What Dreams May Come
Not all dreams fade to dust when the sun rises.
I know we have all seen spoilers for the Season 2 finale. This is how I would like it to end up!
I do not own these characters. They are the property of Nashville.
"You and me Ray, that's the way it's supposed to be," Deacon says in a husky voice as he slowly moves closer to her. She puts her hands out to attempt to stop him, but it is a halfhearted attempt and his lips are on hers before she knows it, his warm body wrapping around her, strong arms making her feel safe, and cared for.
The front door closes and she hears cowboy boots walk across the floor. She pulls away from Deacon, unable to think clearly.
"Luke," she says.
"Am I interrupting something?" Luke asks.
She looks up at Deacon through long lashes, willing him to answer for her, but he says nothing. Finally, tears welling to the surface, she takes the ring from her left hand and returns it to Luke.
"I can't marry you," she tells him, before turning and leaving the room.
"Looks like you win again." Luke tips his hat to Deacon, clenches his fist around the ring and walks out.
Rayna is sitting on her bed with her back to the door when she hears a knock from the other side. In that moment, she knows what her heart wants.
Deacon opens the door and walks in.
She turns. "I love you," she says. "I've always loved you."
Deacon comes over and sits on the bed, holding her bare left hand in his.
"What now?" she asks.
Deacon takes a deep breath before asking, "Would you like to have dinner with me Friday night? I'd like us to get to know each other better."
The alarm buzzes and she wakes with a jolt, quickly looking to her left hand, which holds a diamond the size of a small planet. She slides it around on her finger. "What was he thinking?" She asks herself. A giant rock. A stadium proposal. It was all so over the top! But why?
"Looks like you win again." She replays the phrase in her head. Was this all some sort of competition for Luke? Sure, it was just a dream, but the proposal, the engagement…none of it felt right. She hadn't even been divorced from Teddy for a year. She had only been dating Luke for a few months. So much had happened with Tandy, her father, her label…and her girls had dealt with so many changes. Was this fair to them? Then there was Deacon. She sighed.
"Call me when you have a minute," she texts.
Luke was back in New Mexico to resume his tour. She didn't want to call and wake him too early, but she needed to speak to him. She lets out another sigh and pulls up another number on her phone, quickly hitting "send" before she can change her mind."
"Hey."
"Hey, Rayna. I've got Maddie's backpack here. I was going to drop it off later if that's why you're calling," Deacon said calmly into the phone. "And I, uh…I guess congratulations are in order."
"Yeah, I guess they are," she responds without emotion. "Listen, can we talk later? Can you come by here?"
"Is it about Maddie? Is everything okay?"
"She's fine, can you just please come over," she finally yells into the phone, frustrated.
"I'll be right there."
Deacon arrives 20 minutes later to find Rayna sitting quietly at her kitchen counter, fidgeting with the ring on her finger.
"That's quite a ring," Deacon says, walking towards her and placing the bag on the table. "What did you want to talk about, Rayna."
"I hate when you call me that."
"Rayna? Last time I checked you were still Rayna Jaymes, but I guess that might not be the case much longer."
"You know what I mean. You call me Rayna when you're upset or angry with me."
"Why would I be angry Rayna?" She remains quiet. "Ray, I just want you to be happy. I do. And I want our daughter to be happy. Is this what you want? To marry Luke Wheeler?"
"Deacon, I couldn't stand on that stage, in front of all of those people, and turn Luke down. No one could!"
"But do you WANT to marry him?"
Rayna's eyes well up with tears. "Deacon, I don't know what I want anymore." She covers her face with her hands and sobs. Deacon stands there for a few minutes rubbing his hand through his hair before finally reaching out and embracing her, pulling her close to him, sharing his strength.
"Are we still supposed to be saving ourselves, Ray?" he asks quietly, resting his head against hers.
Rayna pulls back from him and wipes her eyes. "I think you've already done that Deacon. This whole year, with everything that's been thrown at you, from me, from Teddy, from Megan... You built a relationship with Maddie, you've put Scarlett back together. You have a solo career!"
"Well, that is still yet to be determined," he grins at her.
"I'm proud of you Deacon. I'm so proud of you. A lesser man couldn't have done it."
Deacon smiles at the irony of her statement. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"
"I had a dream about you this morning, and when I woke up…you weren't here. And I knew right then I couldn't marry Luke. I don't want to marry Luke. He's a sweet guy, and I care about him, but I'm not even sure how I ended up in a relationship with him. I mean, damn it, he's basically a country version of Teddy," she starts laughing and Deacon joins in. She reaches in again to hug Deacon, still smiling as he cradles her head in his hand. "I still love you, Deacon. I do. And I'm not sure how you still feel about me but I can't do this again. I can't marry another man when my heart belongs to you." She takes the ring off of her finger and puts it on the counter. "I just needed you to know that."
"Anything else you want to tell me?"
Rayna nods, biting her bottom lip, a smile lighting up her eyes. "Would you like to have dinner with me Friday?"
Deacon leans in, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her tenderly. "I'd love to, Ray. I'd love to."