Protecting Leah

Two Years Later

Karlie's P.O.V

"Taylor I really don't understand what the point to all of this is." I say as I push my hair back from my face. Watching Taylor stick her head out of the bathroom and says, "Well I think it's so Scott feels like there is closure with everything." I scoff and look at her as she comes back in, still wearing pyjamas. "Karlie..." she begins. I look up and motion her back to where I'm sitting in bed. She scoffs but comes and sits down anyway, I move her between my legs and hug her from behind. Perks of being the taller one of us as I take my hands and softly place them on her growing bump as she sighs and leans back into me. "Listen to me Taylor, I would go to the end of the world for you twice over but I don't understand why you are doing this." I feel her turn and snuggle closer.
"I just want to do this Karlie. Will you support me?" I look down at her. 
"Did you really just ask me that?" I question. She shyly looks up from my chest before burrowing herself back in mumbling an "I guess so." I laugh and pull her closer. Kissing her forehead I say, "Taylor Alison Swift-Kloss I love you and I will always support you. When are we leaving?" I question rubbing my hands over her tiny bump. She smiles at me. "An hour?" I nod and look down at her. "Okay, I'll wake the kids if you cook breakfast." I bargain, she smiles and nods before leaving for the kitchen. She is a massive cooker. I bake but man does she cook. I swear I have to work out more just to stay in shape for work and it's all her fault.

Ten minutes later I'm walking down the hallway to Leah's room, she's now seven years old and is in second grade and very proud of herself, she has now begun to express interest in sport outside of school which is fantastic and we usually watch football every Sunday. Taylor isn't a football fan but we still enjoy the sport. The other day Leah came home supporting a bruised eye from playing softball at lunch, nothing was broken but Taylor over-reacted and I spent the night in the spare room. Well three hours because Taylor got horny and made me come back to her. I smile remembering that night. Walking into Leah's room things have changed a bit, it's not all pink and purple anymore because she likes green now. Four months ago we re-painted the kids bedrooms because we painted the nursery cream with stripes and that was when Leah said she liked green so her room now looks exactly like the Nashville apartment all 'Alice in Wonderland' like, it's really cool. She has a reading corner and a guitar stand in the other corner which she doesn't use but she still keeps it. Walking to her curtains I open them, bringing sunshine into the room as she rolls over. "Mommy I don't wanna get up." She pouts. We enjoy the fact that we switch up the routine a lot so she never knows which one of us it is. Leaping onto her bed I say, "It's not mommy, it's mama but mommy is making pancakes..." that's all it takes to get her out of bed and she's gone. Laughing to myself as I make my way next door, pausing to open it I think back to when we got our second child. It had been a hard decision to make deciding on another child at that time but now I wouldn't have it any other way. "Morning Zoey..." I call as I walk through the door. The sleepy toddler lifts her head from the pillow, looks at me and lies down again. I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't want to be up this morning. Wandering to her crib I rub her back before leaning over to pick her up. At two years old she was a gem, always lighting up the room with her little giggle. It was precious and she was worth every minute of figuring out childcare. But in the past year things had just happened for us. Work slowed down for Taylor and now it had stopped since she is five months pregnant. I cradled Zoey and we just loved her so much. I left her room and headed for the large room at the opposite end of the house to ours and knocked on the door, hearing a muffled  "go away mom." I grinned and walked on in. "Geez I said go away..." came the voice from the lump on the bed.  "No can do sugar pie." The covers flew off the bed as our oldest Andrew climbed from his bed he walked over to me and Zoey and said, "Don't call me that mom." I looked at him and smiled then looked around his room. Considering he is a fifteen year old teenager we do alright with him. Things are kept pretty tidy and he is a great kid, he plays football, runs track and keeps an 'A' report card. Things are going well for him and he's now a freshman he loves it. We adopted him at the same time we got Zoey and he doesn't really care who we are professionally as long as either Taylor or I fill the fridge and cupboards and wash his clothes he loves us just the same.  I start to walk out of his trophy covered room when he says, "Did you want something mom?" I turn and smile at him while kissing Zoey's cheek. "Mom's making breakfast." His blue eyes light up and he grabs a t-shirt before making a break for the kitchen. "Wow thanks mom..." I sarcastically call after him. He had just reached the stairs when he came trotting back to me, pressing a kiss to my cheek he said, "Thanks mom." Before moving downstairs and yelling pancakes which made Zoey curl into me. "Don't worry baby, he's always a pain," before walking downstairs to join our family eating breakfast.

Taylor's P.O.V

It was 12.30pm when we arrived in New York City. I hadn't been here in so long because of the three kids with two being at school and the other just a baby. Truth be told I don't really miss living in the city. Even being her for a day or so I'll start to feel itchy to go home, home to a life with Karlie where we can dance in our kitchen at night or walk around the house checking all of our kids before falling into bed and making out or doing other things. The kids can walk out the front door and not worry about putting on a smile because they're having a bad day. They are free, they have the freedom I searched for when I fled to New York and that is something that I hope no one ever takes away from them and it seems to be the further along I get with the pregnancy the more Karlie wants to be home too, she books jobs that are only a day here or there or even just an afternoon in New York, she claims it works better for her and when you look at Andrew, Leah and Zoey you can't help but agree that we have amazing kids. Karlie is forever talking about how Leah is a mini me and Andrew has my blue eyes even though we aren't related in any way she claims that she and Zoey have a bond through their green eyes. Secretly I love it when she talks kids with me, considering how things have changed since I was abducted in Nashville but we have put that behind us no one speaks of my parents or Abigail anymore, once in a while I get out my old photo albums and look through pictures but I'm no longer chased by those demons, the demons of having to be more than I am. I like my life and I love my kids.

Now I find myself sitting on a couch at a TV Show in New York City, the interviewer is an old friend who was at mine and Karlie's wedding two years ago and is someone that is always up for a laugh with me because I'm secretly a dork. I smile at the audience as I'm introduced and walk out. "Taylor Swift is here!" Jimmy Fallon calls from his chair, knocking it over in his rush to hug me. "Oh gosh that's a baby bump, baby just say yes..." I laughed as he offered me his hand to help me sit down. "Oh my god Jimmy, that's an old one. Gosh almost ten years since I wrote that one." He laughs.

"So you're now what twenty seven?" I nod and he looks at me. "What comes next?"

"To be honest, I'm not one hundred percent sure but I know this baby comes out in a little under four months. So there's that..." I say. He nods at m and starts to talk about the last time I was here. "Yeah and we danced, god so much fun." He states. "So Taylor, I know there are people tonight who support you so let's bring out a few since this is a leaving party." I laugh and say,

"Well you know what they say about me, I'm insane." He laughs before bringing out Karlie, Andrew, Leah and Zoey who is nestled in Karlie's arms. They all come and sit down as Zoey reaches out for me and I take her safely. Karlie kisses my lips and the crowd still roars with approval as we spend the next ten minutes answering dumb questions before time's up. "That's all we have time for tonight please join me in wishing Taylor Swift-Kloss well for her pregnancy and motherhood." The crowd stands and gives a standing ovation as tears pool in my eyes and I realise this whole journey began with me trying to protect someone and now I can't help but think that this all started because I was protecting Leah.

The End.