COLLIDE

What if history repeated itself for Rayna and Deacon? And what's it like for Maddie to look on the sidelines as her mother continues to bet on the safe choice instead of betting on her happiness and Deacon's ability to change. Will they finally get together?

We both have a past, nothing to lose, tonight

Well it cuts like a knife these bad luck blues

We both got scars from the hell we been thru

Somebody's gotta win, somebody's gotta lose

KID ROCK

A/N: Hello everyone! First off I wanted to thank all of you for reading and sharing your thoughts! Sorry it took me so long to update, been hitting a rock with this one! I do hope you enjoy!

I don't own anything… Why couldn't they make Luke a more likable character? That's all I want to know, Will Chase is like the sweetest guy…

Chapter 11:

"Maddie!" Rayna caught up with her daughter before she reached Deacon's room. "Honey, hold up!"

"He's dying?" She asked, short of breath.

"It's bad, yes. But he's still here Maddie and we're going to do everything we can to help him, I promise."

"I want to see him." Rayna nodded. She saw Juliette and Tandy close behind her.

"Could you guys stay with Robbie, I'll take him in soon enough, I just think she needs a moment." Juliette nodded. As Rayna followed her child down the hall.

Deacon was asleep when they reached the room. He looked so peaceful. Maddie pulled the chair next to the bed close and sat down, hiding her father's hand. "Do you ever wondered what our lives would be like if we'd lived with him when I was born?" Maddie asked. Rayna closed her eyes for a moment. She had cried herself for a year after marrying Teddy just by the thought of it. She cried because her baby was the reason she had pushed Deacon away, her child and her sanity, it was hard to believe she'd found herself in the same situation years later. Two children and a boyfriend later and still no Deacon, and now she didn't know if he'd get out of this.

"Yeah I did, everyday, everytime you did something, like your first word, or the first time you won the spelling bee, I'd picture the look on his face, or at least tried to." She said nostalgically. Maddie nodded but said nothing.

She felt her phone buzz on the pocket of her jeans, it was a text from Luke saying he was downstairs. She had only told him there had been something wrong with Deacon, but she didn't know much.

"You'll be okay here on your own?" She asked Maddie. "I'll be right back." Maddie smiled, tears still lingered on her face.


"Rayna!" Juliette caught up wit her. Robbie was crying in her arms. "What the hell was that?"

She took the baby from her. "What's wrong with him, really?"

"Not now Juliette, I just…"

"It's bad?"

"It is." She said simply. "I'll be back, Maddie is with him, where's…"

"Scarlett and your sister went to the cafeteria… Where are you goin'?"

"Luke is here." Oh. The look on the other woman's face said it all. "I'm just not in the mood for a lecture alright?"

"I haven't said anything about it."

"Not out loud at least, but I know you do."

Juliette bit her lip, oh she had to say a few things alright.

"Babe what in the world happened?" Was the first thing Luke said when he found him. She had her by in her , for some she felt safer when the boy was between her and Luke. They'd been dating for about 6 months but she'd known the man her whole life. And she still felt so unsure around him sometimes. she really didn't know why.

"Maddie found Deacon passed out at the house." Luke's frown hardened.

"Had he been…"

"No." She said simply, toting Robbie, who had buried his face on her neck. "It's more serious than that."

"How serious?"

"Cancer." She had to stop saying that word. Darn it. Luke went pale. And it was when Rayna looked down at her son that she understood. What so little time he might have with his dad. He might not even make it to his second birthday for all she knew.,

"Oh." Luke was in the loss for words. "What are the doctors sayin'?"

"I don't know, he didn't let me stay to hear what they had to say." Luke was aware of how stubborn the man was.

"Is there anything I can do?" He sounded serious.

"Not at the moment, no." She admitted, running her free hand trough her hair. "But thank you for being here, I really…"

"Don't mention it." He gave her a smile. "tell you what? I'll make some calls, see what I can figure out for Deacon, okay?" He brushed the little boy's head.

"You'd really do that?" Luke looked down at Robbie. "I know you ain't his greatest fan."

"And he isn't mine either, is he? But he was my friend once, and he's got things to fight for, I know what that's like." He hugged her as she tried to stop herself from crying.


"Maddie?" Deacon woke up to his daughter's eyes looking at him.

"Hi." She wasn't going to yell at him. Lord knows she'd wanted to do that as soon as she walked into the room, but she just didn't have it in her, not right now anyway. "How are you feeling?"

"alright." He didn't look at her in the eye. "Shouldn't you be at home?"

"Mom says you're dying, she says its cancer." Maddie said simply. She was almost 15, she knew what that word meant.

"She told you that?" Deacon asked in disbelief.

"No, I overheard her talking about it with aunt Tandy, she said you wouldn't let her be in here with you…"

"Maddie." He tired to squeeze her hand but she pulled away.

"She loves you, you know?"

"I do." He said. "That's why I kept her away."

"That doesn't make any sense Deacon..,"

ouch that hurt.

"Maddie…"

"Just tell me, do you love my mom too?"

"You know I do." He admitted. "And I love you kids more than anything, Daphne too, you know that."

"Then I want you to promise me something." She said, her voice sounded so much like Ray's he wanted to cry. " I want you to promise me you'll fight this, you'll get better dad, you have to." She began to cry as he reached for h cried in his arms, and Deacon made this silent promise.

He'd fight. For his girl, his children, and for the life he'd been so keen on if he might never get Rayna back.


So what did you think? This is not over just yet, but it will be soon as the new season aproaches and school is in full force for me in a few weeks!

Also, keep in mind that Luke and Rayna hadn't dated that long, and she clearly hasn't moved as fast as on the show because she did have a second child with Deacon, and for that reason her relationship with Luke it's kind of AU in this fic, also I'm kind of trying to redeem that character before Nashville destroys it for me next week, I wonder how they will keep Luke around for the rest of the season?

Anyways, stay tuned! A new secret from Deacon is coming out which might explain why he didn't get back together with Ray when they began to get close again . Thanks for reading!