The Passion of Erika Christensen
Chapter 3- Inauguration
by AchtungNight (DougElder21@yahoo.com).

Disclaimer/FAQ: Due to its themes and content, this story should
only be read by responsible adults willing and able to judge it
fairly. The story may bear some relation to actual history, but
it has been edited via the writer's lens and thus become fiction.
You are encouraged to sharpen your mind by figuring out the
difference. Any actual people or events included in the story are
not reflected the way they exist in reality, no matter the
resemblance. The inclusion of said people and events in the story
is not meant as anything more or less than an tribute to them
that is dramatic, tragic, comedic, and above all honest and
appropriate to the tale. Any characters, themes, or concepts
herein that did not originate with this writer belong to their
respective creators and are used as similar tribute to those
folk. Opinions expressed herein are the writer's alone and you
have the inalienable right to disagree with them. Your opinion of
this story and the issues it discusses I leave up to you. I just
hope you find something to enjoy. This story may be posted
anywhere on the Net that has my permission and is free to access
for the average adult viewer. I acknowledge all who helped me
create and publish this story, thank them deeply, and welcome
others to join their ranks. Please send feedback if you like the
story enough to have an opinion of it worth discussing- I will be
glad to respond.

Author's Notes: This chapter of the series serves as an ending to
something I no longer wish to explore. Thanks to all who read and
aided the creation of this story and all my other celebrity
erotica- it was a fun ride, but it's over now. I hope your
enjoyment never dries up. - AN

***********************************
The Passion of Erika Christensen
Chapter 3- Inauguration
October 2003. London, England.

It is hard to concentrate when you are being eaten out skillfully
by a beautiful redhead.

This Erika Christensen was learning firsthand. She lay naked in a
pile of cushions, her equally undressed friend Alicia Witt's head
buried between her legs. One of Alicia's hands was squeezing and
caressing at each of Erika's thighs while her tongue licked the
space between. Up and down, side to side, lingering for a moment
on the clitoris and then stabbing past it and within. "Ahh!!"
Erika screamed as Alicia hit a key spot, her hands grabbing at
her breasts. She flicked her thumbs at her nipples and rubbed
their undersides, at the same time opening her legs wider as
Alicia leaned in. The other actress held them steady, licking in
circles now and varying her speed so as to hold Erika off.

Good, Erika thought, shaking out her long curly blonde hair.
You're learning well for someone who's only been doing this about
three weeks. But of course you're a prodigy, so you've always
been a fast learner. She grinned, reflecting on their
relationship's history while the licking went on.

Erika and Alicia had known each other for almost two years. They
had met at a movie premiere, and found themselves linked by
common interests and personality traits. Both were actresses,
young, and experienced with the Hollywood scene. Neither was that
famous, nor was becoming so important to them. Instead they
merely wanted to experience as much of life as they could, and
they each saw acting as the best way to do that their talents
allowed. Their friendship was a somewhat distant one, the
circumstances of their careers keeping them apart, but they had
still regularly been able to make time to see one another and
hang out.

Alicia's always seen in me the kind of actress she wanted to be,
Erika thought. Every role I've ever done in films, TV shows, and
music has been memorable. I've never failed to get acclaim, from
critics or fans. At the time we met, my career was recovering
from a downturn, while hers was in the middle of one. She was
becoming disillusioned with Hollywood, taking fewer and fewer
parts as her movies either bombed, got flamed by critics, or
both. Her TV career was similar, the appearances small and far
between. Even when she got praised, people just weren't allowing
Alicia to hang around long. Or she got cable movies that were
seen by few and not that great. Her love life was equally
disappointing.

Then she met me. Someone younger than she was, and apparently
happier. I was so sure of myself I was able to tell off major
Hollywood players trying to suggest to me what I should do with
my fame and barely bat an eye. I got hurt, but I never let it
seem to get me down. I stayed out of the spotlight, but still
attracted a good amount of notice and praise in the same sort of
roles she used to do as a child. I also seemed wiser about the
world than she was, and more content with it. All these things
kept Alicia interested in being around me. Even as our career
paths diverged, even as she moved to London to get away from the
hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, even as my career continued to
do well while hers stayed pretty slow.

Just recently, we got closer. Alicia and I were cast in the same
film, a drama called The Upside of Anger. We formed a sexual
relationship with our co-stars, Keri Russell and Evan Rachel
Wood. I didn't know they were swingers before it began, I was
only trying to make friends with them. Alicia knew I was into the
lifestyle, but she kept it secret. Until, that is, we let Keri
and Evan seduce us both. Something really great was formed that
day, and it continues now.

Erika grinned as one of Alicia's hands came up across her waist,
rubbed at her stomach and chest. She caressed its wrist with her
own hand, then leaned down and stroked Alicia's hair. She
recalled how their latest coupling had begun. Another day off
from filming, not much to do. I was hanging out here at our
favorite London club, discussing philosophy with the manager.
Then Alicia came up to me, said she needed to talk to me about
something in private. I was happy to oblige- I've been a
confessor for her since the day we met. Doug gave us one of the
VIP rooms, and then as soon as we got up here Alicia started
giving me one hot kiss after another. I eagerly returned them,
and pretty soon we ended up in our current condition.

You could have just said you wanted to do it with me, Erika
chuckled to herself, looking over Alicia's pale freckled flesh.
Inside Out is a swingers' haven- no one would have minded. There
are many people at the club who know who we are- how can they
not?- but I doubt any of them would have dared to call the
tabloids. But of course you're still paranoid and naive about all
this. Oh well, we'll work on that. I know from personal
experience that the more one gets involved in this, the braver
they get. You obviously still have a ways to go.

She gasped as Alicia's tongue jabbed into her, pleasure welling
up from within her body as juice flooded out. "Yes!!" Erika cried
out, feeling something rise and wash over her. "Yes!!" Alicia
lapped more eagerly as she crested, her hands pressing hard
against Erika's thigh and hip. "Ahh!!!" Erika flung her head from
side to side, crying out again and then closing her mouth as the
emotion died away. Great, she thought, though not that intense.
Of course, I'm sure that was only the first one. We have all
night to give each other more before we have to go back to our
ordinary lives.

Alicia took her mouth away from Erika's pussy and smiled, pulling
her slim body up alongside Erika's lush one. She leaned in and
kissed Erika, who lapped eagerly at the essence on her lips. The
redhead met Erika's tongue with her own, then broke their kiss,
smiling.

Erika smiled back. "Thanks," she said. "Shall I do you?"

Her hand moved towards her friend, but Alicia stopped it with a
grab. "Later. I need you to tell me about something."

Uh oh, Erika thought. This was just a prelude, only not the sort
I thought. Please don't say you're considering giving this up
again, Alicia. You've been enjoying it so much. So have the rest
of us. I know you were reluctant in the beginning, you always
have been, but didn't we talk you out of that? Come on!

She blinked her blue eyes, then looked into Alicia's brown ones.
"What's the matter? You know you can talk to me about anything-
what is it?"

Alicia grimaced. "You remember the first time we kissed?"

Erika nodded, thinking back.

***
Feburary 2002. Los Angeles, CA.

"Man," Alicia said, opening her apartment door and stepping
through. "What a drag of a night this has been."

Erika shook her head in agreement, following. They had been going
out to the clubs of Los Angeles as they often did, trying to pick
up guys. Alicia had suffered a recent breakup, and was looking to
jump back in the pool with both feet. Erika was trying to help
her out, and maybe score something for herself too. But for some
reason none of the guys they'd spoken to that night had been
interested. No one had asked them to dance, and those they'd
asked had declined. They had tried many possibles, but none had
been successful.

Maybe we should have reminded them about the movies we've been
in, Erika thought. Neither Alicia or I have had anything come out
in a while, so they didn't recognize us. So perhaps if we'd
reminded them of Traffic or Vanilla Sky...

No, she grimaced. That might have not worked either. The guys
might not have seen those movies, and even if they did, they
might not have believed us. Then, of course, even if they
believed us, not everyone is into movie stars. Nah, it's probably
better that we didn't try that. Alicia's right, sucky night.
Unless... A thought occurred to her and she grinned.

"Thanks for driving me home," Alicia said, turning to face Erika
after shutting the door. "I'll see you again this weekend, we can
keep trying. Maybe we'll have better luck soon."

Erika nodded and held up her hand. This is the perfect
opportunity, she thought. I've known her long enough, I like her,
I can't let it go. "Alicia, wait. We can still have fun tonight."

Alicia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Erika smirked, then leaned close to the taller girl and stood up
slightly, extending her arms. She took hold of Alicia's face and
kissed her lips, sparking a gasp from the redhead. Alicia's hands
rose almost instantly, grabbing Erika's shoulders and pushing
hard at them. Oh no, Erika thought, sensing her resistance. Don't
do that! You have to like this. Come on! She kept her lips on
Alicia's, her fingers stroking the other girl's cheeks. Alicia
seemed to echo her fervor, and Erika smiled, opening her mouth.
Her tongue moved forward, tapped at the wall of Alicia's lips.
They did not part, however. Instead, Alicia shook her head and
pulled away, a shocked look on her face. Shit, Erika thought.

"I'm sorry," she said, taking a step back from Alicia. "Was I too
fast? I..."

Alicia stopped her with a raised hand, still looking bemused.
"What made you think you could do that?"

"Uh..." Erika stammered. Get a hold of yourself!, she commanded
her insides. "I've known you for two months, we're good friends,
we didn't have any other options tonight, and..."

"I'm not into that, Erika."

Erika's mouth fell open. "You gotta be kidding me! All the
lesbian movies you've been in? Fun, Four Rooms, Gen 13..."

"I was acting!" Alicia turned away from her, grimacing and
putting a hand to her mouth. She dropped it, then turned back to
Erika. "I never thought you..."

Damn it, Erika said to herself. I really jumped too fast here.
"I'm sorry. You know I swing, right? I've told you I'm not
exclusive with anyone."

"But you didn't tell me you were..." Alicia shook her head. "I
probably should have asked. I'm sorry, Erika. I'm sorry."

Erika stared at her. "So you're not into women? I thought when
you smiled at those lesbians who came up to us last week and said
they loved you in Fun..."

"I was humoring them! I gave them an autograph, then they left.
I'm not... I like guys, Erika."

"That's not a problem. I like guys too. I just also like..."

"But I don't!"

Your kiss made me think otherwise for a second, Erika almost
said. Then she shook her head, discarding the idea. Geena warned
you about this, she reminded herself. You've role-played the
possibility with her and your other girlfriends. You could use
the tactics you've developed, but they might not work. You don't
want to drive Alicia away. Besides, you've been rejected before
and still stayed friends with the girl, right? Try that here.

"I'm really sorry," she sighed. She raised her hand to tap
Alicia's shoulder, then dropped it. "I thought you'd be into it.
I should have asked you first, I guess."

Alicia nodded, calming down. "It's alright. You just... shocked
me. I thought there were no gay Scien..."

"There are," Erika cut off the common misconception. "We just
don't get as much press as the people who have problems with
homosexuality."

"I see." Alicia choked back a laugh. "I should have expected
this. The conversation you and Tom Cruise were having when we
met..."

"Right," Erika grinned. "People like him and people like me have
had a lot of disagreements."

Alicia laughed. "You'll never stop surprising me, will you?"

"I hope not," Erika said. "Listen, it's okay that you're not into
it. I shouldn't have pushed you. Still friends?"

"Of course," Alicia said, putting her hands together. She looked
at the door. "I'm just tired after tonight. I'll call you
tomorrow?"

"Sure," Erika replied. "See you then." She opened the door and
walked out, trying hard not to look back.

***
October 2003. London, England.

That incident set the tone for our whole relationship, Erika
thought. From then on we were at a distance. You still talked to
me, even discussed your fantasies with me, but you were always
too scared to take things further. I told you a lot about the
swinging I've done, I even set you up with some of the guys I
know who are also into it. No matter what I did, things never
worked out. You confessed to considering the idea of women
sometimes, and thinking hard about it, maybe even liking it, but
things never went farther than that. You wouldn't trust yourself,
or me. I always hated that, but I did my best to ignore it and
stay friends with you. And eventually, once we met Keri, things
paid off.

"You're not feeling guilty about that, are you?" she asked
Alicia. "We've more than made up for it. And if it's that you
lied to Keri, we can..."

Alicia put a finger to her lips. "I talked to Keri last night,
apologized for lying. She'd already guessed. We came to an
understanding." The redhead smiled. "When I mentioned our kiss,
she told me an interesting theory. Want to hear it?"

"Sure."

"She said I wasn't into you intially because you remind me of the
first serious lesbian I acted alongside. Or, correction, the
co-star I thought was a serious lesbian. Once I met her, I found
out sex was more of a spectacle to her than anything else."

"And it's not that to me," Erika said. We've discussed Madonna's
effect on Alicia before, she mused. I personally think she's
overreacting a bit, but then I've never met Madonna, so I don't
really know. I can see how Keri would see similarities between
us, though. We're both blonde, singers as well as actresses, and
into religions lots of people find weird. There are plenty of
differences, but...

"Keri reminded me more of Renee Humphrey, the first girl I was
really close to in a movie," Alicia went on. "Someone who was
more of a friend offscreen too. Therefore it was easier for me to
get intimate with her. I had never even thought of getting with
Renee that way, but..." She laughed. "It sort of makes sense,
don't you think?"

"Yeah," Erika agreed. "Look, I'm not mad about you pushing me
away in the beginning. I understand why you did. You don't have
to apologize to me."

"Thank you," Alicia said. She paused, looking away and then back
at Erika. "I do want to know something, though."

Erika reached out and put a hand on her breast, squeezed and
stroked it. "Are you wondering whether or not I really like this?
Please. You know how I feel about faking."

Alicia grinned at her attention, then pushed the hand away
carefully. She took a breath. "I want to know how you got into
this, Erika." She gestured at their naked bodies. "Sex with other
women, I mean. I've never asked you about it before- I just took
your interest in it at face value. I didn't want to risk
alienating you- I value our friendship so much."

"You know me better than that," Erika said. She leaned close and
kissed Alicia. "So you want to hear about my origin as a
bisexual?"

Alicia nodded. "Yes. I know Keri's and Evan's, but not yours. You
don't have to tell me about how you first got with guys, I know
about that too. It's just..." She sighed. "It was a surprise to
me when I found out you also liked women. If I know how it
started, and I see enough similarities..."

"You'll feel more comfortable with being into it yourself," Erika
guessed. Alicia nodded again in reply. Geez, Erika thought, this
is going to be a pretty big story. She took a breath. "Well, it
all began with my first starring role."

***
September 2001. Los Angeles, CA.

"You know, I've been thinking..." Deanna Cartwright said
nervously, pacing back and forth in the gazebo. Her head wound
was particularly bothering her today, as was every aspect of her
trauma. Very few people seemed to understand how she felt, or
even care enough to visit her in the hospital. The girl I'm
talking to now does, she reminded herself, even if she often
doesn't act like it. And I have to get the information I need out
of her. It's very important. She frowned and began again. "I
haven't really seen you around school with boys. Well, I've only
really seen you with one boy, and I was wondering about..."

Alicia Browning raised an eyebrow and stood up as Deanna
stammered. Her harsh heavily made up features posed a sharp
contrast to Deanna's pale unadorned dimples, as did her tall slim
body to Deanna's lush one, and her punkish garb to Deanna's more
casual clothes. The only obvious similarities between the two of
them were that they were about the same age and both had long
pale blonde hair. And we're friends, Deanna added. Maybe we
weren't before, we barely knew each other, but we're friends now.

She looked at the other girl, smiling and then turning away. "I
was wondering about your feelings... how you felt about..."

The Goth girl cut her off, smirking. "How I felt about boys?"

"No!" Deanna replied, grimacing again. "I mean... your feelings
towards..." She stopped and took a breath. "I'm asking you
something that's really hard for me to ask."

Her companion shrugged and stepped closer to her. "Well, let me,
uh, make it easy for you."

"What..." Deanna started to say, but was cut off as the other
girl leaned in, grabbed her face, and kissed her hard on the
mouth.

Oh my God, Erika Christensen silently gaped, shaking as her
co-star's lips attached to hers. She kept her lips closed,
surprised by what she felt. The tenderness, the rebellion, the...
I like this, she thought as Busy Phillips kept their kiss strong,
starting to open her mouth. Suddenly the trilling of a nearby
bird caught her attention. Damn it!, Erika remembered the script.
Stay in character! She threw up her hands and pushed herself away
from Busy, frowning. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Busy threw up her hands. "It sounded like you were asking me if I
was into girls!"

"Well, I wasn't!"

Her co-star grinned, looking her up and down. "Which probably
means that you're into girls."

"Well, I'm not!" Deanna, the committed virgin, declared. Never
mind that I might be, Erika added in a corner of her mind. She
wiped at her lips, trying to both savor the experience and get
rid of it. "Geez, if you wanted to know, you could have just
asked me!"

"Well, you could have just lied!" Busy said. "It was the only way
to be sure. But, hey, you didn't kiss me back, so you got nothing
to worry about."

"I guess," Erika fumed. Shut up, she ordered her inner voice.
This movie isn't about lesbians, never mind that kiss and all the
other overtones. It's about the school shooting in which Busy's
character and I were involved, the event that brought us together
and its effects on us as well as the rest of our community. I'm
supposed to be discussing those effects with her, trying to get
information from her about the shooting so Detective van Zandt
can know whether or not she was involved. I'm sure she wasn't,
but the fact that she knew the perpetrator and walked away
uninjured when so many others died...

She grimaced and continued the scene, keeping her own emotions at
bay and throwing herself into her role as she always did. Even
when Busy exploded with rage, calling her character a "fucking
stupid drama queen," Erika reacted as she was supposed to,
gesturing in apology and speaking her lines. The meaner her
co-star got, the sunnier she tried to be. At the scene's climax,
Busy stormed off and she fell to her knees, choking back a sob.
"Cut!" Paul Ryan yelled. Erika waited for the camera to click off
before looking up in expectation. The director of her latest
movie stared back at her for a moment, deep in thought, then
nodded. "Print. That was perfect."

Erika smiled. "Really?" She and Busy had been struggling with a
lot of their scenes.

"Yes," Paul nodded. "Great reaction to the kiss, Erika. Shock,
curiosity, revulsion but keeping the friendship. The audience
will love that. And Busy, you're doing well too. If you're
planning on putting half the effort into the delivery of your
Dawson's Creek lines that you're doing here..." He grinned. "I
think you'll give that show the ratings boost it needs."

"Thanks," Busy said, walking back towards Erika from offstage.
"So we gonna shoot another scene now or..."

"You two deserve a break," Paul said. "Take an hour, then report
to the hospital set. We'll get set up for the morgue scene. I
hope you two are ready for that, it's very important. Again, good
job on the kiss." He turned away to confer with some of the
techs.

Busy sat down beside Erika but did not look at her. She was
silent for a moment, then sighed. "Thank God we got that over
with, huh?"

Erika blinked. "You mean the kiss?" She'd thought Busy had liked
it as much as she had, but from the look on her co-star's face...

"Yeah. We didn't rehearse it. I was worried."

Erika nodded, recalling the conversation Ryan had had with them
about the scene their first day of shooting. It was the first
lesbian kiss in a movie for both actresses, and Ryan had been
concerned they wouldn't want to do it. Busy had given him a long
argument about how it seemed gratuitous and unnecessary to the
plot. Ryan had countered that it showed how close their
characters were getting while still showing the distance between
them. It was a good buildup for the later scenes where Busy's
character would talk Erika's out of suicide and then later cry at
graduation with Deanna running to comfort her as the credits
started to crawl. Erika had stayed silent during the discussion.
She'd had her own angst about the kiss she didn't want to air.

I've thought about kissing girls for a long time, she mused. I
read about it growing up and it intrigued me. As I went through
my teenage years, I fantasized about it every now and then. I
never could get up the courage to actually try it, though. No one
ever asked me. Then, of course, it's supposed to be wrong. I've
never thought it was wrong, but I was still scared. Would I like
kissing a girl? Would I want to go further? Would she want to? I
can do it with guys, that's easy, but with girls... That's why I
agreed when Busy proposed we not rehearse the kiss, only our
lines. We'd do it for the camera and hopefully get it right then,
not worry about it any more than that. I thought this arrangement
would preserve the feelings I was supposed to have about the kiss
onscreen too. But now...

Erika smiled, looking at Busy. She's pretty, Erika thought, and
she's been a good friend despite the differences between us. We
have different backgrounds, different careers. She likes the WB's
teenage soap operas, especially the really popular one she just
got a recurring role in. I prefer the more intriguing down to
earth supernatural dramas like Buffy and Felicity, the shows the
station is starting to take off the air. Busy's also more uptight
than I am, and a bit of a bitch. But I've still become as much
friends with her as I have with any of my previous co-stars. So
maybe...

"You did good," she told Busy. "I liked it."

Busy gaped. "You..." She shut her mouth, looking away. "That's
very nice, Erika."

Erika reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Didn't you
like it?"

Busy turned back to her and glared. Erika frowned, then dropped
her eyes. Busy leaned in and adjusted the bandanna covering the
supposed scar on her forehead, and she looked back up. The other
girl wore a confused expression. "I have a boyfriend, okay?" she
said. "We were acting, that's all it was. Don't think that..."

"I don't," Erika interrupted her with a sigh. "You're not into
me, are you?"

"I'm into guys, Erika!" Busy insisted, laughing. She shook her
head, looking Erika up and down. "You are pretty, and talented.
You're a good friend. But I don't like girls, okay? Kissing you
felt... weird."

Erika smiled. "I like weird."

Busy gaped at her, then rolled her eyes. "Well then, more power
to you. I'm just glad we got it done."

This film is driving her nuts, Erika mused. Me too. 18-hour
shooting days, tight budget, serious committment expected. But
it's all worth it. This movie has so much meaning, so many great
messages and themes. It's an independent film about a
controversial subject, so it's not going to get much
distribution, but it's still going to be very good. Too bad its
release will probably be delayed thanks to what happened last
week. Stupid terrorists. Stupider idiots who indulge in the sort
of censorship the terrorists do their dirty deeds in part to
promote. I really hope we get those bastards good and fast. The
victims deserve nothing less. Then we'll be able to get back to
our lives and put out all the good movies that are being pushed
back thanks to the event. We need to do that, instead of spending
a lot of time whining about the event and why it happened. It
happened, nothing can change that. Let's go get the bastards and
move on. She sighed, wondering if she was having such thoughts
because of the ending of her current film.

"See you in a while," Busy said, standing up. "I gotta hit the
restroom."

"See you," Erika said, looking away. I'm really going nuts right
now, she thought. And all because of this film. I'm really
putting myself into this role, giving it so much of my own pain,
and I'm afraid it won't be liked or seen when it should be. Then
of course there's all the flack people have been giving me about
the character. You shouldn't do this role, they say. Deanna has
mental problems, and talks to psychiatrists. What the heck is
wrong with that? I'm showing people what real-life shooting
victims go through by playing Deanna. Post-traumatic stress
disorder is not a myth, it's very real and very serious. And
psychiatrists can help people with it and similar problems- the
victims I talked to about this movie showed me how. This role is
an incredible challenge to me, and important too. I have to play
it. I have to show the critics I can do more than just a
wholesome schoolgirl or a drug addict, and show the fans that I'm
not the sort of bland blonde It Girl some think I am. That, and
of course by being in this film I can show people I'm not all
about Scientology. So many people think I am, just because of my
upbringing. They need to see that I support other values too,
that I'm really more into acting, charity, and rebellion than any
religious stuff. Yeah, I'm moral, don't get me wrong, but...

It's your swinging, Erika told herself with a sigh. You got into
it to work out your personal problems with loneliness, but you
haven't been able to do it in so long. You got afraid you were
getting too much into it, decided to cut back. You also told your
family a little about what you'd been doing, tried to alleviate
any possible problems that might result if they discovered it.
They cautioned you, made you feel guilty even though they didn't
say to stop doing it. Then you got this role, and so many people
started grumbling about it. On top of that, there's the film's
schedule, and the delays, and... I just can't relax with all
this. It needs to go well. It has to. If it doesn't...

Shut up, she told her inner voice. This movie is great! Once it
comes out, the fans and critics will see it and like it. Even the
people in Columbine to whom it's dedicated will like it,
hopefully. You won't have to worry so much, you'll be proud of
what you did. And who cares if your religion's more traditional
followers are giving you flack about the person you are? They
don't know what's true for you, they never really can no matter
how much they say. You have to find and live your own destiny,
you've always known that. You're doing what's meaningful to you,
what's fun and right. You should stop worrying, like Isaac keeps
telling you. Just live your life. Relax, grow, and be happy. Your
life hasn't been that bad, you really should be able to. But I
can't, she sighed, looking at the ground.

A voice caught her attention. "What's the matter?"

Erika looked up to see her other co-star in the film standing
beside her. Victor Garber was frowning, though he was
well-dressed and patrician as always. Victor's become a good
friend to me, Erika recalled. Prior to this film we never saw
each other in anything, but we bonded quickly once we started
working together. We got close for our roles, as we had to be-
he's Detective van Zandt. He's also been involved in acting for a
long time, and given me a lot of advice on it. He's big on
building relationships and working hard on characterization, like
me. We both like to go for diversity and challenge. He's also
been telling me about this spy show he has that's coming out this
fall. It sounds great. JJ Abrams, one of my favorite WB writers,
created it. Victor's going to star in it, and lots of other good
actors too. I'm surprised they're not delaying its premiere
because of what happened last week, but I'm glad. I can hardly
wait to sit down and watch.

"It's nothing," she told Victor with a shrug. "Just thinking
about my life."

Victor nodded in understanding. "There's a lot going on, isn't
there? Listen, Erika, I heard you and Busy talking just now and
I..." He paused. "I probably don't need to be saying this, but
you have nothing to worry about. It's okay if you like kissing
girls."

Erika grinned. He thinks I'm thinking about that, she chuckled to
herself. Was I? No, I guess I was trying not to. I wonder why. I
liked it so much, but... "I know it's okay," she said. "I don't
have a problem with it. I've just never done it before, and it
felt good, so..." She waved her hand. "Busy said it was just
acting- she's right. I shouldn't get into it. This film will be
over soon."

"Right, and if you get caught up in a moment, you'll get in
trouble. The mission is what matters, Erika. You can't let
anything distract you. Right now our mission is to finish this
film."

"Yeah," she agreed. Then she sighed, emotion coming back into her
mind. "Still, though..." Talk to him, Erika told herself. You and
Victor have discussed Hollywood life a lot, and dating in
particular. He's been active on the acting and dating scenes for
years, never scored that big in either, but his experience has
been beneficial to you. He's become as much a source of wisdom as
your usual confessors who you're cut off from right now thanks to
this film. You have to get your feelings out, and he's here. Talk
to him. "Victor, can I tell you about something private?"

"Of course," he said, looking around and nodding when he saw no
one was paying them much attention. "What is it?"

"Well, you know how I'm breaking out in the public eye right now,
but my career's still pretty slow?" Victor nodded, and Erika
continued. "It was causing me frustration, and, well, until this
film, I was getting out that frustration by dating a lot of
different guys. I got into some pretty serious relationships. I'm
trying to keep it secret for obvious reasons."

Victor frowned. "I see." He sat down and looked at Erika, his
expression distant but interested.

"I've stopped dating for a while because of this film," Erika
went on. "And now, given what I just did... it's got me curious.
I've never kissed a girl before. I've thought about it a lot, and
read about it, and seen movies, but... no one's ever asked me,
and I haven't been able to get up the nerve to try. I didn't know
if I'd like it or not. Now I know I do, and... I'm just not sure
what to do next."

Victor thought about her words for a second before replying. "My
advice is to forget it. We have a film to finish."

"I know, but afterwards..." Erika sighed. "I have a few friends I
could talk to about this, but I'm not sure any of them would
understand. I grew up mostly alone, and I don't really have any
regular girlfriends." I could talk to Isaac about this, she
thought, or Dean, or one of the other people I usually chat with
about sex, but would they really be able to get what I'm feeling?
I don't know.

Victor nodded again. "I see. Well, what about someone in your
family or..." He frowned, looking away. Then he turned back to
Erika. "You'd want to talk to someone who felt like you do right
now at an age close to what you are now, right? Someone who has
experience with similar feelings and might be able to shed some
insights?"

"Yeah." Erika frowned. "I don't really know any lesbians, though,
or bisexuals." Except Kelly, she added to herself. But I'm not
sure I want to go to her about this. We have too many issues
between us right now with this film, and the fact that her career
and John's are still in turmoil. John might be a problem too.
They both would probably be willing to talk to me about this, but
would I want to listen? No, I think not.

"Well, you know Geena Davis..."

Erika blinked, turning back to Victor. "Geena?" She had acted in
a small recurring role on a TV show starring Geena Davis last
spring. Geena had been a brief acting mentor to her. She has the
sort of career I want, Erika remembered, not too big but popular
and always memorable. Most of her projects bomb, but she never
lets it bother her that much. She concentrates on enjoying what
she gets and doing it well as long as she can. She was a real
inspiration to me, still is. She also gave me a lot of good
career advice, like Victor has. But I never thought she was...

"You didn't know, did you?" Victor asked, reading her face.

"No," Erika said. "I knew Geena was in a lot of sexy movies back
in the '80s, but..."

"She grew up in Sweden. They're a lot more liberal over there."
Victor frowned. "I'm sorry to be telling you this. It was a
surprise to me too. I dated her briefly after she divorced Jeff
Goldblum and she told me. I was shocked at first, but then...
well, it's not a big deal."

Geena's been married three times, Erika thought, and has stayed
good friends with her exes. She's long been active in acting and
modeling, and her character on our TV drama was supposed to have
been a swinging single once upon a time. Geena often flashes more
skin on the red carpet and in media appearances than many women
do in the privacy of their own homes. I should have read the
signs. But I didn't think she was bisexual. I guess she was
keeping it secret, hiding like all celebrity swingers have to.
And of course we never really talked about sex or dating that
much offscreen. I didn't know her well outside the job.

"If you talked to her about your feelings, she might be able to
give you the advice you're looking for. I know you respect her.
If you'd prefer someone closer to your age, I can introduce you
to Merrin or Jennifer."

Erika blinked again. Is he saying the female leads on his show
Alias are...? No, she shook her head. I don't know them. I don't
want to discuss this with people I don't know. She grimaced and
made a decision. "Victor, thanks, but..." Erika waved her hand.
"It's like you said. I can't think about this right now. We have
a film to finish. Priorities."

Victor nodded. "I was only trying to help. If you ever want to
talk more, I'm here."

I know you are, Erika thought. And I know you'll keep this
conversation secret, as will I. You're a good nonsexual friend to
me, Victor, like Isaac. If either of you were twenty years
younger... She smiled. "Thank you. Let's get back to our film,
Detective." With that, Erika stood up and started walking towards
the hospital set.

***
October 2003. London, England.

Alicia shook her head. "You're setting the mood again, right?
Telling me all that instead of just..."

Erika rolled her eyes. "It's not all about the sex, Alicia. If
you don't get the emotions right first, and pay attention to the
small details..."

"I know!" the redhead interrupted. "Cut to the important part,
okay? What happened next?"

Erika grinned, guessing the problem. She began to rub Alicia's
body as she spoke, alternating caresses across her thighs and
stomach with tweaks of her hard nipples. "I finished filming
Homeroom. Busy and I stayed friends, but we never talked about
the kiss again. Victor and I discussed my feelings about it more,
but no progress was made. I kept things inside, until the movie
was done. I did still think about other girls, though. Then,
after the filming was over, I talked to Isaac about what to do
next, and Dean, and they both gave me the same advice as always.
'Do what seems right to you, believe in yourself, blah blah
blah.' They offered to introduce me to women they knew who were
into the same things I thought I was, but..." Alicia gasped as
Erika pressed a spot just above her clit, and Erika laughed.
"Same problem as before. I didn't know the women in question, and
wasn't sure I wanted to talk to them about something like this."

Alicia nodded, brushing Erika's hands away with a smile. "So..."

Erika kissed the other girl, then resumed her story. "I decided
to try Victor's suggestion out."

***
October 2001. Los Angeles, CA.

Geena Davis blinked, staring at Erika. "Victor told you that
I'm..." The tall brunette frowned. She picked up her wine glass
and took a sip.

Sitting across from her mentor in the restaurant, her blonde
curls still styled short from the end of Homeroom, Erika grimaced
in reply. I should have expected her to be this shocked, she
thought. The lifestyle is never an easy subject, even in a place
this empty on an evening this quiet. That, and Geena recently
married an Iranian. I didn't even know she was dating one until
she told me just now. Did she give up the lifestyle because of
him? Maybe. I better try to calm her down.

"Relax," Erika said. "He just thought I needed someone to talk to
about my feelings, and that you'd be good."

Geena took another drink, then put down her glass. "I'm old
enough to be your mother, Erika."

"But you're not my mother. I can't talk to my mother about this."
Erika gasped, realizing what Geena thought she had in mind.
"Geena, whoa. I'm not expecting you to do it with me or anything
like that. I'm not even sure if I'm really into sex with other
women. I just want advice from someone I trust. Someone who
understands, who isn't a man, who's gone through it. I understand
if you're no longer in the lifestyle because of your new husband.
I just..."

Geena interrupted her with a wave. "The lifestyle is how Reza and
I met," she said, choking off a laugh. "Of course I'm still into
it."

"Oh." Erika blushed.

Geena blushed back, pausing and then speaking again. "Erika,
you'll have to forgive me. You caught me by surprise. I didn't
know you were in the lifestyle. I also haven't been with anyone
your age since I was your age and... I guess I forgot how it
felt, first starting out. I'm not sure what to say to you."

"Well, you're smart, and you have experience and..."

"Yes, I know." Geena looked at her glass, then Erika, thinking.
The light in the room flickered off her glossy reddish brown
hair. "When I first got involved in the lifestyle, I was young,
and it was the sexual revolution. It was a lot easier to get
involved then than it is now. I was interested, but fearful.
You're feeling the same way, right?"

"Yeah. I'm that way all the time. When I talk to Isaac about it,
he tells me to just calm down and have fun. I've been doing that.
With this, though... It's so different, Geena."

Geena nodded. "I felt that way in the beginning too. It held me
back a lot. Then when I got into modeling, and acting, the
feelings started to fade. They've never gone away entirely,
but... Erika, my best advice to you on the lifestyle is to take
things slowly and carefully. Enjoy yourself, but remember to take
precautions and think over what you're going through. You also
should research it some. There are plenty of books out there
on..."

"I know. I've looked at a lot of them. But I'm not sure how they
apply in reality. They seem accurate, but... I figured I would
ask you what I should do."

Geena smiled. "The books didn't really resolve anything for me
either. I kept coming back to the fact that I had never done the
things they were talking about. Finally I talked to one of my
best friends, found out she was curious and interested too, and
we helped each other out. It was awkward at first. Then it got
better."

Erika beamed. "That's how my first time happened."

Geena gave her another look of understanding. "That's how it
always is with sex. You worry about it a lot, then you do it,
and..." The older woman shrugged. "Erika, I think I know your
main problem. You prepare for things too much. You think about
the possibilities, ask others for advice, research, and so on,
when you really should just be doing what you want to do. That's
how people learn best- through action. If you keep worrying and
don't act, you stay shut off."

"I know," Erika said, putting her hands on the table. "I just
have so many doubts. I... I tried talking to Busy about this
after we kissed. It didn't go well."

"I'm sorry." Geena looked her up and down, saying nothing for a
long moment. Finally she nodded deliberately and leaned close.
"Are you comfortable with your feelings, Erika? Are you sure you
want to try being with another woman? Because if you are sure..."
She took Erika's hand in hers.

Erika stared at the look on her face. "Are you saying..."

"Yes," Geena said, her lips tight. "If you really want to see
what it's like..."

"I do!" Erika said. She had thought about this so much, she could
not walk away from it. And Geena's beautiful, she reminded
herself, and she knows what to do. She's also trustworthy.
Therefore... "Do you want to do it tonight or..."

Geena shook her head, but kept her hand on Erika's. "It's a
little late. I also have to arrange some things." She paused
again, then nodded. "Be at the Red Roof motel on East Rodeo,
tomorrow evening around eight. And Erika?"

"Yes?"

"I hope you're really prepared. Because what I'm going to show
you..." Geena smiled and stood up. "See you soon."

Erika gaped as she watched the other actress turn and leave.
Geena looked back at her one last time as she reached the door,
her face carrying all her words. Whoa, Erika thought, shaking her
head clear and reaching for her lemonade.

***
October 2003. London, England.

"Did you go?" Alicia asked excitedly, staring at Erika. "Did
you..."

Erika put a finger to her lips, then dropped it, smiling again.
"Of course I went. I thought about it more first, though. I took
a long walk, went over it in my head, decided it was really what
I wanted. Then, when I was sure..." She kissed Alicia hard,
licking at the redhead's tongue with her own before moving away.
"I took the plunge."

***
October 2001. Los Angeles, CA.

"The first lesson," Geena Davis said, pacing back and forth in
front of Erika, "is confidence."

"Confidence," Erika repeated, adjusting the posture she sat in on
the motel bed. Geena had motioned her to sit down as soon as she
walked in and then began what looked to be a lecture. She was
wearing a long blue cotton robe that framed her body but was
bound tightly to hide what lay beneath. Erika was feeling
awkward, dressed casually as she was in a gray cashmere sweater
and pleated skirt of navy wool. Geena continued to pace, her
stride measured and full of purpose. Her dark eyes stayed locked
on Erika, who frowned.

"Yes, confidence," Geena said, stopping in front of her. She put
her hands on her hips. "You have to be comfortable with doing
this, Erika. As comfortable as you are with men. Remember, it may
seem to mean a lot on the surface that you're into it, but it's
really nothing big. It doesn't mean you're not into men. It
doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. It's just another way
to have fun and make love. I wasn't fully comfortable with it
until I saw it as that."

Erika nodded in understanding. "But..."

"Stop." Geena held up her palm. "Just listen, okay? I want to
give you an experience that will show you what there is to like
about this. Then I will let you judge it for yourself. It is
completely up to you whether you want to continue things or not."

"Okay," Erika said. Geena's being respectful and cautious, she
thought. She's unsure whether I'll like this. I'm still a bit
unsure about it too. Best if I don't take things too seriously,
Geena seems to be telling me. I can agree with that. She calmed
her expression and kept her eyes on the older woman, patiently
anticipating what would come next.

Geena paused, then resumed her speech. "You've had sex before,
and you're already into the lifestyle. That's good. Now you're
looking to expand your horizons. To do that you will need..." She
smiled and dropped her hands to her robe's sash. "Confidence."

Erika gasped as Geena unbound the sash in one quick motion, then
flung the robe off her shoulders and let it slide to the floor.
Her naked body was revealed, large dark nipples standing at
attention. Erika closed her mouth and looked over its slopes and
curves. Wow, she thought. So much like mine, and yet so
different. Geena's taller than me, a lot taller. She's also
older, and more experienced. I can see in her body the evidence
of that Olympic training she underwent a while back, and the
effects of those great action films she did in the '90s. Her legs
are so long. I've never looked at another naked woman close up
like this before. Sure, I've seen them, but not in this sort of
situation.

Geena turned around slowly, giving Erika frequent looks. She kept
her eyes steady and face warm. Erika eyed the muscles of her
back, the tone of her skin, and the dark brown bush of curls
between her legs. Beautiful, she thought. I've looked at naked
women before, thought about them. This situation is different,
though. Soon I may be touching her, and she'll be touching me.
And then...

She stopped her train of thought, feeling Geena's eyes on her
face. Her mentor smiled wider and made a gesture of expectation.
Erika blinked, nodded, and stood up. She kicked her shoes off one
at a time, still looking at Geena. Afterwards she proceeded to
discard the rest of her clothes- skirt, sweater, socks, and
underwear. Geena watched her all throughout, nodding now and
then. I wonder if she likes my body, Erika thought. I've never
met a guy who has a problem with it. Women, though, they're more
evaluating. It's so much easier to get worried around them.
Especially in something like this. She turned as Geena had done,
her expression tight with questioning eyes.

"You look good," Geena said. She put a hand on Erika's shoulder.
"Now for the second lesson. Feeling." She leaned down, moved
closer, and kissed Erika's lips.

All the emotion Erika had felt from Busy's kiss onscreen flooded
into her, only now it was more. Hope, promise, and satisfaction.
Surprise also, and joy. You don't have to work to a script here,
Erika told herself. No expectations. She smiled, then frowned
again as Geena broke the tender kiss and stepped back.

"Did you like that?" she asked Erika.

"Yeah," Erika whispered, afraid to trust her voice. Her heart was
pounding heavily, juices welling up in her loins like never
before. The tension of the moment was still constricting her,
though. "I..."

"Quiet." Geena put her hand on Erika's cheek and caressed it
lightly. "Let's do it again." She kissed Erika once more, opening
her mouth this time and breathing against the younger woman.
Erika parted her lips and returned the breath, extending her
tongue. Geena's tongue came up to meet it, stroking back and
forth along Erika's teeth. Her hand on Erika's cheek meanwhile
slid behind the younger girl's head, tangled in her hair. Her
other hand dropped to Erika's shoulder and tightly squeezed her
arm. Erika gasped, returning the kiss with slowly building
happiness. I like this, she thought. It's so soft and warm. I
want more of it. I...

Geena pulled away from her again, nodding. "Alright. Now you kiss
me."

Erika hesitated for an instant, then put her hands on Geena's
cheeks. She pulled the other woman close and kissed her lips,
grimacing as she felt something shift inside her. I like this,
she reminded herself, trying to impart that into the kiss. Geena
shook her head, moving back.

"No, Erika," she said. "I'm not your relative. I'm your lover.
You have to put more feeling into it when you kiss me. Show me
how you would like to be kissed." She squeezed Erika's shoulder
again. "If it helps you, pretend this is a role. You're on stage
doing what you enjoy, only no one but me is watching. Get into
it, then let yourself go."

Right, Erika thought. Just like I always do in sex. She took hold
of Geena's cheeks once more and gave her another kiss, this time
giving in to the bold impulses lurking in her mind. Her tongue
pressed against her mentor's lips and Geena eagerly admitted it.
Their fingers moved across each other's faces and hair, stroking
and pressing gently. Just as Erika's hands fell to her shoulders,
Geena broke the kiss and smiled. Her hands dropped to Erika's and
held them in place.

"Better," she said. "You should always begin this with a kiss,
Erika. A touch is also good, but it can be misinterpreted. You
want to show your lovers exactly what you want from them. That
way there's less worry." She took a breath, looking over Erika's
body. "You have to be careful, though. Not every woman you meet
is going to be into this, and many who are will probably deny it
at first."

Erika nodded. I saw that with Busy, she remembered. Maybe. She
didn't want to think about that now, though. "What next?" she
asked, shifting her hands. "Do you want me to touch you or..."

"Listen to me," Geena said, raising her palm. "You're unsure what
to do here- I understand that. Remember that every woman's body
is somewhat alike. You know your own body already. You know how
to make it feel good. Touching a similar body, arousing the same
feelings, should come very easily. That's one reason a lot of
women who get into this stop loving men- they find women
simpler."

"But I still like men," Erika frowned.

"And that's fine. If you decide to stop liking men, that's fine
too. It's your decision. Just be sure not to criticize the way
someone acts and then act the same way yourself."

Good advice, Erika thought. I've seen that in play a lot in my
life, especially recently. So many people think they know it all.
But they've never walked in anyone else's shoes, and they don't
want to. Why? Never mind. I'm not going to let that be my
problem.

"Keep your mind open and flowing. Never be afraid to change it.
You can adapt to anything if you just relax."

"Be like water," Erika said. "Fill your shape."

"Yes," Geena replied, smiling at her. "Build your style, and
respond to that of others. Through relationships you will grow.
Observe." She leaned in and kissed Erika again. Erika kissed her
back once more. Keep this up, she silently begged. I like it so
much. Her lips and tongue moved against Geena's, her hands
stroking her mentor's. The older woman returned the gestures,
then stepped back. "Okay. Now lie down on the bed and close your
eyes."

Erika frowned, but obeyed. She moved away from Geena, falling
onto her back and letting herself go still. Her every nerve was
pounding with trepidation, but she pushed it all away. Remember
your meditation, she told herself. Concentrate on your feelings,
then drop them. Flow into awareness. Live.

"That's right," Geena said as she began breathing more easily.
"Just relax. Think about how I'm making you feel."

Erika sensed a change in the air, something moving closer. A soft
hand touched her cheek, slowly headed downwards along her face.
It lingered on the cleft of her neck, stroking. Then she felt it
against her chest, and another hand joining in, touching her
right knee. Both hands caressed, moving towards and skirting her
most sensitive areas but not directly touching them. A gradual
feeling of pleasure formed within Erika, and she let it slide
around her, body tingling. Her own hands started to rise, but
Geena stopped them, moving quickly and grabbing her wrists.
"Wait." Erika nodded and lay back down. The hands returned to her
chest and thigh, resumed their movements. Erika let out a moan.

The bed shifted beneath her, and Erika smiled, sensing Geena
nearby. The older woman's left hand touched the valley between
her breasts, moved in circles and lines on her torso. Her fingers
flicked Erika's navel, then moved left and right, gliding along
her sides. Erika moaned again, trying to command herself to
settle down. This is nothing, she thought. Geena said it was
nothing. And yet it's so good, so... "Ahhh!!" she gasped as
Geena's right hand moved swiftly up her thigh.

Her eyes opened, and she saw Geena looming over her. A wide grin
was on her lips. "Good," she said. She kissed Erika, then looked
back and forth at their bodies. She jerked her head towards the
mirror on the far wall.

Erika looked that way and smiled. They were both flushed pink,
agitated and aroused. She grinned at their image, turning back to
Geena. "I think I..."

"Wait," Geena repeated, putting a hand to her breast. "Relax.
Don't move."

Her hands began moving rapidly at Erika's nod. Geena pulled at
Erika's nipples with the left, twitching her thumbs at their
points. Her right hand came up higher, two of its fingers tapping
at Erika's cunt. Erika gasped and opened her legs, settling into
the sensations. "Ah!" she moaned as Geena's fingers entered her.
"Yes! Please. I..."

"Quiet."

Erika closed her mouth, smiling again. Sorry, she flashed with
her eyes. It's just that... The thought was lost as Geena resumed
stroking her, harder now. A third finger entered Erika's snatch
and they moved up within her, concentrating on the outer lips and
then going inwards. Geena's hand on her nipples increased its
rhythm as well. Erika gasped and Geena kissed her, silencing it.
Erika breathed into her, but kept her hands still, her emotions
overwhelming her. Her inner juices were flowing, crashing, and...

"Yes!!!" she screamed into Geena's mouth, her body going wild.
She shook rapidly against her mentor's hands and the bed, her
hands grasping tight at the sheets. The orgasm hit her hard, then
quickly subsided. Geena's tongue thrust into her mouth as it did
so, and Erika licked at it before slowly pulling away. "Wow," she
said.

Geena gave her a knowing look. She took her hand out of Erika's
cunt and touched it to her lips. Erika grinned back and licked at
her own essence, the sweet taste flooding her mind. She turned
onto her side and started to move her hands towards Geena. The
older woman pushed her down. "Not yet."

"But I..."

"Wait," Geena said, a finger touching Erika's mouth. "You need to
feel this now." She kissed Erika's lips and pushed her against
the bed. Erika complied, again rolling onto her back. Geena moved
up and over her, her knees on either side of Erika's waist. Erika
gasped, feeling the other woman's closeness and heat. Geena's
mouth began traveling down, a slow journey over her throat and
then her chest. Erika sighed as Geena's lips touched her nipples,
her tongue flicking at them. Her hands took hold of Erika's
thighs, keeping them steady and in place.

For a moment her mouth lingered on each of Erika's breasts. Then
it moved farther down, tongue trailing over her stomach. Erika
felt Geena's body and hard nipples pressing into her as well, and
her excitement increased. I feel something rising again, she
thought. Any second now. The way this is going... "Yes," she
softly breathed as Geena's tongue licked over her waist and
jabbed straight into her core.

Her mentor's tongue was still for a second before coming alive.
It lashed rapidly against the sides of Erika's cunt, then moved
up, touching her clit and stroking it. Geena's hands joined in,
moving towards Erika's snatch and pushing it farther open. Both
her index fingers curled over the lips of her cunt, held them
apart as she licked. Erika gasped and shook, her fingers again
tangling in the sheets. Her entire body started to vibrate once
more, and she let herself enjoy it. I'm calmer this time, though,
she told herself. Her head tumbled back and forth on the sheets,
a silent scream echoing through the room.

Geena licked her all through the orgasm, breathing into Erika and
lapping down her essence. Finally she stopped, letting out a
sigh. "Okay. I think you're ready for what's next." She turned
her body and pressed her cunt towards Erika's lips. "You can
touch me now. Remember- show me how you like to be touched."

I can do that, Erika decided. She put her hands on Geena's thighs
and began rubbing. She listened carefully to the other woman's
sighs and watched her face, looking for the right reaction. Geena
soon gave it to her, smiling as Erika found her most sensitive
nerves. Good, Erika thought, stroking them. Now to... She leaned
in and kissed Geena's cunt, taking in its heat and texture. Nice,
Erika judged, opening her mouth. A little salty, but sweet. I
could get used to this. She extended her tongue and started
licking, slowly establishing a rhythm.

"Ahh..." Geena gasped, her hands moving to Erika's back. They
stroked along her lower nerves, rubbing at her waist. Erika moved
her own hands along Geena's thighs in counterpoint, lapping at
her clit. She varied her motions a bit, putting feeling into them
as Geena had described. It was challenging at first, and then she
got into it. She's warm, like I am, Erika thought. And wet. This
is so amazing. I know I'll keep doing it. I will never stop. She
captured Geena's clit with her tongue and sucked it into her
mouth. I will never...

Geena shook and moaned suddenly, her juices flowing out and into
Erika's mouth. Erika smiled and sucked them down, licking harder
and faster. Geena shivered again, but put up a hand to stop
Erika's caresses. "Hold off," she said. "Let me..." She took a
breath, calming as Erika moved away. "You're doing well."

"I am?" Erika asked, still a bit nervous.

Geena nodded. "I have much to teach you yet, though. It will have
to be infrequent, and secret. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Erika said. Geena has her life and I have mine, she
reflected. This is not a committment, it's just an awakening. A
friendship taken to a higher level, a better exchange of
knowledge and entertainment. No more or less than that. "Just
keep teaching me, okay? We'll figure out the rest as we go
along." She smiled and kissed the other woman's lips.

***
October 2003. London, England.

"Your first time sounds like it was good," Alicia said.

Erika grinned. "Yours wasn't?"

"Well, it was, but..." Alicia frowned, looking at her flushed
skin. "Erika, I..."

Erika cut her off with a kiss, sensing the moment. Alicia sighed
and kissed back. They traded tongues and breaths as their hands
began to roam over each other's flesh. Erika rubbed at Alicia's
breasts, pinching the firm pink nipples. The other girl's fingers
touched hers, moved them down. I turned you on a lot just now, I
guess, Erika thought. You want a quick reward. I can do that.

She twisted her wrists away from Alicia's grip, rolled the
redhead onto her back. Erika then proceeded to kiss her way down
her friend's torso, lingering on the sensitive points she knew so
well. Alicia gasped and dropped her hands, body shaking. Erika
sucked at her nipples, took them between her teeth. One tap at
each with her tongue, and she moved on. Her tongue caressed the
valley that seperated Alicia's breasts, swept down across her
navel, and then hesitated only a second before leaping into the
peach curls on her thighs. Alicia moaned, opened her legs.
Erika's hands clenched her thighs and gave aid, squeezing gentle
but insistent. Alicia's own hands dropped to Erika's shoulders,
clenched them, and stroked upwards through her hair. "Yes..."
Alicia declared. "I like that! I... ahh!!!"

Erika jabbed her tongue at her friend's clit, coaxed it to
attention. Then she circled it carefully, sucked it as she had
Geena's on that long ago day. I've wanted to do this to you for
so long, I waited so long, and now... She grinned in ecstasy as a
torrent of Alicia's juice gushed into her mouth. She drank it in,
her own emotions flaring a bit. Afterwards, she moved back up,
pressing her body against Alicia's. Her friend gasped and
twitched, her lips touching Erika's for a long instant before
moving away.

"Thank you," she said slowly. "I..."

"No problem." Erika raised a hand, stroked her lips and chin.
Then she kissed Alicia's forehead. "But I'm not done with the
story yet."

Alicia's eyebrows shot up. "There's more?" She shrugged.
"Alright, go ahead. What happened next?"

"Geena taught me a lot," Erika replied. "Everything she knew
about pleasing women. All the things I've been doing with you
recently, and more. But we were never exclusive."

"You couldn't have been. She was married, and thirty years older
than you."

"I knew that. But I let myself disregard it. What she was doing
to me was so wonderful and..." Erika sighed. "I took breaks now
and then- masturbated, went back to guys. It was just as good,
but not quite the same. I was getting more into sex than ever
before, and I was so devoted to Geena that... I kept going back
to her, not looking for anything else. That was my mistake. Isaac
gave me advice again when we discussed the issue. He told me
something Sharon Stone told him. Geena agreed. 'If you meet the
Buddha, you must kill the Buddha.'"

Alicia grimaced. "What does that mean?"

"It means even if you get the most inspiring teacher, you can't
stay with them. No one has all the answers. All things must end.
You don't have to really kill the Buddha, but... you do have to
kill your attachement to him. You have to move on."

"You told Geena this, right? And she agreed. So you broke up."

"No, not completely. We agreed to still see each other on
occasion. But our lives had to seperate. We both agreed on that.
Then Geena decided to take a break from acting. I meanwhile, had
to get back into it. Dean gave me the script for Swimfan, and I
liked it. Then I heard Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn had this
film they were making about swinging groupies turned desperate
housewives, and I wanted to be in that too."

"Banger Sisters, right?"

Erika nodded. "They were close to starting filming. I needed to
move fast. Fortunately Geena was there to help me. She introduced
me to Susan, and she'd liked me in Traffic, so she put in a good
word. Then a few weeks later I proved myself to Bob Dolman,
and..."

"I know. You've told me about all that before, and I saw the
movie." Alicia paused for a second. "Susan Sarandon is in the
same lifestyle as you, isn't she? I can believe it, with how long
she's been active in liberal politics, and all the children she's
had out of wedlock. You're going to tell me Geena was her lover,
right? Thelma and Louise?"

Erika grinned. "Yeah. Susan's very monogamous, but still sleeps
around now and then. She likes to challenge herself, and live
carefree. She and Goldie were the most experienced swingers Geena
knew, and the most committed, so she thought I should spend time
with them. She wanted me to really relax into the lifestyle but
still learn to be aware of and manage the possible issues.
Obsession, AIDS, and so on. Susan and Goldie grew up during the
sexual revolution in America, and were both still into it despite
time and change. I could trust them, learn from their
experience."

"Don't tell me you and the two of them..."

"No, Alicia," Erika shook her head. "I do have limits. They're
way older than me, even more than Victor and Isaac. I've watched
them, and talked to them about sex, but it's gone no further. I'm
pretty sure it never will."

Alicia sighed in relief. "Sorry. I know it's up to you what
partners you choose, but..." She shivered, then paused. "Wait a
minute. They both have daughters about your age. Did you and
they..."

Erika smirked. "Goldie's, yes. Susan's, no. Eva knows about the
lifestyle, but she's a little more conservative than her mom.
She's also Evan's age, so..."

"I understand," Alicia said. "She's still figuring things out.
And she isn't that active an actress."

"Right. Great potential, but still developing." Erika smiled,
rubbing Alicia's breast. "When you rejected me way back when, it
was partly okay because I had other girlfriends my age I got with
regularly. I met two of them, Kate and Sarah, through Goldie."

"Were they the first girls you got with your age?"

"No," Erika said, grinning again. "Susan and Goldie told me I
needed to test myself somehow, shake my limits and open my mind,
if I was to fully embrace the lifestyle. Geena and Isaac agreed.
So we decided I would do the same thing I did when I first got
into swinging. This time, though, I had to improvise a little
more."

***
November 2001. Los Angeles, CA.

"Ten bucks," the big mohawked woman said, light playing off her
black leather vest as she extended her hand. "Hey, by the way,
you look like..."

"I'm someone else," Erika interrupted, passing the bouncer her
requested cover. She wasn't sure she wanted to be recognized in a
place like she was about to enter. A place I've never been, she
reminded herself. A place that scares me greatly, even though
I've known about it for a long time. I hope Kelly's not here
tonight, or if she is...

"Welcome to Sapphic Rock," the bouncer said. "Have a good time."
She stepped aside, and Erika entered the lesbian club through the
beaded curtain blocking her way. Two other women shoved past
Erika as she did so, neither even looking at her. Geez, Erika
thought. So rude! Don't they know how I'm... They don't know me,
she remembered, and I probably wouldn't want to know them either.
Never mind.

She looked around the club, frowning nervously at its strange
decor and flashing lights. Exotic theme, she noted. Beads, lots
of plants, pink and green colors all over. It feels like a jungle
in here. And there are the dangerous animals, staring back at me.
Some of them look so weird. Why is that woman dressed in a man's
suit? Why's she looking at me like that? That fat woman with all
the tattoos and body piercings next to her is disturbing me too.
I know there are lesbians like these women, but I think I'll
avoid them. They just bother me too much.

Okay, good, she thought, eyeing more of the club's occupants.
Those women seem to be only a strangely visible minority, like
Susan said. I can relax. But there are so many others. So many
choices... Erika turned her attention to the club's music, hoping
it would help settle her down.

"I know you're confused, I know that you're shaking. You think
that you're lost, once we begin..."

Erika smiled, recognizing the song. Melissa Etheridge, she
thought. A popular lesbian celebrity I've always liked. Great
inspiring woman. "I wanna come over," she sang along softly,
scanning the dance floor. "To hell with the consequence..."

A dozen different women were smiling in her direction. None
seemed to be looking at her, though, or if they were, they
quickly turned away. Maybe they know somehow I'm a first timer,
Erika thought. They want me to make the first move. Who should I
pick? That blonde woman in the cowboy hat looks nice, and so does
that darkhaired girl in the dress, but neither seems right. I...
She looked each woman up and down, but neither returned the
gesture. Never mind, Erika sighed to herself. This isn't going to
work. I can't do it. It's too awkward. If there was only someone
I knew here, someone I could... wait a second, is that...?

Her gaze locked on a young woman sitting alone at the bar, back
towards Erika. She was casually dressed in jeans and a white
pullover, garb similar to the khakis and blue sweatshirt Erika
wore. Short brown hair with a honey-colored tinge crowned her
head, and her gray eyes gleamed as she looked down into her
half-empty glass of wine.

It is her! Erika gasped, staring hard at the woman. She smiled,
recognizing the familiar figure she'd seen on so many calendars
and magazine covers. I've seen a few of her films too, and of
course that show about aliens she was on that the WB cancelled
last season. I've been catching episodes on UPN, just like with
Buffy. She plays my favorite character. I've thought about her
before a few times, fantasized... I've never met her, though. I
wonder why she's alone tonight. Don't these people know who she
is? Who's among them? I... Erika laughed and walked towards the
woman, spying her opportunity. As she got closer, her inhibitions
began to disappear one by one.

Reaching the woman's side, she tapped her on the shoulder.
"Katherine Heigl, I presume?"

Her fellow actress turned, eyes widening. Then she blushed and
nodded. "Yes. And you're Julia Stiles."

Not again, Erika grimaced. That happens so much, especially
lately. I really need to meet that girl, agree on some varying
hairstyles or something. We have the same agent, so it should be
easy. But of course, that's not important right now. "Erika
Christensen," she corrected Katherine, reversing her frown. "You
know, from Traffic?"

"Oh," Katherine said, looking her over and nodding. "Right. I'm
sorry. I..."

"It's okay," Erika replied, wondering how to begin. "I've seen
you in Roswell. You're really good."

"Thanks." Katherine smiled. "I liked your film too. Um, what are
you doing here?"

Erika paused, then gave her a knowing look. "What are you doing
here?"

Katherine paused at the line, then shrugged. "Well, I was feeling
down, and..." She gestured around the club. "I decided to go out
and look for someone new."

Erika grinned and stepped closer. "You've found someone. That is,
if you're interested."

"I..." Katherine looked her over again and shrugged. "Okay. But I
need to get to know you."

"No problem," Erika said. "You want to get out of here?"

Katherine looked around the club and nodded. "Yes. Definitely
yes." She grinned, stood up, and took Erika's offered hand.
"Let's go."

***

"So you too were looking to feed the beast," Katherine chuckled
as she drove, glancing at Erika. "That's why you were in there."

"Watch the road," Erika reminded her, smiling. "What do you mean,
feed the beast?"

"Lust," Katherine said. "That's what I call it. The beast. I've
had to deal with it all my life. Sometimes it directs me to men,
sometimes women..."

Erika nodded. She had often compared her sexual desire to a beast
too. "Do you go to Sapphic Rock often, or..."

"No. I have regular girlfriends and boyfriends, but sometimes..."
She sighed. "It drives me crazy. You might understand better if I
told you I was raised Mormon."

Erika smiled at the commonality. "Hokey religion."

"Yes." Katherine made a turn. "Don't misunderstand me. I value my
beliefs, but..."

"I understand more than you know," Erika said. Katherine and I
are such similar creatures, she thought. Both young actresses,
both into the lifestyle but unsure of ourselves, and for similar
reasons. I like her a lot. I'm really glad I found her tonight.
"Do you live alone or..."

"My roommate's out of town. We'll have the place to ourselves."
Katherine frowned. "Listen, Erika, I want you to know I'm not
usually this fast. But tonight... the people at UPN have told me
Roswell's probably not staying around. I really wanted it to, but
it's not. The ratings aren't high enough. This, after what
happened with Ground Zero..."

Her latest movie, Erika recalled. It got delayed by 9/11, like
mine did. I read that somewhere. "You're depressed."

"No, just emotional. I'll get over it. If... you will help me?"

"Of course," Erika said. I'm a little intimidated by Katherine,
she thought. She's had a great career, and it's still going
strong despite the upsets. I envy her. "You know what Geena Davis
told me about roles that get cancelled? They don't matter. As
long as you remember them, learn from them, and appreciate their
meaning, you can go on. Same with roles that bomb, if you're
going to complain about that next."

Katherine smiled, taking in her words. Then she pulled over to a
curb. "Here we are. I'm afraid the place is sort of a mess."

"That's fine," Erika said. She got out of the car and followed
Katherine into the apartment, immediately grimacing when she saw
the state it was in. She wasn't kidding about the mess, Erika
mused. So much stuff cluttered around the functional furniture.
Posters, clothes, books, videotapes... My own place isn't the
cleanest in the world, but at least it's more organized- I think.
She took her shoes off as Katherine locked the door behind them.
Gotta relax.

Katherine nodded at the secured door, then dropped her purse and
turned to face Erika. "Listen, whatever happens tonight, thank
you."

"Don't mention it," Erika said. Katherine nodded and stepped
closer, her arms stretching out. Erika extended hers back,
accepting the embrace. So easy, she thought as they kissed. Thank
goodness. I was so afraid, and now... Her lips locked on
Katherine's, both opening. Their tongues came out slowly and
touched one another. Then both of them dropped the kiss.

"Bedroom's through here," Katherine said, stepping away from
Erika. She flashed her new friend a smile over her shoulder as
she walked across the room, through the hall, and turned a corner
into a room even more cluttered than the living room. Erika,
following her, barely noticed. Her every nerve was tingling with
anticipation, and she was doing her best to push it down.

Katherine turned as they entered the bedroom, took hold of
Erika's shoulders, and kissed her again. Erika kissed back, arms
encircling Katherine and fingers poking at her skin. The brunette
let out a moan, her own hands starting to fondle Erika's sides.
They found her breasts very quickly, squeezed them, then grabbed
Erika's shirt and began to pull it up.

Erika stepped back and raised her arms to aid Katherine. The
shirt was pulled off her and flung away, revealing the dark blue
bra beneath. Could have gone without tonight, but I didn't know
what to expect, Erika thought. I felt I needed the support. She
stepped back from Katherine and unsnapped her bra. The brunette
watched, smiling as it fell to the floor.

"Nice," Katherine said, stepping towards her and leaning down.
Her lips touched Erika's left nipple, then her right, teeth and
tongue bringing each to attention. Then she looked up at Erika's
eyes, tongue touching the space between her breasts.

"Let me see yours," Erika requested, her hands touching
Katherine's shirt. Her new friend nodded and stood up, took hold
of the garment and pulled it off. She wore an American flag
bikini top under it, her tan skin and hard nipples accented by
the stars and stripes. Erika grinned as she watched Katherine
discard that garment as well, freeing her hard pink-nippled
globes.

She smiled and moved back in, embracing the other girl. They
kissed each other's lips, their bodies pressing together. Their
hands continued to roam, undressing each other now. Pants were
unfastened and pushed down, panties following. They paused and
looked down at each other, exchanging smiles again. Katherine's
shaved her mound, Erika noticed. I know some women do that, I've
seen it before, but not like this. I wonder how it... She gasped,
distracted as Katherine's fingers came up and tangled in her
lower blonde curls.

"Very nice," Katherine said, her fingers pressing within Erika.
They touched her snatch's sides, caressed her inner thighs as
they moved back and forth. Her other hand fondled each of Erika's
breasts, fingers pinching the nipples. Mind back on the moment,
Erika raised her hand and touched Katherine's thigh, fingers
roaming along the bronzed expanse. Wonder how she feels, Erika
thought, then moved her digits to Katherine's cunt. It was rough,
as expected, but softer along the edges. She smiled, finding it
was also wet. Katherine sighed and gave her another kiss.

They stood in the middle of the room for what seemed the longest
time, breathing into each other's lips and caressing each other's
bodies. They stepped out of their pants, kicked them away. Each
continued to touch the other's cunt, and the other's breasts
also. Their hands never stayed in one spot for long, though.
Frequently they would sweep away from their partner's most
sensitive points, touch the arms, legs, or back muscles. Their
lips also continued to trade kisses, and they rubbed against each
other's nipples and skin. Soon their juices were flowing heavily
and at that moment, Katherine stepped back.

"On the bed," she said. Erika nodded, smiling. They walked
towards the cot in the room's far corner and tumbled onto it,
rolling onto their sides. They smiled at each other and kissed
again, fingers twisting and tangling each other's hair. Their
bodies were flushed, and their minds as well, emotional storms
raging within. A car alarm went off somewhere outside, but they
ignored it, too occupied with their newly discovered joy.

"Ahh!" Erika moaned as Katherine's fingers started rubbing her
body again. She put her hands on Katherine, and soon they were
moving in harmony, concentrating on one another's stomach and
thighs.

Then their hands traveled on, pushing again at one another's
lower regions. Each of them gasped as the other's fingers entered
their cunt. Okay, Erika thought, I'll make her first one rapid,
then slack off. No hurry, we have the whole night ahead. She
pushed two fingers against the top of Katherine's pussy, found
her clit, and began pinching and stroking it.

Katherine smiled, then probed for Erika's clit and began to
return similar motions. Their other hands came up, fondled and
squeezed at each other's breasts and sides. They continued to
kiss heatedly as they did so, their bodies stiffening and
pressing hard into one another. They hunched against one another
rhythmically, gyrating wildly and then slowing down a bit before
starting up again. Erika let out a series of deep breaths, her
wetness rising. The entire length of Katherine's finger thrust
into her, soaking it up.

"Ahh!" she breathed, smiling and kissing the other girl. Her
fingers stabbed at Katherine's clit, matching the gesture. Their
bodies kept rubbing each other as they moved, flushed skin
clashing and nipples dueling like knives. Their tongues dueled as
well, while their hands grabbed and squeezed random places on
their torsos and thighs before returning to the most intimate
points. Erika moaned into Katherine's mouth as she felt the other
girl's hand on her rear, then again as it rubbed her spine, and
then once more when it re-entered her cunt. Any second now, she
thought, her waters rising as Katherine's fingers pushed deep. At
the same instant, Katherine's foot swept up along hers, rubbed
her in a way she had never felt before. That's it, Erika thought.
I feel it, I'm...

"Yes!!!" Erika wailed, tearing her lips away from Katherine's,
body shaking. She fell against the other girl, overwhelmed with
feeling and heat. Katherine held her close and kissed her,
fingers still stroking Erika. Erika pushed down the feeling of
fatigue and grinned, her hands again moving to arouse her new
friend.

Okay, she thought. That was mine. Now for yours. She pressed at
Katherine's pussy and breasts, locating the nerves and tingling
her fingers against them. Katherine began to moan softly and
rapidly, her body vibrating against Erika's. Erika rolled her
close to the wall, kissed her lips, and in the same motion jabbed
two fingers as deep into Katherine's cunt as they would go. She
then flicked them up, captured her clitoris and yanked on it. Her
mouth left Katherine's as the other girl gasped, dropped onto and
sucked each of her nipples. Katherine clenched her teeth and then
quietly spasmed, her lips opening and closing rapidly while her
hands squeezed Erika's arms. She settled down, cuddled against
Erika as her hands ceased moving. Erika smiled and kissed her
lips.

"Thank you," Katherine said when Erika pulled away. "This was
exactly what I needed. Please, Erika, tell me that this isn't for
only one night."

That's what I want too, Erika thought. She gave Katherine another
smile. "It goes on as long as we both want it to."

"Good," Katherine sighed, moving in to kiss her once more.

***
October 2003. London, England.

"We still get together whenever we can," Erika concluded, smiling
at Alicia. "Katherine and I have different careers, but our
friendship is strong. It's like you and me."

"Weren't you and her in an MTV film together?"

Erika nodded, her face flushing as she recalled some of the
things she and Katherine had done in their mutual dressing room
while filming Wuthering Heights. "Yeah. Of course, a lot happened
between then and when we met. I got with Kate, and Sarah, and
Shiri, and Jesse, and..." She smiled, kissing Alicia's lips. "I
know it's a lot of people, but they all mean something to me. I'm
not the sort who loves and leaves. I always remember my lovers,
even if we have to move on."

Alicia thought about her words and nodded, indicating she shared
them. "Thank you for telling me all that. I know it was a lot."

"It's my life," Erika shrugged. "A lot has gone on, a lot is
going on, and there's still much to be done. Always will be."
Grinning, she extended her fingers and touched Alicia's cunt.

***
The End.

Reasons why this story stopped- I am adding this paragraph
because I do not want anyone getting the wrong idea about this
series. I stopped it because it is unpopular compared to other
stories and I lack the time and energy to keep up with writing it
even though the story is great. There is a war going on right now
over many issues addressed in this series- a war between bigoted
hatred and naive love. Both houses in the war are alike in
dignity, both are powerful, and both have reality and much
evidence on their side. I do not wish to enter onto the front
lines of this war by writing fanfiction concerning some of its
key celebrity players. I doubt whether I could do so and retain
my sanity. Therefore I thought it best to stop, conclude the
series comfortably, and then just sit back and pray for a good
end to the conflict in real life. I came to this decision under
no threat from anyone- that is God's honest truth. If you are a
writer who wants to learn more about the ideas I had, or merely a
fan who is interested in how this series would have turned out, I
welcome you sending me email on it. I will gladly discuss with
you the series and where it could have gone after I left off. I
know a lot of people enjoyed it, and I welcome their support. I
won't answer trolls nicely, that goes without saying, but
hopefully trolls won't be emailing me on this. ;) Anyway, thanks
to all who read and enjoyed. I hope to hear from you someday.
Later.
- Doug Elder, aka AchtungNight (DougElder21@yahoo.com)