Perry Part 4

At the loft…

Chloe arrived at the loft for the serial killer track down meeting first. A quick glance through the kitchen window showed Mr. and Mrs. Kent were talking with the two lovebirds inside.

From the moment she reached the top step of the loft, Chloe recognized Clark's special place had undergone a "woman's touch". The books on the bookcase were normally askew, but now they were standing upright, kept in place by bookends of "The Thinker". The blankets across the couch and hanging over the window were neatly folded. A string of white Christmas lights framed the window. Vases of lilies were on the desk and trunk that acted as a coffee table. A strong smell of Pine sol and vanilla bean candles overpowered the normal scents of hay and leather.

"Hello?" A voice called from below.

"Jordan? Up here."

"Hey." Jordan bounded up the stairs. "Alicia invited me. Said I wouldn't want to miss it. What's going on?"

"Strategy session. Clark's going to tell us who the shooter is, and we need to plan how to prove it."

"Hi, Jordan. Chloe," Alicia said, carrying a tray of brownies. She placed them on the makeshift coffee table.

"Thanks. So, are you behind this?" Chloe motioned to the loft as she grabbed a tasty treat.

"Yeah." Alicia beamed. "It's just more 'us' now, don't you think?"

"Okay, let's get this meeting started." A blushing Clark came up the stairs. "Oh. Hi, Jordan. I didn't know you'd be here."

"I invited him. Megan didn't want to come." Alicia explained.

Chloe sat on the sofa with Alicia and Jordan, staring at Clark. There was no room for him to sit, and he seemed to be taken aback that he was in charge. Chloe nodded encouragingly for him to speak.

"Okay. Well, the Smallville Shooter is Van McNulty."

"Van!" Jordan choked on a brownie. "I got two classes with him."

"How do you know it's Van?" Chloe questioned.

"I just…do."

Chloe huffed. "Clark, that's not good enough. If you need my help, you need to prove it."

"I, I went to Belle Reve the night of Lex's shock therapy. I thought I could help him, but I got stopped by Ian and Eric instead. The shooter appeared and his mask got broken. I saw it was Van."

"So, get security footage and it's over." Jordan stated.

"There were electrical problems that day," Clark said. "That might not give us the evidence we need."

"Okay, but we can still share it with everyone on the hit list," Jordan insisted.

"Well, Van right now is trying to stay under the radar," Clark explained. "That's why we need to be careful how we go about doing this. And why we can't tell everyone we know. Yet."

"Fine, but why the hate against metas?" Alicia asked. "What's his motivation?"

"I don't know," Clark answered.

"Seriously?" Chloe stared at Clark. "Tina."

"Who's Tina?" Alicia asked.

"Tina Greer," Chloe explained. "She was a meta with the ability to morph into anyone she wanted. And she killed Van's father last year."

"Where is she now?" Jordan asked.

"Dead. And…oh," Clark closed his eyes, "Van said he owed me."

"I don't get it," Jordan said.

"Clark confronted Tina last year," Chloe explained. "Tina tried to take his place after she failed in taking Whitney's. It ended with Tina impaling herself on a piece of metal. Clark was there."

"So, it's a revenge tale," Alicia finished. "Because of Tina's actions, Van is going Terminator on all the rest."

"And I helped him." Chloe gulped. "Van helped network the Torch computers. It's all my fault."

"No, Chloe, it's not," Clark said.

"No. I just loaded the gun and pointed it in the right direction."

"But…he knew about me. Well, something about me, and you said you didn't create a file on me. What's that about?" Jordan asked.

"No, I didn't create a file. But I did a search on you and an article came up with your name. If Van's keeping tabs on my searches, he would have seen it."

"Clark, just show the Sheriff the weapon we found outside the Melville house," Alicia said.

"I tried," Clark insisted. "Van filed a robbery report months ago stating someone stole a bunch of military gear from his house."

"He's been one step ahead of us the whole time," Chloe mused.

"Well, now it's our time to trap him. I…" Clark reached out for something on his desk, only to find it wasn't there. Clark finally took a good look around the loft to see the changes his sacred space had undergone.

"Uhhhh…"

"Do you like it?" Alicia asked, smiling up at him.

Chloe wondered how Clark would react. If she ever had a boyfriend and he messed with her filing system at the Torch, Chloe would be furious and have a few choice words with the hypothetical himbo.

And Clark seemed ready to say something. Then, as if he deflated, he wrapped his arms around Alicia's waist and pulled her close. "I wish you would have given me a heads up."

Jordan started choking again on the brownies. "Hey, Clark, can I get some water or something?"

"I'll do a coffee run for us," Alicia offered.

"Clark, are you seriously ok with this?" Chloe motioned around the loft once Alicia was gone.

"It's fine." Clark shrugged it off. "It's not a big deal."

"She's breaking into your bedroom and rearranging your furniture. And didn't Pete talk to you? What?"

Clark looked uncomfortable at the mention of Pete. "We're not really speaking right now. He needs some space."

"Alicia scratched off Lana's face in a photo. I think she might be a little…unhinged."

"Do you have it?"

"Well, no, but…"

"I just need to see it first."

"Clark…"

"No!"

Just then, Alicia walked up the stairs with another tray with a pot of coffee and four mugs. "Get it while it's hot."

Jordan eagerly reached for a mug, but Clark reached for Alicia and pulled her close to him. The girl seemed to melt at the affection.

"Time to be a hero," Alicia whispered to him. Then she took her seat on the couch.

"Okay, so here's what we know…"

Chloe only half listened as Clark went on to explain the death timeline Van took. The other half sneaked a look at Alicia sitting next to her.

Somehow, for some reason, Alicia seemed to be just the thing Clark needed.

Help me out here…in the Obsession episode, did Clark really consider a framed picture and a vase of flowers redecorating? The loft didn't look that different. What did I miss?