Well? Do you like it so far? Yes? Good, here's some more…

Stars and Water

Chapter seven

Friday night took forever to come, but it wasn't as though they both weren't busy. Maria had started a job at the Talon, one of the few places in town that was hiring. She'd walked in to inquire about an opening and after they found out she knew how to make the espresso machine cooperate, she walked out with a full-time job working the morning shift.

She was also checking out local Colleges and seeing about transferring her credits from the University of Oregon. She didn't think she'd be able to start in the fall but it was helping her regain her focus just looking at the pamphlets.

Since last New Years Eve she had been coping with whatever the day threw at her and avoiding thoughts of the future. Lately, since she had met Clark, she felt like a fog had lifted. New Years Eve was the last night she had felt safe, like nothing bad could ever happen to her. It was also the last night she would ever tell someone good bye and feel sure she would see them again. That night her father had gone out late to get ice cream to eat while they stayed up to watch the ball drop on TV. He'd only made it six blocks before he got hit by a drunken driver.

Maria still couldn't come to grips with the senselessness of it. There was no grand meaning or lesson she could find. One moment her Dad was alive and the next he was gone and Maria was left feeling like she was still waiting for him to bring the ice cream.

Meeting Clark had been a turning point for her. She had been getting better and better at seeing beauty and joy around her again and then, there he was and her heart felt like it was thawed out at last.

Finally it was Friday! She sang to herself as she hopped in the shower after work. Of course she also sang to Nick who kept pounding on the bathroom door to ask if she was ready to play yet. Maria hoped her Mom would come home soon, getting ready for a date while watching Nick was going to be challenging.

Clark had also had a busy week. The farm wasn't the only thing that took his time. He and Chloe had traced a Phantom to Seattle and he had nearly died defeating it. Clark was still in a daze from the experience. Someone who could do things he couldn't had shown up and saved his life and then just left, flying.

He was looking forward to a nice, simple date with Maria. She made him feel happy in a way he hadn't felt for a long time. He hopped in his spotlessly clean truck and headed for her house, remembering with a smile the last time she had been in his truck.

Katherine Desantis was hurrying to get out of the lab on time. Her daughter Maria was going on the first date she'd been on in nearly a year and the last thing she wanted was to make her late. Kate was impressed with the Kent boy. He was polite and respectful along with being extremely handsome. He had also been raised by an amazing woman. She'd watched Clark's interaction with his Mother with keen interest. Kate had always said you can tell a lot about how a man will treat his wife by watching how he treats his Mom. They were obviously close and he behaved toward her with a loving, protective air she found refreshing. She had a really good feeling about this young man. She grabbed her coat and turned to the door only to come face to face with Lex Luthor.

"Mr. Luthor!" Kate was startled to see him standing in the door with a pleasant smile on his face; she had met him at the ball but hadn't ever seen him in the lab before.

"Dr. Desantis," he said, stepping into the room. "I'm so glad you're still here. I have something of great importance to discuss with you." Kate couldn't help herself, she glanced at the clock.

"I have an offer I would like to make to you. Something, ah, unexpected, has happened in another department in the lab and I will need you to take over a very special project for me. If you will follow me I believe it would be best to show you what I mean rather than explain it."

Kate reluctantly followed Lex from the room. Maybe this would be quick?

Kate followed Lex down a long hallway, past a secure door marked 33.1 guarded by two armed men, and into a wing of the lab that she didn't know existed. Lex walked up to a long window that opened onto what looked like a children's hospital room. Looking through the window Kate saw children in a range of ages, from a baby to what appeared to be a pre-teen, laying on hospital beds. She noticed they were restrained and wondered why.

"These are the descendents of what we call meteor infected individuals. You have seen the results of meteor rock exposure on human DNA. These specimens have inherited their parent's unique genetic abnormalities." Lex said, as though he were speaking of the most mundane thing.

Kate was shocked into interrupting. "You mean those abnormal human cells we were examining were taken from people who have been mutated by the meteor rocks? I thought the cells had been exposed in the lab! Where are the people the cells came from? Are they being held against their will here too?"

"I understand your surprise. I forgot you were new to Smallville." Lex looked at her and his lip curled in contempt. What a naïve woman she was. "We have been working with many subjects who have developed unusual abilities due to the meteor rocks. This project, which you will be heading, is titled Project Generation and we shall be exploring the potential of the offspring of those subjects."

Kate felt ill. "By "exploring the potential" I'm assuming you mean conducting experiments on these children you so callously refer to as specimens?" She was shaking with anger now and her voice lashed out as she continued. "I don't know what I have done to make you think I would approve of this, much less be in charge of it. I must tell you, I resign my position working for your company as of right now and I will be pursuing legal action against you. This cannot possibly be legal."

Lex smiled wider at the threat, decent people were so predictable. "I believe you might want to consider the welfare of your children before refusing my offer of advancement. Young lives are so fragile and it's hard to watch them every minute."

Kate's mouth fell open as she stared at Lex in shock. "You dare to threaten my children? If you ever harm either of them no security team on this planet will keep you safe from me." Her fists were clenched and her voice had dropped to a growl.

Lex took an involuntary step back before he composed himself and replied calmly. "That is an easy threat to make but are you willing to bet your children's lives on your ability to protect them from me? I will give you until tomorrow to accept my offer. Choose carefully." And he spoke into a communication device on his lapel. "I need someone to escort Dr. Desantis out to her car; she is late to go home." Then Lex turned and left without looking at her again.

Maria was having a difficult time getting ready. Nick had followed her with nonstop questions throughout the entire evening. "Where are you going? Who are you going with? Who's Clark Kent? Does he have any little brothers? Can I come with you…" She looked at the clock again. She wanted her Mom. Not just to distract Nick but also for advice. She found herself, out of desperation, actually asking him which blouse he liked best and was surprised when he picked the same green one she was leaning towards. Then he ruined it by adding that it looked like a frog's skin.

Where are you Mom? Clark is going to be here in five minutes and I don't have a top on. I don't think I'm ready for that stage of our relationship yet. She brushed her teeth, again, and looked at the clock. AACK, that was the doorbell! She grabbed the red knit shirt and ran into the living room while pulling it over her head. Then she yanked her hair out of the collar, flipping it loose over her shoulders, straightened the bottom with a tug and flung open the door, startling Clark in the process of knocking in case the doorbell didn't work.

"Hi!" she said breathlessly "Wont you come in?" Maria stepped back to allow Clark room to enter and tripped over one of Nick's toy cars. As she started to fall Clark moved quickly and caught her, pulling her close and holding her until she regained her balance. "Thanks," she said smiling up at him and blushing furiously. "That was one of my more graceful moves. For an encore I do a header over the couch." Clark laughed and kissed her lightly before letting her go.

A high voice broke in "Hi, are you Clark? I'm Nickolas. I'm three!" and Clark looked down to see a dark haired boy grinning up at him from close to knee level.

Clark crouched down and held out his hand "Yes, I'm Clark. Good to meet you Nickolas." Nick stared at Clark's hand and then remembering what to do he proudly placed his tiny hand in Clark's large one and shook hands.

"I like you." Nick declared, grinning.

"I like you too, Nick" said Clark with a smile.

Nick looked up at Maria with his face glowing. "He shook my hand Maria, like men do!" Maria smiled back, watching as Clark and Nick carried on a conversation ranging from Nick's favorite thing to eat to whether a motorcycle was cooler than a race car.

After a few minutes Clark stood back up, "Hey Buddy, I need to spend some time with Maria but I promise I'll play with you later. Okay?" Nick's face fell but he perked back up at the mention of getting to play with Clark and he ran to his room to get his favorite toys out.

"I'm sorry Clark. We can't leave yet. My Mom's not home and I can't leave Nick alone." Maria said, her voice sounding strained with frustration and embarrassment.

"That's okay Maria, I understand. Of course you can't just leave Nick." Clark smiled reassuringly. "Where is your Mom? Is everything okay?"

"She's at work and she's late but that's nothing new." There was a little bitterness in Maria's tone now. "She hasn't called but that's not unusual either, when she gets an idea and starts following it the world ceases to exist and it could be hours before she comes up for a breath and remembers she has children." Maria looked at the surprise on Clark's face. "That sounded awful." said Maria, "I really am proud of her and her amazing mind. Normally I'm not bothered by her time schedule. It's just, she knew this was important to me and she blew it off, it's disappointing."

Clark reached out to Maria and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay Maria. We can still have a good time right here. I'll order a Pizza and we can watch a video or something. It'll be fine." Then he kissed her forehead and smiled into her eyes. "I just want to spend time with you."

Maria smiled back. "Thanks Clark." And she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder and breathing in the spicy masculine smell that was Clark Kent. She felt her shoulders easing down as the tension flowed out of them.

"Okay, I'm ready!" a high voice interrupted, "Anybody who wants to play with me gets to!"

Clark chuckled and shrugged at Maria. "How can I resist?" he asked.

Maria grinned "I'll order the pizza, you two have fun." Clark followed a very excited Nick to his room.

As Maria ordered the Pizza she could hear Nick's high voice chattering and the occasional low tones of Clark answering him. She smiled as she heard them both laughing. Maria set the table and put together a Caesar salad to go with the pizza. Just as she was finishing it the doorbell rang and Clark hurried to get the food with Nick running beside him.

They sat down together to eat and Nick offered to pray. He tucked his head down and squeezed his eyes tight. "God is great, God is good, and we thank him for our food. Thank you, God. Amen."

Clark smiled at Maria across the table then turned to Nick. "Good job, Buddy. That's the same prayer I learned when I was little." Nick beamed.

By the time dinner was over Nick was drooping noticeably and rubbing his eyes. Maria looked at the clock, still no word from her Mom. "Well, I think a bath and bed are what this little guy needs next." She stated, and to her surprise Nick didn't even quarrel, he just yawned. "Make yourself at home Clark, this wont take long." And she scooped Nick up and carried him to the bathroom.

Clark cleaned up from dinner and then began to look around at Maria's home. It was a small space but felt open and peaceful, decorated with original paintings and filled with shelves of books. Clark realized as he looked around that he couldn't see a TV. There was a piano, two guitars, a computer in the corner and an aquarium, but no television. I guess we won't be watching a video after all, Clark thought.

Maria came quietly back into the room. "He's asleep, thank goodness. If I had to read "Good Night Moon" one more time I would have been asleep too. She walked up to Clark and took his hands, smiling warmly up into his eyes. "What shall we do now?" she murmured.

Kate sat in her car. She was shaking so hard she didn't trust herself to drive. Tears poured unnoticed down her face as she kept going over what had just happened, trying to find a way out, some way to make her life calm and normal again. After a time she took a deep breath, wiped her face and set her jaw. "You will not get away with this Lex Luthor" she said, her voice low and teeth clenched.

I have to stop this somehow, she thought. It wasn't just about her and her family. The sight of the children in that room haunted her. I have to think of something. She rested her head on the dashboard running various scenarios through her mind, calmly assessing the risks and possibility for success of each. An idea came to her and after thinking it through carefully she decided it was the best course of action. She sat up and let out a breath, rubbing her forehead. "Maria!" Oh no what time was it? Kate looked at her watch and grabbed her cell phone.

Clark looked at Maria's lovely face tilted up to him so invitingly. Then he whispered into her ear, "I'm sure we can think of something." and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up tight to his long, lean body while he trailed light kisses down her jaw, ending at her mouth.

Maria leaned into Clark and wrapped her arms around his neck burying her hands in his silky dark hair. As he deepened the kiss she gave a little moan and shivered. They moved a few feet to the couch and Clark gently eased Maria down onto the cushions before lowering himself next to her. He bent forward to kiss her again and as his lips met hers the phone rang.

Chloe was perched on the edge of her chair at the Daily Planet writing. Her fingers flew over the keys as she worked on her story. The chaos in the room didn't distract her at all as she focused intently on putting the final touches to this draft before she submitted it to the editor. The cell phone balanced on Chloe's desk rang and she jumped.

The voice on the other end surprised her. "Oliver? What's going on?" Chloe's eyes widened. "Oh my God! That's a new low even for Lex. Have you called Clark?" she frowned at his answer then remembered Clark's date. "Oh, um he's busy tonight, he probably turned it off." And he won't appreciate me interrupting, thought Chloe, remembering Clark's beaming smile as he told Chloe of the evening he had planned. "I'll let him know. Yes, as soon as possible. That's just so horrible. Let me know any other way I can help." Chloe set the cell phone down slowly. "Project Generation" sounded like something from a nightmare.

Kate listened to the phone ring. Surely they were home? Finally Maria answered breathlessly. "Have you been running sweetie? I'm so sorry I didn't come home when I promised but something came up at work and I couldn't leave. I'll tell you about it when I get home. I'm on my way home now. I'll be there in about twenty minutes. I love you." Kate couldn't speak for a moment past the lump in her throat. "Goodbye Sweetheart."

Maria walked back to Clark who was sprawled across her couch with his arms folded behind his head. He looked up at her and smiled sweetly. "Was that your Mom?" Maria looked at his long body barely fitting on her couch. He looked irresistible in his kaki pants and deep blue shirt unbuttoned at the neck. She wanted to pounce on him but sat down next to him instead. She brushed the hair out of his face with her hand, touching his cheek for a moment. He wasn't making what she was about to say any easier. His eyes closed at her touch and then he opened them and gazed intently into hers.

"Yes it was my Mom, she'll be here in twenty minutes." Maria said softly, worry putting little frown lines between her brows. "Something is really bothering her Clark. I could swear she was crying. I know this night hasn't been what either of us planned and when she comes home we could go out but…" Maria looked away, hesitating to continue.

Clark sat up. "You want to stay home and talk to your Mom." He said. "I understand. We can go out another night. I did have a nice time and I'm glad I got to meet Nick." Clark smiled at her reassuringly. "We have lots of time to get to know each other."

Maria smiled gratefully at Clark. "You understand." She said, relieved. Thank you, Clark. You're amazing." And she put her arms around him and kissed him. A long, slow, deep, lingering kiss that threatened to erase all thought of leaving from his mind. Clark shifted on the couch, wrapped his arms around her and passionately returned the kiss; sliding his hands up under her shirt to rest them on the warm skin of her back. "You should probably go." She murmured against his lips.

"I probably should," he breathed as he kissed her again. Clark hadn't felt this close to anyone in a long time. He wanted to keep on kissing Maria all night, slide off her shirt, feel her naked skin against his and…suddenly he felt hot, really hot, and his eyes started to burn. Clark abruptly pulled away from Maria breathing deeply.

He couldn't believe this was happening; he'd had this under control for years! Think about football he thought, think about the tractor, think about anything but Maria, naked. He felt the wave of heat pass and he gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm never going to be able to leave if you keep kissing me like that."

Maria looked at Clark, confused by his sudden movement away from her and light headed from the kiss. Then she grinned as what he said penetrated the fog in her brain, "I wanted to give you something to remember me by until we can go out again." She said.

Clark stood up and then reached down to help her up. "I'm not likely to ever forget you." He said softly. They walked to her door, hand in hand, and shared one last kiss in the doorway before Clark turned and headed for his truck. Maria stood in the door and watched him go.

To be continued…