A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.

Chapter 10

"Knock-knock, can we come in?" Deacon stood in the doorway of Rayna's dressing room with Maddie in his arms and Scarlett standing beside him.

"There's my man and my girls." Rayna smiled brightly. She was giving her first concert since she'd given birth.

"We're finally here. sorry that we kept ya waitin'. I had to get these two little ladies ready." Deacon replied.

"That's fine, babe. I needed some time alone with my people to get ready anyway. You have a tendency to be a little underfoot while I'm gettin' my stage face on. You take no time at all to get ready." Rayna pecked his lips lightly. "Now, let me get a good look at you girls. You are both so pretty tonight."

"Thank you, Aunt Ray." Scarlett smiled sweetly.

"You are so welcome. You are gonna stand on the side of the stage with Uncle Bucky tonight. And Aunt Tandy is gonna come sit in here with Maddie. I think you're really gonna like it." Rayna smiled back at her.

Deacon went to the clothes rack where his stage clothes hung and grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He changed into them quickly. "And I'm ready."

"Do you think you can go make sure that the rest of the band is ready?" Rayna asked him.

"I'll go get with the rest of the guys if you can handle the girls on your own for a while." Deacon replied.

"I've got them under control. They are both better behaved than the guys in the band. Is Vince here?" Rayna reassured him.

"Vince is here. He's eager to get back to work. And he's happy to be back." Deacon answered.

"Good, I'll see you in a few then." Rayna stole a kiss from him.

"I'll be back soon." Deacon smiled against her lips.

"Go make sure that your best friend is behaving." Rayna laughed.

"You know that he doesn't know the meaning of that word." Deacon chuckled.

"I know, but there is always hope." Rayna retorted.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ya'll, I can't tell you how good it is to be back on this stage again. I love my brand new baby girl, but bein' up here gives me a thrill that can't anythin' replace." Rayna addressed the crowd after she'd played a few songs. "Now I know it's no secret that I've been in this business a long time and I have a few friends in this town. So, if ya'll could help me welcome to the stage Mr. Riff Bell."

Riff stepped out on the stage and kissed Rayna's cheek. "Rayna, what do you say we play this song for 'em?"

"I say let's do it, Riff." Rayna smiled.

"Let's hit it then." Riff winked at her.

Deacon played the opening chords of the song.

"Honey, I know you got a good job. Out there makin' all that dough. They keep you late workin' that overtime and I don't ever see you no more. I guess you're not checkin' your message machine. Seems like you're never in. Oh, but I got a hunch if we could just do lunch I could get your attention again. I know you got your schedule and you're keepin' it tight. You got somethin' goin' mornin', noon, and night. Oh, but I got somethin' that I think you're gonna like. Honey, can you squeeze me in?" Riff sang the first verse.

"Whoever said it's a man's world don't know what he's talkin' about. You got me workin' around the clock. Honey tryin' to figure you out. They say time is money, but there's more to life honey than how much you can spend. You gotta make a little time for the good times. Honey, can you squeeze me in?" Rayna sang the chorus with him.

"I got it circled in red on the calendar, baby. You told me that tonight's the night. I got the champagne chilled. I've got a gourmet meal soft music and candlelight. I try to get you on the phone and I get stuck on hold. I guess you keep gettin' sidetracked. I've been faxin' you love notes all day long, but you don't ever fax me back. I know you got your schedule and you're keepin' it tight. You got somethin' goin' mornin' noon and night. Oh, but I got somethin' that I think you're gonna like. Honey, can you squeeze me in?" Rayna took the next verse.

"Whoever said it's a man's world sure knows what he's talkin' about. You got me workin' around the clock. Honey, tryin' to figure you out. They say time is money, but there's more to life honey than how much you can spend. You gotta make a little time for the good times. Honey, can you squeeze me in?"

Deacon played the guitar solo for them.

"Whoever said it's a man's world don't know what he's talkin' about. You got me workin' around the clock. Honey tryin' to figure you out. They say time is money, but there's more to life honey, thank how much you can spend. You gotta make a little time for the good times. Honey, can you squeeze me in? Let's make a little time for the good times. Honey, can you squeeze me in?" They finished the song together.

"Ya'll make some noise for Mr. Riff Bell, ladies and gentlemen." Rayna clapped her hands.

"Thank you for sharin' your stage with me, Rayna. I understand that that's kinda hard for a diva like you." Riff ribbed her.

"Riff, you've known me just 'bout long enough to know what I'm capable of doin' to you." Rayna played along.

"We both know that you won't lift a finger you'll get your attack dog to do it for ya." Riff winked.

"I married my attack dog I don't even have to ask him to go after people anymore he does it on his own." Rayna winked back.

"That brings me to another thing." Riff grinned. "Ladies and gentleman, it is my pleasure to present to you for the first time together on stage as a married couple Mr. Deacon Claybourne and Ms. Rayna Jaymes."

The crowd erupted with applause and Vince banged on his drums.

Deacon stepped over to Rayna and put his arm around her.

"Now, you just give me this guitar. Let's get a couple of stools for you two to sit on." Riff took Deacon's guitar and a stage hand brought two stool out.

"Riff, what are you up to?" Rayna looked at him confused.

"Vince and I thought it was only fittin' that you two sing your little theme song together without Deacon havin' to play guitar. Just this once ya'll can get all up close and personal." Riff explained.

"Well, I don't see what'll hurt." Deacon moved two mic stands in front of the stools and sat down. He held out his hand to Rayna.

Rayna took his hand and sat down next to him. "If we are gonna do this ya'll better start playing."

Riff started to play the opening notes to the song.

"Don't you try to tell me someone's waitin' there not waitin' for you. Oh and don't you try to tell me that you're wanted that you're needed cause it's not true. I know why you're lonely. It's time you knew it too." Rayna stared at Deacon as she sang.

"No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you like I do." Deacon sang the chorus with her. He stared back into her eyes.

"Why you always lookin' for the limelight ain't you satisfied with me? Oh for once why don't you get down off your high heels? You're no big deal can't you see? I know why you're lonely. It's time you knew it too." Deacon put his free hand on his wife's knee.

"No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you like I do."

"I'm all you got." Rayna didn't dare break the magic that their stare created.

"I'm all you'll ever need." Deacon put every bit of his emotions into that line.

"I'm all you'll ever have." Rayna and Deacon squeezed each other's hands.

"No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you. No one will ever love you like I do. Like I do. Like I do."

When they finished singing Deacon leaned over and kissed Rayna softly on the lips. The crowd went wild for that. Those two had a chemistry together that just couldn't be replicated.

"Come here, precious girl. I know life is just so hard for you." Rayna picked Maddie up out of her bassinet. The whining noises that she had been making stopped instantly. "Your daddy has you so spoiled already." She walked over to where Scarlett in front of the tv and pulled on ponytail gently. "How's it goin' this mornin', sweet pea?"

"It's goin' good. Uncle Deac just left that's why Maddie was fussin'. He put her down and she didn't like it." Scarlett replied.

"He will be back soon. He had something that he needed to go take care of." Rayna sat down on the couch. She was intentionally vague about what Deacon was doing. Eventually they would have to tell the girls about his drinking problem, but she wanted to wait until they were older and could understand.

A loud knock sounded on the front door.

"Sweetie, that's Uncle Bucky. Can you go answer that?" Rayna groaned. Her manager had called a short time before and said that he needed to talk to her. Any time that he needed to talk to her that early in the day it was going to be something complicated.

"I've got it." Scarlett ran to open the door.

"Hey, Scarlett, it's good to see you." Bucky smiled down at her.

"Hi, Uncle Bucky. Aunt Ray is in the livin' room." Scarlett led the way.

"Hey, Buck, what do you got for me today?" Rayna had Maddie laid over her shoulder rubbing her back.

"It's good news. The label loves the new song with Riff. It's burning up the charts. They want you working on another album, but first they want you to do a small tour. It would be maybe a ten city type deal just to get some hype going for a new album and they can drive up ticket prices that way." Bucky answered her.

"They want me on the road and in the studio. When do they expect me to sleep? I have an almost nine-year-old and a newborn. And I can't just leave them with my husband because he is my bandleader." Rayna ran her hand through her hair.

"I can look into getting a nanny or something to take on the road with you if you want me to. In addition to telling you the ugly truth and being your confidant it's also my job to make your life easier." Bucky replied.

"Buck, that is somethin' I'm gonna have to discuss with him before I can even think about it. Then we have to write at least three new songs to give them just a little taste of the album." Rayna sighed.

"Whatever you need from me you've got you know that." Bucky told her.

"You do more for me than any other manager out there. I really do appreciate you, Buck. I know that Deacon and I have put you through a lot over the years. I can't promise you that we are ever gonna be any less messy, but we should be better from now on." Rayna looked down to make sure that Maddie was ok.

"I'm used to it. I don't expect anything, but chaos from the two of you." Bucky laughed.

"That's a pretty safe bet. The only thing is you won't have to deal with any more drunken antics." Rayna reassured him and herself. She had all the faith in the world in Deacon's commitment to his sobriety. She just couldn't help being scared that his demons would rear their head again.

"I will get out of your hair then. I'm gonna get things set up with the label and I will get back to you." Bucky turned to leave.

"That sounds good to me. Thanks, Buck." Rayna smiled at him.

"No problem, Ray. You'll be hearing from me soon." Bucky waved before he walked out the door.

"You better stop it." Rayna giggled. She was laying on the bed underneath Deacon.

"Stop what? I ain't doin' nothin'." Deacon kissed on her neck.

"We do not have time for this. That sweet baby girl only naps for so long and Scarlett is up playing." Rayna ran her hands up and down his chest. She didn't really make an effort to push him away.

"I think that they will be ok. We can be quick about this." Deacon kissed the spot behind her ear that he knew she couldn't resist.

Rayna stopped the pretense of putting up any resistance and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Make it really quick."

"I can do that." Deacon kissed her deeply.

Rayna threaded her fingers through his hair. She laughed softly and rested her forehead against his when there was a knock on their door. "I told you so."

Deacon rolled off the top of her and laughed. "Come in."

Scarlett came into the room with tears in her eyes holding her scraped up knee.

"Hey you, what's the matter?" Deacon jumped to his feet.

"I fell down and scraped my knee." Scarlett's bottom lip was poked out.

"I'll go get a band aid and some medicine outta of the bathroom." Rayna got up.

"Come here you." Deacon picked Scarlett up and held her close to him. "It's ok, it's gonna be ok." He rubbed her back.

"Daddy, it hurts." Scarlett laid her head on his shoulder.

Rayna stooped in her tracks and turned to look at Deacon with an arched eyebrow. She had expected that just not so soon.

Deacon smiled a little. "Daddy's got you. You're gonna be ok." He made soft shushing noises in her ear.

"Alright, I've got a band aid and the medicine let me see." Rayna came back into the room.

"Let's sit down here and let her get a good look." Deacon sat on the edge of the bed with Scarlett perched on his knee.

Rayna cleaned off her knee and put some antibiotic ointment on the scrape before she covered it with the band aid. "There you go all better." She kissed her knee.

"Thank you, momma." Scarlett said gratefully.

Rayna smiled up at her teary eyed. "You're welcome, baby girl."

Deacon took Scarlett's shoes off for her and laid her in the middle of the bed. He picked up the remote and turned on the tv. "Now, you just lay here in the middle of momma and daddy's bed and rest." He laid down beside her.

"I'll be right back." Rayna walked to the nursery and brought Maddie back into the master bedroom. She laid the baby on Deacon's chest. "Take your other girl, daddy." She got into bed on the other side of Scarlett.

"Now I've got all three of my girls." Deacon smiled. He didn't know what he'd done right enough to deserve all of this, but he was really happy.

"All three of your girls are really lucky to have you." Rayna smiled back.

"I'm lucky to have ya'll." Deacon replied.

"So, Bucky talked to the label today. They want a ten city tour and a new album. That means you and I have to get to work." Rayna told him.

"I don't have an issue with that." Deacon rubbed Maddie's back.

"That means we need to talk about what we're gonna do with these girls while we're working." Rayna broached the subject with him.

"From the sounds of it we are gonna need a babysitter." Deacon stated the obvious.

"I'd come to that conclusion too. It's just with who we are we have to be careful trusting just anyone with these girls. I mean there has to be an agency or something that we can go through." Rayna retorted.

"Or we can go the easiest route and go with someone that we know and can trust." Deacon suggested.

"Who did you have in mind? Because Tandy and my daddy are both out of the question. Not only are they both extremely busy, but I wouldn't want to subject them to daddy. He can be rather extreme at times." Rayna gave it some thought.

"I was thinkin' along the lines of my momma." Deacon told her.

"Do you think she would do it? I mean she has other things to worry about." Rayna worded that in a way where she didn't have to mention Beverly's name.

"The only thing I can do is ask. I don't think she'll say no, but if she does we can think about that then." Deacon replied.

"Make the call. I much rather your momma watch them than some stranger." Rayna jumped on board that idea.

"Daddy, how much longer are we gonna have to stand here?" Scarlett looked up at Deacon.

"Just a few more minutes. I know that you've gotta be tired of standin' here. You and your sister have been so good." Deacon pulled her against his side.

"That's because baby sister has been asleep this whole time." Rayna looked down in the stroller to check on Maddie. She saw that she was starting to stir so she picked her up.

"Scarlett, watch that door right there. It's gettin' ready to open." Deacon pointed to the door.

"I'm watchin'." Scarlett replied.

A few minutes later June walked through the door and walked over to them.

"Mawmaw!" Scarlett explained. She had been with June her whole life and she missed her even more than she missed Beverly.

"Scarlett, look at you. You're gettin' so big and so beautiful." June hugged her to her.

"I missed you so much, mawmaw." Scarlett hugged her back.

"And there's my Maddie." June tickled the baby under her chin.

"She just woke up so you're catching her in a semi good mood. She'll get happier the more alert she gets." Rayna handed her over.

"She's a brooder just like her daddy. He looked like this as baby made the same faces and everythin'." June kissed Maddie's head.

"Deacon, go get your momma's bags for her." Rayna told her.

"I've got 'em." Deacon assured her.

"Momma, you promised." Scarlett looked up at Rayna.

"I know I promised. We are gonna head that way while daddy gets mawmaw's bags. You have been so good and so patient. I know that you're hot and thirsty, Bug." Rayna turned back to Deacon. "Babe, I'm gonna have a riot on my hands if I don't get this one somethin' to drink and God knows that I'm thirsty too. So, take the bags out to the car and meet us at the food court."

"I can do that." Deacon leaned over and pecked her lips.

"See you over there, baby." Rayna smiled against his lips.

June laid Maddie back in her stroller. "There you go, baby girl."

"Scarlett, you can walk ahead if you stay by the stroller and keep an eye on your sister." Rayna told Scarlett.

"Ok, momma." Scarlett agreed.

"She seems to be adjustin' just fine. That makes me happy. I knew that this was the best place for her." June smiled.

"She fits in just fine with the rest of the crazies around here. She's a good girl. A good big sister, a good student, and a good daughter." Rayna's voice held a hint of pride. "Scarlett, you need to show mawmaw your report card when we get home."

"I will." Scarlett chirped happily.

"I can't wait to see it." June replied. "She's a lot better off here that's for sure."

"We're doing the absolute best we can for her. She doesn't seem to have any lasting damage done to her. She's gonna be just fine. We are gonna see to that. Her daddy already has her spoiled rotten. Actually he has both of them spoiled rotten. Well, all three of us if I'm bein' honest." Rayna kept pushing Maddie's stroller.

"I always knew that he'd be a good daddy. With as protective as he is he was born to have daughters." June put her hand on Rayna's shoulder.

"I wanna talk to you while Deacon is busy. I know that you have stuff back in Mississippi that's important, but I was really hoping that you'd consider sticking around here for a little while or maybe forever if you wanted." Rayna broached the subject keeping her voice low.

"It's really somethin' for me to think 'bout anyway." June didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either.

Deacon met them in the food court fifteen minutes later. "Momma, did you pack most of everythin' you own or what? You had enough bags for it."

"I was thinkin' that I'd stick around for a while if that's alright with you. If that works out I was thinkin' that I could stay a little more permanently." June answered him.

"You're more than welcome here for as long as you wanna be here. I won't ask 'bout other things as long as you know what you're doin'." Deacon gave her a measured reply.

"They both have a mean streak that's two miles wide. One of them is better and the other one is never gonna get any better. I've done everythin' that I can for both of 'em. I figured I might as well come where I'm needed and where I can be happy. I'm still a relatively young woman and it's not too late for me to start over." June replied.

"Whatever you want or whatever you need we are here to support you." Rayna reached over and took her hand.

"I know that. I wanna be 'round to see my granddaughters grow up. If I stay in Natchez that's not gonna happen." June said.

"I take it that he's back." Deacon arched his eyebrow.

"Meaner and angrier than ever. And it just hit me that doesn't have to be my life anymore. I can do anythin' or be anythin' I don't have to be stuck there anymore." June replied.

"You came to the right place then. Between me and your son we know more than enough people in this town to get you set up with somethin'." Rayna smiled happily.

"Alright, ya'll ready to get outta here?" Deacon asked.

"More than ready. I think you and I have some work we need to get done and these two are gonna wanna spend some time with their mawmaw." Rayna stood up.

"It'd be nice to get settled in after that plane ride." June agreed.

"Alright, who wants to walk with daddy?" Deacon offered his hand to Scarlett.

"I do, daddy." Scarlett put her little hand in his.

"Would you believe that she's actually a momma's girl?" Deacon laughed.

"I would believe that. She's not used to havin' a momma that pays attention to her." June retorted.

"Come on, ya'll, let's get on home." Rayna started pushing Maddie's stroller.

"I ain't gotta be told twice. I already been out of the house longer than I wanna be today." Deacon was a little bit of a homebody.

"You've just got all kinda plans today. I know that you and Vince are goin' out tonight too." Rayna looked over her shoulder at him.

"It's not goin' out like we used to do when we were drinkin'. We are actually just goin' to a writers' round. We should be home early for a change. He has some emergency that he wants to talk to me about too or somethin'. I guess we will see what it is when I talk to him. I probably don't wanna know with him." Deacon shrugged his shoulders.

"You'll take care of it if it's one of his manageable messes you always do." Rayna gave him some reassurance.

"Like I said. I probably don't wanna know." Deacon sighed and shook his head.

A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I think in another chapter or two I am gonna shift to season one. I have a lot of twists planned. I hope you like what I have in store. Until next time please review.