October 2003. London, England.

"Your move."

Erika Christensen frowned, looking at her friend Alicia Witt. The two of them were different, physically and in personality. Alicia had short crimson hair, whereas Erika's was longer and reddish-blonde. Alicia was tall and slim, Erika was lush and of medium height. Alicia seemed smarter to most, while Erika had wisdom. Despite these differences, the girls were both actresses, and had enough interests in common to be close friends.

"Come on, move."

Erika blinked her blue eyes, looking into Alicia's brown ones and then down at the chessboard on the table between them. One of Alicia's knights was a few squares closer to her king now, and not many pieces were left to defend the royal personage. They had been playing for almost an hour, and as usual Alicia was winning. She's better at this game than me, Erika thought. She can think several moves ahead, whereas I've always had trouble with that. They say chess is like life, that similar strategies apply. That's somewhat true. It surely frustrates me just as much as everything else does.

"Your turn, Erika."

She shook her head and looked around them, trying to find some hint as to what she should do next. Inside Out, their favorite London club, wasn't too crowded at the moment. It was only early evening, and though all kinds of people were on the paved dance floor and around the bar that resembled an outdoor cafe, the amount of activity was low. Well, at least everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, Erika thought. That's good. The place will get busy later. At least it better, or this day off from filming our movie is gonna stay boring as hell.

"Hey! Erika!"

She turned back to Alicia, then frowned as she realized her opponent had not spoken. The redhead pointed to the right, and Erika turned again to see another young actress standing there. Evan Rachel Wood's creamy face was flushed with joy, her pale blonde hair shining in the room's flourescent lights. Like Erika and Alicia, she was dressed in casual clothes.

Evan's been out roaming the dance floor and enjoying herself, Erika recalled. Our other friend Keri's also off enjoying herself tonight. She's with that guy of hers who came to visit. I chatted with Tony a little earlier today, he's a nice and handsome man. I'd love to get with him. He seems pretty exclusive to Keri, but I'm sure that's not really the case considering what kind of person she is. Once they've had enough alone time, I should be easily able to get something set up with them before he goes back to New York.

"Hey, Evan," she said, trying to concentrate on the present. "What's going on?"

"I met him again!" Evan beamed. "Jamie Bell! He was just here!"

"Well, where is he?" Alicia asked, looking around. "You didn't bring him back here to introduce us?"

Erika nodded in agreement, thinking of the young British actor with whom their friend had recently become infatuated. She smiled, out of happiness for Evan and little else.

The young girl shook her head. "He just dropped in for a drink before going off to a rehearsal. I talked to him, though, and I got his number. He's free tomorrow night, so we're going out."

"That's great, Evan!" Erika said. She knew Evan had been hoping to meet her crush again for a number of weeks now, and been disappointed every time they came back into Inside Out and found him not there. But, just as they'd all hoped, things now seemed to have been corrected. "What do you have planned?"

Evan shrugged, sitting down in the third chair at the table. "He said he'd take me to see a play, then maybe we'd have dinner. You know, the typical date stuff. Then, well, I was thinking after that..." She trailed off and grinned.

Alicia frowned, looking at Erika. Oh no, Erika thought, guessing what was going on. Their young friend had a small problem with overenthusiasm, and on top of that, Evan had not had much experience with guys despite a lot of time on the dating and Hollywood scene. She's thinking too fast again, Erika thought. Damn it, we've been trying to break her of that habit. Alicia and I have been with a lot of guys, and we know what can happen if you mess up the pace of a relationship. Evan doesn't seem to, even though she should. We better talk some sense into her. Wish Keri were here to help.

She quickly moved her bishop, just to get the chess game off her mind, then turned back to Evan. "Um, Evan, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" The look she gave the young girl left no doubt as to what Erika meant.

"Yeah!" Evan said. "Why not? I like Jamie, and I know he likes me. I've been waiting so long to get with a guy, and now I've met one who's cute and funny and..."

"Evan, whoa!" Alicia cut her off. "I understand how you feel. When I first thought I was ready to lose my virginity, I was a bit like that too. Of course, I was thirteen at the time and you're older, so..."

"I'm more than old enough, Alicia. So's he. Don't worry, we'll be fine. We're going to have such fun with this."

"Evan," Erika snapped, and the other actress turned to face her. "Alicia's right. Going all the way on the first date is a bad idea."

"What do you mean?" Evan frowned. "I like this guy!"

"You've only met him twice," Alicia gently reminded her.

"But I've seen all his movies! He's great! And he likes me." She sighed. "And I know I really shouldn't point this out, but I got with both of you and Keri on the first day we met, and it's been fine so far. What's the problem?"

Erika grimaced at Alicia, who shook her head. I should have seen this coming, Erika thought. We moved too fast, and now Evan's thinking she's on a lucky streak or something. It doesn't help that the character she's playing in our film is really frustrating her. Damn it, how do I talk her out of this stupid idea?

"Evan," Alicia said, "are you sure he's ready?"

"I think so. I flirted with him a little, and he seems interested in me. I haven't told him straight out what I want, not yet, but ... I know I'm ready. I've been ready!"

"Are you certain of that?"

"Oh yeah. My cherry's gone, there won't be that much pain. He's real nice, I know he won't hurt me. I'm sure Doug will give us protection and the proper venue." Evan flashed a grin towards the club manager, who was looking a bit flabbergasted as he regarded them from behind the nearby bar.

Listening in on us as usual, I see, Erika thought, rolling her eyes slightly at the well-dressed brownhaired man. Oh well, I shouldn't be offended. Doug's the warm respectful type of celebrity fan, not the seriously obsessed dangerous type. I played that latter type of fan in a movie once, I can tell the difference. It's not surprising that Evan thinks he can help her get with Jamie. His club is a haven for swingers like us- he got into the lifestyle while he was in college back in the States- and Doug's a friend of ours too. But even his good nature has its limits.

She gave him a look that said "I'll take care of this, don't worry," then turned back to Evan. "Evan, calm down. Think about what you're saying here. Back when you were on Once & Again, didn't they do an episode or two about this?"

Evan grimaced. "Yeah, for people who aren't as smart about it as we're going to be. What's the problem? It's just sex!"

"Listen to yourself," Alicia said. "You're forgetting all the failed relationships you've had that you've complained to us about. Not to mention the ones we've had about which we've told you."

"But those weren't like this! This will go right. It has to."

Alicia started to reply, but Erika waved the redhead to silence. She'd been composing her thoughts, and had an idea. "Evan, sex is never 'just sex.' You can't treat it that way. If you do, you're making a mistake."

"You're right," Evan said, calming a little. She waved her hand. "This won't just be sex. It will be something special. I'm finally getting with a guy, and it's Jamie, and..."

"Stop," Erika said. She reached out and took Evan's hand. "Look, I know how you feel, okay? I've been that eager sometimes myself. I always have to tell myself to wait, take it slow. It's better that way."

"Yeah, everyone says that, but..."

"Trust me," Erika said. Alicia looked about to add something, and again Erika stopped her old friend with a wave. "Look, a while back you wanted to know how I got into swinging. I didn't tell you then, but I think I should now. Will you listen?"

"Sure," Evan grinned, huddling closer. She smiled at the two of them. "What happened?"

"I'd like to hear this too," Alicia said. "When I met you, you were already pretty into it. You bar-hopped as much as I did, even though you don't drink, and you took home nearly as many guys. I was a little confused about it, but then I considered how we met and shrugged it off. That's why I've never really asked you about it."

Erika gave them each a smile, then began her story. "Well, it all started in a place very much like this."

Febuary 2001. Los Angeles, CA.

"Hey there. Can I buy you a drink?"

Erika frowned as she recognized the voice. "John?" She turned to see a tall, darkhaired, and deeply tanned man flashing a familiar grin at her. "John Travolta?"

The veteran actor blanched, staring at her. "Erika. I didn't recognize you."

"Obviously," Erika said. She had been coming to this club, Tech Noir, and places like it a lot recently- ever since breaking up with her boyfriend Mark a few months ago, she had felt a bit depressed. Her life also had other disappointments that weren't helping. A key one was that despite her recent success in the Oscar-nominated film Traffic, Erika's career had gone into something of a downturn. The fact that many random people were starting to notice her due to that film and make advances in which she really wasn't interested had been bothering her too. "Were you trying to pick me up just now?"

John blinked, then shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I was. Sorry, I didn't..."

"It's okay," Erika interrupted, chuckling. Her family had known John's for many years, and in the past he'd been like a favorite uncle to her. They had much in common, and he had given her some good advice when she first got into acting as a teenager and started to hit it big in TV roles. They hadn't seen each other in several months, though, not since the premiere of John's last big film. Erika had gone to the movie thinking it would be great, since it was based on one of her favorite novels, but had barely been able to sit through it in its entirety. She'd talked to several of the other audience members after doing so, and they'd pretty much all agreed. Few of them wanted to tell John their thoughts, though, as they all knew how much work he had put into producing and starring in the movie. Erika had not heard much of John since, and his presence here was confusing her. "It's been a while since I've seen you. How you been?"

"I'm fine," John shrugged, sitting down at the bar beside her. "Just dealing with stuff. You know how it is."

Erika nodded. "Are you and Kelly on the rocks again?" To the public eye, John Travolta seemed to have a happy loving marriage, but as his friend, Erika knew it wasn't always like that. In the past she had heard rumors that John sometimes cruised bars, dancing and hanging out. His career's in limbo right now too, Erika mused. So of course he'd be trying to combat depression like I am by doing fun things. I wonder if it's working out any better for him than it is for me.

"We're fine," John repeated, shaking his head. "We're just taking a breather right now. You heard about the Razzies, right?"

"Yeah," Erika said, guessing what was on his mind. Time to tell him my opinion, she decided. "I'm sorry. But hey, it could have been worse. You could have gotten Uwe Boll to direct the film or something. That would have made things really bad. As it was..."

"Please stop that," John broke in. "I've been hearing it from people left and right. I know I made a big mistake. I just thought that was the part I was born to play, the movie I was born to do, and then ... everyone hated it." He sighed and hung his head.

Console him, Erika thought. He'll listen to you. Just tell him your honest opinion. "John, you've been in a lot of great movies. Pulp Fiction, Face Off, Grease, Michael ... and you think Battlefield Earth was your best role? Seriously?"

John raised his eyebrows, staring at her. "You're right, but..."

"You've faced downward spirals like this before," Erika went on. "We've talked about them. You told me I might have to learn to deal with them. Recently I've been motivated to do that. You remember how you told me you were typecast as a disco dancer?"

"Yeah. I liked that role, but to do the same thing over and over..."

"I know how you feel. Right now I'm getting offered tons of scripts that have me as a stripper, or a drug addict, or something similar. I just did that role, I don't want to get in a rut with it. That's why I went back to TV."

"Yeah, you're working with Geena Davis. Her latest project's about to bomb."

"It might, it might not," Erika shrugged. "Geena doesn't think it will- it's doing pretty good right now."

"Erika, everything that woman gets into fails. It doesn't matter how well she acts, how many awards she wins, or what sort of great script she's given. The public just doesn't flock to her. She was big back in the day, but now..."

"I know, John! But she's still one of my idols. She's a great person. Geena's been like a mentor to me."

"Right. I get that. I understand why you'd want to apprentice yourself to a veteran in our field for a while- you just had your first big success. I just think, with Geena, well, maybe you're making a mistake."

Better change the subject, Erika thought. He's getting off track. "John, this isn't about me or Geena. Why are you here?"

"You know why I'm here."

"Does Kelly know you're out trying to pick up girls? She doesn't know, does she?"

John grimaced, then smirked. "Erika, I have to be here, okay? I need to clear my mind. My career's in the shitter again, and it's all my fault. No one understands. I..."

"John!" Erika glared at him. Damn it, she thought to herself, how did I get into this? I'm not an auditor, and I rarely talk to them because they don't get me. I prefer to think about things my own way, settle my own problems. I've usually been able to do that. I'm not sure how clear I really am, though, even with all the classes I've taken. My fears and bad memories still often bother me, even though I don't have that many of them. It's been especially bad in recent months- I've been disappointed with my life and nothing is getting me out of it. No amount of rationalization works. I can't solve my problems, and neither can anyone else. And John wants me to help him?

I guess so, she thought. Alright, try your best. And hurry. He's staring funny at you!

"Does Kelly know you're here?" Erika asked again, trying to keep a level tone.

John paused, grimacing, then shrugged. "Yeah, she knows. She's the one who told me to go out and try to pick a girl up. She knows that usually helps me when I'm like this, especially when it works."

Erika gaped at his tone. She didn't think he was lying, but... "John, if this is some ploy..."

"Call her," John suggested, taking a cell phone out of his pocket. "She's out doing the same thing I'm doing right now. We got a friend babysitting the kids. Trust me, Erika. I'm not lying to you, okay?"

Erika frowned. She wanted to believe him, but ... play along, she thought. John's been drinking, you can smell it on his breath. It's probably motivating him to be an idiot. She shrugged and took the phone, then keyed in the number John gave her. "Kelly Preston," a familiar voice answered after two rings.

Erika blinked, then decided to be direct. "Kelly, it's Erika. I'm in this bar called Tech Noir on Pico. You know, the place where they filmed Terminator?"

"Yeah, I know it. What's going on?"

Damn it, Erika thought. She sounds relaxed. Does she know what her husband's doing? I hate to tell her, but... "John's here. He's been drinking. He just tried to pick me up. He said that..."

"Erika, whoa!" Kelly interrupted. "Calm down. Did he tell you where I am right now?"

Erika felt herself shocked again. "Uh, no."

"Sapphic Rock."

The sincerity in Kelly's tone made Erika's heart leap. "That's a lesbian..."

"I know. I'm secretly in Clear Rainbow. John and I have an open marriage. Please don't tell anyone, okay? With all the trouble John's had over not being gay..."

"I won't!" Erika exclaimed, looking at John. He grinned and raised his glass of bourbon, a trademark gesture from his films. Oh my God, Erika thought. I suspected this, it makes a kind of sense, but it's just so ... Stop it, Erika. You know about open marriages and swinging. You got into watching Sex and the City when you got the part on Geena's show, and you became a big fan. You've read the book that inspired the series cover to cover many times. The Ethical Slut too. You really shouldn't be surprised to see this. "I swear, Kelly," she calmed down, looking around. No one seemed to be noticing her or John, and she felt relieved. "I swear I will not tell anyone."

"Thank you," Kelly sighed. "You have to understand, Erika. My family is my first priority. John and I let a dumb idea come before that, and it's really hurting us right now, and ... we just need a break from each other every now and then. I got into swinging after I divorced Kevin, when I was with Charlie. I stopped when I broke up with him, but then I started dating John and he was into it, had been for years, and ... I went back."

"You don't have to explain, Kelly," Erika said, frowning at John as he sipped his drink. Damn it, I gotta get out of this right now. "I ... I really don't care."

"Sorry," Kelly replied. "It's just usually when I try to explain this to people who know us..." She paused. "Look, Erika, if you want to get with John, it's okay with me. Have fun. Enjoy yourself. Just remember he'll come back to me when it's all over."

Erika stared at herself in the mirror behind the bar, unable to believe what she was hearing. Oh my God, she thought. I gotta get out of here fast! "Uh, no, Kelly, that's alright. I'm really not interested in John. No offense. I'm sure he'll find someone. Good luck to you both. Bye now." She pressed the phone's hangup button and dropped it on the bar.

John turned to her and frowned, taking in her words. "Uh, listen, Erika, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I..."

Erika glared at him, making a shushing gesture. Her face was red as she hopped to her feet, her heart hammering in her chest. "Shut up," she snapped. "Just shut up. Like I said, good luck. Bye." Her shoes clicking on the floor, she hurried out of the club.

October 2003. London, England.

"I'm confused here," Alicia frowned at Erika. "You turned down John Travolta?"

"I'm confused too," Evan said. "Jamie's not married. What are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm just trying to tell you how I was feeling back then," Erika said. "And what I learned." She sighed and waved at Doug, thinking some drinks would probably help right now. "Before I met John that night, I had had a lot of guys I didn't know come up to me in clubs and try to pick me up. I hated it. I wasn't going to clubs to meet guys. I was just trying to get over my depression, have some fun dancing and hanging out. But then..."

"You bumped into John," Alicia said. "And he made you realize some of those guys were just as down as you were. That helped you. Am I right?"

"Yes," Erika nodded. "Exactly. Can we get two Mountain Dews and a Freckled Lemonade?" Doug waved in reply and started to fix the drinks.

"What are you saying here?" Evan asked. "Are you trying to tell me people have sex too quickly because they're depressed? Because I'm not depressed right now, Erika. Neither is Jamie. We're just going to have fun, and..."

"Evan!" Erika cut her off, glaring at the young blonde. "I'm telling you how I got into swinging. What happened with John was part of that. It got me thinking about other people's feelings, like Alicia said. I was shocked and angry at first, then I realized I was suddenly out of my funk. I wasn't thinking about my own problems anymore. Instead I was thinking about John, and Kelly, and the other people I'd met who were in clubs looking for sex. I wondered what was motivating them to do such a thing. Then I went back to the books I'd read about swinging and what motivates people to get into it and suddenly I was looking at them in a whole new way."

Alicia and Evan leaned close to her, rapt with attention.

"I consulted with Isaac Hayes about things," Erika went on. "I figured he'd be able to put them in perspective. I know him off and on as a family friend, like I know John. I've always seen him as a wise sage. He's also done a lot of work on this great comedy show that talks a lot about sex, so I thought..."

"South Park," Evan grinned. "I've seen that show. I love it."

"Me too," Alicia said. "It's a little crude but..." She looked up at Doug, who was smiling strangely as he set down their drinks. "Thank you." The bartender nodded and moved off.

"I'm a fan of it too," Erika said. "It really makes you laugh. So, I told Isaac about my situation and asked him to give me some advice. First he swore me to secrecy. Then he told me that he'd been into the lifestyle for decades and helped settle a lot of questions I had about it. We sorted out truth from fiction. I found out not everyone who's into it is into it because of depression- most people are very happy with themselves. I decided I wanted to be that way too.

"I also was recalling how great having sex with Mark had made me feel, and thinking about how I hadn't had anyone since breaking up with him. I told this to Isaac, and he said I should just relax, live my fantasies. I was young and unmarried, and had things to sort out, so there was really nothing wrong with having a little fun. I was shocked he was saying all this, but then he told me how most people like to keep their involvement in the lifestyle secret, especially when they're famous. That made sense to me. I had already been dodging a lot of questions from the press about boyfriends and so on."

"We get it," Alicia said. "You've talked to me about building a public cover before. I didn't see the need, as I've always been pretty monogamous."

"Until now," Evan smirked.

"I still am when it comes to guys," Alicia said, frowning at the young blonde. "When I find the right man..." She waved her hand. "I may not marry him, but I will be loyal to him. That's my decision."

Erika shook her head at them. You two really need to chill, she thought. "I was like that too for a while," she told Alicia. "When I was with Mark, I stayed with just him even though I was also looking at and occasionally fantasizing about other guys. No harm in that, right? Then he dumped me for another girl, and I went into my cycle of depression. I couldn't get out of it. I wasn't thinking of fantasies that much for the longest time. Then after I bumped into John, my mood changed. I wanted to get with guys again.

"But I wasn't sure about what sort of guy I wanted. Mark had been so great, and he was gone. Every other guy I thought of had something wrong with him or I didn't know him. It was driving me nuts. Isaac told me I should just say what the heck and not think much about what kind of guy I wanted. That I should start having sex again with people I wanted who wanted me. Just try to approach sex in the moment, and let the details take care of themselves. If you think too much about a problem, he told me, you'll never solve it. Sooner or later, you need to jump in the pool."

Evan nodded. "That's what I'm doing with Jamie."

Erika glared at her. "Let me finish, okay? Isaac's advice seemed good, but I couldn't get myself in the right mindset to take it. Then he gave me this analogy. He said I was wandering in a maze of emotion, and I couldn't find my way out. 'There is a reward somewhere in the maze, Erika. A minotaur lurks also, and guards it. The minotaur is your fear, happiness is the reward. You will have to confront one to get to the other.'"

"Basically he told you you were afraid of sex," Alicia said.

"Yeah," Erika sighed. "I always was back then. When I got with Mark the first time, I was able to talk myself into doing it, but I still had my fears. They held me back a lot with him, it was part of why we didn't work out. I thought about this and what Isaac had said, and I realized he was right. I needed to confront my fear. I worked out a plan, with Isaac's help. I decided to track down and seduce someone who I'd wanted for a long time, who was into the lifestyle, and who represented a major barrier to me. If I could fuck him, and enjoy it..." She waved her hand.

"Who'd you pick?" Alicia asked.

"Benicio del Toro."

Evan grinned. "The Latin Brad Pitt."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Please. Don't tell me you bought into that Don Juan shit, Erika. Don Juan always leaves women in the morning. You couldn't have been expecting..."

"I didn't think about that!" Erika declared, looking back and forth at them both. "I thought it would be like Casanova, not Don Juan. I would seduce him, we would both have fun, and then he would respect me after the first time and become my next great lover."

"Like me and Jamie," Evan said.

"Yes," Erika said. She glanced at Doug, who was smiling as he listened while serving customers. She grinned back, then returned her attention to the story. "I had known Benicio for almost a year, and admired him for a long time. We worked together on Traffic, got to be friends. I had a crush on him that was unrequited. You guys understand, right?"

"Benicio del Toro is good looking," Alicia said, "and a great actor. He made Excess Baggage almost tolerable for me. I also enjoyed watching him in Licence to Kill and Usual Suspects."

Erika nodded. "Me too. I figured Benicio would be happy, and maybe that would rub off on me. He was doing great back then- he'd won massive praise for Traffic and had three other films out as well. Everyone was looking and smiling at him. Isaac agreed he'd be a good man for me to approach. Handsome, smart, and careful too. I was looking for an initiator into the lifestyle, and Benicio seemed like the perfect candidate."

"So what'd you do?" Evan said, looking intrigued now. "Did you get him?"

"Yes," Erika smiled fondly. "It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I called Benicio up, told him I wanted to meet and talk. We had dinner at the Voltaire. I told him everything Isaac had told me and about how I'd been feeling. Then I told him straight out what I wanted. He was surprised, but then he saw I was sincere. He was understanding and told me he'd often thought of me fondly, as a friend, all through making Traffic. He could understand my crush, and he was between lovers at the time, like me."

"We get it," said Alicia. She too was smiling. "So..."

Erika sighed, thinking back.

Febuary 2001. Los Angeles, CA.