Chapter 1: Lucy's Promotion

It has been a month since the event at Forbodium Castle, Alfendi standing in front of the window and looking down onto the busy street of London. Images from the event flashes in front of him like as if it just happened yesterday. He thought to himself that if it wasn't for Lucy, he will now be behind bars, dark, cold and miserable. Ever since that day, he has realized that his feelings for Lucy is not the same anymore. Not only has she proved her worth as a respectable inspector, but also someone whom he can trust, perhaps even confide in the things which he had kept inside him for all this time.

Potty:"Be careful of what you confide in her"….

Placid: "What?"

Potty:"I mean your feelings for her…."

Placid: "I don't know what you are talking about"

Potty: "Oh C'mon Placid, you know you want to tell her how much you admire her courage and if she leaves…."

The two different sides of Alfendi is something everyone in Scotland Yard knows about. Sometimes, people tend to distance themselves from him as some who had encountered his strange and dangerous behaviours would not want to experience twice.

Placid and Potty: "Shhh…. Someone is here"

Lucy: "Hey Prof, I am sure I did set the alarm, but…."

Placid and Potty: "Is ok Lucy, we know…"

Lucy: "We? Who else was here? Oh! Potty's here too?"

Alfendi quickly changes the subject and pointed to a folder on the table.

"What is this?" said Lucy

"It must be some important case which needed to be solved, let's get started Prof"

Alfendi sighed and said:

"No! It is about you."

"About me?" Lucy sounds puzzled and curious.

" This is your performance review, with credits to recent events and the commissioner is looking to promote you which means you could be transferring to other units".

Alfendi looked closely at Lucy's face whilst he said this to Lucy.

Lucy: "What?! Prof but…I didn't do anything …. I mean I have not done well in erm… oh like the last case, I messed up the…."

"Lucy! Listen" Alfendi stand up and is now very close to Lucy's face with both hands on her shoulders.

"You have done well.. in fact very well and I don't think that you should be my assistant anymore".

For a moment Alfendi thought he saw tears in Lucy's eyes and quickly realised that Lucy must have taken it wrongly. Just as when he was about to explain, Lucy interrupted.

" You don't need me anymore?...Prof I guess I understand …erm how it must be like for you after the Forbodium Castle case, no one would like to be around someone who had witnessed their darkest or embarrassing moments…is ok I know what to do"

" Is not like that Lucy….Is just that….."

Before Alfendi can finish, Lucy already picked up the folder and walk out of the door.

" Look what you have done!" snapped Placid

"I am just trying to tell her she deserves better" . The Potty side of Alfendi starts to feel sad inside.

" I can't believe I am sharing the same brain with you… can't you see she don't want to be transferred!" the Potty side of Alfendi is getting frustrated with the other side who is always hiding the truth.

" I… I am not sure…" said Placid

" GO AFTER HER! Before it's too late!". Potty shouted

Alfendi hesitated for a while and rushed through the door and down the stairs, but Lucy is long gone from sight. For some reason his heart aches when he thought of Lucy leaving the Mystery Room and never be back again. Shaking his thoughts away, he knows he will have to reach the commissioner's office before Lucy does, if he still wants to see Lucy around the office, to be precise, near him.

'COMMISIONER OFFICE'

" Knock Knock"…. " Come in"

" Oh Lucy, is good to see you. I trust that Alfendi have told you about the review and your promotion"

" Commissioner Barton, yes, he had and I wish to be….."

" WAIT!" shouted Alfendi from the end of the corridor as he runs towards the two of them.

Both Barton and Lucy turned and looked at Alfendi who had just run all the way here and is still panting away…. " Wait, I said"

" Yes, we are waiting Inspector Layton" said Barton.

"I need Lucy.. I mean, I just received a case which Lucy and I worked on before which has a new lead now, so I need her, she cannot be transferred" Still panting as Alfendi speaks.

"But…." Barton answered.

"There is no BUT Barton!"

Both Barton and Lucy immediately recognised Potty's appearance.

Barton took a deep breath and said slowly:

"I was just going to say, Lucy hasn't said anything about whether she would like to be transferred"

Barton always talk to Alfendi calmly no matter what, Lucy observed.

Lucy takes this opportunity to express her interests to stay in the Mystery Room and Barton accepted her decision to stay in her current position. As soon as the two exited the Barton's office, Lucy turned and asks with excitement.

" Which case is it?" asked Lucy excitedly

" Huh? Oh… erm… that one.. you know" Alfendi knows he needs to think of some excuses to stop Lucy from asking further.

"Oh is it the …."

"Lucy… actually there aren't any new leads, I was lying." Alfendi said with hesitation.

"What? Prof… you lied? But... Why?"

"Arhhhh!... you… have to make me spell it out?"

"Ermm... Prof what are you trying to say?" Lucy is starting to get more confusing Alfendi's behavior today.

Alfendi can hear Potty voice at the back of his head telling him to confess to Lucy that he wishes her to stay and he needs him. However, Placid managed to control it and instead, he said:

"Oh, erm... there are lots of paperwork which you were handling that still needed to be submitted, you would not be so irresponsible, would you?"

Alfendi can hear Potty sighed at what he just said.

"Oh, of course not! But Prof..."

"Yes?" Alfendi is hoping that Lucy will stop asking what's the real reason of keeping her in mystery room.

"When you said I should not be your assistant anymore..."

"Forget what I just said… bottom line, you are still needed in the Mystery Room and you are not going anywhere so soon." Snapped a very impatience Alfendi. Potty is running out of patience and Placid is snapping as he was worried he might confess more than he is ready to.

Lucy's eyes lighted up upon hearing the last sentence, though she knows Alfendi refers to the work than what Lucy was secretly hoping to mean.

"Well... Lucy..."

"Yes Prof?"

"Thank you"

"Huh? What for"

"I guess I have never really express how grateful I am for what you did at Forbodium Castle"

Lucy smiles sheepishly whenever her Prof thanks her for something.

"I am just trying to find the truth... Most importantly…"

"Most importantly, what?" Alfendi waiting to hear what she says

"It's you Prof… I don't wish to see you suffer and I know is not you who have done it"

Alfendi felt a strange sensation which he never has before upon hearing this, he never felt this way, as in, no one really expresses their feelings in this way for him. No one treated him like Lucy does. Even friends…or families, nor Hilda.

"Thanks Lucy, but you know it could have been me who murdered Makepeace, your emotion could have you on the wrong track" Alfendi said this in a good way to remind Lucy that she will get hurt one day being emotional, especially towards him.

"It is not just emotion for you, ermm I meant I regard you as my friend and mentor... I mean…the golden rule of investigation is to assume nothing, question anything and challenge everything, thus, I am looking at the case with different perspectives. Though… I must say… it's what's inside me that tells me even if is you who have done it, I would rather be the one who find out myself than being told by someone else.. I mean … "

Alfendi stood there listening to every word Lucy has just said and was lost for word. He can feel something is urging him inside, he felt warmth. This is a feeling that he thought was already long gone since that fateful day with his father.

"Well! Everything is fine now, you are not in jail and I'm not transferring either. Prof... shall we head out to get something to eat...? I am hungry... hehe" Lucy only says this because she realized that she is blushing after saying all that and also she hasn't got any breakfast.

Alfendi laughed and watched Lucy walking ahead of him as they both head out Scotland Yard building to grab some snacks. Alfendi can't help but kept thinking about what Lucy had said and trying to still put together to why he is feeling funny towards Lucy. He knows is not just gratitude for what she had done, is something else.