II was anxious to get this project underway, so please excuse any glaring typos.
This first chapter also may come across a bit choppy. There are a lot of introductions going on here. Not much flow. That will improve as the story progresses.
Let me know what you think!
Season 1 Episode 1- Pilot
Deacon wraps his arm around Rayna as she walks off the stage after closing her set with "Already Gone" for Watty White's birthday tribute. "You killed it again, baby!"
"My little song bird," Watty greets Rayna a warm hug. "That was beautiful as always."
"Happy birthday, Watty!"
The artists head to the backstage of the Grand Ole Opry to relax and mingle. It's not too long before Deacon walks towards Rayna with two attractive twenty somethings, credentials hanging from their necks.
"Well would you look who I ran into," Deacon says to Rayna. "My favorite niece!"
"I'm also his only niece," the girl jokingly whispers to the friend beside her. Despite their distance in proximity, Deacon and his niece from Mississippi had always shared a special bond. Family is everything to both of them.
"Girl! I am so happy to see you!" Rayna shouts, wrapping her arms around Scarlett O'Connor. "It has been far too long. You have got to come to dinner this week. Your cousins are just dying to see you, so you better not be a stranger now that you are finally living here in Nashville."
"Yes, ma'am. I promise. I can't wait to see their sweet little faces. They're probably so grown up now. I'm not sure if it will be this week, though. Uncle Deacon got me a waitressing job at the Bluebird and I'm startin' tomorrow."
"The Bluebird! The mecca!"
"Well, I'm sure somebody pulled some strings," Scarlett says nodding at towards Deacon. "But before I forget, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Avery Barkley."
NASHVILLE
"Oh my gosh! Deacon Claybourne? I just love your music so much. I am a huge fan," Juliette Barnes, a new country/pop cross over artist on the scene, gushes to Deacon as he talks with some other musicians backstage. "Oh, I must be making a fool of myself. I have your first album and I have just worn it out listening to it."
"It is available in antique shops," Deacon smiles a smile that would charm the rhinestones off of any woman, and jokes with the other men as she walks away. "I bet she says that to all the guys." He's used to being hit on by beautiful women, but for the past 25 years he has only had eyes for one.
That woman, Rayna Jaymes, is sitting in her dressing room with her manager and some men from her label, Edgehill Records. "What the hell was that?" Rayna asks after her own awkward encounter with the young and sassy Miss Barnes.
"Well, Rayna, to be honest, ticket sales aren't going as well as planned. We've sold about half as many as we did for the last tour," Bucky Dawes tells her. He's been her manager since the start of her career.
Rayna's eyes widen in abject horror. "No. Tell me that is not why you brought her in here. You want her to join my tour?"
No one speaks or makes eye contact with her for a moment. "We want you to combine tours. Have our two biggest stars on the same ticket."
"And who opens?" No one says a word. "Whose idea was this?"
"Marshall Evans, the new label head. And he wants an answer by Monday."
Rayna steels her eyes. "Can I have some privacy, please?"
Sitting alone in her dressing room, in shock by the conversation that just took place, Rayna tries to pull herself together. Seeing Juliette come up on the TV screen is more than she can handle and she throws the remote across the room.
NASHVILLE
Rayna comes from old money and a prominent Nashville family, but the Belle Meade Society lifestyle has never suited her. The "hillbilly scene," as her father describes it, has always put a strain on their relationship. Her sister Tandy serves as their father, Lamar Wyatt's, right hand woman. He's a demanding man but makes sure to keep a positive public image. Today Rayna has agreed to join her family as Lamar receives accolades from the Nashville city council. Although she shows up for the occasion, she's tardy and Lamar doesn't hesitate to give her a hard time about it.
"Happy Lamar Wyatt Day," Tandy jokes to her younger sister as they leave the building, arm in arm, once the event is over.
"It's even better than Christmas!" Rayna takes in a deep breath. "Do me a favor. Don't ask me to do another one of these any time soon."
"I promise," Tandy agrees, giving Rayna a kiss on the cheek as the offer each other their goodbyes.
NASHVILLE
"Mom, will you and dad be back before Halloween?" Rayna's younger daughter, Daphne asks on the way to school.
"I'm not sure, sweet girl, but we'll do our best."
"Or you can take us on tour with you!" Maddie chimes in.
"Absolutely. Just as soon as you graduate. From college." The girls groan. They'll be staying with Teddy Conrad, Rayna's ex-husband, while she and Deacon are on tour. It's not ideal, and Deacon is even less of a fan of the arrangement, but it provides the best stability for the girls.
"Oh, turn that up! It's Juliette Barnes!" The girls start singing along happily, "You left your secrets in my bed, in my bed…" This does not go over well with Rayna.
"Mama's got a headache," Rayna says as she turns off the radio.
NASHVILLE
Rayna is staring in the mirror, feeling tired, as Deacon walks in, removing his shirt as he gets ready to change for his monthly gig at the Bluebird Café. He performs every third Thursday whenever he's in town, as well as additional writers rounds. "Don't you even consider a facelift. Every day you are more beautiful than the last." Deacon cradles her face with his calloused hands and gives her a kiss on the lips. Rayna continues to look miserable.
"You know, you don't need to do this tour with Juliette. You don't have to do any performances you don't want to do."
"If we want to keep living in this house I do."
Deacon doesn't miss the dig. It's not always easy for him that Rayna is the bread winner of the family, and the primary decision maker. He also knows that while his wife claims to shun high society shallowness in favor of authenticity, her Belle Meade roots often show through. He has always been the one to keep her humble and true to herself.
"Baby, we are blessed. We don't need this house. We have each other, our family, great music. You don't need to do this," he adds firmly.
Rayna does appreciate her husband's support, and she knows there would be no Rayna Jaymes without Deacon Claybourne. He's not just her bandleader and guitarist, he's her rock. "I don't want to fail," she tells him, fighting back tears.
After Deacon heads to the Bluebird Rayna asks Tandy to stay with the girls while she drives over to her producer's house to see if there's any chance he has any new songs for her. She needs a hit. Deacon might not need his name in lights, but she doesn't want to give up her title as Queen of Country, certainly not to some sparkly dressed newcomer who wasn't good enough to be one of her backup singers.
NASHVILLE
Deacon keeps an eye on his niece as he packs up his guitar. "Hey, Gunnar," he calls out to the sound tech, a tall guy from Texas who couldn't be much older than Scarlett. "What do you think of that guy? You think he's good enough for my niece?"
Gunnar glances over at Avery Barkley, watching him casually take in the music scene around him. "I make it a policy to never trust anyone with that much confidence."
Deacon grins. "That's a good policy to keep," he says through his southern drawl.
"Hey Scarlett," he says as he walks towards the door to head home. "You know your mom is welcome to stay with me, Rayna and the girls over Thanksgiving. She is my sister."
Scarlett insists her mother come to stay with her. "Thank you, but you know Mama will just spend the whole time taking digs at Rayna and making the both of you miserable. This way, I'm the only one that's miserable. That's one less person to make unhappy."
"I know she's crazy, but I put up with Tandy year round. Rayna can deal with Beverly in our home for just a few days."
As Deacon puts his guitar in his back seat a white SUV pulls up and none other than Juliette Barnes gets out and walks towards him.
"You sounded great up there tonight. Has anyone ever recorded that last song you played."
"Only me, which guarantees it's destined for oblivion."
"Well, I'd like to record it, and have you play on my next album."
"That's certainly something to think about."
"That offer's still good to come out on my tour, too. My bandleader, Buddy's wife is about to have a baby so he's leaving in a few weeks."
"I already told you I'm going out with my wife." He emphasizes the last word.
"I heard that tour's been cancelled."
"I have not heard that. I think I'd know if my wife's tour has been cancelled."
"Well the offer's still open. I'll pay you top dollar. Rayna's not the only woman in town."
"You're a girl."
"That, too." Juliette smiles and rides off into the night, leaving Deacon perplexed about more than one thing. Having more of his songs recorded does sound appealing.
NASHVILLE
Lamar Wyatt stands in the middle of a field with Tandy and a couple of business supporters around him, pretending to pitch a baseball. "This is where the stadium needs to go."
"Daddy, you already know, Coleman isn't going to support having a new baseball stadium downtown."
"And that's why I need a mayor I can keep in my pocket."
"Oh, really. Who did you have in mind?"
"Teddy Conrad."
"Rayna's ex-husband Teddy Conrad?" Tandy looks incredulous.
"The very one. How much do you think Rayna's gonna screw this up for us."
"She's gonna lose it!"
NASHVILLE
Rayna is back in rehearsals feeling the stress of her situation. After a couple of stops and starts she pulls her monitors out of her ears and throws them on the floor.
"There goes another thousand dollars," Bucky mumbles, not losing his cool. He's used to Rayna landing on top, and just has to ride out her mood swings. "
"That's a wrap everybody," Deacon tells the band.
"I'm sorry everybody. Just having a little diva dip."
"Rayna, I got a call from Coleman Carlisle to remind you you said you'd sing two songs for his campaign party. Did you decide on those."
"No, but I will. I'll text them to you. Thanks, Buck." Bucky nods and walks off. "Hey, babe. You got a few minutes?"
"For you I do, baby." Deacon shows off his dimples and lifts Rayna's chin to give her a kiss.
As they head out on a walk across the pedestrian bridge in downtown Nashville, their love for each other is palpable, but so is their growing stress.
"Ray, you said you didn't want to do as many dates now that the girls are in school. We agreed on that. You are not some overnight sensation that will be forgotten. But you are sensational overnight," he adds, winking at her.
Any other woman would melt on the spot, but Rayna maintains the upper hand.
"You know, speaking of tours, Juliette Barnes invited me to join her tour."
"As what?" Rayna asks, anger building in her eyes.
"Her bandleader, I guess." Deacon looks off at the water, not wanting to challenge Rayna in a battle of wills right now.
"Well she has got about a mile of nerve! What did you tell her?"
"I said I'm not available," he pauses for a moment. "She said she wants to write with me, record some of my songs." Another pause. "Kind of makes me wonder why you never recorded more of my music. At least not lately."
"I dunno. I guess it felt too personal. We put enough of ourselves out there, and I wanted to protect our girls." Deacon nods. "I need a drink. Walk me to Tootsie's?" She nudges Deacon's shoulder.
"Can't. Got a meeting to get to."
"You ever miss the good ole days?"
"A little. But not the headaches. I do not miss the headaches."
"You were the headache," she teases, leaning closer to him. Suddenly getting serious, "sometimes I wish I could go back and do everything all over again."
"What would you change?"
"Nothin'. Everything."
"You and me both."
NASHVILLE
At a round table business lunch Lamar presents his plans to Teddy Conrad. Teddy is shocked. "Don't you think my financial problems will be an issue?"
Lamar tells his former son in law he believes in him. He was made for this. "Nashville is not some little backwater hamlet. Spend a couple of terms as mayor and you'll be able to right your own ticket. You deserve success as much as the next guy, Teddy." Lamar doesn't mention that the next guy in question is Deacon Claybourne. As much as Lamar wants Teddy to succeed in a mayoral election is as much as he wants to see Deacon fail. He has never thought Deacon was good enough for his daughter and he will do anything to get him out of the picture.
"Well, who's going to break the news to Rayna?"
"You will Teddy. Your first order of business is to grow a pair." Teddy bristles at this but doesn't comment.
Tandy takes that as a cue to drink down her wine.
NASHVILLE
After dropping the girls off the next afternoon Teddy asks Rayna if they can talk privately, and shares his news.
Rayna is furious. "You do not want to be owned by him!"
"Rayna, did you ever stop to think that maybe I need this?" Teddy argues. "I have been there for you. How about helping me put my life back together?"
Rayna doesn't directly respond. "I was supposed to sing at Cole's campaign kick-off."
"Well I guess you have some decisions to make," Teddy tells her before walking out.
NASHVILLE
After basically telling her record label to kiss her ass, Rayna is still fired up and heads to her father's house to ask what Lamar is thinking supporting Teddy for mayor.
"He is Daphne's father and it is a disgrace that you are not supporting him."
"We are divorced. And what do you want with Teddy anyway. Why Teddy?"
"Why NOT Teddy? He's family after all. He comes from a long line of senators. Is it so hard for you to believe that I would support my former son in law? Encourage him? Would you further humiliate him after all he has done for you?"
Rayna is pissed now. "After all he's done for me? After he and Tandy manipulated me in to lying to Deacon about his own child?"
"I don't suppose my granddaughters know anything about what when down when they were babies-"
"How dare you! How dare you threaten me or my daughters!"
"You don't want to make an enemy of me, Rayna!" Lamar shouts after her as she storms out of the house.
NASHVILLE
The night of the campaign kick offs Rayna is at a cross roads. She had explained to Deacon what had taken place and it was everything she could do to keep him from heading straight to Lamar's. He still was not happy with Lamar's threats to his family, or the idea that Rayna would be supporting Teddy Conrad, let alone stabbing their old friend Coleman in the back. They'd had a huge fight and he'd driven off before she could even make a decision. She was unaware that he had decided to take some control of his life and go to write with Juliette Barnes, but at that moment, he didn't give a damn what Rayna might think about his choice. It was time for him to make his own decisions.
To Be Continued.