Author's Note: I'm finally back! I needed this long break from writing, but I do have nine complete chapters(and more planned out) which are pretty thrilling. They still have to go through editing but they are there. Just a reminder that I am not the strongest with grammar so I apologize for inconsistencies. Thank you to my friends Anna and Cora for encouraging me to continue to write. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nashville

"I think it was just a little grace note, to say there is life ahead of you. You will go on to love again."-Callie Khouri

Chapter I

Ilse stood facing the mirror, looking at the simple white dress she was wearing. It was a purchase from her most recent shopping trip with Scarlett, Maddie, and Daphne. Her hair was resting on her shoulders with a natural color pallet for her makeup. As she grasped her delicate gold coin necklace, she thought about her life leading up to this moment. They met and grew close when his stepdaughter, Daphne, auditioned for Nashville's Next. Although the teen didn't win the competition, they had built a wonderful friendship, and to her surprise, she became close to her father.

As a singer and songwriter, she couldn't believe her ears when he said yes to writing songs together after the singing competition had concluded. After a few months of writing songs with each other, he asked her to be a part of Highway 65 as a mentor and producer to young artists with the option to become a solo artist at the label. The two tried to keep it professional for several more months, but with the occasional slip with their hands "accidentally" touching or catching each other's eyes in meetings. But nothing ever happened past that because they were scared of taking things farther, not wanting things to fail. He didn't want to damage a beautiful relationship they were beginning to build, and she didn't want to overstep with anything related to his late wife. There was just too much respect for both parties to mess things up.

The months of acting around their feelings became too hard for her, so she decided to pack up and return home. She did this without saying goodbye and by leaving her resignation letter on Deacon's desk. When she returned home, she found it was hard to "go back to normal." She kept trying to forget the memories and return to her music process before meeting him, trying to create a distraction. But for some reason, inspiration was lacking these days and the memories we're constantly flooding her head.

She spent the days just wandering a path trying to seek inspiration until one day, he appeared at her doorstep when she returned home from her morning adventures. He had yet to notice her till she made her presence known.

Ilse's thoughts drifted back to the days where the flame sparked.

"Hey." Ilse smiled as she approached Daphne's family. She was glad that Deacon had only noticed her arrival while the girls were in their own little world. This weird feeling swept over her as she searched for the right words to say.

"Thank you." Deacon grasped for her hand in gratitude.

"Oh, I didn't do anything." Ilse smiled at the touch that lingered for a second but quickly and nervously let go.

"Yes, yes, you did, so thank you." Deacon leaned in just wanting to be closer because the hand holding would prompt too many questions from the neighboring press. It was the singer's night to shine. Not a whole story about two famous people flirting.

"So, are you going on tour?" Ilse nervously questioned to keep the conversation going because she didn't want it to end just yet.

"Yeah, I am, I'm pretty excited about it." Deacon smiled as he shifted his feet and broke into a grin.

"That's great! So when you get back...Ummm...Maybe we can write or something?" She cautiously asked the question. She waited for him to say no because he didn't write for everybody and almost everybody in this city wanted to work together with him. Ilse enjoyed this family's presence, so she came up with this excuse to remain in their circle.

"I'd like that." Deacon smiled — another excuse to see Ilse. A fantastic idea, he knew she was a tremendous songwriter when he heard her song titled Love Goes On during one of the rehearsals that he attended.

"I'd like that too." Ilse was excited that he agreed to write with her. She knew he hadn't co-written many songs since the passing of his late wife, Rayna. And Ilse knew she wouldn't match the talents of the two together, but hoped to find something new.

"Okay."

"Alright."

Ilse stood towards the auditorium's back, watching him sing to a sold-out crowd at the Ryman. The audience was captivated by Deacon Claybourne's voice, and she had to admit she was sharing those exact feelings. The concert was his last after being on the road for almost four months, crossing the country, on tour.

The concert was filled with good songs and stories, so it felt like it went by pretty quickly. By the end of the show, there wasn't a dry eye in the house when Deacon asked his father to join him to sing A Life That's Good.

Ilse swore she could feel the whole auditorium shake as they sang along to the song. As people exited the auditorium to the lobby, she was greeted by some of Nashville's Next fans, asking for a picture and autograph. She was always happy to stop for fans of the show.

Ilse hoped that someday she would have her first performance in this historic hall that has hosted many famous country singers.

"Miss DeWitt?" A staff member spoke as she approached her.

"Yes?" Ilse turned and smiled at the employee.

"I was asked by Daphne to escort you backstage." The girl spoke with authority, so she followed the employee to the discrete way backstage. "You can wait here." The girl told her as they arrived.

"Thank you." Ilse nodded to the girl who left her with groups of other people waiting for Deacon to speak with them. As she waited, she looked at pictures on the walls in admiration. This was when a voice brought her out of her train of thought.

"Ilse! I'm so glad you came. I remembered all your tips on having a better stage presence. Thank you for teaching me," Daphne beamed.

"You did that all on your own. I just gave you the push to get there because, as I said before, I just wanted the audience to know you as I know you. And it truly shows because you are a solo artist signed with Highway 65, and you shined on that stage tonight." Ilse responded with a hug.

"Hey, Il- Ms. DeWitt." Maddie approached them after Daphne had her greetings. "How have you been since we last saw you at Daphne's signing?"

"Maddie, first of all, you can call me Ilse. And I'm well. Thank you for asking. How are you two doing." Ilse asked the girls.

"We're well. Thanks. When are you meeting up with dad to write?" Daphne changed the subject with a sparkle in her eye.

"Next week," Ilse responded as she tucked a strand of hair out her face. "You probably should talk to the other guests. I'll let you go, but let's keep in contact more often." She directed at the girls than to Daphne.

"Again, thank you for coming, and we'll tell our dad that you enjoyed his concert." The two girls giggled.

Ilse was in bed for the night writing ideas that could lead to some fantastic songs for her upcoming writing session with Deacon when her phone pinged on her nightstand. She opened her phone up to see the text message she had received.

Thank you for coming tonight. The girls told me that you stopped by to say hi. I can't wait to work with you next week. Have a good night.

Deacon

It was a pleasure. It was a beautiful concert. You should be proud of yourself and those talented girls you helped raise. And yes, I can't wait to write with you next week too. Ilse.

She shut off her phone for the night and fell asleep with the Nashville city skyline glistening out her window.

The week had surprisingly gone by pretty fast. Today, the two songwriters were going to have their first writing session out of many.

Ilse inspected the third outfit she tried on, which consisted of a long-sleeved jean top with her black high waisted jeans paired with a belt and some cute ankle boots. They would be writing at Highway 65's studios, agreeing that it would be the best place to start writing together.

Ilse stopped by the mirror to check her makeup and outfit one last time as she headed out the door with her fall coat and purse. She had already loaded into the car her guitar and headed towards the studio.

During the car ride, she decided to play her favorite album, Raising Sand, to help calm her nerves. This car ride felt unusually long, although she had made this trip before to other nearby locations.

Deacon removed his jacket because of nerves and placed it on an empty chair. He made sure the space was clean and that the mini-fridge was well stocked with beers, pop, and water. He placed some snacks on the coffee table along with other supplies they could use when songwriting. He began tuning his guitar in hopes to calm his own nerves before she arrived.

"You all set Deacon?" One of the studio employees popped their heads in to check if everything was alright.

"I should be fine. Thank you. Just let Ilse DeWitt in when she arrives." He nodded to the staff.

"Of course." The employee left to sit back at the reception desk.

He checked his watch. Ten minutes until their planned meet up time when his phone buzzed.

Running a few minutes behind. I'll see you soon. Ilse

Deacon smiled at the text. He couldn't wait to write with her since hearing the song she played, which he immediately had added to his playlist. But there was this feeling that he couldn't shake. Deacon admitted that he was nervous about writing with her which hasn't happened since-

"Deacon?" And there it was that sweet voice paired with a knock on the door. That voice was associated with the beautiful woman who helped Daphne when he couldn't. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he felt the chills go down his spine.

"Hey, Ilse, thanks for meeting me here." He whipped out his goofy Deacon grin to hide the nerves.

"Thanks for saying you would write with me." She bit her lip as she placed her guitar case down. "I've been trying to prepare, so I don't waste any of your precious time." Ilse blushed.

"There is no waste of time when it comes to writing a song." Deacon chuckled. "The girls also wanted me to pass on that they say hi."

"Well, tell them I say hi back." Ilse smiled as she unpacked her guitar case. "Being able to work with Daphne and getting to know Maddie. You are a great influence as a father to those girls."

"Well, thank you. That means a lot. And I would like to say you look beautiful today." Deacon smiled as he took her coat and draped it across the empty chair where his jacket was.

"Thank...thank you... So let's get to writing, shall we?" Ilse grabbed her guitar out of the case.

"We shall." Deacon looked her in the eyes this time and let out this grin; he hadn't felt this excited since writing with Rayna. Ilse smiled right back, which made his heart flutter.

The time passed as the hands on the clock rotated. The signs of enjoyment was the room filled with laughter and music. Somehow they were writing music and having this banter like they had known each other their entire life. It just came quickly to them, which can be hard to find in the music industry.

Ilse and Deacon were making rhythms, melodies, and lyrics by bouncing their ideas off each other. Both on their guitars with their journals and notepads at hand.

It got to a good point to take a break, and that's where they connected. Deacon learned more about her than just being Daphne's coach. During that time, their conversations were just about the fourteen-year-old since she was only a minor. When she realized Brad's plans for using Daphne to get views, she had to step in if Brad took his ideas too far. So it was nice not to talk about him for once.

They had gone out to a local coffee joint to get some fuel. The pair were getting somewhere on one of the songs, which was exciting. Some more time passed as their writing session came to an end.

"Sooo…I really enjoyed writing with you today." Ilse cautiously said as she packed up her guitar

"I feel the same way." Deacon smiled." I would love to write with you again. I really enjoyed your company today."

"I'd like that too." Ilse smiled as she collected her things. As she exited the room, she took this big sigh because of all her nerves she was carrying. The two knew just by that moment that they would remain in each other's lives.

TBC