Hey everyone :) Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter ! They're much appreciated. I'm very busy with university classes at the moment, so it took a while to finish this one. I started it around christmas, so it has a few little christmas elements in it ... I hope you don't mind ;-)

The songs I mentioned in this chapter are White Christmas, Playin' Tricks (written by Justin Davis, Sarah Zimmerman and Adam Wright), Whiskey Lips (written by Matthew Alderman, Charles Esten and Phillip Lammonds) as well as I'll Never Know Why (written by Marty Dodson, Charles Esten and Kyle Jacobs).

Enjoy and please let me know what you think !

Rayna was on her way down already when she heard her youngest daughter's voice. "Mom, can you help me curl my hair, please?" Daphne requested and Rayna turned around.

"Sweetie, we're late already. You look beautiful with straight hair too, okay?" she tried to convince her daughter once she got to her room.

"We're only late, because you came home late from your office," Daphne complained. "I want my hair curly tonight," she insisted and crossed her arms.

Sighing Rayna looked at her watch and then back to her daughter. Then she took the curling iron out of her daughter's hands and began to wind a strand of Daphne's long hair round it.

Tonight Deacon and Frankie were throwing a Christmas party at the Beverly and Rayna had promised to be there. In fact, she really wanted to be there since she knew how much tonight meant to Deacon. He and Frankie had decided that tonight's admission would be donated to an organization which supported families that were affected by the addiction of a loved one.

Knowing how important supporting this organization was for Deacon, Rayna was afraid that he might think she would let him down if she was running late. She quickly curled her daughter's hair before the two of them headed to the Beverly.

Arriving at the bar, they met Maddie, who had come earlier with Cash and stood at a table with some friends now. Greeting her daughter, Rayna asked Daphne to stay with her sister as she searched the room for Deacon. Spotting him next to the pews, she made her way through the crowd and approached him from behind, wrapping her arms around his middle. Looking down at her hands and noticing her engagement ring, Deacon knew immediately who was standing behind him. Grinning, he turned around and greeted her with a sweet kiss.

Kissing him back, Rayna softly stroked his stubble and apologized, "I'm sorry I'm so late, babe. I got home late from the office and then Daphne refused to leave the house without having her hair curled and you know that the traffic ..."

Deacon couldn't suppress a laughter as she rambled on. Bringing one finger to her lips to silence her, he reassured, "It's okay baby. I'm just glad you're here now. Besides you didn't really miss anything so far. Except maybe for Will performing. He killed it ! You should really sign him as soon as possible."

"I don't even know if he's looking for a label at the moment. Seemed like he wanted to keep a low profile and focus on his songwriting after his coming out," she replied.

"He's a damn good songwriter, but he's an even better performer. I don't think it was his choice to just write songs for other people. It's a shame that Wheeler dropped him, but that might be a good chance for you to offer him a contract," Deacon suggested.

Rayna loosened the grip around his waist and took a step back. Taking his hand in hers she drew lazy circles on the back of his hand and thought about what he had said.

"You're right. But I was thinking, maybe you could talk to him ..." Rayna looked at him expectantly.

"Me?" Deacon seemed to be surprised.

"Well you toured with him and so you know him much better than I do …," she tried to convince him.

Smiling, he took a step towards her and closed the distance between them again. "Rayna Jaymes, are you trying to use me as your wingman here?"

"Mm babe, I think I could use your help here as my wingman slash partner for Highway 65 ..." she purred and leaned in for a kiss.

"What are you asking me, Ray?" he laughed.

Rayna took both of his hands in hers and tried to remain as serious as possible. "Deacon Claybourne, will you officially be my talent scout for my label?"

Laughing wholeheartedly at her attempt to make puppy eyes, he brought his lips to hers once again and said, "I can't say no to my fiancee, can I? I can't promise anything, though, but I'll try my best."

"Thanks babe," she smiled and then pointed towards the stage with her head. "I can't wait to see you on that stage later. It's been too long since the last time I saw you performing."

"Speaking of which, I should probably go now. We're up next and I wanna catch up with the boys before we go on stage." He kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose before he captured her lips with his. Feeling her deepening the kiss, he reluctantly pulled away. "I gotta go now ...", he mumbled, not really wanting to leave her.

"Okay," she whispered against his lips, brushing them with hers before she stepped back and let him walk towards the backstage area.

A little while later Rayna stood in the back of the bar and expectantly waited for Deacon to come on stage. When Frankie finally introduced him and he entered the stage, the crowd went wild. Smiling at their excitement, Rayna cheered and clapped along. Seeing Deacon on stage had always made her happy, but seeing everyone's excitement meant more to her than words could describe.

He started his short set with "Playin' Tricks" and from the first note he played on his guitar, Rayna couldn't take her eyes off of him. Even after so many years of working with him, it still amazed her with how much passion he played his instrument. He was one of the best guitar players in Nashville, that was for sure and Rayna knew that she was one lucky woman for making music with him for so many years, but what she appreciated even more than his skills was that Deacon was one of the, very rare, true musicians in Nashville. He didn't care about how much money he made with his music, he just wanted to play music. He didn't care about fame or celebrity status, he was happy to play for a small crowd at the Bluebird, where people appreciated the music that was being played and listened to the artists. All Deacon ever wanted, was to express his feelings, through his songs and his guitar playing.

Looking at him now, melting together with his guitar, it almost felt as if he wanted to let the guitar do the talking and Rayna immediately understood the story it told.

When he finished the song, the applause he got was ear-deafening and that sure wasn't a given. Rayna knew from her own experience that often the audience in bars was a crowd with no ears. Most of them came to drink a few beers and have fun with their friends. They didn't really care who stood on the stage or what was being played and that could be very tiring for an artist. Tonight's crowd, however, was different and the fact that Deacon's performance definitely had a role in it, somehow made her proud. She knew that she didn't have anything to do with his talent, but she was proud, because she has been on his side for almost thirty years now and she knew that no one deserved the recognition more than he did. He never asked for this kind of attention. He never complained about only being her side man and the success he had now as a solo artist probably meant more to her than it did to him. Still, he always worked on his own music and a solo career was within his reach a couple of times. It had just never been his main priority. Rayna knew, though, that deep down he appreciated to finally have an audience that listened to the stories that he wanted to tell.

Hearing him announcing "I'll Never Know Why" now, Rayna smiled while she listened to the first verse.

She tells me that she don't deserve me

And I say, "baby that's the truth"

She laughs because she thinks I'm joking

But I know how much better she could do

And I know that's what everybody's thinking

Me, I think it all the time

But somehow, she don't seem to see it

She's still got her hand in mine

It was no secret that most of the stories his songs told were stories about her. "I'll Never Know Why" was an old song that he had written for her after his first time in rehab. It had never been cut and Rayna didn't know if he kept it for himself on purpose or if he just never found the time to record and release it. He had always been a very private person and especially when it came to their relationship, Deacon was a book of seven seals. With their recent engagement creating a renewed public interest in their history, he still refused to talk to reporters about it, but Rayna thought that maybe playing these old songs was his way of opening up to the public and telling them about their history.

Once the music stopped and the crowd broke into applause again, her eyes found his and she gave him a warm smile. She knew that he would do one more song and she was pleasantly surprised when she heard him announce that he would close the set with "Whiskey Lips". It was an old song too and a very personal one as well and although the lyrics weren't true for them anymore, it still was one of her favorites. Listening to him, she was amazed by the effect his voice still had one her. It caused goosebumps all over her body and created a tingling sensation in her belly. She always loved his soft, yet husky voice and she thought that this song brought it off like no other. Looking around the room she could tell that she wasn't the only one who felt that way and that was all it took to make the proud smile on her face even bigger.

"Thank y'all so much," Deacon said as he finished his three-song set.

"Let me just take a minuted to thank y'all for coming out tonight and for supporting this great cause," he thanked the audience and explained, "Most of you know that as an alcoholic myself I know first hand what your addiction can do to the people you love the most. I am lucky to have my great support system, my family, here with me tonight and I can't tell them enough how grateful I am for their patience, support and endless love."

Saying these words his eyes automatically locked with Raynas, finding nothing but love, understanding and encouragement in them.

"Anyways, I know that things don't always turn out as well as they did for my family and me and so I am glad to be able to help those who are still struggling with the addiction of a loved one," Deacon said and smiled gratefully as the crowd showed their support by applauding loudly.

"I don't wanna make tonight all about the charity, though, since Christmas is only a few days away and we're all very excited for this, aren't we ?" he asked and the crowd answered with roaring applause.

"So, I thought we might play some Christmas music tonight, but I don't really feel like doing this all by myself ...", he teased and fixated his gaze on Rayna. "I'm lucky to have my wonderful fiancee here with me tonight and I was wondering if she might want to come up here and sing this next one with me?" he looked at Rayna expectantly. He could tell that she was surprised and he hoped that she wouldn't be mad at him for putting her on the spot with his request. They didn't talk about performing together tonight, but watching her singing along to his songs earlier, he couldn't resist asking her to join him for one song. He was relieved when he saw that Rayna didn't seem angry at all, but just smiled and made her way through the crowd. Climbing on stage, she took Deacon's hand and laughed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, for his ears only.

"Asking my fiancee to sing a Christmas song with me," he replied, only loud enough for her to hear.

Still holding her hand, he reached for the mic.

"Rayna Jaymes, everyone!" he introduced her and Rayna waved at the crowd.

"How about we dream about having a White Christmas all together?" he asked, referring to the well known song.

He knew that Rayna knew the words, because they played that song several times for Christmas events back in the day. Looking at her now, waiting for her "okay", he told the band to start playing when she nodded her approval.

Before the band played a note, though, all of a sudden a Santa hat flew on the stage and landed right before Rayna's feet. Rayna and Deacon both laughed, looking at the red and white item, that someone tossed on the stage. Deacon picked it up and held it up for everyone to see.

"Whoever threw that; you're right. It ain't no Christmas song without a Santa hat," he said and before Rayna had a chance to react, he put it on her head.

Startled, she jumped a little and looked at Deacon with both eyes wide open. "You did not just do that," she cried.

"I guess I did. Does that mean I'm in trouble now ?" he smirked. Their bickering was visible and audible for everyone now and soon the room was filled with laughter.

"Oh yeah darling, you sure are," Rayna raised her eyebrow and feigned consternation.

"Uh oh … So how about we just start singing?" Deacon suggested.

"Mm, we better," she replied and shot him an half-serious "We're gonna talk about that later" look.

Laughing, Deacon nodded and told the band to start off the song. Before they started to sing, he looked at the woman next to him and mouthed "I love you" in her direction. She answered by just nodding and talking to him through her eyes. I know, but don't think I'll let you get away with it just like that.

After their performance Deacon thanked the audience again and announced the amount of money they had raised tonight. Rayna took a step back and listened carefully as he said a few words about the organization and the bar.

The idea of him owning a bar had been a nightmare to her at first, but as she heard the pride in his voice now, she knew that trusting him was not only the right thing to do, but the only thing as well. Considering the fact that the bar functioned as a venue for events like the one tonight, it was not only the right decision for him and her, but also for the people who came here and enjoyed the music and the ones, that profited from the money that was raised tonight. Deacon always cared about other people and offered his help to everyone, who needed it. She had always loved that about him and she was glad that the bar was an opportunity for him to keep doing that. What she loved even more, though, was that he finally had something he was passionate about and this time it had nothing to do with her or anyone else. He had gotten this up on his own, because he wanted to it and it was his passion.

Standing behind him now, beaming with pride and probably looking ridiculous with the Santa hat still on her head, Rayna was happy to give him his time in the spotlight. He deserved this more than anyone else and it didn't bother her at all, that for tonight, she was just the woman behind the man. Her man.