Safe & Sound- (A Taylor Swift AU)

~chapter 38~ Clowns to the West

Chloe's POV (March 10)
"HIS WHAT!?" I scream in disbelief of what I just heard. Travis is my dad. He's my mom's fiancée! You aren't supposed to have a fiancée and a girlfriend both. They're supposed to be the same person. My mom. My mom is supposed to be his only girl, forevermore!

My dad rubs my back trying to calm me down, "Shh Chloe no need to yell." I glare at Pia, "You turned my dad into a cheater!?" Pia shrugs, "I can't control that he flirts and kisses back. "I'm going to the bathroom," I announce getting up and stomping away, I have my dad's phone with me. I make sure I'm in the bathroom privately and I hit call on my mom's contact. She answers almost immediately, "Travis?" I speak up, "No mommy it's me, Chloe." "Hey baby. You okay?" She questions. "Daddy is cheating on you," I blurt out. "What?" My mom is confused. "Pia introduced herself to the therapist as daddy's girlfriend, and he didn't correct her," I explain.

"He didn't correct her?" My mom mumbles. "She's been flirting with him the whole time. As soon as we got here she said he looked dashing, and that she tried to look good for him. Oh and she asked him out to dinner." My mom takes a deep breath, "Chlo do you know how to share your address?" I bite my lip, "Erm..no." "That's okay I'll use life 360, I'll be there in 10." She hangs up the phone and I pretend to flush the toilet before I go back in there.

10 minutes later, Pia and my dad are talking to his therapist about different things when my mom came barging into the room. "Travis Michael," her voice broke. "Baby, what are you doing here?" He questioned. "What is Pia doing here?" My mom fired back. "She's my publicist? You knew she was coming to this meeting," Travis says confused. "Your publicist or your girlfriend?" She scoffs. "Tay, what are you talking about?" He acts stupid. "Pia, you're fired. Get the hell out of here. Don't come anywhere near my daughter or fiancée ever again or I will order a restraining order," My mom yells. "You don't have that authority Taylor!" My dad yells back.

"You shouldn't care Travis. You know damn well you can get a new publicist in seconds. Either she's done or we're done," My mom warns. "Don't you think you're a bit out of line? It's really dramatic," Travis says. "Do you love her?" My mom asks him. "Taylor," he warns. She clears her throat and he continues, "Of course not." My mom nods, "Ok then. Shes fired end of discussion. If you don't love her, you shouldn't care." Pia stands up in front of my mom, "You're just mad that you're fat and ugly. And it's embarrassing to you that your fiancée doesn't get enough out of your pathetic relationship that it's to the point he has to have a second one."

Travis stands up now, "Okay Pia, that is enough. You know damn well there is nothing between us. And that nothing has ever been there, nothing has ever happened. Taylor is the love of my life. She's all I ever wanted, needed. You have been trying to sabotage my relationship with Taylor since the beginning. Ive never had the balls to fire you because you've worked for me for so long that I didn't wanna see the truth. But the truth is there. And it's uglier than ever. You are a jealous skank and you need to leave." Pia slaps him in the face before leaving. My mom lets out a sigh of relief. My dad looks at her apologetically, "Tay." She shakes her head, "Save it. You're sleeping on the couch." She grabs my hand and leads me outside to the car.
"Thank you for calling me squirt," My mom says gratefully. "She's bad blood mommy," I say calmly. "Yes she is," my mom agrees.

I always thought my parents were invincible. They were my superheroes, always there to protect and guide me. But I realize that they are just like any other human beings, with their own flaws and struggles. Their arguments are becoming more frequent and intense. And like most children, I find myself caught in the middle. But this time, it feels different. I need her to forgive him. I may not have the perfect solution to my parents' problems. But one thing is for sure, I love them both and I don't want to see either of them suffer. I'll always be there for them, no matter what.

I've never seen my parents like this up until recently. They used to be the perfect couple, always happy and in love. But now, it's like they're two completely different people. I know they both love me, but when they're fighting, it's like they forget I'm even there. And that's what hurts the most. It's not just the yelling that gets to me, it's the silent treatment they give each other afterwards. It's like they don't even want to try and work things out. I feel like I'm living in a warzone. Every mealtime is tense and I never know when the next argument will happen.

Maybe my dad being in Philly wasn't that bad after all? He wasn't home for them to argue. He wasn't home to ignore me. He ignored me from a distance. With me having no way of knowing I'm being ignored. But he's here now. I know I can't make them stop fighting, but I wish they would realize the impact it has on me. I feel like I'm the one who has to be the adult and take care of them. I'm just 5 years old. I shouldn't feel like this. When they do finally make up, it's always awkward. Like they're trying to pretend that nothing ever happened. I just want my parents to be happy and in love again. But I don't know how to make that happen.

How do I make them love me?