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Chapter 1
    Patty and Randi, the newest act, named 2 Adorable (Randi, aka D, always allowed Patty to explain, since she did the best valley girl "Well, there's two of us, and we're adorable! hehe!" explanation.) were ecstatic. Their career was getting the ultimate boost. They were going to be recording a song with the ever loved Backstreet Boys! Everyone knew who they were, and Patty and Randi had to admit, they were 'in love' with the boys too. D couldn't help but be in love with AJ's voice, and the same went for Patty when it came to Kevin's sexy voice. In the early days, as in at the age of 17, they used to go to Patty's house and D would sing AJ's part, Patty would try to sing Kevin's part, and both would laugh hysterically during the rest 'cause there was no one to sing the other parts. It seemed funny to them at the time. But above all, they were still listening to BSB, although now, their friends said, when they were listening to the boys' voices they took on more of a trance-like quality. Now, both mature girls of 21 and 22 (not saying 17 y/os are immature) they were out on their own, living in their apartment and semi-successful. And yet here they were, jumping around like children at the prospect of meeting and singing with BSB.
    "Shit!" Patty suddenly shouted.
    "What?" D asked, and stopped jumping around.
    "Bast is still on the phone." Both girls rushed the phone and apologized to their manager, Bastien, in unison.
    "It's okay, you're excited. Do it again and you're fired, but....."
    "Bastien!" Patty shouted into the phone. The man began to laugh.
    "I'm sorry, I forgot you were still in the stage that you are petrified for your career. It'll pass, I promise," their manager told them.
    "Thank you sooooo much!" D shouted into the phone. "You are a god!"
    "I know," Bastien said. "Okay, you girls go to bed. I need you conscious when I pick you up at 5 tomorrow to meet the plane."
    "5?!?!" Patty shouted.
    "AM?!?!" D finished for her. "You've got to be kidding."
    "Nope. So go to bed." There was a click on the other end.
    "Is BSB really worth this?" Patty asked. D smiled.
    "Better yet, ask yourself, is KEVIN really worth this?" Patty smiled as well.
    "Oh hell ya. I'm gettin up at 4 to start my make up."
    "Not if I get in there first," D teased.
    "What the hell you talkin about. You're gonna wake up at 4:55 slap on some clothes, brush your teeth, put your hair in a pony tail and do your make-up in the car. You think I don't know you??" D began laughing loudly. "Is AJ worth this?"
    "Hey, he's hot, I love his voice, the man can do no wrong."
    That's when they came face to face with the Backstreet Boys.

Chap 2
    D had to admit, the guys were all good looking,but something in AJ's eyes caused her to automatically dislike him. D said it was cockiness, which angered her even further when Patty later suggested that D and AJ were somewhat alike. Patty also said that D liked AJ from first glance, she could tell, and that D didn't like that she liked AJ so much so soon, so she was taking it out on him. Whatever the excuse, it was also very apparent very quickly that the feeling was mutual.
    "Hello," someone called, ending D's and AJ's stare-down. D smiled and greeted Kevin, who had replied likewise. Patty responded as well, finding herself unbelievably shy around Kevin. This wasn’t completely out of character for her. She was amazed to feel a blush creep into her cheeks when Kevin smiled at her.
    "Nice to meet you," Patty continued. "My name is Patty, and this is D." The guys shook the girls' hands. As D shook with AJ, she could almost swear she heard him snarl. D ignored it, but his friends, who had also heard, didn't. They glared at him and his curled lip until he apologized.
    "For what?" D asked, pretending she hadn't heard at all.
    "Oh, you know what," he insisted, crossing his arms and turning away. D shrugged, still playing ignorant.
    "So, shall we get to work?" asked Brian, trying to keep his friend from blowing his top. Patty quickly agreed with him, pulling her friend behind her as she followed Brian. "Um, for the time being, I feel it would be best if we were in separate booths," Brian suggested.
    "I completely agree," Patty said, watching D and AJ, who looked like animals circling one another. "D, we're in here," she called, getting D's attention. D nodded and followed Patty into a booth across from the guys' booth as AJ followed his friends. The girls pulled on headsets and looked at the guy at the control panel.
    "Okay, find your Chi," Patty ordered. D suddenly burst into a sunshiney smile.
    "My what?" D asked, borderline laughter.
    "I don't know, but it worked. Okay, we're ready!" For the next few days, they worked separately from the guys. When they had breaks, D would always go into the sound booth and listen to AJ sing, making sure he never saw her, which wasn't very hard; AJ was very focussed. Patty sat beside her, always, and listened to Kevin sing. Both girls loved their breaks, although D had yet to back off AJ when they saw each other any other time. As much as she hated him, she had to admit she was still in love with his voice. The third day, both groups finished for the day at the same time. Since they were headed that way, they mutually decided to walked out to their cars together. Once out the door, Kevin spontaneously grabbed Patty's hand. She looked up at him and he smiled at her, squeezing her hand tightly. She blushed, but smiled back, not pulling away. AJ pulled out a cig and lit it.
    "You smoke?" D said, curling her lip.
    "Ya, so?" AJ asked, showing complete disinterest. Patty felt someone walk up beside her and she looked to find Kevin standing beside her, smiling at her. She felt his fingertips brush against the back of her hand.
    "Such a disgusting habit," D muttered. AJ turned and blew smoke in her face; D didn't breathe, pretending it didn't bother her. She turned her head casually, and breathed in fresh air. "Just because you breathe smoke in my face doesn't change my opinion of it. It's still disgusting."
    "Kiss my ass," AJ responded to D's taunt.
    "Like I would kiss you anywhere," D laughed. "Kissing guys that smoke is like kissing an ash tray." All of a sudden, AJ grabbed her and pulled her to him, kissing her hard. After a second or two, he pulled back, breathig a bit heavily. The expression on everyone's faces was complete shock. D went completely red, embarrassed, but still able to think of a response. "Yep, just like an ashtray," D practically yelled.
    "And when I kissed you, it felt like I was kissing a brick wall," AJ shot back at the same volume. They turned away at the same time and walked toward their cars.
    "Damn, didn't know kissing ashtrays felt so good," D told Patty.
    "Didn't know brick walls kissed so good," AJ told the guys. They got into their cars and drove off.

Chap 3
    The next day, AJ couldn't stop looking at D. D couldn't stop looking at him either, although when they caught each other they would immediately look away. D couldn't stop thinking about the way AJ had kissed her. No one had ever kissed her like that, not even her boyfriend. AJ couldn't stop himself from thinking about it either. He hadn't expected to like it so much. He thought about being nice to her for a minute. Maybe they could be friends. He looked over at her, and when she happened to look at the same time, he glared unconsciously. He decided it wasn't possible.
    A boy came strolling across the parking lot and stood in front of D. AJ watched from the bench where he usually had his smoke if he and the girls had the same break time.
    "D, baby, talk to me," the guy said. AJ sized the guy up. Not bad build, he thought to himself, but I could take him. D looked away from the boy in front of her. Trouble, AJ thought, but stayed where he was. "I'm sorry I acted that way, but the guy, well, the thought just makes me angry."
    "Thomas, shut the hell up," D muttered.
    "Come on, babe, we have to talk this through." D still refused to look at him. "What, is it because of the guy over there?" He turned to AJ. "Excuse me, buddy, but you wouldn't mind leaving us alone for a few, would ya?" He flashed a pearly smile and turned back to D. AJ just glared from the shadows. Thomas turned again. "Buddy?"
    "It's a free country," AJ called, and shot a smile back. "And I'm not your buddy," he added as an after thought. Thomas exhaled loudly and rolled his eyes.
    "Looks like we're just going to have to talk with him here," Thomas said.
    "I'm not talking to you," D told Thomas, looking at him for the first time.
    "D, what the hell?" Thomas exclaimed. "I mean some guy kisses you, and you defend him." AJ's ears perked up. Was that moron over there talking about.....him? "Oh why so red, darling? Realizing your mistake? No, that couldn't be it, that would mean admitting you were wrong about something. The guy must be nearby." The guy looked around rapidly, then focussed on AJ. "Don't tell me that's him! That's the guy you defended when I threatened to beat him up." AJ raised an eye brow. "What for? I'm sure he could hold his own." AJ snorted, indicating he could certainly do more than that.
    "I told you before, it was a joke. We were goofing off!" D exclaimed. "It didn't mean anything to either of us. We're friends, it was like kissing my cousin!"
    "Ya, well I'm just gonna goof up his face a bit." Thomas returned.
    "See, THIS is why I broke up with you. The answer to everything is violence for you. You want to kick the shit out of everyone. Hey, his friend smiled at me when he met me. Do you want to kick the shit out of him too? Another hugged me. You wanna beat him up, huh? So much for you're sorry you acted that way!" Thomas slapped her across the face.
    "Hey!" AJ shouted. "Leave her alone!" D looked as if she were going to murder her boyfriend.
    "Why don't you get lost?"
    "Why don't you kiss my ass," AJ shouted back. "Go home little boy before I charge you with assult." Thomas thought about charging him, but then looked at D's split lip and thought better of it.
    "Ya, whatever," Thomas said, before he turned and quickly ran off.
    "And cut down on the damned war movies too, huh?" AJ called after him. He walked slowly over to D. "You okay?" he inquired. D nodded, looking about ready to burst into tears now that Thom was gone. AJ walked up to her and tentetively placed his hands on her shoulder, then wrapped his arms around her. D gave into the tears.

Chap 4
    "So," Patty said. She sat on a small couch beside Kevin inside the studio. Their break seemed to be extended. AJ & D were still outside, probably eternally glaring at each other while AJ puffed away at his smoke spitefully. Ah well, she figured as long as they didn't kill each other. Kevin looked really good today. He hadn't shaven this morning and he had a bit of a shadow. He was holding her hand again and for some reason, she felt giggly.
    "So," Kevin said, mimicking what she said. He looked over and smiled at her. "You're so pretty," he said out of the blue. "I love your long, brown hair, and your dark, brown eyes." Patty looked at him and burst out laughing. "Hey, what's so funny?" Kevin demanded. She looked at him, but instead of finding him insulted like she'd expected to, he was smiling widely.
    "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I've been feeling so weird for the past few days."
    "So have I," Kevin told her, leaning in close. Patty's breath caught in ther throat as Kevin's face got closer to her's by the second. Piercing whistles caused Kevin to sit upright. Damn! Patty thought. Whoever that was, I hope they die a virgin. She looked up and saw Nick with a gigantic smile on his face. Double damn!! Patty thought. No chance of HIM dying a virgin!
    "Ooh, Kevvy. Holding out on us, were ya?" Nick joked. Howie and Brian stood behind him, snickering.
    "Go to hell, Nick," Kevin said, glowering at him. "That wasn't funny at all, you scared the shit outta me."
    "Wow, that's a first," Brian said. "Why HAVE you been so jumpy lately Kevin?"
    "No reason," Kevin said, blushing.
    "And Patty, what--"
    "Okay, kids, enough teasing. I need to talk to Patty and Randi for a minute," Bastien said, walking up to the group. Kevin rose to his feet and kissed Patty on the cheek before he joined his friends. Bastien looked around quickly. "Somethings missing.....Oh, D, where is she?" Patty shrugged, grinning like a fool. "Patty, come back to me." She blinked and became aware of his presence.
    "Oh, hi, Bast. What's up?"
    "Well, since D's gone AWOL, I'll tell her later."
    "But, she's..." she said, pointing toward the door.
    "Yeeeeah, I'll tell her later. Anyway, the producers like you so much that they've placed a duet in the song. So, one othe guys and one of you girls will be doing something together."
    "Oh, D's so lucky," Patty sighed.
    "Who said it would be her?" Bastien asked.
    "Well, isn't it going to be her?"
    "Not necessarily. They're going to test you girls with the guys, and go from there."
    "Yes! Bast, you're the best. If you weren't like 500 years older than me! Hey, you never know."
    "Patty, I'm only 10 years older than you," Bastien laughed.
    "Ya, but when you were 20 I was 10. When I was going into grade 5 you were going into college! When I was starting grade one you were probably starting to f---"
    "Okay!! God, Patty, I get your point. No need to get so damn graphic!" Patty smiled innocently.
    "Did I say something wrong, Bastien?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, to emphasize the innocent look.
    "Oh, you know what you did," Bastien said with a smile. "Now go find your boyfriend and tell him that it's time to get back to work.”
    "Okay, you're the boss," Patty said, and ran off in search of Kevin. "Oh, what about D? You gonna go after her?"
    "Ummmm, no, I think we'll leave them alone for a few more seconds." This caught Patty's attention.
    "Why, what are they actually doing out there?" Patty exclaimed, running for the small window in the door.
    "NOTHING.....Remember, Kevin?" Bastien asked. Patty smiled and ran off again. He sighed, relieved that no one had seen what he'd seen, D crying in AJ's arms.

Chapter 5
    AJ was startled when D suddenly pulled away. She sniffed and wiped at her nose, not embarrassed about the action.
    "I'm sorry," she apologised quickly, turning her head away. AJ felt his heart sink.
    "For what?" AJ inquired.
    "I didn't mean to start crying like that."
    "Its understandable," AJ told her. He reached out to her, and she unconsciously backed away. His hand fell to his lap.
    "We should probably go back inside," Randi said, her voice catching.
    "Why are you doing this?" AJ asked, putting his hand to his heart. D frowned at the action.
    "Doing what? Crying? I just got slapped across the face by a person I thought loved me and it hurt," D told him, beginning to shout.
    "Of course I didn't mean crying," AJ retorted, matching her tone. "I mean pretending what just happened didn't happen!"
    "What the hell are you talking about?" D demanded. "Nothing JUST HAPPENED."
    "Don't say that."
    "What? It's the truth." D insisted. "I'm sorry if you thought otherwise."
    "But..." AJ began.
    "Look, I'm thankful that you were here to comfort me. Be assured I'd do the same for you, but don't turn it into something it's not. Please, AJ."
    "Ya, whatever," AJ said, turning to walk away.
    "AJ, I'm sorry if you read into...."
    "Save your sorries," AJ grumbled. D sighed, seeing she'd screwed up yet another situation and was unable to fix it. How do I manage to screw up things this way? she wondered. She followed AJ into the studio. "Quit following me," AJ shouted.
    "I'm not!" D exclaimed. "Geez, don't shout."
    "You can't tell me what to do!" AJ said louder. He knew where this was going before the next words came out and was unable to stop himself. "Who do you think I am, your boyfriend? Do you want me to smack you around a bit." D's face paled, and she turned her eyes away from him. "D, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean..."
    "I can't believe you just said that to me," D said, voice quavering.
    "I said I'm sorry...."
    "Don't bother," D said, waving his apology off. "Thanks for showing what ya think of me." She walked into the sound booth and slammed the door behind her.

Chapter 6
    "Aww, what were you two up to out there??" Patty teased when D showed up in the booth.
    "Nothing," she snapped.
    "Woah, down girl," Patty said, eyes widening. "What fuck's your problem?"
    "Thomas showed up."
    "I thought you dumped his sorry ass." D shrugged.
    "You know the drill. I dump him, he tries to get me back. Yadda yadda yadda." Patty squinted slightly.
    "Is that a bruise on your face?" Patty asked. D shook her head, letting her hair fall to cover her cheek in the process. "Are you sure...."
    "Ya, I'm fine," D said, as bored as she could manage. She smiled slightly. "So wazzup with you and Kevvy?" she inquired. Patty began to blush.
    "Nothing," Patty lied.
    "If ya say so......Now what's really goin on, huh?"
    "He told me that I'm pretty," Patty exclaimed.
    "Oh! That's so sweet!" D cooed. Patty giggled. "WHAT was that?" D asked, teasing Patty. Patty blushed.
    "Oops," Patty said as a response. "He makes me want to giggle," she admitted. D shook her head.
    "Ohhh, Patty!" D teased. Patty scowled.
    "D, shut the fuck up, huh? Need I remind of the way you used to act with Charlie? Huh?" D blushed at the memory.
    "That was different. You're nasty to everyone, I'm just nasty to assholes and small children. And other women if they're nasty first," she added as an afterthought.
    "Am not!" Patty laughed.
    "My point is, I didn't giggle just because it was Charlie, I was still loud and obnoxious as ever. You...frankly... You're scaring me."
    "I take offence to that."
    "As you should. But when you're with Kevin, or thinking about him, suddenly you're in this haze, it's like your bro after he'd been smokin Mary Jane." Patty laughed.
    "I will never be THAT bad." D smirked.
    "I don't know. You get pretty strange."
    "Excuse me, girls?" the technician said in the control room.
    "Yo," the girls said in unison.
    "Do you think we could get started?"
    "Ya, in a few," Patty told him.
    "But...."
    "HEY!" Patty shouted. "Do I interrupt YOUR conversations? Don't think so. Hey, do you think Bast will let us take a day off for shopping?"
    "Oh sure," D said, trying to look serious. She cracked a smile.
    "What?" Patty asked, almost laughing herself. "But seriously, I think you should give AJ a chance. Although it's fun to watch you two at each other's throats, I think it's kinda bad for business." D looked at her feet.
    "Ya, I guess."
    "I mean I'm not saying you guys have to get all chummy or nothing, spend your breaks at the mall and wear each other's clothing. Just....be civil. You can do that, can't ya?"
    "Yes!" D said, offended.
    "Good. Okay, techie boy, we're ready!"

Chapter 7
    After they were finished recording for the day, Patty forced D out to where AJ was sitting on the couch by the doors to the parking lot. (The one Kevin and Patty had been sitting on the day before) AJ stood as soon as he saw her and began blabbering about something Patty couldn't comprehend he was speaking so fast. Finally, Patty became flustered and shouted,
    "AJ shut the fuck up!" AJ looked at her in shock. "What? Didn't know I swore, or screamed?"
    "Um, neither,as a matter of fact. You're usually so calm, and almost...high."
    "I do NOT act like I'm high!!" Patty nearly screamed.
    "Now, THAT is the Patty I know," Bast said, walking up the hallway.
    "Bast, go to hell!" Patty shouted.
    "What the fuck was that?" Someone asked, poking their head into the hallway. It was Nick, big surprise. "Was that....Patty?" he asked, genuinely shocked. "Oh wow, who knew?" D and Bastien stuck their hands up to the rhetorical question.
    "Would you all leave!?! We're trying to talk to AJ here!" Patty exclaimed.
    "Woah, duck and cover!" Nick shouted, pretending to dive back into the room he was in. Bast laughed at this.
    "I meant you, too," Patty said, in a low voice. She shot him a look, and he backed away.
    "Okay, I was just going to tell D about the duet thing, but I can do it later." Bast said. "It's okay." He walked away.
    "Finally!" Patty breathed. She gave D a whack on the shoulder. "D, talk." D raised an eyebrow.
    "Do I look like your dog?" D inquired lightly.
    "No," Patty said with a sigh. "I'll leave you two to talk," she conceded. Patty walked away from them, still sighing.
    "Stoner!" AJ called after her. Patty let out a loud growl.
    "I heard that coming from Kevin's room last night!" Nick called from his place of hiding. Patty stormed into his room with death threats on her lips.
    "Talk about what?" AJ finally asked, when Nick finally quit laughing from the other room.
    "I wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday," D began, biting her lip.
    "What are you talking about? It's all my fault," AJ insisted.
    "Would ya let me speak?" D asked with a laugh. He shut up. "I'm very sorry for the way I acted, I was rude to you, after you'd gone out of your way to make me feel better after my boyfriend had......left and I just blew you off." AJ reached out and slid the back of his hand across D's face.
    "It's okay, I understand," he told her softly. D cringed slightly.
    "I don't want to mislead you, and I realize this sounds crass, but I want to be friends." AJ's hand slipped down to his side. After a moment, he smirked.
    "Of course, what did you think I was thinking of? We couldn't have a relationship, we'd kill each other." D smiled, but felt guilty.
    "Good, glad to have ya on my side, finally," she told him. He smiled, and stood.
    "Definitely," he agreed. At that moment, Patty walked out smiling and dusting off her hands.
    "All settled? Good, shall we leave?"
    "Patty, what did you do to Nick?" D inquired hesitently. She wasn't quite sure she really wanted to know.
    "He's fine, he'll hold," Patty told her with a smile. D pulled on AJ's arm and pushed past Patty into the small room. Nick looked up at them frantically, gagged with a white strip of cloth and bound with black cords. AJ began to laugh. "Hey, if he really wanted to, he could get loose," Patty said by way of defending herself. D took the gag off of Nick.
    "The woman's a psychopath, how do you work with her?" Nick demanded.
    "Well, if you hadn'a taunted her," D began.
    "You're defending her? Oh Lord!"
    "Come on," AJ said, trying to calm down his friend.
    "You, I know you're not rational. It's because of--" AJ grabbed the gag from Randi's hand and stuffed it into Nick's open mouth. He smiled and gave a small laugh.
    "She's right, if he really want's to get out, he'll get out," AJ told her. "I feel like dancing." Patty and AJ dragged a reluctant D out of the studio.

Chapter 8
    Patty had a big decision on her hands. She had to decide whether she could go through with dating Kevin or not. She loved being with Kevin, and she loved the way he made her feel, but she didn't think she could really handle going through life with him acting like another person. And if she didn't, if she started acting like herself after getting used to being around him, what if he didn't like her for who she was? She wouldn't be able to take rejection from him that late into a relationship. So, she sat at the table at the club D, AJ, and herself had decided on, trying to decide on how to handle the situation. AJ had told his buddies where to find Nick, and where they would be. They had arrived, and Nick had an absolute hatred for her at the moment.
    "What's wrong?" D asked Patty, bending close so she could be heard. "Is it Kevin?"
    "Nothing's wrong," Patty told her friend. D let it go. "So, you and AJ are finally friends, huh?" D nodded.
    "You don't think AJ's the type to run out and get a girlfriend just to shove it in my face, do you?" D asked, watching AJ dance with a group of females along with Howie, Brian, and Nick. Kevin was not feeling well apparently, but would show up later.
    "What?" Patty exclaimed, shocked by the question coming out of her friend's mouth. "What exactly was going on between you and AJ?" D shrugged.
    "Nothing," D responded. Patty let it go. It seemed neither of them wanted to talk about their relationships with the boys tonight.
    "You know what? I feel like shit," Patty yelled over the music. "Let's go dancing, kay?" D nodded and practically jumped out of her seat. They danced their way toward the dance floor and blended in with the boys and their temporary women. All of a sudden, Patty saw something popping out of the crowd. "Holy shit, D, do you see that?" D's eyes flashed over to where her friend was looking.
    "Holy shit!" D repeated.
    "What in hell is that?" Nick asked, watching the guy jump up and down like some sort of strange wounded animal.
    "Mexican Jumping Bean!" AJ shouted. Everyone laughed.
    "He's kinda cute!" D told Patty. The guys stopped and looked at her, as if he'd heard her. D went completely red.
    "You think EVERY guy you see is cute!" Patty laughed. "Of course you're gonna think he's cute.”
    "Hey, you never said I was cute!" AJ exclaimed.
    "I'm sorry, I was too busy plotting your death," D kidded. "Of course you're cute!"
    "You're just saying that to make me feel better," AJ responded. He paused. "Why don't you go talk to him?"
    "Are you nuts?!?!" D screamed. People around her turned to give her various looks, including the guy they were speaking about. D blushed and smiled at them, wishing they would quit looking at her like that.
    "Okay, people, show's over," AJ exclaimed. "Go back to your meaningless little lives." He laughed at his own comments. D just shook her head and smiled.
    "That was kinda mean."
    "Oh, I didn't mean it. Come on, dance with us," AJ said, getting back into the music. A few minutes later, Kevin arrived. He made a bee line for Patty.
    "Hi, Patty," he said above the noise. She smiled, then remembered what she had to do.
    "Oh, hi, Kevin," Patty said, frowning.
    "Thought I was someone else?" he asked, the smile turning worried. She shook her head. "What's wrong." She bit her lip.
    "Umm, maybe we should talk somewhere more private for this," she suggested, taking his arm and leading him back toward the door. The entire group watched them leave right up until they walked out the door into the cool night air.

Chapter 9
    "Do you understand this?" Kevin screamed at his friends, "'Cause I sure as hell don't!"
    "Kevin, you're taking this pretty hard," Howie pointed out.
    "Well wouldn't you?!" Kevin exclaimed.
    "Well, for someone who you said you weren't even going out with..." Brian ventured, then shrunk back when Kevin shot him a withering glare.
    "Exactly! We weren't even going out and she dumps me?? Come on! That's some sort of damn nerve!! Holy shit!"
    "So, you're mad because she dumped you and you aren't going out," Nick asked. Kevin nodded slightly. "So, shouldn't you be...well, laughing in her face or something?"
    "What are you defending her for?" Kevin demanded. "You should hate her as much as I do!"
    "Actually, after then initial shock and anger of being bound and gagged, I found it sort of amusing," Nick admitted.
    "Besides, you don't actually hate'r, now do ya?" Brian asked, trying again. Kevin sent him another scathing look. "Okay, I suppose it's possible."
    "No, he doesn't hate her," Howie told Brian, who looked ready to jump for the safety of the underside of a hotel bed. "He's just hurt and angry that the woman he wants has just dumped his ass in an horribly public way before he had the chance to ask her out....which I'm guessing he was going to do...tonight?"
    "NOT TRUE!" Kevin informed, rather loudly.
    "Not to diminish the situation here," Howie announced, "but I'm headed to bed. See ya later, Kevin."
    "Ya, me too," Brian said. "See you when ya get to the room, Kevin."
    Two hours later, Kevin was still spouting off about Patty The Evil One.
    "Look," Nick said, fed up with listening to Kevin. "Don't let her know she got the best of you!"
    "What the hell ya talking about?" Kevin demanded.
    "I mean, don't let her think that she did hurt you this much. Act just as nice to her in the morning as you would any other time. Pretend you could care less that she handed you the 'let's be friends' line. BE her friend!"
    "How's that supposed to help anything?" Kevin asked cynically.
    "Who cares! It'll do wonders for my ears & I'll be able to get some sleep!" He flopped back on to his pillow.
    "But--"
    "FUCK!!!" AJ shouted. "Shut the fuck up!! I didn't complain this much when D did the exact same thing to me! Get the fuck over yourself, alright!?!? And go to your own goddamned room for Christ sake!!"
    "But--" Kevin said again.
    "OUT! NOW!" Kevin stood from his seat and walked out the door.
    "Thank you," Nick mumbled.
    "You're welcome." AJ paused. "Nick?" Nick mumbled a response. "I wasn't that annoying, was I?"
    "How's this for a response. Why didn't you tell me D did that same thing to you?"
    "Good response, thanks."
    "No problem. Sleep?"
    "Sounds good."

Chapter Ten
    "Patty?" D asked as the two girls walked into the studio the next morning. "What did you say to Kevin?"
    "That I couldn't see him any more," Patty told her.
    "You were seeing each other?" D asked.
    "Well," Patty hesitated. "Kinda." D rolled her eyes. "You should probably should find Bastien. He need to tal--"
    "Randi!!" Bastien shouted. as soon as he'd spotted her.
    "What?" D asked.
    "I have to talk to you about something. I've been trying to tell you for three days. Now--"
    "Bastien!" shouted a guy with red hair. Bast's eyebrows rose. "Zack?" He turned and began laughing. "Zack! What are you doing here?"
    "Visiting you," the other man responded.
    "Girls, this is my brother, Zack," Bast introduced. "Zack, this is 2 Adorable, my newest project."
    "Oh my God, it's the Mexican Jumping Bean," Patty exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth. She doubled over with laughter. Zack gave her a strange look.
    "Um, I think she means we saw you at the club last night," D explained. He nodded.
    "Ya, I remember you now. Zack." D smiled.
    "Randi. Call me D, everyone does."
    "Hi, D," Zack said, shaking her hand.
    "My name's Patty," Patty offered. He shook her hand as well.
    "Well, if you'll excuse me a minute, I have to talk to D about--" Bast began. Just then, AJ burst in.
    "Hey, D," AJ greeted. "Holy God, it's the Mexican Jumping Bean!"
    "Nice to meet you too," Zack responded.
    "Oh, Sorry man. Name's AJ McLean."
    "Zack Ward, Bastien's brother."
    "Hey, ain't you on that tv show?" Nick asked.
    "Titus," Brian filled in.
    "Ya, Titus." Zack nodded.
    "Ya a lot taller than I thought ya'd be," Howie cut in.
    "Uh, thanks?" Zack said hesitantly. “You too?”
    "No problem," the guys said, and began talking to him, obviously approving.
    "Hey, D, did you hear about the duet try-outs?" AJ asked her.
    "AHHHH!!!" Bastien practically screamed. Patty laughed out loud at Bast's frustration.
    "What's the matter?" D asked. "What's he talking about?"
    "I've been trying to tell you for three days now!!!" Bastien exclaimed. "The producers want a duet, so one of you girls will sing with one of the guys."
    "Oh, congrats," she told Patty.
    "What do you mean?" Patty asked.
    "Well, I don't want it. Besides, you're way better than I am," D informed. Patty looked at Bast, hopeful.
    "No! Both are trying out and the producers will decide!" Bast exclaimed. "That means if they choose D, D does it, no matter what!"
    "Whoa, calm down," Bast's brother exclaimed.
    "Better luck next time," AJ told D.

Chapter 11
    The next day, the girls had the displeasure of singing with two of the guys individually. That came out wrong. It wasn't a displeasure to sing with the guys, both girls loved the idea of singing with the guys individually and seeing what they could do together. The problem with the situation, what made it a complete displeasure, was that the producers had turned it into a contest. They weren't allowed to have any fun with their singing together; the guys had to basically fight to get this solo spot with one of the girls. D had to hold herself back from singing as horrible as she knew she was capable, because she knew that if she did this, Bastien would crucify her. So, instead, she satisfied herself by putting as little feeling into what she was singing as she could. She knew Patty wanted this solo almost more than anything, and so she wanted Patty to make it. She was just giving Patty a little help, not that Patty wouldn't beat her anyway, she assured herself. The first day, Kevin and Howie sang with the girls. Kevin did not seemed overjoyed to sing with either of the girls. D assumed it had something to do with Patty, but when she tried to ask him what was wrong, he spoke too sickly sweet and friendly for her taste, and she backed off. Howie, on the other hand, well, he was a lot more free with Kevin's secrets. He told her everything that took place the night previous, how upset Kevin had been when Patty had 'dumped' him, and especially how angry he had been over the fact that they hadn't even been going out when the alleged 'dumping' had occurred. When D managed to ask why Howie was tattling so (she had to end her hysterical laughter first) he informed her that not only had he 'bitched' about it nearly all night, he'd woken Brian and himself up, and hadn't allowed any of them to get any sleep.
    "Therefore," he informed her, a huge grin in place, "I am taking my revenge by spreading his pathetic tale of woe." He smiled happily and went to gab animatedly with his friends during their small break to regroup. D walked over to Patty and patted her on the shoulder.
    "I now know more about your fight with Kevin than you do," D informed her, trying not to laugh. Patty frowned.
    "Pretty pissed at me, huh?" D's restraint failed her, and she began laughing.
    "Pissed is not the word," D told her friend. "I'd say ready to blow would be a more accurate description. And thanks to some advice from our good friend NICK!" D shouted the name, so he would hear, "Kevin's gonna be overly sweet and kind to us to the point that I'm going to have to kill him, and then I'll go to jail and 2 Adorable will be non-existent. Thank you, Mr. Carter."
    "Hey, no problem," Nick laughed, waving a hand in their direction. "You'd be doing us both a favour." Patty had a puzzled look on her face.
    "What?" D asked.
    "I'm trying to figure out whether or not to be offended by that."
    "I meant killing Kevin," Nick clarified loudly, knowing his friend would hear. Kevin just huffed and ignored the comment. The two girls laughed, and came to sit with the group, finally feeling a bit of acceptance from the group as they all laughed along with Nick's joke. As they sat and talked on their break, D watched Kevin, who stared angrily at Patty. All of a sudden, Patty returned the glare.
    "Could you PLEASE restrain yourself," Patty shouted at Kevin. "It's very unnerving, and frankly, you are scaring the shit out of me! Now, I understand the whole hating thing, but STOP! Stop the staring, stop the whining to all your friends, it's infuriating for them, and stop acting so nice or God as my witness I will see to it that D DOES kill you, despite the fact that it breaks up our group." Patty sat down with a thump, not bothering to look for a reaction. The general reaction, excluding D, who knew exactly what she was capable of, was awe. The quiet girl who didn't barely speak up just shouted in someone's face and threatened his life. They were in shock.
    "Patty, Kevin, you're up," Bastien told them, his brother in tow. He smiled at D, who blushed in response. Patty and Kevin both groaned as they walked into the studio with Bastien.
    "Hi, Zack, how are ya?" Howie greeted.
    "Hey, Howie," Zack returned still looking at D, who had returned to cracking jokes with Nick. "I'm decent." Bastien turned to his younger brother.
    "Well, ya might as well sit, seeing as you can't come in here," Bast told Zack. Zack sat beside Howie. Nick turned from D to Zack when he realized he'd arrived.
    "You'll never guess what happened." Nick told his new friend.
    "What?" Zack asked, smiling.
    "Patty, D's friend, the quietest girl I've ever met in my entire life--"
    "Patty's not quiet," D interrupted.
    "Hey, I'm telling the story here," Nick said. "Anyway, the quietest girl I have ever met---"
    "But she hog tied you, how can you think she's quiet?" D asked. The guys, obviously unaware of this event, all looked at Nick and burst out laughing hysterically.
    "SHUT UP!" Nick exclaimed, extremely embarrassed. "She was still quiet when she tied me up," he muttered next.
    "Quietest girl you know," Brian urged, still laughing.
    "Ya, you know what she did? She stood up and screamed her head off at Kevin. It was hilarious."
    "I think shocking would better describe the situation," Howie told Zack. "Ya had to be there," he assured. Zack nodded his head in understanding.
    "What are yaz talking about?" Zack asked Nick when he noticed Nick and D were talking animatedly again.
    "Nothin much," Nick told him, not turning away from D.
    "Come on, D," AJ said, joining. "It's nothing big to start a conversation with the guy."
    "Wow," Nick said to AJ, "I never expected that from you."
    "What are you talking about?," AJ asked. "I was the one who tried to get her to talk to him in the club."
    "Oh, I see your angle." He smirked and nodded to himself.
    "What are you talking about 'my angle?" AJ asked.
    "Um, this wouldn't have anything to do with me, now would it?" Zack inquired.
    "NO!" shouted D.
    "YES!!!!" Nick and AJ shouted over top of her. D went red.
    "Just checkin'."

Ch 12
    "What are we doing?" Patty asked, walking out of the studio and plopping down between Nick and Howie.
    "Nothing much, just discussing your love life." He gave her a wicked smile. "What are you doing out here, anyway?" he inquired.
    "Oh, Mr. Sweetness and Light doesn't want to sing with me cause of my little outburst before we went in, and so Bast is bitching him into it." She looked at Zack. "Sorry, 'talking' him into it."
    "No, bitching works," Zack told her.
    "In short, he'll call me in when the war is over. So, what's really going on? I heard shouting before."
    "I'd sure like to know," Zack put in. "Especially since it has to do with me."
    "NOOO!" Howie practically shouted. "You'd like to know because it has to do with you and D!! There's a difference you know!" It was Zack's turn to turn red.
    "Look, let me make this easy for you," AJ suggested. "Zack, you seeing anyone?" Zack frowned to himself, wondering what business of AJ's it was, but responded with a no anyway. "And D just got out of her relationship with that wonderful man of hers." Somehow, D wasn't angered by his tone, and she knew she should be. "Would you LIKE to go out with Randi?" AJ questioned.
    "Well, ya," Zack admitted.
    "So, go out!" AJ exclaimed. "It's not exactly rocket science, to use a widely overused cliche."
    "But we don't even know each other!" D protested.
    "Sweety, that's what the dating parts for," Patty told her friend. She patted D on the shoulder. "Haven't I taught you anything. Oh well, I guess you're about to learn!" She shot her friend an evil grin, and D looked scared from her friend to Zack and back again. Patty laughed at D's expression and walked away, as much of the group had seemed to quietly do while Patty was talking.
    "So...." Zack said, noticing as well how alone they were. They looked at each other, then looked away before looking again. "You wanna know what Christopher Titus is like?" Zack suddenly asked, finding neutral ground.
    "Sure!" D exclaimed, glad to talk about anything to get rid of the silence. Zack smiled and launched into a story about the star.


    "That was an interesting conversation," Patty said, walking up to the group of men. Too late, she realized that Kevin had joined his friends. They all looked at her, Kevin with fierce eyes. She gave a low whistle and told them she would leave. Nick stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
    "Don't let Kevin intimidate you," he insisted. Patty turned and smiled at Nick.
    "I'm not," Patty assured him. "I just hate to see guys cry and snivel." She looked over at Kevin and gave him a grin. He curled his lip at her and gave an ugly smile back. "Are you done whining now? Can we go back into the studio, or do you need to protest more?"
    "Nick, how can you defend her?" Kevin demanded.
    "I can defend her because she's my friend, and you are acting strictly because your pride has been hurt!" Nick exclaimed. "You act like you're the only man on Planet Earth who's ever been dumped by a woman! You think we've never experienced that? Huh? I know AJ sure as hell has! And look at him, he's taking it like a pro." AJ put his hand to his face and sighed. He knew Nick was trying to help Kevin, but did he really have to bring up AJ's problems every five minutes?
    "Still, I thought you were my friend too, and if you were really my friends, you'd all hate her as much as I do!" Nick looked down and saw the hurt and guilt in Patty's eyes.
    "He didn't mean that," Nick said to Patty, placing his arm around her shoulder. "He's just acting out his anger." A strangled sound came from Kevin, and Nick's eyes were forced up to his friend's face.
    "So THAT'S why you're acting so defensive of her, huh?" Kevin demanded. "She got rid of me, and as soon as my back was turned, you snatched her up!" Nick's shock was plain on his face.
    "What? That's stupid! What are you talking about?" Nick demanded. Kevin made a flailing motion to the arm around Patty's shoulders. Nick pulled his arm down and took a menacing step toward Kevin, then his mind snapped.
    "That's right, Kevin!" Nick shouted. "Me and Patty are going around behind your back! You know what? We're not just dating, we've been having sex, constantly!" Kevin's face became pale. "That's right. Every time you turned away from her, we went out for a little fuck on the side! You heard about me being bound and gagged by her?" Kevin nodded stiffly. "Well figure it out for yourself!!" Patty couldn't stop herself from giving a chuckle over the memory and what Nick was implying, despite the gravety of the situation. "You know what? We're getting out of here," Nick told Kevin, replacing his arm around Patty's shoulders. He steered her toward the door and walked right out.

Chapter 13
    "Kevin'll snap out of it," Nick assured Patty from across their table in the bar. "He has to know I wasn't serious when I told him you and I were going out." To Patty it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than he was her. It appeared as if the words that Nick had spoken in frustration had just rushed back to haunt him.
    "I'm sure you're right," Patty said in attempt to make him feel better about his words. "Thank you for sticking up for me, though," Patty added. Nick smiled slightly.
    "Ya, well he was being unnecessarily hard on you, and me for that matter." He sighed for the fifth time within a ten minute period and took a sip of the beer sitting in front of him.
    "What if he believes what you said?" Patty asked, only a little worried about the irreparable damage they might be doing to Kevin. She was too angry at the way he was treating his friends to worry about his feelings at the moment. Nick shrugged and stared into his nearly empty glass.
    "Um, deal with it, I guess," Nick responded. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, then D walked in, Zack in tow.
    "Well, looks like you two are getting along well," Patty said with a grin, peering at the pairs clasped hands. They both smiled widely, but D's quickly turned into a frown.
    "Bastien's ready to tear off your head," D said, as if it were a warning.
    "Oh shit!" Patty exclaimed. "Me and Kevin were supposed to finish the try-outs! Oh God, I'm so dead."
    "He's pretty pissed," Zack said. "But I've seen worse, so don't worry."
    "So, what happened?" D questioned. "All I heard was Nick screaming at the top of his lungs, and you two leaving." Nick sighed before insisting they sit down, and relaying the entire story in detail. D and Patty both laughed hysterically through the entire story. Patty began to feel a bit better about the situation. She had been glad that Nick had defended her, but she still felt guilty that she had placed him in that position.
    "Oh My God, that is hilarious," D said, trying to stop the laughter pouring from her mouth. "You are the best.....Can you defend me some time?" D asked, beginning to laugh again. "I so wish I had've seen Kevin's face when you told him you two were screwing around together. Do you think he believed you?" Nick sighed again.
    "I hope not. I hope he trusts me a little more than that and realizes I was just mad."
    "Well, if not, you guys are going to be spending a lot of time together," Zack said.
    "What do you mean?" Patty inquired.
    "Well, unfortunately, if he believes you two are together, than he's not going to speak to you, and so you're gonna kinda be stuck together. Especially if he manages to convince the rest of your friends to do the same." D frowned.
    "AJ better not." She smiled at Nick. "If he does, I'll kick his butt until he agrees to talk to ya, okay?" Nick cracked a small smile. Patty looked at him with a raised eye brow.
    "She will do it," Patty told him. He gave a short laugh.
    "Thanks, but I'm quite sure AJ has much more sense than to believe I would ever do something like that to Kevin." Nick assured them. He yawned a little. "I think it's time for me to get back. Patty, need a ride?" Patty shook her head, eyeing up D and Zack, who were smiling at each other and generally flirting like mad.
    "Nah, I think I'll stick with these two, see what occurs," Patty told her friend with an evil grin. Nicik shrugged and trudged out to his car. "Drive safe," she shouted after him. He nodded and gave a weak wave.

    Back at the hotel, Nick ran into Kevin in the hall, just leaving Nick and AJ's room to go back to his own. Nick smiled, but Kevin sneered back.
    "I want to appol-" Nick began, Kevin immediately cut him off, advancing on him and looking as if he were about to slap Nick across the face.
    "I can't believe you would do that to me!" Kevin practically shouted. "Here I'm thinking you're my friend, and then, as soon as my back is turned, you go after the girl I so obviously want! How can you even dare call yourself a friend?"
    "Kevin, I," Nick began again, trying to calm Kevin down.
    "Have you done this to all of the guy, or do you prefer to stick to stabbing me in the back alone?" Kevin inquired heatedly. "Have you bedded all my girlfriends? Have you?!?!" Kevin yelled. AJ stuck his head out of his door.
    "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded. "Do you want to get us kicked out of another hotel? Do you enjoy police escorts?" Kevin frowned, but halted his tirade. He looked up at Nick, tears threatening.
    "Why?" he whispered, then trudged back to his room. Nick stomach dropped to the floor, and he felt the largest wave of guilt he had ever felt in his entire life.
    "Heee's faking it," AJ said from their room. Nick frowned and turned to his friend.
    "What?" Nick asked softly.
    "He's faking. FAKER!" AJ called down the hall, then laughed to himself. Kevin's middle finger shot up into the air. AJ shook his head.
    "What do you mean?" Nick insisted.
    "What do you mean, what do I mean? The phrase 'he is faking' is not that hard to figure out. There's the word he, as in Kevin. The word Faking as in..."
    "No, I know what the phrase means," Nick exclaimed. "But how can you tell?"
    "He told me," AJ said simply. "Look, are you going to stand in the hall all night..." Nick sighed and walked into the room as AJ continued. "He told me that he was going to act like he was the love of his life to make you feel complete and utter guilt so that you would feel as much pain as he feels. He made me promise that I wouldn't tell, and of course I didn't agree. I told him that he was only sinking to your level, and I wouldn't be a part of it. Which reminds me." He stopped and turned to Nick, a questioning look in his eyes. "You aren't really sleeping with her, are you?" Nick gave a frustrated groan and threw up his hands. He plopped down on his bed.
    "Of course I'm not!" Nick exclaimed. "I was just getting so pissed off at Kevin's little sob stories going on continually and interrupting our work that I completely lost it and told him that lie. I was going to apologize to him in the hall, but....well, you saw what he did. How did I get myself into this mess, AJ?"
    "By not being able to hold your temper in check," the older man observed.
    "Screw you too," Nick muttered. He looked out the window in thought.
    "What are you thinking?" AJ inquired. Nick let out a puff of air.
    "How I'm going to get back at that little--" He growled instead of outright calling his friend a curse word.

    "I figured you were about even," AJ said. Nick shook his head.
    "Oh no. We're not even by far. He made me feel guilty for something he didn't even feel anything for. I owe him big."

Chapter 14
    D spotted AJ sitting on the imfamous couch beside the door, staring at something in front of him intently.
    "What ya doin?" D inquired, flopping down beside her friend.
    "Watching Kevin and Nick duke it out," AJ filled in. The only thing that was missing from the scene was AJ popping pop corn into his mouth.
    "You know, even I'm getting annoyed with this," D complained. "You'd think they'd figure this out or something." AJ nodded. "Can't you do anything?"
    "Nope, I don't get involved," AJ said. "It's not my style."
    "Oh," D said. "It's mine!" she exclaimed as she shot out of her seat. J's arm wrapped around D's waist and pulled her back down.
    "Sit down," he told her, chidingly, despite the huge smile on his face. D giggled, but stayed put. After a silent moment, at least on D's and AJ's parts, D spoke again.
    "Did you see Nick and Patty talking this morning?" she inquired. AJ shook his head.
    "No, why?"
    "They were laughing like they really had something big up their sleeves," D told him.
    "Hmmm," was all AJ said in response. As if on cue, Patty walked in, and up to Nick.
    "Hey, babe," Nick said, equally smiley, and pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss right on her lips. Their audience was stunned; what stunned D even more was that Patty wasn't pulling away. D's eyes shot to Kevin, who's face was increasingly reddening. It looked as if his blood was literally boiling under the surface of his skin. AJ nudged D lightly.
    "You're not going to believe this one," AJ whispered to her. She looked at him in response, and he pointed toward the kissing pair. "They're laughing." D looked closer, and noticed Nick's and Patty's shoulders shaking. Both were smiling just a little too widely as well. When Patty and Nick hadn't pulled away from each other, Kevin stormed off toward the recording booths. Seconds later, Patty and Nick let go of each other, and doubled over, Patty holding the wall for support while she laughed.
    "Oh my God," Patty exclaimed, breathing deeply. "I hope we never have to do that again, I can't keep it together!"
    "I know," Nick said. "If I have to do that one more time, he's gonna know, cause I'm gonna burst out laughing right in the middle of it." D looked at AJ.
    "I can't believe their not taking offence to that," D told him. He nodded in agreement.
    "Why would we take offence?" Patty inquired.
    "Ya," Nick agreed. "We both know that we don't have feelings for each other, and so when we kiss, it feels really awkward, and we have to laugh, because of the odd feelings. It's nothing personal."
    "Exactly," Patty added. D shrugged, but AJ wasn't quite believing it.
    "I'd sure as hell take offence if someone, say D for example, and I were kissing and she burst out laughing," AJ exclaimed.
    "Ya," Nick began, "but that's because you----"
    "Are so damned touchy," Patty interrupted, saving Nick from his mouth. AJ had an evil glare pointed in Patty's direction anyway.
    "That's not what I was gonna say," Nick protested.
    "That IS what you were going to say," Patty insisted. Nick finally caught AJ's look.
    "You're absolutely right. For the sake of my life and any future children I may have, that is what I was going to say." He smiled sweetly at the still angry AJ.
    "Um, Patty, can I talk to you for a second?" D inquired, looking concerned. Patty made a scared face for the guys' sakes.
    "Oooh, if I don't come back in ten minutes, call out a search party!" Patty whispered as she walked along behind her friend out the door.

Chapter 15
    "What's up?" Patty asked once they were out of hearing of the other guys.
    "I hate to admit it, but I think that what AJ said had some sense to it."
    "What's that?" Patty asked. D sighed.
    "I think that you, AJ, and I should stay out of this whole thing and let Nick and Kevin sort it out for themselves." She looked at Patty's widening eyes. Suddenly, Patty's hand reached out and smacked D on the shoulder, hard. "What the fuck was that?" D demanded, rubbing the spot where a bruise would surely show itself in the morning.
    "Where the fuck is D. What have you done with her?" Patty demanded. D looked at her confused, and unresponsive, so Patty chose to continue. "D wouldn't opt out of taking hand in someone else's fight, and she sure as hell wouldn't try and persuade me to join her."
    "I think he's right though," D repeated. "They need to figure this thing out for themselves, and if they sure as hell can't with us hanging around and rooting one of them on." Patty looked at her suspiciously.
    "Did AJ REALLY say that we should stay out of this whole mess?" D blushed slightly.
    "Well..."
    "D!"
    "He said HE was staying out of it, and I kinda just read between the lines and took it from there," D admitted finally. "But it really is a good idea he had."
    "D, he didn't even have it. God you have such an imagination. How do you come up with these things."
    "He DID have the idea, just, it was only applied to himself and I applied it to all." She smiled innocently and looked at her friend with eyes that begged that she put some thought into it. Patty hesitated, then agreed.
    "I'll do you one better. I'll insist that Nick attempt to make up with Kevin." D smiled, and flung her arms around Patty.
    "You're the best."
    "I know, hold your applause, please," Patty laughed.

    Inside the studio, a tall blond walked in, looking around. AJ immediately recognized him as D's ex, who'd just happened to threaten to beat him up. AJ stood and walked over to greet the other man.
    "Well, if it ain't Thom, my old 'buddy'," AJ said sarcastically. Thomas looked at the ground and sighed.
    "Not you again," he said angrily. AJ nodded.
    "Yes, me again. So, THOM, how are ya? Smack anyone around lately?"
    "It's Thomas, and I've come to see my girlfriend. Could you please tell her I'm here?"
    "I'm afraid I can't do that, because she's not your girlfriend," AJ informed in a sing-song voice. Thomas rolled his eyes with impatience.
    "Oh, is she your girlfriend now? My but isn't Randi making the rounds of the group." He shot AJ an evil grin. AJ almost punched the jerk in the face, but restrained himself, and smiled back with the sweetest, most innocent smile he could muster.
    "No, not my girlfriend. Oh Zack, could you come here a mo, perhaps?" Zack walked up, looking from a slightly startled Thomas to a grinning AJ.
    "What's up?" Zack question.
    "Well," AJ said, not taking his eyes off of Thomas, but straightening to show Thomas that Zack was slightly taller and more built than himself, "did our Randi ever tell you how she got that gash in her lip and the bruise on her cheek?" His smile broadened as he saw Thomas shrink on the spot. He noticed Zack flexing his hands, and noticed Thomas noticing as well.
    "Ya, she told me," Zack said with an edge in his voice.
    "Zack, meet Thomas," AJ introduced with satisfaction. Zack straightened to his full height.
    "Thomas, really. Well, Thomas, I think we need to have a little talk, huh?" He grabbed the other man by the neck and lead him out the door.

    "Would you just shut the hell up and listen to me?" Nick demanded of Kevin.
    "Why the hell should I?" Kevin asked. "You're probably just going to say how wonderful Patty is and what an idiot I am."
    "You are an idiot!" Nick exclaimed.
    "See? God, you have her, you don't have to rub it in!" Kevin told him, feeling more miserable by the second. Not only had he lost his friend, he was realizing more and more, how many feelings he had for Patty.
    "I don't have her! That's my point you moron!" he exclaimed, for lack of a better word. "I never had her. I was just pissed off at how you were treating her, and treating us for having anything to do with her. Patty IS a wonderful girl, and you're an idiot for letting her go, for if you had ANY sense at all, you would have been able to realize that she was only pushing you away to try and protect herself from what she thinks is an inevitable break-up and you can't see that because you're too busy being blinded by jealousy!" He stopped, gasping for breath, allowing what he'd said to sink into Kevin's brain. Kevin's face suddenly brightened with the epiphany.
    "Oh my God you're right!" Kevin exclaimed. "I was jealous, and she is only pushing me away because of some sort of misplaced self-preservation."
    "Okay, when I said it, it sounded good, you say it, it sounds stupid," Nick reflected aloud.
    "I'm so sorry," Kevin apologized to his friend. "Can you ever forgive me? Please say you'll eventually be able to forgive me!"
    "Done long ago," Nick said with a shake of his head. "Now go save your girlfriend from herself, would ya?" Kevin nodded quickly and shot out the door.
    "Kevin?" Patty said when she saw him coming toward her at high speeds. She stiffened, prepared for a fight. "We need to talk...."
    "No talking," Kevin insisted, stopping in front of her. Patty had just enough time to give him a confused look before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard on the lips. Patty melted into him instantly, despite her resolve to not get involved with him. D gave a small giggle, not loud enough to disturb the couple, then walked back to the studio, to allow the two to make up for lost time.

Chapter 16
    "Who did that?" D demanded, pointing toward Patty and Kevin, as she walked through the doors of the studio. Nick looked toward D, completely confused by her tone.
    "I did," Nick admitted, despite his confusion. D dropped to her knees and bowed in front of him.
    "You are amazing!" D exclaimed. "You are a god! How did you do it?" After the initial shock of D's proclamation, Nick smiled arrogantly.
    "Of course," Nick told her. "As if I could be anything less than amazing. All I had to do was snap my fingers and Kevin came to his senses."
    "Could you do that for D's ex-boyfriend?" came AJ's voice from the door. D and Nick automatically turned their faces toward their friends. AJ was holding his chin, and Zack was bent over him, looking worriedly at him. D rushed over to AJ.
    "OMG, what happened?" D asked, touching his jaw lightly. AJ cringed, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he loved that she was touching him.
    "The little prick punched me then ran away," AJ informed her. "Says it was for that ki..." He looked up at Zack. "That time I threatened to call the cops on him. He said he owed me."
    "And here we were trying to be nice," Zack said, wrapping an arm around D. "Okay, not exactly nice, but we weren't throwing punches either. Right?" AJ nodded, looking at D, who hadn't taken her worried eyes off of him for a second.
    "I think it's swelling," D said, reaching to touch his jaw again. AJ moved away from her, finally taking his eyes from hers. She frowned, and looked away herself.
    "Hey, she's just being a concerned," Zack said to AJ, taking his reaction wrong. "She's not gonna wack ya one or nothin!"
    "Ya, I know, it just hurts," AJ mumbled quickly. Zack took this as the truth, and didn't think about it any longer. "So, what's this about Kevin coming to his senses, anyway?" Nick laughed and pointed to where Kevin and Patty were still caught up in a lip lock. "Wow, will wonders never cease?"
    "I know what you mean," Nick said, shaking his head. He squinted a bit at D. "Hey, D?" She looked up, then looked away quickly. AJ and Zack automatically looked at her at the mention of her name. "Are you okay?" She smiled weakly, and nodded. "Are you sure? You don't look okay."
    "I just need to lay down I think. I'm not feeling very well." AJ frowned. What the hell was up with her? She was acting awful weird lately.
    "You want a ride home, hun?" Zack asked her. She nodded, and turned for the door, Zack following behind. As soon as the door was closed, AJ practically exploded at Nick.
    "What the hell is wrong with her?" AJ asked his friend loudly. Nick was taken aback by the outburst.
    "What do you mean?" Nick asked, confused.
    "Well, this morning, she was all buddy buddy with me, then she was acting like my mother when I got punched, and now she's....depressed or something. What is she, manic depressive? (not meant to offend any manic depressives out there!)"
    "I suppose it could be ohhhhh, stress," Nick suggested, "Nerves, PMS....um, YOU, the fact that her ex showed up....YOU...."
    "Me? what the hell are ya talkin about?" AJ demanded. "She's the one that's goin whacko!"
    "You're the one that flipped because she touched you when I KNOW you liked it."
    "Bull," AJ muttered.
    "Oh, I could see it in your eyes. You were lovin it," Nick told him. AJ shook his head in denial. "Oh, come off it! I tell ya, the only thing standing between you and her is Zack, and a boyfriend has never been a thing to stop you before, so I don't see what's so damn different this time!"
    "She's different!" AJ exclaimed.
    "Oh ya, how's that?" Nick demanded.
    "She doesn't like me back!" There, it was out. He sighed, wishing it weren't true. Nick looked at him blankly, then burst out laughing.
    "You're so funny," Nick said. "You actually had be believing for a split second that you believed what you were saying." AJ's eye brow rose.
    "Oh dear God, you're serious, aren't you?" No response. "You actually believe that shit about just wanting to be friends and that she was just concerned about you. You're stupider than Kevin is, you know that." AJ's jaw dropped. "Next you're gonna be spoutin off the 'I just want her to be happy' crap."
    "But.." AJ began.
    "NO! Don't say it!" Nick interupted. "I don't want to hear it leave your mouth. You don't believe it, I don't believe it. If you don't think she likes you, convince her she does! NOW!" Nick shouted when AJ didn't move. "Move move move!!!"

Chapter 17
   At D's place, Zack was trying to comfort her while simultaneously attempting to figure out her mood swings. They seemed to get along great one second, and completely conflict the next. Come to think of it, D's emotions were all topsey-turvey every time that AJ.....
    "Oh, shit," Zack said out loud. D turned toward him with a sniff. Oh God, I'm not crying, D asked herself, am I?
    "What?" she asked Zack.
    "Well, I have to ask you something, and I have the feeling I'm not going to like the answer very much," Zack responded. "Umm, when I showed up, I didn't get between you and another guy by any chance, did I?" D shook her head.
    "Me and Thomas had already broken up," she told him. He sighed.
    "That's not who I meant. I didn't...get between you and.....anyone in BSB, did I?" She still looked confused. "AJ, did I interrupt something between you and AJ?" Zack asked.
    "World War Three," D laughed half-heartedly, "but I don't see what that has to do with you and I."
    "I think there's more to it than that," Zack told her. D shook her head. "I have a right to know, you know," he said more forcefully.
    "There's nothing!" she insisted. "Can we just leave this alone?"
    "According to you, there's nothing TO leave alone. If you have feelings for him, I don't want to have to find out about it later! I'd like to get out of it while I still have some feelings intact and can keep you and AJ as friends without it being completely weird." D looked down at her feet, not knowing how to respond.
    "You want out then?" D asked quietly. Zack shrugged.
    "If you have feelings for AJ like I think you do, then, yeah, I guess I do want out. I'm sorry, D." D shrugged.
    "I'm sorry too."
    "Hey, don't look so down," Zack said with a bit of a smile. "We've only known each other like 3 days." D smiled a bit herself.
    "How true, how true." Zack looked down at his watch.
    "Listen, I hate to dump ya and run, excuse the pun, but Bastian's probably going insane wondering where you are, and I'd bet a million dollars that he hasn't found Patty and Kevin, so I'll just head back to the studio and tell him where you are, cool?" D nodded, feeling strangely light. "Friends?" Zack asked, still a little wary.
    "Of course," D said with a smile. She rose, and closed the door behind him. As soon as the door slammed shut, her thoughts flew back to AJ, and the lightness inside of her turned into a very strong urge to cry. Oh NO! D thought. I do like him. This isn't fair. He hates me, and it's my fault. Dammit, how do I keep doing this to myself. Hot tears were streaming madly down her face now. She tried to wipe them away, but they were coming too fast, and new ones replaced the ones that were wiped away only seconds later. I'm so stupid, she thought.

   AJ entered the building a few minutes after Zack had exited. He walked quickly to D's, but hesitated to knock. He didn't really want to have to confront Randi with Zack around, so he decided to improvise. He knocked, and shouted out without thinking, "Uh, Zack, Bast needs you." He shook his head at himself. Well, that was just dumb, AJ thought. Inside, D gasped, and began furiously wiping her face. There was no way AJ was going to see her crying over him. She cleared her throat about four times to make sure her voice wouldn't crack before she spoke.
    "If you're looking for Zack, you're at the wrong place!" she shouted, sounding bitter, which she seriously hadn't intended. Oh no, he's going to think Zack broke up with me. She stopped to think about that statement.
    "Are you okay in there?" AJ asked. Zack did break up with me, D thought to herself. Because of AJ, who doesn't even like her, or if he does, only as a friend. Tears pricked her eyes again.
    "I said Zack isn't here," she called again, her voice cracking. She swore to herself at the exact same time as AJ swore on the other side of the door.
    "I could care less about Zack," AJ shouted through the door. "Let me in, D." D began sniffing and crying more in the attempt to stop the tears.
    "No," she said. She walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole. "I'm fine, AJ. Go away."
    "Let me in for a minute to make sure you're okay, and I'll go," AJ insisted.
    "I said I'm fine!"
    "I've seen you cry before, it's no big deal!" AJ exclaimed. This drew a laugh out of D.
    "If you want a female to talk to you ever again, let me give you a tip. Don't tell them their crying is 'not a big deal,' okay." There was a loud sigh from the other end of the door.
    "D, sweety," AJ said very calmly. D tensed. Calm, in this situation, could not be a positive thing. "If you don't open the door in the next ten seconds, I'm going to break down the door." D hesitated for a moment, before wiping her face and sniffing back one last tear. The door swung open to reveal a very angry AJ. He strode in and glanced around. "So what? He just dropped ya and left?" AJ demanded.
    "Well," D began, then finished inside her head, Technically he dropped me, dumped me, THEN left. She laughed a bit to herself. "Not exactly."
    "Nothing....happened between you, did it?" he inquired. D shook her head.
    "Not that it's any of you business," she added without thinking.
    "Well, glad to know I mean so much to you," he responded. He looked around again, not knowing what else to do. "Did I miss the day where we decided to be at each other's throats again?" he inquired. "Could you tell me that, huh?" D scowled, formulating a response.
    "No, you were there," she told him. "I believe it was when you moved away from me when I touched you because you apparently thought I was going to RAPE you since you were wounded and easy to nail."
    "Oh very cute, D."
    "Well, that's the way you made me feel!" D practically screamed at him. "Like I was doing something wrong instead of just being concerned."
    "What the hell are you talking about? I was just trying to not give Zack a wrong impression about you and I."
    "Well, ya don't have to worry about that now considering there IS no Zack!"

Chapter 18
    AJ's breath stopped in his throat. Was she serious? Zack dumped her?
    "What'd you do, kill him?" The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. D's jaw dropped, and then, she burst out laughing. He smiled, proud that he had pulled a smile out of her, rather than another string of shrieked words. Finally, she sighed, and dropped her eyes.
    "Go ahead, I'm waiting for it," she told him. "Tell me I deserved it."
    "Oh, sweety," AJ said, wrapping her up in his arms. "I wouldn't tell you that. You didn't deserve it."
    “Thanks," she responded in a half whisper. They were silent for a few moments, then AJ felt he had to speak up.
    "Remember the last time you let me hold you?" he asked softly. D nodded slightly. "You said that we were just friends..." D grimaced, then quickly pulled away.
    "Are you never going to let me forget that?" she asked.
    "I can't!" he exclaimed. "How can I when you won't let me?"
    "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
    "Well, you left your boyfriend, told me that we couldn't be anything more than friends, then practically ran into Zacks arms."
    "Ran? I seem to recall a certain pair of Backstreet Boys PUSHING me toward him, despite the fact that I was against it."
    "We just wanted you to be happy," AJ defended.
    "No offence against Zack, but I would have much rather been miserable on my own than be happy with Zack." AJ looked confused.
    "Why?" Because at least then I would have a chance of being happy with you! D's mind screamed, but the words never left her mouth.
    "What the hell's the difference to you? It's not like you like me." A flicker of an emotion over AJ's face made D hesitate. "Do you?" she asked, almost hopeful. AJ looked away. Just tell her what she wants to hear, he told himself.
    "Of course I like you," he told her, pasting on a concerned friend's smile. D gave a frustrated growl.
    “You know what I mean!" she exclaimed. "Do you like me. Do you have any interest in me whatsoever, other than that of a friend? Come on, I can take the horrible truth." AJ sighed. Oh no, here we go.
    "D, someday, a guy will come along who'll see just how great you are." Like I did, he added to himself. "And he will fall instantly in love with you," like I have, "and ignore all your protests," like I should, "and make you fall madly in love with him as well."
    "But it's not you," D finished for him. He shook his head.
    "Sorry, D," he said.
    "I understand. Don't worry." I wish I did, he added to the scenarios going through his head on how he could retract the statement.

    "Wow," Patty exclaimed, pulling away from the mind-blowing kiss Kevin had planted on her. "What was that for?"
    "Because we're foolish, foolish people," Kevin responded with a big grin.
    "Well, ya, but besides that."
    "Because I've been blind, my love," he said with a bit of a laugh.
    “Okay, enough with the talking in riddles. Plain English please," she requested.
    "Because you've been running away from me and hiding behind Nick," Kevin told her. "And I was stupid enough to believe that you would dump me for Nick and only just realized that you were running away from me!" He gasped for air. "What was I thinking? What girl in their right mind would really dump me for Nick anyway? The thought, it's sickening." Patty laughed loudly at this.
    "Yes!" came an extremely loud voice from the studio doors. "I do believe, brother, that Patty and Kevin WILL be finished whatever they may be doing out here, and will be able to preform whatever task you ask of them."
    "Oh no, it's Zack," Patty sighed. "I think we'll have to finish this conversation later."
    “Over dinner, perhaps?" Kevin inquired. Patty smiled.
    "I would love that, yes."
    "Even finish that voice test they were supposed to do TWO DAYS AGO?" asked Bastien.
    "Yes, I believe they will be able to," Zack assured him loudly. "And Bast?"
    "Ya?" Bast asked, a little more quietly.
    "Man, you really gotta calm down. That vein is poppin outta your forehead again."

Chapter 19
    Nick stood out side, tapping his foot like it had a mind of it's own. He'd been waiting for some sign that AJ had cleared up this whole mess between him and D, but he had received no such sign, and was tempted to go and sort it out for them, despite his better judgement. After all, he reasoned. It had worked for Kevin and Patty, why wouldn't it work for these two? Because AJ would kill you and D would never talk to you again, his mind told him. He didn't want to jeopardize one, let alone two friendships over this fiasco. So, he stood where he was, tapping his foot, promising himself, Five minutes. Just five more minutes, and I'll go in and do something.

    Sitting on her couch, D placed her head in her hands. "I'm sorry for being such a moron," she said to AJ. "You really didn't need to hear me go on like that. You are a really good friend, thanks."
    "Are you okay?" AJ inquired tentatively.
    "Ya, I just don't feel that well." She gave a little laugh. "It is the reason I left the studio, remember?" She looked up and saw his startled expression. "You thought I was lying, didn't you?" His expression changed quickly.
    "Oh, no, I never thought that," he lied.
    "Well, I may have been before, but I'm definitely not now," she told him. She bit her lip, as if having an internal debate. "Will you sit with me for awhile? I feel may dumb, but not dumb enough to want to be alone." AJ smiled, and nodded. He sat down beside him, and she cuddled into him, wrapping her arms around his mid-section. He looked down at her sad face, and began stroking her hair, trying to make her feel a little bit better. She looked from where her gaze had settled on the floor up to his face, and gave a weak smile. He tried to look away from her eyes, but he couldn't for the life of him. He just looked into her sad, sad eyes, and wondered why she looked that way. You'd think she'd be happy, he thought. She doesn't have to worry about me chasing her, or thinking something more will come out of the friendship now that I've told her I only like her on a platonic level. I'm the one that should be feeling like hell, because I know that she doesn't WANT anything more out of our relationship. Finally, he managed to look away.
    "So, about Zack," AJ said, trying to cheer them both up.
    "Oh!" D whined. "Can't we just let the Zack subject go?"
    "No, wait, ya have to hear this one. So about Zack, do you want me to beat him up for you?" D burst out laughing. Then clutched her head in pain.
    "Headache," she explained. After a moment of silence, D opened her mouth. "I have a weird question for you," D said.
    "What?" he asked.
    "If tomorrow I suddenly decided I hated your guts, and I asked you to leave and never talk to me again, would you do it?" she inquired. He thought about it, then answered.
    "No."
    "And why?" she asked.
    "Because I know that you wouldn't mean it, and would regret saying it later," he told her.
    "And?"
    "And I know that you would hate yourself for forcing me away when you didn't really mean it." He looked down at her and smiled. "And I don't want to be responsible for you hating yourself!"
    "Good answer," she said, approving.
    "And you?" he asked. "If I asked, would you leave?" She pretended to think, then also responded with a "no." "Why?" he insisted.
    "Beeecause, I'm an evil bitch, and I would stalk you just to bother you?"
    "And?" he prompted, despite his smile.
    "And," she gave a sigh. "And now that I have you in my life, I don't know what it would be like if you weren't in it anymore," she said truthfully.
    "Aww, thanks," AJ said. He leaned over and kissed her on what he thought would be her cheek, but she turned her head at the last second to see what he was doing, and his lips landed on her own. D pulled away in shock, but AJ's hand wrapped around the back of her head and held her there. After a moment, AJ pulled away himself.
    "I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that," he told her, hiding his face in his hands. He knew damn well why he did it.
    "It's okay," D said, moving toward him as he moved away.
    "No, it's not okay," he insisted. I'm sorry, I know it's not what you want." D smiled a bit, despite her confused feelings.
    "I'm beginning to think you don't know what I want," D told him.
    "No, I do understand. You only want to be friends," AJ told her. D stared at him in disbelief. Was he kidding her? All of her stupid questions about him not leaving her and whether he liked her, and he honestly believed she only wanted to be friends?
    "But," she began.
    "No, D, you don't have to say anything. I should leave."
    "NO!" D exclaimed. He stood up and walked toward the door, not listening to her. She followed, desperate not to let him walk out that door.
    “D, I'm really sorry, but I don't think I could be just your friend. I lied to you, I do have feelings for you. But I wanted to tell you what you wanted to hear." D stumbled over a few more words, but AJ was almost at the door.
    "Dammit, AJ, STOP!" D shouted. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, shocked. "What on earth gave you the idea that that was what I wanted to hear?" she demanded.
    "Well, you never hinted otherwise," AJ said. D made a choking noise.
    "Are you insane? That entire question should have given you a hint. Why would I be concerned if you liked me unless I had feelings for you?" AJ didn't respond. "My goodness, I practically went so far as to say I can't live without you with the whole 'I don't know what life would be like without you in it' thing! Why are you making this so hard for me?"
    "Hard for you? You're the one that's making everything so damned cryptic that I can't figure out whether you want something to come of this or not!"
    "Well, at least I'm trying!" D shouted. "Which is more than I can say for you, with your 'I'm saying what you want to hear' crap!"
    "I was trying to make you HAPPY!" AJ exclaimed. "It's not my fault that you're sending out the wrong damned signals!" D stopped, and cracked a smile.
    "What the hell are we fighting about?"
    "We're fighting cause we're idiots who can't be straight with each other," he told her. "But I'm done. Are you done?"
    "I'm done," she told him with a nod. "Is this the kiss and make up part?" she asked shyly. He grinned down at her and pulled her into his arms.
    "I think we could fit that in."

    That's it, Nick thought. They're still in there, dukin it out, I'm goin in. He got up off of the car he was leaning against and walked into the building. If they're not doing anything even remotely romantic-like, I'm gonna kick their asses SO hard, he told himself, not really believing it.
    What do you think they'll be doing? he asked himself. Well, Nick, my man, I think Zack'll be there with D, and AJ will be just glaring at them when they're not looking, and smiling at them when they are looking. You?
    Well, Nick. With any luck, Zack will be out on his ass, not that he's a bad guy, I do like him, but I like AJ better. Anyway, Zack'll be out on his ass......
    "What the hell am I doing?" he exclaimed out loud. "I've gone completely bonkers! Talkin to myself like I'm two people. Enough!" He hurried down the hall, avoiding any thought at all. When he reached D's apartment, he went to knock on the door, but discovered that there was no door to knock on. It was open. "Hello?" he asked tentatively. There was no response. "AJ? D? Anyone......whoa," he said, when he finally found D and AJ in the middle of an intense kiss.
    “Now what the hell," came a voice from down the hall, "was that, DD!" Nick leaned out the door to see a girl walking toward D's apartment. “I know you're loud, but that was entirely unnecessairy!" Nick straightened, and watched as the girl walked right into the apartment as if she owned the place. "What the hell, you were makin me think ya were hurt or somethin! Whoa!" the woman exclaimed when she saw AJ and D. "Definitely not in pain." Nick chuckled, and the woman noticed him for the first time. "Well! Hello!" she exclaimed in a very Southern accent.
    "Hello," he responded, still smiling. "I'm...."
    "Nick!" the girl exclaimed. "Damn, and I thought she was pullin my leg," the girl chuckled.
    "You've heard of me then?" Nick said. The girl shot him a 'duh' look.
    "I mean, I thought her saying 2 Adorable cut a deal was far fetched, but working with BSB first thing. That's just impossible," the woman continued, pretty much ignoring Nick. "Aww, aren't they cute together?" the woman asked.
    "Sure," Nick said, a bit miffed that the girl was ignoring him. "We really should get going," he said more to himself than anything.
    "Okay, enough D!" the woman shouted. "I know you want him!!!!! But do it on your own time! You have to leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeave!" D spun around, shocked. She said a name no one really caught.
    "When did you get here? What are you doing here, period."
    "You were shouting, I thought ya were hurt. But, doesn't matter, seems AJ did an examination and you're fine!" D shrieked, and the woman turned tail and ran out of the apartment laughing.
    "Umm, she's my upstairs neighbour," D said, completely embarrassed.
    "Nice to know," Nick said, hurriedly. "We really should get a move on."
    "Y'okay?" AJ asked. Nick shrugged.
    "Fine. Can we go?"

    One week, to the day, later, the higher ups had mad a decision.
    "Well????" D exclaimed, holding tight to AJ. The entire group was completely wired, wondering who would be doing the duet.
    "Bast!!" Patty exclaimed, wishing he wouldn't hold them in such suspense. "Kevin, make him tell!" she said, giving her boyfriend a light punch.
    "Hey, you're doing way better than I am!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "Maybe you should punch him instead of me?"
    "But he doesn't get turned o......"
    "Patty!" Kevin exclaimed, covering her mouth with his hand. AJ raised an eyebrow at his friend.
    "A little more than I needed to know," AJ told his friend.
    "Ya, well it ain't like I haven't heard a few things about you," Kevin told him. "They still live together, you know." AJ's face went red, as did D's.
    "It wasn't anything big, I promise!" D told him in a whisper.
    "Ya, sure," AJ said, and hugged her close.
    "Okay! Enough of the mushy couple stuff," Bast scolded. "Time to announce the winners. Drumroll please." The guys all made drumming sounds. "And the winner for the girls is....Patty!" Both girls screeched out of joy, and hugged each other.
    "I wanted to do this so bad!" Patty exclaimed over D's "I so didn't want to do this!"
    "And for the guys......uh, drums!" The guys did the drums again.
    "Winner........Kevin!" The two hugged, happy for the chance to be able to do more together. "Great, now, into the studio," Bast ordered. "The rest of you can do whatever you want."
    "Anything?" asked Brian, gettin a strange look in his eyes.
    "Uh, ya, I guess," Bast said, startled by the question. It wasn't often that a person questioned the word anything, and when they did, the result wasn't good. "Just nothing illegal!" Bast shouted as Brian ran for the door. "Okay."
    "We're going to be working for the next week?" Patty exclaimed as they walked into a booth.
    "Yup, so happy you won now?" Bast asked.
    "It won't be so bad," Kevin said, puttin an arm around her. "At least we'll be together."
    "Ya, you're right," Patty said, leaning up for a kiss. Kevin's lips met her's and the world faded away.