Floraline

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Professor Layton. If I did, Descole would have his own spin-off.

Author's Note: Well, the movie Coraline is playing on TV right now, and I'm currently really into Professor Layton and pining for Mask of Miracle. I've seen the movie before, but just it being on is making me combine the two mentally. I thought of Flora for the title role because she is a character that doesn't get much attention or stories, and she is always left behind. It's easy to see her as frustrated as Coraline is with her life. This really made me want to write this story, along with the idea I had for the "Other Mother". I hope you all enjoy it. Please review! And feel free to let me know if you want to IM and talk about Professor Layton! I'm also currently looking for someone to co-write a fanfic or two with me.

Also, if you don't know who Monocle!Layton is, he's an OC who has become very popular among the Layton fandom. There's many fanfics and fanart for him out there, and a lot of those are pretty awesome. You can look him up, but not doing so might add to this story.

Chapter Five

Home

Flora felt like she was in the middle of some bizarre dream. She was standing in what was almost an exact replica of the house she had lived in for months, looking up at a man who looked strikingly like one Professor Hershel Layton, albeit in much fancier clothes. This home was most likely his, and though he smiled kindly at her, all she could dwell on was the fact that she was trespassing and no doubt going to get in trouble.

Confused, exhausted, and terrified, Flora did the only thing she could.

She fainted.

Even in the land of dreams, Flora never seemed to have an adventure of her own. Instead, she would dream about the past. She would find herself back in her tower in St. Mystere, waiting to be rescued, just like a fairytale. Or she would be in the den of the normal Professor Layton's house, sitting by the window that looked out onto the street and waiting for him to return. Though one was her past and the other was her present, they felt exactly the same, even in sleep.

Because she was alone. Alone and waiting for a life and a love that would ultimately never come.

Aren't you ever tired of being alone?

Flora awoke with a frown, as she so often did. It took her a moment to realize that she was not in her room. At least, not her room as she remembered it. From her position, she could see that it was similar to hers, but it was much bigger and fancier. Her own room was surprisingly empty. She had lost most of her belongings when the tower had collapsed, and while the professor had been willing to buy her the things she needed, her room had still lacked a certain warmth.

But this room…

Even though none of the things in it belonged to her or had any special meaning to her, they still gave her a good feeling. Beautiful paintings and pictures hung on the wall, and the places and people they showed looked like ones she would love to visit someday. Beautiful porcelain dolls were placed around the room, along with various other antiques and trinkets. She got the feeling that each one housed some special memory and longed to know the stories behind them.

Flora sat up, looking at the bed as she did so. It was large and luxurious, with a canopy. Lacy pink hung on either side, matching the comforter under her. It looked like the bed she used to have back in St. Mystere, though she had always hated the colors of that one.

The teen realized she must still be inside that strange house that mirrored the professor's. His doppelganger must truly have been as kind as he seemed, otherwise, she would have surely woken up in a police station. Though returning to the attic and going back through the tunnel seemed like a good idea, as a lady, she knew she could not just leave without thanking him and explaining herself.

There was a knock at the door, and her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly felt nervous, but there was no getting around what she had to do. "C-come in."

To her surprise, it was not the "other Professor" that entered, but a boy about Luke's age. His brown hair was tucked under a cap identical to the one Luke wore, only black. His white dress shirt had frills at the end of each sleeve and going down the middle of the front. It was loose-fitting, but neatly tucked into his black pants, which went down to his knee. His socks and shoes were also like black versions of the ones Luke wore. The outfit was completed by a black cape that was draped over his shoulders. A white ribbon pinned with a circular red brooch held it in place.

Flora was so taken by how doll-like the boy seemed, it took her a moment to realize that he looked almost exactly like Luke!

Even after everything else she had seen, this still startled her. But the boy did not seem to notice her shock, approaching her silently. His face wore no expression, and his eyes were so…empty.

"My Master wishes to see you."

Flora blinked at the soft, dull voice. She was so used to Luke talking excitedly and endlessly, she had expected this boy to do the same. His master? Then, was this child a servant here? But he seemed so young!

The boy took a step back, and Flora realized he was waiting for her. She stood up, following as he left the room. As they went downstairs, the teen stared at her guide's back. His appearance was so…unsettling. And who was this "Master" he was taking her to? She had assumed that the man who looked like Layton owned this house, but what if he was also a servant?

The prospect of meeting another new person, who might be not be so happy with her presence in their house, made her feel all the more nervous. She almost let out a sigh of relief when she entered the foyer to find the other Layton sitting there, in front of a lit fireplace. He really was an imposing figure, despite his similarity to the kind professor.

"I would like to speak with our guest alone." He addressed the boy in a voice identical to Layton's, yet somehow, so unbelievably different. She couldn't quite put her finger on how or why. "Leave us, Luke."

"Yes, Master." Without another word, the boy left. Flora stared after him in surprise. Part of it was shock that his name was actually the same as the one he reminded her of, but it was mostly that this man who looked so much like Layton had dismissed him to speak with her. It made her feel oddly happy…

"Flora?" At the sound of her name, the teen looked over at him. "Would you care to sit down?" He gestured to the dark green armchair across from his own.

Surprisingly, Flora found herself moving towards it and sitting down. Her uneasiness seemed to have melted away, even as she asked, "How did you know my name?"

The man smiled. "Why, I know everything about you, my dear."

That statement didn't make her feel as uneasy as it should have. "Everything? But…how?" This was all so strange. Her curiosity was overpowering the fear that any normal girl would probably feel in such a situation. "What is this place? How did I get here? And who are you?"

He chuckled. "This is your home, of course. And you are here because you were meant to be here."

"Meant…to be here?"

"Yes. We've all been waiting for you, Flora. And haven't you been waiting for us? For your family?"

"My…family?" Flora felt like her head was spinning. None of this made any sense, but she felt something warm welling up within her.

Yes, she had waited so long for a family-for a new place to call home. When Professor Layton had come and taken her away, she had thought she'd finally found both. But she had been sorely disappointed. He barely paid any attention to her, and even though she lived there, his house had never been home to her.

But this place couldn't be her home! It was silly to even think it! She lived with Professor Layton, and no matter how similar he might look, this man was not him. In fact, he was a complete stranger. This was why she was always getting kidnapped.

Flora stood up. "I-I'm sorry, but I really must go."

Though she had expected him to be angry or at least try and stop her, the man's smile did not fade. "So soon? I was really hoping you'd stay a while."

Though Flora did not want to stay and feared the possibility he might try and make her, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that even this Layton didn't seem willing to fight to keep her around. "The professor will get worried if I'm not there when he gets back."

It was a lie, and something in his eyes told her that he saw right through it. "If you must. But I do hope you will return soon. After all, you are always welcome here."

Flora nodded. "Th-thank you." She turned and hurried towards the doorway. Even though no one had ever told her, she knew better than to go into a stranger's house. The fact that this man was trying to get her to stay only proved how dangerous he was. Why would any grown man try and convince a teenage girl to live with him? And the fact that he, his servant, and their house looked so much like what she knew no longer seemed like a strange coincidence. He had known her name. Perhaps it had all been some kind of creepy plan, like how Clive had pretended to be an older version of Luke to trick the professor into trusting him and used a fake London to pretend they had traveled to the future. It would be wise to get out of here now.

The teen quickened her pace, doing everything short of running for the stairs. She was still a lady.

"Flora."

Even though her mind screamed at her not to, that familiar voice saying her name made her stop and turn.

"Remember, as long as you are here, you will never be alone."

Extra Author's Note: Putting this here, because people are probably used to the main one being the same. Sorry if this chapter is not very good. I've been beyond depressed recently. Again, if anyone has IM and is willing to work on an M-rated fanfic with me, let me know. Currently, I'm working on Descole/Lando, and I've already been ditched by one co-author who had been working with me on it, and it's looking like the girl who replaced her might be going too. It's funny and romantic, but it does reference Mask of Miracle's plot a bit. It's planned to be a series, and I'd hate for it to be abandoned. There are so few fics about Lando, especially pairing him with Descole.