Sorry about the delay in chapters. Between the angst of Season 4 and the emotions towards the end of Season 3... put it this way, l wanted to do justice to the heartache Deacon and Rayna are dealing with. I certainly hope I got it right *fingers crossed*. This is just a short chapter; the emotion starts building in the next 2 chapters.

Rayna rubbed her temples, she could feel a headache coming on. She was convinced that Candy was behind the article, but at this stage there wasn't much they could do about it. It was well researched and it was largely truthful. For so many years she had denied to anyone who asked, that she had feelings for Deacon. She had always known that the words of denial were a lie, within her heart she had always known that he was her soul mate, that he made her a better person. They complimented each other, smoothed their rough edges off and filled the gaps in. It was confronting to see their truth exposed for all to see. It was going to take a while until she would be comfortable allowing the world to witness how she felt about Deacon. If the article was to believed, they were both able to express their feeling through their songs, so showing it off stage would be just an extension of that. She sniggered as she recalled Deacon's response to hearing about the article. In his usual, understated way, he just cut straight to the point.

"Well at least they are finally printing an element of the truth."

Maybe it was because Deacon had always been open about his love for her, or maybe he was just braver than her but he didn't seem upset by the article. Chewing on her lip, Rayna contemplated the years she had spent assuring Teddy that there was nothing between her and Deacon, and then more recently to Luke. She had wasted so much time denying the truth, to herself and everyone else. Rolling her eyes, she was realised that Deacon was right. It was time for them to step out of the shadows and allow their love to shine in the light.

Drumming her fingers on her desk, she toyed with the list of contacts in her phone. It had been a couple of weeks since she had left Natchez and left Beverley with a cheque of a million dollars. Lifting the phone to her ear as it dialled. She listened to Beverley's voice message as she contemplated what else she could say to get Deacon's sister to donate her liver to save him.

Rayna looked up from her computer as all of a sudden the usual buzz of Highway 65 was interrupted by the non-stop ringing of phones. Her own cell phone buzzed next to her. Glancing down at it, it was a number she didn't recognise. She was still frowning as Bucky as he walked in. The look of concern on his face, made her stomach churn.

"News just broke about Deacon's cancer."

"How?"

"Don't know, maybe someone at the hospital leaked it… This just came from Natchez."

Rayna's heart pounded in her chest as she took the envelope from Bucky. She could feel the world closing in on her. Her hands shook as she opened it. She knew before she opened it, that it was going to be bad news but nothing could prepare her for the painful jolt to her heart as the torn pieces of cheque fell onto her desk. Looking back later, she would be able to pin point this event as the exact moment when her whole world crumbled down around her. All hope she had for her and Deacon having a future together had been viciously torn to pieces by Beverley.

"Juliette has just arrived and demanding to see you."

Blinking at Bucky in disbelief, she managed to nod that she heard him before she sank back into her chair. Her heartbeat was pulsing loudly, drowning out all the other noises around her. Looking up at the retreating image of Bucky, her vision wavered as tears welled in her eyes. She couldn't do this, she couldn't go in there and pretend that everything was okay. She couldn't pretend that her heart wasn't lying in pieces next to that torn cheque. A single tear traced a slow path down her cheek as she let out a heart retching sob. Rayna could felt the tentacles of darkness lapping at the edges of her vision as she physically swayed in the chair. Gulping a large breathe, she dug her fingernails painfully into her palms. Mustering a strength she didn't think she had left, she forced herself upwards and slowly made her way towards the meeting room.

Rayna could see Juliette's lips moving but her voice was muffled to her ears. Rayna's eyes were wide in shock as she blinked frantically trying to gain some focus. Her mind was struggling to process everything that had occurred in the last five minutes. Her phone buzzing next to her broke through the fog of despair that had engulfed her. Looking down she saw it was Tandy. Her mind went blank seeing her sister's name on her screen. Knowing that news about Deacon's cancer had reached even Tandy on the East coast pushed Rayna over the edge. She had to get out of here, otherwise she was liable to have a breakdown in the middle of Highway 65's offices. Standing abruptly, she frantically gathered her stuff up. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape before she swayed towards the door.

"I can't…l can't do this right now" her voice barely a whisper as she flees the room.