Lex Luthor

Since the interview turned free for all, the phone had been ringing off the hook. Florence had answered the first few calls, too stunned to do anything but fall back on established lines developed so long ago. Anatoly had come here to play chess and only chess, the way the media surrounded him was disgraceful, of course she stood by his comments... anything that would deflect the questions until he returned and she could ask him what the hell he was doing.

And god, this stranger? Who the hell was he and how did he know so much about this affair? For that matter, how did he even know Anatoly? Certainly, he'd never so much breathed that he knew someone so well-connected as this stranger obviously was.

Angry and terrified, she'd commanded the operator that no calls were to come through unless it was from Anatoly himself and waited for him to come back and explain herself.

Several agonizing hours later, she heard the door open and she sprang up from her seat. "Anatoly?" She checked as she saw he was not alone, that the man who had interrupted the interview was with him.

"Alright, what the hell is going on? Who is he? What is he doing here?"

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Lex stood tall as he entered the room just behind Anatoly, just in case he did have to bodily shove the other man inside, though thankfully it just took the hand Lex had yet to remove from Anatoly's back. Though once they were inside, he dropped his hand to his side. When Florence found out exactly the relationship between Lex and Anatoly...she deserved to hear it from the man she loved, not by a stray touch of the interloper's hand. It's what he would have wanted in her place.

"Ms Vassey...Florence." Lex began simply, putting his hands in his pockets as he stood beside Anatoly. "My name is Lex Luthor and I'm here to lend you both my expertise in dealing with men like Misters De Courcey and Molokov."

As he spoke, he studied the woman in front of him. She was beautiful, older, but beautiful. And formidable, he could tell already. She reminded him of all the things he'd fallen in love with in Helen...just hopefully without the homicidal tendencies.

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Of all of the conversations he never wanted to have, this very one was at the top of the list. He would have preferred to let it slide, hide it as he'd hidden so many other things from his lovers before Lex. Still, Florence deserved to know; he wasn't so callous or unfeeling to think otherwise.

But how on earth could he bring it up? What could he say? No matter how carefully he explained it, she would never believe him, never understand. And god, how she'd be hurt. That was the unbearable part. She'd suffered so much through no fault of her own, and he would only add to it.

He took a deep breath and crossed over to her, steeling all of his courage. "Florence. There's something I need to tell you. This... this will sound insane to you. It does to me, and I've lived through it. But please, I'm asking you to trust me, to believe me."

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Florence stared at Lex warily, not trusting him any more than she did Walter or Molokov. Maybe he wasn't a spy, but he was quite clearly affiliated with some government organization. How he wormed his way through Anatoly's deep seated paranoia, she couldn't begin to imagine, but it ended here. No one took advantage of her player.

She had been about to say as much when Anatoly spoke, and she immediately turned her attention to him. The expression on his face made her reach for his hand and hold it tightly. "What? What's going on?"

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A Luthor associated with a government agency. Lex knew his father would die laughing at such a thought. Though he had a cover story involving MI-5 and the English government brewing in the back of his mind, just in case. It always helped to have a back up plan.

He had to contain himself when she reached out and took Anatoly's hand, swallowing down his possessiveness, though he was sure that his eyes betrayed him, not to mention the hands clenched at his sides. But he managed a deep breath to compose himself before he spoke, "I realize that my presence here is throwing you off, but you need to trust Anatoly. We both know this isn't easy for him but what he's about to tell you would mean nothing coming from me." Lex wished so much that he could spare Anatoly this scene...but he couldn't, not if this was going to work at all to their advantage.

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For a fleeting moment, Anatoly considered bolting. Almost anything would be better than this. But even if he could have gotten past Lex, something he very much doubted was possible, he couldn't have lived with himself or consequences. He had loved Florence once, and she had moved heaven and earth for him as his second. She deserved better. She deserved the truth.

Hoping Lex would understand, he squeezed her hand gently then brought his free hand up to lightly caress her cheek. "Please understand that this isn't easy for me to explain. I don't even know how to begin."

He paused for a moment, gently dislodging his hand. He glanced over at Lex for a moment, seeking reassurance in his presence. If only there was another way... but there was none, nothing he could see.

"I was acting strangely this morning. I need to tell you why. I was not... I was not expecting to wake up here. For the past year, I've been living on a desert island. Somehow, someway, I was brought back here. With Lex."

Even knowing it was the truth, he couldn't help but shudder. She was going to think he was crazy.

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He'd finally snapped. The intense, unfair pressure the media had been putting on Anatoly had gotten to him and he'd completely and utterly lost him. Florence just stared at him in disbelief, unable to think anything else.

"You've... all right." She grabbed for his hand again, pulling him over to the nearest chair and pushing him down. "I'll - talk to the Arbiter, we'll get this match postponed, and you can get some rest, I'll get the doctors to look after you... you'll be fine. We'll be fine."

In rage, she whirled around to face Lex. "Look, I don't who you think you are or where you get off driving my player past his breaking point, but it ends now. Get out before I throw you out!"

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Well, while the reaction was expected and understandable, Lex was not going to sit by and let this continue. His expression hardened, after meeting Anatoly's eyes and offering any comfort in one look that he could. He'd have gone over there, but pushing his way past Florence wouldn't help their situation.

"Anatoly tells you the truth and you deem him crazy. I see how much faith you have in him." Lex began sarcastically, unable to help the barb. "No matter how crazy or absurd it sounds, it is the truth and if you ask Anatoly, I don't believe he wants me to leave. Though if I recall...I was the one who saved him from the mental barrage of the inane reporters. Where were you, oh trusted second?" If she was going to accuse him of hurting Anatoly, then he was going to point out her failings towards him.

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Florence flushed with rage, unwilling to accept such criticism from someone who'd just burst on the scene from nowhere. He certainly didn't know Anatoly as well as she did. The sooner she got him out, the sooner she could get Anatoly the help and care he desperately needed.

She crossed her arms, staring him down. "I don't work for you and I don't have to explain anything to you. Now, get out of here before I have you thrown out. I won't tell you again."

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From his chair, Anatoly watched the scene with dawning horror. He had known this confrontation would be bad, but he hadn't imagined it would go south this quickly. He put his face in his hands with a shudder, wishing he'd been able to take a harder line with Lex. Replaying the game against Freddie was going to be hard enough and all this in the background would make concentration damn near impossible.

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"You have no authority over me here. No one does and least of all you." Lex had yet to truly explore that sentiment but he'd had a moment of total shock when he had realized it earlier that morning. No one...not his father or his father's reputation. He could truly play this his way. And at the moment, that way was taking care of Anatoly. "And I'm not leaving him."

And frankly, he'd had enough of this woman standing between them. He easily side stepped her and moved to kneel down by the Russian's chair. He put his hands over Anatoly and said softly in Russian, "Tolya...I'm sorry. We can leave if this is upsetting you too much..." Despite the tension in the room, he completely ignored Florence behind him, his attention fully on Anatoly.

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Anatoly clung to Lex's hands like a lifeline, leaning his forehead against the other man's. It wasn't the time or place for such an intimate gesture, especially how things were going now, but he needed the comfort that only Lex could give.

"No, it's all right. This conversation had to happen," Anatoly murmured helplessly, drawing a few shuddering breaths as he tried to pull himself together. Left alone to their own devices, Florence and Lex would surely tear the place down. He had to try to mediate.

Hoping Lex would understand, he pulled his hands away and looked up at his second. "Please, Florence. I'm asking you to trust me. I know it's crazy and you must think I've lost my mind, but please, please trust me. You've asked me to trust you so many times, can't you do the same for me?"

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Florence watched them, turning pale as she took in how close they seemed, how Anatoly looked to Lex for reassurance, the way they touched. With a sinking feeling, she was starting to realize that whether Anatoly was telling the truth or not, he was lost to her.

She stepped back unsteadily, this realization too much face on top of everything else. She took a few quick breaths, feeling as if the room was closing in on her. "I... I must have been a fool to think we could have been happy together." It was not what she meant to say and she winced. Still, once the words started pouring out, she found she couldn't hold them back. "I don't know why - no. It doesn't matter. I thought you were different, and you know, maybe you are. At least Freddie, for all of his many faults, was up-front about what he was."

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Before Anatoly let him go, Lex tried to give him as much comfort and confidence as he could. He knew this was hard for the Russian but Lex was so very proud of how he was facing this. Head on, completely out of character expect for rare occasions...like punching out farmboys who weren't acting like themselves.

As Anatoly faced her, Lex stood up and moved to stand beside his chair, showing his support. And his brain tried to salvage the situation. While Lex didn't think they needed her...they could use all the allies they could get. "Please, Ms Vassey. We've explained the situation as best we can. And Anatoly never had the opportunity to be up front with you. He didn't know I was here until the incident at the studio. If he knew otherwise, I know he would have told you." He defended Anatoly firmly, in his best business tone, urging her to believe him. "I assure you...I'm only here to help. I have intimate knowledge of how men like De Courcey and Molokov work and I'd rather not see you and Anatoly as their pawns."

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"I'm sure you do," Florence said, unable to refrain from the slight barb at Lex's expense. "And what is your part? Loyal rook? Bishop? Kingmaker?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. The whole situation was simply intolerable and she could do nothing to change it. She didn't trust this man, but she trusted de Courcey even less and as much as it hurt to admit it, Anatoly seemed rational. Stressed beyond belief, but rational.

"You know? Never mind. I don't want to know. I don't want to know anything - excuses, explanations... none of it." She turned to face Anatoly squarely, letting him see the hurt in her eyes. "It's your career, Anatoly. I did the best I could. I hope you'll remember that."

She took a deep breath and turned to leave, needing to get out while she had a shred of dignity left. She paused with her hand on the door and turned to face them once more. "Handle the game and I'll handle the press. You won't have to see me until after it's over."

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Kingmaker was the reply on the tip of Lex's tongue but he knew better then to say it out loud in this situation. Though he had every intention of making sure Anatoly came out on top this time.

As Florence rounded on Anatoly, Lex took a step in front of him. "Florence," He said her name pointedly, to get her to stop. "We appreciate your help. And any information about the situation you can provide would be most helpful."

He paused, stealing himself before finding the words to say, "I am sorry. For what this is putting you through." It was an apology, completely out of character for Lex, but he meant it. She was an amazing woman, from what Anatoly had told him and from the little he'd seen. She didn't deserve this...but Lex wasn't going to give up Anatoly for the world. So a sincere apology was all he could give her.

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The unexpected apology threw her off her guard and she stared at Lex, rather taken aback. What it was worth, she didn't know. He didn't seem the kind to make apologies lightly, but he was certainly the type to make them if it would turn the situation to his advantage.

"I would think you would know more about the political situation than I do, Mr. Luthor," she said coldly. "Anatoly knows what he needs to do to win the game. It seems clear to me that I can offer nothing else."

Without waiting for a response, she left the room, closing the door behind her with a loud bang.

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Anatoly buried his face in his hands as she left, unwilling to see how hurt she must be. It was painfully clear from her tone; what use would watching her leave be? He had more than enough guilt to go around. As hard-hearted and cold as it might be, he had to put all thoughts and emotion aside for the sake of the game. Afterward, and only then, he could manage the situation.

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Lex stood straight and tall, not backing down an inch physically until the door had clicked shut behind her. While he regretted Florence's hurt feelings, as long she wasn't going to work against them, this turn of events wasn't bad. He would have preferred to have her as more of ally so Anatoly could concentrate fully on the game instead of funneling Lex the information he needed, but he could work with this.

Finally, Lex moved to kneel in front of Anatoly again. He...honestly didn't know what to do. The people he loved tended to try to kill him instead of just walking out so he was unfamiliar with this situation. So he just put his hands on Anatoly's knees, offering any comfort he could.

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Anatoly took Lex's hands, squeezing them tightly. That he was here at all was a miracle in Anatoly's eyes and that very fact was more reassuring than words could ever express. Together, they could get through this match and everything after. They had to; there was no other way.

"I'm sorry," Anatoly murmured after a few moments. "This - it all could have gone better."

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