A/N: This is the sequel to After The Fire Is Gone. If you didn't read that story first I highly recommend that you do or you will be a little lost. This story takes place roughly ten years after chapter six of the first story to give you a little guideline for the time table.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything I'm just using it for my own amusement.
Chapter 1
Rayna put her key into the front door and nudged it open hoping that the dog wouldn't start barking. She pulled her roll on suitcase behind her and left it next to the staircase. She went into the kitchen thinking that she was probably going to have to put on another pot of coffee. It was ten in the morning and Deacon could kill a whole pot by himself in that length of time.
She was surprised when she saw that there was still almost a whole pot a coffee left. She poured herself a cup and then went off in search of her husband. "Deacon," She called out softly.
"Shh, I'm in the music room." Deacon answered in a harsh whisper.
Rayna walked into the music room and she found her husband standing and rocking a little boy of about four or five with rust colored hair in his arms. "Did I come in before you could get him down for his morning nap that's actually you're morning nap?" She asked.
"No, he's got a little cold, momma. He ain't slept all night and he's been runnin' a fever. I just got him down 'bout twenty minutes ago, but if I sit or try to lay him down he wakes back up. He's been so damn miserable." Deacon reported.
"Did you call the pediatrician? And are the other three infected?" Rayna ran her hands over her face.
"I called you know he told me Tylenol, fluids, and rest like always. That's 'bout all they can do for a cold. He's stuffed up, congested, and he won't sleep. We've been up so long that I had to call big sister number two to take the other three monkeys to school. So far they don't show signs of havin' the plague. I'm sure if Jayme had known it was an option to use to get outta goin' to school today he would have. Jack Henry here is the only one down and he's takin' it like a real four-year-old. He's up playin' one minute and then layin' all over me the next." Deacon told her.
"Here, let me take him. I haven't seen him in three days and I miss him so much. He won't wake up if I sit down with him." Rayna took him from Deacon and sat down on the couch with him. "Oh, momma's poor baby boy. You are burnin' up." She kissed his forehead and ran her hand through his hair gently.
Jackson Henry Claybourne was their little surprise miracle baby. They had been done after Charlie, but God had had other plans for them and they got Jack. He was the baby of the family and spoiled rotten. He was also a very big momma's boy. Out of all of her children he looked the most like her. His hair wasn't quite red, but there were definitely red tones in it. He had her nose, her mouth, her chin, and her ears.
"How was your business trip Aka 'Tandy and I are gonna party it up without our husbands in New York for three days'?" Deacon leaned over and kissed her.
"We got the deal done with the new distributor and that's all that matters. My sister gave me a compliment that I never wanted to get. She told me that I'm finally starting to act like a CEO and less like an emotionally driven artist." Rayna stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.
"Jack Henry looks like you when he makes that face." Deacon kissed her again. "You need me to set up a show or somethin' for you?"
"What I heard wasn't that I'm good at business I heard that I'm becoming like her and daddy that's the last thing I want. I don't think I've had a single on the charts in a year, because the last album I put out was three years ago. I need a new album, babe. And I need to get to the office today just to see how things are going and I know that you have things to do too." Rayna sighed.
"Babe, we will get to work on a new album for you soon. You're still on the top of your game though. You're not old and washed up. I know that's what's goin' through your head right now. It's ok that you took a little break from bein' a superstar to be a label head and a momma. I love the way that our tourin' schedule is set up. We make our own dates and we tour for as long as we want. We have earned that. And you know every year Harley pays for me to do a tour. Yeah, we both have things to do today at the office, but we got a sick little boy." Deacon pointed out to her.
"That's fine we can still take him in with us. It won't be long now until he's off to school like the others. I like to keep him with us as much as I can." Rayna replied.
"I'll put the coffee in the travel mugs. And I plan on takin' my regular nap when I finish talkin' to this new artist I'm tryin' to recruit." Deacon offered.
"Thanks, babe, you're too good to us." Rayna stole a kiss from him.
"Anythin' for the loves of my life you know that." Deacon smiled against her lips.
Rhett shuffled into the kitchen with his eyes half open. "Babe, why'd you let me sleep so late? I was supposed to take the ankle biters to school."
"I let you sleep because you needed it, old man. You're not the same twenty-four-year-old kid anymore. This game that you love takes a lot outta you. Your shoulder popped so loudly when you took off your shirt to get into bed last night that it woke me up." Sadie leveled her husband with a hard look.
"Sadie, please don't start in on me. I haven't had my coffee yet. I told you that I wanna play as close to forty as I possibly can. It wasn't my main pitchin' shoulder that popped like that if it makes you feel any better. It was my right shoulder and it was because I was stiff from the runnin' into the wall last night. I promise you I'm fine." Rhett twirled his wedding band around on his finger. They had been married for eight years now.
"And I will go along with that until your doctor says it's the use of your arm or baseball. That is when I step in and have you quit. Did you at least hang on to the ball?" Sadie retorted. He was so damn stubborn when he wanted to be.
"Of course I did. Weren't you watchin' the game? Were the kids upset that I didn't get up with 'em?" Rhett took a sip of his coffee.
"Rhett, you know the answer to that one. Do you think that Timmy is honestly gonna let anythin' else be on the tv when daddy's in a playoff game? We all put on our Rivermen jerseys and the rest of our gear to watch just like when we go to the stadium. I must have looked away to deal with our little demon spawn toddler. They weren't upset at all because I promised that you would pick them up." Sadie replied.
"I wonder if little man wants to go work out with daddy and then pick bubby and sissy up from school." Rhett mused.
"Rhett, it's your rest day please rest. You push yourself entirely too hard to compete with the kids you play with. You make me crazy." Sadie knew that nothing she said would make a difference with him.
"Babe, I play more positions than these kids and I'm in better shape than they are. They get hurt easier than I do because I push myself so hard. I'm gonna go wake the half pint up and let him come to the club house with me to work out. I promise you that I'm fine and the minute I'm not fine I will let you know. I love you, thank you for bein' so concerned." Rhett stole a kiss from her.
"I love you too, you're welcome. I'm your wife that's my job." Sadie grinned against his lips.
"Do you have anythin' goin' on today?" Rhett asked.
"I may go in to Highway Sixty-five today. I don't know yet. Rayna just got back from New York this morning and depending on how that went she may not be in a good mood. And she's gonna wanna know when I'm gonna finish my album. I don't have an answer to that question." Sadie answered him.
"Oh yeah, 'cause she's just so unreasonable if you tell her that you're havin' writer's block." Rhett teased her.
"You're a smart ass. I'm sorry that it seems like I'm riding your ass about retiring I just don't want to see you get really badly hurt." Sadie looked at him concerned.
"I know, baby. I promise you my body will let us both know when I've had enough." Rhett kissed her one more time.
"Hey, mom, I thought I might find you here." Maddie stood in the doorway of her mother's office.
"Maddie, look at you. I swear you get more beautiful every time I see you." Rayna got up from her desk and went to hug her daughter.
"Mom, you say that every time you see me after I've been out on tour for a while." Maddie hugged her back.
"I didn't think you were supposed to get in until tonight. Had I known you were gonna come home this morning I would have cleared my schedule so I could pick you up." Rayna pulled back and studied her.
"Pawpaw let me use his private jet to fly back. I was anxious to get home. I'm glad that tour is over. I just wanna relax for a little while." Maddie replied.
"Of course he did. He's always spoiled all of you rotten." Rayna laughed.
"Speaking of spoiled rotten. Why is Jack all buddle up on your couch with the iPad?" Maddie inquired about her baby brother.
"He has a cold and that's one way to keep him occupied while I get some work done." Rayna answered her. "Jack, can you say hi?"
"Hi, Maddie," Jack looked up long enough to smile at his sister.
"Hi, Jackie. I have presents for you at home." Maddie was just as guilty of spoiling the little boy as everyone else was. She waved at him.
"Madison Miranda, what is that on your left hand?" Rayna grabbed her hand and looked at the sparkling diamond that was a new addition to the rest of the rings her daughter normally wore.
"That's nothing. It's just me trying it on for size to see how I like it. I didn't give him an answer or anything like that if that's what you're worried about." Maddie assured her.
"What I'm worried about is it's a little soon to even be thinking about that." Rayna gave her a look.
"I know, mom, it's Colt he doesn't know how to do things on a small scale. I told him that we aren't ready for this and he told me to try the ring on for size. I agreed to that much and that is it." Maddie explained. She and Colt had reconnected and started dating again.
"Honey, I just don't wanna see you make a decision that you're gonna regret. I've been right where you are before and I think you remember what happened." Rayna gave her a gentle reminder. It was hard sometimes to step back and watch her make her own decisions.
"Mom, I'm twenty-five you have to trust I know what I'm doing now. I didn't say yes because I think it's way too soon for that too. I'm gonna give him the ring back." Maddie didn't need the drama of an engagement in her life right now.
"I know you're an adult and you don't need your momma second guessing your decisions. I only want you to be happy and sometimes that means I'm gonna pry more than I should." Rayna shrugged her shoulders.
"You have been a pretty great role model. I obviously learned from your missteps I didn't say yes. I know what saying yes to a guy you haven't been dating for all that long leads to. Especially when there is another guy that will probably always hold your heart." Maddie retorted.
"I don't recall raising you to be such a smart ass. I think you took after your daddy that way." Rayna laughed at her.
"It's a gift of mine. I picked it up from this really great guy that I used to date, but he chose the Army over me." Maddie rolled her eyes.
"I still can't believe that's why you broke up with him." Rayna shook her head. "As long as you're here sit down. We have something to talk about."
"I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this conversation." Maddie sat down.
"You're not. Your numbers aren't good, Maddie. This last album just wasn't up to par with your usual stuff. I know that you tried to go for a different sound, but it just didn't work out well." Rayna told her.
"Well, what do I need to do?" Maddie asked.
"You need to get some new material out. As an artist it's ok to stumble. You've been doin' this for goin' on a decade now. It's completely normal to have one album that tanks. I've been doin' this even longer than you, so I've had more than one album to tank. The Parts I Remember I kinda hate. Everyone else loved it and at the time so did I, but then I realized that really wasn't the true me. I didn't get back to my roots until The Pieces of Yesterday. That was the first album where I felt like I was the same artist I was when I started out. And I can tell you what the difference was. Your dad co-wrote most of the tracks on that album and he produced it. What I'm saying is you need to get back to your roots. Rush a new album out make that the topic of conversation. It's not unheard of for artists to flood the market with their material." Rayna advised her.
"Ok, I'll get to work on it. Now that I'm off tour I have nothing, but time." Maddie agreed. She found that it was normally in her best interests to take her mother's advice on things of this nature.
"That's a sound plan." Rayna nodded her head.
"Rayna, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were busy. I can come back." JC stood in the doorway. His hair was shorn close to his scalp and he had grown a full beard. He carried his guitar case with him.
"Maddie, being in my office has never stopped you from coming in before." Rayna quipped.
JC walked in and sat his guitar case down.
"Jimmy, when did you get back?" Maddie rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"I've been back for a few weeks now. It's really good to see you." JC hugged her back and he felt his heart break all over again. He'd just gotten off a deployment with the Army.
"Why didn't you call me and tell me you were back?" Maddie questioned him.
"I wasn't sure you'd want me to call. And then I saw that you were seein' Colt so I figured why bother." JC shrugged his shoulders.
"Do you mind waiting for me in the writers' room, Jimmy? I just need to get Jack all set and I'll be right in." Rayna diffused what could be a rather explosive situation before it could get out of hand.
"No, I don't mind at all. Take your time I got nowhere else to be." JC gathered his guitar and went off to the writers' room.
"What's wrong with him? That's not the JC I know. He's different." Maddie asked her mother.
"I'm not sure. All I know is he's living out in the barn that has the bunkhouse attached to it. I think he saw some things while he was away that he's struggling with. He won't talk to anyone about it though. We are all just doing what we can for him right now. I've got him working on a new album. I should really go help him with that, but I will see you at home later." Rayna answered her as best she could.
"Yeah of course. If you don't mind I think I'm gonna hang out in here with Jack for a little bit." Maddie replied.
"He's your brother do what you want with him." Rayna kissed her head. "I'm glad to have you back home."
"It's good to be back, mom." Maddie smiled.
"Give that ring back to Colt you're not ready. I saw the way you just looked at Jimmy." Rayna offered her opinion.
"God, mom, just go. I know I plan on it." Maddie laughed.
"And, Maddie, what I said about doing whatever you want with your brother. That doesn't include selling him to the circus." Rayna added.
"I didn't plan on it." Maddie rolled her eyes playfully.
"Sure you didn't." Rayna laughed and went to meet up with JC.
"Your momma is crazy you know that?" Maddie snuggled up to Jack on the couch.
"She's your momma too and she's not crazy." Jack defended Rayna.
Maddie just laughed at him and kissed his cheek.
"I can't remember the last time we've spent the whole morning in bed together." Avery ran his hand up and down Juliette's back.
"Someone was in a very attentive mood when he got back from droppin' the kids off at school. When you're in a mood like that it makes it easy not to leave this bed." Juliette grinned up at him.
"I was just happy to have the alone time with you without one of us having to jump up and go somewhere right away." Avery replied.
"That is nice. Every now and then it's good for us to just slow the pace down a little." Juliette agreed with him.
"The only thing I have to do today is meet up with Scarlett and Gunnar. We are gonna discuss going out on tour together in a few months." Avery reminded her.
"I know that you have your little meetin' with them. I will keep your children entertained until you get home." Juliette wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You act like they aren't your children too." Avery laughed.
"They are only mine when they are behavin' every other time they are yours." Juliette peppered kisses along his jawline.
"That sounds like a good deal for someone and it's not me." Avery moaned softly from the feel of her lips against his skin.
"Don't you go actin' like you don't love bein' a daddy. You love it so much and you're good at it that you were able to convince me to have a third baby when I was ready to be done." Juliette grinned and wrinkled her nose up.
"You know that our lives wouldn't have been complete without that perfect little boy." Avery pointed out to her.
"I'll grant you your point on that one. I don't know what I would do without the four of you here to keep me sane. I just know that I would be incredibly lonely." Juliette pecked his lips.
"I would be too." Avery agreed with her.
"Dad, I have three things here that belong to you. I hope you want them because I'm done with them." Daphne walked into Deacon's office without bothering to knock.
"Do they answer to the names Deac, Jayme, and Charlie?" Deacon asked with a warm smile on his face.
"They sure do." Daphne confirmed for him.
"I don't want 'em. See if you can't sell 'em and make some money off of 'em." Deacon replied.
"Daddy, that is not nice." Charlie had a sassy little personality. She lived up to the nickname of Pistol that her father had given her at birth. She had his dark brown hair and blue eyes.
"I'll just go scope out the writers' room and see what kinda talent is hanging around." Jayme said. At almost ten he was already a serial womanizer. He got more of Rayna's outgoing personality.
"You only wanna go see if Casey is in there, Jayme. I'll just borrow one of daddy's guitar's and play 'round a little bit." Deac had inherited his father's deep southern accent. He was also more like Deacon personality wise.
"Now you see why I'm in a hurry to get rid of them." Daphne arched her eyebrow.
"Don't be that way, Squirt, the three of them love you to death." Deacon used his old nickname for her.
"Dad, I outgrew that name a long time ago." Daphne was twenty-one now and she had really grown into her own as an artist.
"You know that I'm always gonna call you that. I don't know why you bother tryin' to get me not to." Deacon shrugged his shoulders.
"I do know that. How's Jack doing?" Daphne inquired about her youngest sibling.
"Henry is gonna be just fine. It's just a cold." Deacon reassured her. For whatever reason he called his youngest son by his middle name most of the time. And if he didn't he called him Jack Henry.
"That's good. I was worried about him. He's normally all happy and giggly. He was so sluggish this morning." Daphne sounded relieved.
"Deacon, I need a soundin' board and the last time I checked that's in your job description." Casey barged into his office.
"Oh look, dad, there's your fourth daughter." Daphne rolled her eyes playfully.
"Hey, Daph, hey, little crib midgets." Casey waved at Daphne and the other three Claybourne siblings.
"Casey, I honestly don't know who is needier you or Maddie. Lay it on me." Deacon knew from experience that it was just better to let her get whatever she had on her mind out of her system.
"I'm in the middle of recordin' this new album and I don't know somethin' just doesn't feel right to me." Casey replied.
"Casey, that's probably because you've been in the studio nonstop for a while now. You need to step back and take a break from it. If you try to force it, it ain't gonna be any good." Deacon laid some of his Man Wisdom on her.
"Are all recoverin' alcoholics as wise as you are? Is it somethin' 'bout AA that makes you sound like a sage old man?" Casey asked him in mock seriousness.
"You are more trouble than you're worth sometimes, girl. Do me a huge favor and get the hell outta my office." Deacon shook his head.
"Alright, I'm goin'." Casey relented. "Daph, we still on for tonight? Your sister is gonna be back in town and we can finally celebrate your twenty-first birthday properly."
"Yeah, we're on for sure. I've been looking forward to this for a long time." Daphne grinned at her.
"Come on, Jimmy, you're a way better song writer than that put some effort into it." Rayna tilted her head to the side and cocked an eyebrow at JC.
"Rayna, I don't know what you want from me. If I had any clue I'd give it to you if only to get you off my ass for a little while. I ain't writin' no different than I normally do." JC threw his hands up in frustration.
"Yes you are writing differently than normal. There's normally more substance to your songs than this. You're just phoning this one in. I know you can do better. You are capable of better. You were writing better songs than this one ten years ago. You've got the hang of this now there is no excuse for you trying to half ass things." Rayna put her foot down with him.
"What do you want from me? Let's start there. Tell me what you want from me and I can try to give it to you." JC didn't know what else to do.
"I want to explore your softer side a little with this new album. You've been out of commission for the better part of a year. This is your chance to come back fresh and remind people of what made them fall in love with your sound to begin with." Rayna wasn't going to let him off the hook or make this easy for him. She could see a lot of unchecked emotion just simmering under the surface waiting to get out.
"Ok, we can try it, but I can't make you any promises. The only thing I can tell you is that I will work my ass off." JC relented.
"Does that mean you maybe have a time table for when you're gonna stop livin' in my barn and go back to your place?" Rayna asked him. He'd come back from his deployment a different man than when he'd left.
"I'll leave your barn just as soon as I find a new place to stay. That's Maddie's apartment she's the one that fell in love with it and I just let her have what she wanted. I mean I know that I can always go back to Deacon's old place, but I need to get a place of my own." JC replied.
"You know that you're welcome to stay in that barn as long as you need to. I just don't know why you didn't go to Hailey and Max's. I'm gonna be real honest, we're all worried 'bout you, boy." Rayna reached out and put a comforting hand on top of his.
"There's nothin' for you to worry 'bout I'm fine, I promise." JC knew the words were a lie as soon as they left his mouth.
"Everyone knows that you're not fine. Even Maddie could see it when you walked in earlier. I love my daughter, don't get me wrong, but what she did to you wasn't right. She waited for you to go off on deployment and then she broke up with you. I understand her reasoning behind it, but with as much love and history as there is between you two you both deserved better than that. I know part of your problem is that you're not over her and the truth be told she's not over you either. I think there is something else bugging you that you're not saying though." Rayna called him out on his bullshit.
"Rayna, I really don't wanna talk 'bout Maddie or whatever else there is that may be botherin' me. She's with Colt now and I guess I gotta learn to accept that. I just wanna write. That is the one thing that I can handle right now." JC laid it out on the table for her.
"Ok, we can do that, but first I have to say this. If you love her the way that I know you do you'll fight for her. Don't let her go without at least trying to get her back." Rayna offered her unsolicited advice on the matter and she left it at that.
A/N: Here is the first chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks again for all of the great feedback on the last story. This is gonna start off a little slow like the last story until we get to the point we need to be to bring everyone in. I promise that it'll all be well worth the wait. You guys have stuck it out with me this long and I like to think I've earned your trust when it comes to that. Until next time please review.
