He walked up to where she was sitting on Rayna's kitchen set. She was looking down at her phone, propping herself on the counter with one arm. As he approached, she looked up and smiled. "Well, hey there," she said. "You ready for our one scene?" She made a face and rolled her eyes.

He leaned against the counter and smirked. "I have to agree with you there." He grinned. "I mean, we are newlyweds, right?"

She shook her head with a wry smile. "Not so you'd notice." She glanced furtively over her shoulder, then back up at him. "You free after this?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Can we meet?"

He smiled. "Yep."


The scene seemed to take forever to film. It wasn't particularly complicated. The one upside was that he got to kiss her, so he got to kiss her five times, on the lips. He smiled to himself as he headed across the lot to her trailer. One thing he knew for sure was that he'd get to kiss her again and it wouldn't be one of those lip smackers either.

He jogged up the steps to her door and knocked. She opened the door and stepped back to let him in. He pushed the door shut behind him and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her the way he'd been wanting to all afternoon. She seemed to relax in his arms, winding her arms around his neck and arching into him, drawing out the kiss. Then she slid her hands down and, pulling her lips from his, pushed herself away. He frowned a little, not sure what was on her mind.

She skirted around him, pulling at the hem of her sweater. She turned to face him with an irritated look on her face. "I'm not happy," she said.

He breathed in slowly, his hands together, his fingers touching his lips. "What's going on?" he asked.

She put her hands on her waist. "How can we only have one scene? And only three scenes last week?" She stomped her foot and made a whiny face. "And why are we wasting time on Riff Raff and why did we introduce some potential new artist for Rayna only to have that just vanish after a couple episodes? What in the hell are they doing?"

He walked over to her and tried to hug her. "Baby," he started, but she pushed him away.

She held up her index finger. "Don't patronize me, Chip, or try to kiss it away." She shook her head, taking a few steps back. "I can't do this anymore." He took a deep breath and walked towards her, putting his hands on her arms. She lifted her hands up, turning her head away. "Don't," she said, her voice steely, trying to pull away.

He held tight and eventually she looked at him, a frown on her face. "Connie," he said, raising his eyebrows and trying to talk in soothing tones. "I get it. I'm not trying to patronize you. I just don't want you making hasty decisions."

She scowled. "I'm not making any decisions. Yet. But I am thinking about my options." She put her hands on his chest and gently tried to push back. He let his hands drop from her arms. She shook her head. "I think we'll get cancelled. Ratings are down. Viewers aren't happy, about things other than just Deacon and Rayna. I read this stuff, Chip. I listen to what's said. Hayden's storylines have been atrocious and she's basically shutting down. And what is Rayna doing?" She rolled her eyes. "Talking to her husband about some drifter with a nice voice who's a thief and who knows what else? Meeting with detectives about someone she hardly knows and getting all worked up about it. I mean, how ridiculous is that?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "And even Deacon's turned into someone else."

He frowned. "How do you figure that?"

"Think about it. When we started, Deacon was this brooding, kind of intriguing guy. He had a history, a dark history, but he was strong and solid. A man of few words, but when he spoke, there was wisdom there. And now, he still has a dark past, but he seems…different somehow. He's not writing songs. He and Rayna aren't even performing together. At all. He's running a bar, of all things. Being a business person. And they're talking about boring shit in Rayna's kitchen." She threw her arms out. "How can you even stand it?"

He breathed in, a little smile playing around his lips that he tried to hide, because he knew it would infuriate her. "I can stand it because of you," he said. "And because this is the best damn job I've ever had, even if there wasn't you. I'm paid to play the part the way it's written. I'm not paid to write it or to necessarily have an opinion on how it's written. I have to say the words and make the people who watch believe it, make them believe that's what Deacon thinks or what he feels." He held his hands up, palms out. "I hear you and I understand that it's different for you. But you also have a lot more weight in this world. You're well respected and you have credibility. You can be choosy and people know that."

She shook her head. "That's ridiculous, Chip. I don't have any more credibility than you do." She walked up to him and took his hands in hers. "I care about the quality and I know you do too. I care about our characters, because we created them and we're both invested in them. We want certain things for them and I don't feel like we've completely gotten that. I want Rayna and Deacon to have a real marriage, with the ups and downs that ought to reflect who they are. They're complicated people, separately and together, but, I swear, it's like they're trying to make them Rayna and Teddy."

He did smile then. "Are you comparing Deacon to Teddy? Really?"

She gave him a tiny smile. "A little bit, yeah." She sighed. "I'm just saying that they're giving them the same boring marriage they gave Rayna and Teddy. I can't even see the passion they have for each other in the writing."

"So what are you gonna do? Say something?"

She rolled her eyes again. "It won't get me anywhere." She paused, looking at him carefully. "I really wouldn't be surprised if they cancelled us this year. And I know that's not what you want, but it's kind of what I want."

That was not at all what he wanted to hear. She was right about that. It made him feel a little panicked inside. Not only would he lose the best job he'd ever had, but, even more importantly, he'd lose her. It didn't fit his plan. "Really?" he managed to ask. She nodded. To her credit, she didn't look happy about it. "But where would that leave us?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I know you have our lives all worked out, but I really don't know if I can keep doing this show and feel good about it. I don't want to hurt you or anyone else on the show, but I'm feeling kind of trapped, if you want to know the truth."

Now he really was panicking. This was like his worst nightmare. "So what, you would just walk away? From all of it? And not…."

She shook her head. "The hardest part of all of this would be what happens to us. You have to know that." She squeezed his hands. "I love you, Chip. I don't want to leave you. I don't want to lose you. That's not at all what I want." He saw tears in her eyes then. "But I'm suffocating," she whispered. "Creatively, I'm dying."

He pulled his hands from hers. She looked hurt. He then wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "I wish I could fix it, baby, I really do," he whispered. He held his breath until she slid her arms around him and held him tight.


She didn't say anything else about wanting to leave or the show getting cancelled during the remainder of the episode shoot, despite the fact that they didn't even work together again. But then he got the script for the next episode and he felt a little more hopeful, because there was actually a really nice scene in the music room, taking Deacon and Rayna back to their roots a bit. They were still talking about the foster care thing, though, and he wasn't really sure how she'd react to that. But then there was the whole business with Maddie going off and singing at some dive club and Deacon getting angry and he was pretty sure she wasn't going to like that angle. And if he was honest, she wasn't really wrong. There were still storylines that were headscratchers and seemed to go nowhere. He wasn't sure even where the Maddie thing was going, but he didn't have a really good feeling about it, and he truthfully didn't like how things looked for Deacon in all of it. So when his phone buzzed and he saw it was her, he hesitated just a second before answering.

"I know why you're calling," he said, when he lifted the phone to his ear, and then he just listened. It was all he could do.


Her arms were crossed and she was pacing. The trailer wasn't that large, so she was almost making him dizzy with her back and forth. They were two days into episode filming and she had been uncharacteristically quiet. It was obvious now where the storyline was going with Maddie and he himself had not been enthusiastic. A lot seemed to focus on Deacon's quick temper and he found he agreed with Connie, that instead of Deacon's normal slow burn, he was too quick to react.

She stopped and stared at him. "So what are you thinking?" she asked.

"About?"

She made a face. "About all of it. About Deacon acting out. About this emancipation business. About Deacon and Rayna fighting."

He gave her a little smile, which made her roll her eyes. "I actually like them fighting. It's their love language, baby."

She shook her head and frowned. "I don't think fighting is a love language."

He laughed. "No, it's probably not, but it is theirs. You've said it before – we both have, really. Deacon and Rayna are two very passionate people. They fight and it's part of how they talk to each other. But in the end, they're always a team. They can fight like hell and still make love all night long, because it doesn't tear the fabric of who they are." He stood up and walked over to her, taking her in his arms. "Think about it. This is real stuff here." She gave him a side eye. "Okay, maybe not the actual story part, but arguing as part of solving problems. Working through differences, figuring things out."

She ran her hands up his back. "Is that how it is, you know, with your kids?"

He smiled at her. "I've actually never had one try my patience like Maddie does Deacon and Rayna. I mean, there's been little things. Staying out past curfew, getting in trouble at school, bad grades here and there. And two people not always seeing eye to eye on it." He breathed in. It felt too close to the surface to be talking about himself and Patty. It was the place they never really went, so he redirected the subject. "I like the parallel to Rayna's story though. Maddie's sixteen and asserting her independence."

She shrugged and then leaned her head against his chest. "I guess you're right about that little piece."

He chuckled. "I'm glad I'm right about something, anyway."

She swatted his chest and smirked. "Stop." She stepped out of his embrace. "And you're right about the fighting part too." She waved her hands in the air and looked up towards the ceiling. Then she pointed her finger at him. "But I am going to say this just came out of nowhere. I mean, we don't know why Cash is even doing this, do we? There's been no set up, unless Frankie's fed her some shit we don't know about. Which makes it even more outlandish, you know? Why is she suddenly so anti Maddie's parents?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. But surely she can't make a case to be emancipated just because her parents are mean to her." He raised his eyebrows and smiled.

She sighed, then smiled a little. "At least they're not talking about foster care and the vanishing singer. I mean, foster care is an admirable cause and I totally support that as me, but it just feels a little heavy handed and like it's coming out of left field for Rayna." She paused and looked thoughtful. "The more I think about it, I like the conflict part. And it is something Rayna and Deacon can face together and figure out as a couple. It's like their first real parenting drama to handle together." She walked back over to him and put her arms around him. He wrapped her up and hugged her close. "That part feels real." She turned her face up to him and smiled and he leaned down and kissed her the way he'd wanted to all day long.


He'd gotten them studio space to rehearse for the benefit, but then she had called him as he was driving over.

"I don't want to do it at the studio," she said.

"But why?" He didn't understand what the problem was and wondered if it was her way of trying to back out.

"Well, you know," – she hesitated a second – "I mean, there's people there."

He shook his head. "What? Connie, we'd be in the room by ourselves. It's not like a recording session or anything. Just us. Practicing our song." He could hear her sigh on the other end.

"Can you just come over here?"

"Where's here?"

"My house. Please, Chip? I'd just feel more comfortable, I think."

She was nothing if not unpredictable. He laughed a little. "Sure, yeah, if that's better for you and you'll actually do this, then yeah, I'll come over there."

"Great," she said happily. "I'll see you soon."

So that was how he'd ended up getting off the highway, doubling back, and calling the studio to cancel the time. He smiled to himself as he drove down the road towards her neighborhood, thinking there might have been one more reason why she wanted him to come rehearse at her house.


He chuckled as he lay in her bed, his arm around her. He kissed her forehead as she snuggled in a little closer, letting her foot glide up and down his leg, and her fingers lightly brushing his chest. "I think this is why you wanted to rehearse at your house," he said.

She laughed and looked up at him, a fully satisfied smile on her face. "Can I help it if sometimes I just want to make love in a nice, cozy, soft, warm bed? With the sexiest man on the planet?" She laughed again. "And we did practice, my love. A lot. I made you work for this." She grinned up at him.

He kissed her, then chuckled again. "I think it was me making you work for this," he said. "You were ready to stop after one time through, my dear, if you remember correctly."

She shrugged and wrinkled her nose in that way that always sent him over the edge. Then she smiled at him. "Maybe. But you have to admit, this was an appropriate reward for both of us." She ran a finger down his cheek.

He breathed in, tightening his arm around her. "There is absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be," he said, then leaned in and kissed her.


It had been a cold winter in Nashville, with more snow than normal. The snow had mostly been light and not problematic for the city, but it had certainly seemed a little out of season for show timing. However, they had often played fast and loose with timing and the decision was to just ignore it. It had snowed during filming of a scene between Connie and Lennon outside of the house that was used as Cash's house, the night before. Connie had commented on how quiet it seemed as the snow was falling. Snow was still on the ground and occasional spits of flurries were going on as they made their way to the house in Belle Meade that doubled as Rayna's house. They were filming a couple scenes there with the editor of Southern Living magazine. Another random what the hell kind of thing, Connie had said. He was starting to worry that her irritation and annoyance was growing.

He was standing at one of the windows at the front of the house, when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see her walking towards him, fresh from wardrobe and makeup. She smiled. "Is it still snowing?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nah. Still out there though." She walked up to stand beside him and threaded her arm through his. He looked down at her, as she looked out at the winter wonderland in front of them.

"It's so pretty." She looked up at him. "Yoby loves it," she said and laughed. "He keeps wanting to build a snowman, even though there's really not quite enough for that."

He grinned. "My kids were like that the first winter they were here. They missed out on all that kind of thing in California and you'd have thought they were little kids, considering how excited they got."

"I bet." She grinned, then pointed outside. "Let's take a picture outside."

"Sure." They walked out to the foyer and out the front door. It was crisp and cold, the snow crunching under their feet. He stopped and she did as well and he pulled out his phone. "How about a selfie?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Sure." He held it up above them and took a few quick shots. Then he showed her what he got. She pointed at one with her mouth open, one he particularly liked, since it showed her fun side. "That's a good one," she said, then looked up at him. "How do you do these? I'm so awful at selfies."

He laughed. "I had to learn." He put his arm around her and held the phone up. "First of all, hold the phone above you and look up. I learned it makes you look better. No double chin or anything. Then just be natural." He stepped away and put his phone in his pocket.

"I'll have to try that," she said. She wrinkled her nose. "You're so good at this kind of thing."

He just laughed. It sure didn't hurt that she was his selfie partner.


They had a fun day filming at the Rayna Jaymes house. It wasn't something they did often, because of the re-creation on set, but it always leant a sort of authenticity to the filming. It was true no matter where they filmed in Nashville, but it seemed to be particularly true in this place. They even got an opportunity to do a little snooping around, when the crew was getting things set up for filming, and took advantage of a dark little hallway off the library to sneak a few kisses, before they were interrupted by a call to the set.

All in all, a very good day.


As he drove towards the Ryman, the night of the benefit, he thought back to his conversation with Patty the night before. It had been Valentine's Day and she had made a reservation for them at Gray's on Main. He understood that he had to do this for her in order for her to turn a blind eye on the rest of their relationship. They had never actually discussed it in quite those terms, but she had long since made it clear that she expected certain behavior and time from him, and then she left the rest mostly alone.

Conversation had been limited and mostly about the kids. She brought him up to speed on some of the work she was doing to book him, as well as what she knew about any end of season tour. "I'm having some conversation with the CMA Fest bookers about options," she said.

He nodded. "Anything they want, works for me," he said.

"It's still a little early, but I think you could get a spot on one of the outdoor stages."

"That would be awesome," he said, and it would. It was good exposure, for him as well as the show, and it gave him a platform to do some of his own songs. He was building a solid portfolio and still weighing options on how to get it out to the public.

She looked down at her plate, pushing the food around her plate a bit. "I, uh, I'm not coming tomorrow night," she said, then looked up at him, her face revealing nothing.

He inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement, trying not to let the relief show on his face. She'd been waffling on it and he'd been silently hoping she would stay away. "Okay," he said.

"It's a school night for Addie and Chase, so I think it's best."

He just nodded, but inside he felt infinitely better.

So he was on his own and he'd stopped on the way at a florist. He bought a single rose and asked the person who waited on him to trim it and remove the thorns from the stem. Then the flower was wrapped in a small amount of tissue for him. When he arrived at the Ryman, he slid the flower in his pocket and covered it up with his jacket. He headed inside and towards the dressing rooms, looking for Connie.

He was so focused on where he was going, he didn't see Sam and Chaley until they were right in front of him. "Hey, man, how's it going?" Sam said, a big smile on his face.

He stopped and re-focused. "Good, good." He smiled at Chaley. "Glad you're here, Chaley," he said.

She reached in for a hug. "Hey there, Chip Chop," she said, using her nickname for him. "Missed you, buddy." He had made sure to hug her on the side without the rose, but she obviously could smell it. She pulled back and looked at him with interest. "You sure smell good," she said, with a teasing smile. "New cologne?"

He laughed a little self-consciously. "Yeah, that's it," he said, as he pulled back and looked down the hallway. Then he looked back at them. "Look, I gotta go make sure Connie's not gonna bail on me." He started to head in that direction. "I talked her into singing and I gotta make sure she doesn't wimp out." He smiled, waved, and hurried off.

He found her in the 'Women of Country' dressing room, in her jeans and a sweater. He knocked on the partially open door and she turned, then smiled when she saw him. "Hey," she said. "Come on in."

He walked in and closed the door behind him. "You're not dressed yet?"

She shook her head. "Just got my makeup done and Erica will be in in about twenty minutes to help me with the dress." She looked around, even though there was no one else in the room, and then put her fingers on his cheeks, leaning in for a quick kiss. When she pulled back, she was glowing, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I'm so excited for this," she said. Then she gave him a side eye. "And I won't back out on you. I promise." She held up her hand as if she were swearing on it.

He smiled. "Good to know." He reached in his jacket then and pulled out the rose, holding it out to her. "I wish I could have given you this yesterday," he said. "Or maybe two dozen of 'em, but this will have to do." He breathed in as she gently took the rose. "I love you, baby."

She gently bit down on her lip and held the flower to her nose. Then she smiled at him. "I love you too. And I love this." She smelled the rose again and he was struck by the fact that she looked almost girlish as she did. She put her hand on his arm. "This is perfect." She walked over and put it in her purse, the red flower poking out. Then she walked back over and took his hand. "I actually can't wait to do our song." There was a knock on the door then.

He looked over his shoulder, then back at her. "Me too," he said. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you out there." Then she let go of his hand and he went to the door, opening it to the stylist. He smiled at her. "She's all yours," he said and walked out the door, with just a single backward glance at the most amazing woman he'd ever known.


He was proud of her out on the stage. She looked amazing, in a dress that hugged her body and showed off her amazingly long legs. She sounded fantastic and she didn't seem nearly as nervous as she'd been when they'd done this before. They'd staged a little banter, before launching into the song, and then she performed it like a trouper. And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, in the middle of the song, he pulled her into his arms and they danced onstage. It wasn't long, but her body against his, her head on his shoulder and her arms around him, holding her tight for those few seconds, felt amazing.

He stayed until the very end, after the pictures, the bows, the mingling offstage. He was with her when the children's choir headed out to their bus and then he walked back to her dressing room with her, his arm around her shoulder and hers around his waist. When they reached the door, she looked at him. "Can you stay for a little bit?" she asked. "I still feel so wired."

He smiled. "Of course." He followed her into the room and then closed the door. She walked across the room, lifting her feet one by one to pull off her shoes, tossing them on the floor. She went to the counter and picked up two bottles of water, holding one out to him. Then she sat on the chaise lounge.

"Come sit," she said, patting the space beside her. He walked over and sat next to her. She leaned in, with a smile, and kissed him. "Thank you for being here, for being there for me onstage, and for thinking of me." She glanced over at the rose, then sat back against the cushions. "I am beat," she said with a laugh.

He leaned back as well. "You did a great job. You should be proud."

She smiled. "I am. I'm so happy I could do that, you know? And have so many people want to be here to help out." She took a long swallow of water, then stretched out her legs in front of her. "I really need to get out of here, but it's so nice to just sit for a minute." She pushed her hair back from her face and looked at him. "I appreciate your support so much. You're just always there, no matter what."

He smiled at her. "I will always help you out, no matter what you need. You know that."

She nodded. "I do know that." She took another swallow from her bottle, then stood up. "What I need right now, though, is for you to unzip my dress." He raised an eyebrow and she laughed. "So I can change clothes, silly. I'm not driving home in this."

He set the bottle down on the floor and got up. "I'm at your service, my dear," he said. She turned her back to him and pulled her hair down over one shoulder. He took a deep breath and pinched the top of her dress, slowly pulling the zipper down with his other hand. When he reached the bottom, the dress gapped open slightly so he could see the skin of her back. He couldn't help himself from touching her skin with the back of his fingers. She made a little noise, then pulled the dress down her arms and let it fall to the floor. He breathed in sharply, watching her step out of it in her panties and bra. He watched as she bent down to pick up the dress and then walked over to put it on a hanger. When she turned back to face him, he couldn't hide the fact that he was fully aroused.

"I should get dressed," she said, her voice breathy and soft, but he could tell she was turned on too. He crossed the distance between them, taking her in his arms, holding her tightly against him as he kissed her hungrily. He walked her backward until she was against the counter. Then he let his hands drift up and down her bare back, then swiftly slid his fingers inside the waistband of her panties, pushing them down over her hips. "Chip," she murmured against his mouth.

"Turn around, baby," he whispered. She looked into his eyes and he could see how much she wanted him right then. "Turn around," he said again, and she did. She balanced herself against the counter, as he pushed her panties down to the floor and then unzipped his jeans. He grabbed her hips and pulled her back slightly, so he could enter her.

"Oh, Chip," she murmured, as he pushed firmly inside her. She moved her hips as she took him in and then made little noises as he moved inside her. "I don't think…we have much time," she said, breathing hard. He wanted to take his time, but he knew they would soon need to leave, so he moved more insistently. He could tell by her little moans that she was getting close.

"Come for me, baby," he whispered in her ear. He put his hand on her stomach, then slid it down between her legs, touching her there.

"Oh, God," she moaned, and then he felt her pulsing around him as she tried to be as quiet as she could. Then he pressed his mouth against her shoulder as he let go inside her.

He held her tight until they were both breathing normally and then he pulled back and turned away from her. He zipped himself back up and waited, giving her time to get dressed. He could hear her moving around a bit and when he turned back, she was sitting down, pulling on her boots. When she had finished, she looked up at him. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled. "Very okay," she said. She got up and walked over to him, putting her arms around him. "Thank you. For all of it."

He put his arm around her shoulders. "All you have to do is ask," he said. "You know that."

She stepped back and smiled. "I do know that." She turned and reached for her coat and purse. "I need to get home and I know you need to get home." She sighed and smiled happily. "But I'll see you tomorrow." As it happened, they would be back at the Ryman the next night to film.

He smiled back. "Yeah, you will." He walked over to the door and opened it, waiting as she grabbed her dress. They walked together back down the hallway, stopping to let him grab his jacket, and then they headed for the parking lot.

A/N: I am not sure whether Patty was at the Ryman the night of the Nashville for Africa show, but I decided she wouldn't be. For storyline reasons. Thanks to all for reading and reviewing. I love hearing what you think!