A/N: Stretching those writing muscles again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallvile. If I did, Tess would have been in all ten seasons, had a loving son, and still be alive to boot.

But that is neither here nor there, so please, sit back and enjoy!

"I thought you weren't going to tell him!" Tess hissed, as Clark and Conner left the school after Conner's appointment with the school principal.

"I didn't know!" Clark protested. "Mom and I are supposed to be his legal guardians!"

"Then why does his school have my number?!"

"Because I changed it, duh," Conner muttered sullenly.

Both adults turned to him sharply. "What?!"

Conner crossed his arms, very determinedly looking at the ground. "You're supposed to put your parents' information down, right? So I put down Tess'. I didn't think they'd actually call you…"

There was a long moment of silence, before Tess said softly, "Conner?"

"I know you didn't want me," Conner rushed to say, "But I thought…"

"Conner, look at me."

Conner looked at Tess through his eyelashes, and she cupped her hands around his face. "There is no world in all Creation," she said gently, "where I wouldn't want you. None at all."

Conner had never felt more vulnerable. "Really?"

"Yes," Tess replied fervently, "Always, yes."

The teen swallowed. "But I thought, you left me with Clark…"

Tess smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "Because it was safer for you. Clark could teach you how to control your powers, and keep you safe. With you forgetting as Clark's DNA overrode Lex's, it was better that you were nowhere near Metropolis and Lionel, or anything that could trigger a reversion."

"I forgot you," Conner realised in horror. "That's why you couldn't keep me."

Tess' eyes widened in alarm. "Conner, no! No, sweetheart, no."

Conner threw his arms around Tess in a tight hug, burying his head into the crook of her shoulder. "Mom!"

Tess' returning embrace was no less fierce, one hand rubbing his back and the other tangled in his hair. "My baby boy…"

Behind them, Clark chuckled. "Guess this explains him screaming 'You're not my real Mom' at Mom the other day."

Conner froze.

Tess leaned back to look him in the eye. "Conner?"

"Uhhh…"

Tess' eyebrow rose slowly. "I know I taught you better manners when you were living with me."

Conner very decidedly did not quail under his Mom's 'Mom Look.' "Um. Forced genetic memory loss?"

Tess' 'Mom Look' intensified. "Uh-huh. And the fighting?"

Conner's expression immediately morphed into distaste, all guilt forgotten. "He deserved it!"

"Conner, you broke his nose and his cheekbone," Clark replied, unmoved.

"He was talking shit about Tess!"

"Language," Tess and Clark said in tandem.

Conner bristled in outrage. "But he said -"

"It doesn't matter what he said," Tess cut in, "There will always be people who say bad things about me. It's their right of free speech."

Conner scowled belligerently.

Tess sighed. "You can't punch everyone who says something nasty about me, Conner."

"Fine," Conner spat, unwilling to let go of his anger.

Tess glanced at Clark for help, but the older Kent simply raised his hands in denial, smirking, and replied, "Oh no, he is your teenage son to deal with. I'd never get in the way of a parent."

Tess sent him a withering glare before focusing back on Conner.

"This isn't to say I don't appreciate what you did for me."

Conner looked at her shyly. "Yeah?"

Tess smiled impishly, stroking his hair. "It's not every woman who gets her very own knight in shining armour to defend her honour. And a very handsome one, at that."

Conner coloured brightly. "Mom!"

Tess and Clark laughed as Conner groaned, burying his head in his hands. "Mo~om…!"

Tess grinned, her eyes glistening. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that."

Conner beamed. "Well, Mom, you'd better get used to it, Mom, because I'm never gonna get tired of calling you 'Mom' … Mom."

Tess burst out laughing, and Conner joined her, tackling her in a hug once more.

Martha's expression was one of surprise when Clark, Tess, and Conner trooped in through the front door. Conner looked like he was sulking, Clark looked like he was barely holding down a laugh, and Tess - honestly, she usually only saw that glow around young mothers.

"Mrs. Kent," Tess said, her smile cordial, "Conner has something he'd like to say to you."

Conner looked at Tess plaintively, but she simply looked back at him expectantly.

Conner turned back to Martha, looking sheepish. "I'm, uh, sorry about yelling at you before. Even if you're not my Mom, you've taken care of me like one all this time, and you didn't deserve that. So, um. Yeah."

Conner immediately turned to Tess, bright and hopeful.

Tess, on the other hand - oh, she knew that look. She'd directed it at Clark plenty of times during his youth.

"And the rest," Tess prompted.

Clark turned aside, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

Conner sighed heavily, sending one last piteous glance at Tess. When it failed, he continued dourly, "Also, I'm grounded for fighting and being disrespectfulandMomwouldlikeyourinputonanappropriatepunishment."

"Conner!"

Martha blinked, trying to parse out Conner's words as Tess scolded her… son?

"But Mom -"

"Conner."

Yes, definitely son. There was no mistaking that tone. Even Clark seemed cowed by it, much to his own bewilderment. And Martha, seeing the adoration in Tess and Conner's eyes when they looked at each other, simply smiled.

"Apology accepted."

A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Please, let me know!