Rayna and Daphne stood on the stage in the empty arena. Well empty on audience, there were a few roadies setting up for the evening show. Rayna put one arm around Daphne´s shoulders.
"This is our first stop, our first show. How are you feeling?"
"Fine at the moment but think I will get more nervous the closer we get. I know it´s not my first time on a stage or singing before a crowd but it´s the first real real time. What if I freeze up or forget the words?"
"That happens to all of us sometimes. Remember to breathe calmly and look at Deacon. He will be right there behind you and he will smile at you and his eyes will tell you, you can do this, that you are great. I have always drawn strength from him, he has always been there and it helps. He will do that for you too."
"Ok."
"I´m actually a bit nervous too, Deacon and I haven´t been out on a tour together for five years. You can´t count the Red Lips White Lies tour I did with Juliette because he diden´t play with me as he was on Juliette´s tour. Every since we decided to do this tour I have been counting the days. To go on the road with Deacon again is something I have been dreaming of for so long, wishing it would happen again. Even better is that we are married and free to show our love and the best thing is that I can bring my daughters with me. At least one of them." Rayna smiled at Daphne.
"I´m so happy you are letting me come along when I guess you two rather be alone, as this is your first tour as a couple in twenty years."
"Of course we want you with us. You know we love each other and are making love quite often, we will find time to be alone, time for just us. Trust me, we will find a way."
"Ok." Daphne smiled at her mom.
"Come, I want to show you our ritual we had once we hit big, when we started playing bigger arenas." They walked down from the stage and up the rows where the audience are going to be. Rayna stopped when she reached the back rows.
"This section we used to call the nosebleeds. When you perform you have to sing for everyone in here and not just those in front rows. People pay money for these seats too, those that don´t have so much money to spend but still wants to go to concerts. So we always go up here before our set and think about how our song is going to reach up here, draw in the atmosphere. We sit up here for a while pondering the situation, thinking how lucky we are doing what we love and can live on it. Sometimes we just sat there in silence, other times we went through our set list. One thing that was consistent was that we usually kissed."
"Did I hear kissing? One of my favorite things to do with my two favorite girls, one of them happens to be my wife, lucky me." Deacon had sneaked up on them without any of them had noticed him.
"Deacon! I was just showing Daphne what we used to do before concerts."
"Not all of it I hope, don´t think she is old enough and don´t think she want to know either."
Rayna blushed slightly. "Not that smart ass, the important stuff up here in the nosebleed section."
"I know, I´m just teasing. Daphne, I guessing Rayna already told you why we do it. It´s so important that everyone feels welcome, that everyone feels that we are singing just for them and they go home with a warm feeling."
"I will try my very best to sing for everyone wherever they sit."
"You will do great. It will be fine, you will see."
"Yes Daphne, I can´t imagine it will be anything else then perfection. I still want to emphasize kisses are very important."
"You guys are so silly sometimes, but I love you Mom, Dad."
"We love you too sweetie." Daphne hugged them both.
"I´m getting hungry. Anyone else is? Shall we go and have some lunch?"
"Yes I´m a bit hungry too."
"Sure."
"Lets go."
It knocked on the door to the dressing room Rayna was using.
"Come in." Deacon opened the door and stepped in.
"Hello girls. Are you ready? Showtime in twenty minutes." He looked around the room. "Where is Daphne? I thought she was here with you?"
"She is in the bathroom. You are looking pretty handsome."
"I have two ladies to dress up for now, so they won´t be ashamed to be seen in my company." Deacon said smiling.
"We wouldn´t do that to you. We love you. I have never been ashamed to be in love with you. Daddy and Tandy had a problem with that, not me. I wouldn´t trade you for all the rich country club snobs in the world."
"It´s probably for the best not only for me but for you too. Those kind of men wouldn´t know how to be with a woman like you. They wouldn´t see past your beauty and see and get to know the incredible warm, loving, caring and one of a kind woman you are. They would get blinded with your beautiful features, your face, hair and body to die for. I can´t blame them for that especially when you are looking like that. You are so beautiful Ray."
"What, this old rag I found at the bottom of the closet. But thank you kind Sir." Rayna said smiling and walked to him. She put her hands on his chest and they kissed.
"Shouldn´t Daphne be out by now? Is she sick?"
"I´m here Dad. I have been out for a while." Deacon turned around.
"There you are. Look at you, so beautiful just like your mama. Come here." Deacon gave her a big hug and kissed her cheek. "Are we ready? Lets get this show on the road.
Rayna stood at the side of the stage watching Daphne perform on a arena for the first time. Daphne had been so nervous the last two hours that Rayna feared she wouldn´t go out on stage. Now Rayna diden´t see a ounce of that. There was no nervously or unsure about Daphne´s performance. Rayna´s heart was almost bursting out of her chest with pride. This wonderful girl is her daughter. Their daughter even if Daphne don´t have a single blood drop from Deacon, she is so like him in every other way. He has influenced her all her life and that is showing all the time. She is looking so beautiful, so happy and emit self-confidence beyond her age. She is so young and Rayna still have some contradictory feelings about letting her perform this young. She is a bit afraid for what the press is going to think and say about Daphne and herself for allowing her daughter perform professionally. But Rayna pushed those thoughts away, lets deal with that tomorrow. Right now she is just a proud mother. Rayna felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head and saw Bucky.
"She sings and looks like a angel, just as her mother. That´s the most beautiful I have seen or heard in a long time. She is absolute wonderful isen´t she?"
"Yes she is, but I´m biased. With that said I´m so proud being her mother. I can´t believe my little girl has grown up so fast."
"You have done a marvelous job raising her up, both girls. You are a good mother Ray. Those girls are loved by everyone of us that is close to them."
"That´s very sweet of you Bucky but you are biased too."
"That I am but it´s the truth. I only speak the truth."
"Hmm you are so kind. I thank you Bucky." She kissed him on the cheek and turned to look at the stage again. She caught Deacon´s gaze and they locked eyes with each other.
Bucky noticed it and know that he lost her attention. Rayna wasen´t interested to continue their conversation, so he turned his attention back to the stage too. When he locked at Daphne now, singing for the first time in a big arena infront of thousands of people and looking so calm, so full of control, so beautiful beyond measurement. It reminded him about the first time he saw Rayna. They both has the unique power to mesmerize the audience, every word is hiting the mark. He came into Rayna´s life when she was about twenty. As he told Deacon before, he went to one of their concerts and know instantly he needed to be around her. Needed to see where that young woman would go and he did and haven´t regretted anything. Now he saw so much of Ray in Daphne, so like her mother. Rayna had him listen to Maddie´s album and he loved it too, a little more pop then country but it was beautiful. They both got every bit of talent their mother have.
He has always considering Rayna and the girls to be his family. If Rayna is like a daughter to him then the girls logically would be his granddaughters, but he don´t feel old enough as a grandpa so he thinks they are like daughters too. He has been around the girls since they were born and loved them from the first day he saw them. But he must admit Daphne have a special spot in his heart. She was born in a time when Rayna had finally settled in her marriage with Teddy after her turmoil time getting over not being with Deacon. Bucky knew a lot that went on in Rayna´s life, as both her manager and friend she confided in him. With him she could talk about everything that happened in her life. All about Lamar´s disapproval, her marital problems with Teddy, how much she missed Deacon and when she fought with Tandy. As he would never betray her confidence and tell anyone. Rayna become so happy when she was expecting another baby. She was born to be a mother. After Daphne was born Rayna seemed a lot more happier with everything and that made him happy. Her happiness means everything to him. He would give his life for her and the girls.
Daphne was still singing and Bucky noticed that Rayna haden´t taking a photo of Daphne on her big night. He remembered how much Deacon and presumably Rayna too even if she haven´t said anything about it yet liked the pictures he got them. He could capture this tour by taking photos and then surprise them at the end of the tour. What a brilliant idea he thought to himself. He stepped back a bit and took his phone out and took some pictures of Daphne, of Daphne and Deacon and of Rayna watching them.
Rayna and Deacon had just sat down on the couch on the bus after talking with Maddie and left Daphne with the laptop to fill Maddie in with how it was her first show. Deacon had pulled Rayna down on his lap and Rayna diden´t find any reason what so ever to object. Being in his arms are one of her favorite places to be. Rayna closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder. Deacon pressed lazy kisses to her temple and forehead.
"I´m so tired. If this is what it´s going to be, I will be totally exhausted by the end of the first week."
"I´m kinda tired myself too."
"Are we a little rusty or do I dread saying just getting old?"
"Maybe it´s a combination of the two."
"Maybe you are right but I´m so really looking forward to do this tour. I really enjoyed it to stand on a big stage together with you again. I have missed it so much."
"I have too, it´s not the same without you. These last four years when I have been on tours with others it hasen´t felt as it usually does. Something was missing, it only felt like a job I was getting paided for. Not like when touring with you I feel with both body and soul, with every fibre of me and not just when we were together but also when I just was your guitar player."
"I know the feeling. I don´t know how many guitar players Bucky got me these past years. No one could measure up to you. I diden´t like a single one of them accept Adria. She was good enough and played the right notes but it wasen´t the same."
They were silent for a while and just enjoyed being in each others arms. "What´s the time? Shall we get up and do something? Or else I will fall asleep right here."
"It´s ok with me. I love having you in my arms. Do you want to do anything?"
"It has been so long time so I don´t remember what we used to do once we had some free time on the bus. What did we do? We haden´t phones or internet so I couldn´t chat to someone as Daphne is. Not that I had many to chat to, besides Tandy perhaps when we wren´t fighting."
"Are you asking me what we did? My memories from that time is a bit fuzzy. All I remember is drinking, writing songs and making love."
"Mmm lets skip drinking but keep the other two."
"Sounds good to me. Lets try out our new bedroom."
"Daphne, we are going to bed. Don´t stay up too late."
"Ok. Good night Mom, Dad."
"Night."
Rayna and Deacon are sitting in the living area of the bus. Deacon with a guitar in his hands and Rayna is holding a pad and pencil.
"If we have after just one week written two songs already, we will have a whole album when this tour is over if we continue like this."
"Yes it´s surprisingly how easy these two songs came to us. Maybe it´s that we have time now, nothing else we can do while we are on the bus. Away from our normal mundane routines and can really sit down and go at it without feeling guilty we should do a million other things. Especially you Ray, you work to much. I have more time to write."
"I know babe, it´s so much I diden´t count on involving in running a label. I know my own music has been neglecting a bit. Therefore I´m so grateful and happy that I have such a good husband that wrote most of our new songs and suggested we do this tour. It has only been one week but I´m loving it already. Missed it so much to be out and play and to do it with you again is a dream coming true."
"I feel the same way baby. After all turns we both got hit with these past four years after you had to fire me, I almost lost hope to ever be on the road with you again. Now I´m so glad that we are able to go out on tour, especially this fast and we can have Daphne with us. Too bad we can´t have Maddie too, the whole family."
"Yes that would have been even better."
They heard the door to the sleeping compartments open and Daphne walked out.
"Good morning sleeping beauty."
"Morning. Is it late?"
"The clock is past eleven."
"Oh, I guess I was more tired then I thought then."
"It´s ok. There is one good benefit by having a rolling home. You don´t have to get up and dressed to get moving and out on the road. Breakfast is over there at the table. Bucky came over with it. Help yourself Daphne, we have already eaten."
"Ok. Where is Bucky?"
"He left already and are on his way to our next stop and making sure everything is ready for us."
"Where is the next stop?"
"Jackson, Mississippi."
"Cool."
Another week has past and now when they have arrived in Alabama, Deacon has a surprise mission to do. Deacon is up and trying to sneak out of the bus without waking up everybody. He past the first trial, got out of the bed and got dressed without waking Rayna. A crucial importance if his mission is going to succeed. He failed on passing second obstacle, in the dark he diden´t see Daphne´s hand which stuck out from her bunk. Daphne was shaken awake by Deacon´s stumbled into her hand. Newly awaken she put out her head and looked after what woke he and saw Deacon.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Ssssh, go back to sleep Daphne. I´m just going to pop out for a while and see if I can find something special to breakfast." Deacon whispered.
"Can I come?" Daphne now also whispered.
"Sure. Get dressed but be quiet so you don´t wake the others. I will wait for you in the living area." Deacon past the drape that leads to the first sleeping compartments where Yolanda and Trish, Rayna´s two backup singers are sleeping. He past them without disturbing them. After five minutes Daphne appeared and they left the bus. They walked through the streets block by block.
"What are you looking for Dad? We have past several stores by now."
"It´s not far now. I want to see if that bakery we found on one of our stops here still exists. They had this amazingly heavenly good bread and biscuits. Rayna just loves them, one time we bought everything they had in store. It lasted the whole tour. I don´t know if it´s only in this city or the entire state of Alabama but we have never found those biscuits anywhere else. So if that bakery is still here I thought I would buy some and surprise Ray with breakfast in bed."
"That´s nice, she normaly don´t like surprises but she would love this."
"That she do, but breakfast in bed has never failed so far."
"And if you bring her her one of her favorit bread and biscuits I think it will work this time too."
"Exactly my plan." They smiled at each other. "Look there it is. It still is a bakery, now I hope they still bake the same goods."
Deacon was in luck, it was the same old bakery and the clerk assured they still used the old recipes. They bought a big selection of both bread and biscuits. They poped in a supermarket on their way back and bought some complements to their breakfast. Once back on the bus they prepared the breakfast.
"Do we have everything now? Juice, coffee, bread and cheese, biscuits and yogurt?"
"Yep, it´s all here."
"Then lets go and surprise your mama. I take the tray and you open the doors."
Rayna was still asleep when they entered the bedroom. Deacon put down the tray on his side of the bed. Daphne climbed up and sat on the bed. Deacon put one hand on the mattress on either side of Rayna as she laid in bed and leaned down and gave her light kisses on the cheek."
"Time to wake up my darling." Rayna stirred a little before she opened her eyes. She met Deacon´s eyes and she smiled sleepy at him and put her arms around his neck and kissed him properly good morning.
"Morning babe. I like it when you wake me like this."
"I brought you something."
"Mmm, like what?"
"Breakfast in bed." Rayna turned her head to where Deacon was looking and saw the tray and Daphne who sat there smiling looking at them.
"Good morning Mom."
"Morning sweetie. That´s very sweet of you, both of you. Thank you."
"It was Deacon´s idea, but I helped preparing it."
Rayna looked a little more closely at the tray. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Yes it is. It´s still up and running that old bakery. Daphne and I took a early morning walk and did a little shopping."
"It´s fantastic that they are still in business. Do they taste the same?"
"I haven´t tasted yet, but the clerk said they were using the old recipe. I thought you would have the honor to taste first."
Rayna sat up and rested her back at the headboard and arranged the covers around her. Deacon climbed up and they digged into the breakfast.