A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.

Chapter 11

Rayna knocked on Deacon's front door. The news she had to deliver to him was better done in person.

Deacon opened the door with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, Ray, what are you doin' here? Did you finally break up with Wheeler and come to tell me that we can be together?"

Rayna smiled at him sadly. "I wish that's what I came to tell you. I would be over the moon if that's what I came to tell you. I took the girls to meet Luke's son last night as you know and somehow a video of Maddie as Maddie Claybourne got posted and now we have to deal with that. I know that we need you and Luke to be out on tour together, but he is upset about this. We are gonna finally have to address the issue of Maddie's paternity. If we don't then people are just gonna gossip 'bout it."

"I will do whatever I need to do for my daughter, but I won't lie, Ray. I'm not gonna say that I knew 'bout her and walked away if that's what you want from me. I just can't do that. I can't be my father in any way. I hope that you didn't come here to ask me to do that." Deacon sighed.

"I didn't. I came here to ask you to tell the truth. No matter what that sounds like when it comes outta your mouth. I will just remind you that we are in business together. If people see me as a liar and a cheater then it ain't gonna go well for us." Rayna told him honestly.

Deacon ran his hands over his face and sighed. "What I'm willin' to say. Is that none of us knew until recently that Maddie was my daughter and now we are doin' the best we can to work it out." He hated what she was asking him to do and he was doing his best to make the best of that. He just didn't want to be seen as a deadbeat dead in anyone's eyes.

Rayna actually cracked a small smile. "Really? You're willin' to do that for me?"

"Of course, I am. I love you, Ray. Not only do I love you, I don't want our kids to think badly of you or any of the rest of the world for that matter. Whatever of the else has gone on between us is no one else's damn business. I told you I will say whatever you want me to say short of sayin' I knew 'bout her, but wouldn't step up and be her daddy." He leveled with her.

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. "I love you too and I will always make you that our babies know what a good man their daddy is. That includes the two we have and however many we may have in the future."

He rubbed his nose against hers. "You want us to have more babies together?"

"Yeah, I do. The plan was always for us to have four together. We may not get to that number, but I hope we get close. I'm even willin' to adopt if you are." She replied.

"I don't have a problem with that at all. I just love it that you're now plannin' the future where we are together. I know you can't be through with Luke yet, but I know we will be together one day soon." He pecked her lips over and over.

"I will get rid of Luke as soon as I can. Right now, though, we need to handle this Maddie situation the right way. I don't want her to get anymore hurt from the mistake I made than she already has been." She leaned her forehead against his.

"Ok. So, we say that we just found out that she's mine a few months ago and we let that be the story. You had thought for sure she was Teddy's, but when we got back together you had a DNA test run just to be sure. And then the night of our accident I had just found out and you were drivin' me home, but a distracted driver hit us." He spun a tale for her.

She kissed him again and she smiled. "I really, really fuckin' love you. That is just 'bout the perfect scenario."

"I have to be good for somethin' every once in awhile." He shrugged.

"You're good for a lotta things a lotta the time. Like right now you're gonna take me to bed and screw my brains out, 'cause that's what I need after the mornin' I've had." She ordered him.

"I ain't got a problem with that." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.

"Teddy, are you sure you should be doing this? I mean you have to think about how this is going to make you look to your constituents. This plan makes you look like a fool. You also would look bad if you and Rayna got up there and told the truth. It would look like you conspired to keep a man's daughter from him. If, however you said that you had no clue that there was a possibility that Deacon could be Maddie's father then you would look better." Peggy whispered to Teddy. They were in Rayna's kitchen.

"Peggy, this isn't about my political career, this is about my oldest daughter. If I don't play this right, I could lose a lot more than votes. I could lose her and I could lose my entire career if I come off looking like the bad guy." Teddy pointed out to her.

"That's my point exactly. If you let Rayna paint this as being all your fault, then your image may never recover." Peggy retorted.

"I'm not the only person whose feelings have to be considered in this equation. Rayna has an image to think about too." Teddy replied.

"Again, that's my point. This is Rayna's mess you should let her image take the hit instead of yours. She will recover from this, you may not. This is her daughter and she is the one who decided to keep the truth from the biological father." Peggy tried to get him to see reason.

"I can't do that. If Rayna's image takes a hit, then that might cause problems for her with this label she is trying to build. Like it or not I don't have just one child with Rayna I have two. If this label she is trying to build crashes and burns, then they could potentially lose everything that they know and love. I can't do that to them just to save my own ass." Teddy argued with her.

"Well, you can't let it look like your ex-wife still calls the shots when it comes to what you do with your life." Peggy argued back with him.

"Peggy, I'm not gonna do anything that will hurt my girls and you just need to forget that right now." Teddy put his foot down.

Rayna and Deacon walked into the room before Peggy had a chance to reply.

"Alright, we have a problem and we know what it is. We need to get out in front of this before people have a chance to spin this the way they think it is instead of how it actually is." Rayna spoke up.

"We do need to cover that, but we also need to discuss why Maddie made a video using her actual last name." Deacon made his two cents known.

"Cards on the table I will say whatever you want me to say. I just want to do what's best for Maddie." Teddy was willing to play along.

"We thought the best way to do that would be to say that all of us didn't know that Maddie was Deacon's daughter until recently. That way we all come out of this with clean hands." Rayna informed him.

"Why don't you say that Deacon knew and chose to walk away to do what's best for his daughter?" Peggy suggested.

"It's not gonna work that way." Rayna did her best to keep her cool.

"No way in hell does that happen. I refuse to be made to look like the deadbeat in this situation." Deacon put his foot down.

"I agree with him. It wouldn't be fair to him to make him get up there and say that." Rayna backed him up.

"Now, why did Maddie post that video like that?" Deacon asked.

Teddy sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "The best we can figure is Maddie got mad, because Peggy took her guitar away."

"What? Why? Peggy isn't her fuckin' mother and she has no damn right to try to parent her. She shouldn't even be tryin' to. Maddie doesn't have to listen to a fuckin' thing she has to say. She has two parents already." Deacon raged.

"Babe, you need to calm down." Rayna rubbed Deacon's back.

"I will not calm down. I want to know who the fuck this woman thinks she is." Deacon's nostrils flared.

"Peggy, what were you thinkin'?" Rayna asked.

"Teddy mentioned that her grades were slipping and I thought that her having her guitar was a distraction." Peggy answered.

"You listen to me and you listen to me good, woman. You don't try to tell my daughter what to do. Music and playin' guitar are a passion that we both share. You never get to take that away from her or try to stifle her voice. I don't give a good fuck how bad her grades are. Different people have different talents. Hers aren't academic they are musically inclined. I'm not gonna see her be pushed and bullied into somethin' she don't want. You have no authority over her and you damn well better stop actin' like you do. I'll tell y'all what I'm gonna solve this right fuckin' now. I'm goin' to the courts and I'm gonna ask to have paternity and my rights established. I ain't playin' your damn games no more. Maddie will finish school there is doubt 'bout that, but she ain't bein' the preppy ass person y'all want her to be. That is my daughter y'all kept from me and I will have sole custody. I'm done." Deacon slammed his hand down on the counter and stormed out of the room.

"Well, Peggy, you really did it this time. He'll go on tv tomorrow and say what needs to be said, but you just cost my daughter her relationship with Teddy and I hope you're happy. There is no talkin' to him when he gets like this. He won't back down either. He is gonna get a court order for him to have his daughter. It could have been a lot simpler than this, but you had to open your big mouth and interfere with somethin' that wasn't your business." Rayna sighed loudly. It would take her all night to get Deacon calmed down.

"You wouldn't really let him do that would you? That's not fair to Teddy at all. He has done everything for Maddie and he deserves to still be part of her life. He shouldn't be cut out now that Deacon is finally in the picture." Peggy argued with her.

Rayna saw red. "Let me tell you somethin', Peggy. You don't get a damn say. These are my girls. Maddie is mine and Deacon's. She ain't a damn thing to you. You weren't here when those decisions were made. We made them with Maddie's best intentions in mind, but I think those were the wrong decisions. Teddy has gotten on board with the fact, that Deacon is gonna be part of her life and that he is her father. You can't seem to understand that." She grabbed her belly to fight off the pain she was feeling.

"Rayna, calm down. I will get a handle on this if you can get a handle on Deacon. I would hate for him to do something in the heat of the moment that would hurt Maddie." Teddy could see that she was in distress.

"Y'all know what? I'm pregnant right now. This is supposed to be a happy time in my life. I shouldn't have to be fightin' for my children's father to be a part of their lives. That should go without sayin'. I do have a child with Teddy too and I don't wanna hurt him in any way. That's why gettin' up there tomorrow and sayin' what we just agreed on is so damn important. I'm not just protectin' myself here. I'm protectin' both the fathers of my children." Rayna bit her lip to stave off the pain.

"Deacon! Get in here now!" Teddy called out knowing that Rayna needed him.

Deacon rushed back into the room. He took one look at Rayna and knew that something was wrong. He stood behind her and put both hands on her belly protectively. "Shh, it's ok. It's all gonna be ok. I'm right here, Ray. Our boy needs you to calm down. I know that you wanna protect his big sister, but you need to let me and Teddy worry 'bout her and Daphne. Right now we need your focus on this boy. You need to keep calm to carry him to term. He needs his momma lookin' out for him." He rubbed her belly soothingly. "Big, deep breaths, Ray. Squirrel will settle down if you do."

Rayna breathed slowly in her nose and out her mouth.

"Come on, Baby Claybourne, you settle down in there. I told you to go easy on your momma she has enough to deal with right now. We need you healthy, baby boy." Deacon spoke in soft hushed tones. "I think you two should go now. We all know what we need to say tomorrow." He told Teddy and Peggy.

"Of course, Deacon, you call me if she doesn't get any better and I will come take care of the girls." Teddy replied.

"I will do that if I have to." Deacon assured him. He kept rubbing Rayna's belly.

"Come on, Peggy, we need to leave." Teddy took his wife by the arm.

Deacon made soft shushing noises in Rayna's ear.

"You are incredible. I don't know what I would do without you here." Rayna leaned back against him and relaxed considerably.

"You gonna be ok if I go home tonight?" Deacon peppered soft kisses on her neck.

"Can't you just stay and sneak out 'fore the girls get up for school?" Rayna whined a little bit.

"You sure Luke ain't gonna show up?" Deacon teased her.

"He's not gonna come over here. He's pissed at me for not tellin' him you're Maddie's father." Rayna pressed against him.

"Yeah, I know, he's pretty pissed at me too. He acts like it was his damn business to get into." Deacon kissed the other side of her neck.

"I don't wanna think 'bout all that, babe. Take me up to bed and hold me. I can't handle this right now." Rayna implored him.

"Anythin' you want, babe." Deacon walked upstairs to the bedroom with her.

She laid down in bed on side.

He got in bed behind her and held her like she wanted.

"What do I have to do to get you to not take us to court?" She asked.

"I wouldn't actually do that. I would just make you agree between the two of us to keep her from goin' to Teddy's. It was the heat of the moment and I was pissed." He rubbed her belly to soothe her.

"I think I'm 'bout there with you. I don't want Peggy thinkin' that she has a say in her life. She isn't bad to Daphne, I guess 'cause she knows she's Teddy's, but from what I've heard lately she seems to single out Maddie to treat like crap." She relaxed even more.

"I don't want her abusin' my daughter and that's exactly what it is." He kissed her cheek.

"Let's cross that bridge only if we have to." She begged him.

"I agree if you do." He was trying to keep from stressing her out.

"Well, good mornin', gorgeous. I wish you woulda stayed in bed for a little while longer I was hopin' to surprise you with breakfast in bed." Luke said from where he stood cooking at the stove.

Rayna sighed inwardly. She couldn't have him just showing up like that whenever he felt like it. "Luke, hey, I wish you woulda called before you showed up. I have to get outta here pretty early to do this thing for Maddie today."

"I know that, but you and the baby still gotta eat." Luke replied.

"I don't know that I would be able to keep anythin' down right now." Rayna told him.

"At least try some toast. If not for you then for the baby." Luke urged her.

Before Rayna could reply Deacon walked into the room. "Hey, Ray, you 'bout ready to go do this?"

Rayna squeezed her eyes shut tightly. This day was going to be trying enough as it was. She didn't need Luke throwing a temper tantrum and making it worse.

"Rayna, what the hell is he doin' here? Did he stay here last night?" Luke demanded.

"Hey, man, you don't own her. She can do what she wants to do with whoever she wants to do it with." Deacon was in a bad mood anyway. It wouldn't take much for his temper to explode.

"If you must know he did stay here last night. I thought it would be good for Maddie to be home and have both of us here. I needed him here. He kept the baby calm down and kept me from stressin' out too much. If you don't like that I can't help it and I won't apologize for it." Rayna was firm in that declaration.

"You coulda called me and I woulda stayed over." Luke adjusted his tone when he saw that she wasn't going to take his shit.

"This is my family not yours. I was the one they needed not you. I can take care of 'em just fine without your help." Deacon told him coolly.

Luke put his hands out in a sign of surrender and took a step back. "Whoa, I'm not tryin' to step on anyone's toes here. I know that Maddie and this baby are yours. If I have my way 'bout it though, I am gonna be a big important part of their lives."

"We will see 'bout that." Deacon crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't have the time or the patience to deal with this shit this mornin'. You're either here to be supportive or you can leave. Nothin' happened last night and if it had it would be my personal business. Who I have stay over at the house I pay for is none of anyone's business." Rayna put her foot down.

Luke walked over and put his arms around her. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so heated." He made a show of placing a kiss on her temple.

"Ray, you know that I only want what's best for you and our babies. I'm here for you for whatever you need or want." Deacon swore to her.

"I know that, Deacon. I think we should go do this and get it over with." Rayna untangled herself from Luke's arms.

"Hey, I was thinkin' that it would be nice if I were there for you today. Just for moral support. I will keep myself behind the scenes and no one will even know I'm there." Luke suggested.

Deacon's eyebrows shot up to his hairline when he heard him say that, but he smartly kept silent.

"You don't have to come. This is gonna be as quick and painless as I can possibly make it." Rayna tried to stop him from coming.

"No, I wanna be there for you. It's what you do for your girlfriend." Luke took her hand.

"Ok, if you're sure you wanna do this." Rayna resigned herself to her fate.

Deacon was sitting on the porch of his cabin in a rocker just looking out at the water. Thankfully they had gotten the Maddie situation cleared up and now he needed time to think.

"Deacon, are you ok? You seem really lost in thought." Maddie walked out on the porch and took the chair next to his. She was up there with him to keep her away from media circus going on in Nashville right now.

"Yeah, I'm right as rain, baby girl. I was just thinkin' 'but how happy I am to have you up here with me. This place is so important to your momma and me." He smiled up at her.

"Why?" She asked.

"I bought this place for your momma after she was nominated for her first CMA award. She told me that she always dreamed of havin' a house on the water. I couldn't get her anythin' big or fancy, but I could get her this. We spent almost all of our free time up here when we weren't out on tour or in the studio recordin'. We used to sit right here on this porch together and make music. Or we'd sit down on the dock while I fished and tanned. Those were honestly some of the best times of my life. Then I found out 'bout you and now every minute I get to spend with you is the best time of my life." He spoke to her from the heart.

"Can I ask how you met my mom?" She inquired.

"I met her at the Bluebird durin' an open mic thing. I knew the minute I laid eyes on her that I was gonna love her for the rest of my life." He recalled fondly.

"Did you ever think about marrying her?" She was full of questions that she didn't have the answers to yet.

"I thought 'bout it a lot. It was just never the right time for us. It looks like we still have that problem. We had everythin' together that married people do we just didn't have the piece of paper to make it official. We had a lotta great years together. I don't think anyone has spent enough time tellin' you that. You've heard that fell apart and we could be stormy at times, but no one has ever told you how good we are together. She is my best friend and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have her in my life at all. I still see her in that house in east Nashville even though she ain't lived there in years. I'll tell ya somethin' else. I still love your momma and no other woman will ever make me feel the way she does." Deacon unloaded more than he meant to on his daughter.

She got up from her chair and sat on his knee. "I know it sucks that we didn't get to be together before, but I'm glad that we can be here together now, dad." She laid her head on his shoulder.

His eyes watered, his throat got tight, and he kissed the top of her head. He put his arms around her. "I couldn't think of anyone else I would want sittin' beside me on a night like this. I'm so glad that you came into my life no matter how much heartache it caused."

"I love you, daddy." She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I love you too, Maddie." He patted her back. "What do you say I teach you how to make a fire?"

"I would like that a lot." She nodded her head in agreement.

A/N: Here is the next chapter, I hope y'all enjoyed it. I promise that Rayna is gonna get rid of Luke, but I can't make it too easy. Until next time please review.