Title: Windfall
Author: Morganichele
Email: queenmorgan23@aol.com
Rating: PG
Challenge: Clark wins the lottery.
Notes:
Summary: Clark wins the lottery and gives it all away to opportunists, much to Lex's chagrin.

"Clark! Oh my god, you had better be up here! CLARK!"

Clark Kent turned his head to look across the back of the couch and watched Chloe Sullivan leap over the last three steps and onto the floor of the loft.

"Hey, Chlo." He grinned at the frantic, aghast look on Chloe's face and stood up slowly, stretching his arms over his head. "Did the Talon run out of caffeine?"

Chloe's mouth dropped open and she shook her head, rolling her eyes. "What?"

"You're all hyped up." Clark observed, walking over to her and flicking a gentle finger across her nose. "What's going on? Meteor catastrophe? Did Lex do something slightly nefarious? Cause...I'll totally sit him down and have a talk with him-"

"Clark!" Chloe batted his hand away and stomped her foot, "You won! You won, you big, flannel dork!"

"I won? What did I...hey! I'm not a dork!"

"Clark Kent. Where is the ticket?"

"Ticket?"

"The LOTTERY ticket! Honestly, Clark! The ticket I told you to buy yesterday." Chloe's hands resembled small hummingbird wings as they fluttered furiously around the air.

Clark's dark brows furrowed in confusion. "I got it as a joke, Chlo."

"Right, but you WON!"

"I won."

Chloe grasped his shoulders, shaking him hard. Had he been human, it would have, most likely, hurt. "You won the lottery, Clark. Three million dollars."

Clark blinked.

"Clark!"

"How...no. How...I don't...how do you know?"

Chloe rolled her eyes again, the wide blue irises bright against the flushed red of her face. "You picked the numbers right there, in the store, remember? Lex's birthday, your mom's lucky number, the day you met Lex..."

Clark blushed and stepped back, "Yeah...okay. I remember. But, how do you know I won?"

Chloe smiled widely, and pulled out a copy of the 'Daily Planet' from her purse, waving it in front of Clark's face. The headline read 'Lucky Winner Right Here in Kansas!' It went on to read that the winner had not yet claimed the prize, and listed the numbers.

Reading carefully, Clark reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He removed the ticket and unfolded it. Read the numbers. He read the newspaper again, and turned back to the ticket to read the numbers.

And then, he passed out cold on the floor.

Chloe sighed, and leaned over with a huff. "Oh, for heaven's sake. Meteor mutants and death and pffft...but winning money knocks him on his butt..."

---------------------------------------------

Three weeks later, Clark had finally collected his money and was stretched out in his loft, basking in the decadence. He'd spent a bit of his money on himself, and he felt a bit guilty as he looked down at his new, comfy blue socks.

There was nothing wrong with the plain, white cotton socks his mother had bought him last Christmas, and he knew his dad would have thrown a fit at him for wasting money on blue socks. Comfy blue socks, but still...

He'd bought his mother a beautiful dress and had sent her on a trip with her father. He knew his mom missed her dad, and thought maybe they could spend some quality time together.

Chloe LOVED the top-of-the-line laptop he'd taken her to pick out. He grinned now, thinking of the wild squeals she'd let loose in the middle of the store.

It made him so happy, being able to help his friends in a different sort of way.

He hadn't known what on earth to get Lex. The man had more money than most countries, after all...so, he'd finally managed to find him some things he thought might make up for Lex's fun-deprived childhood.

The ping-pong table had been met with a raised brow, and the Ms. Pac-man arcade game had nearly been sent back. Upon close inspection (as he peeked through the walls of the castle), however, Clark had seen Lex playing it.

He's smiled for three hours straight after seeing that.

The enormous swing set, however, hadn't had the reaction he'd hoped for. Lex had taken one look, sighed loudly, and walked back into the castle.

Clark had swung for an hour, hoping Lex would come back out.

He hadn't.

But now, he sat in his loft and heard several sets of feet approaching the barn. He met the strangers halfway down the stairs, and was halfway into signing away $500,000 to an amazing charity that sheltered the homeless people of Botswana when Lex came striding through the barn door.

"Hey, Clark. What's going on?" Blue-gray eyes narrowed sharply on the suddenly nervous charity workers in front of them.

"Lex!" Clark's smile lit up the barn. "This is Mr. Goode and Ms. Nighs. They're from the 'Botswana United Love Lifter Super Helper International Team'." He passed the check over to Ms. Nighs' violently shaking hand.

Lex's eyes flared dangerously, "Are they?"

"Mm hmm." Clark moved over to Lex and slung an arm across his shoulders. "I was giving them a little donation to help their cause. Did you know there are two million homeless people in Botswana? They can use all the help they can get."

Pulling out his nifty-computer-cell phone-thingy, Lex punched a few buttons, and chuckled softly. "I imagine they could, considering the population of Botswana is a little over 1.8 million."

Clark blinked.

"Hmm. That's weird."

Mr. Goode and Ms. Nighs edged towards the door, leaving Clark's check on the work table. Mr. Goode attempted a shaky smile, gulping in the face of Lex's glare. "We'll just be on our way. We'll call you at a better time, Mr. Kent."

"Oh," Clark said quietly, "Okay. But, hey! You forgot-"

"Clark."

Clark looked over at Lex's determined face and smiled softly.

"Clark, you can't go giving away your money to the first people who come through the door and attempt to sell you some pitiful story." Lex murmured.

Clark nodded solemnly, "I know that, Lex. It's just...I like to help, and this is a way for me to help a lot of people. Besides...they're not the first."

Lex stepped forward quickly, grasping Clark's arm. "What do you mean?"

"More like the fifth." Clark replied, wiggling his toes in his new socks. "But, Lex, they were all really good causes. There was the Cooperative Rebuilding Application Program.-"

Raising a hand to his temple, Lex kneaded the pounding pulse there. "How much have you given away, Clark?"

Wiggle, wiggle. "Hmm. I'm not sure. I think I've got about two left now, after this last check."

Lex sighed deeply, "Two million, okay. That's not so bad..."

The laugh filled the barn, and Clark shook his head. "Two thousand, Lex."

Chloe walked in just in time to see Lex pass out in Clark's arms.

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

----------------------------------------

"Lex? Are you okay?"

Lex's eyes fluttered open to see worried green eyes hovering over his face. Smiling sleepily, he reached up and grasped the sides of Clark's face. Pulled him down, Lex brushed a soft kiss across his lips. "Hey, you."

His mind blurred fuzzily, and it was several moment before he realized where he was, what he was doing, and that Clark Kent was kissing him back.

Rearing back into the soft cushion of the couch, Lex trembled. "Clark, I apologize. I didn't mean to...I certainly would never take advantage..."

Clark's smile was brilliant. "Only apologize if you're really sorry you did it, Lex."

Lex grinned. "I'm not sorry."

"Well, good. Now, come on. Let me help you up." Clark's hands closed around Lex's sides, gently steadying him as he pulled him into a sitting position. "There we go."

Something sparked in the back of Lex's mind, and he cocked his head to the side. "Clark. Did you really give all of your money away?"

"Sure," Clark shrugged, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "It's just money, Lex."

Sighing heavily, Lex placed his hands on Clark's shoulders and pushed himself up into a standing position. "I'm going to get every penny back."

"Lex-"

"Clark! I won't stand by and watch you waste your money on unconscionable bastards who are out to rob someone too sweet and naive to realize what's happening."

"Lex." Clark stood slowly, and leaned into Lex's body. "It was worth every penny, if it got you here...kissing me."

Pale eyebrows rose in a graceful arch over dilated eyes. "Hmm." A ghost of a smile quirked over scarred lips as Lex looked into Clark's face. "Perhaps, but I still feel the need to demolish the lives of any and every person who thought to use you."

Clark smirked and pulled Lex close. "Maybe later?"

"Hmm." Lex tilted his head back, his eyes wide as he sighed. "I would say that I can't believe you gave all of your money away, but I know from experience that Clark Kent wouldn't be Clark Kent if he wasn't doing everything he could to help everyONE he could."

Rolling his eyes, Clark grinned. "Lex... It's not like you don't donate money. You donate more than I did...all the time."

Lex nodded, his eyes gleaming with humor. "True, but I tend to leave myself enough to indulge in a few comforts for myself. I'm not the good Samaritan you wish I were." He shook his head. "You should have, at least, got something for yourself."

Clark wiggled his toes and smiled widely. "I got everything I wanted. I got you, didn't I?"

Smiling softly, Lex looked into Clark's eyes and licked his lips. "You've always had me, Clark."

Chloe watched from the doorway, grinning widely. 'Those two...they're going to be the stuff of legends one day. I have to admit, I thought it would take longer for them to get it together...Maybe Clark is quicker than I thought.' She felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out to read the text message:

DEPOSIT COMPLETE FOR C.R.A.P. 'Then again...'