A/N: So, this is the end. This incorporates the first two episodes from season one, culminating in their song at the Bluebird which, in my mind, is when things began to turn again in Deacon and Rayna's relationship. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and especially those who left a comment. I always love hearing what you think!

Rayna sat in her car outside the Opry House, after the show. She thought back to the meeting in her dressing room. First it was Juliette Barnes, who walked in as though she were the queen bee. Which, it appeared, she was. She could still see her smug face and her insincere smile. My mama was one of your biggest fans. She said she'd listen to you when I was still in her belly. She made a face, feeling the bile creep up her throat.

And then there were the suits from the label, telling her she needed to open for Juliette Barnes. She rested her elbow on the edge of the door and ran her hand over her face. What am I gonna do? What the hell happened and how did I miss it?

Teddy was still up when she got home. He was cleaning up in the kitchen. He smiled. "How was it?" he asked.

She looked at him. He tried so hard to please her. Even though she knew it chafed at him, he'd stayed home for the girls, while she spent all her time out on the road or in the studio. He kept the home fires burning, he liked to say. She really wanted to be grateful, but it still rankled, although not as much as in the beginning. Sometimes she thought he was afraid to try again and being a househusband the last couple years had been an easy choice for him. But now she had a decision to make about her future. She wasn't really ready to talk to him about what had happened that night. Mostly because it was his fault she was in this predicament in the first place. Instead she gave him a smile she didn't feel. "Good," she said. "It's always good being on the Opry stage, you know?"

He folded the towel and laid it on the counter. "You want anything? There's chicken fingers left over."

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry." And she wasn't. She raised her eyebrows. "I could sure use a glass of wine, though." Actually I could use a whole bottle.

She waited while he poured her a glass and handed it to her. As she raised it to her lips, he said, "You want to sit down and relax a little?"

She swallowed. "Actually, I really need a little decompression time, if that's okay." She gave him a tired smile. "You know how that is." She didn't wait for him to respond as she headed for the music room. It was the one room in the house he didn't come into.

She sat on one of the leather couches and propped her feet up on the coffee table, as she sipped on her wine. She finally let the tears come, something she would only do in private. This was all wearing on her, propping up Teddy, taking care of the family, trying to keep them all afloat. She mostly tried not to think about it, but she realized she'd let some things get past her as she'd been laser focused on money-making activity.

Since the night Teddy had come home, buzzed or drunk or whatever, telling her he'd sunk all their money into his failed business deal, she'd had to step up her game. Somewhere along the way, she'd taken her foot off the pedal. She'd let herself believe Teddy would always take care of them, just like he had in the beginning. She didn't know just when the tables had turned. When had he started feeling like he was in her shadow? That's what he'd told her, the next day, when she'd tried to navigate her way through the mess their lives had become, seemingly overnight.

They still slept in the same bed, kept up appearances for everyone, continued to parent together, but things had changed for good that night. After a few times, when she'd rebuffed his sexual advances, he left her alone. They hardly talked anymore, unless it was about the girls. Whenever they did talk about money or anything else other than the girls, they argued.

She thought about Deacon. In many ways, he'd been her port in a storm. He didn't ask a lot of questions, but he was always there. After the day she'd fallen apart in his arms, they didn't talk about Teddy anymore. They didn't have to. He knew. Just like he knew everything about her. Like he always had. He was just there, to support her, to be her friend, to listen to what she did say. She was glad to have him, glad for his loyalty. She was going to need him more than ever now.

~nashville~

Deacon had heard of Juliette Barnes before, but had never met her until that night at the Opry tribute for Watty. She said she had his album, the one that had never really made it out of the record bins all those years ago, and she even knew one of the more obscure songs, so he was impressed. She was confident and spunky. She actually reminded him a little bit of Rayna, back in the very early days, although he knew better than to say that to her. He didn't care for Juliette's music, but he never minded someone liking his.

He really didn't give her another thought until she showed up at the Bluebird, standing outside his truck. Clearly she was working whatever angle she thought might convince him to give her the time of day. But one thing stuck with him, the comment she'd made about Rayna's tour being cancelled. Rayna had certainly been distracted, even a little pulled inside herself, ever since Watty's tribute at the Opry. He'd learned, over the years, to give her space when she was like this. It usually meant she was trying to work through something. But he was pretty sure she'd tell him something this important.

He had heard about the change at the top at Edgehill Republic. It didn't impact him, since he was employed by Rayna directly and not by the label, but he wondered if that was what her distance was about. And the comment from Juliette Barnes. He would wait, though, and let Rayna tell him in her own time. She would eventually, he knew that.

Rehearsal seemed to be going well until Rayna threw a little fit over her earpiece. He thought she sounded fine, but he suspected whatever it was going on behind the scenes was behind her 'diva dip'. He had smirked a little when she'd said that. She rarely had a tantrum on stage, even as much of a perfectionist as she was, and that was her way of trying to minimize it.

"Deacon? You got a minute?" she called out.

He looked over at her. "For you I do," he said. She picked up her jacket and he followed her out.

As they walked, she finally told him what was going on. "You know there's a new guy in charge at Edgehill," she said.

"Yeah, I heard that."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, he sent his henchmen over to the Opry the other night to try and get me to open for Juliette Barnes. Can you believe that?"

That surprised him. "Seriously? You can perform circles around her."

She smiled at him. "Well, thank you for that."

They walked a little ways in silence. "Why would they want you to do that, Ray?" he asked, finally.

She breathed in and looked away. Then she pushed her hands into her pockets and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, apparently I'm not making them much money anymore." Her voice sounded rough, like she was on the verge of tears.

He frowned. "I don't understand. Your last album went platinum."

She looked back at him. "I know. But the new one's not. It's not selling and the tour's not selling." She sighed. "If I don't do this, they won't support my record or my tour."

"But why Juliette Barnes?"

She laughed sarcastically. "Because she's the big star these days at Edgehill. And if I hitch my star to hers, maybe some of her fans will become my fans." She looked at him and made a face. "I think that's pretty unlikely, don't you?"

He wasn't sure exactly how to respond to her. He understood her laser-focused view of her career. One of the things he admired most about her was that she had a clear vision of who she was as an artist and she was always true to that vision. He also knew Teddy still wasn't working anywhere and he had to wonder if that factored in to her decision making. But if her record wasn't selling and the tour wasn't selling, she'd have to do something. "Are you sure you'd be an opener?"

"Well, they call it co-headline, but yes, I'd be opening for her." She looked at him, her face serious. "I don't think I could do that, Deacon. I've done my time as an opener. I can't go backwards. And I think I still have a lot of good years left."

They walked some more and talked some more and by the time he left her, back at Sound Check, he was wondering what would happen when she had her meeting at the label. He felt pretty sure she wouldn't agree to the joint tour, or whatever they wanted to call it, with Juliette Barnes. He knew she wasn't ready to hang it up, but it sounded like, if she didn't do as they asked, she didn't have a lot of options.

He'd told her about Juliette Barnes asking him to join her tour. He hadn't intended to tell her about it, but she'd seemed like she might be in a place where she'd consider cutting back and he didn't want to stand in the way of that. He didn't want her to feel like she had to hang on for him, or anyone else. After the initial frenetic pace she'd set after Teddy's business collapse, things had settled back into a more normal routine. If someone were to have asked him, though, if he was surprised at the turn of events for her career, he would have said no. He was probably a little more pragmatic than she was, about her career at least, and he knew there was a trajectory for artists and he knew, unless she did something different, she could be on a downward turn. But he wasn't prepared to abandon her yet.

He thought about her comment that she didn't want to hold him back. He knew what she was saying, that she didn't want him to hang on when there was nothing left to hang on for. But she'd taken him back, all those years ago, when he first got out of rehab. She'd done it, even though everybody was telling her not to. She did it, even though she was afraid nothing would change. But she had believed in him and stuck by him and they'd made it, nearly thirteen years now, stronger together this time around. He just wasn't sure he could walk away. He owed her everything.

Except that Juliette Barnes was driving a hard bargain.

~nashville~

She was having a very, very bad day.

She and Teddy were hardly speaking to each other, since his announcement that he was going to run for mayor. And that he was being backed by her own father. She knew it was just Lamar's way of getting into their business and she wasn't any more interested in it these days than she'd been back when she was sixteen years old.

She had thought of little else than Teddy's desire to step out and find his own way. The problem was that, as she knew only too well, the way he was choosing to do it would involve putting their whole family in the spotlight, a place she spent her whole life staying out of. It was one thing to be in the spotlight on stage, a place where she wanted to be front and center, the only place where she actually felt comfortable exposing herself like that. It was something else entirely to be put on a public stage where the rules weren't the same.

She'd always kept her personal life private. She hadn't consciously done that, in the beginning, but she'd never really felt comfortable talking about her life in Belle Meade. She had always felt like a square peg in a round hole, someone standing on the outside looking in, and when she finally had a chance to break free, she wanted to stand on her own two feet. She'd distanced herself from her roots by taking on her mother's maiden name. She'd kept most of the struggles and heartache of her relationship with Deacon private. And, of course, she'd rewritten the story of her life when she'd married Teddy and passed off her daughter as his.

Her personal life was private. She'd always said that, whenever a reporter or anyone else had asked. She'd learned, at a very young age, to put on a happy face and keep any pain or sorrow or regret hidden away. The only person she'd ever truly opened up to was Deacon. He was the only one who'd ever seen the things she'd neatly hidden away. Much of that was because of the pain they'd caused each other. It had meant their feelings were raw and torn and ripped open. He had loved her as fully and completely as anyone could have and she had supported and protected him every day. Her goal had been to keep him safe and she had laid it all on the line for him to do that. But to the rest of the world, she'd been the perfect Rayna Jaymes, with her performance smile, always presenting that positive image.

Yes, maybe Teddy did deserve his time in the spotlight, but it would be at her expense, she knew that. Politics was a dirty game and she felt a gnawing sense of anxiety at what exactly that could lead to.

She had felt confident and strong when she'd told Marshall Evans she wasn't opening for Juliette Barnes and that he could kiss her ass, but after she left the building she wondered if she'd made a mistake. She hoped he flinched at her refusal to do as he asked, hoped he capitulated when he realized she was the person who'd built that label and that she was willing to walk away. She was counting on her legacy to protect her, but there was still a part of her that worried. If he called her bluff, she was done.

But things just went from bad to worse. She found out Lamar had financed her first album, something that infuriated her. It felt like her whole career had been built on a lie. Then his threat regarding Maddie. She'd snapped. She had walked out of his house and gotten in her car, slamming the door on Tandy. She'd been driving aimlessly, trying to figure out what to do, trying to decide what the best course of action was.

It had been a long time since she'd felt like she wasn't in control of her life. She'd spent years managing all the complications, holding fast to the decisions she'd made, and staying true to that. But now it all felt like it was threatening to unravel. Her career was at a crossroads. Teddy's restlessness threatened to upend their lives. And a girl she wouldn't have even had as her backup singer was pulling at Deacon, threatening her anchor.

She sighed. Teddy was expecting her at the announcement. Her father and Tandy were expecting her there. She didn't want to do this, didn't want to expose herself this way. This wasn't the life she'd wanted and yet now it appeared she was knee deep in it. As a storm raged around her, she tried to sort through the complicated feelings and decisions. Where the hell is this going to take us?

~nashville~

As Deacon drove through downtown Nashville in the rain, he kept asking himself what the hell he thought he was doing. Juliette Barnes was not giving up, that was clear. She'd somehow gotten his number and called him, asking him yet again, as sweetly as she could, to write with her. She intrigued him, in a way he hadn't been intrigued by a woman since Annabelle Henley. She was quite different from Annabelle, but she certainly had Annabelle's pluck and determination. And since he didn't have anything else to do that night, he figured what the hell.

He pulled up to the gate and the guard let him through. He'd parked in front of Juliette's house and ran up to the front door with his guitar. When she opened the door, she had that same look on her face she'd had when she cornered him outside the Bluebird. "Hey, there," she said, a sly smile on her lips. "What took you so long?"

He chuckled, looking back out towards the pouring rain. "Weather, I guess," he said.

She stepped back. "Well, come on in. I'm ready for you." She smiled knowingly and he smirked in return.

They'd played at writing a song. He'd assumed it was a prelude to something else – and it was – but it turned out she actually was serious about writing. They talked a little, he put some words down on paper, and then, after she sent someone away who'd knocked on her door, she came back and made it clear that songwriting was over for the night.

~nashville~

Thankfully, Teddy had not pretended he thought she'd come to his announcement because she really wanted to be there. They had certainly pretended to be a united front and she had given the crowd her best Rayna Jaymes smile, greeting people warmly and acting proud of her husband. But inside she felt cold. She felt like she was being pushed in a direction she didn't want to go.

When he came into the bedroom, she was already in bed. He quietly changed into his pajamas and then got in on his side of the bed. He sat as she lay with her back to him. "Thank you for coming to the announcement," he said.

She breathed out. "Well, what else was I supposed to do, Teddy? How would it have looked if I hadn't been there?"

He didn't say anything for a minute. When he did, his voice was tight. "I didn't force you, Rayna. I just asked you to support me."

She turned over on her back and looked up at him. "Yes, you did. And I did that. I still don't like it." She turned back on her side. "Just please don't ask me again to give up my career."

He was silent and finally she fell into a restless sleep.

The next day she met Watty and Bucky at Sound Check. Watty had told her he had a great idea for her and she was anxious to hear it. Watty had been her mentor for years, was the person who'd discovered her, and she still relied on his judgement where her career was concerned. He'd never steered her wrong and she knew he had her best interests at heart. But, at first, she thought he'd lost his mind when he suggested she and Deacon go out on tour together, just the two of them.

She had just gotten over the initial shock of it when Deacon showed up. She looked up at him as he walked up. "Well, speak of the devil," she said, with a smirk.

He set his guitar down. "Sorry I'm late," he said, as he sat down. "Traffic." He reached in front of her to pluck a piece of pineapple off her plate of fruit. "What'd I miss?"

"Watty has a great idea," she said, sarcastically.

He raised his eyebrows at her and then looked at Watty. "Clearly she disagrees with you, then," he said with a smile.

Watty shook his head. "I heard these kids last night at the Bluebird and it reminded me of the two of you, back when you were first starting out. That tour you did across the southeast. I think that's what you should do now."

She looked back at Deacon, trying to gauge his reaction. "Just the two of us. All the old songs." She grinned. "Crazy, right?"

He had an odd look on his face and he looked at Watty and then back at her. "Actually, it ain't such a bad idea, Ray," he said. "You'd have a lot more control over things. You could do as many or as few dates as you wanted and it would be a lot easier if it was just me and you to worry about." He shrugged and snagged a strawberry.

She smacked at his hand. "Hey, that's mine," she said, playfully. He grinned and popped it in his mouth. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Really? You really think it's a good idea?"

He breathed in. "It ain't gonna be like it was back then, Ray, you know that. You're still the great Rayna Jaymes. I'd just be your guitar player singing backup."

She squinted her eyes at him. "Did Watty already tell you about this? Is that why you're on board?"

He shook his head and smiled sheepishly. "Nah. But Watty's ideas usually are good. You know that. And if this helps you, you know I'll do whatever you want."

She looked at him for a minute. It was one thing to have him in her band, it would be quite another for them to tour by themselves. They'd be on the same bus, which could be tricky. And all that time, just the two of them. She looked back at Watty and sighed. "Maybe you're right." She turned to Bucky. "Can you get Marshall to agree to it?"

He nodded. "I think so. I'll work out the details and lay out the plan for him."

She felt nervous. She certainly wasn't ready to hang it up and there was no way she'd tour with Juliette Barnes. If this was what she needed to do, she'd suck it up and do it.

"I think you should do a little test run first," Watty said. "Deacon, you still have your regular gig at the Bluebird?" He nodded. "Rayna, I think the two of you should do a couple numbers there the next time he's there. It's a comfortable place and you can see what kind of reaction you get. Just show up like it's not a planned thing and get a sense of the vibe."

Rayna ran her hands through her hair. "I need to run it by Teddy," she said, not looking at anyone. "With this mayor's race thing, I just have to have him on board, you know?" She had no idea what he would say, but she was pretty certain it would not be a great conversation.

~nashville~

The minute the courier laid the guitar case down, Deacon felt a chill run down his spine. He realized he shouldn't have been surprised Juliette had that delivered at this particular time. She was already a source of tension between him and Rayna and he knew she didn't need another reason to get annoyed with him over Juliette Barnes. Nothing he was going to say was going to fix it, he knew that. So of course they had fought and, of course, she had walked out and, of course, he'd been mad.

She was right, though. It was a bribe. For a lot more than just being on Juliette Barnes' tour. And he wasn't at all sure it was worth the little bit of fun he'd had.

He hadn't seen her since the fight over the guitar, hadn't talked to her. He worried she wouldn't show up, but she did. She came in through the back door at the end of the night and sat at the bar with Erika, just as they'd talked about. He announced her and invited her up on stage. They had agreed to do "No One Will Ever Love You", although he knew she was a little apprehensive about it. Watty and Bucky had both thought it would be a good one to do, since it was one of her biggest hits and something that fit the vibe of the Bluebird.

They hadn't performed the song together in close to fifteen years. Neither one of them had known that it would be the one thing that would break down those fragile walls they'd carefully constructed all those years ago. Neither one had expected that once they started singing, it would be as it had always been in those days, with everything around them fading away until it was just the two of them, singing what was in their hearts.

He could almost hear the glass breaking around them, as the barrier came down.

~nashville~

"I wish we hadn't done that song," she whispered.

He breathed out. "Now what are we gonna do?" he asked.

She got out of his truck, tears filling her eyes, and headed for her car.

As she drove through the dark, quiet streets away from the Bluebird and towards her home, she wondered about that. What in the hell are we gonna do now? Maybe no one else really knew they'd left it all out there on the Bluebird stage. Maybe no one else knew that, after over fourteen years apart, they'd given in to all that history and all that they felt for each other and had acknowledged silently what they'd tried so hard to deny.

As she'd sat there, pouring her heart out on the stage, everything around her had faded away and all that was left were her and Deacon. Just like the old days. In fact, it even felt like they'd been transported back to twenty years ago, when they first sang that song at the Bluebird. The song they'd written after Deacon's second stint in rehab. I'm all you got / I'm all you'll ever need / I'm all you'll ever have.

She was conscious of the unshed tears in her eyes. She was also conscious of the fact that she was breathing deeply, in and out, desperately trying to push that genie back in the bottle. No one will ever love you, like I do.

I love him. He loves me. What are we gonna do about that?

THE END