The music was thumping through Sascha, making her head hurt. She wondered for the 200th time that night why she came. Oh, that's right. Lex Luthor. The electrical jolt she had felt as they brushed against one another at The Talon. That smile as he had walked away. What she felt for him was nothing but pure lust, she couldn't imagine ever having anything more with him, him being a millionaire and all. She had to see that that was all there was.

She walked through to the patio and spotted him with some young woman hanging off him. "Some women have no dignity," she thought as she approached the two. She was glad to see Lex seemed to be thinking the exact same thing. "Hi, Lex. I don't expect you remember me, I scalded you with coffee this morning." Sascha said, holding out her hand. She thought he would shake her hand, She certainly didn't expect him to take her hand and gently kiss it. He looked up, "It's was a pleasure. I'm glad you could come tonight." Sascha tried desperately to gather her composure.
"Oh well, I came with a friend, so I guess I'm just crashing. It's a great party, though."
"Glad you came, anyway." Lex smiled as the blonde wench that had been hanging off of him slowly stood up and whispered something in his ear. Lex looked apologetically at Sascha, "Look, my friend here wants a drink. I might see you later?" Sascha watched as he and the little witch walked away.
"Sure." Sascha answered his retreating back.
As she walked into the main foyer, she heard Lex talking. As she slowly inched closer to where he was standing with his back to her, she realised he sounded angry, "What the hell is your problem?" He asked someone through clenched teeth. Suddenly a female voice, Lex's bitchy little date said, "I just don't know what you see in pieces of country bumpkin trash like her, I mean Jesus, Lex, have a little dignity." Sascha had the distinct feeling they were discussing her, that little tramp! She didn't wait around to hear Lex's answer.

As Martha climbed into bed beside her husband, Jonathan, she braced herself for his usual bedtime groping. She felt his hand on her thigh and roughly pushed it away. Jonathan persisted and started kissing her neck and kneading her shoulders. "Come on honey, not tonight, okay? I'm tired." She rolled over and settled in to read the new Stephen King she'd picked up that afternoon. She heard Jonathan 'harrumph' and turn away from her. Martha didn't quite know why she kept turning down her husband. She'd never stopped him before, but lately … she'd been so tired and the fact that her 16-year-old son could look through walls didn't help her nerves. "I'm getting old, that's what it is," she thought bitterly, "I can't believe Jonathan even wants me anymore." As tears sprang to her eyes, she put her book down, turned out the light, and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, Martha launched into her daily ritual of waking her son, Clark, up, forcing breakfast down his throat and sending him off to school, then Jonathan coming into the kitchen to give her a cold peck on the cheek for her rebuff the previous night before setting off on his day on the farm. She had deliveries to make, chores to do and people to see. Before she could do all this, Sascha Horley appeared at the screen door. Sascha had spent a bit of time helping Martha out with her deliveries and various other extracurricular activities, and Martha was glad Sascha appeared to look up to her. Flattered, in fact.

"Hi Sascha, come on in!"
"Hi Martha. I was wondering if you wanted to maybe go on a bit of a spending spree? I just got paid and I'm dying for something materialistic."
"Oh, I can't. I have deliveries to …" Martha stopped. Could she do it? She'd never squelched on her responsibilities before. Then she realised – she was bored. She wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary for a change. So a few people missed out on some vegetables, so what? They should be eating more meat anyway. Sascha was looking at her with concern. "Martha, are you okay?"
Martha smiled. "I'm fine. You know what? Let's do it. Let's go."

Martha couldn't believe how much better she felt after a day out spending and hanging out with her younger friend. They stopped in at a café for a coffee.
"So what's going on Martha? You're not the sort of person that would blow off work to go shopping." Sascha smiled.
"Ugh, I don't know. I haven't felt this good in a long while and … I don't know. I feel like I'm in a rut. Do I look old to you?" Martha asked.
"No, you're gorgeous. I'd sleep with you if I went that way."
"Sascha!"
"What? I would. But I don't swing that way, so you have nothing to worry about."
Martha started to rip the cardboard container holding her coffee to shreds. "I can't even … I mean, I just don't feel like …"
"What? What's wrong?"
"I don't feel like sleeping with my husband anymore." She said this quickly and quietly, mortified someone would overhear.
"There's nothing wrong with that. Maybe you need … variety?" Sascha suggested.
"No! No, I could never have an affair. I just … I don't know. Let's go, we have a little money left to spend."

The two women walked past a stall that was selling Native American products. Sascha picked up a bottle of what appeared to be perfume, but it was so green, she wasn't quite sure. "What is this?" she asked the salesperson.
"Perfume. Polyserena perfume. Try some."
Sascha sprayed some of the vile green stuff on her wrists, to appease the eager salesperson.
"Smells like peppermint." she smiled.

"Hey Martha, try some of this." Sascha sprayed what appeared to be puke green water on her wrists.
"Eew, what … mmm, that smells nice."
"Yeah, it's peppermint. I don't think I've ever seen green perfume though, but I am just a small town waitress."
"Listen, I have to get home, Clark will be back from school soon and Jonathan from work and they'll both be wanting dinner …"
"Okay, can you give me a ride home?"

The sweat was pouring down Martha's forehead as she stuffed the chicken. The two fans she had facing her were doing nothing.
"Mom, are you okay?" her son, Clark asked with concern etched all over his young face.
"I'm fine, sweetie, why?" Martha asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"Well, it's just that, it's the middle of winter and you have two fans going."
"Oh! Right, well, I'm a little hot. I've been getting hot flashes. They say it's something to do with mid life. I'm not sure, but I'm fine, go wash up for dinner, okay?"
As Clark left the kitchen, Jonathan came in the door. Martha took one look at his handsome, rugged face and felt like her knees were coming out from under her. "Martha! Are you alright?" she heard someone; it sounded like Jonathan, yelling.
"Yeah, yup. I'm fine. Why?" Martha asked drunkenly.
"You just collapsed. My god, you're freezing. Do you need to go to the hospital?" Jonathan asked. Martha became conscious of the fact that she was, in fact, freezing. "No, no I'm fine, really. I've been a little out of sorts today. I'm fine. Really!" she insisted as her husband looked at her disbelievingly.
"Alright. Listen, I think I'll skip dinner tonight; I have some work to do in the garage. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'd feel a lot better if you ate something." Martha answered, disappointed.
"No, I'm fine, I'll eat something later."
She watched as he went out into the night.

Sascha stood under the cold shower, after trying everything else to cool down, this wasn't helping either. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' she thought as the cold water drifted over her hot skin, barely touching it. She didn't have a fever. She thought she was going to pass out today when Clark Kent had accidentally run into her on the street. All she had noticed was the way his biceps had ... Oh god! That's Martha's son I'm thinking about!
She stepped out of the shower and put the fan on and a towel around her. She felt like she was burning up! As she walked out into the kitchen, she suddenly found she was staring out at Lex Luthor's castle, which was just visible out the window. She remembered Lex's smile as she'd brought him his coffee and the jolt she'd felt as they touched. All of a sudden she felt as though she'd pass out again. Sascha didn't know why, but she felt that she had to have Lex that night; she didn't care who else was there, she needed him.
She quickly dressed and made her way out into the freezing night for Lex's mansion.

The heat was excruciating as Sascha approached the lake in front of the mansion. The lake was almost frozen over, so Sascha removed her top and jeans and dived in. The ice-cold water smoothed out over skin and sent a rush of adrenaline down her spine. As she emerged, the ice crystals that had stuck to her quickly melted. She made her way up to the mansion.

Lex Luthor was at his desk looking over the books for The Talon. The revenue for that place was paying for itself. Lana had had a great idea, there. Too bad she was only 16 or he'd –
"Hi Lex."
Lex quickly turned around and what he found was interesting, to say the very least. A girl (Sascha?) leaning against the doorframe half naked and wet. Needless to say, he was taken by surprise. "Can I help you?" he asked, not really thinking or trying to, for that matter.
"I certainly hope so. Why don't you come over here and we'll see?" Sascha smiled with more than just a subtle hint in that smile. Lex answered back "I don't think that's uh … safe right now."
Her smile became wider as she walked over to him. "Sorry if I'm a little, uh, forward. But what can I say? I've wanted you since I first met you." With that, Lex reached out and pulled her against him and gave her what she seemed to need so much.

Martha was hot again. As she lay on the bed with the fan facing her, she took of her sweater. It was 11:00p.m and Jonathan had still not come to bed. She heard him out in the barn welding and the thought of him holding the welder, the sparks flying all around him, his biceps … my god, it is hot in here! The fan wasn't doing a damn thing. Finally, she decided to go out and talk to Jonathan, since his ignoring her was getting them nowhere. She went out into the snow wearing a tank top and jeans. Somewhere in her mind, she knew that was wrong, but she was too overcome with want to care. She opened the barn door and saw him, her husband, looking so sexy in his tight jeans and …

"Jonathan?"
"Oh, hey sweetie. I won't be long, go back to bed."
"Make love to me."
"What?"
"Don't ask questions, just do it, okay?" and all Martha's doubts and fears about herself seemed to vanish as they did just that.

Sascha seemed to cool down as Lex's lips roamed over her body, searching out the places she needed him to find. His hands travelled down her waist and thighs. As their lovemaking became faster and more urgent, she became vaguely aware of flames engulfing the room. They excited her and she pulled Lex even closer to her and he moaned as she scratched her nails down his back. He got her back by biting her in exactly the places that would hurt her most.
The flames crept towards them on the bed.

Clark Kent was asleep and happily dreaming of winning the Superbowl intertwined with dreams of Lana Lang, when he suddenly awoke and realised the barn was on fire outside. He scrambled out of bed and sped outside to get the hose. As he turned it on and aimed it at the barn, the flames erupted in a furious crescendo and then vanished! Clark decided he must be dreaming, went into the house and back to bed to more dreams of Lana.

Martha and Jonathan lay together in the barn, not talking and not looking at each other. Finally Jonathan asked, "So what was that all about?" Martha smiled. "I'm not sure. I guess me rejecting you so many times paid off. I just felt so … old. I didn't think you wanted me anymore. Now I feel … like I did before all this. Normal. Happy."
"Martha, I love you. I don't care what age you are you will always be beautiful. And, um, did it occur to you, that I'm older than you anyway? So if anyone's too old, it's me." The next morning, Jonathan and Martha came down the stairs to be greeted by their son, "did either of you notice the barn burning last night?"
"No. We were in the barn and didn't notice anything. It must have been a nightmare, honey." Martha explained.

Sascha looked at Lex. "I'm going to Metropolis to stay with my friends for a while. If I get a job, I'll be staying away permanently. I don't think we'll see each other again." She smiled. Lex bent slightly to give her one last kiss. "Probably not." he agreed. As Sascha drove away in the cab, Lex shook his head, confused and walked back to the house.