Here's the next chapter, finally! =D I had a really busy week of school and art commissions and I was unable to finish it earlier. Sorry about this =/… But I'll do my best to at least submit a new chapter each week, more if I'm able. I hope everyone will like this chapter.

And don't forget, reviews are really appreciated and I'll try to answer every questions I can. Have a good reading! =D

Chapter 2 - Rude awakening

It was cold, dark, and everything around him was blurry and seemed to move at a high speed.

He couldn't see what stood in front of him or on what he was actually standing.

Strong wind could be felt around him.

It gave him the feeling of standing on something that was moving.

He instinctively held onto something on his head. Is it a hat?

His other hand had a tight grip on a metal bar or something of that sort.

It was really cold.

It was hard to breath.

He had this feeling inside of him… that he had to get away from this place, that he needed to run. He had to get a way out and fast.

But where to go? Why did he have this feeling? What was happening?...wasn't he in a forest a moment ago?

Then suddenly a shadow rushed fast in his direction. He couldn't make out what it was, but it was coming directly at him.

He tried to avoid this shadow, but in his evasive action, he slipped on the surface beneath him.

He got pushed backward by the strong wind, off of what he was standing.

Panic suddenly filled him. He couldn't see or understand what was going on.

He was falling, everything was blurry and whirling around him.

He just had the time to give a final glance full of fear around him and noticed the shadow, far up in the sky, looking at him fall down.

Everything went black.

A small figure was poking him on the arm, still curious about the strange man and wondering when he would finally wake up. Beside the fact his outfit was torn, he was looking quite nice. And this face…. he seem like a really kind man. Probably even a awesome daddy.

His eyes suddenly snapped open and he sat bolt upright, making the person next to him yelp back in surprise. All his feeling came back to him and he suddenly really regretted getting up that fast. He cringed in pain and lay back almost as quickly as he got up.

He placed a hand on his chest where he could feel pain. It was probably some bruised ribs. He could feel something under his hand that wasn't his shirt. When he looked there, he noticed that his chest was covered in bandages…. and that he was actually shirtless.

Some red color spread on his face as embarrassment.

He looked at himself and his actual state and he looked terrible. Torn cloths and bandages here and there.

He looked at himself for a moment… silent… until he remembered that he spotted someone beside him when he woke up.

He had the reflex to cover his chest with his blanket. He looked to his right and spotted a petite lady standing there with a surprised look plastered over her face, eyes wide and mouth open. She seemed really young, judging by her size and face feature. Maybe around seven years old. She had blond hair made in two ponytails and big beautiful green eyes. She sported a pale green shirt with a blue ribbon worn as a bowtie, a dark green skirt and blue sandals.

She stayed there for a moment, looking in man's eyes, full of wonder, and then suddenly started to back off and then rushed out of the room.

We could hear her shout "GRAMMA! He's alive!"

He stayed there for a moment, alone, in this unknown location and a bit confused by the situation. He took the occasion to have a quick glance around. Every piece of furniture in the room had a rustic style. He could see some old black and white pictures in handmade frames that were hanging on the wall, a red unlight candle that stood on the drawers, along with some books. To his side, he could see a little bed table where bandages stood unused, a cloth along with a bowl of water and his folded shirt and jacket.

Everything was so calm, no sound was heard and a faith light was coming from the window. It was so...relaxing.

He could make out multiple footstep coming in his room direction. He looked at the door and there suddenly the little lady of earlier, rushed back inside the room, dragging along a small old woman by the hand. The woman had short white curly hair with a yellow flower in them. She had small caring black eyes with big red glasses that were giving her a gentle feel because of their shape. She had a pale yellow shirt, a white dotted red skirt along with a white apron and red shoes.

Not long after the two women arrived, an elderly man came inside the room right behind them. He had a white beard and small dotted black eyes. He sported a straw hat on his white hair. He had a black and red checkered jacket along with a black shirt. He wore dark blue jean with a black belt and typical brown cowboy boots. A piece of hay was sticking out of his mouth.

The elderly woman came to his side first with a concerning look on her face, yet, she was looking relieved at finally seeing that he woke up.

"Oh, you finally woke up, what a relief. Tell me young man, how are you feeling?", she seemed to study his bandages, to be sure everything was fine.

"I suppose I already feel better.", he gave her a sincere smile that she returned, "But I'm feeling better than earlier."

Now it was the turn to the elderly man to come near him. He looked like someone with much energy despite his age. His voice boomed in a laugh before he could say something.

"My poor boy, you have been out cold for three whole days.", he receive a shocked look from the injured man and he gave him a big smile, "Don't worry my boy. My dear fiance Elizabeth has taken a good care of you while you were out."

Three days?! He has been out that long? Even if he had been sleeping for three whole day, he was still really exhausted. He got out of his thoughts when he heard a little voice.

"Hey! Hey! I helped too! Don't forget about me Grampa!", the petite lady beamed, a bit angry that he forgot to mention her and crossing her arms, pouting.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the little girl reaction and gave her a tired smile, "I'm much thankful for your assistance.", a big proud smile plastered on the little girl face, "If there's anything I could do to repay you -…"

The old man shook his head, "Don't you worry about this for now my friend. Rest and keep your energy to get back on your feets and heal faster."

He nodded, "Yes, of course."

Elizabeth smiled to him, "Like my husband said, my name is Elizabeth...", she showed her husband and her little girl, "...and there is my husband Harrison and our little girl Mia.", Mia gave him a little wave with a big smile on her face, he couldn't help but smile warmly back.

"It is a real pleasure to meet you all."

He suddenly had that reflex to tilt his hat when saying this. But the fact he had no hat and then he was unsure why he did so, left him confused by this reflex. This made Mia giggle by how ridiculous he was looking and it made him blush, a bit embarrassed.

" Say mister!", the little excited Mya said, a bit too loud for his headache's taste, "What is your name?"

His smile suddenly disappeared, unsure how he was supposed to reply to this. He wished he could know that answer himself. He looked back to the ceiling, laying there with a confused expression on his face.

"I… wish I would know myself, my dear…"

Her smile dropped as well at this mention and she looked up at her grandmother who seemed to share the same shocked expression as her.

"Oh my…", Elizabeth started with a hint of sadness#, "Don't you… remember anything?"

He shook his head gently and looked back at her.

"I woke up in the middle of the forest in that state and I couldn't remember a single thing. I'm… I'm not sure what happened and how I ended up here. I did my best to search for help and well- ...", he trailed off, they knew very well what happened after.

Harrison smiled warmly and... it strangely brought him a reassuring feeling "Don't worry my boy, you can stay as long as you wish and need it. We can't leave you alone like this with nowhere to go."

"Maybe your memories will come back to you after some good rest", Elizabeth added.

He was unsure what to reply at first. These persons was so generous toward him, even if he was a complete stranger to them and they had made him such a kind offer… how could he refuse?

"I'm much grateful for this kind offer Miss Elizabeth and Mister Harrison, but I wouldn't want to be a burden for both of you if you have to keep me here…"

"Oh don't you worry about this lad",she hushed him with her hand, " we're always happy to have visitor in our sweet home."

"And you'll not want to leave after tasting to my wife's pie!" Harrison added, getting a giggle from both Mia and Elizabeth and a smile from the injured man.

"I suppose i can't refuse no matter what I say, hmhm."

Elizabeth gave a soft chuckle. "You're learning fast lad. Now, please, rest a bit more. You really need it after all this. We will come wake you up when dinner is ready. You need some energy back."

"Thank you Miss Elizabeth"

"Oh please, you can call me Elizabeth. I feel older when someone calls me miss."

He smiled, amused "Of course Elizabeth, as you wish."

"Now hush, sleep a bit", she moved her hands around to show him to rest.

Both Elizabeth and Harrison left the room, leaving Mia alone behind. She gave him a shy little wave and rushed out after her grand-parents. He could hear her from his room.

"Say Gramma! If he doesn't remember his name, how will I call him?"

He could hear her laugh. "I guess we will see that later."

He shook softly his head and chuckled.

He closed his eyes, and it was at this moment that he realised how tired he really was.

He was back to sleep in no time.

The table was filled with warm tasty looking food. Everything was freshly made.

I guess Harrison was right about Elizabeth's food. Who can resist such a good looking meal.

Actually… not just good looking. He got to taste some plates already and it was divine.

He smiled, looking at them chatter around the table. They had that warm and welcoming family feeling. It was so wonderful.

For a moment, he pondered…

Was there someone waiting for him at home? If yes… they must be awfully worried. He felt bad inside of him, wishing he could remember. It was actually three days he was away, sure someone was looking for him?

Right?

Childatheart28: Don't worry, we should see Luke and Flora quite soon. ;)

Everyone else: Thank you so much for your reviews! It makes me want to keep writing more and more and ya bunch giving me such nice reviews that I always enjoy to read. =3

I don't own the characters from the Professor Layton game series. Professor Layton is the property of Level-5, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.