A life that's good
AU. He hadn't touched a drink in years, he was a husband and a father and most of all he wasn't at all like his daddy, he'd always made sure of that. When tragedy forces Deacon to go back and face his past, more than enough demons are set to resurface. How will he and Ryana deal with the challenges of family, painful memories and love?
A/N: hello all! So I'm still working on my other story, don't you worry, it's just this wouldn't leave me alone. I do hope you like my take on what might have been for Rayna and Deacon if things had been different.
I'm borrowing some of my original characters for this story, you don't need to read the other one though. I don't own anything except for the plot and characters you don't recognize.
Enjoy and please forgive me for any mistake I might make, I promise to make my best to avoid them!
Chapter 1:
Deacon groaned as the alarm when off next to him, he rolled to his side and tried to reach for it, almost throwing it across the room.
"Babe?" He heard Ryana mutter from her side of the bed, a small body clearly pressed between them. Deacon smiled as he saw his wife, across from the pillows. "Hey."
"Hi there." She smiled widely touching his arm. "Seems we had a visitor last night."
"Nightmares again?"
"Seems like it." Ryana said running her free hand trough her son's hair. "He was pretty shaken up last night, Maddie should have known better Than to let them watch that movie…"
"Mom! Dad!" Another voice echoed trough the room as the door snapped open, a four legged buddy jumped on the bed instantly making the little boy stir but not wake up. "You guys awake?" Daphne asked. Ryana held her breath.
"We are now." Huffed Deacon as he pushed the dog off the bed. "what is it Daph?"
"Well, you promised me pancakes today dad." They couldn't help but laugh, their child her insatiable energy and appetite.
"Oh right, food."
"That's your department babe." Rayna smirked as Deacon rolled his eyes.
"Dad? We're going to be late..." His daughter said, a matter of facty.
"Hol' on, coming already." Deacon slipped out of bed, careful to leave the boy set up next to Ray, it beat him how he could remain sleeping through out the whole thing. "Come on now boy, let's go." He called after the dog as he put on a shirt and followed Daphne down the hall.
Ryana took a deep breath as she looked up from the bed and smiled at how crazy their mornings were.
"I already started to stir, but she said she wanted you to do it." Maddie said as soon as her father entered the kitchen, not looking up from her phone.
"And good morning to you to honey," Deacon said sarcastically moving to kiss Maddie's forehead. "Mind helping me out so we can all have breakfast, be out of here on time?"
"are we ever?" Maddie rolled her eyes as she moved to set up the table.
"Oh well good morning y'all, what smells so good?" Rayna came in, a small child in her arms. "Daddy's cooking breakfast huh?" She strapped Sammy in a high chair next to her.
"That I am, Deacon said as he kissed his wife good morning. "Hey Ray?"
"Yeah?"
"Aren't we missing a few heads in this kitchen, I seemed to remember us having more children,"
"Do you really need more daddy, maybe we should be it huh?" Daphne said watching as Deacon flipped the pancakes.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" He pipped in. "Hold this here, I'll be back." He left the little girl with the task at hand as he went on up the stairs once more. He knocked on one of the last doors. "Anyone home?" He moved on to the lump on the bed. "Hello?"
"Five more minutes." Someone mumbled under the covers.
"You take that long and you might be out of breakfast." Deacon muttered. He took the covers away and a pair of bright blue eyes opened. "Come on now, we need to get ready for school."
"Do I really have to?"
"Afraid so buddy." He brushed the boy's head softly. "Get a move on."
"Oh hey." A voice said behind Rayna as she heard the music room door open. "Good morning mom. I've got coffee."
"Hey baby." She said as Finn handed her a cup. "Looks like someone still has some manners goin'. Thank you."
"She likes you better cause you can drive." Maddie told her brother.
"Ya' and you better remember that miss Maddie or else, it Will be dad driving you to the movies with that Todd kid." Maddie shot him an exasperated look, signing as Deacon came back into the kitchen, a body on his back. "Found me some other kid, says he belongs to us." Robbie giggled as Deacon put him down.
"Come now, everyone dig in, we have to be out of here in 20." clash of forks and cups were the only sounds heard. "didn't hear you thanking daddy for breakfast."
"Thank you daddy."
"So y'all set for the day?" Rayna asked as she made her way outside. "Daph, you got that book report I printed for ya?"
"I…" Daphne bit her lip.
"Lookin' for this?" Deacon waved the paper from behind Daphne.
"Oh yeah I do!" She called as her father whispered something at her that made her smile. "And mom, mind signing that slip for my school trip?"
" in the car, we're already late baby, let's go."
"Hey mom?" Her eldest son called behind her. "I already talked to dad about it, but… Well I was planing on takin Sadie to a movie and, dad said I could…"
"As long as you pick up your sisters from school is fine with me," with that she kissed her son as she climbed into the van. 5 kids packed up and ready they made their way to school, Deacon and Finn followed them on his car.
"So you taking Sadie somewhere nice?"
"Why you askin'?"
"Just cause." Deacon smirked. "I wanna know how much I'm paying."
"Well, if I promise to babysit for you and mom's next date night, can I take her out somewhere fancy?"
"We'll see… You'll owe me two date nights and taking out the trash for month,"
"Deal." The boy smirked. "Thanks dad."
"Bye mom!" Daphne called after Rayna as soon as she climbed down the van.
"Y'all be good, I love you." She kissed her girls and Robbie as she watched them run away. Robbie came back a minute later and gave her a big hug. Why couldn't they all be seven? Maddie held little Sammy as she led her siblings inside the building. Rayna had asked her to drop the 2 and a half year old at daycare since she was already late.
She held her hand up until Deacon and Finn came to join her. "You better take care of that car, and don't be late to pick up the girls." She told her 17 year old knowingly.
"Got it." He smirked. "Thank you, thank you."
"Have a good day now."
"I will, bye mom, dad."
Deacon and Rayna watched as Finn quickly found Sadie and got lost in the crowd.
"When did that kid grow up?" Rayna sighed as she felt Deacon wrap his arms around her.
"Might have happened between tour busses, you just weren't lookin' babe." Deacon smiled.
"Am I that old?" She sighed horrified as they made it back into the van.
"You ain't old Ray, you are ensuringly young."
"You sweet takin' me Claybourne?"
"Trying to, after all, you are the boss."
"I am, aren't I?" She leaned in to kiss him as they both headed for work. On to their other baby.
So this is real short but it's to set up the story, I do hope you like it and I'm sorry for all the kids but I always pictured those two having a lot of very cute babies, you'll learn more from them as the story progresses, specially what happened with Finn cause he's the eldest.
Also, both Ray and Deacon are a bit younger than in the show. Thank you for reading and I do hope you liked it.