(A/N: Thank you for the likes, faves, and reviews. They are really appreciated:))

It's been two weeks since Juliette had woken up from her coma. After a thourough exam and some physical therapy, the doctor finally released her from the hospital. She was up and ready to go, expecting to see Avery and Cadence, who have been a constant by her bedside since she woke up, but instead was met with Emily. Trying to hide her disappointment, she smiled.

"Hey, I'm surprised to see you here," Juliette greeted, hoping that her disappointment didn't show. She had been hoping that it would be Avery who would see her home.

"I know, I'm not Avery. But he had an appointment, so you're stuck with me. I'm sorry," Emily smiled apologetically. She knew that Juliette would be disappointed, but her reaction when she got home would be worth it.

"Don't be sorry! I'm happy to see you! Really!" Juliette reassured, giving her assistant a hug. "I just thought that Avery and Cadence would be here. I mean, the past few weeks...they've been like something I never expected. For the first time we felt like...a family. I just assumed..."

"Hey, he would have came if he could. But he asked me, knowing that we hadn't spent much time together since you woke up, which was my fault, I know. I just wanted to give you guys some bonding time."

"Which we did...I think," Juliette picked up the bag she had packed to take home. "Avery used to be an open book, but now...I don't know...I can't read what he's thinking. I'm afraid that he'll assume the worse and leave or...I don't know..."

"Hey. Don't worry. He obviously wants to put things back together again. But if I may...can I give some advice?"

"Sure."

"Don't rush it. I mean...the last time you two broke up and got back together, you got married not long after reconciling. You didn't even work out what had gone wrong. I understand, you were pregnant and the two of you...were highly emotional. But I still think that it would have been best if you took more time to work things out instead of going off and getting married. I just think it'd serve you both well if you two slowed down. Got to know each other again...iron out your differences and get back to a space where you two trust each other."

Juliette nodded, agreeing with what Emilie was saying. She was right when she looked back on it, it was obvious that she and Avery had moved too fast. They hadn't even really discussed things fully like they should have. They had never really healed and learned to trust one another. She wasn't going to make the same mistake this time. She wanted things with Avery to work. She loved him so much...more than she even thought it possible to love a man. She didn't want to lose him. But she would if she didn't do things right.

"You're right. I won't rush it. We have a lot connecting us...music...Cadence...and our love...but we'll need more if we're going to work..."

"And you will. I believe in you two," Emily gave her employer/friend's hand a supportive squeeze.

"Well let's get me home. The sooner I get there, the sooner I can see my baby girl."

...

Juliette stared at the dark house as Emily pulled up in front. It was dark and quiet. Lonely. Kind of like her life, or the way it had been before the accident.

"Home sweet home," Emily gave a bright smile.

"Yeah. Home sweet home," Juliette sighed, opening the car door and sliding out. She grabbed her purse and bag, thinking that maybe it was time to downsize some. The house held so many...hard memories. A fresh start in a new house may be just what the doctor ordered.

"Nothing has been moved. Everything is just as you had left it," Emily replied as she stuck the key in the door and opened it for Juliette to step through. "There should be no surprises at all."

Juliette just gave Emily a strange look before stepping in. She frowned, wondering why it was so dark in middle of the day. "Emily, you paid the light bill right? Why is it so dark?"

"Surprise!"

Startled, Juliette took a step back and blinked in surprise as the lights switched on to reveal a familar group of people in the middle of her living room. Rayna, Deacon, Maddie, and Daphne. Glenn. There was Will, Gunnar, and Scarlett, and Luke and his son Colt. And at the head of the group, a wide smile on his handsome face with their baby girl in his arms was Avery.

"What is this?" she stared, taken aback. She had not been expecting a party at all.

"Surprise!" Emily smiled, unsure if they had done the right thing. What if Juliette really didn't want a party? "It was Avery's idea. He thought you may like to be surrounded by your friends and family. The people who love you."

Avery just blushed and shrugged. "Nah, Emily helped with the brainstorming. I can't take all of the credit. We realized that all of your friends wanted to welcome you home and what better way to do that than a surprise party?"

Juliette looked around the room, touched by the sentiment. In this room were people who had been good to her and people that she hadn't even known considered her a friend. Just a few minutes ago, she was feeling lonely, but now she realized that alone was something that she never was. She had friends, people that cared about what happened to her. She just hadn't known it.

"I don't know what to say...thank you," She smiled at her former husband, tears shining in her eyes. "It's so great to see everybody..."

"We were all praying for you, Juliette," Rayna came up and gave her a big hug. "We're so glad that you're okay, sweetie."

"Yeah. You had us scared there for a moment," Deacon smiled, coming up to wrap an arm around Rayna's shoulders.

"I scared myself," Juliette chuckled. "I'm so happy to have everyone here."

"You must be tired," Avery took her bags as he handed Cadence over to her. "Let's sit these down and get you comfortable."

Juliette hugged Cadence close as she allowed Avery to take her bags and sit them in a far corner near the stairs and came back to lead her over to the couch and help her sit down with their daughter in her arms. A part of her couldn't believe this. It was like a dream. She had given up any hope of getting Avery back, but now here he was along with their friends. No Layla in sight.

"I made some food for everyone," Scarlett appeared behind Avery. "I'll make you a plate if you'd like?"

Juliette was about to refuse when Avery turned around and spoke. "Would you? That hospital food was less than ideal. I honestly think that they try to starve you to death."

Juliette just chuckled in response, even though she kind of agreed. "It wasn't that bad..."

For the next two hours, Juliette found herself totally relaxed, sitting on the couch next to Avery, letting him feed her the food that Scarlett had prepared and just enjoying the presence of her friends and family. It truely felt like she had come home, with her daughter in her arms, the man she loved beside her, and their friends surrounding them with stories of their time on tour and what had gone on in their lives.

Parties don't last forever though. Eventually, they came to an end. Two hours later found everyone but Cadence and Avery saying goodbye and filing out the door, promising to drop back by in a few days or call and make arrangements for a meet up.

Once alone, Avery and Juliette looked at each other, not really knowing what to say now that there was no one else to make conversation.

"That was a great party. Thank you," Juliette broke the silence.

"Ah, it was nothing. I mean, everyone was wondering how you were and I figured this was a great way for them to find out for themselves and for you to find out what was going on with them at the same time," he smiled, running a hand through his long dark hair. "I'm glad that it wasn't too much..."

"It was perfect," Juliette smiled, adjusting Cadence in her arms as she realized that the baby had drifted off to sleep. "Look who's a sleepy head."

"Poor thing, she had a long day. I should probably put her to bed..."

"Can I? Or do you want..."

"Certainly. Be my guest," Avery smiled, feeling sad that she would even have to ask him for permission to put their daughter to bed.

Juliette just smiled and got to her feet and headed upstairs to the nursery. She gently placed her daughter inside the baby bed and gently stroked her cheek. "Good night sweet heart. Sweet dreams for momma's little princess."

Avery stood in the doorway, his arms crossed as he watched the scene before him. She really was a good mom. It broke his heart that it couldn't have always been like this. It wasn't her fault, he knew that. But it still made him feel sad for both her and their daughter.

"She's happy that you're home," Avery stated as Juliette walked out of the nursery, turning the light out on her way into the hall.

"She's not the only one. I plan to sleep for a week in my own bed," Juliette chuckled.

Avery just laughed. "I don't blame you. I think when compared to the beds in the hospital, our own is always better."

It didn't used to be just her bed, though. It had been his bed too and when she thought about all the moments they spent in that bed...she blushed and looked away, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. She couldn't think about that now. Not with him being so close.

"Well...I better go now. You don't mind keeping Cadence for the night do you?" He asked, feeling the same tension that Juliette felt at that moment.

"Of course I don't mine. She can stay here for the night," Juliette rubbed the back of her neck, noticing just how blue his eyes seemed at that moment. Intense and electric and they drew her to him like a she was a moth and he was a flame. She couldn't stop herself, even if she wanted to. "So can you...that is if you want to..."

Avery stared at her. It hadn't been an offer that he hadn't been expecting...or one that he should even accept, despite their working towards a reconciliation. "Do you want me to?"

Juliette simply nodded. She wanted him to stay more than anything. She never wanted him to leave, really. "You don't have to sleep in the same room if you don't want...but...it'd be nice to just...have you here."

Avery smiled, her shyness melting his heart even more. She was so cute when she looked unsure of herself. "Okay...I'll stay. No problem."

They stood in that spot, just smiling at each other, sensing that things really were mending themselves and that maybe, things will work out this time. It was just going to take patience, love, and determination.

...

Will, Scarlett, and Gunnar found Layla sitting on the top porch step when they returned to Gunnar's house. The trio just looked at each other, as if asking who was going to deal with the intrusion. Finally Will sighed and stepped forward.

"She's my ex-wife. I'll deal with it. You two go on in," he waved his friends inside and at the same time, wondered if Avery was even going to return to the house since he and Juliette seemed to be on the mend now. He looked at the girl he had once married and called a friend and realized just how small and lonely she looked. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her, even though he was pissed off for what she did to Avery and Juliette. Shaking his head, he went to sit next to her. "What are you hoping to accomplish showing up here like this? Avery's not even here."

"Can you tell me where he is?" she looked at him, her eyes pleading.

"Do you really want to know?" Will sighed, giving her a pointed look. "That was an evil thing you did, Layla. I never figured you to be like that."

"You don't understand...Jeff and I...I loved him more than anything. He was going to have me move in with him. He was helping me with my career...he loved me and she took all of that away. She ruined my life!"

"It was an accident, Layla. Even though Jeff was a slime ball and he did things to my friends that were horrible, no one meant for that to happen. Certainly not Juliette. She may be a lot of things, but she's not malicious and she's not a murderer. She didn't want him dead. He died a hero if anything."

"If she hadn't been up there..."

"But she had been and Jeff was too and he tried to save her when he could have just let her fall. He did the right thing for once. Yes, it's sad that he died because of it, but it is what it is. That does not give you cause to take advantage of and use people, Layla."

"Is that what he told you?"

"He basically told me that you had just been using him to get to Juliette. Is that true or not?"

Layla sighed and looked down at her hands, wondering herself how she had come to be this way. She hadn't meant to hurt Avery. That had been the last thing she wanted to do. She had wanted to hurt Juliette. She wanted to take something away from her...the one person that she knew loved her. Just like she had caused Layla to lose Jeff. She hadn't meant to hurt Avery, just like she hadn't expected to fall in love with him. But she had...it had been something real...but now it was all ruined. Thanks to Juliette, always having to be the victim.

"Look, at first it was all about getting back at Juliette. I'll admit that. I wanted her to suffer and Avery was nice and easy on the eyes anyway, so why not? But I grew to really really like him. He was good to me and he listened to me and I could tell that he had been really hurt by Juliette too and I wanted to help him heal. I didn't mean to hurt him. You have to believe me."

Will sighed and leaned back, his sympathy for the girl deepening. Sure, she had used his friend, but she also had genuine feelings for him. But it was too late. He knew from experience that things that started out as a lie never lasted.

"Look, I understand the need for revenge, but you can't just use people like that. Avery had real feelings and emotions. He really liked you. But your first intentions...they were wrong Layla. No matter how real your feelings are now, it doesn't matter because you weren't genuine from the start. If you had been...maybe you would have a chance with Avery."

"So what do I do now? Walk away? Let her win?"

Will looked at he sadly, hating that things never worked out for Layla. Especially this time, because she had no one to blame but herself. "I'm sorry, but yes. That's exactly what you do. Walk away and find something that's real and not built on deception. Avery...he's a nice guy. Someday he'll forgive you and maybe you two can be friends, but I can tell you right now...his heart is with Juliette. He has a baby with her. There's no future for you there...even if you had been genuine from the start."

"But I love him..."

"Do you? Think about it, Layla. Think about what you had done since meeting him? Would you really do what you did to someone he cares about if you really loved him, knowing how it would hurt him?"

Layla sighed, tears dripping from her chin. She knew that Will was right. If she had truly loved Avery, she wouldn't have gone to the press about Juliette, because for some reason it would have hurt him because she was the mother of his child. But she couldn't admit it. At least not at that moment.

"I just wanted him to know what kind of person she is."

"He already knew that. He didn't need any help from you and for the record, she not as evil as you want to make her out to be. She's human. Just like you are. She's made mistakes and she regrets them. Just like you regret hurting Avery. Maybe try putting yourself in her shoes," Will got to his feet, not having anything else to say. "Look, I doubt that Avery will be back here tonight. Go home. Take a hot bath and get some sleep. Move on with your life Layla. Perhaps leave Nashville and start somewhere new. Just leave it alone with Avery. You'll just cause yourself more pain."

"I can't do that. I...need him to know that what we had was real."

"Well, I'm telling you. You're doing more harm than good. If you were smart, you'd take my advice," Will said, walking into the house, feeling that there was no more to say. He had tried to give the girl some advice. If she didn't take it, there was nothing that he could do..