I don't know why, but the formatting for the title is always off when I don't leave authors notes up here. This site is difficult to get used to.

Chapter 6

Meteor Capital of the World

Later that night, after Pete and Jodi's father were taken to the hospital, Clark and Jonathan went home together in the truck. Neither of them said very much on the way, but Clark could tell that his father was still pissed that he had gotten in the middle of John Winchester's hunt.

When his dad turned onto Hickory Lane, Clark decided to start a conversation. "I wonder where Jodi went."

Jonathan sighed and briefly glanced at his son, making sure he kept his eyes on the road. "It's hard to say. I don't imagine she'll ever come back here."

"I just hope she doesn't hurt anyone else," Clark said, but then he fell silent.

As Jonathan pulled into the driveway, he glanced at his son. "I'm more worried about her father. Martin's gonna need some blood transfusions, but even then, there's a chance he might not make it."

Clark looked up at the house as soon as his father finished speaking and added, "After what he went through, his memories of tonight are going to haunt him for the rest of his life."

Jonathan parked in front of the barn and then he and his son got out. Martha was alone in the house when they went inside and she checked on her son, to make sure he was okay.

"Clark, are you alright?" Martha asked.

Clark smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay, Mom. I'm just worried about Pete and Jodi's dad."

Jonathan went to the fridge for a beer. He reached in and took it out but didn't open it. "Did anyone else see your abilities, son?"

Clark's smile disappeared and he looked over at his father, who was giving him a stern look. "Only the two hunters and the vampires. Pete was still unconscious when I used them against Dustin and Mister Melville was still in the basement."

Jonathan pulled a bottle opener out of a nearby drawer and used it to tear off the cap. "Are you sure about that? What about Jenna? She was there when you were fighting Sean, right?"

Clark sighed and looked down at the floor when he remembered the situation that occurred at the abandoned house. "Yeah. She did."

Jonathan took a swig of his beer but kept his eyes on Clark. "Son, you can't afford to keep taking risks like this. I understand that you want to help, I really do, but you have to be more careful."

Clark looked back up at his father. "I know. Sometimes I forget that I'm visible to other people, despite the abilities that I have. In the moment, all I can think about is protecting the people that are in danger."

Jonathan set his beer down and went over to Clark. He put his hands on his son's shoulders and smiled at him. "It makes me proud that I have a son who's willing to risk himself for others, but I don't know what we'll do if something happens to you. Now that I know what kind of men John and Daniel are, I'm worried that someday, someone like them will come after you. If they discover your weakness, then we could have a big problem."

"You're right," Clark agreed. "John and Daniel are leaving tomorrow morning. Maybe we could meet up with them before they leave town, just to make sure we have nothing to worry about."

Jonathan shook his head. "I will go meet with them. You just go to school and let me handle this. I'll call the number on that business card that Martin had and have a chat with them."

Clark smiled and then he went upstairs to his room, leaving his parents alone in the kitchen. Martha went over to Jonathan and hugged him, feeling glad that everything turned out okay. "I'm just glad those vampires didn't hurt Clark. The way that Sean moved… Something could've happened to him, Jonathan."

When they let go of each other, Jonathan looked into his wife's eyes. "I had a feeling he would fight them anyway, just because that's what I would've done. I guess I should've known better than to expect him to listen."

Jonathan went back to his beer and took another sip. "I'll come to bed in a bit, Martha."

She smiled at him and headed upstairs as well. Once he was alone, Jonathan retrieved the business card from his coat pocket and went over to his phone. Setting his drink aside, he picked it up and dialed the number.

After a few rings, John Winchester answered. "This is Agent McGillicutty, how can I help you?"

"John? This is Jonathan Kent. Before you and your partner leave tomorrow, I'd like to have a word with you, if you don't mind."

John thought about it for a moment, before he said, "I'm assuming that you want to talk about your son."

"That's right," Jonathan confirmed. "I want to be sure that we're on the same page regarding his secret."

"We can meet you at the Beanery. Just give us a time and we'll be there."

Jonathan gave him a time and then they said their farewells. After he hung up the phone, he took a few more sips of his beer and went up the stairs to his bedroom. After he snuggled in with his wife, the couple lay there for a while, finding it difficult to sleep. They feared that the situation with Jodi was still far from over and they had no idea what might happen next.

The next morning, Jonathan went to the coffee shop where John and Daniel had agreed to meet with him. He looked around and noticed that the place was nearly empty, giving him confidence that anything he had to say would remain secret. When he found their booth, they were wearing their suits and ties again, while sitting across from each other and sipping on coffee.

When John noticed Clark's father approaching, he stood up and gestured towards the spot where he had been sitting. "Have a seat. I'll buy you a coffee."

Still not fully trusting him, Jonathan gave him a suspicious look, but thanked him anyway. He took a seat and then John slid his coffee over and joined his partner on the other side of the table.

Getting right to the point, Jonathan folded his hands and said what was on his mind. "I know you saw what my son's capable of. I want to make sure his secret is still safe and that you won't come after him."

The waitress came by to take Jonathan's order, interrupting them for a short time, but when she walked away, Daniel spoke up. "Mister Kent, Jonathan, everything we know is confidential, as far as we're concerned. We shouldn't have any reason to share what we know with anyone, as long as he doesn't become an actual threat."

Jonathan looked back and forth between the two hunters and took a deep breath before speaking again. "And what exactly do you mean by 'becoming an actual threat'?"

Joining in on the conversation, John took it upon himself to explain their position in more detail. "As long as he isn't killing or hurting people with malicious intent, then he won't have a problem. Doing what we do, we understand that when it comes to protecting people from bad guys, sometimes regrettable things happen. As long as he uses his abilities to help others, then everything should be fine."

The waitress came by shortly after that, to bring Jonathan his coffee. He thanked her and returned his attention to the men on the other side of the table. "How do I know that you won't go back on your word?"

"Unfortunately, you can't know that," Daniel replied. "In our line of work, we've come to realize that most people can't be trusted, just like you have. This is especially true when you realize that some of them aren't exactly… people."

"You're talking about monsters, right?" Jonathan asked. "Like Jodi and those friends of hers?"

"That's right," Daniel answered. "I have no idea how your son is able to do the things he does, but he isn't the first hunter we've encountered with unique abilities. If they use them to help others, then we have no reason to investigate further."

A faint smile appeared on John's face as he added, "Sometimes it makes us curious as hell, but we have to be professional about this. If we let our emotions cloud our judgment, it only causes more problems."

"What about the other hunters out there?" Jonathan asked. "Is there any chance they might hunt people like my son?"

Daniel nodded. "Some hunters get into it for the wrong reasons, or without considering the consequences of their actions. Sometimes misunderstandings happen and innocent people die. As much as I hate to admit it, we almost made that mistake last night."

Jonathan scoffed at them. "Right. You tried to…" Then his voice fell to a faint whisper. "Decapitate my son. That doesn't sound very professional, if you ask me."

John frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry about that. I am very sorry. All he wanted to do was talk to us and I almost killed him. If not for his gifts, I would have… and it would've been a huge mistake."

Realizing that they were capable of remorse after all, Jonathan started to trust them a little bit. Still keeping his guard up though, he changed the subject and decided to bring up the topic of the meteor rocks. "So, uh, what do you know about the meteor rocks in this town?"

The two hunters glanced at each other briefly, before Daniel gave a reply. "We're aware that some people think the meteor rocks are capable of giving people abnormal abilities. Based on the evidence I've gathered; Jeremy Creek and Harry Volk were changed by them."

When Jonathan heard those names, he recognized them immediately. "Right. Clark and Martha managed to stop them before they hurt anyone else."

Now curious, Daniel furrowed his brow. "What do you know about the meteor rocks?"

Then Jonathan explained what happened to Coach Walt and Tina Greer. He told them about the abilities they had and how they seemed to develop them because of meteor rock exposure. He explained how their own abilities led to their downfall in the end, with Walt setting himself on fire and the money from the robbery being found in Tina's locker. Then he mentioned Cassandra Carver and her alleged ability to see the future, right before he filled in the gaps in the Harry Volk case.

When Daniel heard all of that, he was clearly surprised. "But how can a bunch of meteor fragments cause those things? Even if they're made of an unstable, foreign element from space, the chance of them giving people powers like that… It's got to be extremely small. It seems more likely that it would give them cancer."

Jonathan shrugged. "I don't know how else to explain it. As much as I'd like to blame Luthor Corp for everything that goes wrong in Smallville, I'm afraid Clark might be right about this one. I don't know if there's anything you guys can do about it, but I thought you should know."

"I appreciate you sharing what you know with us," John said. "It sounds like we're in uncharted territory here. Maybe we can take some samples before heading out and study them later. If we can figure out how this is happening, then maybe we can put a stop to it."

"Maybe," Jonathan said. "Anyway, I have a farm to run. I hope you can figure out what's happening around here and good luck finding Jodi."

Daniel thanked him for coming and then John took out a new business card and wrote a different phone number on the back of it, so that Jonathan could call him if needed, without having to use the fake FBI number. Jonathan reluctantly accepted the new number and when the three of them were finished with their coffee, they all got up and parted ways.

Knowing that they weren't really federal agents helped Jonathan to feel a little more at ease, but he still feared the possibility of them finding out about the secret in the storm cellar. If they discovered Clark's alien origins, he could only guess what they might do then.