Disclaimer: It's only mine when I don't take my medication.

Author's Note: I'm glad you like it so far.  Please keep reviewing, and tell me if anything really sucks.  I can't believe there's only about six episodes left in this series, less in fact.  How will I cope without a weekly 'Lex fix'?

Chapter 2: Why Does it Always Work This Way?

Lex studied the young lady in front of him. 

"Should that mean something to me?"  He said, unnerved by her continuous gaze and calm exterior, she wasn't at all wary around him; even Victoria had the sense to be wary.

"I'd be surprised."  She replied, again just the right side of patronising.  "I keep a low profile in business, I only just graduated Oxford."

"What did you gain?"

"A first class BA in business and economics, but I also studied some basic psychology.  I found the course a challenge, but they ensure you have enough time to party, since that wasn't my scene I thought I'd try something that would prove advantageous to me in business."  Her gaze was still firmly fixed on his.

"So you were a swot?"

"Well we can't all be teen rebels, can we?"

Touché thought Lex " Who do you work for?"

"My mother, technically."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She died two years ago, my stepfather now runs the company, but it's still in her name."

"Oh, which company?"

"Longridge Breweries."

"You lied to me."

"I'm sorry Mr. Luthor, I have no idea what you mean."

"You said your name was Catherine, it isn't it's Olivia, and you're not a Cartwright, you're a Manchester."

"Well, you read the papers, congratulations."  The tone was not pleased.  "If I were you I wouldn't place so much faith in the press.  Olivia Manchester is what my stepfather insisted I be called, he didn't want a five-year old daughter, but if he was going to have one she would take his name and he didn't think that Catherine was classy enough, so to the outside world I was known by my middle name 'Olivia'."

"But I thought that Steven Manchester was Juliet Manchester's first husband."  Catherine started to laugh.  "What's so funny?"

"Lex Luthor, Metropolis' most promiscuous inhabitant, being oblivious to pre-marital sex."

"It wasn't that, but your mother was so brash about it, usually there's a cursory attempt to hide things."

"Well, she didn't see why I should be treated as an embarrassment, I didn't ask to be born did I?  She said I was not a 'mistake' nor an 'accident' I was a 'surprise'; they can be good or bad she never explained which I was."

"So what can I do to help you Miss. Cartwright?"  Lex asked having put some concerns to rest, she could be working for his father, but she was very well rehearsed so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

"Can I be frank with you, Mr. Luthor?"

"Of course."


For the first time since she entered she started to look nervous, but she hid it well.  "The truth is Lex, may I call you Lex?"  He nodded.  "The truth is this isn't about you, it's about your father."

What's he done now?  "What about my father?"  Lex prepared himself for the numerous possibilities, 'He's marrying me', 'He's arranged for you to marry me', 'He raped me', 'He's stalking me', and all the other possible things that could fluster this girl whose composure was nearly as good as his own.  In fact, Lex was prepared for just about anything except what she actually said.

"He's my father too."