Disclaimer NCIS and Nashville are not mine

Authors note This is the final chapter! Hope you all enjoy, the song is written by me, so there is none to go and google!

The Forgotten City

Two Years Later . . .

"Wow! DC y'all are amazing tonight!" Rayna said with a massive smile as she beamed out onto the 20,000 filled seats in the Verizon Centre. She heard the crows cheer whilst she got her breath back from the last performance of 'Already gone'. There was only one more song left now, and then the touch would be at the end of the first leg. "So, as y'all know, two years ago I had a lil' accident." The singer said as she returned to the centre of the stage where a stool had been placed. She sat down on it and crossed her legs. "Now, I ain't looking for any sympathy off y'all. But when I woke up I realised how lucky I am. But in the days prior to that accident I hurt someone who I really loved." She said softly, before casting her eyes to where Deacon was, stood at the edge of the stage with Maddie and Daphne next to him. Behind him she could see her sisters, Tandy and Jenny, and there next to the eldest red head stood Jethro.

"So, whilst I was sat in that hospital bed, I got writing, and this is what I came up with." She said smiling. Deacon watched in utter surprise as all of her band left, and she was handed a guitar. With her microphone placed in its stand, she smiled over at him. "Now as ya may have noticed, I generally have a very talented and often hunky man playing the guitar for me, so if I'm a lil' rusty y'all with have to forgive me." She looked down, and strummed the strings softly, before looking up and smiling. The lights dimmed and smoke began to rise around her feet.

Softly she positioned her fingers and began to perfectly play a series of chords, before she began to sing, and her voice filled the silent arena. And her family watched, with tears in their eyes. Things had changed in the last two years. Things had really changed. After Rayna was released from hospital, Jenny and Jethro had stayed until the end of the week when they had to return to work. But that didn't mean they left their lives. Jenny was up in Nashville every other month, most often with Jethro, and the months when she wasn't in her childhood home, her family were in DC.

Maddie and Deacon had taken things one step at a time. Slowly getting to know one another as father and daughter. But it wasn't long before it seemed as though it had always been like that. Daphne was confused at first, but decided that Deacon could be her dad too, so Deacon gained a second daughter. The three became almost inseparable; in fact Rayna began to felt like half the time she wasn't needed. But of course she knew that she could not moan. Deacon had his daughters, and that was all that matters.

One thing that had made everyone smile was that Bucky and Tandy had finally decided to stop hiding behind secret glances and flirtatious comments. Now they were officially dating, and Rayna could see the difference in both. Tandy wore a smile more often than not, she was happier and more like her younger self. Bucky was a lot more relaxed, and gave Rayna a lot more free time. However Lamar was not happy with any of the developments. Even though he and Jenny had made an agreement to remain civil to one another, he was not happy with her presence. Nor was he happy with Bucky and Tandy, yet a few sharp words from his daughter had put him back on that one.

For Rayna and Deacon, things were good. Neither was where they wanted to be in their relationship, but with everything considered they couldn't take it for granted. They'd talked when Rayna got out of hospital, and they'd sorted things out where it came to Maddie. Six months ago they'd began to be honest about the fact that they still had feelings for one another. Yet, with the release of her new album: innuendo avenue, and the label wanting her to tour, they just hadn't had a chance. She'd offered him the job as her lead guitarist, but after they had spoke, both realised that it would be better for one of them to be home with the girls. So she called Liam instead.

For Jenny and Jethro though, well things were a little bit better off. They'd not gotten married, not gotten engaged, because for these two that wasn't right. But instead they had decided to give one another promise rings: mainly so that politician's hands stopped wandering around Jenny's ass. But they were happy as they were, they were in love and that was all that mattered.

Rayna closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then opened them a little as she began to sing the lyrics that were so heartfelt. People would be touched, but only a few would know what the true meaning of the words was.

"Why, don't our dreams take flight like a bird?
Don't our hearts move on like the wind?
Why, do we cling to the past?
Like tomorrow won't last?
When we've never even given it a shot.

"When he was one too many steps away,
And life seemed to move slower every day,
I learned to take my dream in my heart,
Write it down and see the start,
I drew a map from where I was, to where I waned t'be,
And then, I made the past leave my shadow be,
But darling', I think it's pretty clear to me,
That that just wasn't meant to be."

As she sang the rest of the song, she turned and sung into Deacon's eyes. He watched het, sitting there in the middle of a smoke filled stage, lit up by one spotlight. With her old guitar on her knee, strumming softly. Dressed in a cream lace dress and cowgirl boots, her hair softly curled away from her face and wearing as little stage make up as possible. Her eyes sparkled as she sang, and the chords were played perfectly. He could still remember the day when he had first heard her play. Helped her perfect her chords, and then she had told him he could play.

"Why don't our dreams take flight like a bird?" She sang the last line, and waved to the arena as she thanked them and walked off. It was a whirl of congratulations when she got off. But just as she was about to go and see Bucky, Deacon took her hand and pulled her into her dressing room. When the door closed behind her she looked up at him and found that they were in a lot closer proximity than she had thought. She looked up into his eyes confused.

"Hey." He said softly, as she looked up at him.

"Hey." She replied a little taken aback by the turn of events.

"That was one pretty song Ray."

"Thanks." She replied, but the overwhelming smell of his aftershave, the coffee on his breath and something that was just Deacon was going to her head, and all she could do was flick her eyes between his eyes and lips. He of course saw this, and within moments, her back was against the door and his hand was brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes fluttered closed and slowly his lops met her in a soft and sweet kiss that took their breath away. When they parted she wore a massive smile. "Where did that come from?" She questioned, placing her hands around the back of his neck to let him know that she didn't regret it.

"Figured we've danced around enough Ray. I forgive you, and I wanna start over." He said, and smiled, leaning forward and kissing him softly.

"I think that sounds like a great idea."

They remained kissing one another for a good ten minutes, before they decided that they had best go and find everyone else. That evening, they all stayed at the party for a half hour, before they all went back to Jenny's house, which Jethro now shared.

They sat outside on the patio for a while. Maddie and Daphne had grabbed their mum's guitar and were playing around, singing the chart songs and old classics. Bucky and Tandy were sat next to one another, Rayna and Deacon were curled up together – more than a little happy, and Jenny and Jethro were inside getting some drinks, however they had been in there for longer than they needed to be.

Everyone realised that evening that they were a family again. They'd seen their fair share of fights, trials and tests, but they were back where they wanted to be. They were happy, a family. Washington DC was no longer a forgotten city, and Jenny, well she was no longer a forgotten sister.

And life, well that seemed a whole lot brighter.

The End

How was it?

Was the song okay?

Please leave me one last review