1. shimmer (a taylor swift au)

-chapter six-

Taylor had given her the cutest little outfit in the entire world, Ellie was sure of it. The material was so soft, and it was sparkly and pretty and it was a light blue colour and she had never looked so beautiful. She knew they were meant for another kid, one of Blake's kids, but that didn't stop her from loving them all the same. Taylor had made her pancakes and she'd even letter her have sprinkles and cream! Ellie thought that maybe she really was dreaming. She wanted to ask Taylor if she was imagining it all but didn't want to be annoying because she'd already asked that question twice already. She couldn't risk being annoying, couldn't risk the fact that Taylor might have been having a bad day and want to send her back.

Ellie was sitting in a comfy chair, beside a plate of cookies. She'd had one and it was delicious, but stopped herself from having another. Taylor was in the dressing room putting on her costume, and Ellie was patiently waiting. Taylor had left Ellie with her phone, and she'd taken a couple of selfies and sent a photo to Andrea, but now she was bored.
Swinging her feet backwards and forwards, she looked around at the pretty room. The fancy white floors and the big glass chandelier that looked like it belonged in a palace... she grinned. She'd initially been too scared to take Wendy with her, but Taylor had told her that Wendy was more than welcome to join them. So she was sitting in Ellie's lap taking in the marvellous sights.

Taylor was trying on the dress she'd wear for the evermore portion, as when she'd tried it on last time, it had been far too long and she'd been worried about falling over. That was a fear without the added pressure of a dress that was too long for her.
"Do you like it?" She asked Ellie as she stepped out of the changing room.
"Yes!" Ellie said, amazed. "Wow!"
"Do you think people will like it?"
"Yes!" Ellie looked like she was going to stand up, but stopped herself.
"What's wrong?" Taylor asked.
"Nothing," the child shook her head. "I'm sorry."
"What is it?" Taylor asked her. "You can tell me, it's okay."
"I just wanted to feel it but I didn't want you to get mad at me," Ellie's eyes watered.
Taylor smiled at her, moving over to her. Holding out the fabric from the skirt to Ellie, she continued as she crouched down.
"There is nothing you could say to me, or ask me, that I would get mad at you for." She paused, whispering in Ellie's ear. "How about we get out of here and go and find you something to wear too, hm?"
Ellie smiled up at her, her eyes wide. "I want to look just like you," she told her.
"I think we can make that happen."

The two of them went to a little boutique on the outskirts of town - one that Taylor had brought birthday gifts for Blake's kids before.
Ellie had the biggest grin on her face and Taylor was unbelievably happy that she'd brought this little girl into her life.
She'd made a lot of mistakes in her life, but this was not one of them. Even though it would add an extra layer of pressure on tour - Taylor knew she'd worry about the little girl even from the stage - it was something she was excited about. Experiencing it with Ellie was something she couldn't wait for.

When the two of them walked back through Taylor's front door again, Ellie had five dresses to choose from, a pair of pearly cat ears, a pack of ribbons for her hair, and some bath spaghetti they were going to try out.
All of the dresses were colours that Ellie chose, and they were the same whimsical style that Taylor was wearing. They had long, billowing sleeves and Ellie felt like a fairy Princess. There was a purple one - like her favourite colour in the sunset. There was a pink one, because Taylor had told her she looked like a queen. There was a yellow one - because Taylor had said she was wearing a yellow one. There was a green one with embroidered leaf patterns down the sleeves and along the hem, and it had little fairy wings attached. Ellie figured that one was definitely her favourite. She felt like that dress was made for her - she truly looked like the fairy Princess she'd always wanted to be. There was also a white one, but Ellie was petrified of getting it dirty.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" Ellie exclaimed, and Taylor realised she hesitated when she wanted to hug her. "Mommy didn't like it when I touched her," the little girl frowned.
Taylor put down her bags and shut the door, before kneeling down.
"You're always allowed to touch me, little bee."
Ellie smiled. "I've never had a nickname before," she blushed.
"If you don't like it, I can stop-"
"No, no! I really like it, Taylor. I always wanted one, but not from them." There was a certain bitterness that Ellie had whenever she talked about her parents. Taylor didn't blame her, but she wished that the little girl had never had to go through the pain in the first place.
"Okay, my little bee." Taylor pulled her in for a hug and smiled at the way she felt Ellie relax into her. "What do you want to do? Would you like me to put on the television? I've got some things I've got to run through today in preparation for the concert, but I'll be floating about."
"Can I watch you?" Ellie asked softly, and Taylor smiled.
"It's going to be pretty boring, I'm just practising some of the dance moves and the speeches I'll make."
"I love dancing!" Ellie exclaimed. "Can I learn them too?"