A/N: I planned this as a one-shot but I'm afraid it got away from me, so there will be a second chapter. Thanks to Shiny Jewel for beta-reading.

1. "Oh, and by the way? From now on, it's Rayna Jaymes."

Tandy stood in the hallway, watching the frantic activity taking place in her sister's bedroom.

"What the hell are you doing with those suitcases?" she asked, finally.

"Moving out," Rayna said, not looking up from packing. "Daddy's kicking me out of the house."

"What?!"

"I thought you knew."

Tandy walked into the room. "Rayna, what in heaven's name are you talking about? Where do you think you're going?"

Rayna gazed levelly at her sister. "He told me if I couldn't, 'Live by his rules' – or some bullshit like that - I wasn't welcome here anymore. Said I might as well just, 'Get out, and get out now.' So - I'm going."

She turned and pulled another drawer out of her dresser, scooping up the nightgowns inside and layering them into one of half a dozen suitcases laid open on her four-poster bed.

"Rayna, you are the flightiest girl on the planet, do you know that? Where do you come up with these crazy ideas? Where do you think you're going?"

"Deacon's. Now shut up so I can finish packing my stuff." Rayna turned and walked into her closet, gathering armfuls of skirts and dresses.

"Rayna, honey …" Tandy walked over and put her hand on Rayna's arm. "Wait – who's Duncan? Is he that drummer you were talking about?"

"Deacon," Rayna glared, and inclined her head meaningfully to the left. "He plays the guitar."

Tandy followed her gaze and realized that a dark-haired, clean-shaven young man was sitting quietly in the corner. He was hunched forward in Rayna's armchair, looking serious and terribly uncomfortable, his hands resting awkwardly on his knees. His eyes never left Rayna as she bustled around the room.

"Oh," Tandy said, startled that she hadn't noticed him. "I'm sorry, Dun…Deacon, I didn't see you there."

"Uhhh … that's okay, m'am," he said, standing up and walking across the room, extending his hand shyly. "Deacon Claybourne. I'm … well, I guess I'm a friend of Rayna's. And Mr. White's."

"Oh, you know Watty, huh? Could y'all excuse us just a minute? I need to speak to Rayna. If you will scoot yourself right on down to the kitchen, our Cleo will fix you something to eat. Maybe a piece of that pecan pie she made for dessert."

Deacon looked down at his boots and scuffed the right toe slowly into the plush green carpet, seemingly lost in thought. Then he looked up at Tandy again.

"I'm … I'm not really hungry, thank you though. Hey Ray, why don't I go on down to the truck, move some stuff around. I didn't realize you'd have all these … clothes."

Deacon's voice trailed off as his eyes widened, taking in her cavernous walk-in closet and elaborate canopied bed, piled high with designer fashions.

"Sure, Deacon, okay. I won't be much longer."

He walked toward the door, stopping just before he crossed the threshold. He turned back to Tandy again, an earnest look on his face.

"M'am … uh, I, well, I don't want you to go gettin' the wrong impression here. I didn't mean to interfere between Rayna and her daddy. He just … well, he lit into her somethin' fierce when she told him about her gig tonight, and I just offered to help, is all."

Tandy stared at him, taken aback by the sincerity in his eyes. "Uh …" she started, but he grabbed her hand again and shook it briskly.

"Very nice to meet you, m'am," he said, fleeing down the hallway.

Tandy spun around and put her hands on her hips, looking at Rayna.

"M'am? Really?" was all she could say, as she watched Rayna empty a sock drawer into an increasingly over-stuffed Gucci bag. "How old is that guy?"

"Deacon? Mmm … I'm not sure. He and Vince are pretty old though, I think. Like … maybe 20?"

Tandy heaved a sigh.

"I'm 20, Rayna. That's not old!" She walked across the room and took hold of Rayna's shoulders. "Hey. Would you stop packing for one minute and talk to me?"

Rayna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, readying herself for a lecture.

"Rayna, you know Daddy doesn't mean half the things he says when he's mad. Give him some time and talk to him again before you do anything drastic."

"He means it this time, Tandy. He told me that if I throw my life away on music, like Mama did, I'm not welcome under his roof. Deacon heard him – he was dead serious."

Rayna's voice was shaking a little, but a moment later she stiffened her spine and tossed her hair over her shoulder, raising her chin.

"Well, you know what, Tandy? He ruined everything for Mama, but he's not going to ruin it for me. I've got a gig tonight. They're going to pay me and everything. Watty says Mama wouldn't want me to pass up this chance."

Tandy sighed, far more interested in the Wyatt family reputation than in Rayna's musical aspirations.

"Rayna, you're really not going to move in with that boy, are you?"

"Well, Daddy didn't leave me much choice in that matter now, did he? Deacon said I could stay with him and Vince as long as I want. He's going to sleep on the floor in Vince's room so I can have his bed. Isn't that sweet?"

Rayna picked up her denim skirt with the fringe, the one she planned to wear later that evening, and hugged it to her chest before laying it out on the bed.

"He's so good on that guitar, Tandy, you should hear him. There's nothing he can't play; Watty says he's one of the best he's ever seen. And he picks up new material faster than anybody. I wish I was half as good as he is. Oh, and he can sing too - and he writes songs. He says he wants to write with me."

"Yeah. I bet there's lots of stuff he wants to do with you, Rayna," Tandy said dryly.

"How do you mean?"

"Honey, I love you, but … you are so naïve. Don't you know why this guy and his roommate want to get you into their apartment? You're young and pretty and – well, I bet they're probably drawing straws right about now."

Rayna scowled and turned back to her packing. "You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand, Rayna. I understand perfectly-"

Rayna turned and stamped her foot, glaring at her sister.

"No! You don't understand a thing! You don't understand me – you don't understand us! We're musicians. We're artists … like Mama was; like Watty. You heard Deacon. He's trying to help me, is all. He respects me – he respects my music. Something no one in this house does!"

Tandy sighed and rolled her eyes. Rayna was always going on and on about her art, but all Tandy knew is that her younger sister's reputation in Belle Meade – heck, in all of Nashville – would be ruined if she moved in with two men.

"Rayna, you're only 16. You're too young to be out on your own. You haven't even had your debutante ball yet. What will people say?"

"Oh, please. You think I give a shit about what people say? And I'm not going through all that debutante crap, so forget about it."

Tandy laid a hand on her sister's arm. "Listen: Go ahead and go, and take an overnight bag with you. Stay with Watty tonight and I'll talk to Daddy tomorrow, get him softened up. You'll be back home in no time, Rayna Wyatt, you'll see."

Rayna closed her suitcase, looking over at her sister. Suddenly, the 16-year-old looked so wise beyond her years – and so much like their mother - that Tandy's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm never coming back home, Tandy," she said softly. "I love you – and I love Daddy too, if I'm honest. But he hates me. I don't know why, but ever since Mama died, he can't stand to even look at me. It's like he blames me or something …"

Rayna's voice trailed off and she bowed her head, struggling to hold back tears. Then she sniffled hard, wiped her nose, picked up a suitcase and started for the door, daring Tandy to stop her.

As she walked into the hall she stopped and looked back, defiant.

"Oh, and by the way? From now on, it's Rayna Jaymes."

2. "It's not a baby, Tandy. It's his baby - Deacon's baby."

Tandy rapped her knuckles hard on the apartment door and rang the bell again, a worried look on her face. Rayna had been ducking her calls for more than two weeks.

The door cracked open slowly and Tandy peered into the darkness of her sister's apartment. Rayna appeared in the doorway barefoot, her face sallow. Her hair was disheveled and her robe was dirty.

"What do you want, showing up here so early?" Rayna demanded. She might look like hell, but she sounded exactly like her feisty, old self.

"Rayna, it's almost 10 o'clock. Since when is that early?" Tandy started, but Rayna blanched suddenly, covered her mouth and bolted from the door.

"Rayna?!"

Tandy walked briskly into the apartment, looking around at the uncharacteristic mess in the living room, and shut the door behind her. She wasn't sure where Rayna was until she heard the sound of retching down the hall. She hurried into the bathroom to find her sister kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet.

Tandy quickly dropped her purse on the counter and moved to her sister, sweeping her hair off her face and putting a firm hand on her forehead. She held it there while Rayna vomited repeatedly, choking and spitting, and then dissolved into sobs.

'Oh, Rayna, honey! Why didn't you tell me you had the flu? Here I was thinking you were mad at me," Tandy said, helping Rayna up and flushing the toilet. She turned on the tap so her sister could wash her face and handed her a cup so she could rinse her mouth out.

Rayna complied meekly, continuing to cry. Tandy reached into a drawer and took out a brush, pulling Rayna's hair up into a ponytail and readjusting her robe where it had fallen off her shoulders, revealing a short, pink nightgown that looked like it had seen better days.

"That's better. Now let's get you to bed and get you settled, honey," Tandy said, her hands on Rayna's shoulders.

"Thank you," Rayna said, between sobs. "That's just what Mama used to do - hold my head like that when I got sick."

"I know. She did that for me, too. Hey, there's no need to cry now. You just sleep for a while and I'll stay here and straighten up your place. It's probably one of those 24-hour bugs. I'll go out and get you some 7-Up and you'll feel just as good as new in a day or two, you'll see."

Tandy helped Rayna into her bedroom, straightening her crumpled bedcovers and picking up the clothes strewn around the floor. Rayna took a tissue from her nightstand and wiped her eyes, her face grim.

"Tandy," she said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "This is not the stomach flu."

"What? How long have you been sick? Rayna … oh my god, are you hung over?" Tandy sat next to her sister and placed the back of her hand on Rayna's forehead. "Well, no fever, so that's good."

Rayna looked into Tandy's eyes for a moment, hesitating.

"Tandy…" she said, weakly.

"Could it be something you ate last night? Did you and Teddy go out somewhere?"

"Tandy," Rayna said, forcefully enough to momentarily halt her sister's chatter. "Will you just listen to me for a minute? I'm not sick."

Tandy raised her eyebrows, waiting. Rayna looked down at her hands, then back up at her sister.

"I'm pregnant."

It didn't happen often, but for once Tandy Wyatt was actually stunned into silence. She stared so long that Rayna finally looked away.

"Oh my, Rayna! That's … well, that's wonderful. Does Teddy know? He must be thrilled."

Rayna looked back at her sister, the expression on her face so fierce it nearly frightened Tandy to death, and her eyes widened. "Jesus, Rayna … it's not Teddy's?"

If anything, Rayna looked grimmer than before, her jaw tightening ferociously and her eyes trained on Tandy, whose mouth dropped open as she understood, finally.

Rayna put her hand up and shook her head, warning Tandy not to start. "I don't want to hear a word about it, Tandy. I'm not kidding."

"But how …" Tandy said, chastened by her sister's resolve, her voice lowered to a whisper. "It's Deacon's? Are you sure?"

Rayna leveled another if-looks-could-kill stare in her sister's direction.

"You mean, there's no way it could be Teddy's?"

Rayna looked down at her lap and sighed. "Well … I guess it could. I mean, yeah, technically - it could be Teddy's. Except the timing's not really right. And Teddy always … uses protection."

"And Deacon …?"

Rayna kept her head bowed, reaching up impatiently to wipe away a stray tear.

"Oh, I get it. You make Teddy wear a condom and you let Deacon …" Tandy stood up and walked across the room, searching for the right word. When she couldn't quite find it, she turned around, furious. "You let Deacon … without a condom? Rayna, what were you thinking? Or no, don't even tell me. When it comes to that man, you don't think at all, do you? You never could help yourself around him."

Rayna stood up and faced her sister, the fury returned to her face.

"I told you, I don't want to hear this from you, Tandy. Not now. If you can't help yourself - if you can't keep from lecturing me - then just leave. I didn't ask for your help."

"Rayna …" Tandy said, taking her sister's arm. But Rayna pulled away and walked across the small bedroom, leaning her hands on the dresser, her face turned away. She spoke evenly.

"First of all, I didn't let Deacon do anything. I wasn't some bystander, or - or victim - okay? I'm a grown woman. We had sex. This is not his fault – so don't try to make it out that way. We … he never uses a condom because he doesn't have to. I was always on the pill, when we were together."

"And …?"

"And, I'm not anymore. I haven't been for months. Dr. Madsen took me off it. He said I'd been on it so long I should take a break. And I figured that would be okay."

"And then you had sex with Deacon anyway. Unprotected sex. God, I'm surprised you don't have an STD by now."

Rayna had no idea how it happened, she only knew that she was gripped by a blind fury the likes of which she'd never felt before. She crossed the room in two steps, pulled her hand back and slapped Tandy - hard - across the left side of her face. Her sister's head snapped around and she brought her hands up to her cheek, suddenly bright red.

Tandy looked at her, astonished, tears of pain springing to her eyes.

"Deacon doesn't fuck other women, Tandy," Rayna said, her voice low and menacing.

"Rayna! How the hell would you know that?"

"I know. I know him. He loves me. He would never lie to me."

"God, Rayna, listen to you! What is wrong with you?! He's lied to you for years! How many times has he told you he's going to stop boozing, and popping pills, and - whatever the hell else he's doing?"

"He wasn't lying when he said those things. He meant them; he tried. He just … he can't ..."

Rayna's voice trailed off and she turned away. They stood in the bedroom for a long moment, the awkward silence building between them.

"I'm sorry I hit you," Rayna mumbled, finally.

Tandy walked over and put her arm around the younger woman's shoulders.

"Well … it hurt, damn it. Don't do it again. But I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry. You've got a lot more important things to think about right now."

Rayna turned and hugged Tandy, surprising her. The two had never seen eye-to-eye, growing up, and they'd grown further estranged after Rayna left home and Tandy got her MBA and started working for Lamar.

"At least one of my daughters is upholding the family legacy," was the way the old man usually put it. Tandy's priorities and attitudes were so different from Rayna's that it was hard sometimes to believe they were sisters.

And then there was Deacon, whose mere presence in Rayna's life had inserted an even bigger wedge between her and the Wyatts. Since the two of them had been a couple, they'd made a life for themselves largely separate from either of their families.

"So – have you told him? Deacon, I mean?"

"No," Rayna said quietly, pulling away and sitting down on her bed, facing her sister. "He's … back in rehab. Again. I've got to talk to him. But Coleman ... well, he thinks I need to cut Deacon loose; break up with him for good. He says that's the only way Deacon's ever going to get better, and I want him to get better. I want that so much ... "

"Oh, Rayna," Tandy said, dismayed but not especially surprised. "Why don't you talk to Teddy? I mean, if the baby could be his, why not just tell him you're pregnant and see what he says?"

"Right, and then what? 'Oh, and by the way, I slept with Deacon a while back, so I'm not sure who the father is. Thought you might want to know that.' Yeah, that'll go over like gangbusters."

"Really, Rayna, you don't have to say anything."

Rayna looked daggers at her sister. "God, Tandy! That's the way you and Daddy do things, not me. I can't do that … I can't let Teddy think this child is his if it's not."

Tandy sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Rayna, you don't have to do this at all, you know. I mean, it's Tennessee – but you do have options."

"I know," Rayna said stonily. "I've thought about all the options."

"And?"

"I want this baby."

"Rayna, you're still young yet. There are going to be lots of chances - better times for you to have a baby."

"It's not a baby, Tandy. It's his baby - Deacon's baby. I've wanted this - I've wanted his child - forever. For as long as I can remember. And I'm afraid this is my last chance. He may not be around much longer, if he can't stay sober. And it sure looks like he can't."

Rayna voice wobbled and she looked down, fighting hard not to cry again.

"Oh, Rayna. Oh honey …" Tandy said, cringing. "Let me talk to Teddy. Please. I'm not going to say too much, I promise. Just let me try and get him to come here and talk to you about all this. Can I do that? Let me help both of you. You never know what we might be able to figure out."