Tandy pulled up to the FBO at Nashville International Airport where Juliette's plane was parked and ready. She looked in her rear view mirror at the girls. "Y'all ready?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Daphne cried.

"This is going to be so fun!" Maddie said with a smile.

Rayna turned to look back at them and smiled. "I brought snacks," she said. "Fruit!"

Maddie rolled her eyes. Daphne pouted. "Fruit," Daphne moaned. "Why? I want something yummy," she whined.

"Fruit is yummy. Plus I don't want you eating a bunch of junk before we get to Seattle. We have lunch plans," Rayna protested. She smiled again. "And cards. I have cards. And dominoes! We can play games."

"Mom," Daphne whined, dragging out the word dramatically.

"You're so boring, Mom," Maddie said. "Good thing I brought my iPod with me." She turned to Daphne. "It's Juliette's plane, so I'm pretty sure she stocked it with stuff she knows we'll like."

"We're not going to go rummaging through Juliette's stuff," Rayna warned.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Mom. Chill out."

Tandy looked at her sister and smirked. "Yeah, Mom, chill out," she said under her breath.

Rayna shook her head and then opened the door. "Okay, girls, let's get our bags and go."

Daphne and Maddie scrambled out of the car and, after picking up their overnight bags, they hurried up the steps and onto Juliette's jet. "Wow, this is awesome!" Daphne cried. "This is so much better than a bus."

Rayna had just gotten to the top of the steps and heard Daphne's comment. "Hey, now, buses are fun too."

Maddie turned to her mom. "You flew on this plane when you were on tour with Juliette. Wasn't it better than a bus?"

Rayna scrunched up her face and shrugged. "It was faster. But I still like buses." They each found seats on the plane. Daphne sat at the back of the plane and was already looking out the window.

"How long is this flight?" Daphne asked, looking back at her mom.

"About five and a half hours, I think. A long time. But Seattle is two hours behind Nashville, so it'll still be early when we get there."

"Can we go to sound check?"

Rayna nodded and smiled. "Yes, we can go to sound check." Daphne smiled and turned back to look out the window.

Maddie curled up in a seat across the aisle from Rayna and pulled out her cell phone. She pulled up Deacon's number. It rang several times before he answered. "Hey, Maddie," he said, his voice sounding like he'd been asleep.

"Hey, Dad," she said, with a big smile on her face. "We're on Juliette's plane, getting ready to leave." Her voice was full of excitement.

He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes with one hand, smiling to himself. "I know you're gonna have a great time."

"I wish we were staying longer, but I guess Mom has some business meetings back here." She looked at her mom and rolled her eyes.

"Well, the good part of that is that we can have a lesson this week."

"That's true." She paused. "I had a great time this weekend."

"Me too, Maddie."

"I guess I better hang up. We're getting ready to go."

"Have fun. Be safe."

"I will." She hesitated. "I love you," she said softly.

On his end, Deacon swallowed hard and felt tears prick his eyes. "I love you too, Maddie," he said softly.

Maddie hung up and turned to look out the window as the plane started to taxi. Rayna had been watching her during her conversation with Deacon and found herself fighting her own tears. As hard as it had been for all of them and as angry as they had both been at her, she was glad that she had made sure Deacon had been a part of Maddie's life as she was growing up. It did make things easier, but when she saw them interact or heard their conversations now, she couldn't help but wish she'd made different choices all those years ago. It was too late for regrets now, though, she decided, and tried pushing those thoughts away.

As the plane headed down the runway and pulled up into the sky, Rayna thought about what she'd said about liking buses better. And she did. She'd really never been in a position to own her own plane, like Juliette. She imagined that was the price of being just a country artist and not the crossover sensation that Juliette was, at least prior to her latest fall from grace. She had certainly flown across country but most of the time she and her band had covered the roads between tour stops on a bus. The buses had improved over time as well. The first bus she'd had was paid for by Watty White and was a basic model with bunks for her band members and a small private bedroom in the very back for her. She had appreciated that luxury, with a queen sized bed and her own bathroom. She had also appreciated the relative privacy it had given her and Deacon on the long nights spent driving from one gig to another. She smiled to herself as she recalled how they would cover each other's mouths with one hand to hold down the sounds of moaning. By the looks on the faces of her band though, they never fooled anyone.

Eventually when she became a headliner, she was able to upgrade to a fancier bus, with more amenities and comforts, and a larger suite for her. By the time she got to that point, she and Deacon had stopped trying to hide their relationship from the band and he was a full-time occupant of the headliner's suite. Of course, by then they rarely traveled overnight, but stayed in hotels, also upgraded as she became more successful. None of those things had stopped Deacon from drinking, though, and there were many nights she stayed up most of the night in some fancy hotel room anxiously pacing as she waited for him or tried calling around to find him. There were many nights when she didn't stay in the room at all because she was sitting in an emergency room waiting area or in a chair by a hospital bed or waiting to bail him out of the local jail.

She closed her eyes as she thought of how painful and difficult those days were. She didn't miss that at all. When she'd invited Deacon back on her tour after Maddie was born, everything was different. He, of course, didn't share her bus suite or her hotel suite. He was a model of sobriety then, turning in early, never causing trouble. She still felt responsible for him though and would check in with him periodically on how he was doing and how his program was going. If he ever got annoyed at her asking, he never indicated it. She knew now that it got under his skin because he'd finally told her, about ten years in. He'd been good-natured about it though and they were able to laugh about it then. She was always on high alert whenever there was something stressful in his life and she always tried to be supportive. So it bothered her now to realize that at the most difficult time of his life, at the CMA's, she'd let him walk away. Would he have gotten drunk if I'd gone after him? It was a hard question, because she'd felt at the time that she needed to be with Maddie. And she knew that was the right choice, but she'd let things go too long with Deacon. She'd never really tried to find him. She'd called, but she'd never really searched him out. By the time she saw him at The Bluebird, it had been too late.

She sighed and turned her attention to contracts she'd brought with her to review. She looked up to see what her girls were doing. Daphne was still gazing out the window of the plane. Maddie was huddled over her iPod. She smiled, happy to be with them and happy that things seemed to be in a good place for her and Maddie, at least for now.

About halfway through the flight, Rayna put down her paperwork and rubbed her eyes. The flight had been smooth so far. They had all had some light snacks and she had even joined the girls in raiding Juliette's stash. She looked down the aisle and saw that Daphne had pushed back her seat and was sound asleep. She looked across the aisle and Maddie was scribbling in her notebook. "Hey, Maddie," she said softly. "What are you working on?"

Maddie looked up. "Just jotting down thoughts and ideas."

She beckoned to her. "Come sit with me for a minute."

"Okay." Maddie closed her notebook and laid it down, then got up and walked over to the bench seat that Rayna was in and sat down next to her, pulling her legs up underneath her.

Rayna put her arm around her daughter. "How are you doing right now?"

Maddie looked wary. "Okay," she said cautiously.

"Are things going okay with Deacon? With staying at his house?" Maddie had not really talked much about her time there and Rayna wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Maddie gave her a small smile. "It's been really awesome, actually. He took me to a guitar store and we went to listen to a band play down in Columbia."

It made Rayna nervous to think about the two of them out together. She knew Deacon wasn't as recognizable around town and hoped that they wouldn't have seemed out of place. This was when she was glad that she and Teddy had kept the girls out of the public eye. She smiled at her daughter. "Well, that sounds like it would have been fun." She gave Maddie a playful look. "Did Deacon promise to buy you a guitar?"

Maddie grinned. "Not exactly. But he did say maybe I would inherit one of his." She took a deep breath. "He showed me the guitars you gave him."

Rayna raised her eyebrows. "He still has those?"

Maddie nodded. "I kind of got the feeling they were important to him." She looked at her mother carefully, but Rayna looked away uncomfortably.

That felt unsettling. She was quiet for a few minutes before she said, "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Maddie considered that. "I'm still not sure why we have to still keep all this stuff about me and Deacon a secret."

Rayna sighed. "I'm not saying we're keeping it a secret. But it's private. It's for you, not the whole world to weigh in on. At least for a little while longer."

"But I want the world to know."

"It's no one else's business, Maddie, that's the point. Once you put it out there, people will talk. People can be cruel and heartless. I don't want that for you. I don't want you to have to deal with that."

Maddie turned away for a moment. When she looked back, she was frowning. "Are you afraid of what people will say about you? That you had an illegitimate daughter?"

Rayna gasped and her eyes widened. "Don't you ever say that. Don't you even think it," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "That is absolutely not true. Your father and Deacon and I love you. You were wanted, Maddie. Loved and wanted. We all want to protect you. I don't want you to ever think anything else." Her eyes filled with tears.

Maddie instantly knew she'd gone too far. Seeing the hurt on her mom's face and the tears in her eyes as she tried to stay quiet and not wake up Daphne felt like a pit in her stomach. Her own eyes started to tear and she reached for her mom's hand. "I'm sorry. I know it's not true."

Rayna put her arms around her daughter. She had thought they'd worked through this and she'd been thrown to find out that Maddie still harbored resentment. It was still going to be a long road, for all of them. She pulled back and took Maddie's chin in her hand, looking at her closely. "Maddie, this is what I want to protect you from. Don't you understand?" Maddie nodded sorrowfully. She leaned against Rayna's shoulder and Rayna put her arm around her shoulder, just holding her close.

After a few minutes, Maddie asked, her voice small, "Mom, do you ever think that you and Deacon could, you know, work things out together?"

Rayna breathed in. Maddie had asked so many questions, but she hadn't realized how much her daughter was hoping for some kind of family again. She had given Deacon another chance so many times and every time he'd disappointed her. When she was in the hospital, recovering, after she woke from the coma, she had thought of all the things that had brought them to that place where she'd almost died. She had promised herself then that she wouldn't let herself go down that road again. That she couldn't do it to herself or her girls. It wasn't always easy, because she'd seen changes in Deacon since that night. He had stepped up with Maddie and she was cautiously optimistic about the future for them. He'd taken greater control of his own life and it seemed as though he was really moving on without her, for the first time. She was trying not to take responsibility for him anymore, not to feel it was her duty to check on him. She had spent a lot of time consciously imagining her life without Deacon, at least not in the ways he'd been in her life before, and it had gotten easier every day, as long as she kept her distance and didn't get too personally involved. She hated to disappoint Maddie yet again, but she didn't want her to have any false illusions about the future. "Maddie, I just think there's too much water under that bridge now. We loved each other a lot once but I think it was all just too much. And we've hurt each other and caused each other so much grief that I just don't think we could risk it again." She reached for Maddie's hand. "I'm sorry, sweet girl."

Maddie sighed heavily. "Me too," she said sadly. She sat with her mom for a little while longer, then moved back across the aisle. She looked out the window, feeling unbelievably sad. She thought about that day, so many months ago now, when she'd overheard her mom telling Deacon she loved him. When she'd confronted her mom with that, Rayna had told her they were seeing each other again. It had made her angry. She felt like her life was being ripped apart and she'd had no control over it. She regretted now that she had snooped into her mother's things. She had no idea what she thought she'd find, she just wanted to hurt her mom somehow for betraying their family the same way her dad had. She hadn't counted on being the one who got hurt instead. And now, everything was wrong. Everything was messed up. Even though she was happy to know that Deacon was her dad, finding that out had blown everything up. If she'd never done that, maybe they would have stayed together. But now, because of what she'd done, they never would. She felt tears streak down her face, but she didn't even try to swipe them away.

Rayna watched Maddie from where she sat. She wished she knew a way to comfort her. She was pretty sure Maddie blamed herself for finding the paternity test and starting this whole series of events. She wished there was a way she could reassure her daughter that it wasn't her fault. Even if that had never happened, she knew that if she'd continued her relationship with Deacon, she would have had to tell him the truth, and there was no guarantee it would have ended differently. Rayna knew that if she'd just been honest in the beginning, it would have saved them all the heartache they were going through today. As she watched her daughter, she saw her breathing eventually become even, and she knew Maddie had fallen asleep. Her eyes filled with tears and she felt sick as she thought about how her actions had brought them here. She wished she could change it all; she only hoped she could navigate the future with minimal damage.

She looked out her own window and thought about the possibility she and Deacon could bridge the past. But she just didn't think she could go back to that. She didn't think she had the strength to do it again. And she didn't want to test whether he could truly do it this time. Finally. With everything out in the open. She didn't think she could put her heart on the line again like that.

When the co-pilot came back and told Rayna they were getting ready to land, Rayna woke both Maddie and Daphne so they could get buckled in. "What's the plan today, Mom?" Maddie asked.

Rayna pulled out a sheet of paper. "Glenn's meeting us and we're going to go have lunch with Juliette and then check in to the hotel." She smiled. "I got us a big suite, so you girls will have your own room." She looked down at her schedule. "I want to spend some time with Scarlett and then it will be time for sound check."

"And then the show!" Daphne cried.

Rayna laughed. "And then the show," she agreed. Even though this was a short trip, she found herself looking forward to spending this time with her girls. She hoped that getting to be at the opening night for Juliette's mini-tour would lift Maddie's spirits. She smiled as she watched the girls' excited chatter about what they would wear and what Juliette might sing. She hoped nothing marred the good feelings.

Rayna stood in the living room of the hotel suite. "Girls, are you ready?" she called out. She put in her earrings as she waited. The bedroom door opened and Daphne burst out, dressed in a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a denim skirt, with her red cowboy boots and her hair in braids. Rayna gasped and clapped her hands together. "Too cute!" she cried as Daphne held her arms out and did a slow pirouette. "You look perfect!" She's a mini-me, Rayna couldn't help but think as she smiled at her younger daughter.

Daphne did a little jig. "I can't wait to see Juliette's show! I've never seen her in concert."

"And Scarlett too," Rayna admonished. Daphne nodded vigorously. "Is your sister ready?"

Daphne flounced around and rolled her eyes. "You know Maddie. She's dressed, but she's having trouble with her hair. So she's all drama queen in there."

Rayna gave her a playful frown and walked in the girls' room. Maddie was standing at the vanity almost in tears, struggling with her hair. "Maddie?" she started.

Maddie slapped her hands on the counter and looked heartbroken. "Mom," she whined. "I can't get the braid to work."

"What do you want to do?" Rayna asked.

"I want that braid from my part to my ear. Like the way you wear your hair sometimes. And I can't get it to work." She looked at her mom in the mirror with sad, tear filled eyes.

Rayna felt touched that she wanted to wear her hair like hers. She gestured over to a chair. "Come here and sit," she said. "I'll help you. Bring a brush and comb." Maddie came over and sat down, looking despondent. Rayna took the brush and comb and began working on her daughter's hair. When she finished, she took her hand and led her over to the mirror. "There. Does that look like what you wanted?"

Maddie turned her head and then smiled. "Yes, that's it. Thanks, Mom."

Rayna looked at her in the mirror and put her arms around her daughter, leaning her head against hers. Maddie was nearly as tall as she was now and she was really turning into a lovely young girl. Rayna was so proud of her, in spite of her teenage angst. "You look so pretty, Maddie," she said softly. She was wearing a soft, flowing white tunic top over a pair of dusty brown jeans and her favorite boots. It was hard to believe she was almost the age Rayna had been when she'd started singing around Nashville. She didn't really want Maddie to start as young as she had, but she also thought Maddie had a lot more talent than she had at that age. It made her nervous. But tonight, she just wanted to enjoy being with her girls and watching her two artists on the first night of their tour.

Maddie reached her hands up and grabbed her mom's arms, leaning back into her. "Thanks," she said with a smile. "And thanks for bringing us out here."

Rayna smiled back and hugged her. "I'm glad we're here." She let go of her daughter and stepped back. "And now we need to get going," she announced and walked back out to the living room.

Rayna and the girls got to Key Arena shortly before Juliette's sound check. Her band was already on stage and Juliette was off to the side, talking to Glenn.

"Juliette!" Daphne squealed, breaking away from her mom and sister. She ran over to throw herself into Juliette's arms. Juliette laughed as she hugged Daphne. Maddie hurried over as well, leaning in to give Juliette her own hug.

"Hey, girls," Juliette said with a smile. "I'm so glad y'all are here." She watched as Rayna walked over, giving her a cool smile. "Thank you, Rayna, for bringing them," she said, with a slightly deferential nod.

Rayna gave her a performance smile. "Well, I wanted to give you and Scarlett a proper Highway 65 send-off and the girls were on spring break, so it was a nice treat for them. Oh, and thank you for the loan of your plane. The girls loved it."

Juliette gave Rayna her own performance smile. "My pleasure," she said smoothly. "It's the only way to travel." She looked at Maddie and Daphne. "Right, girls?"

"Yes!" they shouted out in unison.

Juliette turned to walk out on the stage, then looked back. "How would y'all like to do sound check with me?" she asked the girls.

"Yes!" Daphne cried, then turned to Rayna. "Can we, Mom?"

Rayna shrugged. "Sure. Just don't get any ideas," she admonished with a wink. She watched Daphne race towards the microphone, Juliette and Maddie following with their arms around each other's waist.

Rayna frowned a little as she watched them. Having Juliette on her label was a wild card and having her influence Maddie worried her. Juliette had been there for Maddie right after the accident and had proven herself to be a solid support, but Rayna didn't fully trust her. Deacon had told her not to worry, but he and Juliette were fast friends and she wasn't sure he was objective about Juliette.

She watched Juliette get mics for both girls and then confer with them on what they would sing. They launched into the opener, an upbeat guitar riff that Rayna recognized as "Yellin' from the Rooftop", one of the songs Juliette had written when she was trying to change her image. She found herself smiling as she listened to Maddie and Daphne's sweet harmonies behind Juliette's vocals.

They were good singers, she acknowledged to herself, gifted actually. And Maddie, especially, was so talented on the guitar. She and Teddy had always agreed to keep the girls out of the public eye. They wanted them to have as normal a life as possible. She had not brought them on tour with her since they were very young and only brought them on special occasions now. She didn't want to give them so much of a taste for this kind of life that they didn't do the kinds of things that regular kids did. Her own life had been different, with her mom dying when she was so young. She'd never felt like she'd really had a "normal" childhood and she was determined to give that to her girls.

She'd always known she wanted children someday, but Deacon's struggle with alcohol had made her apprehensive about that. They had not really talked about having a family and she'd wondered if it would ever happen. The irony was that when she got pregnant the first time it was that one night with Deacon, something she had both wanted and feared. And it only happened because she was off birth control and, because that night had happened spontaneously, she'd gone to the cabin with him without her diaphragm.

She married Teddy and raised Maddie, and then Daphne, with him. Being a mama had been her dream and it still was the most important part of her life. Her girls meant the world to her, which was why keeping Maddie from being hurt by the paternity reveal was so important.

The song was over and Rayna noticed Juliette getting a guitar for Maddie. She frowned. Then Maddie and Daphne started to sing "Believing", the song Maddie had worked on with Deacon. She thought back to them sharing it with her and Daphne the afternoon they'd written it. She remembered how it had touched her, but more than that, she remembered it had stunned her to see how much like Deacon Maddie truly was. And it still made her wonder what could have been, if only she'd made different choices. She had wanted to raise their baby with Deacon, to create a life for the three of them and she felt, again, that same wellspring of regret she'd had that afternoon.

As the girls were singing, Juliette walked up to Rayna. "They're really good," she said. "They take after you."

Rayna looked at Juliette and sighed. Then she nodded. "I know," she said with a sad smile. "But I want to keep them out of this as long as I can."

Juliette nodded. "I understand. But I think you're gonna have a hard time with Maddie. Not only is she good but she really wants this."

Rayna shrugged. "I know she does. But don't encourage her. Please."

Juliette shook her head. "Don't worry. I won't. I respect your decision, even if I don't a hundred percent agree with you. But I think I told you before those girls are lucky to you for a mama."

Rayna caught the sadness in Juliette's eyes and thought about her complicated past with her mother. It was another reason she was determined to keep her girls close.

When the girls finished singing, Maddie looked down at her mom from the stage. "What did you think, Mom?" she asked.

Rayna smiled proudly. "Y'all were great! As always. I'm so proud of you both. I just hope when it's time for you to make your mark, you'll give me the first shot at signing you."

Maddie beamed. "I'll sign with you the day I graduate. From high school." She gave her mom a hopeful look and was grateful Rayna didn't say no. She winked and said, "I want my first album to be all duets, with you and Deacon."

Rayna just raised her eyebrows and gave her a tiny smile. She knew Juliette was watching, so she tried to deflect attention away from this topic. "Where's Scarlett?" she asked. "Isn't it her turn to do sound check?"

After the show was over, Rayna was exhausted. She'd been very happy with the performances of both Scarlett and Juliette and was glad to see press and radio staff at the show. Not as many as she would have liked, but it was a start. She and the girls had gone to the after party, even though what she really wanted to do was go back to the suite and go to bed. It had been a very long day, especially with the time change, but, as the head of Highway 65, she felt she had to glad hand the people who came and bolster her fledgling label. The only good news about there not being a large contingent of industry types was that the party didn't last as long as they often did.

Back at the hotel, the girls were so tired that Rayna didn't have to prod them to get into their pajamas and into bed. After she'd kissed them good night and tucked them in, she went out to the living room and sank down on the couch. She grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone. She had three messages. One was from Tandy, confirming the time they'd arrive back in Nashville. She hurriedly texted her back. The second was from Luke, just calling to say hey and whisper some dirty promises to her. Rayna blushed and felt strangely awkward as she listened. The third message was from Deacon, telling her he hoped everything had gone okay and that Maddie was okay. When he told her he was glad they were working through things together, she felt a lump in her throat.

She got up and walked over to the window, looking out over the city. It was a clear night in Seattle and she could see all the twinkling lights of the city below and beyond her. Even though she was bone weary, Deacon's message brought him front of mind. And, as was the case more and more lately, when that happened she found herself musing on the what ifs and the missed opportunities. If she were honest, the way he had rebounded from what happened after the CMA's gave her hope. The old demons had certainly taken him over then, as she supposed would always be the risk, but instead of completely giving in to them as he had before, he'd gotten back up and on track again. She knew a large part of that was the aftermath of the accident, the reality of how badly that could have ended up, for both of them. But he was staying on his program, he was rebuilding his life, he was being a positive influence on Maddie. He had a solid relationship.

Thinking about that part was unsettling. Even though it shouldn't have been. She'd told him they were done, once and for all. But when she had met Megan that first time, she'd felt like she'd been kicked in the gut. When he had taken that call from her after his performance at the music festival and turned away from her, she'd felt disappointed. When Megan had walked in as she and Deacon were finishing their songwriting session, she'd felt a little annoyed. And that, most of all, had surprised her. She had no claim to Deacon anymore, had basically told him that there would never be a Deacon and Rayna again. And yet here she was, thinking about him again.

What had Tandy said to her when she and Deacon had gotten back together? With the two of you, it's always going to be all or nothing. And she was right. The only way there would truly be no Deacon and Rayna, or no possibility of it, was if one of them left Nashville. That wasn't likely to happen. And with them now having to co-exist as Maddie's parents, it meant they would forever and always be in each other's lives. As much as she wanted to be able to say that she and Deacon were completely through, she knew that might not be the case. The real question was, how did she feel about that?

She didn't want to think about it though. She forced the thoughts from her head and went to bed. But she tossed and turned the rest of the night and when she did sleep, her dreams were of Deacon. In the morning, she couldn't remember for sure what were dreams and what were her thoughts as she struggled to go back to sleep. She felt faintly disloyal to Luke, but she also wondered how much of it was a result of being with Deacon more, as Maddie's parents. It wasn't easy to sever the bond between them, which had run strong and deep for nearly twenty-five years. Back when she was sixteen, her love and need for him had seemed irrevocable. Even when they were apart, in the intimate sense, it felt like that bond couldn't be broken. She had thought the events of that night at the corner of Battlefield Dr. and Granny White Pike had finally done what she'd thought could never be done and provided the knife that had once and for all finally severed what was between them. But in the dark of night in a Seattle hotel, she had begun to realize that she might never truly be done with Deacon Claybourne.

All or nothing. She wasn't quite sure she could do either.