A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry about the gap between updates- I had a ton of stuff to do, and I figured you guys wouldn't be too fussed about going another couple of days without more of this crappy story. No, that sounds like I'm forcing myself to do this. I do enjoy writing and working on this story, but I was really busy, and figured you guys wouldn't mind the delay. Ok. On with the chapter!

This is after they've been to the Towering Pagoda and met Dimitri, when they had to run awayJ

"So, Professor, if Future Layton was really Dimitri, where's the real future you?" Luke was pretty confused on this point, and you couldn't really blame him.

"I'm afraid that is one puzzle I don't have the answer to, my boy, though from what Big Luke was telling us before about my strange behaviour before beginning to have such power over London, I suspect that Dimitri has been posing as me for a long time before he ruled this city."

"So there's no way of knowing where your real future self is, then." A statement, not a question, in a subdued voice. Luke was intelligent. He knew that there was a possibility that there simply was no Hershel Layton in this time.

"Hmm… Quite." Luke knew that voice: that was his mentor's 'I'm-thinking-and-I-have-a-theory-but-I'm-still-wo rking-out-the-details-so-I'm-not-going-to-tell-you -anything'voice. He knew better than to ask questions, as he knew the Professor would tell him everything eventually. "Ah, here we are back at the hotel, my boy." That voice didn't make him stop being concerned, though.

Flora was alone when they went in, which worried the two. "Where's Big Luke?"

Flora had looked anxious when they walked in, but her eyes lit up when she saw them. "There you two are! A man came in and spoke to him. They left after that. Big Luke asked me to tell you that he had to go investigate something important, and that he'd catch up with us soon. They looked really worried about something. I didn't hear where they went."

"Ok, my dear. I'm glad you and Big Luke made it out of there all right. What did this man look like?"

"He was dressed all in black, in a postman's uniform. Umm… He had a moustache? He was kinda short too. I can't really remember anything other than that."

"Ah right. I believe it must be an acquaintance of ours by the name of Shipley. Don't you think Luke?" The Professor turned around to ask his apprentice's opinion, but was greeted with nothing but an empty room. "Luke?"

"He must have left without us noticing!"

The Professor and his adopted daughter ran to the reception of the hotel. The elderly owner was asleep behind the desk, but there was a man stood there as if waiting for someone. "Excuse me, have you seen a teenage boy leave the building within the last few minutes?"

"Teenage boy, blue cap? Yeah, he left a couple of minutes ago. I only noticed him cause he looked a bit upset. Went out the front door and turned left towards Flatstone Street, walking quite quick, like. You had a row with him or something?"

"No, I can't imagine why he'd… Thank you for your help, sir." With that, the Professor and Flora left and headed towards Flatstone Street, where Luke had apparently gone.

"Professor, why would he be upset? Nothing happened on your way here from the Pagoda, did it?"

He sighed, not a sound of exasperation or annoyance, but sadness. "Nothing, I don't think. I don't know for certain what's bothering him, but I have a hunch… Right now finding him is our priority." Flora was puzzled and curious, but silently agreed with his last statement.

As they walked, an excitable young girl with brown hair approached them, looking to be around Flora's age, maybe a little younger. "Where's my dear Flukey-pie? Isn't he with you?"

The Professor plastered on a smile. "Ah, Belle. No, Luke isn't with us. I suppose you haven't seen him, then." As annoying as both Luke and himself found this girl, he of course couldn't let it show. That wasn't what a gentleman did.

"No! My dear Fluke, my sweet, I must save you! Is he lost? I'll find him. I know I will- we are soulmates, we share a special connection. I love you my Fluke, I'll find you!" With that dramatic statement, Belle ran off, probably to enquire about 'Fluke's' whereabouts to innocent bystanders.

"Professor, what on earth was that about? She was acting like she was Luke's girlfriend or something." There was an edge to Flora's voice that she herself didn't notice. Her guardian, however, did, and made a mental note of it in the section of his brain labelled 'The Puzzle of Luke and Flora's Strange Behaviour'.

"We ran into her at the beginning of our time in Future London- literally, in Luke's case. She seems to have, erm, taken quite a shine to him, to put it lightly. Every time Luke protests about their 'relationship' she says he is simply playing 'hard-to-get'. Quite funny really, though of course I do feel rather sorry for the girl." The Professor felt he had another clue in the mystery of his two charges, and was happy to tell Flora that Belle was mistaken.

"Oh right. I see. She seemed very… enthusiastic about finding him." Flora tried to seem nonchalant, but her adopted father could tell how relieved she was to hear that.

Up the street there was a crossroads, so of course they had no way of knowing which way Luke had gone. A man stood in the middle of the street, so Flora decided to ask him about her friend. The Professor recognised this man, though, so he stood back a bit.

"Hi, erm, excuse me mister, but you haven't seen my friend have you? He's just a little taller than me, he's got a blue cap on, about my age?"

"Yes, actually, I think I know who you mean." The man smiled; he seemed quite friendly. "He came through here a few minutes ago. Headed north, then I think he headed up towards the Plaza."

"Oh, thank you!" Flora was visibly happy to know where her best friend was- though there was still some awkwardness between them, the case had pushed most of it away, and of course they were still best friends. "Professor!" She called to him, gesturing for him to come over. "This man says Luke went that way."

"W-Wha-what?!" The man began to tremble noticeably, and a look of terror crossed his face. "You! You sent that girl over to lure me out! B-But I'm n-not scared of y-y-you..." And with that, Edgar ran off as fast as he could. Flora blinked in confusion, then had to try hard to stop laughing.

"That man seemed absolutely terrified of you, Professor. What on earth did you do to scare him?" She was biting back giggles now.

"It seems I look more like my future self- or rather, Dimitri in disguise as my future self- than we realised. Luke and I came across that man a couple of times before, and he seems to have mistaken me for the leader of the Family." Layton smiled a little to show he found it a slightly funny too, though he felt bad about scaring the poor man.

"Let's go and find Luke." Flora smiled, and gently tugged on his arm to lead him in the direction they were headed.

A/N: I would continue here and have the part with Luke at the statue in this chapter too, but I really want to get that bit right so that I'm happy with it and I wanted to upload something now, so that's going to be in the next chapter so I have time to work on it.