Yep, another epic chapter. Sorry to those were hoping for a short sweet chapter, I don't think l have that in me. This is not a Deacon/Rayna heavy chapter but it forms part of the big picture, especially the Candy story line.

Deacon opened the door to a busy Crema café and began looking for Candy. He really didn't want to do this interview with her, but he knew that if he didn't she was driven enough to continue to hound him about it and he didn't need the media buzzing around his private life. Sighing, he moved deeper into the café willing for this to go quickly. Allowing his eyes to adjust, he hugged the counter while trying to avoid the rushing patrons. Standing there he was amazed at the variety of different coffees on offer, wondering to himself what happened to good old fashion coffee. A waving hand caught his attention, turning around he saw a smiling Candy gesturing to him. Mustering a smile to his face, he wove his way over to her. Smiling at the few fans who recognised him, he greeted Candy with a nod of his head.

"Thanks so much for meeting me at such short notice Deacon, you are doing me a favour." Thinking to himself that he didn't have much choice in the matter, he put a smile on his face and muttered that it was no problem.

"Did you want a latte, chai or something before we start?"

"I'm ok thanks. Um shall we get started?"

Candy smiled at him and nodded. "Sure. As I mentioned the article is about the music scene of Nashville and how certain artists have shaped it over the years. I've already interviewed Rayna, who by the way was a huge force in moulding what country music is today, but as she stated she wouldn't be here today without you. So um, why don't you tell me a bit about how you started in country music? You don't mind if l record you do you?"

Deacon shook his head as he let the memories flood in. The memories were bittersweet, drenched in both joy and pain. He had originally moved to Nashville with Beverley, they both knew that music was the one thing they had to get them out of Natchez. Deacon had to get out in order to not turn out like his father, funny how that worked out. He had turned out just like him, an alcoholic. Though, thank god, he wasn't a violent man. Wiping his hand over his face, he tried to shake the unpleasant memories away. Looking up from where he was toying with the sugar sachet he saw that Candy was waiting for him to begin.

"I came to Nashville with my sister Beverley. We were both so full of naïve ideas about making it big here. Boy were we in for a shock. We did the rounds of the clubs and such, ah while we made enough to eat, it was hard, you know. Always worried about money and where we would be sleeping that night. One night we were lucky enough to be playing at the Bluebird, and as fate would have it Rayna walked in. Um, guess you know how the rest goes."

Nodding Candy said, "I know the official story, but I'd love to know more."

Deacon gave her a lopsided grin, "Not more to say really. We met, started playing together, writing together and then eventually started a relationship. If you want reliable information on that period, probably best to ask Rayna, I wasn't exactly present for a lot of it. "

Candy placed her hand over his and squeezed it. "I understand, but there must be some moments that you remember."

Deacon discretely pulled his hand away from Candy, "There are but I'm not going to share them, sorry. But l can tell you that that the music industry back then is vastly different to the one out there today. To be honest if l was starting out today, I don't think l would have made it, even with Rayna's help."

"Ye I've heard that you had to earn your place in country through non- stop touring. That must have been gruelling on relationships. Always being away, late nights and that constant touring must wear you out, you would have been exhausted all the time, right?"

"Ye, it's not a glamourous life that's for sure. At the start, when we were unknowns, we had to sleep in the car cause we couldn't afford hotels. It can definitely test relationships, even platonic ones. At least later on when Rayna started getting noticed, things improved. We got tour buses and hotels…even if those hotels were flea bitten." Deacon laughs to himself remembering the time Rayna had been bitten head to toe by bugs, she looked like a dot to dot puzzle. Dragging his mind back to the present, his eyes widen by the closeness of Candy. She had shuffled her chair closer to him, close enough that they were practically sitting side by side. "Ahhh, so ye things are different now but I guess artists starting out now have their own battles to fight. I don't envy them. My advice to them would be make sure you surround yourself with people you trust." A warm smile lights his face up, "We always had each other's back, we knew that no matter what else happened we could depend on each other to get through the ugliness of the business."

"Sounds like you guys had a solid relationship, so what happened?"

"Um, me. It's no secret, I was a horrible drunk. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Rayna, and I will always be grateful to her for that. I'm actually lucky she still talks to me, after what I put her through." Deacon shakes his head.

Candy smiles at him as she tucks her hair behind her ears. Sipping her coffee she gazes at him. Deacon had aged well, he had that roughness working for him plus a touch of darkness. He had obviously learnt over the years how to keep reporters from prying too much into his life. But thanks to the internet she had managed to delve into his past, or should she say into his life with Rayna Jaymes. If he wasn't willing to give her anything, she would have to get to the bottom of their relationship through other means.

"I know you previously released one album and now you have 'Live at the Bluebird'. Why the long break between the two?" Candy smiled at him, her eyes twinkling as watched him struggle with the compliment. She rubbed her fingers along his arm as she continued, "They are both brilliant, by the way, and you clearly have the talent, so why hadn't any label signed you up previously?" Deacon's face showed his irritation with her adulation. The man in front of her was clearly not used to being the centre of attention nor was he used to getting compliments.

"Well the first album was years ago, it was when we were both trying to deal with the ugliness associated with the trappings of success." Shrugging his shoulders, "It wasn't a big seller and um, I was touring with Rayna, writing stuff for her. As I said, touring takes up a lot of your time, and any spare moment we got we were writing new stuff together, that was the way our partnership worked."

"But her career skyrocketed whereas yours seemed to stagnate!"

Smiling at her choice of words, Deacon could understand why people thought he should be bitter towards Rayna's career. But the truth was that he was proud of what she had achieved. Everything she had, she had earnt on her own through hard work and sacrifice. He believed that she would have made it on her own without him if she had to, luckily for him she didn't have to.

"I mean, the vast majority of her songs have either been written by you or co-written with you. Was that enough of a creative outlet for you, or did you at times feel trapped as Rayna's guitar player? Because from where I'm viewing it, you are the one with the greater talent." Candy once again reached out and laid her arm on his.

Frowning at her, he removed his arm completely off the table, as he struggled to get what he wanted to say straight in his mind. People had always made this assumption about his and Rayna's partnership. They just assumed that it was him that bought the talent to the table, that Rayna was just the pretty face. It had made him so mad over the years and whenever he tried to discourage that view people would just dismiss his opinion, claiming that he was just saying Rayna was a talented writer in her own right because she was his boss. Rayna would laugh when he got angry at them, telling him that the only opinions she cared about were the ones from the people she cared about. She would then tell him that one day she would prove all those doubters wrong.

"Our partnership was always 50/50. People have always underestimated the talent of Rayna. She is a brilliant songwriter, we were lucky to have each other. We were always able to push each other so that the best was bought out. If it wasn't for Rayna, I wouldn't have the career I have today. She supported me in every aspect of my career, always pushing me to be the best I could be. Last year when l started out on my own, it was a toss-up who was more encouraging, Rayna or our daughter."

Watching him talk about Rayna, Candy could see the affection he had for her written on his face. His eyes would light up and his whole face would soften as he spoke about her. She was convinced there was something going on between them. If the rumours were true, this man in front of her had never stopped loving her, even when she was married to another man. Candy had seen the video of Luke confronting Deacon the morning of the cancelled wedding. Seeing the anger on Luke's face towards Deacon, that wouldn't be there if there wasn't some truth to what she had heard was the real reason why the wedding was called off.

"It sounds like you and Rayna have a close relationship. That would have been difficult to maintain over the years with her being married to the Mayor and your own romantic relationships. Did that ever cause any issues?"

Deacon looked up at Candy as he quickly responded, "No. We were friends who worked together but at the end of the day we went home to our partners. The thing that people who aren't in the industry don't understand is that those group of people you work with quickly become your family. I was lucky that, given our long history that I was also included in her family at home. I was a part of her family both on the road and at home."

"Did that change once Rayna started seeing Luke? That was about the time you discovered her eldest daughter was yours, right? That must have caused some tension between the two of you."

"Look, that's private and I'm not going to talk about it."

Candy's eyes widen in response to Deacon's abrupt response. Clearly she had hit a raw nerve, she mentally made a note to research that a bit further.

"Umm, sorry but my daughter is off limits. We try to keep the girls away from the ugliness of this industry."

Nodding at him, Candy noticed that he had not only included both girls in that statement but he had also bundled himself and Rayna as a package. Chewing the inside of her cheek, she could feel her excitement building as the result of this slip up by Deacon. While it wasn't a full on confession about their relationship, it was the first time he had mentioned him and Rayna as something more than a creative partnership. If only she could get him to drop his guard a bit more, then she would have her scoop.

Pushing her chair back, Candy stood as she exclaimed, "I need another coffee, give me minute." As she moved nearer to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and bent down and whispered in his ear, "You sure you don't want a drink?"

Deacon jerked his head away from her, his eyebrows creased in annoyance. "No, I'm fine."

As Candy returned to the table with her coffee, she trailed her fingers along the back of Deacon before asking, "So what's next for Deacon Claybourne?"

Deacon bit down on his frustration at Candy's flirting. He thought he had made it clear that he wasn't interested. He had only agreed to this interview so that she wouldn't hound him but he was beginning to suspect that she had ulterior motives. He needed to wrap up this farce of an interview and get out of it before he said something he regretted.

"Umm, not much really. I just finished up a small tour promoting the album so that frees up some time to get back to writing. I'm enjoying being back home again, touring takes a lot out of you so it's good to be able to spend some time with my family. Might even get some fishing in come summer."

Candy smiled at his standard response to the question. She was convinced both Rayna and him were hiding something, she was determined to find out what it was. She suspected it had something to do with their relationship, seeing Rayna leaving Deacon's place this morning added weight to her theory. Plus seeing the level of discomfort he was showing towards her flirting sent off her alarm bells.

"So no one special waiting at home for you?"

Smiling at her questioning, Deacon shakes his head, "No, no one waiting at home for me. Sometimes this lifestyle is hell on your personal life but I'm happy. I've got an amazing daughter and my niece Scarlett who keeps me in line, plus great friends. What more could l ask for?"

"Where does Rayna fit into that?"

"Umm, well she is Maddie's mother plus she is a friend. She doesn't need to fit into my life, she just is."

Candy frowns a little at this response and opens her mouth to ask for clarification, seeing her confusion Deacon elaborates, "She's family. We'll always be there for each other. Look Candy, I do need to go, so if there are no more questions"

Shaking her head, she gets up and follows Deacon out of the café.

Walking out of the café, Candy replays the interview over in her mind. While from all appearances Deacon was open and answered all her questions, Candy felt as though she didn't gain all that much from him. Turning to face him, she looked up into his eyes and saw the mask behind them. He had learnt from the best, he knew how to play the game with the media. He had watched over the years how Rayna had answered their questions honestly but without revealing too much about her private life. It was what made her such a powerful figure in the industry. People weren't distracted by what was happening behind the scenes. Candy knew she had a battle ahead of her if she was going to get to the truth they were both hiding.

"Thanks once again for meeting me, I appreciate it"

"No problem"

Candy placed her hand on his chest as she caresses him "No thank you" before stretching up and capturing his lips. Deacon grabs her arms and pushes her back, his eyes wide in shock. Candy smiles seductively at him, purring at him "Come on Deacon, you said you had no one waiting at home, why not have a bit of fun."

Spluttering out a shocked response, Deacon releases her arms as he steps backwards, "Candy I'm flattered but no."

Pouting at him, "But we could have so much fun Deacon, unless you are already seeing someone?"

A look of panic crosses his face, as he frantically tries to avoid answering Candy's questioning look. "Ahhh, ummm look l really am flattered but I'm not the same person you encountered all those years ago. It doesn't matter if I'm single or not…it's just not…ummm right. Umm ok. Now I really do need to go."

Candy smiles as she watches Deacon walk away from her. Raising her eyebrow, his reaction to her kiss confirmed to her that Deacon had someone in his life, and if her suspicions were correct it was Rayna. She walked back to her car with a smug look on her face, she contemplated her next move. She had her interview with Luke on Thursday and if she played her cards right he would be able to add fuel to her theory.

*** I did struggle with this chapter a bit. Trying to get it right, with how l wanted Candy to be, the sneakiness of her while maintaining an element of professionalism...I hope l came close. I have Uni exams coming up so the next chapter might be delayed a week or so but there will be one coming.