A post season 3 finale story, but set well after Deacon has recovered from his surgery. I decided to tell this story with Daphne as the central character, because we don't see her often in stories and I think she has a significant story to tell.

I'm also not addressing anything related to Beverly and what likely happened to her in the aftermath of the surgery.

I love Deacon. I really do. Daphne told herself that over and over, as he became a more significant part of her life. He'd always been there, her whole life. Her mom always called him "Uncle Deacon", just like she did all the other men in their lives – Uncle Watty, Uncle Bucky, Uncle Coleman. She and Maddie always just called him Deacon.

He was part of their mom's band, but he always had time for her and her sister. He'd sing with them, play the guitar for them, let them try to play one of his guitars. He'd talk to them about writing songs and stuff, but Maddie was always more interested in that than she was. She preferred sitting in her mom's makeup chair and having the hair stylist fix her hair and the makeup stylist dust her face with powder and put lipstick on her.

It felt really weird when it turned out that Deacon was Maddie's dad and not just an honorary uncle. Nobody really talked to her about what that all meant, maybe because no one thought it really impacted her. But it did. It had changed everything, even if no one else had realized it. Her mom had focused mostly on Maddie, which had made sense then, but she really wished someone had told her what it all was going to mean. She tried talking to her dad about it, but he would just get an angry look on his face and tell her not to worry about it, that it didn't have anything to do with her.

Daphne tried to imagine what it would be like if someone told her that her dad wasn't her dad. She was pretty sure she'd be really sad, because she loved him. She thought maybe that's how Maddie felt in the beginning, although she really didn't talk about it. Plus everything was all mixed up then anyway. Their mom was in the hospital, in a coma, and Deacon was in jail. She thought Maddie was kind of embarrassed about it all. I would have been. It had really made her glad that her dad didn't do that kind of thing.

After a while, things kind of worked themselves out. Maddie started hanging out with Deacon and then she started calling him Dad. Which was weird again. Things were really tense at home. That's when their mom started dating Luke. Daphne liked him, but Maddie didn't. Because she wanted their mom and Deacon to be together. Daphne wasn't really sure she did, though. She liked him fine, but she wondered what would happen to her then.

But then their mom broke up with Luke and then, after a while, she got back together with Deacon. And he told them he was really sick. It was weird, because he didn't really look sick or act sick. He still acted like Deacon. He played music with them and he watched TV with them and he brought breakfast and stuff. It was kind of nice when he moved in, because he really did want to be there and Maddie was really happy about it and their mom, well, their mom was super happy that he was there. Daphne didn't ever remember seeing her smile as much as she did when Deacon came back. Even though he was sick and Maddie said he could die, their mom was really happy.

Things were going okay until Deacon had his surgery and her dad got arrested. As Maddie would say, life kind of sucked then.

Rayna put the phone down and then leaned on the desk with her elbows, rubbing her temples. She really didn't know what to do anymore. Her baby was turning into someone she didn't know. Not that she necessarily blamed her. A lot had happened in the last couple months. Deacon's surgery had been successful, but he was a terrible patient and his struggle with not being able to do everything he wanted to right away had made them all as grouchy as he was.

But the real complication had been Teddy. In the middle of Deacon's surgery, while she was talking to Deacon's oncologist, Teddy managed to get himself arrested, something the girls had seen played out on TV in the waiting room. The girls had been beyond distraught and she had felt pulled in so many directions that day. After she'd finally gotten them calmed down a little, she'd called Bucky and asked him to run down the details on Teddy, while she dealt with both her daughters and with the aftermath of Deacon's surgery.

Bucky was able to find out that Teddy had been arrested for embezzlement and corruption, among several charges. He wouldn't see her though, wouldn't see anyone including, and especially, his daughters. Which was where they were now. Teddy had pled guilty, to avoid a trial, and was sent to a Federal prison in Alabama. Maddie had ignored the whole thing, focusing all her attention on Deacon. But Daphne had struggled to regain her equilibrium after the shock of the arrest.

And now, Rayna was having to deal with all the fall out. The school had called, yet again, to report that Daphne was lashing out at both teachers and her fellow students. Her grades were suffering and she'd grown belligerent and rude in the weeks since Teddy had gone to prison. Today she had apparently pushed a classmate and then been disrespectful to her teacher, when the woman had tried to deal with the situation.

She felt tears on her cheeks as she thought about how she'd tried to help Daphne, but her youngest daughter refused to accept help. She was every bit as belligerent and difficult to manage at home as she was at school. She sighed and then got up from her desk. She picked up her phone and dropped it in her purse, throwing the strap over her shoulder and picking up her keys. She walked out of her office and down the hall to Bucky's.

"Hey, Buck," she said, her voice weary.

Bucky looked up and saw the strain on her face. "What's up?" he asked, his face filled with compassion. He knew that Deacon was finally feeling better, but that she was dealing with the aftermath of Teddy's conviction and how it was impacting her daughters.

Rayna sighed. "The school just called and I need to go pick up Daphne," she said.

Bucky thought she looked like she'd aged ten years in the last three months. "No problem. I can handle things here."

She smiled sadly. "I know. And thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." She lifted her hand and gave him a half-hearted wave and then walked out of the office.

Daphne sat in the front seat, looking defiant. Rayna glanced over at her, wondering where her sunshine-y little girl had gone. "Daphne, this has really got to stop," she said. "I know you're unhappy, but you can't take it out on everyone else."

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. "I'm tired of people making fun of me. I'm not letting them do that anymore," she said.

"Well, it's one thing to be upset about it, but you have to be above that…."

Daphne whipped her head around and glared at her mother. "Why? Why do I have to be the bigger person when they talk about my dad paying for whores and stealing people's money?"

Rayna winced as she heard Daphne use the word 'whore'. "Daphne, I don't want you to use that word."

"Why not? That's what they all say." She looked back out the windshield. "I'm tired of people picking on me. And I want to see Daddy. I want to talk to him."

Rayna took a deep breath. She'd tried to be careful what she said about that. "Daphne, I've told you before that he's not seeing people right now."

"I'm not 'people'. I'm his daughter."

"I know you are. But he's not seeing anybody. It's not just you." Daphne sat back and lowered her head. Rayna was quiet for a moment. "I bet Deacon will help you with your homework…."

"Deacon's not my dad!" she shouted. "I don't need him to help me!"

Rayna hated that Daphne had been pushing Deacon away. He'd tried reaching out to her, but she'd rebuffed his every overture. She knew it had hurt him not to be able to get through to her, but he hadn't pushed. But it had hurt to watch Daphne ignore him. She decided to let it go for now. There had to be some other way to deal with this.

Maddie came down the stairs to the kitchen. Rayna and Deacon looked up. "She's not coming down," Maddie said, with a shrug.

Rayna sighed and looked at Deacon. "This is just not acceptable," she said, a tiny frown crossing her face.

"Don't push too hard, baby," Deacon said. "She's been through a lot."

Rayna set her lips in a thin line and then turned, heading over to the stairs and hurrying up them. She walked down to Daphne's room and lightly tapped on the door, then opened it. Daphne was sitting on her bed, her back to the door. "Daphne, you need to come downstairs and eat with us," she said firmly.

"No," Daphne replied, not turning around.

"Daphne, this is a family dinner and it's rude…."

Daphne turned to look at her, her face in a scowl. "I don't want to," she said, her teeth clenched together. "You're not my family."

Rayna's eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me? Of course, we're your family."

"Daddy is my family. You and Deacon and Maddie are your own family now. I told Daddy before I wanted to live with him. Maybe if he'd said yes, he'd still be here."

Rayna gasped. She hurried over and sat down next to Daphne, gathering her up in her arms. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Baby, please don't ever say that. Of course we're your family. We love you, all of us. And we want you here, with us." She grasped Daphne tighter, leaning her head down to kiss the top of her head. "You are so precious to me, my sweet girl. I love you and your sister more than anything." She felt Daphne seem to relax in her arms.

"I love you, Mommy," Daphne murmured. "I do."

Rayna sat back and took Daphne's face in her hands and turned her daughter towards her. "Please don't ever say that again about us not being your family. We all love you so much and we want you to be a part of everything we do."

Tears filled Daphne's eyes. "But you and Deacon are together now. And Maddie is your daughter. I don't fit in with that."

Rayna pulled her daughter close again. "Of course you do. Deacon loves you just like he loves Maddie. He always has." She was still in shock over the fact that Daphne had asked Teddy to live with him.

Daphne cried softly against Rayna's shoulder. "I need Daddy," she whispered.

Rayna ran her hand over Daphne's back. "I know," she said soothingly. "I'm gonna see what I can do."

Later that night, after they'd all gone to bed, Rayna was sitting on the bed and Deacon was behind her, giving her a shoulder massage. It had been a tough night and she appreciated his trying to relieve some of her stress. Finally he broke the silence. "What happened with Daphne?" he asked. Rayna had come back downstairs without Daphne. She'd looked wrung out and like she'd been crying, but she'd put on a positive face for him and Maddie.

Rayna sighed. "She told me she'd wanted to move in with Teddy. That she'd asked him if she could." She wiped a stray tear away from her eye. "She said she didn't feel like part of our family."

Deacon breathed out, still kneading her shoulders. After a few minutes, he finally spoke. "I can see that. I bet it feels like she's the odd person out."

"But she's not, Deacon," Rayna said.

"I know that. And you know that. But she's still young enough that it probably feels like that. Maddie's our daughter and even though we love Daphne – and I love her like a daughter – she may not feel the same. It's hard on her."

Rayna sighed again. "What do we do?"

"Why don't you just call Teddy?" he asked. "Tell him she needs to see him."

"I've tried."

"You haven't talked to him. You just sent him messages. See if they'll let you talk to him. I know you can make him understand he needs to see her." He leaned down and kissed her neck. "You can be very persuasive about things," he whispered.

She smiled a little. "Maybe. I'll see what I can do." She reached a hand up and patted his. "Thanks, babe. It always helps to talk it out with you." She turned to face him, leaning in and kissing him, taking his face in her hands. "That felt good. But maybe I need a little something more to feel really relaxed." She smiled.

He grinned and kissed her back. "Now that I can do," he said, and pulled her into his arms.

Rayna waited for Teddy to come on the line. She drummed her fingers on her desk, moved papers around. "Hey, Rayna," Teddy said, sounding worried. "Is something wrong?"

Rayna took a deep breath. "Yeah, something's wrong, Teddy," she responded, her voice brittle. "Our daughter is struggling. She doesn't understand why you won't see her. I know you don't want her to see you like this, but I'm going to insist. She's not eating, she's struggling with school, she's acting out."

"Rayna, I don't think it's a good idea for her to come here," he said.

"Well, you and I can totally agree on that, but I have to think about what's going to help her right now. She needs to see you. She needs to know you still love her and that you're still her dad, no matter what."

Teddy was silent for a moment. "She has a stepfather…."

Rayna interrupted him, annoyed. "Teddy, she hasn't seen you since before Deacon's surgery. She's confused and she doesn't understand. If it were up to me, she'd be fine with the fact that she has, as you say, a stepfather. But you know, even if I didn't, that she was struggling with this long before you got yourself arrested. I wish you had told me."

Teddy clenched his jaw. "What good would it have done, Rayna? You were all caught up in Deacon's illness and all of that. You didn't have time to sit and listen to Daphne."

Rayna slammed her palm on her desk. "That's not true! I would have made time for her. And yes, I was 'caught up', as you say, in what was going on with Deacon, but she never said a word, never acted like she wasn't okay. You should have told me. We're still her parents."

"I'm glad you remember that, Rayna," Teddy said, his voice clipped.

Rayna took a deep breath. She was getting off topic. "Look, she wants to see you. I really hate for her to see you like this, but I actually do think it would be good for her. She needs to feel like you haven't abandoned her."

Teddy was quiet on his end of the line. He really didn't want to have either of his daughters see him like this, an inmate in a federal prison. He didn't miss the fact that Rayna hadn't mentioned Maddie, but decided not to make an issue of it. "We have visiting hours on weekends. 8-3. If you want to come, I'll put you on the visitation list."

"Thank you. I'll bring Daphne down on Saturday morning." She swallowed hard. "She really needs you, Teddy. Even like this. I can't help her on my own. I want to, believe me, but you're still her father and she needs her father right now."

Teddy nodded on his end. "I understand." He cleared his throat. "Thank you, Rayna."

"Don't thank me, Teddy. I'm just doing what I need to do for our daughter. We'll see you Saturday." She hung up the phone. She took a deep breath, leaning on her elbows. Then she raised her hands and buried her face in them, breathing in and out slowly to calm her nerves.

She was so pissed at Teddy. For getting arrested, for being stupid, for being weak. He'd never thought of the girls and what this would do to them, especially to Daphne. She was surprised he hadn't asked about Maddie, but also glad. Maddie had no interest in seeing him right now and had basically turned her back on him. She knew that Maddie had been telling her schoolmates that brought it up, that Teddy Conrad was not her father. Eventually she would have to reconcile this inside herself, but Daphne was the one she was the most worried about now.

She didn't want to tell Teddy, at this point, that Daphne had a meltdown at school. More than one. That she was pushing and shoving other kids who were trying to bully her. That the school was threatening to kick her out if she didn't get things under control. She didn't want to tell him that Maddie had asked to petition the court to change her birth certificate.

She didn't want to tell him that she wanted to separate him from Daphne, because she wasn't sure she could ever trust him to be a good father again, even after this was done. This was all such a mess.

She lifted her head and picked up her phone, calling Deacon. "Hey, babe," she said, with a smile, when he answered. "So I talked to Teddy."

"What did he say?"

"He agreed to a visit. So I'm gonna take Daphne down Saturday morning. I'll have Bucky get a plane for me and I'll take her down there."

"I think that's a good plan."

She rubbed her forehead. "I hate taking her there, I really do, but I don't know how else to help her."

Deacon smiled on his end. "You're a good mama, Ray."

"Thanks, babe, but I don't feel much like one right now. I can't believe I didn't see this before."

"Don't beat yourself up. You're doing something now. It'll be okay. Now, when are you coming home?"

She smiled. "Soon. I promise."

Teddy put the phone down and sighed. Then he stood up and nodded at the guard. He was escorted back to his dormitory. He sat on the bed in his quarters and then laid down, his hands behind his head. As prisons went, this one was as unprisonlike as they came. The jail cell he'd been in back in Nashville, just after his arrest, had been more what he thought prison was like. For a brief moment, while he'd sat in that tiny cell, he'd thought back to when Deacon had been there, right after the accident that had left Rayna in a coma. He remembered the smug feeling of power he'd had then, able to influence the DA to keep Deacon jailed and setting a ridiculously high bail for him, totally out of proportion to what had happened. It had humbled him to find himself in a similar, but more ominous position.

He had decided not to take his attorney's advice to go to trial and had pled guilty to the charges in exchange for a shorter sentence. His attorney had believed they could fight the charges based on entrapment, but Teddy hadn't wanted to put his family through the humiliation of a public trial, where all his dirty laundry would be exposed. It was bad enough that Rayna knew about the escort, but he didn't want that out there for his daughters to hear.

He had desperately wanted to see his girls, but his desire for them not to see him like this was greater than the need to visit with them. So he'd let Rayna know, through his attorney, that he was refusing all visitors. Perhaps not surprisingly, she hadn't pushed the issue. He knew she was busy with Deacon's recovery and he really thought the girls would be better off if he just faded away.

He felt tears threaten as he thought about Daphne. It hurt him to know that she was having such a hard time with all this. He'd hoped that she could settle into a happier life with Rayna and Deacon and Maddie, but he shouldn't have been surprised that it wasn't that simple. She'd told him, one of the last times she'd been with him, that she wanted to live with him. It hadn't been the first time she'd asked, although he knew Rayna would have fought that.

He still didn't want his girls to see him like this, although this place seemed more like an upscale camp than an actual prison. But listening to Rayna talk about how Daphne was hurting, it hurt his heart. He loved his girls, more than anything else in his life, and he'd hated that he'd ended up disappointing them. He felt anxious about having Daphne visit here, but if she needed him, he'd be there for her, as much as he could be.

Rayna went into Daphne's room. It was still dark as she touched her daughter's shoulder gently. "Daphne? Sweetie? Wake up," she said softly.

Daphne made a face, then slowly opened her eyes. When she saw her mom sitting on the edge of her bed, she sat up abruptly. "What's going on? What's wrong?" she asked.

Rayna gave her a small smile. "Nothing's wrong. We're going to see your dad. I need you to get dressed."

"Now? Right now?"

She looked so hopeful and it hurt Rayna's heart. She nodded. "Yes. As soon as you're dressed, we're going to the airport so we can fly down."

"Does he know we're coming?"

Rayna nodded. "He does. I talked to him about it and he's looking forward to seeing you."

The prison sort of looked like a school. Daphne hadn't really expected that. Rayna parked the car and then looked at her. "You ready for this?" she asked.

Daphne nodded. "Yeah." They got out and walked towards the front entrance. Rayna put her arm around her daughter. Daphne smiled up at her, a little tentatively. "I'm kind of scared," she told her.

Rayna frowned. "How come?"

Daphne sighed. "I'm not sure. I mean, I want to see Daddy, but I hate that it's at a place like this."

Rayna smiled at her encouragingly. "I know, sweetheart. We all wish it were different. But it's not going to be like you think. It's not like he's in a jail cell or something. You'll be able to sit next to him and hug him and all that."

Daphne nodded. "Oh, okay."

They signed in and then waited for someone to come to take them to the visitor's room. Rayna reached for Daphne's hand as they sat and squeezed it, giving her daughter an encouraging smile. Daphne took a deep breath. They hadn't waited long before a door opened and Teddy walked in. He was wearing a light green shirt and green pants, not anything like what he'd normally wear. He glanced around the room and when he saw them, he smiled. Daphne bolted out of her seat and ran over to hug him. Rayna stood up and watched as he hugged her back.

Teddy let Daphne go, then took her hand and smiled again. "Hey, sweetie," he said.

Daphne couldn't help the tears that started to roll down her cheeks. "Daddy, I missed you," she said, her voice shaky.

He got tears in his eyes. "I've missed you too," he said. He squeezed her hand. "Let's go sit down." As they started towards some chairs off to the side, he stopped and looked at Rayna. "Do you want to sit with us?"

Rayna shook her head. She tried to keep a neutral look on her face. She was still angry with Teddy, for everything, but she had had to breathe deeply to keep the tears at bay when she saw how happy Daphne was to see her father. "No. I'm going to sit over there." She gestured towards the front of the room. "Y'all can talk privately."

He just nodded. He could tell, from the lack of expression on her face, that Rayna was less than thrilled to be here. And even though he hadn't wanted her to bring Daphne here, seeing his daughter had felt unexpectedly good and he appreciated that Rayna had made the sacrifice. He led Daphne to one of the seating areas and they sat down next to each other. He smiled at her. "Are you doing okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm okay." She hesitated, looking around the room. Then she looked back at Teddy. "Maddie had to stay home. With Deacon. Since he's still recuperating." She swallowed hard. That wasn't really the truth. Deacon's surgery had been more than three months ago and he was perfectly fine. But she didn't really want him to know that Maddie didn't want to come.

Teddy nodded. "I understand. I'm glad he's doing better." He suspected that was not the truth. Deacon had been home for quite a while. He thought Maddie just hadn't wanted to come. It hurt him to think she didn't want to see him, but he also wasn't surprised. Deacon was her dad now, that was clear.

"She'll come next time," Daphne said, not sure why she'd said that. She was pretty sure Maddie wouldn't come at all. She didn't like talking about Teddy anymore. "Are you okay?"

He took a deep breath and gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, I guess. As okay as I can be, I suppose."

"How long will you be here?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. They said five years, but it could be less. If I work hard and do what I'm supposed to do, then less." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry you have to see me here, Daphne."

Daphne knew what he'd done. Even though Rayna had tried to protect her, it wasn't like she couldn't search on the internet and find out. When the kids at school had teased her about her dad paying a prostitute, she hadn't believed it, but then when she looked it up and found out it was true, she'd been devastated. He'd done bad things, embarrassing things. And it had hurt. "Why'd you do all that stuff, Dad?" she asked him.

Teddy felt a stab to his heart, as he looked into Daphne's eyes, filled with hurt. He hated his weakness, that had caused his daughters pain. "You know, that's kind of hard to explain, sweetie, but I was trying to protect people I cared about. You and your sister and your mom. But I made some mistakes and now I'm having to live with the consequences."

"But it's not fair, Daddy. It's not fair that I'm all by myself." She wanted to cry. Now that she was here and could see him, she wanted him to come home.

He looked confused. "But that's not true, Daphne. You have your mom and your sister." He paused. "And Deacon."

"But he's not my dad," she said.

Teddy took her hand. He'd been thinking about this moment and what he wanted to say to her. He looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness. "Sweetie, he may not be your dad by blood, but he's the dad you have right now." His eyes got a little wet. "While I'm here, he's…your dad. He loves you like I love Maddie. I know he'll be there for you."

Daphne closed her eyes, feeling teary again. "But I want you, Daddy," she cried.

He reached out and hugged her close. "I know. I want to be there for you too. But I can't." He took a deep breath. "And he can. So you have to let him. For me. Okay?"

She sat back and looked at him. "Why?"

He rubbed his eyes again, but the tears still rolled down his face. "Because I need to know you're being looked out for." He squeezed her hands. "You're the most important person in my life, Daphne, and I have to know that you're going to be okay. And…and I know he'll take good care of you."

Daphne didn't know what to say. Even though he'd said five years, it felt like it was going to be forever. She felt so incredibly lonely.

Rayna watched Daphne and Teddy as they talked. She could see her daughter's despair and her heart hurt for her. She watched Teddy and appreciated that he seemed to be gentle with her. She was worried about both her girls and how they would handle this unexpected change in their lives. It was a lot to process, a lot to handle. Maddie was handling it the way she often handled things that were confusing and uncertain, by pushing it aside. She refused to talk about Teddy, even when she and Deacon had tried to broach the subject. But it was different for Daphne. She didn't have another father she could turn to, although she knew Deacon would be there for her whenever she needed it. She just wanted Daphne's pain to stop.

Her musing was interrupted as she saw Daphne headed towards her. She had a fierce, determined look on her face. "I'm ready to go," she announced.

Rayna searched her face. "Are you sure?" Daphne nodded. Rayna stood up and hugged her daughter. "Let me go talk to him for just a minute. Will you be okay right here?"

"I'll be fine." Daphne sat, folding her arms across her chest and looking off in the distance.

Rayna walked over to Teddy. He looked distraught, but she frowned. "What just happened?" she asked, her voice stern.

Teddy clenched his jaw, irritated by her tone. "I told her I didn't think it was a good idea for her to come here again. That we could write and talk on the phone."

Rayna scowled at him. "Damn it, Teddy, could you hurt her anymore? Why couldn't you have let me handle that? Can you not see how unhappy she is?"

Teddy let out a short laugh. "Rayna, I'm not clueless. I may have done some stupid things, but I certainly know how my daughter is feeling. And considering how she's been feeling over the last six months or so, I think I know better than you do."

Rayna raised her eyebrows, but decided not to get into an argument with him here. "Whatever," she said dismissively. "I would rather that you not have said that to her, but I'll deal with it. For what it's worth, I agree with you. I don't think either of the girls needs to be in this kind of environment."

"But it's not going to be an issue for Maddie, is it? She's not asking to come here."

"No, she's not. But it doesn't mean she won't, at some point. She's very angry, understandably, and she has Deacon to focus on, so she is. I don't expect this distance will last forever. But I'd prefer that we not do this again. It's unnecessarily hurtful."

Teddy breathed in and then looked away. When he looked back, his eyes were filled with pain. "I don't want to hurt either one of them. Which I know I already have. I told Daphne she could count on Deacon, so I hope he's willing to step up."

Rayna realized how much it had taken for him to say that. "Of course he is," she said, not unkindly. "He loves her very much, you know that. He's hurting for her too."

Teddy nodded sharply. "Well, thanks, Rayna, for bringing her here. Please make sure she knows I love her more than anything. I told her that, but I need to know you'll make sure she remembers."

Rayna nodded. "I will." She looked down at her feet, then back up. "I appreciate you doing this, even though I know you'd rather have not. Our daughter really needed this." She took a step back. "You take care, Teddy." He nodded and gave her a small smile. Then she turned and walked back over to where Daphne sat.

He watched her say something to Daphne, who then got up from the chair. She didn't look at Teddy, just walked out with Rayna. He stood there for several minutes, with a lump in his throat, trying not to cry. It was best, for the time being, for Daphne to move on with her life.

It was late when Rayna and Daphne got back to Nashville. Daphne had been very quiet on the plane ride back, just sitting curled up against Rayna, and had gone straight to her room when they had gotten to the house. Rayna went back to the bedroom, where Deacon was working on one of his guitars. She sat down next to him on the bedroom bench and sighed deeply. He looked over at her. "How'd it go?" he asked, putting his guitar aside.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with an unbelievable sadness. She breathed in and clasped her hands in her lap. "I don't know what to do to help my baby," she said, the tears sliding down her face. And then her face crumpled up as she sobbed.

Deacon slid over and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her arm and kissing her on the side of her head. "Hey, baby, we'll figure it out," he said, his heart breaking for her and for Daphne. "Seeing Teddy didn't help?"

She shook her head, still crying. Finally she took a deep breath and sat back, looking at him. "I think she was glad to get to see him, but she's more confused than ever. I think…I think he's trying to push her away."

He frowned. "Why? Because he's in prison?"

She nodded. "That's part of it. But he feels like he's disappointed her and embarrassed her, which he has, and he doesn't want to have to face that." She reached for his hand. "He told me not to bring her back. Which I'm okay with, but I wish he'd let me handle that part."

He worked his lip as he thought about that. "I'm sorry, Ray. What can I do?"

The tears started again as she gripped his hand tighter. "I think you're gonna have to be a father to her too."

He swallowed hard over the lump that formed in his throat. "I'll do whatever you need me to do. You know I love her same as if she was mine."

She nodded, smiling through her tears. "I know. I think she's just gonna need you a lot."

Deacon got up early the next morning. He'd hated leaving Rayna, but they'd talked about this the night before. He took a quick shower and got dressed, then sat on the side of the bed. Rayna sat up and smiled at him. "Thanks, babe, for doing this," she said.

He leaned in and kissed her. "I'm glad to do it. I'll see you later," he said. She pulled him back in for another kiss and then he reluctantly pulled away and stood up.

He walked out into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He'd pulled out orange juice and poured a glass. Then he sat at the kitchen counter and checked his email. He'd been sitting there about thirty minutes when Daphne walked in. She stopped when she saw him. "Oh, hey, Deacon," she said.

He smiled at her. "Hey, Daph. How'd you sleep?"

She shrugged. "Okay." She looked around. "Where are Mom and Maddie?"

"Still sleeping." He got off the stool. "How 'bout we go out for breakfast?"

She screwed up her face. "Shouldn't we wait for them?"

He shook his head. "I'm kinda hungry and I think they're gonna be sleeping a while."

She looked a little wary, but finally she nodded. "Okay. I guess."

"Let's go then." And he gestured towards the back door. After a moment, Daphne headed that way and he followed her.

Daphne had said very little on the way to breakfast or as they waited to order and then waited for their food. Finally Deacon decided to break the silence. "How was the visit with your dad yesterday?" he asked.

She looked up at him and breathed in. "Okay."

"I bet it was good to see him." Daphne just nodded and then pushed her French toast around on her plate. Deacon waited to see if she'd say anything else. When she didn't, he went on. "Daphne, I'm not trying to replace your dad," he said finally. "Not even close."

She looked at him and then nodded. "I know." She sighed. "I don't think I'm gonna see him much, though." She put her fork down. "I'm glad I got to see him yesterday. I've really missed him a lot. But I think he's kind of embarrassed."

Deacon nodded. "I bet he is." He looked at her for a moment. "You know, I know he feels bad that this all happened. And he's embarrassed for you to see him like this. It's kinda like that for me too."

Daphne screwed up her face. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. "Well, I done a lot of stuff when I was younger. When your mom and I were together the first time. And I, well, I'd rather Maddie not know all that. But it don't have anything to do with her and what your dad did don't have anything to do with you. He still loves you just the same, the way I love Maddie. He wants the best for you, still."

She nodded, then looked down at her plate. "Do you think the kids at school will ever stop teasing me about it?"

He smiled sadly. "Yeah, they will. You know, here's something to think about. If you act like it don't matter, if you don't say anything back to them, they'll stop. They know it hurts you and they wanna see if they can get you to do something, so if you just turn away, they'll stop."

She rubbed her face with one hand. "But it does hurt. I hate it when they say mean things about him."

He reached for her other hand and squeezed it gently. "I know. But you know you can talk to your mama and me about it. We'll listen."

She nodded. "Thanks, Deacon."

He smiled at her. She looked so beaten down and he wanted to get her out of this place. "Hey, why don't we take a drive?" he suggested. She gave him a tiny smile and nodded.

Daphne went and sat on the porch, watching the sun set over the lake. Maddie told her once that Deacon bought it for their mom, back when they were together, that it was her dream house. Maddie had been here a few times, but this was her first time. She decided she really liked it a lot. It was right on the lake – you could practically jump in from the porch – and it was peaceful and quiet. Behind her the door slid open and she looked back to see Deacon walk out with two mugs. He handed her one.

"Hot chocolate, with whipped cream," he said with a smile.

She smiled back. "Thanks." She watched as he sat down and saw that he had hot chocolate too. "I didn't know you liked hot chocolate."

He nodded. "I used to make it for your mom all the time. When we were really poor, it was kind of a splurge."

She screwed up her face. "You and Mom were poor?" That didn't seem possible.

Deacon grinned. "Oh, yeah. When we were first getting started, we hardly had two nickels to rub together. Your mama wasn't the great Rayna Jaymes back then, she was just Rayna and nobody knew us, so they didn't pay us much. We worked hard to get to play somewhere and then for not a lot of money. So we would splurge on hot chocolate."

It was hard for Daphne to believe her mom and Deacon had not had a lot of money. "Wow," she said.

They just sat there for a long time, sipping on their hot chocolate. Daphne thought to herself that it was kind of nice to be with Deacon. She was glad he'd brought her to the cabin and she got a little teary all of a sudden. "You okay?" he asked, sounding concerned.

She looked over at him and saw that he was frowning a little bit. She nodded. "Yeah." She leaned over and put her mug on the floor. Then she looked back at him. "Thanks, Deacon. For bringing me here."

He smiled. "I'm glad you said you'd come. It's a good place to come and get away from…everything."

"Is that what you would do? Come here to get away from stuff?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It was good to get away sometimes from all the people and the noise and just sit on the dock and fish or take the canoe out." He sighed. "I know things have been tough, sweetie. Any time you want to talk, let me know."

She sat back in her chair and looked out over the lake. "Okay."

After a moment, Deacon said, "What was the name of that song you and Maddie sang for your mama and me? 'I've Got You'…?"

She turned to look at him. "'And You've Got Me'."

He nodded. "So that's us, sweetheart. I got you and you got me. I'll always be there for you. I'll always be a dad you can count on. When you need me."

She felt tears in her eyes and wiped them away. "Maddie says you're a really great dad."

He smiled. "I try to be. I'm still learning this dad thing, but I wanna do the best I can. For you too."

She smiled back at him. "Thanks, Deacon."

"Anytime, sweetie." He reached for her hand and, after a moment, she put her smaller hand in his larger one. He squeezed it gently, smiling at her. She looked back out over the lake and thought that maybe things would be okay after all.