This is the last chapter. Sorry for people who wanted a baby, but I never planned to write it that way, and thought it was more realistic that she couldn't/didn't want to get pregnant. Thought I'd end with the honeymoon for some fun.

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Rayna was rushing around the bedroom packing her bag. "You said warm right? As in I need a bikini warm?"

"Yep." Deacon nodded before throwing some swim trunks in his own bag. They had dropped the girls off at Teddy's at 6:00am this morning and meant to start packing at 7:00 which would have given them plenty of time before their car service was coming to take them to the airport at 8:30, but they had gotten a little distracted when they had arrived back at the house. No kids had meant the opportunity to have some fun in rooms other than the bedroom, and Deacon and Rayna had taken full advantage.

Deacon's phone rang and he reached to grab it. "Hey. Yeah, of course. What today? I'm going on my honeymoon in twenty minutes. Seriously? Alright , I'll be there." Deacon hung up the phone and sat down on the bed.

"What do you mean you'll be there?" Rayna asked. "Be where? We're heading to the airport."

Deacon looked up at Rayna with his big puppy dog eyes. "I'm going to have to meet you there."

"Are you kidding me? You're going to meet me at the airport? What if you miss the flight?"

Deacon stood up wrapping his arms around Rayna. "No, I'm going to have to meet you at our destination. There's an issue with the album. I have to re-lay down the vocals on one of the tracks. It'll only take a day or so. I should be there by tomorrow night."

Rayna pulled back, releasing herself from his grasp. "Deacon this is our honeymoon, you cannot not come to the first couple of days of our honeymoon." Rayna sat down on the bed. "I guess we'll have to reschedule."

"Don't be silly. It's all planned. I promise I'll be there. You can start working on your tan."

Rayna threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "I don't even know where we're going."

"The car will take you to the terminal, and when you check in with United you'll find out. There's another car waiting for you on the other end to take you to the hotel. It's all taken care of baby."

Rayna threw her hat in her bag and zipped it up. "I can't believe this Deacon. I am so mad at you."

"I know Ray, but I'll see you soon." Deacon tried to kiss her but she pulled away just as they heard the honk of the car service.

"Let me grab your bag." Deacon picked up Rayna's bag and carried it downstairs and out to the car. Rayna breezed by him and into the back seat. Deacon leaned down towards the open window. "I'm sorry darlin', I'll be there soon though."

Rayna let out a deep sigh and let him kiss her this time. "See you soon."

##

By the time Rayna reached the airport her anger at Deacon was in full swing. She couldn't believe that he would do this to her. This was supposed to be their honeymoon, their time to reconnect after what had been nearly a year of extremely stressful days wondering if Deacon was going to die, then another six months or so of all the issues with trying to get pregnant. She felt so distant from him right now and it was making her heart ache. All she wanted was to feel him safe and secure beside her, and instead she was going to be a thousand miles away from him alone on some beach.

When she arrived at the terminal Rayna typed her name into the reservation station for self check-in. The ticket popped up and she read the reservation information. "First class, Nashville to Cancun with a stop in Houston." Hmm, "Cancun," she thought to herself. Suddenly it hit her, and a smile appeared on her face. There was no album emergency, this was a set up so that he could meet her later like he did the first time they'd gone down there. He was trying to recreate one of the most romantic trips they'd taken. As Rayna boarded the plane and took her seat she thought back all those years ago to that tiny beach town of Akumal.

She'd been so heartbroken when Deacon ended up back in rehab. Those were still the days when she had total faith in his ability to kick the habit. She'd seen other people in the industry who'd ended up in rehab, but most of those people just needed the one trip as a wake up call. She'd hoped that would be Deacon as well, but when he got pulled over speeding through downtown Nashville drunk at 8:00 in the morning, and ended up with a DUI and court mandated rehab, she had to accept that this wasn't just a twenty-something kid partying too hard. Deacon was an alcoholic, and he needed real help.

She hadn't wanted to leave him, but he talked her into taking the trip without him, and truth be told, she really needed the chance to get away and be by herself for a few days. The drinking had gotten out of control lately, and as much as she loved him, she longed for the sober Deacon who had the sweetest smile and the brightest eyes that could just bore right into her soul.

Playing the last few shows without him while he was in rehab was really rough, she felt like she never sounded right without him there with her on stage. To her, he and the music, they were always the same thing. No matter how good the replacement guitarist was, no Deacon threw her off kilter.

By the time she made it to Mexico she was missing him like crazy. The first thing she did when she got to the hotel was buy him a couple of postcards at the front desk and send them off to him. She knew it always made him feel better to hear from her while he was away. Also, she wanted to prove to him that she was capable of taking a trip without him, something she'd never done before.

She tried to be happy there. It was one of the most beautiful places she'd ever been; crystal blue ocean, sparkling sand, lazy palm trees. It really was paradise. The first night Rayna headed to the bar with a book. She looked around at all the couples staring into each other eyes, leaning across the table to brush their lips against each other. Each couple acting like they were completely alone, none of them seemed to notice anyone else in the bar.

The waiter wandered over to Rayna's table. "Cerveza, Margarita?"

"No, vodka and cranberry?"

"Si senorita."

This became her routine for the next few days. She'd bring her book, Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," and read for a couple of hours before heading back to the bungalow, the sound of her crying herself to sleep only masked by the crash of the ocean waves.

By the time she'd been there a week she was ready to go. All she could think about was how much she missed Deacon. She'd rather be visiting him in rehab back in Nashville's 40-degree temperatures than be alone another day. Not that she was 100% alone. A few men had tried to approach her both at the bar, and on the beach, but Rayna would pretend like she didn't speak whatever language they were talking to her in, and stick her head back in her book.

Rayna was looking into changing her ticket back, but was having issues with the phone line. It had barely worked the whole time she was down there, and today was no exception. Instead she put on her white sundress and her cork wedges that she'd been wearing so often they'd left a permanent crisscross suntan mark on her feet. As with every other night that week, she took her regular seat at the table by the edge of the beach. By day two she hadn't even had to order anymore, the waiter automatically brought her a vodka and cranberry.

As she read her book she heard the sound of the ice cubes clinking as the waiter placed the drink on the table, but instead of walking away he said "From the gentleman at the bar."

Rayna looked up surprised. "What?"

"From the man at the bar." Rayna looked up and got the shock of her life. There was Deacon, faded jeans, cowboy boots, button down shirt sitting at the bar. Truthfully, despite this being a paradise with gorgeous vistas, and tropical flowers, he was the best thing she'd seen all week. She started to get up to see him, but he put up his hand stopping her. They did this sometimes, they'd play a game where he'd pretend to be a stranger and they'd act out a fantasy. When you've been with the same man since you were 16 spicing things up can be necessary.

It took all her strength not to run to him right away, run her fingers through his hair and sweep kisses across his face. God, he looked so good. He looked sober. When he finally made his way over a wave of concern hit her. "What was he doing here? How did he get out of rehab early? Was he going to be sent to prison when they got back to the States?

Deacon calmed her fears and before she knew it they were out on the beach dancing and she was wrapped up tight in his arms. They'd made love on the beach that night in a completely uninhibited and reckless manner. As he held her in his arms afterwards they watched a blackbird soar through the sky and land on a tree nearby. "I'd love to be able to fly like that bird," Rayna said. "Be that free."

Deacon shifted her so he was looking into her eyes. "You are that free. We're that free because we love each other, and nothing can stand in our way as long as we're together. We can do anything together baby." Rayna smiled and kissed him softly. The next day she woke up to find him playing guitar in the hammock outside of their bungalow. She threw on one of his t-shirts and ordered some agua fresca then went out to join him as he strummed away.

"Can I join?" Rayna asked.

"I think there's room in here for two." Rayna snuggled in next to him and they barely moved for the rest of the week. They wrote Postcards from Mexico as well as a song called Living Free that went on their next album.

It was the best vacation Rayna could ever remember taking. Sure enough when the car picked her up at the airport it started heading down the coast and arrived at the little hotel in Akumal. The area was not quite as remote as she'd remembered it, she guessed that comes with the passage of time, and the arrival of tourists. She'd recently heard some of the country club set in Nashville talking about heading down to Tulum.

Despite all that, it still held its charm, and the hotel where they'd stayed hadn't changed a bit in nearly 20 years. She checked into the same bungalow where they stayed originally, with the same hammock outside. There was even a pitcher of agua fresca on the table. A package was laying on the bed wrapped up with a purple bow, and a little card that said "Rayna" on it. She sat down on the bed smiling and opened up the card. "To my darling, on our honeymoon. May our love always make us feel as free as a blackbird. " – Love Deacon.

Rayna put down the card and pulled the ribbon on the package until it opened. She carefully lifted the top and in it was a white sundress and a pair of cork wedge sandals. "Ha!" she laughed. "He thought of everything."

Rayna slipped into the dress and sandals and sat in the hammock for a while watching the sea. At 9:00 she headed for the bar and there he was sitting at that same table by the side of the beach looking sexier than she'd ever seen him. He wore a grey chambray button down with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of jeans, and some leather sandals. Fancy for Deacon, she thought. Looking at him across the bar, all she could think about was how much she loved him, and how close she'd come to losing him forever. A tear ran down Rayna's face, and she wiped it away before heading towards him. "Is this seat taken?" she asked.

Deacon shook his head. "I've been waiting for someone as beautiful as you." Rayna sat down and took Deacon's hand in hers, holding it close to her and kissing it. "I knew you'd be here."

"When'd you figure it out?"

"When I got to the airport. As soon as I saw Cancun I knew you'd be here tonight."

"I caught the next flight at 1:00. Got down to Akumal around 7:30. I've just been hanging in the bar drinking seltzer. Rayna leaned in taking his face in her hands and kissing him. "I love you so much babe."

"I did good?" Deacon asked.

"Uh huh, you did real good." Rayna leaned in for another kiss.

Deacon spoke between kisses. "We should get some food."

"I don't need food. I just need you. Come on, let's go out to the beach." Rayna stood pulling Deacon behind her. He wrapped his arms around her as they walked. "Aren't we a little too old for making love on the beach."

"Never," Rayna said as Deacon moved his mouth over her neck and shoulders. "Do you remember what you said to me that night?"

Deacon pulled her even closer as they secluded themselves behind a palm. "Something like…I'm going to fuck you so hard the only thing you're going to remember is my name."

"Uh huh, I've been dreaming about that moment since I got on the plane."

"Well if you've been dreaming about it, I can't disappoint can I?" Deacon spun Rayna around so she was facing him, and before she knew it her dress was on the ground and she was naked with Deacon pressing her against a rock. "Now how is it that I'm naked, and you're still fully dressed?"

"Not for long baby, not for long."

The couple made love in the secluded alcove provided by the cave, just as they had years before. Later that night they lay in the hammock listening to the sounds of the ocean waves. Rayna was leaning back against Deacon and he had his arms and legs wrapped around her so there was barely a piece of them that wasn't touching. "This is the most relaxed I've been in ages," Rayna said.

"Me too," Deacon said kissing her neck while caressing her thigh. "It's been a long road since the last time we were here."

"Yeah, but worth it."

"Definitely worth it. I got to say, there were times when I doubted we'd ever make it back it here, but I'm glad I never gave up on us. Look at us now, two beautiful girls, successful careers, hell, we've got our own record label."

"Uh huh, and all the rough stuff, the addictions, the diseases, the mistake marriages, they're all behind us."

Deacon smiled and moved his hand to Rayna's face to tilt her head towards him. "Are you saying it's smooth sailing from here on in? How optimistic of you Mrs. Claybourne."

"Well, maybe not smooth sailing, but if we've made it through all those other things, there ain't anything we can't make it through as long as we're together."

"I like the sound of that," Deacon said.

The duo sat in silence for a while just taking in the sounds of the sea. It was a good life, and they both knew it.

The End.

Hope you enjoyed it. I really had fun writing this story. Hopefully there will be some nice Rayna/Deacon moments in the back end of season three!