When Rayna and Deacon arrive at the Bluebird they are immediately surrounded by paparazzi.
"Miss Jaymes, when did you get out of the hospital?"
"Miss Jaymes! Is it true that you were drinking the night of the wreck?"
"Miss Jaymes, Mr. Claybourne turn around and give us a smile!"
"Miss Jaymes, are you and Mr. Claybourne seeing each other again?"
"Miss Jaymes! Who is better in bed? Mr. Mayor or Deacon Claybourne?"
Deacon skillfully leads her through the crowd, his hand remaining steadily on her lower back. They glance at each other one last time before entering the Bluebird. When they enter, the crowd erupts in applause. Bucky approaches her first.
"I'm glad to see you out and about Rayna. Are you ready for this?" he asks.
"As ready as I'll ever be, Buck."
"Good. If at anytime throughout the set you start to feel like you need some rest then just signal over to me and we can shut it down for the night. This is more of a trial run than anything else," Bucky tells her.
"Thanks, Bucky. I appreciate all that you do for me," she says.
"You know I'm here to help," he responds before leading her to the stage.
Deacon walks closely behind her. He keeps his eyes focused on her. When they reach the stage he offers her his hand and helps her up the steps. She gives him a meaningful look of appreciation. When they take their places, Rayna faces the crowd. The Bluebird is packed tonight.
"How're y'all doin tonight?!" Rayna calls out to the crowd.
They scream enthusiastically in response.
She sits on her stool, adjusts her microphone, and looks at Deacon. Her mind flashes to the many other times that they have done this. The look on his face shows that he is remembering too. They share a knowing smile.
"We're going to be playing a lot of our old stuff tonight," she tells the crowd. "We'll even take a few requests towards the end if anyone wants to hear anything in particular."
She glances at Deacon as he begins the first song. As she sings, she feels herself getting swept away by the lyrics and the memories. The first half of the night goes by quickly. The usual longing glances and tension between her and Deacon are even more apparent than normal. The crowd eats it up. After they play quite a few songs, Rayna tells the crowd that they are going to take a short break before finishing their set.
Rayna and Deacon walk over to the corner of the room together.
"How are you feelin?" he asks as soon as they reach their destination.
"I'm feelin great, Deacon. It feels great to be out there doing what I love again," she tells him.
He pulls her close to him, not wanting any distance to separate them.
"Good, I'm glad that you're okay," he replies.
He gives her a light kiss. Her lips are so soft beneath his and the soft moan that escapes her throat when their lips meet only increases his desire for her. He reminds himself that they are in public and doesn't allow himself to get caught up in the moment. It is so easy for him to sink into her and forget his surroundings but he knows that this is not the time or the place to lose himself.
"What do you think of the show so far?" she asks after they break apart.
"I think it's going well. Being on stage with you hasn't felt this good in a long time," he admits.
"What do you mean?" she questions.
"I think I just feel more secure now that we seem to be heading in the right direction. It feels good to express my feelings on stage without having to worry about what the consequences will be. It just feels good being out there with you," he says.
"As good as this afternoon felt?" she teases.
"Better," he retorts playfully.
Rayna slaps him lightly on the shoulder.
"Deacon! Sometimes you are ridiculous," she laughs.
Deacon's smile fades as he glances toward the door. Rayna's head turns to follow his gaze and she understands exactly why he is frowning.
"What is he doing here?" Deacon asks venomously.
"I don't know. I didn't know he was coming. I've only even talked to him twice in the past four weeks," she tells him.
She begins to frown as Teddy spots her and walks towards them.
"Hey, Rayna," Teddy greets her.
"Teddy," she says shortly. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing really. I just thought I'd make an appearance, catch the show, and make sure you're feeling alright now that you're out of the hospital," he says.
"She's feeling fine," Deacon replies roughly.
Deacon's jaw is tense. Rayna can tell that he is really annoyed by Teddy's presence. She grabs his hand to calm him down. Teddy notices the gesture and frowns at them.
"So even after everything that happened you two are still together?" Teddy asks.
"Yes, we're working things out," Rayna responds.
"I'm not going anywhere," Deacon adds.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Teddy says sarcastically.
"What is that suppose to mean?" Rayna asks angrily.
"Is that a threat?" Deacon interjects.
"Well, Rayna, you don't have the best track record. I was just expressing my doubts on how long this little relationship will actually last," Teddy replies.
"It's none of your business but we are going to be fine," Rayna says firmly.
"And we have a set to finish," she adds.
Without saying another word, Rayna pulls Deacon back toward the stage trying to get away from Teddy as quickly as possible. Deacon's jaw loosens but Rayna can tell that he is still irritated.
"Who does he think he is?" Deacon growls as they approach the stage.
"I don't know, baby. He's just trying to get under our skin. Don't worry about him. Let's finish this set and then enjoy the rest of our evening," she suggests.
"I'll try to enjoy myself but as long as he is here I'm not going to be happy," Deacon says.
Deacon takes a few deep breaths and tries to calm himself down.
"His presence doesn't mean anything," he thinks. "She chose me in the end."
The thought calms him momentarily.
"But she married him and slept in his bed for 13 years. She lied about my daughter with him," he thinks again, getting agitated quickly.
He tries to concentrate on the next part of their set but he knows that Rayna can tell something is wrong. She keeps sending worried glances his way and he knows that she can sense his anger and his feelings of resentment.
When they finally leave the stage, they force themselves to smile while engaging in small talk with Bucky. They can feel the tension brewing between them and this time it is not positive tension. They make their exit as quickly as possible and walk to the car together. As soon as they get in the car, Deacon explodes.
"Teddy has some nerve! Coming here and confronting us after the role he played in this whole mess! He even threatened me!" he yells.
"Deacon, I'm sorry. Please, calm down. I had no idea he was going to show up," she says soothingly.
"Calm down? I'm not going to calm down, Rayna! He was part of the reason that you lied to me for so long. And on top of that his presence only reminded me of the 13 years you spent in his bed," Deacon complains, lowering his voice a notch.
He knows that he is being silly but Teddy has always had the ability to get under Deacon's skin.
"Deacon, I know you are dealing with a lot right now but please try to be fair. Bringing up my marriage is not fair to me at all," she says as gently as possible.
Deacon stares out the window sulking.
"I'm sorry that you're feeling hurt right now but I'm not sure what has gotten into you tonight," Rayna says.
He doesn't want to fight with her. The night had been amazing until Teddy had shown up. He had felt like a new man. He had felt alive for the first time since the accident.
"I'm sorry, Ray. I let him get under my skin. I guess I just let him take advantage of my lingering feelings of resentment," he says apologetically.
As a peace offering, he reaches for her hand. Rayna is glad that he is making an effort to calm down. For Deacon, that is very a good sign. It is a sign that he is moving past their problems and working towards acceptance.
When Deacon and Rayna arrive at her house, they remain sitting in the car.
"Deacon, I'm sorry that Teddy showed up tonight. He's just jealous. He's always been jealous of you and of our relationship," Rayna starts.
"I know, Ray. This whole incident has just brought a lot of my fears to life. You know I've never coped well. Hell, you know it better than anyone. I'm an addict. I have demons that I have to fight on a daily basis and this has only made it worse," he says.
Deacon is right. If anyone knows about his demons, it's Rayna. She had seen it all. She had even stuck by his side during the worst period of his life.
"I'm sorry to take it out on you. You've been trying so hard to get me through this. Hell, you've been helping me get through everything since the day that we met," he adds remorsefully.
"It's okay, Deacon. I know it's going to take time. I have faith in us. I have faith in you," she tells him.
They sit in silence for a few moments, looking at each other intently.
"Tonight was nice," he says, breaking the silence.
Rayna laughs.
"Besides the whole thing with Teddy, I mean. It was nice to be back on stage with you at the Bluebird," he clarifies.
"It was nice for me too," she replies. "I've missed singing with you like that."
"Me too," he says.
She leans over and gives him a sweet kiss.
"Do you want to stay the night?" she asks.
"Not tonight, Ray. I told Coleman that I'd meet up with him after the show. He wants to make sure that I'm doing alright with everything," he responds.
Her face falls immediately but she understands.
"Don't worry, Ray. We're on the right track," he tells her truthfully. "I don't want to be stubborn anymore. I just want to forgive you and move forward with our relationship."
He is sure that they'll be able to work it out. Rayna has proven that she will fight for him. Now that they are both fighting for each other, he knows that nothing will be able to stop them.
"I love you, Deacon. I always have and I always will," she tells him.
"I love you too. I'll stop by tomorrow to spend some time with you and Maddie," he answers.
With that, Rayna exits the truck and stands on her driveway as she waves goodbye to Deacon with a smile on her face. She knows that he is still hers. She knows that they will make it. No matter what life throws at them, they will always have each other.