Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jane looked up at the school with a smile. She loved everything that it stood for: a fresh start, opportunities, momentum, new and exciting adventures and challenges.

Once through the door, she was greeted by Principal Lisa Cuddy who started her toward the teacher’s lounge immediately. “I’m so glad that you were able to start even though the semester has already begun. You’re really a lifesaver.”

“I’m excited about teaching.” Jane beamed. “I think that knowing how to cook and make good food decisions is essential for being an independent person.”

Lisa nodded, “I agree wholeheartedly. That’s why I was so glad that I didn’t have to cancel the class. If I could make food choices required for graduation, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Jane smiled. Lisa was a little harried but she seemed sincere and to genuinely care about her job. Those were good qualities in a boss, Jane thought.

Lisa opened the door which bore the words “Teacher’s Lounge” in a very art deco font. The lounge was impeccably decorated, reminding Jane that she was employed at a very prestigious high school.

“Oh, here’s our AP Lit teacher.”

“Freshmen intro to classics as well.” The white haired woman turned as she stirred her coffee.

“Miranda, this is Jane Adler, she’s going to be taking over for Paula. Jane, this is Miranda Priestly.”

Miranda held out her hand and Jane shook it. “Charmed.” Miranda said and Jane blushed a little.

“Miranda, would you mind giving Jane a little tour?” Lisa asked. She glanced at her watch. “The superintendent is coming today and I need to prepare a few more things.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

“Thank you.” Lisa put her hand on Jane’s shoulder. “Have a wonderful first day and don’t hesitate to come find me if you need anything.”

“Thanks.” Jane smiled. Once the door closed behind Lisa, Jane focused on Miranda’s face. “So, you’re a teacher.”

Miranda sipped her coffee. “I am.”

“You didn’t mention it last night.”

“We didn’t do much talking last night.” Miranda shrugged. “You didn’t mention that you were a teacher either.”

“Well, I’m not really.” Jane said. “I own a bakery - well, a small handful of bakeries. All of that was true.”

“Nothing I told you was untrue.”

“Okay.” Jane nodded. “We’re going to play that game.”

Miranda smirked. “May I pour you a cup of coffee?”

Jane thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes, please.”

Miranda picked up the carafe and poured what was left into a mug with the school’s emblem. “Cream or sugar?”

“Black is fine.”

She handed the steaming mug to the blonde.

“Thank you.” Jane sipped it and her eyebrows went up. “This is… a lot better than I expected from school break room coffee!”

The door to the teacher’s lounge opened and a white haired man entered. “Morning, Miranda. Any coffee left?”

“You’ll have to brew your own.”

“Ah. Damn.” He turned and seemed to notice Jane for the first time. “Oh, hello. Did you get the last of Miranda’s coffee.”

“I guess so.” Jane smiled.

“You’re lucky. Miranda hates the coffee here so she brings in just enough grounds to make herself a cup or two. Sometimes, if I get here early enough I can snag a little.” He smiled. “She spends a small fortune on her coffee.”

“I like coffee.” Miranda shrugged. “I might as well have coffee that I enjoy.”

“I’m Stephen Tomlinson, by the way.” He held out his hand for Jane.

“Jane... Adler.” Jane shook his hand.

Stephen wrapped an arm around Miranda and kissed her temple. “What time did you get in last night?”

“It was late.” Miranda said stiffly.

Jane blushed red, sipping her coffee, trying to hide her face.

“I have to finish prepping for my first period.” Stephen gave Miranda a squeeze and let her go. “See you at home tonight, if not before.”

Miranda nodded curtly.

“It was very nice meeting you, Jane. Welcome. I think you’re going to like it here.”

“Yeah, thanks. Nice meeting you, too…”

Jane turned to Miranda and said, in a soft voice, “there’s something you lied about.”

“You didn’t ask if I was single.” Miranda whispered.

“I shouldn’t have to.” Jane insisted.

“Of course you should, if it’s something you want to know, it’s your responsibility to ask.”

The door opened and more teachers filed in. Miranda took the opportunity to distract Jane from answering by waving them over. “Gil, Catherine, Fiona, Dana, let me introduce Jane. She’s going to be teaching the cooking classes.”

They each in turn shook her hand and welcomed her before continuing on their business. The first bell rang and Miranda picked up a pile of papers from the counter. “That’s homeroom bell and that’s my cue.”

“I don’t know where I’m going…” Jane protested.

“Alright. Walk with me.” They exited into the hallway which was now full of students.

A young woman with big doe eyes smiled widely at Miranda. “Good morning.”

“Ah, Andrea.” Miranda said by way of greeting. “Can you take Jane to the home ec classroom?”

“Of course.”

Jane turned to say something, only to find that Miranda had disappeared into the crowd. “Wow.”

“Isn’t Miranda great?”

“Huh?”

“Miranda. She’s great.” She repeated.

“Sure.” Jane shrugged. “Andrea, right? I’m Jane.”

“Yeah. You can call me Andy, though, Miranda’s the only one who calls me Andrea.”

“So, she just decides what she wants to call you and that’s okay with you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because her doctorate is in classic literature but it’s like she makes it sound like poetry.” Andy smiled adoringly.

Oh god. Jane thought. She has a crush on Miranda a mile wide.

“She has a doctorate?”

“Yeah, I think that’s why she’s sometimes a little rude. Academia is like that. I’m getting my masters in education and I’m interning here this year. Miranda’s my supervisor.” Andy pushed open the door to a classroom and flipped on the lights. “Here we are.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Andy beamed and disappeared.

Jane walked up to the desk and picked up the schedule and wondered what exactly she’d gotten herself into.

**

“Oh good, you’re still here.” Miranda said from the doorway.

Jane looked up and was struck again by her beauty.

“Look.” Miranda sighed. “I liked you a lot last night. I had a lot of fun with you. I don’t want to taint that memory.”

“Miranda, you don’t - ”

She held up a hand, “hold on, just let me finish. I want a second chance at a second impression. Can I treat you to dinner?”

“I had a lot of fun with you too.” Jane admitted.

“If we’re going to be colleagues, I would like to…” she made hand gestures as she searched for the words. “I don’t want to get into it here.”

“Okay.” Jane nodded. “We can have dinner. But at my place. I have a salmon steak that I need to make tonight and a bunch of kale from the farmer’s market.”

Jane grabbed a pen and scribbled her address on a page of her notebook and tore it out. She held it out to Miranda, “dinner is at seven.”

Chapter Text

The doorbell rang and Jane looked up from her chopping and glanced at the clock. So Miranda was a person who showed up early.

“One moment!” Jane wiped her hands on her apron and pulled it off. She stopped by the mirror next to the door and fluffed up her hair.

She took a deep breath and opened the door and saw Miranda standing on her welcome mat looking stunningly well put-together and stylish.

“You look amazing.” Jane blinked.

“Hello to you, too, Jane.” Miranda grinned. “You look beautiful as well. That color looks gorgeous on you.”

Jane self-consciously smoothed down her red dress. “Thank you.”

“May I come in?”

Jane chuckled. “Yes, sorry, of course.” She stepped back and Miranda entered.

“I brought a Pinot Noir.” Miranda held out the bottle.

“Thank you.” Jane accepted it. “Please, make yourself comfortable. Dinner is nearly ready.”

Miranda walked up to Jane’s bookshelf.

“Please don’t judge my taste in books.” Jane laughed self-consciously.

“The only thing I would judge is if you didn’t have any books.” Miranda pulled a book from the shelf. “Vous parlez français?”

“Oui. Un peu.” Jane smiled as she continued to chop kale. “Mais, j’ai oublié beaucoup. I studied at Le Cordon Bleu.”

“Color me impressed.” Miranda smiled.

“Did you study French?” Jane asked.

“I did.” Miranda nodded. “Can I help you with anything?”

“I’m just finishing the salad.” Jane pushed her chopped kale into a large salad bowl. “If you’d like, you can open the wine.”

The wine glasses and corkscrew were easily located through the glass fronted cabinets. “The cabinets are pretty but you have to keep them well organized.” Miranda said as she pulled the cork out.

“I’m already kind of OCD about cleaning so that’s not really a problem I have.” Jane laughed.

“Can I pour you a glass?”

“Yes, please.”

Miranda poured two glasses and carried them to the table that Jane had already set in preparation for dinner. Within ten minutes, the dinner had been served and the women were seated.

Miranda took a bite of her salmon; Jane stopped to watch to see if her guest liked the food. Miranda’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, Jane. This is amazing.”

Jane beamed. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Can I come back for dinner tomorrow?” Miranda joked.

“Or you could just stay for breakfast.” Jane added suggestively before biting her lip. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Miranda ate another bite of her salmon before starting. “I would like to explain my situation.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation.” Jane shook her head.

“I know. I owe you nothing.” Miranda agreed. “Nonetheless, I like you a lot and we are going to be working together so I’m going to explain. Yes, I am married - to Stephen - and he’s not aware or approving of my looking elsewhere but he does know that I no longer wish to be married to him.”

“Can’t you get a divorce?” Jane asked.

“I could…” Miranda nodded. “But we have a pre-nup and if I initiate divorce proceedings then he’s entitled to half of my assets. I’ve only just finished paying alimony to my first husband and I have my children to think about.”

“A pre-nup, half your assets, what are you, like, a millionaire?” Jane laughed and then saw that Miranda showed no signs of laughing. “Are you?”

“I don’t know the precise figure, it depends heavily on the real estate market and the state of my investment portfolio but... yes.” Miranda shrugged. “My family is old money.”

“Wow.”

“Well, anyway, I told Stephen that I don’t love him anymore and that I’m not straight. I don’t know that I’m a lesbian because I was very much in love with my husbands in the past and, to be blunt, I’ve enjoyed sex with them and other men, but I don’t feel interested in being with men anymore.” Miranda shrugged. “But he’s not an idiot, he leaves me and he gets nothing. He’s trying to wait me out or he’s ignoring it or he’s blocked it out.”

“And what about Andy?”

Miranda shook her head. “Who’s he?”

Jane laughed to herself a little. “Ahn-drea.” She clarified.

“Oh. What do you mean?”

“There’s nothing going on there?”

“For someone who doesn’t think I owe her an explanation, you’re asking a lot of questions.” Miranda said coyly, taking a sip of her pinot.

“So, is that an admission?”

“No.” Miranda laughed. “The girl is twenty two. I’m supervising her internship.”

“She has the biggest crush on you.” Jane insisted.

“Jealous?” Miranda grinned.

Jane blushed. “No.”

“Maybe a little?”

“Maybe a little.” Jane admitted. “But I feel like this… you and me… you and I?”

“Finish your sentence and I’ll be able tell you.”

“I feel like we shouldn’t do this.”

“You feel that you and I shouldn’t do this.” Miranda shrugged, “we shouldn’t have dinner?”

“I came to L.A. to uncomplicate my life. And you… you’re very complicated.”

“Jane. We’re just having dinner. I just came to explain my situation so you didn’t think I was just someone who went around kissing strangers and lying by omission with no regard for my marriage or my husband’s feelings.”

Jane smiled slowly. “So you admit you lied.”

Miranda grinned. “Okay. I lied by omission. I didn’t go to the bar thinking I was going to connect with someone. I just wanted to get out of my house for a while and pretend I didn’t have my problems.”

Jane smiled with a measure of melancholy. “I did go to connect with someone. I have no desire to pretend anything.”

“Perhaps, from me, you’d be happy connecting with me in friendship?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Jane agreed.

After more than two hours’ worth of amicable conversation, Miranda begrudgingly slung her purse over her shoulder. Jane walked her to the door.

For a moment they stood, silence stretching between them for the first time since they’d met. It stretched on, awkwardly, but neither moved. Finally, Miranda stuck out her hand as Jane leaned in and kissed Miranda.

Miranda was taken aback, Jane blushed. Jane stuck out her hand and Miranda leaned in and kissed Jane.

Slightly flustered, the two women took another step back from each other. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school.” Miranda said hurriedly as she grabbed the doorknob.

Jane watched her go… wishing she wasn’t. She could catch the door before it closed and call out to her and bring her back. The previous night’s kiss had been full of tenderness; it had started out shyly and grown into something bigger and more powerful. It had left Jane breathless, wanting more from this stranger. No longer technically a stranger, yet still basically a stranger, Miranda still left Jane wanting more.

Miranda paused in the hallway outside of Jane’s condo, giving her a moment to throw open the door and announce that she’d changed her mind.

Miranda’s phone chimed and she looked down at it; she accepted the call and put it to her ear, walking to the elevator. “Hello, bobsey. Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” She asked playfully.

“Dad’s been in his office arguing on the phone for the last two hours.” Caroline shrugged. “It’s hard to sleep when that’s going on, you know?”

“Oh, I know.” Miranda laughed. “I think the entire time I was married to your father I got… ten hours sleep?”

The two shared a conspiratorial laugh.

“A lot of times when you or your sister would cry, I’d go into your room and hold you in my arms and fall asleep with you in the armchair.” Miranda sighed wistfully. “It was on the other side of the house from your father’s office so…”

“Maybe that’s why we’ve always liked you better.”

“It’s easy to say that because you spend most of the year with your father; he has to do a lot more discipline than I do.”

“I guess.” Caroline said noncommittally. “What are you up to?”

“I… had dinner with a friend.”

“A lady friend?” Caroline teased.

“A friend friend.” Miranda insisted. “And what about you? What about your lab partner?”

“Oh my god, mom.” Caroline said with her usual teenage drama, “You’re going to try to give me guy advice now?”

Miranda smiled. “You could do worse. At the very least, you could learn from my mistakes, hm?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“It sounds quieter in the background. Time for bed, I think.”

“Allll riiight.” Caroline sighed goodnaturedly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart. So very much.” Miranda smiled. “And give my love to your sister.”

“I will. Bitch can sleep through anything.” Caroline laughed. “Ciao, ciao, maman.”

“Ciao, ciao, ma petite.” Miranda slipped her phone back into her purse and got into her Mercedes. She looked up at the light that was still on in Jane’s condo and then turned the key in the ignition.