Playing With Fire

+++++++++



"So no one told you life was gonna be this way!"



Kelly growled, as she blindly stretched her arm out to find her phone on the side table. She flipped it open and brought it to her ear.



"Kelly?"



She groaned in response.



"How much do you love me?"



"Being it's 4:30 in the morning on the day of the awards, not very much right now Narvel."



"I know, but there's a problem."



Kelly stretched all the way down through her toes, yawning loudly, "What kind of problem?"



"Martina's baby girl is sick."



"Martina has a baby girl?"



"Well, she's nearly two."



Kelly huffed, "Ok, she has a two year old, and she looks like that? Life is so not fair."



Narvel laughed on the other side, "You're missing the point Kel."



"Sorry, my mind's not used to functioning this early in the morning. Ok, so Martina's baby girl is sick. So...is she not performing?"



"Right."



"Ok, Narvel, I know I'm good, but I'm not that good. I can't sing a duet by myself."



He laughed again, "Remind me to call you more often this early."



"You do, and you're dead. I don't care who you're married to."



"Kelly, focus. You won't have to sing it by yourself. They got someone to sing it with you. But, you're going to have to go in this morning for rehearsals. There are gonna be some other performers and presenters there as well, because there are some other last minute changes that have to be dealt with."



"When you say this morning, you mean?"



"At around 8."



"And you're calling at 4:30 why?"



"Because I just found out about it, and thought you'd like enough time to get ready."



Kelly laughed, "You've seen me in rehearsals. Does it look like I need that much time to get ready?"



"Yea, no, not really. I guess I'm just kind of nervous that's all. I want this to be perfect."



"I know, I know. Don't worry, it will be."



"Thank you Kelly."



"Anytime."



"Sweet dreams?"



"You better hope so," she laughed, hanging up the phone. She was out before her head even hit the pillow.



+++++++++



"Good morning Kelly," one of the security guards greeted as she walked into the theater where the awards where being held.



"Mornin' Hank," she replied, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She had on a pair of baggy crop pants, a fitted-t with a baby flicking the on-looker off, and a baseball cap.



"Kelly!"



Kelly grumbled as she saw the bubbly blonde rushing over to her.



"I'm so glad you could come this morning!" Amelia beamed.



Amelia was in her late thirties, but acted as if she were a teenager. It was her job to organize all the musical acts.



"Glad I could make it," Kelly drawled. Her accent was always worse in the morning.



"Ok, so as I'm sure you've heard or you wouldn't be here right night," the woman giggled, as she led Kelly to the stage. "We have a bit of a situation. But, it's nothing to worry about. We have everything under control."



The woman beamed annoyingly as she handed Kelly a microphone.



"I don't even get time to warm up?"



"You have until your duet partner gets here. We're kind of in a rush this morning. So get up there."



Kelly sighed. She looked up at the stage. For a second, she thought about jumping up onto it, but thought better of it and walked around to the stairs. The last thing she needed was to be breaking something right before the show. Then again, that would probably make Amelia go crazy with worry. Yea, that might be a good thing. Kelly laughed to herself as she walked onto stage, warming up her voice.



++++++++++



"I really don't think this is such a good idea," Carrie commented, following her manager into the theater.



"Why not?" he asked, opening a door for her.



"Because, I'm not ready."



"That's what this practice is for," he pointed out.



"But I don't even know--"



"Yes, you do. You've done it before."



Chris sighed as he stopped walking and turned to look at Carrie, "Look, if it's the words you're worried about, they can put them on a teleprompter."



"It's not the words," she responded. "I know the words."



"Then what is it?" he asked, starting to walk again. They had come in through the back entrance, and he led her to the side of the stage.



"Who am I singing with? I seriously don't want to make a fool out of myself."



"Carrie, you have an amazing voice. What are you worried about?"



"It's not my voice I'm worried about," she replied honestly. "It's theirs--"



But she stopped in mid-sentence as she heard her duet partner warming up. Ok, maybe she didn't have to worry about their voice. She could tell just by them warming up that it was flawless, and there was something about it that was strangely familiar.



The sound guy handed Carrie a microphone, and Chris smiled.



"Are you ok with this? Because, if you aren't, we can still back out."



There was something about the voice on stage that had Carrie mesmerized. It was as if it was some magnetic force, pulling her towards the owner of that voice.



"I think I'll be fine," she replied, walking up the stairs.



"Ok," Chris said. "You're singing the first part."



He didn't get a reply as Carrie stepped onto the stage. The spotlight that was shining down on them, blinding her, as she walked towards her partner.



Kelly could feel someone's eyes on her, and she turned around, eager to meet her duet partner.



"Kelly?" a voice cracked nervously.



Kelly dropped the microphone in surprise, sending an electric shriek throughout the theater.



+++++++



"Butterfingers?" Carrie asked, causing Kelly to blush.



Kelly silently cursed herself. She never blushed, but there was something about Carrie, that just got her blood flowing.



"Well if you wouldn't sneak up on people," Kelly smiled.



"Well, if you would give people your number when you tell them to call," Carrie retorted, happily.



Kelly did a kind of skip in place, before closing the distance between her and Carrie, and enveloping the girl in a hug.



"I missed you," she whispered in Carrie's ear. The blonde struggled not to shiver in delight.



"Is that weird?" Kelly asked fearfully, pulling away.



"If so, then I must be pretty weird myself because I missed you too," Carrie replied, practically beaming.



"Nice shirt by the way."



"Nice smile," Kelly replied without hesitation. It was Carrie's turn to blush, and Kelly smiled in satisfaction.



"Ok, I hate to end this love fest, but can we get this show on the road?" Amelia asked.



Kelly wasn't sure why, but her heart skipped a beat at the sound of the words 'love fest'. Carrie rolled her eyes, causing the shorter girl to giggle, setting them both at ease.



"Shall we?" Carrie asked, holding out her hand. Kelly looked at it nervously. She wanted to much to take it. But for some reason, she felt that if she did, she would never be able to let it go.



"Um...I don't know if you've forgotten," Kelly said, eyeing Carrie's hand nervously. "But, we kinda hate each other in this song."



Carrie pulled her hand back, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice, "True. Well, in that case, the boy is mine."



Kelly laughed, "Hun, you don't stand a chance."



Carrie loved it when Kelly's accent came out. She wished that it would more often, "Clarkson, you're going down."



Carrie walked to her mark on stage, unaware of the hazel eyes that were stuck to her like glue. Carrie's words rang in Kelly's ear as she took her mark. The blonde was right, whatever was happening to Kelly definitely couldn't end well. Although, Carrie telling her that she was going down...Kelly's thoughts trailed off to a very unsafe place, and she thanked God that the spotlight was no longer on because she knew she was blushing a brilliant red at that moment.