Sorry, a bit of a longer chapter this time. But hopefully worth the read as it adds some background, l feel, towards Markus' actions during Season 4. Hopefully l will be finished this story by the time Season 5 begins, but who knows. Season 4 definitely had some plot holes that need examining! Anyway enjoy, more to come soon.

Markus nodded at the security guard on the door as he entered the establishment. He was surprised to see security on the door. From what he had heard tonight, he thought The Beverley was a low grade dive bar on the edge of what was considered a sketchy part of Nashville. It was located in an area of Nashville he had never been too. After he had left the offices of Highway 65, he had gravitated to Lower Broadway to kick off the celebrations. Luckily Nashville was a town that was never short of a bar that would cater for a celebration. Nor was it a town where you would be lonely for long. Markus had been in his element, surrounded by band members and fans. As he asked around about Deacon and his bar, everyone had told him that up until about two months ago it was a place where you would go to drown your sorrows. It wasn't a place where you celebrated life, rather it was a place you went to escape your life. He did learn that Deacon's business partner was a former artist in the Country Music industry, however due to his addictions he had burned those bridges years ago. No wonder Rayna was reluctant to support Deacon in this endeavour.

He had tried to avoid thinking about Rayna all afternoon. However once his thoughts had turned towards Rayna, Markus couldn't stop thinking about her. Even when surrounded by some enthusiastic fans, his thoughts kept returning to her. He could picture her sitting there all alone, surrounded by low life's who had given up the will to live, all the while forced to listen amateur hour. The more Markus thought about it, the more he became convinced he needed to go there and save her from this horrendous situation. An afternoon spent drinking had just flamed his yearning for Rayna. He knew that things were strained between herself and Deacon, evident by her confiding with him and her less than enthusiastic response regarding going tonight.

Markus grabbed a drink and headed to a darkened corner of the bar, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He looked around at the crowd, once again surprised by not only the number of people here but the cross section of the music industry present. Nodding at a few people he recognised, he took a swig of his beer as he tried to locate Rayna. Sinking back further into the shadows, his eyes bounced from face to face trying to locate the one person who he desperately wanted to see tonight.

Straining his neck, he caught a glimpse her as she chatted to Bucky. The crowd thinned out allowing him to see that they were both engrossed in a conversation oblivious to the noise surrounding them. Markus could see that she had been home and changed. She always looked good to him but tonight she looked exceptional good. She was wearing a smoky grey sheer top, teamed with a black skirt that finished mid-thigh showing off her incredibly long legs. His eyes caressed over her, devouring her from her cowboy boots to the beach waves of her hair. She really was a beautiful woman who deserved to be treated as such. Downing the rest of his beer, he considered what he knew about her relationship with Deacon. He knew people considered them basically married but they hadn't seen the sadness in her eyes as she described the issue with her eldest child nor the annoyance about tonight. He had never meet Deacon in person, but from what he had read in the tabloids he seemed like a man who did not deserve to be on the arm of Rayna Jaymes. He seemed quick to anger and from what little he gathered early tonight, had always been possessive about Rayna, even while she was married to another man. Sipping his beer, Markus watched Rayna and wondered why she stayed with a man like that. She clearly was a stunning woman, who was independent as hell, surely she could do better than an alcoholic guitar player. Picking at the label on his bottle, Markus reluctantly admitted that while he was convinced Deacon didn't have the qualities that Rayna deserved, the man certainly did have superior song writing skills. Maybe that is why Rayna kept him in her life all these years. Looking back over at Rayna, he smiled to himself as he thought, "She certainly was a mystery." One he was looking forward to solving.

"Hey Markus, what the hell are you doing this side of town?"

Laughing, Markus embraced Tom while exclaiming that he thought it was time to see how the other side lived. Nodding at a nearby waitress, Markus ordered a couple more beers for them. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rayna as she chatted to some industry people. Markus tried to focus on the conversation with Tom while at the same time waiting for a moment to get Rayna alone.

"So seriously dude, what brings you here? This isn't your usual venue of choice?"

Markus' eyes flicked in the direction of Rayna,

"Um, you know. People have been talking about this place, thought it was time to check it out."

Tom smiled a knowing smile at him. He had seen who had captured his friend's attention.

"Don't even go there, man. Many have tried and failed."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Markus, you could have your pick of women why would you even think about her?"

When Boulevard had first hit it big, Tom was one of the session players they would call upon when Terry, their lead guitarist would get carried away with the good life. Markus hadn't seen him since Terry had gotten clean. He had heard that he had moved away from LA but had lost track of his movements. He should have known that he would gravitate to Nashville, after all a good country song needed a strong guitar rift.

Smiling at his friend, Markus couldn't help but look over in Rayna's direction again. His eyes narrowed as they tracked, whom he assumed was Deacon, approach Rayna. Markus could sense rather than see Tom taking in the scene in front of them. They both watched as Deacon acknowledge the rest of the group Rayna was in, before wrapping an arm around the side of her waist and drawing her in into him and kissing her cheek. Rayna gave him a small smile before returning her attention to the rest of the group. Deacon also turned his attention to those in the circle of people in front of them. Markus smiled as he noticed that Rayna and Deacon barely acknowledged each other let alone talked to one another.

Raising his eyebrow in Tom's direction, he wordlessly stated his case. Tom shook his head as he rolled his eyes at his friend. He knew that his friend had no chance with Rayna Jaymes. Regardless of what they just witnessed, he knew that Rayna and Deacon were devoted to each other. He had been in the country music industry long enough to hear all the stories about them. He had even seen it first hand when he was lucky enough to be in the opening act for Rayna one tour. Even though Rayna had been married at the time, everyone was aware of the tension between her and Deacon, on and off the stage. Tom knew there had always been rumours about just how friendly they were off stage, though he seriously doubted that Rayna had ever cheated on her husband. This was the same woman who had been loyal to a struggling record label and stuck by her husband when his business deal had blown up. Taking a sip of his drink, he watched his friend as he focused on the couple in front of him. He knew it was no use warning him off. He had known Markus long enough to know once he got an idea in his head there was no talking him out of it.

They both watched as Deacon leaned over said something to Rayna before heading up on stage. Deacon hadn't even made it to the stage before Rayna, with a frown on her face, had turned to talk to their friends. Rayna didn't even acknowledge Deacon's presence on stage, maintaining a constant conversation the entire time he performed. The only time she looked in his direction was after he had finished performing. Turning towards the stage she had given him a strained smile while applauding his performance. Laughing at something her companions said, Rayna turned her back on Deacon again as he introduced the next act.

Markus turned to his friend and raised his eyebrows at the behaviour of Rayna. Shouting over the noise of the band playing, Markus said

"See. That is why I'm here tonight."

Shaking his head at his friend, he mouthed

"Good luck" all the while thinking he was going to need it.

"Oh my god, Markus Keen. We are such huge fans"

Tearing his eyes away from tracking every move Rayna made, Markus focused on the ladies in front of him. Smiling widely at them, he welcomed their acclamations. He never got sick of fans gushing over him, if he was being honest it was one of the reason why he went into the entertainment industry. He loved being the centre of attention, even as a kid he would demand all eyes be on him. Putting an arm around both of the fans, he smiled towards the camera as Tom took a photo for them. One of the perks of being in a popular band was the abundance of fans who were eager for your attention. He had missed that since being in Nashville, where he was treated as a no one since he was an outsider to the country music scene. Markus nodded in agreement to what one of the women was telling him, while discreetly watching Rayna as she moved across the room. Even from his sheltered corner of the bar, he could see Rayna lighting up the room, the jubilant way she interacted with everyone she met. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she was having fun tonight.

Rayna slowly made her way across the front of the stage, stopping every now and then to talk to people. Markus watched as she kissed Bucky on the cheek and gestured to the entrance. His eyes tracked her as she weaved between groups of people, stopping occasionally to talk to them. Looking back towards Deacon, Markus noticed him standing slightly off stage talking to a young blonde. He was laughing at something she was saying while she was slapping his chest. Markus raised his eyebrows at Tom and gestured towards Deacon. Tom frowned at the scene he was witnessing. It didn't track with everything he knew about Deacon and it certainly didn't match up with what he knew about his relationship with Rayna. Markus' eyes flicked between Rayna and Deacon as he tried to read their body language. Rayna had her back to Deacon, unable to see him laughing with the mysterious blonde woman. She was chatting with Pam and others from various music venues in Nashville. Markus took a step towards her, wanting to go to her side and lend his support. He knew it was just a matter of time before she turned around and saw Deacon flirting. He wondered if she already suspected something and that is why she had be reluctant to attend tonight. Tom's hand on his arm, halted any progression towards Rayna.

"Careful Markus. You don't want to get caught in the middle of something. I mean we have no idea what is going on between them. It might be nothing."

Shaking his friend's hand off him, Markus turned to face him.

"I don't need to wait I can see what is going on. You saw yourself."

Markus gestured towards Deacon. Collectively their eyes widened as they watched Deacon wrap his arms around the blonde female, hugging her tightly to him and kissed her forehead. They were both stunned with what they had just witnessed. Not sure what shocked them more, the actual behaviour or the fact that Deacon was so open about it. Wordlessly Markus moved away from Tom, making his way towards Rayna. His progress was slowed as the crowd surged around him, pushing him towards the stage where a popular local band had started their set. Markus frantically tried to see over their heads, trying to spot Rayna. Pushing back against the crowd he struggled to get to a clearing among the thronging crowd.

From his vantage spot, Markus looked around for Rayna. Turning around he searched faces trying to find her. Turning towards the side of the stage he saw that Deacon had also disappeared, as had the blonde woman. With a determined look on his face, Markus began pushing through the crowd heading towards the spot he last saw Rayna. Thinking to himself, she couldn't have gone far. Even if she had left he would be able to call her and make sure she was okay.

"Markus?"

Turning towards the voice, Markus slowed his push through the crowd. Markus was surprised to see Bucky in front of him, he had momentarily forgotten that Rayna's manager and business partner was here tonight. Looking back over his shoulder, he strained to see if he could spot Rayna, before turning back to Bucky.

"Hey Bucky, what brings you here tonight?"

"Just checking out some of the acts. Deacon had recommended some, so Rayna thought it was worth checking out. What about you?"

Shrugging, Markus said,

"Thought it was time to check it out, Rayna mentioned that they get some good acts here."

"Ye, Deacon and Frankie have done wonders here."

Nodding in agreement, Markus and Bucky stood in silence as they listened to the band playing. Markus was eager to begin searching for Rayna again, but didn't want to be rude to Bucky. After all he was a senior member of his record company.

Shouting over the music, Markus asked

"Um, did you see where Rayna went?"

"What?"

"I was wondering if you saw where Rayna went?"

"Yeah, she said that she needed to make a call. She probably went to find a quiet spot. Did you need to see her for something?"

"No, not really. Just wanted to say hi. "

"Don't think she will be long. Think she was heading back to use Deacon's office."

Nodding at Bucky's statement, Markus turned to watch the performance on the stage. He was distracted from the rest of the performance, when Deacon's mysterious blonde approached Bucky.

"Markus, I don't think you have met Scarlett. She is one half of The Exes, who have recently signed with Highway 65."

Markus was stunned as he was introduced to Scarlett. He couldn't believe that Deacon would cheat on Rayna, not only with someone so young but with someone who Rayna worked with. Watching Scarlett with Bucky, Markus could tell she was passionate about her craft while being just as humble about her talent. Shaking his head, it made no sense to him. Scarlett didn't seem like a woman who would use any means possible to get ahead in the industry. Markus had met plenty of them and Scarlett definitely did not behave like any of them. But he also couldn't deny what he had seen earlier.

Markus politely listened as Scarlett and Bucky talked about some of the earlier acts he had missed, all the while wondering how long Rayna was going to be. He needed to get to her before Deacon. She had a right to know that the man she claimed to love was cheating on her, with a woman half his age.

"Excuse me Bucky, think l will go see if l can find Rayna. Just remembered that l needed to tell her something."

"Sure, try Deacon's office over there on the side. That was where she said she was heading."

Markus nodded and said, "Scarlett, I will no doubt see you around Highway 65."

Turning towards the office, Markus pushed his way through the crowd slowly making his way towards Rayna and the truth she deserved to know.