Date Night
A/N This little cameo is set a few years before Season 1, as Rayna's career begins to skid and she's not been working with Deacon. Gratitude goes to Once Upon… for setting in motion the ch-allenge and to everyone who takes the trouble to click though.
Wherever possible Rayna avoided playing the 'Country Star' card, frankly outside of the sequined stage it embarrassed her. Her one exception was when booking a restaurant. Being able to secure a table, near the kitchen, away from the widows, knowing the staff would look out for her was more than a perk, it was vital if she ever wanted a quiet meal out with someone important to her. Not that "The Canyon" was particularly swanky; it was just classy enough to do tablecloths but didn't have a menu full of avec's she couldn't pronounce. She sat stiffly at a table, looking at candle light reflection flicker in the empty wine glass of the opposite place setting, and the empty chair beyond.
Across the room she noticed a girl in her best heels and impractical dress chomp breadsticks, swallow a second Martini and fail not to keep looking at her watch. Rayna's phone buzzed a text, "It's overrun." She stabbed one back, nails chinking, "But you promised." Silence, Jesus, how long did it take to text the word 'sorry'? She took a sip of Californian red and snatched up the handset as it started to vibrate again. "You best eat, I'll make it up to next time T." Typical, more empty gestures in an increasingly empty relationship. The other girl had obviously seen enough too, leaving a couple of bills, she tottered off towards the exit. Looked like they were both being stood up and let down. As she disappeared from her view Rayna heard the faint, uncertain murmur of a man stumbling into an apology, guillotined by the yawl of a girl scorned.
"No, It's way too late, I don't even care what your pathetic excuse is, this is not happening to me again, ever." There was a pause long enough to peak the other diners' interest then, "don't you dare touch..." SLAP and Deacon Clayborne staggered around the corner one hand to his cheek.
"Rayna?"
"You best sit down here. Waiter, can we have some ice please?"
"Just tell me how old she was?"
"Um, twenny-four sommin' like that."
"Deacon, you're old enough to have fathered her!" It was a genuine talent to lace anger and disgust inside a whisper. Something Rayna had mastered long ago when dealing with her now very much ex.
Instead of bawling back, Deacon downed a glass of iced water and refilled it, carefully. "Well I was saved from that eventuality by falling for a cute red headed Country singer. Wonder what happened to her?"
"She grew up, got a house and a family."
"And a glittering career where pretty much everything she touched turned to rhinestone. Well until recently so I hear."
"Meaning?" She flashed him a sneer as the waiter delivered two steaks, and why not? After failing to keep their dinner date, the least Teddy could do was pay for this on his Amex account. Just a pity the substitute company was so lousy.
"That your last record, you know the one you didn't invite me to play on, stalled at number four and only went gold." Rayna huffed, "and now the town's full of rumours that you're about to fire a second producer from your new one."
"It's complex."
"Like hell it is, Scarlett's new collage boyfriend could produce you and make it a hit."
"The label is putting the pressure down, and I'm not feeling it in the studio. Right at the time when Teddy's behaving all secretive."
That grabbed his attention. "What's up Ray?" the anger cooled to quiet concern.
"Something called Cumberland, that he won't tell me about, but the other morning when I came down to fix the kids' breakfasts, I caught him on the phone to Daddy."
Deacon blew air between his lips, if there was one person more against him than Rayna's husband, then it was her father. "They're welcome to each other in my opinion." He took a mouthful of rare and fries. "How are the girls? I haven't seen them since the last concert we did together. Does Teddy think I'm gonna be a bad influence?"
Rayna blushed, "Maddie's at that difficult age."
"How long will that last you reckon?"
"From about four to eighteen I think. She asked me the other day if I had Billy Ray Cyrus' number so she could invite Hanna Montana to a sleepover."
"Awe, that's cute."
"You may think so, but I had to explain that just because I am lucky enough to be famous we can't go around abusing it. So Maddie sat there, gave me the big eyes and nodded wisely."
"She's a deep thing baby."
"Then the phone rang and it was Dolly Parton, in person!" Rayna caught Deacon's eye and stifled giggle. Seriously, she wanted me to donate something to a charity auction. I told her she could have that gold dress from the Postcard From Mexico Tour."
Deacon almost chocked on his dinner, "Never. You love that dress, I had terrible trouble trying to persuade you out of it."
"Yeah well, thing is, it doesn't fit any more, alright? That's what motherhood does to you." She giggled again and it turned into a full blown laugh. Rayna realised she hadn't really laughed since her album sessions begun, around the time Teddy stopped talking properly. To let it all out was a relief. She took his hand, grabbing the Deacon barbed nettle.
"So, this new record, it's going nowhere fast, I need a lead single, have you got anything in your back pocket?"
He pulled something between a smirk and a grin, "I keep on telling you that you don't use enough of my songs since we broke up. Sorry Rayna, but I've nothing that Bucky says you haven't already rejected."
Her heart fell, "I could come over a write with you though," he continued, "now I'm fresh out of cradle snatchin' dates." Boom, it flew back up into her throat.
"Hmmm, you could," she mused, thinking of how much Teddy would hate it and how good that made her feel, "maybe you can also help Maddie with her homework, what's your elementary math like?"
"Appalling."
"Perfect, mine too. We'll make a great team."