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Passion Ch. 5- Free Katie	By : AchtungNight Category: Individual Celebrities > Erika Christensen Views: 375 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I have no connection other than fandom to any celebrity portrayed in this story. I did not write this fanfiction work for financial profit.

Chapter List
- 1-Passion Ch.5- Free Katie
- 1
Passion # 5: Free Katie
by AchtungNight
Tagline: Will Erika's therapy save Tom Cruise's marriage?
Celebs: Erika Christensen, Keri Russell, Katie Holmes, Alicia Witt.
Standard disclaimer: This story is a satirical fantasy. It is fictional, even though its plot is based on actual events. All characters that mirror real people are fictionalized. All celebrities in the story are impersonated — poorly. I, the author, have no actual connection to any celebrity mentioned in this story other than being their fan, and I acknowledge that they do not act in real life the way my characters based on them do. I did not write this tale for financial profit and I expect none from it. This story contains controversial adult themes and situations, so it should not be read by those who are close-minded or under age 18.
Intro: Welcome. A while back, I had a personal burnout and decided not to continue this series. Over two years later, the burnout has passed and the threads I left dangling have been nagging me. Thus, I decided to finish things. The concluding chapter is long because there are many threads. This is not the story I set out to write in the beginning — time and readers' desires have changed quite a bit. It does conclude the series, though. For me, that is enough.
No other story is necessary reading to understand everything that goes on in this one. However, my other tales may key you in further on past developments. Thanks to the many people who helped me research, write, and publish this story. Thanks to you as well for reading. Feedback is welcomed.
The Passion of Erika Christensen, Chapter 5: Free Katie
London, England. January 2009.
"Inside Out, this is Frost-Fire speaking."
"Doug, John Travolta. I was hoping I'd get you."
"John, hey," the club manager said. "I heard about your son. You have my deepest condolences."
"Thanks. I got your card. It was nice."
"How are you holding up? Are your wife and daughter okay?"
"We're persevering, with help and good will from mutual friends. I'm still shocked it happened."
"I can imagine. My own mother has a seizure disorder, and she's had poor reaction to medication just like your son did. I often worry about her health."
"Is your mother a famous adherent of a religion whose members are schooled to consider themselves perfect, the rest of the world be damned?"
"No." Doug grimaced. "I suppose your situation is worse."
"You bet it is. I got idiots thinking they can extort money from me by threatening to cast my son's death in a negative light before the world. Other folks are calling me a bad parent, acting like they know more about my situation than I do. They're at least partly right. If I weren't a bad parent, my son would still be alive. I should have gotten him a full-time nurse, the proper medicine. I should have educated myself more about his problem. Why couldn't I do that? Why did I let him die?"
"John, take it easy. You loved your son. The right people know and will acknowledge that. You weren't expecting him to die the way he did, and some responses to the event have been despicable. I don't think you should let those who would exploit your loss get you down."
"You're right. I'll live past this." John muttered something unintelligible and then recovered. "There's another matter on which I need your input. You remember what you told me about your past? Before you ascended to your current position in our society, you were a cop. You read the disturbing information about Scientology online and took it upon yourself to do something."
"I infiltrated the local branch of your church," Doug recalled, lowering his voice. "I had to find out if you were really as bad as people thought, and shut you down if you were. It only took me nine and a half weeks to learn I had the wrong idea. Your faith wasn't something I needed or wanted to be part of directly, but you were capable of as much good as you were evil. The picture I had was distorted and biased. It still is in many ways."
"That's our fault as much as yours. Sometimes we're difficult to understand."
"You still exist and are part of humanity. One day those who criticize you will learn to understand that, as I did. More people will gather friends from across the divide."
"Will they? Doug, you accept your stance on Scientology because you're in love with one of us. You make concessions for her, and vice versa. Not everyone has such a luxury."
"I'm not the only one who cares about someone in your church. There's also the ongoing initiative the Friendship has to aid you."
"That's why I'm calling. Forgive my disrespect, but when the heck are we going to enact that plan? I mean thoroughly put it forward. Scientology is messed up, and it seems only the victims and their advocates are paying attention. Those who can fix things won't."
"We're working to change that."
"So I hear. I have faith in our society. I chose to remain in Scientology because of that faith and the benefits I thought I perceived. Now look at what that decision has cost me."
He's losing it, Doug thought. I need to reassure him. "John, the goal of our operation is difficult. We have to transform your church, with regard for every issue that encompasses. We also would like to avoid war, persecution, and all the other evils the past has visited upon contentious sects. As I discovered during my time inside Scientology, such things are not the proper course. The alienation and intolerance they breed overshadows any good they might achieve."
"Did Erika help you come to that revelation?"
"I already knew it. She did enable me to admit it directly to Scientologists, though. Other Friends like you have helped."
John guffawed. "I wish more of our detractors walked your road. The plan is flawed, though. I don't think it's making much headway."
"You're wrong. There are things for which you aren't cleared."
"Doug, if I don't see significant progress in the operation soon, I may do something drastic. Kelly agrees it could be necessary. We're both ready."
"Are you contemplating departure?"
"That, and speaking out, the way others have. If I can find the right words and medium, it might get our executives' attention and not just that of the demagogues."
"Have you talked to Melissa about this, or Taron?" Melissa Prynne was the Scientologist cleric who was officially in charge of the operation they were discussing. Taron Lexton, a visionary Hollywood director, was her counterpart among the church's celebrity adherents.
"They said I needed to contact you."
"Oh. Well, what they wanted me to tell you is this. Scientology is on the brink of everything for which we have dreamed. We are at a crossroads. You remember your former director of special affairs, Melissa's mentor? He recruited numerous agents before he was forced to resign his post, including your Chairman's wife."
"She hasn't been seen in public the past three years."
"That's by her choice. She went into seclusion to work with the Friendship, devise a way to enact our hopes for your religion. Last September, she approached her husband and offered our consultation to reform Scientology. Others had made similar proposals before, but the Chairman wouldn't listen. He had the wrong mindset about us, and didn't fully comprehend his circumstances. On this occasion, however, things were different."
"Is he giving in?"
"He'll never attest to such in public, but yes. This information is restricted, John. You can discuss it with Melissa, Taron, your wife, and me. That's it. The Friendship is still bringing the Chairman over. We want to limit the fallout if our talks collapse. Success will take a certain blend of diplomacy and intimidation. It's delicate in the extreme."
"I can appreciate that. Our church critics are right to call the Chairman a Napoleonic bastard."
"He has things to answer for. At present, we're arranging dominoes to motivate him. I'll email you an overview. The decades-old wave of protests, press leaks, and lawsuits are all part of the process. Forgive us, but even your son's death will play a role."
"I expected as much. The Chairman's a nice target, but he's only the tip of the iceberg. What about the fanatics he condones and directs?"
"Our loyal Scientologists will influence them away from the dark side. You, Kelly, and everyone else are key elements of the plan."
"Will we be enough?"
"The Friendship and I hope so. You still want to jump ship?"
"We might. Kelly and I will take this new information into account, though."
"Okay. Be sure to give us advance notice before you do anything."
"Keep us posted. We appreciate the Friendship's efforts."
"I do too, no matter that I sometimes wish I was made privy to our initiative earlier. I didn't learn of it until I terminated my self-appointed undercover mission, left Scientology, and confessed to some higher ranking Friends what I had done. They introduced me to you, and helped me establish my club so I could give aid to celebrities the way I desired. In retrospect, I'm glad. I don't know how I would have handled things had I known before."
Silence reigned on the line for a few seconds. When John resumed speaking, there was fire in his tone. "Doug, what if I had a stratagem that could push our efforts forward? It might really get the Chairman to see things our way, and not just him either. There's a man who was a Friend once upon a time, before he got caught up in Scientologist fever. I'm talking about Tom Cruise. I think we need him back on our side."
"Tom Cruise?" Doug repeated. "He's the poster boy for the Chairman's faction, John. His outspokenness over Scientology has retarded our efforts in great amount. I know what you're going to say. He's been changing his persona recently because he ruined his own career. I'm not sure about that. It's one thing to quit being vocal about something to the media, and another to actually regret your behavior."
"His change is real. The Friendship tasked me with watching him in the 1990s, when it first became obvious he was choosing Scientology over us. He wasn't quite as zealous back then, and now he's reverting. Other Friends have confirmed this, including his sister Lee Anne and his maid. They're monitors for Tom like I am. Lee Anne and Kelly helped me come up with this scheme. We can only arrange the players, though. We need you and Erika to do the big things that will win Tom over. I believe this plot will aid us no matter the result. It involves people who love Tom and vice versa. Do I have your support?"
Doug didn't take long to assent. "If the plan is good enough, you do. What are the details?" He listened for the next several minutes, smiled, and said, "John, I don't think we should reveal this conspiracy to Erika immediately. It would be better if she got involved on her own. She will. I've never known her to reject a righteous cause. You and the others set up your ends, I'll handle things here. I like the plan otherwise. Alea iacta est."
"What?"
"Latin for 'the die is cast.' It's an appropriate phrase."
"You believe this will work, then?"
"The possibilities are enough to try."
Los Angeles, California. That Night.
Soap hands. Pick up and soap dish. Scrub dish. Rinse dish and hands. Put dish in dishwasher. Repeat.
Repeat endlessly.
I should not be doing this, Tom Cruise thought. He kept up the motions anyway.
Katie asked me to do this, he reminded himself. She's tired. In recent days, she's quite often told me she's tired. I can't convince her to do anything. The kids can, and she plays with them as enthusiastically as ever, but with me, she's "just there".
I should be used to these periods, he told himself while washing dishes. Our relationship's been going on almost four years now. Whirlwind courtship led to marriage, and we've done everything we can to appear happy together since. The world has been watching us, it hasn't been easy. I like to think we've succeeded. Still, we both know we're not always happy. Katie's distant from me much of the time, in mind if not in body, and when she's with me, her emotions are like a rollercoaster. She's jubilant, then she's sad, and then she's "just there". Lately she's been "just there" more and more. It's getting so I hardly know what's going on with her.
It's because of who we are, he reminded his id. We're one of the most famous couples in the world. I'm a great actor with multiple blockbuster movies. Katie had a few good films in her day too, and a TV series that was a huge hit. We have billions of fans watching us wherever we go, idolizing or protesting our every move. We can't live without tension.
And I have increased that tension, Tom reflected. When I first met Katie, I was so attracted to her, so in love with her. With exuberance, I declared that love to the world, and the world shuddered. They called my relationship with Katie a publicity stunt. They called it doomed. They called what we have a tragedy for her, and they called me many awful names. Our latest film performances getting panned by critics did not help matters. Nor did my ill-advised public battle with Brooke Shields over depression, something I still regret starting to this day.
"That is over now!" he snapped, slamming a glass into the dishwasher's upper rack. He cringed, glad it was unbroken.
"Stop your rage," Tom commanded himself in a softer tone. He felt his heart calm.
It has been four years, he told his id. That battle is over. I apologized to Brooke, and she forgave me. The person who suggested I start the battle is gone. I never should have listened to her advice, and I never will have to again. I have a good life now. Katie has only been a benefit to that life.
Has she? Tom wondered, scrubbing hard at a pan. I don't know. I love her, Katie's great; but ever since we got together, my career has been on a downturn. My movies don't do as well anymore. The last one, 'Valkyrie', has done okay so far. However, its success was nowhere near as big as that of the films I've had in the past. The same is true for most of my films in recent years. If it wasn't for the sound investment advice I get, my finances might actually be in serious jeopardy right now.
Katie's career has suffered too, and although she denies it, I think she blames me. She says she loves me and is happy to be married to me and mother to our daughter and the other two children we've adopted. Still, though, she's emotionally distant from me all the time. She smiles, yet her eyes never light up.
Tom had to stop himself from slamming the dishes into their racks again as he recalled that nothing he had tried to change this had worked. He and Katie had attended every marriage course their advisers recommended, done every seminar and exercise. Nothing helped. Katie was still the same, loving but distant. She would not speak frank with her husband and she withdrew into herself rather than tell him what was troubling her. In his heart, Tom believed it a miracle Katie was still with him and often worried that one day she would change her mind.
"You shouldn't think like this," he said. He rinsed another plate and put it in the dishwasher. "She still loves you."
She did, he knew. Tom had fallen in love with Katie from the moment he saw her, and he had known from her face that she felt the same. All the disbelief directed at their relationship was meaningless. The connection and attraction between them was undeniable. Neither his two previous wives nor his many former girlfriends had made Tom feel as happy as Katie had in the past four years. He had made every effort to show and tell her this, yet she was still distant. Even their recent trial separation, which had coincided with Katie's first stint on Broadway, had not changed that in the least. All the time they had spent together since the separation ended had not helped either. The goddamn media's fabricated stories made the situation even worse. They frightened Tom's wife and disgusted him. Earlier that evening she had complained about it. Maybe she had forgotten it by the present moment, or if not, she needed his comfort.
"She's upstairs in her room," he said to himself. "I should go there once I'm done here, sleep there tonight. I should be with her."
Maybe this would be the time, he hoped. Tom would break through his wife's shell and get her to tell him what she really wanted. He would give it to her, whatever it was. She would finally be happy with him after he did, and express that unprompted to his face. Their loving would be joyous, wonderful. He could be brave again and then go on to reclaim his past level of success. Katie would love him and he would be confident of that love.
"I can make it happen," Tom told himself. The short dark-haired handsome man turned away from the sink and clenched his fists, grinning with determination. Soap and water stains shone on his black turtleneck and jeans. "I can do this! I can make it happen! It will be so!
"Shit," he cursed as he turned around, "I better remember to take my Viagra!"
Yes, Tom Cruise needed Viagra. He was in his late forties, and despite being the very personification of macho in the past, his stamina had wilted in recent years. He could hardly believe it himself. Yes, he was a major action star with many high-testosterone films including "Top Gun", "Tropic Thunder" and "Risky Business". Yes, he followed a religion that discouraged the use of prescription drugs. No, he had never had trouble getting women attracted to him. For some unknown reason, though, to maintain an erection he still needed the damn little blue pill.
Tom closed the dishwasher and looked around after starting it, trying to recall where he kept his Viagra. I'd better take it if I want to get anywhere with Katie tonight, Tom told himself. She says that she doesn't mind my problem, but I know she's lying. I better find my medicine and get control of myself. I'm amped up right now, my emotions are high, and that never helps me gain power over my body. If I'm too pumped, I might even get stupid. I don't want that.
"Calm down," Tom told himself. "Where did I put it? Where did I put that... ?"
Ring!
He sighed and picked up the telephone. "Cruise residence."
"Tom!" a familiar voice answered. "How you doing, buddy?"
"Hey John," Tom greeted his old friend and fellow actor. "I'm okay. I just finished washing the dishes."
"Washing the dishes?" John Travolta asked, tone full of disbelief. "That doesn't sound like you."
"Katie was tired and the maid quit this morning," Tom explained. "Bella and Connor had too much homework and Suri's still too young for most chores. Come on. Don't tell me you don't get stuck with the dishes some nights."
"Yeah, but not if I can help it," John replied, laughing again. "I haven't talked to you in a while and I thought I should. Are you okay? You sound distressed."
Tom contemplated not answering and then shrugged. Why not? John had enjoyed a longer and happier marriage than his. He might know what to do. Maybe my soul reached out to him, Tom thought. I know that's possible. It has happened to me many times before.
"It's Katie," he told John. "She's distant from me and I want to change that."
"Uh oh! She's not making you happy?"
"No, John, she's making me very happy," Tom insisted. He looked around and relaxed when he saw no one watching him. "I just can't get through to her. Something's always bothering her when she's with me and I can't make her tell me what it is. We've tried everything. Hell, you know what we've been through. You and Kelly have gone through all the same things!"
"Well, I don't know about that." John lowered his voice. "Do you need me to fly in from Florida, take you out on the town like I used to do in the Nicole days? Get your spirits up?"
"No, John," Tom answered in a growl. The media scrutiny on him in the present was even more intense than it had been back then. He did not want it increased. "I'm a happily married man now. Your idea of a party is the last thing I need. Katie wouldn't like it either. She's not like Nicole."
"Sorry. Chill out, man. It was just a suggestion. Maybe you need to be more open with her."
"I'm very open with her, John. You know that. You've seen us together. She's the one who needs to be open, not me."
"Okay. Hmm." John hesitated. "Well, I gotta admit I don't really know her, though I do see where you're coming from. It could be an age issue. You do have about sixteen years on her."
"Your point?"
"There's a psychological distance. A woman Katie's age is gonna be different from a guy your age. You can't ever really know her."
"Hey, we've been together four years. I know her pretty well."
"Sure. I bet you don't know her as well as her girlfriends, though."
"Katie doesn't have any girlfriends."
"What?" The shock in John's voice rose. "Don't tell me you're still pushing her to 'sever all ties'."
"I'm the only friend she needs, John."
"No, buddy, you are wrong." John chuckled. "You're killing her. Trust me."
Tom felt rage boiling inside him and was about to answer. Then he forced it down.
Maybe John's right, it occurred to him. I have been stifling Katie's connections with others since we got together. None of her old friends really like me, so they got estranged from her by our relationship. I introduced Katie to someone I thought would be her new best buddy and from the start they did not get along. Jessica's advice to me turned out terrible too, so I cheerfully forced her out of our lives. I know Katie was grateful I fired Jessica but it also showed her I could be a threat to her friends. She didn't like knowing that.
I've tried to find other friends for her since then and nothing's worked out. Even Victoria Beckham, who was Katie's shopping buddy for a long time, stopped regularly hanging out with Katie right after things went sour between me and Victoria's husband David. I was to blame for that, even though David denied all rumors to the press. I guess I've been to blame for Katie's inability to make new friends too. I hang out with my friends all the time; but apart from the kids and people who like me, I don't like Katie hanging out with anyone. I make that known to Katie. Maybe that's what's wrong. I've been committing a major gaffe. Fuck!
"You're right," he told John, shaking his head at the realization. "I have been hurting her."
"If you're just realizing that now, I'd wager you're making more than one mistake."
"Yeah." Tom grimaced. "I guess we need some additional counseling."
"Whoa there, buddy. I know what you're thinking." John coughed.
"Sure," Tom agreed. "If it gets out we're seeking counseling, the tabloids will have a field day. If it's worth it, though, and it's what has to be done —"
"Tom!" John interrupted. "That's not what I'm talking about. Screw the tabloids. To hell with them." He hiccupped. "You don't want the usual counseling you get. You've already tried it all and gotten nowhere, right?"
"Well, yeah, but—"
"Listen to me. There's this other kind of counseling. Kelly and I know someone who's an expert at it. You know her too. Erika Christensen."
Tom blinked when John said the name. "What? I haven't heard about —"
"Trust me, Tom!"
"I do, John, but her? Come on. You know some of our church leaders have been calling her a potential trouble source."
"Yeah, but that's just their opinion. You should stop listening to those dinosaurs. They're on the way out. It's only a matter of time. The way they pervert our religion's teachings does nothing but ruin lives."
"That's not true, John!" Tom declared, and then paused.
Wait a second, he thought. I've been following their philosophy more and more in recent years, and it's been making me bonkers. It pisses the public off too. How many times have I been told that and seen the effects? Yeah, I can turn it around a little, but I still don't like the bad things that happen. I hate the gossip, the Internet character assassination and the negative way in which so many people see me. I wonder if it's really worth trying to spread the benefits my religion has brought me. Scientology has not been good for everyone, and the world thinks I ignore that. I hate how they treat me in response. I know Katie also feels this way.
"It is true, Tom!" John said. "Why do you think Kelly and I have stopped coming to all but the biggest gatherings? It took 'Battlefield Earth' and everything that's happened to us since we made that movie to make us realize what's really going on with the dinosaurs. They're the idiots, not the public. You need to separate yourself from them. You do just fine as who you are and not as well as the person they want you to be. Do you want protesters dogging you everywhere the rest of your life?"
"No," Tom had to admit. He saw them at all his premieres and they had also attended Katie's public appearances. Tom and Katie acted as if they weren't bothered, as their publicists recommended, but they were disturbed. Worse, Tom knew that if he took steps to challenge the protesters, or try to reason with them, he would get nowhere. He might suffer negative consequences too. Open anger would hurt his publicity, as it had in the past. Reason and admitting concessions had even worse potential results. The people at whom the protesters were really mad, the leaders of Tom's religion, were legendary in their intolerance for dissent.
"Then listen to me," John told him. "I can tell you how to overcome them."
"I already ignore them," Tom said. "I know they'll never go away. The diehards will always be against me. I just show them I'm not affected. I tell Katie to do the same. I've been told they get bored when they see this and dwindle in number."
"Yeah, that kinda works. But come on, Tom. You know those people aren't ever going to go away until they get what they want. We have to change and we're going to change."
Tom blinked, his suspicions aroused. "What are you talking about?"
"We're celebrities, man! The public pays our bills and makes us who we are. We cannot afford to mislead, confuse or upset them. We need to stop. We're going to stop. The reformation is coming, Tom. It's been coming. Erika's part of it, and so are Kelly and me. The same for Beck, Jason Lee, Catherine Bell, Paul Haggis, Taron Lexton, Sky Dayton, the Mastersons, the Ribisis, the Presleys, Kirstie Alley, Mike Rinder and thousands more. We're gonna push out the dinosaurs, fix ourselves up and concentrate on helping others like we're supposed to be doing. Are you with us or against us?"
"What?" Tom's frown had deepened with each named celebrity and he gaped at John's concluding question. "Have you been drinking, John?"
"No! Well, okay, a little. But I'm right, Tom. You know I'm right."
"Yeah, I do," Tom said with incredulity. "But, John, this isn't a secure line."
"Oh. Sorry." John coughed. "Uh, everything I said was hypothetical, okay?"
"Of course it was," Tom said. He hit a button on the phone and activated a universal jamming device that the infamous Hollywood private detective Anthony Pellicano had given him several years ago. It kept the unscrupulous press and anyone else from listening to Tom's phone. "Now the line is secure. Next time warn me."
"Thanks." John sighed in relief. "Look, if you want, you can forget I said all that. Your choice. You're a legend, so you'll always have your fame no matter what happens. Kelly and I have been in this longer than you have. Tragedies have happened to us, things that could have been avoided. We're committed."
"Tragedies? Like your son?"
"That was one, yes." John grumbled at the mention of a sore subject.
"I'm sorry, John. I said it before."
"I know. Thanks. Listen, don't get worried. Our movement is underground and it's probably going to stay that way for a while. 'The revolution will not be televised.' You can let us handle it if you want. But on your marriage ... trust me, Tom. You and Katie need this counseling. It has saved my marriage and our mutual friend Will Smith's."
"What? Will's marriage has never been in danger."
"Buddy, there is a lot you don't know! Look, let me contact Erika. I'll tell her about your situation and have her give you a call."
"No, John," Tom declined. "Thank you, but I don't think Katie and I need what you recommend. Stop drinking. Have a nice day." He hung up.
Self-absorbed idiot, Tom thought, looking at the phone. What does he know? Still, he is right about some things. Our church is undergoing a reformation. Everybody wants to deny it, including our enemies, but I'm on the inside. I know it's happening, with good reason. I listen to the protesters even if they don't think I do. I'm aware of why the good people among them are doing what they're doing. There are people in my church who agree. He listed them to himself.
Mike Rinder, longtime leader of Scientology's intelligence agency, lost his job two years ago because he was involved with the reformation. Tom had heard he was still supporting the movement from the outside. If John wasn't bullshitting, then just about every famous person in Scientology other than Tom was also part of things on the inside.
How did they get so brave? Tom wondered. Maybe they figure they're too high profile for the leaders to ever hurt them. You know, they could be right about that. Nicole had good reason to be mad at the church when she left. The leaders practically mandated our divorce. They didn't excommunicate her, though, and she can still see our kids. Isaac Hayes was bitter at the leaders also, before he died last year. He really didn't like how they took advantage of his stroke to make him quit "South Park". He was so upset he cut the church from his will. They didn't kick him out either, however. There were no negative consequences for him at all. It's the same for Erika and all the other people John mentioned. They can be as free-willed with church doctrine as they want to be. Our religion relies on celebrities for advertising. As we go, so goes the public. If the leaders punish us, they lose thousands of worshippers and millions in donations. They can't afford to let us go or piss us off.
Tom gasped as another realization came to mind. I've been an evangelist for them many years, he thought, but maybe I've been going about it all wrong. If I spoke up for the common parishioner instead of preaching the party line, really tried to give people a better life, maybe my career and Katie's would not be in such poor shape. The reformers are planning to conquer Scientology when the time is right. I'm sure of it. That time is coming fast, especially with the way the church has been shrinking in recent years while the forces against us have grown. Soon we'll have to reform to survive. Even the leaders will see it. I know the majority of our parishioners already do, not that they'd ever tell the leaders. Maybe I should join John's movement. It might be the only way to rescue my image. I could also be a real asset to the reformation. I was just planning to keep following the crowd and doing what's most acceptable, but now that I know how far things have spread...
Tom shook his head. No. It was better not to even think about it. It was too risky. His marriage was more important anyway. Besides, Tom told himself, I can solve that on my own. I don't need anyone's help. I just need my Viagra.
Fifteen minutes later, after he found the empty bottle, Tom was back downstairs. He had gone upstairs to try talking to Katie anyway and found her already asleep. Now he was digging through his address book.
I have to call Erika, Tom thought as he scanned the pages. I have no choice. I have to put all my personal feelings aside and find out what she can do. John mentioning her was some kind of sign. Here's the number. I haven't talked to her in forever. I hope she's in a good mood.
Tom picked up the phone, again engaged his jammer, and started tapping digits. As the phone started ringing, he gave himself a prayer.
London, England.
"Yes!" Erika Christensen was screaming thousands of miles away. "Yes! Ah! Fuck me!"
The two people lying on either side of her obliged, thrusting their naked bodies harder against Erika's and increasing the motions of their fingers. The twenty-something actress gasped at the sensations, shaking her long vivid auburn curls. Her deep blue eyes shone bright and her porcelain skin was suffused with rapture. Her energetic voluptuous figure was sandwiched between a gorgeous man and woman. The couple continued kissing her and each other. Both were smiling and sweating with the emotion of their deeds.
We've been close so long, Erika thought as she returned their caresses. Keri Russell, the thin lightly tanned brunette whose naked body is pressed against the front of mine, was my co-star in "The Upside of Anger". She didn't know what to make of me at first back when we met in 2003. Some might even say she hated me. In one day, we got close and that all changed. With the help of others, we became friends and lovers. We've connected several times in the years since the film wrapped and maintained our relationship. Many others, men and women, have joined us in lovemaking and taken pleasure from the experience.
The man rubbing himself over Erika's back, Keri's husband Shane Deary, was no exception to that rule. Erika had gotten to know Shane shortly after Keri started dating him three years ago. She admired his handsome face, lean carpenter's muscles, and long black hair and beard. He liked her too, attracted by her beauty and brazen spirit. However, the man was nuts about Keri and vice versa, so Erika knew she would have no chance trying to pick him up.
They stayed friends nonetheless and Shane was thrilled when he found out that Keri and Erika were both bisexual swingers. This led to the three of them getting it on many times. Keri and Shane were one of several couples whose marriages Erika spiced up on a regular basis. Such activity was fun for them and her. She herself did not want to get married. Erika found staying single more convenient for her sexual connections. That might change someday, she thought, if I found the right guy.
"Yes!" she cried out again as Keri twisted her left nipple. Shane twisted her right one an instant later. They continued squeezing until both Erika's pink breasts were gleaming red. Keri, her cheeks puffed in a smile, leaned down and suckled them.
"Thanks again for suggesting this vacation to us," she said after releasing the nipples. Erika's fellow actress licked her cleavage and then leaned up and kissed her lips. "It's really great."
"Yeah," Erika agreed.
They were in London to visit a man who had been instrumental in forming Keri and Erika's relationship. The manager of a popular Soho nightspot, he had hired Shane's construction company to do some renovations. As an American contractor, Keri's husband was nervous about taking a job overseas. Character references from Keri and Erika convinced him saying yes was a good idea. The job had finished last week but it would be a few more days before the unveiling. Keri and Erika both flew in to attend and Shane too was sticking around.
Sticking around hard, Erika thought. She could feel Shane's erection against her pelvis. The club, "Inside Out", was among other things a swinger's haven. The manager kept a number of private suites for secure meetings. Erika and Keri had taken advantage of them many times.
"Nice work on the floor, Shane," Erika said to Keri's husband. She knocked her fist against the wood beneath their bodies.
"I installed this room's entire floor myself," Shane replied with a chuckle. "Now I'm going to fuck you on it."
"Don't forget about your wife," Keri said. She leaned around Erika and smacked Shane's lips with hers. "You're fucking me on this floor too."
"Right," Shane said, kissing Keri back. "And after we get done with this lovely lady, I got plans for you involving another floor in the room next door and the shower in the room across the hall from this one."
"Oh boy," Keri breathed, squeezing his bicep. Her long cinnamon tresses, made famous in the Warner Brothers hit TV series "Felicity", shook as she moved her body further towards his.
Erika caressed Keri's small brown breasts, reminding Keri she was with them. Her girlfriend grinned in apology, then moved back to Erika and again kissed her mouth. They deepened their embrace with each other and Shane. Keri rubbed the dark wet triangle between her legs against Erika's thigh. Erika felt the dampness in her own pussy's fertile blonde mound increase. Keri moved up on her and Erika leaned in to lap her tits. The points of Keri's nipples stabbed hard at Erika's mouth.
Shane licked her left ear, rubbing his erection against her rump in the same motion. Erika nodded in permission. Keri's husband was wearing a cherry-flavored condom his wife had rolled on a few minutes ago with her lips and tongue. Shane had fucked Erika in the ass several times. He knew how to do it in a way that gave her maximum pleasure. Her cunt had already tasted his erection once tonight and so had her mouth.
Erika and Keri had varied the caliber of their attentions towards Shane throughout this, maintaining his hardness and preventing him from coming. The moment of release was near, though. Erika knew not even a team like her and Keri could stave things off forever.
Let him spurt where he likes best in me, she decided. Then I'll leave Shane and Keri alone so he can fuck her in all the places he just described.
Shane put his arms around Keri and Erika, pulling their bodies closer to his. Keri put one hand on his chest and put her other hand at the juncture of Erika's thighs. Her fingers wiggled in Erika's slit. Knowing what Shane intended, Keri gathered Erika's juice and spread it over Erika's ass. She also pushed her girlfriend's legs open, all the while kissing her lips and cheeks. Erika directed a patient smile at Keri's gray eyes.
"I can't hold off too long," Shane said with a gasp. His fingers rubbed Keri and Erika's tits.
"One second," Keri told him. She gripped her husband's cock and squeezed it, testing the fullness. "Okay. Now." She pressed the organ into the crack of Erika's rump.
Erika widened her stance and Shane thrust forward. Erika gasped and clenched her teeth as she took him inside. "Yes," she said when Shane's length was fully within her. "Right there. You're hitting it. Keep at it."
Shane nodded and continued thrusting back and forth into her. His breath was heavy on the back of Erika's neck. At Erika's front, Keri exchanged another kiss with her and then curled her fingers inside Erika's pussy into a clenched fist. Erika screamed again as the fist was pushed hard into her, her body filled with sweet agony at both ends.
The trio of lovers breathed deep and moaned as they continued to move. Shane speared his manhood into Erika and Keri matched every motion with her fist. They could feel each other through the thin wall of flesh between Erika's pussy and ass canals. Their cooperation in pleasuring her was thrilling to both of them. Erika felt a growing tremor in her own body.
Keri kissed her throat, moving down on her torso, and the throbbing increased. Erika twisted her torso around, keeping Keri's fist inside her as she did. She, Shane, and Keri moved harder against one another, their bodies quivering on the bare wood floor. Keri shook her fist back and forth, pounding the walls of Erika's pussy. She only withdrew her fingers when her more talented tongue was in position to take their place.
Erika wailed as the point of that tongue hit her clit and set it vibrating. Shane pushed into her ass particularly hard an instant later and she came, juice flooding into Keri's mouth. Keri swallowed the stream, her hands fondling Erika's legs to increase her girlfriend's pleasure. Her breath was warm on Erika's snatch. Her hard breasts were rubbing Erika's torso and Shane's hands were caressing them both. Keri's cunt was near her face, Erika noticed. She leaned in and licked it, heart hammering hard.
"Yes," Shane whispered as he nailed her behind. "Yes! Here it comes!" He hunched into Erika and ejaculated. Erika smiled and shook as she felt the spurts. She slid her tongue faster along Keri's rough slit. Then, feeling her heartbeat quiet, she leaned into Keri and took the other woman's clit bud between her teeth.
"Ah!" Keri yelled, her body shaking at the bite. She climaxed a second later as Erika opened her mouth and again thrust her tongue into Keri's snatch. Erika lapped up the first stream of juices and then moved her head to the side so Shane could catch the remainder. Keri moaned in joy.
The three cuddled with each other as their bodies settled down. Shane pulled out of Erika and then hugged her. He rubbed her thighs, easing their soreness. Erika and Keri moved their lips back next to one another's and shared several kisses with each other and Shane.
"You know, guys," Erika said once the making out ended, "maybe I need to see that other floor too, and that shower."
"Sorry, lovely," Shane replied, kissing her forehead. "My wife has first dibs."
"We will show you later, though," Keri promised. She pecked the tip of Erika's nose and her girlfriend beamed.
The loud chords of the Star Wars Imperial March shattered the moment. Shane and Keri glared at Erika, who was startled by the trumpeting sounds.
"You left your cell phone on?" Keri asked Erika, rolling her eyes. "You are such a nitwit!"
"I'm sorry!" I suppose I was absentminded in my excitement tonight, Erika thought. Then again, I don't have any clients scheduled. That's my "potential trouble" ringtone too. Who could it be? Pushing away from Shane and Keri, she rolled over to their nearby discarded clothes. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and took out her phone. "Erika Christensen," she answered the caller, catching them just before her voice mail could pick up. "This better be important."
"Erika, it's Tom," a stammering voice replied. "Tom Cruise."
Erika blinked. Tom Cruise was an old friend of her family and a follower of the same church but they had not spoken to each other in several months. We're not always on good terms when we do speak either, she recalled. That's why I assigned him that ringtone. I wonder what the hell he wants. "Hi, Tom, how you been?"
"Okay. Um, look, I'll come right to the point. I need a favor."
Erika frowned and looked towards Keri and Shane. They were kissing each other and settling into a new coupling, both ignoring her. She glared at them and then turned her attention back to the phone. "Go ahead."
"Katie and I are on the rocks. You've probably heard all the nasty rumors about us and I can confirm most of them. John tells me you're a relationship counselor."
"Yeah, I am," Erika answered, surprised. "John told you?"
"He's depressed over his son."
"I know. I was at the wake. We missed you."
"Sorry I had to be in L.A. John's okay, I think. Do you agree?"
"I hope he's all right. I'm more concerned about Kelly. Their son died suddenly of a terrible illness. It will take them time to get over what happened."
"Sure." Tom coughed. "Look, what's this about you being a counselor? It's why I called."
"It's a sideline I took up recently. I keep getting independent film roles that don't go very far, so I thought — wait. Are you asking me to take you on as a client?"
"Yes. The main problem is that Katie's distant from me. She's happy some of the time, the sex is great, but she won't let me get close to her or tell me what the deal is. I sort of drove off all the friends Katie has that are her age. John thinks that's an issue, and I, well, I guess I have to agree."
Erika grimaced. This call was much unexpected, she thought. I've met Tom's wife Katie Holmes a few times. I watched her show "Dawson's Creek", and a few of her movies. I think she's a talented actress, though not quite at my level. We know each other but I wouldn't call us friends even if I do drop her name now and then to meet people. Katie keeps herself closed off from everyone or at least I got that impression. Why does Tom think she would want to be friends with me?
"John says you know some kind of counseling that's not like what we've been doing," Tom continued. "He says it helped him and Kelly and also Will and Jada. Can you try it with me and Katie? How much do you charge?"
"Uh..." Erika blinked. She looked at Keri and Shane again and found neither was paying her any attention. Instead, they were in a deep embrace with each other. Shane was licking his wife's breasts.
Erika turned her face from the tantalizing sight and focused on the call. I need to get rid of Tom, she mused, before he comes to his senses. "I would have to insist on taking your case pro bono, Tom. I do that with all my clients. I'm just starting out in private counseling, so I don't want people expecting too much of me. You can pay me whatever you want after I'm finished if I help you, but I don't want you to feel pressured. Okay?"
"All right," Tom answered, surprised. "Listen, this has been going on for years. It's really frustrating me. I need you to start immediately."
"Tom, I'm in London right now. I'm here for another two weeks and then I have a movie shooting in Toronto. I can't just clear my schedule for you. Unless..." I want to help him a little if I can, she mused. Tom's a strict jerk but he's not really a bad person. He's the sort you always want on your good side, a friend when he is and an asshole when he's not. I'm not sure I can help him but I want to try. "You can come to me."
There was a long pause before Tom responded. "Do you know how busy I am? I run my own film studio, Erika. I have meetings every day. I can't fly across the world at the drop of a hat!"
"I see. In that case, let me give you the name of a great counselor I know in L.A."
"No!" Tom snapped. "I know you and I don't know them. I don't want this going any further." He took a deep breath. "Erika, despite all the flak between us, I trust you. Some consider you a negative influence. I've never thought that, though. Remember when I referenced you to Jodie Foster five years ago?"
"Yes. You also referenced me to Michael Douglas and Steven Soderbergh in 1999." The references had led to "Traffic" and "Flightplan", two of Erika's most popular films.
"So you know I don't think you're a bad person." Tom's tone made Erika think he was convincing himself of that. "I need you on this." There was another pause. "I can't come to you myself but maybe I can send Katie to you."
The control freak strikes again, Erika thought. Does he really think acting like this ever helps?
"You say you're in London? I can put Katie and three people on a plane tomorrow."
Damn it, Erika swore to herself. He's serious. "Tom, no handlers! She has to come alone and of her own free will."
"Erika, I don't think you realize how much the tabloids follow us. Katie and I are very popular. Without handlers —"
"They'll get in the way, Tom!" Erika interrupted him. She realized she had no choice other than to go through with things. "It's my tech. I know how it works."
There was an additional pause, the longest so far. "Fine," Tom said finally. "I'll warn Katie to be careful. Can I reach you at this number? The first number I tried didn't work, so I had to call your mother."
"This number's fine. Can I call you back? I'm in the middle of something right now."
"No problem. Just one more thing. Erika, I've heard a lot of rumors about you. I'm not going to ask what's true and what isn't. I have to say this, though. I don't know how exactly you counsel people but you are professional, right?"
Erika forced down a tide of anger. "Tom, if you're saying what I think you're saying, you need not worry. I usually don't sleep with my clients."
"Good. You will not sleep with Katie."
"Of course not," Erika replied with a snarl.
"Right," Tom said. He sighed. "We'll speak again after I talk to Katie and book her flight. Listen, Erika..."
"Yes?"
"Thank you." The connection ended with a click.
Erika looked at her phone, disbelieving that the call had really happened. She then put the phone down and turned back to Keri and Shane. They were still screwing, their bodies entwined around one another. Both were sighing in happiness and flushed with sweat. Erika hated to spoil their mood but she knew she would need their help. Theirs and that of several others in this building who know Tom and me, she thought. It's good they're all in town.
"Keri!"
The other actress looked up from kissing her husband. "What?"
Erika took a breath before challenging the storm in Keri's gray eyes. "Do you remember 'Mission Impossible 3'?"
"Yes," Keri replied with a frown. "What about it?"
"Yes, Erika, what?" said Shane. Erika ignored his perturbed glower.
"Your co-star just called me," she told Keri.
"Tom?" Keri blinked. "That Tom?" She had once idolized Tom Cruise, and enjoyed a brief working friendship with him on the set of their action thriller. I didn't like everything about him, though, Keri recalled, especially the publicity that followed him around. I had a bad experience when some of it rubbed off on me. She also remembered Tom and Erika were very different people. "Did he want something from you?"
Erika nodded. "You're not going to believe this. We need to convene on this — now."
Some hours later, they were all in the Inside Out club manager's office. The room was large, clean, and full of books and knickknacks. A black leather couch, a mahogany coffee table, and four red felt visitors' chairs sat near the huge oak desk. A large window along the east wall showed a panoramic view of the city of London and several of its most famous landmarks. The most dominant was the clock tower Big Ben.
Erika, Keri, and Shane were clothed in white T-shirts and jeans and occupied three of the visitors' chairs. A curvy blonde woman in a black dress sat on the office couch next to a fresh-faced brown-haired man in a tan suit. Seated on the man's other side was a tall pale red-haired woman with sparkling brown eyes and slim figure who wore a sky blue blouse and white pants. The club's manager, Doug Ramsay, was in a black leather chair behind the desk. He was a stocky thirty-year old with rugged good looks, thick dark blond hair, and glasses. He wore a brick red button-down shirt, a pine-colored jacket, and stonewashed jeans. A tall bald black man in a gray pullover, tan coat and urban camouflage pants stood to his right.
"So Tom Cruise wants you to help him," the redhead, Alicia Witt, said to Erika. Like Keri and Erika, she was an actress who had starred in "The Upside of Anger". Alicia's relationship with Erika had been going on almost eight years. It was Tom, Alicia's co-star in "Vanilla Sky", who first introduced her to Erika and Alicia was familiar with their issues. "Why do you want to do anything for that man?" she asked.
"He needs me," Erika said with a shrug. She looked at the blonde, Hollywood A-list actress Scarlett Johansson. "Katie needs me too. You remember how Tom met her, right?"
"Yes," Scarlett said with a groan. "That awful woman from your church set things up. Tom wanted a wife but no one wanted him. Then several actresses respond to a phony film audition, including me. They tested us for compatibility with Tom. You were on the list too, but you didn't show up because the Friendship tipped you off. I realized what was going on and they trashed me in the yellow press. Stop that!"
The man beside her reversed his grin. "Sorry."
Scarlett laughed as she recovered. "Then Katie scores high and they introduce her to Tom. The fake movie falls through, and they get together. Rumors come out in the years after that and their stars go down."
"Thanks for the recap," Erika said. I'm glad Scarlett already knew me before that happened, she added to herself. I'm also glad she judges people as individuals, like everyone else in this room. Scarlett knows I'm not the same as the people who set up that audition or Tom. We wouldn't be friends if I was.
"I understand your sympathy with him, Erika," said the man seated next to Scarlett, her husband Ryan Reynolds. Like Erika and Alicia, Ryan was an actor who had appeared in many hit TV shows and films. "I've met Tom Cruise on a few occasions. He can act nuts but he's not a bad guy."
"I think he is," Shane said. "Keri introduced us at a party last year and he totally treated me as disposable."
"He drops that if you're around him enough," Keri said. "I saw it myself during our film. Tom's publicist handed you that pamphlet, not him." She saw no change in Shane's expression and grimaced. "I'm sorry, Erika."
"It's okay," Erika replied. "I am aware of how Tom and his associates can be." Tom likes to project a certain image in public, she reflected. He tries to live a strict interpretation of Scientology and sell it to others. He surrounds himself with people who are similar in their actions and values.
Erika shared Tom's religion but she followed its teachings in a far more liberal manner. She preferred to live the good she saw in her beliefs and avoid the practices with which she found fault. She also kept herself open to friendship with anyone. Rarely would Erika mention her faith to others unprompted and she always tried her best to respect views that were not her own. When she saw disrespect for her creed in other people, she taught them how their opinions were in error rather than prove them right by distancing herself. Keri was among her successes at this course.
This attitude towards life had molded Erika into the free-spirited polyamorous woman she was and she was happy with her character. However, the attitude also led to many differences between Erika and people like Tom. Erika was able to tolerate such conflicts in part because she knew she was not the only adversary of Tom and his fellow zealots.
"They're not our allies," Shane repeated, turning to Doug. "You know that."
Doug laced his fingers and brow. In addition to a club manager and popular novel writer, he was a prominent leader of a worldwide secret society known as the Friendship. Everyone in the room was a member of that group and so were many other people from all walks of life. The Friendship's connections and influence were of great benefit to those within and to others. The society was dedicated to the sharing of knowledge for mankind's benefit and the promotion of freedom and charity towards all. The stances it took on these issues had made it many enemies, though. Among them were several leaders of Tom and Erika's church.
"Scientology has never been a perfect ally to us," Doug said, giving Erika an apologetic glance. "The leaders say they share our aims but their actions often prove otherwise. Many of their practices are controversial and we've never liked how they treat those they perceive as enemies. Their church's founder also stole a lot of knowledge from us and corrupted it for his own use. Many people in the Friendship have issue with that."
The club manager changed his expression, seeing his lover's downcast eyes. "However, as you know, we've always maintained sympathy with the people inside the church, in particular those who share our values and follow through on them. Some of these are members of both Scientology and the Friendship. They include you, Erika, and Tom Cruise too. We stand by these people as we would anybody. Every person has a right to find benefit in religious beliefs, no matter how crazy those views may seem. We have to respect and support that right."
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement and Doug continued. "Tom Cruise joined our society in the early 1980s. We helped him achieve his early success. Then he married Mimi Rogers, she led him to Scientology, and his involvement with the Friendship tapered off. We've never forgotten him, though, even if he has forgotten about us."
"I didn't know," Erika said with a blink.
"You didn't need to know."
His words hurt Erika and her face told him so. He gave her a deep look of sorrow and she nodded in forgiveness. Doug was one of Erika's biggest fans and the closest thing she had to a regular boyfriend. She had met him in 2003 when she and Alicia saw and became intrigued by his club during a night out in Soho. Erika and Doug became fast friends and lovers a few weeks later. If not for their busy lives keeping them apart, Erika mused, they might even be more.
Both were members of the Friendship when they met but Doug had been inside longer and was of higher rank. His intelligence and creativity had caught the society's attention at a young age and promotion was swift. Doug's club and his duties as a Friendship Viceroy demanded much. He also had other women besides Erika in his life. They were the type to sometimes feel jealousy even though Erika was good friends and lovers with most of them. Doug did his best to keep them all as balanced as he could.
"Katie Holmes is not one of us," Doug went on, "although I myself would welcome her. We're going to help both her and her husband."
"Why?" Alicia asked with a shrug. "Just let them break up."
"Alicia!" Erika stared at the redhead. "Just because you can't maintain a lasting relationship is no reason to neglect and sabotage those of other people!"
Alicia glared at Erika, not liking the airing of her negative personal life. "I've gotten close a few times," she said. "It's not my fault my boyfriends keep turning into jerks or deciding they can't handle my fame compared to theirs."
"We're going to help Tom and Katie," Doug repeated. He looked around the room, locking gazes with everyone. "Erika, are you sure Tom's serious about this?"
"He called me again five minutes before this meeting," Erika said in confirmation. "Katie's coming here the day after tomorrow. She'll be landing at Heathrow around ten a.m."
"Okay then. That gives us just enough time to prepare. I contacted some Friends in your church's ministry right after you asked me to organize this meeting. I told them our helping Tom and Katie could be of benefit to the reformation in your church, something we support. After much convincing, they forwarded these documents." Doug tapped two red folders on his desk. "I have here personality profiles of Tom and Katie, including what Scientology knows of their sexual histories."
Scarlett directed a hard look towards Erika. "Don't your people know keeping files like that is illegal?"
"If these files weren't consensually gathered and supposedly secret they would be illegal," Erika answered Scarlett with a groan.
All followers of Erika's church were encouraged to submit to having such files made out. The official reasons were so that any minister could know as much as possible about any parishioner's personality and thus serve as their effective confessor and life coach. In reality, the information in the files was often used to harm the followers of Scientology as much as it was used to their benefit. Thanks to foresight and a series of deft political maneuvers, Erika avoided the practice for the most part. What information was in her widely available file was bleak. She only shared her life's full details with people she trusted, and they kept her secrets classified. For most Scientologists involved in the organization's shadow reformation this was an increasing trend.
I wouldn't be surprised if a fanatic fool like Tom told everyone everything about him, though, Erika thought. I'm sure his file is detailed as heck.
"And let me remind you," Erika told Scarlett, "the people who use these files to harm others are not like me."
"Sorry," Scarlett said. "I know you're not the same as other people in your religion and you're among those who are working to change things for the better. This is bringing back bad memories. That's all."
"You don't have to apologize," Erika told her, sighing again. "I was born into this church. I know what some people in it are."
All my life, she thought, they've tried to control me and make me like them. Never have they succeeded. That is in part thanks to my learning too well their creed of self-determination and self-acceptance and in larger part thanks to my friends.
"I'm doing this as a favor to Tom," she said, turning back to Doug. "I don't know if I can really do anything and I guess I don't care. Nevertheless I'm going to try."
Doug nodded and gave her a proud smile. "I will help you. Check out those files. They're pretty interesting. Everyone, remember, though — the information does not leave this room."
Erika looked through Tom's file first. It was as comprehensive as she feared it would be. There was great discussion of his past wives, Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman, and many of his girlfriends also. No mention of a gay relationship, Erika noted. I guess there really is no truth to that rumor. However, the file does say Tom and Nicole used to swing with John Travolta and his wife Kelly. I didn't know that. Tom also has erectile dysfunction. That doesn't surprise me. She skimmed the file one last time and then passed it to a curious Scarlett and Ryan. Thanks to Tom's publicity and Erika's acquaintance with him there wasn't much in the file she didn't already know.
Katie's file was thinner but far more interesting. Most of it was "yes" or "no" responses to questions she had answered without giving further information. She claims to have had both male and female lovers, Erika noted. Never does she say who or how many, though. I know all too well how probing the questionnaires that lead to these files can be, so Katie must be a more determined person than I thought. She beamed in surprise and then handed the file to Keri, who was giving her an odd look.
"You'd never catch me submitting to one of those files," Shane declared. "Who do these people think they are, shrinks?"
"Hey, religious ministers have been counseling people since long before psychology existed as a profession," said Ryan. "Scientologists are just newer and better about writing stuff down." He chuckled. "Still, though, I don't think I'd ever want them probing me either." Scarlett's husband looked at Erika. "Present company excluded."
"Thanks," Erika said. She gave Ryan a grin and then looked at Doug. "Is there anyone we can call who knows Katie? Her family? A former boyfriend?"
"I'll check my contacts," Doug answered. He again looked around the room at everyone. "Can we count on all of you?"
Alicia coughed. "I'm not getting involved in this. I have too many failed relationships to ever be a good marriage counselor. If you want my advice, though, Erika, it's yours."
"Thanks," Erika said. Besides Doug, Alicia was her smartest friend. Erika was sure that the redhead would have good ideas on how to help Katie and Tom if she would just put her personal disappointments aside.
"Ryan and I can't stay," said Scarlett. "We have that premiere in Rome this weekend. Our plane leaves tonight and we won't be back until Friday. Sorry, Erika."
"Yeah, we're really sorry," Ryan chimed in. "I think we would enjoy getting further involved in this."
Erika smiled in understanding. She knew she had their emotional support if not their presence. She glanced towards Shane and Keri.
Keri opened her mouth to speak first but Shane interrupted her. "I'm not getting involved in this, period!" he shouted. "As far as I'm concerned, people like Tom Cruise deserve whatever messes they put in their lives. They join a stupid alien cult that charges them thousands of dollars to break up their families and fill their heads with bullshit. Then they expect other people to listen to their crap and follow them. If they try to leave, they get harassed and blackmailed. If they say anything about what they suffer, things get worse. The cult of Scientology hurts people, inside it and outside it. We should just let them all rot."
"Shane!" Keri shouted, grabbing her husband's arm. Shane immediately shut his mouth and looked at her. "Think about what you're saying," Keri said in a careful serious voice. "Does every Scientologist you know support that image? There's one in this room who doesn't. She lets you call her 'lovely'."
Yeah, Shane, Erika thought, her face red with fury. Only years of training in how to manage her temper was keeping her from blowing her stack.
That and I know why he feels the way he does, Erika told herself. I've seen all the websites out there that denounce my religion. I know about the awful things some of our leaders have done and compelled others to do. I hate that those things have happened and continue to occur, but the assumptions people get about them sting even worse. Why do people have to assume all Scientologists are involved in bad stuff? Why do they think we're all the same? Why do they think we can't learn from our mistakes? Every religion has a dark side that its followers have to move past if they want to be good people. We're no exception and we too could probably fix ourselves the way the others are doing if we were only given the chance.
Shane looked at her as Keri glared at him. "Erika, I'm sorry," he said, repentant. "I know you're not part of the problem. You're a good friend to Keri and me. You always have been. I apologize."
Erika took a moment before responding. Everyone else in the room was too startled or angry to fill the void. "Thank you, Shane," Erika said when she found the right words. "You reminded me why Tom and people like him annoy the fuck out of me. It says in our church creed we're supposed to refrain from prejudice and respect others' right to freedom of thought. 'No authority less than God' can revoke that right. The high officials of Scientology have placed themselves above it, though, and Tom is their voluntary shill. I refuse to be the same."
Shane raised his eyebrows. "You really feel that way? Then why do you stay with them?"
"Because," Erika said with a shrug, "I'm not like them and I want to remind them of that. Scientology doesn't have to be about putting yourself ahead of others or harming others. The way I practice it, it's not. If I don't show the fanatics a better way to be than the way that has led to rants like the one you just gave, I can't ever expect them to grow past their negative qualities. My family and thousands of other people in my church, including many of the ministers, feel the same way as I do. We're not always allowed to act on our feelings but when we can, we do. You may not think people pay attention to us but they do, and sometimes they follow our example. We're not as stupid as some people think we are."
"I know," Shane said. "You're living proof of that. It's just..." He looked away. "I think I'll shut up before I hang myself again."
"Yeah," Keri said with a chuckle. "That sounds like a great idea, dear."
Shane's wife crossed her arms. "I apologize for my husband, Erika. If you need my help on this, you have it. The way I see things, Tom has a lot of influence in your religion and in the world. This is an opportunity for you to help him change his life for the better, and Katie's also. I've seen how they are together. If you can help them, I say Godspeed."
"Thank you," Erika said, eased by Keri's words.
"No problem. I just wish there were more people in Scientology like you and not like those who give it a bad name." Keri looked back at her spouse.
Shane returned her grimace. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "If you want to help them, fine. If you think there's something I can do, just ask me."
"Okay," Erika said. "For now you've done enough." She turned away from him and looked at the black man standing beside Doug, the one person in the room who had so far remained quiet. "What about you, Clarke?" she asked. "Do you have any thoughts on this?"
Inside Out's security chief smiled. "Actually I do, Erika," he said. "I have something of a history with your people. I'm originally from South Africa. Until about twenty years ago, stupid racists dominated the government of that country. The whites in charge denied people with my skin color education, health care and all sorts of other things because they wanted us to be a laboring class and nothing else. The government called this scheme 'apartheid' and it lasted centuries."
"I'm familiar with that system," Erika said, startled. She had learned about apartheid in school growing up but had not known of Clarke's past involvement with it until now.
"In the 1970s," Clarke said, "about twenty years before the South African government ended their program of segregation, some people within your church began opposing it. They took in poor families, no matter their skin color, and gave them schooling and jobs. My parents and I were among those families. Followers of your church helped my people, Erika, and some never charged a dime for it either. When my parents decided to leave your church, they did so in peace. I went with them. I never really fit in with Scientology and I didn't want to stay. I'm sorry I never told you before."
"This story is BS!" Shane interrupted. "Ron Hubbard was a racist. It's well-documented."
"I wouldn't know about that guy," Clarke replied. "I never met him. His disciples who assisted my family weren't racists. That was for sure."
Taking a breath, the Bushman bouncer looked at Shane. "You may be aware from those websites you've read that Erika's church didn't speak against apartheid in public until after it was already struck down. That's because they were afraid. The South African government had come close to outlawing them once and then they didn't. The church didn't want to risk upsetting the government with open challenge. They didn't want bad public relations with rich whites either. Therefore, all the things Scientology did to oppose apartheid before it was over were in the shadows and behind the scenes. I know about them because I was a victim they helped. I have sent my story to a hundred websites and not one has accepted it. 'Conflicts with the church's true image' is the reason I usually get. Other people say I'm a liar. What do you think?"
Shane said nothing.
Clarke smirked. "Only after the South African government came to see how terrible racism is did Erika's church dare to openly act out. They gathered data on some of apartheid's worst abuses and made it public. The resulting political activism led to numerous reforms in South Africa's mental health care system. Scientologists continue to work in my nation today to further education and human rights and to combat discrimination and illegal drug use."
He directly faced Erika. "As a citizen of South Africa, I figure I owe your church something for that. I don't think I should wait until they learn to fix more of their problems to help them either. Erika, if you want my aid in assisting Tom and Katie, you can count on me."
"Thank you, Clarke," Doug said. He smiled at the many surprised looks in the room.
"Yes," Erika agreed. "Thank you."
Why is it, she asked herself, that so few people remember that my faith, like all good religions, is trying to make the world a better place for all mankind? Yes, we're human, so we don't always succeed. Yes, we have bad people within our ranks. But there are good people too and they do good things. Why does everyone seem to notice what the bad people do more than that?
The others in the room continued talking while these thoughts ran through Erika's head. Doug took charge and laid out several plans.
"Many critics compare the Church of Scientology to the Nazi Party of the Second World War," he told Shane. "Are you aware that many people in the Nazi Party hated Hitler and the war and wanted to get out from under them? Some tried. There were multiple plots within Germany to overthrow Hitler's dictatorship before the war ended. Most of these were supported by us."
"Last month Tom Cruise did a movie about one," Shane recollected. "Your point?"
"There are people in Scientology who feel the same way as those people in the Nazi Party. They hate and fear their church leaders for all the reasons you know. The trouble is, many of them are afraid to leave or they actually see good things in their religion and want to keep following it. They're like Martin Luther and other Christians who historically rebelled against the medieval Catholic Church. You know about that?"
Shane nodded and Doug went on. "Our society assists these people. The ones who want to get out and who can, we help. Those who want to stay in and keep their own conscience, like Erika, we also aid. The Church of Scientology is a religion, not a government. It requires far more tact to handle than the Nazi Party did. We've also learned from our mistakes with the Nazis and our successes with the Russian Soviets and the South Africans. What we're doing to fix Scientology and help its followers may take a long time, but I hope it will succeed. We've already made some strides and intend to continue."
Shane looked at his wife. "Did you know about this?"
"Yes," said Keri. "I was figuring out a way to tell you. I was like you when I first met Erika. I only knew the negative image of her and I wouldn't allow myself to be proactive. Sometimes discriminating critics have to be helped more than troubled Scientologists have to be. Ignorance is never a good thing."
Shane frowned, seeing the expression in her eyes. "Look, I said I was sorry, okay?"
The others in the room shook their heads at him and turned away. "Clarke, I'm putting you on another special assignment," Doug told his security chief. "You're tasked with Katie's security. Find Frank Martin. You two will pick Katie up at the airport." Frank Martin was a London cabbie well known for his professional discretion. Doug often employed him as a transporter for customers who needed special care.
"You got it, Deputy Doug," Clarke said.
Doug turned back to Erika. "Whatever resources Inside Out has are at your disposal. I'll have a suite cleaned and prepared for your talks with Katie when she arrives."
"Just a meeting room," Erika told him. "I won't be getting that close to her. Tom insisted on that."
"Very well." Doug's voice was disappointed. "Keri, can you make one of your pies in the kitchen?"
"Sure," Keri replied. "Good luck, Erika." The other people in the room expressed similar wishes.
"Thanks," Erika addressed all of them. "I still don't really know this girl. I may need it."
Two Days Later.
"Yes!" Katie Holmes whispered. "Yes! Oh god!"
She shut her lips, remembering her surroundings. Katie was in an airplane bathroom and even though she wasn't sure anyone on the plane had recognized her she didn't want to be noticed. I won't worry about it, she told herself after no one answered her cries. I'm alone for the first time in a long while. I'm going to enjoy myself. Twitching her body and leaning against the wall of the plane, she pushed the pink eight-inch vibrator deeper into her shaven cunt.
Shaking her shoulder length dark hair, Katie tensed her tanned svelte body. Her body was built up from the three to four mile runs she completed several times a week. These times were often when Katie did her best thinking. Her flight had been long and after sleeping and reading through most of it, Katie felt the need to think hard about her situation. It was not advisable to jog while on board a plane, though. Sexual exertion in the bathroom was the next best thing.
Katie squeezed her small breasts through her violet blouse and turned her vibrator to a higher setting. She had thought getting the toy onto the plane would be difficult. An airport security officer spotted it in her purse but let Katie go with little more than a knowing look after getting her autograph. Now Katie was using the toy for the first time during the flight. She had dropped her jeans and panties to her ankles, parted her long slim legs, and shoved the pink cylinder deep within her pussy. Her tan skin was flushed with excitement and her brown eyes were open wide. Moving the vibrator back and forth, she hunched her hips and moaned.
My publicity handlers would kill me if they knew if I was doing this, Katie thought, chuckling to herself. Tom would be shocked too. Oh well, he can't always do it for me and when he can't I use Pinky.
"Narf!" she hissed to herself, imagining the vibrator speaking to her as one of her favorite animated characters. "Poit! Zort!" She thrust the toy against her recessed clit.
Katie was on the plane at her husband's request. She was aware of how people saw her relationship with Tom Cruise but she treasured it. He had been one of her greatest childhood crushes and getting to date him was a dream come true. He never spurned on romance, running and lying with her on Italian beaches and proposing to her atop the Eiffel Tower. He had given Katie hope after her previous boyfriends outgrew her and she them. Most important, he gave Katie a beautiful daughter and two other kids to whom she was happy to be a cool stepmom. Tom was handsome, attentive and a gentle caring lover. Katie appreciated it all.
I know he also has another side, though, Katie thought as she gasped and sat down on the room's closed toilet. Tom has been isolated all his life, even when he's in a crowd of people. His father abandoned him when he was growing up and ever since, he's been looking for new things to lead him. These have included movie producers, girlfriends, and controversial religions. The conflict within Tom makes him want to control everything in his life and I don't think he will ever escape that. It has all kinds of consequences. I've seen them firsthand and gotten hurt.
Despite all this, Katie reflected further, I still want to preserve our relationship. My father and brother are both divorce attorneys. Growing up, I met their clients. I don't want my daughter turning out like some of the children. I don't want to end up like some of the women either, although I will if it becomes clear that's the way it has to be. Tom gave me a lucrative prenuptial agreement, so I know he understands.
In return, Katie understood that she had to make certain sacrifices to be with him. She had to give up the friends Tom didn't like, most of her free time and a few of her dreams. Would I have achieved those hopes anyway? Katie sometimes questioned. My show was over before I met Tom and my movie career was a string of critical bombs. The fans loved me but would I have found success again? I don't know. I got my spouse and our family, though. That will suffice.
Again squeezing her taut breasts, Katie let out a moan. Pinky the vibrator and her body's sensations were sparking the thoughts in her mind she'd hoped they would. Clenching her jaw, she shook her body and knocked her head against the wall. Juice was leaking out of her pussy in a steady stream, coating Pinky and her hand.
"Troz!" Katie hissed. She turned up the toy's intensity.
Ever since Tom had presented the ticket to her yesterday morning, all through the flight, Katie had pondered whether she was doing the right thing. She had protested at first. She did not want to get onto a plane without her husband after they had concluded a trial separation and fly halfway around the world to see a counselor Tom refused to see himself. In the end, though, Katie gave in. She wanted to restore happiness to their relationship and felt she had no choice but to do as advised. Tom had told Katie little about the counselor, only that she was a woman and "someone different".
She'd better be, Katie thought. I can't take any more people who think they can tell us how to live our lives. Especially not people like that woman he installed as my publicity adviser after we started dating, who manipulated my insecurities whenever we spoke. I thank God every day that Jessica's gone.
Pinky twitched in her fingers and Katie pushed the toy deeper inside herself. She pinched her nipples and groaned. "Ahh!"
Is this the right thing? Katie wondered. Will my fans appreciate that I'm doing this? Will my children? Will Tom, even though this was his idea?
Never mind, she decided, squeezing her vibrator. The lives of two people may not amount to a hill of beans to most of this crazy world, but they do to me. If there's a chance I can learn how to fix the problems in my life I will take it. That's why I got on this plane. That's why I'm making this trip.
Katie crossed herself when her sensations peaked, an old habit from her Catholic schoolgirl days. Ripples of ecstasy coursed through her. She whispered a prayer as her body shook around Pinky. Katie asked the God in whom she still believed despite all Tom's discouragement to help her through the trial ahead. She wanted to get the most out of the counseling, whatever it took.
The prayer brought back memories of Katie's teen years, when she had shared forbidden touches with her friends in closets and dressing rooms. No boys attended their school, so the curious girls learned all they could about intimacy from one another whenever they had privacy. As a young model and actress, Katie had no shortage of such opportunities in her life.
Katie had always known some boy out there was her destiny but she was happy to find she liked girls as well. She began seriously dating boys after her high school graduation. Her first male lover was another regular on "Dawson's Creek". Their relationship had been good even though it hadn't lasted too long. Some time later, Katie found another man who seemed right. After several years of going steady, they ended up engaged. During this period, Katie continued to play around on the side with her girlfriends from the "Dawson's Creek" cast.
Then the show got cancelled, Katie recalled, and my friends and I grew apart. I became too focused on my career to stay in touch with them. Soon only my relationship with Chris remained. I thought he loved me and wanted to stay together but he kept putting off our wedding. Then we broke up and he wounded my heart. For a long time I drifted, sad and alone. Until the audition when I met Tom. I fell for him when first we saw each other, my childhood crush coming back in full force. Soon we were dating, then intimate and then married.
I've heard rumors that all we have was arranged, she reminded herself, that the audition was fake. I've never believed that gossip. It's too stupid. If it is true, I suppose I can forgive Tom. Whoever planned this relationship, it worked. Tom and I love each other for real. I forgive Jessica also if she was the one who set things up. I hated how she treated me, but my marriage is good. Maybe it's one of the few good things Jessica ever did. I suppose it doesn't matter. She's long departed from our lives.
Katie's legs shook as she thought this and she varied Pinky's speed to calm herself a little. Her love with Tom was true, she knew, yet something was still missing. Katie didn't know what. She had been sad in her heart ever since Chris broke up with her. Even with the man of her dreams and their child, she was still downhearted. Tom had noticed this and promised to cure her sadness even though she couldn't find its cause. Katie wanted Tom to stay with her and deliver this remedy, so she made every sacrifice he asked. She would let no insult destroy what they had together and consent to Tom's every demand.
I love him, Katie thought, and that is why I let him guide my life. Even with our love, though, we still aren't happy. I find myself changing my hairstyle and acting out constantly just to get his attention. I try to push myself away from him too, hoping to motivate him to get close to me. Nothing works — Tom stays stuck in his own world. I go to counselors to find out how better to be the woman he wants or at least solve my own troubles. No counseling so far has given me the answers I crave.
If this upcoming counseling doesn't work, Katie told herself, I will leave Tom. I know I've felt ready to do it before and backed out but this time I mean it. Never mind that I love him, that I'm scared of leaving him or that his presence always makes me feel good. I've had enough of his high-priced phony friends who don't know what they're talking about. I've had enough of being trashed in the tabloids for marrying him, of Internet trolls calling me his "Stepford Wife" and worse.
I'm financially set if I leave. I'll take our daughter Suri with me too. The prenuptial makes sure of it. I don't want to step away from the man I love but if I have to, I will. This is your last chance to prove to me our marriage can work, Tom. May God keep you and this counselor from wasting the opportunity. Nodding to confirm her decision, Katie gave in to the storm between her legs and shoved Pinky's vibrating head hard into her clit.
Thank you for this orgasm too, God, Katie added as the feelings inside her spiked. She released her vibrator and dropped it onto the floor. Breathing heavily, she massaged her sore breasts and thighs and licked her lips. Good one, Katie thought. Better than the last time I secured my "Mile High Club" membership. I think now I can for sure handle what's ahead.
The actress wiped her juices up with tissues and flushed them down the toilet. She also turned off and cleaned her vibrator before stuffing it back in her purse. She then stood and put her panties and jeans back into place. An announcement came over the airplane's loudspeaker. The pilots were starting their descent. Katie knew she should return to her seat.
A small line of people greeted her as she exited the restroom. Katie smoothed her hair, adjusted her purse strap, and gave the other passengers an apologetic shrug. She pushed past them with shaky knees. As she went down the aisle, she received knowing looks from two stewardesses and an athletic freckled woman in the row behind her whom she had earlier pegged as a sky marshal. Starring in multiple action flicks like "Batman Begins" and "First Daughter" had taught Katie how to spot a concealed gun. Katie returned their smiles and sat down.
"Bring on London," she said to herself, looking out the plane window as she buckled her safety belt. Katie was ready for her husband's last chance.
"So let me get this straight," Erika addressed the tanned and chubby blonde woman on the video conference monitor in Doug Ramsay's office. "You had regular lesbian affairs with Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams while you were on 'Dawson's Creek' together."
"Yep," Elizabeth "Busy" Phillips replied with a laugh. "Why are you so surprised? Did you think my first girl-girl experience had to be you?"
"Wasn't I?" Erika and Busy had acted together in the 2002 teen drama "Home Room". Erika had been good friends with Busy and her bisexuality was awakened by their onscreen lesbian kiss.
"No," Busy contradicted. "I had kissed girls a few times before you, practicing for boys and playing. Until Michelle, though, I was never comfortable with my attraction to girls. Katie caught me and Michelle kissing and one thing led to another." She smiled. "I'm sorry, Head Case."
Erika grinned at hearing her character's nickname from their film. "It's okay. I was going through a lot of crap back then."
"Oh, so you wouldn't have been any good for me? I don't think so. I should be the one apologizing to you. I turned you down, remember?"
Erika nodded. "Right, you did, but that's behind us now. Tell me more about you and Katie."
Busy shrugged. "Michelle tempted my lusts when I got on 'Dawson's' and I thought 'what the heck'. Kevin Williamson's intense atmosphere was making me nuts. I had just broken up with my boyfriend and I needed some relief. If I was misinterpreting the signs and Michelle rejected me, it would be easy to get thrown off the show like I kind of wanted. Then Michelle didn't reject me and neither did Katie when she walked in on us and I asked if she liked what she saw. I let them love me and it was fun. It turned out Katie and Michelle had already been together a few times. Michelle wasn't her first girl either. Katie acts shy but she's wild at heart."
"Hmm," Erika said. "I wonder how she went from that to Tom."
"Beats me. I lost touch with her after the show ended. Michelle and I still get together, I comfort her with the whole Heath Ledger situation, but we haven't talked to Katie in years." Busy shook her head. "So you're going to be Katie's marriage counselor, huh? Great. Tell her I said hi and that I think Tom's a son of a bitch."
"I will." Busy was one of several contacts Doug had given Erika to seek more information on Katie. Erika was also pleased to speak with her, as they had not seen each other since their film premiered. "By the way, you look good."
"I do? Thanks. I'm still working off the baby weight."
"You had a baby?"
Busy held up her diamond wedding ring. "I got married two years ago. Marc's a writer and a great guy. Our daughter, Birdie, is six months old."
"That's wonderful."
"It was good to talk to you again," Busy said. "You look great. You ought to come see me sometime. I think we have unfinished business." She gave Erika a wink.
Erika grinned back. "Definitely." I guess Busy's marriage is open, she thought. That's the case for most Hollywood couples and nearly all those among my friends.
"Give my love to Katie. Take care of yourself."
"You too," Erika replied. Busy clicked off. Okay, Erika thought. That was enlightening. There are two more people on the list: Chris Klein and Josh Jackson. I've never met either of them. They were Katie's boyfriends, so they should have a lot to say.
The buzz of Doug's security intercom interrupted Erika as she reached for the phone again. She turned in his desk chair and answered it. "Yes?"
"This is Clarke. Doug's on his way up with Katie."
Shoot, Erika thought. Either her flight was early or I've been on the phone too long. "Thanks, Clarke. Any trouble?"
"Some paparazzi spotted Katie at the airport. Frank and I lost them before we got her to her hotel. I also have a bunch of people in Guy Fawkes masks outside the club. A couple of my associates are watching them."
"Be careful," Erika said. "They could just be people who like to come here in costume."
"I know about those patrons, Erika. I work here, remember?" Clarke chuckled. "Katie seems like an okay girl. I think you'll like her."
"I hope you're right." Erika clicked off the intercom and straightened herself in the chair. Doug had prepared a meeting room for her and Katie but then two members of Parliament had demanded the same room to discuss a political arrangement. Every other private area in the club was already booked for a corporate meeting, sexual fling or other event. Doug had apologized and given Erika his office. Erika accepted with a smile, secure in the imposing room.
She stood up and moved around it now, adjusting the lights and closing the black satin curtains. I need the right atmosphere, Erika thought. She put some soft Enya music on the stereo. She then checked her looks in the mirror of the video-conference screen, nodding at her auburn ponytail and red satin dress. Erika considered the black suit jacket she also wore and then removed it. She also unbound her ponytail and let her hair fall about her shoulders. After nodding, Erika hung the jacket on the room's coat rack. As she did so, a knock sounded at the door. "Come in!"
Doug entered with a smile and held the door open for a tall woman in a black coat, violet blouse, and dark blue jeans. She had shoulder length black hair, a cherubic face and a runner's body. A black Gucci purse was on her left shoulder. Catholic and Scientology crosses hung from gold chains around her neck.
Katie Holmes's brown eyes flashed in surprise when she saw Erika. "I know you! You're..." She frowned, snapping her fingers.
"Erika Christensen," Erika said. "We've met at a few parties and gatherings. I'm also an actress."
"Right!" Katie said with a smile. "You're the girl who sang 'At Last' at my Hollywood reception with Tom. I haven't seen you in a long time."
"Likewise," Erika replied. She had forgotten about that ceremony. Singing was another of Erika's sidelines. She was good at it but didn't do it that often. "It's great to see you again."
"I'll leave you two alone," Doug said. He shook hands with Katie. "It was nice meeting you."
"Nice meeting you too," Katie answered. She watched him exit and then turned back to Erika after the office door closed. "Friendly guy. Yours?"
"In a matter of speaking." Erika moved a visitor's chair close to the couch and waved Katie towards it. "Please sit down."
"You're my counselor?" Katie asked. Erika nodded. Frowning, Katie took her coat off and put it and her purse on the floor next to the couch. She then seated herself and looked at the framed degrees on the room's west wall. "This isn't your office."
"I don't have an office yet," Erika explained. "Counseling is a career I adopted when my acting hit a downturn. I got a psychology degree online from the University of Phoenix. I've been practicing for about three months now."
Katie raised an eyebrow. This woman is my counselor, she repeated to herself. Damn it! "Um, okay." She looked around the room again. "Aren't you going to take notes or hook me up to a lie detector?"
Erika shook her head. "I don't use lie detectors. My instincts work fine and are less intimidating to my clients. I also have a photographic memory."
"Oh," Katie said, relieved. Maybe this would be easier than she had thought it would be. "Wow."
Erika smiled at her and sat down in the visitor's chair, then continued. "I want you to know you can be as open with me as you want. What you say to me will be kept private. I am aware other people have told you that and not meant it, but I do mean it. I'll swear whatever oath you like."
"You won't tell Tom or the media?"
"No. I discussed seeing you with Doug and some other friends of ours, but I won't detail this session to them unless you want their input. You can mention it to Tom if you think he needs to know. I won't say anything."
Tom wasn't kidding, Katie thought. This woman is different! "Wow, thanks. Let me think about that. If you don't mind me asking, how much is Tom paying you?"
"Nothing. I don't take fees. I appreciate donations, but I never ask for them or set amounts. If you're wondering, I've done all right in this field so far. People can be remarkably generous when you help them. I give the money I don't need, which is most of what I earn, to reputable charities."
"Odd business plan."
Erika shrugged. "It worked for Paul Newman."
Katie laughed. "So you're not really getting anything out of this then?"
"Says who?" Erika gave her another smile. "I want to help you and I am, right?"
"Yeah," Katie said. You might be one of the few people who's actually bothered to try, she added to herself. Katie's acting career and time spent around other counselors had taught her how to detect dishonesty and she saw no sign of it in Erika. She's either really being honest, Katie mused, or she's a very good liar. I think I'll take my chances. "Tom didn't tell me my counselor would be you."
"I gathered that. How is he? Did he force you to come here?"
"He's fine. Coming here was my decision. Tom told me I didn't have to do it but he thought it would be wise. He had already gotten the ticket, so I thought 'what the heck'. Did he tell you about our marriage's issues?"
"The rumors told me first. I'm sure most of them are unfounded, right?"
Katie grimaced. "Um, well, do you know about those guys outside?"
She probably means the people in Guy Fawkes masks, Erika thought. "The 'V for Vendetta' wannabes?"
"Yeah, them. Those people have been at almost every one of Tom's and my public events in the past four years. I don't like it. Don't get me wrong, I know their agenda but..." Katie paused. "Wait. Should I be telling you this?"
"It's okay," Erika said. She waved a hand to still Katie's concern. "Like I said, this discussion goes no further. I know their agenda and support parts of it too. Do you know Mike Rinder?"
"Yes," Katie said. So Erika's part of the shadow reformation that's taking place in Scientology, she thought. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I joined the movement with some hesitation when I became aware of it two years ago. Tom fired Jessica after I told him I couldn't take her public relations blunders anymore. Then Mike Rinder called me into his office and talked to me. He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to break up with Tom because of Jessica. I almost was until Mike told me about the reformation and calmed me down. I told Rinder I wanted to be part of the movement but I didn't wish to tell Tom about it. Rinder agreed. Jessica was at my wedding and I informed her of the arrangement. She showed no discernible reaction. I have not seen her since. Is sending me to meet Erika Tom's way of telling me he knows about the reformation now? Has he decided to become part of it also? I hope so. Of all the things I can't share with my husband, this is the biggest, bar none.
"Mike taught me some courses about the people like those protesters," Erika said, drawing back Katie's concentration. "There was also a United States Navy navigator and Anonymous hacker named Zeck Metz who taught me a lot before he was killed in Pakistan. I researched things further after he died."
Erika closed her eyes for an instant, remembering Zeck, and then continued. "Many of those people just want attention for themselves or want to hurt us. You should avoid them when you can. Some have actually suffered because of us, though, and some desire a realistic state of harmony with us. Those are people whom you want to confront and try to make peace with." Erika sighed. "I try to do that in spirit, even if I can't always do it in fact."
"Me too," Katie said, "but you do know how vicious some of those people are, right? And they've been increasing in number every year since I married Tom."
Erika nodded in understanding. "Some of them are just your fans. They don't understand that your life has moved on. You're not Joey Potter anymore."
"No, I'm not," Katie agreed, crossing her arms. "They also don't understand that I can have celebrity crushes same as they can. I think they're jealous that I got to realize mine."
Erika nodded again. It's time to get Katie off this thread, she thought. I don't want it clouding the real issue. She turned to the office coffee table and pointed at a crystal decanter and foil-wrapped package. "You want some tonic water? Or some pie?"
"Pie?" Katie asked. "You're offering me food?"
"You like chocolate, right?" Erika picked up the foil-wrapped package and opened it, showing Katie the caramel and chocolate dessert within.
"Yes!" Katie answered, enthused. She took the pie and a fork from Erika and began eating. "This is good." She swallowed another bite and then resumed speaking. "I guess I shouldn't be bothered by those protesters. I'm a celebrity. I need to adjust to people who take advantage of me for their own purposes, who spread rumors for fun and who have impossible expectations. These folks come with the career I've chosen. I know I should accept them and enjoy my life."
"But you can't."
"No." Katie took another bite of caramel and smiled. "What kind of pie is this? I've eaten chocolate pie before but it's never tasted so delicious."
"It's a special recipe. 'I Hate My Husband Pie'."
"From the Keri Russell movie 'Waitress'?"
"Exactly," Erika said, grinning. "I know the chef."
"Ironic name," said Katie. She savored another bite. "I like it, though."
Erika offered her a glass of tonic water and she accepted. The taste was bitter but calming to Katie's nerves. She swallowed a second sip and then took another bite of the pie.
"Save some for me, okay?" Erika said. She sat down beside Katie and stuck her own fork in the pie. The two giggled as they ate, pleased with their new closeness. Katie could not remember the last time she had spoken to another woman with such candor. It was a welcome change from her normal married life.
Katie's a very different girl than I thought, Erika reflected. Maybe it's that we're alone now that is allowing me to actually get to know her. "So is it just the protesters that have been bothering you?" Erika inquired.
Katie shook her head. "No. They're one of many things. Tom insists on introducing me to people who think they can tell me how to live my life. They don't know me and they hardly try to get to know me. They see me as someone they can order around, and they're so full of themselves. Most of them are older than I am too. You're the first girl my age I've talked to like this in a long time."
"I'm actually younger than you," Erika said. "I do have a unique sympathy with your situation, though." She touched the Scientology cross around Katie's neck.
Katie looked at Erika's hand. "Can I make another confession to you?"
"Sure, whatever you want."
The other actress took a breath. She wasn't sure about her next words but decided to say them anyway. "I only converted because Tom asked me." She took the pendant from Erika and tapped it. "He and most of his friends are into this and I thought I should be also. I do agree with some of the beliefs, I've seen evidence they're right, but I still believe in my other cross as well." She pointed at the Catholic cross that also hung around her neck. "Tom says he understands and he doesn't have a problem with that. He doesn't want me advertising it, though. In addition, I'm the only one in the family he lets be this way."
Erika nodded, recalling some of the stories she'd heard. "Maybe Suri can make up her own mind when she gets old enough."
She read my thoughts, Katie gasped. Whoa. "Yeah, I hope so too. I hope the same for our other kids."
Erika decided to try opening her up further. "I hear Tom's a real control freak."
"That's exaggerated some but yeah, he is." Katie sighed. "You know the name of this pie?" After Erika's nod, she continued. "My life would be easy if I did hate my husband. I don't, though. I love him so much." She took another bite. "I love him!" Katie declared after she had swallowed it down.
Do not jump on the couch, Erika begged her in silence. I hated when Tom did that for you on the talk shows.
Katie gulped her water again and continued. "Thanks to Tom, I have the chance to live a fantasy. I'm taking that chance. I knew going in what I was in for or so I keep reminding myself. I have a good life, mostly. Tom is the man of my dreams, pretty much, and the kids are great. We're a family and I don't want to break it up."
Erika nodded in understanding. "You shouldn't unless you have to."
"I don't have to," Katie said. "No matter what people think, I can handle this. I can handle my life. I just wish..."
Erika gave her an interested look as she trailed off. "What? You wish what?"
"I wish Tom would let me be free to live my own life. I used to have so much fun before I met him." She coughed. "Did he tell you about his little problem?"
Katie wiggled her fingers and Erika guessed she meant Tom's erectile dysfunction. "He didn't tell me but I read his file. Emphasis on 'little'?"
Katie shook her head. "No! His dick is fine when he can keep it hard. I know a few ways of helping him. He's great in bed most of the time. He really does care about me. But there are other sides to my sexuality he doesn't know about. I'm afraid to tell him."
"Do you mean your affairs with women like Busy Phillips and Michelle Williams?"
Katie stared at Erika in shock. "How do you know about that?"
"I read your file," Erika replied. She held up a hand to stop Katie's outburst. "Relax. I meant what I said about what we discuss going no further. In fact, when we're done I'm going to give you the names of some Scientology ministers who can help ensure neither your file nor Tom's is ever seen by unauthorized people again. Outside the church or inside."
"Um, thanks." Katie thought Erika was pretty and liked her open friendliness, but the other woman's bravery was really bothering her. "Wait a second, though. I haven't told anyone in the church Busy and Michelle's names. How did you know?"
"Busy's also my lover," Erika said in white lie. It will soon be true, she told herself, if our conversation earlier was any indication. "You may have seen us kissing onscreen in 'Home Room'?"
Katie raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Yeah, I did see that, but ... you both looked very different in that movie." She blushed. "So how many lovers do you have?"
"I don't keep count. I give myself to whomever I want who also wants me."
"Other people let you live like that?"
"Not always. It's my life, though, not theirs. The way I live is the way that makes me happy. I wasn't always like this and I won't deny I have my critics, but it's what works for me. It's easier when I don't spread it around that much. I'm also not the only one who lives like I do." Better distract her, Erika thought, seeing the startled look on Katie's face. "Busy told me everything about you, her, and Michelle. I don't see how you went from that to someone like Tom, though."
"Do you know about my breakup with Chris Klein?"
"Was that the reason?"
Katie nodded and summarized how Chris had left her after "Dawson's Creek" ended. Erika listened, saying little. She extended a hand and touched Katie's wrist during the story. Katie smiled at the comfort and let out a heavy sigh when she was done.
Erika considered her words and then nodded. "So you've been downhearted ever since Chris Klein dumped you. The only time you've really allowed yourself to be happy is when you're acting. The rest of the time, you can feel good but there's always a shadow hanging over you. You don't know what to do with yourself. You've been letting other people, mostly Tom, direct you. Am I right?"
"I guess so," Katie said.
"I thought as much," replied Erika. "I think I know your problem. You're not living your own life. You think you have to let Tom and his people tell you how to live it."
Katie stared at Erika. She pushed herself away from the other woman and put the pie and tonic water down on the office table. "I do. Tom and his people know what's best for me. I must do what they say if I want to keep Tom in my life. I don't want him to leave me. If one of us has to leave, I want to be the one."
"But you can't be," Erika said. Her hands were making rapid gestures. "You won't let yourself. Look, have people told you about the bridge to true freedom and happiness?"
She continued as Katie nodded. "Well, there's something about that concept few people will actually tell you. No person or philosophy can really give you that bridge. You yourself have to define, design, build, and walk it. Others may advise you, even give you tools, but in the end, you should not let them limit you. It is you yourself who knows best what suppresses your spirit and what will make it grow strong."
"You're saying I have to be assertive. I have to be my own woman. The real me."
"Exactly. If you want to take and keep control of your life, you have to be yourself. If you construct and live in a shell, you will never be happy. Anyone who loves you won't be happy either."
Katie nodded. Makes sense, she thought.
"You see, Katie," Erika went on, "love isn't about surrender." She pointed at Katie's pendants. "Both your crosses agree on that. Love's about people strengthening each other in a good way and accepting each other for who they are. If people who love you know what's good for them, they won't judge you for being yourself. If they do, they're probably not worth getting to know anyway. That's what I have found."
"Tom doesn't judge me!"
"Yes, he does, Katie. He controls you and that's a form of judgment." Erika exhaled her frustration. "If you want to be happy, you can't let him do that. You need to be the real you and show him that side of yourself. If you're really a liberated woman, you have to show the man you love that you are. Don't worry about Tom not liking you that way. According to his file, just about every one of his past wives and girlfriends is that kind of woman. I think he likes the type. He's just not willing to admit it."
Katie frowned, confused. I've met many of Tom's ex-girlfriends, she pondered, and both his ex-wives. Erika's right. They are all independent. I thought that was why Tom left them. Did they leave him instead?
"You have to get out of your shell," Erika repeated. "It's what's holding you back. You're hiding from your problems and letting your life stay ruined. Look, Katie, you can solve all your problems easily if you just take charge. The hell with Chris, he's out of your life and gone. Never mind him. Your career? You've had a pretty great one already, but it will never be great again if you don't take charge of yourself. The entertainment world does not want followers. Trust me."
She took a breath. "As for the critics and the media, don't worry about them. Let them do their thing. If you're not what they think you are, then that's your best revenge right there. They don't even need to know it. Ignore their phony rumors and death threats. It's no big deal. They already don't bother you nearly as much as you think they do. I check the web every now and then and their focus is on the fanatics, not you and me. It was different a few years ago, but it is better these days."
Katie nodded at Erika's words. "And those guys outside?"
"They may not even be protesters. A lot of people like to visit Doug's club in costume. Did you see any signs or leaflets?" Katie shook her head and Erika grinned, relieved. "You see? Don't be so paranoid. That's the worst effect of not living as your true self. You're looking over your shoulder all the time and you have to ignore your surroundings just to get where you're going. I used to hate that. I think it's probably worse for you, though. You have children."
"Yeah," Katie said, laughing along. She could sense no offense in Erika's words. "So if I just take charge of my life, all will be fine?"
"Not immediately, but yes. Your public image, your relationship with your family and friends, everything that matters should improve. Some things you may never get back but they're not important. We live in the present, Katie."
"This doesn't sound like a Scientology ideal."
Erika shrugged. "If you want, consider it a set of new unrevealed teachings. I get it more from experience than from any religion, though." She looked at Katie's crosses, then back at her eyes. "Don't let anybody tell you how to live your life, especially not religious leaders who too often think they're God. They aren't. I hate that people like them are in power in our church too, but they're on the way out. We just need to keep the faith and not let them control us."
Katie felt herself agreeing. Erika can show me the way to do that, she thought. I will listen. Then another problem occurred to her. "What about my husband, though? He's one of the bastards!"
"He doesn't have to be," Erika said. "You can change that by demonstrating that you won't put up with it." She again took Katie's hand. "If Tom sees you out of your shell and he really loves you, he will show you that he does. It's okay if you're afraid. I've felt afraid too. I still do, actually."
Wise words, Katie said to herself. She was staring at Erika again. I like this girl, she thought, locking her dark eyes on Erika's blue ones. I really like her. No one's ever been so forward in giving me advice, so daring, so right!
She gasped. Oh my God, I think I want her. She paused for an instant and then took a breath. If she was going to be as Erika had suggested, as she wanted to be, Katie knew she would have to once again act on her impulses. "Erika?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I kissed you?"
"What?" Erika gaped. She held up a hand. "Katie, you're married."
"So?" Katie spat out. She took Erika's hand in hers, feeling old and new emotions taking over. "Don't worry about Tom. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. If I'm going to be the real me again, I have to bring that person back. I think you can help me."
I can, Erika thought, and I wouldn't mind doing it either. This girl is beautiful, warm, and kind. Tom told me to keep our counseling professional, though. It was my intention to fulfill the promise I made to him. But now, after I've met Katie and gotten to know her, I want her bad! Also, should I deny her? If I don't reward her for expressing herself, will she refuse to find meaning in everything I've told her?
Erika knew she couldn't take that chance. "Kiss me, Katie," she said, smiling and opening her arms.
Katie leaned towards Erika and kissed her mouth. The other woman's lips were sweet and full of passion. Katie felt lust suffuse her insides and become overpowering. She had not been with a woman since before her breakup with Chris. Now she realized how much she had been missing it. Glorious, she thought, kissing Erika again. This is wonderful.
The Enya music swelled from the stereo as Katie and Erika embraced. Let me sail, let me sail...
Erika kissed Katie back, feeling the other woman shiver as they embraced. They cuddled close to one another, tongues roaming in each other's mouths. Their arms wrapped around one another's shoulders. Katie pulled Erika's body into hers and rubbed her breasts against her new friend's. Erika felt the points of Katie's nipples, which were as hard as her own were. No bra, she observed, feeling the back of Katie's blouse. I'm not wearing one either.
She put her hand on Katie's chest and pulled back, staring into the other woman's eyes. "Are you sure you want this?" she asked. "I want to do more than kiss you. Much more."
"I want that too," Katie said with a nod. She leaned in and placed her lips against Erika's throat.
Erika put her fingers in Katie's hair, grabbed her head and moved their lips back to one another's. I'm still keeping my promise to Tom, she thought with a giggle. Katie and I will be having fun together, not sleeping. She paused and looked at Katie. "Why are you crying?"
"I am?" Katie blinked and wiped away her sobs. "Sorry. I'm just very happy all of a sudden."
"Good," Erika said. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. "Let's make you more so."
She put her hands on Katie's breasts and flicked the other woman's nipples through her blouse's fabric. Katie put her own fingers on Erika's tits and squeezed them. The music thrummed in counterpoint to her movements.
"One second," Erika said, pulling back. She looked at the office door and relaxed when she saw that it was shut tight. Erika stood up, walked over, and locked the deadbolt. She then kicked off her low heels, unsnapped the back of her dress, and pulled down the zipper. She pushed the dress's sleeves from her shoulders and turned back to Katie as it hit the floor and formed a crimson pool around her body. The other woman had been watching Erika and she smiled in approval now as she looked over Erika's nudity. Katie removed her shoes and beckoned Erika close.
Erika lowered herself back to the couch and moved in on Katie with a predator's crouch. They kissed and rubbed each other's breasts. Erika moved her hands to the bottom of Katie's blouse, gripped it and pulled it upwards. Katie shrugged free of the garment and then unbuttoned her jeans and let Erika yank them off her body. Naked except for their white underwear and tan stockings, the two actresses deepened their embrace.
The song swelled around them. Sail away, sail away, sail away...
Katie cried out and quivered as Erika touched her panties. "It's okay to be afraid," Erika told her. She stopped with her hand still on Katie's groin.
"I don't care that I'm afraid," Katie replied. She put her left palm on Erika's cleavage. "Fuck me."
Smiling, Erika moved in and kissed the other woman's forehead, then her cheek. Katie's left hand fondled Erika's breasts and her right hand stroked the small of Erika's back. Erika's hands pushed off Katie's panties and then her own. They rubbed their legs together, feeling each other's heat. Erika flicked Katie's pendants over her shoulder. Tangling their fingers in each other's hair, they kissed again.
"What do you want?" Erika asked Katie. She knew many techniques and was unsure which would be best here.
"Just touch me," Katie said. "Lick me too, please."
"You got it," Erika said. She pushed Katie into the couch's black leather cushions and started kissing her way down the other woman's body. Her fingers moved in counterpoint, rubbing Katie's brown nipples and tanned thighs. They also rubbed her shaven snatch, opening Katie's legs and increasing the lubrication between them. Erika sensed her own emotions rising but forced them down. Katie needed to come first. There would be plenty of time for Erika's pleasure later.
Katie caught her lead. She rubbed Erika's hair and shoulders as her new friend moved down, settling her body and letting Erika touch it. Erika pinched the sides of her labia and her clit. She then moved her hands out of Katie's pussy and onto her rear. Katie moaned as Erika massaged that area.
Hmm, Erika thought, an unexpected erogenous zone. All right then. She licked Katie's breasts, sucking hard on each nipple. Her hands continued rubbing Katie's butt all throughout, sparking further moans.
We can sail, we can sail... , Enya sang in accompaniment. Sail away, sail away, sail away ... Sail away, sail away, sail away...
Erika stopped and let Katie subside for an instant, then kissed her stomach. Katie's fingers yanked at her hair. You really want this, Erika thought. Okay, I won't keep you waiting any longer.
She flicked her tongue in Katie's navel and then moved down and stabbed it into the other woman's cunt.
"Yes!" Katie cried out. Her thighs clenched hard around Erika's head. "Suck it!" Shaking back and forth on the couch, she let her emotions skyrocket.
I am not giving this up again, Katie promised herself. I now know my mistake. I achieved my dream but I forgot it was mine. I surrendered to it. I let it conquer me. I will do that no longer. From this moment on, I am taking back control over my life.
Screaming in freedom, she wiggled her body. Erika grimaced as she licked Katie's pussy. This girl might actually smother me if I was beneath her, she thought. I'll have to be careful she doesn't go too crazy on me. She looked up at Katie and smiled, then resumed her licking. Her hands caressed Katie's buttocks. It was Erika's intention to both build up the other woman's pleasure and hold her still.
The plan appeared to be working, as Katie began laughing in joy. Erika still felt her new friend's thighs tight around her head but they were no longer shaking that hard. Good, she thought, licking Katie's clit. The other woman's groin jumped at the attention. Erika considered backing off again and then shrugged. She had never been with anyone this vigorous, but she could handle it.
I hope you're ready, Katie, Erika thought with a chuckle. She squeezed Katie's butt cheeks again, then moved one hand off them and put it back on Katie's chest.
Caressing hard at Katie's breasts, ass, and pussy, Erika matched the intensity of the other woman's motions. Wherever Katie moved, her new friend's tongue and fingers were there to meet her. Her juices were in high volume now and Erika was swallowing them down. She imagined she was flicking away the vestiges of the false Katie, taking them into her body and destroying them. When she was finished, only Katie's true self would remain. Would Katie be happy with it? Would Tom and the public? Erika didn't know but wanted to find out.
Sail away, sail away, sail away ... Sail away, sail away, sail away...
Katie quivered in orgasm, taking the first step. There, she thought as her body settled. That's the last time I totally abandon myself to the will of another person. I must be who I am, not who they say. I thank you for the reminder. Katie looked down at her benefactor and smiled as Erika lapped up the juices spilling out of her crotch.
The music swelled and then ended. Katie closed her eyes. When the next song came on, she opened her eyes and put her hand on her new lover's shoulder. Erika looked up and grinned as Katie spoke two words she'd been waiting to hear.
"Your turn."
Wanting more room for their coupling, Erika rolled off the couch onto the floor. Katie lay down beside her on the office's indigo carpet. The two women embraced again, kissing and cuddling. Erika got on her back and Katie moved over her. Katie's skill at making love to other women was returning fast. Shivers of pleasure coursed through Erika and her body shook as Katie leaned down and caressed her, sucking at her hard red tits.
Katie lapped and caressed Erika's neck and cleavage, finding sensitive areas and fondling them. There was a deep ache between her thighs and another in her heart. Katie paid them little attention. Her pain was not important and she could not give in to any remaining doubts. She knew what she had to do now and how she had to be. All she wanted was to be herself again and to thank Erika for showing her the way.
She licked her benefactor's breasts and pushed two fingers along Erika's hips and into her snatch. The enthusiasm Katie felt for her new lover was on the rise. She happily gave in to it. She rubbed her two fingers on Erika's labia and added a thumb that pushed hard at the other woman's clit. Erika moaned with each movement. Katie's mouth went back and forth between her breasts, sucking the nipples. She also licked around them, loving the spreading flush on Erika's skin. Katie could feel the warmth in Erika's body increase with the dampness in her cunt.
"Yes!" Erika cried, hit by a particularly strong sensation. She shook her body hard, giving Katie a taste of her own medicine. Katie laughed, slapping Erika's thighs and biting her breasts.
Katie then licked a path down Erika's torso, lapping up her sweat. The taste was enjoyable and Katie knew the juices between Erika's legs would be even more so. She pushed Erika's thighs apart and licked at the blonde thatch between them, intent on reaching her goal.
Erika's hair shook as she flung her head about, moaning and crying out. Katie's tongue wrapped around her clit and Erika shouted the other woman's name.
"Katie! Love me, Katie!"
"I will," Katie assured her. I thank you, she thought, kissing Erika's pussy. I don't think I could have found myself again without you. This is what I needed, a friend my own age, who was okay with my old life and my new life. Someone who was like me in the past and yet like me now, who could remind me it's okay to be who I am.
She breathed hard against Erika's clit bud and squeezed her thighs. Erika rubbed her fingers against Katie's hair, pushing the other woman's head farther into her. Katie scratched her nails along Erika's hips, pushing down the tops of her stockings. Then she reached up and grabbed Erika's breasts. She squeezed and flicked their nipples while licking Erika's clit.
It didn't take much of this to send Erika soaring. She hit her peak, gasped, and calmed. "Thank you, Katie!"
"You're welcome," Katie said with a laugh. She sucked down a torrent of sweet fluid from Erika's core.
Erika let her emotions subside, accepting the hug and comforting kisses Katie offered her in their afterglow. "You want to come again?" Erika asked, touching Katie's cunt.
"I did just now, watching you," Katie replied, snickering. "But, yeah, I'll take another one in a few minutes."
Erika smirked and kissed her. "I have a confession to make to you. I never really thought much of you until now. I was wrong in that. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Katie said. "I didn't know what to think of you when I met you either." She pecked Erika on the lips. "Now I think we're going to be very good friends."
"Amen to that," Erika agreed. I won't be fucking your husband, though, she added to herself. Tom doesn't do anything for me. I hope you're okay with me just loving you. Katie settled her heart for now with another kiss. Erika stuck her tongue in the other woman's mouth and lashed it back and forth as they embraced.
Suddenly Katie pulled away. She smiled and looked around the office. "Hey," she said, "do you think that your boyfriend would like to join us?"
"What?" Erika asked, shocked. "You want to cheat on Tom with Doug too?"
"Yeah," Katie said. She took a deep breath. "You threw me for a loop just now. You got me thinking. I know I still love Tom but I'm no longer sure I want to go back to him. I think I need to further test myself. I haven't fucked another man besides Tom since my breakup with Chris and Doug is really nice. He let you use his office and sent those guys to pick me up at the airport. You're fun but I think I owe him some thanks too."
"I understand." Erika beamed. "I should warn you, though. Doug has a thing about not getting close to married women."
"Too much honor, huh? Fine. I won't give him my pussy. If he wants it, though, he can have my ass."
Erika returned the laughter. She knew Doug would enjoy what Katie proposed and that she would like watching it. "I'll get him in here." She got to her feet and walked over to the desk. Smiling and wiping sweat from her brow, she activated the speakerphone and dialed Doug's cell.
He answered on the first ring. "What's up, Erika?"
"Can you come inside your office?" Erika asked. "Katie and I have become very good friends and she wants you to join us."
"I heard," Doug said in a very pleased tone.
"What?" Erika asked, surprised. She had thought Doug didn't have microphones or cameras in any areas of his club other than the main floor and hallways. He was very concerned about lawsuits from guests, even though what went on in their private meetings sometimes greatly intrigued him. "Did you have your ear to the door?"
"Hell no. My office door is solid oak with a cork center. I was curious about what you were going to say to Katie, though, so I bugged the decanter. I was going to confront Katie with it later to get her reaction, see if she was really thinking for herself or not."
Erika looked at the decanter on the room's coffee table and gasped. For the first time, she noticed a hair-thin antenna sticking up from beneath the decanter's label. "Damn it, Doug, we want the same things. Why do you not trust me?"
"There are things going on you don't know about."
"As usual. This is because of your experiences with Scientology before we met, isn't it? Doug, you and I have known each other for six years and we've discussed our issues several times. Aren't we past this by now?"
"I, well, I guess not. I want to be, though."
"Then here's the deal. You will share all your secrets with me, and I don't mean when you think I should know. If you can't do that, I think we should stop seeing each other." She pointed at the decanter and gnashed her teeth. Katie smirked in reply, then reached out and snapped the antenna in half. Erika nodded thanks. "Katie spotted your device. She also deserves full disclosure."
"I agree. I planned to tell you both anyway when you got through with the session. I considered saying something beforehand, but then I worried you might tip Katie off. Alicia's beside me listening. I got her to rethink getting personally involved in this. There's no one else here. I thought you weren't going to do anything physical with Katie. Plans change, huh?"
"Yes."
"I will communicate better with you from now on. You have my word. Can you ask Katie if she meant what she said a minute ago?"
Erika directed her eyes at Katie, who nodded. Good, Erika thought. You passed his challenge, we passed yours. She asked Katie with her expression if she still wanted Doug to enter the office. The other woman grinned and Erika smiled back. "She did. You better get in here, though, and explain everything."
"As you wish."
Los Angeles, California. Four Days Later.
Tom Cruise paced the floor of his living room. Angst was overpowering him again. Five days ago, he had sent Katie away to meet with Erika. She had called him upon her arrival in London and then he heard nothing for the next three days. Then he got a call that morning from a stranger advising him Katie would be arriving home sometime in the evening. She was flying back to L.A. on the Concorde.
Astonished, Tom asked who was paying for that. He hadn't flown on the Concorde in years, not since before "War of the Worlds" came out. "An old and new friend," was all the answer he got before the stranger hung up.
Disturbed, Tom called his personal friend, Scientology Chairman David Miscavige. He admitted everything he had done and asked forgiveness. Miscavige stunned Tom when he said, "I know Erika's a good person. I consider her one of the few psychologists we can trust. I have also been informed that she represents an organization which has the fate of our church in its hands. If I interfere with them, it would put the entirety of Scientology in peril. You will be a member of this group again soon. Make sure they know I intend to cooperate with them and further their goals. I'm not going to be in my position forever, and I want Scientology to survive."
"What are you talking about?" Tom demanded. "Nobody could possibly threaten us as seriously as you imply!"
"They're not threatening us. They're going to improve our conditions. At least I hope so." Miscavige exhaled. "You and Katie do whatever you have to do for your marriage, Tom. We both know you could be handling things better."
Tom requested further answers but Miscavige refused to say and hung up. Thinking about the call afterwards put Tom at ease. He waited for Katie calmly the rest of the day.
It was evening now and Tom had cautiously prepared for Katie's arrival. He had sent their children to his sister Lee Anne, who was always there for him. The new maid had cleaned the house top to bottom. Wine and roses were on the front end table and Katie's favorite meal was in the oven waiting to be heated, unwrapped and served. Tom had spared no expense. If Erika didn't do anything, he told himself, I am going to try. I have to get Katie back tonight. This has been going on too long.
A chime over the front door sounded, letting him know a vehicle was approaching up the main driveway. That better be her, Tom thought. He looked out the window and saw a green Cadillac sedan stopping in front of the house. The largest black man Tom had ever seen next to Michael Clarke Duncan got out of the passenger side and opened the back right door. Katie stepped out, dressed in white opera gloves and a tight royal blue gown Tom had never seen before. Her hair was in a new style too, fuller and more flowing. Tom blinked as he watched Katie clasp the large black man's arm and return his grin.
Another man got out of the car's opposite rear door and walked around. Tom thought he recognized him. A lean muscular fellow with long black hair dressed like a carpenter. I think I've met him at some party, Tom said to himself. He's Keri Russell's boyfriend or husband. I haven't seen Keri in a long time but that guy was with her when last I did see her.
Tom frowned as he watched the carpenter shake hands with Katie. He had a strange look on his face, akin to the expression Tom tried to adopt onscreen whenever he reached the conclusion of a tragic film. An expression that said he was glad to have lived through recent events even if he was somewhat disappointed by their final results. Tom didn't think the expression was false. What's that guy's name? Tom picked his brain. Sam? Steve? No, Shane, I think.
Katie and Shane exchanged nods and he stepped out of her path. She then turned and flashed a smile at the Cadillac's driver, a pug-faced man in a Houston Astros cap, before walking alone towards the front door. All three of her escorts stood watching her go with hope in their eyes.
Who are these men? Tom speculated. Jealous voices yelled in his brain and he shut them up with a wave. Surely, the three were no one important. Tom picked up the bouquet of red roses from the front end table and waited for Katie to knock on his door.
She didn't knock. Instead the door was unlocked and pulled open. Katie saw him at once and smiled as she put her key back in her purse. Tom blinked again, seeing a light in her eyes that was as unfamiliar as her dress and hairstyle. No wait, he thought. I think I have seen that expression on her in a couple of her movies and TV appearances. Never in real life, though. What is going on here?
"Hello," Katie said, stepping over the threshold. "Are the kids here?"
"Hello," Tom answered. "They're not here, they're with Lee Anne. I thought we should be alone tonight." He extended the flowers. "I got you these."
"Thanks." Katie took the bouquet and sniffed it, then smiled and put it back on the end table. She closed the door behind her and locked it, then turned back to Tom. He looked from her to the window. The Cadillac was already gone.
"Who were those men who dropped you off?"
"Security and moral support," Katie said after hesitating.
Tom grimaced and then decided he better change the subject. "Did you see Erika?" he asked his wife, feeling her uncertain gaze. "Did she help you?"
Katie took a breath and nodded. "Yeah. Thank you. She was great."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Katie repeated. She glanced around the room and then looked him directly in the eye. "Thanks to her help, I've reached a decision. I'm divorcing you."
Tom felt his heart thud. "What?"
"You've been the most romantic man to me, Tom, and I love you for it, but you're also a didactic prick. If you don't know the word 'didactic', it means controlling. You've been that way to me. You've been a selfish coward too, letting the wrong people make your decisions for you. I've had enough of that for a while now and I'm finally taking action. I can't be part of this life you've built any longer. I'm divorcing you and I'm taking our daughter with me. I have a new friend who's going to help me write a tell-all book about our relationship."
Katie held up a finger as Tom opened his mouth to respond. "No. No questions, no words. If you want to convince me not to leave, you have one chance. Here and now, thirty minutes, and you can't preach or get angry. If you do, we're done."
Tom did not know what to say. This can't be Katie, he thought. It can't be! Some body snatcher has replaced her or Erika brainwashed her mind! How in the heck can she be so...
Katie stepped close and put her arms around him, derailing his train of thought. She leaned down to account for their height difference and kissed him hard on the mouth.
Whoa! Tom had not felt such unfettered passion from a woman in a long while. He could not recall Nicole ever kissing him this hard, not even after he agreed to let her attend swinging parties with him and John. Tom's giving those parties up out of jealousy and his church leaders' demands was one of many things that motivated Nicole to leave him and among the toughest decisions he'd ever made. His first wife Mimi had never kissed him this hard either, not even after he told her he was converting to Scientology as she had wanted. Lee Anne had come close their first time together, maybe, but that had been over thirty years ago and Tom had given her up as anything more than a sister and good friend. His current wife, Katie, had not once kissed him like this before now.
"Katie?" he asked as she pulled away.
"This is the real me," Katie answered his shock. Her tone was firm, emphasizing each word. "The woman, not the little girl who doesn't know what to do with herself. I know I haven't shown this person to you before but you better get used to her. She's here to stay. However, to keep on loving you she needs some very strong convincing."
Katie kissed him again, and Tom felt his insides shake. Her arms pulled them closer together. She placed one of her hands on his groin and confirmed what Tom already knew. He was hard, attracted to the strange new Katie, and it wasn't just the Viagra he had taken a few minutes before her arrival. Tom wondered if he could really persuade this new Katie not to follow through on her stated plans. If, indeed, he could ever induce her to do anything.
As she bore him down towards the living room floor and put his hands on her body, he realized trying might be among the best or worst experiences of his life.
London, England. The Next Morning.
"So he likes the new you?" Erika said into her phone. "He said you had him at 'hello'? That's great, Katie!"
She listened as Katie responded.
"I see. Well, I think that's a good idea. Don't take things too fast. I know you want to stay with Tom but you may not want him to know that just yet. Remember that Keri and Shane are on call if you need anything, Taron and Melissa too. Believe in yourself, okay?" She paused again. "Thanks, I will. We'll talk again soon."
Erika ended the call and put the phone down. She then turned to the other two naked people with her in the master bedroom of Inside Out's penthouse. They lay beside one another on the white mattress of the well-lit room's king size bed. Sheets and blankets were in a heap on the floor next to their discarded clothing.
"That was Katie," Erika said. "She's okay. Tom likes the new her better than the old."
"Tom appreciates the new Katie?" Alicia Witt asked, grinning. "Wow."
"Hey, I liked her," Doug Ramsay said. His sky blue eyes sparkled as he laughed. "I'm glad Tom knows what's good for him."
"He may not yet," Erika replied. "Katie got him to agree to join our church's shadow reformation and reactivate his Friendship status, but she's still working up to an open marriage. They will also continue avoiding anything that might get rid of the tabloid attention and protesters. Tom's publicist wants them to maintain the veneer of scandal to keep up public interest." Erika's tone communicated that she didn't like that idea. "Katie is following your plan, though, Lish."
"That's good," Alicia said. "I wouldn't want to think all that fingering I gave Katie while we discussed the plan distracted her too much from my words." The redhead ran a hand through her cap of crimson curls and looked at the wall. Erika recalled that she was reluctant to take a direct role in affairs before. Then Alicia heard the tape Doug recorded of Katie's talk with Erika and changed her mind. Upon entering his office at the first session, Doug erased the tape as Katie stipulated. An apology and odd smile later, they became intimate acquaintances. Alicia soon gained the same level of trust. The five of them talked much in the days after the first session. Shane, Keri, Clarke and others also participated. Katie had learned to assert herself by the time they were through.
Both she and Erika were also briefed on the plot Doug and John Travolta had concocted. The things the scheme had achieved helped Erika get over her initial disappointment at not being taken into their confidence before Tom's call. Katie gaped when she was filled in, and subsequently agreed to join the Friendship when Doug made the offer. "A chance to take part in your plans for my life," she said. "How can I say no?"
"Maybe Katie's marriage will stabilize now," Erika conjectured in the present. "Katie can motivate Tom to fix his issues. What do you think, Doug?"
"Well, do you know the story about the boy and the Zen master?"
"There are numerous stories about Zen masters," said Erika.
"This one is relevant. In an ancient Chinese village, a boy gets a new horse. He likes it and almost everyone in the village is happy for him. They say the boy's really going to enjoy riding the horse. Except for the local Zen master. He just says 'We'll see.'
"The first time the boy rides the horse he gets thrown off and breaks his leg. The people of the village are shocked. 'No!' they say. 'This is terrible!' The Zen master says 'We'll see.'
"The next week, a war breaks out. The army comes through the village to draft soldiers. They skip over the boy because he's got a broken leg. The people of the village are relieved. 'Maybe it's good that horse threw him after all, ' they say. The Zen master says, 'We'll see.'"
"I get your point," Erika answered with a sigh.
"Yeah, you're right," Alicia concurred. "Things can still go good or bad for Tom and Katie. It doesn't all depend on them."
"Either way, I hope the help we gave is good for them both," said Doug.
"Well, if it goes bad that will probably be good for Katie too," Erika replied. "I'll be there for her either way." She looked back and forth at her two best friends, who were nodding collaboration.
"What about your church?" Alicia asked. "Do you really think aiding Tom and Katie will help them, like Keri thought it might?"
Erika shrugged. "I have no idea. There are still many fanatics in Scientology's ranks. Good people too, but many of those are still afraid to stand up for themselves and be who they want to be. Lots of stuff's been happening lately, yet not everyone important is noticing it. We're not as strong as we need to be, even with Tom as part of us now. I think it will take some more years to reform the church fully and even then..." She waved her hand. "I guess a good answer to your question is: 'We'll see.'"
Doug nodded. "Yeah. The fate of your church is up to each individual involved with it — Scientologist or critic, public or minister, celebrity or fan."
"You're right," Erika agreed. "We can advise others, but it's their choice what to do in the end." She shook her head. "Whatever happens, I think we should be proud of the victories we've gained."
"Indeed," Alicia said.
"Who knows?" Doug added with a smile. "We may get called upon to help out more people down the road, especially since Erika's a Viceroy now."
"Don't remind me," Erika said, thinking of the position she'd received the previous day. The Friendship High Council was so impressed with what she'd done for Tom and Katie and its potential to do more that they made Erika one of their society's several million sub-leaders scattered around the world. Doug had set the ball rolling so that there would be no more secrets between them. Erika was still getting used to the added responsibility even though there was little expected of her other than to carry on being the inspiring charitable person she was.
I'll just take things as they come, Erika told herself. I'll keep acting, singing, counseling and everything else. The rest I can figure out as I go along. Other people will be helping me most of the time, so it should be relatively easy.
"You know, Doug, I can't do everything," she said, turning her attention back to him. "I'm just a normal woman, not some world savior or anything like that."
"You have accomplished many things in your life, though," Alicia said. "More than most people would think possible."
"True," Doug agreed.
Erika thought back on it all and found herself laughing. "You guys are right. I guess I will have to do more if I'm called. It may be a very stressful position. In fact, I'm feeling the tension all over my body right now."
Doug and Alicia responded to her hint. They snuggled close and embraced Erika. Doug was at her front, kissing and suckling her breasts while his fingers massaged her shoulders. Alicia came up behind her and tapped out a brisk tune on Erika's hips with her classical pianist's hands.
Erika exchanged kisses with them both and then separated herself from them for a second. She turned her phone off and put it in the drawer of one of the bedside tables. Doug and Alicia gave her looks of approval. She smiled at them and fell back into their embrace.
Alicia moved at her front side now, lips open and inviting. Erika met her with a tongue kiss while Doug leaned close and stroked their hair. His muscular arms encircled the two women and his hardness brushed against their thighs. Alicia's pink nipples rubbed Erika's, their tips growing harder. Erika put a hand on her girlfriend's crotch and teased the lava red thatch between Alicia's legs.
She turned back and forth between her male and female lovers, kissing and touching each. Doug's rough stubble and hard muscles were a nice contrast to Alicia's soft tenderness. Erika loved them both and she could see no better end to her life's recent trials than the three of them sharing that love. There would be more events and challenges ahead but they could wait. She knew she would be able to handle them with her friends' aid when they arrived.
The two friends currently with her caressed her body, finding and tickling her nerves. They stroked each other as well and Erika returned their touches. She ran her tongue across Alicia's neck and then Doug's. Alicia fondled her cleavage and Doug rubbed her legs. All three of them moaned as sensations rose inside them. Erika found Doug's hardness and grasped it in her palm. She squeezed the condom-sheathed organ and guided it into her pussy.
Alicia rolled apart from them as they joined. She watched them move into each other, their fingers massaging their torsos while their groins exchanged thrusts. The redhead added her own music to the experience, putting her hands on their limbs and delivering strokes to remind them that she was there. Every so often, Doug or Erika turned from their embrace and kissed Alicia's face and nipples. This let her know they cherished her presence as much as each other's. Alicia enjoyed both watching them and the touch of their hands. Eventually, the redhead sensed a growing need in her loins and moved her lower body to a position near their heads.
Erika smiled at the sight of her girlfriend's cunt close to her face and moved to kiss it. Doug continued thrusting into Erika while she moved, his teeth clenched and his hands rubbing her breasts. Alicia's legs came down on either side of Erika's head and Doug moved his fingers to caress them as well. Erika's cunt muscles gave his cock delicious suction while her hands rubbed his torso and Alicia's inner thighs. Bitter rose-scented honey flowed out of Alicia's cunt into Erika's throat as Erika licked her with rising intensity. Alicia caressed her own breasts with her fingers, wanting to hasten the climax she felt rising within.
"Yes!" the redhead gasped as it hit her. Erika sucked her clit and swallowed her flood of juice.
Erika had her own spasms an instant later when Doug squeezed both her tits and speared his cock hard into her pussy's most sensitive spot. She ducked under Alicia's lap and kissed him on the mouth, then threw her head back and squealed with happiness. Her body shook as she came, its motions further enlivening her lovers as they kept touching her. Doug caught Erika in his arms when she stopped vibrating and they kissed again.
Alicia moved her body back down beside theirs and resumed playing a symphony on their nerves. Erika and Doug completed their kiss and smiled at each other, then turned and licked Alicia's nipples. They both gave her suggestive smiles. The redhead took the hint and delivered them each a tongue kiss when their lips came near.
Doug pulled his still-erect organ out of Erika's slit and then turned and stuck it into Alicia's. The redhead smiled at the entrance and leaned close to lick his face. Erika meanwhile moved her body into a position similar to the one Alicia had taken a few minutes ago. Soon Alicia was licking Erika's pussy while Doug fucked hers with his cock. Alicia's breath grew hard and fast, tinged with a nasty word now and then. Erika was soon breathing just as rapid. Alicia's tunnel tightened around Doug's cock and her body moved in rhythm with Doug's just as well as Erika's had. He put his hands on her thighs and shoved his organ in and out of her body. Alicia moaned and gasped with each motion, lapping at Erika's clit.
The lovers' fingers traveled over one another's bodies, finding familiar pleasure centers and activating them. When some of these points became too sensitive, their fingers moved on. Alicia stopped tonguing Erika and moved her mouth to kiss Doug's just before Erika could come again. Erika stroked herself with her own fingers while she watched them kissing. Her motions were soft, intended to keep her feelings at their current plateau rather than push herself further. She moved her fingers aside when Alicia's mouth returned to her snatch.
"Let me lick her too," Doug requested.
Alicia nodded. She took a long deep draft of Erika's juices and then withdrew her head again so that Doug could take her place. Erika mewled with ecstasy as her best male friend lapped her tunnel in circular motions. Sweet sap flowed from her body and Doug savored the taste.
A tornado built inside Erika and she came for the second time in their current encounter. Moaning their names, she moved her body down and pushed herself between Alicia and Doug. They gave her welcoming caresses as she twisted around with them on either side. As she descended, Alicia trembled and pinched Erika's nipples. Erika smiled and rubbed her body against the redhead's while Alicia climaxed. Doug moved against her back, his lips touching her neck. The softness of her hair was tickling his nose.
Doug's body separated from Alicia's as Erika's groin hit theirs. Erika sighed as she felt his organ slid along her inner thigh. She pushed Doug away and pressed herself into Alicia, grinding their bodies together. Alicia's small sharp breasts collided with and lashed Erika's larger orbs. Their hard clits met and kissed while their hands roamed over and stroked each other's flesh. The soreness of their most recent orgasms disappeared quickly when their lips met and fused.
A cough let them know Doug was no longer able to hold himself back. He had helped bring two beautiful women to multiple orgasms and now he was seeing them trade pleasure. The visual assault was just too much. Alicia and Erika smiled and turned their heads towards him. Doug pulled the condom off his organ and got on his knees, then ejaculated all over their faces. Alicia and Erika beamed and caught the ribbons of semen on their cheeks and chests. They then proceeded to clean each other with kisses, swapping Doug's sperm many times with their tongues.
The club manager lay down on the bed after his body settled. He watched as Erika and Alicia continued to kiss and rub their torsos in concert, red and auburn hair gleaming along with pale and porcelain skin. After stroking each other for several moments, Alicia reached orgasm and Erika followed. They kissed happily during their vibrations like the longtime good friends they were and then rolled apart. The trio rested for a while, getting ready for more play.
Doug smiled when his actress friends recovered and moved back towards him. Alicia kissed his lips, then moved down on his body and took his cock in her mouth. The redhead rubbed his balls with her right hand's fingers while sucking him back to full length. He gasped, enjoying the sensations built by her attentions.
While watching them, Erika retrieved a box of condoms from the bedside table. She took a foil package out of the canister and prepared it. Soon, she knew, they would again have need of such a safety device.
Erika handed the condom to Alicia when it was out of its package. She then turned and embraced Doug, thanking him with her body for all the flattery and other services he had given her over the years. Erika treasured it as one of the best gifts she'd earned. She valued Alicia's love too and let her best girlfriend know this with her fingers and tongue after Alicia finished sheathing Doug's manhood.
Erika sent spiritual pleasure pulses to Katie, Keri, Scarlett and all her other lovers around the world as Doug and Alicia kissed her back. She was sure they were doing the same for their other lovers while embracing her. All the people they had known and those they had yet to meet and befriend. All were companions, walking the bridge of happiness and living a mutual adventure. I will never forsake you, Erika thought as she considered them all. I will be with you, always.
Doug and Alicia smiled along with Erika as their ecstasy ascended. Their spirited cries of revel at being with one another echoed throughout the night.
Berlin, Germany. Three Days Afterwards.
The cameras flashed and people shouted. Tom waved to the crowd and smiled. Beside him, Katie was doing the same. She looked wonderful in her new dress and hairstyle. Some gossip columnists were saying she was too thin but Tom paid them no mind. He knew the real reason for his wife's new look.
"Mr. Cruise, please sign here!" an autograph hound cried. Tom took the offered photograph and scrawled his name. His handlers walked amongst the gathered fans and collected other pictures, cards, and DVD cases for Tom's signature and a few for Katie's also. Items were passed and signed while cameras flashed and people called out words of praise.
I didn't think I was this popular in Germany, Tom said to himself. It was the premiere of his film "Valkyrie" and he hoped the foreign market would do at least as well as the domestic one had. The actor recalled all the difficulties he had making the movie. Maybe that climate would change now, thanks to the commitments he and Katie had recently made.
Tom shook his head and beamed at another fan, reflecting on the developments of which he was now aware. When he put the Friendship aside, they had not done the same to him. Nor had they ignored the plight of Scientology. Its philosophy was theirs, and though corrupted by selfish fools, it was still viable. There were numerous kinks and incorrect data, but the Friendship was working to repair the church their disgraced Viceroy Ron Hubbard had built. Chairman Miscavige had spent the past several months with the High Council working out the agreements on how exactly things would be accomplished. He had told Tom this when Tom called him after Katie's return.
"I was shocked and reluctant at first," Miscavige had explained. "I didn't want to listen to them. Then I learned they were pure Scientology. Ron wasn't the source, they were. They have been perfecting the philosophy for millennia and know so much we don't, things we never expected or even considered. They do things right too. Suppressing diversity and disagreement has never been their policy. Such measures were the product of our own false doctrines, and they were weaknesses. I see that now. The Friendship helped me see it, and I'm not the first religious leader they've aided either. They've been called Gnostics, Knights of Malta, Illuminati, and a thousand other names. Of course, we can't just tell the world about them. Those who believed us would never leave us alone, and those who wouldn't ... This stays between us, okay?"
"Don't worry," Tom answered. "I know who's in charge. It's them, not us."
"That is correct." Miscavige coughed and then continued. "In the next few years, our church is going to undergo radical changes. It may disintegrate and fade away. If so, that will be the price of our errors. Whether we survive depends on many things that may not be immediately clear."
"And even if we don't survive, the Friendship will," Tom guessed.
"Exactly," Miscavige said. "We're unnecessary. It pains me to admit that, but it's true. We have to learn to live in this world without dominating it, Tom. Ron never realized that when he released Scientology to the public. Mike knew it, though. I demanded his resignation, rather than face his knowledge myself. Now it's time you and I accepted it. Our time will end if we don't."
The Chairman cleared his throat. "Tom, I ask your forgiveness on everything I've put you through. The publicity fiascos, your past divorces, everything wrong in your life as a Scientologist occurred because of my orders or my inaction. It was my fault and I'm ashamed. You're the second person to whom I'm saying this. The first was my wife. There are millions of others in line."
"Takes two to tango, D.M.," Tom replied. "I'm responsible for all my problems just as you are. We can be thankful we were given the capability to recover and improve." Tom thought of their spouses as well as Doug, Erika, and all their other allies inside and outside Scientology. "We have help."
"Yes," Miscavige replied. "We also have the burden of opposition."
Looking across the room now, Tom saw two examples of that burden. A pair of young men in Guy Fawkes masks, one with a video camera. A security guard was addressing the men in a stern tone. Tom could not make out the conversation. He smiled when he saw the men remove their masks. Just normal people, Tom said to himself. What a relief.
The guard took a mask from one of the men and passed it to a nearby handler. "They want it autographed," the go-between answered Tom's inquiring look.
Tom felt unsettled. Around him, people were frowning and whispering. The owner of the mask called forth pleas and appreciation, sounding more like a fan than a protester. Tom looked up and for a second their eyes met. In that instant, the man made a gesture. Tom's heart clenched and then he relaxed. Friends are everywhere, he realized. Even amongst the enemy. Wow.
Memories of his recent stopover in London on the way to Berlin came to Tom. Erika and her boyfriend, Friendship leader Doug Ramsay, had met Tom and Katie at the airport between flights. "Welcome back to our ranks," Doug said after introducing himself. "I am here to reassure you and deliver a warning. We exist to help humankind. We bear no one ill will. However, there are those among this world who make mistakes, who forget our credo of freeing the body and mind. For a time, you have been among such people. You can be restored and you will, if you pass the trials to come."
I suppose this is one of those, Tom thought as he regarded the mask. Erika and Doug said I would not always know when I was undergoing the trials, and not all of them would be simple. This one, though, is both obvious and easy.
After a second of reflection, he drew a peace symbol on the offered mask and signed his name. He then handed it back to the young man and nodded at the other anti-Scientologist's camera. "Thank you!" the mask's owner responded. "You're cool. I love you!" Tom grinned and turned to the next fan. In his peripheral vision, he observed security escorting a third masked protester to a theater exit. This one was more vocal and had a poster proclaiming, "Scientology is Evil!" Tom shook his head at the message and kept his contrary opinion to himself. Instead, he continued signing items for the others in the room, fans and others alike.
I don't think they trust me very much, he mused. Maybe they never will. I live in this world, though, and so do they. That alone makes it possible to work out our differences. Doug and Erika have taught me as much, Katie too. We share this planet, each other, and all knowledge. Nothing should be exclusive. I must captain my own life and treat others with proper respect. I am prepared to embrace these truths now, just as John and so many other Scientologists already have. Will things work out? Will they allow us to exist comfortably in the years to come?
Maybe, Tom decided. It's impossible to know for certain. I suppose I'll soon discover the answer.
He waved at the crowd one last time before taking Katie's hand and walking offstage. Watching him through a computer connected to the cameras in the area, Doug and Erika slapped their hands in a high five.
Afterword: It has been one of the great pleasures of my life to write this series. Thank you for reading it. I appreciate any feedback you send.
I know there is discrimination in this story and in the world. I do not support this discrimination. I fight back against it in my writing the best way I know: with fair depiction and realistic portrayal of the discrimination's subject people. They are human beings and there is good in them. May their unjust suffering someday end and may those who are responsible for that suffering stop giving fuel to the conflict. May we all one day learn to rise above our differences, stand up for the good that exists in the world and further that good. Yes, bad also exists in everything, but it is not all that is there and it can be reformed and erased. We must learn to accept this if we are to heal humanity's rifts.
A reminder: my stories are fiction. Yes, they are based on real events and people, but that is just for allegorical purposes. The celebrities I use as characters are very different in real life and I do not cooperate with them at all in my writing. The controversies depicted are also not the same in real life and will probably be resolved differently there when the time comes. Some things are beyond the scope of my pen. I have explored but a fraction of the issues herein and the solutions are merely my opinions. Any real situations by which you may be affected — religious crisis of faith, marriage troubles, bisexuality, whatever — you will have to solve on your own. If my stories helped you, that's great. I don't expect it though. No manipulation here, just hopes and themes.
The "Passion" series has ended. My stories have not. I will continue writing when I get the inspiration. What will happen in the future? It depends on real life as much as my alternate universe. All I can say for now is: "We'll see." :)
-AN
The End
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Passion Ch. 5- Free Katie

Passion # 5: Free Katie

by AchtungNight

The End