively decides she has to get as far away from her as possible? Where will she wind up? Will Miranda try to track her down? Will she follow her? Will they declare their undying love for one another and live together happily ever after?
Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to The Devil Wears Prada. These characters belong to the original author and the 20th Century Fox.
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Andy walked away. Having launched her cell phone into the Fontaines de la Concorde she ambled around Paris, stopping for a glass of wine and some dinner before she returned to the Hotel. She knew there was plenty of time before Miranda was due to arrive back at the hotel, knowing her schedule enough to realise that she would be at the final show for the day, then dinner with Valentino, after which she would attend the after show party. This would give her enough time to arrange her things, pack and to get to the airport before the older woman could come after her.
She didn't want to return to New York, there was nothing there for her and she supposed Miranda would blacklist her across the tri-state area. Nate was gone and Lily and Doug were no longer speaking with her.
She packed her clothes quickly at random but took care of the items borrowed from Runway and those she was given, Once she had completed it, leaving the room spotless, she called down to the concierge to have them arrange to give her room key to Nigel.
Sitting down she penned a note to the Creative Director.
Nige,
By the time you read this, I'll be long gone, I do not know where I'll end up right now, I will have to see once I get to the Charles de Gaulle, the further away from this city, and by extension, from New York, the better.
You will not be able to contact me, my Runway cell is currently at the bottom of one of the fountains at the Place de la Concorde and my personal cell was left in New York. You are free to tell Miranda to withhold my last paycheck to cover the cost of the cell. The water will have destroyed any sensitive data and there is a backup on the Mac at my old desk, Em knows the password.
The large Louis Vuitton suitcase holds the items provided by the Closet. This note comes attached to the items I have been gifted, as Miranda's assistant, here in Paris. Please pass them along to Emily with my sincere apologies.
Miranda pointed out today I did the same to Emily as she has done to you, and if that is the case it was an unforgivable act of selfishness on my part. I cannot in good conscience take these items as I took Emily's dream of Paris from her to be by Miranda's side.
I'm sorry Nige, more than you'll ever appreciate. I can't stick around to have Miranda do to me what she has done to you today. My heart is already breaking, and I need to find the strength to get over my feelings and fix it. Staying, with no hope, would break me even more. I love her, Nige. And I am aware just how impossible that is.
Thank you for everything. For kicking my butt to make me realise that fashion is art. I will take the lessons I have learned from Runway and keep them close to my heart. Always.
Your Six.
Andy looked around and saw the neat bags and trunks and smiled sadly.
Grabbing her passport she shoved it into the inside pocket of her leather jacket alongside her wallet before placing her letter in the straps of the trunk
Pulling the small suitcase that held her personal items she made her way from the room and down to the concierge desk to give them her key.
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Miranda stalked into the hotel furiously, with Nigel trotting behind her. She had been detained after the final show at one of the after show parties. As she reached the elevator, she heard the concierge calling for her Creative Director. Waving Nigel off she prodded the elevator button multiple times as she tapped her foot impatiently. She needed to speak with Andréa, right now. She needed to explain.
She recognised she hurt the brunette with her speech but at the time believed her harsh words were necessary. She thought what Andréa was experiencing was nothing more than a little infatuation. It would not last because it never did. She needed to put a stop to it before she became even more emotionally invested in the young woman.
After she exited the car she turned around on those steps and caught the brunette's eyes, and she saw a world of pain in those expressive eyes. Andréa looked like her heart was breaking. She had gestured for the brunette to follow her, instead, the young woman fled.
Nigel stepped beside her biting his lip nervously. "She's gone, she left the key for her room for me." He muttered nervously.
Miranda's head spun, and she looked at her friend. "What do you mean by gone?" She hissed as the elevator doors opened. She swept into the enclosed space and nodded for Nigel to enter.
He stepped behind her and spoke quietly. "She came back, packed, organised for me to have her room key, and jumped in a cab to the airport. The bellhops will be up shortly to move the items she's left from her room to mine." He closed his eyes and fiddled with his cell until the elevator doors opened to their floor.
As Miranda stepped from the elevator and walked down the corridor, she felt the prick of tears. Andréa had left her. Her words pushed the young woman away in such a way there would be no coming back from it. She tried to tell herself it was for the best but the call of her heart was, for once, stronger than her mind. "Oh God, what have I done?" She whispered as losing Andréa hit her, it was like someone punched her in the chest.
Nigel looked at his oldest friend as he swiped the key card for Andy's room and opened the door. He saw the stacked luggage as Miranda looked around attempting to get her emotions under control. Spotting something shiny on the bedside table and stepped towards it, she saw it was the silver bracelet with a heart pendant she had seen Andréa wearing on multiple occasions. She picked it up and closed her hand around it.
As Nigel checked the trunks, he found the letter. The unfolding of the piece of paper caught the editor's attention, and she watched as Nigel read quickly. She stepped towards him and held her hand out. "Show me." She demanded.
"No Miranda, it was addressed to me." Nigel looked at Miranda's blue eyes and caught sight of the glistening tears. "Tell me one thing. Do you love her?"
"I...I can't..." Miranda closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Miranda, do you love Six?" Nigel asked again.
"Yes." She whispered as she opened her eyes and caught the surprise flickering through his. "Yes, I do, Nigel." She looked down at the heart pendant in her hand and swallowed.
"Then we will find her, and we will bring her home." He handed her the letter as a knock on the door showed the bellhops arrival to move the luggage.
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Andy arrived at Charles De Gaulle at 10:30 pm and looked at the different boards outlining the flights that would take her away from this city, away from her heartbreak. She was overwhelmed. There was a flight that would take her to New York leaving within the hour, or one to Dayton, Ohio in three hours and multiple flights across the world. Looking at the Air France booth she stalked over.
"Do you speak English?" She asked nervously.
A chic brunette raised her eyebrow. "Of course. How may I assist?"
Andy breathed deeply. "Well, I'd like to buy a plane ticket to your furthest destination today." She told the airline employee.
"Well this is your lucky day, we have available seats on our flight to Santiago leaving in..." She looked at her watch. "just over an hour. And we have a promotion on at the moment." The woman smiled. "Have you got Facebook?"
Andy nodded. "Yea, but I do not have access right now."
"Ah, I can help, come, sit." She was waved into a seat. "Now, if you like our Facebook page and check into the flight, we will be able to offer quite a reasonable discount, you save around thirty-five percent." The airline employee grinned at Andy's look of shock. "If you would like to log in here..." She pulled the screen around to face Andy and pushed the keyboard towards her.
Andy typed quickly and searched for Air France, she liked their page and checked into the flight with a small grin, while she was there she accepted Nigel's friend request and one from Serena. "All done."
The Air France employee got down to business. "Now, is that return or one way?"
Andy looked down. "One way." She whispered.
The Air France employee nodded. "Well, minus the discount you are looking at $1028 and you can have 90 days to visit, as an American, without a visa."
Andy smiled widely. "That's perfect." She was amazed that a flight to South America would work out cheaper than one to New York.
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Miranda was pacing her suite drinking directly from the scotch bottle to save her having to keep topping up her glass. Looking at her watch she saw it was midnight which would make it 6 pm in New York. Pulling out her cell she placed a call to Emily. "Emily, you will need to find a replacement second assistant as soon as possible. Contact French Runway and have them send me their least incompetent assistant for the final shows tomorrow. Place the items from Andréa's desk into a box and messenger them to the townhouse with a note to Cara to place it in my study. That's all." Just as she was about to disconnect Miranda heard Emily stuttering. "Just spit it out." She hissed.
"Where's Andy?" Emily asked hesitantly.
"Gone," Miranda muttered. "She left this evening. While you're at it, call Air France and see if they will provide information on which flight she is on and have Roy waiting for her upon her arrival in New York. Please have Roy tell her I expect to see her at the townhouse upon my return on Monday afternoon."
"Of course, Miranda. Anything else." Emily asked.
There was silence for a moment as Miranda contemplated. "Nothing else. That's all...and Emily, thank you." She disconnected the call quickly and sat on the wide sofa, looking across from her she remembered Andréa as she appeared the night before. Her grey pencil skirt hugging her delicious curves as she sashayed into the room, the black long sleeved wraparound blouse highlighting the deep cleavage of the voluptuous woman as she'd leaned forward, so tantalisingly close, she spotted the compassion and adoration highlighted in her expressive eyes.
She closed her eyes and thought back on her time with the brunette. How she could have ever thought of her Andréa as fat she did not know. She was perfect, a perfect angel brought low by the bitterness of the Devil in Prada.
Taking a deep drink from the scotch bottle she welcomed the burn. Sighing she decided it was time to call her Bobbsey's, they had been silent when she broke the news of the divorce before Caroline muttered a quiet good riddance. She hadn't the energy the previous evening to query those words but now she needed to know she and her girls would be okay.
Picking her cell up she placed the call to the girl's cell, they were with their Grandmother in Connecticut, the one thing they hated more than that was staying with their father, who much preferred his new wife and children to the reminder's of his failure.
As her daughters answered happily, she felt the tears start to fall when they asked how Andréa was enjoying Paris. Interrupting their questions and their request to give the brunette time to sightsee she said the first thing that sprang to mind. "She left me, Bobbsey's."
"What?" Her twin's exclaimed in unison.
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Andy exited the plane after just under 15 hours feeling tired and apprehensive. She could not sleep on the flight, her mind overflowing with memories of her time with Runway, from her first meeting with Miranda to being called the smart, fat girl, to her makeover, where she was sure she had Miranda's approval, to those final moments shared in the town car in Paris.
Moving through customs quickly she walked sedately through the arrivals lounge to a money exchange kiosk. She exchanged all the Euro's she had from Paris and some American dollars into Chilean peso's and hesitantly asked for directions, in rusty Spanish, for a bus into the city. The attendant pointed her toward the Main Street and muttered. "El Centropuerto autobús es cada diez minutos para Los Héroes."
Andy smiled. "Gracias." She moved away to allow the attendant to help the next traveller and made her way out of the airport. She shimmered out of her jacket and smiled, she had been cold on the plane due to the icy air conditioning. Looking at the sky she squinted at the mid-morning sun. She knew back in Paris she and everyone else would have been running around right now trying to pack between the final shows, attempting to make their flight to New York and be ready to start their usual work day on Tuesday.
The bus was just pulling in and depositing its contents as she walked over. Glancing at the map she saw it offered multiple stops through the city. She decided she would no doubt find an internet cafe. The driver smiled at her widely as she lugged her single suitcase on board, she explained that she wanted to be dropped at the Los Heroes and paid him accordingly.
Sitting towards the back of the bus she clutched her purse, suddenly nervous. As the bus filled, she pulled her small suitcase between her legs as a young blonde woman hesitated at the seat beside her. She waved her down, and she sat hesitantly next to the brunette. Andy smirked. "Trust me, I'm not a serial killer." She stated softly.
The young woman let out a snort of laughter. "Like you would admit it, anyway." She spoke in lightly accented English.
Andy chuckled before yawning loudly. "Yea, sure I would. It'd make for an interesting confession."
"So you are American?" The young woman asked.
"Yea, I'm originally from Ohio but live in New York," Andy spoke quietly.
"Ah that is good, I know Ohio. I recently finished my studies at the University in Cincinnati, Business. By the way, I'm Sofia." She grinned.
Andy returned her smile with a bright one of her own. "Andy. So what made you study business?"
Sofia blushed. "My parent's own a small hostel and..."
Andy's face lit up. "Really?" She exclaimed. "I was going to get off at the Station and wander around, find an Internet cafe and...do you have any vacancies?"
"You haven't booked?" The young woman stared at Andy in disbelief.
"It was a spur-of-the-moment visit. I just flew in from Paris." Andy admitted.
"Wow, such a long flight. Give me a moment, I will check with el papaíto for vacancies." Sofia pulled out her cell and fired off a quick text and received a call in return. She spoke quietly in Spanish as Andy watched the scenery as the bus thundered down the road and attempted not to eavesdrop. Sofia ended the call with a loud laugh. "Sí papá, hasta luego!" She looked at Andy and caught her eyes through the window. "We have vacancies, just the one double room, which in many ways is better than a shared dorm." She smiled as Andy looked at her. "We have the Internet available for our guests too."
Andy's eyes pricked with tears at the kindness shown by the young woman and swallowed. "Thank you, Sofia." She looked away quickly so she could get herself together when a soft hand landed on her knee.
"We all need a bit of kindness at times, Andy. Maybe you have forgotten that, no?" Sofia stated softly.
"Maybe I have," Andy whispered.
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Miranda let her inner-dragon fly upon her return to New York the day after Fashion Week ended. What had frustrated her was Emily's inability to find information regarding Andréa's flight home, all the airline would advise is that Ms Sachs had left France. Her lawyer faced the brunt of her fury as had her publicist. Stephen had been called and told he had until 5 pm the following day to remove his things from her house, it was that or they would be sent to the charity of Miranda's choice.
Upon her return to Runway that morning she found Emily had installed a new assistant at her Andréa's desk and had started to train her with the usual incompetence. Her coffee was barely warm, causing her to voice her displeasure. Miranda found over the course of the morning she needed to stop herself from calling out the brunette's name and her jaw ached from the clenching of it.
"Emily." She called out to the outer office knowing the real Emily had gone to lunch. The new second assistant came running in and stopped breathlessly in front of her, her head down. "You have not produced the information I requested yesterday. How hard is it to get this information, the knowledge of the whereabouts of Andréa Sachs is imperative, am I reaching for the stars here?"
"No, Miranda...Yes, Miranda...I mean...I called her parents, she has not gone back home, and they stated emphatically they have not spoken to her since before Paris." The young woman stuttered.
Miranda rolled her eyes and sighed. "I want this information before I leave for the day, if it is not forthcoming I can assure you need not bother coming back tomorrow. That's all." She watched as the young woman ran from her office, tears streaming down her face and sat behind Andréa's desk. "Oh and Emily, I want coffee, now."
"But...but...well, I got told I needed to man the phone's at all time," New Emily answered nervously.
"I can answer a phone. Go! And if you see Nigel on your travels, tell him I want him in my office as soon as practical." Miranda demanded.
The young woman charged off towards Nigel's office, finding it empty she moved to the closet and heard the real Emily shrieking.
"Santiago? As in Chile? What the hell is that silly bint doing there?" She screeched.
"Calm down, Em and lower your voice. All I know is what Facebook shows." Serena was calm as she explained. "She liked the Air France Page on Saturday night and checked into a flight to Santiago. And the only reason I know is she finally accepted mine and Nigel's friend requests."
"I love my job, I love my job, I love my job," Emily muttered.
"Relax Querida, you have replaced her, no?" Serena attempted to soothe Emily as she hopped around on her crutches awkwardly. "The new girl will be sufficiently trained shortly and it will make life easier. It is a good job Andy left all those notes to prepare for her leaving, not that she expected it to be so soon, she wanted to see the year out."
"She is a cow, a big, fat useless cow, and I shall tell her so. Show me this Facebook nonsense, you know how I hate social media." She held her hand out for Serena's cell phone.
With a sigh, the Brazilian opened her Facebook account and handed it to Emily. "Emily, try to be nice, please."
"Nice...Nice!" Emily screeched. "I will throttle her for leaving me to fend off the dragon, two fucking days is not enough time to train someone to do what Andy did. Hell, I can't do what that sodding woman did. This is shit Serena, no more, no less than a big pile of shit!"
"Querida, please. Keep your voice down." Serena asked as Emily typed furiously on Andy's check-in status.
"There, done." Emily grinned and handed Serena her cell. She read the redhead's words and offered her own smile in return.
Well, well, Chile? At least we know where the future Mrs Priestly is hiding. The couture was a nice apology, but until you return, you are dead to me. I can't believe you left me behind. Get your arse home, now. Em x.
Serena looked up and saw the new assistant. She frowned. "Lauren, was there a reason you were eavesdropping on a private conversation?" Emily spun around on her crutches and scowled at the blonde.
"I'm sorry, I was looking for Nigel, Miranda wants him, and then her coffee..." She trailed off. "...Were you talking about Andy Sachs? Miranda is looking for her whereabouts and she said she'll fire me if I don't find out and...Well, I don't want to be fired, I want to prove myself and..."
"Oh, shut-up, Lauren. If Andy wanted Miranda privy to her whereabouts, then she would have left word. If one mention of this gets out..." Emily left the threat hanging. "...Now get Miranda's coffee, and this time make sure it is not lukewarm." Emily rolled her eyes. "I will find Nigel and advise him he is wanted. Go!" She watched as Lauren skidded away as if her ass was on fire and smirked at her retreating back.
"Will you tell Miranda?" Serena queried softly.
"Yes, I suppose I must. I cannot cope with another morning like this one, or her making demands I cannot hope to complete while on the other side of the world." Emily breathed deeply. "I just don't know how she will take it, Serena.
"Well there's only one way to find out, I shall come also, and tonight, if you like, I will treat you to dinner." Serena had been hoping to get closer to her friend, to move their friendship to more if the redhead was willing. Emily seemed oblivious to her feelings, but she swore she would make her move, soon.
"Dinner would be wonderful. Thanks, Serena, you're a real friend." Emily whispered.
"Call Nigel, I think his presence will be required while we are dealing with Miranda," Serena stated calmly.
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Andy was finding Santiago surprisingly cosmopolitan. It held an energetic vibe and was a cultural delight. From the little, she had seen she believed the museums, architecture, restaurants and parks would offer her freedom from her whirling thoughts.
Last night she had decided that today was a day for resting, to attempt to catch up on some much-needed shut-eye. She had found that the jetlag from moving six hours ahead for Paris and then four hours behind for Chile was taking its toll. She hoped that she could overcome her lethargy, her apathy.
Upon her arrival, she had settled at Sofia's parent's hostel. She had been provided with a room with a double bed and its own TV. Sofia's parents, Matias and Carla, had been very welcoming and she had spent the afternoon getting to know the family. The previous day had been spent walking around the local area of Bellavista with Sofia, attempting to get herself adjusted to the time difference. When she finally made her way to her room, she tossed and turned, unable to switch her mind off.
Turning in bed she looked at her wrist and realised that her bracelet was not in its usual place. Wracking her brain she remembered taking it off after her night with Christian before she'd run all over the City of Light trying to warn Miranda, unnecessarily, about Irv's plans. She groaned upon realising that she had left it behind and hoped Nigel would find it.
The bracelet wasn't important, it was the pendant she'd miss. She'd had it engraved for a certain silver-haired editors birthday the month before but had chickened out from giving it to her. That day of her birthday Miranda had been particularly caustic with Andy, leaving her feeling hurt. Between Miranda's words and Nate's continued coldness, she was left believing she was unworthy of love or respect. It took time for her to claw her way to normality and to realise that the most important thing was for her to love and respect herself. But she had abandoned all hope that Miranda could reciprocate her feelings, and she had let Nate go without a fight.
Sighing she decided to get out of bed and explore. She needed clothes having left most of her comfortable clothes in New York as Runway had provided her wardrobe for Paris from the closet. The things she had with her, loungewear which included two pairs of jeans and a couple of t-shirts and one of newer Northwestern hoody's, were things she had taken to Paris on the off chance she managed to get some free time.
Grinning, she grabbed her toiletry bag and towel and made for the communal bathroom. A shopping trip would do her the world of good, and maybe she could talk Sofia into tagging along.
Fifteen minutes later she was dressed and her hair was tied in a high ponytail. Walking through the Hostel she was greeted warmly by a group of Australian's who were lounging in the communal area's reading and playing pool. She grinned widely as Sofia came into view. "Hey, Andy. ¿Como estai?"
"Hi. I'm okay. Are there any good places to shop in the city?" She asked the blonde.
"Sure, Parque Arauco offers American branded products, there are many good food places too. Do you want company?" Sofia asked.
"Sure," Andy grinned as the blonde looked at her appraisingly.
"You look tired, Andy. Did you sleep at all?" Sofia queried softly.
"I managed a few hours, it was a little broken in parts." Andy could see the concern in Sofia's hazel eyes.
"We'll take it slow. Papá has given me the use of his car." Sofia grinned. "I must tell you I drive badly."
"You can't be that bad. The last time I drove it was my ex-bosses car, her Porsche to be exact, through New York peak hour traffic, while carting her 120 kg St. Bernard, who slobbered over my Donna Karan skirt and Burberry trench." Andy grinned at the memory before frowning.
Sofia caught the fleeting sadness. "Right, we'll go shopping, have lunch and once you are more rested, we will go dancing."
Andy grinned. "That sounds so good."
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Miranda was breathing fire when Emily, Serena and Nigel entered her office. Glancing up she seethed. "Why do you believe I would want to have a discussion with all three of you? I asked for Nigel, Emily and Serena your presence is not required."
Emily made to move from the office quickly but was restrained by Serena's warm hand on her bicep. "Emily, please." She whispered. Turning to Miranda, Serena caught her eye. "The reason we believed you may want us here is for one reason only, we know where Andy is," Serena spoke quietly. "However if we are mistaken Emily and I will take our leave." She made to lead Emily from Miranda's office.
"You know where Six is?" Nigel queried at their back.
Serena turned her head and nodded. "Yes, and you should too. Have you been on Facebook since Paris, Nigel?" She watched as Nigel shook his head.
"No, I was trying to speak to Six's friends, or should I say ex-friends. The boy, Douglas, he was pleasant enough, but that Lily..." He trailed off. "...Well, there is just one word for that young woman." Seeing Miranda's quirked eyebrow he smirked. "Bit..."
"That's sufficient Nigel," Miranda exclaimed as he guffawed loudly and Emily snorted. Serena just grinned as Miranda rubbed the bridge of her nose trying to work out the best way to find out what she wanted to know without seeming too desperate.
Miranda waved at them to sit on the sofa and getting up from behind her desk perched on the coffee table in front of them. "Where is Andréa and why did she not come home?" There was a timid knock on the door and Miranda turned towards it angry at yet another disruption. "Enter." She barked.
The door opened and Lauren stepped into the office nervously. "Um, I have your coffee, Miranda."
Miranda stood and stalked towards the young woman causing her to step back in fear. She held her hand out, and the coffee was handed to her quickly. Miranda took a small sip and grimaced before turning and depositing the cup in the bin. "I asked you to leave no stone unturned to find Andréa Sachs and yet given yesterday and the majority of today you have been unable to tell me. Did you think of checking Facebook or Tweeter?"
"Do you mean Twitter?" Lauren asked nervously. She heard the gasp of disbelief from Emily and shuddered as she realised she had not only corrected the editor but asked her a question.
"Isn't that what I said?" Miranda asked coldly. She smirked as the young woman swallowed audibly.
"Yes, Miranda. I checked, but her privacy settings..." Lauren stuttered to a halt as Miranda waved her hand imperiously. "...and I heard,..." She shot a gaze at Emily. "...I have since found out where..."
"Details of your incompetence do not interest me. Now I want coffee, hot. Is that request too much for your tiny little brain to comprehend?" Miranda watched as the young woman blushed and looked down. "That's all." She turned back to the table as Lauren ran from the room to complete another coffee run. "Now which one of you will tell me where my Andréa is?"
She noticed Nigel scrolling through his cell. Standing he caught her eyes and handed it to her. She pulled her glasses on and looked down into the screen. Seeing the blue banner and Andy's name she looked at the post from Monday.
Andy Sachs - at Paris Aéroport - Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Checking into Air France Flight 466, next stop Santiago. Goodbye Paris, you were, for want of a better word, illuminating!
The screen went blank and Miranda prodded it to brighten it, scrolling through Andy's feed she saw a new notification on her timeline.
Andy Sachs became friends with Cassi 'Baby Dragon' P.
Looking up she looked at her three employees. Nodding once she handed Nigel his cell back. "That's all." She watched as they walked from the room and sitting back at her desk, she placed her head in her hands and tried to work out what to do now.
As she pulled her head from her hands, she spun her chair towards the window and the heart pendant she was wearing shone briefly in the sunlight. She gasped when she made out the neat script.
'With brave wings, she flies.'
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Andy and Sofia had been shopping and after an impromptu fashion show, captured on that young Chilean's cell, they had lunch before returning to the Hostel.
They were sat side by side at the computer used for guests. Andy was checking her emails and was frowning at one received from her parents, demanding her return to Ohio. Shaking her head, she replied with a one-word answer and closed her email and logged into Facebook. She saw that Cassidy had finally accepted her friend request, Caroline, however, had not. She had one new friend notification and grinned when she spotted the name. Looking towards the blonde she grinned and accepted the request. She then went to her friend's list and deleted multiple people including Nate, Lily, Doug, her parents and her siblings.
Sofia uploaded the photos she had taken that way and was busy tagging herself and Andy in them causing a slew of notifications to appear. She was laughing as Sofia's parents entered the room and looked over their daughter's shoulder to see what she was doing.
"¿Qué onda?" Matias asked.
"Nariz," Sofia told him.
"Me gusta, gordita," Carla said softly, pointing to a selfie taken of the two women. "It looks like you had much fun."
"We did, mamá," Sofia told her with a smile. "I'm just going to get my laptop." She launched herself from the chair and moved quickly from the room. Andy spun around in the chair to face Sofia's parents.
Carla sat next to the brunette and offered a wide smile which was returned hesitantly. "It is good Sofia met you, she seems happy to have a new friend. She was not happy to return from America, she left behind someone she cared about deeply." Carla rolled her eyes. "If the other person had cared, surely she would be here with my gordita." She watched Andy's eyes widen and snorted. "What are you running away from, Andy?"
"Nada," Andy whispered.
"¿Crees que soy una gansa?" She laughed at Andy's look of confusion. "It is like asking if you think I am estúpida."
Andy blushed. "Oh no, not at all." She sighed. "I quit my job in Paris and...well, New York is not somewhere I want to be right now."
"¿Por qué?" Carla asked curiously. "Why?"
Andy decided to be honest, the family had shown exceptional kindness. "I fell in love with someone, my boss actually. My feelings could never be returned, so I left, I walked away from her."
"What is she like?" Matias asked softly as he sat on the comfortable couch.
"She is beautiful, determined and totally brilliant," Andy told them. "She is well known for making life extraordinarily difficult for someone when she is displeased and I can't imagine her being impressed with the way I left." She looked up to see Sofia in the doorway and smiled softly.
"She sounds like she has much influence," Carla said. "She would be foolish not to see just how beautiful you are."
"Thank you, Carla. Unfortunately, it is not that simple, she is in a position where she is often publicly scrutinised, and she has two beautiful little girls to consider. It was an impossible hope."
"My Abuela used to tell me that nothing is impossible unless you think it is. You have to believe, Andy." Matias told her as Sofia came into the room.
Sofia gasped as she stepped towards Andy and saw the screen her friend had her back towards. Following Sofia's eyes, she spun around and took in the picture of herself and Miranda stood on either side of Nigel at the Valentino after-show party. Miranda was smirking as she looked at Andy, who was leaning into Nigel and beaming into the camera. The photo had been posted by the Runway Facebook page which Andy had subscribed to a few weeks before Paris.
"Wow, you look amazing in that photo," Sofia told her softly. "I can't believe you worked for Runway."
"Yeah, I was the first assistant to Miranda Priestly, a recent promotion." She sighed. "Anyway, that life is behind me now."
Matias rose from his seat and looked at his daughter. "We were thinking of doing an asado tonight." He told her.
"That sounds wonderful, papá. Do you need my help with the barbeque?" Sofia asked.
"No, your mamá and I should manage. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon. The pool's cleaned up and ready to use now the weather is getting warmer." He gestured for Carla, who rose gracefully. She turned and looking at Andy cupped her face gently as she spoke. "Tienes mucho que ofrecer, Andy. Nunca te des por vencida." She released Andy's face and walked away, as she stepped towards Matias they clasped hands and he gently led her from the room.
Andy watched as Matias smiled at his wife and kissed her cheek as they exited the room. "What on Earth did your mom just say?" Andy asked breathlessly.
Sofia sat in the chair her mom had been sat in and looked at the brunette. "She said you have a lot to offer and to never give up." She watched as Andy's face lit up with one of her megawatt smiles and was stunned by the beauty. "I think I have to agree with mamá. Anyone would be lucky to have you."
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Miranda was sat in her study at home, the book had been delivered early. She had it open in front of her but she could not focus on it, she'd barely made any corrections as she contemplated her next steps. She'd had Nigel and Serena finding out all they could from Andréa's Facebook, upon being told she followed the Runway Page she had the social media team upload the photos from Paris onto the page. There had been three or four she'd adored and had requested copies of. Her favourite had been captured when she introduced Valentino and Andréa. The look on the young woman's face had been the perfect amount of awe and happiness.
She had found that when her thoughts turned to the brunette, she felt an immense amount of grief. Her heart ached with the loss of the young woman. She hadn't realised just what an impact Andréa had on her life. The young woman had surprised her. She had brought a lightness to her world, letting her feel safe and valued, and she had hoped that Andréa would stay, somehow, in her life.
Catching a small movement from the corner of her eye she saw Patricia making her way into the room. The large dog was missing her Bobbsey's, as was she, and was making her presence well known as Miranda's shadow. Looking down at the large dog as she sat at her feet and rested her head on Miranda's lap, she stroked the fur at the side if Patricia's ears.
"What should I do girl? Andréa left me and yet I somehow suspect I shouldn't just leave things as they are." Patricia tilted her head and Miranda's hands stopped working through her fur. Patricia huffed. Smiling widely, Miranda scrubbed behind Patricia's ears. "I'm so glad we brought you home Patricia, I don't know what I'd do without you." She admitted. "I know you understand I love you my big girl, but how was I supposed to tell that beautiful young woman how she made my heart smile? What if she'd have laughed at me? A silly old woman yearning for her much younger assistant."
She stopped as her cell interrupted her. Looking down she saw the flash of Cassidy's name answered it. She placed the cell in the crook of her neck as she continued to stroke Patricia. "Yes, Cassidy...well, I am home...what do you mean 'that's unusual'? I do not appreciate that tone young lady...I am well aware you and Andréa are now friends on Facebook...So Caroline is not accepting? Has she said why?" Miranda rolled her eyes. 'Andréa is not a traitor...If she promised to always be there, she will...What do you mean I should go after her? She's in Chile of her own accord...Yes, Cassidy, I am aware of my feelings...No, Andréa may not feel the same...It is probably some form of hero worship like the others...Cassidy Anne Priestly will you stop laughing this instant...I am serious...Fine, I admit I am aware she did not understand who I am when we met...I am well aware she is not the usual 'clacker' material...I wish you wouldn't call the women who work for me that...Oh, so that was Andréa's name for them?" She smiled. "I wasn't aware...Yes, I promise I will think over what you have said...Cassidy, please tell Caroline to accept Andréa's friend request...She's refusing...Well, tell her if she doesn't I will log in for her and do so. If I remember correctly, she last logged in on my Mac...One second..."
Miranda launched Safari and opened Facebook quickly. Noticing the email address and password had been saved she smirked. "...Tell your sister that saving passwords in browsers is unsafe, I now have full access to her social media...Oh hello, Caroline...Why, yes, I have Facebook open in front of me right now...If you continue to use that tone I will log in and change your password until you return from your Grandmothers...Enough Caroline, not one more word..." Miranda listened as Caroline continued her diatribe about Andréa's disappearance. Clicking login and entered the settings menu and hit security. She selected a button to log out from all active connections and then selected the change password button. Frowning she realised she didn't know the current password, but she grinned as with two clicks she could view it. She moved back to Facebook and typed quickly before confirming the change just as Caroline uttered about Andréa being a disappointment. "...Enough, Caroline. That is an unnecessary description for someone who has treated you with nothing but kindness and respect...No buts, you are banned from Facebook until I see fit to provide you with your new password..."
She huffed as Caroline disconnected the call with a wail. "You're so unfair."
Taking a deep breath she logged out of Facebook and opened her email client. She frowned as she saw an email from the new Emily.
From: laurenw
To: mirandap
Subject: Fwd: Andy's disappearance
Hi Miranda,
This is a forward of the recent email I received from Andy Sachs parents.
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message
From: ginnysachs
To: laurenw
Subject: Andy's disappearance
Dear Lauren
Thank you for your call regarding the disappearance of our daughter and for the concern expressed.
As advised the other day my husband and I cannot say her running away from Miranda Priestly was a surprise. Andy mentioned in the early days of working for Runway just how much her work seemed to be under-appreciated, yet having discussed this with our other children we have noticed Andy had stopped complaining so much in the past months, she seemed more settled. Andy is not one to disappear unnecessarily, we are of the belief that something happened in Paris that pushed our daughter away from the life she insisted she wanted.
We have been told that Andy is travelling in South America, she has the funds to do so since her Grandmother insisted on leaving our children a trust fund to be accessible at 25. The money was transferred to her account the month before Paris. The attempt we made to have her return home has been met with an instant refusal, she always was stubborn.
She had decided that Chile will be her home for at least the next three months before she moves on. She is not contactable on her cell and she has removed most of her friends and family from her social media profiles. We have been advised that she believes she has been blacklisted from the New York publishing world, it is unlikely she will return except to pack up the apartment she had been sharing with her now ex-boyfriend.
Good luck with your new job Lauren, we think you will need it.
Ginny and Richard Sachs
Sachs Family Law
Cincinnati, Ohio
Miranda frowned at the words regarding Andréa's belief she would be blacklisted. She realised this was why the young woman hadn't returned to New York. Thinking about what Cassidy had said she picked up her cell and made a call to Nigel. He answered immediately.
"Yes, Miranda?" Nigel queried.
"I need you to cover things at Runway for a time unless you can think of a reason for Irv to allow our next shoot to happen in Santiago," Miranda stated.
"Mm, well we have the Valentino shoot in Barcelona starting on Thursday, we have the corporate jet booked, with a few tweaks we could easily make it Santiago, it will only be slightly warmer than Spain and I'm sure Patrick will not mind the change of location." She could hear the smile in Nigel's voice. "In Barcelona, we had organised the shoot primarily in the Gothic Quarter. Give me an hour and I'll have come up with alternate solutions based in and around Santiago. If that is what you want?"
"Acceptable." She smiled softly. "Thank you, Nigel."
"You are welcome, Miranda." Nigel grinned as the editor disconnected the call
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