A/N: Nope, I didn't fall off the face of the earth or get kidnapped by aliens-although Martouf could kidnap me anytime-but I guess I'd have to go to an alternate universe with him. Ah well. Don't own these characters or the shows they came from, or I'd be really rich instead of a coupon-user.
A/N 2: We've finally arrived at the last chapter-but wait, there will be an epilogue! And of course the sequel. Thanks again to TankerMDK, E.Tphonehome, MacGateFan, theNightEnchantress and Spidey2 for your reviews, and everyone else for your patience. I know you all wanted a long last chapter, and here it is, weighing in at well over 4,000 words; that's why it took a bit :) Enjoy!
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Clark swallowed and turned to Col. O'Neill. "Is that really it? I can just go home? I don't need to write any reports or anything?"
The Colonel grinned at him. "Yep, that's it. The doc cleared you, so you can go. Don't worry though, we'll be in touch. If we find out anything about your ship you'll be on a plane back here so fast your head will spin. Likewise if the Tok'ra find out anything about your home planet."
Clark ducked his head. "Thanks. Are you going to come back with us?"
O'Neill looked at his team. "What do you think?"
"Well Jack, there is paperwork to fill out and the new items to catalog and the information the Tok'ra gave us to go through and…" Daniel stopped at the look on his face.
"Uh, actually I'm free and I'd love to come." he continued, smiling sheepishly at Clark.
Maj. Carter smiled and added, "We didn't really get to see your town the last time we were there. I'd love for you to give a tour."
Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow and gave a slight nod of assent.
Turning back to Clark, O'Neill shrugged. "Guess we're coming along. I'll just have to let the General know."
The young Smallville resident smiled widely, eyes excited. "Great! You'll love the Talon. I'll let my parents know. Will you stay a day? There's a place in town-"
"Whoa, easy there. We'll probably have to be heading back fairly soon-"the Colonel stopped at the disappointed look in Clark's eyes and amended, "but I'm pretty sure we can have a vacation day. Make sure nothing else landed and the area is secure. Now I think you should be packing so we can get going, all right? The less time Ms. Sullivan is on the base the better, I think."
Clark nodded. "You have no idea. You'll have to see Chloe's wall of weird." He stopped at the uncomprehending glances exchanged among the team.
"Um, I'll just show it to you and let her explain all about it when we get there." He grinned at his new friends and added "Thanks. For everything."
O'Neill nodded and jerked his head at the door, and Clark got the message. "I'm going, I'm going. See you soon, sir." He snapped off a salute like he'd been seeing lately around the base, after all he was now an honorary member of SG-1, and went inside to pack.
The door closed behind him and the team set off down the corridor.
"Sir, I think you may have agreed too easily. Do you really think we should go back with him and his family? T'Rog and his people are still here and like Daniel said there actually is a lot for us to do, and I'm not sure the General will approve us leaving at this time." Maj. Carter stopped at the glance O'Neill gave her.
"Carter, I know there is a lot for us to do. Especially paperwork. Plenty of paperwork. We'll be back in a couple of days, and I'm certain they can hold down the fort here without us. Besides, we do need to keep an eye on the boy." O'Neill finished, striding along briskly, not looking at his teammates.
Daniel blinked, and then a sudden thought occurred to him. He hurried to the Colonel's side as they stopped by the elevator.
"Jack, you don't mean what I think you mean, do you?" Daniel asked.
O'Neill turned a deceptively innocent look on him as the doors opened and the team headed inside. Maj. Carter pushed the button to take them to the correct level and the doors shut, the elevator beginning to move.
"Don't know what you're talking about Danny. I never have any idea what you might be thinking." the Colonel finally replied, deadpan.
The archaeologist sighed and shook his head. "We're going to bug them, aren't we?" he asked.
Teal'c raised a brow and Sam quickly glanced first at Daniel, then at O'Neill, who shrugged and looked meaningfully at where the cameras were located in the elevator.
"We still have a meeting to finish with the General. I think this conversation can wait until then." he finally said.
Daniel looked around as well and then nodded, and the rest of the ride was completed in silence.
The team found the General had moved back to his office and once there Daniel opened his mouth to talk but the Colonel beat him to it.
"Sir, we'll be heading back with the civilians to make sure everything is okay. I also told Daniel that we would be keeping an eye on them."
Gen. Hammond nodded. "Of course, Colonel, I was going to suggest it."
"General-"Daniel began but was cut off.
"Dr. Jackson, part of the reason we're letting the boy and his family leave is that we'll be able to observe them in a more relaxed setting. The government can't simply allow a being with those powers to run around unsupervised. It would be irresponsible and counter to national security." The General said.
Daniel sighed, but gamely plowed on. "I thought they signed the forms-and we signed the forms and Clark doesn't pose a threat. General, he risked his life to help us! Do you believe that he will only use his abilities to help people? Because I do."
"Daniel, I believe that too, but the General is right. This isn't just to spy on Clark-what if NID got wind of his abilities? Or someone who thought they could profit from him somehow? We'll be able to monitor threats to him and protect him. Right, sir?" Sam asked the General.
"Yes, Major Carter, that is another part of the reason that I didn't get a chance to explain to Dr. Jackson. From what I have been told, there are people that sometimes suffer adverse effects from the meteorites that landed by the town. We'll know if anyone threatens young Mr. Kent and be able to respond, even if they are unable to call us." Gen. Hammond finished.
Daniel slowly nodded his head. "All right. I still think we should let them know we'll be watching-what if Clark discovers the bugs on his own? He might not be as willing to help us. I think if we're upfront about it, the Kents won't have a problem. They know that we already know all about his abilities. If we stress that it's for their own protection, it'll go much better. Just my opinion, of course."
O'Neill shrugged and looked at the General, who appeared to be thinking about it.
"Colonel, in your opinion how likely is it that the boy would discover the bugs on his own?" Gen. Hammond asked.
"Extremely." O'Neill replied promptly.
The General blinked. "Anyone else? You've all spent time with him. Do you think he'd discover the devices and would Dr. Jackson's idea of telling the family about them be better?"
Maj. Carter nodded slowly. "Actually, I do think Daniel has a point. Clark would discover any listening or video devices-I saw him use his x-ray vision on the ship, he'd have no problem finding them. And telling him that they would be in place to help protect his family would be the way to go. He'd do anything for his parents. This way we really would be keeping an eye on him for protection."
Teal'c's grave voice added his agreement. "I have found Clark Kent to be an honorable warrior. To tell him about devices that will be observing him for his protection and that of his family would be the correct course of action."
The General gave a nod. "Very well. You may all pack your bags for a two day trip to the town of Smallville. Colonel, you can pick up the special pack on your way to the plane, if you would. You have permission to tell Mr. Kent about the devices, but do try and hide a few in places the boy might not look. I'll expect a full report upon your return. The rest will keep until you get back. Dismissed."
He received a chorus of "Yes sir's" as SG-1 exited.
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Pete yawned and stretched in his seat, then tried to get comfortable. 'At least this beats the bus seats.' he thought.
He looked around the small plane. Chloe was beside him, eagerly chatting with Clark and his folks, who were in the seats ahead of them. To the side across the aisle sat the military team. They were coming along to 'make sure the area was secure'. Pete shivered at that and wished there had been a nice normal meteor mutant attack instead of a hush-hush military craft crash-landing, leaking who knew what kind of radiation into the already meteorite-infested countryside.
He twisted in his seat and looked behind him. A few aisles back sat Lex Luthor, phone seemingly glued to his ear. He was taking notes and talking rapidly. Pete guessed he'd lost a lot of time to do his work while he was detained at the Air Force base. He had to admit; while he still wasn't crazy about the man he had a grudging respect for the fact that Lex had stuck by Clark while they were guests of the military. He still didn't have the whole story, and he was certain his friend wasn't telling him everything, but given the circumstances Pete decided he could forgive him. Clark had probably been told what he could and couldn't say and the last thing Pete wanted was for his friend to 'disappear' for opening his mouth.
He did want to impart his own exciting news of his date with Cherise, though and as soon as Chloe stopped for a breath (which took awhile) he dove into the conversation.
"Clark, man, I know you've been kinda busy but wait till you hear how my time went…"
Chloe rolled her eyes as Pete babbled excitedly about his 'date'. Clark was listening dutifully, inserting 'wow' and 'cool' at the appropriate spots, but now that the focus of the conversation was off of her, she noticed how her tall friend's eyes kept straying to where the military team sat. She looked at them curiously, especially that tall dark guy with the hat on, but as soon as she noticed one of them glancing back at her she hurriedly turned her attention back to her friends.
She knew that Clark wasn't telling her everything; years of practice had honed Chloe's 'lie by omission' meter where the farm boy was concerned, but in this particular case she decided to cut him some slack. Those people were seriously scary, even though that Major Carter had been nice, and Chloe didn't want her friend to get into any real trouble. She sighed and shifted in her seat, actually grateful that she hadn't had to face that long bus ride back with Pete saying 'I told you so' constantly in her ear. At least they should be home soon. Chloe tuned back into the conversation as the pilot made the announcement that they were nearing their destination.
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Martha sighed and settled back, trying to find a position that was less uncomfortable as the van bounced over the road. 'You'd think the military would at least invest in good shocks for its vehicles' she thought as she was again jolted on the route back to Smallville from the airport.
She looked behind her at her son's smiling face as he chatted with his friends and some of her annoyance faded. She was beginning to think that Chloe and Pete showing up when they did had actually been a good thing. Clark had been through so much in the last few days-had it really only been such a short time? It felt much longer-and seeing his friends had immediately begun to release some of the stress she knew he'd been under. He definitely seemed more relaxed now that they were heading home, and Martha decided to push herself and cook a nice family dinner. It would make things seem a little more normal. Maybe she could get Jonathan to help. She looked beside her at her husband and smiled ruefully. He was asleep. How he could sleep with all this knocking around going on she had no idea, except that he hadn't slept much while at the military base. They had both been too worried to rest well. On second thought, maybe they could simply pick something up. She'd cook breakfast in the morning instead. That settled, she rested her head on her husband's shoulder and was soon napping as well.
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Clark took a deep breath of fresh country air and closed his eyes a moment in sheer relief. He was home! The military van had dropped off Chloe and Pete at their respective homes, and he'd promised to meet them the next day, which luckily was a weekend day so no school. Lex had put up a fight when the van headed to his residence next, and while Clark appreciated that his friend wanted to protect him he tried telling the young Luthor that the team would be going right back to town and a hotel after dropping Clark and his parents off at home. Lex had wanted Clark and his folks brought to their farm first, so they wouldn't be left alone with the military, but once at the manor he was reluctantly convinced to get out of the van. The Colonel's half-hearted threats and showing of his gun hadn't helped matters, but Clark promised his friend that he would call if there were any problems. After Lex had said that he would call a few times himself and Clark or his family had better pick up the phone and be fine or else he'd taken his bag and gone into his home.
The van had grumbled up to the farmhouse and its occupants exited, and Clark was currently soaking in the familiar environment. The team was stretching its legs as well, having sent the van back to the airport, figuring that they would call a cab to take them to town later, and his parents had gone inside the house, bringing in the food they'd picked up along the way. His mom had invited SG-1 to dinner, seeing their hungry looks in the van at the appetizing aroma, and Clark opened his eyes and smiled at Major Carter as she stopped beside him.
"You know, I sort of feel like we should invite you to stay the night. It's starting to get late and you don't even have reservations anywhere." He offered.
Sam smiled at him and then turned to look at the house. "That's okay. Your parents probably want to relax and get back into a normal routine. We're imposing just by having dinner. Don't worry about us finding accommodations; Daniel's an expert at that. He could find us a place to sleep anywhere-and I do mean anywhere." She grinned.
Clark grinned back and she patted him on the shoulder. Then her face turned serious.
"Clark, we accepted the dinner invitation not just because we're hungry, but because we need to do something before we leave you for the night. I'm not sure how you're going to feel about it, but I drew short straw so I get to tell you." She continued.
Clark looked at her, puzzled. "What do you have to do?"
"Well, I was going to wait until after dinner to tell you, but now seemed like a good time-"she was cut off by Jonathan yelling "Clark! Dinner's ready!"
Clark looked at her sheepishly. "Um, I think things are getting back to normal. Maybe it can wait till later, then?"
Sam nodded. "Dinner sounds good, and this can keep." 'And maybe the Kents will take the news better on full stomachs.' She thought, as she trailed after the young man into the house.
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An hour and a half later the food on the table was gone, including the extra desserts. Coffee was being had, and the conversation was easy. Teal'c was currently explaining in his grave voice some of the legends that the Jaffa told their children, and Clark and his family were raptly listening.
O'Neill stretched and began to rethink the going back into town and finding a hotel idea. He had their suitcases and equipment with them and had swept the house for any devices that didn't belong there as a precaution. If they were going to bug the Kents, he wanted theirs to be the only devices there. The house had been clean however and now he was beginning to wonder if they really needed to do this. Having seen Clark in action and being a good judge of character he did believe the boy would only use his abilities for good. Then he thought of Carter's comment about NID and decided it did need to be done. He just hoped the Kents would be as gracious about it as they had everything else. Then maybe they would be able to stay the night in a real home for a change. Shaking his head at his domestic thought, he concentrated back on the conversation, where Teal'c was finishing up his tale.
O'Neill turned to his second in command and gave her a look and a nod, and received the same in return. It was time to see how welcome they would be there tonight.
At the lull after Teal'c finished, Maj. Carter cleared her throat. Six pairs of eyes turned her way, and she took a deep breath.
"First, on behalf of myself and my team, thank you for inviting us to dinner. I really did enjoy it." She started, looking first at Jonathan, then Martha, and finally Clark.
Keeping her eyes on the young man, she continued, "But I have to admit we had an ulterior motive. We weren't even going to tell you about it, we were just going to go ahead and do it, but Daniel convinced us it would be the right thing to do to let you know, and hope you take the news well." She glanced at her teammate, who gave her an encouraging look. The Kents also looked quickly at the archaeologist, then back to her.
"What is this about?" Jonathan asked.
"The thing is, you're not safe." Sam continued, looking directly at Clark.
He blinked and looked worriedly at his parents, and then back to her. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Martha chimed in almost immediately afterward. "What do you mean he's not safe? I thought that doctor cleared him to come home. Those other aliens are back on your base. We signed all those forms and he's an honorary member of your team! What are you planning?"
Sam raised her voice a little. "It's not us, but there exists an agency called the NID that is aware of the Stargate and some rogue cells will do anything to get their hands on alien technology or knowledge."
She saw Jonathan blanch and Clark shot an alarmed look at his mother, who was aiming that same look at SG-1.
"But I didn't want you to worry. They don't know about Clark and we'll do our very best to make sure they never do. As far as anyone outside of the SGC knows Clark and his friend Lex are just civilians who happened upon a downed satellite. And only key people know anymore than that. Your friend Lex knows his legalese. "Sam smiled at Clark, but the worry in his expression didn't fade.
She sighed. "That's why we want to keep an eye on you. With your permission, the Colonel would like to install video and audio devices around the house and the barn, so that we'll know if anyone attempts to harm you or your family. It's really for your protection. You might need help and we have the resources to do so."
She looked at the family anxiously as she finished, hoping they went for it. She didn't believe that Clark would present a threat to national security, but she did know that there were many organizations that would love to get their hands on him if they found out about him. She was determined that that wasn't going to happen. If worst came to worst, Sam was willing to suggest that Clark be sent to a safe haven offworld. He'd saved them and deserved to live a happy life. She had to admit to herself however that she was probably biased. In any case, they couldn't help him if they weren't able to view anything threatening him, so she willed her new young friend to agree.
Clark took a breath and looked at his parents.
"So you want to bug my home and put cameras all over the place? What about privacy?" Jonathan demanded to know.
"We won't put them in your bedrooms or the bathroom, but like Carter said this is for your protection. I have to admit, I think it's a good idea, and only certain personnel with a high clearance will be allowed to view the tapes. We'll just be looking for any anomalies, like a mutant cow attacking or a military or intelligence presence. I don't think anyone will care what you make for dinner or how you do the farm work." O'Neill finished.
"Okay." Clark said, and his parents turned to him in surprise.
"Clark, what are you doing? They'll be spying on you son." Jonathan turned to O'Neill. "There were cameras hidden in our rooms at the base. You didn't tell us about them. I knew it was a bad idea to let Clark go with you!"
Before the Colonel could respond, Martha gently laid her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Clark's right. As much as I hate the idea, this team is better able to protect our son from danger than we are. If someone like that reporter finds out about Clark again I think they will protect him. Won't you?" she asked, facing Maj. Carter.
Sam nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, this is what I meant. We have the same precautions in place for Cassie." She said mentioning Dr. Frasier's adopted daughter. The Kents already knew about her from a previous conversation. Sam vaguely thought it had been at that very informative breakfast, which now seemed so long ago. She realized she was getting tired.
Jonathan grunted but subsided, and Martha sat back, looking at her son. Clark was gazing at the team members and then nodded. "Do you need any help?" he asked. "Because you know I'm going to find them all anyway."
O'Neill grinned and turned to his team. "What do you think?" He then looked at the Kents. "Oh, and not to impose-well actually, we do mean to impose-do you have a couple of rooms we can crash in?"
Martha smiled. "Of course, it's too late for you to go looking for a place now. I'll get them ready while you...do your thing." She finished, rising to her feet.
"I'll help." Jonathan offered, gathering some of the dishes. He stopped by his son on the way to the sink. "You'll tell me where they all are after the team leaves."
Clark nodded and rose, helping clear the table before following the team as they went for the equipment.
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Daniel yawned and settled back on the couch. While the house had been ready to accept a guest or two, the team had voted for Maj. Carter to have her own room. Being used to sleeping virtually anywhere, he had offered to take the couch so O'Neill could have a bed as well. Teal'c was roughing it on the floor next to him, having told Martha that he would actually prefer it. Daniel supposed that the tall Jaffa actually was comfortable-he seemed to be sleeping with no problem.
They had placed the equipment in strategic places in the house and barn, Clark excitedly showing them his "Fortress of Solitude". He hadn't wanted the cameras viewing him directly up there, so O'Neill had settled for other lines of sight in the barn. Maj. Carter had however unobtrusively placed a listening device closer to the boy's haven. They weren't sure whether Clark would find it or not, but better safe than sorry.
The house was quiet and dark, and Daniel wondered why he'd awakened. Then he looked up and saw a shadow move. More alert, he raised to a sitting position, noticing that Teal'c's position was unmoved, except for the hand on the Zat gun that he'd taken to sleep with him. His friend was awake, but not up and firing. That told the archaeologist that the shadow wasn't a threat. His theory was proven when Clark slowly approached, mindful of the Jaffa on the floor.
"Dr. Jackson? Are you awake?" Clark whispered.
Daniel blinked. He knew very well that Clark could see him perfectly, but then the boy had been raised with good manners ingrained in him and was probably polite out of habit.
"Yes, did you need anything?" he replied, and Clark came forward and stopped by the couch.
"I uh, I just had a question. I'm sorry to bother you." The teen said.
"That's okay. What's on your mind?"
Teal'c rose to a sitting position as well, and cocked his head, looking at the boy.
"It's just-do you really think you can find out where I came from? Will you be able to open my ship? Can I, I mean if you find the planet I'm from, can I use the Stargate to go there?"
Daniel smiled, and said, "Well that's more than one question, but to be honest, I don't know for sure if we can find the planet you came from. We'll definitely try very hard to find it. As for your ship, maybe with the help of our allies we'll be able to open it, and as soon as we do, we'll let you know. As for the Stargate, I have a feeling that you'll be going through it sometime. I won't promise when, but it's possible we may need help someday and you'll get to go through then. Now shouldn't you be sleeping? You have a tour of the town to take us on."
Clark ducked his head. "Okay. And thanks. Sorry I woke you."
"It's all right. I'll see you in the morning." Daniel said.
"Good night." The teen said with a grin.
"Sleep well, Clark Kent." Teal'c added.
Clark melted back into the shadows to go to sleep, and Daniel thought he'd make a good recruit. He shook his head at the Jack-like thought and turned to the Jaffa. "'Night, Teal'c."
"Good night, Daniel Jackson." The tall alien replied.
They settled back down for the night.
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In the morning after breakfast, Jonathan and Martha both set out to see how well the workers had taken care of the farm while they were away. Clark called Lex to tell him he was fine, and his friend sighed in relief. Lex literally had a ton of work to do, but he would drop it to protect Clark if necessary. Clark did impose on him and asked if he could borrow one of Lex's cars, maybe that nice large Land Rover that could seat at least five comfortably. Happy to be able to do something for his friend that was so easy, Lex acquiesced and Clark was literally there almost immediately after hanging up. Lex shook his head and grinned, he was still getting used to knowing that Clark had these powers. He was put out that the team had stayed with the Kents, but Clark told him all about the bugging devices. Lex decided that a trip to the Kent farm would be in order after his mountain of work was lessened. He was pleased that his friend was being honest with him however, and handed over the keys without protest.
O'Neill raised his brows when he saw the vehicle approaching, and then nodded in appreciation as Clark opened the doors with a flourish and invited them to get in. The team got into the expensive piece of engineering and looked forward to seeing what the town was like.
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A/N add-on: That's it for right now. I know, I know, you're going wow that was long, but where was the action? There will be plenty of action in the sequel. And I know that I didn't say The End, I just couldn't. I'll say it in the next installment. So the epilogue will actually be more like a chapter, hope that doesn't break some epilogue law or something :) I just had no idea where to end the chapter, and you've waited long enough. Everyone have a great week, and for anyone who doesn't know Smallville is renewed for next year on the new network The CW. Bye for now!