Thanks everyone for all the great reviews. Much appreciated! Hope I didn't depress anyone too much with the last chapter. I promise it will get cheerier eventually.

##

Rayna rolled her suitcase in the door and fell into the plushness of her couch. It had been a long weekend and she was exhausted. Tandy came downstairs after making sure that Daphne was safely tucked in bed.

"Hey Babe, you're back!"

She took a look at Rayna and immediately her demeanor changed.

"I saw the reports on the concert, they said everything went well, so what's wrong?"

Rayna looked up at her sister, she knew despite the turmoil in her family she was lucky to have such a good friend in Tandy, and hoped that Daphne and Maddie felt the same way about each other when they were all grown up.

"I took your advice, I talked to Deacon."

"And?"

Rayna shook her head and tears started to form in her eyes. "It's not going to work, I'm too late."

Tandy sat down on the couch and put her arm around Rayna. "What do you mean?"

"I told him I loved him, that I'd made a mistake, that I want him back, but he wants to stay with Megan, he says I hurt him too much. He can't take another chance on me."

"Wow, that's a surprise. I never figured Deacon for the one to break that endless cycle you guys have been in. I guess the accident really was a wake up call for him."

Rayna broke down into a full cry. "I don't know what to do, I can't believe I've really lost him, that I'm going to have to live the rest of my life without him."

Tandy shook her head. "Really? You're just giving up that easy?"

"Tandy, you didn't see how upset he was. He told me that he was done giving me chances, that he wanted to start a family with her, with Megan."

"Has he asked her to marry him?"

"I don't think so, not yet."

"Then it's not too late. Listen Rayna, if you really love him, if you're sure that he's what you want, and not just the good times when you're playing music and making love, but the bad times when his temper flares up, when he's stubborn and won't listen to anyone, when he's not sure of how to handle a situation and you're afraid he's going to take a drink, if you're ready to really commit to all that then show him that. Show him that you'll be there for him no matter what. Show him that you won't abandon him, that your love for him goes beyond what little girls read about in their fairytales. But you have to be sure that's what you want, because if you win him back and you break his heart again, I can't even imagine what the fall out would be like next time."

Just then Maddie and Daphne rushed down the stairs.

"Mom!" yelled Daphne.

"I thought you ladies were in bed," Tandy started.

"We were," Maddie explained, "but we heard mom's voice."

Rayna beckoned the girls to come sit with her on the couch. "Well, I'm glad you're up."

Maddie looked at Rayna and could tell she'd been crying. "What's wrong mom, is everything okay?"

"It's fine, I've just missed you girls so much. I'm so glad I have the two of you." Rayna hugged them close kissing the top of Maddie's head. "You girls are the best things I've ever done."

"Gosh mom," Maddie sighed "You're so lame."

"Lame? If I'm so lame why did I bring y'all back gifts from Houston?"

Daphne jumped up and down. "Ooh gifts, what did you get us?"

"Well it's nearly 11:00 so let's go upstairs into your rooms and I'll show you."

The girls started to run upstairs and Rayna got up to follow, but she turned to Tandy first.

"I don't know Tandy. I look at those girls and I know I'm so lucky for everything I've got, but there's just something missing, and I really feel like he's that missing piece."

"Well then Babe, you know what you have to do."

Rayna heard the kids scream mom and she ran up after them.

"I'm coming!"

##

Rayna pulled her SUV up outside of Deacon's house. She sat in the car a few minutes contemplating what to say, then she briskly crossed the street and knocked on his door.

He opened it up joining her outside on the porch rather than letting her in. Rayna wondered if Megan was inside and that's why he wanted to stay on the porch, but when she peered in the window the house looked empty.

They both relaxed into the porch swing by the door. They sat in silence for a moment and then Rayna finally spoke. "I'm sorry about the other night. I know you're with Megan now, and I should respect that."

"Thanks Ray, and I'm sorry I got so mad at you. I guess there were a lot of feelings bottled up that I've been trying not to think about, and they all kind of came spilling out at once."

Rayna glanced at Deacon. She wanted to reach out and take his hand, but she wasn't sure they were ready for that yet. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I hope you know that the last thing I'd ever want to do is cause you pain. I mean that."

"I know you do Ray."

"No matter what our relationship is, you are one of the most important people in my life, and you are the father of my eldest, and I want you to know that I will be there for you in whatever way you want me to, always."

Deacon looked up at her, she could tell that he was getting a little misty, but was trying to keep his emotions under control.

"Thanks Ray, I really appreciate that, and know that the same goes for me with you too."

There declarations hung heavy in the air. Finally Rayna broke the silence.

"Maddie's playing at The Bluebird tonight, she asked me to make sure you're coming."

"Really? You gave in?"

"Well, I think there was going to be a hunger strike if I didn't."

"Just like you with your daddy, nothing was going to stand in your way of playing your first big gig."

Rayna smiled, "Like mother, like daughter. Also like father like daughter, all she's been doing lately is playing those songs that the two of you were working on together."

"Well, she's mighty talented. I think she's going to be bigger than both of us put together, and I'm not just saying that cause I'm her daddy."

"No, of course not," Rayna laughed. "We're totally objective."

"Tell her Megan and I will be there."

Rayna felt a pang in her stomach at the mention of Megan, but quickly tried to hide it.

"Great, see you later?"

"Yeah, see you later."

##

Rayna drove Maddie to The Bluebird, but once they were inside the girl wanted nothing to do with her. She thought she'd go up to the stage with her and show her around, but Maddie kept saying that Rayna was cramping her style. Rayna tried not to be hurt, she knew that one day Maddie would appreciate the fact that the two were starting to share some things in common. She tried to be a good mom and humor her teen, so instead of up by the stage she walked to the back of the bar and situated herself where she had a good view, but few people would notice her.

The one person who did notice her when he walked in was Deacon. The club was unusually packed for an open mic night, but he still managed to pick her out of the crowd. One thing Rayna was glad about was that she didn't see Megan tagging along on his arm. He walked up and settled in beside her against the back wall.

"Hey, you been relegated to the cheap seats?"

"Yep, I guess this is what it means to be the parent of a teenager. Though if you want to sit in the front I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Somehow I think newly acquired fathers rank much higher than annoying moms."

"Nah, I'll hang back here with you. Wouldn't want to kick you when you're down."

Rayna gave him an appreciative smile. She was wondering where Megan was, but also didn't want to introduce the thought of her into their conversation. Finally her curiosity got the best of her.

"No Megan?"

"She's coming later, she got stuck at work."

"Ah, I see."

Just then the announcer came up on stage and started to introduce Maddie. Rayna and Deacon clapped wildly.

"She looks so good up there, doesn't she look so good?" Rayna asked.

"Yeah Ray, she looks great, like she's just where she belongs."

"Old, she looks old. How can we have a daughter who's old enough to be playing here?"

"Maybe cause we've been playing here for over twenty years."

"Don't remind me. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was singing here and you came in and saw me, wrote that song on a napkin."

"Life That's Good."

"Yeah, still one of my favorites."

"Still think of you whenever I play it."

Rayna and Deacon smiled at each other, but then quickly turned to the stage when the music started. Maddie played a slow song that she'd been working on with Deacon. It was a little more complicated than most of the songs she'd been playing, but she handled it with ease.

Rayna looked around the room at all the people enthralled by her daughter and she was so proud that her chest felt like it was about to explode. She looked over at Deacon and noticed that he had a tear running down his face. She knew things were still a little weird between them since the night at the hotel in Houston, but making a connection while watching their daughter play just felt right. She reached out her left hand and gently looped her fingers around the digits on his right. Deacon continued to watch Maddie intently, but grasped Rayna's hand with his own.

"That's our girl up there, we made her," he managed to get out in nothing more than a whisper.

Rayna reached up and wiped the tear away from his cheek running her thumb over the softness of his skin.

"Thanks Ray."

"We couldn't have Maddie thinking her Dad was uncool."

Deacon laughed a little.

As Rayna turned her head back towards Maddie she noticed Megan watching them from the entryway. She wasn't sure if she saw them at first, but she was soon making a beeline for the back of the venue. She reached them just as Maddie's song was ending. Everyone clapped and cheered.

When the clapping died down Megan walked up wrapping her arm through Deacon's. "Hey honey, she was great."

"Thanks, glad you were able to catch it."

Rayna really didn't want her there, but she was trying to hide how much she hated the woman. "Yeah, thanks for coming Megan, glad you could make it even though she's not your daughter."

"Well, I hope one day she'll be my step-daughter."

Deacon gave her kind of an uncomfortable smile. He may have turned Rayna down when she said she wanted to get back together, but the awkwardness of the situation wasn't lost on him.

"Come on, let's go find Maddie." Deacon escorted the women to the front of The Bluebird where he found his daughter.

"Hey Mads, that was so great!"

"Yeah hon that was wonderful."

"Thanks guys, I can't believe I actually played at The Bluebird!"

"Well get used to it," Deacon encouraged. With a reception like that, I'm sure it won't be your last time."

"I met a couple of other musicians singing here tonight, they asked me if I wanted to go out with them after can I go?"

Rayna may have realized that she was growing up, but she certainly wasn't ready to let her out on her own. "You are still too young to be hanging out late with people you don't know, but how about some congratulatory ice cream instead."

Maddie sighed. "Alright, but can I get two scoops?"

"You can even get sprinkles if you'd like." Deacon replied as the four of them walked out the door.