Loving Him is Perfect (Taylor and Grant fic)

Love Saved Me

   Taylor's throat was getting raw by the end of rehearsals for the Good Morning America show. And that was saying something, considering it was Taylor Swift.

   She had been on a world tour, which took every ounce of energy and voice, and she still wasn't this tired. Or so it seemed. She was close to completely giving out.

   "Come on, Joe," Nick said impatiently. "We've been at it for hours. If you can't get the solo right, you can't get it right. You practice, not us."

   "Not even!" Joe snapped, furious. "I can do this."

   It was all Taylor could do to not go over to Joe and smack him upside the head. She was exhausted.

   She had stayed up late last night, replaying over the conversation with Grant. It was torture. There wasn't a minute she didn't regret taking the deal. It was seriously not working.

   "One more time!" Joe said loudly to be heard over Kevin and Nick. The brothers exchanged looks.

   "One, two three!" called out Kevin.

   "Remembering him comes in flashbacks, and echoes ..." Taylor began the third chorus. She couldn't help but think of Grant times a million while she was singing.

   When it got to Joe's guitar solo, he almost had it, but he fumbled with the last chord and it was noticeably incorrect. Taylor also noticed with discomfort he played them a lot less strongly as Grant.

   "This is retarded!" Joe yelled. He stormed off the stage and went, well, who knows where.

   "Sorry," Nick sighed as he packed up. Taylor shrugged.

   "It's fine."

   She seemed to be running in autopilot. Taylor could hardly feel anything anymore. She felt like a lonely character out of a movie. She didn't talk to anyone, and hardly listened.

   "You seem upset," Kevin said, walking over to Taylor. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

   "I'm fine," Taylor smiled quickly, sliding back a little. Kevin gave a grin and walked offstage, too.

   "See you tomorrow for the show," Nick said cheerfully.

   "Bye!" Taylor whispered, waving to him half-heartedly.

                                                                                    *_*_*_*_*_*_*

   The next morning was eventful. Taylor was woken early to get ready for the show which was at nine. Liz and Caitlin seemed excited about something, but Taylor was still too much in autopilot to notice.

   "You'll be great," her mom said excitedly. "This deal will go off with a bang!"

   "Sure will," Taylor replied dully.

   Soon her hair was curled perfectly and her makeup (including her trademark scarlet lipstick) was applied flawlessly. She waited backstage and was handed her mic.

   Taylor felt butterflies. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Only Grant could honestly calm her down, and he wasn't here. That thought had never hit Taylor so hard until that moment.

   "You ready?" asked Joe shortly.

   "Are you?" Taylor challenged. He scowled and walked off to his position. Taylor rolled her eyes. This wasn't the time to argue with her.

   "Thirty seconds," somebody told Taylor. She swallowed and put the mic up to her mouth, poised and ready. The first curtain was lifted.

   The beginning chords of Red were played, and the fans instantly recognized it. They began screaming. When the second curtain was lifted (that concealed the Jonas Brothers), they began to shout louder.

   Some gave Taylor a quizzical look, though. Why is Joe Jonas up there? they seemed to say.

   "Lovin' him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street," Taylor sang. "Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly."

   The first verse and chorus finished quickly enough. The fans always put a smile on Taylor's face. But disaster struck at the second chorus.

   Taylor was at the end of a runway that ran from the middle of the stage into the crowd. She was singing and actually getting into something passionately for the first time in a week. But then Joe came up and tried to do the back-to-back thing with her.

   Not. Happening.

  Taylor glared at him and stormed away. The girls howled with laughter, taking videos of the awkward moment. Joe flushed red, angry and humiliated, and went to the other side of the stage.

   "Remembering him comes in flashbacks, and echoes. Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go!" Taylor sang with all her will. She was close to tears. "But moving on from him it's impossible when I still see it all in my head ... in burning red!"

   Taylor closed her eyes shut, waiting for Joe to inevitably fail at the chords. But wait, it was actually being played good. That meant ...

   "GRANT!" Taylor screamed. Tears flowed down her face as she ran to greet her bandmate.

   It was Grant. The same spiky hair and amazing eyeliner. The same smile as she ran across the stage to see him. Oh, and not to mention the same ease as he played the solo chords fantastically.

   "I'm so sorry," Grant said over the deafening roar of the girls.

   "No, I'm sorry!" Taylor choked. "I'm so happy you came back!"

   Grant smiled at her. Taylor was still so emotionally wrecked that she could barely sing the last chorus. Even still, she decided to change the lyrics.

   "Ooh, losin' you was blue like I've never known! Missing you was dark gray, I was alone! Forgetting you was like tryin' to know somebody I've never met! Cause loving you is red!" Taylor sang, facing Grant.

   Grant tossed his guitar over his shoulder. He grabbed Taylor by the shoulders and held her steady while he gave her a one-milisecond kiss.

   Needless to say, the fans went crazy. Taylor and Grant exited the stage, still on a high from the performance, seeing each other again, and the kiss.

   "Joe!" Taylor called. He strode over huffily, looking extremely annoyed and hurt.

   "What?" he asked rudely.

   "I quit and it's all off!" Taylor said, her face right in his. "I am never doing a deal with you again."

   Taylor could practically feel Grant's smile radiating off of him. She turned back to him and gave him a long hug.

   Taylor could care less what the fans said, or what the critics thought, or what her mom would have up her sleeve. Taylor Swift had Grant Mickelson by her side. And with him and a guitar, she could do absolutely anything.