Playing With Fire

++++++++++



"So..." Kelly said, sitting Indian style on her bed, watching Carrie pack up all of her stuff.



"So..." Carrie repeated. "I am leaving this afternoon for Nashville to go tape something real quick for CMT for my new album."



"Which I love by the way."



"You have it?" Carrie asked, pausing what she was doing and looking at her surprised. "It came out when you were on tour."



"Yes, and I had Ashley pick it up for me," she smiled.



"That's so sweet," Carrie smiled back, going back to packing.



"Selfish, really," Kelly shrugged, lying back and spreading out on the bed.



"How is you buying my album selfish?" Carrie asked, getting on her hands and knees to look under Kelly's bed for a pair of missing shoes.



"I bought it so I could listen to it on my ipod every night, so it'd be like you were there. That way I wouldn't get too lonely," she admitted, leaning up on her elbows so she could watch Carrie.



Carrie pushed herself up on her knees, looking at her with an amused expression.



"What?" Kelly asked.



"You love me," she beamed.



"Ah, so sue me," Kelly shrugged again, sending her a wink this time.



Carrie laughed, getting up on her feet and tossing in the final pair of shoes into her suitcase and zipping it.



"So you're gonna be in Nashville for..."



"Tonight, tomorrow, and the next day," Carrie answered as Kelly sat up on the edge of the bed.



She reached out, taking Carrie's hands in her own and pulled the country singer in front of her.



"What's wrong?" Carrie's heart melted at the sight of Kelly's best pout and puppy dog eyes staring back up at her.



"Does it have to be for so long?"



Carrie smiled, cradling her face gently with one hand, "As soon as I'm done day after tomorrow, I'm hopping on a plane and flying to Oklahoma where you will meet me that night. It's not really that long, Kell."



"How come it feels like every time I get you back, one of us has to leave again?" she asked, sadly.



Carrie sighed, climbing onto the bed and straddling Kelly's lap so that they were facing each other, "Because that's what it takes to balance our careers which are our fist loves, and each other which are our seconds."



Kelly tried her best to frown, but as soon as she felt Carrie's soft lips pressing against her forehead, she felt her mouth curving upwards.



"Like I said, it's two days," Carrie assured her. "After that we have two weeks together."



"On a farm," Kelly giggled softly.



"On a farm," Carrie rolled her eyes, exaggeratedly, unsure of why that seemed to amuse the Texan so much.



"So what about you?" Carrie asked, linking their hands together. "What are you gonna be doing the next couple days?"



"Well, tonight, I've got a lot of work I need to catch up on."



"You're behind?"



"It's not my fault I'd rather be kissing you than working," Kelly pointed out.



"True," Carrie nodded. "I'm just that good."



Kelly shook her head, laughing, "And then tomorrow, me, Jason, and Ashley are going to have our Christmas dinner a couple weeks early."



"I told you that they could come--"



But Kelly waved her off, "Nah, Ashley always goes with her family for Christmas, and then Jay is gonna go to North Carolina to be with ours."



"And you sure you don't want to go--"



"Positive," she nodded. "One, my mom will be there. Two, there's no body I'd want to spend Christmas with more than you."



"Back at ya," Carrie smiled, leaning forward and kissing her softly.



Kelly pulled back with a content sigh, "You sure you don't want me to drive you to the airport?"



"I'm sure. Jason said he'll do it. Besides, if you come, I'll only want to kiss you bye again, and that wouldn't be good in a crowded airport," she reminded her.



"True," Kelly laughed. "So, I guess I get my kiss now?"



"Definitely," Carrie smiled, leaning in once more and pressing their lips together. She couldn't help but smile as she felt Kelly's lips start to move against hers. This was definitely going to be something she was going to miss the next two days.



"Carrie?" Jason's voice asked as he knocked on the open door.



The two singers broke apart reluctantly, and Carrie looked over her shoulder to find Jason standing there with his hand over his eyes. She couldn't help but laugh.



"It's safe Jay, you can look," Kelly sighed.



"Just making sure," he defended, removing his hand. "Just wanted to say it's time we get going. Traffics gonna be bad enough right now, we don't want to be running behind."



"Alright, I'll be down in a sec," Carrie smiled.



Jason nodded, walking back out of the room.



"Two days," Kelly sighed.



"That's all," Carrie assured her, pushing her hair out of her face.



"And the next time I'll see you..."



"We'll be in Oklahoma, and you'll be meeting my family," she smiled. "Nervous?"



"Surprisingly, no," Kelly admitted. "I mean, they've got to be some pretty amazing people to have you as a daughter, right?"



"God, I love you," Carrie smiled, cupping Kelly's face in her hands and kissing her firmly.



Kelly giggled as they pulled away, "Shoot, I love you too, then."



Carrie rolled her eyes as she planted one last kiss on her forehead before climbing off of the Texan's lap and gathering the remainder of her things. Everything else had already been loaded into Jason's car.



"So, I guess I'll see you soon hot stuff," Carrie smiled, as they walked down the stairs and to the front door together.



"You bet your ass you will," Kelly smiled back, accepting one final kiss.



"Yea," Carrie laughed as she walked to the car that Jason had pulled up. "Cause your's is way too valuable."



++++++++



Kelly sat, leaned back in her chair, pushing her food around her plate, unsure of what was bringing the mood down at their "Christmas dinner".



"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Jason asked, one last time.



"You know I can't," she replied.



"It's your niece's first Christmas," he reminded her.



"Don't you think I wish I could go?" Kelly asked, looking up at him, clearly hurt.



"Sorry," he apologized. "It's just our first Christmas not together."



Kelly looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "And what about those 13 or so Christmas's where we lived across the country from each other?"



"You know what I meant," Jason mumbled, going back to his meal.



"You guys," Ashley sighed. "Come on. It's supposed to be Christmas."



"You're right. I'm sorry Jay. I guess I'm just a little anxious, that's all," Kelly said.



"Meeting the folks will do that to you," he nodded, looking back up at her. "Do they know?"



Kelly shook her head.



"Is she planning on telling them anytime soon?"



"It depends on how the next couple weeks go. Why?"



"I just don't think it's fair," he shrugged. "All the stuff you've been through with your family..."



"Ever think that maybe that's why she hasn't told hers?" Kelly asked. "Besides, where is all this coming from?"



Jason looked at Ashley who looked away.



"Look, you know we like Carrie," Jason began.



"A lot," Ashley nodded.



"It's just...How long do you think this is going to last?"



Kelly looked at the two of them in shock, "What is that supposed to mean?"



Ashley sighed, "It means that you've been through a lot with her, and you've sacrificed a lot for her, but what has she sacrificed for you?"



Kelly clenched her fists as she felt her anger start to rise.



"We're just worried, that's all," Jason explained. "Y'all have been together for nearly half a year now? And she's still not ready to tell her family?"



"I don't know if you remember," Kelly said through clenched teeth. "But the only reason mom knows is because you're the one that told her. Who's to say if it weren't for that, that she'd know? This is kind of a lot to adjust to, Jay."



"Don't you think, we know that?" he asked. "You're not the only one that's had to adjust, you realize that, right?"



"Look," Ashley said, trying to bring back the calm to the table. "What Jason was trying to say is that, if she doesn't want to tell her parents, then what makes you think that she's gonna want to tell anybody else?"



"We don't want to tell anybody else," Kelly reminded her.



"Eventually you're going to have to," she pointed out. "I mean, you're in this, right? For the long, haul?"



Kelly nodded.



"People are going to start wondering. I mean, two of the hottest artist of the planet start hanging out with each other, that's major headlines. And then neither of you ever get boyfriends?"



Kelly frowned, looking down at her plate that was full of the food she had hardly touched.



"Kell, we know you," Ashley said gently. "Way before that even happens, you're going to want to tell people. You're honest, almost to a fault, and you can tell when you're with Carrie just how much you love her. You won't be able to keep that in forever. Besides, don't you think you deserve better than that?"



The singer could feel her stomach churning, knowing every word she was saying was true.



"You deserve to be shown off to the world," Ashley continued. "Not someone's secret play thing."



Kelly's demeanor quickly changed to one of iciness a she glared up at her best friend.



"What she's trying to say," Jason broke in quickly. "Is maybe Carrie's not as serious about this as you are."



"I've got to go," she shook her head, standing from her chair and placing enough cash on the table to cover all of their meals.



"Kelly, wait," Ashley said.



"No," she all but growled. "You don't get to talk to me right now. Either of you."



+++++++



Kelly laid flat on her back in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been hard enough trying to fall asleep without the warm body next to her that she had grown accustomed to, but now with Jason and Ashley's words running through her mind, it seemed impossible.



She knew they were wrong. She could tell by the way Carrie would look at her and by the way that she would kiss her, that the country singer felt the same way she did. But she also knew, that just because you loved some one it doesn't mean you want to be with them forever. She also knew, just because you love someone now, doesn't mean you'll still love that person a year from now. She'd witnessed that one for herself, growing up.



Kelly took a shaky breath as the warm tears rolled down her cheeks and onto her pillow. This was not something she wanted to be thinking about. So what if they weren't together forever? They're together right now, and that's all that matters, right?



++++++++



Kelly swallowed hard as she walked into the airport, her stomach in a thousand knots as she looked around for the country singer that would be waiting for her. Her eyes finally landed on her, and she couldn't help but smile as she watched Carrie shift from foot to foot as she looked for the Texan. Kelly walked towards her, and eventually their eyes locked. She couldn't help but run the last couple of feet into Carrie's arms, burying her face in her neck.



"It's good to see you too," Carrie laughed, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. "Are you ok?" she asked as she felt Kelly's tears against her skin.



"I'm fine," she lied with a slight laugh, pulling back and wiping her eyes. "You know me, I cry at everything."



"Yea," Carrie agreed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she guided them out of the airport and to her car. "You wouldn't believe how long it took me to convince my parents to let me come pick you up by myself."



"Really?" Kelly asked, looking out the window as they started the drive back to Carrie's home.



"Yea," she nodded. "They're really excited to meet you Kell, seriously. Though, that may be because I've been talking about you nonstop since I got here this morning," she admitted.



"Have you...told them?" Kelly asked.



"Told them?" Carrie glanced at her curiously.



"About us."



"No," she laughed softly. "Then they really wouldn't have let me pick you up by myself...if at all."



Kelly nodded, going back to looking out the window, amazed at how quickly they had gone from a busy city to the wide open country.



"Hey, my girl," Carrie said, taking one of Kelly's hand in her own and giving it a gentle squeeze.



Kelly turned to look at her.



"I've missed you," Carrie said, sincerely.



"I've missed you too," she smiled weakly as Carrie kissed the back of her hand.



"So," Carrie began, going on to tell Kelly all about her past two days in Nashville, and going on to talk about her parents, giving Kelly a few pointers on how to deal with them. Kelly didn't hear much after the first word of the conversation, just nodding and adding a "yea" or an "oh" every now and then to make it seem like she was paying attention. She was so zoned out that it took her several minutes to realize when they were parked in a field on the side of the road.



"We stopped," she pointed out.



"Yea," Carrie nodded, undoing her seatbelt so she could turn and face the Texan.



"Why?"



"Well, at first I was planning on stopping here so I could give you a proper hello kiss before we get to my house," she frowned. "But it seems like we should be talking instead."



Kelly looked at her, faking innocence.



"What's up, Kell? You've been out of it the whole ride, and I can tell by looking at you that something's wrong."



Kelly sighed, "I'm fine."



"Did something happen after I left?" Carrie asked, seeing right through her.



"No," she shook her head. "I just...I love you."



"I love you too," Carrie smiled, squeezing her hand that she was still holding.



"And I guess, I'm just nervous about meeting your parents, that's all."



"Kell, seriously. There is nothing for you to worry about," Carrie assured her. "They're gonna love you. I mean, how can they not?"



Kelly tried her best to give her a real smile, but failed miserably. Carrie, misreading it, laughed softly and undid Kelly's seatbelt, pulling the Texan to her, "Come here."



Carrie wrapped her arms around the Texan as Kelly settled onto her lap.



"It's gonna be great," the country singer assured her. "I promise."



"Really?"



"Yes," Carrie smiled gently. She ran her fingers through Kelly's hair, earning a relaxed sigh from her. "So how about that hello kiss?"



"I think we can work something out," Kelly smiled, leaning towards her.



+++++++++



"Are you ready?" Carrie asked as they pulled up to her parents' house.



"Yea," Kelly nodded, mimicking Carrie's actions and getting out of the car. They grabbed all of her stuff from the trunk, and Kelly followed her up to the front door and into the house.



"Mom!" Carrie called out as they walked through the house and into Carrie's room. "Dad! I'm back!"



Kelly raised an eyebrow.



"What?" Carrie asked.



"When we first started hanging out, you were scared to death of sleeping in the same bed as me because of how it would look," Kelly reminded her.



"Oh," Carrie smiled. "That's cause in the old house we had a spare bedroom, aka, my oldest sisters room where my friends would sleep."



"So, this is new?"



"Yea, I bought it for my parents after I won Idol. This is the spare bedroom that we're in right now, so looks like you're bunking with me."



"Carrie?" A voice called out.



"Coming mom," she called back, turning to Kelly. "You sure you're ready?"



"Positive," she nodded.



Carrie smiled, giving her a quick kiss before making her way back out to the living room with Kelly right behind her.



"Hey mom, we're back," Carrie said, giving a small, sweet looking lady a hug.



"Drive went ok?"



"Yes ma'am. And I have someone I want you to meet," she smiled, reaching back for Kelly's hand and pulling her closer to the two of them. "Mom, this is Kelly Clarkson."



"Hi, Mrs. Underwood," Kelly smiled, holding out her hand.



Carrie's mom smiled, ignoring her hand and pulling her into a hug. Kelly was surprised at the lump that was rising in her throat due to the motherly gesture.



"And please, call me Carole," her mom replied, letting her go.



"Yes ma'am," Kelly nodded.



"How was your flight, dear? Everything went smoothly?" Carole asked, ushering the two of them into the kitchen.



"Oh, yes ma'am. It went great."



"Are you hungry or anything?"



"Some water would be great," Kelly admitted.



"Carie, get your guest some water, come on now, I taught you better than that," Carole fussed at her daughter. Carrie rolled her eyes behind her mom's back, making Kelly smile.



"We just walked in the door mom," Carrie reminded her.



"So, Kelly, it's great to finally meet you," Carole smiled.



"You too," she nodded.



"Really, I should be thanking you, I mean if it weren't for you--"



"Mom," Carrie broke in, handing Kelly a bottle of water. "Please don't."



"What?" her mom asked. "All I was going to say, was that if it weren't for her bringing some credibility to Idol, than you might not have been so successful."



"Thank you," Kelly replied, seeing Carrie relax at her mom's response.



"And," Carole continued. "That if weren't for you Carrie might not have ever tried out for Idol at all. Did she tell you that she was, well still is, a huge fan of yours?"



"Mom," Carrie groaned, covering her face with her hand.



"No," Kelly smiled, turning to Carrie. "She didn't tell me that. But trust me, she would have successful even if it weren't for me."



Carrie looked through her fingers at Kelly who was trying her best to keep from laughing.



"So Mom, where's Dad?" Carrie asked, trying to change the subject.



"Oh, he'll be here in a couple of minutes. Why don't you two go wash up. It's almost time to eat."



"Yes ma'am," Carrie nodded, grabbing Kelly's arm and guiding her to the spare bathroom.



"So," Kelly smiled as they washed their hands in the sink.



"Don't," Carrie warned, a blush creeping up.



"You want an autograph?"



"Ugh!" Carrie groaned. "I can't believe she told you that."



"What? I think it's sweet."



"Makes me sound stalkerish," Carrie frowned.



Kelly shrugged, "I'm okay with that."



Carrie raised an eyebrow.



"Yea," she nodded, wrapping her arms around the country singer, momentarily forgetting all her worries from the night before. "As long as I'm the only one you're stalking."



Carrie smiled, her fingers trailing up Kelly's arms, "I guess we can work out something."



"Girls!" Carole called out. "Dinner's ready!"



"Let's go eat, shall we?" Kelly smiled.



"Definitely, I'm starved," Carrie replied, making Kelly laugh.



++++++++



"Kelly," Carole smiled as the two singers walked into the kitchen. "I'd like you to meet my husband, Stephen."



"Hi," Carrie's dad stood from the table, holding out his hand. Kelly shook it with a smile. His hands were rough, obviously from working hard his entire life, but he hand a gentle smile that reminded her a lot of Carrie.



"Nice to meet you," she replied as they all sat down. "This looks great," she commented.



"Well, it's nice to have someone to cook some real food for," Carole replied.



Kelly looked at Carrie who was sitting across from her, "Haven't been able to convert them to vegan?"



"Still working on it," she laughed.



"So, Kelly, my daughter has been mentioning you a lot lately," Stephen commented. "She seems to think rather highly of you."



Kelly shrugged, "She's just being sweet. She's been a real great friend to me the past few months."



"Good. I'm glad she could find someone in that crazy world of yours that is actually normal," he smiled.



"Thanks," Kelly laughed. "Trust me, it's a relief for me too. You're daughter's really has a good head on her shoulders. You should be proud."



"We are," Stephen nodded, catching his wife's eye as they smiled lovingly at each other.



Kelly shifted in her seat, not really used to that kind of open affection between parents.



"So, Carrie," Carole began. "How is everything going with your record?"



++++++++



"You have no idea how good it feels to have you lying next to me again," Carrie admitted as she and Kelly got comfortable in bed. "I had the worst time trying to fall asleep the past couple nights."



"Yea, me too," Kelly nodded as she took her usual place snuggled into Carrie's side.



"So what's the verdict?" Carrie asked, nervously.



"You're parents are great, Care," she replied, honestly. "You're really lucky."



Carrie kissed her forehead, "They seem to really like you."



Kelly nodded, falling into her own thoughts.



"Are you sure everything's ok?" Carrie asked after a long silence.



"Care..."



"Yea?"



"When are you gonna tell your parents about us?" Kelly asked, softly.



Carrie sighed, "I don't know."



"Is it going to be soon?"



"I guess it depends how these next couple weeks go," she shrugged. "Why? Didn't we already talk about this?"



"But you are going to tell them, right?" Kelly questioned, nervously.



"Yea," Carrie nodded. "Someday."



"Someday," Kelly whispered, turning out of the embrace and onto her side, facing away from Carrie, closing her eyes tightly.



"Hey," the country singer soothed, turning as well and wrapping an arm around Kelly's stomach, pulling her back against her. Kelly struggled to fight back the feelings of pleasure that were rising as Carrie began to place soft kisses up her jawline. She reached Kelly's ear and nibbled playfully, "I missed you." Her voice was low and raspy, and took all Kelly had to ignore her racing pulse and feign sleep.



Carrie sighed when she got no response out of the Texan and kissed her temple gently before snuggling into her and falling asleep herself. Kelly was still awake when she heard the country singer's breathing even out. She let out a deep breath as tears formed in her eyes, Jason and Ashley's words running through her head once more.