2. mirrorball (a taylor swift au)

-prologue-

A link to the Nashville house that Taylor and Ellie are living in: https://www.redfin.com/TN/Madison/1020-Gibson-Dr-37115/home/60679988

It was two o'clock in the morning, and Taylor was still wrapping Ellie's presents. It would have helped if she'd started earlier - but she'd been so busy getting everything perfect for Ellie's first birthday with her. It was August 12th, and the two of them had been in their Nashville home for... this would be their third night. Ellie had never had a birthday before and the child had practically been bouncing off the walls all of yesterday because she'd been so excited. Taylor was even more excited than that.

The house was gorgeous. It was summer and it was crickets in the even, it was rocking chairs on the front porch and Taylor was even looking into getting a couple of horses. She figured that she wanted chickens, too. She'd never felt like this before. In their secluded home, that she'd managed to keep from the world. Ellie loved it here. She loved trying to climb the trees, and they'd ventured down to the creek a couple of times too. It was unlike anything Taylor had ever experienced. Ever. It was childhood.

Here she was, sitting at the kitchen table, wrapping Ellie's gifts. She smiled, because she'd never imagined doing this. Sitting in a kitchen with Bluey wrapping paper and listening to an audiobook in a new house in Nashville... Taylor couldn't believe it. The house had been renovated and the smell of paint still lingered, but Taylor liked it. The bones of the house remained the same, but it still didn't feel like home yet.
Gracie was arriving in the morning with her boyfriend - Taylor hadn't actually met him before. But Ellie had begged for Gracie to be there, and Gracie was keeping that promise. Taylor didn't know what she thought of Miles, Gracie's boyfriend. Sure, Taylor herself didn't have a winning streak of Prince Charming's lined down the driveway... but she also wanted the best for Gracie. She was protective of her favourite people.

Wrapping the final gift - it was a copy of Little Red Riding Hood - because Taylor knew how important it was to her. She'd wrapped the presents while the cake was cooling in front of an open window. She stood up, crumbling all the cut outs of wrapping paper into a ball and moved to throw them in the rubbish. Then, she moved all of the gifts into the lounge, and set them up nicely. The biggest gift was outside - it was a jungle gym. It had a slide and a climbing wall and a fireman's pole, it had a swing and monkey bars. Ellie would love it. It was sitting in front of the porch, and Taylor knew Ellie would be excited to climb on it.

It was weird, going from being on tour and performing for thousands and thousands of people... to living this life. In a quiet home, on a large section of land. It was so weird. But she didn't hate it, it was just... different. Taylor was nervous about next week. Today was Saturday, and on Monday, Ellie had her first support group meeting.

Taylor frowned just thinking about it. She'd found a support group for kids who had been adopted after suffering abuse and neglect. It was run by a friend of Taylor's own therapist - and initially Taylor had been reluctant to even consider it. Because while Ellie was in her group, with kids that have been through a similar experience... Taylor would be next door in a support group for the parents.

Of course, that worried her. She didn't like meeting new people. Normal people. With normal jobs and normal lives. She ran her hands through her hair as she thought about what was coming. She'd have to face a whole crowd of people... strangers. But it was important for Ellie to go and meet kids that have been through something traumatic like she had.

Taylor padded across the wooden floor, back to the kitchen. The crickets were the perfect symphony, and she could faintly hear the creek, and the leaves whispering sweet nothings to her.
Sweet nothing. Taylor sighed. Sometimes she missed him. Sometimes she missed having someone to tell things to. Sure, she had Gracie, and she had her parents and Blake and Selena and Abigail. But they weren't the same. She'd spent so many years with him, and she couldn't help but miss having him to talk to. Joe had been an asshole towards the end, but still, she missed him. She wished she could turn off those feelings but she couldn't, even when she tried her hardest.