Chapter Text
Andy tied her long dark hair back into a pony tail, rolling her neck and rubbing slightly at the pain. She poured red wine into a glass then set the bottle down. Then she picked it back up and poured a little more.
She picked up the glass and made her way to her couch, grabbing a book from the shelf on the way. She tucked her feet under her and opened the book, leaning on her arm to read.
The book she chose was Anna Wintour’s autobiography. She had to chuckle at the irony.
It had been 10 years since she worked at Runway. She was now 35, which would make Miranda about 50. Her girls in their early 20s.
Truth be told, she didn’t think about Runway that much. She had grown a lot in the years following and her life was night and day to what it was.
Now she lived in a third floor walk up in Manhattan, much fancier than she ever thought she could afford. But throughout the 10 years she was gone Andy dedicated her life to her work.
Now she was a senior reporter for The New York Times and mom to a 4 year old that was the result of story she covered years ago.
Andy was sent to do a personality profile on what it was like to live in an orphanage in New York. The kids were well taken care of, just waiting for their new homes, but she couldn’t leave alone.
The image of a particular little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes stayed with her until she went back the following week to see about an adoption. At 30, Andrea assumed her chance at a family was dwindling.
Sure she had plenty of good years left but right in this moment, this little girl needed Andy. And Andy needed her.
Life was good for the two Sachs women. Neither wanted for anything and were content with their routine.
Although her Runway days were behind her, Andy took the lessons with her. It showed in the style and design she had made her own.
She kept her Runway clothes and took to buying more designer clothes. She kept a small closet to be able to afford the luxuries but that was fine with her.
Nigel once told her once you go Balenciaga you never go back. He was right.
She stayed in touch with Nigel a limited amount. Being a mom now she had much less time to go out for drinks or to a movie but he made an appearance at the apartment for a wine night at least once a month.
Emily and Serena she only exchanged Christmas cards with but they seemed happy, now married with two cats. Surely it was Serena’s idea but how fitting Emily was now a cat lady.
Nobody else at Runway really meant much to her in the long run anyway. Well, that was sort of true.
Miranda always haunted her thoughts. Whether shopping or getting a Starbucks, there was almost a weekly occurrence where she would think of her. And it bothered her.
Miranda sent a Christmas card for the first few years. Well, the twins sent it. But Andy always put it on her fridge.
The twins she kept in touch with sparingly. At first they were upset about Andy’s abrupt departure but after realizing she wasn’t coming back, they stopped calling.
It really hurt her to hurt the twins but that was just a sacrifice she had to make. Leaving Runway was the best thing for her.
Leaving Miranda was the worst thing she ever did.
Andy sipped her wine and opened the book, snickering to herself about the imagined horrified look Miranda would have if she saw her with it. Too bad.
Reading had always been one of Andy’s vices. Especially autobiographies.
As a journalist, her life was dedicated to learning and listening to people’s stories so getting to read someone else’s was fascinating.
An hour later her wine glass was empty so she placed a book mark on the page and closed the book. A quick glance at the clock confirmed it was just after 10 p.m.
She decided to turn on the news before she got ready for bed, just to stay current. After the usual weather report and quick commentary from the anchors, the breaking news report caught her eye, and nearly stopped her heart.
There was a car and it was badly damaged, smoking and the front was smashed in. An oncoming car slid on the ice and hit the car head in. The passenger and driver were immediately taken to the hospital and in serious condition.
An oncoming car slid on the ice and hit Miranda’s car head on. Roy and Miranda were immediately taken to the hospital and in serious condition.
Suddenly that wine felt like a bad idea. Andy’s hands were shaking and heart beating a mile a minute. This couldn’t be real.
Horrified, she watched the rest of the 30 second news clip. There was nothing she could do but she wanted to do everything. That woman had a way of igniting that feeling in her.
On shaky legs she stood and retreated to the kitchen to rinse her glass before making her way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She barely recognized her ghost white reflection as she washed her face and brushed her teeth.
She laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling. No way would she sleep tonight. Suddenly her phone began ringing and she answered on instinct. Her mind was too far gone to think to look at the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Andy?”
Caroline Priestly. Andy sat up in bed immediately, her heart beating wildly. She hasn’t heard that voice in nearly a year but she’d recognize it anywhere. Especially when it was trembling in fear the way it was.
“Caroline, hi. How are you is everything okay I just saw a clip on the news can I-“
“Andy you need to get here now,” Caroline said. Her voice was stern but scared. “Mom’s broken her arm and a little banged up but physically she’s okay.”
A small part of Andy relaxed.
“Just physically?”
“Something happened. She hit her head or something I don’t know but she’s been begging for you, demanding you get here and telling us we’re all incompetent because if you knew she was here you would be here,” Caroline explained, clearly exasperated.
“Wait she thinks I’m still her assistant?” Andrea asked, confused.
“Worse,” Caroline confirmed. “She thinks you’re married.”