This took waaaaay longer than it should've but here it is! The long awaited epilogue/bonus chapter I promised! Enjoy and thanks for joining me on this wild ride!

The next day, Luke had made enough progress to be released. The doctor was amazed at his fast recovery, but most of it was probably fueled by Luke's will to get better. Professor Layton sat in the waiting room while the nurses prepared Luke for his departure.

\He sighed in relief, reaching up to pinch the brim of his hat only to grab air. He smiled to himself; he had left it in Luke's room just in case, he had almost forgotten. Hershel glanced around the waiting room, taking in its calming aura as he waited. The last time he had sat here, he felt completely on edge.

Even though it had happened nearly three days ago, that sandstorm felt like it had only happened yesterday.

Two days ago, after the sandstorm ended...

The moment Henry said it was safe to go outside, Emmy had burst through the door. "I'm going to look for Luke again!" she called as she hurried towards the street.

"Be careful!" Angela called. "The streets can be slippery from all the sand!" Emmy waved, acknowledging that she heard her and vanished into the streets. The four remaining carefully trekked down the sandy steps and into the courtyard.

"I'm going to search as well." Hershel said.

Randall nodded, "We'll help; Luke couldn't have gotten far." he said.

"Thank you." Hershel said with a nod and the group headed into the street. They searched any allies or places that could've sufficed as hiding places and asked any citizens in the area, but none of them had seen Luke.

After a while, Emmy returned to the house around the same time as Hershel and his companions. "Any sign of him?" The Professor asked.

Emmy shook her head, a distraught look in her eye. "Nothing."

Randall scratched his head, "Where else could that boy have gone?"

Henry shook his head. "I can't think of anywhere else nearby; if he didn't find shelter around here, we would've found him straight away." 'In the middle of the street unconscious or worse.'

Now Hershel was really starting to worry. While it was a good sign that they hadn't found Luke completely exposed to the storm, that didn't rule out the fact that the boy could be hurt or lost.

"I was hoping I'd find you lot here." Hershel and the others turned towards the familiar voice.

"Dalston?" Randall asked. "What are you doing here?"

Their old friend was walking up the street, his canine friend by his side. "Checking up on Hershel's little apprentice," Dalston answered, then realizing that Luke wasn't among them. "And it seems you still managed to lose him."

Emmy's eyes turned hopeful yet fiery. "You know where Luke is?" she demanded.

"Not exactly." Dalston responded. "He stopped by the Stellar Circus and headed back here once the storm started."

"So there's still a chance!" Angela exclaimed.

"Let's look again; he's got to be here somewhere!" Randall agreed.

At that moment, Dalston's dog began to bark. "What is it, boy?" Dalston asked. The dog sniffed the ground and slowly began to walk forward. Dalston immediately began to follow, leaving Hershel and the others behind. Hershel glanced at Randall who shrugged in response. Perhaps it would be good to follow; maybe the dog had found a lead on Luke...or it was nothing.

"Ascot! Layton! Ledore!" Dalston suddenly called. "You might want to take a look at this!" Dalston was standing at the gateway of the Ascot-Ledore mansion, his dog no longer sniffing the ground. Once they approached Dalston, the dog began barking and walked towards a large pile of broken and splintered wood.

"Wasn't that the old tool shed, Henry?" Randall asked.

Henry nodded, "I was planning to replace it within the next few days." They watched as Dalston's dog nudged the wood pile, still barking loudly; it was as if it was looking for something. Like something was...buried...oh no…

Hershel ran forwards without a word, almost slipping on the sandy ground and approached the wood pile. "Help me! Quickly!" he said urgently. Emmy immediately got the message followed by Randall and Henry.

"Angela, go find a doctor!" Henry said before joining his master. Henry had told them earlier that after sandstorms, doctors would patrol the streets, on the lookout for anyone that was unlucky enough to be caught in the storm. Dalston ran over as well and the five quickly began pulling wood off the pile. 'Luke...please be alright...' Hershel silently pleaded.

"I've got something!" Dalston called. The others ran over to him, and sure enough, a small body was becoming visible under the wood.

"Luke!" Hershel and Randall hauled one last massive piece of wood away, finally revealing the blue-clad boy, covered in wood chips, splinters, and sand and unmoving. Emmy was by his side in an instant, carefully, turning him onto his back. The group noticed that a small dog was under him, unmoving but still breathing. Hershel recognized the dog from earlier that day, the one Luke was trying to help.

Speaking of his apprentice, he felt his pulse speed up as he took in the boy's condition. He was pale and his lips were turning a dull shade of blue. Emmy pulled her hand away from the back of the boy's head to have it come away red making the panic nearly set in fully. Thankfully, Angela arrived with a doctor behind her before that panic took control.

Hershel stood up to give the doctor some space and he immediately began assessing Luke. He put his fingers on Luke's wrist and then his neck, checking for a pulse, before placing his palm close to the boy's nose and mouth. His eyebrows furrowed, "He's having trouble breathing; he most likely breathed in sand during the storm." he said. "If we get him to the hospital, we might just save him in time."

That was all everyone needed to hear to spring into action. Angela brought a blanket from inside, wrapping Luke firmly inside it. Randall volunteered to carry Luke and they made their way to the hospital while Dalston said he would take care of the dog.

A few hours later, Hershel, Emmy, and the Ascot-Ledore's were sitting in the waiting room, anxious for the news they would receive, while inside, Luke was strapped to a machine, working tirelessly to pump the sand from his lungs to replace with fresh air. No one said a word as they waited in the quiet room.

They nearly jumped when the silence was disturbed by the doctor when he entered the room. "He breathed in a lot of sand, but it's all been removed successfully." The doctor said. "No other damage was done, but it may be a few days before he wakes up; his lungs still have to heal themselves to allow him to breathe properly again."

While this news wasn't exactly what Hershel wanted to hear, he couldn't help but feel relieved that Luke was alright. If the damage had been worse, he wasn't sure if he would be able to forgive himself, let alone face Clark and Brenda.

The group entered the hospital room, gathering around the sleeping boy. The dirt had been washed from his face and a mask covered his nose and mouth, helping his weakened lungs to breathe again. Hershel said nothing, the brim of his hat hiding his expression.

Randall wanted to desperately to tell his friend that Luke would be alright, but he couldn't bare to make promises even he wasn't sure of when it came to Luke. He hadn't known the boy very long; in fact, getting to know him was intensely awkward with him having kidnapped him and hung him on a rope puzzle. But luckily for him, Luke was a little saint. After learning of everything that happened to Randall and everything between him, Henry and Hershel, the boy forgave him and opened up to him without hesitation.

Henry and Angela had only briefly interacted with the little apprentice, but they saw enough of him to know that he was a kind and bright boy. They all silently took places around the bed, watching Luke sleep, hoping that he would wake up just by their presence alone, but that wasn't the case. They stayed the rest of the day and late into the night until the hospital closed, forcing them to leave. They had been able to stay past visiting hours since the co-owners of the city were with them, but closing time was all they could muster.

The next day, Hershel and Emmy arrived before the trio, surprised to see a familiar little dog sleeping soundly on Luke's bed next to his legs. The doctor said that Dalston had arrived earlier with the little dog in tow, having just brought it back from the vet. The dog had been allowed to stay under the hope that he would help Luke wake up faster, even though the dog hadn't woken since it was discovered under the shed with Luke.

Hershel couldn't help but smile after hearing this; he had no idea that Dalston of all people would bond so quickly with Luke. Perhaps their love of animals was what drove it? Most likely. Randall, Angela, and Henry arrived a few hours later, apologizing for the delay due to directing repairs to the city from the sandstorm.

That day as they sat around Luke's sleeping body, they silently noticed that he looked a lot better. A band-aid had been placed on his cheek (did he have a cut there before?) and his mask had been removed. The boy was breathing steadily but they were still shallow. His chest shuddered every now and then as breathing normally was still a struggle.

They waited in silence, none of them daring enough to attempt conversation, especially since it was conversation that had driven Luke away in the first place. Hershel couldn't help but feel guilty that he hadn't noticed how left out the boy seemed, ever since they arrived. He didn't even notice Luke was missing from the tea room until Angela pointed out the window that a sandstorm might be coming.

Hershel pinched the brim of his hat, trying to keep his emotions under control, but it was proving difficult. If fate turned against them and Luke didn't make it through this or was permanently damaged, he would only have himself to blame. He took off his hat and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed.

The day dragged on slowly, Randall, Angela, and Henry popping in and out to attend to attend city duties before returning promptly. Hershel couldn't describe the amount of relief he felt in his heart when Luke finally stirred, uttering the simple words "...There's no place like home…"

"Professor!"

Hershel lifted his head as the familiar boy, dressed in his usual blue garb, hurried towards him, the little dog trotting by his side. "There you are Luke." Hershel said standing up, and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ready to go?"

Luke nodded happily, "More than ready Professor!" He handed the top hat back to his mentor, who happily accepted it, placing it back on his head.

"Come, Emmy and the others are waiting for us." he said. Placing a hand on the small of Luke's back, the two gentlemen and the dog exited the hospital.

Luke nearly skipped down the street as he and the Professor walked through the city. Everyone was bustling with their daily routines, almost as if the sandstorm had never happened. Trevor trotted right at his heels, happily sniffing the air and no longer worried about running into large territorial dogs. Luke couldn't help but bend slightly as he walked and pet the little dog.

He had a pretty good feeling that he would have some persuading to do with his parents when he had to go home; Luke was so into animals that they wouldn't be surprised if he came home with a new dog, right?

The happiness of the people was so heartwarming, that Luke almost didn't notice that they weren't heading towards the Ascot-Ledore mansion or the inn. "Uh, Professor?" Luke asked. "Where are we going?"

The Professor chuckled, "Let's just say that Randall wanted to celebrate your waking up with a special trip." he answered. Luke was about to question more, but he got his answer as the location came up. They were going to Tingly Town! Luke's eyes widened and an excited smile grew across his face as he looked up at the Professor for confirmation.

Luke nearly squealed with excitement and ran up as the entrance to Tingly Town came into view. Emmy, Randall, Angela, and Henry were waiting for them just inside the gate. Once the Professor caught up, the fun commenced. He first went with Emmy and the Professor on the roller coaster, like they did when they first came to Monte d'Or; it was just as fun as Luke remembered, even though last time the city was under threat by a masked man.

He rode with Angela on the teacup ride, discovering that the woman had quite a bit of a wild side to her. At one point, Randall managed to coax Henry to go on the Haunted House ride with Luke. Henry wasn't too thrilled, but he let it slip to Luke that he was glad that he wasn't riding it alone. The ride was full of jumpscares and a creepy atmosphere, some of it fun and others managing to make Luke and Henry cling to one another from a sudden shock (though Henry seemed to cling tighter than Luke did sometimes).

Once they were safely out, Randall and Luke played one of the stand games. Luke was able to win, but when the vendor told him to pick his prize (a decent sized stuffed lion), the one he wanted was too high. He jumped but he just couldn't reach. He yelped suddenly as he was suddenly lifted up to the correct height. He looked down to see that Randall had placed him on his shoulders. Luke smiled in thanks, biting down the bit of nostalgia he felt, and got his prize.

Before he knew it, the day was over. Randall, Angela and Henry walked Luke, Emmy, and the Professor back to the inn. Trevor wasn't among them as the little dog decided to go and spend the night with Maurice at the Stellar Circus. Luke allowed it, along with making his promise not to disturb any big dogs along the way.

"Well, that was a big day," Randall said stretching. "Maybe tomorrow we could go back!"

Angela laughed softly, "I don't think you could handle that much excitement."

"Indeed." The Professor said with a smile before tipping his hat to his friends. "Thank you for today Randall, Angela, Henry."

"It was our pleasure Hershel." Henry said bowing his head slightly.

"See you tomorrow, mate." Randall said. The Professor, Emmy, and Luke started to head inside the inn, but Luke stopped, glancing back at the three friends who were beginning to return to the street.

Luke bit his lip and turned to his mentor, "Hold on Professor, I'll be right back!" he said quickly before running towards the retreating figures. "Mr. Ascot! Miss Angela! Mr. Ledore!" he called running up to them.

They turned to him, "What is it Luke?" Angela asked.

"You forget something?" Randall asked. Luke looked up at them, catching his breath, and blinked a couple times. Seeing them all together like this in the dark, he kept seeing his friends from Oz. And ironically, that didn't make this any easier.

"Something like that." Luke said softly. He stood up straight and looked at them directly, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for running off during tea." he said. The three friends glanced at one another, confusion written all over their faces.

"Luke, what-" Henry started but Luke kept going.

"The reason I ran in the first was because...well...I was jealous." he confessed, feeling his face turn red with embarrassment. It really was a childish reason to run off wasn't it? "Jealous of you and the Professor." He wrung his hands together as the three adults stared at him in bewilderment. "I guess I...I felt left out, but I shouldn't have!" Luke went on. "You're all the Professor's friends and I shouldn't have gotten jealous over something like that! If you're the Professor's friends, then that makes you my friends too! And after spending today with all of you, and having so much fun, I really do want to be friends with you! But...if you don't want to, I understand…"

Luke finally tore his gaze away from them, looking at the ground, waiting for their response. His head shot back up when he felt a hand on his cheek to see Angela smiling down at him. "Of course we want to be your friends, Luke." she said.

Randall and Henry wore the same smiles on their faces, looking quite moved by Luke's words. "Truthfully, it's our fault for not realizing that you were feeling unwanted." Henry admitted. "A sandstorm shouldn't have made us realize that."

"But that's going to change." Randall said sincerely. He placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Tomorrow, we'll have another big adventure, all of us together, including you!"

Luke felt his smile growing, "No risk, no glory?" he asked.

Randall grinned, "Atta boy!" he said. "Now go get some rest; we'll be waiting for you tomorrow!"

Luke nodded and headed back towards the inn. "Goodnight!" he called with a wave and the three friends responded in kind. He entered the inn to find the Professor beaming down at him; he should have guessed that he had heard everything.

"I'm proud of you, Luke." The Professor said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Luke nearly melted from the compliment and they returned to their rooms.

As Luke lay in bed, he stared out at the starry sky. "Goodnight Lando, Sharon, Redoll…" he whispered. While he may have lost his three friends when he left Oz, he had gained three more in their place. He snuggled into the covers whispering his mantra, rocking himself to sleep. "There's no place like home…"

He slept through the whole night with a smile on his face.

Again, THANK YOU to all those who reviewed and followed this story! It was such a blast to write and your feedback made it all worth it! Writing this was so awesome I may consider writing a sequel based on the film 'Return to Oz' but we shall see!

Thank you again, and I'll see you all next story! Peace out!