Disclaimer: I don't own Professor Layton or Claire or anyone else in this story, they belong to Level 5 games and nobody else!

Learning how to love.

Claire's vision was blurry as she finally began to come to.

She could hardly feel a single limb in her body except for the abnormally strong beating of her own heart. It felt like it could burst at any single moment at the rate it was going at and that wasn't even an exaggeration. She could not move, she could not really think but she could only try and blink the mist out of her vision and try and clear the fog inside her mind.

She noticed that her vision was rather faded around the edges as she blinked her spectacled eyes repeatedly, unable to do much else as she tried to sit up.

Her efforts were proven in vain.

She then began to hear voices. They were none she recognised but they seemed so soft and so tender that those voices actually made her feel safe from harm. Claire wanted nothing more then for both of those kindly voices to just wrap around her heart and to give her something that her own parents had neglected to give her.

She tried and tried to think about what had happened earlier but she couldn't think really well since her memories had been severed in parts, making her memories of what happened before she passed out incomplete.

"Dear? Can you hear me, sweetheart?" One of the voices asked, a female.

Claire's vision started to come back into focus as she squinted her eyes. She could vaguely feel her muscles ache while she was slowly regaining her bearings and she felt something warm draped against her. From what she could feel on both her back and covering her entire body from the shoulder down, she guessed that she was lying on a sofa with a blanket draped over her.

As her vision cleared, she noticed that her suspicions were correct.

She was, indeed, laying down on a sofa with a soft woollen blanket wrapped around her and a kindly woman was kneeling right beside her with a very soft smile tugging at the corners of her sweet lips. Her eyes were soft and she even wiped away some loose strands of Claire's vibrant red hair from her eyes that were naked without her glasses.

The woman, known as Lucille Layton, softly called out to her again "Claire, love, it is alright to open your eyes." She stroked her head much like a loving mother would when their child was crying their eyes out and sobbing hysterically. She tended to the wounded young girl's weak form sprawled out on the sofa while she worriedly reached over to the coffee table beside her and sponged what appeared to be a mark on her wrist.

So, trying to blink the dots out of her flitting vision, Claire finally got her head focused and realised that she was in what looked like a very nice house.

Smiling cheerfully, Lucille suddenly yelled over her shoulder towards an open doorway "Roland! the dear is awake!" Her voice was like a the "boom" of a continental explosion that could echo throughout the entire universe.

Within seconds, the big burly man with the Snow White beard named Roland came rushing into the room. He wore a concerned expression on his face and his non existent squinted eyes were scrunched in fear. However he had such a kind look that someone could easily mistake him as Santa Claus should he have been clad in red.

The man got down on his knee and examined Claire for himself, checking her over thoroughly with a hand raised to begin stroking his chin. He seemed to be thinking deeply for whatever reason.

The couple smiled down sweetly at the girl -despite Claire not being able to see them well because of the absence of her glasses- and Lucille asked the girl softly "Are you feeling alright, my dear?"

Claire didn't answer right away. She honestly didn't know if she was alright or not. She could hardly feel her muscles work and she felt heavy on the sofa she lain down on, kind of like a log floating in water not lacking a better description of her current state. The young girl sighed and looked up at the two through her bleary view on the world.

"I...I'm fine thank you." Claire smiled weakly at them.

Roland passed Claire her glasses and plonked the spectacles against the bridge of nose.

Thanking them, Claire gingerly sat up with a long moan of exhaustion. She used the bottom of the seat she lain on to support herself whilst carrying out this task to get herself into a sitting position and she had a kind and warm look that tried to compare to both Roland and Lucille's warm grins...it could not.

Whence she was properly anchored the girl decided to strike up some conversation with the two; "So," Claire started tiredly "what happened?"

Lucille smiled softly, pushing Claire back down so she wouldn't tire herself out too quickly. Her eyes were tired and somewhat concerned for the girl but she answered the question anyway since she deserved to hear what had happened to her.

She tilted her head to one side but replied in a honeyed voice:

"Apparently you wandered into a dangerous alleyway and got assaulted by some scoundrels; Hershel was on his way back from the school hall to drop off his fencing equipment at home when he claimed he saw you on your own. He hid behind a bush since he didn't want to startle you, according to him, but when he saw that you hadn't come out after a long time, he went in after you and brought you home."

Claire blinked, trying to take in all this new information. Hershel had actually saved her? Now that she thought about it she did recall being snatched by the wrist and almost being forced into a very nasty situation and then someone coming to rescue her. Then she realised...was Hershel alright!?

Thankfully Roland had saw the look on her face and knew precisely what she was thinking even before she blurted out what her mind was basically screaming to know. He reassured her softly to calm her stressed brain "Now, now, m'dear. Hershel is just fine; he dropped you off here at home just before he had to go off to work."

Claire registered this. So this is where Hershel lived was it? Well it seemed like a very nice place and she was actually sort of jealous. Hershel lived in a very nice neighbourhood and in a very nice house, he also appeared to have been pampered like a prized poodle in this nice little village. It sort of surprised her that he had been brooding.

If her guess was correct then Roland and Lucille were Hershel's parents...maybe they would know something about his behaviour.

The young lady arched her head one side. Her face twisted in confusion, her lips were yanked into a frown and her eyes were big and glassy. She sighed as she twiddled her thumbs absent-mindedly.

Looking up, Claire asked them both "Mr and Mrs Layton, what happened to your son to make him so...bitter ?"

Lucille and Roland seemed surprised that she knew that they were Hershel's parents but that was the least of their concerns. They looked a bit saddened and those were actual expressions that broke Claire's heart that made her almost sorry she'd asked. But she had to know what she could do to assist the lad and this was the only way she knew how.

The troubled parents turned on their feet and sat before Claire with solemn faces and they took some time to collect themselves.

It felt like an entire eternity until Roland answered the question with a sour heart and he seated himself down next to his wife on a sofa opposite the one Claire rested on, resting the palms of his hands on his lap, and he cast his squinty little eye sadly downwards and away from the eyes of the young lady they were supposed to be keeping a watch on.

"...Its because of the poor boy's best friend."

Claire's head perked up in interest. Hershel's best friend? What about them? What could have happened to make the lad so bitter and sour to the world...it was a strange, actually; while Hershel was so cold he had a remaining shred of honour about him that actually made her think of a true gentleman.

Hmmm...Hershel, a gentleman. That had a nice ring to it actually.

Shaking the thought out of her head, Claire listened intently to what the Layton couple had to say.

She had a feeling that this would lead her into something huge here.

A/N: Sorry about the short chapter, guys. I was just busy today.

Lets see what Hershel is doing while this is happening, shall we? I hope to get the next chapter out soon so please bear with me.

I love LaytonXClaire, their a cute couple. I also recently finished PL and the Lost future. It was a good game. :)

Please review.

-Chloemcg