Witness Protection Program (Tom Hiddleston)

Chapter 1: Rita

Chapter 1: Rita

When Tom awoke, he was no longer lying on the floor of the interrogation room. He was lying on a rather fluffy couch aboard what he guessed was a private plane, judging by the shape of the room he was in. In a seat on the other side of the cabin was Mrs. Vanderbilt who was quietly humming and doing a crossword puzzle.

“I’m sorry,” were the first words out of his mouth.

She turned to face him with a grin in the corners of her wrinkly cheeks. “Don’t apologize, sugar. You’re just goin’ through a rough time. It’s understandable. I only feel for you when we get there. My seventeen-year-old is quite a fan of yours.”

Oh, dear god. Her daughter was a fan girl? Tom almost fainted again, but decided against it. If he was going to be staying with this family for a year, he couldn’t be fainting every time he spoke to them. “Does… does she have Tumblr?” he asked.

“No. She assures me she isn’t that type of fan. She likes your work more than your looks, if you ask me. As do I. She dragged us to see that superhero movie you were in that came out in November. Spent half the movie crying when you died. I confess I got a little teary myself, Mr. Hiddleston. Talent like yours is real hard to come by.”

“Call me Tom,” he answered, sitting up. “Do you have any more children?”

“I have a son named Wyatt who’s twenty-five and a daughter named Margarita who’s twenty-eight. I expect you to get along with Wyatt, but I won’t lose sleep if Rita doesn’t like you.”

“Why?” Tom was curious now. There wasn’t a girl on the planet who didn’t like him, to his knowledge. Except for a very nasty Twitter account that had called him “ugly as backfat” once. Tom shivered.

“Rita just mistrusts everything to do with famous people, especially actors like yourself. Kate’s obsession with you drives her up a wall. I don’t know why she’s like that, but she’ll get used to you. Oh, and one more thing I think you should worry about.”

“What?”

“Rita hates foreigners. We never had the money to send her overseas when she was in high school, so she’s bitter. Just thought I’d warn you. Don’t take anything she says to heart. It’s all jealousy talkin’.”

“Wonderful,” Tom said, reclining on the couch once again.

The rest of the plan ride passed with only the occasional conversation. Tom didn’t feel much  like talking. He was still thinking about the court case. Why had he made himself look like a complete idiot up there? He had let a guilty man walk free. It made him want to rip out his hair.

By the time the plane started its descent into Texas, Tom was a wreck on the inside again. The thump of the wheels touching down was like the last thump of his heart. He stepped off the plane and into the balmy sunshine. The humidity made his clothes stick to his body, just like that night in London. A cargo hold was opening in front of the plane, and Tom could see baggage being lowered down, including some bags he recognized as his. He didn’t know who had packed them, but he hoped they’d done a thorough job. Across the tarmac was a white pickup truck. Tom gulped.

There were no trucks in London. No one drove them because no one needed them. He heard they had a very bad tendency to flip over. Tom sighed. Oh well. At least if he died, he wouldn’t have to suffer the torture of living with a fan girl for a year.

In the cab of the truck were three people. The one at the wheel was a man who looked to be in his mid twenties. Obviously this was Wyatt. The other front seat was empty, but there were two more shadowy figures in the backseat of the truck. It had to be the girls. Tom shivered again.