They'd been in Oakwood, Texas for two days now, but had not found anything worthwhile so far. They'd asked around, they'd showed pictures of both Peyton and the one picture they had of Ian in newer time, but no one appeared to have seen any of them. Lucas and Brooke had figured out which street he used to live in, and had asked around with neighbors, but most of them didn't even remember Ian Banks. The ones who did remember, couldn't tell them much. Ian had been a very closed off type in his time, from what they could figure out. No one knew much about him.

Things were starting to seem hopeless again. What had they expected? That they would just walk right into him? He'd been smarter than them up until now, he'd managed to keep himself hidden from the police for months, and would probably not just show his face anywhere without taking any precautions.

They'd also seen police officers walking around, interviewing random people, but Brooke and Lucas made sure to stay out of their way. They didn't know if the police would be too happy about them intervening in their investigation.

On the afternoon of the second day, they were starting to think that perhaps there wasn't much to find here.

"I dunno, Luke. I say we give this one more day, and if we don't find anything else, we could go to the closest town by and start asking around there instead. What do you say?"

Lucas reluctantly nodded. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

They were sitting in their little motel room, and Brooke was on the computer, looking at old news articles about the missing Emily Milson.

Lucas abruptly stood up. "I'm just gonna go to the store, buy some food for the night. I'll be back in a little while." He just needed some air, some privacy. He needed to think.

Brooke nodded without looking up. "Call me if anything happens."

"I will."

X

A little while later, Lucas entered a small store, lost in his own thoughts. He looked around. It was almost empty, and the space very small. There was probably just one other customer, whom he could only see the top of the head of, as they were hidden behind one of the shelves. There was also one old woman sitting behind the counter, and she smiled sweetly as Lucas arrived.

He quietly walked over to the back of the store, searching the shelves for groceries, but he didn't really pay much attention to what he was doing. He wondered for the millionth time if he'd ever see Peyton again. He wondered what she was being forced to go through right now, and he wondered if she was close by. What if she was? What if she was close by here, and they just decided to leave? But then again, what if she was halfway around the world, and they were just wasting their time here. The questions were endless, and it was killing him.

Lucas could hear the woman at the counter making polite conversation with a customer. He didn't pay much attention to what was being said as he was looking through a shelf filled with different flavors of jam, but registered it at the back of his mind.

"Pizza and flowers? Huh, have some plans with a lucky girl tonight?"

Then a different voice pierced through the air, a voice he recognized all too well, and he froze: "Yeah, just my girlfriend and I, staying in for the night. She's not feeling too well, so we're gonna crawl in with a movie and some snacks."

A wave of chills suddenly erupted and crawled its way down Lucas' spine. He stood there, frozen, while taking in what he'd just heard. He could recognize that voice anywhere, even if he hadn't heard it for five whole months. He stood with his back turned to the counter where the conversation was, but slowly turned around, holding his breath. He was met with the sight of a tall man, standing with his back to Lucas across the room. He was wearing a black hoodie, with the hood over his head, covering his hair and partly his face.

"Oh well, you two enjoy yourselves this evening then, hon," the woman said politely with a smile.

"Thanks, we will," Ian Banks replied in a confident tone, before he started walking towards the exit. Lucas completely forgot about his own groceries, as he hurried to follow Ian, his breath stuck in his throat. His heart was banging loudly in his chest, and it almost felt like he could have a heart attack any second. Ian had already disappeared through the entrance.

"Sir? You forgot your groceries!" the woman in the counter shouted after Lucas as he passed her, but he didn't pay attention to her. He only had his attention on one thing.

He was panicking in his head. His mind felt as if it were about to explode. Had he just heard right? Could it really be Ian Banks, or did he just want it to be him so badly that he was imagining things?

He got out of the entrance and was met with the sight of the sunset. It was starting to get late. His eyes traced over the parking lot, and he was just in time to see the male character disappear into a black car. His body shape looked just like Lucas remembered Ian to be though; tall, thin, but strong looking. It must be him. Lucas hurried over to his own car as fast as he could, trying to stay unseen. If Ian recognized him, who knew what could happen.

Lucas didn't know what he was supposed to do next. His breath was so fast that it felt like he'd just ran a marathon. He considered his options in his jumbled mind. If he went over to Ian right now, like every fiber of his body told him to do, and beat him down, he couldn't be sure Ian would tell him where Peyton was. Peyton…

The only thing he could do was to follow him. Ian would lead him to her… and he would see her again. He could see her again.

He glimpsed in his rear view window, and saw the black car drive past his own. Lucas waited until the car had come onto the road, before he backed up his own car and carefully followed. Once he got onto the road behind the black car, he made sure to put a lot of distance between them. He couldn't risk Ian seeing him and noticing he was being followed.

It seemed like he was headed out of town, and Lucas felt his excitement growing stronger and stronger. His heart thrummed in his chest. Would this be the day he had been waiting for? Would he finally see Peyton again? He'd been scared he'd lost her forever… and now it seemed she was just out of his grasp. Everyone had assumed she was dead. But he'd refused to believe that. She couldn't be.

"Yeah, just my girlfriend and I, staying in for the night." Girlfriend… Ian was talking about Peyton, he knew it. She was alive…

With trembling hands, he picked up his phone and dialed Brooke's number. It only took a moment, and then she answered. "Luke?"

"I… I found him," he exhaled into the phone.

"What?"

"I found him… Ian. I found him. I'm following him out of town right now… I'm going to find her, Brooke…" he whispered. He didn't really know if he could believe it. He heard Brooke gasp at the other end of the line.

"Oh my God… where are you?" she almost screamed. "Come get me!"

"I can't. I can't risk losing him. But you- you call the police, Brooke. We need them now. I'll send you a message once I'm there."

He didn't have time to go get Brooke now. He couldn't risk losing Ian from sight, he needed to follow him…

"O-okay…" she mumbled. "Fuck… okay. You make sure to fucking message me, okay?" She was growing quite frantic. She wanted to see her best friend again more than anything, and she couldn't let Lucas screw this up. She wanted to come with him right now, but understood that what they needed most was to get help from the police.

"Yeah, don't worry, Brooke. I'll talk to you in a bit."

And with that, he hung up.

They'd gotten out of town by now, and were driving on an empty road. Lucas had no idea where Ian was headed, but made sure to keep a very long distance between the two cars. He barely managed to keep the black car in sight. He couldn't risk Ian seeing him, not now when he was so close.

They'd been driving for about 30 minutes, when Ian suddenly made a left-turn onto some land road. Lucas stopped his car, and watched as the other car disappeared farther and farther away, and then he finally followed. It would look too suspicious if his car also went that way and Ian saw it.

As he drove down the bumpy road, he looked at the environment around. There were no houses, no people, nothing… He narrowed his eyes and tried to get a look at where they were headed. He thought he could see what seemed to be the edge of a forest in the distance.

When he got closer, he could see the black car slowing down and parking behind a big bush. Ian was at least clever enough to keep his car hidden if anyone would come looking. Lucas stopped his car where he was, and hurriedly messaged Brooke where they were, telling her to bring the police. Once he saw Ian disappearing in between the trees, he ran after him. He couldn't lose him.

As he got in between the trees, he thought he saw some movement farther away and carefully followed. It was colder here between the trees, and the sun had almost went all the way down by now. The darkness made it hard to follow, especially when he had to make sure to stay silent and out of view at the same time. Ian was a fast walker, and it seemed like he was very familiar with the grounds here. Of course he's familiar with these grounds, if he has been keeping Peyton here for the last few months, Lucas thought bitterly.

The thought of Peyton was starting to drive him crazy. He was beginning to become scared of what he could find. He couldn't help but still feel doubt… What if she wasn't there? Or what if she was there? What would she be like? He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know what kind of hell she'd been forced to live all this time… There were a million thoughts and questions running through his mind, and he was becoming more and more scared.

Lucas continued following Ian farther and farther into the woods, while at the same time keeping a safe distance. It got darker and scarier the deeper in they got, and the air was cold and clammy. Lucas' breath was fast and irregular, as he tried not to lose Ian from sight.

If Peyton really was somewhere in here, it would probably be nearly impossible for her to find her way out if she ever tried to escape, Lucas thought to himself sadly. They were going so deeply into the woods, and finding the way leading out again would be pretty near impossible if you didn't know which direction was the right one. And there was nothing other than trees surrounding them. No other people, only forest animals hiding in the shadows. This wasn't a place where anyone would be tempted to take a walk. No one would be close enough to hear anyone's screams of help. Peyton's screams. Lucas shuddered at the thought.

They must have been walking for about an hour, when Ian disappeared into a small clearing. Lucas took careful, silent steps forward, and made sure to keep himself close to trees he could hide behind if he had to. His heart was beating heavily. As he got to the edge of the opening, he saw it. His eyes widened as he saw a small, wooden house standing there. There was a garden surrounding the house, and a bench with a table. The windows were all barred and his stomach turned at the sight. It could almost be like some kind of prison.

Oh my God, it's really here…

Ian was nowhere in sight, so he must probably already have went inside. To Peyton. She must be here. She was here.

Lucas stood there petrified for a moment, before he forced himself to move forward. With slow steps, he walked towards the house, and his heart hammered in his chest as he walked up the porch steps, trying not to make a sound. Lucas' hand fell on the doorknob, and he pressed his ear to the door. He couldn't hear any sound coming from inside. Everything was quiet. Just as he was about to slowly pull the door open, he heard a sound by his feet, and almost jumped in shock. He looked down with wide eyes and saw a small cat emerging out of a little cat door. He let out a breath of relief, but his brows furrowed in confusion. They had a cat?

The little cat stared up at Lucas with cautious eyes and hurriedly stepped away from him. She wasn't used to other people, and was frightened of this unknown intruder. The cat hissed at him, and Lucas desperately put his finger to his mouth, trying to shush her. He walked towards her, and she got scared, running away at once.

He exhaled, hoping Ian hadn't heard the noise. He could feel sweat trickling down on his forehead, but he grabbed the doorknob again, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door. He glimpsed inside; there was no one there. Anticipation drove him, as he silently slid inside and closed the door without making a sound. He knew at once that this was the right place, and his heart speed increased dramatically.

The first thing that caught his eye was a huge picture hanging on the wall right in front of him. He suddenly felt nauseous and excited all at once as he looked at it; it was of Peyton and Ian in the middle of a passionate kiss. This meant that she really was here, or had been here, but at the same time, the content of the picture repulsed him. At first sight it might seem like they were both willingly part of the kiss, but the closer he looked at it, the more he noticed how uncomfortable she looked. Her eyes were pressed tightly shut and her brows were furrowed. It almost looked like she was trying too hard. Lucas suddenly felt an intense anger, and an electrifying shiver went through him. He ripped his eyes away from the sickening image and glimpsed around the room. He needed to focus, he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him. It was a small room and could have been somewhat cozy, if he didn't know what was really going on inside these walls.

It was obvious that Peyton wasn't in this room, so he tiptoed across the floor, opening his ears for any sound. It was almost too silent, and it unnerved him. He had no idea where Ian Banks was, and he was afraid he could run into him any second.

Lucas got into a small hallway, and he looked down the hall. There were several doors leading to different rooms, and he wondered if Peyton was in one of them. The anticipation killed him. He couldn't really believe that he'd gotten this far. It was almost too good to be true. Maybe she wasn't here. Maybe it was all just some trick. He couldn't allow himself to believe that he'd actually finally found her, not after all this time…

He walked over to the first door in the hallway, and he suddenly couldn't breathe. His hand encased the doorknob, but it was like he couldn't get himself to open it. He was so close, he knew it, and it felt like something had to go wrong. He took a deep breath, and slowly, he forced himself to push at the knob, and the door silently opened. The next thing he saw was completely surreal. Lucas froze in his place, feeling absolutely petrified.

There was a bed. And in that bed was a figure lying with their back turned to him. Messy, blonde locks of hair registered to his eyes. Those blonde locks belonged to a girl he hadn't seen in five months; the girl who had been on his mind every waking moment and every sleepless night.

They were Peyton's.

A/N: Gahh, this was the hardest chapter to write, but I hope it turned out alright. And YES! 24 chapters, and Leyton are finally meeting each other for the first time! Took damn long, I know… ;)