Prologue

Smallville, 1982

"We can't keep him, Martha", Jonathan Kent said, "he's not a puppy… he must have parents somewhere…"

Martha Kent held the young child closer to her and looked down into a giant crater before glancing up at her husband. "Well, if he does they're definitely not from Kansas…"

Jonathan nodded looking around; making sure no one had seen them yet. "What are we supposed to tell people? That we found him in a field…?"

"Actually", she smiled warmly at the little boy who couldn't be more than three years old, "I think he found us…"

Jonathan began to protest and she cut him off. "We can just tell everyone we adopted him in the city. Everyone knows we've been trying for years, Jonathan. It isn't farfetched. Not really…"

"Martha…"

"Please", she tried glancing at the little boy again, "Imagine what they'd do if they found out the truth about him… he's just a boy, Jonathan."

Martha knew she'd won the argument before he'd even nodded. "Alright… we'll take him back to the farm. But we need to hide this ship. No one can know, Martha, no one."

"And no one ever will…"

They turned to go and stopped shortly when they realized they weren't alone.

"Are you folks alright?"

Jonathan glanced at his wife warily and nodded at the grim soldier. "Yes sir, my wife and I were just in an accident up the road…."

"What's that behind you", the man asked nodding toward the crater.

"Nothing", Jonathan answered quickly, "Just a meteor… we were lucky…"

The man nodded and started to walk around him.

"Sam!"

He turned and saw his wife carrying their young daughter toward him. "Stay back Ellen, there's a lot of smog here…"

"Sam", she called again, "What is going on?"

Martha smiled warmly at the young girl in the woman's hands. She looked smaller than the boy in her arms. She held him tighter placing a kiss on his forehead before realizing what she had done.

"Hi", Ellen greeted as well as she could, "I'm Ellen and this big for nothing soldier is my husband, Sam…"

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Martha and this is Jonathan…", Martha nodded nervously, "You have a beautiful little girl."

"This is Lois", Ellen introduced smiling, "You have a beautiful little boy there, Martha… what's his name?"

"Um", Martha grinned, "Clark…"

Jonathan snapped his neck toward his wife in confusion.

"We just adopted him in the city", Martha continued, lying effortlessly.

"Congratulations", Ellen smiled, "I'm sorry that your celebration was cut short…"

"It's alright", Martha smiled, "As long as we're all okay."

"That is true", Ellen nodded holding her daughter closer.

Sam walked around them as the women talked and felt a hand tighten around his bicep. He looked up into the blue eyes of the man who the red head had named Jonathan. "Yes?"

"Where are you going", he asked.

"To check out that crater", he said through clenched teeth, wondering what this man was hiding.

"Why?"

"Because as a General in the US Army it's my job", he glared.

"Samuel", Ellen warned.

"Ellie, please stay out of this…"

"Like hell I will", she said quickly, "Come on, Sam… we have to go." She turned back to Martha. "Do you folks need a ride into town?"

"Yes, that would be very kind-"

"Ellen, get away from them", Sam called out flashing his gun in their faces, "Go back to the truck…"

"Sam", Ellen scolded, "What has gotten into you?"

"They're aliens."

Smallville, 2000

Martha Kent watched her son as he walked toward the yellow farmhouse from her kitchen window. She smiled softly as he walked toward her in his uniform from the armed forces. It always warmed her heart when he came home on leave. She walked toward the door and opened it wide before he could knock and grinned.

"Hey mom", he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her much smaller frame; "I'm home."

"Thank God", she breathed in his scent and pulled away smiling.

Smallville, 1982

Martha watched the silent exchange between the couple they'd just met. Ellen had finally convinced Sam to lower his weapon. She even apologized for his rudeness. Martha would forever remember the woman's kindness.

"We're not aliens", Jonathan scowled.

"Then how do you explain the space ship", Sam nodded toward the crater.

Jonathan looked to Martha and shook his head. She shook her head quickly and held the small boy closer if that was even possible.

"We found him", Jonathan lowered his head.

Ellen gasped and Sam's eyes widened. Martha felt the tears in her eyes before the fell down her cheeks.

"Sam", Ellen whispered looking at her husband shaking her head softly. She looked down to a sleeping Lois, "What if it was Lo?"

He nodded silently before making eye contact with Jonathan. "How can we help?

Smallville, 2000

"How's dad", Clark asked after finishing his third piece of pie. It was the one thing he missed the most, other than his parents, when he was overseas.

"Oh, you know your father", Martha shook her head at the sink cleaning the dishes he'd just used, "He's at the hardware store looking for a new wrench for the no good tractor of his."

Clark bit back a smile. Some things didn't change after all. "I think I'll just go into town and see him then."

"Aren't you going to wash up first", she asked.

"I'll just change", he shrugged and before she could blink he was standing in front of her with worn jeans and an army shirt, "See…"

He walked up to her and kissed her cheek softly. "I'll catch a ride with dad…"

He super sped out of the farm house. Martha shook her head smiling. She'd never gotten used to that.

Smallville, 1982

"Here are the papers", Sam said as he stood on the porch of the Kent farm, "Clark Jerome Kent, adopted by Martha and Jonathan Kent from the Isis Foundation in Metropolis on January 19, 1982. You should have no problems with these."

"Thank you, Mr.-"

"Please", he stopped Jonathan with a hand raised, "It's Sam."

"Thank you, Sam", Jonathan nodded, "You want to come in? See him?"

"No", Sam shook his head, "I'd rather not."

"I understand", Jonathan nodded.

Sam placed his beret back on his head. "Good luck, Mr. Kent."

"You too, Sam", Jonathan watched him walk toward his jeep and drive off. After that day, he'd remember thinking he hoped he never had to see another soldier from the US Army in front of him again for as long as he lived.

Smallville, 2000

But fate was cruel. Jonathan looked up from the wrenches and saw his son walk into the hardware store. It'd been six months since Clark had been home. He placed the wrench back on the rack and walked toward his son.

He tried to smile, but found that the smile he'd been working on all day looked more like a frown than he'd liked. "Clark…"

"Sir", Clark greeted.

"Welcome home", Jonathan extended his right hand.

Clark stared at it for a second before he shook it.

"It's good to be home."

Fort Ryan, Kansas

General Sam Lane sat at his new desk at the base he'd recently been transferred to. He was going over the list of soldiers who had requested a transfer and been approved. He smiled when he felt her standing in the door way of his office.

"Hello, Lois."

"Hi, daddy", she said leaning her head to the side, looking more like her mother than he liked.

He stood, folding his hands behind his back, "was your drive okay?"

"A little long", she nodded, "Nothing I can't handle."

"Where's your sister", he asked.

"Luce is checking out the base", Lois shrugged as she walked deeper into the office, "What do you think she's doing?"

Sam groaned. "I swear that girl is more boy crazy than you were at her age."

"She's a senior in high school dad", Lois rolled her eyes, "You've literally plucked her out of her school in the city and dropped her in Podunk High… you can't tell me you weren't expecting some payback?"

He shook his head. "I hate that you taught her how to push my buttons."

"How else would she have survived, General?"

"You called me daddy a minute ago", he shook his head, "Now, I'm back to being the general?"

She shrugged.

"How long are you on leave", he asked.

She snorted. "It's called Spring break dad… and about a week."

"Try not to get into trouble this week, okay?"

"Oh dad", she rolled her eyes and walked over to him placing a kiss on his wrinkled cheek, "And for the record… you'll always be my dad first and foremost."

She smiled and walked out of his office leaving him watching an empty doorway. Despite the headaches she'd given him growing up, especially since her mom died when she was six, Lois had grown up to be an accomplished young woman. He couldn't be more proud of her. He smiled as he sat down shaking his head and going back to his lists. He stopped suddenly when a name stood out to him.

Clark Kent.

He knew that name somewhere.

He closed his eyes trying to remember why that name stood out for him. He opened his eyes suddenly and widened them when he recognized it. It had been almost seventeen years since he last saw that name in front of him.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I'll be god dammed."