March 1st 2025
Los Angeles, California
If you had told the girl, sat in that exact vanity chair, ten years ago that in a decades time she would be nominated for an Oscar, she would have slapped you. But here she was....
The Eras Tour in concert had been nominated for a special award for its sepcatcular box office review and reception. Despite being possibly one of the most illegally downloaded movies of all time in the first twenty four hours prior to the of release of it, it was a phenomenal success. So much so that the academy wished to recognise it. She knew that she pretty much had already won the award, other movies had been nominated as a formality but with them making a special award section just for her concert, it was almost certain she had won. Taylor was glad that Travis could be by her side. Being almost thirty five weeks pregnant at the Oscars was not ideal and she could not shake out the idea and picture of her water breaking early and gushing out all over the red carpet. it would certainly be a way to make an entrance, and swift exit at the same time. It would also make for a good headline, and something funny to look back on in years to come. Not that she wanted it of course. They still hadn't had Taylors baby shower yet which would be in the next week and their nursery in New York City had nothing in it yet despite the fact they would be living there when the baby was born. The pair of them had both settled on having Taylor give birth in New York City where there were most specialist hospitals and better facilities overall. None of Travis' family lived in Kansas City and with it only being an hour or so from Philadelphia, it made more sense for Taylor and Travis to be there. Plus with it being the off season, they would need to be there as well. Travis would be hosting Saturday Night Live later on in the month and Taylor would also be filming a final photoshoot and surprise video there as well.
But it was not going to be easy that night either. As Taylor eyed her body up and down the full length mirror, she could only feel disgusted with herself. There was not an ounce of love for her body anymore, not that she had ever truly loved her body for years. But this was on another level. Whilst she was every bit full of joy that she had made it as far as she had done in her pregnancy, further than she had ever gotten, it did make her feel disgusted with herself. She was still being sick multiple times a day sometimes and was trying her hardest not to give into the baby's insane sugar cravings, but it was no use. She was still round and plump, like a bowling ball. Travis would have to roll her off of the red carpet.
"Looking hot there mama." She heard a voice say, getting louder as the man she recognised as Travis came up behind her, his hand freezing cold. "Is this the special surprise outfit you have planned for tonight? I must say, it's gonna be a head turner. I can see the headlines now, although I am not sure how you ever got Tree to agree to this!"
Taylor looked around and judging by the sly smirk on the corners of his lips, she could tell that he was messing with her.
"I was just examining things Trav." She mused, leaning in against his chest as much as she could. Their little bean was taking up most of the room between them nowadays
"Examining yourself? Tay you aren't some kind of specimen in a lab."
"I feel like one." Taylor moaned, allowing Travis to wrap his arms around her bump, lifting it up ever so slightly to relieve the pressure on Taylor's back. He heard her instantly relax into him, feeling the immense pressure of carrying their beautiful baby girl lift off of her, at least for a minute. "Thanks, that feels good."
"I am sorry you don't feel good Tay. You look beautiful to me."
"You always say that." Taylor deflected, ignoring Travis compliment as she continued to refuse to look at herself in the mirror.
"That's because it is always true. You are always beautiful to me, even when you are throwing your guts up at 3 in the morning. I couldn't find you anymore attractive than I do now as you carry and grow our beautiful baby girl. She will all be worth this pain Tay, I promise you."
He gave her a kiss on the head as he slowly let go of her bump, letting it drift back down to its regular position. The baby had turned and at Taylor's most recent ultrasound scan almost a week before, the doctor had confirmed that the baby had turned to be head down and would be showing the signs of dropping in the next week or so, showing signs that they would be here sooner, rather than later.
"I left you your ice cream in a bowl on the desk. I would eat it quickly before it melts and then I think Tree said Lorrie is here to start your hair."
"Thanks Trav. I'll see you later on when I am all ready. Can't wait to see you all dressed up in your suit." Taylor winked at him in a flirtatious manner.
"Hey now, come on. That kind of behaviour is what got us into this situation in the first place.
Both of them looked at each other seriously before bursting out into laughter. Taylor blew him a kiss, watching as he departed the master bedroom of their house in Los Angeles. Taylor had come to the realisation that everything of hers had become his. Her houses were no longer just here's, they were theirs. The kitties, as much as Travis hated to admit it, had become some of his children. Taylor could hear her hair and makeup team coming down the hallway and so made her way out of the walk in closet, adding her white towel robe onto her naked body in the process, to meet them.
Taylor had chosen to go simple with her hair. Lorrie loosely curled it, styling most of it into a loose low bun and leaving her signature bangs and a few baby hairs loose around the front to frame the rest of her face. She had decided to go natural for most of her makeup: a timeless old Hollywood classic, topped with her signature red lip that she knew Travis could not resist. Maybe she would purposefully make Chris use the non smudge proof lipstick just so that she could make him as hers: her prey.
The dress had been a custom ordered piece. A beautiful white ballgown which if you looked closely had embodied flowers on it. A beautiful mixture of lace and satin flowers, only visible with close observation. But she knew they were there. A ballgown was the best choice when you were about to drop a baby as you already could be seen from outer space: pregnancy or no pregnancy!
As she was putting the finishing touches on her outfit, styling it with her diamond necklace and earrings that Travis had gotten her for her birthday as well as some black gloves she had previously worn to the GRAMMY's in 2024 where she announced the Tortured Poets Department, she could hear Travis coming down the hallway and into the bedroom.
"Tay?" She heard him call out.
"I'm in here." She shouted as she sprayed a quick extra spray of perfume to be extra sure she didn't smell like sweat, sick or milk that had just started leaking out of her boobs earlier that week. Taylor had been hesitant about this but was reassured by google, Travis and her primary care doctor and OBGYN that all of this was perfectly normal about a month before giving birth. It still felt strange to her.
"Wow." Travis' jaw dropped when he caught a glimpse of her from behind. She turned around, a smile in her face.
"You like?" Taylor asked slyly, knowing full well he very much liked it. She gave him a little twirl as she watched him walk over to her.
"I think I might have to skip the party and come straight home for dessert." He growled huskily into her ear, spinning her around into him, his hands coming to rest on top of her bump as they usually did. Taylor didn't know what Travis was going to do with himself when she was no longer pregnant and there wasn't a bump for him to constantly caress and put his hands on top of.
Travis was looking even more handsome than usual, which Taylor didn't think was even possible. If she wasn't pregnant already, she would have been after tonight. She would fuck him so hard that he would make her so. He had on a tuxedo, a well fitting one. It wasn't about money, but about class and taste. An ill fitting suit always showed, but this was far from it. She watched him as he struggled with his cufflinks on his jacket.
"Here, let me help you." Taylor said coming over to help him out. "A woman should always do a mans cufflinks. It's good luck apparently."
"My mom did mine for my prom. It's the only other time I have ever needed help with this sort of thing really." She smiled up at him, happy to be sharing a moment like this with him. It was times like this where Taylor knew that this was the future that was meant for her. Through all of the hardship, break ups and pain, this was what was meant to be.
The journey to the ceremony wasn't particularly long, but anytime Taylor sat in the same position for too long, the baby let her know and would kick her ferociously in the ribs, often getting one of her feet tangled and caught. Taylor quickly breathed in, feeling a tightening in her abdomen that was quite painful, but defiantly not a comfortable pain or ache like she normally had.
"Are you ok?" Travis asked, looking over at Taylor who had her fists clenched as she held her breath.
"Yeah I am fine, just madam here letting me know she does not like car rides at the moment."
It hadn't been confirmed that Taylor or Travis would be attending the Gala that evening and so when they both stepped out from the limousine and onto the red carpet, there was an uproar of excitement. Cameras from every angle shoved into their faces and reporters coming at them left, right and center. Tree instructed them to stand further back for photos and then had one reporter from ET and FOX stood at the end of the carpet to take away questions or statements. All they could hear where the sounds of
"How does it feel to be pregnant Taylor?"
"Are you excited to be a dad Travis?"
"Have you written any new songs about this."
Despite it being overwhelming to sat the least, the pair of them successfully made it to the end of the red carpet and towards the two reporters that Tree had lined up and carefully picked out from the crowd. They had been respectful in their questions, something Taylor knew Tree must have negotiated with them.
"So Taylor, how do you feel about becoming a mom in just a few weeks?" One reporter asked. She was a short petite woman, with mousy brown hair that was wavy and pulled up into a long beautiful ponytail.
"It feels surreal. I never thought I would have children or be lucky enough to have them. No time has ever felt right and things haven't been easy for me but I think now is just the perfect time and I couldn't be happier."
"And what about you Travis?" The other reporter, a male this time, asked as he pointed a microphone towards Travis' face. He couldn't wear anything but a smile when he talked about becoming a father.
"Well you know it is everything I have ever dreamed of. Am I scared? Totally. But I couldn't be more excited to share this next chapter of my life with the woman I love. I could not imagine anyone else by my side then her."
As they were about to make their way into the main awards area, the female reporter turned to ask one question.
"Now Taylor, one very important question I have to ask you and I am sure the fans will be wondering about this too... What do Meredith, Olivia and Benjamin think about having a sibling."
Taylor laughed hard, knowing full well that a question like this was bound to come uo at some point.
"Well I don't think Meredith has the energy to care anymore, she is too busy trying to kill us all and achieve full world domination for us to interfere with her plans. I think Benji is excited and Olivia, well we will have to wait and see. She seems very aloof about it all, keeping us on our toes but I guess we will find out next month when they are all introduced to one another."
She waved goodbye to the reporters along with Travis as they made their way to their assigned seats beside Blake and Ryan. Blake had been nominated for an award too, so Ryan was joining Travis in the supportive partner department. Even though it wasn't official, all of Taylor's friends treated Travis like he was Taylor's husband. If he was going to be the father of her child and treat her like a princess, then he had earned that status, even if it was only honorary. For now...
Taylor had a performance planned for that evening, and planned to sing a song from Reputation. She could no longer play the guitar due to her belly being in the way, but she could still play the piano. They had announced it and everyone cheered her name as Taylor came onto the stage to sit in front of the piano.
"Now this will be my last live performance for a while, so if I cry, just ignore me. And if I go into labour, I am calling the baby Meryl!" She heard a voice pop up from the crowd to cheer and recognised none other than Meryl Streep, who had just won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She knew they would have to get a backstage picture together later on that evening. The familiar chords played out as she looked out into the crowd to find her man...
My castle crumbled over night
I brought a knife to a gun fight
They took the crown but it's alright
All the liars are calling me one
Nobody's heard from me for months
I'm doing better than I ever was
Taylor pointed at her bump as she said this, making the whole crowd laugh and cheer loudly... The perfjoamcne couldn't have gone better. She may have written that song for Joe, but she performed it for Travis, proudly showing off the TnT bracelet she wore and necklace along with the most obvious sign he was hers: her huge baby bump. Stepping off of the stage, she felt Travis envelope her in a huge hug.
"That was beautiful babe." He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. They weren't afraid of PDA but they didn't want to deal with the wrath of any angry Tree later on so kept things professional.
"Thanks Trav. I am just going to go to the toilet. I will be back in a minute." A pair of eyes glared and watched as Taylor departed towards the bathrooms, following behind her. Taylor felt a hand grab out for hers, but it wasn't the security of Travis she was in...
"Joe?" She whipped her head around to meet her eyes with the same blue eyes she saw all those years ago. The same eyes looking into hers telling her that he didn't love her anymore, that he loved someone else. "What are you doing here?"
"Well I am an actor and this is the oscars so.."
Wow, he was finally employed! Well done Joe, only took Taylor leaving you.
"Look Joe, I am happy you are doing well but I really do need to use the bathroom and get back out there so, it's been nice talking but I am going to go." Taylor made a quick dash for the ladies room but felt her arm being tugged back, a fit grip on her upper arm preventing her from going on. "Wow Joe, you are hurting me. get off."
All of the commotion had clearly woken up the baby who was now kicking up a storm inside her.
"I can see that you finally managed to hold onto a pregnancy then? Took you long enough." Joe joked but Taylor did not laugh. Instead she decided to take a dig at something else.
"Where is Emma then, I couldn't see her in the crowd."
"She broke up with me a few months ago. Unlike you, I don't air my dirty laundry and details out to every single news station going." Joe spat, clearly angry that the conversation had been deflected back to him.
"Oh don't be petty Joe. You should have known better. You should have known that the moment you found sanctuary in the legs of another woman, it was game over for you and me. It's over Joe, it's been over for a long time. Can't you just accept that I am happy and just move on."
"Not when I know that you belong with me. If you come back to me, I will accept your mistakes. I will even accept this little thing whatever that you've got going on, regardless of how fucked up it's going to be." Taylors eyes widened. She could accept Joe belittling her, he had done that for years. But coming for Travis, and their unborn baby girl was a step too far.
"What did you say."
"Oh come on Taylor." Joe laughed."Be reasonable, I mean look at him. It doesn't take a genius to work out that Albert Einstein is hardly going to come from a man who can't even spell squirrel correctly!" She could smell the alcohol on his breath, praying that there was still enough sobriety in him to keep him at least upright.
From across the other side of the auditorium, Travis was deep in conversation with Blake and Ryan.
"The girls cannot wait to meet the baby. Betty keeps asking if she can have sleepovers and playdates with them all."
"Aww." Travis said. "My nieces are exactly the same. Wyatt was positively beaming when we told her it was a girl. She said boys are yucky apparently."
All three of them laughed.
"How are you feeling though Trav." Ryan asked, sipping on the glass of champagne he had just been given by a waiter passing by.
"I am telling Taylor I am excited but I deep down fucking terrified. Like I can barely look after myself, how am I meant to look after a tiny baby?"
He noticed that Taylor was taking rather a long time in the bathroom. She normally would be that long, and he knew that her category would be coming up any minute now. He excused himself from Blake and Ryan, making his way out of the view of the cameras towards the bathrooms. It became clear why she hadn't come back. She physically couldn't.
"Would you like to tell me why you have your hands on my girlfriend?" Travis' voice boomed, echoing around the hallway. Taylor prayed that this commotion couldn't be heard on the livestreams and broadcasts of the ceremony.
"I am just trying to make conversation, so if you wouldn't mind making yourself scarce." Joe glared, eyeing Travis up and dow. The footballer towered over the little boy.
"Now listen here pipsqueak. I think Taylor has made it clear she doesn't want to speak to you so either you make yourself scarce, or I will have to do it for you."
Joe clearly got the message, shaking himself off and neatening out the creases of his suit from where Travis had grabbed him by the collar.
"Have fun with your mistake Taylor. Hope it really makes you happy." And with that he left to head back into the auditorium. She broke down in tears.
"It's ok Tay, he is gone now." Travis came over, wrapping his arms around her to steady her.
"I promised myself I wouldn't let him get to me anymore. But he kept calling our little bean an accident, a mistake. And she isn't."
"I know she isn't my love. She is so loved by you and me and everyone else who is important to us. Just ignore him. He is just disappointed he doesn't have the strong sperm like me!" Taylor laughed, hitting him slightly on the arm to scold him but knew it was true. Joe was just bitter and jealous and she kept that in her mind as she came back into the auditorium and when she was announced as the winner...
Travis helped her to stand up and she made her way slowly but surely up onto the main stage to accept the coveted OSCAR...
"Wow guys so umm, this is my first Oscar. And I din't even know what to say. I didn't make a speech because never in a million years did I ever think I was going to win. This concert and film has meant more to me than I think any of you will ever know. I came into it so broken and sad but I found my happiness again. Singing my songs and living out my dreams with you all every single night. It found me my man. my Travis, who I play every new song and idea to and who delivers me chocolate ice cream in bed at night no matter what time it is.." the crowd bubbled with laughter. "Thank you so much for this, it will forever be a moment I remember. It will sit on my shelf and remind why I do what I do as I sit knee deep in diapers and baby sick for the next year."
She made her way off of the stage with her award and into the waiting arms of Travis, her home. When he was around, nothing could hurt her. not Joe, or the haters or anyone else out there. Sitting there watching Joe loose out on an Oscar was the cherry on top. Whilst she hated being mean or rude, if he was going to play petty, so was she...
Taylor and Travis were happy, and so was their little girl who spent the entire evening showing off to everyone who would watch how she could do somersaults and backflips inside the womb. It felt crazy to the next event they would attend they would be parents, it terrified them but excited them. Nothing could spoil their excitement that night, not even the slowly increasing pain Taylor could feel cramping and creeping up her stomach as the night pressed on...
AUTHORS NOTE: Yoghurt shop boy is back in the house guys!!!! Sorry, had to bring him back for the drama because it was too good not to. Btw, I portray Joe as a more of a villain in this book but this is in no way what I think he is like in real life. Never met the man so can't say what he is like. But for the plot, this is how he is