AN: THANK YOU readers and reviewers for your kindness and your support of this story. I feel like a broken record, but I can't thank you enough or express how appreciative that I am. PLEASE KEEP your LOVES/HATES/HOPES/FAVORITE LINES OR MOMENTS/FOLLOWS/FAVORITES…OR WHATEVER ELSE COMING…Enjoy Chapter Six..

CHAPTER SIX

"Hey, sweetheart," Rayna smiled at Maddie when she heard her open the fridge door. "Can you grab those lunch boxes out of the fridge for me, please."

Maddie did what she was told and pulled the lunch boxes out and chucked them on the counter. She turned back to the fridge to get a bottle of orange juice before taking a seat on a stool in front of Rayna.

"Anything excitin' happenin' at school today?" Rayna stirred her coffee and chucked the spoon in the sink.

"Nope," Maddie shook her head.

"Nothin'?"

"Exciting would be you letting me stay home from school and come with you to the studio." Maddie grinned hopefully before taking a sip of orange juice.

"Mmm," Rayna raised an eyebrow. "Nicely played.."

"So I can-?!"

Rayna held up a hand to silence her. "But you're goin' to school."

"Mom-"

"I can't find my school shoes!" Daphne cried as she tore through the kitchen like a tornado. She stopped to look at Rayna, her face pained and desperate. "I've looked everywhere and it's stressing me out!" Rayna laughed and that made the little girl angrier. "Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm not laughin'," Rayna hid her mouth behind her coffee cup as she stifled a laugh. "Have you tried looking under that pile of clothes by your cupboard?" Rayna suggested.

Daphne looked at her blankly.

"You know, the pile of clothes I asked you to put away yesterday?" Rayna gave her a knowing look.

"No, but-"

"Go and look there."

Daphne disappeared and they heard the thumping of feet climb the stairs. Maddie picked up her cell phone and started busily tapping the screen. Rayna went to do the same but something had been nagging at her for the last few days that she'd been meaning to talk to her eldest about, so she put her phone down.

"So..."

"So..." Maddie mimicked her without looking up from her phone. Rayna could tell she was still cranky that she wasn't allowed go to the studio.

"Your birthday is next week." Rayna hummed, hoping that the mention of the word birthday would capture her attention.

Maddie didn't seem the least bit interested. "Yep."

"I was wonderin' if you maybe wanted to do something special, you know, a party or...?"

"I'm turning fourteen," Maddie said dryly. "There's nothing real special about turning fourteen."

"It's not every day that I get to be home for your birthday, honey," Rayna replied as she ducked her head to try and meet her gaze. "Don't you think it'd-?"

"Mom," Maddie looked up suddenly. Rayna jumped. "I really don't..Is it okay if we stop talking about this?"

Taken aback, Rayna nodded slowly and agreed. She furrowed her brow and watched Maddie finish off the last of her orange juice. Maddie hadn't been rude, but something wasn't right. Rayna could feel it. "Sure, sweetheart."

"Found them!" Daphne yelled.

"We're going to Aunt Tandy's tonight, aren't we?" Maddie changed the subject and finally put her cell phone down.

"Mmhmm," Rayna collected the empty bowls off the counter.

"Is grandpa gonna be there?" Maddie asked.

Rayna stopped short and felt the weight of her daughter's eyes on her. She almost felt like Maddie was testing her. The girls were unaware of the conflict between their grandfather and their mother, and Rayna wanted it to stay that way. However, pretending that everything was good and well was harder than she thought.

"Mom?"

"No, honey," she forced a smile and an even cheerier tone. "Your grandpa isn't gonna be there."

"What about dad?" Daphne asked as she wandered into the kitchen.

Maddie shot Daphne a look. "Do you really think dad would wanna go to Aunt Tandy's?"

Rayna's eyebrows shot up.

"I thought maybe with Penny, yeah-" Daphne shrugged.

"You mean Peggy...Why would she be-? They won't be there." Maddie said bluntly. "Trust me."

Daphne shook her head. "That's not what Peggy said."

Maddie made a face. "Since when are you taking her side over-?"

"Wh-? Back up," Rayna interrupted them, a sudden anger bubbling inside. Both girls looked at Rayna and she paused, swallowing the venom sitting on her tongue. She loathed that woman, and she hated the idea of Peggy being in any kind of proximity of her daughters, but Maddie and Daphne didn't know that. Newspapers and magazines had already encouraged Maddie's fury and shaped her bitter opinion of Peggy, so letting the girls know how she felt about Peggy was the last thing she planned on doing. She inhaled and smiled sweetly. "When did y'all see um-" Rayna cleared her throat and loosely waved her hand around. "Peggy?"

"At the zoo at dad's thing the other day." Maddie spoke up.

"The zoo?"

Daphne replied matter-of-factly. "Her and dad are dating."

"They're-? What'd you just say?" Rayna tried hiding the shock on her face as she bit her tongue.

"No," Maddie rolled her eyes at Rayna and shook her head at Daphne. "They're not dating, we just think they are."

"They are too, Maddie," Daphne scrunched up her face. "You heard what-"

"Shut up!" Maddie pushed Daphne's shoulder.

"You shut-!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Rayna exclaimed. "Enough." She felt her head start to spin as the girl's words began to replay in her head. "We're gonna be late if y'all keep this up. Grab these, come on." Rayna handed both girls their lunch boxes. "Let's go."

"Mom?" Daphne asked as they walked towards the front door.

"Mmhmm," Rayna nodded, but she wasn't really listening as she picked up her cell phone and car keys.

"What about Deacon?"

Rayna frowned. "What about Deacon?"

"Is he coming to Aunt Tandy's for dinner?" she ran into Maddie as she turned around to walk backwards so she could talk to Rayna. "Because we haven't seen him in like a week and I thought-"

"Daphne, I swear..." she spoke over the little girl as she ushered her out the door.

"No grandpa, no dad, no Deacon...Tonight is gonna be so boring..." the little girl grumbled.

"I still can't come with you today, can I?" Maddie frowned.

Rayna shook her head.

"Why?"

"Because Momma's got plans." Rayna replied.

- NASHVILLE -

Rayna stepped out of the elevator and into a busy corridor. All good sense and reason had told her to turn her car around before she got here, but she'd pushed those thoughts away and come anyway. Rayna nodded discreetly to people as she walked and silently hoped that she was doing the right thing. She kept a look out for the door to the Mayor's office as she rehearsed what she was going to say. Rayna had been so wrapped in her own thoughts that she almost tripped over her feet when someone called out her name. She swore. Peggy.

"Well, this is a surprise!" Peggy called out, almost too gleefully.

Rayna pursed her lips and spun around to face her. She smiled the sugary smile she reserved for the nosey and intrusive business and reporter types that she'd grown to despise over the years. "Took the words right outta my mouth."

"Wouldn't think you'd have any business showing up here these days, you know, considering that..." Peggy nodded in the direction of Teddy's office and smiled. "You have no reason to."

Rayna was sure that she could taste blood when her teeth sunk into her tongue. That woman sure had nerve. The last time she'd seen Peggy face-to-face had been the night of the election. Memories came rushing back, flooding and overwhelming the recesses of her mind. The one she grasped onto was the one where she'd slapped Peggy. Rayna sent up a silent prayer and willed herself to do anything but that again.

"I'm just as happy to see you here, too," Rayna replied, her tone a chirpy and sarcastic mixture. "Believe me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Peggy spoke with mock sympathy. "I work here now. I'm the mayor's financial consultant."

Rayna adjusted her handbag and smirked. Of course she had to throw that in. "Oh, I don't doubt that you...work...and consult for the Mayor."

Peggy narrowed her eyes and smiled at someone walking past them. "What are you doing here, Rayna?"

"Not that it's any of your business what I'm doin' in this part of town...But Teddy and I still have children together, we have daughters that we parent and look after...So, if you don't mind-"

"Maddie and Daphne, right?" Peggy taunted, stepping closer to Rayna. She waved her hand around and Rayna took a step backwards, slowly setting her jaw. "The little one is just so adorable, especially when she's with her daddy-"

"Don't for a second talk about my girls like you know them," Rayna fumed, a fire igniting in her eyes. "Because you don't."

"I know that they had a great time with their dad and I on Saturday at the zoo. We saw the tigers and the monkeys, we ate ice cream-"

"You don't know-"

"Oh, I know more than you give me credit for," Peggy countered, twisting the knife a little further when she saw the uneasy look in Rayna's eyes. "Getting angry over Teddy letting those girls spend the day with us is rich coming for you."

"If you'll excuse me," Rayna seethed, looking Peggy up and down. If she didn't walk away now, she was going to say something she'd regret. "I've gotta find Teddy so-"

Peggy goaded her. "You let those girls run around town with someone like Deacon…And you call yourself a good mot-"

Rayna whirled around and snapped, viciously pointing a finger at Peggy. "You know what? You can take that smug look and your smart backtalk and shove it up your-"

"Hey y'all!" Tandy practically sang as she hurried up the corridor. Rayna shot Tandy a fierce look as she clenched her fists.

Peggy looked up at Tandy, immediately losing the nasty edge to her tone. "Oh, hi Tandy."

"Hey, Peggy, how are you?" she forced a smile and looked over at Rayna, her eyes questioning Rayna's before she looked at Peggy again. "Coleman was looking for you earlier. I told him I'd pass on the message."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go look for him." Peggy replied, shooting Rayna one last look before walking away.

Tandy reached out for Rayna's arm, linking it with her own as she grinned and called out after Peggy. "You do that." They stood like this until Peggy was out of earshot. Tandy spun around, eyes wide as she spoke. "What the hell were you thinkin'?!"

Rayna glared at her. "I was thinkin' of givin' her a piece of my mind till you showed up and-"

"Stopped you from doin' somethin' stupid!" Tandy finished, stretching her arms out wide.

"Why are you here?!" Rayna exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"I was droppin' in to give a thank you gift to the girls at reception for keepin' me up to date with all the gossip. What are you doin' here?"

"You say that like it's normal, bribing people to keep you in the loop."

Tandy shrugged.

"I had it under control."

"You call that under control?" Tandy raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Sweetie, I just saved you from having crazy-screamin'-ex-wife-of-the-Mayor added to what people are sayin' about you in this office."

Rayna frowned, promptly looking up and down the corridor before looking at Tandy straight. "What are people sayin' about me?"

"Ok, that's not the point here. The point is that no good will come from you makin' the Mayor's financial consultant angry..." Tandy lingered on the last few words before waving her hand aimlessly in the air. "And we all know she's doin' a hell of a lot more personal consultations than financial ones...but, you can't go around doin' stuff like that."

Rayna blew heavily. "Yeah, I know that. I mean, I wasn't even here to see her, she just showed up outta nowhere! I came to sort out this whole mess with Teddy. He's still adamant that the girls aren't allowed to be around Deacon, but then he goes and gets." Rayna gestured in the direction that Peggy had walked off in. "Her involved. I mean, this is all so ridiculous!"

Tandy nodded, choosing not to speak for fear she'd say the wrong thing.

"I...I've gotta talk to him," Rayna sighed wearily as she looked at Teddy's office door.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Rayna shook her head. "No, babe, it's somethin' I've gotta do myself."

"Ok," Tandy nodded, pointing towards the elevator. "But I'm gonna wait out here just in case...you know, y'all start another world war in there."

"Very funny..." she pursed her lips and headed towards Teddy's office. Rayna dragged her feet as the distance between her and the office door grew smaller. She felt a wave of nausea sweep over her, but she quickly swallowed it down and kept on walking. Before she could talk herself out of going inside, she knocked on the door.

"Come in,"

Hesitantly, Rayna peeked around the corner of the door and opened it slowly.

Teddy looked up from a filing cabinet on the other side of the room and frowned. "What do you want?"

"Hello, to you, too."

"Rayna, I'm swamped with a load of paperwork," he replied, his facial expression clearly showing his agitation as he threw his weight against the filing cabinet drawer. "So forgive me for not really bein' in any mood-"

"I'm sorry. I was just hopin' that maybe you and I could talk for a quick second."

Teddy looked at her solemnly.

Rayna stepped into the office and closed the door. "See if we can try and come to some kind of understanding of what life is gonna look like now that you and I aren't together anymore...Can we do that like reasonable people?"

Teddy walked around his desk and leant against the front of it, crossing his arms as he listened.

"The way that we've both handled things lately has been...shockin', embarrassin' even. I know you have your reservations about Deacon-"

"And you have yours about Peggy." Teddy pointed out.

"Mmhmm, yep. I do." Rayna nodded curtly and she tried to stop bitterness creeping into her voice. "But I think that we need to put both of our personal opinions aside, don't you?"

Teddy exhaled.

"I know you're scared that you're gonna lose the girls, lose Maddie...You'll always be her father, Teddy."

"You're damn right I'll always be her father."

"But there may come a day when Maddie needs to know the truth, wants to know the truth-"

"Rayna, I don't-" Teddy fired up.

"I'm not saying any of this to hurt you, or destroy the thirteen-years we've had as a family. Really, it's not about any of that. I'm just tryin' to be honest and look at this realistically."

Teddy pursed his lips and furrowed his brow.

"Teddy, you've trusted me her whole life not to do anythin' to jeopardize the relationship you both share. All I want is what's best for her, that's all I want. You've gotta know that. Teddy, you've gotta keep trusting that I'm lookin' out for her, out for you."

"Ok..." Teddy barely choked out as he rubbed his chin. He met Rayna's gaze. "But if you expect me to be happy about any of this, about you and Deacon begin' together...Well, you already know how I feel about him-"

"I didn't come here to argue, I really don't wanna do that." Rayna interjected. "Because if I did, I'd be in here all guns blazin' about your financial consultant runnin' up and down those corridors," Teddy frowned and went to talk, but Rayna cut him off. "Teddy, I just want us to get past this. Can we just agree that sometimes neither of us are gonna like the personal decisions that the other makes and be done with it?"

Teddy adopted a pained expression as he fought with his feelings and what he wanted to say. Rayna chewed her lip, staring at him hopefully. She hated the idea of Peggy being around her daughters, but if letting her see them occasionally meant that Deacon could see them too, then she was willing to allow it.

Reluctantly, Teddy finally nodded. "Fine."

Rayna released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Good."

Teddy cleared his throat, shaking the heavy mood in the room. "Maddie's birthday is next week."

"Mmhmm," Rayna nodded. "About that...I don't think she's too keen on celebrating her birthday this year."

"What? That's ridiculous! She loves birthdays, especially her own."

"That's what I thought."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Teddy asked. "See what's goin' on?"

Rayna shook her head. "No, I've got it. Thank you, though."

"You're welcome."

"Alright," Rayna shifted from one foot to the other, finally feeling safe enough to smile. "I've gotta get goin', but I'll call you about Maddie's birthday, ok?"

Teddy nodded and she quickly walked towards the door.

- NASHVILLE -

"This smells delicious!" Maddie grinned at Tandy as she picked up a fork.

"Tastes even better than it smells!" Daphne said through a mouthful of food.

"And that is why y'all are my two favorite nieces." Tandy chirped.

"We're your only nieces." Daphne looked at Tandy straight.

"Well, I'm just glad y'all like the food." Tandy replied.

Rayna inspected the food on her fork and frowned. She looked across the table at the two girls. "How come I never get that kinda appreciation when I make the same tuna casserole, hey?"

"You use the same recipe?" Maddie hesitated.

"Yours sometimes smells funny." Daphne added cheekily, shoving her fork into her mouth.

"Are you makin' fun of my cookin'?" Rayna looked them both dead in the eyes. Tandy laughed as silence fell over the table.

"Nooo." both girls said in a slow unison, immediately avoiding Rayna's eye contact as they quickly started filling their mouths with food.

"Sweetie, you were never the greatest in the kitchen," Tandy teased. "You can't get mad at them for that."

"Are you-?!" Rayna slammed the table with her hand in mock frustration. "I am fantastic in the kitchen! Brilliant actually," she smirked.

"Oh, really?" Tandy narrowed her eyes. "And who told you that?"

"...Deacon."

Maddie and Daphne giggled.

Tandy leant away from Rayna and scoffed, pointing her fork at Rayna. "Ok, I guarantee you he said that because he only wanted to get la-"

"Lollies!" Rayna interjected, choking on a chunk of tuna as she shot Tandy a look. Maddie and Daphne screwed up their faces, clearly confused. "He wanted to get lollies."

"Oh, yeah," Tandy stifled a giggle when she suddenly realized that this wasn't a conversation to be had around the girls. She smirked. "He really wanted to get lollies."

Rayna blushed and kicked Tandy under the table. "Speakin' of which," she turned her attention to Maddie. "Honey, I know you said that you didn't wanna talk about birthdays, or birthday parties…But you've always loved your birthday."

Maddie dropped her fork on her plate with a clank and look up at Rayna slowly. "Mom."

"I don't understand," Rayna continued, clearly overlooking the growing frustration on her daughter's face. "Every year you've either had a party, a sleepover, or a family lunch or dinner to-" Rayna stopped short, backtracking in her thoughts. Guilt suddenly flooded her body, making her regret the ways she had pushed and prodded her daughter about something she was clearly still trying to come to terms with. Family. What did that even look like anymore now that she and Teddy had gotten divorced? Rayna didn't exactly have an answer, so Maddie couldn't be expected to have one. She'd been so caught up in resolving conflict with Teddy that she'd overlooked how Maddie was feeling in the middle of this. No wonder Maddie was so adamant about not talking about any of this. "Sweetheart, I'm-"

"Daphne, my love, you and me…Dinner and a movie!" Tandy picked up her plate, gesturing for the little girl to do the same.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's much cooler than sittin' here, that's why."

"But I-"

"Come on, go!" Tandy pressed, walking Daphne out of the room.

Rayna waited till she heard the television turn on before she considered talking. She pushed her plate aside and smiled. There was sadness in her eyes as she spoke. "Maddie, honey, I'm so sorry for all of this."

"It's just a birthday, Mom."

"I'm not talkin' about your birthday, sweetheart. I'm talkin' about this," Rayna gestured around the table before reaching out for Maddie's hand. "Us, your dad and I...our family. Everything's so different now. I know you're confused and you're hurtin', really I do."

Maddie fought back tears, but they fell steadily.

"Baby, I completely understand if you don't want to celebrate your birthday, but birthdays are big deal. You know, it's the one day of the year we get to celebrate how awesome you are, how much we love you…not your sister, no one else…you."

"Ok," Maddie spoke up finally, wiping tears from her eyes as she nodded.

"Ok, what?"

"Ok, we do my birthday." Maddie mumbled.

Rayna grinned, waving Maddie's hands around with her own. "We can?!"

Maddie nodded.

"We're havin' a party, we're havin' a party!" Rayna sang too loudly, and a little off key.

"We're having a party?!" Daphne and Tandy cried, suddenly appearing at the door.

"Yes," Maddie giggled, hiding her face out of embarrassment at being the center of attention. "But not a big one. I think I just want to have a lunch at our house with like a few friends, and family."

"Whatever you want honey!" Rayna leant across the table to kiss her on the forehead.

"Only on one condition though..." Maddie pulled away from Rayna to look at Tandy and Daphne. Rayna looked at her curiously. "…I get to decide who comes."