-chapter nine-

                                    

                                          
Ellie was holding Scott's hand as they made their way through the stadium, where they'd meet Taylor in the car. Ellie was tired - it was way past her bedtime, but she was so excited to see Taylor and tell her how amazing it was and how much she loved it. It was her favourite time ever, she didn't know how it would get better than that. And the fact she got to go back and snuggle into Taylor's arms was a soothing thought.
 It had been an unbelievable experience, and it was going to be something that she'd remember forever and ever and ever. She'd never had any grandparents before, she'd never had anyone look after her the way that Taylor's family did. 
"What did you think, kiddo?" Scott asked her as the security walked them to the car where Taylor would meet them in a few minutes. 
"AWESOME!" Ellie beamed. 
"I reckon you're right," Scott chuckled. "Awesome is exactly what I'd call it." 
Andrea laughed. "I can imagine it's well past your bedtime, Ellie."
Before Taylor, Ellie had never had a bedtime. She'd never had a time where her parents would come into her room and tell her to sleep. If they weren't hurting her, they were ignoring her completely. So most of the time Ellie would end up crawling into her closet with Wendy, a pillow and a blanket, and sleep the night away in there. The closet made her feel safe and protected, like there was nothing that could hurt her within it's walls. She'd even stuck up a few photos from magazines she'd loved, just to make it feel more like she was safe. Gardens made of paper, that would protect her from the monsters beneath her bed. 
So no, Ellie had never had a proper bedtime. And most of the time she'd lay awake worrying about her parents coming into her room and harming her. 
Ellie just smiled, folding her arms in her lap. "I'm not even a little bit tired." It was a lie, but there was some truth to it - the excitement and happiness she felt outweighed her exhaustion. She couldn't wait to give Taylor the biggest hug in the whole world, couldn't wait to tell her how much she loved it. How grateful she was that Taylor had allowed her to come. 
Taylor got off the stage, and felt invincible. She had the biggest smile on her face, even though her feet were aching and she was cold. Even though she couldn't wait to get a hairbrush through her hair, and even though she was ready for bed. There was a certain high that could only be felt from walking off a stage after giving one of the best shows. 
She was handed a bottle of water, and stopped to thank the security as she walked past.  Her back up singers, The Starlights, clapped for her as she walked past them. 
"We did it!" Taylor beamed. "You guys were phenomenal."
"Says you!" Jeslyn grinned. 
"We've missed this, Taylor." Melanie took a big sip of water, and Taylor nodded. 
"There's nothing quite like it, is there?"
The women shook their head and began the walk to the cars waiting for them outside. Taylor took a final drink of water before screwing on the lid again and waving at her fans. 
They were screaming at her, and she was glad that they could see her. Still in her Midnights attire, she was still quite literally, shimmering. And she loved that. Taylor made sure she motioned to The Starlights, too. Because they were a part of the show that was irreplaceable. 
Blowing a final kiss to them, she focused on getting back to Ellie. The only thing that compared to performing on that stage was this little girl that had captured Taylor's heart and taken it places she'd never thought possible. 
She quickly got out of her costume, making sure it was hung up and ready to go for the cleaners. The thought that she got to do this all over again... it made her shiver with excitement. Pulling on a pair of joggers and oversized sweatshirt with cats on it, she smiled at herself in the mirror once more before she headed to the car. 
Seeing Ellie the moment the door of the car opened was a moment that was more important to her than any review her concert could get.
"YOU DID MY BUNNY MOVE!" Ellie squealed, throwing her hands around Taylor. "I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T GONNA DO IT BUT YOU DID!"
"Of course, bee! That's my favourite move out of every single one I do." 
"And... and you did some of my other ones too!" Ellie nuzzled into Taylor's neck. "I thought you were just gonna pretend that you liked them and then not do them but you really did do them!"
Taylor gave her a squeeze. "I love them, Ellie. Everybody loves them. Alright, seatbelt on, it's time we all get to bed." She gave her a final cuddle, before Ellie did as she was told. Taylor held Ellie's hand the whole car ride back to the hotel.