The Destiny of Alfendi Layton

Chapter 1: Tough Decisions

Layton woke up in his bed, sweat rolling from his eye brow. He was breathing heavily, so heavily that he could hardly hear the cars honking outside his bedroom window. The previous night had caused him to have somewhat of a mental breakdown and he still wasn't sure of what he was going to do exactly. He looked down, he still hadn't changed out of his clothes and his top hat was still sitting (quite crookedly) on top of his head.

He sat up, sifting his fingers through his chestnut colored hair and straightening his hat. It was pretty light outside, so it must have been at least ten o'clock in the morning if not later. Layton sighed, lying back down and pulling the sheets up to his chin. No, get up, he thought, Flora probably thinks that I have died; I rarely ever sleep in late. Now, Layton was one hundred percent correct when he thought of that. Flora was just outside his door, with a plate of now cold and inedible food, she was biting her fingernails and curling her toes, waiting for him to get up.

So he rose from his bed and stretched his weak and aching muscles. Today was the day. He had to choose what the police station was going to do with little Alfendi. The Professor couldn't deny that he had always wanted a son, one to teach about archeology and help with homework and take him with him on adventures. Luke had always seemed to fill that void, but now Luke was gone and Layton was alone.

"Flora," he croaked, still managing to crack some knuckles.

"Yes Professor!" He heard a shuffling outside his door and then the sound of something tipping over, "Oops!" He grinned, walking over to his bedroom entrance and twisting the knob open. Flora was wiping up some orange juice with a wad of napkins with a small plate of food sitting in front of her.

"Flora, dear," he held out his hand for her and she took it, standing on her feet, "You did not have to go to the trouble of making me food, especially today."

"Professor, that's one of the reasons I did," she pouted, "Obviously today is going to be strenuous on you, so I figured I might as well make you something!" She crossed her arms.

"Flora," he was about to tell her that it's not necessary, but instead he said something else, "May I ask you something?"

"Of…" she looked at him, "Of course Professor."

"What do you think I should do?" Professor Hershel Layton was asking his protégée for help? This was unheard of, absurd! But it pleased Flora to no end.

"Professor," she sighed, tugging at her ponytail, "I don't know." She looked down at the floor, at her breakfast, "What feels the most right to you? What… what do you think would make for the best outcome?"

"Flora, I-"

"You know something," she grinned, "I have one solution that would allow you to keep your job and take care of Alfred-"

"Alfendi."

"Okay, okay," she laughed, "Just… just let me take care of him!" For a moment everything was silent, Layton was thinking about her suggestion with deep consideration, but there were a few unfortunate problems…

"Flora, what if you start a fire?"

"I've only done that three times Professor!" She clapped her hands together gleefully.

"What if you lock yourself out again?"

"That was only once and you were on your way home anyway," she persisted.

"What if we get robbed?"

"Professor, now you're just making up exc-"

"Flora, what if the same thing that happened to Bethany happens to you?" He was now gripping her shoulders so tightly, his knuckles were white.

"Professor…" she whispered, "You can't protect me from everything," she looked into his eyes, "I'm not that little mysterious girl from St. Mystere anymore… I'm just… not."

"And I know that, but-" His voice cracked slightly, "But I just can't lose anyone else, I've lost so many people in my life Flora and there is no way in hell, I'm going to lose you."

There was a moment where nothing but silence ran between them and they were locked in their current positions, looking into each other's eyes. For the first time, Flora looked at him as if he were her father; strong, careful, protective, sometimes, stupidly protective. But… she didn't want that stupidly protective father to let her go. She wanted him to tell her that she meant something to him, because it had been so long since she had heard it in the first place.

"Professor," she swallowed, "I promise, you will never lose me." Flora wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him tightly. He returned the embrace, holding Flora as if she was his own daughter. Then, the telephone began to ring (sorry if this ruins the moment, but it happened). Flora broke away from her crumbling caretaker and ran over to the machine, picking it up delicately with her fingertips.

"Hello? Yes, this is Flora," she paused for a minute, tapping her foot on the ground, "Yes; he is awake, sure, of course Inspector." She pulled the telephone away from her face and mouthed: It's Inspector Chelmey. Layton nodded and walked over to the phone, holding it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Oi Layton," the Inspector said to the Professor, "First I would love to tell you the news that we caught the bastard." Layton swallowed.

"Goodness gracious, how?"

"He ran in 'ere and confessed everything to us, I'll tell you this one is a real whack-job."

"Oh my goodness, that it wonderful to hear, thank you," Layton let out a sigh of relief.

"Now," her heard the Inspector breath in on the other line, "Have you made a decision yet?"

"I think I have." Layton replied breathing in as well, "I think I have."

…

"Hello Layton," the Inspector welcomed the Professor and his protégée at the front entrance of the police station about an hour after he had called, "We've got the baby right over 'ere, good little fellow. He-" Layton immediately tuned him out, he was deathly afraid of a baby, a baby? He was having a baby… symbolically, I suppose. He barely knew how to take care of a infant, much less have one living in his home… for the rest of his life.

"Hello Alfendi," the Professor stood over the purple haired, golden eyed boy, blinking mindlessly into space, "I'm… I'm going to take care of you now." He reached out, as if he was going to take the child into his arms, but he couldn't seem to do it.

"Professor," Flora nudged him, "You can do it." She gave him a reassuring smile. He nodded at her while putting his fingers under the child's arms and hoisting him up from the police officer who was carrying him. He carefully let the child lay down in a cradling position.

"Oh my goodness," he said, his eyes getting wide, "I have a son…"

"I have a brother," Flora smiled spinning on the soles of her feet, "I have a little brother named Alfendi!" The little baby looked up at Flora, giggling at her gestures, "May I hold him Professor?"

"Of course dear," to be truthful, Layton was happy to have the baby out of his arms, he was dreadfully afraid that he would drop the child. He handed to infant to Flora who took him into her arms and seemed to have a magic power to make him laugh.

"Layton," Inspector Chelmey tapped him on the shoulder, "May I speak with you a moment? There is someone who has been asking about you." He looked back at his cheerful daughter playing with little Alfendi and suddenly felt relieved because she knew what she was doing.

"Who has been asking to speak with me?" Layton asked, "Is it the man who killed Bethany, does he want to see me?'

"No," the Inspector answered simply, "He's looked away for second-degree murder and that bastard won't be getting out of prison any time soon."

"Good," Layton didn't feel any happiness that the man was in jail, he felt relief and justice, knowing that Bethany was being justified, "Then who does want to talk to me?"

"I can't believe you haven't guessed," Chelmey laughed, gesturing the Professor to follow him into the prison cells, "We moved him here from the main reform center early this morning, he was asking about you all yesterday after some guard mentioned what happened."

"Oh," for whatever reason, Layton couldn't think of anybody, he was extremely distracted, yes maybe that's what it was, that was why his mind wasn't working properly.

"Oh 'ere he is," Chelmey pulled a metal ring with multiple keys hanging on it, he sifted through them for a moment before choosing one and inserting it into the lock on the prison cell door.

"Professor," Clive Dove stood up in a turquoise and white striped jumpsuit, "I…" he swallowed, "I'm sorry."

"Oh Clive," the Professor walked into the cell, sitting down at a small table in the middle of the room.

"Professor, are you all right? I heard people talking about what had happened to you yesterday and I became frightened, I… I'm sorry about it."

"Clive, please," Layton gestured for the adolescent to sit down on the chair, "Clive, because I trust you, even with all of the things you have done, I still very much trust you." He paused, Chelmey stood against the door frame listening intently, "When you get out of prison, whenever you do, come to my flat and promise me, with your life that you will take care of Flora and my son… Alfendi."

"You're adopting this child?" Clive asked, quite a bit surprised.

"Yes," Layton replied, "Now do you promise to take care of them?"

"Yes, of course," Clive held out his hand, "I will never break that promise Professor, the debt I owe to you will never be paid and I know that, so the least I can do is take care of them for you."

"Thank you my boy," Layton tried to smile, but the pain that he was feeling in his chest was too great. The last twenty-four hours had been so overwhelming; he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. He shook the criminal's hand.

"It's a pleasure…" the boy seemed to want to ask the Professor something, desperately, but he could get the courage to do it.

"What's wrong Clive?" Good thing that the Professor could see it.

"I…" he swallowed and sighed, "I still haven't had a chance to apologize to Flora for everything I have done… It's been nearly six months since the events that put me in this," he laughed, poking at the turquoise and white uniform he was wearing, "And I still haven't… I just want to have things right."

"That seems appropriate enough," Layton smiled, "I'll go fetch her for you if that's all right," Clive nodded as the Professor stood up and walked out of the room, passing Chelmey with a nod. He made his way down the hallway; he could see his beautiful daughter bouncing the baby Alfendi in her lap.

"Professor," she smiled at him, "I think…" she looked down for a moment, "I think that everything will be okay."

"As do I," the Professor sat down next to her, the infant rubbed his eyes, yawning, "I think someone is a little tired."

"Yeah," Flora smiled at Alfendi curling into her arms, "Can I ask you something, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Go right ahead my dear."

"Would you have had children with… with Claire?"

"Um," Layton breathed in and out in long drawn out breaths, "Yes." He answered simply, "We probably would." Flora nodded, smiling a little bit as the infant started to drift into sleep.

"Professor," she said, "Who wanted to see you?" She was whispering now.

"Um… well," he looked at her, "Let me say it this way," she cocked her head slightly, "Now he is asking for you."

"What?" She almost laughed a little, "Um, here," she carefully lifted Alfendi and placed him in the Professor's arms, "I'll be back in a moment."

"Inspector Chelmey will direct you," he added as she began to walk away towards the prison cells. The clicking of her heels drowned out the nervous feeling she was getting. She knew exactly who wanted to speak with her and she had been rehearsing for this exact moment for the past six months.

"Flora," Inspector Chelmey saw her walking down the hall and smiled, "Go right ahead." She stood for a second debating whether she should go in or not.

"Flora?" She heard Clive's voice in the room, so she breathed out and stepped in, "Flora I'm-" before he had a chance to speak, she lifted her hand and whipped it across his face.

"I accept your damned apology," she said strongly as her hand started to pulse. Clive stood up straight holding his cheek.

"I deserved that," he said. Clive looked up at her, "I… Flora…"

"I don't want to hear it," she said, "Good-bye."

"Flora,"

"Good-bye Clive," she said, walking out of the room, "Damn." She muttered. Her hand was pulsing and red from where she had hit Clive. She bent her fingers and clenched her hand into a fist, everything hurt.

"Miss Reinhold," Inspector Chelmey, "I hope you realize that what your just did was illegal-"

"What?" She broke into a nervous sweat.

"But," he began as he locked the prison cell, "I will let you off with a slide, because I know what he did to you."

"Thank you!" She cried, reaching out to hug him.

"Now, now," the Inspector laughed, slightly pushing Flora away, "Let's get back to Layton and little Alfendi." Flora ran down the hall to see the Professor cradling the baby in his arms, it was one of the sweetest things she had ever seen in her life.

"Professor," she said to him, sitting down.

"How did your visit go?"

"Um…" she sighed, "It went good, I guess." She felt a twinge of guilt hit her right in the chest.

"That's good," Layton nodded, "Would you like to get going?"

"Yes, I suppose," she tried to force a smile but she couldn't seem to do it. She knew that she had just crushed the heart of the criminal who had kidnapped her and she felt terrible about it. But there wasn't much she could do know, she'd have to live with it for a while.

Hi guys! I'm so appreciative of the 4 reviews I got on the first chapter! Thank you KeybladeTopHatMaster, The Mocking Abitat Eco, and Glaciealis! I really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I realize that Flora was a little OOC, but I mean, if someone kidnapped you and thought that just "sorry" was going to cut it, I would go a little crazy on them too.

And I'm sorry for not updating sooner, FanFiction was glitching and it wouldn't allow me to enter the "Manage Stories" tab and I must admit I was getting very frustrated.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!