Playing With Fire

+++++++++++



Jason knocked lightly before entering Kelly's room to find the two girls lying face to face. Carrie was wide awake as she held his sleeping baby sister in her arms. He felt his heart sink as he noted the position Kelly was sleeping in--it was the same one he and Alyssa would find her in hiding under the bed when their parents would fight, the only difference being, back then she was clinging to a teddy bear instead of her girlfriend.



"What happened?" he asked softly, pulling the desk chair up to the side of the bed.



Carrie frowned, "She read some comments on a blog."



"I should've warned y'all," Jason sighed.



"You were just trying to help," Carrie replied, feeling Kelly's grip on her tighten. She kissed her forehead gently, whispering something Jason couldn't hear.



"So how bad was it?"



"I think there was death threat involved," she admitted.



"What?!" Jason exclaimed.



"Shh," Carrie soothed, more to the girl in her arms that was on the verge of waking than to him.



"Maybe...maybe you two going back to Nashville isn't such a good idea."



"And what? Hide out here forever?"



"If it keeps y'all safe."



"Jason, we can't do that," Carrie sighed. "You really think you could ask her to give up music?"



"Can't you record here? She has a studio."



"Ok, are you gonna ask her to not go on tour with Reba?"



"No," he replied, running a hand through his hair, reminding her so much of Kelly. "But what are we supposed to do?"



"We can beef up security if it'd make you feel better," Carrie offered.



"It's not just that. I mean, it's not like some huge guy is gonna protect her from all the things she hears."



"She's got tough skin."



Jason raised an eyebrow.



"Alright, so she wears her heart on her sleeve, but that doesn't mean she's gonna take it this hard every time. It's gonna get better."



"What about you?" Jason asked.



"What about me?"



"Weren't some of those comments directed towards you?"



"None of the ones on that one, but I know I'm gonna have more than my fair share."



"And how tough is your skin?"



"Whatever they say to me can't hurt me nearly as much as what I hear them say to her," Carrie replied.



Jason couldn't help but smile as he stood, "I'm gonna go make some breakfast. Let her know when she wakes, ok?"



"Yea," Carrie nodded.



++++++++++



"Care?" Kelly whispered hoarsely.



"I got you," Carrie replied, rubbing her back.



Kelly opened her eyes, looking at the beautiful face before her. She frowned, "You didn't sleep last night."



"Yea, I did."



"No, you didn't. I can tell."



Carrie shrugged, "I had a lot on my mind."



"I'm sorry."



"For what?"



"For reacting like I did. I mean, I knew this was coming. I should've handled it better."



"You handled it just like I would've," Carrie assured her, moving her bangs out of her eyes so she could see them better.



"Liar," Kelly said, shaking her head. "You would've pretended like it didn't affect you, then you would spent your whole night making sure that I was ok just like last night."



"But that's my job," Carrie smiled.



"It's supposed to be my job too," Kelly replied softly.



"Kell, trust me. You take better care of me than anybody else possibly could, and the only reason I can even come close to being strong is because I get my strength from you."



Kelly let herself smile, "I'd kiss you, but I got some funky morning breath going on over here."



Carrie laughed, touching their noses together, "I'll take a rain check."



+++++++++



Carrie wondered up to the third floor curiously. Kelly had gone out for a walk a couple hours before, and Carrie figured that she need some time to clear her head so she stayed behind, but now she was suddenly craving her company. After all the time she had spent here, she had never been to the third floor, mainly because the first two floors were so huge, she had never made it that far.



She turned a corner, finding one of the doors was opened. She could hear the faintest sounds of music coming from one of the rooms, and as she got closer she was surprised to realize that it was classical music. She turned into the room, discovering a rather large library. Carrie smiled as she noticed the short Texan curled up in a overly large chair in the corner of the room, a CD player on the small table next to her, her nose buried in a book, looking absolutely adorable as her nose scrunched cutely while becoming completely absorbed in whatever it was that she was reading.



"Any good?" Carrie asked, walking to her.



Kelly looked up at her with a smile, "Yea."



"This place is beyond amazing," Carrie commented, looking around the room. "I didn't know you were such a nerd."



Kelly laughed, "Who doesn't like to escape every now and then?"



"And the Mozart?" Carrie raised an eyebrow turning back to her.



"Haydn," Kelly corrected, placing her book down and opening her arms.



Carrie smiled widely, curling up onto her lap, "It's beautiful."



"Yea," Kelly nodded, enjoying the feeling of holding the most beautiful girl in the world while listening to one of the most beautiful symphonies ever composed. "Been busy?"



"No, just exploring. This is actually the first time I've been up here," she admitted.



"The library?"



"No, the entire third floor."



Kelly laughed, "Thought there were monsters up here?"



"No," she smiled back. "Just didn't have a need."



"And today you did?"



"I needed some Kelly time," Carrie pouted cutely.



Kelly smiled, kissing her softly.



"You feeling better today?"



"Yea," she nodded. "I think the other night just came as such a shock cause I wasn't expecting it. I mean, it hurts like hell, I won't lie, but I'm not gonna let it ruin these last few days in peace for us, you know?"



"Yea," Carrie nodded.



"So, I don't really know how much company I'm gonna be right now, but you're welcome to stay."



"Would you read to me?"



Kelly laughed softly, "If you want, sure."



Carrie smiled, leaning her head on the Texan's shoulder as she picked her book back up.



"From the beginning?"



"Where you were at is fine," Carrie replied.



Kelly nodded, starting to read aloud from where she had left off. Carrie's eyes closed as her southern drawl filled her ears sweetly.



++++++++



"Care?" Kelly asked after finishing another chapter.



"Yea?" she replied sleepily.



"I was just wondering, but I mean, you've been on the deck, right? It's just that if this is your first time up here, no telling what else you haven't seen."



"The pool deck?" she asked, sitting up in her lap to look at her. "Yea, of course."



"Um, no. The one on the second floor."



Carrie raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"



Kelly shook her head in disbelief, "Do you even know what you're moving into?"



"No, but all I need to know is who I'm moving in with, and that's you, so I'm good," she smiled cutely.



"Come on," Kelly rolled her eyes, motioning for Carrie to stand up. She took the country singer's hand, guiding her out the room and down the stairs to the second floor. She made her way down one of the halls and opened the door to a room.



"Oh," Carrie nodded. "The den. Yea, I've been in here. I thought you said deck. Your accent is really something fierce sometimes, you know? Because I was like, who the heck has a second story deck?"



Kelly just smiled, pulling her to a set of french door that were covered with sheer curtains, "You never wondered what these doors led to?"



"A really big shoe closet?"



Kelly just laughed as she moved the curtains away, opening the doors.



"Oh my..." Carrie's voice trailed off as she walked out onto the deck that overlooked nearly all of Kelly's property. "God Kelly. How the hell did I not know about this?"



Kelly shrugged, "I don't know. It's not like it was hiding."



"It's so amazing," she said, walking out to the edge, taking in the view around her.



Kelly walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist, "You've seriously gotta open your eyes girl, or your gonna miss all the greatness around you."



Carrie nodded in agreement as she took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air, "So what all do you do out here? Is this where you tan naked? Tell me this is where you tan naked."



Kelly laughed, her breath tickling the back of Carrie's ear, "Maybe."



Carrie grinned broadly as she turned around to face her, "Need a tanning buddy?"



"Hun, I don't need to be tanning to be nekked. Trust me, it's a normal occuerence out here."



Carrie let out a squeal of excitement as she bent down, kissing her playfully, "I'm so gonna love living here."



"But there is one rule when you're on the deck."



"No sex? Tell me it's not no sex on the deck."



Kelly laughed again, the look of disappointment on her girlfriend's face was priceless, "No, it's not no sex. It's you gotta make sure you have a key with you because the door sometimes locks by itself. We've been meaning to fix it, just haven't gotten around to it."



"Have a key...got it...no...I don't have a key," Carrie reminded her.



Kelly smiled, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a silver key.



Carrie's eyes lit up, "Is that mine?"



"You know, it just might be," Kelly grinned.



"I got a key?!"



"You got a key," Kelly nodded, handing to her.



Carrie took it, throwing her arms around the Texan, hugging her tightly, "You have no idea what this means to me," she admitted.



"Aw," Kelly smiled, pulling away. She brushed away the tear that was rolling down Carrie's cheek. "So, I'm guessing you're happy about this."



"Nah," Carrie laughed, sniffing.



Kelly laughed as well, pulling her into another hug.



+++++++++++



"Hey," Kelly smiled, walking in the kitchen to find Tony there eating a sandwich.



"Hey," he smiled back.



"Can I ask you something?"



"Sure," he nodded as she fixed her something to drink.



"You know there's a deck on the second floor, right?"



"Yea, how could I not? It's pretty amazing."



Kelly laughed.



"What's so funny?"



"You've been here for less than two weeks, and you knew that. Carrie's been coming here for months, and she just found out yesterday."



Tony laughed as she sat down next to him. His laugh faded as he watched her grow serious, "You're gonna grill me now, aren't you?"



"What makes you say that?"



"Because from the moment that I met you, and you knew who I was, you've had this protective look in your eyes."



"Can you blame me?"



"No," he shook his head. "I heard about the last butthead that was her manager, and if I ever meet him, I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind, and maybe a good kick in the ass."



Kelly smiled, "Where are you from?"



"Why, the good ole state of Texas, of course," he grinned.



"I knew there was a reason I liked you," Kelly laughed.



"So, does this mean I get to skip the lecture?"



"No," she shook her head. "If you do anything to hurt her or her career or anything in the entire universe that she even cares the tiniest bit about, I'll make sure you never work in this industry again."



His eyes got wide, "Do you really have that kind of power?"



"Do you really want to take that chance?" she questioned.



"Even without that threat, I'd never even dream of it," he admitted. "But shoot, now I'd never even dream of dreaming of it, unless it's a nightmare."



Kelly laughed again, "You're a good guy Tony. Thanks for helping her out."



"So far, it's been well worth it," he replied, standing and throwing away his trash. "So, did I pass? Am I dismissed?"



"You're dismissed," she nodded with a smile. "But you have been warned."



Tony laughed as he walked out of the kitchen.



"What was that about?" Carrie asked, walking in right after.



Kelly shrugged, "Just making sure you're being taken care of."



"Did you threaten him?"



"Care, I would never--"



"Kelly," Carrie looked at her sternly.



"Maybe just a little, but it's ok," she replied quickly. "I like him."



"You do?" she smiled.



"Yea, I think he's gonna be really great for you and your career. He's a good guy, and I think he'll definitely take you far."



"I'm so glad you like him," Carrie commented, relieved. "Cause that would've sucked if you didn't, and he was always around doing manager things, and you were always around doing...well, me."



"Care," Kelly laughed. "Is that the only thing on your mind these days?"



"Um, have you looked in the mirror lately? How can it not be?" she asked, leaning down and kissing the side of the Texan's neck, making her giggle.



"Aw," they heard Ashley groan from behind them. "No slobbering in the kitchen. It might get on the food."



"Hey Ashley, guess what," Carrie smiled.



"What?"



"I got a key!"



"I know!" Ashley mocked. "You've told me five times!"



"Ash," Kelly fussed playfully as she wrapped her arms around Carrie. "Let her be excited if she wants."



"Fine," Ashley rolled her eyes with a smile. "I guess I'm kinda sorta a little happy for you."



"I think she likes me," Carrie nodded. "I've totally won her over."



Kelly laughed, "I think so too."