It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and Teddy would be home in a few hours. Maddie and Daphne sat in front of the television. When the happy family in the show was all together, doing normal happy family things, Maddie slipped away. She padded over to the stairs and looked behind her to see her sister's eyes still glued to the screen.
She walked to the door to her parent's room. She had something she wanted to ask about. She stood there for a few long seconds before knocking.
"Come in"
Maddie pushed the door open and shyly stepped into the room. Once she had passed the door, she closed it behind her and leaned against it. Her mother looked up from her suitcase, which she was packing to leave on tour again. The older woman motioned for Maddie to sit down beside her on the bed. The girl obeyed and started to speak.
She could have asked her dad about this. He might even have been more likely to tell the truth. But Maddie had always felt more comfortable talking to her mother. They understood each other better.
"I heard you and Dad fighting the last few weeks," said Maddie simply.
Rayna looked at her daughter. Her eyes were clouded with dread, but she blinked it away, and stayed silent, urging Maddie to continue.
"What was all that about Uncle Deacon and about Peggy? I'm not a little kid, Mom, I know there's something going on."
Rayna tried to change the subject. If she was going to have this conversation, she wanted her husband to be there. "Where's Daphne?" She asked.
"She's downstairs. Watching TV. I couldn't handle the show anymore. The family was just so happy."
She knows what she's doing, thought Rayna. I can't believe how much she understands. She's not a little girl any more.
She grabbed her daughter's hand and held it in both of hers. Maddie looked at her questioningly. She wasn't going to give in. She wanted that answer.
"Oh Maddie. I guess I still think of you as my little girl sometimes. I need to remember that you're growing up into an amazing young lady, and it's only natural that you'll want to know things." She paused, and brushed a tear out of her eye before it started rolling down her face. "Love works in a funny way, sweetie, sometimes it just fades, sometimes people fall for people who they shouldn't."
Maddie nodded. "So no one did anything wrong?"
"We both did things wrong. But please don't judge us on that. Everybody makes mistakes in their lives."
"I know. But… what's all this about my biological father?"
Rayna suppressed a gasp. She had no idea how her daughter had heard about this. She and Teddy had agreed that Maddie had the right to know if it came up. But Rayna was expecting Teddy to be there, and she wasn't expecting it to be this soon. She figured it was her responsibility to tell her daughter. It was because of her that this had happened.
"Maddie. I don't know when or how you heard about that and it bothers me so much that you've lived at least the last few days thinking about it." She pulled her daughter closer to her. "And I want you to know that whoever your biological father is Teddy will always be your father. But it's true, it's not Teddy… Maddie, even he doesn't know this, but Deacon is you biological father."
Rayna could tell from Maddie's expression that she had already guessed. "Really, mom? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I have my reasons, and I need you to trust me on that. I know it's wrong, but I don't regret it because it brought you into this world. And if I know one thing about love, it's that even if your Teddy and I don't love each other any more, we still both love you."
Her eyes were full of tears, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Not in front of her daughter. Just like Maddie had decided to be strong for Daphne, Rayna would be strong for both of them.
A/N: I know this one's a bit from Rayna's perspective, but there will be more of Maddie's thoughts in the next chapter. Again, thanks for all the reads and for the reviews. More reviews are always appreciated.
