Hello Nashville fanfic readers!
A group of fanfic writers have gotten together to write a collaborative story that reframes season 5. The idea is to rework storylines to take them in directions that feel more authentic and honor story canon in a way we feel makes more sense. The following writers will be participating in this collaborative effort:
sunnyyellowhouse
yellowcottondresses
Bettakappa
Skiddy2002
Calculated Artificiality
Occasionally participating will be piratewench78.
This story is NOT a part of the S5 rewrite and will stand alone, but we do hope you enjoy what we're putting together and would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and what you like.
For this story, chapters 1&7 written by sunnyyellowhouse, chapter 2 written by Calculated Artificiality, chapter 3 written by Bettakappa, chapters 4 & 6 written by yellowcottondresses and chapter 5 written by Skiddy2002.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Callie Khouri and NashvilleCMT. We own nothing, we're just borrowing.
"This it?" Scarlett tapped her finger on the window, pointing at the brick bungalow with a For Rent sign tacked up on the fence in front of it.
"Think so." Avery let the truck drift, easing closer to the curb before he threw it into park. "First impression?"
She glanced at her boyfriend, watching his eyebrows furrow as he peered over her shoulder so he could see out of the window.
"I don't like the color," he said, no longer waiting for her to give a response. "What color would you call that? Tan?"
She turned back to the house and actually considered the color of the paint on the house and the fence surrounding the yard. "Khaki? Taupe?"
"I don't like it." He repeated the words as he pulled the door handle and opened his door. "And the rent's high."
He walked around back of the truck and Scarlett got out just as he stepped up on the curb. "Give it a chance," she said, almost pleading. "Please."
"I will."
She knew it wasn't a promise about the house so much as it was an agreement to stop fussing for the time being. They'd been looking for three weeks. Not a particularly long time but as they'd already been staying with JT and his roommate for a couple months, their hunt seemed to become more urgent with each passing day. Avery's friends were magnanimous, allowing them to stay in the cramped two-bedroom apartment for free as long as they chipped in on beer and pizza. She was thankful to have a roof over their heads after moving from Mississippi but there was only so much pizza a girl could eat. Not to mention the fact that she was living with three men. Men who stayed up until all hours planning for their big break. Men who left dishes in the sink, dirty drawers on the floor and almost always forgot to put the seat back down in consideration of the only female in the house.
Scarlett was ready to move on, into something she and Avery could call their own. But for some reason, Avery had been ridiculously critical of every place they'd seen so far. Sometimes his reasons were valid - too small, bad neighborhood, no place to practice. Other times she thought he was just being picky - too many windows, ugly floors, smelled like ranch dressing. Every time he rejected an apartment she'd doggedly continue searching, sneaking in the stock room during her shifts at the Bluebird to scroll through Craigslist ads. She was determined to find a place where she could soak in a tub after a long day on her feet without worrying about someone banging on the bathroom door, a place where the constant smell of maleness didn't linger in the air like fog. And Scarlett swore if she never ate another slice of pizza in her life, it'd just be too soon.
Avery led the way up the stairs and she followed behind, praying this one would meet his high standards. He went for the door, rapping on it with three knuckles. She hung back, noting the air conditioner jutting from a front window. She walked a few steps towards the corner of the house, squinting up at the gutters. When she turned around Avery was looking in her direction, one eyebrow raised in question.
"Deacon told me to check and make sure the gutters were okay," she explained. She didn't tell him that her uncle had offered them a room at his house. He wouldn't charge them much and probably wouldn't even be there that often, but she knew Avery would never go for it. Scarlett wasn't so sure it was a good idea anyway. They'd spent years in dorm rooms and were now sharing his friends' space. It was time for them to have their own home.
"Are they okay?" His tone was half earnest, half mocking but she forgave the teasing because of the crooked grin that came with his words.
"I reckon," she said, smiling back up at him.
"Oh, well then it's settled. We'll take it."
The door swung open as Avery said the last of the sentence. They both turned to stare at the man standing there, grins sliding off their faces as he looked at them with a dour expression. Slightly pot bellied and balding, with a pair of glasses perched on the end his nose - he reminded Scarlett of her 8th grade math teacher. Mr. Feldstein wore the same types of pullover sweaters, sometimes getting chalk on his forearms as he wrote algebraic equations on the board.
"You here to see the apartment?" He frowned at them and shook his head a little as if he were answering his own question.
"Uh, yes, sir." Avery recovered, sticking his hand out to shake the man's hand. "I'm Avery Barkley and this is my girlfriend Scarlett."
"Girlfriend?" The man repeated the word as if he'd never heard it before. He took Avery's hand, all the while staring at her as she stood on the bottom step of the porch.
It made Scarlett feel unsure of herself, just as she had any time she got called on in 8th grade math. She stood frozen until Avery turned around and motioned his head at her. She forced her feet up the stairs and offered her hand. "Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Scarlett O'Connor."
The strength of his grip surprised her, just beyond firm and right on the edge of punishing. She pulled her hand away, shaking it a little as she let it rest by her side. Avery moved in close to her left; she could feel the heat of his arm next to hers. He hooked his pinkie around hers, squeezing it gently between the folds of his finger. Scarlett didn't know if he was trying to reassure her or make a good impression on the landlord, who clearly didn't approve of their relationship status. If only he knew, she thought. She didn't much approve of their relationship status either. But now wasn't the time to do anything about it. Avery wasn't thinking marriage. At least not before his career took off. That was his big dream. The entire reason why they'd packed up and left Mississippi for Nashville. He had the talent. All he needed was a chance. She didn't mind being patient.
The man introduced himself as Mr. Mason and let them inside, leading the way from the door into the entry area.
As soon as she stepped into living room, she knew. This was it. She could feel it in her bones. They followed Mr. Mason into the bedrooms, the bathroom and the kitchen and everything she saw made her love the place even more. She thought the small kitchen was adorable. The bathroom was a good size and she could already picture their bed (her bed actually) in the larger bedroom.
Avery pulled her to the side. "I can see the stars in your eyes but I don't think this is right for us." He rolled his eyes and she could guess what he was thinking. Whatever shade of paint Mr. Mason had bought for the exterior and fence had surely been on sale. All of the walls on the inside of the house were a similar sandy color.
"We haven't even seen the whole thing."
He put a hand on his chin, running his fingers over the hint of a beard. "I don't know, Scar. Rent's gonna be tight. And I don't think the landlord even likes us."
He'd whispered but she still checked over his shoulder to see if Mr. Mason had heard. "Let's go check the yard," she said, taking his hand. "And then we'll see."
They left Mr. Mason inside and went out the back door, still holding hands. The yard was large, with a fire pit and a driveway that lead to a back street. But more importantly, there was a garage.
"It's perfect," she said as they took in the dark space that held a few mismatched chairs and a stack of paint cans near the back wall.
Avery looked at her as if she'd told him she wanted to use it as their bedroom. "Perfect for what?"
"For you, Silly. You can practice here. If we clean it up a little bit." She pointed at the ceiling. "We can hang up some lights and use these chairs. It's plenty big enough for the drums. There's an outlet over there so it's wired."
He pulled his keys out of his pocket and jiggled them in his hand; the metal made a noise almost like a tambourine. His expression changed and she knew he was thinking it over, hopefully seeing the same possibilities she did.
She kept her mouth shut, letting him mull it over. She'd learned that it was best if he thought decisions were his alone but her mind was made up. There was no way to explain the peace that came over her when she walked through the front door. This house was meant to be theirs. Stardom was his lifelong dream but he was all she wanted. She knew marriage was years away but this would be a step closer.
He tucked his keys back in his jeans, nodding his head slowly. "We'd have to paint."
Scarlett squealed and jumped into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck in a tight hug. "Of course we will." They'd paint the rooms and hang up his posters and buy a proper set of silverware for the kitchen. Maybe she'd start a garden in the back. She would sow love into the house for as long as they were there. This is where she would wait.