CHAPTER 4

The Kent residence…

Jonathan hung up his coat and was about to head up to the upstairs bedroom when Martha comes out of the dining room. "Well it's about time you came home," her hands on her hips. "Did you remember to pick up the parmesan cheese?"

"Oh," a sheepish look on his face.

"I asked you to do one little thing for me and you couldn't even do that," she complains.

"So I forgot the parmesan cheese. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal when I'm serving eggplant parmagina with spaghetti tonight," she snaps back.

"Fine," rolling his eyes and putting his coat back on. "I'll go back to the damn store and get some," fishing out his keys.

"Hurry up because Jimmy and Chloe will be here in less than thirty minutes," turning on her heel and walking away.

He grumbles under his breath as he steps outside and slams the door behind him. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she returns to the kitchen to check on the spaghetti sauce.

Thirty minutes later…

"Jimmy, Chloe," Martha greeting them by giving each of them a hug as they step into the hallway. "I'm so happy you were able to make it tonight."

"Thank you for inviting us," Jimmy replies as he takes off his coat and hangs it up on the coat rack along with his wife's.

"You're both family," Martha says with a smile. "So how are you feeling, Chloe?" lightly patting her extended belly.

"Fat," she says with a sigh.

"You're not fat. You're pregnant," Jimmy says softly while kissing her cheek.

"He's right," Martha replies and wraps her arm around Chloe's shoulders. "When you see your baby for the very first time, you'll forget about the swollen ankles, the overactive bladder, everything. That's what happened to me when I gave birth to both Clark and Kara."

"I know all that. I have given birth before after all, but that does make me feel better. Thank you," smiling over at Martha.

"Good," Martha says with a smile. "So has the doctor said when you might have the baby?" she asks as they head for the dining room.

"I saw Dr. Hamilton today as a matter of fact," Chloe replies as they enter the dining room while the sound of instrumental Christmas music creates a festive atmosphere. "At first he thought that I might have a Christmas baby, but now it's looking more and more like New Year's," sitting down next to Jimmy while Martha goes to the kitchen to retrieve a large platter of spaghetti and eggplant parmagina.

"That would be wonderful," Martha says as she comes back into the dining room and sets the platter down next to the salad bowl and garlic bread. "I have a feeling that you'll have it before then," she adds as Jonathan sits down at the head of the table and pours himself some wine.

"Is that your intuition telling you that?" Jimmy asks with a smile as he picks up the tongs for the salad.

"It's just a feeling," she replies with a wink as she picks up a piece of garlic bread.

"This all looks good, Mrs. K," Jimmy says with a smile. "So you mentioned Kara earlier. How is she?" he asks as he places some salad on his plate. "Are they still living in California?"

"She and the family are both fine," Martha replies with a smile as she sits down at the opposite end of the table from Jonathan. "They're still in California, but hopefully they'll be moving back to Metropolis in about six months."

"That's great news," Chloe smiles back. "Will they be back in time for Christmas?"

"They won't be able to make it this year," she says in a sad tone as she nibbles on her bread. "Which means that we'll be having our Christmas dinner here instead of at the farm."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chloe replies in a disappointed tone as she sprinkles some parmesan cheese on her spaghetti before picking up her fork. "So where's Clark anyway? Isn't he supposed to be here?" she changes the subject while twirling it around her fork.

"He must be eating out," Martha remarks.

"He sure doesn't know what he's missing," Jimmy says as he drizzles some Italian dressing over his salad and picks up his fork.

"It's not like him not to call," Martha replies in a worried tone.

"Did you check your cell phone?" Jonathan asks as he fills up his wine glass again. "Maybe he sent a text message," raising his glass to his lips.

Martha pulls out her cell phone and looks at the display screen. "He says he won't be home for dinner," returning the phone to her pocket. "You were right," looking up at her husband. "I had my phone on 'vibrate.' That's why I didn't hear it," she says as she starts eating her salad.

Jimmy, Chloe, and Martha continue with the chit chat while Jonathan stays out of the conversation.

"So what's the big news?" Chloe asks as she sips her water.

Martha laid down her fork. "Clark was supposed to be here to tell you, but since he's not I might as well do it."

Both Jimmy and Chloe eagerly lean forward in their chairs.

"Clark is getting married again."

"What?" they both exclaim at the same time.

"Is it that sportswriter at the Planet?" Jimmy asks. "I know that Clark's been out with him before."

"No, it's not," Martha replies. "He's marrying Lois."

"Lois? My cousin Lois?" Chloe stares back at her with widening eyes. "When did that happen?"

"Last night," Martha replies as she dips her fork into the spaghetti.

"I don't believe it. I just don't believe it," Chloe shakes her head in disbelief.

"I don't think anybody saw that one coming," Jimmy remarks as he bites into another slice of garlic bread.

"Can we please talk about something else?" Jonathan pipes up as he reaches for the carafe of wine and pours some more wine.

"Sure," Martha looks up. "How about we talk about where you've been all day?" quirking a brow at him. "Where do you go every Wednesday?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he scowls as he drinks his wine.

Martha rolls her eyes in exasperation.

"So did you see that full moon tonight?" Jimmy asks, changing the subject as they all continue eating. "I haven't seen a full moon like that in years."

"I remember the last time I saw one like that," Martha says with a wistful smile on her face. "It was while Jonathan and I were engaged. I had to break one of our dates because I had the flu. I woke up in the middle of the night because of this bright light shining in my eyes. I couldn't figure out what it was at first, so I walked over to the window and looked outside. It was the moon, as big as a house. I looked down and standing there in the street was Jonathan. He was looking up at my window."

Jonathan stares at her as she continues telling the story.

"I thought that he was so in love with me that he brought that moon over and woke me up with it," smiling back at her husband. "I was half asleep I guess. I didn't know any better," she says with a chuckle.

"You were dreaming all right," Jonathan scowls as he finishes up the last of his spaghetti.

"No," shaking her head. "You were there."

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"What do you want to talk about?" she asks as he pours some more wine into his glass. "Why are you drinking so much?"

He doesn't answer, instead picking up his glass and abruptly exiting the room.

The three of them look at each other and shake their heads.

Middle of the night…

Martha changes into her nightgown and walks into the bedroom. She walks over to the bed and gazes down at Jonathan's sleeping form.

"You drank too much. You'll sleep too hard, and later you'll be up when you should be down," she says in a soft voice while lightly running her fingers through his hair.

She kisses his cheek before shutting off the bedside lamp. Immediately moonlight illuminates the room. She walks over to the window and parts the blue lace curtains to stare up at the full moon, a pensive expression on her face…

Jimmy opens his eyes and looks up. "Chloe," his arm reaching behind him to nudge her shoulder. "Chloe, dear, wake up."

"What?" she murmurs sleepily.

"Look," pointing to the window.

"Oh," closing her eyes again.

"It's Mr. K's moon," he says as he gets out of bed.

"What are you talking about? Mr. K can't own the moon," rolling over on her side and burying her face in the pillow.

"It's that moon Mrs. K was talking about at dinner," he says as he walks over to the window. "Is he down there?" he wonders while looking down toward the street.

"Is who down there?" Chloe lifts her head from the pillow and looks in his direction.

"Mr. K," he replies.

"What would he be doing down there?" she asks as she props herself up on one arm.

"I don't know," he answers with a shrug of his shoulders and turns to look back at her.

She smiles at him. "You know something? In that light…with that expression on your face, you look exactly the way you looked when we met twenty years ago."

He looks at her curiously for a moment, then smiles and makes his way over to the bed.

"What?" she can't help giggling as he climbs back into bed. "What do you want?" still giggling as he pulls off the blanket covering her. "Get out," rolling over in the opposite direction and trying to slap him away but it doesn't deter him as he peppers the back of her neck with kisses...

Oliver's sleeping while Clark lies next to him wide awake. He gets up and grabs a red blanket to wrap around his shoulders and walks over to the window to gaze up at the moon through the opened blinds.

Oliver wakes up when he feels the bed dip. "What's the matter?" he asks as he gets out of bed.

"Nothing. I'm looking at the moon," Clark replies without turning around.

Oliver comes up behind him and wraps his arms around him. "It's perfect," he says in a low voice.

"I've never seen a moon like that before," Clark replies while resting his head against Oliver's chest.

"It make you look like an angel," softly kissing the side of Clark's neck. "I know this will sound funny, but to me it looks like a giant snowball."

Clark chuckles lightly. "It doesn't sound funny to me at all," craning his head and smiling up at him.

Oliver smiles back before lowering his lips. As they continue kissing, Oliver's hands reach up to untie the blanket around Clark's shoulders, allowing it to drop down to the floor. "Oliver?" he whispers between kisses.

Oliver pulls back and arches a brow. "Yes, Clark?"

"You said that you hadn't been with another man for five years, ever since your fiancé left you."

"That's right," looking curiously at Clark. "So?"

"If that's the truth, then why would you have a ready supply of condoms in the bedside drawer?" fixing his eyes on Oliver. "Can you explain that?"

Oliver looks at him for a long moment before he gives Clark an answer. "I can explain that," he says at last. "I have friends that stay here from time to time when they've had too much to drink and need a place to crash or when they want to hook up with someone."

Clark thinks about what Oliver just told him. "That makes sense," he says at last.

"I'm glad you feel that way because I didn't want you thinking that I'm the kind of guy that still acts like a college guy who has nothing but one night stands. I'm ashamed to say that I had a number of them when I was younger, but that was before I met my fiancé. I haven't had one since then," his hands resting on Clark's waist. "I admit that I was a little worried about what you might think of me," one hand moving up to stroke Clark's hair.

"I was a little worried at first, but I feel better after hearing your explanation," Clark replies.

"I'm glad you understand," Oliver smiles softly. "So can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Clark turns around to face him.

"You said that you had a one-night stand and that's when you knew for sure that you were gay."

"That's right. What about it?" Clark asks in a curious tone.

"I was just wondering how it came about. If you don't want to talk about it, I'll understand."

"No, it's okay," Clark turns around again to face the window, his head resting back against Oliver's chest. "It was a month before my wife died. She brought up the subject of our trying to have a baby, but I told her I wasn't ready. At least that's what I told her. The real reason was somewhat different."

"Which was…?"

Clark takes a deep breath and exhales before answering. "I just wasn't interested in sex anymore."

"Sex in general or sex with her?"

"Sex with her, but I couldn't tell her that," he sighs. "I was still confused about my sexual feelings at the time. Anyway, we had a huge argument and I stormed out. I went to the Ace of Clubs to have a drink when this one guy sat down next to me at the bar. We started talking, then before I knew it we were in the last stall of the men's bathroom kissing, then he spun me around and pushed me up against the wall. My pants came down and…well…you can guess what happened next," his voice sounding wistful.

Oliver continues to listen with a sympathetic ear while Clark continues to talk. "It may have been one of those 'wham bam thank you man' numbers, but yet it felt so right at the same time. I felt more in that brief encounter than I ever did with my wife."

"Well I hope that he at least had the presence of mind to use protection," Oliver replies as his fingers lightly caress Clark's stomach before returning to gently squeeze his waist.

"He did," Clark replies while Oliver presses a soft kiss against the side of his neck. "I craned my head when I heard him tearing something open. It was a condom packet."

"Well I'm really sorry that your first real sexual experience with a man wasn't more…romantic."

"Me too," Clark replies. "I wanted to do it to him but he wouldn't let me," letting out a sigh. "I suppose you've done both," Clark turning around again.

"Both?"

"Top and bottom," Clark replies.

Oliver remains silent for a moment before he speaks up. "Not exactly."

Clark arches his brows. "What do you mean?"

"It means that I've never been on the bottom. I've always been the one on top."

"Really?" a look of surprise on Clark's face. "What about your fiancé? Didn't he mind?"

"He liked being the bottom and I liked being the top so it worked out fine."

"What about the one night stands you had before him?" Clark asks next. "Didn't you ever let them-?"

"No," Oliver interrupts while shaking his head. "I always had to have all the control."

"Oh," Clark turns around again. "Well, you're missing out on something wonderful. You should try it."

"I will…with the right person," Oliver says wistfully as they stare up at the moon.

"So do you want to go back to bed and get some sleep?" Clark asks after a few moments.

Oliver's eyes begin to twinkle. "I have an even better idea," kissing Clark once more before pulling away and walking over to the bedside table.

Clark turns around, his hands on the window sill behind him. He watches with interest as Oliver opens the drawer. "Stay right where you are," he tells him as he pulls out a foil packet.

Clark's eyes widen slightly. "Right here? In front of the window where somebody might see us?"

"That's right," Oliver replies as he walks back to Clark. "Now turn around and lean forward."

He's sooo sexy when he talks like that, Clark can't help but think as he turns around and leans forward, his hands resting on the window sill as Oliver tears open the foil packet and quickly rolls on the condom. He stands behind Clark, his fingers spreading his cheeks apart as he glides his length down the clef of Clark's ass and slips between them.

"Oh, yes," Clark gasps out as Oliver lightly brushes up against his entrance.

Oliver's hands move down to cup and firmly squeeze his cheeks. "Don't you think there's something titillating about the possibility of somebody out there watching us make love?" he whispers softly as they stare at their reflections in the window pane.

His words send a pleasurable shiver up and down Clark's spine. "Are you ready for more?" Oliver asks as his lips move downward.

"Mmm," a soft moan coming out of Clark's mouth as Oliver presses forward, filling him, stretching him inch by delicious inch until he's buried inside Clark's body as deep as he could possibly go.

"You feel sooo…sooo… good," Clark whispers, his eyes fluttering shut as his head drops down.

"No. You're the one who feels so good," Oliver whispers as his fingers move from Clark's cheeks to firmly grip his waist. "You are so perfectly stretched now. I love it," he says in a husky tone as he begins to move in and out of Clark at a leisurely pace. Clark lifts his head and turns his neck just in time for Oliver to give him a hard kiss.

Clark's fingers grip the edge of the windowsill as Oliver quickens the pace at the same time that one of his hands leaves Clark's waist and begins to stroke Clark's length in time with his thrusts. It doesn't take long before Clark throws his head backwards and he arches his back, the moonlight shining on their faces as they reach their peaks together…

Five minutes earlier…

"Are you still fiddling around with that thing?" he says in exasperation as he turns down the bed.

"That thing is a telescope," she retorts back as she adjusts the lens again. "I need to figure out why I had problems with it at our final class tonight. I was lucky that Professor Fine had one I could use."

He walks over to the window and stands behind her. "If you're supposed to be looking at the stars, then explain to me why it's not pointing skyward."

"I'm making some adjustments first," she replies without looking back. "I think I almost have it."

"Come on, let's go to bed," wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I've got it!" she declares in triumph as she lowers her head. "Oh, my," her mouth forming an 'o' as she stares through the eyepiece while he's kissing the back of her neck. "That is sooo hot."

"What's sooo hot?" he murmurs as his lips move up to behind her ear.

"See for yourself," craning her neck to look up at him.

"If I do, will you come to bed?" he asks.

"Not only will I come to bed, but I'll let you do that thing to me that you've always wanted to do," she counters back.

"You mean…" his eyebrows rising.

"You better get out the lube, sweetie," she replies in a teasing tone.

He grins at her as they switch places. "Son of a b!tch!" he exclaims while looking through the eyepiece.

"So tell me. What does it look like to you?" she asks him.

"It looks like a blonde guy f*cking a black-haired guy wearing glasses in front of a window. That's pretty bold of them I must say."

"Maybe so, but that's not what it looks like to me."

He looks at her curiously. "What does it look like to you?"

"To me, it looks like they're making love," she answers back. "Can't you see the looks on their faces? The expressions in their eyes? There's so much more going on there than just f*cking."

He lifts his head and sees the expression in her own eyes. "You're right," he replies as he wraps his arms around her again and pulls her flush against his chest. "How about we make love?"

"Oh, yeah," smiling up at him as he lifts her up into his arms and carries her to the bed…

TO BE CONTINUED…