A/N: I hated to leave y'all hanging! Work has been a nightmare, especially this week, so thanks for being patient with me. I hope it won't take as long for the next chapter. Enjoy!
As he kissed her, he couldn't stop thinking about how her mouth tasted, how her tongue felt as it battled his. He sucked on her lips, feeling like he could just devour her mouth. Her hands slid up and down his back as she kissed him back with the same fervor. He loved how responsive she was, how giving. She slid her knees up and then tipped her hips against him, making a soft little noise in the back of her throat. She slid one hand down between them, positioning him in a way that allowed him to feel just how ready she was for him.
He groaned at the feel of her hand on him. He lifted his head then and looked down at her. She smiled. "I think it's been a minute," she whispered. She moved her hand back to his shoulder and arched her back slightly, letting her knees fall farther apart.
He pushed, watching her face. As always, she almost seemed caught off guard, but then she moved her hips slightly, as he kept pressing in, letting her adjust. He loved how it felt to be inside her, how warm and welcoming she was, how it almost seemed like a tight hug. When he was fully inside her and she had relaxed, he kissed her. "How does that feel?" he whispered against her lips.
She moved her hands to his face, staring back at him. "Fucking amazing," she murmured. "Better than anything I could ever have dreamed up." When she said things like that, he felt a multitude of things. He felt lucky, he felt unworthy, he felt proud to be the one she said them to.
"You're the one who's fucking amazing," he whispered back and she laughed softly. Then he started to move inside her, closing his eyes as he let himself sink into the warmth and the wetness of her. He loved the little noises she made, the way her hands roamed over him, how she gripped his shoulders or his ass or his arms. He loved how she'd kiss him, on his lips, his eyelids, his cheeks, his shoulders, until that moment when she came and then she was gloriously, wonderfully joyful in her reaction.
When they were both spent, he rested his forehead on her shoulder and she linked her arms behind his neck and they both breathed in and out, coming down off the incredible high. "Oh, wow, Chip," she murmured. He lifted his head and looked at her. She smiled up at him. "You just never fail to amaze me," she said.
He smiled back and shook his head. "I'm inspired by you."
She laughed softly, the thick, throaty laugh he loved. "I think it's your curse to be eternally turned on by me," she said, and he laughed out loud.
He had a very early call the next day, the last day of filming for the next to the last episode, so he left after they had put Yoby down for the night. To do that together felt perfectly right, but it also made him feel wistful. He wished he never had to leave her, that he were stronger and could make the break he needed to make, and that his situation didn't feel so impossible. He knew spending this weekend with her was a gift, one they wouldn't get often, and he felt a knot in his stomach as she stood with him at the front door.
He had his arms around her waist and she lifted her hands to his face. "I needed this," she said.
He nodded. "Me too. I just wish…."
She cut him off by putting a finger over his lips. She shook her head. "Don't. We'll just take what we get and make the most of it." She smiled. "This was just so perfect, you know?" He nodded, feeling tears in his eyes. "Everything about it just felt absolutely right and necessary. I feel all filled up, stronger somehow. It was just what I needed to remind me of what we have. What we'll always have." She ran her thumb under his right eye, capturing a stray tear. "I love that you feel things, Chip. And that you're not afraid to let yourself feel things. It's how I know that this is real."
He smiled and tried to laugh a little, wanting to lighten the mood. "It's all real, baby. You know that." She nodded. "I love you."
She tilted her head back slightly and let him kiss her. "I love you more," she said.
He breathed in deeply. "We get the finale script tomorrow," he said.
She looked away for a second and it made him nervous. Then she looked back. "That we do." She let her hands slide down to his shoulders and she gave him a light pat. "We'll talk."
"We always do." He pulled her in close, putting his hand on the back of her head as she leaned against his shoulder. He breathed in the smell of her hair and then breathed out. "I hate leaving," he said.
"I hate you leaving," she said. She pulled back and looked up at him. "Call me before you go to sleep."
He smiled and kissed her. "I will." Then he sighed and stepped back, picking up his bag. She opened the door and he stepped out. She put her hand on his arm and he turned back and kissed her one last time. Then he walked out onto the porch and down the steps, heading for his car.
One of the things he'd grown to appreciate, quickly, was Callie Khouri's willingness to listen. The show had been her creation and, although the network dictated many things about storyline and character, she always listened. He'd felt a connection to her from the start. She was the one who'd created Deacon Claybourne, after all, and they had been in lockstep from the beginning about the kind of person he was. He was glad she was the one writing and directing their finale episode. While he left the politicking about story to others, this was something he felt like he could approach her with, and hopefully get her buy in on.
He found her in her office on the set and stuck his head in, knocking on the door jamb. She looked up and smiled. "Hey, Chip. Come on in." She got up from her desk and walked around, giving him a hug.
"You got a quick minute?" he asked.
"Of course. What's on your mind?" She directed him towards a seating area. When they were both seated, he leaned forward. He had brought the script with him, opened to one of the last pages.
"Well, I usually wouldn't do this, but I was reading this scene at the end when Deacon goes to see Rayna." One of the things he appreciated about Callie was that she didn't give away what she was thinking. She was listening, but he couldn't tell how she felt about either what he was saying or what he was referencing. He would probably never know, for sure, if it was her idea to set things up the way they were or not. Even with her name on the script as the writing credit, the network still had a say. He knew that, from everything he and Connie talked about. "So, here he's trying to convince her he's changed and he says" – he found the line on the script and started to read – "'This thing of ours? I know what I done. I broke your heart a thousand different ways and, God, I am sorry for that. But something changed. Me. I've learned what I need to do now.'" He looked up at her. "I wrote a song not too long ago and it really could easily be a song about Deacon and Rayna, about how he's figured out how to be the man she wanted him to be. It's called 'I Know How to Love You Now' and I think that would be the perfect thing for him to say instead of that last line."
She looked thoughtfully at him. "Read it to me again, but substitute that line." And he did and then he sat and waited. A smile crossed her face. "I like it, Chip. You sure it's okay for us to use it? Because I actually think that's pretty perfect."
He smiled. "Absolutely." He hated the scene, because he felt like it wasn't going to change the outcome, that Rayna was going to pick Luke anyway, but it made him feel better to have it sound more like what he thought Deacon would say. He stood up and she did as well. "Thanks, Callie," he said, reaching out to shake her hand.
"No, thank you, Chip," she said. "That's just perfect." As he turned to go, she called after him. "Did you say you wrote a song about that?" He looked at her and nodded. "Why don't you send it to Buddy? I've got an idea for how we might could use it. If you'll let us, that is."
He thought he was going to explode with excitement. "Are you serious? Of course you can use it. I'll send it right over to Buddy."
"It'll probably be next season, but I've got an idea."
He walked back over and hugged her. "Thanks, Callie. That would mean the world to me." Then he hurried out, hoping he could find Connie.
As he walked across the production building, he pulled out his phone and called her. "Where are you?" he asked, when she answered.
"Hair and makeup," she said. "Where are you? I've got a scene in a half hour."
"I just went to see Callie. Do you think you'll be done so we can talk privately?"
"I don't know how much time…."
"I just need a couple minutes. I promise."
"Meet me outside in twenty minutes then."
"See you then."
When he heard the trailer door open, he peeked around the side. "Hey!" he called out, in loud whisper. She turned towards him and smiled, then hurried down the steps and around the corner to where he stood. He smiled down at her. "You look pretty," he said.
She rolled her eyes. "Gotta bring old Luke home," she said, smirking.
He shook his head. "Maybe Deacon should have gotten shot up or something," he said, with a chuckle and she swatted at his arm.
"So what's going on? I need to get to set," she said.
"I went to talk to Callie today." She raised an eyebrow. "About that last scene. One of the lines." She looked at him carefully, wondering, he knew, what he'd done. "You remember the song I wrote, the one with Deana?" She nodded. "I pitched the title as a line for Deacon in that whole speech with Rayna in her kitchen."
She frowned a little. "Really?"
"When you have more time I can show you, but I read it through with 'I know how to love you now' and she's gonna change the line." He grinned.
She looked surprised. "Wow."
"Oh, and she might use my song."
"You played her your song?"
He shook his head. "No, but she wanted me to pitch it to Buddy. She thought we might could use it next season."
"If there is a next season."
He sighed. He wished she'd be more positive. Not that it made a difference in whether they'd be renewed or not, but he wanted her to want it as much as he did. "I know. But think how huge that would be." He winked. "Maybe Rayna would get to hear it after all."
She smiled. "Well, I did tell you that if she heard it, she wouldn't be able to resist you." She shrugged. "Maybe it'll work." She patted him on the arm then. "Listen, I gotta run, but let's talk before you leave, okay? I've got Yoby here today and I know he'd love to see his Chip." She laughed.
He nodded. "I'll hang around. Call me when you're done."
"I will." She lifted her hand in a wave and then hurried off towards the set, as he watched. He smiled to himself, thinking it had been a really good day.
He was reading over the script, trying not to feel despondent. He suspected Connie was right and that the 'powers that be' had no intention of letting Deacon and Rayna be together…at least not yet. He had to wonder if they'd go through with a wedding, yet another obstacle for them. It was hard to know how it would play out, if that was the route they took. He liked working with Connie. They'd had more scenes together now that Deacon and Maddie were exploring their relationship. Meaty, emotionally intense scenes, the kind he loved playing off opposite her. They'd had many long conversations about tone and feel and the motivations of each of their characters.
Of course, the elephant in the room, the thing still looming over them all, was renewal. There didn't seem to be any consensus of opinion, out in the TV world, about their chances. As many critics were predicting cancellation as were predicting some form of renewal, perhaps even a partial season. He didn't feel like they were done with the stories they could tell, but he also knew it was the role of a lifetime for him and he just wasn't ready to give it up.
Plus there was the matter of his relationship with Connie. He set the script aside and thought about that, pondered the what if's. If the show was renewed, even in a shortened season format, they still would see each other during the filming schedule, they'd still be able to have time together. But if they were cancelled, the future was cloudy. The idea of moving his family back to LA, after uprooting them already, was messy, but staying in Nashville didn't necessarily seem like the best answer. He didn't see Connie staying in Nashville, so there was the matter of her leaving to return to LA. But even if he did go back to LA, what happened to them? Did they have what it took to go the distance? Was the relationship just a function of being on the show together or was it bigger than that? He thought the latter, believed she did as well, but only time would tell. He just hoped it didn't come to that just yet.
Just then his phone buzzed and he picked it up. "Hey there," he said, without looking, assuming it was Connie.
"I thought you'd be home by now."
He sat up with a start, the script falling to the floor. "Oh, uh, some scene changes. Sorry."
"How much longer? Addie's got a game tonight."
He'd forgotten about that. One thing Patty did do well was keep the calendar up and make sure he got where he needed to be. "Well, go ahead and go and I'll meet you there." Just then there was a knock on the trailer door and he got up to open it. He was still holding the phone to his ear and he put his finger up to his mouth so that Connie wouldn't say anything. "Listen, I gotta run. I'll be there as soon as I can." Then he disconnected. Patty would be pissed, but he'd deal with that later. He slid his phone in his pocket and smiled. "Come on in."
She walked up the rest of the steps and slid past him as he closed the door. "You need to go?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I'm good." He reached for her hand and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. She leaned into him and put one hand on his face as she returned the kiss. He frowned as he pulled back. "I thought I was gonna get to see Yoby," he said.
"He was asleep and I hated to wake him up," she said, as she put a hand on his arm. "I left him with his nanny so I can't stay long." She took his hand and pulled him over to sit on the bench. "So tell me about talking Callie into changing a line."
He was still excited about that. "Yeah, I suggested it and read it with the change and she liked it."
"Can you read it for me?"
He nodded and reached down for the script that had fallen to the floor. He flipped to the page and started to read. "'This thing of ours? I know what I done. I broke your heart a thousand different ways and, God, I am sorry for that. But something changed. Me. I know how to love you now. That man you always wanted me to be? I am that man.'" He looked up at her, searching her face for how she felt about it.
She looked away, her hands clenching the edge of the bench. When she looked back at him, he wasn't sure what he saw. Finally she nodded. "I like it." She smiled a little. "And since I heard your song, I understand it. Maybe without that context, my question might be 'did you not know how before?' but I think you mean it in a different way than the literal." She chuckled softly. "Or Deacon means it that way."
He smiled back at her. "I think you're right. He's always loved her. But now he can love her the way she deserves. That's what he means, I think. He can be who she always knew he was, deep down inside. Who she wanted him to be." He looked at her closely. "You sure you like it? 'Cause I know you're not a fan of changing stuff up."
She grinned. "No, I am not. But you know what? I think you and I think a lot alike about these characters and their story. I think we're in sync, so it really works for us now. We can play off each other." She slid closer to him and leaned in to kiss him. "We think a lot alike, especially about this. I trust you, Chip."
He reached out and smoothed her hair. "Same," he said. Then he pulled her in for a lingering kiss and she clung to him. When he finally pulled his lips from hers, he leaned his forehead to hers. "I love you. More than anything else in my life."
She smiled. "Same." Then she pulled back. "I need to get going and it sounded like you do too." She gave him another quick kiss. "We've got a scene together tomorrow," she said with a wink.
He smiled, shaking his head. "I gotta play nice with Luke. Yay." She stood and he stood up with her. He walked her to the door and reached around her for the door knob. "Say hey to Yoby for me."
She smiled. "I will do that. And I'll see you tomorrow." She walked out the door and he watched her go down the steps and head back across the parking lot for her trailer.
The next day she found him in Deacon's living room. She looked excited and he smiled. "I've got news," she said, as she walked over and sat next to him on the couch.
He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What kind of news?"
"I got a part in a movie. Kind of a small part, but an interesting one."
"Tell me about it."
"I'll be a CIA agent. An action film with comedy in it. Jesse Eisenberg's in it. The guy from the Facebook movie. And Kristin Stewart. I'll be leaving for New Orleans as soon as we wrap here."
He frowned. "I thought you had the movie in Pittsburgh."
She nodded. "I do. This one is just a few weeks of work. But I haven't really done an action film before, so this is kind of exciting." He sighed and she looked puzzled. "Aren't you headed right out for that tour?"
"Yeah. But it's just a handful of dates."
"But still. You get to do your music, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Although I'll do stuff from the show too. That's what they're gonna want to hear."
She smirked. "Will you do 'Whiskey Lips'?"
He smiled then. "Probably."
"Will you dedicate it to me?" she said with a grin.
"Well, maybe not to you, but to Rayna."
She shrugged. "Same." She breathed in. "Will you have any time to yourself?"
"Yeah." He smiled. "I'll be sure to call you." He leaned closer. "Talk to you about all the things I wish I were doing to you."
She giggled. "I can't wait."
"Well, I'm hoping we still have some chances for the real thing before we wrap."
She nodded. "We will. We'll make sure we do."
"I'm still working on some kind of way to get to Pittsburgh while you're there."
She looked around. "They'll be here to set up any minute." They had a scene to film together, where Rayna was coming to pick up a guitar. He liked that Deacon and Rayna had found a comfortable place again, where they could talk and be around each other, but this particular scene had couple heavy moments and he was looking forward to playing those opposite her.
They stood up and she started to head on, but then she turned back and pinched his shirt, giving him a teasing smile. "I do love that Deacon's wearing a flannel shirt, you know," she said.
He chuckled. "You always were a sucker for a flannel shirt."
She wrinkled her nose. "Just you in a flannel shirt, darlin'," she said, then turned and walked off, leaving him to watch her with a grin on his face.
As they walked off the set after finishing the scene, she looked over at him. "You don't have anything else, do you?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Do you?"
She shook her head and smiled. "Nope. And Yoby stayed home today."
"Give me five minutes to get the makeup off."
"Don't drop off the flannel shirt just yet though," she said, with a sly look on her face.
He laughed. "Understood." They split up then and he hurried off to his trailer.
He had her pinned to the trailer wall. He had taken off her jacket and top and she was pressing herself against him as he kissed her thoroughly. When he pulled his lips from hers, he smoothed her hair back and she looked at him, a tiny smile on her face and a dreamy look in her eyes. She ran one hand down his chest, smoothing it over his flannel shirt. "I do love you in a flannel shirt," she murmured.
"So I see," he said, with a smirk.
Her smile spread across her face. "In fact, I think you should leave it on and take off the rest of your clothes."
He arched an eyebrow. "Only if you take off yours." He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. "Of course, you need to take them all off."
She winked at him as he stepped back and then she reached around her back to unfasten her bra. He moaned a little as she tossed it to the side. Then she took his hand and laid it over her left breast, smiling up at him. He ran his hand over her and then tweaked her nipple. She let her head fall back just a little and closed her eyes. "Um, that feels good," she whispered.
"Look at me, Connie," he said, his voice low, and she did. He kept fondling her breast and she reached out to unbuckle his belt and unzip his jeans. Then she put her hands on his waist and bit down on her lip. He let his hand slide down to her waist and then used both hands to unzip her pants, shimmying them part way down over her hips. Then he slid one finger inside her and she gasped. He leaned into her and whispered in her ear, "I want to be inside you."
She moaned out loud. "Oh, God, Chip," she said softly. He kept his finger moving inside her and she rocked her hips back and forth, her eyes holding his gaze.
He finally gave her a quick kiss. "This isn't what I want, Connie," he murmured. He moved his hand and turned her to face the wall, sliding her jeans down a little further. Then he slid his hands around to cup her breasts and he eased himself inside her. "How does that feel?" he whispered into her ear.
"It feels good," she moaned. He massaged her breasts, pulling and tweaking her nipples until she was whimpering. He slid in and out of her with long, powerful strokes and he could feel her trembling a little as she pressed her ass back against him. Her breathing quickened and the moans got louder and he knew she was right on the edge. He shortened his strokes and she pressed herself back against him until she cried out with her orgasm. He followed behind her, groaning loudly, and then wrapped himself around her while they both caught their breath.
"I love you, baby," he whispered against her shoulder.
"I love you too," she whispered back as he just held her close.