Chapter 1: Heading Home

Disclaimer: I own no Professor Layton characters.

Author's Note: This fanfic contains possible mild references from the third and fourth Professor Layton games respectively, there is also one reference to the Eternal Diva movie as well. See if you can find it!

The scene seems too familiar to Luke. All too familiar. He's standing at the docks again. And is heading home, to America, again. And the profesdor came to see him off, again, plus, he's tearing up, again.

"I *sniff* don't want to go back, Professor. I want to *sniff* spend Christmas here with you." The boy wails.

"Luke, you've spent four years here. I'm sure your parents would love to see what a handsome young man you've grown into, too." Professor Layton reasons.

"Mum might, but dad, not so much. He never sounds happy when he writes to me. And most of the time, I find myself wondering why I even bother to write back."

"Luke, your father does care about you. He just… doesn't express it in the most obvious manner. But I can tell you from what he told me, he does love you more than anything."

"I just wish he'd tell me that personally.

"Perhaps he will. Now, you need to get going or you'll miss the boat."

"Is this considered public, Professor?" Luke asks suddenly, his tone taking on a different emotion. One the professor didn't recognize.

"Well, I suppose, though we are rather away from the crowd. Why do you ask my boy?" Layton replies inquisitively.

"Then this might not be considered gentlemanly." The boy says with a sad smile as he embraces his mentor in a warm hug. Luke clutches the soft fabric of Layton's dark coat in his clenched fists only coaxing more tears from his already bloodshot eyes. The professor finds tears brimming the edges of his own eyes as well. He hurriedly blinks them away.

"This is preposterous! I, Hershel Layton, am making a scene in public. But… Luke is leaving, oh, perhaps a bit of affection isn't all that bad." Layton thinks as he smiles sadly, eagerly embracing the boy back.

Luke, on the other had, is startled by this sudden change in the professor's mood. But the realization that he, Professor Hershel Layton, the Stoic English Gentleman, is hugging him only brings more tears to his eyes. His mouth opens and he emits a terrible guttural sound somewhere between snorting and sobbing as he completely breaks down.

Hearing Luke's sobs and the feeling of a growing patch of something something warm and wet on his shoulder brings Layton back to the present. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he has difficulty pushing the young man upright again and straightening his hat to look into the boy's dark, tear-filled eyes and salt-stained cheeks. It takes all of Layton's willpower to refrain from hugging Luke again.

"Now Luke, I could never see you as ungentlemanly. Seeing as how we're good friends. But I think it's best if we keep the physical contact to a minimum." Layton says though a part of him really didn't want to let go of Luke at all.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm acting like a little kid again. This just feels so much like last time and I'm not sure when I'll be able to return. If my parents don't allow me to go back, it'll be another year until I see you again. I just don't want to leave." Luke sniffs, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"That's very touching, my boy. And I would love for you to stay here as well, but regardless of what I think, your parents have requested your presence this Christmas. It's only proper for you to oblige. Think about it from their view, they haven't seen you in four years, Luke. I'm sure they just want to catch up."

"But what if they tie me down and don't let me come back! What if I meet someone there and start to forget about you! What if-!"

"Luke, stop. If they keep you for a year, then so be it. I'll still be here when you return. As for if you meet someone, please don't be afraid to bring them along as well. I'd love to meet them. And I can't predict the future, but I do know that you won't forget what we've been through together. It resides in your heart, and no one can take that from you. Now, run along, or you will miss that boat." Layton finishes with a chuckle and a wide grin spreads on Luke's face. It was as though the sun hadn't shined in a year, and it just shined through the clouds when Luke smiled.

"Thank you, Professor. So long!" Luke exclaims as he picks up his trunk and takes off towards the stairs that lead to his boat.

"So long, my boy." The professor murmurs after him. He watches the boy board the boat and disappear up onto the deck. He appears a moment later at the railing and gives a wave to Layton. The man waves back enthusiastically and just then, the ship's horn blows loudly, announcing it's departure. Luke tips his hat one last time to the professor before he turns and just catches the sight of the professor tipping his own top hat in the boy's direction before lugging his trunk across the deck and into the lobby with red carpets, shiny golden pillars, massive floral displays, and it's many huge crystal chandeliers. He immediately boards the elevator that will take him to the third floor, where his suite is.

"346… 347… 348… 349… aha! 350!" Luke slides his key into into the lock with ease and turns it with a resounding click. Pushing the door open, he strides into the room.

The room is absolutely breathtaking. The floor is polished wood with an emerald green patterned rug beneath the bed. The bathroom is nearly half as large as the room itself and the shower takes up nearly half of that space. The walls are a comforting beige-brown color with green floral accents along the ceiling edges. It also has a lone sliding door that opens out onto the deck that overlooks the ocean. The vast… boring… blue ocean. Most people would be thrilled at having a chance at an excursion such as this, but Luke, the single exception, gets shivers just thinking about his destination.

Luke immediately begins to unpack his belongings on the queen sized bed with the green fleece sheets on the bed with puffy goose down pillows. He basically packed half of his wardrobe. Seeing as how his clothes in America were about four years too small for him now. He might get away with a few pairs of smaller underwear and old pants that might work as shorts now, but nothing other than that. So he'd need to go shopping as soon as he arrived. Besides, American styles and British styles are quite different. Not to mention the fact that Americans speak funny. They're too lazy to say whole words so they just say "Sup" and "Lol", the boy supposed it was partly just the annoying teenage slang, and he himself had used the words a few times against his better judgement, but it was something he would still need to practice and know by heart if he were to start schooling in America. Ugh. This is so much more complicated than last time, not to mention that he'd be crossing the Atlantic Ocean all alone.

"I'm spending my first week alone. Truly alone. And I'm spending it on the one of the nicest cruise lines in Britain. No one to call, no one to hang out with, no one to write to. This is going to be the worst Christmas ever." The boy groans.

Luke spent the next four days sitting in his room and ordering things from his complimentary room service menu. His parents went a little far with his deluxe cruise ticket. They shouldn't have to bribe him to come home. He'd go home when he wanted to and that's the way it should be. But not according to his dad. Luke was sure from the moment he saw the ticket that it was his dad's idea to give him the cruise home. It was his mum's idea to bring him home for Christmas. Reading the letter that accompanied the ticket only proved his suspicions and made him want to go home all the less.

"Why can't I just do what I want? I swear, seventeen-year-olds get no freedom these days." Luke snorts angrily as he tosses a pillow up at the ceiling. It was then that he decided to look out the window. His eyes widened. No matter how thin it was, it was definitely there, Luke was sure of it. At the very edge of the horizon, he could see the American coastline. He knew from past experience that even if the land was just a sliver on the blinding horizon, the ship would be coming into port soon.

"Here we go again. I'd guess I have around an hour or two." The boy thinks exasperatedly.

He pulls the cruise ticket from his pocket to read the benefits again. Apparently, it includes a free full massage/spa treatment, and a free night at the casino.

"Well," Luke thinks in annoyance, "I can't just let it go to waste. It might benefit me somehow after all."

The young man strides from his quarters with his ticket in hand and straightens his blue suit jacket as he walks into the elevator, a dangerous smile playing at his lips. Why not spend a night out and let down his gentlemanly guard for just a bit.

He reaches the lobby and strides into the Aloe Vera Spa with a small spring in his step. Upon showing his ticket he is shown to the sauna and allowed privacy to strip off his clothing and wrap a towel around himself as a cover. Taking a deep breath, the boy feels the thick steam flowing freely around his body and realizes how long it's been since he was able to let go of every gentlemanly instinct in his bones and just… relax. He lets out a sigh of contentment and revels in the calmness of the atmosphere.

Around a half an hour later, a man in a suit comes to retrieve him. Luke regrettably leaves the comfort of the steam and follows the man to the next room with a hot tub where he is handed a men's swimsuit. At first glance, it looked as though the man was handing him a pair of shiny underwear. He reluctantly takes them and puts them on before hanging his towel on a nearby hook.

"Good grief, this thing is tight…" Luke thinks uncomfortably, his cheeks heating up.

The man leaves Luke to the bubbling water and the wispy steam that is twisting and curling around in the air. It almost seems to be calling to the him, beaconing for him to come closer. Luke cautiously lowers himself into the hot water and winces as the (near boiling) water seeps into every pore in his body. He gives a small sigh of relief as the initial sting subsides and is replaced with a refreshing cold feeling. The water almost smells sweet but when he looks down at it, he is appalled to see that the water is brown.

At that moment, the suited man returns to retrieve him. He gestures for Luke to get out. The boy begrudgingly obliges and shuffles to the next room where he is met with the sight of a massage table and shelves and shelves and shelves of lotions. The man pats the table, a signal to lay down. Luke complies in a trance-like daze from all the sweet smelling lotion fumes. He finds his eyes drooping and is aware of a rubbing sort of pressure on his shoulders before he drifts off.

The next thing Luke knows, he's laying on the massage table with his clothes beside him.

"I suppose it's over… hmm, I do feel a lot better now though, albeit a bit tired. I wonder how close we are to land now." The boy thinks, his mind still foggy from sleep.

He groggily gets up and peels off the swimsuit to put on his dry underwear. He puts on the rest of his clothing and finishes with a satisfying head shake and hair flip before placing his blue hat on it's rightful place atop his head. Running his fingers against his arms, his skin feels softer than silk and not a single pore is visible. Taking a quick glance in the nearby mirror, he smirks at his reflection.

"I actually look a bit like a model." Luke thinks in amusement and spur of the moment, poses as though he's standing in front of a camera.

As he leaves the spa, a voice comes over the intercom, "Ladies and Gentlemen. We will be arriving in Massachusetts Bay in just under an hour. Please remember to pack your bags and we hope you had a wonderful stay on the Crown Petone International Cruiselines."

"For once, I did enjoy myself on a cruise." The boy thinks to himself in awe. "I suppose I should go pack up now…" At that Luke races back up to his room to repack his bag.

After finishing, he drags the thing into the elevator amongst all the other passengers who are eager to leave the ship.

Luke reaches the exits and takes one last look around at the interior of the ship, allowing himself a single moment to marvel at the architecture and decoration of the whole place before walking down the stairs and onto the paved streets of Boston, Massachusetts.

"Might as well get this over with." The boy mutters under his breath, bracing himself for whatever would come of the next few weeks… and hopefully no longer.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1. Please tell me your thoughts in your reviews. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Next chapter should be up soon.

~JustDovely