Playing With Fire

+++++++++++



"There you go," Jason said, getting Kelly to sit up from where she lay with her head in Carrie's lap on the sofa as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows.



"Jay, I'm so sorry," Kelly apologized.



"It's ok," he assured her. "I stand by you on this."



"Jason, you don't have to do that."



"She's wrong, Kelly. I'm with you on this, ok?"



She nodded, taking a careful sip of the hot chocolate so she wouldn't burn her tongue.



"It's good?"



"Yea, thanks."



Carrie reached out, tucking a curl behind the short Texan's ear.



"I think I'm gonna take this and go lay down for a bit," Kelly gave them a small smile.



They both nodded, watching as Kelly stood up. She leaned down, kissing Carrie softly before walking out of the room.



"Where she went?" Ashley asked curiously, joining them.



"Lay down," Carrie replied.



"You didn't go with her?"



"She needs to clear her head for a bit," Carrie said, knowingly. "I'll go check on her a little later."



"So now what?" Jason asked.



"Now we move on," Ashley shrugged. "She's got rehearsals next week, right? That'll be good to get her mind on something else. Then she'll be off to Australia, back on tour, too busy to really think about it."



"I feel like someone just died," Jason said quietly.



"Well, in a way, someone did," Carrie frowned. "Kelly's never going to see or talk to her mother again. That's the same thing, right?"



"Maybe worse, knowing that her mother chose this," Ashley replied



+++++++++



Carrie quietly let herself into the room to find Kelly sound asleep, curled up on top of the comforter. She smiled sadly, grabbing an extra blanket from one of the dresser drawers. She carefully climbed onto the bed as to not disturb her. She slid right behind the short Texan, wrapping an arm around her stomach, pulling her back into her as she placed the blanket over them. She waited for Kelly to get comfortable again before she got comfortable herself, her eyelids growing heavy.



++++++++++



Ashley waved at Kelly as she rehearsed on stage, walking up to the country singer that was sitting on the floor, working on her lap top. "Carrie," she said carefully. "I need to show you something."



Carrie looked up at her curiously, taking the hand up she offered, and followed her out of the small theater where Kelly was rehearsing. "What's up?"



Ashley frowned, handing her a magazine.



Carrie's face immediately paled as she saw the cover. She opened it up to the story the cover was advertising and her faced turned red as she turned to walk away, "That's it. She's mine."



"Whoa there, Killer," Ashley grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back. "What are you gonna do? Drive all the way to North Carolina...and then what?"



"I don't know," Carrie waved her hands agitatedly. "But she can't do this. This isn't right. I mean, where does she get off telling people this stuff?"



"First off, you need to read the entire article. Trust me, you didn't even see the half of it. Second, you need to show Kelly because you know people are going to be asking questions."



"So much for getting her mind off of it, huh?" Carrie's shoulders slumped.



"Did you really think that when she left that was the end of it?"



Carrie shrugged.



"Hanging around Kelly sure has made you naive."



Carrie frowned, her stomach turning as she skimmed through the article, "Why'd you come to me first?"



"Kelly's still not really talking to anybody but you."



"Still?"



"You haven't noticed?"



"Guess I kinda like spending so much time with her, you know?"



Ashley nodded.



"You think I should talk to her?"



"Nah, she's just dealing in her own way," Ashley shook her head. "She's lost someone very important to her. She's probably just afraid of losing you too. Keep spending as much time with her as she wants. She'll be leaving for her tour soon, and you know both of y'all will miss each other like crazy. Just enjoy it while you can."



"I don't know about enjoying it," Carrie sighed, looking down at the magazine in her hands. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll show her."



"Thanks," Ashley nodded.



++++++++



"Hey beautiful," Kelly smiled as Carrie walked into the dressing room backstage. "Where'd Ashley steal you off to?"



Carrie smiled as Kelly kissed her softly.



"I missed making sexy eyes at you," she grinned.



"Sexy eyes?" Carrie laughed softly.



"Well...I was trying to...didn't work?"



"Kelly, you have the sexiest eyes, I've ever seen. You don't have to 'make' sexy eyes. They just are."



Kelly raised an eyebrow, "Even now?"



"Definitely now," Carrie nodded, reaching forward and pressing their lips together.



Kelly giggled, pulling back, "So...where did you go?"



Carrie sighed, "I have some bad news."



"Please tell me you're not, not going to be able to fly out and meet me for your birthday. I have something really special planned," she pouted.



Carrie smiled, "No, I'll be there."



"Good."



"So what do you have planned?"



"I can't tell you," Kelly pushed her away playfully. "That would ruin the surprise."



"Hm...can you at least tell me one thing?"



"What's that?"



"At the end of the night will you still have clothes on?"



"You know...there is a very, very good chance that I won't," Kelly laughed as Carrie grinned broadly.



"This is gonna be the best birthday ever."



Kelly smiled, taking her hand and guiding her to the couch before sitting on her lap.



"Ooo..." Carrie's eyes lit up. "A little birthday preview, maybe?"



Kelly brushed her bangs out of her eyes before kissing her sweetly, "I love you."



"I love you too."



"I wanted to say thank you for this past week. You've been really good about being there for me when I needed, and giving me space when I needed. I know I've been moody, even before my mom left, but you've been really patient, and I appreciate that so much."



"Yea, well, you really helped me out with everything for my tour...and now I will be headlining my first tour this summer, and it's all because of you."



Kelly smiled kissing her forehead, "So, what's the bad news?"



"It's about your mom."



Kelly frowned.



Carrie wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She kissed the top of her shoulder, "Ashley showed me this magazine, and you really need to see it."



"Ok," Kelly nodded, accepting the magazine that Carrie had been holding. She let out a deep breath, reading the cover. "My mom did an interview."



"Yea," Carrie said softly, kissing her shoulder again.



"It's bad, isn't it?"



"She talks about everything."



"Everything?"



"Right up through the night before she left."



Kelly's face paled as she opened the magazine up to the interview. "She's making me seem like a victim," she commented after reading a few paragraphs. "Like you're controlling me or something."



"Not just controlling."



Kelly looked at her curiously, but Carrie motioned for her to continue reading. "This is like a detailed account from the moment she met you until now," she shook her head. "I can't believe she'd talk about our sex life..."



Carrie watched as Kelly grew angry.



"You would never hurt me," Kelly stood up, turning to her. "You've never even come close to laying a hand on me like that...how could she say that?"



"I do tend to leave marks," Carrie pointed out, trying to stay light-hearted about it.



"Care..." Kelly knelt in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why she would say something like that."



"Isn't it obvious?" Carrie asked. "She's not the only one out there that thinks this is wrong. A lot of people can't understand it. She's trying to explain it. The only reason you're with me is because I'm making you stay with me."



"Baby," Kelly shook her head.



Carrie held her face gently, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, "It's ok. Nobody is going to believe that. At least nobody that matters anyway."



Kelly leaned down, kissing her knees.



"Kell, come see," Carrie said, pulling her back up onto her lap.



"This isn't going to be good, huh?"



Carrie frowned, "We'll be ok. This can go two ways. People will either see it for what it is, which is complete crap, or people will take it seriously."



"And if they take it seriously?"



"We'll be ok," she repeated.



"But this could hurt your career."



"We will be ok," Carrie insisted with a soft smile. "Trust me?"



Kelly nodded, kissing her.



+++++++++



Carrie wrapped her arms around Kelly tightly as she held the Texan on her lap while they sat on the back porch. She kissed her cheek firmly.



"I'm sorry I have to leave you here to deal with this mess on your own," Kelly frowned. They had disconnected the house phones already. They had been ringing nonstop since the article came out. Kelly was thankful their cell numbers hadn't been leaked yet. She had enough trouble trying to convince Alyssa and her other close friends that everything was ok, she didn't think she could do it with the press.



"It's ok," Carrie nodded



"The guys in the band said to say their sorry for interrogating you. They actually got you a card," Kelly smiled softly. "It's one of those musical ones. It's cute."



"Tell them thank you, and that it's ok. I totally understand the need to make sure you're ok."



Kelly leaned back, wrapping an arm around the country singer as she buried her face in her neck.



Carrie rubbed her back, "I love you."



"I love you too."



"When we first got together...did you ever think it would be this hard?" Carrie asked curiously.



"I don't know if you remember, but the day after the night we got together, you were whisked away, and I thought I'd lost you for good."



"Yea, I guess it's always been hard," she agreed.



"But that's ok."



"Yea?"



"Cause even like now, when it's hard, it's so great."



"Great?"



"You're holding me aren't you?"



Carrie smiled, kissing the top of her head.



"I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't realize that it could be this good."



"No?"



"This whole love thing is new to me, remember?"



Carrie beamed as she held her closer, "Yea, I have to say, I never knew anything could feel this amazing."



"It's the tummy," Kelly poked her own stomach. "It makes me squishy and huggable."



Carrie laughed softly, bringing Kelly's face up so she could kiss her, her heart immediately speeding up at the contact. She pulled back, kissing the tip of her nose with a smile, "You are so perfect--it's unreal. And by the way...while you are definitely the most huggable person I've ever met, you're stomach is nowhere near squishy. Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been running again, and I want to let you know that your stomach, while it may be softer than whoever's gracing the latest fitness magazine, is still so unbelievably hot. Like when you stretch, and your shirt rises a little and shows the smallest section of skin? My God, girl, you kill me."



Kelly rolled her eyes.



"Nope, no eye rolling. You always tell me how hot I am, so I get to do the same. And while I'm not stuck up enough to believe that you're running because you want to look good for me--I know you run when you're stressed--I just wanted to let you know that I love your stomach exactly how it is," Carrie said honestly.



"This coming from the girl that looks better than all those gracing the latest fitness magazine," Kelly teased.



"I know. You should feel pretty special that someone as hot as me loves you," Carrie nodded.



"I do," Kelly replied truthfully.



Carrie smiled, kissing her again, "Yep. You're definitely perfect."



++++++++++



"Ignore them," Kelly whispered, as she stood in front of Carrie in the airport terminal, the taller girl's arms around her waist. Several people were glaring at the country singer with looks that could easily kill.



"I am," Carrie shrugged. "You wanna know why?"



"Why?"



"Because I get to kiss you goodbye...in public. I haven't done that before."



"Aw...maybe we should take a picture."



"Or we could just ask one of the dozen or so people who have their phones and cameras out right now, trying to sneak a picture, if we could have a copy."



Kelly laughed softly, "Or we could just wait and buy whatever magazine they're going to sell it to."



"It's so hard being the hottest couple in the world, don't you think?" Carrie giggled.



"Totally sucks," Kelly grinned, pushing up on her toes to kiss her softly. She blinked her eyes several times as she pulled back. "Someone forgot to turn off the flash."



"Nah, I'm just that amazing of a kisser. I make you see fireworks."



Kelly laughed loudly.



Carrie's face lit up at the sound of it, "What? You don't like my kissing?"



"I love your kissing," Kelly smiled mischievously as Carrie pulled her closer.



"Now, see, now is the time that I wish you would be less classy and be all about the P.D.A."



"You so want to make out with me right now."



"Can you blame me?"



"You want to know what I think?"



"What?"



"I don't give a damn anymore."



"No?"



"No," Kelly shook her head. "Obviously, the media prints whatever they want, no matter how false it is...so it's not like I care what people see or read about me, anymore. Besides I'm going to be halfway across the world from my girlfriend, whom I love more than anything there is, so I think I totally get the right to make out with her in public."



"Yea?" Carrie's eyebrows raised.



Kelly nodded.



"Come here," Carrie smiled, capturing her lips with her own, kissing her firmly. She felt the Texan's soft hands on her face, holding her close. She shivered at the feeling of Kelly's tongue grazing her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth, pulling her even closer.



The flight attendant on the intercom could be heard announcing that it was time for Kelly's flight to board, and both girl's ignored it. Finally, they broke apart breathlessly as someone tapped on Kelly's shoulder.



"Hey," Kate laughed. "Time to go."



Kelly and Carrie looked at each other, both grinning before turning back to Kate, each placing a hand on her arm as they leaned forward at the same time, kissing her with a loud smack. Kate's face turned bright red.



"Lesson learned," she laughed nervously. "Never interrupt y'all while y'all are kissing."



Kelly smiled, "Sorry, kinda got caught up."



"That's gonna end up all over the internet, huh?"



"Probably so," Carrie nodded.



"Well...you think in the article they'll plug our CD?"



Kelly laughed, pushing her playfully, "You're such a nerd."



Carrie smiled, reaching out and turning Kelly's attention back to her. "Fly safe?"



"Always," Kelly nodded, growing serious for a moment as Kate stepped back to give them a minute.



"Have fun, and I'll see you in a couple weeks."



"For your birthday," Kelly's eyes lit up.



"For my birthday. Not even a little hint of what you have planned?"



"Total secret," Kelly smiled.



Carrie's thumb grazed along her jaw line, "I love you."



"I love you too."



"I love the way you say that," Carrie smiled. "With so much conviction and emotion."



"Well, I do love you...how else am I supposed to say it?"



"You say it perfectly," Carrie assured her. "Can I get a goodbye kiss?"



Kelly blushed slightly.



"Ok," Carrie laughed. "We just made out in public, not to mention, had a three way kiss with your backup singer, and now, when I ask for an innocent kiss, you get shy?"



"Goodbye kisses are personal, though," Kelly pointed out. "I don't want to share those with anyone else but you."



Carrie's heart melted as she tilted Kelly's head down, kissing her forehead before pulling her into a tight hug, "Love you."



"Love you," Kelly repeated.



Carrie rubbed her back as she pulled back, "Be safe."



Kelly nodded, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.



Carrie beamed, "See you soon."