Rayna was surprised how relaxed she felt. Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever thought that going for a hike would release all the tension that she had been holding so tightly onto. She smiled to herself as she swung their clasped hands. She had to fight the urge to skip with joy. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so light, so completely free of anything that resembled stress. Unconsciously, she hummed a carefree tune as they slowly made their way along the trail.

Deacon softly smiled at her walking next to him. Her soft humming harmonised with the sounds of nature that played all around them. He still felt the need to pinch himself that he had his two loves together. He never thought he would ever get Rayna to come on a hike with him. In all the years that they were together she had always found an excuse not to explore nature with him. She was comfortable with the level of nature that surrounded the cabin, but she always exclaimed that anything more rugged than that sounded like a nightmare. He could see the faint outline of well-hidden path ahead. Gently squeezing Rayna's hand, he indicated with his head the slight clearing of vegetation. Frowning at him, she gave him a quizzical look as he led them off the worn path into dense undergrowth. Putting her trust in him, she told herself to relax as she took in the lush vegetation they were walking through. Rays of light illuminated the dense undergrowth, spotlighting magnificent shrubs of varying shades of green. Tiny delicate flowers occasionally broke up the green, only to give way to another stretch of leafy green. Slowly the dimness faded, and they were once again bathed in the warmth of the midday sun. Lifting her face to the sky, she momentarily closed her eyes and welcomed the delicious warmth that caressed her skin.

Her eyes widened once more as Deacon led them through a meadow of knee length grass, carefully manoeuvring them past large rocks that broke up the landscape. She could hear running water but couldn't see any stream nearby. Deacon let go her hand as they came to a wall of rocks. Hoisting himself up onto the rock, he reached back and helped her up. Rayna could now see the stream from her vantage point. She gave Deacon a look of concern, hoping he wasn't going to take them down to the waters edge. She wasn't sure she was comfortable climbing over rocks down the steep slope. Looking back down at the water, she chewed her lip as her eyes tried to find a path downward.

"Ray?"

"Hu?"

Dragging her eyes away from the steep slope she was relived to see Deacon had found a large boulder to sit down on. It was tucked under a large tree, giving them some shade, and appeared to give them a view of the bubbling stream below. Steading herself against his shoulder, she eased herself down.

She gave Deacon a smile before stating, "well, you got me here sailor, now what do you plan to do?"

Deacon's laugh echoed through the silence. Rayna nudged her shoulder against his, as she laughed with him. Tangling her fingers with his, she nuzzled her face against his neck. Placing soft kisses against his skin, she could taste the salty sweetness of his sweat on her tongue. The warmth of his thigh against hers sent flashes of lust through her body. Stretching upwards she kissed his lips, wordlessly telling him of her love for him.

They sat there in compatible silence, enjoying being in each other's company without everyday demands calling them. Rayna rested her head on his shoulder as she watched butterflies dance over the scattered wildflowers. She could hear the cricks and buzz of insects as they went about their day. The sun's warm felt delicious on her skin, invoking memories of lying on beaches of pale sand watching the girls making sandcastles and squealing in laughter as the waves splashed them. Deacon softly kissing her head woke her from the light slumber the sun's warmth had lulled her into. Smothering a yawn, she gave Deacon an embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry"

He gave her forehead a gentle kiss before tucking a wayward curl behind her ear. His eyes danced with laughter before exclaiming,

"Its all good Ray. You can drool on my shoulder anytime you want. You hungry?"

Leaning back on her arms, she nodded. Her eyes widened as Deacon proceeded to lay out a variety of food from his backpack. Her stomach growled as he opened containers revealing a variety of salads, crackers and dip. Handing her a container with her name on it. Upon opening it, she found one of her favourite sandwiches inside. Somehow, he had managed to not only make her a ham and pickle sandwich, but he had assembled an intimate picnic for them.

"Here"

Holding out a plastic tumbler towards her, he waited for her to grab it before emptying the contents of the thermos. Sipping the cool iced tea, she watched as Deacon loaded up a plate with an assortment of salads before handing it to her.

"Babe, this is amazing. When did you find the time to do all this?"

"Bucky helped. He gave me the names of some caterers that you guys used for events."