A/N: Here is the next section. Chapter Four, Part One. :-)

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Chapter 4: Take A Chance On Me

The limousine slid slowly to a halt in the alleyway between two large buildings just outside of Las Vegas. The darkness of the night was unbelievably strong, despite the shine of the large, full moon above. With no sound save the soft hum of the engines of the limo and her own breathing, Lana, sitting quietly in the back of the car, quickly felt her heart begin to race. This is not where she expected them to be, but, at the same, she could not complain. When Lex immediately contacted Peterson after their meeting with Franklin, the man insisted they meet somewhere neutral, at night, and out of sight. Lex did not explain to him the reasons he needed to see him, but, regardless, Peterson still felt a need to keep their conversation low-key.

Which, certainly, heightened Lana's own suspicions as to Peterson's involvement. Perhaps were closer than we thought.

Desperate for any useful information, Lex agreed to the terms. Whether Peterson would tell them the truth or not was a different matter. But it was a chance both she and Lex needed to take.

Next to her, Lex sighed deeply, dressed nicely in a black suit and tie. Though Lana would readily admit her anxiety, Lex seemed collected and cool. Whatever worries plagued her, they seemed to fall by the wayside when it came to Lex. I guess he carries the rational side of the situation, and I carry the worry, Lana reasoned quietly. Someone had to fulfill both roles in such a situation, right? Being as seasoned as Lex was in such cases as this, Lana expected she would carry the unbearable anxiety.

Lex finally broke the silence inside the car, and stated, "Lana, I think it will be best for you to stay here."

Lana shook her head. Despite anxiety, despite worries, and despite her own nerves, nothing would scare her away from what needed to be done. "No, I'm going with you. We've gotten this far. I need to see it through."

Lois would see it through if she were searching for Lana. This, Lana knew. Along with her own devotion and love for one of her best friends, she intended to travel the path until there wasn't one to follow. And even then … Lana was ready to make one if needed. Nothing was going to be strong enough to stop her. Not until Lois was safe. The declaration I've made to myself over and over again throughout this entire journey.

"Lana," Lex began, his voice peppered with appeal, "please, just stay in the car when Peterson arrives. I would not be able to live with myself if something happened to you."

"Nothing will happen to me."

"I don't want to put you in anymore danger. There's every reason to believe that he will come armed to this meeting," Lex insisted, a bit stronger than his earlier plea.

Lana shrugged. "Maybe he will. But I'm not going to just sit this one out because it might be dangerous."

Lex sighed a little more heavily this time, and looked away from her. His determination to keep her in the car was just as strong as her own determination to be apart of the conversation he would have with Peterson. Lana wanted to be apart of all of it, no matter the risks. And it was something that she thought Lex would realize by now. Despite his role in the investigation thus far, it was still her case. Her original ideas. Her will. And her best friend.

"Fine," he finally muttered quietly. "But stay close to me."

Lana nodded and would give him that satisfaction.

So far, however, no one showed up in front of the limo. A few minutes had passed already, and nothing broke through the stillness of the night. Lana could not help but wonder if maybe they made a mistake. Or maybe this Peterson guy was just playing with them, making them think he might have something meaningful to say. And as the silence wore on a little longer, her suspicions began to blare like a foghorn in her mind. Here we are … wasting precious time …

But in the next instant, a man appeared from around the corner.

He stood alone, wore a nice, gray suit, and stood quietly, waiting for a response to his presence.

Lana saw him through the windshield of the limo, his figure probably thirty feet away from them. He I seemed/I to be alone, but as Lex warned, Peterson could have come with some kind of defense. Whether it was a gun hidden in his coat pocket, or a force of personal guards hidden behind dumpsters and on top of buildings, waiting for any false moves, caution was essential. Though Lex had his own defenses in place, it was best to avoid any confrontations as best as possible.

Lex gazed to Lana. "Ready?"

Lana nodded, and soon Lex opened the door and was gone. She took a deep breath before she opened her own door and stepped out, seeing Lex waiting patiently for her on the other side of the car. They would go into this together, and they would leave this together. When she shut the door quietly, Lana felt her mind begin to swim through the different ways this meeting might go. All she really wanted, above everything else, was information on Lois' possible location. If Peterson were involved somehow, perhaps much more than either she or Lex suspected, anything he may or may not say would help them.

Though they have been researching Boxer the entire time, Lana was sure their attention probably should shift to Peterson. If, of course, he was the one who actually hired Boxer, Lana reasoned. If Lex's suspicions were right. Otherwise … we'll be running around in circles.

At that moment, Lana began to think of Clark and Chloe. As her steps instinctively followed Lex's lead around the car and towards the man ahead of them, she could not help but wonder how successful they have been. Since she has yet to hear one word from them since they parted, Lana quickly assumed they must have been just as unsuccessful as she and Lex have been thus far. Between the four of them, someone was bound to get to Lois eventually. Dead or alive, Lana thought morbidly. But it's true. Their determination is the same as mine.

Her shoes clicked rhythmically on the hard, wet pavement below her feet. Already, just from this distance, Lana could sense Peterson's disgust with her unwanted, and unexpected presence. But it was something he would just have to deal with, whether he liked it or not. He may be comfortable with Lex, especially since they shared such important characteristics, such as business, exclusive ownership to companies, and the unorthodox methods both often used to obtain what they wanted.

But she was here to ensure both would not lose sight of what they were looking for. Especially Lex …

It began to drizzle slightly, the sky unable to hold in the rain much longer. Ahead, Peterson shifted only slightly, but otherwise stayed calm and waited as they approached him.

And within ten feet, just far enough away to see their faces, Peterson asked harshly, "I thought we agreed just the two of us?"

Lex smirked knowingly, and stopped about five feet in front of him. "She's an associate of mine, helping me with the subject we will be discussing. If that's okay," he insisted lightly.

Peterson hesitated, gave Lana a glance, and then nodded. "Fine. I guess it doesn't matter much." After a slight pause, he finally asked, "So, what did you want from me?"

Lex smiled simply at that, then placed his hands deep in his pant pockets. "Information."

"Something you couldn't ask on the phone?" Peterson asked quickly, with a smile of his own.

Lex looked to him and shrugged slightly. "I want to know if you hire Jason Boxer to do certain … tasks."

Peterson sighed a bit, now clearly agitated. "What does it matter? I mean …".

But Lex refused to let him finish, quickly moving on, "So you do know who he is?"

"Maybe," Peterson replied instantly, of course vaguely. He would never give out more than he needed to.

Lex then only stared at Peterson, for nearly thirty seconds, and Lana struggled to keep up with the hidden agendas both men tried to play on the other. Of course, while Lex tried to decode Peterson's involvement in Jason Boxer and Lois' disappearance, Peterson struggled to hide what he knew. If anything … maybe he was being truthful … maybe he only knew Boxer by name, just like Franklin …

"If I asked you about Lois Lane, would you be able to tell me anything?" Lex asked, his lack of candidness clearly surprising Lana.

Yet before she could rebuke, either with a harsh stare or a whisper, Peterson laughed and simply replied sharply, "All I know is that I read her column in the Daily Planet. I know her by name only."

Lex studied him a little more before he said quietly, "She is an excellent reporter."

Peterson shook his head before he stepped back. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that her articles have not been in the latest editions of the paper?"

"Maybe."

Peterson huffed. "Well, I can ensure you, whatever has happened to her, I had nothing to do with it."

Lex shrugged again. "Fine. But you did say you knew Boxer?"

"Yeah, so? Everyone in Vegas knows who he is. I doubt I need a lecture from the great Lex Luthor about using men like him do his dirty work," Peterson shot back, his anger rising a few notches.

Lex put his hands up slightly in mock defense. "Well, all we need is a way to find him."

Peterson sighed again, his eyes looking to Lana before moving back to Lex. And, after a short pause, he finally suggested, "He likes to go to The V Bar in the Venetian. Gets many of his contacts there."

"Thank you," Lex said, and with a nod of acknowledgement, turned and walked back towards the limo.

Lana locked eyes with Peterson in an instant before she, too, turned and walked away. Just ahead of her, Lex quickly climbed back into the limousine, and, within seconds, Lana was sitting next to him again in the quiet space. She could not hide her amazement with the speed of the short meeting, inwardly questioning Lex's questions and methods for discovering information. So, what … we go to The Var Bar, in the hopes we find Boxer?

And though that seemed to be the next step, Lana could not shake Peterson off of her mind.

When the limousine began to move again, the stars outside of her window sped by more quickly with each second. She thought of Boxer, of Peterson, of their possible connection in this case. Like a flash, she saw Lois' face, the need to find her strengthening with every moment she's been gone.

And she thought of Clark and Chloe … did their investigation lead them to Peterson, too?

Before she could debate further, however, Lex insisted quietly, but confidently, "I think Peterson is lying."

Lana, having just thought this herself, nodded in agreement. "I think he is, too." A second passed, and then she asked anxiously, "So, our next move?"

Lex looked to the window outside as they drew closer to the city, its light quickly filling the darkness of the car. And in shadows, he turned to her, his eyes dancing with excitement. "Peterson has her."

Lana smiled, willing to believe him, willing to chance it. Surprised he went in the direction she only began to travel. And though she wished it were irrevocably true, she could not push away the real chance they might both be wrong. A crossroads that could easily pull them down the wrong, yet tempting path. Both wanted this to be over, both wanted to believe the obvious.

But was it that easy? Did all of their investigation really lead them to the true source?

"How do you know?" Lana asked, finally giving into her curiosity, her need for a reason to proceed where both wanted to go.

And with a sweet smile, he said simply, "Instinct."

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to be continued ...