Disclaimer: Don't own it

Well with all the buzz about Kate Middleton and the Royal Baby, I felt inspired to write a happy one-shot. Thank you! (Also, Miranda's reasoning for certain things might be stupid, but if they weren't, then there wouldn't be a story. :))

Miranda pursed her lips when she saw Page 6 of the newspaper. There was another blown-up picture of her and Andrea plastered on it with yet another trashy headline that painted the Editor as the Ice Queen somehow shattering the young woman's innocence with her bitchiness. Of course, Miranda had built up an almost impervious shield to the media's merciless comments, but she couldn't help the tendril of worry that crept up her spine when she thought about what her young lover would think. What if Andrea had gotten to the point of finally leaving because she couldn't handle being called the 'Devil's Plaything' for the umpteenth time? They had only been dating for a couple of months, but the press was not kind to them. Andrea had read every single newspaper for the first month and gotten madder and more pissed off with each snarky headline she read. Finally, it had gotten to the point where Miranda had to physically restrain her from stalking out the door to yell at the multiple photographers in front of the townhouse. She had no doubt that her young lover would make it physical somehow. While she was fiercely protective of Miranda, Andrea lacked exercising her common sense when she was angry. Miranda couldn't let that happen obviously. Besides that the press would be having a field day, Andrea would probably have been sent to jail, and that would not have been acceptable. Miranda had also cut off any newspapers sent to the townhouse, and only kept the subscription that delivered to Runway.

Miranda sighed and took of her Versace glasses to rub at her eyes. She hated seeing what her public life did to Andrea's once-private one. The brunette couldn't even go to the grocery store without somebody snapping a picture of her and yelling questions about their relationship. Just this morning, Andrea had made a comment about the vultures surrounding their house, and she didn't sound happy. Miranda didn't want Andrea to suffer on account of her. The only question was, what to do? She already had three reporters fired for getting to close to the young woman, but it hadn't helped. Miranda couldn't change who she was-she had already chosen the path to success, fame, and wealth many years ago when she first took over Runway. Tapping her lip, she leaned back in her chair and spun around to face out her window. The famous tall New York buildings loomed in front of her window, and she could see the busy traffic below on the crowded streets. A timid knock sounded on her closed door, and she whirled around in her chair with ice in her eyes.

"Yes?" she bit out.

Her first assistant poked her head in and said, "Sorry to disturb you Miranda, but I have the edits you wanted on the Lana del Rey spread." She shook the folder in her hand to emphasize her point.

"And why," Miranda said softly, "did you feel the need to interrupt me instead of waiting?"

"Um, Nigel told me to give them to you," the unfortunate blonde squeaked. "I just thought..." she cut herself off when she saw Miranda purse her lips and internally cursed herself. What the hell had she been thinking? "Um, I'm really sorry." she hurried forward, teetering in her 4-inch high heels, and practically threw the papers on the glass desk before hobbling away as fast as she could in the stilettos.

Miranda smirked when she saw the girl leaving. It reminded of her of the inopportune moment when Andrea had walked up to the second floor to deliver the Book and walked in on an argument she had been having with Stephen. It wasn't until they had been dating for a while when the girls finally fessed up to the prank they had played on the poor brunette. Of course, Miranda had tried to punish them, but her kind-hearted girlfriend had made her promise that she would do nothing of the sort. They were just lonely, and looking for attention. Caroline and Cassidy did however, get a stern lecture before Miranda had finally given an apology of her own for neglecting to spend sufficient time with her children. They had a wonderful night filled with the classic family food, pizza, and then a walk after in Central Park to burn off all the calories. The night was still one of Miranda's favorites, since the whole family went, including Patricia and Andrea.

Miranda smiled a little when she thought of how Andrea had impacted their lives. The young woman had quickly won both girls' approval by helping them play guitar and proof-reading their school essays so that they both got A's. She had worked her magic throughout the months, and now all Priestly women loved her, including the dog.

Miranda donned her glasses again and flipped through the folder that her assistant had brought in. As she looked at the photos and clothes that the sensual husky-voiced singer wore, she couldn't help her mind from drifting to the situation with Andrea the media. Miranda loved Andrea deeply, and she loathed how the press negatively influenced the writer. She couldn't protect the young woman as well as she wished since she was at work for most of the day. Her sharp blue eyes critically scanned the pages as she kept thinking about what she could do. She lingered on the interview Nigel had conducted with Lana and she immediately picked out the word 'breakup'. The Editor scanned the line above to learn what 'breakup' was referring to, and found that the songstress was talking about one of her songs. 'Breakup' inspired something within her, but she immediately dismissed the idea. Miranda couldn't break up with Andrea just because some tabloids had made cruel comments, could she? She was as protective with Andrea as Andrea was with her, and she would do anything to make the stress leave her young lover's life. Miranda would protect Andrea, even if that meant no longer associating with her, and praying that the press would soon lose interest in both of them. Squaring her jaw, the white-haired Editor stood up and snapped the folder closed with one hand.

"Emily," she called softly, and the first assistant rushed in again.

"Yes Miranda?" she looked like she was going to faint, no doubt imagining scenarios where she would have to run 50 impossible tasks under 20 minutes, or getting first-row seats and backstage passes to Beyoncé's sold out concert. Or the worst scenario of all, getting fired.

Miranda let her sweat for a full minute before she finally said, "Give this back to Nigel. Tell him that on page 3 Lana's face is too dark and he needs to change the angle. On page 4 I want the black dress to be fully displayed, but the fan needs to be the main focus of the picture, and on page 7 her boobs are practically leaping off the page. Tell him to fix it."

"Y-yes Miranda," the skinny assistant breathed and grabbed the folder off of the desk.

"Oh, and Emily?" Miranda called after her retreating back.

"Yes?" her shoulders tensed.

"That's all."

Miranda let herself into the townhouse and closed her eyes when she heard Andrea come down the stairs. She had deliberated with herself throughout the entire day, fighting to make sure she would choose the right choice. Miranda just couldn't handle seeing the young, somewhat naive woman lose her sweetness and become jaded from always being in the spotlight. She could protect Andrea from the overbearing paparazzi world by cutting off all ties with her. She chose to sacrifice her happiness, as well as her girls' to bring Andrea peace and hopefully her own happiness one day. Miranda took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see Andrea walking down the stairs towards her with her wonderful smile on her face. The older woman's heart melted, but she quickly shifted her outside persona and hardened her emotions.

"Hello Miranda," Andrea greeted her and moved in to hug her, frowning when the other woman didn't hug back. Miranda was as stiff as a board and her face was impassive. "How was your day?" she tried again.

"Andrea, it has come to my attention that there are certain...things that need addressing in our relationship. First being, the picture in the paper today," Miranda wanted to cry with the words she was already planning in her head, but she pushed on. "You don't look like a person who would be dating the Queen of Fashion."

"Wh-what?" Andrea stuttered. Whatever she had been expecting, it certainly was not this.

"Your clothes for starters," Miranda sniffed. "Really Andrea. Black and brown do not go together."

"Bu-"

Miranda cut her off with a wave of her hand. "No, no. Another thing is that your makeup looked ghastly. We are not in middle school anymore Andrea, so I expect that you should know how to use a mascara brush properly." Her heart ached at the stricken look on Andrea's face, and she wanted to take it all back as a sick joke, but she remembered the pain her life had caused her love. "Also, those-"

"Wait just a minute," Andrea's wounded face morphed into an angry one and she clenched her fists at her sides. "What's wrong with you? Just this morning you said you loved that brown jacket with the black turtleneck. Plus, my makeup was light. I didn't look like some hooker or anything!"

"But the press probably thought you were," Miranda turned her head and stared at the furthest wall. Andrea's silence almost killed her. "I can't keep going on with you. My reputation is becoming tarnished when photos of you, looking...well... like you, keep popping up with me on Page 6."

"Oh, so now you're too good for me?" Andrea snarled. "I see, after 3 months of dating and you just toss me away like yesterday's newspaper, which like you said, had another photo of dumpy me slouching next to glorious you. I can't believe you!" she threw her hands up in the air and started pacing. Then, she stopped and looked in Miranda's eyes. "What's really going on Miranda? I know that you love me for me. You didn't care that I didn't know how to spell 'Gabbana' on the first day of work, or that I didn't know Prada from Armani." she stepped closer and gently cupped Miranda's cheek, her face falling when the older woman snatched herself away like she had been burned. "Miranda, please talk to me."

"Andrea, we are done. I'll give you one day to gather your things and leave," Miranda spun on her heel and marched up the stairs, her heart breaking with each step.

Andrea stood, shell-shocked in Miranda's entryway. What the hell just happened? She had been looking forward to a lovely night filled with a home-cooked dinner and possibly a movie before retiring to the bedroom for hours of passionate love. Obviously, those plans had just flown out the window. Then, her common sense chose to return to her, and she bounded up the stairs after her love to try and work things out. Andrea paused at Miranda's bedroom door, not sure if the older woman would welcome her presence in it.

So, she leaned her forehead on the door and quietly called, "Miranda? Sweetheart, what's going on?"

There was no response. Miranda sat on her bed, facing the door with silent tears streaming down her cheeks. It was for the best, she scolded herself harshly. Andrea doesn't need the pressure of always being in the limelight. She can't handle it.

"Miranda, I know that you didn't mean the things you said earlier," Andrea gave a short self-depraving chuckle. "I'll chalk it up to a horrible stressful day. Just, please, let me in so we can talk about this."

Her hand drifted down to the handle, intent on confronting Miranda face-to-face. Her mouth dropped open when it wouldn't open. Locked. Miranda had never ever locked her door-not even when they had that really bad argument last month. Sure, she had been evasive, but never to the point of shutting Andrea out completely. Tears welled up in her brown eyes, but anger overtook her senses, and she furiously wiped them away.

"Fine then!" she shouted, just because it made her feel good. Thank goodness the twins were at sleepovers. She could really let it out, but when she opened her mouth to give Miranda a piece of her mind, she found that she couldn't. Andrea's shoulders slumped when she realized she couldn't verbally slash the older woman like Miranda had done to her. "Fine," she breathed out. She wanted to say something along the lines of 'I'm better off without you!' or 'Don't you know how much you mean to me? Please stay with me forever. I'm so sorry for whatever I did', or her personal favorite, 'Screw you!' But even thinking about them didn't make the brunette feel any better. Except maybe the second one. Yet it didn't matter-Miranda had made it abundantly clear to her that they were done. Besides, after mentally running through the past week for anything she could have done wrong, Andrea knew she didn't have anything to apologize for. "Goodbye," Andrea whispered and finally let the tears fall. Turning away, she bit her fist from crying out and she hurried down the stairs to escape the house that had sudden become incredibly claustrophobic.

Back in her bedroom, Miranda flinched when she heard the door slam and finally let herself sob. She was alone again. The only she wanted to do was protect Andrea and bring her happiness by not having her name linked to the Ice Queen's. Funnily enough, as Miranda laid curled up on her side, she remembered hearing Andrea's muffled sobs and she realized that her actions hadn't brought anybody happiness. But they will, Miranda told herself firmly. However, when a sharp pain in her heart made fresh tears spring in her eyes, she had a tendril of doubt that her steps to ensuring happiness for both of them had backfired in the worst way possible.

Andrea stared out the window and sighed pathetically when all she saw was a sky of endless blue. Like Miranda's eyes. Immediately, she frowned and tried to think bad things about the woman who had crushed her heart, but they didn't come. She huffed and pulled out Stephen King's latest thrill novel and tried to busy herself from thinking about Miranda. Andrea needed time, space, and distance to properly heal. After a quick phone call to her boss at the Mirror, she had been given three days off for vacation, with the promise that she'd write two feature articles on cap taxes. (A topic that bored her to no end, but she needed a few days to get back to her old self.)

So, she had bought herself a plane ticket to Ohio, intent on getting back to her parent's home where she would be surrounded by love and support. A small smile made its way on her lips when she thought about her mother who would coddle her for a day, then with her no-nonsense attitude, help her get back out in the world stronger than she was before. Her father would probably stay silent on the issues, but that was just because Richard didn't like to think of his only daughter dating a woman who was 30 years her senior. Not that he had a problem with her dating Miranda, but it was still a bit hard for him to wrap his head around. The heavy-set man next to Andrea interrupted her thoughts by snorting in his sleep and opening his mouth partway. She cringed when he started to snore loudly. It was going to be a long 8-hour flight.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Cassidy frowned and stared at her mother.

"I told her to leave," Miranda said sadly.

"Why the hell-"

"Language," Miranda shot a stern look at Caroline.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why the heck would you tell her to do that? She's part of our family!"

"I know," Miranda sighed.

"You love her don't you? I love her, don't you Cass? I bet even Patricia loves her!" Caroline ranted.

"Yes I love her!" Miranda raised her voice. "That's why I told her to leave! I wanted to keep her safe from the press...she seemed so unhappy."

There was a brief pause.

"Mom," Caroline said gently and sat down next to the sad woman. "Andy's a big girl. I'm pretty sure that she doesn't need protection."

"Besides, she wasn't unhappy when she was photographed with you," Cassidy chimed in and took a seat on the other side of Miranda. "She was only mad that the press trashed you the day after. She was mad that they were attacking you."

"I wanted to keep the stress out of her life," Miranda said quietly. "She's too young."

"You need to get her back!" Caroline's voice grew louder. "Can't you see that Andy will face a billion sleazy photographers and reporters just to be with you? She doesn't care about the press."

"She had made a couple of comments in the past," Miranda shrugged lightly. "She hated the photographers that surrounded our house."

"I heard that comment," Cassidy snorted. "That was just one."

"She's mentioned it a couple times before when you weren't there."

"Well, isn't she entitled to her opinion?" Caroline argued. "It isn't fair for her to filter herself constantly when she's around you just because she's afraid of saying the wrong thing! I bet she doesn't even know that you're upset that she made those comments. Besides, she's not blaming you for the media. She's just stating the simple truth. Paparazzi sucks."

Miranda didn't know what to say to that, so she stood up and quietly said, "Thank you for that insight Caroline. I need to go to work now."

"But you still need to get her back!" Cassidy exclaimed and angrily threw herself backwards with her arms crossed, her back bouncing slightly on the bed.

"I believe, that for now, it's time for us to take a break," Miranda hesitated and then added, "But perhaps sometime in the near future when I've mustered up all of my courage, I will apologize to her."

Caroline rolled her eyes at her sister, making sure that Miranda couldn't see and copied her sister's position, flopping down on her Mom's bed.

Throwing her arm across her eyes, she grumbled, "Fine. Have a good day at work."

"Thank you Caroline. Now get to school girls." Miranda vanished from her room, leaving two upset girls and the faint scent of her perfume behind.

Andrea collapsed in her chair at the breakfast table with a grunt. Her eyes were puffy from crying all night, and she had a killer headache.

"How are you?" Marie Sachs reached over and squeezed her daughter's hand with a look of concern on her face.

Andrea gave her Mom a half-hearted smile. "Fine."

She had been right guessing her parents' reactions. Marie had hugged her daughter and held her while she cried her heart out over the one woman who had shattered it, and Richard had awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. Even though he seemed a bit distant, Andrea knew that her Dad was angry about the whole situation, but had enough respect to refrain from commenting on it. It had helped eased the brunette's soul, knowing that she always had a safe haven to go to if she was ever in need of love or comfort. Sniffing pathetically, Andrea wiped away an errant tear when she thought of the Priestly family, and how they had been her source of consolation and protection before Miranda had split up with her.

Marie saw her daughter's tear and looked down at the wood table with a frown etched in her normally serene features. Her hands clenched in anger when she thought about Miranda breaking her daughter's heart, and she vowed to show the Ice Queen that her daughter was better off without her. Biting her lip, her chocolate-colored eyes found the day's post, and Kate Middleton was on the front page smiling beautifully up at her with a baby in her arms and Prince William by her side. It was as if fate had just reached in her life and pushed the idea right in front of her. Marie raised her head up and slid the newspaper towards her daughter with a smile.

"What's this?" Andrea looked up at the mother with questioning eyes.

"That, my dear, is the solution to your problem," Marie said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Did you know that Britain's most famous couple once had their period of separation?"

"Um, no," Andrea's eyes flitted down to the paper again. "They both look so happy though."

"That's because Kate Middleton fought for her man after he broke up with her. She spent a couple days crying at her parents' home, and then she got back out there and showed Prince William what he was missing. That's exactly what you should do."

A small spark returned in Andrea's eyes and she looked up at her smart Mom with a hint of a grin. "How do you propose I win her back?"

"Win her back?" Marie looked confused. "But I-"

"I love her Mom!" Andrea interrupted. "I can't let her go that easily. Kate Middleton didn't do that."

"But that's the Duke and Duchess! I just meant that you could get photographed looking beautiful and happy to show Miranda what she gave up. I didn't mean that you should get back together with her," Marie looked at her daughter in disbelief.

"I can't imagine living a life without her," Andrea said seriously. "If I'm going to do this, then it's to win her back."

After a small staring contest, Marie finally dropped her gaze and sighed. "Alright. So Kate Middleton used the press to her advantage in that case. She was seen partying and dancing and was photographed many times with another man who was, of course, just a friend, but William didn't know that. Kate always had perfect clothes, perfect hair, and a beautiful smile on her face. You need to do the same. Get photographed looking like you're having the time of your life, and show Miranda that you're not afraid of the paparazzi. You can handle them, can't you?"

"Of course I can, I-" Andrea broke off with a gasp. "Oh my gosh Mom. I figured out why Miranda broke up with me!" she stood up, excited with the revelation and started mumbling quickly and quietly to herself as she paced back and forth. "Of course that's why she broke up with me, you dunderhead! You made that stupid comment about the press surrounding the house, and Miranda, being Miranda, took it to mean that you couldn't handle all of the cameras and attention. Being photographed with her was even part of her reason for her breaking up with me! Miranda just twisted the reason a bit to hide her real intentions. She wasn't embarrassed to be seen with me in public because I have bad fashion taste or anything. It all makes sense now."

"Hello Andy?" Marie waved her hand back and forth. "Would you like to enlighten your slow mother on what you just solved?"

"She didn't break up with me because she thought I was too ugly or unfashionable or fat!" Andrea's eyes were shining.

"Um, that's good?" Marie raised an eyebrow.

"It really is Mom!" Andrea clapped her hands together and almost cried with relief. "Because I was dating her, the crazy press kept taking photos of us, and Miranda probably became scared that I would leave her or some silly conclusion like that. She was also concerned for my well-being because she's as protective of me as I am of her-sometimes to the point of doing ridiculous things, such as this time. Miranda just wanted to protect me." At that realization, Andrea's heart melted and she fell even deeper in love with the Editor, disregarding the fact that they were still no longer technically dating.

"Well she sure has a funny way of showing it," Marie mumbled and then said louder, "Andy, please sit down. You are making me dizzy with all of your pacing."

Andrea plopped in her chair with a relieved grin on her face. "Oh, this is perfect. I can still do the plan to show Miranda that I can handle the photographers and stuff, and then she'll take me back! Oh thank you Mom!" she leaned back and her face glowed with happiness. "The Kate Middleton Method is now fully in operation."

The first picture that Miranda saw of the brunette was four days after she broke up with her. Andrea was photographed leaving the airport, and she was wearing tight True Religion jeans, a fitted white tanktop that outlined the brunette's slim body, and 3-inch wedges that emphasized her long legs. Her mega-watt smile graced her face, and her chestnut locks flew out behind her, the wind having blown through it. Miranda was sucker-punched, something she had never been before. Her heart hurt in a good way from seeing the photo, which was a pleasant reprieve from the constant pain she now found herself in without the young woman in her life. Just seeing a picture of her favorite smile made the Editor feel better, and she carefully folded the newspaper up and continued on with her day.

The second picture came just a day after the first, and in that one, Andrea had a thigh-length black dress on with strappy red heels. It was sexy without being slutty, and Miranda's breath was again stolen when she saw Andrea's dark makeup and sultry grin. She was exiting a club, thankfully alone and unescorted, but Miranda still felt a surge of jealousy and anger. Immediately she berated herself. She was the one who had broken up with the young brunette. It wasn't her place to dictate whether or not Andrea could go to clubs or not. Gritting her teeth, Miranda threw herself back into work, and the whole building knew that the Dragon was not to be tampered with today.

The third picture Miranda saw was a casual Andrea in flipflops pushing a grocery cart out of Dean and Deluca. Her hair was up in a perfect messy bun, and she wore light eyeliner and mascara. Her smile made Miranda's heart and spirits lift, and she began to doubt ever letting the younger woman go. Yet, she felt guilty too. It seemed like her plan to rid the press from Andrea had failed.

All through the next week, the photos in the newspaper came simultaneously, one day after another. Andrea photographed dancing with some brown-haired man, Andrea running in the park, Andrea leaving Starbucks, Andrea out late at night at different clubs or restaurants. Andrea, Andrea, Andrea. She looked beautiful and radiant in each and every one of them, her smile brightening up the whole entire page. The press had become infatuated with her since she was now cooperating and flashing them a grin whenever they asked. They didn't know about their breakup since both women hadn't officially come right out and said it, so they slowly became nicer with their headlines each passing day. Apparently they didn't feel the need to trash Andrea anymore since she gave them what they wanted. Miranda sighed and threw the paper down back on her desk. What had she done wrong? Instead of the paparazzi leaving Andrea alone, they had become an even bigger part of her life. The Editor rested her forehead on her clasped hands and let herself shed a few tears before slamming the mask down and continued with her day. She only fired 3 people.

It was the night of the big benefit, and Miranda hated being there. She usually only spent 45 minutes at those types of things, but that was 45 long minutes of having her ass kissed by people who usually secretly detested or feared her. Of course she looked flawless from her pristine white hair to her beautiful strapless light blue dress that shimmered when she moved, but her features were sorrowful. Years of perfecting her ice cold image however, quickly shut down any trace of sadness from her face and all people saw was a disinterested woman who ruled the Fashion World with a flick of her finger. Her heart was heavy and she missed Andrea terribly, yet her pride and fear prevented her from apologizing and winning the brunette back. Emily, her new blonde first assistant, whispered another name in her ear, and she plastered on a fake smile.

"Oh George," she gave him the customary air-kisses, "it's so wonderful to see you. How is your wife Charlotte?"

As he prattled on about his wife's line of business working at a small boutique that Miranda had never heard about, she drifted off but firmly kept the slightly interested smile on her face, making sure to nod every once in a while. He left shortly after, having spent his five precious minutes with Miranda, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Looking down to the side, she almost missed Emily's whispered, "Andrea Sachs. The Mirror." When her brain registered the name, Miranda jerked her head up and found herself staring into familiar warm pools of chocolate. Her own crystal blue eyes quickly ran up and down the length of the brunette's body, assessing her fashion choice. Unconsciously, she gave a small nod when she saw the red strapless Oscar de la Renta gown fitting the young woman's body beautifully. Her eyes slid back up to Andrea's eyes and she felt a slight blush when she saw the knowing smirk on the other woman's face.

"Miranda," Andrea caressed the syllables in her mouth as she leaned in to give the kisses, her full lips slightly brushing the smooth skin of the older woman's cheek.

"Andrea," Miranda pulled herself together. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, my boss just sent me here to write some small story about New York's elite," Andrea's eyes were filled with humor. "Nothing too big. He just wants me to write about the benefit and who has contributed with their donations."

"Ah," Miranda said.

"May I speak with you in private for a minute?" Andrea gently grabbed Miranda's arm before she had a chance to answer and guided her out of the full area and off into a separate, private room.

"What would you like to speak about?" Miranda said, trying to regain some control of the situation.

"How are you?" Andrea's dark eyes pierced her own.

"I was fine until you decided to grace us all with your presence," Miranda lashed out.

"Are you sure about that?" Andrea leaned in and grinned when she heard Miranda's breath catch a little.

"Yes," she managed to get out.

Andrea sighed and then took a step back to let the older woman breathe. "Miranda, I came here tonight to discuss our relationship."

"I thought you knew that it ended about two and a half weeks ago," Miranda raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I did," Andrea said gently. "But if you hadn't noticed, my picture has been in the paper quite a lot recently."

"Oh?" Miranda feigned disinterest, avoiding her dark expressive eyes.

"Yes, and I was hoping that maybe that was enough to convince you," Andrea breathed out.

"Convince me of what?" Miranda frowned and looked in Andrea's eyes.

"I can handle the press, but I can't handle losing you," she said quietly.

Andrea took a step forward and raised her hand to cup Miranda's cheek loosely. Then, before Miranda had any time to react, the brunette leaned in and placed the gentlest of kisses on her lips. She pulled back, but kept her hand on her love's cheek.

"I love you Miranda," she rested her forehead against the older woman's forehead and closed her eyes. "I've missed you so much."

Miranda's heart sputtered. She seemed frozen for a full minute before she wound her arms around Andrea's waist and captured the full lips again. "I'm so sorry," Miranda whispered against her lips.

"I know you were trying to protect me," Andrea bit her lip, "I figured that much out one day after you broke up with me, but I can handle them, as you can see from all the pictures. I let them take as may as they wanted to in order to show you that I would face a billion of photographers just to be with you."

"That's what Caroline said," Miranda let a small smile play across her lips.

"I missed the twins," Andrea sighed.

"They missed you as well, and they are quite mad at me for letting you go."

"Well thankfully for you, I'm a very forgiving person," Andrea joked and wrapped her arms around Miranda's waist so they were in a loving embrace. "I'm sorry too if I made you feel like you were the root problem of my issues with the press."

"It was just my selfish and irrational insecurities and my urge to protect you," Miranda rested her head underneath the brunette's chin and felt at home when she nosed the soft skin on Andrea's neck.

"I know," Andrea replied kindly. "You must know though, that I would never ever leave you for something as stupid and annoying as the press. My love for you runs so much deeper than I can say."

Miranda looked up and smiled her true smile. "I love you too Andrea. Thank you for giving me a second chance."

Andrea beamed and then became serious. "Miranda, you must promise me that if you ever feel insecure or doubt in any aspect of our relationship, you must talk to me and we can work it out together. I can't handle two and a half weeks away from you again."

"I promise."

Andrea kissed her again and then reached around her own waist and took Miranda's hands in her own, bringing them up between their bodies. "Let's go home."

Late that night, when Andrea was curled up behind a sweaty, gloriously naked Miranda, a wide grin stretched itself across her face. She had won back her woman, and it was all thanks to the Duchess of Cambridge. Plus Marie Sachs.

"Thank you Kate Middleton," she whispered into the soft iconic hair. She tightened her hold around her drowsy lover and was just about to nod off when Miranda's sleep-husky voice broke her peaceful state.

"And what would you thank her for?"

"Oh nothing," she pressed her lips against Miranda's bare shoulder, smiling as she did so. "I'll tell you in the morning." Or maybe not at all.

"You'd better," Miranda rested her hand on top of Andrea's and sighed blissfully.

"I love you," Andrea tightened her hold on her love's body gently.

"As I love you."

Both women drifted off in the comfort and protection of each other's arms with soft smiles on both of their faces. Everything was right in the world again.