*Dances*

I know how all of you love my crazy dancing skills.

So I decided to greet you with the running man.

I'd have to say, I wasn't that bad at it.

Only tripped once! HA!

Enjoy the 37th Chapter of An Ace up my Sleeve! (And yes, I do mean 37th even though it's technically the 38th. I don't count my Halloween chapter as one.)

(Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or anything remotely cool as that. *sad face*)

A Three Way Split to Houston

"Okay, would you rather Snort half a shaker of pepper, or a live bee?"

"Who would be stupid enough to do either of those?"

"Just answer the question!"

"I wouldn't want to do either of them!"

"Eric, don't pussy out on me."

"Well if you're going to use that kind of language, then I guess I would snort the pepper. I'm allergic to Bee's."

"HA! I can't believe you would snort half a shaker of pepper! You'd be crying for days!"

"You didn't give me much of a picking darlin'." Eric sighed. "I wouldn' be crying either. I'm a Texan cowboy. We don't cry."

"My apologies, forgive me if I offended your Texas man pride."

"You've already done that by calling me a pussy."

Alice broke out in hysterical laughter. She snorted with every inhale. If she wasn't forced down by a seat belt, she would have surly been on the ground rolling, clutching her stomach from the pains of her delight. They had been playing would you rather… for the past hour. Alice was usually the one to ask the questions since she seemed to have the most creativity between the two. Eric wondered how she could come up with so many different and disturbing scenarios. One of her worst questions had been about eating foul expired dairy products, and or gum under tables. Eric nearly puked at the thought of having to choose between the two. Alice was forbidden to come up with any more eating questions after that.

"Okay, it's your turn," She finally calmed down to a giggle.

"How bout a new game instead?" Eric hoped to change the entertainment to something less humiliating.

"Fine, but if it involves some stupid childish act like I spy…, then I will rethink your status as a tough Texan cowboy."

"Duly noted," Eric agreed. He then took his time to come up with something she would deem good enough to play. He wasn't quite sure what the difference was between the childish act of playing Would you rather… and I spy…, but he was determined to come up with something that would please her odd knowledge of driving games and their maturity levels. Since I spy… was out of the question, he had another game in mind that he hoped would bring him closer to her. "Alright, how about we play a little game I like to call I have never…"

"How do you play?"

"It's easy," Eric started off, adjusting his hands on his steering wheel to make himself more comfortable. "First, pull out that bag of jerky from the glove compartment." Alice was skeptical at first, but when she opened up the glove compartment, there it was in all his dried meaty glory. It was a small bag of beef jerky just sitting there as if it was meant to be there for emergencies.

"Why do you keep a bag of beef jerky in your car?"

"In case I get hungry of course." Eric explained as if it was suppose to make sense. Alice just rolled her eyes.

"Okay, now what." She moved on, opening the bad of jerky to take a whiff. It smelled fresh, as if it had been roasted over a campfire.

"Now I'm going to tell you a statement that will start with the phrase, I have never… Then you eat a piece of jerky if that statement is true for you. If it's not, then you don't get to eat a piece, and the next statement will be made by you."

"I think I understand," Alice wasn't quite confidant.

"Well let's start." Eric took a moment to think over something to say. When he got an idea, a smile crept onto his face. "Alright, I have never gotten into a car accident."

"Never?" Alice was amazed. Eric glanced her way with an eyebrow rose.

"Does that sound strange to you?" Alice ripped off a small piece of Jerky and stuck it in her mouth. Eric whooped out a laugh and shook his head.

"I was like sixteen when it happened. It wasn't entirely my fault." Alice tried to defend herself. It didn't work since Eric continued to laugh.

"Sure darlin', I believe yeah," he cackled.

"Okay, well I have never killed an animal."

Eric immediately reached out his hand and grabbed a piece of jerky. He chewed on it proudly which made Alice gasp.

"It's called huntin darlin'"

"You devil!"

"It helps feed the family." Eric wasn't offended. Alice pursed her lips together tightly, wanting to say more. But she kept her argument to herself. She knew there was no way she was going to win against his family feeding explanation. Turning back to face the road, she watched the landscape rush by.

"Well how about this? I have never kissed someone on the lips." Eric moved on. Alice returned to gasping once again.

"Really?" She couldn't believe what she had heard. Eric couldn't hold back the laughter that came next. He reached over and grabbed yet another piece of jerky.

"You're allowed to lie in this game," He chewed on the piece of jerky. Alice glanced down at the jerky with a bit of hesitation. Eric raised an eyebrow in her direction. "You have never kissed someone before?"

"Huh?" Her thoughts were brought back to reality. She had been thinking deeply about the past for a moment. "Oh no! I have kissed someone before. Actually, more than my fare share really…," she said with a contorted face, as if the answer pained her. For a moment, she felt guilty of the act. She honestly just admitted that she was a slut. She clutched the piece of Jerky in her hand and took a bite. The meat felt like a rock in her mouth. Eric noticed her sudden mood swing and got more serious. He hadn't wanted to upset her.

"I'm sorry if I brought up some bad memories," Eric assumed that was what she was upset about. Alice sighed and leaned her head back. A small smile took over her frown.

"You didn't." She shook her head. "I never have regretted any of my relationships."

"Oh? What about the relationship you're in now?"

Smooth…Alice thought, chuckling at Eric's very easy going transition to try and get her to admit that she was single. She decided to give him a break. He's been kind enough to drive her to Huston, so the least she could owe him was the truth, rather than lie and break his heart.

"I'm not seeing anyone at the moment." Alice saw the grin on Eric's lips. He looked as if he just discovered there was an endless supply of beef jerky in his glove compartment.

"You single? I find that hard to believe. You're too darn pretty to be alone." Alice saw the blush on his cheeks. It was absolutely adorable. He was so young and yet so charming. If only Mello had the decency to be this nice to her. Mello was the same age as Eric, so why was he an ass? L at first had been an ass, but at least he changed his ways. L was nice to her now after all his cruel sarcasm. Then there was Matt. Was he always going to be a pervert? Not to mention his indecency to keep his smart mouth to himself. Alice didn't like competition, and Matt was her biggest competitor in the house. To be frank, they were all asses. Even L. He may have not been lying to her, but she wasn't willing to take that risk to believe him. L was good at manipulation. She knew not to trust him so easily. Near was still a good kid in her book, but then again, she wasn't about to go to him for all the answers. Near was good at observation, but his advice was all but useless.

"You okay Ace?" Alice jumped in her seat. She had almost forgotten she was talking with Eric. Damn those Wammy boy's! They had finally taken over her mind!

"I'm fine! I'm fine," she repeated twice, only to convince herself. She then coughed to clear the knot in her throat. "So…I have never danced the Salsa before."

Eric looked troubled for a moment, as if he had to fight the answer. But his pride had lost, and he went to grab a piece of jerky. Alice pointed and laughed.

"No way!"

"When I was thirteen I went to my friend's quinceanera. She made me dance with her."

Alice continued her cackle; the thought of Eric moving his hips around was just priceless.

Near was observing numbers increase on the meter. They had stopped at a gas station to refill the SUV, and Near was watching the price tremendously rise. He was impressed by the amount of money they were going to have to spend to fill up the SUV. It was obviously not an eco-friendly vehicle. When the numbers finally stopped with an odd clicking noise, that's when Near knew they would be leaving soon. Glancing towards the small convenience store, he wondered if Matt and Mello would return in time. They had been in there for quite a while.

"Near," He heard L from the front seat. Near turned away from the window to give L his full attention. "The next few moments are going to look suspicious, but I need you to trust me from here on out. I'm going to need your full cooperation."

Near stared at the back L's head. Of course he was going to trust L, but a part of him felt some doubt. He disliked the doubt he was having and shook it off as fast as he could. He wasn't going to give into Matt or Mello's theories. They were wrong about L, and he only hoped they would see that for themselves. Near had tried to interject his opinion, but Mello had shot him down each time. There was no getting through to Mello, and if Mello wasn't going to listen, then Matt sure wasn't. There was nothing Near hated more than a lackey that followed without judgment.

"Of course I trust you," Near said with confidence. L exhaled loudly as if he had been expecting a different answer from him. Near was a bit taken aback by L's new shaken form. He still believed in L's ability to perform his job, but it looked as if he were growing tried.

"I'm glad to hear that, thank you." L was grateful. In fact, Near could hear in his voice that he was immensely grateful for the faithfulness. Near had never been thanked before by L, and it made him feel proud. As if he was a part of something bigger than the case itself, and he was the only reassurance L had to help him. There was Watari of course, but it seemed L just needed someone to believe in him, and Near was just that person to make him feel better. Near felt privileged for that role.

"You're welcome," Near smiled shyly. He couldn't help it. The pride was too great to hold back. L didn't say anything more after that, but he didn't have too. Watari was opening the driver side door seconds later.

"Sir, they have gone."

"Alright, we should keep moving then."

Near brought back his gaze to the convenience store. He knew who Watari was talking about, and that sadden him a little. He had hoped they would all stay together, but that was just wishful thinking. Mello and Matt were going to do what they pleased, and it didn't matter to them who they would defy. Especially since they had finally come to conclusion to go against L.

Watari got into the SUV and got the engine going. They were driving away soon after back toward the highway. Near twisted his hair with a bit more aggression than usual.

"Near?" L addressed him once again.

"Yes?"

L twisted his body so he could face Near. It was the first time that day that Near got to look into L's eyes. Immediately he saw an emotion that he never wanted to see. There was sadness and frustration. Most would never be able to pick up on those emotions from L since his blank stare had always been a good disguise, but Near had trained himself more thoroughly on human emotions. The simplest wrinkle or dilation of the pupils could tell him all he wanted to know about someone's emotional state. It was clear as day for Near to see all of L's feelings. But he didn't say a word to him. Instead he took the small computer from L as he held it out for him. It was already on, and the image on the screen was a map with two blinking red dots. One was stationary, while the other was moving.

"Those are Ace's coordinates. Well, as least the one moving is. The other one is the truck."

"What happened to her third signal?"

"It's been terminated. Her phone must have been destroyed."

"Is it wrong to assume that Ace was the one to destroy her phone?"

"Not at all. In fact, that was the assumption I have come to as well." Near was content to hear that. Knowing Alice, she probably got over emotional and destroyed it.

"So who do you believe she is with?"

"Judging by the story she had told us earlier about her little accident with the truck, I would have to say she is with this Eric fellow."

"Why would she be with this man?"

"I am just a curious as you are about that."

Near watched the signal travel down the line that was marked as a highway. They were already a long ways away.

"I can already see they are on their way to Houston like us."

"I had noticed that as well." L bit down on his thumb. Near glanced only for a moment to observe L's new position. It was yet another sign of L's frustration. Near took a minute to try and organize his thoughts. His thoughts about the case and about Alice's disappearance either had to be linked or completely on their own terms. There was no real way to know unless he got more answers from L, since it seemed L had more insight to Alice's actions.

"L," Near started out cautious. "Would the objective you gave Ace before have any relation toward her new found travels to Houston with some stranger?"

L was quiet for a moment, allowing only the sounds of the engine and the tires traveling atop the cement to be heard. Near waited patiently for an answer, but he did feel anxious. There was an interesting relationship happening between L and Alice, and there was nothing more Near wanted, then to dissect those feelings.

"I wish I could give you a confidant answer, but again, I'm not so sure." L had bitten down harder on his thumb. It was actually starting to hurt, but L only felt a numbness. Near would have continued to ask questions, but it was obvious to him that L wasn't going to give him anymore answers. When it came to L's and Alice secret relationship, L seemed to lock himself up tight. Near knew it was the end of their conversation from that point on. At least, until L was going to need his input once again.

Alice's eyes lit up. Outside her window was just pure magic. No more dirt roads with tumble weeds. No more cows or sheep huddled together eating grass. No more abandoned barns or shacks out in the middle of nowhere. They were finally in a city. A city with skyscrapers even! There were paved roads with sidewalks. There were plenty of people walking about in colorful clothes other than overalls and flannel shirts. There were even stores that Alice could recognize. Alice had never seen anything more beautiful in her life. She would have cried of happiness, but she didn't want to worry Eric. She had almost cried when she saw the designer stores.

"Hey," a whisper had made her jump. Next to her was Doug's head coming in through the back of her seat. She hadn't heard from him throughout the trip, so it was a surprise to see him finally show up. She had wondered if maybe he ran off on his own. But there he was, staring at her as if he expected her to look at him. She didn't respond to him since Eric was still with her, but she did cough quietly to show him that she heard. Doug was satisfied with that since he started to speak once more.

"The convention is going to be held in the Hampton hotel. I can't remember the location exactly, but as long as you look in some newspaper, then I'm sure you will be able to find it."

Alice nodded her head very slightly. She wasn't sure how many Hampton hotels there were, but she was confidant it wasn't going to be too hard to find. She may have been in a new city, but all cities had a similar layout to them. Alice considered herself to be an expert when it came to navigation in large cities.

"Welcome to Houston," Eric exclaimed with a large smile. He had been quiet for so long that Alice had jumped again. It was obvious that he was proud of himself for getting her to the place she needed to be.

"It feels like home," Alice sighed heavily.

"Do you know the hotel this convention is at?"

"One of the Hampton's, but I don't know which."

"Well we better start looken then." Eric's grin never left.

"If we find a newspaper, then I'm sure there will be an article about its whereabouts."

Mello leaned up against the window and watched the scene unfold past him like a flash of light with blurred colors. He wasn't focusing on anything particular except for the decision he had made. Matt was sitting next to him playing his silly game with headphones over his ears so he wouldn't disturb the other passengers on the bus. They were on a Greyhound that was taking them to Houston. They could have stayed with L, but Mello was fed up with trying to deal with him. He had lost faith in his boss and wanted to find the answers on his own. He had also wanted Matt to stay behind, but for some odd reason Matt was dedicated to following him. He would never understand Matt's unnecessary loyalty for him. He didn't deserve it. It was obvious to him that one day he was going to get Matt killed, and Matt certainly did not deserve a death not worth dying.

Matt knew about Mello's apprehensiveness towards his accompaniment. He wasn't about to let Mello go off on his own. Mello needed him, whether he believed that or not. He was taking a big risk as it was going against L, so Matt was going to make sure he at least had someone there who he could trust.

"Matt," Mello whispered under his breath. The bus was quiet as it is, so he had to keep his voice down.

"Hm?"

"Where is she now?" Matt clicked off his game and changed back to the tracer. He watched the red dot as it moved further into Houston, twisting along roads and slowing to a pace that almost looked as if they were about to stop somewhere.

"In Houston still, it looks like she's stopping at some café."

"Great," Mello grumbled angrily.

"Seems our girl has got a hot date tonight."

"Damn it."

"Would you like me to phone in some friends of mine?"

"No, I don't want to make a scene."

"What are you going to do about L?"

"He's not going to interfere with us. As long as we get to her first, then we'll be okay."

Matt agreed with that answer and leaned back in his cushioned seat. He exhaled slowly and tried to fight the urge of wanting a cigarette. It had been far too long since he's had one, and boy did he need one then.

Alice crossed one of her legs over the other. She stirred the ice around with a straw and watched as some of the condensation slid down the glass. Her ice tea tasted sweet. Eric was sitting across from her sipping on a Pepsi. He had on sunglasses that made him look mysterious. He had gone from urban cowboy to city boy in a matter of two seconds, just by wearing a new accessory. Alice was impressed. She thought he looked good with them on. But his appearance only distracted her for a moment. Her real goal was to scan the paper in her hand for any news of a convention being held at some Hampton. She opened it up to the front page and checked any of the little articles at the bottom. Alice had a feeling she wasn't going to see the convention as any of the newspapers main focuses. She frowned when there nothing. Sighing loudly, she turned the page with a bit of a struggle. The paper was large and incredibly flimsy. The sound of crinkling made her the entertainment for the café. Everyone was watching her with a bit of curiosity. She was making a fool of herself, and she knew it. But letting go of the judgmental stares, she continued the search.

Doug was pacing back and forth around their table, once in a while looking over her shoulder to help her. He wasn't helping really helping. It was more annoying than anything. But Alice couldn't say anything. Not with Eric and the others around. So she ignored him as well. Eric was content where he was, quietly drinking his soda, eying the others in the café. He had wanted to help Alice earlier, but she was determined to find it on her own. In reality, she was afraid to tell Eric what kind of convention it was. She had the impression that Eric wasn't the type to play games or cosplay in very flamboyant outfits. She wasn't really sure how he was going to react when they finally did find the place, but as long as he got her there before running away from her crazy ass, then at least she would have the satisfaction of knowing she was in the place she needed to be.

"Did you find it yet?" Doug asked once more, stopping behind her and looking down at the paper. That had to have been the third time he's asked, and once again, Alice didn't answer him. She had wanted to hit him instead, but that would have looked much more odd then if she had just answered him. So she kept her emotions under control by playing with the straw in her drink. The little stress relief was enough to get her to turn the page without ripping it.

"Did you find it?" Eric leaned forward. Alice gripped the paper with her nails and heard the paper rip from under her clenched fist. Luckily Eric didn't seem to hear the tare. She took a deep breath and slowly lowered the paper to give Eric a forced smile.

"Nothing yet."

"If you want, we could just locate every Hampton hotel in Houston and search each one of them"

Alice shook her head and frowned. "I'm sure there will be some sort of announcement in this paper. Just give me a little more time."

Eric nodded his head and leaned back in his chair. His drink was already halfway gone. When Alice fumbled to the next page, that's when Doug got loud. He pulled up right next to her hear and started to shout.

"THERE! IT'S THERE!"

Alice dropped half the paper and covered her ear that Doug yelled in. She winced painfully and leaned away to try and get away from him.

"Bloody hell!" She growled. Eric sat up straight and pulled off his sunglasses so she could see the worry on his eyes.

"Are you alright Ace?"

"Just bloody perfect." She snapped the paper open. She then roughly slammed it on the table. Eric had to scoot back in fear the table would be pushed on him. She jabbed her finger on a tiny article at the very bottom of the paper that had a headline declaring an event happening at the Hampton hotel. It was the article about the convention, and it had the address Alice needed.

"You found it?" Eric was cautious to lean forward, but he wanted to read the article she pointed to. Alice took the paper away before he could.

"Yes, I have the address. We need to leave now to go buy tickets."

"Don't you want to eat something first?"

Doug started to whine, "You can't, tickets are probably going to be sold out soon!"

"We can't," Alice answered for Doug since it was obvious Eric couldn't hear him. "We need to buy tickets now or else they are going to be sold out."

"What kind of convention is this?" Eric was in awe.

"No more talk, we leave now!" Alice got up and left some money on the table. Eric had to jump out of his seat and run just to catch up with her.

"Tell me the address again," Eric asked, watching the traffic in front of him.

"12909 Northwest Freeway"

Eric watched the signs above him and waited for the exit he needed. Alice felt her heart race. They were so close. She fidgeted in her seat and once in a while looked in the review mirror at Doug who was sitting in the bed of the truck. His was leaning far out to try and see ahead, so occasionally Alice would see him pass through a car. It was an odd site to see, his head passing though a minivan or semi truck.

"I see it." Eric got excited. Alice leaned forward. She craned her neck to see the top of a building that was behind the hill they were coming from. They were traveling down toward a parking lot in which was already full of other cars. It amazed Alice how packed the place was. The convention wasn't even until tomorrow. Eric whistled at the amount of people there were. Outside the building there were little pockets of crowds, huddled together. What made her pale though was what they were wearing. Alice had never seen costumes so elaborate before. Not even Fabron had anything like what some of them were wearing; and that was saying something.

"Ace…" She heard Eric hesitate. She knew what was coming next, and she only hoped it wouldn't be something bad. "What kind of convention is this?" Eric parked in a spot in the back. It was only one of few that were left. Alice didn't even think they would find one. When Eric looked over at her, she gave him the most innocent smile she could muster.

"A fun convention?" She tried to sell it.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!

KanrasLittleSerpent, Bree Renee, Cassiopeja87, Stormygio, VerityEldrich, IAmAWhale, XBloodMageRikaX, Saber Amane, tootsiepop101, and Honakaa-Honami. (HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! I know it's a little late...but...that's how I role...I guess. ANYWHOSSELS, I lov...er...worshi...uh...like you all in a way that would no way incline some sort of twisted illegal devotion. That sounds dirty, doesn't it? Wow, I feel like I'm getting worse at this whole keep-your-undevoted-love-to-yourself thing. I'm just grateful you all look past that creepy stalker side of me and continue to read my story. THANK YOU!)

freaksforever: Awwwwww, you would glomp me? That makes me so happy! Mmmmm, soup. That sounds tasty. And thank you, I tend to like to come from the left field. The right field just feels so cliche sometimes.

Yumeno: Pression is a physical act. You would probably want to use an adjective like, climatic pressure or heavy. As for the French fan-fiction you described, all I have to say is "wow". I'm sure not all French fan-fictions are like the one you read, so I wouldn't give up hope just yet. But I'm happy to see that my story is one you are willing to return to again and again! Your English is wonderful, so no more apologizing for it. Thank you so much! xD

Sakura Ichigo Morihiko: It's incredibly vague which makes it near impossible to think up an answer, but I'm going to try my best! I must say, if a riddle has me thinking this much, then it has to be a good one. =D Alright...is it a...snowflake...pine cone...COTTON CANDY!...that's wrong huh? Okay I give up once again, what is it?

alicelouise'x: Aw! Just the thought of you thinking about sending me L makes me so happy! It takes a lot of willpower to even admit that you were thinking about sending him to me, even though I know how much you adore him. I am truly humbled by the thought of the offer. xD

wolf neko: Ohhhh! What animals would they be? I'm dying to know! By the way, 3 hours? Damn girl! You a fast reader!

xxxIDKanimexxx: Welcome to the North Pole! I hope Santa doesn't mind that I took over his workshop. Needed the extra space really. I do not listen to Vocaloid, but after reading your review, I went straight to the internet to search for the songs! They ROCK! xD I can't get them out of my head...and I would be honored to rule the world with you. LET'S DO IT! Muhahahaha!

Honakaa-Honami: xD Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I'm so happy to know that I'm capturing L's character.

Wanwan chan: Yay! You like Alice! That makes me so happy! No need to apologize for you so called "rant". I don't know why you would call it such. It was poetry to my ears. Your reviews will never be considered a rant to me. August 9th? THAT'S SO COOL! Now I feel like we should celebrate our birthdays together. xD