“All right Reggie, lets get this next track done today, it’d be nice if we could get a couple done and handed to the label by the end of the week. They already love ‘Maria’ so I’m sure the rest of the stuff will be great too,” Dre said as he looked at some of the sheets of lyrics Regina was looking through.

“Okay, what do you think of these for that beat?” she asked handing Dre a crinkled piece of paper.

“Damn girl, you’re as bad as Em, at least you got better handwriting, and better drawings on here,” Dre laughed.

“Sorry, I use whatever scraps of paper I find to write on,” Regina replied.

“Yeah, this is great, perfect, for that one. You get ready, we’ll set up the beat,” Dre said as he handed back the lyrics to Regina.

For the next few days after the show, Regina worked on recording with Dre. It had taken her a couple of days to get her second song just the way she wanted it and now it was the third song she was recording. Though the guys had wanted to be there, they had an interview to get to and Fifty was getting ready to leave on his first headlining solo tour. This left just Regina, Marshall, Dre and Ace in the studio, at least it was a little less crowded.

“Am I allowed to look through the lyrics now?” Marshall asked.

“Yeah yeah, go ahead,” Regina said as she shook her head and passed the pile to him.

“Ace, do me a favor, ease the background down in that beat just a hair, and bring up the bass, not too much, just a little, see what it does to the sound,” Regina said right before a loud knock sounded on the door.

“We’re in the middle of recording!” Marshall shouted, but the door opened anyway.

“Ah, what the fuck man!” Regina snapped as she saw who it was.

“We’re supposed to have this studio, today,” it was AJ McLean.

“Well fuck off, we’re in here, take you and your prissy boys somewhere else,” Marshall snapped.

“Hey, what’s the hold up, oh hi,” Kevin Richardson said as he saw there were people in the room.

“We have this studio until Friday, they told you the wrong one at the desk,” Dre said steadily.

“They told us at the desk that this was our studio for the week also,” Kevin replied.

“Well, they made a mistake, so if you don’t mind,” Regina replied waving to the door.

“Hey, you’re that Regina Contini, from the awards a few days ago right?” this time it was Nick Carter.

“Yeah, I am, nice to meet you Carter,” Regina nodded in his general direction. The rest of the guys came in the door.

“Ah yes, the rest of the Backstreet Bitches, just fucking fabulous,” Marshall spat.

“Better watch your mouth blondie,” AJ immediately responded.

“Who the hell you calling blondie bitch?” Marshall went to get off the couch but Regina stopped him.

“All right, what we gon’ do bout this?” Dre asked walking over to them.

“Either we compromise or we flip for it,” Kevin suggested. Regina kept an eye on AJ when she said.

“We are not flipping for it, we were here first.”

“You got a problem with us?” Howard Dorough asked.

“No, just him,” Regina said with nod in AJ’s direction.

“I got to get her recorded, she needs the studio time, it’s her first album,” Dre replied.

“No surprise there,” AJ replied.

“Fuck you McLean,” Regina snapped.

“Chill Regina, I’ll take care of it,” Dre replied calmly.

“Look, our manager is right down the hall, why don’t you two talk, cause it seems like we’re not going to come to a compromise any time soon, and we both have work to do,” Kevin replied and both Regina and Marshall laughed.

“What’s so funny?” AJ’s voice rang out.

“The time that any of you work will be news to me,” Marshall laughed.

“Fine, I’ll be back in a minute, Reggie, Em, don’t fuck around,” Dre said shaking his head as he passed through the guys and down the hall. The rest of the Backstreet Boys slid in the room and took seats around the two on the couch.

“So Regina, how much, have you done, on this so called talent trip huh?” AJ asked as he leaned back watching her carefully.

“Fuck you McLean, I work for a living. When was the last time you sang something that wasn’t written by Max Rami or Sam Martin?” Regina threw back. Nick went pale at that, “Or did something besides hump the floor at one of your concerts?”

“All right, what is it exactly going down between you two?” Kevin asked finally.

“Ask him, he’s the one who came up to me, and started flapping his gums,” Regina replied.

“Did you?” Kevin asked turning to AJ.

“Yeah, so what?” AJ replied.

“Uh oh, someone got in trouble with daddy, better watch out!” Marshall laughed, but Regina smacked him.

“Shut up,” she said harshly.

“I wouldn’t have said anything to him if he would have just left me alone. He came up to me, he followed me back to my dressing room, and he said shit, I just said I would finish it. As far as the rest of you go, I don’t know you, I haven’t been really introduced. But I know your music, and it’s decent. My sister is more of a fan than I am, but I can appreciate a voice,” Regina replied as she sat back.

“Kevin Richardson,” Kevin said leaning forward and putting out a hand to shake. Regina nodded and shook his hand.

“Brian Littrell,” Brian said as he followed in suit as did Howie and Nick, but AJ sat silent.

“Well?” Kevin asked looking over at AJ. “It’s all right, the less contact I have with him the better,” Regina replied coolly.

“What did you say AJ?” Brian asked. Marshall was remaining cool, though that might had more to do with the fact that Regina kept a tight grasp on his knee, reminding him to keep his mouth shut and fists to himself.

“I said the truth, that she’s fucking him to keep the deal,” AJ replied.

“That’s not true, she didn’t even want the deal,” it was Ace who spoke up.

“Huh?” AJ asked turning around.

“She tried to leave quite a few times as I remember, didn’t want a part of it at all. Told Em to fuck off, quite a number of times, right Em?” Ace asked.

“That’s right,” Marshall smiled over at AJ.

“Then what you doing with him?” AJ asked.

“It’s none of your damn business who I’m with or not,” Regina snarled.

“Hey, you think we could hear one of your songs?” Howie asked, trying to get off the subject and name calling.

“Huh? Oh, I guess so, I’ve only recorded two so far, well, not counting ‘Bangin’, Ace, flip up ‘Maria’ for me,” Regina called over to him.

“You sure?” Marshall asked, wondering if she would be okay with everyone hearing an extremely personal song.

“It’s going on the album, not like nobody was going to hear it. Besides, you know what it’s like. Keep everything shut in then put in a song for the whole world to know. I learned something from you,” Regina replied as she looked over at him.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Marshall replied as the opening strains of the song opened up into the room.

Marshall listened intently to the music, damn if this wasn’t one of the best songs ever written.

“You got a strong voice, incredible really,” Brian remarked after the song ended.

“Really nice,” Howie nodded.

“Thanks,” Regina replied.

“Okay, since we’re all in such a talkative mood, I’m gonna go work on something, Marshall, keep them entertained,” Regina said patting his leg. Marshall looked over to AJ and saw his eyes following Regina to the piano on the other side of the room.

“You play?” Kevin asked.

“Ah, a little,” Regina replied as her fingers brushed the keys. Marshall watched her intently, he didn’t know she could play the piano.

“Really, would you play something for us?” Nick asked as he stood and walked over to the piano. Kevin and Brian did the same, closely followed by Howie, but AJ remained seated.

Regina played a few more random notes, her long graceful fingers gliding over the keys and hitting the keys.

“How does that song of yours go? Da da, da da, with no place left to go,” Regina looked back at the keys and began dropping the beat to the song “Incomplete”.

AJ’s cue came and passed twice, but Regina kept playing.

“Come on AJ, ain’t you gonna play along?” Regina asked as her fingers effortlessly played the tune. He didn’t answer and sat there starring at her.

As the next cue rolled around Regina sang it instead.

“Empty, spaces, fill me up with holes, distance faces, with no place left to go, without, within me, I can’t find no rest, where I’m, going, is any body’s guess,” as Nick’s part came up, Regina harmonized beautifully with him as the rest of the guys blended in to the song.

“You got a great voice Reggie, if I can call you Reggie,” Howie asked.

“No problem, you guys ain’t half bad yourselves. Say, I was thinking of singing a few things on this album of mine, what say you guys do a guest spot?” Regina asked.

“I thought you and Eminem over there had a problem with boy bands?” AJ asked.

“I wasn’t aware that men in their thirties were still considered boys,” she said with a grin. All but AJ laughed.

“Yeah, we’ve tried to get away from that, but it’ll follow us to the grave most likely,” Nick laughed.

“Maybe not, if you’d lay off the corny act, I swear man, you’re worse than that friggen Ashley Angel,” Regina laughed, making Nick blush slightly.

“See, I’ve told him about that,” Brian laughed.

“So what do you say guys?” Regina asked.

“You’re not serious?” Marshall asked as he walked over to the piano.

“Why not? It doesn’t look like you’re gonna be harmonizing any time soon, not that you’d sing if I asked you to, but I think we could make something nice, that even you would approve of,” Regina replied.

“All right, as long as you like it, Dre likes it, and the guys don’t disown you for fraternizing with the enemy,” Marshall said as he backed up with his hands up.

“Ah please, then they’d have to disown you, and they won’t do that cause they’d miss the sex stories,” Regina goaded. The guys around her looked at her in shock.

“Oh give me a break, don’t tell me you five don’t swap sex stories, even you two with the wives, you got to live vicariously through your boys, don’t you?” Regina said as she poked Brian in the stomach. The only response she got was Howie starting to turn pale.

“You all ain’t that innocent. We’ll figure that out soon enough. What say you join us for a game of poker tonight, our room, two-seventeen, eight o’clock?” Regina asked as she looked around at them.

“Well, I’m game,” Nick chimed in.

“All right, me too,” Howie agreed. Brian and Kevin agreed finally and then they turned to AJ.

“Yo bitch, she asked you too,” Marshall snapped.

“Fine, whatever,” AJ replied shaking his head.