TNT Short Fics

Wreck my plans - Part 1

Master Plan noun: "A master plan is a long-term planning document that provides a conceptual layout for future growth and development."

*****

The email comes like clockwork exactly two years before the team's proposed opening night with the subject line, "TS12 Tour Proposal." She blows out a breath as she scans the plan. She hasn't even had coffee yet. She's been back from the UK for literally three days and still has clothes strewn across her suitcases rather than in the freshly revamped closet off the master bedroom.

She sighs and grabs her laptop and notebook, reminds herself that she's the boss, and digs in. Travis finds her there an hour later standing and looking out the back patio door on the hazy summer day. There is a wistful look on her face mixed with lines of anxiety across her forehead.

"Hey," he says quietly so as not to startle her.

She turns and takes him in. He's been downstairs filming the podcast. She's meant to be getting ready so they could go to lunch when he was done. Her heart still tugs a bit at the sight of him after weeks away. So happy to be back here with him again.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Trav. I got caught up," she explains, waving an arm at the table.

He eyes the sheets of crumpled paper, but it doesn't look like a normal writing session.

"Something come up at work?" he asks, sitting down at the table.

"Ugh, yes. They're talking tour."

"More Eras? I thought you told them you wanted to be done?" he questions. Months ago, he had told her that it was her decision, that he was here for whatever she wanted. But she'd been clear that she was ready for it to end no matter how much she loved doing it.

"No, the next one," she clarifies as she rubs her forehead. "I just...I don't know. The album isn't even done."

She looks lost as she sits down beside him, eying the mess across the table with a scowl.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he queries.

Taylor looks at him and then around the house. The house they have plans to make more cozy, more their own, now that they are back on one continent. Her feet still hurt from the shows last weekend and she just wants....

"I'm...I'm not ready," she confesses.

"For what, baby?"

She takes a deep breath and then blurts out what she's been thinking the past hour. Says out loud what she's sure her entire team will not want to hear.

"I don't want my life planned two years in advance anymore. I'm not sure what they are proposing is what I will want in two years," she says, looking over at him. "What we will want."

"Okay, so tell them," he says gently, simply.

"It's not that easy," she counters.

"Isn't it?" he asks with a bit of confusion coloring his expression.

"There are all these logistics and timetables, and schedules," she clarifies. He's not been here for the planning portion of a tour before so she doesn't expect him to know all that comes with it. But she's also not anticipated the dread that has taken root in her stomach at the thought of laying all of this out.

Travis ducks to look her in the eyes as he says, "Okay, Tay, but the first timeline and schedule is yours."

She sighs, not seeing how it can be that easy. But first, she has to clarify, "Ours."

His expression softens and he hooks his thumb over hers on the table. "Ours," he agrees.

"I think we need to talk about it."

"Yeah, do you want to right now? Maybe that is your first decision. You just got home. Do you want more time to think? That I will defer to you. You know best what you need to be in the headspace to make decisions like this."

His words ease the pit in her stomach and she realizes that is the biggest thing. She needs time.

"I want to finish Eras before we decide anything about future tours," she says, feeling how right that is as the words come out. "It deserves focus. It's been such a big part of my life. I want that space. I need that space to give it closure."

"There you go then."

"And maybe we can talk about what we want for the next few years to look like with this time too."

"I think that is perfect," he agrees, smoothing a hand across her shoulder.

She leans forward and puts her head on his shoulder. Now that she's broken her silence on the subject, she feels free to give voice to how she is feeling about what comes next or rather her desire to take her time to decide what comes next.

"I love this tour. I want to love the next one too. When I got that email it felt like a chore. If nothing else, I know I don't ever want what I do to feel that way."

"Then that is the first thing on the list."

She looks up at him amused. "We have a list?"

His eyes light up as he pulls her from her chair and onto his lap. "Oh yeah, baby, you already know. We're gonna make a list. Maybe a spreadsheet if either of us can figure one of those out. You love a good calendar."

"The Kelce Swift master plan?" she jokes.

"Exactly. We'll get it bound into a book. Pass it out and make sure everyone knows we're running the show," he retorts before pointing at her. "That you are running the show of what happens next in your career."

"I want it to be that straightforward," she says wistfully.

"Tay, you've built this. You are in the driver's seat. I'm happy to copilot, but what happens next with the tour or the album or whatever, that is your legacy to continue building."

"You're right. I love my team. They are amazing and have helped me build all of this. But sometimes I think they forget I'm me and not just the brand Taylor Swift."

"So we remind them."

She can suddenly see it. With a partner who is invested in what she wants and wants to stand beside her for it, she can suddenly see so clearly what the beginning of the path forward looks like, no matter how hard.

"I want a life, Travis. I want us to have a life with all the crazy twists and turns that no amount of schedule can dictate. Yes, I still want tours and albums and crisscrossing the world but I also want all that comes outside that. And I want to watch you play football and see our family and be a part of our friends and families' lives."

"You can have it, I promise, Tay. We'll make it happen."

"It seems impossible sometimes."

"Nah, we're good at impossible remember?" he reminds her.

She sighs and then takes a deep breath, knowing he's right. Knowing they're good about taking what should seem crazy and impossible and making great things out of it.

"I've never had someone to do this with. To figure this out with me."

"Well, now you do," he says, skating his thumb across the ring on her finger.

"I do," she says with finality.

"So, what do you think?"

She smiles at him and pulls her computer towards her, ready to send off a reply to the team so that they can put this to the side today and go out and enjoy lunch and the sunny weather.

"Let's do it, let's build our life."