A Place in This World - A Taylor Swift Adoption Story

Last Dance

A/N- tap tap... anyone here?

~~~

July 11, 2023/Rose

"Hey, silly. Open your eyes." That voice. It couldn't be. "Didn't you want to see and talk to me?" My eyes shot open. I was standing, and 5 feet in front of me was Harley. How? No.

"Ha-Harley? Sweetheart?" She got closer and closer, closing the gap between us with a hug and a deep kiss. I held her like if I let go, if I woke up now, I would make myself join her.

"You know you can't stay here," she said, reading my mind. Well, this was technically my mind. She could always do that even before.

"Why should I let you go?" I asked, dying for an answer, but not. I was upset, but my voice was steady, and I saw tears on my fingers when I wiped my face. It was weird that I couldn't feel my hands be wet, but at the same time it was a dream. I wasn't supposed to. "I can't."

"You have to, Rose." She looked behind her, and then she started running.

"Harley? What the hell?" I yelled, running as fast as I could after her. Helped that I couldn't run out of breath. It was only a few seconds before the setting changed from my room to... a field. Filled with peonies. She had stopped to smell them. "Why did you run?" I asked, still confused about what just happened. How was I not panting...

Right, dream. None of this was real.

"We have limited time. Gotta do everything before it's time to go." she said grabbing about a dozen peonies, poofing a ribbon in her hand, then tying the ribbon around them, making a bouquet.

"What if I just don't go?" I asked, and Harley laughed. I felt her fading. "No. No! Harley!"

"Don't worry, I'll see you in a bit."

~~~

I woke up again. My eyes opened slow this time, not from peace but from the weight in my chest. I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to do anything. But my stomach had other ideas, grumbling loud enough for me to hear it through the pillow. I rolled over, checking the time. 10:32 AM. Felt like it should've been night already.

I shuffled downstairs, hoodie over my head. I didn't expect anyone to say anything, but Taylor was sitting at the island, coffee in one hand and something on her phone. She looked up the moment she heard me and her face softened.

"Good morning, hun," she said.

I didn't answer. Just opened the fridge with a note that said "Funeral tomorrow, show Saturday" and grabbed whatever I could grab. Ended up being a cup of yogurt and one of those tiny spoons we kept in the drawer for no reason. Taylor stood up like she was gonna say more, but I turned and walked out before she could. I couldn't talk to her right now. Not without thinking about why she cried so hard yesterday. Not without hearing Tree's voice saying those words.

I went back up to my room, eating the yogurt on my bed. Left the spoon in the cup and just dropped the whole thing onto my nightstand when I was done. Still no clue what to do. I saw my console controller across the room and got up to grab it, sat back down and booted it up. Siege again. The colors on the screen were bright, too bright. I turned the brightness down twice and kept playing anyway.

My brain didn't really register the matches. I just played and stared, not reacting much. I got killed a lot. Didn't care.

After a while I laid back and stared at the ceiling. My body felt too heavy to move but too restless to stay still. I turned off the game, then pulled the blanket over my head and forced my eyes shut.

Sleep didn't take long.

~~~

We were in a bowling alley. Not one I'd ever been to, but it had this warm, low lighting that made it feel like it was in my own house. Harley stood at the far end of the lane, holding a bowling ball in both hands like it was a watermelon. She was grinning at me.

"Rosie, don't make fun of me if I suck," she said, squinting down the lane. I smiled as my brain made her call me the nickname only she could call me.

"I would never," I said, even though I totally would if she were here. I aighed as my brain kept reminding of that fact. She stuck her tongue out at me and rolled the ball down the lane. It wobbled left, then right, then fell into the gutter.

"Oof."

"Nooo," she whined, walking back. I was already laughing. She sat down beside me on the red couch and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"I demand a re-roll."

"You're the one who picked bowling."

"You're the one who made me show up in your dreams again," she teased, nose brushing mine. My stomach flipped.

"I didn't think I'd get another one," I whispered, and her smile fell just a little.

"I'm here now."

We stayed like that for a while, curled into each other, soft music playing from the alley speakers, something acoustic and slow.

~~~

And back home it was. I had slept from 2pm to 4, so it was now time for a late lunch, outside my bedroom door, Colin was about to knock, the scent of my favorite Subway sandwich filling the air between us.

I never took Harley on a Subway date with me.

I shook that thought off and I took Colin's gift and went back inside, onto my bed, but Colin stopped the door from closing. I could tell he wanted to say something. Do something.

"Well?" I said, slightly irritated. I immediately felt bad, but Colin just walked over to me and opened his arms. A hug. I slowly placed my head on his chest, and his arms locked into place. I just stood the for a bit, but the tears were already threatening to fall out. 

"It's all good, kiddo. I've got you."

~~~

I woke up in a chapel this time, wearing a long, flowly white dress, like that one I dreamed of. Made sense, since I was in a dream. And Harley was in a wedding dress. It fit her perfectly, like a cloud wrapped around her body.

She was crying again, but not the sad kind. The kind that made her smile wider, the kind she always got when she was overwhelmed with love.

"You look perfect," she said, reaching out for my hands.

"You're not real," I said, voice breaking.

"I'm real right now. You need this to be real, so here I am." I looked to my right to see Taylor, dressed as an officiant.

"Come on you two. Let's get you married." The ceremony was quick, and we kissed. It felt surreal.

"Now c'mere. Time for our last dance."

And dance we did.

"Are you leaving after this?" I whispered, fearing the answer.

"Yes. But you know where I'll be. And this is just another memory for you." I pulled away from her just to see her fade.

"I love you, Harley Quinn."

"I love you, Ring around the Rosie."

And with that, she was gone, and I was waking up. And today was a day I would hate forever.