Wow! This chapter has been a long time coming. Thought it was time for Deacon and Rayna to reconnect again. Season 4 seemed to be lacking alot of screen time for them. We are slowly building towards the confrontation with Markus and lets not forget the drama around Maddie's rebellious behaviour. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to write itself *fingers crossed* Thanks for reading and enjoy.

Rayna closed her eyes as she allowed the warm water to soak away the tension of the day. Taking a deep breath, she sunk lower into the bath water, feeling the muscles in her shoulders loosen. The gentle scent from the bath liquid permeated throughout the bathroom and tangled with the soft tones of the blues music coming from the radio. Opening her eyes slowly, she watched the steam from the water rise as she skimmed her hands lightly over its surface. Her fingers broke the surface as they tapped along with the melody faintly breaking the silence of the room. The candles flickered as a barely perceivable breeze blew the last of the autumn warmth across them. Her body slowly responded to the warmth of the water, letting go of the worries of the day however her mind stubbornly refused to let her relax. Sighing to herself, she lent her head back against the edge of the tub.

Lifting her fingers up, Rayna watched as the water slowly pooled before dripping off the tips of her fingers. Snorting a laugh, she realised that her day was like that water. Rushing towards a point only to have it slow and drip to a conclusion. Having Deacon alongside her in terms of parenting the girls made the hostility Maddie frequently show her more tolerable. She thought that bringing them on board at Highway 65, giving Maddie what she wanted would have seen a shift in her oldest daughter's attitude. But if anything, it seemed to have made it worse. Rayna sadly recalled the look of hurt on sweet Daphne's face this morning as Maddie proclaimed that she didn't want to sing 'little kids' music anymore. Before anyone could respond to that statement, Maddie had grabbed her bag and walked out of the house. It was only later, when the shock had abated that Rayna had realised that Maddie had planned it that way. She had waited until Colt had pulled up at the front of the house before stomping into the kitchen and devastating Daphne.

Deacon had called her shortly after dropping Daphne at school. Her heart broke as he described the sorrowful look on Daphne's face as she stood at the steps of the school, lost without her sister by her side. Rayna prayed that it was only a temporary attitude from Maddie, that she was testing the limits of her teenage angst. She wasn't sure if any of them could handle much more of Maddie's attitude, especially Daphne. For sisters who were once so close, Maddie had as a result of lashing out at her parents had also hurt her sister. Rayna was tired of trying to explain Maddie's behaviour to Daphne.

Sighing, she realised that her day had progressively gotten worse. Even since she confided with Markus about Maddie's determination to be part of the music industry, their relationship had shifted. While in that moment she was forever grateful that he listened as she poured out her worries to him, she now realised it was the worst possible thing she could have done. Her relationship with Markus was a combination of professional and budding friendship. Well at least that was the way she viewed it. Markus, she realised saw it in a different light. Closing her eyes, her mind flicked through the times she had spent with Markus. There was nothing that she could pin point specifically that gave her an indication of his attraction to her. Rayna acknowledged that they had a friendship built on mutual respect and often they would tease and flirt with each other, but she was adamant that at no stage did she ever encourage him that she wanted more. Everyone who knew her and Deacon, knew now that they had finally found their way back together no one would get between them. With a soft smile on her lips, she admitted even when they were both involved with other people, they had a connection that was unbreakable. They had never been able to successfully break free of each other. Thankfully they no longer had to worry about hurting other people's feelings the result of collateral damage from their relationship.

She had felt guilty that in a moment of weakness, had confided in someone who wasn't Deacon. Sighing to herself, she knew she shouldn't feel guilty, Deacon had pretty much admitted he had been unavailable to her since Beverley's funeral. She had known he was struggling with his conflicting emotions. He was beyond grateful knowing he would get to see his daughter grow old but the guilt he felt surrounding Beverley's death still plagued him. Rayna had known this and knew that he needed time to work through it in his own way. Their relationship, while it had existed for 20 years was relative new in terms of them being a unit dealing with the mundane existence that comes from being a family. The issue of Maddie forced them to confront this new dynamic to their relationship. They were both guilty of closeting their feelings from one each other. It was the only way they had managed to maintain their relationship over the years they were separated, they had to force their feelings for each other deep down inside themselves. They no longer had that luxury. Becoming an instant family meant that they had to open up and discuss what was worrying them, they could no longer run and hide when the tensions between them got too much. Maddie's rebellious behaviour had grounded the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Sighing to herself as she slid down into the water, Rayna reluctantly acknowledged that their daughter's recent behaviour had forced them to rapidly put aside old habits in order to become a solid united unit. Rolling her eyes, she could have done without the teenage drama associated with Maddie's behaviour.

Rayna felt her mind finally giving in to the tranquil atmosphere of the bathroom, her limbs felt heavy in the warm water. Her eyelids fluttered shut as all her worries ebbed away. She could sense the flickering of the candles behind her closed eyes, as the faint voice of Ella Fitzgerald sang about the blues.

"Ray?"

"Hmmm", her voice was heavy with tones of sleepiness as she struggled to verbalise her location.

She sensed him near her long before she opened her eyes to see him leaning against the doorframe. Her blue eyes darkened with uncontrolled desire as she took in his long lean form. He was wearing faded denim jeans, dusty with construction dust, topped with an old t-shirt that hugged his muscular torso. Licking her lips, she cast her eyes up to his face. Smirking at her, his eyes roamed over her naked body as his breathing became more rapid. Lost in each other's eyes, they both marvelled that they were allowed to finally have such an intimate moment together. For so many years they had been forced to squelch their desire for each other. Performing on stage was the only place where they dared to reveal their feelings to each other. Rayna remembered the time when forced by Luke's jealously, she was compelled to lessen her interaction with Deacon. No wonder she felt so lost during that time. They were each other's rock. Whenever things got too much for them, they knew they could turn to one another for support. Without him to steady her, Rayna had faulted and lost who she was. She had gotten caught up in the craziness associated with being a member of a celebrity couple. It wasn't who she was and it took Deacon showing his disgust at the choices in her new life to make her realise just how far removed she was from her true self.

Pushing himself off the doorframe, Deacon lent over and placed a soft kiss on her lips before sitting down on the closed toilet lid.

"Hey" he whispered.

"Hey yourself," Rayna whispered back. She could still feel the weight of his lips against hers and longed for more.

Her eyes searched his, as they allowed a silent conversation to occur between them. They were always able to gauge each other's mood without saying a word.

"You look tired."

Scrubbing his face with his hand, Deacon snorted softly at her statement. He had never felt so tired in his entire life. He had no idea that relaunching a bar could be so exhausting. His entire body ached from all the physical work he was doing, and his mind was rapidly trying to wrap itself around the logistics involved in running a business. Added to his frustration was the fact that he no longer had any time to play music. Without the daily inclusion of music in his life, he felt off kilter, like he was living someone else's life.

"Ye Ray, I am."

"Why don't you climb into bed. I will be there shortly"

Rising slowly from the toilet, Deacon felt every moment of his 47 years. Caressing her face, his eyes reflected the love he had for her. He bent down and slowly kissed her. Groaning to himself as he pulled himself back up to standing, he flicked his eyes down her body as he smiled softly at her. Rayna smiled as she watched him slowly shuffle into the bedroom. She was always amazed at the depth of love he had for her, especially after all the pain she had caused him over the years. Stretching her body out, she marvelled at how relaxed she finally felt. The warmth flooding her body as the result of Deacon's nearness had chased the remaining tension away.

"Hey, scoot forward."

Rayna whipped her head around and saw Deacon standing naked next to the bath. Smothering a smile, she did as he asked.

Deacon slid in behind her. His body cradled hers as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her gently against his chest.

"You looked so relaxed in here, thought l should try it out myself", he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her body.

Trailing his fingers back and forward along her arms, Deacon breathed in the intoxicating scent of her skin before tangling his fingers with hers. He felt her body mould against his as their fingers interlaced with each other. Tipping her head to the side she nuzzled his chin with her nose. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in the heady aroma of his skin combined with a hard day's work. Her tongue laved a drop of sweat off his skin before her teeth nipped at the sensitive skin of his neck. Deacon squeezed their hands together as his lips sought hers out. Their lips sought to reconfirmed a connection to each other. His tongue traced the contours of her lips as she softly moaned deep in her throat. Deacon wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer into him as he deepened the kiss. Drawing back slowly, Deacon kissed the tip of her nose as he whispered,

"God, I've missed you."

Rayna smiled tenderly at him, as she wove her fingers into his hair. Resting her forehead against his, she breathlessly exclaimed,

"Me too"

Trailing her fingers down his face, she traced the contours of his lips causing him to shiver at her loving touch. Her lips replaced her fingers and she peppered his lips with the softest kisses he had ever experienced. Pulling her tighter against him, he felt her laughter against his lips before she captured his lips and showed just how much she had missed him.

Releasing his lips, she pulled back far enough so he could see the twinkle in her blue eyes.

"So did you have a good day babe?"

Deacon barked a laugh at her comment before capturing her lips again. He could feel her breath on his lips as they both panted, desperate for air. Licking his lips, he could taste her.

"Well the day has certainly improved."

Scratching at the stubble along his jaw, Rayna smirked at him.

"Is that right? I will have to make sure that it keeps getting better." Her voice dripped with desire causing a bolt of lust to flood through Deacon.

Rubbing his nose against hers, Deacon whispered,

"Babe, just knowing l get to come home every night to you makes my day so much better."

Rayna smiled against his lips as she gave him a quick kiss before snuggling back into his embrace. Wrapping his arms around her, Deacon once again counted his blessings that he was lucky enough to have Rayna in his life again. Pulling her body closer to his, Deacon lightly nibbled along her jawline while telling her about his day. He knew that she had been worried about him owning and running a bar, and he loved her even more because of her concern. He knew that he would never fail her again, that he would never be tempted to drink again. He had seen what life looked like without her and never wanted to face that again. Working alongside Frankie had strengthen his resolve to be strong in his fight with alcoholism. Deacon knew that alcohol had not only caused Frankie to lose a promising music career, but years with his family and he vowed never to allow that to happen to him.

Frankie had struggled for years to keep the bar afloat. He had the business knowledge but not the connections to get people into the bar. Deacon provided that knowledge. Scrapping a living by playing in dive bars in the early years of their careers, Deacon knew what bought people into a bar. It was the promise of great music in a relaxed atmosphere.

Rayna smiled to herself. Hearing Deacon passionately talk about future plans for the bar filled her with hope. She knew that after losing Beverley he had felt disconnected from everything. When he first told her about the bar, she panicked. She had envisioned the worst case scenario but time had shown her how much stronger he was. Rubbing her hands over his arms slung around her waist, she closed her eyes and let his voice caress her. Every day she felt herself becoming more and more invested in the success of The Beverley as Deacon avidly expounded progress on the bar.

Rayna twisted slightly in his arms, so that she was able to rest her head between his neck and shoulder. She lightly traced her fingers over his warm skin as the faint beating of his heart soothed her. Deacon ran his hand up and down the leg that was draped over his.

"Ray?"

"Hmmmm" her voice heavy with drowsiness, highlighting her relaxed state. She hummed against his neck, as her lips brushed softly against his neck. Tightening her grip on him, she slowly kissed her way along his jaw.

Deacon shivered as she placed finger soft kisses on his lips. Tangling his fingers in her hair holding her still, he grazed his lips against hers. He felt her shudder as he nibbled her bottom lip. Slowly opening her eyes, Rayna breathed in the image before her; Deacon's blue eyes dark with a combination of desire and sleepiness. Smiling softly, she kissed him gently before whispering,

"Let's go to bed"