Perry Part 6

At the Baker household…

Lana wished she had brought her cane. But her cover story, if anyone bumped into her, was going for a walk to strengthen her legs. She had parked across the street in the subdivision and took a shortcut through the neighbor's yard to Alicia's house.

Lana knocked on the door and was relieved no one answered. If Lana had to guess, Alicia was probably near Clark somewhere. She tried the handle, and, like most of the houses in town, the front door was left unlocked. Immediately, Lana made her way upstairs. The first door was a small bedroom. It only had a well-made bed and side table for furniture. The floor was free of clutter. There were no posters or pictures on the wall. Lana closed the door and walked to the end of the hall.

The bedroom there was much bigger and included an en suite. And it was messy. Designer clothes and purses were thrown across the room, cluttering up the floor. There were posters of the Periodic table, Einstein, and Dr. Swann on the walls. Folders and papers covered the desk, except for one corner with a framed photo of Alicia and Clark together.

Lana began her search in the closet, and then looked under the bed. If she was honest with herself, Lana didn't know exactly what she was looking for. But when her hands touched a book taped under the desk, Lana knew she had found it. As she opened the book, a group of folded papers fell out. A quick glance showed it to be a report of some kind.

And the subject was Clark Kent.

The book wasn't any better. It was a photo album, and the inside contents made Lana's gut twist in disgust.

Every photo was of Clark. Clark studying at the library. Clark working in the barn. Clark walking down the street.

And Clark asleep in bed.

And in every photo, Clark never looked at the camera.

Lana knew she couldn't take the book. Alicia would know it was missing. Besides, there was no evidence it belonged to Alicia. Instead, she took the report and folded it into her pocket.

Just as Lana finished putting the album back where she found it, her ears alerted her to footsteps. With no better option, Lana backed into the bathroom, groaning at not having a better hiding spot.

Alicia entered her room and placed a laptop on her desk. Lana could only stand by and watch as Alicia tapped away on her keys. The blonde then picked up one of the discarded dresses and packaged it up in a cardboard box. Alicia repeated the process until she boxed up four other items. Once all boxes were in her arms, Alicia disappeared in a cloud of green mist.

Lana breathed a sigh of relief and shuffled as best she could to the front door and the freedom outside.

At the Torch office…

Lana drove straight from Alicia's house to the school, where she knew Clark was at a Torch meeting. Unsurprisingly, Alicia was already there, sitting on Clark's lap.

"Hi, Lana." Chloe greeted her warmly. Clark's gaze shifted to the floor and Alicia began to frown in her direction.

"Hey. Um, Clark, I was wondering if I speak with you? It'll be real quick."

"Uh…sure." Clark agreed after getting an okay nod from Chloe.

The two stood awkwardly in the hallway. Lana was all too aware of how Clark's eyes never met her gaze.

"How are you feeling?" He finally asked.

"You know, I still can't get the taste of hospital jello out of my mouth," Lana tried to joke. Clark didn't even crack a smile. "But the leg's doing better."

Lana watched Clark relax ever so slightly at that news.

"Clark, I know Alicia has powers."

"What do you mean?" That brought Clark's head up to look at her.

"I saw her…disappear. More than once."

"You didn't tell anyone, did you? Like…Van?"

"No. What's Van got to do with this?"

Clark sighed. "Lana, Van's the shooter. I know you've been hanging around him lately, but you'll be safer if you keep your distance."

Lana opened her mouth, ready to tell Clark how he had it all wrong and how he was overacting. Then she remembered having a similar conversation with him about Seth. About Ian. And both times Clark had been correct.

"Okay. Thanks for telling me."

Clark was surprised by her reaction. And Lana couldn't blame him. Everything she had just felt when Clark mentioned Van must be what he was about to feel.

"Clark, Alicia has a photo album of you. It's full of pictures I don't think you're aware she took. She's been stalking you."

"Where'd you find it?"

"I snuck into her bedroom."

"You what!?"

"I know how it sounds, but she threatened me with a knife. And I know she did something to keep us apart these past few weeks."

Once more, Clark dropped his gaze. "Alicia had nothing to do with that, and you know it."

"Clark, look at this," Lana pleaded, holding out the papers. "She created a profile on you."

Clark accepted the outstretched report. As he read it, his eyes went wide.

Yes!

"Chloe!" Clark shouted, heading back into the office.

No! Lana followed behind to see Clark towering over Chloe, the report waving in front of her friend's face.

"What is this?" Clark demanded.

Chloe paled slightly. Lana couldn't blame her. The sight of mild-mannered Clark shaking with rage was unsettling.

"Where'd you get this?" Chloe asked quietly after reviewing the document.

"Answer the question!"

Chloe didn't speak. She just stood there, her shoulders starting to shake.

"How long have you and Lionel been looking into my life?"

"Last spring. The day after Lex's wedding." Chloe's voice barely reached over a whisper.

Clark glanced over to Lana. "When you saw me and Lana together. Is that why you did this?"

"I…I…" Chloe tried to hold back her sobs.

"Well, what did you tell him?" Clark flipped through the pages.

"Nothing. Nothing that he didn't already know."

"Then what's he sharing with you?"

"Nothing! Clark, I don't understand any of this. I don't understand his obsession with you. I'm just trying to get to the bottom it."

"Oh, by spying on me? All the times you accused me of keeping secrets, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!"

Lana gulped as she looked at her two friends, both of whom were fighting back tears. She understood nothing about the scene unfolding in front of her. Alicia gently took Clark by the hand and quietly urged him to follow her into the hallway. But it was not until the blonde looked over her shoulder and gave a satisfied grin that Lana understood Alicia had somehow tricked her.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

"Chloe, I'm so sorry." Lana handed her friend another tissue. The two of them were sitting at Chloe's desk. The young reporter had cried for a solid five minutes. "I had no idea. I was only…"

"No, it's okay." Chloe wiped away her tears. "In a way, I'm glad this is out in the open."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah." Chloe sniffled. "But before I launch into a history lesson, where'd you find that report?"

"Alicia's bedroom. It was in this photo album she had of Clark. I thought she wrote it. You gotta believe me."

"I do. But I only gave that report to Lionel. How'd she get it?"

"Your computer?"

"No. I wouldn't be that stupid to keep Clark's file on it. That means…oh, no."

"Chloe?"

"Lana, I think Clark's in deep trouble."