[[Well, here's my official Xmas oneshot. I'll admit— this was quite difficult to write because I really wanted to include romantic Layton/Emmy moments, but they didn't match the initial tone of the story. I also understand some people may have gone off the pairing since certain revelations from PL6. For that reason, I've written 2 different endings. The first half of the story is fairly platonic, but for those of you shippers, there's a an alternate Layton/Emmy ending too. :D I hope everyone's happy with it.
Disclaimer: I don't even own a copy of the sixth game yet. I also don't own The Wizard of Oz.
Spoilers: For AZRAN LEGACY & possibly Curious Village & Diabolical Box regarding Dr Schrader.
Set: During the first trilogy.]]
Coming Home for Christmas
The scene before Emmy was one of such merriment that it warmed the winter coldness engulfing her heart. She was outside, gazing in through the frosted window at the festive gathering of family and friends. They sat beside a cracking fireplace, belting out carols, scoffing down Christmas dinner, exchanging gifts. There was laughter as crackers exploded and someone performed a tipsy solo of Silent Night, interrupting another's calls for a toast. Indeed, the picture was rather chaotic, but touching nonetheless.
How Emmy wished she could be a part of that. She pressed her fingers against the cool glass that separated her from the jovial company. Having no relatives around to spend the season with, she'd originally planned to give Christmas a miss this year...
Still, something had drawn her to this place tonight. It had called to her across the continents, urged her to transcend the ocean until she reached the city she'd once considered home. She needed to quench this sense of longing within her. She'd roamed far and wide, searching for the pieces missing from her life, but it was never enough.
Although Emmy didn't look like the type to wallow in grief, she wasn't unfamiliar with heartache. Years ago she'd experienced a similar feeling of desolation— thank God her uncle had been there to rescue her from the darkness. (Wasn't it acceptable that she'd given every day of her life trying to repay him?)
Back then Uncle was all I had left in the world...
Wait, that wasn't true. She had friends... Well, she used too, anyway. There was the boy who Emmy almost regarded as a younger brother, and the selfless man she admired greatly... But she'd sacrificed their friendship when she deceived them.
That was why, Emmy remembered, she didn't belong here. Not anymore. She was a smudge on the edge of this pleasant picture. A stranger invading their lives. Surely they hadn't forgiven her; perhaps it would be better if they'd forgotten her altogether.
With a wistful sigh that became a puff of white air, Emmy turned to leave.
"...In fact, that reminds me of a puzzle about a snowman..."
She froze when she heard his voice. He possessed such a calm tone that could captivate entire crowds, and shine logic on the most mysterious situations. Right now he was proposing a Christmas themed puzzle to the other partygoers. (Typical.)
Emmy's feet trudged towards the front door, where someone had fixed a wreath with a top hat insignia in its centre. Hesitantly, Emmy lifted her gloved hand and knocked. Someone shouted over the celebrations that they would answer the door. There was a pause before the door opened; welcoming light, warmth and noise poured out.
A gentleman wearing the infamous black top hat and a gracious smile stood in the entrance. He hadn't changed a bit since the last time Emmy saw him: Even for the cheery occasion he retained his brown coat, orange shirt and those unfitting green shoes.
As he recognised her, his smile disappeared, dark eyes widening in shock. "E...Emmy?"
Emmy swallowed. Despite constantly rehearsing how she would greet him, she could barely produce more than a whisper, "Nice to see you again... Professor Layton."
The professor's face lit up— not with anger or regret— but with pure joy to see she was finally back. He was still surprised when she surged forward to embrace him in a bone crushing hug. There was no need for words between them. Of course he knew she would always repent what had happened, and she realized he had forgiven her a long time ago.
They remained like that until Layton placed his hands on Emmy's shoulders and stared into her eyes.
"What's taking that man? I'll bet he's harassing some poor caroller with another puzzle..."
A drunken Rosa had come out to discover why her employer was dallying in the hallway. The cleaner gasped when she caught sight of Emmy. She pointed a quivering finger from Emmy to Layton. "How... How DARE you invite HER here..." Both of them winced, steeling themselves for a beating. (Emmy panicked slightly— the professor and Luke couldn't possibly have told Rosa about the events involving the Azran Legacy, could they?) "...Without informing ME first!" Rosa ranted, "We barely have enough turkey as it is! Now GIVE ME THAT—!" She tore off Emmy's snow-covered coat and tossed it on the already brimming rack.
"It's lovely to see you too, Rose'," Emmy laughed with relief as the older woman stomped into the kitchen. "Have you been overworking poor old Rosa, Professor?"
"Not at all," he chuckled. "Rosa took it upon herself to do the cooking this evening rather than Flora. Of course, you've yet to meet Flora..." He suddenly studied her in concern. Emmy hoped her appearance wasn't too haggard; she'd dumped her bag at the nearest hotel before hurrying straight here. "You seem weary, my dear. Do you require rest?"
Emmy shook her head. "Honestly, I'm fine. I'd really like to see these other guests of yours. Professor Layton never struck me as the type to host wild parties."
As always, her teasing gained a flustered reaction from him. "W-well, it was Luke's idea initially. He wanted to invite a few friends over for Christmas dinner. You can ask him yourself..." Layton led her into the crowded living room. Emmy couldn't help holding her breath. The professor had welcomed her return with open arms, but how would everyone else respond?
All conversation ceased as Emmy entered the room. It went so quiet that one could hear the faint fall of snowflakes outside. Emmy met the surprised expressions of her old companions. Clark and Brenda Triton sat side by side on the settee, blinking. Meanwhile Inspector Clamp Grosky and his wife Hannah looked less mannerly with their mouths hanging wide open. In the armchair, Dr Andrew Schrader resembled an astonished Santa Clause sporting a red hat. Emmy even recognised Inspector Chelmey and Constable Barton, though they'd only encountered her once before. There was also a brown haired teenage girl carrying a platter of cookies; presumably, this was Flora.
"EMMY!" The silence was broken as a streak of blue leapt up to throw his arms around Emmy's waist.
He isn't afraid of me anymore... Fighting away tears, Emmy choked out, "Hi, Second Assistant."
Luke looked up at her with shining eyes. "I always knew you'd come back," he murmured. "I really missed you..."
"I missed you, too," Emmy raised her voice to address the others, who were yet to say a word. "All of you— but I'm afraid I haven't brought any presents..."
"D-don't be silly," Brenda was the first of the adults to reply. A little teary herself, she enfolded Emmy in a hug, squashing Luke between them. (Brenda had never forgotten Emmy's role in her rescue in Misthallery.) "It's lovely to see you're well... Hershel, why didn't you tell us Emmy was visiting?"
"I had no prior knowledge of her return," the professor explained, slightly ashamed.
"Well, it's about time!" Grosky came to give Emmy a hearty slap on the back. "Things just haven't been the same without you. Layton rarely calls the great Inspector Grosky to aid him in his cases these days." Grosky not-so-subtly gestured to his fellow officer. "I've been replaced by old Chelms over there..." ("I can hear you," Chelmey growled.) "But now you're back, the lawbreakers of London won't stand a chance against us!"
"They'd better watch out!" Emmy agreed with a grin.
At this point Hannah deemed her husband was behaving a bit too comfortably around the lady in yellow. However, before hauling him away, Hannah admitted, "My darling Clamp felt rather down in the dumps after you left. I'm glad that he's back to his usual splendid self." (Which was basically Hannah's way of saying 'welcome home'.)
Luke noticed Flora was hovering awkwardly on the edge of the huddle. "Oh, Emmy let me introduce you to Flora—"
"After she's had something to eat," Rosa intervened sternly, shoving past Layton and handing Emmy a plate of turkey dinner. "You look famished, dear."
Emmy couldn't argue with that. (She'd skipped lunch and dinner in her haste to reach the professor's house...) Besides, Rosa's cooking smelled delicious. The turkey was drenched in thick gravy and the vegetables were piping hot. Rosa watched her like a hawk until she'd wolfed down the every scrap of her meal. Just to be safe, Emmy requested dessert.
"It's comforting to see your appetite remains intact," Professor Layton smiled. Emmy nodded through a mouthful of Yule log.
That evening was one of the happiest Emmy had experienced in ages. She caught up with each of her companions; Clark rambled about his latest exhibition at the museum, Emmy won a cracker tug- of-war against Grosky, but lost at charades to the Queen of Drama herself: Hannah. Inspector Chelmey was quite sullen when Emmy tried to speak to him, probably because Barton was greedily gobbling down his tenth plate of food. Brenda made Emmy a green elf's hat (for "Santa's number one assistant") and informed Emmy that Luke never stopped talking about her. Then Emmy wanted Schrader to do a Santa impression; unfortunately, the doctor spent most of the party snoozing in his seat. Luke eventually introduced Emmy to Flora— the curious girl he and the professor had found in a very Laytonesque village full of puzzle-loving robots. Flora was shy at first, but she soon warmed up to Emmy, showing her the decorations she and Luke had strung around the house.
"P-Professor Layton even l-let me hang some gingerbread men on the Christmas tree," Flora proudly pointed to characterized cookies. "He said they were too pretty to eat."
"They are," said Emmy, smiling when she saw one gingerbread man had on an iced-top hat. "But won't they rot up there?"
Luke muttered, "No, because they're rock-hard."
Thankfully, Flora hadn't heard him. She continued, "And Luke had to sit on the professor's shoulders to put the angel at the top of the tree. He gave it a cute name—"
"Aurora," Luke added quietly. "Her name is Aurora."
Emmy glanced at tree's highest branch. Sure enough, there was a beautiful angel ornament with flowing golden hair; eyes closed in a serene expression, hands clasped at her chest. Yes, Aurora fits her perfectly, Emmy thought.
Next the children presented her the rows upon rows of Christmas cards covering the professor's mantelpiece. There was one from Randall, Angela and Henry, who'd decided to stay in Monte d'Or with Randall's mother. Professor Layton's parents were currently enjoying a holiday in Canada, but they would be returning shortly. The last card that caught Emmy's attention simply had a picture of the Himalayas mountain range on it. Intrigued, she inspected the message inside:
"Merry Christmas, Layton. Raymond sends his regards."
By ten o'clock, Chelmey had had enough, declaring that he needed to get back to his wife. Despite Barton's pining for more turkey, the gruff inspector managed to drag him out of the house. Grosky and Hannah were next to leave, after Hannah's endless whining that she wanted to be alone with her "Clampy-kins". She was polite enough to offer the sleepy Dr Schrader a lift home, however.
When they were gone, the remaining company all settled down to watch The Wizard of Oz (Luke's choice). Luke snuggled between Flora and Emmy, laughing and singing along to the movie. Halfway through, he started comparing people to the Oz characters:
"Professah— you'd definitely be the Wizard, Flora— you'd be Dorothy, Mum would be the Good Witch, Dad... the Scarecrow, I guess Rosa could be the Wicked Witch, and Emmy... maybe the Lion?"
Emmy protested, "No way, I'm not cowardly!"
"But the Lion discovers the true meaning of courage in the end," Luke insisted sincerely. "And he would never abandon his friends!"
Emmy thought about this for a moment. She supposed it was true— a million miles couldn't keep her separated from Professor Layton, Luke and the rest of her loved ones. "Alright... But you'd be a Munchkin, Luke. No questions asked."
The Layton/Emmy Ending...
"It's no trouble if you wish to stay the night, Clark," Layton proposed.
Clark shook his head. "Thank you for the offer Hershel, but you already have a guest for the night." He nodded pointedly at the settee, where his son was nestled next to Emmy Altava. "Are you ready to go, Luke?" Clark called.
"Just...Five more minutes..." Luke attempted to stifle yawn. Five minutes later, the boy had drifted off to sleep and Brenda was carrying him out to the car.
Layton saw the Tritons and the door, and then his housekeeper.
Fortunately, Rosa seemed slightly more sober now; she even insisted on walking home by herself. "Try not to be too messy tomorrow," Rosa warned the professor. "I think I'm entitled to one day off. Oh, and before I forget..." She pulled a small wrapped box from her coat pocket.
"What's this?" Layton inquired. "Rosa, you really shouldn't have—"
"Just open it."
Inside the box was an assortment of green leaves with white berries. The professor reddened and stared her in disbelief. (One must never offend a lady...! He frantically reminded himself.)"I-is this mistletoe...? Rosa, I'm flattered, but—"
"It's not for me," Rosa snorted. She lowered her voice dramatically, "It's for your special lady friend in there."
"I haven't a clue what you're talking about."
"Really, Professor?" Rosa raised an eyebrow. "That girl dropped everything and rushed here to be with you on Christmas. Not to mention the two of you looked pretty comfortable in the hallway earlier." (Perhaps Rosa wasn't as inebriated as they'd originally thought.)
Layton protested, "Emmy came to spend the evening with all of us. Just because she missed me doesn't prove that she views me as more than a close friend—"
"Well, there's only one way for you to be sure," Rosa grinned as she edged out the front door. "Have a nice night, Professor."
For a moment Layton simply stood in the hallway, studying the mistletoe. Surely Emmy couldn't see their bond as anything other than platonic, especially since they'd discovered how they were truly related...
If Rosa was right about one thing, it was that he needed to speak to Emmy. With all the excitement of Emmy's arrival he hadn't had the chance to properly discuss their... arrangement yet.
But before doing so, he went up to say goodnight to Flora and made some calming tea. He passed Emmy a mug as he joined her in the living room. Despite his objections, she was determined to sleep on the settee tonight. The professor sat beside her, trying to ignore the box of mistletoe in his jacket.
He began, "Emmy, there is something I must urgently discuss with you..."
"Yes, Hershel?" Emmy replied. She snickered at his surprised expression. "Aren't I allowed to call you that? I'm staying in your house, after all."
"I s-suppose—if you like..."
"You know I'm only joking," she assured him. "I'll stick with 'Professor' if that's what you prefer."
Layton decided there was no beating around the bush with this topic. Slowly, he revealed the mistletoe from his jacket, and Emmy's eyes widened. "Professor..." She breathed.
He held up his hand. "Let me explain, please. Rosa just gave this to me. She seems to believe that you possess... deeper feelings for me—"
Emmy suddenly darted forward to peck him on the cheek. Layton was rarely left speechless, but he went red as a bowl of cherries, gaping at her when she pulled back.
"Don't look so shocked," Emmy giggled. "Isn't that what you're meant to do under the mistletoe?" Perhaps the move had been a bit too brash, but Emmy had waited far too long for this moment. She hadn't felt worthy of telling the professor before she left to travel the world.
"B-but," Layton stuttered, hoping to regain some composure, "You and I... Bronev... Uncle... Cousins...!"
"Silly Hershel," Emmy grinned. "Remember, we're not related by blood." Her voice became more serious. "Uncle Leon... Bronev took care of me when I was very young, kind of like you and Flora. But he never told me that you were his son, so I never considered you to be my cousin."
"Just as I never considered him my father," Layton muttered. He took her hand tightly, admitting in a breath, "My dear, these past few months I've realized how much I miss having you by my side. I... I don't want to leave again. I would like to start a loving relationship with you, and I would never be ashamed... But if people find out about our... situation, they will talk. I just don't want you to feel hurt."
Emmy laughed, "Then let them talk. Society can be damned if I'm not allowed to be with you."
"Now, now, beautiful ladies shouldn't use language such as that," Layton tutted, taking her in his arms.
"...We're going to need a lot more mistletoe for what I have planned."
[[If this has inspired anyone to do a Professor Layton and the Wizard of Oz Parody, I would love to see it :D Merry Christmas!]]