A/N: *Grumbles about 90sTVFangirl and early mornings and needing to be asleep*
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All that counts is winning. All that satisfies is power.
Of course, power is difficult to possess when you're a farm kid. You're always at the mercy of things beyond your control: the weather, vermin, blights; things that could turn “an honest day's work” into so much wasted effort. Plus, in a town like Smallville, things like poverty and a lack of any real opportunities were also constantly working against you.
But, he'd managed.
Slowly, painstakingly, he'd managed to become the largest fish in that tiny pond, and now he was ready to take on the ocean. Metropolis towered above him, gleaming and shining and totally unaware of what awaited it. He eyed the famous globe of the Daily Planet and resisted the urge to lick his lips. This paper was held in high regard by leaders and rulers all over the world, and the right words in front of the right eyes could sway the world to his will. Yes, Clark Kent believed in the power of the press, and soon that power would be his.
But deep down, he knew it wouldn't be enough.
***
All this power, and it wasn't enough.
Lex stood in front of the window, gazing down at the sprawling city below, and sighed. He built shelters and low cost housing, but people still found themselves on the streets. He funded schools and started youth programs, but children in this city still turned to crime. No matter what he did, it seemed like nothing was ever enough…
He raked a hand through his hair. His wife always tried to tell him not to worry about the ones he couldn't reach; that his very position as the city's benefactor gave people hope, and that this was enough. Her faith in him was a treasure to be cherished more than any of the wealth his parents had left to him, and it held more healing power than the sun.
Perhaps if he had her courage, he would be doing more. Perhaps he wouldn't be such a recluse. Perhaps…he would even be using his “gifts” somehow…
No. No, he couldn't allow himself to think along those lines. His parents had been very clear on what the consequences would be if anyone learned the truth about him; all the money in the world wouldn't save him if the people of Earth learned about the alien in their midst. And now, it wasn't just his own life at stake anymore; by some miracle, he and Lois now had a child to protect.
He stretched out his hearing, grateful for the powers that allowed him to hear her heartbeat from a distance.
But it wasn't enough.
-End...?-
