A/N: This chapter's a little short, but I know it's been a little bit since I'd posted, so I wanted to get something out there. I think things are going to free up a little pretty soon, so hopefully in the future it won't be as long between chapters. Hope you enjoy!

Rayna walked into the kitchen on Sunday morning to get toast and tea for breakfast. When she carried it out to the dining room table, she was surprised to see her father there, reading the paper, dressed for church, his jacket laying across the arm of his chair. He looked up at her and smiled, one of those smiles that didn't reach his eyes. "You're not dressed, Rayna," he said, his voice deceptively pleasant.

She looked down at her jeans and t-shirt, then back at him. "Actually I am dressed," she said, as she sat.

"For church, young lady," he said. The pleasantness had vanished.

"I'm not going." She reached for the jam caddy and lifted the lid from the peach preserves. She dipped her knife in and transferred a generous portion to her toast.

"Excuse me?"

She looked over at her father. "I said, I'm not going." She concentrated on spreading the preserves, waiting to see what he would say.

He let out an exasperated laugh. "I'm sorry, but that's not an option, Rayna. Your sister will be here soon and the three of us are going to church, just like always. And then we have reservations for lunch at the country club."

She sighed. "I'd rather not go today, Daddy."

"I don't think you heard me, Rayna." She looked at him and the benign look on his face had been replaced by an angry look, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. As long as you live in this house, you'll do as I say."

"What if I have other plans?" She didn't, but she didn't want to just roll over either.

"Cancel them," he growled. Just then the front door opened and Tandy walked in, dressed in a demure blue dress that accentuated her eyes. Lamar looked over and smiled. "Well, good morning, Tandy," he said pleasantly. "I was just reminding your sister that she needs to get dressed for church."

Tandy raised an eyebrow and Rayna shrugged. "And I was just telling Daddy I don't feel like going today," she said.

Tandy walked around the table and sat next to her. "But I want you to go," she said. "I haven't seen you all week and I want you to go with us." When Rayna looked at her, she saw a pleading look in her eyes.

She took a bite of her toast and chewed slowly, then swallowed. Finally she sighed and threw down the rest of the toast on her plate and got up from the table. She walked out of the dining room and up the stairs. Tandy followed her, slipping in the bedroom before Rayna could slam the door. She swung around. "Why did you do that?" she hissed.

Tandy put her hands out. "I really did want to see you, Rayna. Why don't you want to go?"

Rayna stood in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips. She breathed in and then out. "I had a date last night. And Daddy didn't approve. So now he's punishing me."

Tandy gasped. "A date? With who?"

"Deacon."

Tandy frowned. "Deacon?"

Rayna rolled her eyes. "Deacon. The guy I met at the Bluebird. You remember him."

"Oh, right." Tandy bit her lip. "Well, I'm not surprised Daddy didn't approve."

"What? Because he's not 'our kind'? Not you too, Tandy." Rayna stomped off to her closet, angrily sliding dresses down the closet rod, not really seeing anything.

"What do you mean by that?" Tandy was standing at the closet door.

Rayna looked at her and scowled. "You know. Daddy thinks we can't date anyone other than Belle Meade boys. Like we can't make up our own minds."

"He just wants the best for you, Rayna."

"Stop it." Rayna pointed at her. "Stop it or I won't come."

Tandy held up her hands in surrender. "It's not my fight." She made a shooing gesture. "Go on now. Find something pretty to wear." Rayna rolled her eyes and her sister laughed.

Rayna squinted as they walked out of the church into the sunlight. She and Tandy had to endure Lamar's glad handing as they slowly walked down the walkway towards the parking lot. They had to smile and nod as their father reminded all the other important Belle Meade people who his daughters were. As much as Rayna didn't really want to go to lunch at the country club, it was a hot summer day and she wanted to get into the air conditioning. She linked her arm through Tandy's and they picked up the pace, heading on towards the parking lot ahead of their father.

"Can I come stay with you this weekend?" she asked Tandy. Rayna loved the fact that their father had allowed Tandy to stay in her apartment near Vanderbilt all summer.

Tandy gave her a sly smile. "Why?"

Rayna shrugged and gave her sister her own sly smile. "Just in case I have a date," she said.

"Will he pick you up?"

"Of course. He's nice and sweet and gentlemanly. You'll see." Tandy raised her eyebrows and Rayna just smiled.

After they ordered lunch, and handed off their menus, Rayna sat back in her chair, looking around the dining room. She always felt out of place at the country club. It was stiff and formal, appropriate attire only. As out of place as she felt at school, she felt even more so within these ornate walls. The décor was over-the-top, gilded chandeliers, stiff white tablecloths and napkins on the tables. There was a hushed sound of conversation amongst the wealthy movers and shakers of Nashville. It was still a big deal to belong to the country club and Lamar always had reminded them what a privilege it was for them to have this kind of access. Not simply to the elegant interiors and vast grounds, but access to the right kind of people. These are our people, he would say.

Not my people. These are not my people.

"Rayna?" She turned and looked at her father. He nodded across the room. "You want a nice young man to date, there's one for you."

She followed his gaze, letting it pass by his friends and business associates, landing on a younger man she didn't know. "Who, Daddy?" she said, looking back at him with disinterested eyes.

"Theodore Conrad. I think he goes by Teddy." Lamar smiled. "John and Rebecca Conrad's son."

She frowned. "Are you serious?" She shook her head. "You're gonna try to fix me up with some country club stiff?"

He reached out and patted her hand. "Now, don't do that, Rayna," he said, his face pleasant but his eyes steely with irritation. "Even though his family's a little down on their luck right now, they're still old Belle Meade stock. And Teddy's a smart young executive down at the bank."

"Daddy!" Tandy exclaimed. "That's ridiculous. Teddy Conrad's older than me. I'm very certain he wouldn't be interested in dating a high school girl." She looked at Rayna. "No disrespect intended."

Rayna grinned. "None taken." There was no way on God's green earth she would entertain dating someone from this world. The server came to their table and set their salads in front of them. After he left, Rayna picked up her fork, then looked at her father. "I'm not looking for my daddy to fix me up with a boyfriend. And even if I was, I wouldn't pick someone from here." She started on her salad, wanting to get through lunch as quickly as possible so they could get out of there.

####

As Deacon drove down the street that led out of Belle Meade, he thought about two things. His date with Rayna and what happened at the end. He wasn't surprised at the reaction of Rayna's father. He knew he was out of his league in the wealthy part of town. But Rayna never made him feel like he was less than her, even though he knew he wasn't as smart or well-dressed or well-spoken as someone she might meet there. He could tell Rayna's father was trying to be intimidating, all gruff and cold and controlling. He supposed that some boys who wanted to date Rayna would be intimidated by that, but then he wasn't one of them.

Considering how he'd grown up, he wasn't particularly scared of Lamar Wyatt. He'd grown up with a father who drank too much and beat up his family. He knew real fear. Rayna's father's words didn't bother him. He did wonder if her father would keep her from seeing him, but he also knew enough about Rayna now that he was pretty sure she would do what she wanted.

He couldn't help but smile a little as he thought about her sassing back her father. He had no doubt she would. Which then led him to think about the date. He had loved watching the excitement and wonder on her face as she'd listened to the music at the Station Inn. She clearly had an ear for music and a love for it. He'd put his arm around her as they sat and listened and she would look over at him and smile. He knew she was young and that he would need to be careful with her. He also knew already that she was worth it.

When he got home, he went immediately to his bedroom and got his guitar and the notebook he used to write down lyrics and music. He flipped through the pages until he found the one he was looking for, about halfway through the notebook. It was the song that Rayna had inspired, as he'd sat and watched her on stage that first night he'd seen her at the Bluebird. He sat at the little kitchen table, with his guitar, and began to play the song again, seeing Rayna in his mind as he did.

Sittin' here tonight / By the fire light / It reminds me I already have more than I should / I don't need fame / No one to know my name / At the end of the day / Lord I pray / I have a life that's good. He imagined her face when he finally sang it to her, hoping it would mean as much to her as it did to him. Two arms around me / Heaven to ground me / And a family that always calls me home / Four wheels to get there / Enough love to share / And a sweet, sweet, sweet song / At the end of the day / Lord I pray / I have a life that's good. He sat back and looked at it the words on the paper. He didn't want to scare her off, but somehow he didn't really think it would.

He thought about her, standing on the stage singing, the way he'd seen her that very first night. It made him think, then, about playing guitar for her, like he'd said. He'd surprised himself a little when he'd offered, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He knew he'd told Watty he wasn't interested in being a backup for anyone, but he realized he wanted to do it for Rayna. He really did want them to do this together.

He sat back and finished the song. Sometimes I'm hard on me / When dreams don't come easy / I wanna look back and say / I did all that I could / Yeah at the end of the day / Lord I pray / I have a life that's good. After he'd played it all through, he smiled to himself, satisfied with how it had turned out. He couldn't wait to find the right time to share it with Rayna.

After he got off his shift the next day at the diner, he settled into one of the back booths with a plate of eggs, bacon and toast. He was about halfway through when Stewart slid into the booth opposite him. He had a plate of pancakes, but he reached across the table and snatched one of the pieces of bacon off Deacon's plate. "This looks tasty," Stewart said, biting off half the bacon strip. "Actually really good," he said as he chewed.

Deacon frowned. "Get your own damn bacon, Stewart." He pulled his plate a little closer.

Stewart pointed at him with his fork. "So there's a showcase down at Shotgun Sally's on Thursday. You in?"

Deacon nodded. "Sure." He shoveled some eggs in his mouth. "Can I bring someone?" he asked.

Stewart's eyebrows shot up. "Who?"

Deacon cleared his throat. "Uh, Rayna."

"Seriously? You left with her the other night, didn't you?" Deacon nodded. "Was she good?"

Deacon frowned. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Stewart shoved pancakes in his mouth and shook his head. He chewed and swallowed. "Hey, man, I didn't mean nothing by it. I just thought…."

Deacon was still frowning. "You know she's sixteen, right?" he asked.

"Well, no, I didn't know that. Damn, Deke, isn't she a little young for you?"

"Shut up, Stewart." Deacon was done with his breakfast, so he slid out of the booth, taking his plate and silverware with him. "I'll see you Thursday."

As he drove home, he thought about whether he would hear from Rayna and when. Her father did seem kind of upset with her, so he hoped she didn't get grounded or anything. He really did want to see her again.

####

Rayna waited until what she thought was a decent hour and went into her father's study. She picked up the phone and called Deacon's number, hoping he was home. After four rings he picked up. "Hello?" he said.

She couldn't help but smile when she heard his voice. "Hey, Deacon, it's Rayna," she said, feeling herself blush a little.

"Hey, Rayna." She couldn't help it. She listened closely to the tone of his voice and it lifted her heart to hear him sound happy to hear from her.

She felt a little shy. "Hey. So, how are you?"

"Good. You?"

"Good." She felt tongue-tied, something that wasn't like her.

"Um, you wanna meet at the park today?"

She felt a little thrill run through her. He still wants to see me! "Sure. You don't have to work?"

"Nah. Not today."

She bit down on her lip. "Uh, what if I brought lunch? Like a picnic or something?"

"I'd like that."

"So like about one?"

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Yeah. It's a date."

When she hung up the phone, she felt warm all over. It's a date. She wrapped her arms around herself. I'm dating Deacon Claybourne! She felt a thrill run through her. She couldn't wait to see him.

He was already there when she pulled into the parking lot at the park. She gathered up the lunch she had made and walked over to where he sat. He looked up as she approached and smiled, setting down his guitar and jumping off the table. "Hey," she said, feeling a little shy.

"Hey." He took the bag from her and set it on the table. Then he turned back to her and took her hand, rubbing his thumb over it. She felt a little shiver run down her spine as she felt his calloused fingers against her skin. He looked a little nervous, but then he stepped towards her and leaned in to kiss her. She put her other hand on his arm and returned the kiss, letting her lips part enough that he could slide his tongue in her mouth. Then, as though they both realized they were standing in a public place, they stepped back from each other. He grinned a little sheepishly. "I'm glad you could come," he said.

"Me too." She glanced over at the bag. "I brought sandwiches. I made them myself."

"You did?"

She nodded. "Ham and cheese. Oh. I hope you like that."

"Ham and cheese is great." They sat on the table and she pulled out the sandwiches, handing one to him and putting the other on her lap. Then she pulled out cans of diet Coke she'd bought just before she'd gotten to the park.

"I hope diet Coke is okay," she said.

He popped the top and took a swallow. "Perfect." Then he unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. She watched as he chewed it and then swallowed. "This is great, Rayna," he said.

She smiled. "I'm glad you like it." She unwrapped hers then and took a bite. She wondered if they'd ever stop acting so weird with each other.

He looked at her. "I'm glad you called, but we gotta figure something else out," he said. "Maybe you give me your number?"

She wasn't sure that was a good idea. "Maybe you get an answering machine?"

He shrugged. "I could, but I'd still need your number."

He was right. "I'll give it to you, but if my daddy answers, you hang up."

He frowned. "I ain't afraid of him, Rayna. I been around a whole lot worse."

She considered that. "Still, I don't think he'd even tell me you called."

He shrugged again. "Okay." He ate another bite of the sandwich. "You free on Thursday night?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"There's one of them showcases down at Shotgun Sally's again. Thought we could go."

"I'd like that."

"And I'll be your lead guitar, how 'bout that?"

She smiled. "Really? You'd do that for me?" He nodded. "Thanks."

He picked up his guitar then, settling it on his lap. "You written any new songs lately?"

She shook her head sadly. "No. I'm just so stuck. You said you've written a lot. How do you do it?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I ain't saying they're all good, you know." He looked down and let his fingers graze the guitar strings. "Write your truth. That's all it is."

####

She looked at him a little quizzically. "You make it sound too simple."

He smiled. "It don't have to be that hard." He let his fingers run over the strings again. "What I do is write down everything that comes into my head. If I dream about something, I write it down, no matter what. You don't never know what's gonna turn into a song." He smiled. "Tell me something that makes you happy."

She bit her lip. "Music."

"More than that."

He watched her as she folded her hands in her lap, her knees tight together, her back straight as she thought. "There's this place my mom used to take Tandy and me. Along the river. It was quiet and peaceful. Just a big piece of land."

"What did you like about it?"

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "I don't know. Maybe that I felt free. No burdens, no outside world."

"Do you still go out there?" She shook her head. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "I guess because she's gone." She looked at him and he thought he saw the hint of tears in her eyes. "It's not the same somehow." She sighed.

"Why don't you write about that? The being free part?"

She shrugged. "I never thought about that. Maybe I could." She had a wistful look on her face as she stared off into the distance.

He chewed on his lip for a moment. "What do you think you might wanna play at Shotgun Sally's?" he asked.

She screwed up her face. "How many do you do? Still three or four?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Well, maybe I do those two I did at the Bluebird plus a cover or two."

"What about that one you were working on?"

She frowned. "What?"

He smiled encouragingly. "You know, the one about being in love."

She blushed. "Oh, I don't know. That seems so, you know, personal. And private. Plus it's not really finished."

"You ain't gonna share it? That's what you write for, Rayna."

She looked at him. "Do you perform all your songs?" She sounded a little like she was challenging him.

"Well, yeah." He smirked. "Long as they're finished." He leaned a little towards her. "It's a pretty song, Rayna. I think people will like it. You should try to finish it."

She sighed. "Maybe." She looked thoughtful, then she smiled shyly at him. "What's something you'll do Thursday night?"

"Oh, I don't know." Truth was, he'd written lots of songs about the things he was searching for, like the song he'd written for her. But he'd also written a lot of dark songs, about demons and pain and darkness. It was what he'd grown up with. It was the kind of thing he normally played. "Here's something I wrote that me and my sister did." He played the opening chords before he launched in. Trouble loves you like a thief / Trouble fills a certain need / Tangles up the truth / Baby you're the proof / Trouble is a friend that never sleeps. He stopped and looked at her.

"Wow," she said. "That's, um…."

He nodded. "Kinda dark. I know." He breathed in. "Rayna, I told you before. I had kind of a bad life before I came here. Not a lot was good. You should know that about me."

"You didn't have anything good in your life?"

I didn't, but now there's you, he wanted to say. But he didn't. He needed to be sure first.