Playing With Fire

++++++++





Kelly leaned back against the headboard in her hotel room. Carrie was sleeping, her head resting on Kelly's lap while she ran a hand through her long blonde hair. She had awoken enough for them to get her into the hotel and up to her room, but that's about it. Kelly smiled down at her as she sighed, fighting not to wake up.



Carrie mumbled something incoherently as she brought a hand up to her face, still struggling to stay asleep.



"Hey you," Kelly said, reveling in the softness of the girl's hair as it slid between her fingers. "You're gonna wake up?"



"Kelly," she murmured, her voice thick.



"Morning sunshine," she laughed as Carrie turned over onto her back and smiled up at Kelly sleepily.



"What time is it?" Carrie asked through a yawn.



"One in the afternoon."



"Did you drug me?"



Kelly laughed, rolling her eyes, "No, it was only Benedryl."



"You lie," Carrie smiled. "You know you drugged me so you could take advantage of me."



"And why would I want to do that? It's not like you would struggle if you were awake," she teased.



"True," Carrie nodded. "I wouldn't."



Kelly smiled, continuing to run her fingers through Carrie's hair, and the country girl sighed in content.



"So, I missed the interview?" Carrie asked, the disappointment evident in her voice.



"Yea, but don't worry about it. It was pretty boring."



"One of these days, I'm gonna make it all the way through one of your interviews," Carrie assured her.



"I have faith in you," Kelly replied.



"Can we stay like this all day?" Carrie asked after a few minutes of silence.



"Unfortunately, I can't. I have a couple radio interviews to do this afternoon."



"What about tomorrow?"



"The show's tomorrow."



"Don't you ever take a break?"



Kelly shrugged, "Someone's gotta promote the album."



+++++++++



"So, what's for dinner?" Carrie smiled, joining Ashley and Jason in Ashley's room.



"Kelly's really starting to rub off on you," Jason laughed.



"We're going to go eat out when Kelly gets back," Ashley informed her.



"When is that?" Carrie asked.



"I don't know," Ashley replied. "Probably tomorrow with the way that girl rambles."



"Why didn't you go with her?" Jason asked curiously.



"Cause if I get spotted in a radio station, they'd probably want an interview."



"So?" Jason questioned. "Don't you want to promote your new single?"



"I will, but today was Kelly's day," she explained simply.



Jason smiled, "You know something? You're not so bad."



"You're not so bad yourself," Carrie laughed.



+++++++++



There was a knock on Ashley's hotel room door and Carrie jumped up to answer it. She was so thrilled to see the blonde, that she pulled her close, pressing their lips together.



"Hi to you too," Kelly smiled, breathlessly when Carrie had let her go.



"You hungry?" Carrie asked eagerly.



"Starved," Kelly admitted.



"Good, let's go," Carrie said, taking her hand and leading her out the room. "Come on you two," she called over her shoulder to Jason and Ashley.



"Have you not eaten all day?" Kelly laughed.



"Well, it's hard to eat when you're passed out," Carrie explained.



"Where are we going? Do I need to change?"



Carrie turned her head to look at Kelly who was in jeans and a shirt.



"You look great," she replied honestly.



Kelly turned to look behind her to make sure her brother and her best friend were following.



"I'm sorry I made y'all wait so long," she apologized.



"It's fine," Ashley laughed. "We got to find out that the girl actually does eat."



"Hey, y'all have seen me eat before," Carrie said, not bothering to look back, her eyes focused on the destination.



"Girl, you're the size of a twig."



"Be nice," Kelly frowned at Ashley. "You look beautiful," she assured Carrie.



"Thanks," the country singer smiled, turning to stick her tongue out at Ashley.



"But I do have to say, if you wanna fit in in Texas, you're gonna have to put a little meat on your bones," Kelly continued.



Ashley stuck her tongue out at Carrie in response, making the two of them giggle.



"Oh no," Jason groaned.



"What?" Kelly asked as they exited the elevator.



"Now there's three or y'all," he pointed out.



Ashley turned to Carrie and smiled, "Yea, there are." She turned back to Jason, "Sucks to be you."



"I think God hates me."



"Say that again the next time you're talking on your new iphone," Kelly replied.



Jason took his phone out of his pocket and smiled, "God loves me."



++++++++++



"So...this is nice," Kelly smiled, sitting at the table.



"It's McDonald's," Jason pointed out with a laugh.



"Hey, I've been craving a McFlurry," Carrie defended.



"Yea, and I thought you loved McDonald's," Kelly said, grabbing her food off the tray.



"I do," he sighed. "But you know we're gonna get interrupted every two seconds for an autograph. Especially with the both of you here together."



As if to prove his point, a group of eleven year old girls excitedly walked up to the table. Kelly gave her brother an apologetic look, before turning to the fans. She and Carrie both signed their autographs, shared small talk with the girls and even took a picture together for them. That happened about five more times before the group was finished eating.



"So now can we do something fun?" Jason asked as they all piled back up into the car.



"That was fun," Kelly laughed.



"Besides, don't forget about the show tomorrow," Ashley said, yawning.



"It's not till tomorrow night," he argued, realizing that this was a losing battle.



"I know, but it's late."



"Only cause it took us an hour and a half to get through the meal."



"Are they always like this?" Carrie asked as Kelly placed her head on Carrie's shoulder, yawning tiredly.



"Yea, they're like brother and sister," she replied.



Carrie smiled, wrapping an arm around Kelly's waist, scooting her closer, noticing the fatigue starting to set in on the singer.



"Jason, I think we should just get back," she said.



"Not you too," he groaned.



"Well, it's just that...Kelly fell asleep," she laughed.



Jason looked in the rearview mirror, and sure enough, his little sister was out like a light, leaning against Carrie.



"Oh, alright. Back to the hotel then."



+++++++++



Kelly collapsed onto the hotel bed as Carrie closed the door, telling Jason and Ashley goodnight.



Carrie couldn't help but laugh at the tired Texan, "Don't you at least want to change first?"



Kelly mumbled something, looking at Carrie, her eyes clouded over with sleep.



"You'll be more comfortable," she pointed out.



Kelly's eyes fell closed, but she lifted her arms into the air. Carrie's eyes widened as she realized what Kelly was getting at.



"You're worse than a three year old," Carrie laughed nervously, getting out some clothes for Kelly to sleep in.



"It's all part of the charm," Kelly sighed, unable to keep her eyes open for more than seconds at a time.



"Ok, I'm gonna need you to sit up," Carrie said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.



Kelly grumbled in response.



"If you don't sit up, I can't do this."



She sighed, sitting up, raising her hands over her head, her eyes still closed. Carrie couldn't help but laugh. Her shaky fingers found the hem of Kelly's shirt and slowly began to raise it. She tried her best to keep her eyes anywhere but at the ever-increasing amount of skin before her, but it was a definitely losing battle. She couldn't help but stare as she slipped the shirt off Kelly's arms. The girl sitting before her in just jeans and a bra was the very definition of beauty.



"It'sscold," Kelly slurred, losing her battle with sleep. Carrie quickly snapped back to her senses, pulling the tank top of Kelly's head. Carrie's eyes then fell to Kelly's jeans. This was going to be interesting.



"I needa pee," Kelly yawned, struggling to open her heavy eyes. Carrie couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as she handed the girl her pajama pants.



"Here, change while you're in there."



Kelly nodded, slipping off the bed, stumbling at first, but regaining her balance.



"I'm good," she smiled, making Carrie laugh.



Carrie quickly changed while Kelly was in the bathroom. Her heart was still racing as images from before were burned into her brain. She slid under the covers, getting comfortable. Kelly walked out a couple minutes later, turning off the lights. She climbed into bed, immediately reaching out for the taller blonde. Carrie smiled, taking the girl's hands and pulling her close. She laid down on her back, and Kelly threw a tired arm over her stomach, resting her head on Carrie's shoulder.



"Long day?" Carrie asked, running a soothing hand up and down Kelly's back.



"Super long," she yawned, scooting closer, snuggling into her side. Carrie smiled, kissing the top of her head.



"Well, you get some sleep ok?"



"You'll be here when I get up?"



Carrie looked down at her confusedly, "Why wouldn't I be?"



But Kelly was already sound asleep. Carrie frowned, not knowing how to take the statement. Maybe Kelly's mind was too clouded by sleep to be thinking properly.



Her mind reeled back, remembering the first time that Kelly had asked that. It had seemed like such a innocent question with such a simple answer, at the time. However, she knew that she had broken that promise the first time. Yea, she was there when Kelly had awoken, but that's not what the girl had been asking. Carrie bit her lip, not to sure why the tears were forming.



"I'll be here," she whispered, kissing Kelly's forehead. "I'll always be here, I promise."

It was hard to tell in the dark, but she swore that a faint smile formed on the Texans face.





+++++++++



Carrie woke up to an empty bed. She sat up, looking around confusedly.



"Kelly?"



There was no response besides the soft music coming out of the radio.



"Kel?" She called out louder. The sound of the door closing made her jump and pull the blankets up around her. Kelly walked into the room carrying a tray with a huge smile on her face.



"Where were you?" Carrie asked, relaxing.



"Now is that any way to greet the person that just brought you breakfast in bed?" Kelly asked, setting the tray on Carrie's lap and crawling onto the bed, sitting beside her.



"I'm sorry," she smiled. "I just didn't know where you were."



"Well, I ordered room service, and I didn't want them to wake you, so I waited outside."



"Room service? That's cheating."



"Uh-uh," Kelly shook her head. "I had to pay for it, beside it's the thought that counts."



"So, what's this for, anyway?"



"To eat."



"I didn't think it was possible to be such a smart ass this early in the morning," Carrie teased.



Kelly sighed, "I just wanted to say thanks for taking care of me last night."



"Trust me," Carrie grinned. "The pleasure was all mine."



"Nerd."



Carrie gave her a quick kiss before taking a bite out of the food that lay before her, "You rock, you know?"



"Well, duh," she laughed accepting the bite of eggs that Carrie was offering her.



+++++++++



"So, you're ready?" Carrie asked, almost more excited than Kelly was.



"It's just the sound check," Kelly laughed as they walked towards the stage. "Hey, you wanna meet my band?"



"Really?"



"Yea, sure, come on."



"So, is this like meeting the family?" Carrie asked nervously, making Kelly roll her eyes.



++++++++++++



Jason watched with a smile as Kelly and Carrie stood, talking to the band on stage. They seemed to have warmed to the country singer right away. His phone started vibrating, and he pulled it out, giving it a curious look.



"Who is it?" Ashley asked, noticing his hesitancy.



"My mom," Jason said, answering the phone. "Hey mom."



"Hey sweetie," Jeanne replied from the other end. "How's everything going?"



"Everything's going great. We're just about finished with sound check. It's sounding good."



"And what time is this playing?"



"At seven for you, mom."



"So what have y'all been up to? What did y'all do last night?"



Jason frowned, not liking the innocent tone his mom was trying to pull off, "Nothing much, we just went eat."



"Really? Where?"



"McDonald's."



Jeanne laughed, "Well that must have been fun."



"Yea, we had a good time."



"We?"



"Um, me, Kelly, and Ashley."



"Oh, so it's just you three?"



"Yea, and the band now."



"Really?"



Jason closed his eyes. She knew. His mom knew that Carrie was with them. He didn't know how she knew, but she knew. Most likely one of this little twerps from the night before turned over those pictures to some reporter.



"Yes," he lied.



"Well then, can I speak to Kelly?" Jeanne asked.



"Not right now. She's not quite done."



"Well, then, I'll just call her in a little while."



"No, that's alright," Jason said quickly. "I'll tell her you called."



"You sure?"



"Yes ma'am. I'll have her call you back."



"Ok, thank you hun."



"No problem mom," Jason said with fake happiness. "Love you."



"Love you too."



Jason hung up the phone, putting it back in his pocket. He wasn't going to tell Kelly she had called. At least not until after the show. The last thing she needed was something to bring her down right before one of her hugest shows ever.



"Everything's ok?" Ashley asked.



"She knows," Jason replied, still in disbelief.



"About..." she let her voice trail off as she followed Jason's eyes to the stage where Carrie was sitting at the drums while Kelly's drummer Chris was trying to teach her something. Kelly and the band stood around, laughing at the Oklahoma native's lack of drumming ability. Maybe he would wait until they got back home to tell her. She just seemed so happy--the both of them did. He would hate to have something come between them.