NOTE: Thank you for reviewing & reading! Think the angst that is going to come with this storyline is going to give me an ulcer!

Chapter 4

Rayna debated on whether or not to just pretend she wasn't home, when the doorbell rang again, followed by a knock. She definitely wasn't in the mood to chat, but it became increasingly obvious that whoever was at her door wasn't going to give up. Rayna moved away from the piano bench she had been sitting on and reluctantly walked towards the door. But of course, she felt that flutter in her stomach that she had every time that week when someone was at the door or the phone rang. She said a silent prayer each time that it was Deacon and he had changed his mind about giving them another chance. But each time she had been disappointed. This time would be no different.

Rayna opened the door, only to find Scarlett looking back at her. There was something in Scarlett's features that made Rayna uncomfortable. She looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She was paler than usual, her face puffy and her eyes swollen and bloodshot. Rayna couldn't decide if she had been crying or if she was just exhausted. Something in the way Scarlet lifted her chin and squared her shoulders when she met Rayna's eyes, caused the hair on the back of Rayna's neck to stand at attention. Whatever was going on with Scarlett, it was clear that she was on a mission.

"Hey Scarlett. This is a surprise…Come on in." Rayna glued on the most convincing smile she could manage as Scarlett stepped through the door.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," was all Scarlett could get out. Boy, this was going to be harder than she thought.

Rayna led Scarlett into the kitchen with the intention of getting them both a glass of tea.

"No, of course not! It's nice to see you again. The girls are at Teddy's, so I've been rattling around the house by myself. I'm glad to have a little company. How have you been?" Rayna questioned.

"I've been okay. Started writing a bit. Just trying to get my feet wet. Still not sure what direction I want to take with my music, but I'm working on figuring it out." Any other time, she would have jumped at the opportunity to ask for Rayna's insight, but that wasn't why she was here today. She just didn't know how to approach the subject of Deacon. She knew she couldn't directly tell Rayna about Deacon's diagnosis. It wasn't her place, but she also didn't want Rayna to give up on her uncle. He was going to need her!

Sighing, Scarlett took a deep breath and thought, "Here goes nothing!"

"Actually Rayna, I came here because I did want to talk to you about something." She paused and continued, "I wanted to talk about Uncle Deacon."

The shock Rayna felt must have registered on her face because Scarlett quickly continued, "I know this is none of my business, but I just love him so much and hate seeing him so unhappy."

Rayna interrupted, "Scarlett, I really don't know what to tell you. And by the way, you're right…this is none of your business, but I know you love Deacon and wouldn't be here if you weren't genuinely concerned." She was pretty sure Deacon had no idea his niece had come to see her.

"Do you still love him, Rayna?" Scarlett interjected, with a sense of urgency.

Rayna looked for a moment like she wasn't going to answer the question, but the truth was, she wanted to talk about it. She was tired of feeling so alone, so she simply said, "Yes!"

Upon hearing that one word answer, a new twinkle came into Scarlett's eyes. "He told me you came to see him. May I ask what happened? He didn't say much."

Visibly uncomfortable with the question, Rayna shuddered at the reminder, but she decided to just lay it out there and be completely honest. "After I ended things with Luke, I went to Deacon's. I told him I was sorry for the way I had handled everything and that I still love him." Rayna lowered her eyes to the floor as tears threatened, "But I was too late. He said he couldn't take another chance on us, that I had hurt him too much. He said he was done with me," Rayna shrugged.

Scarlett could plainly see how hurt Rayna was, but she had no choice but to ask, "Was it different this time? Were you really going to commit to a future with him? I mean…really commit? Not just, let's date and see where it goes?" She felt terrible questioning Rayna's intentions, but she couldn't put Deacon in a position for him to get hurt again, especially now.

She was taken back by Scarlett's bluntness, but figured she might as well finish the conversation with as much honestly as she had started. "Because I love him. That's it! I can't tell you the exact moment it happened but I finally realized that there's never going to be anyone else for me. There's no point in trying to deny it anymore. I will never not want him. The two of us and the girls are a family. We are supposed to be together." Rayna was literally shaking by the time she had finished. All of the strength had left her body. She sat in one of the chairs in the kitchen, completely defeated.

The conviction in Rayna's voice and the honesty of her answer was all Scarlett needed in order to know she was doing the right thing. So she walked over to where Rayna was sitting and knelt down in front of her. She placed her hand over Rayna's. When Rayna felt the warmth of Scarlet's hand on hers, she raised her eyes from the floor. With confidence, Scarlett looked Rayna straight in the eye and said, "You aren't going to understand this and I can't go into details, but I need you to trust me, Rayna." She paused before continuing, "If you love him and are truly committed to being with him, for better and for WORSE, then you have to fight for him. Don't let him turn you away! No matter what hurtful things he says, don't leave. Make him understand that you aren't going anywhere! I can't tell you why, but he needs you now more than ever before!" Scarlett and Rayna both just sat there letting everything sink in before Scarlett stood up, hugged a silent Rayna and walked to the door and let herself out.

Rayna was left reeling from the words Scarlet had just spoken. "What the hell was that about?" she thought to herself. Then she remembered Deacon's refusal to meet her eyes when she had left his house a week ago. Maybe she had been right. Maybe he was hiding something. It had to be something pretty significant for Scarlett to feel it necessary to get involved. She didn't have any idea what it was, but she was damn sure going to find out. This time she was going to fight for her family. Pride and everything else be damned!