Perry Part 7

In the loft…

"I can't believe Chloe did that."

"She doesn't deserve you." Alicia reassuringly rubbed circles on Clark's back.

After discovering Chloe had written Lionel a detailed report on all things Clark Kent, Alicia was the one who took him to his loft. She sat him down on the sofa and made him a cup of tea.

Clark didn't feel angry. Or sad.

He just felt empty.

Alicia leaned in closer and began to kiss Clark all over his face and neck. "It's okay. We don't need her. We don't need anyone."

Clark frowned, trying to process Alicia's words. Her reasoning didn't make sense to him. Family and friends mattered a great deal to Clark. Maybe she was just trying to make him feel better.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't need anyone," Alicia repeated. "Just the two of us together are enough. Together forever."

Alicia leaned in for a deep kiss, and that was when Clark remembered something important.

"Lana knows. She saw you teleport."

Alicia pulled away, her body stiff.

"I don't think she'll tell anyone. I just wanted you to know."

"Of course, she's going to tell!" Alicia seethed. "She hates people like us. She wants us dead."

"That's not true," Clark sighed. "Look, we'll talk with her tomorrow. I have to go to the Talon anyway. I'm in charge of writing about the dueling coffee shops."

"For the Torch? You're not quitting?"

"No."

"But…but you'll have to see Chloe again."

"Yeah." Clark sighed. Those would be awkward situations.

"Just quit."

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

Clark positioned himself so he was leaning against the sofa's armrest. He brought Alicia close to him, so her head was nestled against his shoulder. "I've lied for so long. I've let my friends…"

"They are not your friends. They're jealous, vindictive people who betrayed you."

Clark sighed yet again. He didn't have the strength to argue. "I've let people down because I had to run off to stop some disaster. I promised this year I was going to take the Torch seriously. This is one promise I'm going to keep. I need to keep it."

"Fine." Alicia kissed his cheek. "I support you."

"Alicia…" Clark cleared his throat, "did you threaten Lana with a knife?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lana said you threatened her."

"Oh. That. Well, remember when I said Lana dropped by to drop off the Talon order? I was helping your mom by chopping vegetables for dinner. Lana started talking about how I shouldn't worry about her trying to take you away from me. She said that the two of you had history and how you had been obsessed with her. How you were still in love with her and wouldn't love anyone else. Can you believe her? She orders you to stay away but somehow still thinks she owns you.

"Anyway, I said I wasn't going anywhere. She got real mad at that and stormed out when Mrs. Kent came in. Didn't even help your mom bring anything in."

"Huh. Maybe I should talk to her."

Alicia moved so she was now laying on top of Clark. "No."

Clark tried to sit up. "It just doesn't sound like her…"

"Oh, and I suppose her hating on metas didn't sound like her either last year, did it?" Alicia pushed Clark back down. "Face it, Clark. Your little schoolboy crush blinded you to the true Lana Lang. Now you're with me and you get to see her for who she truly is. And you're going to be my good boy and continue to respect her wishes of staying away. Got it?"

Clark closed his eyes and leaned his head back in defeat. Lana did say that. "Yeah."

Alicia smiled. "Good boy." She leaned in and gave Clark a long kiss on his lips.

Clark inwardly squirmed at the term. Between Alicia calling him that and stroking his hair, he felt as if he were some kind of pet.

Then his eyes caught sight of the cup of tea, which long ago had gone cold. Clark thought back to the lunch Alicia had made for him. She was always bringing him coffee and ready to listen. And with her power, Alicia could understand, really, truly understand what he was talking about.

And, most importantly, Alicia had confided in him the truth of her past. Unlike Chloe and Pete.

"You're so good to me." Clark brushed away a lock of hair framing her face. "Why don't you pick someplace special for me to take you."

"Even Venice?"

"Even Venice," Clark promised and kissed her forehead.

The two stayed cuddled up on the sofa until it was long past suppertime.

At the Talon…

Lana happily worked her morning shift as the Talon had a decent amount of customers. People walked in and ordered coffees and pastries and were milling about the tables like normal. The building wasn't at full capacity like in days past, but Lana couldn't help but grin in satisfaction as people ignored the coffee stand outside the door.

Mr. Melville was one of the customers this morning. The man was visibly haunted by Jodi's death. He had grown a beard and made no attempts to groom it. The town had sent casseroles and paid for meals at local restaurants after the funeral. Those had long ago stopped, and by the way his clothes hung looser, Mr. Melville had clearly been losing weight. Mr. Melville, the man who had outlived both wife and daughter, had become a recluse.

"On the house," Lana said, placing a banana nut muffin in front of him. She only received a small nod of the head as acknowledgement.

Her eyes turned and saw Clark talking with Sasha at the coffee stand outside. Her gut twisted as she thought he was ordering a cup of coffee from them. Alicia, ever present at his side, had stopped ordering coffee from the Talon when the stand had shown up. To Lana's relief, a closer look showed Clark holding a notepad and writing something down.

"Good morning."

"Van. Hi." Lana forced a smile at the potential shooter who had once again snuck up beside her.

"Scared you again, huh?" Van smirked at her startled expression.

"I guess you could say that." Lana tried to laugh it off and retreated to behind the counter.

I think he's here to help. That was what she had believed about the shooter at the start of all this.

The shooter had first shot Seth, who had no qualms of violating Lana's mind. Then he had rescued Lana from the freak who attacked her in the alley. He shot the robber of the Smallville Jeweler's. Jodi had been a debatable mercy kill.

Three meteor infected criminals dead.

But the recent killings that happened at Belle Reve were making Lana rethink if this guy was the town's savior. Ian had attempted to kill Lana and Chloe last year. But he had been arrested, found guilty, and was serving his sentence.

Cyrus, on the other hand, was nothing more than a vegetable. And what hero would kill a catatonic patient?

Lana made herself smile as she took and made Van's order. Just as she was placing it in front of him at a nearby table, Clark and Alicia came in. Alicia was already holding a cup of coffee in one hand, the other was wrapped around Clark's waist. He was resting one arm around her shoulder so they could walk easily. Lana caught how a tight frown came on Clark's face as he caught sight of Van.

"Clark." Van innocently blew on his coffee.

"Van." Clark turned his head towards Lana, but his gaze was rooted to the ground. "Morning, Lana. Uh…I'm writing a Torch article on the new coffee stand."

Lana was distracted watching Clark try to free his hand to use both to hold his notepad. But Alicia did not appreciate the loss of contact and was trying to find some way to keep a hold on her boyfriend.

"Do you have time to answer a few questions?"

"Sure." Lana felt disappointed. After all this time, Clark only wanted to talk to her over an article; not a real conversation. As she readied herself for some questions, an older man stepped up to the counter. With him was a skinny kid. Lana had never seen either of them before. "Just one moment."

"Can a get a triple cappuccino with two glazed crullers…"

"All the bear claws and cinnamon rolls you got," the kid put in.

"And an interview with Smallville's own Cover Girl."

A magazine dropped onto the counter. The title read "Heartbreak in the Heartland", the words framing the face of a crying, little girl.

Lana felt her throat close as her brain began to register she was looking at a picture of her younger self.

The most tragic day of Lana's life came back to her. She remembered the sky being lit on fire. The screams. The chaos of buildings burning, cars exploded, and people running, trying to find cover.

And her parents, standing still as death hurdled toward them.

The image Lana had tried to forget for a decade returned to the forefront of her mind.

"Maybe this is a joke to you, but my parents died that day."

Lana felt anger and sadness all at once. The room began to spin, and Lana found it hard to breathe. She stepped away from the counter, and the words people were speaking became muffled. Someone handed her a cup of what must have been mint tea, and she thankfully gulped the cool beverage down.

"Just a simple Q ," the stranger went on, standing next to her. "You know, find out how Little Miss Meteor is doing 14 years after the Big Bang."

"How am I doing?" Lana muttered to herself as Clark dragged the man towards the front door. The way was blocked as Lex entered the building.

"What are you doing here?" Lex demanded.

"Lex," the awful man stuttered. "I want to assure you I'm not revisiting the past. I'm here in a professional capacity following a new story."

"I live in constant dread." Lana stated, standing in the middle of the Talon. All eyes turned to her.

"I have nightmares about that day. It haunts me in my sleep. My parents were killed by a meteor, and the meteors are trying to get me too. They infect people, giving them superpowers and they only want to kill me. Those FREAKS constantly try to kill me! Or control me. I'm powerless and at their mercy. They're dangerous, every last one of them. And that includes you!" Lana pointed her finger at Alicia.

"You," Lana jabbed her finger at the blonde. "I see you. I see how you've been acting. I don't get how you disappearing controls Clark's mind, but you've got him under your thumb. He's completely blind to how dangerous you really are."

"Lana," Clark stepped forward. But Clark wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Van instead and blocking Alicia with his body. Van continued to calmly sip his coffee, amused by the events unfolding before him.

"And I feel abandoned by you," Lana admitted as she felt tears coming. "I thought I mattered to you, Clark. But you left me. Just like everyone else."

"Do you really hate everyone with powers?" Alicia asked.

"Yes!"

"You can't mean that," Clark said.

"Oh, but I do! They're freaks! They deserve to live in fear for once! See how they like it! I hope that shooter gets all of them!" Lana stood there, panting for breath. The room was starting to spin again, and a pain started to erupt just behind Lana's eyes. She rubbed the back of her neck to try and ease the pain. When she opened her eyes, she was staring at an angry glare from Mr. Melville.

"What did you call my daughter?"

"I called Jodi a freak." The words slipped out.

All around Lana were shocked faces.

And there was that satisfied grin again gracing Alicia's face. Clark wasn't smiling. He looked shocked. And pale; even misty eyed.

"Let's go," he whispered to Alicia and ushered her out of the building.

"Clark," Lana called out, her voice a bare whisper. The room was spinning again, and her head was beginning to pound from pain.

"Lana?" she heard Lex say.

Lana groaned as the pain continued to grow. The world became black, and Lana was only slightly aware of someone catching her.

At the Kent farm…

"You're awfully quiet today." Martha Kent said, pulling a sheet of fresh cookies from the oven.

"I just can't believe Lana said those things. Meant those things," Clark said, sitting at the kitchen table. A glass of milk was nearby, ready for the warm, sweet treats.

Clark couldn't blame Lana at getting upset over the drunk driver bringing up her painful past. But to go on and out Alicia in front of Van, whom Clark had just shared was the Smallville Shooter? And then insult Jodi in front of Mr. Melville? Alicia had been right all along: Lana hated everyone affected by the meteors.

And if Lana hated regular people affected by the meteors, how much hate did she have for someone who caused it?

Martha Kent put a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies in front of him. She didn't say anything; just rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm going to take some of these out to your dad."

"I'll do it." Clark pushed back his chair.

"Make sure some of those make it to the barn."

"Okay." Clark kissed his mother's cheek.

Clark walked at a regular speed to the barn. It gave him extra time to munch on the fresh cookies. He wanted to have a conversation with his dad about Alicia. Their earlier conversation had gotten cut short by his dad claiming to have heard a strange noise. It had to be Jor-El's doing, but his father didn't want to talk about anything Kryptonian related.

"Dad?" Clark said, his mouth full of cookie as he entered the barn. He heard the familiar whirr of the buzz saw and made his way toward it. His father was not there. The sheet of wood vibrated as no one was there to push it through the saw. Clark frowned as he turned the machine off.

Something wasn't right.

"Dad?" Clark called again. It was unlike his father to leave a tool on when he wasn't there to supervise it. He walked around the table to continue his search.

And saw Johnathan Kent lying still on the floor.

The plate of cookies slipped from his hands. Without a second thought, Clark knelt to the ground and picked up his father, covered in sawdust.

"Not now! Not yet." His father muttered through clenched teeth.

"Dad!?"

Johnathan Kent looked directly at him. "I love you son."

His dad's face twitched in pain several times. And then the body stopped moving.

"Mom!" Clark called out, holding the limp body of his father in his arms. He could feel his father's breathing starting to slow.

"Mom!"

I need to point out that Lana believed Clark was with Perry White during this episode, despite Clark trying to push him out the door after he ambushed Lana. And she didn't apologize for that either. See? More proof Clana is toxic.