Matt Stell as himself

=

It's been nearly a month since Maggie had sent Christian the songs. He loved them, like always. She hasn't been to work because of what happened with Morgan, she's avoiding him.

Speaking of Morgan, he's in a booth with her songs in front of him. "This feels wrong, man. She should be here for this. This is her song." He says into the mic. "She won't answer me."

Hardy sighs, checking his phone. "I can try callin' her again."

Maggie looks down at her ringing phone and huffs when she sees who's calling her. "What Michael?"

He bites his tongue to keep himself from going off on her. "I just wanted you to know that Morgan is recording some of your songs. We think you should be here for it."

"Which ones?"

"Uh, all six, I think."

Maggie sighs and stands. "Fine." With that, she hangs up. She grabs her keys and purse then heads to her car, driving over to the studio.

=

Mags hesitantly knocks on the door of the booth. "Hey."

Michael wraps her in a hug. "We've been so worried 'bout you, baby." She pushes him away then sits on the couch.

"Which ones is he singin'?"

"He has the songs with him in there, I don't know the names of 'em."

"Morgan, ready now?" The guy at the soundboard, Gus, asks into the mic. Said guy gives him a thumbs up before the track kicks on.

"Girl, since you left me, been tryna forget we, ever became what we were..."

He starts, his eyes closed with his hands on the headphones around his ears. Maggie leans forward, her elbows on her knees as she listens.

"It's like tryna but a bandaid on a bullet hole, tryna tell a cowboy to slow down. It's like watchin' the way that the river rolls and then tellin' it to turn back around. I've held some strangers, told people I hate you but I just keep hittin' a wall. It's like tryna put a bandaid on a bullet hole, it just don't do me no good at all..."

"I didn't write this." Maggie says, standing. "This ain't my song."

"Baby, tell me how you did it? I just gotta know. And tell me what's your secret? And how'd you let me go so easy?"

"This ain't my song." She whispers again.

Once he's done singing, he takes the headphones off and grabs his bottle of water. "Good song, man. You okay with it?" Michael asks, leaning over the soundboard.

"Uh, yeah."

"It's good- great, yeah." Michael smiles.

"Ready for the next one?" Gus asks, spinning the pen in his hand around his fingers. Morgan slides the headphones back on then gives another thumbs up.

"Yeah, you used to talk about gettin' even further south, somewhere where the summer lasted all year 'round. Probably got a big ol' diamond on your hand right now, maybe a baby or a couple by now, long driveway to a big white house..."

"We wrote this one." She can't help the big grin on her lips.

"But I wonder when you're drinkin' if you find yourself thinkin' about that boy from East Tennessee..."

She lets out a quiet squeal. "He sounds so good!" Michael grins, his arm around her shoulders.

"Seven Summers ago..."

She holds her hand to her chest with a blush on her cheeks, "ohh." She breathes out in bliss, that pretty smile never leaving her face. "Morgan! That sounded beautiful!" She says into the mic. "You really made it a heart achin' song- like how it's supposed to sound."

He blushes in response and looks down at his boots to hide his smile. Michael stands speechless. This past month, Morgan has been moody and quiet and now that Maggie is back, he's magically perked up. "Thanks."

They take a quick break from recording for lunch.

=

"That song, Bandaid on a Bullet Hole, is so touchin." Maggie says to Michael as they sit at a table in the break room. "I was not expectin' that at all."

"He called me at three in the morning to help brainstorm for that song." He admits, looking down at his sandwich. "It was that night you left."

"Ah." Is all she can say.

Maybe she's starting to get those old teenager feelings for Morgan again. Maybe he's feeling the same way. Or maybe she's just feeling this way because of her fiancé.

Michael clears his throat. "He didn't want to record the songs without you." She rolls her eyes with a small smile on her lips. "You should record one for him to hear. Y'know actually sing one of your songs yourself instead of handin' 'em off."

"Oh, no Michael. I don't-"

"Just do it, Mags. It can just be you and Gus in the room. Okay? Caleigh and I would love to hear somethin' you wrote sung by you."

"Fine." She huffs, pulling the tab off her tea can. She stands and gathers her things. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need luck!" He shouts after her, laughing at the middle finger she shoots him.

"Hey, Gus, can I ask a favor?" Maggie asks quietly, tossing her purse onto the couch.

"For surely, girly." Gus answers, setting his sandwich down on a plastic baggie.

"Can you record one of my songs but with me singin'?"

"Sure! Yeah, absolutely." He wipes his hands off with his handkerchief then pockets it before he opens the door to the booth. "Why the change of heart?"

"Michael talked me into it." She sighs, filtering through the songs on the stand. "This is okay, right?"

"For sure, yeah." Gus says as he sits back in his chair. "You all set?"

"As set as I'll ever get." She mutters, adjusting the headphones. "Okay." Gus starts the track and points to her to start singing.

Morgan and Michael sneak into the booth, sitting on the couch as they listen. They're both speechless. Neither of them had heard her actually sing before, she usually just hums when she's writing.

"Shoulda come with a warning. Don't sit right there, don't sip on what they're pouring you. Her kiss is gonna kill you in the morning, no it ain't gonna end too good. Everything about that night I thought I wanted; shoulda come with a warning. Shoulda come with a warning..."

"Wow." Morgan can't help the smile on his face. "I can't believe she don't sing more."

Maggie sighs as she hangs the headphones on the stand before returning to the booth. "Oh, hey guys."

Michael gives her a shit eating grin, crossing his arms. "Sounded pretty good, Mags."

She rolls her eyes, pushing the sleeves of her sweater up to help herself cool down. "I've never heard you sing like that before."

"That's probably the only time y'all're gonna hear it. I'm stickin' to what I know best; writin'." She sits on the leather couch, bouncing her knee anxiously while she pulls on the tab of her Arizona tea.

"That's a damn shame, Mags." Christian says from his spot against the door frame. "It really is."

"Huh?"

"If I woulda known you could sing, I'da offered you a whole record deal."

"You still can, right?" Gus asks, spinning in his chair.

"I'm sure I can still pull a few strings." Christian smirks, tucking his hand in the pocket of his gray slacks.

"I- No- I can't-" She pushes past the guys and heads outside to sit on the sidewalk and smoke a couple cigarettes. She calls Matt to get a level headed opinion on the situation at hand. "Are you busy right now?"

He's quiet on the other line. "No, what's up?"

"Big Loud wants to offer me a record deal."

"Like you singin'? You don't sing."

"I recorded my first song today- a song that I wrote." Now that the moment has passed, she's excited about it, proud of herself. "And I really liked doin' it."

"If you sign off on this, we won't be able to see each other."

"We hardly see each other now anyways."

"Mags, think about it." He sighs. "Don't do it, it's just gonna be a waste of time for the both of us-"

"Where the hell do you get off!?" She snaps, pulling her cigarette from between her lips. "I was hoping to get some goddamn encouragement from you, not a put down. Y'know as my fiancé, you're supposed to hear me out and offer fucking support!"

"Don't talk to me like that." He says lowly. "You asked for my opinion and you got it."

"I was expecting you to tell me to go for it!" Morgan pokes his head around the corner, his hands in his pockets. "You know that I'm one of the top songwriters in Nashville-"

"What's that gotta do with singing? Mags, we both know you're gonna talk yourself out of this anyway so I'm saving you time-"

"No- y'know what? I'm wasting my time right now talkin' to you about this. I'm doing this and if you don't like it, you can just fuckin leave." Her body is shaking as she hangs up, her head in her hands while her lit cigarette hangs loosely between her fingers. "Fuck."

"You okay?" Morgan asks quietly, sitting next to her on the curb.

"Yep." She says shortly, taking a deep drag from her smoke.

"I know it's none of my business but-"

"It is none of your business." She chuckles sarcastically. He just turns his dip can around in his hands. "Just got off the phone with my fiancé." She spits.

"How'd that go?"

"He basically told me no."

"No to what?"

"The record deal."

Morgan scoffs, shaking his head. "Has he heard you sing before?" She shrugs. "Y'know couples are supposed to support each other or, if they think it's a bad idea, a way to get in a better spot. I think that makes sense."

"He said we wouldn't have time to see each other."

"Y'all don't see each other now." He mutters.

"That's what I said." She runs her hand over her face. "Y'know I'm not gonna do this." She stands. "I'll just stick to song writin'."

"Really? You're gonna throw away what might be your big break for something your fiancé said? That's not the Mags I know."

"People change." She mumbles.

"Yeah, people usually go from a doormat to outspoken, not the opposite way-"

"People fucking change." She snaps, heading back inside. "I'm going home." She tells the guys. "I'll let you know in a few days, okay?"

"Okay." Christian nods.

Mags gives the guys a hug before storming to her car to drive home.

=

"It's such a waste of time, Magnolia." Her father's girlfriend says. "You should just give up on that, it's not like you're any good at it."

She looks at the bitch in front of her then her spineless dad. "You're really going to let this woman talk to your daughter like that?" He says nothing. "How sad is that." She shakes her head as she picks up her notebook and purse.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

"Anywhere but here." Mags says back, slamming the side door behind her. She stomps to her car and heads to Morgan's house.

Mags parks her car and heads around the backside of his house, sneaking up to his bedroom window. She drops herself on his empty bed, pulling her legs up to her chest.

Morgan jumps when he sees his girlfriend on his bed. "You okay?" He asks as he reaches into his dresser to grab a shirt. He pulls it on then sits next to her on the bed. "Talk to me, Gracie."

"Naomi's a bitch." She mumbles, looking down at her knees.

"Why?" She responds with a quiet whimper, hiding her face in her knees. He pulls her onto his lap, rubbing her back. She wraps her arms around his neck and cries harder against his shoulder. "Talk to me, baby."

"She's right. I'm wasting my time with writing and I'm not good at it." She manages out, pulling away. He reaches up and wipes the tears on her face. "I should just give up."

"Don't say that, Mags." Morgan whispers. "Don't even think that." When she looks at him, it brings more tears to her eyes. She chokes out another quiet sob. "Everyone knows that you're the best in the whole state."

She rolls her eyes.

=

Mags is currently being a hermit. She won't pick up her phone, she won't head into work, she won't talk to anyone- not even Caleigh. She sighs to herself as she trudges to her front door to see who the fuck is bothering her. She pulls her oversized flannel tighter around her body as her too-long sweatpants drag on the floor. "Go away." She mumbles to Matt. "I don't want to see you." She starts to shut the door but he jams his foot between that and the door frame.

"You haven't talked to me in weeks."

"I wonder why." She rolls her eyes. "Please leave. Just go." Matt sighs, leaning against the counter in the kitchen.

"Mags-" her phone starts ringing behind him, he answers. "Hello? Who is this? Morgan?" She reaches for her phone but her hand is pushed away. "Why are you callin her? She's fine, bye." He hangs up on him.

"What did he want?" She asks, pulling her flannel tighter around her.

"Nothin." Matt says, tucking his hands in his jeans pockets. "Did you take the deal?"

"At the studio?" He nods. "No, you told me it's a big mistake." Mags runs her hands through her wild curls. "Sacrificin a chance to spread my wings for you." She mutters under her breath, looking down at her bare feet.

"I know what's best for us, babe. If you woulda signed off on that deal, we wouldn't-"

"I know." She sighs. "Y'know, I don't care what you want, anymore. I'm tired of feeling like I'm not good enough for you."

"What are you sayin'?"

"I'm sayin'- I'm sayin' that I'm breaking up with you." She says, rubbing her tired eyes. "Couples are supposed to support each other. So just go."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." She looks down at her ring as she slips it off and hands it back to him. "Take care of yourself, Matt." Mags heads to the front door and opens it for him. "See you 'round." He just shakes his head as he grips the ring in his hand as he storms to his truck then drives away.

Maggie sighs, running her hands through her hair as she heads to her bedroom. She buries herself under her sheets, ignoring her ringing cell phone in the kitchen.