SMALLVILLE

AUGUST 13TH 2015 14:37 EST

Betty knew she stuck out like a sore thumb in Smallville. She was after all, a city girl, and Smallville was home to small town folk who made their living on small businesses and family farms. Smallville was the farthest thing from Gotham you could get – Gotham was a run-down, crime-ridden giant city while Smallville was a little town with a crime rate in the single digits. Betty was a proud daughter of Gotham, but she knew it made her stick out anywhere else, with her purple streaked hair and bright pink shirt, which was a far cry from the soft-colored flannels and cowboy boots of the citizens of Smallville.

But still, this was the second home of Conner, so when she found out Conner and M'gann had broken up, Smallville was the first place she went. Which was how Betty landed in the kitchen of Jonathon and Martha Kent, Conner's adoptive family, the first place Conner would run to get some space from M'gann and her presence at the Cave.

Martha – or Ma Kent, as she insisted on being called – tittered around the kitchen, placing a pot on the stove to begin boiling chicken for their dinner, while Jonathon (or Pa Kent, Betty supposed) sat at the kitchen table reading over the newspaper. Betty shifted at the door to the kitchen, arms crossed behind her back.

"It's so nice of you to visit Betty," Ma Kent said, flipping on the stove. "We hardly ever get a visit from one of Conner's friends."

Betty smiled. Ma and Pa Kent were privy to the secret of Conner's double life, given that the duo had raised an infant Kryptonian Superman without worry for themselves. They had taken in the clone of their son without a second of thought, considering him a second son and an addition to their small family. But out of an abundance of caution, Conner and Clark tried to keep the superhero community from taking an unnecessary risk by constantly showing up at their door, unless it was an absolute emergency.

But Betty was Conner's best friend, and if Conner had run off to Smallville to avoid M'gann, Betty was going to run after him, if only to make sure that he was okay.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Mrs. Kent," Betty returned graciously. Betty had met Ma Kent only a few times, as Conner spent most of his time at Mount Justice so Betty's need to visit him here at his family's farm was few and far between.

"I take it you're here to check up on Conner," Pa Kent interjected, not looking up from his newspaper. "He's been really down in the dumps the past few days."

Betty frowned. "Yes sir. Did he tell you about –"

"Him and M'gann?" Ma Kent cut her off. Ma Kent smiled sadly and reached into the refrigerator for a Ziplock of cold chicken meat. "Yes, he told us. Poor thing really loved her; I can't blame him for being upset."

Conner and M'gann had been together going on five years, and you aren't together that long if you aren't in love. But Conner must have had reason to end it, and a good one too, as only a week ago everything seemed fine sailing from an outsider's perspective. Whatever it was that happened, Betty didn't need to know, it wasn't her business. She just needed to know that whatever it was that happened, that Conner was at least okay. And if not okay, at least able to one day recover.

Pa Kent turned the page of his paper like nothing was wrong, but Betty could see the way his jaw was tightened at the mention of M'gann. Betty supposed that Conner had told his parents the whole story when he arrived, and the ever kind Pa Kent being put on edge by M'gann's name didn't put a good feeling in Betty's stomach for what happened.

"Conner's out in the barn," Pa Kent said. Then he frowned softly and gave a sigh. "He could use a friend right about now."

Betty nodded and gave another quick thanks to Ma and Pa Kent for their hospitality before she made her way outside towards the barn on the back of the house. Her feet crunched on the rocks and grass as she walked across and she pushed open the barn door to find Conner inside, looking angry in a way Betty hadn't seen in a long time as he carried a hay bail from a stack on the left side of the barn over to where the horses were in their stalls on the other side. Conner looked up at the opening of the barn door and dropped the bail in front of a very hungry white horse.

"I guess you've heard," Conner grumbled glumly, and Betty shut the barn door and put her hands on her hips.

"That my best friend broke up with his self-proclaimed love of his life?" Betty asked, raising a brow. "I guess you could say I heard whispers." She sighed and took a step closer to Conner. "Why didn't you tell me Supe?"

Conner ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed himself. "I guess I didn't want to bother you."

Betty was close enough now to put a hand on his shoulder, and she squeezed his shoulder gently, carefully, comfortingly.

"We're best friends Conner," Betty said. "You're always there for me. Let me be here for you now."

Conner had a hard time letting anyone in, and sometimes that included her. He was much better than he once was but getting him to be open at times was like pulling teeth. She just wanted to make sure he was okay and she sometimes wondered if Conner knew that the best friend thing was a two way street.

Conner hesitated for a moment and then he shut his eyes. Betty let go of his shoulder and crossed her arms, standing sternly in front of him.

"You don't have to tell me what happened," Betty gently said. "But –"

"She tried to wipe my memory," Conner suddenly interjected. Betty blinked, and then felt anger pool at the base of her spine and heat rise to her face.

"She did what?"

Conner refused to look Betty in the eye, staring down at his hands with anger and sorrow.

"We-we got into a fight," Conner started. "I thought she was using her powers unfairly. Ripping information from people without a thought for the mental damage she leaves behind. She tried to wipe my memory of the fight, of me being mad at her for it."

Betty's anger only grew. Betty herself was uncomfortable at times with how M'gann took information without care from the enemy, but to try and wipe the memory of not just anyone but Conner? Make him forget his anger? Especially after he was mind-controlled by telepathy in Cadmus? That was not just cruel, that was….unforgivable.

"She can't do that!" Betty spit angrily. "That's wrong, she can't just –" Betty was so angry that she started to fume, unable to finish her sentence. How dare M'gann treat anyone this way? Especially someone she loved? Or at least claimed to love? You couldn't do that to someone and then love them, there was no way.

"I know," Conner agreed, although Betty wasn't sure what he was agreeing to. Betty balled her hand into a fist.

"When I see her next, why I oughta –"

"No," Conner interrupted. Betty stopped, tilting her head in confusion. No? "She won't see reason, there's no use trying."

Betty wasn't sure how she could work with M'gann after this, let alone be friends with her. This was a low that she wasn't sure M'gann could ever come back from.

Betty reached for Conner's hand and took it in her own, her touch gentle against his course hands.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you Conner," Betty softly said. "No one deserved to have their mind…..hijacked like that."

Conner smiled down at her, a thin smile, an imitation of the one that he usually gave.

"Thank you, Betty," Conner returned. "And I'm fine, really. I just….need some time and space, away from her." Betty nodded.

"I understand." Betty reached to pull him into a hug, and Conner accepted it easily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he stayed there silently, just letting her hug him for a long moment. "Just know I'm here, if you need me."

Conner hugged her closer, and then let go of her, taking a step back. Betty looked up into his eyes, and she noticed for the first time small flecks of green in his irises. She continued to look at him, an unknown force keeping her glued to the spot, staring up at him, and she wondered how she never noticed the green before.

"I know Betty."

"What's done is done. What's gone is gone. One of life's lessons is always moving on." - Roy T. Bennett.

end of part 2.

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him." - Psalm 34:8

Review Replies:

It's an epilogue, so it's a little short, but we start season 2 in earnest next chapter.

MsRosePetal: I had tears writing it as well! The funeral scene nearly killed me because I was crying as I tried to write it, because I didn't want it to be true. Thank you for leaving a review and have a blessed day!