Redone
21
Layton hummed cheerfully to himself as he strode towards his car in the driveway, digging out the keys from his pocket. The meeting with the headmistress of the orphanage had been a successful one, and Luke's future was safe and secured. Once the rest of the legal matters were addressed, the boy would become a permanent part of the Layton household. A flicker of thought crossed his mind, a slight suggestion that he should perhaps break the news to his own parents, but he dismissed it quickly, a faint frown playing over his mouth that vanished in the wake of his renewed happiness. Let them find out another way; Harold had made it quite clear where his feelings lay when it came to his only son. Layton certainly wasn't going to let that be the model for Luke.
He was just about to unlock the door when he heard his name being shouted and paused, glancing around himself before turning to stare in shock as Young Luke and Hershel raced towards him, waving their arms and making a ruckus. Though that by itself was cause enough for alarm, the very fact that both children were without their constant companions -Flora for Young Luke and Luke Penford for Hershel- made Layton feel a sudden chill. Where were those two? Shouldn't Sir Luke be looking after them all?
"Luke, Hershel? What are you two doing here?" Layton asked as the boys ran up to him, throwing their arms around him and crying out in fear, anger, and whatever other emotions were churning in them, "Where are Penford and Flora? I left a note for him to take care of you until I returned!" His eyes widened suddenly as another realization struck home. "Wait a moment. How did you two even know I would be here?" he blurted out.
"Sir Luke said that you'd be here because of his data!" Hershel exclaimed, clinging to the older man's cloak, "He knows what's supposed to happen and he just follows and waits for it to happen! He knew you'd come here so he had us all come too!"
"But while we were walking here, Don Paolo showed up and he had another Don Paolo with him, all old and ugly and mean-looking!" Young Luke cried, gripping Layton's cloak on his other side as tears ran down his face, "And they shot a rope at Penford and it tangled him and Flora up and Penford told us to run and get you!"
"Don Paolo has Penford and Flora?" Layton exclaimed in shock, "And there are two of them?" He blinked and gasped softly, one hand going up to his mouth. "The older one... From the manor! He must also be a time-traveller!" he realized and quickly unlocked the car, opening the door and hurrying the children inside, "We have to find them, quickly! Where were you when they were kidnapped?" Young Luke and Hershel bounced into the Laytonmobile, scrambling for seats as the Professor started up the vehicle and rushed out of the driveway.
"Just down the street! About three blocks!" his apprentice exclaimed, pointing down the street. The car sped up, racing to follow his directions and reach the last place Sir Luke and Flora were seen. Once the boy jumped and cried out that they had arrived, the three of them scrambled out to search for clues.
Poking among the garbage in the alley, Hershel spotted the glint of something golden and yelped as he scooped up the pocket-watch that Luke always kept on him. This was important! This was the thing that sent him and Luke through time to this place and it was the only thing that could send them home to the past once his mission was done. Had he dropped it when that creepy old Don Paolo kidnapped them?
"Hey! Old me!" Hershel exclaimed, waving the watch as he turned to spot Layton and Young Luke search the rest of the alley, "I found Sir Luke's special watch!" He ran down to meet them as Young Luke snorted in disdain and Layton sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose out of a mix of irritation, patient suffering and a fading headache.
"Hershel, please. That was rather rude; hadn't your teacher explained that you shouldn't use such disrespectful terms? If you must call for me, 'Professor' or 'Layton' would be just fine." he replied before accepting the golden watch for examination. There were a few scratches on it from having fallen to the ground and Layton thumbed the clasp to check it for damage. The clockwork seemed sound enough, still ticking away slowly and surely. He was about to close it again, when he noticed that the hour and minute hands had shifted to the third hour, the minute hand slightly off center from the numeral.
"Hershel? Do you know what this means?" Layton asked of the boy, leaning down to show him the interior of the pocket-watch. Hershel blinked up at him, then at the face of the watch before frowning.
"A little. Sir Luke said something about it that sounded funny to me. It's a watch that tells time by things that happen, not real time." he replied and tilted his head, "But I didn't understand what he meant." Layton stood up and began pacing in thought as Hershel went back to searching for clues with Young Luke.
The watch told time by events, not by hours or minutes. So if this was the case, then every hour represented an event in time that has passed. He glanced at the watch again, noting the other numbers. Since the hands both started on the first hour when he had his initial look at the watch and now were on the third hour, Layton concluded that two major events had passed by. And since the hands had barely begun their next circuit, that meant the second event had happened very recently. What could those events be and what were the events that had yet to take place?
So deep in thought was he that Layton almost didn't notice the movements around him until he felt something hit his side roughly, throwing him off balance. There were sharp cries from Hershel and Young Luke, the sound of something twanging and Layton stumbled back before finally falling to the ground, unable to help the soft grunt that escaped his mouth from the collision. Another yelp of pain and the Professor rubbed at his hip gingerly before looking up to see the boys tangling with another pair of boys, fists flying and feet kicking.
"Give it back! You louts, give the Professor back his wallet!" Young Luke demanded of the scruffy-haired boy he was currently punching wildly, half his blows missing their marks entirely because the boy was wearing an oversized green jumper, the ends of the sleeves torn enough to fit his skinny arms. He'd pinned the boy down bodily, sitting on his stomach and trading punches as the urchin twisted and fought back just as wildly.
Nearby, Hershel had fired off one of his peppermint candies to stun the other street child, another aimed at him just in case. The boy glared at him, rubbing his temple where the candy had struck him, a streak of dirt on his face covering some of the freckles dotting his cheeks and matching the filthy state of his drab grey shirt and pants torn at the knees.
"Pa-parah." the young Layton remarked suddenly and the freckled boy's eyes widened in surprise before whistling sharply at his partner. Young Luke paused, startled by the shrill sound, and was immediately thrown off in a painfully familiar maneuver that he remembered had been used against him before. Once both street children were standing before Hershel, the taller freckled boy nudged his partner with an elbow and he yelped, pulling up the bottom hem of his jumper to dig out a brown leather wallet with the Layton Family insignia burned onto its flap. He held it out to Hershel, who took it, gave it a quick look over for missing valuables, then stuffed it into his own pocket, crinkling a newspaper clipping that had been left inside against it.
"'Ey! What's going on?" Young Luke demanded to know as he scrambled to his feet. He turned and spotted the Professor, hurrying over to help him stand.
"So, you's be one-nna us, 'ey? Name's Rattik." the freckled boy remarked with a grin at Hershel as he rubbed the sleeve of his shirt against his nose. He pat his partner on the shoulder, "Dis be my brudder, Duke. You?" Hershel grinned back at the boys, tilting his top hat back as he spun his slingshot and slid it back into his satchel.
"Hawk-Eye." he named himself, "Best spotter the Gutter Valley Boys ever had!" Rattik tilted his chin up in defiant dubiousness, which just made his messy black hair flop over his eyes comically.
"Yeah? Best spotter, 'ey?" he questioned, then shrugged and rocked back and forth on his heels like he was completely in control of things, "Den how's about a little test, 'ey?" Hershel grinned wider.
"All right, but when I pass, you gotta answer a few questions for me, deal?" he returned and folded his arms over his chest, "So what's the test?" Rattik scratched his head in thought, then brightened and snapped his fingers.
"Spotters got sharp, fast eyes. Duke here's got da fastest fingers dis part of town. Le's pit one 'gainst da odder, 'ey?" he remarked, digging into his pocket and pulling out three small cups. Layton and Young Luke joined them, watching curiously as Duke dug a flat piece of metal out of a nearby box of junk parts and set it down on the ground. Rattik set up the cups, plucked a small pebble off the ground and held it up to Hershel. "Right, so we has dis pebble, 'ey? I'm gonna put it in one-nna dese cups and Duke's gonna swap 'em 'round. If ya be as good as da stories say about da Hawk-Eye what used to run wid da boys, den we'll be square wid you havin' da name and we'll tell ya what ya want." he explained and set the pebble under the center cup before standing aside to let Duke take over.
The smaller boy bent to take the cups in his hands, waiting until Hershel sat down and focused on them before setting to his task. He whisked them around easily, the soft swish-swish of the cups sliding over metal filling the air as Layton knelt by his younger self, surprising his apprentice with the sharp gaze that was now locked onto the little hands. Faster and faster, the little cups moved, until it was nearly a blur of motion and Young Luke had to look away or be dizzy and sick. How could the two Laytons stand staring at them?
Finally, Duke sat back with a smug grin on his face, his hands spread to show that he had completed his task of changing the cups around to the point that no one could tell where the pebble could be hidden. Young Luke dared a peek and breathed a sigh of relief that it was over, then watched in shock as both Hershel and Layton broke into wide grins that looked eerily the same and just a tad bit wicked.
"You palmed it and it's in the elbow of your right sleeve." Hershel pointed out, lifting a finger to wag at Duke's startled expression, the boy's hazel eyes wide with astonishment, "I told you my eyes were the best in the gang! That's why I'm Hawk-Eye!"
"Blimey!" Duke finally exclaimed and flicked his arm to send the pebble into the air, snagging it with a grin, "Rattik! Those stories weren't bull after all!" The older boy sighed and shrugged with a grin.
"Right, so ya proved ya got good eyes. What do a couple of blokes like you wanna know?" he asked and Hershel looked over at his older self as Layton stood up and dusted himself off.
"Have either of you seen a kidnapping occur here sometime today?" the Professor asked of the boys, "A young man dressed in a blue coat and hat, and a young lady with her hair tied back were snatched from the street here and we're looking for clues to locate and rescue them." Rattik and Duke blinked up at him, then looked at each other in confusion.
"Is he talking about the creepy old blokes with that car we tried twocking? Spikes all over their heads?" Duke asked his brother, waving his hand over his own head as his sleeve billowed down around his shoulder. Young Luke yelped, nodding his head furiously.
"That's them! They kidnapped Penford and Flora!" he agreed, "Do you know where they went?" The street boys laughed and shrugged their arms at the question.
"After we got done nobbling dey's junk heap of a car? Prob'ly a few streets up da way." Rattik snickered and jerked his thumb at the box of parts nearby, "We pulled it apart for scrap. Should be breakin' down any minute now..."
The two Laytons and Young Luke collectively blinked in surprise.
Smoke filled the block as cars screeched to a halt, people crying out in surprise and alarm at the small explosions coming from a single automobile holding up traffic. Two men frantically batted at small flames and tried to get it started again as the smoke continued pouring out of the vehicle.
"What the hell is going on? What happened?" the elder Don Paolo demanded of his younger self as he jabbed at buttons and pulled levers. In the rear of the car, Luke lay propped against the passenger side door, still somewhat tightly bound by rope. Flora was set against him, having been separated from him, then retied for easier transportation. Both of them twitched slightly as the smoke tickled their noses.
"Blasted contraption! Work!" Don Paolo griped, pumping his foot on the accelerator as he twisted the ignition. The elder man coughed, holding a handkerchief up to his nose and mouth.
"It's not going to budge, you nitwit!" he snapped and squinted through the smoke to see a constable rushing up to them, waving his baton to catch their attentions, "And we've got unexpected guests! We'll have to abandon the vehicle!" He slid out of the opened door and began struggling with the back. "You get the girl! I'll take boy!"
"Here, here! What's all this about?" the officer yelled, pulling the elder Don Paolo from his task as the younger jumped from the car, still trying to salvage it, "You're holding up traffic with this belching behemoth!" The time-traveller made an elaborate show of being a confused old man, trying to stall until his younger self could get the teens out of the vehicle and away from the scene.
Inside the car, Flora gave a delicate sneeze and cough at the smoke and slowly opened her eyes. Her head pounded and her eyes stung and watered, but she was at least lying on something more comfortable than the ground. Soft like fabric, but strangely textured. She coughed again and turned her head, feeling her limbs unable to budge in order to cover her mouth. That was when she noticed the color of her cushion. Blue.
It stuck in her mind as she attempted to sift through the fogginess of the drug from earlier, grasping at thoughts in hopes of making one stick to the word. Blue. Flora shifted, mumbling the word and frowning slightly as her cushion shifted as well, coughing also, and with a deeper tone than her own. Blue... and green...
"Hershel... you're heavy... Get off..." Luke groaned softly, moving as if to lift an arm to push the imagined weight off. When he couldn't, his eyes opened fully, alarmed. He looked around himself swiftly, then stared down at Flora, who still groped for the elusive memory while burying her face into his chest. He sputtered, face flaming red, then began struggling, taking notice of the smoke billowing around them and the tiny flames that now began to grow once they'd been left unattended. "F-Flora! Wake up!"
"Blue..." Flora mumbled in half-awareness, curling more against him despite her arms being bound to her sides, her wrists tied together behind her back. Luke blushed more fiercely, twisting in place until he felt the ropes loosening. The smoke continued billowing out, making it hard to breathe and harder to see. The girl coughed again, harder, and instinctively pressed deeper into her makeshift mask.
"Floraaaa!" Luke couldn't help but whine his complaint. He really didn't need this, not at this moment! The ropes slackened at last and he freed an arm, gently pushing Flora away from himself so as to finish undoing his bindings. Once he was clear, he reached for the dagger hidden in his coat and set to task cutting through Flora's ropes.
Outside, the constable found himself losing the battle against the 'befuddled' elder Don Paolo, and other drivers were beginning to lose patience, coming out and crowding the area as the younger Don Paolo tried to shield his face and save his car all at the same time. Another small explosion and a girl's scream of panic cut into the air, sending the crowd racing around in chaos. The scientist spun around to see what had happened, only to have the car door slam into his face as Luke leaped out with Flora in his arms, losing themselves in the mass panic as the elder Don noticed the blur of blue and white. His face twisted in a fury and he lifted a fist into the air, shaking it as he bellowed in rage.
"Layton! I'll get you for this!" He couldn't resist a classic.
A short distance away, Flora blinked at the faint words as she coughed into the handkerchief held over her nose and mouth, then looked puzzled even as she blushed brightly at being carried once again. Did she hear that right? After a few moments, Luke finally came to a stop and set her down, backing away quickly and slumping against a nearby store, coughing fiercely into his hand as they both tried to expel the last of the thick smoke from their lungs. When they were finally able to breathe normally again, they looked at each other, turned red, and looked away again quickly.
"A-are you all right, Flora?" Luke stammered, trying to push away the memory of her snuggling against him. He couldn't get attached, not now! She nodded quickly, still blushing, and pulled the handkerchief away, slipping it back into the pocket of her pinafore. Luke rummaged through his pockets, eyes widening as he found the Time-Binder no longer among his possessions. "Oh no... the Binder!" he cried, checking his pockets again and turning in place, staring back up the road in horror, "No, he couldn't have taken it! Everything would be ruined if-!" He stopped himself, biting down on his lip as he clenched his hands into fists, shaking.
'Think! Calm down and use your head.' he berated himself, 'Don Paolo already has a Time-Binder, somehow. Otherwise, he'd never be able to jump time periods. He couldn't have taken mine because he'd have to search me for it, and if he did that, he would have taken my dagger.' He didn't notice Flora stare at him with wide eyes as he straightened and curled his hand over his mouth, sinking into deeper thought. 'So Don Paolo didn't search me. Therefore, I lost the Time-Binder earlier than my capture. I remember it in my hand when they appeared in that alley. They fired that weapon at me and Flora, so...'
"I dropped it! Back at the alley!" he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers and a grin, "Critical thinking really is the key to success! Come on, Flora! We have to go!" The girl blinked as he brought out a sphere from his pocket and tossed it onto the street, where it exploded in a burst of brilliant light to reveal a shining white motor-scooter.
"Oh! How wondrous!" she cried brightly, clasping her hands together. After she marveled at the vehicle for a few moments, she looked up at Luke with a puzzled expression. "Um, Sir Luke? I thought I heard those strange men yelling after us as we escaped them. That Don Paolo gentleman?" she asked hesitantly, "I was simply curious as to why he would shout Professor Layton's name after you." Luke twitched, then lifted a hand to rub the nape of his neck, laughing sheepishly.
"It's probably a habit for him! Like how the Professor always has his top hat and I always have my blue cap? He can't help but yell 'Layton' every time he's miffed." he replied laughingly, avoiding her gaze, "It's probably a vulgarity to him now. 'Oh Layton this Layton!' or some such rubbish..." He trailed off uncomfortably, then cleared his throat. "Right, well. Let's go." Luke settled onto the scooter, then looked up at Flora, holding out a hand with a lump in his throat, "Y-you'll have to sit behind me. And hold on..." The girl gulped and took his hand, using it to steady herself as she perched on the seat in the most lady-like manner she could, both legs on one side and dress tucked under to keep herself proper.
No sooner had she wrapped her arms tentatively around Luke's torso than they both heard the angry shouts of the Don Paolos chasing after them. They looked back, staring in shock at the pair of men in a freshly stolen automobile, barreling after them in a hellbent fury. A cry of alarm fell from the young man's mouth and he started up the scooter, shooting off with little warning for poor Flora, who wailed in shock and fright and tightened her grip, pulling herself against his back and shutting her eyes tight.
The Laytonmobile roared down the street, tearing past other cars as Layton called out a near constant stream of apologies through the window, eyes searching frantically for a broken down car. Young Luke bounced beside him, seatbelt keeping him mostly in one place, while he held down his hat and cried for the Professor to slow down for the love of the Queen or they'd all end up scattered like puzzle pieces on the street. Hershel scanned the other side of the street, trusting his older self's spotting skill to remain the same as his own. He yelped as he spotted Luke and Flora rush by on his scooter, followed closely by the creepy men in a car that certainly didn't look broken down.
"There! Over there! They went back down the road!" he yelled, pointing wildly and falling back with a yelp as Layton twisted the wheel and spun the car around, chasing after the Don Paolos.
"Hershel, I told you to take your seat and buckle up!" the Professor called over his shoulder, flinching as he turned sharply to keep the other car in his sights, "I thought the boys said their transportation had been sabotaged!"
"It's a different color, Professor!" Young Luke exclaimed, pointing at the car, "That must be another car!" Hershel scrambled up and quickly pulled the safety belts over himself, crying out in a panic with each swerve his elder self did in order to dodge cars coming onto the road. Layton faltered at the wheel, losing speed as he gasped in alarm. "Professor!" Young Luke cried in a panic, scrabbling backwards in his seat as if trying to move away from the dashboard, "I mean they switched cars! Keep going! We'll get hit if you stop!"
The Laytonmobile surged forward again, racing to regain lost ground as the Don Paolos turned abruptly to chase after the scooter. In a panic, Layton turned as well, yelling as grit kicked up by the other vehicle's tires hit his windshield. A spark of anger ran through the Professor, and he used the adrenaline boost to take the risk of flooring the vehicle... only to bring it to a screeching halt when the Don Paolos pulled onto another street just as a passing car entered the road. Seatbelts snapped into place, bouncing the boys back and rattling Layton enough to snap him out of his brief bout of road rage. He pulled his hands from the steering wheel, staring at his trembling fingers, then clenched them into fists and pulled them close to his body, sinking down in his seat with a soft groan.
"Are we dead yet?" Hershel piped up weakly from the back seat.
"Are they still on us?" Luke called back as he drove the scooter down the street. Flora opened an eye, glanced aside at the car with the two Dons barreling after them, and squeaked.
"Yes, Sir Luke! Oh! We're going to be kidnapped again, aren't we?" she cried worriedly, "How will Professor Layton save us?" She buried her face into his back and Luke bit his lip, looking around for something to help them shake off their unwanted shadow. The warning honk of a bright red double-decker bus snapped him out of his thoughts and he stared at it as it turned into a special lane. He blinked, then grinned, turning to follow the bus.
As he'd hoped, the car with both Don Paolos sped up after him. A quick look back showed him that both men were grinning, one more hungrily than the other. They must have thought they had him pinned, what with the lane being only large enough for the bus and no room to either side to pass it by. Luke had to drop his speed, clenching his teeth as he followed the double-decker to a specific booth.
"Flora! Hang on as tight as you can! I'm going to be going very fast in a few moments!" he told her hurriedly and felt the girl's embrace tighten even more, her whimper muffled by his jacket before her face lifted.
"Be careful, Sir Luke." she murmured, then hid her face again. Luke swallowed hard, trying not to panic as he heard the car advance behind them.
"I'll have you in my grasp yet, boy!" the old Don Paolo yelled from the passenger seat as his younger self floored the accelerator. The bus passed by the booth and Luke shot forward, aiming his scooter between two odd metal circles in the street. Before passing them, he slammed his foot down on a pedal that was situated close to the scooter's chassis, out of the way until needed. The scooter emitted a burst of sound and vapor, a hydraulic system, and it launched itself into the air, sailing past the booth while the Don Paolos tore after him on the ground. Upon reaching the point where the odd circles were laid, three bollards thrust up in a split second, smashing into the front of the car and tilting it back. Both men sat there, stunned by what had just happened, while the metal posts sank serenely back into the asphalt.
Luke's scooter hit the ground roughly, tires screeching and smoking as he struggled to regain control, then darting around the bus and onto a quieter, slower street. He came to a steady stop, breathing hard as his heart raced wildly before finally slowing down to normal. A wide grin cracked his face and Flora cried out again as the young man thrust both fists into the air with a cheer.
"I did it! Ha! And the research team thought I was nutty for wanting a hydraulic system integrated into the motor-scooter!" Luke whooped, then caught himself and settled down, coughing delicately into one fist to cover his outburst, "Right, well... Are you okay, Flora? I'm very sorry I put you through all that." The girl lifted her teary face from his back as he twisted carefully to face her. He blinked, then looked dismayed. "Flora! I'm so sorry!" he blurted out, pulling her into a hug as she sobbed.
"That was horrible, Sir Luke! It was frightening and awful and just horrible! I thought we were going to die!" she wept and he sighed miserably.
"I'm sorry. I can't say it enough, but I truly am sorry for what I've put you through. We're safe now, Flora; it's all right." Luke murmured and pulled back, thumbing her tears away, "Dry your eyes. Where's that handkerchief you were using?" Flora sniffled as she tugged the piece of cloth from her pinafore, handing it to him.
"I was embroidering it... as a gift for you... your name..." she managed to say between sniffles, unaware of Luke's horrified stare at the embroidery. It was his blue cap, familiar as always, but within it was the monogrammed 'L' of the Layton Family insignia. He felt light-headed, as if all the blood had drained from his head in one fell swoop.
"Flora..." he finally managed to say and she looked up at him curiously, startled by his expression, "Why...? How...?"
"It's for your name..." she replied softly, "You don't like it? An 'L' for Professor Layton and," Luke felt like passing out right then and there, "an 'L' for Luke. Your name." The young man gasped then, hand flying up to cover his heart as he bent to take deep breaths and get blood flowing back to his head. "Sir Luke? Are you all right?" Flora exclaimed in fright.
"Yes, yes! I'll be fine..." he croaked softly and flicked the cloth in her direction, "Dry your tears... with this. I just need a moment... to remember I'm still alive..."
Once both young people had recovered from the chase and the after-effects, Luke began the more leisurely drive back to the alley where they had been kidnapped from, eager to look for the Time-Binder but mindful of Flora's feelings about riding in the open. Arriving at the alley three blocks from the orphanage, they parked and Luke began searching the area for the pocket-watch, only to pause and blink at the evidence left that showed the alley had already been searched. Tipping his hat back with his thumb, Luke glared down at the earth, slowly making out the outlines of various shoes.
The quick, half-formed steps of stout leather; Hershel Layton, darting from place to place with his sharp eyes. The clumsy, misshapen steps of medium grade rubber; Young Luke Penford, scrambling to keep up and stay by his mentor. Full-formed and confident steps, misshaping slightly in turns as they tramped a patch of earth down flat; Professor Layton, pacing as he set his brain to work on some puzzle he'd discovered. They had been here, so one of them must have found and recovered the watch. Luke sighed and straightened up, heading back to the scooter.
"My watch is safe for now. Come on. Let's head home and see if Hershel got the Professor and Luke back to the house as well. If we're lucky, they'll have headed there to wait for a ransom call or note." he remarked to Flora and began the drive back to the Layton household.
Young Luke sighed and glanced over at the driver's side sleepily. It was growing late and he was hungry and tired. The excitement of earlier had long waned and, while he was still worried about Penford and Flora, his priorities shifted to include a nap and maybe a light supper. Hershel was toying with the golden pocket-watch in the back, clicking it open, then closing it, over and over until he fell asleep with it closed. And in the driver's seat, Layton sat put, arms folded in a self hug and looking like he'd failed to solve a puzzle even after paying three hint coins to help him. Utterly appalled with himself.
He'd driven like a madman, a polite one, but still a madman. And he'd put the two children in serious danger trying to catch up to Don Paolo. What kind of guardian was he? Layton glanced aside at Young Luke once again, feeling his past actions slap him once more for his recklessness, then winced and turned back to the front. He'd held up traffic for a minute or two, until a constable tapped on his window, told him to please move his car and then let him off with a warning because he was Professor Layton. He should know better, after all. So, Layton moved the car to a shady spot by the road and had yet to budge as he replayed the entire sequence of events in his mind, mentally berating himself for nearly killing himself -twice- and Luke -once, maybe twice-. He did this several times, growing more and more upset with himself until he was jolted out of his thoughts by a small nudge to his side, just between his ribs.
"Professor...? May we go home now? Please?" his young apprentice asked faintly, outstretched fingers still hooked into his cloak, luminous blue eyes shining in the dark as he blinked slowly at him. "We can call the constable to help look for them, and get some rest... and dinner..." Layton nodded and finally restarted the car, heading for home. All he could do was hope that the young man and woman were still unharmed, wherever they were.
When he reached the house and pulled into the small garage, he noticed, with some alarm, a small white scooter parked in a cozy little space nearby. Layton stepped out of the vehicle, peering at it carefully. He placed a hand on the seat, frowning slightly. It was still warm, so it was recently left there. For some reason, it looked oddly familiar; didn't Sir Luke have a white scooter?
"Professor?" his apprentice called and Layton jumped, whirling around in surprise as Young Luke stood there behind him with Hershel next to him, the smaller boy rubbing an eye as he yawned.
"Ah, Luke, Hershel. Do either of you recognize this?" he questioned, gesturing towards the vehicle. The boy in blue tilted his head in a puzzled manner before shaking his head in the negative. Hershel lit up and ran to it, putting his arms around it in a hug.
"This is Sir Luke's magic scooter! He's here!" he exclaimed and hurried off to the front door, Layton and Young Luke hurrying to keep up. The Professor's thoughts leaped ahead to imagining the young people safely inside, probably worrying over them. He was actually wrong; Penford and Flora sat on the stoop, dozing quietly by the door.
Young Luke wrinkled his nose at the sight. "Ew. More cooties." Layton smiled as Hershel gave the boy a punch in retaliation, then the smile turned over as he took in the scene again. Penford and Flora were still outside, which meant the house was locked. Why didn't Penford unlock the door? Layton had given Luke a copy of the house key to carry with him. He asked this of his apprentice and Young Luke scowled as he rubbed his arm. "He said you changed the house lock in the future, so his key doesn't fit our lock anymore." he replied. The Professor looked confused. Why would he change a perfectly good lock?
"Unlock the door, please, Luke. I'll wake them up." he finally remarked with a sigh, "What a tiring day." His apprentice hopped up the steps to open the door as Hershel headed for Penford and started tugging at his sleeve, murmuring for him to wake up. Layton carefully picked Flora up, mindful not to wake her, and headed inside. Outside, Luke awoke in surprise and blinked as his own apprentice held out the golden watch to him.
"I'm glad you made it, Sir Luke." Hershel mumbled after he accepted the watch and checked the time. The boy suddenly threw himself at the young man in a hug, whimpering, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you!" Luke only sighed and picked him up, standing to enter the house himself.
"The second Hour is done ahead of schedule, but we're still moving to the third Hour. How odd." he wondered aloud as the boy sighed contentedly, head resting against his shoulder, "Could the Time-Binder be compensating for the acceleration in event timing? Or is someone in the future altering my programming remotely? Is that how I wound up in the far past?" The worried look didn't leave his face for the rest of the evening.