It turned out that Tree wasn't actually as surprised about Taylor and Leia's secret relationship as Leia expected her to be. The woman had seemed annoyed at first for the blonde superstar not telling her about their secret, listing off various circumstances where they could have had a huge press scandal on their hands but she had quickly realised that neither of the women standing before her seemed that concerned about Leia leaking anything to the press.

"So, just to check we're on the same page," Tree asked them twenty minutes after her surprise entrance, the cupcakes long dived into by Taylor. "Leia is publicly out as bisexual - you obviously aren't, Taylor - but for now you have no intention of letting this relationship go public?"

Leia looked to Taylor before nodded, a sheepish smile falling on her lips as she fiddled with her fingers and looked at the red headed woman, already knowing that Tree would be running through thousands of situations in her head that could stem from this.

"I never really had the choice to come out," Leia started softly, Tree's face dropping as she remembered the press leanings of Leia kissing Lauren Jauregui. "And I never want to take that away from Taylor. So if it means hiding in suitcases or wearing disguises then I'm all in for whatever you need us to do to keep this a secret for as long as Taylor needs it to be."

Tree smiled at that, nodding as she reached down to stroke Tate. The black dog had never had the chance to meet one of Taylor's most trusted advisors and he was soaking up all of the attention that he could get. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth as the woman scratched behind his ear and Leia couldn't help but roll her eyes at how much of a softie the dog was despite his large frame.

"Well, I'd usually send over a non-disclosure agreement in circumstances like this but it's up to you guys," Tree told them, unsure what direction they would take here. "It's a little different when it's a relationship and not just a friendship."

Leia shrugged, taking a bite out of one of the cupcakes and answering without any hesitation at all. "If you want me to sign one for you, I will Tay."

Taylor smiled at the nickname before looking over at Tree and noticing how the woman didn't seem desperate for Leia to sign one. They trusted the British girl standing in front of them enough to know that regardless of what would happen between them, Leia would never out Taylor after what she had been through herself.

"Nah, I trust you," Taylor told her softly, Tree also smiling at the exchange between the duo as she stood up and brushed the remaining slobber from Tate off her pantsuit. The dog huffed as she stood up but rolled over and was back asleep within mere seconds.

"I better be going, I've got dinner to catch," Tree admitted to the girls, both of them turning to look at her in surprise. "I was only popping in to check on you but it seems you've already been... checked on."

Leia blushed furiously as Tree barked out a laugh at their bashful expressions, showing herself out with a quick goodbye hug from Taylor and a leg rub from Olivia. The dark haired woman watched her go, her jaw still dropped as Taylor simply scooped up Meredith while walking in the direction of the kitchen. Leia trailed after her, hearing the comforting thuds of Tate padding behind her as they followed the marvellous sled-proclaimed cat lady.

"I have to be back in LA tomorrow but I was thinking if you're planning on staying here for a while that I could try and fly back every other weekend? I can even try and change up some of my studio time and find a recording space near here so I can try and see you more," Leia started to ramble, not noticing how Taylor had turned to stare at her with an unreadable expression on her face. "And I'm sure I can afford to rent some small apartment near by too since I've started to get the royalties for Be The One coming in now..."

Leia trailed off finally as she noticed Taylor's long look from across the kitchen island, instantly feeling regret fill her stomach as she tried to understand the look on her face. She knew she was going too quickly, they'd kissed like three times and here was Leia almost on her way to plan their entire life together without actually checking to see if Taylor was even interested in her as anything more than a friend.

"I'm moving too quickly, arent I?" Leia asked, her voice a little softer as she scratched at Tate's head from where he was sitting beside her calmly for once. "I knew I was being too..."

Taylor cut her off by walking around the kitchen island and pressing a soft and gentle kiss to her lips, pulling back with a small smile that Leia was sure could melt her heart anytime. The blonde was taller than Leia but not by too much, and as she moved her hand to tuck a loose strand of Leia's brown hair behind her ear, she couldn't help but wonder if Leia knew about the butterflies that she constantly seemed to give her.

"Just a little," Taylor joked as she leaned in to press another kiss to the girl's mouth. "I'm just having a hard time at the moment thinking this is real... like, my reputation is literally the worst I think it's ever been. Millions of people have been tweeting that they hate me and hashtag Taylor Swift is over party has been trending for days now and yet here you are, telling me you'll continue to cart Tate back and forth across the country just to be able to spend the weekend with me every week."

Leia felt her heart drop a little as she realised how insecure Taylor was at the moment, knowing that the entire Kim and Kanye phone call saga had really taken a toll on her mental health. She was starting to regret ever accepting Adele's offer and joining her on tour for that month and a bit period and instead wishing that she had just came to turn up at Taylor's door with no notice back in July.

"Like I said Tay, I don't care about what anyone else thinks. And I know we haven't had years of knowing each other but I know you and I know you're a good person regardless of what strangers on the Internet think. At the end of the day, your real friends don't care about all of the back and forth between Kim or Kanye or Calvin or any of those using your name to stay relevant, we just care about you and making sure you're okay."

Taylor smiled at that, her eyes getting a little teary as she listened to the loving tone of her friend and potential lover. She had listened to similar words come from the mouths of her family and other close friends non-stop for the past month but hearing it from Leia just felt different. It was like some sort of validation that she had been needing and not allowing herself to feel had suddenly hit her all at once and while she still had no intention to show her face in public, she felt much less anxious than she had before Leia and Tate had shown up at the door.

"You don't need to rent an apartment," Taylor told Leia as Tate rubbed himself against the blonde's legs, looking for more attention now that he was bored of Leia's head scratches. "If you're only spending the weekend then you can stay here - that is, if you'd like."

Leia chuckled at that, a playful smirk falling on her face as she grinned at the woman who was now the one blushing furiously.

"Now look who is taking things quickly," Leia teased, Taylor instantly rolling her eyes as she went to open her mouth and pretend to retract the offer before Leia cut in to finish her sentence. "But if you're sure that I'm not intruding then I'd love to. Besides, looks like Tate and the cats are bonding well."

The duo turned around to look at where the two cats had fallen asleep on the ground, within arms distance of where Tate was laying. At a glance, you might have assumed the big black dog was asleep but Leia could see the telltale twitch of his nose signalling that he was just resting his eyes. She knew for a fact that if she reached into her jacket pocket where she kept his good treats, he would shoot up straight away.

"For now," Leia joked, causing Taylor to chuckle as they moved away from each other and back towards the kitchen. A comfortable silence had crossed over the two, as if they'd known each other their whole lives. Leia leaned against the counter as Taylor reached for the previously brewed pot of coffee, pouring herself a mug before reaching for the hot chocolate powder on the shelf without glancing backwards at Leia.

"Cream?"

"Nah, I'm good without," Leia replied, a warm feeling in her chest as she watched Taylor begin to make her favourite hot drink of choice.

As Taylor stirred the hot chocolate powder into her mug, Leia couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for the woman. It was in these little moments, the way Taylor knew exactly how Leia liked her coffee and hot chocolate, that made her heart flutter.

Leaning her hip against the counter, Leia decided to let her fingers roam across the surface, tracing the intricate patterns etched into the granite. The silence that enveloped them felt comfortable and natural, like they were two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together.

"So," Taylor began, breaking the silence as she handed Leia a steaming mug. "What do you say we spend this weekend doing something fun? Take a break from all the chaos and just be ourselves."

"That sounds amazing," she replied. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I know this beautiful spot by the lake not too far from here. We could go there and have a little picnic," Taylor's eyes twinkled with excitement as she leaned against the counter beside Leia.

Leia's smile widened. The thought of spending a peaceful day by the lake with Taylor sounded like a dream come true. Especially after the weeks that Taylor was having.

"Sounds perfect."

She could get used to this.

____

"You know, you don't have to do this."

"I want to," Leia smiled at the redhead, her hand gliding across the bottom of the page as she scrawled her signature on the various dotted lines throughout the document. She took one last, long look at it before closing the small folder and sliding it back across the table to Tree. They'd found themselves spending more time together since Tree had discovered the secret relationship that existed between the two pop-stars, and Leia wanted to reassure the woman (and Taylor's family) that she did have Taylor's best interests at heart.

Taylor might not have needed Leia to sign an NDA about their relationship, but Leia knew that it would ease some of her closest confidents to do so - especially in a time when betrayal was becoming common for the Swift family. Leia didn't want Taylor to feel that she had any reason to worry about Leia signing an NDA, so the girl and Tree had arranged for it to be signed when Leia was back in LA recording and Tree was visiting on business. It wasn't a secret - it just wasn't something Leia felt was up for discussion.

She knew Taylor wouldn't be annoyed - but she didn't want the girl feeling like Leia had been pressured into doing something that she didn't want to do. It was Leia's choice 100%, and she would tell Taylor if the conversation was ever brought up. She just didn't think it was high on their list of priorities for the moment.

After signing the NDA, Leia couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and anticipation. It was a small gesture, but she knew it would provide a sense of security for Taylor and her family.

"Good luck for your performance later," Tree told her as she gathered her belongings and pulled her coat back on. "Kimmel?"

"Fallon," Leia corrected, a small smile on her face as she looked gratefully at the woman. It was nice to see how much the woman in front of her cared about Taylor. Likewise, Tree was glad that Leia was so invested in protecting Taylor and her family's well-being, and she appreciated that Leia knew Tree had been there for Taylor much longer than she had been. They had a mutual appreciation for each other, and it all stemmed from their common interest: Taylor.

"She'll be watching, I'm sure," Tree joked, knowing that there was never any doubt about the matter.

"She always is," Leia murmured, a soft look in her eyes as she wished Tree a farewell, holding open the door to the small studio as Tree left. Just as she went to shut the door, she heard Tree begin conversing with someone outside and a small smile rested on her lips as she knew exactly who was about to enter the room.

Leia left the door open, moving back to her guitar as she lightly continued to pluck the melody that had been running through her head for the past week. She hummed slightly, no coherent words leaving her mouth just yet as her brain tried to piece together the hundreds of sentences spinning through her mind.

"Catchy," Selena teased as she pulled the door shut behind her. "Much more positive than what I heard you play last."

Leia mused, not sure what to reply to that. She hadn't seen Selena since she was last on tour with Adele - when Selena had explicitly warned her that Taylor wanted nothing more than for Leia to stay away from her. There were no hard feelings here, since Leia knew that Selena was just doing what Taylor wanted and trying to protect her best friend - but there was an air of uncertainty on Leia's behalf.

She didn't know what Taylor had told Selena since they reconciled. She didn't want to say something that Taylor wanted to be kept a secret or ruin any reveal Taylor might have mentally planned for when she next saw Selena. She didn't want to say anything incase it hurt Taylor more than how she was already hurting.

"She told me," Selena said, a smirk on her lips as she sat down across from Leia. "I can see the wheels turning in your head, so thought I'd get that out of the way."

"Oh," Leia muttered, placing the guitar down as she waited for Selena to say something else.

"I'm not going to give you the speech," Selena rolled her eyes, a boisterous laugh falling from her lips as she saw how Leia was hyping herself up to take whatever Selena was about to say to her. "We've been here before, Leia. I trust you and I trust Taylor. There's no need for me to start interrogating you about your intentions with my best friend - especially since Tree seems to have warmed up to you so quickly again."

Leia smiled, knowing that Selena had been there for her even when everyone else hadn't been. If it hadn't been for Selena turning up that one afternoon, months ago, then Leia was sure that she would have still been under Dylan's trap and probably addicted to something worse. The girl leaned over, hugging her friend tightly for a minute before looking at the clock on the wall.

"Look, I know I've got this rented for another few hours but want to get out of here?"

Selena nodded, curious but excited for whatever adventure Leia had planned.

Driving through the familiar streets of Los Angeles, Leia's mind wandered back to Taylor. She couldn't wait to see her again, to wrap her in a tight embrace and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. As much as Taylor tried to put on a brave face, Leia knew that the constant scrutiny and betrayal were taking a toll on her. Her instagram comments had been disabled, having been constantly flooded with snake emojis.

Leia furrowed her eyebrows as they pulled up to her apartment, sharing a look with Selena as they noticed the black car sitting out front. The man in the front seat was scribbling away at a crossword in a newspaper, and the girls both recognised him easily.

Mark. Taylor's new on-call security that she'd hired on request of her dad since the death threats were doubling by the day. Leia hated Kim and Kayne, and she knew that she'd never forget the trauma that Taylor was being put through because of them.

Their suspicions were proved right as soon as Leia unlocked her door.

"Apparently, you're dating," Taylor informed Leia and Selena as they entered Leia's LA apartment. The blonde had flown over that afternoon, intending to surprise Leia and Selena. Both girls broke into huge smiles as they noticed her, a glass of water in her hands and Tate snuggled up against her legs.

Leia crossed the room, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips as she pulled back with a grin across her face. Taylor grinned back, resting her hand on the side of Leia's face for a second before looking at her other friend who was patiently waiting to greet her. Selena rushed over, throwing herself onto the couch and on top of Taylor, hugging her best friend tightly. It had been a few weeks since she'd seen her and it was good to be able to see that she looked healthier than she had been before.

Sure, they'd video called during that time, but there was something so ethereal about seeing Taylor in person in a time when no-one else in the world was getting to see her. It had been a hard few weeks for them all and Selena was just glad that Taylor had a strong support network to get her through the worst of it.

"I only have eyes for you," Leia replied as she hung her jacket up, reaching a hand out and taking Selena's too while the girls got caught up with each other on the couch.

Tate snorted, moving from the couch to finally say hello to his owner. The dog was no longer in his puppy stage, and Leia would be lying if she said that he hadn't grown as tall as she expected - the dog was massive yet he still believed he was the perfect size for a lap dog.

Taylor turned to look at Selena and Leia with a grin across her face.

"Movie night?"

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originally published: november 2022

rewritten: february 2024

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this is the last of the rewritten entries! woo!