Warning: Fem-Slash (established Sam/Chloe relationship), so if you don't like that sort of story, stop reading now. Spoilers for start seasons 5 of Smallville (but AU from there on) and 2 of Stargate: Atlantis.

Life Goes On
Part 1: Uncovering The Past

"So, Colonel, I'm sorry; Doctor Carter," Lex smiled across the table, "how does Smallville compare to Colorado Springs?"

"I like it just fine, Mr Luthor." Sam smiled back as she moved her queen across the chess board set up between them, ignoring the jib aimed at distracting her, "How does it compare to Metropolis? Or New York? Or Milan? Or any of the other places you used to hang out?"

"Touché!" Lex counterd with his Rook, "Check."

"Checkmate." Sam grinned as she moved her one remaining knight into position, "Same time tomorrow?"

"As much fun as finding smeone in Smallville, other than my father, who can give me a good game is, I have a meeting in Metropolis tomorrow." Lex sighed, "It must be nice to be semi-retired at your age."

"It has its moments..." Sam was cut off by the sound of her cell-phone. She pulled it from her purse and looked at the caller ID, "Of course, I am only 'semi-retired'. I've got to take this." She stood and started to make her way back up the stairs leading to the apartment she shared with Chloe, "Carter here."

"Sam?" Daniel's voice came over the link, "Sorry; the encryption makes you a little hard to hear."

"You're coming across fine." Sam put her key in the front door and pushed it open, "I take it this isn't a social call?"

"We just got a report from Dr Weir: Sheppard's team found something, something big."

"What?"

"I can't say over the phone. Jack has an Air Force jet waiting for you at Metropolis-AFB: we need you here ASAP."

"On my own or...?"

"No: bring Clark. It involves him too."

"Ok, but I'm going to have to tell Chloe why I'm going to be out of town..."

"Jack says to bring her too."

"What? I didn't think she was cleared?"

"She is as of an hour ago. Look, I can't say any more over the phone, but trust me; it's important."

"Ok, let me put a bag together for Chloe and me; phone Clark and tell him to do the same, and we'll be on our way."

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Chloe was walking across the university quad when she saw Sam's car pull up. Her partner got out, a worried expression on her face as she walked over.

"You need to tell someone that you can't make you classes for a day or two." Sam looked apologetic, "Something's come up, and we need to catch a plane to Colorado."

"What could have come up that requires us to go there?" Chloe asked as they started to walk back towards the car, "And I can't just drop my classes like that..."

"All I know is that you've suddenly been given full clearance." Sam looked round, trying to see if anyone was watching them, "Daniel said that Jack insisted on it."

"Is this to do with Clark?"

"Yes; he's going to meet us at the airbase."

"That sounds like it might be worth cutting a few classes for." Chloe grinned, "And if not, I at least get a few days away with you."

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The flight from Metropolis to Colorado Springs only took a few hours, and Sam spent most of the time passing on what little information she had, and reassuring Chloe and Clark that this wasn't some government conspiracy to get him into a lab.

Daniel met them at the other end and they made the short drive the Cheyenne Mountain in silence, Chloe wishing she'd been allowed to bring a camera. She could see a Pulitzer Prize in her future, if she could ever convince the Air Force and Clark to let her write it all up. Her inner-reporter was straining at the leash, demanding answers.

But she kept it in check as they made their way down to the briefing room, her eyes taking everything in. She felt a hint of jealousy every time a solider or scientist stopped to talk to Sam, slowing their progress. Chloe knew it was stupid: Sam had decided to leave this behind to be with her. But there were still some things that they had never spoken about.

Chloe felt slightly guilty, not only for feeling jealous, but for being responsible for Sam turning her back on her old life.

Clark saw the look in his best friend's eye and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there for her. It had taken him a while to accept Chloe's feelings for Sam, but he had never seen his friend so happy. He loved her like a sister, and wad glad that she was finally happy. But he had to admit to himself that it did hurt his pride that the woman who had been in love with him for so long had not looked back since falling in love with another woman.

The four of them filed into the conference room, Sam walking over to look out of the window facing the gate room: although her work had brought her back to the SGC since she'd left the military, she'd never let herself look at the Stargate. It symbolised everything that she had left behind, and it sometime hurt too much to even think about it. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Chloe until the young woman had wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her chin on Sam's shoulder.

"So that's a Stargate, huh?" Chloe smiled, "Look's kind of small: I'd always imagined it being somehow, bigger, more impressive. It looks like a prop from that cable show Wormhole-Xtreme!"

"That's a long story..." Jack stepped through the door linking the conference room with his office, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I've already received a thinly veiled threat from Senator Kent as to what will happen to me if I do anything to hurt her son..."

"Sorry." Clark couldn't help but grin, "She's just a little over protective."

"That would be putting it mildly. Please, be seated." Jack motioned to the chairs arranged around the table.

Sam took the middle seat, Chloe taking the one separating her girlfriend from her former CO, somehow subconscious marking out her terotory. Clark chose to sit the other side of Sam, distancing himself from the authority structure that Jack's uniform represented.

"Ok then." Daniel opened a file that was resting on the table and started to hand out photocopied sheets of paper, "We received these in a transmission from one of our off-world expeditions. It took a while to get round to them, but we started to notice something familiar about some of the glyphs..."

"It's Kryptonian!" Chloe looked up, "I know some of these. This one here," She held up one page, "that's the Kryptonian word for centre."

"Control centre." Clark looked at the different pages, "Accommodation. Power distribution. Armoury..." He looked up, "There are directions: signs on walls."

"That what we thought." Daniel handed over one last photo, "They were found inside this."

It didn't seem that large; probably half the height of the Fortes of Solitude, but scale was hard to judge with no reference point. But the angular crystalline structure was unmistakably Kryptonian in origin. Many of the towers were broken, others missing entirely: it was clear that the structure had been attacked from the outside.

"We think it was an outpost or perhaps a colony." Jack explained, "Our people report that the controls are unresponsive, but that may be because our team is human." He leaned over the table to get a better look at Clarke, "We'd like you to go see if there's anything there salvageable."

To Be Continued...

If you didn't like it, then so be it: it was my story to write and time to waste, not yours.