NB: This is a companion piece to SORT OF. Having said that, this story can be read with or without having read SORT OF...Anyway, I wrote it for a number of reasons. Number one, I have found myself wanting to know what came after SORT OF, and two, after the emotional roller coaster we have all been put on as we head into season 2...I needed some happy, and I thought you might want some too...So I wrote this. ENJOY..

DISCLAIMER: Characters are copyright of NASHVILLE. I own nothing.

TOGETHER NOW

Rayna chuckled as she watched her youngest daughter through her bathroom mirror. She picked up a powder brush and Daphne swayed back and forth, humming to the radio playing in the background.

"Careful…" Rayna smiled, tapping excess powder off the brush. "You'll make yourself sick if you keep spinnin' like that."

Daphne giggled, coming to an unsteady stop in front of one of Rayna's make up bags. She clicked her tongue, picking out a bright red lipstick. Rayna shook her head, a smirk spreading across her face. Cheerfully, the little girl applied the lipstick and smacked her lips together before blowing kisses at herself in the mirror.

Rayna laughed. "I like that color on you. Very pretty."

"Here, Mom, you should wear it too," Daphne smiled, holding out the stick of lipstick.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's pretty, and you're pretty…and," Daphne replied, cocking her head as she tried to figure out what else to say. She came up short. "…I think you should just wear it."

Reluctantly, Rayna took the lipstick off her daughter. "Mmm, not today…"

"But we're going out," Daphne said matter-of-factly, leaning against the countertop as she looked up at Rayna in the mirror. "…And people are gonna be there...so yeah,"

Rayna nodded. "That's true, but we're only goin' to a rehearsal…And baby, let me tell you now, there's no one needin' to be impressed at a rehearsal."

"Why are you putting make-up on then?" Daphne asked cheekily.

Rayna laughed, trying to come up with a better excuse. "You know, wearin' pretty stuff like that is for things like-"

"A night out? Valentine's Day?" Maddie suggested, appearing at the bathroom door.

Rayna jumped, not anticipating the sound of her other daughter's voice. "I was gonna say you wear lipstick like that when you're singin' to a sold out arena, or maybe an interview…"

"Or a date…" Daphne suggested, smiling giddily at Maddie.

"Definitely," Maddie agreed.

Rayna's eyes darted between both girls, a mixture of curiosity and dread spreading across her face. What were they playing at? The girls had taken a sudden interest in having conversations about dating and it was doing Rayna's head in. Whether it was at the dinner table or even at the supermarket, they found ways to bring it up. Valentine's Day had come and gone two days ago. Even though she initially hadn't been thrilled at the prospect of celebrating Valentine's Day, Deacon's less than subtle dinner invite over breakfast the other morning won her over. She knew that Deacon was convinced that the girls knew about their relationship, he had spent a good half of the night trying to convince her that he was right. Stubbornly, she'd refused to agree with him and laughed it off.

That aside, it had been a beautiful evening. Deacon had been so sweet, planning and organising everything down to the last detail. When she had opened the door to him on her doorstep her knees went weak, her breath hitching in the back of her throat. In his hands he held a bouquet of her favorite flowers. Deacon had shaved, and he'd worn a new blue button up. He looked incredible, she couldn't take her eyes off him. The way he was smiling at her let her know that he was thinking the same thing about her. The love and affection she felt for him in those moments had overwhelmed and consumed her, throwing her sensible self out the window. Rayna collapsed into his arms there and then, pulling him into a long and tender kiss.

If ever there had been a time she'd been thankful for Teddy, it had been then. Teddy had offered to take the girls for the night. Apparently, Maddie had called and convinced him to let them stay over. Rayna had been confused at first but she hadn't fought it, especially if the girls willingly wanted to stay with him. Since the divorce, getting the girls to stay with Teddy had been like pulling teeth. If they were wanting to stay with Teddy, she wasn't complaining. It meant that Deacon could spend the night, and she sure as hell wasn't complaining about that either.

"You can't hide from me..." Daphne sang along to the radio, picking up Rayna's hairbrush off the counter.

"There ain't no tricks that you can try on me," Maddie sang jokingly, shaking her head as she looked between Daphne and Rayna. "I know your every move before you even breath-"

"Baby," Daphne chimed, flipping her hair over shoulder as she danced.

Maddie cocked her head as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Thinking you know something I don't know."

"But my eyes, my eyes, my eyes are like a telescope..." both girls sang together, dancing in circles on either side of Rayna.

Bemused, Rayna tried to keep a straight face and shake the feeling that they were singing the song at her, not to her.

"Come on, Mom!" Daphne chirped, jumping up and down. "Sing with us!"

Rayna looked at her straight, a can of hairspray in her hand. There was no way she was going to be caught dead singing a Juliette Barnes song. If word got out that she'd succumbed to the peer pressure of her children, she would never live it down. Daphne and Maddie looked at her eagerly.

"But y'all are singin' it so well without me," Rayna took on a dry tone, smiling through her teeth. "Juliette better be watchin' her back if y'all are singin' her songs as good as you're singin' them right here in my bathroom."

"Well, I pretty much look like her so," Daphne shrugged, stealing a look at herself in the mirror.

"You're kidding, right?" Maddie scoffed. "You're way too young, and Juliette is like a mature artist. Clearly, you're not ma-"

"Mature?" Rayna's eyes widened. It was her turn to scoff. Both girls stopped to look at her. Rayna laughed uneasily, picking up the stick of red lipstick. She looked at it, contemplating whether to wear it or not as she mumbled. "I'd love to see the day that happens..."

"Um, Maddie, look at my lips, duh?!" Daphne retorted, pointing at her lips as she pouted. "This is exactly the same color Juliette wears, see!"

Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"I love it, I feel like a real singer," Daphne grinned.

Realisation hitting her, Rayna froze mid motion, quickly looking down at the red lipstick in her hand. Hastily, she put the cap back on and threw the stick into a make up bag and chose another color. Both girls didn't seem to notice.

"Whatever," Maddie rolled her eyes.

Rayna ran her fingers through her hair, taking two steps backwards to get a better look at herself in the mirror. Satisfied, she walked out of the bathroom. "Come on y'all, we've gotta go."

"Oh, they are real pretty, Mom…" Maddie cooed, distractedly following Rayna out of the bathroom.

Rayna frowned, turning around to look at what Maddie was talking about. She blushed and immediately scolded herself for doing so. Maddie was pointing to a bunch of red roses, the roses Deacon had brought her for Valentine's Day.

"They are," Rayna managed, trying to remain composed.

"Red roses are your favorite, aren't they?" Daphne asked cheekily, already knowing the answer as she skipped past Maddie.

"Mmhmm, yep, they are, ok, well…Now where's my…?" Rayna nodded quickly, avoiding both her daughter's gazes as she pretended to be preoccupied with locating her handbag.

"Who are they from?" Daphne hummed, spinning around.

"Of course you'd wanna know, wouldn't you?" Maddie laughed. "Mom, who are they fr-?"

Rayna flipped her hair out of her face, promptly heading for the door. "-Maybe my bag is downstairs? Yep, I think it is…"

- NASHVILLE -

"For you…" Deacon greeted, a paper cup in hand.

Rayna smiled coyly, shivering when his fingers brushed against hers as he handed her the paper cup. "You brought me tea?"

"Actually, it's honey tea…" Deacon corrected, edging closer to her as they stood idly in front of the stage. Musicians and tech guys were busily walking back and forth, paying the pair little attention. "Because that's what you like drinkin' before you sing…"

"You know what I like to drink?" Rayna asked straight, taking a sip of the tea.

Deacon's facial expression changed and he pretended to be offended. A smirk spread across his lips. "I'll have you know that I pay close attention to what you like…"

"Is that right?" Rayna murmured.

"That's right…" he nodded, stepping closer still as he kept his eyes on hers. Rayna blushed, impulsively taking a step backwards to put distance between them. Deacon shoved his hands in his pockets, absently taking in their surroundings and whispering loud enough for only her to hear. "I pay very close attention to what you like…and how you like it…if you know what I'm sayin'…."

Rayna cleared her throat, fully comprehending the ulterior meaning behind his words. In this moment, she could do one of two things; she could brush off the comment and quickly change tracks in conversation, or she play this little game he had going. Rayna was well aware that they were still trying to keep their relationship on the down low, but the way he was looking at her made it awfully difficult to behave accordingly. Deacon smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rayna shrugged, holding the cup to her mouth to hide her smile. "I'm not quite sure what it is you're talkin' about, let alone suggestin'."

Deacon chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I don't really know how best to explain it to you with my words…"

Rayna gulped, quickly looking around out of fear that people were watching them.

"I'd have to show you," Deacon whispered, discreetly taking her hand in his as he looked at her knowingly. Rayna cocked her head, a sudden shiver surging through her body. "…and I can tell you it'd involve the both us gettin' a hell of a lot closer than this…"

"Well-" Rayna started, stopping short when she caught a whirlwind of blonde hair run across the stage. "What on earth are they-?"

"I try to fight it but I'm powerless," Daphne sang at the top of her lungs, using a water bottle as a microphone. Rayna's eyebrows shot up. The little girl drew attention from every direction as everyone stopped to watch. She skipped over to Rayna's back up singers, giggling as she kept singing. "I'm no match for what I'm up against but I, I don't care."

Cell phone in hand, Maddie walked out onto the stage to see what all the commotion was about. Immediately, her eyes fell on her younger sister and she shook her head. Almost on cue, Rayna's keyboard player, her percussionist and her guitarist started playing the song the little girl was singing.

"You know the song?!" Daphne beamed, spinning around to look at the musicians. "Maddie, they know Juliette songs!"

"Of course they do," Maddie replied, walking over to her. "They hear Juliette's set every night, duh."

Rayna could feel Deacon looking at her, waiting to catch her smile. Speechless, she scratched her head, unsure of how to take this exchange between her daughters and her band.

"One, two, three, four," Daphne grinned, holding the water bottle to her mouth again. Maddie laughed and joined her to sing. "It feels like you've gone and put a spell on me. You shook my world apart and suddenly I'm helpless, reckless, so baby I lost my mind and tonight your love is hypnotizing…hypnotizing."

"And here I was thinkin' that your band wasn't able to handle playin' that bubblegum and glitter nonsense…" Deacon hummed, bumping Rayna's shoulder with his. "…I guess I stand corrected."

"Shut up,"

"I think-"

"I think you can stop thinkin'."

Deacon went quiet, a smirk on his face as he rocked back and forth on feet.

"You know this is killin' me, like really killin' me, right?" Rayna squirmed, grudgingly watching her band play music with her daughters.

"You like singin' this song at home when you think no one's listenin', I know-" Deacon provoked her, smile wide as he spoke.

"Oh, please. Enough," Rayna scoffed, doing a double take before turning her attention back to the stage. "Alright y'all, enough of that song. Where the hell is Juliette anyway-?"

"Language!" Daphne, Maddie and a number of of crew guys and musicians called out in unison. Rayna stifled a laugh. Clearly her youngest daughter was spending more time around the band and crew than she thought.

Rayna cleared her throat and took a sip of tea. "We have a rehearsal now y'all..Girls, come on down off of there."

The band nodded, immediately earning two very disappointed looks from Maddie and Daphne.

"I'll have you know that that song happens to be a number one hit on iTunes at the moment," Juliette proudly stated, unexpectedly walking out onto the stage. Maddie and Daphne's faces lit up. "And I think y'all sing it better than me."

"Juliette!" the girls exclaimed.

"Please tell me there will be a day when my own daughters are gonna like me more than pre-teen bubble gum and glitter garbage…" Rayna pleaded, speaking only loud enough for Deacon to hear.

"I like you, I like you a lot," Deacon grinned, letting his fingers brush her side as they watched the girls talking to Juliette.

"Do you?" Rayna asked, flipping hair out of her eyes as she smiled halfheartedly.

"I'd show you how much I like you…" Deacon grinned, leaning over to whisper into her ear. "…But last time I checked we're still keepin' us private…So you're just gonna have to settle with imaginin' me kissin' you right about now, ok?"

Rayna bit her tongue and deliberately avoided his gaze as he walked away from her and up onto the stage.

- NASHVILLE -

"You have like enough food for two of you and three of me," Maddie grimaced, looking over at Daphne taking a bite of a cheeseburger.

"I'm hungry,"

"No, you're gross.."

Daphne chewed her food, flicking a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. "Deacon said I could eat what I wanted, right Deacon?"

Deacon looked in the rearview mirror. "I did, just do not be vomitin' on my backseat otherwise you will be cleanin' it up."

"See!" Daphne exclaimed, taking a sip of coke.

Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Thanks for drivin' us in today," Rayna whispered, stealing a look at Deacon. "I really appreciate it, I do.."

"I'm happy to do it," Deacon smiled, glancing over at her.

Thoughtlessly, Rayna reached out for Deacon's free hand before quickly retreating after realizing what she'd done. Deacon cleared his throat and clumsily placed both hands on the steering wheel. Disconcerted, Rayna turned her attention to the cityscape that was passing by as they drove. The slurping and gurgling that came from Daphne drinking made the silence close to unbearable. Rayna swore under her breath and Deacon smirked, quickly deciding to take matters into his own hands. He adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see both girls.

"So," Deacon tried, immediately attracting the attention of all three passengers. He focused on Maddie and Daphne, saying the first thing that came to mind. "I never did hear how y'all ended up goin' about Valentine's Day."

Both girls smirked and Rayna shot Deacon a look.

"Well…" Maddie hummed, looking over at Daphne knowingly.

"We never did hear about how you ended up spendin' your Valentine's Day." Daphne mimicked cheekily, shoveling a handful of fries into her mouth.

"No, little lady, you did not." Deacon agreed, flicking the indicator to change lanes.

Rayna suddenly felt her cheeks getting very hot. She knew two pairs of eyes were heavily set on her, she could feel them. Rayna swallowed hard and tried her hardest to remain straight-faced.

"Did you end up givin' that kid um…Carter that card you were makin' at breakfast?" Deacon asked.

Daphne scrunched up her nose. "Ew no, Carter's Maddie's boyfriend, not mine-"

"Say, what?" Rayna interrupted, lifting her sunglasses and whirling around to look at her daughters.

Deacon's mouth dropped open.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Maddie exclaimed, glaring at Daphne. "I don't, I don't have a-"

"That's not what you sa-"

"He's not! I swear, Mom, he's not…"

"Drama Queen…" Daphne exhaled, shaking her head.

"Says you," Maddie retorted, shifting in her seat to face Daphne. "How about we tell Mom about-?"

"Ok, fine. Shut up."

"Hey!" Rayna called.

"Yeah, I thought so." Maddie scowled.

The car fell silent.

"Mom, I don't have a boyfriend, honest." Maddie spoke up.

Rayna chuckled, lightening the mood in the car as she lifted her water bottle to her mouth. "Your sister doesn't seem to think that that's the case…"

"What about you Deacon?" Daphne chirped, taking the attention off her and Maddie as she took another sip of Coke. "Did you have a good Valentine's Day?"

"With your sort of girlfriend," Maddie added, a smirk slowly forming on her lips.

Rayna choked on her drink and quickly swallowed in an attempt to hide her surprise. She failed.

"Yeah, somethin' like that," Deacon replied simply, refusing to give the girls the satisfaction of seeing him squirm.

"Something like that? Is that all you're gonna tell us?" Daphne asked, looking over at her sister.

"Daphne Ray," Rayna interjected, raising an eyebrow as she turned to look at her youngest. "I did not raise you to be rude."

Daphne giggled.

"Well, I shaved, I wore a different shirt, and I took her out for dinner...so if that's not a good Valentine's Day, I don't know what is..." Deacon affirmed, easing the tension.

"What about the other, you know, thing..." Maddie asked cryptically, already knowing the answer after seeing the red roses in Rayna's bedroom. "Did you remember that?"

"I did,"

"Maybe she won't hate Valentine's Day so much anymore." Daphne smiled.

"Maybe," Deacon grinned, shooting Rayna a knowing look and she flushed red.

The girls fell into fits of giggles in between their quiet whispering. They didn't pay much attention when Deacon pulled into their driveway. Deacon had to put the car into park before they noticed that they were home.

"Alright, y'all need to thank Deacon for drivin' us home and buyin' you lunch," Rayna instructed, unbuckling her seat belt. "And you're not leavin' this car till you take all, I mean all of your rubbish either."

"Deacon, are you coming in?" Maddie asked.

Deacon looked at Rayna, not wanting to overstep any boundaries. Rayna nodded, letting him know that she was happy with whatever he decided.

"We have ice-cream?" Daphne tried.

"You just ate like a whole cow. How are you still hungry?" Maddie's face dropped.

Daphne shrugged.

"As long as it's chocolate," Deacon grinned.

"I totally agree." Daphne nodded.

The girls thanked Deacon, grabbed their belongings, and their rubbish and promptly hopped out of the car. When the girls were out of earshot, Rayna turned in her seat to look at Deacon.

"Ok, they know." Rayna blurted out.

Deacon's eyebrows shot up and he grinned. "I told you, I-"

"I know,"

"I said it all night, and you didn't-"

"Ok, ok," Rayna shook her head, ignoring the smile plastered across his face. "I get it, you were right, I was wrong."

"So, does that mean you wanna be more than my sort of girlfriend now?" Deacon asked boyishly, taking her hands in his as he leant over to bury his face in her neck.

Rayna chuckled and pushed him away, promptly opening the car door. She barely made it four steps before Deacon had his arms wrapped around her waist.

"That wasn't the answer I was lookin' for, Ray..." Deacon murmured, pulling her body close to his.

"Shhhh," Rayna giggled, looking up at the open front door.

"Still not the answer I'm lookin' for,"

"Deacon."

"Rayna."

"Babe, come on," Rayna sighed, ignoring him as he started kissing on her face.

"Darlin'," Deacon whispered against her skin. Rayna instinctively leant into him, breathing him in as they stood wrapped in each other's arms. "You know good and well that I'm not lettin' you go till you tell me what you know we both wanna hear…"

"Yes," Rayna whispered, looking up at him coyly.

"Yes?" Deacon smiled, trying to contain the excitement on his face.

Rayna wrapped her arms around his neck and leant towards him, edging closer slowly. The heat between them burned, creating an unbearable tension in the air. Rayna could feel his breath on her lips as he waited to follow her lead. Unable to take it any longer, Rayna closed the gap, kissing him strong and deep. Deacon gladly kissed her back, this time taking control of the kiss as they became lost in one another's arms.

"Who wants ice-cream?" Daphne appeared at the front door, looking at Maddie who was smiling giddily.

Caught in the act, Deacon and Rayna jumped apart, uncomfortably meeting the girl's gazes.

"I think they're a little busy," Maddie murmured, pointing at Deacon and Rayna.

"So, you don't want ice-cream?" Daphne scrunched up her nose.

"We were, I was...it's-" Rayna started, struggling to form a logical sentence.

"You see, the thing is..." Deacon smiled, looping his arm around Rayna's waist. "I need to tell y'all somethin'.."

Daphne and Maddie stared at him knowingly.

"I'd like you to meet someone, someone real special to me…"

"Who?" Maddie smirked, crossing her arms.

Deacon smiled, looking down at Rayna affectionately. "I'd like y'all to meet my sort of girlfriend."

"It's about time!" Daphne sighed exasperatedly, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

Maddie nodded and everyone laughed.

"Girls, you are ok with this, aren't you?" Rayna asked slowly, wanting to make sure that the girls were comfortable with her dating somebody.

"Considering we've known since like forever-" Maddie shrugged.

"Forever?" Rayna's face dropped. "How long is forever?"

"Mom," Daphne gave Rayna a look. "We're kids, but-"

"They're not stupid." Deacon finished, smiling proudly when Daphne and Maddie laughed.

Rayna pursed her lips, hiding a smile. "I see."

"This means you're together now? Like dating?" Maddie asked.

"Not sort of boyfriend and girlfriend?" Daphne added, cocking her head. "But real boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Deacon and Rayna nodded, both saying yes.

Daphne looked at Maddie. "You owe me ten dollars."

"No, I don't," Maddie shook her head fervently. "We were both right about Deacon and Mom-"

"Yes, you do. I was right first, Maddie you said-"

"That's like half of my allowance," Maddie groaned, running a hand over her face.

Daphne grinned. "Which is now mine so..."

"I do not, you're seriously so rude," Maddie shook her head.

"Yes, you do,"

Rayna smiled affectionately, wrapping her fingers around Deacon's as he leant over and kissed her cheek. "Maybe we can sneak inside and they won't notice?"

"Maybe," Deacon murmured against her skin, pulling her closer.

Rayna giggled. "I'm willin' to give it a shot if you are..."

"What are you waitin' for? Let's go."