A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.

Chapter 12

"If you'll both take look at the packets in front of you, you will find that we have everything for how this tour is gonna go laid out." Marshall Evans spoke to both his star artists.

"Everything looks in order to me." Glenn said after taking a moment to look it over.

Bucky quickly looked over the papers in the packet they had been given and nodded his head. "It looks fine to me too." He gave his stamp of approval.

Juliette and Rayna sat on opposite sides of the conference table from each other. Neither of them had made a move to talk to the other yet. They were both grudgingly getting into this tour.

"Does anyone have any questions?" Marshall asked.

"I don't have any questions." Rayna looked utterly bored by the whole situation.

"Neither do I." Juliette concurred.

"We were thinking for this tour to really be a success that you two need a duet. Get together and go over the approved songs that we have from publishers to see which one will work the best for you.' Marshall didn't give them a choice in the matter.

Rayna cut her eyes at Bucky. She detested being told what she could and couldn't record.

"Glenn, give us a time that works for you guys and we will see if it works for us." Bucky spoke on Rayna's behalf.

"Sure, I will get that to you as soon as possible." Glenn replied.

"If there's nothin' else then I have places to be." Rayna left the conference room without another word.

"Do you really need to be that hostile when it comes to her?" Bucky was careful to keep his tone light, but it had to be said.

"Bucky, I don't wanna be on tour with her, but since I don't have a choice I'm gonna get through this the best way that I know how. I'm not gonna be Ms. Sparkly Pants' best friend. I just don't have it in me." Rayna sighed.

"Ray, I hate to tell you this, but you're gonna have to pretend." Bucky tried to reason with her. He knew that he would have better luck talking to a brick wall, but he still had to try.

"Buck, I have some place to be that I really don't wanna be this mornin'. Please don't lecture me. Tell momma what I did and she can lecture me later." Rayna groaned. There was a reason she was so dressed up and it had nothing to do with her Edgehill meeting.

"I'll do that." Bucky replied. He knew better than to try to talk to her when she was in a mood like this.

Ridge did his best to stand as still as he could. It took everything in him not to squirm around. All these damn tv cameras were on him and he didn't like it one little bit. His cowboy hat kept falling over his eyes and he had to constantly adjust it. As soon as he was done here he would go and get a new one that fit him better. That was the one thing he liked about being in the sheriff's office and not the Nashville PD he got to wear a cowboy hat. He had his arms behind his back and the fingers of his left hand encircled his right wrist. He looked out in the crowd and saw his mother there. He gave her a quick smile and then went back to work.

Rayna snuck into the press conference that was already under way. She took a seat up front next to her sister and her mother.

"You're late," Tandy leaned over and whispered to her.

"I had things to do. He will get over it or he won't I don't care." Rayna whispered back.

"Both of you be quiet and listen to what your daddy has to say." Virginia whispered harshly to both her daughters.

"What's Ridge doin' here? This isn't his usual assignment." Rayna asked her mother.

"Your father asked the sheriff's department for him and they won't turn him down. So here is your baby brother lookin' very uncomfortable. I'm sure I'll hear 'bout this from him after this is over." Virginia informed her before falling silent.

Rayna crossed her legs and sighed. "I just hope this doesn't go on too long." She grumbled.

"You're not the only one." Virginia spoke out of the side of her mouth.

"You know how long winded he can be." Tandy commented lowly.

Thankfully Lamar didn't drone on for too long. He stepped down from the podium and went to greet his family. He kissed Virginia's cheek. "Thank you for coming. I know that you didn't want to be here."

"I was happy to do it. Someone had to represent the Jaymes family's interest here. It would have looked odd if I hadn't come." Virginia smiled at him tightly. She would forever regret the day she'd agreed to marry that man.

Tandy hugged her father. "You were good up there, daddy."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I can always count on you." Lamar praised her.

"Congratulations, daddy," Rayna fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Thank you, Rayna, you were late as usual." Lamar just couldn't let that stand.

"Daddy, I have a job, a husband, and two kids. I'm lucky if I ever make it out the door on time. Don't take it personally I didn't do it just to spite you. believe it or not I'm not sixteen anymore." Rayna kept a sweet smiled plastered on her face while she spoke.

Ridge walked over with his cowboy hat tucked under his arm. "Well, I can see that you're in a mood today. Now I know I better stay on your good side. You scare me more than the criminals I deal with a bein' a damn war zone combined." He had a charming smile fixed on his face.

Tandy scoffed at that. "Ridge, I love you, baby brother, but you don't try to stay on either of our good sides. You do whatever you can do to piss the both of us off."

"I'm the little brother, that's my job." Ridge shrugged his shoulders.

"You're the only person capable of stayin' on my good side when I'm in a bad mood. Why do you think Deacon sends you to deal with me?" Rayna pinched his cheek teasingly.

Ridge blushed. "Don't do that we're in public and I'm in uniform."

"Ridge, leave your sister be. you know they can't help bein' the way they are." Virginia called him down.

"Ridge, thank you for coming." Lamar interrupted.

"I didn't have much of a choice. I'm happy to be here and do my job." Ridge replied. He would never understand why the older man had such a damn obsession with him.

"Virginia, I'm starting to think that all of your children just come with that attitude." Lamar looked at his ex-wife.

"What can I say? They come from good stock." Virginia smirked at him.

"I need to get goin'. I left my husband alone with his best friend and that scares the holy hell outta me. I don't know if I'll still have a house standin' when I get home. Those two aren't as bad as they used to be, but they still are not to be trusted alone." Rayna made an excuse to get out of there. She didn't like to deal with her father any more than she had to.

"I'll walk you out." Tandy grabbed her by the arm and started to walk out with her.

"You seem in a hurry to get away from daddy." Rayna said as they walked together.

"I'm in a hurry to get you away from daddy. The last thing I need is you two getting into it in public." Tandy replied.

"I wasn't gonna get into with him. I just don't understand while he still has to treat me like a child. I know that I will never be you in his eyes, but it would be nice to know just once in my life that he's proud of me. I don't need his approval it would just be nice to have it." Rayna retorted.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with you sometimes." Tandy shook her head at her.

Deacon and Vince were sitting in the music room at Deacon and Rayna's house trying to get some work done.

"So, how does it feel knowin' that the missus is leavin' you home to play mister mom again this year?" Vince loved to stir the pot when it came to Deacon and Rayna. It was probably hands down his favorite past time.

"Vince, do you have to try to start shit with her even when she's not 'round?" Deacon looked up from his guitar. He had been strumming a new melody.

"You know that I do. It's one of my favorite things in the world to do." Vince played around the drums for a minute.

"Well, I really wish that you wouldn't. I swear that it is your mission in life to get my wife pissed off at us both. I don't know why you like makin' her mad. I try my best to avoid pissin' her off. In all the years I've been with her it's been my goal not to make her mad. She is just like her mother and the wrath of her of her vengeance can be biblical." Deacon shook his head at him. His best friend had made it his mission in life to act like a child whenever Rayna was around.

"I know that it bothers her or I wouldn't do it. If she would just take me with a grain of salt then I wouldn't bug her half as much as I do." Vince retorted.

"That's enough outta you. Are you gonna sit here and talk shit on my wife all day or our we gonna get this new song down? We are just takin' another year off from tourin' that doesn't mean that ain't gonna put out an album." Deacon just stared at him in disbelief. He knew what Vince was like and still his behavior shocked him at times.

"Yeah we can get this song down. I don't see what the rush is." Vince told him.

"The rush is that we need to have somethin' to do with our time while our wives our out on the road." Deacon pointed out to him. Shelby was one of Rayna's backup singers.

"This may sound wrong, but me and the boys are kinda happy to be bachelors for a little while. We won't have Shelby there to nag us and we will get to do the things that she don't approve of." Vince laughed.

"It's gonna be a miracle if those two boys become productive members of society with the way you act in front of 'em. I ain't lookin' forward to bein' here with just the girls again. That's not 'cause I don't love my daughters, but I'm gonna miss the hell outta my wife and it's easier dealin' with those two when she's here. I'm their daddy and they love me to death, but they are little girls and they love havin' their momma 'round. Those three have a relationship I don't even pretend to understand and I don't wanna get in between." Deacon picked out a random tune on his guitar out of boredom.

Vince smirked at him. "You livin' with all those women is makin' you soft. You sound all girly and shit when you talk now."

Deacon laughed. "Bite me, Vince."

"I would, but I think you might taste funny." Vince cracked up laughing.

Deacon chuckled despite himself. His friend wasn't that funny, but the way he cracked his own self up made him funnier. "Dude, I don't know why your parents haven't disowned you yet. I swear the reason they gave you money every time you asked for it was to keep you up here and out of Texas."

"Hell yeah, they pay me to stay away for long periods of time. They will have me send their grandsons and Shelby down to visit. They tell me that I can only come home if I promise to behave myself as much as is humanly possible for me." Vince had tears running down his face from laughing so hard.

"Do I have to tell you why that's not somethin' to be proud of?" Deacon arched his eyebrow at him.

"When will you realize that I enjoy every minute of bein' the way I am?" Vince wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"I swear you make me want to take my grandfather-in-law up on his offer to have you taken out." Deacon sighed loudly.

"Virgil doesn't like me?" Vince actually looked alarmed for a change. He loved Rayna's grandfather.

Deacon laughed. "Vince, he really likes you. He just said if you ever got to be too much for me that he knew people who would gladly take you out."

"Shit, we thought Lamar was ruthless he ain't got nothin' on Virgil Jaymes." Vince only laughed harder.

"Vince, the fact that you think my daddy is the scary one shows how little you know." Rayna walked in and threw herself down on the couch next to her husband.

"Virgil is harmless." Vince scoffed.

"No he's not at all. When we were gettin' ready to have Maddie Ray and I weren't in a good place. He had me brought out to his house and told me if I had no intention of doin' right by his granddaughter and great-grandchild that I would be better off dead. The way I was livin' wasn't livin' and if I intended to carry on that way I should let him know, so he could put me out of my misery. So, believe me when I say I'm more worried 'bout him than I am Lamar." Deacon explained to him.

"Pawpaw doesn't mess around when it comes to me. That's why you should worry 'bout messin' with me. I don't have to have Deacon or my daddy to protect me. I have a man in my corner who isn't scared to go to prison over one of his babies." Rayna smirked at him.

"Let's see in the last fifteen minutes I've been told that my parents pay me an allowance to stay away and I've been threatened with death. You two are supposed to be my friends and this is how you treat me." Vince fake pouted.

"If you wouldn't be such a pain in the ass you wouldn't have to worry about bein' insulted." Rayna threw out at him.

"I am spunky and lovable I don't know why you have to be so mean to me." Vince shot back at her.

"Ok, that is enough. I'm 'bout to send both of you away, so I can get some damn work done." Deacon put his foot down.

"What about if instead of gettin' work done you took me out for a date?" Rayna suggested to him.

Deacon checked the time on his phone. "Babe, I would love to go out on a date with you, but the girls get outta school soon."

"Don't you worry about that. I got a call from their mawmaw just before I got home and she offered to take them for a little while, so we can have some time together." Rayna told him.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your mother?" Deacon smiled happily.

"You have and I do know how much you two love each other. I couldn't get rid of you even if I wanted to because my momma loves you so damn much. If we had a fight she would ask you what I did wrong before takin' a side." Rayna joked around with him. Virginia was always on her side no matter how wrong she was. The only time her mother hadn't backed her fully was when she was contemplating not telling Deacon that Maddie was his daughter.

"Vince, get the fuck outta here. I wanna spend some time with my wife before she goes tourin' all over the country." Deacon kicked his best friend out.

"I know more 'bout your sex life than I wanna know. I'm just gonna go and I will see you later." Vince packed his stuff up and left. He didn't want to see those two going at it yet again.

Virginia leaned up against the side of her bright red Chevy Silverado. She was waiting for her granddaughters to get out of school and she didn't want them to miss her. It was hard to believe they were as old as they were now. It seemed just like yesterday that she had been picking her own girls up from school.

Now her oldest was a big time exec and her youngest was a superstar in the same career field that she had chosen. She loved that she had gotten to be there for her baby boy and her granddaughters. It gave her a taste of what she had given up with her oldest two children to be able to tour.

She smiled widely when her youngest granddaughter came running to her with her arms open wide. She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around her when she finally reached her. "My sweet Daffy Duck." She cooed. She smothered the little girl's face with kisses.

"Mawmaw, I'm so happy to see you." Daphne hugged her tightly and giggled.

"I'm so happy I'm here too." Virginia hugged her so hard she lifted her off the ground and then sat her back down on her feet.

"Only Uncle Ridge hugs me hard enough to pick me up." Daphne told her.

"Where do you think your Uncle Ridge learned how to hug?" Virginia booped her nose.

"From you?" Daphne looked up at her with a huge grin on her face.

"Not from me from your daddy. Your daddy always used to hug him that way when he was a little boy." Virginia told her.

"Did he really?" Daphne asked excitedly. Two of her favorite people in the world were her daddy and her Uncle Ridge.

"He did indeed, Squirt." Virginia used Deacon's nickname for her.

"So that's a really special hug." Daphne chirped happily.

"It sure is. Your daddy and Uncle Ridge used to call it a grizzly hug." Virginia took Daphne's backpack from her and threw it in the back seat of the truck.

"Daddy really loves Uncle Ridge doesn't he?" Daphne was always full of questions.

"Of course, he does. Your daddy and Uncle Ridge love each other so much. Deacon is the big brother that Ridge never had and Ridge may turn out to be the closest thing that Deacon ever has to a son." Virginia kissed Daphne's forehead.

"Do you two have to act like that out here? All of my friends can see you?" Maddie walked up sulking like usual.

"It's nice to see you too, Sunshine." Virginia knew that the sulkiness came with the age. That and she was half Deacon and he was well known for brooding.

Maddie threw her head back and groaned. "Can we please just get out of here? School is so lame."

Virginia pointed to the truck. "Get in the truck and we will get out of here and do somethin' that might be a little more fun for you."

"Why didn't you bring Betty? Why'd you have to pick us up in Jasper?" Maddie referred to her Mustang.

"I thought that Jasper needed to get out and have a little adventure. I promise the next time I pick you up I will bring Betty." Virginia swore to her. Her mustang was named in honor of her grandmother on her mom's side.

"We are gonna have an adventure?" Maddie got into the passenger side on the back seat.

"We sure are." Virginia opened the rear driver's side door for Daphne and helped her inside. She got behind the wheel and started the truck up. "Girls, put your seatbelts on."

Both girls put their seatbelts on.

Virginia drove them out to their her parents ranch. "Who wants to go four wheelin'?"

Maddie and Daphne both raised their hands.

Virginia drove to a back part of her parents' property and put the truck in four wheel drive. She pressed her foot down on the gas and cut the wheel hard to the left. A huge plume of dust shot up behind the truck.

The girls both squealed in delight in the back seat as they did a doughnut.

Virginia drove them around like a crazy person for a little while before she came to a stop. She turned around to look in the backseat. "Who wants to go see Nana and Pop?"

Again both the girls raised their hands.

Virginia drove back to the main house and waited for both the girls to get out of the truck. She used her key to unlock the door and let them inside. "Momma! Daddy! I'm home!" She called out loudly. She knew in their old age both her parents were hard of hearing.

Ruth stepped into the foyer. "Ginny Lyn, how many times do I have to tell you not to yell like that every time you walk in this house? I have my damn hearin' aid in."

"I thought you might like to see you great-granddaughters, but I can always take 'em home to their momma and daddy." Virginia told her.

"Don't you dare. You let me see those two sweet girls." Ruth chastised her daughter. "Maddie, Daphne, come in the kitchen with me I have fresh baked cookies." She held an arm open to each girl.

Maddie hugged her Nana on one side. "You always do, Nana."

Daphne hugged her Nana on the other side. "You make the best cookies, Nana."

"I know I do you don't have to tell me that. I always have fresh cookies, 'cause your pop is a cookie monster." She tickled both the girls and they giggled loudly. "Ginny Lyn, go see what that mean daddy of yours is up to." She called over her shoulder to her daughter.

"He's not mean he's just fine." Virginia laughed. "You give those girls as much sugar as you can before I give them back to your precious grandbaby. She deserves it for every ounce of trouble she gave me growin' up."

"Hush, Ray-Ray is an angel and so are these girls. You just go deal with your daddy. You think he's fine 'cause you're just like his mean ass." Ruth pointed in the direction of the living room.

Virginia waved over her shoulder and went into the living room to find her father.

Virgil was in the living room messing around with a guitar. It looked like he was trying to restring it.

"Daddy, what are you doin'?" Virginia put her hands on her hips.

"I'm tryin' to restring my guitar, but this is harder than it used to be when I was younger." Virgil looked up at her. He had his glasses on and was using a magnifying glass to put the strings on his guitar.

"Daddy, send the guitar home with me I will give it to Deacon and then I will bring it back. Don't you ever think you have to do stuff like this on your own. You have a grandson-in-law who loves you dearly and loves this ranch. He will come out here and do whatever you want him to no questions asked. From now on if you need somethin' you call me." Virginia scolded him. No matter what she did she couldn't get him to see that he was getting older and couldn't do as much as he used to.

"Do you really think he would do this for me?" He asked her.

"I know that he would. Not Just 'cause you're one of Ray-Ray's favorite people. Daddy, he loves you so much and you know he does. All you have to do is ask him. He doesn't know what you need unless you ask. I suck at this or I'd do it for you. Let me take the guitar to Deacon. I promise you that you'll have it back first thing tomorrow." She reassured him.

"Ok, if you say so." Virgil handed her his guitar.

"Your great-granddaughters are in the kitchen with momma. I'm sure that you wanna go see them." Virginia informed him.

"Of course, I do. I love those two little munchkins." Virgil lit up brightly.

"Well, go help momma spoil them rotten. I want you to. It's what their momma and daddy both deserve." Virginia kissed his cheek.

"I know just how to spoil them." Virgil got to his feet and walked into the kitchen.

A/N: Here is the next chapter, I hope y'all enjoyed it. I'm sorry for the long wait and i'm going to try to do better. Until next time please review.