Disclaimer Nashville is not mine

Author's note This will be a series of one shots, they are not in date order, and will flick around. There will be about 5 or so of them, and i hope that you will enjoy them. Additionally, if you have any suggestions then let me know!

Lessons he Learnt

Lesson #1

Rayna stood there, in the middle of the stage looking out at a deserted auditorium. The lines upon lines of folded plastic seats spread out up high above her. Large industrial lights cast artificial white light throughout the whole place. The faint hum of electricity as the lighting was tested and smoke machines were plugged in. The muggy air caused by the heat of all the equipment.

A feeling of being nothing but a small insignificant figure in a massive world washed over her.

Her form looked so small in the middle of that stage, no glitter, not short dresses and no hairspray. Just Rayna, stood there taking in everything she had become. Everything she had fought tooth and nail to achieve. Taking in the fact that people had paid to see her stand on that stage, not to see the act she was opening for.

She'd fought her family.

She'd fought tradition in that her music what not what was once classed as country.

She fought negative reviews.

Secrets unearthed.

Stars scared she'd take their fame.

Everyone who had stood in her way had been fought to reach this. So that she could reach the point where she was stood about to do her first sound check for her first headline tour. Her first arena headline tour. Something which that young girl sneaking out of the house of a weekend to play honky tonks and dives had only ever dreamt that she would one day manage to achieve.

Deacon stood at the side, watching her watch the arena. He'd seen her work harder than anyone to get to this day, seen her as she cried at night because of the negative reviews that she had to pretend didn't bother her. He'd stayed up until the early hours of the morning quizzing her on who people were so that she knew every person who might be at a party. So she could be the perfect up and coming star.

And it had been his doorstep she turned up on that day when her daddy kicked her out.

This was her dream, but it was his too. He might not be the star, but the audience knew who he was, and one of these days he knew it would be his song that she sang. For now though, he was simply happy in the knowledge that he had helped her get there, helped her get to the point where she was playing to a sold out arena. Helped the inevitable become reality in that Rayna Jaymes was a star.

Slowly he walked forward, heading in the direction of the singer. Her hair tied up in a messy bun, dressed in a pair of cut off shorts that were certainly working for him, and a shirt he was pretty sure had once been his. In fact one he had been looking for not all at long ago. Her feet were clad in those well worn boots he's first met her wearing. The ones that had ended up on his bedroom floor more times than he could count and ones that were still slightly scuffed from climbing out of a window to meet him back when she lived in the country club.

The guitar player slowly approached her, the sound of his own boots causing her to turn around and look at him. Her sparking eyes took in his appearance, and the smile on her face was priceless. Even with the artificial lights shining harshly on her pale - makeup free - skin she looked amazing.

Sometimes he wondered just what he had done to be so lucky that his job was what he loved, and he woke up every morning with no covers over him because the woman beside him had stolen them in the night.

Neither one said anything as he wrapped his arms around her waist, her head resting on his shoulder as both of them looked out at the arena in front of them. Both imagining what it would look like that evening. She wondered if there would be posters with her name on, wondered if they would shout her name, sing along to the big songs or wave lighters in the air to the slow ones. Whether they would accept her for her music...

Truth be told she was more than a little scared about the performance. But then, whenever she was scared, she'd be reminded that she wasn't going be out there alone. Aside from her band she'd also have Deacon there beside of her. One look in those eyes and she would be know that he had all the confidence in the world of her.

"They're going to love you." He whispered in her ear as he stood there, and she wondered how he had known just what she was thinking. How he had known that she was fearing the performance she was about to give.

"I hope so, I'm so scared I'll forget my words of fall or something." She said, barely more than a whisper as she responded. Her head was still resting against his shoulder. The smell of coffee, aftershave and his washing powder filling her senses and making her feel as though she was in the safest place that had ever existed.

"Darlin', you've made me practice those songs with you a million times over. You wear those heels all the time and as for making a fool of yourself, well even if you do it will make them remember you. Just be you and they will fall under your spell - I did." She turned around to look at him, catching that smirk that made her go weak at the knees.

"You're such a charmer!" She laughed, looking at him, before linking her arms around his neck and giving him a smile of her own which she knew would have exactly the same effect on him, as his had had on her.

Their attraction to one another would never fade - that was something both of them were certain of.

Soon their lips were touching and they were kissing one another as though they were completely out of sight. It was only when a cough sounded that they pulled apart both flushed from the intimacy, but neither embarrassed. Rayna turned to see her manager stood there, looking slightly awkward. But she wasn't embarrassed, not these days, they'd been caught in much more compromising positions by him numerous times.

In fact she was pretty surprised he even felt awkward at all considering the things he had seen over the years.

"What's up Buck?" She questioned, not even moving from her position wrapped up in her lover's arms in the middle of the stage.

"They're ready to do sound check," he responded as the band suddenly filtered onto the stage and she just nodded. "You ready?"

"Course I am." Rayna untangled herself from her guitar player's arms - much to his displeasure. "You better get your guitar babe" and with that said she went to go and grab her ear piece and crystal encrusted mike, and he did as he was told.

Bucky stood there, watching the pair as they worked flawlessly in sync-

Rayna and deacon shared a look and both nodded before turning to the band and saying; "It's My Life is up first" and then, the sound of those chords began to filter out through the stadium, and Rayna's nerves were gone. She felt at home, singing her heart out and telling it her story through the music.

Not long after the chords started playing her voice filtered through the airspace, flawless as she hit those perfect notes.

Bucky admired them, the way they had managed to be able to mix and manage sleeping together with working together and touring together. The way they managed to deal with the press. He admired her, for everything she had fought to get there, and he admired him for standing back and watching her shine.

As years went on, and Bucky watched Rayna Jaymes grow into something even more spectacular, his respect for her grew impossibly more. On that day he had never imagined the things she would have to battle, the problems that country's next Johnny and June would have to face.

He wished they wouldn't have to.

But Bucky never lost faith in her, not when she invested everything in highway 65 and it looked like it was her worst decision, not when her personal life was falling down around her feet. Because when you have had to fight so hard to get there, had to fight with everything you have and with everyone you love - that is when you fight even harder not to lose it.

That was the most important lesson he had learnt from Rayna Jaymes, that and when you don't like what someone wants you to do, you tell them where to shove it, but that was another story...