Deacon quickly did up his jeans as he struggled to get his arms into his shirt. A quick glance over at Rayna revealed that she was struggling to straighten herself as well. The knocking on the window was now accompanied with a stern voice, demanding that the window be lowered. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rayna smoothing her skirt down as she righted herself in the seat and gave him a small nod. Winding down the window, he squinted against the bright light that was shone into the cabin interior. "Can I help you Officer?" Shining the torch light further into the cabin, the beam caught Rayna in its spotlight. "Mam" nodding in Rayna's direction, "sorry to disturb your evening, but was wondering if you happened to witness the argument between this couple."

Using the torch, he motioned over at the couple who were now sitting on the pavement, having a low key argument.

"No, sorry we didn't see anything, right?" Deacon said as he turned towards Rayna. "No sorry Officer, I'm afraid we didn't see anything."

The Officer took a step back and took in the fogged up windows and lent down to look at the occupants of the car. Noticing for the first time, Deacon's misaligned buttons and Rayna's ruffled appearance, he cleared his throat as he flicked the torch between the two.

"What exactly are you doing sitting in this car park at this time of the night?"

"Talking" Rayna blurted out, "We were just talking. He was just dropping me off to my car after a party Officer."

"Talking hey?" he flashed the light into Deacon's face. Deacon smoothed his features as he nodded in agreement while Rayna hid her face as she stifled a laugh. It had been years since they had been caught making out in a car. Thinking about their current situation just made her laugh more. Biting down on her lip, she was struggling to keep from laughing out loud.

"Well, I suggest you both make your way home where you can continue 'talking'", turning he walked away with a knowing smirk on his face.

Deacon slowly turned towards Rayna with a large smile on his face. Unable to hold it any longer, Rayna burst out laughing. "Oh my god Deacon, I feel like I'm a teenager again and we have just been caught out by my father."

"Ray, if that was your father you would be watching my arse hightail it out of here. I know for a fact that your dad owned a shotgun."

"Come on Deac, you wouldn't stay and fight for me? Defend my honour against the scandalous accusations he would throw at me?" she asked as she battered her eyelashes at him. Shaking his head, he lent over and kissed her.

"Ray, you know I would do anything for you but your dad with a shotgun would have terrified my teenage self."

"Hmmm" purring at him, she tenderly kissed him, "maybe I should trade you in for someone willing to come to the defence of helpless little me."

Deacon roared with laughter, "Oh Ray, you are a lot of things, but helpless is not one of them."

Frowning at him, she slapped his arm as he continued to laugh at her, "Hey!"

"Come here baby, let me kiss your bruised feelings better"

Laughing, Rayna pushed him away "Oh no, you can't refuse to come to my rescue and then expect me to forgive you"

Seductively he crooned at her as he leaned into her, "Ray"

Rayna smiled against his lips, as she welcomed the sweet pressure of his kiss. It was a heartbreakingly tender kiss. As they pulled apart, they both had tears glistening in their eyes. Cupping his cheek, Rayna caressed his face with her thumb. "I love you so much"

Kissing her thumb "and I you Ray". Their eyes exchanged all the emotions of their missed years.

"I should go home" Rayna whispered softly, not wanting to break their connection. Smoothing a hand over her hair, Deacon nodded. "I'll walk you to your car." Smiling at him, Rayna turned and stepped out of the truck.

"God, you guys are killing me. Seriously! What are you guys doing?" Tandy asked in an exasperated tone "Please tell there is some relief on the horizon." Laughing at the crudeness of Tandy's response.

"Ummmm no. Deacon was tied up all week with some small out of town shows and I had that interview with Entertainment Weekly so we haven't seen each other at all."

"And how is that working out for you?"

"Oh Tandy, it is...god, not having him around this week, it just made me…I…don't " holding back a sob, "…I don't know how I would survive without him" Silent tears trickled down Rayna's face as she revisited the fact that she might have to face up to that reality sooner than she planned.

"Geez Rayna. It's only been a week and you are an emotional wreck. My advice is next time you see him, you grab that man and run to the nearest hotel."

Smiling sadly, Rayna sniffed as she struggled to control the tears that were now falling rapidly. "ye good plan"

"Are you ok?" concern washing down the phone line, as Tandy sensed something was off.

"I'm fine. Think I just…I just miss him so much, plus I'm tired and things are crazy here. Mostly I just miss him. I just got him back in my life and things are just … just conspiring to keep us separated. It's just so frustrating, you know what I mean?"

"Come on, what has it been? 3 weeks? Give yourself a break, you guys have been flirting around each other for over 20 years now, 3 more weeks will not make a difference now that you have finally got your shit together."

Hearing Tandy talk about all the years she had wasted denying that Deacon was the one, started the tears again. Knowing that she might lose him so soon, it broke her heart into so many pieces that it overwhelmed her. She knew logically that she would go on without him, but deep within her soul she knew that if he were to die, she would die alongside him.

Over the years, through all their up and downs, she had always known that he was out there, just out of her reach but nether the less out there. Just knowing that had soothed her. It had smoothed her jagged edges, made her complete and able to give herself to her family. She was terrified that without him completing her, that all that would remain would be a hollow shell. The thought that she would then exist in a world with a constant ache in her heart reminding her of him, filled her with such immense sadness.

If she was to think too much about it, she couldn't function. This past week with Deacon out on the road and after the girls had gone to bed all those emotions she had bottled up had rushed to the surface and she had found herself crying hysterically one night. She had gotten herself so emotionally worked up that she was on the verge of hyperventilating the consequence of the intensity of her crying. The ache through her whole body the next morning matched the one in her heart. It was like her body was physically responding to the anguish that her soul was feeling.

Rayna swivelled around so that her back faced the office, she didn't want people to see her so emotional. Frantically trying to stem the flow of tears, she wipes her eyes without letting on to Tandy that she was upset. "Rayna? You still there?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry I just…um you know you're right. 3 weeks isn't that long."

"When is he due back?"

"In a couple of days." Smiling softly to herself, Rayna allowed a bubble of excitement burst within her. "But enough about me and my dramas. What is happening in the action packed business world?"

"Well it certainly isn't as exciting as your life." Tandy started to fill her sister in on what she has been up to since they last saw each other. Rayna tried to focus on what Tandy was telling her, but her mind kept wandering back to Deacon. He was due to be playing at a small town just outside Nashville tonight. She was tempted to go surprise him, but the girls had school events all week and she didn't want to rely on Teddy. Ever since he got himself caught up in Jeff's tangled web she found she didn't completely trust him. Silently sighing she resolved to herself that she would have to be patient. Deacon would be back in a couple of days. Twisting her chair back around, she forced her attention back to Tandy.

Lifting her eyes up from the computer keyboard she had been abstractly tapping, she was greeted with a view of a pair of dusty worn cowboy boots poking out from worn demin jeans. "Hey darling, you miss me?" the familiar voice asked in a teasing tone, accompanied with a smirk of a smile. Her breath caught in her throat as everything surrounding her faded into the background. She could feel her heart beating frantically as she blinked to confirm what she was seeing was actually real. With eyes dancing with delight she focused on the person in front of her. The smile on her face showed her excitement.

"Rayna? Rayna"

"Hu? What?"

"Deacon just walked in, didn't he? Oh girl, you have got it bad. You have got it so bad"

Rayna smiled at just how correct Tandy was, "Ye, ye I do"

"Say hi for me. I'll call you later. Love you"

"Ok, love you too"

Hanging up the phone, Rayna stood on shaking legs. Overwhelmed by the emotions bouncing around inside, she slowly walked towards Deacon. Still not convinced that having him here was real, she tentatively reached out and threaded her fingers with his. He tucked her unruly hair behind her ears and with a voice breathless with emotion asked "How does lunch sound?"