Disclaimer: Professor Layton and all related characters still don't belong to me.

Chapter Three: Adjusting

"Professor?"

"Yes, Luke?" The mentor steadily drove his apprentice in the good old Laytonmobile to a very familiar headquarters.

"Are you sure... That is..." Luke was shuffling uneasily in his seat.

Layton smiled a knowing smile. "You want to ask me if it's safe to meet up with Clive again, correct?"

By now, Luke had gotten used to his spot on predictions and cheerfully stated, "Of course you're right, Professor!" He paused as the smile faded. "But you know, he's been plotting an evil scheme for such a long time and I'm not sure if we can trust him. What if he tries to trick us again? I'm surprised he got accepted to get out early on parole in the first place!"

The Professor reached a red light and closed his eyes temporarily. "You're right about that, Luke. I remember that in the paper it said his sentence in jail was to be at least twenty years. But then again, a true gentleman must always give second chances to everyone. Remember Luke, he even promised to atone for his crimes." I wonder what could have happened to convince the authorities that Clive is ready to come out already. But then... He was never a criminal to begin with. Just a misguided child. The streetlight became green and he resumed driving toward Scotland Yard.

Luke pouted and kicked his legs a few times. "I don't know about this, Professor. But if you insist that it's fine..."

-x-

The young man had been pacing back and forth on the same ground for ten minutes. His head was down and hands were in the pockets of his pants. Occasionally he would look up when he heard a sound, whether it was a car passing by or people that would taking a walk. Two officers were there standing at the door of the police headquarters, watching him. Do they really think I would just run away if they weren't watching me?

Suddenly, he heard the clunk of an engine and turned to face the direction of the sound. A smile came up to his face as he hastily walked towards it. The red vehicle quickly found a parking space, stopped, and the door of the driver's seat opened immediately. "Professor! It's nice to see you again!" Clive welcomed him heartedly.

The Professor walked towards the young man and tipped his hat in greeting. "As to you, Clive. I see you're well and about!" He nodded at the two officers as they nodded back. "Give my regards to Inspector Chelmey. This young man is in good hands." The two officers saluted and entered the building behind them.

Following Layton were the footsteps of his apprentice. Luke looked awkwardly at the young man standing before him. He made a childish face and stated "Well this isn't funny at all! What are you doing still wearing that getup for?" He stared accusingly at the blue jacket, knee-high socks, and shoes, but was glad that his signature blue hat was nowhere to be found on the taller boy's head.

Clive laughed. "How am I supposed to be a gentleman's apprentice if I don't dress like a gentleman?" Here I am... acting again. I guess what Josh said was true – I am a good actor. "Now what kind of fine establishment may I take shelter in?"

The Professor replied knowingly. "You'll be staying with us, of course." But Layton suddenly stared deep into the young man's eyes. "Clive, you are aware of the circumstances, are you not?"

The laughter quickly faded away from Clive and was replaced by a frown. "Yes of course I am, Professor. There is no man in London, perhaps the entire country, that doesn't know the features of my face."

"Yes." Not wanting to continue this discussion any further, Professor Layton stepped towards the Laytonmobile. "Well come on then you two! Let's go home!"

Luke ran toward the Professor and quickly climbed into the front seat like he always did. Clive staggered behind and made his way to the backseat. "Buckle-up Clive." He heard the Professor chime, as he quickly fastened his seat belt and listened to the engine of the car came alive.

Home...

-x-

Professor Layton's house was unsurprisingly simple in the eyes of Clive. The paint of the exterior was a bright maroon that had not yet faded. A single chimney stuck out from the rooftop and was spouting smoke towards the sky. The party of three stepped out from the automobile and the Professor was first to approach the door set atop a couple of steps. He jingled out a ring of keys, inserted the one for his house, clicked the lock, and opened the door.

The hallway's carpet had a clean hue of green, matched with the beige colour of the wallpaper. "Here we are, Clive. My home. Come on now, I'll show you where you can stay." Clive followed the Professor as Luke went off upstairs towards his own room. He examined the surrounding rooms of the house as they passed. There was a living room, a kitchen, dining room, and bathroom. They were all intricately decorated with an assortment of art and particles only the Professor would understand. Finally Layton stopped walking and held his hand out to a door that was at near the end of the house. "I am sorry for not being able to supply you with a room upstairs, but they are all taken by Luke, Flora, and myself."

Clive however, was not disappointed. "Thank you for your hospitality, Professor." He held his arm across his chest in gratitude.

"Well, go on then. Are you going to open it?"

Clive smiled. He reached his arm out, turned the doorknob, and opened what was to be the only private space in the house he'll have. Or perhaps not so private. Perhaps the Professor will look through it when I'm not around. No, that was not the gentleman's way. But Luke might look through it. The young man carefully swung the door open. The room's interior was quite dashing. Two large windows situated themselves right across from where he stood. There was a nice bed in the corner to the right, and next to it was a hand-carved desk with a typewriter and a lamp. To the left of the windows were a wardrobe, an antiquely designed grand-father clock, and a piano.

The Professor tipped his hat. "I hope you find this comfortable. This is merely a guest room, though I don't have many guests ... So instead I have the habit of just storing in here any miscellaneous paraphernalia I find. You are free to use anything in here to your liking – provided you don't break it of course." He smiled.

The young man returned the smile. "That's alright, Professor. As long as I have a bed to sleep on and food to eat, I'll be fine." He approached the piano and sat down on its bench. Clive delicately placed his fingers on the keys and pressed on C minor. A sharp screeching was the result, and startled Clive into his whole body giving a lurch.

"Oh dear." The Professor took a look at the piano and then at Clive. "Apologies about the piano, Clive. It has seen many years and the tune is a bit off. I guess it slipped my mind to tune it as I do not come into this room very often. Ah, you play the piano?"

"No harm done, Professor. And, yes, I do know the basics." Though Clive was still breathing heavily from the shock, he put up the best smile he could at the moment.

"I'll leave you be now, Clive. If you need anything, I'll be in the living room reading the daily paper and sipping some tea." Professor Layton gave a quick nod and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Clive stood there at the piano and waited for a couple of minutes. When he was sure the Professor had left him to his peace, he gave a thorough examination of his room. Next to the door were shelves of peculiar china and other tidbits of art that Clive could not make out. The wardrobe was completely empty aside from some casual looking clothes that he could not imagine the Professor wearing, which included a red hat and vest. There was still plenty of space available, so he decided to use it as his own once he got some other clothing. After having examined the wardrobe, Clive approached the desk and examined it. It had unique shade of browns and yellows which made him assume it to be oak, and were finely laminated to be extremely smooth. In the drawers of the desk were paper, pens, ink, and an assortment of other writing instruments. The type-writer and lamp on the desk appeared to be fully functional, and they too seemed to be made of fine craftsmanship. That's following the Professor's style alright.

After making sure that there was nothing in the room such as holes that could allow the Professor or Luke to spy on him, Clive finally lay down on the bed which had a feathery pillow and was now his own. The mattress was of a fine material and Clive could feel his body drift into a deep sleep. He had forgotten how it felt to be on a real bed after having slept on the thin uncomfortable one in prison. In the back of his mind, something nudged at Clive. But he chose to ignore it. All he needed now was sleep, some real sleep.

-x-

A feeling of uncertainty was what woke Clive up many hours later. He shuffled in the bed, blinking half-awake, and realized that he has not slept so well for a long time. It took the young man a short instant to remember his surroundings and he looked out the window. It was a beautiful sight; the sun had nearly disappeared for the day but a mass of rays still shown in the sky creating a mixed canvas of red, purple, and orange. When was the last time I watched a sunset? In the dark prison, the most we got of the sun was a few streams of light from that window. Clive got up and properly sat on the bed with head down, legs apart, and his arms hanging down on them.

"What am I doing here?" He murmured to himself. "I shouldn't be here. I should be out there in my room, not accepting more generosity from the man who has saved me twice. I need to-". His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking that made his head rise immediately towards the door. Taking a breath, Clive got up and walked towards the door. He grabbed the handle and opened it.

There in the doorway stood the young maiden, Flora. Even though she was the one that knocked for him, Flora seemed to be taken slightly aback once Clive had opened the door and was staring straight at her. Her face flushed red as she spoke hurriedly. "Hello there Clive. Um, it's nice to see you again. Just so you know dinner is ready just down the hall. Come on now, we're all waiting for you." Once it was clear that the young man would not be replying as he stared strangely at her, Flora awkwardly stepped back, turned, and tried to act normal as she rushed towards the dining room. Clive watched as she disappeared and made a left turn at the end of the hallway.

He smiled suddenly. Not because of joy, but because of the irony. "Am I supposed to be eating at the same table as them? As if they are a family to me? The very people that ruined my plans..." Clive spoke quietly to himself." I've eaten alone for so long now. This will probably be most uncomfortable meal I would have in a long time." He walked through the hallway step by step, expecting the worse and purposefully wasting time. "Maybe they're half finished by now and I'll have some time alone to eat." But the closer he got to the dining room, the hungrier he felt as the scents of real food invaded his nostrils and he eventually gave in and quickened his pace. Now all I have to do is turn this corner and...

There it was. A nicely-crafted table that had many dishes of steaming hot food on top of it. Flora sat on a chair that faced him and she smiled uncomfortably at him. The Professor and Luke had their chairs turned back on the young man, but once they saw Flora's smile, they turned around and noticed Clive standing there. It was Layton that broke the silence. "Clive! How nice of you to join us. We were beginning to think that you might not be hungry." It was then that Clive realized none of the food had been touched yet as he approached the table. Were they all waiting for me to come before eating? A guilty feeling entered his gut.

Luke's childish demeanour broke through as he exclaimed, "Well it's about time. I thought I was going to starve!" He patted his growling tummy and as soon as Clive sat down on the chair next to Flora, the boy picked up a fork and started grabbing some potatoes onto his plate.

Normally, Layton would have scolded Luke for such rude behaviour but he let it go this time. The Professor was focused on Clive this fine night. "Have anything you want. There's plenty for everyone. We don't usually prepare this much. But since this is a special occasion..." He coughed slightly on the last words as he fiddled with the spoon for the cup of some Earl Grey tea.

"And try my sandwiches too!" Flora piped up, but even she was reaching for the Professor's cooking.

Clive stared at the many dishes on the table. He had no idea where to begin. There was shepherd's pie seasoned with black pepper, freshly baked mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and of course, Flora's specialty sandwiches. In the corner was dessert of trifles covered in blueberries and whipping cream. Once again, his mind tried to flashback to the last time he had eaten so much food. Not in a fancy restaurant but as a home cooked meal. He personally wasn't a chef and normally just made himself omelettes or soups, and was quite surprised that the professor had such a fine hand in cooking. Clive was still hesitating as Flora ate and Luke gobbled down as much as he could.

"Would you like some tea, Clive?" The Professor's voice brought him back to reality. "You still haven't eaten anything yet."

"It's alright, Professor. Thank you for the offer." Clive looked at Layton and noticed that he hadn't touched any of the food either. "What's wrong, Professor? Why are you not eating?"

It was as if Clive was doing the spell breaking as Layton broke out of his trance and laughed cheerfully as if on cue. "Why Clive, you're absolutely right! Though tea is really all I need." Layton reached a hand out for some shepherd's pie with his fork, but to Clive's surprise, Layton brought it to Clive's plate rather than his own. "Have some. I haven't made this dish in a while so I hope it doesn't taste that bad."

The young man looked down at the steaming pie in front of him. He took one glance at the Professor whom was smiling cheerfully, broke off a piece with his fork, and chewed it whole heartedly. "This is amazing!" Clive was astounded by the taste that he literally jumped out of his seat. Then in embarrassment, he sat back down and laughed. "I guess I haven't eaten something like this in a long time, that's all." To Clive's relief, the other three diners all laughed alongside him.

Flora hurried to feed the eccentric young man as she picked up a sandwich and plopped it on Clive's plate. "Try mine next!" To this, Clive scratched the back of his head and told her that he'll try it later, much to the lady's dismay.

The dinner proceeded without worry as the four of them ate and laughed together. Jokes were made and stories such as the professors' past triumphs were told, but there was no discussion about topics that would end the merriment. After the meal, a very joyous young man volunteered to clean up, refrigerate the many remaining sandwiches, and wash the dishes as he felt a curiously warm sensation in his heart. But as he was doing the dishes, the others faded away to do their own personal hobbies and soon, Clive was left alone with only the sound of running water and a mind full of thought.

I haven't eaten like this for a long time. Eaten like what, exactly. Like a family? The word struck at him like a venomous snake. What am I thinking? They are not family to me. I'm out here on my request to be Layton's apprentice. Then Layton is supposed to be regarded as my teacher, correct? Not a guardian, not a guardian! My only guardian – foster mother – is, and will ever be Miss Dove... And my parents, they...

Some dishwater splashed under his left eye and ran down his cheek. Stop thinking, Clive .This was just an ordinary dinner and I will continue to have dinners in this household. That is, until I can regain a paying job and move out again. But before that I have to take back my belongings... That's right! This nonsense has made me forget about my priorities. First thing tomorrow, I have to pay them a visit. I have so much to owe them for, yet now I have nothing to give back... But do I dare to show my face?

A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys. School's really taking a load on me. I'm graduating this Friday..! :'D