This is my first fanfic dealing with Professor Layton, and a bit different from my usual Vocaloid stories. I just finished the final game and am sad to see the series go. The ending of the third game was never enough for me and I've always wondered what happened after. So, I decided I would write a story about what happens when Luke is grown up. The fanfic also explores the possibility of romance between Luke and Flora, which I have always been a fan of.

Lately, I've had trouble finding the motivation to finish or start new stories, but I really want to finish this one. Hopefully, I'll continue to write a lot more in the future. I haven't fully been into the fanfic front for a few years.

Without further ado, I present the beginning of this story. All the characters and the Professor Layton franchise belong to Level 5 and Nintendo.

I received Flora's letter in the middle of June, just after the end of school. It was the first time I had ever received a request to solve a mystery. The Professor used to receive letters of request all the time back in London. It was also the first letter Flora had sent me in months. Though we had promised to keep in touch, we both lead busy lives and the time between our letters grew larger as the years passed. Her last letter came a few months ago, during the middle of my final year of high school. It was a casual letter, detailing her daily life with Professor Layton. However, this letter was different.

I remember coming home from the store and watching the mailman stick a letter into the mailbox. After he walked away, I quickly opened it and grabbed the letter placed inside. The address was written in Flora's familiar handwriting. With a smile, I opened it and began to read.

Dear Luke,

It has been a long time since I last wrote, but I need your help. Around a month ago, the Professor's presence was requested in the small town of Spectre's Cape. He was asked to solve a mystery that was plaguing the village. I thought little of it at the time. The Professor promised to return in a few weeks and arranged for another professor to take over his classes. A few weeks passed, and the Professor did not return. I contacted Dean Delmona to see if he had anything about the Professor's prolonged absence. He knew no more than I. I'm worried something has happened to the Professor, but I'm not sure what to do. You're the only one that can help, Luke. You know the Professor even better than me and you have the best chance of finding him. Please write back, so I know that you are coming.

Love,

Flora

I felt myself tense up as I read the letter. The Professor was missing? How could that be possible? The Professor could puzzle his way out of any situation. It never crossed my mind that he could be in any kind of trouble. With the letter tight in my hand, I ran into my house, where my mom was beginning to cook dinner. She was chopping onions as she saw me throw the groceries on the table. "Please be more careful," she sighed, setting down the knife. "I don't want everything to get bruised."

"Read this," I said, handing her the letter. Mom looked confused, but she took the letter from my hand and began to read. Her eyes quickly scanned over the lines and a concerned look appeared on her face. "Clark!" she called up to my father, who was working in his study. I heard him shuffle down the stairs and appear in the kitchen. "Yes?" he asked, eyeing the food that Mom was cooking. "Is it almost time for dinner?" he smiled. Mom frowned and handed him the letter. Dad took it and read it. His reaction was identical to Mom's.

"Hershel is... missing?" he said, in shock, once he finished reading the letter. "This is serious. Luka, you're friend, Flora, sent this to you?" I nodded and Dad handed the letter back to me. "It sounds like she needs you desperately. I suppose we'll be sending you back to London a bit sooner than expected."

"You're letting me go? Just like that?" I asked. I wasn't expecting to be allowed to travel overseas so immediately. I thought Mom would put up at least some resistance. She wanted to spend as much time with me as possible before I headed back to London for university. "If Hershel really is missing," Mom started, "someone needs to go after him and you have been specially requested. You're a grown-up now, Luke. I believe you can handle it." Her face was a bit pale, and I could tell she was still a bit reluctant to let me go, but we both knew it was something I had to do. "I'll purchase you a ticket for the next ship to London," Dad said. "You'd better start packing."

Only two days later, I was on a ship, headed for London. Mom made me promise to keep in touch. She wanted a letter at least once a week, just to be safe. She knew that I wouldn't be home for a long while. Once this ordeal with the Professor was over, I planned to study at Gressenheller University. I planned on traveling to London during the beginning of August. Now, I would just stay in London. I had originally planned to surprise the Professor and Flora with my return, but I had to go forgo that idea.

Now, here I was, standing in front of the door to the Professor's home. My suitcase was in one hand and Flora's letter in the other. I knocked on the door, and waited for a moment. I heard footsteps from inside and the door opened. Flora's face peaked out, but she looked different than I had remembered. She still looked tall, though I was taller than her now. Her brown hair was pulled back into a familiar ponytail, but her face looked more mature. She was beautiful.

"Luke?" she asked in surprise. "It's really you! You really came!" She rushed over and hugged me, tightly. I blushed since I wasn't expecting such an affectionate display. "You're so tall!" Flora gaped, as she released me from her hug. "You look almost like a man," she giggled. "Of course," I huffed. "I am 18 already."

"You're still wearing that silly blue hat, though," Flora said, pointing to my hat. "It's not silly," I frowned. "And I happen to like this hat, thank you very much." Flora laughed, and grabbed my suitcase from my hand's. "I'll take this. Come inside." I followed her in and was surprised to see that the Professor's house hadn't changed much in the years I was gone. It was still the organized mess that it had been when I left. Newspaper clippings, archeological tools, puzzles, and more littered every possible surface. The Professor must have been busy before he left.

"Sorry for the mess," Flora apologized. "I haven't done much cleaning since the Professor left. He doesn't really like his things being moved anyway. She set down my suitcase and pulled a chair away from the kitchen table. "Please sit and I'll brew some tea. You like it sweet, right?" I nodded in reply. "It's funny the things you remember," Flora said, as she placed the teapot on the stove. "Oasis Berry, as I recall."

"So, how have you been?" I asked. "Has life with the Professor been exciting, as usual?" I smiled, as I thought fondly of the multiple adventures the Professor and I went on during our time together. There was rarely a dull moment. "Not really," Flora replied, as she took a seat next to me. "Since you left, the Professor has really settled down and hasn't really take many trips. He's spent most of his time homeschooling me or teaching his classes. It's been almost... boring."

"That's odd," I said. "People always seem to be requesting the Professor's help."

"The requests never stopped coming," Flora answered. "But the Professor never felt up to taking them on. He's been a little different since you left. He's been sad. I can't imagine how rough it was for the both of you two. You were together for so many years and suddenly, you were gone. The Professor took it pretty rough." I was afraid that this would happen. I had a rough time adjusting to life without the Professor, and I thought he might too.

"But the Professor was a lot happy, starting about 2 months ago!" Flora exclaimed. "He got some letters from his brother, who was out traveling the world. Did you know he had a brother? I had no idea!"

"Yeah, I knew," I replied. The Professor and I hadn't heard from Descole in years, not after our encounter with the Azran. I wonder what had caused him to send a letter to the Professor. Even though Descole had done a lot of evil things in the past, I think the Professor still cared a lot about him. "No one ever tells me anything," Flora sighed. "I feel like you and the Professor always had so many secrets and stories. You all rarely told me about your past adventures."

"I suppose we were just too caught up in the present," I laughed. "Too many puzzles to solve." The kettle began to whistle and Flora stood up to pour the tea. She brought 2 cups back over and set one in front of me. I picked mine up and took a sip. It was hot and sweet, just how I liked it.

"I can't express how happy I am to see you," Flora started. She gave me a bright smile, and I blushed again. I don't remember her being so pretty. "But the circumstances of our meeting are less than happy. What do you think we should do, about the Professor, I mean?"

"We'll have to go and find him ourselves!" I said. "A true gentleman always helps those in need, and I would say the Professor is in need of our help!"

"We're going to find him?" Flora asked. "Of course," I smiled. "Who else would be able to find him except his brilliant apprentice?"

"And me!" Flora exclaimed, hitting me on the shoulder. "And you," I laughed. "Now, do you know where this town he went to is, this Spectre's Cape?" Flora nodded and stood up. She grabbed a piece of paper of a nearby counter. "The Professor used this map before he left. He circled Spectre's Cape." Flora pointed to a town encased by a red circle. "It's north of London, near the sea. It's a few hours away, though, and we have no way of getting there. The train doesn't run very close. The Professor drove there."

"It looks like the train runs through a town a couple miles away from Spectre's Cape. We can take it there and then figure out how to get there once we arrive. You should pack up your stuff. We should leave immediately."

"This is so exciting!" Flora exclaimed. "For once, I've been invited to go on one of your adventures. I won't be left behind!"

"Geez," I sighed. "I didn't know you were that upset about being left behind." I felt a pang of guilt for always leaving Flora behind. "Of course I was upset," Flora frowned. "You and the Professor both knew that I hated being alone, but you always tried to leave me behind. I know it was always for my safety, but I still didn't like it." Flora walked away to gather her things and then we would leave. I had only been in London for less today and already the 2 of us were going to set out on an adventure. It was refreshing. Life in America was a bit bland in comparison to my life with the Professor. I had missed the thrill of adventure and the possibility of new puzzles that awaited me.

"I'm ready to go!" Flora announced, as she set down a suitcase on the table. "That was quick!" I exclaimed. I hadn't even finished my tea. "I've been prepared for a while," she admitted. "Let's go then," I said, grabbing my own suitcase. Flora locked up the house and then the 2 of us headed to the train station.

At the train station, I purchased 2 tickets to the town near Spectre's Cape. Flora and I had about 30 minutes before the train arrived. We took a seat a bench near the train platform. "I haven't ridden a train in so long," Flora said. "Not since we rode the Molentary Express. That was such a nice train, though you and the Professor left me behind again."

"That was accident!" I pointed out. "We didn't mean to leave you behind. We just mistook someone else for you. That's all." Though I was embarrassed to admit it, the Professor and I had been tricked by Don Paolo and brought him, disguised as Flora, along instead of the real Flora. She wasn't very happy when we went back to get her.

"It's all water under the bridge now," Flora smiled. "I'm over it." A pair of women walked passed the bench and looked at us. "What a cute couple," one whispered to the other. "How adorable." I turned red at their remarks, but Flora didn't seem to hear them. The two of us were silent for a moment, and then Flora spoke up. "I'm really glad you're here with me. I can't wait until we find the Professor too. He's going to be so excited to see you!"

What would the meeting between the Professor and I be like? We hadn't seen each other for a while. I imagined that he would be the same, though I was quite different. I had so many things to tell him and I couldn't wait to be back, working beside him.

A loud train whistle awoke me from my inner thoughts. A coal black train pulled into the station. "Here it is!" Flora yelled, standing up. "Let's go!" She grabbed my hand, and pulled me along, almost causing me to leave my suitcase behind. We boarded the train, where we sat in two seats facing each other.

"We're actually doing this!" Flora giggled, unable to control her excitement. A man came by to check our tickets and told us to enjoy our trip. In a few minutes, the train started to move and soon, we were going across the countryside. The lush, green landscape flew by in a blur. Flora fell asleep, and laid her head against the cushiony seat for support. I fell asleep not soon after.

We both awoke to the conductor's call that we would be arriving at the Hansbury station, which was our stop. We grabbed our suitcases out from under our seats, as the train rolled into the station. When it came to a stop, Flora and I hopped off and found ourselves in a small, but busy country town. Outside the train station was a street market, bustling with people. Brightly colored stalls lined the streets. People were shouting and bargaining. "Look at all the shops!" Flora exclaimed. "Can we look around?"

"Maybe on our way back," I answered. "But right now, we have to focus on the Professor. What if he's in big trouble? Every minute we waste could mean that something awful happens to the Professor."

"You're right," Flora sighed. "How are we going to get to Spectre's Cape now that we're here?" I was quiet as I thought to myself. We couldn't drive there since neither of us had a car. The train wouldn't take us there either. I scanned the market place for a possible solution. One store caught my eye. The sign on the front said "Scooter Rental". "I have an idea," I replied.

I went into the store and found that it was renting our electric scooters. This was perfect. I gave the woman at the counter enough to money to rent the scooter out for a week, just in case. The woman brought out a white scooter and I thanked her. I wheeled it out to Flora and she looked at it confused. "Is this how we're going to get there?"

"Yep," I smiled. I grabbed her suitcase and mine and strapped them to the back. I got onto it and put in the key. I gave it a turn and the scooter's engine gave a roar. "Hop on," I said, gesturing to the seat. Flora hesitantly got on. "Hold on tight," I cautioned. "We're going to go fast." Flora wrapped her arms around me, and pulled herself close to my back. Again, I blushed. I needed to get a bigger grip on myself. I pushed down the scooter's pedal and we sped off.

We traveled along a country road that seem to be leading out to the sea. "I didn't know you knew how to ride a scooter," Flora said. "I had a friend that rode on one all the time," I explained. "She took me out on it a couple times. She even let me drive it a couple times. That was a while ago though."

We drove until the road seemed to come to a complete stop. At the end of the long road was a seaside town. That was it, Spectre's Cape. It was surrounded by green forests and the sea. It was like something from a postcard. Nothing about it looked ominous. It looked like a normal town, but there was obviously something strange about it, otherwise the Professor would have never come.

"Flora," I began. "What kind of request did the Professor get? What was the reason he came down here?"

"I'm not sure," Flora said, biting her lip. "He didn't explain much to me before he left. All I heard was something about a mysterious ghost. That was all." A ghost? It would take more than a silly ghost to attract the Professor's attention, especially since he had hardly taken any requests. There was something more to all this, but I didn't know what.

Flora and I entered Spectre's Cape and parked the scooter in the lot of the first store we saw. "What do we do know?" Flora asked. "Let's see if we can find an inn or something. Tomorrow, we can ask around town about the Professor." I saw a group of boys standing on the sidewalk, close to the store where we had parked the scooter. "Excuse me," I said, walking over. "Could you please tell me where the nearest inn is?" The boys looked at me, a bit confused. "Who are you?" one of them asked. "I'm Luke Triton. I'm from London, and I was wondering where my friend and I could spend the night."

"I'm Alex and this is Arran," the tallest boy said, as he gestured to the short boy next to him. The shorter boy was quiet and said nothing. "I'll tell you where the inn is," Alex smirked, "but you'll have to solve my puzzle to find it."

"What is it then?"

"From our current position, the inn lies 3 blocks in the direction of morning sun and 2 blocks of the rising moon." Alex crossed his arms and smiled. "Good luck solving that."

"Flora, let's go!" I called over to her. "I know where the inn is." Alex eyes widened in surprise. "How did you solve it so quickly? That's not fair!"

"A gentleman should be able to solve any puzzle," I smiled. "It was a good one though. Thanks." I gave Alex a quick wink and walked back over to Flora. She had pulled the scooter up. I took it from her and pushed it along the sidewalk, as she walked beside me. We arrived at a small inn. It was painted a pale yellow, which fit in well with the seaside theme of the town. I left the scooter outside and Flora and I walked in.

A middle-aged woman was at the reception desk. She was reading a magazine. Her brown hair was tied into a loose bun that was starting to fall out. She looked surprised to see us. "Excuse me," I asked. "Could we please have a room?"

"Yes, of course!" Her voice was loud. She pulled out a key from under the desk and handed it to me. I handed her the money for the room. "What brings you to Spectre's Cape?" she asked. "We don't get visitors often this far north."

"A friend of ours," I explained. "He came down here not to long ago and we're looking for him. Is this the only inn in town?" If it was, then the Professor probably stayed here. "It is," the woman replied. "Maybe the last guest was this friend of yours. He was a scholarly man with a tall and fancy hat. He easily solved a puzzle for me."

"That's him!" I exclaimed. "Have you seen him? Is he still here?" The woman shook her head. "He never checked out, but he hasn't been by for a couple days. Not really sure what happened to him. If you'd like, I can give you the key to his room and you can look around. You seem a bit worried about him."

"Thank you so much..." I paused. "Aggie," the woman finished. "No problem, kid. It's the least I can do." I thanked Aggie one last time and then Flora and I carried our things to our room. The inn only had two floors and both our's and the Professor's room were on the 2nd floor. Our room, like the rest of the inn, had a seaside theme. It had two beds for both Flora and me. By now, it was getting dark.

"Flora, let's go to sleep. We can search the Professor's room and begin our investigation tomorrow. No point in investigating while tired." Flora agreed and laid down in bed. She seemed to fall asleep the moment she hit the sheets. I got into the other bed, but didn't fall asleep so easily. I was worried about the Professor. What happened to him and what mystery did this seemingly innocent town hold?

Reviews and Criticism are greatly appreciated. :)