The twins burst in the front door, chatting with each other animatedly. Andy smiled as she looked up from her book, yet again sitting on the couch in Miranda's study. It had truly become her favorite place. She closed the book and sat back. The girls would find her soon enough and then she knew that there would be no time for reading.

"Andy?" Caroline called out.

"In the study," she called back.

A second later there were two smiling red heads in the doorway, complete with reindeer antlers. They had really gotten into the spirit for their last day of school before break. Andy patted the couch beside her and they walked in and plopped down.

"So, how was your last day? You do anything exciting? The last day before Christmas break when I went to school was always just a bunch of Christmas games and eating food."

Cassidy looked a little jealous. "It's not super like that at Dalton. They're a little more lenient, but we still had to do work in some classes." She scrunched her nose.

"It wasn't bad, though, a lot of the teacher's made special lessons that took what we needed to learn for the day and made it Christmas themed." Caroline shrugged. "We had an exercise in biology that had to do with reindeer genetics. It wasn't bad. We were trying to find out the probability of another reindeer like Rudolph showing up in a herd of deer."

"Yes, but did you hear her, Caro? Parties and eating! That would be such a great last day. Like the reindeer thing wasn't bad, neither was the math thing where we had to figure out how many seconds Santa could spend at each house and still visit everyone, but like, it was still work. Eating is not work. We have Marina. Her dad could have made something amazing. He's a Food Network chef, Caro. Food Network!"

Andy laughed at the dramatics. "At least you get fun exercises now. In high school they sort of just shrug and say Merry Christmas. Enjoy it while you can."

Cassidy huffed. "Fine, fine, I'll appreciate the problems on how fast a dreidel has to spin in order to keep upright and how long a Kwanza candle can burn under certain atmospheric conditions. But cake, Andy. One day of low fat, high fiber, vegan cake isn't enough." She flopped over dramatically onto Andy's shoulder.

"Well, what about we make Christmas cookies. It isn't vegan cake, but—"

Caroline cut Andy off with wide eyes. "Trust me, that isn't a problem here."

Andy chuckled. "I didn't think it would be. What kind of cookies do you guys usually make?"

They blinked at her. "Mom usually has someone make them for us so we can eat them while decorating. We haven't actually make any ourselves. Roberta makes really good gingerbread, though. She lets us decorate them when they're done. That's fun." Cassidy smiled and licked her lips.

"Oh no, you have to make them at least once yourselves. Trust me, I'm an expert. They may not turn out as perfect as Roberta's, because she really makes awesome food, but they'll be great because you helped make them."

Cassidy sat up. "Can we do it now?"

Andy shook her head. "Let's let Roberta get finished up with dinner and we'll stay out of her hair until she's gone. If we wait until after we eat, then you guys can eat cookies without spoiling your dinner and having your Mom after all of our heads."

The girls nodded. "Ok, sure," Caroline said.

"Good. You guys have any work to do over break?"

They both nodded again, more slowly this time. "We have a book report due at the end of break on Anne Frank's diary."

"Ah, a classic. Why don't you go start on that, that way you have less to do when everything exciting is happening. I'll call you down for dinner."

They both frowned in a way that looked so much like Miranda it hurt. "Alright, Andy, but only because you make a good case," Cassidy said standing up. They both walked from the room a second later.

Andy pushed herself up from the couch, stretching out her muscles and sighing softly. Five days since she'd been in the hospital. She felt fine now, just the regular pregnancy side effects. She'd reached week twelve, her morning sickness was starting to wane now and she didn't have to pee quite as much which was wonderful. But her vision was starting to blur just a bit, nothing extremely bad, just enough to notice. Her hand settled over her baby bump, that truly was a bump now. When she got back to work she really was going to have to let everyone else at the office know. She wasn't going to be able to hide it much longer, even with the clothes Miranda had gotten her.

She walked into the kitchen to see Roberta puttering around putting the last touches on what looked to be vegetable lasagna. Andy's stomach rumbled. Roberta looked up at the noise and smiled.

"Munchies, honey?"

Andy blushed a bit. "Well, that wasn't really why I came in here, but now that I'm here…yeah a bit."

"I got just the thing." She wiped her hands on a dish towel and then turned towards the fridge, pulling out a plate of fruit and vegetables with little cups of dip. "Eat your fill, everything on there is supposed to be great for moms-to-be." Roberta shook her head. "The amount of lists that Miss Miranda has given me, you would think I had never had a kid before or cooked for a pregnant woman. Such a worry wart that one."

"She's been giving you lists?" Andy asked sitting down on the stool and starting to munch on the provided snacks.

"Oh my, lists upon lists. I just keep accepting them with a smile and going about my business. If it gives her peace of mind I am totally okay with doing whatever needs being done."

Andy's insides warmed. Miranda really did care for her. She already knew that, but the little things were just…they were really what mattered the most.

"But honey, if a snack wasn't what you came in here for, what was?" Roberta asked, going back to assembling the lasagna.

"Oh, um, I just wanted to know if we're all stocked up on the basics for cookie making. The girls and I are going to make some after dinner."

"What kind?"

"I don't know, the girls haven't decided yet. They said something about gingerbread, but chocolate chip are always a hit." She shrugged.

"Let me look, but I think we have everything to make both kinds. Had to stock up for Christmas, don't you know."

"Yeah, cookies are one of the best parts of Christmas."

"You can't forget the cocoa." Roberta smiled up at her.

"Oh, definitely." Andy licked her lips. "Or the candy canes to stir it with. Minty." She smiled.

Roberta shook her head. "Oh no, I'm just here for the chocolate."

"Fair enough." Andy crunched her way through a carrot and sat back. She had satisfied her munchies for now especially since dinner would be soonish. She put the cover back on the plate and walked towards the fridge. Roberta looked up and opened her mouth but Andy spoke up before she could. "You're already doing something. It's putting a plate back in the fridge. I can handle it." She smiled to take any sting out of the words.

"Fine, fine, honey, so bull-headed you are about taking care of everything." Roberta shook her head.

"Oh, you don't even know, Roberta, if I was in my true form you would be the one sitting down resting and I would do everything." She shrugged. "It's the way my mom always is and it's the way I am now."

"Well then, I suppose I'll just be glad that you aren't in true form then."

Andy grinned. "Small favors and all that."

Roberta snorted. "Oh, I have learned that many a time in this household, you believe me. Dinner will be ready in about an hour and a half. I'll get this done and stick it in the oven and I'll be on my way. Timer will be set like always."

"Thank you, Roberta."

"Oh, honey, don't you worry about it."

Andy shot one last smile Roberta's way before she walked back to the study and sat back down, picking up her book to pass the remaining time between then and dinner.

Miranda stepped through the door ten minutes before dinner was supposed to be ready. Andy heard her shuffling around in the foyer, putting away her coat and bag and slipping off her heels. Patricia padded out to greet her with a soft 'boof.' There were the sounds of a jangling collar as Miranda must have pet the big dog and then Miranda was walking down the hall, old floorboards creaking gently under her weight.

Andy looked up just as Miranda stepped through the door way. She put down her book again and smiled.

"Hey there," she said.

"Hell, Andrea. How was your day?"

"Quiet, mostly. The girls got home and livened the place up for a few minutes, but I convinced them to go start their break homework while dinner was cooking."

"My, my Andrea. You are quite the miracle worker." Miranda sat down beside Andy and sighed.

Andy's heart started to beat just a little faster as she was enveloped in a cloud of Miranda's scent. Orange blossom, a hint of musk, and paper and ink, like always. It was so soothing.

"Nah, I just made a good case that if they did more now, they'd have more time to slack off later when everything was actually interesting." She shrugged.

Miranda pulled her legs up onto the couch. "Well then, we will chalk it up to your good negotiation skills."

Andy laughed. "Maybe. Or I just enough about homework and breaks. It always sucks to have to do a book report on New Year's Eve while everyone else is having fun because you were an idiot and procrastinated."

"Well, whatever your reasoning, it worked."

The timer went off in the kitchen and Andy stood up. "That would be dinner. I'll go pull it out of the oven and grab the salad if you want to get the girls. Oh, um, we're baking cookies later. I told the girls I would help them make their own batch of Christmas cookies. I hope you don't mind. You can join us if you want." She smiled hesitantly. She hoped she hadn't overstepped her bounds. Not that Miranda had set any, but still.

Miranda looked thoughtful for just a second. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Not that I have any illusions that there won't be a mess all over the kitchen by the time all three of us are done, but it sounds like a good time. I will just change first."

Andy grinned. "Yeah, might be a good idea." The timer started going off louder. "Uh, yeah, better go get that." She walked down the hall with hurried steps and pulled the lasagna from the oven. She took a deep breath. It smelled absolutely heavenly and even though she'd eaten a snack not that long before she was starving again. She quickly put the pan on the counter and peeled back the foil slowly. She cut out even pieces, stuck a scoop in one side, and then turned back to the fridge.

A second later the twins were bouncing down the stairs with Miranda's ineffectual "Walk girls," coming behind them. Andy smirked but kept on arranging everything for dinner.

"How was homework?" She asked.

"It's actually interesting," Caroline said, going to the sink and washing her hands quickly. Cassidy followed right behind her and did the same.

"Yeah, she was just a little older than we were when she first got her diary," Cassidy added. "It's not like the normal boring history books we have to read about dead old white guys."

Andy snorted at that. "No, it's not. But their stories usually have better endings."

"Yeah…" Caroline trailed off.

"But she's still impacted the lives of millions of people. Somewhere out there, I'd like to think she's happy about that. Even if it wasn't exactly the way she wanted to, you know?" Andy wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulders and pulled them to her.

They both nodded. Andy sensed that a change of subject was needed. "So what sort of cookies do you want? Roberta said we had the stuff to make chocolate chip, gingerbread, and sugar cookies."

The girls' eyes widened at chocolate chip. Andy smiled at both of them as they looked at each other, communicating their answers to each other silently in that way only twins had.

"Chocolate chip."

"Always a classic. All right then. We'll see about the other kinds later. We might have time, who knows." Andy pursed her lips for just a second. "Say do you happen to know what your mom's favorite cookie is?"

They both shook their heads. "She doesn't eat sweets much and if she does, it's usually dark chocolate," Caroline said.

"Hmm, well she totally has to have one. We'll just have to find out now won't we?" She smiled at them conspiratorially.

They grinned back. "We can do that."

"Awesome. Now can you guys go set the table, please? I'll carry in the lasagna in a second."

The girls grabbed out plates and walked off. Miranda walked in just as they exited the room. She smiled at them and shook her head fondly. "Honestly. I don't know why I don't just have a herd of elephants troop around the house. They would make just as much noise as those two."

"Yes, but it would be too quiet without them."

Miranda hummed her agreement. She pulled in a deep breath. "It really does smell wonderful."

"I know. I'm starving all of a sudden even though I just had a snack."

Miranda laughed. "I remember that. That was annoying, but the cravings were worse." She looked Andy up and down. "Those should be starting soon. Anything you want, I can obtain for you."

Andy laughed. "Thank you, but I think I can handle it. Remember I have all these skills of making the impossible happen that I acquired while working for you."

"True, I suppose. But if you need to, I won't object to you dropping a few key names to get what you, I won't object."

"Thank you." Andy grinned. "I'll keep that in mind in the coming months." She picked up the pan of lasagna and carried it towards the dining room.

"Water or juice, Andrea?" Miranda called behind her.

"Uh, orange juice, please."

The girls had set the table when Andy entered the room. Miranda came in a second later with drinks and Andy went back and grabbed the salad. Then for the fifth night in a row they were all sitting down to dinner together. Even after five days nothing was awkward. If anything it had become more comfortable as Andy felt less and less like a guest and more and more like she was actually part of the family.

The twins told Miranda about their day, about their over break assignment, anything that came to mind. Miranda in turn told more Runway stories and then both Any and Miranda debated the book she had picked to read for the day. It was one of Miranda's favorites, but Andy didn't think she was really fond of it. She'd read to the end, of course, but still.

And then everything was eaten and it was cookie time. Miranda slipped off with a small smile on her face, promising to change and be back in a little bit. Andy walked into the kitchen with the twins. They all loaded the dirty dishes in the dish washer and Andy turned and grabbed out everything they needed for cookies. She grabbed an apron off the wall and the girls followed suit. They almost came down to the girl's ankles. Andy smiled at them and ruffled their hair.

"You still have a while yet to grow into them. I didn't really get this tall until the middle of high school."

The twins looked at her and fixed their hair huffily. "Andy, not the hair," Cassidy said.

"Yes, Andrea, not the hair. The hair of the Priestly clan is scared," Miranda said coming through the door with a smirk on her face. "Or have you not realized that working for me?"

Oh, Andy had totally known that about Miranda. She could pick the woman out of a crowd from half a mile away from just the hair alone.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind," Andy joked back.

Miranda smiled just slightly and shook her head. "Well, we can't have that, now can we?" She slipped on an apron of her own. "Now what are we making today?"

"I was thinking chocolate chip, but do you have any special requests?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, Mom, we could make your favorite," Caroline said.

Ah, eleven year olds. Subtle as a sledgehammer. Andy grinned to herself and started to open up the container of flour.

"We already make my favorite every year." A slightly dreamy expression crossed her face. "I am very fond of gingerbread."

"Well, good thing we have the ingredients to make that too, then isn't it?" Andy smiled and turned to the cabinets again, pulling down spices and other ingredients.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"Ok, girls, we'll make the gingerbread dough first. It has to rest for a few hours before we roll it out and bake it. We'll make the chocolate chip cookies while it's doing its thing. Ok?"

They both nodded. "We get to decorate them, right?" Cassidy asked.

"Of course. If we have time we'll make the icing while the dough rests, if not we'll just make it while the cookies are in the oven."

She pulled out the measuring cups. "Ok, I need three cups of flour, a teaspoon and a half of baking powder, half a teaspoon of baking soda, and half a teaspoon of salt together in a bowl please."

Cassidy grabbed a bowl while Caroline started to measure out the flour.

Andy smiled up at Miranda. "And if you could grab a stick and a half of butter and put that in the mixer." She handed Miranda an orange. "And add the zest from this into the butter before you start mixing."

Miranda looked at the orange. "I've never seen gingerbread with orange."

"Old family recipe." Andy shrugged. "Trust me, best thing in the world, just wait."

"I do trust you, Andrea." Miranda looked at Andy for just a second, but Andy could feel the weight of it. She swallowed, speechless for just a few seconds before she recovered.

"I'm glad, Miranda."

Miranda looked away, busying herself with the butter and the orange. "So am I," she said in her normal, quiet tone.

"Ok, Andy," Cassidy said. "What do we do next?" The twins were standing in front of a large bowl of flour, looking at her expectantly.

"Awesome, guys." She picked up a sifter. "I need you to run all of the flour you have through this sifter. It'll take a while and your hands will get sore, so take turns."

Caroline grabbed the sifter and another bowl. "Why, what does this do, Andy?"

"It aerates the flour and helps mix together all of the ingredients that you guys just put in the bowl so the cookies come out better."

Caroline nodded, satisfied with that information. They both set to work, getting a bit of flour everywhere in the process, but Andy had figured that would happen. She herself started measuring out all the spices needed, loving the smell that enveloped her. Christmas always smelled like cinnamon and clove to her. She was taken back to family Christmases back in Ohio and the warmth they had held. She'd always been so excited when it finally hit December every year and her parents had definitely indulged her, but now there were so many fond memories.

She had to stop her hand from settling on her stomach. She wondered what her parents would think about the baby, about her decision to keep it, about how she didn't want to get back with Nate just for the child's sake. If it even was Nate's. She swallowed hard. That was going to be the hardest part, she thought. Because they would ask if it was Nate's and she wouldn't lie to them. She didn't know. The timing between Christian and Paris and the last fuck she'd had with Nate to see if there was maybe anything worth saving, they were too close.

And most of all Andy wondered what they would think about Miranda helping her out. After all the horror stories about the wicked bitch of a boss, it was going to be a complete one eighty for them. Her dad was going to think something was up. She could feel that now. He would go on about how Miranda would want something from her later. Something probably sexual.

Ironic that it was her that was in love with Miranda and not vice versa. And that even if Miranda wanted something from her later, Andy wouldn't be opposed. She would willingly go just because it would be a taste of what she wanted most dearly. But how in the world was she going to tell her parents that? And what would they say to her not being completely straight?

Her head spun just a little bit. There were just so many things to think about. Telling all of Runway seemed less scary than telling her parents. Hell, she might just want to tell all of Manhattan from a rooftop before that.

"Andrea?" Miranda said, snapping Andy back into the real world. She looked at Andy, a little bit worried, but she said nothing to that affect, only asked, "What do I do with the butter and orange zest now that they're in the work bowl?"

"Oh, um, add a cup and two thirds of sugar and turn it on to medium and mix until it's smooth. It'll take like five to eight minutes depending."

Miranda nodded and turned on the mixer as instructed. "What next?"

"Um, whisk the molasses, eggs and lemon juice together."

"Proportions?"

"Two eggs, half a cup of molasses, and one juiced lemon."

"Andy?" Caroline asked.

She turned back towards them to find the flour all sifted and ready. She handed them a whisk and the little bowls of spices she'd been measuring out.

"Whisk all the spices together with the flour until they're mixed in really well."

The twins set to that immediately, getting a little more flour everywhere, but they were smiling and having fun so Andy wasn't about to say anything. She glanced over at the work bowl of the mixer. Another few minutes still on that. Miranda was working with the molasses and eggs. She grabbed the lemon, rolled it on the counter a few times to loosen the pulp and started to juice it over a strainer a second later. She handed Miranda the juice when she was done and the other woman mixed it in slowly.

"When you're done with that and the butter and sugar mixture is ready, drop down the speed to slow and pour that mix in carefully. Wouldn't want to paint your kitchen with molasses."

"No, I do not think that would be a good look. Martha would be very against it."

"Uh, yeah, I don't think Martha would think molasses on the walls would be healthy."

"Oh, not that Martha, though yes, she wouldn't think it was a good idea either. I mean Martha Stewart."

Andy blinked for a second. "Of course you know Martha Stewart. Why would I even be surprised?"

Miranda smirked. "I don't know, Andrea, you tell me."

Andy just shook her head. She busied herself with the mixer, looking down at it again. Nope, still another minute or two left. She looked back at the twins' bowl. "I think that's mixed enough guys. We're sort of at a standstill until the butter gets done creaming."

"Ok, Andy," they both said at the same time.

The butter finished creaming a minute later. It was smooth and just a bit fluffy, perfect. Miranda handed off the bowl of molasses to the twins. She switched the machine to slow.

"Pour it in slowly as she said, Bobbseys."

The girls gathered around the mixer and watched as the mixture integrated into the butter. Andy licked her lips as the scent of orange and lemon mixed together with the darker spice of the molasses. Already it smelled great. She couldn't wait until they were baking and they'd smell even better.

After the molasses was in Andy dragged over the bowl of flour and a paper plate. She scooped up about a third of the mixture and dropped the mixer down even slower.

"Ok, now the next thing that we need to do is put the flour in slowly. Put about half of what's on this plate in and wait until it's worked in before adding the last half. It might take some time, but don't worry, it will make the cookies taste better in the end."

The twins nodded. They followed Andy's directions exactly as Andy and Miranda stood back, watching with fond smiles on their faces.

"Having fun, girls?" Miranda asked when they were on the second paper plate full of flour. There was a little mist of flour in the air, but nothing like Andy was imagining at the start of this.

"Yeah," Caroline said, concentrated on the cookies.

Cassidy just nodded her agreement.

"You've rendered then almost speechless. I say, it might be a miracle," Miranda teased.

"Mom," both the twins groaned.

Andy just laughed. "It's totally a mom's job to tease, guys."

"No it isn't," Cassidy said. "It's just their jobs to love us."

"Nah, there's a secret mom manual where they lay out everything that moms have to do. Teasing is one of the things, I swear." Andy tried to keep a straight face, but she was sure that she was totally failing.

"So do you have this manual now, Andy?" Caroline asked, playing along with her joke.

"Not yet. I think I have to be a little farther along before they send it to me. Can't have me knowing everything too early, you know." Andy couldn't help but grin now.

"Oh I see." Caroline smiled. "Well, you know, Cass and I are very good at finding things. Maybe we'll find this manual."

"Nope, it's totally invisible to kids."

"Well, I mean, invisible doesn't mean not there. We can still find it by touch if nothing else." Caroline smirked as she helped scoop the last of the flour onto the plate for Cassidy to pour in.

"But if it's invisible how will you know where to start looking. And if it's invisible then how will you read it?"

Caroline was stumped at that one. "I'm sure we could figure something out."

Miranda laughed quietly at all of them, shaking her head. "Such imaginations. I only wish there was a secret mom manual. It would have made the terrible twos so much easier." She reached forward and pushed the girls' bangs from their faces with gentle touches. "I may be the Dragon Lady, but you two gave me a run for my money that year." A smirk crept onto her lips. "But Andrea is right, it is my job to tease you, at least sometimes. Where would the fun be if I didn't?"

"Mom," they both said again.

"I'm sure we would all have plenty of fun without it," Cassidy said. She peeked into the mixing bowl. "The dough looks like it's done Andy. I can't see any more flour."

Andy looked down in the bowl and nodded. She switched it off. "Rip me off a good sized piece of plastic wrap, please." She started to gather the dough up into a ball. It felt about how it should, a little bit moist, but the flour would take up most of the water while it was resting.

The twins handed her the plastic wrap and she plopped the dough down in a little disc and wrapped it up nicely. "Go put that in the fridge and your Mom and I will wash everything up so we can make the chocolate chip cookies."

Miranda was already grabbing the egg and molasses bowl and the mixing bowl and heading towards the sink. Andy looked over everything else. The flour bowl could stay as it was, so could all the measuring spoons. Awesome. She headed to the sink and grabbed a dish towel, standing at the ready as Miranda started to scrub the bowls with careful movements.

"How long does the dough have to stay in there, Andy?" Caroline asked.

"About an hour, though the longer we let it rest the better because then the flour can absorb all the water that was in there and the dough will be smoother and the cookies better."

Caroline nodded. "So by the time we get the chocolate chip cookies done enough time should have passed?"

"Probably, it just depends on how quick we are." Miranda handed Andy the first bowl and she rinsed it off quickly and dried it. She handed it to Caroline. "Go put that on the mixer and put two sticks of butter half a cup of regular sugar and three fourths of a cup of light brown sugar into the bowl with it."

Caroline nodded and set off.

"All this talk of cookies is making my sweet tooth act up. Andrea, in one evening you will sabotage the image the world has of me that I never eat sweets."

Andy laughed. "I never believed that anyway. Not that I don't believe that you wouldn't have the will to do it if you want to, but a little bit every now and then isn't bad and I know you know that."

Miranda hummed and handed Andy the last bowl. "Everything in moderation, yes." She looked back at the girls. "Though I suppose that can be suspended if only for Christmas."

"It's always suspended at Christmas." Andy laughed. "What fun would it be if it wasn't?"

"I suppose you have a point." Miranda smiled faintly.

"Andy we're done, now what?" Cassidy asked.

"Make sure the bowl is nice and locked in and then turn on the mixer to the first setting. It'll be a couple minutes. Why don't you go sift together two and a half cups of flour with a teaspoon each of baking soda and baking powder and an eight of a teaspoon of salt."

"Just how many cookie recipes do you know off the top of your head, Andrea?" Miranda asked as they both dried their hands.

"Um, chocolate chip, sugar cookie, snickerdoodle, gingerbread, and chocolate crinkle. Anything other than that and I actually have to look at directions, but I've make pretty much everything under the sun at one point or another."

"Chocolate crinkle?" Miranda cocked an eyebrow. "I've never heard of that."

"Imagine a brownie cookie covered in powdered sugar and that's basically what that is."

"Dear god."

Andy nodded. "Yeah, I know, but they're the best thing possibly ever."

"Done, Andy!"

Andy looked over at the flour covered twins. "You two are quick like bunnies." She walked over and poked them in the nose, coming away with slightly white fingers. They were definitely going to have to shower after this. Andy smiled.

"Andrea, this butter looks about the same as the last batch."

"Awesome, then two eggs and a teaspoon of vanilla need to be added."

The twins of course set right to work on that.

"Don't forget to wash your hands right after you crack the eggs. We don't want any of us getting sick because of cross contamination," she added.

The girls obeyed without question. They knew how to follow direction, even if it was only because cookies were on the line. They really were good girls. And everyone thought they were holy terrors. She snorted lightly. They didn't know anything.

"Now just do the same thing with the flour as you did last time and we're good to go. As long as you've added the vanilla. They won't taste right without it."

A few minutes later they had chocolate chip cookie dough batter ready to go. Andy pulled out a disher and two sheet pans covered in parchment paper and set them on the counter. "Scoop out the batter like this and then place the cookies about an inch and a half apart. They'll spread in the oven and we don't want them getting all mashed up."

She stepped back as the girls got busy. Andy turned and checked that the oven was preheated to the right temperature, which it was.

"So what are you going to do for the holidays, Andrea? Is anyone from your family coming to visit?" Miranda asked as they both watched the girls scoop out the cookies. They weren't going to be uniform in size, but they would still be good, Andy knew.

She bit her lip. "Um, no, they have other things planned. I was supposed to fly home to them for the extended family and everything, but then the whole thing with Nate happened and now the baby and I really don't want to throw a wrench in everything by dropping that bomb during the holidays, even if I did have the money to travel. I'll probably just have a quiet Christmas by myself." She shrugged and looked away. There wasn't really a choice in this case.

"Alone, on Christmas? Oh no, I've had to do that a couple years when the girls are with their father. It is not something I would wish on anyone. You will stay here then."

That wasn't something that Andy had thought she would hear. "Um, really? I mean, I've already been here a week. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

Miranda leveled her with a Dragon level stare. "Andrea, I asked you. How would you be overstaying your welcome if I asked you?"

"Um, I wouldn't, I guess."

"Exactly. You will stay here and that's final."

"Thank you." Andy looked away rubbing at the back of her neck. "That really means a lot that you would include me in something so personal, Miranda. I know how much you value family time."

Miranda reached out and brushed a bit of flour from Andy's face. "Silly girl, you're more a part of this family than you realize."

"Andy, we've filled up the pans," Cassidy said, breaking the little moment.

Andy looked over towards them. "Ok, let me just put them in the oven. Set the timer for six minutes?"

"Will they be done in six minutes?" Caroline looked excited.

"No, you see most ovens have hot and cold spots so you have to rotate the pans halfway through to make sure they all cook evenly. It'll be twelve minutes total before they come out of the oven." She shut the oven door and turned towards them. "Though, I know there have to be more than two pans in this huge kitchen, so in the mean time you guys can get the next two ready, ok?"

They nodded and started to go through the cabinets, quickly finding two more baking sheets and setting to work. Andy fell in beside Miranda again.

"Maybe I am. But…I feared that was just my imagination getting the better of me, letting my wants cloud what was really going on." Andy was glad the twins were so wrapped up in the cookies, chatting with each other, not paying the adults any mind. She loved them to death, but right now, as sensitive as this was, she really didn't want them to overhear this if things went wrong.

"No, you were seeing correctly." Miranda was silent for a long moment, but Andy sensed that there was more that she had to say. "I feared that it was you who wouldn't want anything to do with us, more with me than anything. But you've shown that you do want to be here more than once, and still I worry. After enough knifes aimed at my back to fill an armory, perhaps worry is just my constant state." She was quiet, still, not really matching the warm scene happening in front of them.

"You don't have to worry about me, Miranda." She had more to worry about than Miranda. The woman beside her had the power to break her heart into tiny little pieces. She had a death grip on her life as she knew it, job, love, everything. It was such a power imbalance, and Andy knew it couldn't quite be healthy, but she was ok with it because it was Miranda and she was in love. Someday maybe it wouldn't be so out of sorts. Someday she would get a job elsewhere outside of the halls of Runway and then it would just be her heart on the line. But that was still a great amount of power to have over someone. Maybe too much. But without it love would never happen and then the world would be a colder place, she thought.

"I know that, but habits, Andrea, are hard to break." She looked at Andy, eyes clear and honest, with one emotion that Andy had never seen there. There was just a little bit of fear hiding in the back of Miranda's gaze right beside that look that Andy hadn't been able to decode just yet no matter how she tried.

"Yeah, they are."

The timer went off and Andy stepped forward and rotated the pans. Miranda stepped up to the counter again.

"Now, Andrea, how in the world do we make these icings for the gingerbread?"

Andy smiled at her, recognizing that the moment was truly over now. She handed Miranda a bag of confectioners' sugar. "Lots and lots of sugar."

And the little family baking session continued without a hitch. Andy couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun baking. Nate had always made it about cooking and getting everything just perfect, which was nice in its own way, at least when everything was done. But this…this was family and it was better. Her little found family would always be better.