NB: 200+ reviews...I am completely floored by your kindness, I am beyond grateful and appreciative for every single reviewer...Y'all are incredible humans...The song sung in this episode is 'I Will Fall - Tyler James & Kate York' - I do not own the song, copyright to the artist..PLEASE KEEP your LOVES/HATES/HOPES/FAVORITES/FOLLOWS/PMS/FAVORITE LINES & MOMENTS/COMMENTS and WHATEVER ELSE COMING...with that being said, enjoy chapter twenty eight...


CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

"Of course." Juliette muttered, throwing her hands in the air when she saw a dim light escaping the windows of Deacon's house. "Why didn't I think to look here earlier?!"

They'd been mid conversation after their CMA performance and she'd looked down at her cell phone for a second, when she'd turned to meet his gaze again he hadn't been there. He 'd disappeared, gone without a word. She knew that he hadn't been himself tonight; he'd been cranky and agitated, and his mind had been on anything but the show. But quite frankly, that didn't change the fact that she was angry with him for leaving. Right now, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind.

"Deacon, you and I need to talk...I mean, what the hell was that? Disappearin' like you-" Juliette called, raging through Deacon's front door.

Shocked, Juliette stopped in her tracks, her tongue falling silent, as her eyes grew wide. Deacon lay sprawled in an armchair, absentmindedly staring into the distance. She couldn't quite make out the extent of the ruins around him but she noticed a few things; a broken coffee table, smashed crockery, lamps where lying flat on the hardwood floor, and then there was his guitar. His guitar was string less; it's body shattered and splintering. He didn't seem too concerned, which worried her all the more. Juliette exhaled and reluctantly stepped over the debris that lay between her and Deacon as she made her way towards him. When Deacon refused to acknowledge her, she held up the battered guitar, shooting him a pointed look.

"It was out of tune." Deacon grimaced, resting his head on his hand.

Juliette pursed her lips and nodded, gently putting the broken instrument down. "Well, you're too miserable to be drunk…so."

"Look at you, you've got me all figured out, don't you?" Deacon said dryly.

"Hardly," She smiled, shoving her hands in her pockets. "but I know enough to know that you're not drunk."

"No, I'm not…But right now, I might as well be." He shook his head. "I mean, what's the point? Maybe it'll make me feel-"

"-Hey!" Juliette interrupted, crouching in front of him. "Look at me…"

Deacon ignored her.

"Look at me." Juliette demanded, clicking in his face. Deacon looked at her. "…Deacon, what happened?"

"I have a daughter." He replied, blowing heavily as the words hung in the air.

"What?" Juliette asked, barely able to get the word out of her mouth. Out of all the things she'd expected him to say that had been the last.

He laughed bitterly. "Yeah, a daughter, a child…Juliette, I'm a Father…"

"Deacon." Juliette sighed, discomfort crossing her face.

Deacon looked at the ceiling, his eyes still red from crying. He exhaled uneasily. "You know it's funny, I used to always say that I got sober for myelf…In my meetings, when I was in rehab, to whoever would listen…that's what I'd say, that's what you're supposed to say."

Juliette nodded as Deacon sunk further back into the armchair.

"It was never true." He whispered, shifting agitatedly. "I got…I…I got sober for Rayna."

Juliette swallowed hard, closing her eyes as tried to get her head around what he was saying.

"It was her that kept me sober, all those years I was hopin' for that somethin' we had, hopin' for her, hopin' she'd let me be the man she had always needed, the one she'd always wanted."

"Deacon, she isn't what saved your life…you did that…you got sober…you did that, not Rayna." Juliette shook her head, her tone desperate as she tried to make him see her point.

"I was always hopin' for somethin' more, and then she finally told me she loved…she…" He stumbled, stopping the words that were forming on his lips. Angry, he sighed, clearing his throat as he continued. "It doesn't matter what I thought or what she said because everythin' up to now has been a lie."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Maddie."

Impulsively, Juliette swore, already knowing what he was going to say.

Deacon smiled grimly as he looked up at her. "That's what I said."

"Deacon, I'm so sorry…"

"Thirteen years…thirteen years I've waited for Rayna and all along she's lied to me…I mean, not once did she ever say a word about any of it…What does that say about how she feels about me? What she thinks about me?...She couldn't trust me enough to tell me we had a daughter, she didn't trust me to be a Father…I was sober, I am sober…thirteen years, and…not once..." Deacon heaved, each word leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

"Listen, Rayna not tellin' you…That was her decision Deacon, not yours…You can't do this to yourself, you can't let it destroy who you are now, who you've become."

"Who I am? Who am I Juliette? Who the hell am I?...Make sure you add Father to the list…I'm a Father…I'm Maddie's Father…but then again, no I'm not because she's got Teddy…"

"Mmm Mmm…" Juliette shook her head. "You can't go down that road either."

Deacon swore, running his hands over his face. "I don't even know what the hell is goin' on….you know, nothin' makes sense to me…I hate it…Juliette, I just…I just wanna be alone."

"I might be pretty, but I sure ain't stupid…there's no way I'm gettin' up and walkin' out that door." Juliette said stubbornly.

"I'll be fine…"

"Well good, you can be fine and I'll be sittin' here on this floor. I'll sit here all night if I have to." She shrugged, ignoring his glare. "…because the last thing you need right now is to be alone…Deacon, I'm not goin' anywhere."

Deacon exhaled, noting that no amount of arguing was going to conjure a different response. "Why are you doin' this? Sittin' on my lounge room floor?"

"You need a friend." She smiled weakly, reaching for his hand to squeeze it. "….and I know that you'd do the same for me."

Deacon laughed, surprising both of them as he breathed a little easier.

"I'm starvin'...Where's the food at in this place?" Juliette looked around. "Or did you destroy your fridge too?"

Deacon smirked and pointed to his left. "There ain't a whole lot in my fridge…but there's gotta be a few cans of spaghetti in the cupboard above the microwave."

"Spaghetti it is." Juliette replied, jumping up as she followed his directions and walked out of sight. She opened the cupboard and pulled out the cans.

"I don't mind eatin' mine cold." He called, making her laugh.

Juliette's cell phone vibrated in her back pocket. Instinctively, she pulled it out to check it and she frowned. She could have sworn she hadn't heard it ring at all this last while. There were 3 missed calls and 2 voice messages. They were all from Rayna. Juliette dialled a number and put the phone to her ear to listen to her voice mail.

Hi, it's me, Rayna…I um, I still don't really know why I'm callin' you exactly…but…I'm kinda desperate.

Juliette cleared her throat, immediately looking around to make sure that Deacon wasn't behind her. She had never heard, or even imagined Rayna being in such a worked up state. Hearing her like this, it was disconcerting. Rayna's voice was strained; she sounded frantic and tearful all in the same breath.

I was hopin' that maybe, you might've seen Deacon tonight…I've been callin' him, I've called…and I…I just…I need him to answer…so if you know where he is…please…please just call me when you get this…thanks.

Juliette hung up the phone, biting her lip as she exhaled.

There was no way she couldn't call her back. She had to call Rayna, she had to.

Juliette ripped open a can of spaghetti and emptied it into a bowl before sticking it in the microwave.

"Hey, I um…" Juliette called, hitting a few buttons on the microwave. "I've gotta use your bathroom…."

"Through the door to the left, opposite the bedroom." He answered.

Juliette locked the bathroom door and turning the sink tap on. She pulled out her cell phone and dialled Rayna's number. She fidgeted as she waited.

"Deacon?" Rayna squeaked, her voice desperate.

"Juliette." Juliette replied.

"Hi."

"Hi…"

"Did you get my messages-?" Rayna tried, avoiding what she actually wanted to ask.

"-I did, that's actually why I'm callin' you…He's fine..." Juliette sighed, tapping her fingers on the sink. "Deacon's here…well, here bein' his house-"

"-He is?...I'll come, I'm comin' right-" Rayna interrupted.

"-I don't think that that's a good idea." Juliette said grimly, preparing herself for a fight.

"What do you mean?! Of course I'm comin' over."

"Not tonight you're not…It's not, I really don't think it's what he needs right-"

"-Do not tell me what I can and cannot do…You don't know the first thing about what he needs, I've known him a hell of a lot longer than you…I know him, I know…" Rayna yelled angrily, the last words becoming a whisper as they got caught in the back of her throat.

"No ones denyin' that…but you've gotta know that drivin' over here right now isn't gonna do anyone any good…" Juliette reasoned, ignoring Rayna's obvious irritation with her as she swore.

"So you know then?" Rayna choked.

"Yeah, Deacon, he um, he told me." Juliette hesitated.

"Juliette-"

"-Whatever it is that's goin' on here…it's not my business, it's not mine to tell…I just want to help him, that's all."

"I just…I…" Rayna mumbled as she grasped at straws. Fear filled her stomach as she tried to speak. "Is he? Did he? Juliette, is he?"

"Drunk? No…" Juliette said straight, her words certain and sure. "Rayna, he'll be okay…I've got it covered, trust me…He just needs time…"

Rayna nodded, jealousy and frustration hanging heavy on her skin. She wanted to be there, she wanted be there for him. She knew Juliette was right, distance was what was best, but it didn't silence the screaming inside that told her to get in the car and drive over there. She hated this; she hated the mess and every wayward emotion that came with it. He probably hated her too. Rayna felt sick just thinking about it, she couldn't think about it.

"Thank you." Rayna replied, barely hanging up the phone before falling backwards onto her bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her face, finally letting the tears fall freely as she lay alone.

- NASHVILLE -

Two days later…

"You're sure about this? Announcin' your label tonight?" Bucky asked, looking up from his cell phone as people rushed back and forth backstage.

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Rayna replied, clearly distracted as she searched through the faces that passed them.

"You don't have to do this, not tonight." Bucky spoke quietly, worry on his face as he watched her.

Her eyes were raw, exhaustion clinging to her skin as she put on her best smile. She didn't have to say a word, he knew she hadn't been sleeping; he knew she was barely holding it together, and he knew that it had something to do with Deacon. She'd tried to hide it, but it showed. These last two days he'd cancelled appointments without consulting her. Bucky knew she'd be angry about that, but he also knew she would thank him for it later. The only reason they were here now was because Rayna had fought him on it. Tonight was Scarlett and Gunnar's debut at the Grand Ole Opry and she was determined to be the one to introduce them. He'd finally given in, and now here they were backstage, waiting and watching.

"Announcin' the label alongside introducin' the artists I'll be signin' is the perfect thing to do." Rayna shrugged, still focused on people passing by. "Who knows, it might even shut Marshall up."

"He's not here." Bucky said bluntly, causing her to stop mid motion and look at him.

"Of course he's not here, you and I both know that Marshall doesn't come to these kinds of things if he doesn't have to."

"Just like you and I both know that I wasn't talkin' about Marshall…"

"Bucky."

"Rayna."

"I wasn't lookin' for Dea-"

"-Rayna Jaymes?" Someone called, interrupting their conversation before talking into a headset. "You're up next."

"Thank you." Rayna nodded, giving Bucky a knowing look before gathering her most convincing smile to walk up the steps and onto the stage.

Applause and cheering roared as Rayna made her way to centre stage. She let out a small chuckle when the audience made no attempt to quieten down.

"Look at this! Y'all are amazin', you know that?" Rayna grinned, holding her arms out as she embraced the applause. "I wanted to come out tonight because I want to make a very special announcement, and I wanted my friends here at the Opry to be the first to hear…I'm about to launch a brand new record label called Highway 65 Records."

Cheering and clapping fell onto the stage again as the audience roared with approval.

"This has been a life long dream of mine and I'm so excited about it…So with that bein' said..." Rayna smiled, looking to her right where Scarlett and Gunnar stood nervously. "I would like to introduce two very special guests that I have here with me…Please give them a very warm Opry welcome...They are wonderful, excitin', new artists who I've actually had the pleasure of collaboratin' with personally and I love them dearly. Their names are Scarlett O'Connor and Gunnar Scott."

Hesitantly, Gunnar and Scarlett walked out onto the stage. Gunnar smiled, nodding his head in thanks as he walked past Rayna to pick up a guitar lead. Scarlett stumbled into Rayna's arms, mumbling her thanks.

"Have you um, have you seen Uncle Deacon?" Scarlett whispered, terror crossing her face as she tried to ignore the applause.

"No I haven't." Rayna replied, noting the fear in her voice.

"He said he'd be here to see us."

"You know what? He's probably just hidin' somewhere." Rayna tried, squeezing her hands. "He's not so big on bein' in the spotlight...You are gonna be so great…go on, get over there."

"Hi." Scarlett greeted, giggling nervously as she adjusted the microphone on the stand and looked around the room. "It's such an honor to stand on this stage in front of y'all. Thank you so much for havin' us tonight."

"Thank you." Gunnar added, talking into his microphone. "This song is called I Will Fall, and we are Scarlett and Gunnar."

Everybody clapped, anticipation falling over the room as Gunnar began to slowly play the beginnings of what the song would become, his fingers moving effortlessly over the strings.

"I'm afraid to go up onto the second floor." Gunnar sang.

Scarlett stepped up to her microphone, looking over at him as they sung together. "If you wanted to work it out why'd you lock the door? I thought I was good at loving you, but our light went out when you wanted it to. I wish you the best, I'm headed west. It's all I know to do."

Looking on steadily, Rayna watched in awe. The way that their voices seemed to dance around one another, each dipping, spinning and gliding in perfect unison amazed her. It reminded her of when she and Deacon sang together. Pushing the thought out of her mind, Rayna found herself looking over into the wings on the other side of the stage. She gasped.

Deacon.

"I will fall, I will fall if you come around." They sung.

Rayna cleared her throat and fidgeted with her fingers as she talked herself into staying put. Her mind flashed memories of the last time she and Deacon had spoken. Right now Rayna, the last person I wanna talk to, the last person I need, the last person I wanna be around is you.

"Just when I think my heart break has settled down." They continued, keeping the audience captive as they sang.

Rayna shook her head slightly, refusing to let her emotions prey on her. She realized she was shaking He's here. Deacon's here. Has he seen me, too?

Suddenly, she felt a burning sensation and her eyes darted up, abruptly meeting Deacon's. Rayna swore under her breath, unable to tear her eyes away from his. He looked as weary and tired as she felt. Tension bubbled inside her stomach as her eyes searched his. Whatever internal battle she was fighting, he was fighting it too.

Scarlett and Gunnar smiled at each other. "I will fall, I will fall if you come around."

Rayna swallowed, desperately trying to communicate with him over the distance as she willed her eyes to speak. Deacon went rigid, immediately looking away before he turned around and disappeared.

- NASHVILLE -

Deacon stormed through the parking lot, fumbling to find his keys in his pockets as he walked. He needed to get away; he couldn't do this, he couldn't see her, not yet.

"Hey." Rayna called, her voice strained as she tried to get his attention.

"Leave me alone."

"Deacon, please."

"Go away." He shook his head, opening the driver door.

"No, come here." Rayna tried again, throwing her hand against the door when he tried to close it. "I wanna talk to you-"

"-Leave me alone Rayna."

"Please talk to me." Rayna pleaded, reaching for him arm. "Come on babe-"

"-Please just…Rayna, go back inside!" Deacon demanded, looking at her angrily when she refused to move.

She looked over at the empty passenger seat and fear rushed through her veins as she caught sight of something she didn't want to see. Rayna shifted her weight as she inhaled and tried to take her eyes off the Jack Daniels bottle that lay there idly. She tore her eyes away and finally looked at him.

"Deacon…" She whispered cautiously, letting go of his arm. "Are you drunk?"

"You think that I?...You..." Deacon shook his head furiously, his eyes wide as he spoke sarcastically. "Of course you do, of course that's what you think of me…I'm just a hopeless drunk."

"Deacon." Rayna swallowed, shaking her head.

Deacon pointed off into the distance. "I can't do this with you…Go back inside."

"Are you serious?! I'm not goin' anywhere." Rayna exclaimed, standing her ground. "Not while you're like this."

"Like what Rayna?!" Deacon fumed, realising that she was looking at his passenger seat. He lifted up the unopened bottle of whiskey. "I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not drunk Rayna…I haven't opened the damn bottle…I'm sober, been sober these last thirteen years if you haven't noticed…Right now, I'm feelin' everythin' I don't wanna be feelin' a hundred times over. And you bein' here…you're makin' it worse-"

"-Slide over right now!" Rayna ordered, ignoring the stabs he's made at her.

Deacon was furious, the wind had been knocked out of him. She thought he was drunk, that had been her first assumption. Admittedly, he'd thought about it over the last forty-eight hours. He'd thought about how easy it would be to forget, to drown the images stuck on his mind and the pain that they held. Maybe that was why he'd wandered into a liquor store earlier tonight and walked out with a bottle of whisky in hand. Deep down, he knew he wouldn't open it, he knew he wouldn't do it. Nevertheless, he'd brought it anyway, and now his decision to do so was biting him in the back.

"I'm not lettin' you-" Rayna shook her head, putting a hand on the wheel.

"-Damn it, Rayna!" He yelled, trying to pull the door shut. "I'm not drunk! I can look after my-"

"-Move over!"

"I'm! Rayna, get off me-!" Deacon shouted, shaking her hands off him.

Rayna swore, shoving all her weight against him abruptly. "No! You slide over right now!"

The force with which she'd delivered the blow startled him and he went tumbling sideways. Before he had a chance to right his balance, Rayna was climbing into the driver seat and pushing him over into the seat next to her. There was no point fighting her on this, he didn't have it in him, he was too angry. She turned the key in the ignition, looked over her shoulder and reversed out of the parking space.

For a long while they drove in silence, both refusing to speak as tension began to mount between them. It was stifling; neither knew how much long they could do this. Deacon couldn't take it any longer. Who was he kidding? He had too many words waiting to be said.

"You thought I was drunk."

"No, I didn't…" Rayna stammered, regretting the fact that she'd jumped to that conclusion so quickly. "It was just…there, on the seat-"

"-You thought I was drunk Rayna…You lost faith in me …now, back then, you lost faith in me."

"I never lost faith in you." Rayna countered, looking over at him briefly. "and I have not lost faith in you now. Babe, I love you-"

"-You love me? Hmmm." Deacon interjected, scratching his head. "I'm not so sure."

"Why would you say somethin' like that?"

"Because I honestly don't even know what's real and what isn't when it comes to you and me."

"Don't." Rayna whispered, gasping for air as she felt her eyes burn.

"Don't do what Rayna?!" Deacon yelled, startling her as she changed lanes. "You lied to me…you lied."

"Not tellin' you about Maddie has nothin' to do with how I feel about you…You know that, you know that that's not a lie."

"Nothin' to do with it? Ok well, here's how I feel…Rayna, I can't breathe, I'm so confused, and I'm angry…I'm not so sure I can find anythin' polite to say to you…Hell, I'm not even sure if I can be around you without explodin'-"

"-Stop it!" Rayna yelled.

"You stop it!" Deacon yelled, looking out the window where she muttered expletives.

"See here, the way you're speakin' to me right now, the way you're actin'…this is exactly why I never told you."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, that's right…"

"That's just great."

"Believe it or not, I didn't do any of this to hurt you. I did it for Maddie. She needed a Father that was gonna be there for her, a Father that'd love her, she needed stability…I needed that too…and you…"

"Well, you made the right choice, choosin' Teddy over me…" Deacon finally spoke, hiding the hurt in his voice. "Because clearly I wasn't any of those things…"

"Yes, I mean no-"

"-Look, Rayna, I know what I was like…I get that you didn't trust me, I know I didn't deserve your trust…Hell, I hurt you so badly." Deacon choked, squeezing his eyes closed to shut her out. His body was numb, his voice uneven. "But I got sober…and it stuck…and not once, not once in all these years did you think to put enough faith in me to tell me that we had a daughter…"

"I-" Rayna tried, tears stubbornly beginning to fall.

"-We're done."

"What?"

"You and me, we're done talkin' about this..." Deacon nodded, struggling to breath. "…I need…Pull over, I wanna get out."

"This is ridiculous, I'm not pullin' over…You're comin' home with me." Rayna shrieked, looking in her mirrors as she changed lanes.

"I'm not goin' anywhere with you."

"Yes, you are, I'm the one whose driv-"

"-No, I'm not." Deacon disagreed, shaking his head viciously as he reached out for the steering wheel. "Drive me home, pull over, I don't care-"

"-You're so damn stubborn, do you know that?!" Rayna cried, pushing his hand away as she turned her head to look at him. He snapped his head in the other direction in an attempt to avoid looking at her. She rolled her eyes. "Babe, I know you hate me right-"

"-Rayna!?" Deacon bellowed, fear jolting through his body when his eyes caught sight of the car fast approaching from their right.

Instinctively, he leant over her to pull the steering wheel hard towards him in an attempt to avoid a collision. Rayna screamed, realisation hitting her as she disjointedly followed Deacon's lead, her fingers clutching the steering wheel with his. It all happened at once; the screeching of tyres, the useless pleads that escaped their mouths, the struggle to keep control of the car when it left the road, and the crash that came when the car was sent hurdling into a deep ditch. Everything blurred; all sound and sense of place gone. The last thing Deacon heard was Rayna scream his name.