tiger_lily_5

Awesome! I really would like to see it. I think as long as the person playing Rachel and singing Whitney's songs puts her own spin on it, instead of trying to sound like Whitney, it could be really good. I love musicals anyway and am intrigued at TBG being adapted for the stage.

@GS: Loved it!

ETA: Here's the next chapter in my fic. Sorry to post it so quickly after GS's but I'm not sure if I'll have another chance this weekend to be on here for more than a couple of minutes.

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Where There's Smoke - Chapter 5

Recap:

<<Kevin's eyebrows raised. "Then what are you doing?" His voice echoed in the concrete stairwell.

"Shhh. I'm giving you your answer. I already got us a room. Come on." She squeezed his hand, pushing open the door to the hotel hallway.>>

March 8, 1992 - 12:45 am

Whitney's gaze moved lazily to the window. The room was dark other than a narrow sliver of streetlight coming through the curtains from the parking lot. She shifted positions, pressing against Kevin's warmth, unsure whether he was awake or asleep. She'd been awake for at least an hour, unable to doze back off, but was content just lying near him.

They'd made love twice in the past few hours; the first time with all the intensity and fervor that had been building between them for months, and the second time much more tenderly, but no less passionate. She felt him stir beside her.

"Hey," Kevin spoke softly, wrapping his arm around her waist under the covers.

"Hey, yourself." Whitney grinned as he pulled her in tighter.

"You... doing okay?" he asked. A pause, then he laughed. "Sorry, that was a weird question."

"Yeah, I'm good. A little tired, but good." She yawned, resting her head on his chest.

"Tired, huh? Well, don't blame me for that... if you make a horse wait four months to start a race, he's gonna run it pretty hard!"

Whitney grinned at the comparison. "I definitely didn't mind."

"What time is it?" Kevin reached for the bedside clock, turning it to face him. "Siht. I'm sorry, beautiful, I've gotta run. Cindy's out of town and I told the babysitter I'd be back no later than 12."

"Oh. Yeah." Her voice was flat and sounded slightly disappointed, as the reality of the situation finally started to set in. "I should probably get going soon, too."

Kevin flipped on a small lamp and they both began dressing slowly. At one point, she caught him eyeing her flirtateously, and hit him playfully with a shoe. "Be good, Kev. Don't start. We have no time, remember?"

"I know," he groaned in response. "It sucks."

After they were both dressed, they stood just inside the door. Kevin pulled her to his chest, kissed the top of her head, and held her close.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes." She looked up at him with a shy smile on her face. "You go ahead and go, I'm gonna wait a few minutes and leave separately. Just in case."

"Smart woman. Just one of the things I love about you." He smiled, flashing his dimples, then pulled away, kissing her forehead and pulling the door closed behind him before she had too much time to dwell on his wording.

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~one month later
April 10, 1992 - 12:00 pm

Stepping out of a restaurant into the overcast afternoon, Whitney was greeted with a group of paparazzi. Running late for filming and with too much on her mind already, she tried to ignore them, but one in particular wasn't having it.

"Miss Houston... you look lovely today. How are you?" He shoved a microphone in her face, but she avoided it and kept walking. He ran to get ahead of her again, pushing past the other cameras on the sidewalk.

"How's the movie going? Any truth to what I'm hearing about you and Kevin?"

She again didn't respond, but he was now in front of her, blocking the sidewalk completely. Thick hedges lined it, so she couldn't go around him.

"From what I understand, it's gotten pretty hot and heavy. Is that true?" He put the mic in her face again, giving her a look that dared her to answer.

"Here's some truth: You need to mind your business," she snapped back, shoving him out of the way and immediately regretting her statement. Getting overly defensive was pretty close to a direct confession. She heard some mumbling from the other cameramen as she slammed the door to her limo and her driver pulled away, headed to the airport.

The craziness of LAX was much more bearable from the section of the airport reserved for private planes. Whitney watched from behind dark sunglasses as the crew pulled a last bit of rope into place, barricading off a section so they could film the final scene of the movie. It seemed fitting that the goodbye scene was the actual last scene they were shooting, but she couldn't shake a sick feeling from the pit of her stomach.

She and Kevin had fallen into a routine of not talking much on set, to keep the affair rumors at bay. One tabloid had posted a grainy photo of them walking into the Standard together, and it had become regular fodder, causing even more fighting between she and Bobby. She'd denied the relationship vehemently every time he asked, which went against her typical truthful nature. Once, she'd even denied it to a reporter, within earshot of Kevin. He pretended not to hear, but she was sure he did, and hoped that he understood her reasons for not spilling. All she really wanted was to tell Kevin, and everyone else in the world, that she was crazy in love with him. He'd said it to her openly on two occasions since they made love, but she'd been unable to say it back yet, and he seemed to understand her reluctance. After all, it wasn't an ideal relationship situation.

It was hard to find time to be alone together in L.A. People were everywhere you looked. Once, they'd had a few moments to kiss in a stairwell, another time in his car. That had been it as far as physical contact for a month or so, but it didn't stop the smiles and looks of adoration from passing between them when they thought -- hoped, anyway -- that nobody was looking.

They filmed the airport scene easily, in just two takes, as it seemed the required emotions were currently valid for both of them. They hadn't yet talked about what was going to happen after the movie ended. Whitney didn't want to think about it. In just a few short months, they'd become so close that she could not imagine her life without him in it.

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Later that evening, the studio threw a wrap party for cast and crew at an upscale restaurant. Whitney arrived fashionably late, in a tight gold dress, and could feel Kevin's eyes on her as soon as she walked in the door. She watched him forcibly direct his gaze back on the group of guys he'd been talking to.

Taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, she floated around the elegantly-decorated room for a bit, giving a few hugs and making small talk. The next time she saw Kevin, he was standing at the back exit, an urgent look on his face directed at her, as he walked outside. She headed that way, smiling, trying not to show any rush in her step as she followed him outside into the chilly night air.

"Hey, you. I was starting to think I'd never get you alone again." He leaned against the brick wall, grinning and putting an arm around her waist. She stumbled a little on her high heels as he pulled her in to him.

"You look nice." Whitney smiled as she straightened his black satin tie.

"Thanks. I guess I clean up okay." He smiled, then suddenly turned serious, his eyes glancing upward at a streetlight. "There's no delicate way to say this, but... I told her."

Whitney let out a slow sigh before she spoke, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "You told her about us?"

"No, not about us, per se. Just that I think the kids are old enough now for she and I to separate. She's never asked me about us directly. If she did, I'd probably be honest. She's pretty good at gauging when I'm lying anyway."

Whitney closed her eyes, trying not to show her anxiety about the situation. "And what did she say?" The faint siren of a police car sounded.

"Honestly, not much. I don't think she's going to fight me on the divorce. It will take awhile though. Probably close to a year, maybe more, when all is said and done." He ran his thumb lightly across Whitney's chin and leaned down for a soft kiss, their first in a couple of weeks.

"God, I've missed you," Kevin whispered. "And this dress! I mean, damn, Whitney. Are you trying to kill me?" He raked his eyes down her body dramatically, and she smiled shyly.

The back door flung open, and she reflexively took a few steps away from him. They could hear a group of people flicking lighters inside the recessed area near the door, out of view from them.

"When does... he leave for tour?" Kevin asked.

"Not for about two months. Mid-June, I think." She bent down to fuss with her shoe. "I'll tell him before then though, that the wedding's off. The timing just hasn't been right yet." She ran a hand down the rough brick wall, trying not to think about what Bobby's reaction was going to be.

"Kevin!" An older man dressed in a tux approached them from the parking lot.

"Hey, buddy! Haven't seen you in ages." Kevin moved forward and clapped him on the back, and they started talking business.

Whitney used the distraction to slip around the building and reenter through the front door. It was as close to a goodbye as she was going to get tonight.