The Fox and the Badger ~A Smillan Fanfiction~

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Matt took Karen by the hand quickly as the two passed through the clicking crowd of paparazzi and screaming fangirls in a careful manor. The "Doctor" kept his head low with a pair of shades hiding his eyes; Karen wearing the same.

Blimey, do they ever stop?

He wondered to himself silently as his palm squeezed gently at the hand of the girl behind him that he was pulling along gently. This was sure to be in the media. Once the celebrities had passed through the sea of fans, they met with the streak black limo that was waiting for them patiently at the end of the red carpet. It wasn't one of the extremely long cars, with an unreasonable amount of space for only two people. More of a very fancy, short version of a limousine. A tall and nicely dressed man with a blue tie and black cap pulled the door open for the two, and they both murmured him a quiet 'thanks' before climbing inside with swift quickness. The lights were dimmed, as always in the particular type of vehicle, and their surroundings were most relaxing. As soon as the door had been snapped shut, all the loud chittering from the world on the other side of the car had been ceased. It was just Matt and Kaz now.

With a sigh, Matt shrugged down in his seat and closed his eyes, head leaning back on the headrest while Karen smiled slightly as she watched him. 'Can't ever get tired of them, can you?' She said softly, glancing down to their hands that were still clinging together. 'Oh no, never... Y'know, the fans are great and all, but they can really tire you out...' He opened an eye to look at her with a small smile, gently releasing her hand. As he viewed her, he noticed that she didn't seem very... Karen-ish. Like she was faking the happiness she wore over her face. 'Kazza?' He said quietly, concern in his voice as he sat up and turned his body to face her. Their knees were brushing together from their closeness, but neither of them took it to be uncomfortable. She quirked an eyebrow before humming, 'Hmm?'

'Are you... I couldn't help but notice that you haven't been very.. Yourself this evening.'

Karen's gaze was detached from his own as she looked down to the leather seat, smile faltering slightly. 'I'm just a little tired from the signing, I guess.'

He sneaked his thumb up under her chin and tilted it back up gently, searching for her eyes. 'Yeah, but you seemed down before that. Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about? I'm here for you, Kaz..'

She could hear the care in his voice, the help that he was presenting to her. 'You and I are as close as.. Best friends can get, so I don't think it'd hurt to tell... I guess it'll be out in the news shortly, considering the mouth Patrick has.' She sighed softly as Matt pushed a strand of her fiery red hair out of her eyes, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone. 'Ah, its about him...Did he hurt you? Karen, tell me what happened.' Matt demanded, his eyes locked to hers. With a moments hesitation, she shook her head slowly, 'Patrick and I split last night. It was just a big argument thing, but we decided to call it off. We haven't been agreeing much lately, so... Maybe it was for the best.'

Matt instantly pulled her towards him in a tight hug, speaking softly into her ear. 'I'm so sorry... If there's anything you need, anything at all, I am here. Alright?'

Her arms were wrapped back around him, chin resting to his shoulder as she gave a slight nod. 'Thanks, Matt. That really means a lot.' He pulled back slowly to look her in the eye, lips curved into a caring smile. 'Thats what I'm here for. What d'you say we stop at my place for a bit, and just hang out? Sound good? I have snacks. And Charlie the Badger might feel like making someone's mood better..' Matt nudged her gently, his grin wide.

He must have done something right, because she, too, was smiling. A real smile. 'Yeah, I'd like that. Are you really going to bring out that bloody badger?' He shrugged with a smirk, 'Maybe. Oh c'mon, you know you love Charlie...'

Karen rolled her eyes with a soft smile, leaning back into the seat comfortably. 'Yeah, sure...'