Disclaimer: I don't own Professor Layton nor Luke Triton since they both belong to Level-5 games and nobody else, in fact I own nobody of the professor layton franchise!

Down goes the apprentice.

Usually Professor Hershel Layton would find the views of his window quite pretty to look at as the rain pelted down from the heavens and gave the glass windows quite a beating as the ambiance of the rainfall splattered against the windows and left quite a gloomy atmosphere outside as the inhabitant of the famous Professor Hershel Layton's office had stared out the window with an almost longing gleam lingering within those small, black, dot-like eyes.

Professor Layton was an archaeologist, a teacher and a puzzle enthusiast whose knowledge succeeds far beyond those other scientists. Usually the top-hat wearing gentleman had thought of everything moments before the supposed events transpired and the fact that he was ready to get out of any tight jam without much ease was needless to say.

But today something wasn't right.

Even though it was the early hours of a stormy Thursday morning, Professor Layton simply felt something was amiss. He couldn't quite place his finger on it but he felt like something in his very household was wrong.

He had a suspicion that it had something to do with his trusted, sharp, young apprentice Luke Triton. Luke was a young boy who was not only exceedingly clever but he also had the most uncommon ability to communicate with animals and more than often this unique ability was used to assist the situation but not only that, Luke didn't exactly have the most pleasant of back stories.

It all began with a letter from Clark Triton, a friend of Hershel's, but after getting the big shock of the idea of having a partner named Emmy; he had been estranged by the whole thing. It was soon found out that it was Clark's son, Luke, who had sent the letter initially and mostly because a mad man had been feeding the boy lies about his father as he pretended to be the Tritons butler while he was also constructing a diabolical machine. It all took the bravery of a courageous giant Manatetee named Loosha to save them all but everything worked out eventually and Professor Layton gained himself a fine apprentice who he had since took under his wing and begun teaching him to be a Gentleman.

Luke was always loyal to him and he couldn't imagine that something would bring him down nor get the best of him but he would be very surprised what the forces of nature could do once they come crashing down like an almighty thunderstorm...

Professor Layton tried to blink away the sleep collecting in the corners of his eyes as these small dried up specks reminded him that he had once again neglected the fact that he needed to rest despite the blanket that had been draped over his shoulders hours ago by Luke himself just before the boy went to bed.

The professor couldn't pretend he had not noticed the major differences that his young ward was undergoing as these symptoms weighed him down a little. Naturally Luke was one to shrug off any problem so he could be as useful to the professor as possible but clearly something was off with the boy since recent days had passed.

The boy would usually go blank and stare off into space as if he had been lacking sleep, he had been breathing much harder than normal, his tan skin was noticeably greasy and somewhat pale, the blonde-brownish hair under his blue cap looked like a birds nest and he would even tremble and quake as if he was cold as he stood there in a trance. There were some other symptoms that Luke had that troubled the Professor even further as he finally looked away from the window and turned his attention to the small grandfather clock standing proud and fair in a corner.

The professor simply placed a finger upon the rim of his top hat and pushed it down slightly to give his sight a slight edge as he looked at the time the grandfather clock read as it clearly told him the time, 5:10.

Time was not a very hard thing to grasp for an archaeological expert but Professor Layton almost felt icy shards impale his chest at the sight of the time as he knew that he had stayed up all night once again, making him realize that he had missed a good nights sleep. Opening his mouth a little, Layton gave a small sigh of exhaustion as his chin pressed down against his forearm and he subconsciously tugged at the sleeve of his orange shirt while both his arms had been leaning against the wooden mahogany desk he would sit at on a regular basis.

Surely he would get scolded by Luke for the lack of sleep and he was meant to be the adult here!

Professor Layton's eyes widened upon hearing a loud growl that sounded all too familiar to him. It was fair to say that his eating habits were rather sluggish way too often but he couldn't tell Luke that so he gave a small chuckle to himself as he felt his hand subconsciously lay against his churning stomach, growling loudly from constant hunger.

"Hmmm...It would appear that I would need a little something to eat." He said, patting his grumbling stomach.

He went to sit up but quickly discovered that his legs and back had been stiff. His kneecaps were quite sore so he couldn't move them as well as he had hoped but his back was also quite sore from the position he sat in all night. Gently forcing his legs into a stretch, clicking them into proportion, Professor Layton stood up from his stool and gingerly lumbered towards the kitchen of his small, humble residence.

The kitchen was of decent design, fair to say. The walls were cold and marble, the floors beneath were even more so and there were even more counters, surfaces, a fridge and a sink but most of these kitchenery appliances had a puzzle-like mechanism fitted into each one.

He chuckled to himself once more as he told no one in particular, rubbing the palms of his hands together eagerly "Puzzle solving is the way to keep every gentleman's mind sharpened."

Leaning in front of the pearly white fridge door, Professor Layton tackled a small puzzle acting as a padlock. It took about 50 seconds precisely of using his flexible fingers to slide the key parts of the puzzle into the correct place before he knew if his answers were accurate.

A lot of the household items held some sort of built-in puzzles and you'd think that Professor would have used these daily and knew exactly how to answer them but the fact is that either the Professor himself or Luke had the job of changing the puzzles as to challenge their minds to prepare themselves for any trials supposed to come their way if an emergency arrived. They did this before going to bed each night so it was fair but it was Luke who did most of the housework.

Layton was frankly too busy to do his own housework so he needed someone to assist him since he was world famous and needed to do very important things such as try and unlock more mysteries such as investigate ruin fragments or ancient scrolls or such relics. Him being an archaeologist, it was regular for him to do this type of thing.

Anyways, once the puzzle was complete, the Professor was overcome with self satisfaction as he gave a self complimentary grunt with a wry smile plastering against his lips. He was great at solving such puzzles since they were sort of a key part of his life, after all.

"Easy enough for a Gentleman." He proclaimed smugly as he tipped his hat at the fridge.

He opened the fridge door and looked at each and every shelf that was stacked with food items and thought about what to have for breakfast to satisfy his churning stomach. He cringed at the sound of rumbling and deep growling coming from deep within his gut and checked every shelf for something to satisfy his starvation. He could feel the light coming from within the fridge touch his face and catch his tan skin in a slight draft as he examined all the freshly brought food items stacked neatly on each shelf.

His eyes soon fell upon a carton of milk, some eggs and some butter as he knew what to have this morning that would surely be a well balanced breakfast for any gentleman.

The Professor gathered up all items needed such as bread, a kitchen knife, some other things, etc and didn't waste a moment in starting breakfast. Being a very clever man had its many advantages but there were some embarrassing flaws that Professor Layton would not speak of and one of those flaws were that he was too busy to sit down and have lunch. It ashamed him somewhat but the Professor decided not to dwell on it for time time being as he had breakfast to make since he had a feeling that he would need some independence for awhile.

He was right, as always.

It was then that a really strange sound caught Professor Layton's ears and it didn't take long at all for the top hat-wearing gentleman to latch on to the noise as he tried to discern what it was exactly.

The noises sounded wet, rattled and somewhat raspy that huddled with what sounded like a bad case of the sniffles and were even accompanied by a brutal sounding cough. Professor Layton was drawn from his thought process once a bang suddenly caught his attention and before he was even aware of what was happening, he was speeding like a train to the scene.

From the lack of sleep, Professor Layton's leg movements were not very precise as his feet wobbled all over the place as he tried to run as fast as he could to the scene without tripping on his own two feet. He quickly found out that these sounds all came from Luke's room upstairs since the boy's room and his own room were the only other rooms up there other than the attic and that was very rarely used.

Once up the stairs, using the polished oak banister as a guide for his flimsy feet, the Professor ran outside the door and skidded to a halt as he forcefully pushed open the door and found all the answers to those questions that had rattled him so.

Luke's bedroom was quaint to say the least. The walls were painted a bright golden yellow that would be lit up aglow at nighttime, the floors were carpet and cream coloured and there were a few items stored in the room that would be essential for any boy to have stocked within their room. There was a large blue chest stacked with personal belongings in the corner of the room as it was pressed against a small wardrobe that looked sort of antique considering the pristine condition it was in, there was a small diary and lamp sitting upon a bedside table right next to a singular bed that had some bright blue sheets currently resting on them.

But the Professor's keen eyes were resting upon the tan and bright blue heap on the floor out of the right side of the bed.

He knew somewhat what had happened.

"Luke!" The Professor hastened to the fallen boy's side and was very careful to turn him over so he could look at his apprentice's face. He gasped when he saw poor Luke for the first time that morning.

Luke's eyes were open yet his pupils were shrunk to indicate that he had been slipping in and out of consciousness throughout the night, the sunken eyes and dark rings surrounding the boy's eyes confirmed this. From the feeling of Luke's skin, he was not only drenched in sweat but he was also seriously clammy. It was clear that the awful respiratory noises were indeed coming from Professor's young ward as those wet breathing sounds were indeed coming from deep within his lungs.

"Luke, are you alright!?" The Professor tried to get a response again but to no avail as Luke just laid in his mentor's arms "can you hear me?"

As if by an involuntary response, a very low groan escaped deep from Luke's throat as he shivered chillingly in what he knew was the Professor's arms. He wanted so much to express how awful he felt to his mentor but Luke knew he was too weak to even do that as he used as much strength as he could to let out some raspy whimpers and low coughs while he grasped a handful of Professor's sleeve and looked at him with heavy, pleading eyes.

"Oh, my boy..." Professor Layton gently pressed the sick child to his chest as he held him tight yet tried to be as gentle as possible with his young charge. The top hat wearing gent released one arm from Luke's form and pressed the back of his hand on the boy's head, actually feeling how feverishly hot he was.

Luke gave more whimpers and tried to express even further of how sore he was. His rough breathing, however, made this task prove difficult and it made his sweaty digits wrap further around Professor's sleeve that was now in turn becoming sweaty from the mere contact.

Professor Layton felt his heart sink deeply into his intestines as sorrow stabbed him in the back like a cold, sharp knife. He never wished this upon anyone, especially young Luke since he was the last person who deserved to be sick. He simply cradled the sick boy in his arms and began the slow task of getting Luke back into bed.

The Professor figured out that the bang before was probably Luke trying desperately to get the Professor's attention as he clearly was in too much pain to speak, let alone yell out for help, so he must have used up quite a bit of strength to roll out of his bed so he could come crashing to the floor.

He deduced that Luke's pain was coming from the chest.

It was frankly a desperate yet rather stupid move on Luke's part but the Professor couldn't possibly lecture Luke while he was in this seriously ill state. It would be a very harsh thing to do indeed.

Gently, Professor Layton laid Luke back down in bed although the barely audible whines of objection and slight squirming made it clear that the boy didn't want to go back into bed but reluctantly gave in as his mentor hushed him and tried to pacify his worries. Kneeling down at Luke's bedside, the professor lightly petted the top of Luke's head as to wordlessly reassure him as he told him in a small whisper "Luke, try to stay awake for me" he stood up and made a mad dash out of the open door "I'm calling a doctor here."

Luke's eyes noticeably widened in panic upon hearing this. He always hated the doctors since they always poked and prodded him with needles and therefore had a very big fear of them but Professor Layton knew that this was urgent and Luke needed to be examined right away.

His feet thumped heavily down the stairs as he hurried towards a small antique phone that sat upon the coffee table which had nestled safely in the sitting room. After sprinting into the room, Professor Layton quickly dialled the numbers of the one he was calling and bounced impatiently where he stood with his expression and body movements giving away how flustered and worried he was becoming, very odd behaviour for the infamous Professor Layton.

He couldn't help but wonder what was the matter with Luke. Why was he so ill? Was he going to die? Why couldn't he speak or breathe properly? These thoughts flicked through the professor's mind as the wait for someone to pick up was painstakingly slow.

What was wrong with his number one apprentice?

...

"Hmmm..." A young man wearing a labcoat shined a light into Luke's half opened eye as part of his examination as he studied everything about his patient while Professor Layton stood by the door, leaning against the door frame as he observed the young doctor.

Professor Layton had called the doctor to the house as Luke was clearly unable to make the trip to the hospital and he didn't want to put the sick boy through unneeded discomfort and strife. This young thin man wore some small glasses over his eyes and his hair style was out of proportion with his otherwise calm and professional stance as a local children's doctor.

The young man finally stopped peeking into Luke's eye with the tiny light and put it back in his coat pocket so he could stand up on his own two feet, his gaze never leaving the very sick boy laying in bed. Tugging on the collar of his lab coat, the young doctor picked up his lavishing leather bag packed with his items that he used to transport his medical supplies and made his decent out the door yet he made some eye signals towards the professor.

Professor Layton subtly nodded at the eye gestures being sent his way and followed the doctor out the door into the hallway so they could have a private conversation without Luke having to eavesdrop.

The ingenious archaeologist felt the darkened doorways illuminate both their forms by the slight amount of light coming from the other rooms of the house and reflecting each of their tall figures as they conversed.

Clearing his throat, the young doctor looked into the Professor's eyes as if he were glaring daggers into them and this slightly intimidated the professor. Judging from the very slight shifts of body movements, Professor Layton knew without the shadow of a doubt that this talk was serious.

"How is he?" The Professor asked animously as he tried very hard not to return the icy glare the younger man was giving him.

The doctor reached for the circular frames of his glasses and tweaked them upon his own nose yet his voice was smooth and somewhat icy like his glare "It would appear that Luke has a case of pneumonia."

Those words stung the Professor as they felt like they were a scorpions venomous, stinging tail and it had pierced his chest. He never expected Luke to have been struck down by something as bad as this! He was glad it wasn't anything indefinitely life threatening but he was shocked needless to say. Whatever words Layton had been meaning to say had been swept off by the wind because of hearing that one name:

pneumonia.

Trying to get himself over the shock was a delicate task as he figured out how to respond to the diagnosis. Professor Hershel Layton was a gentleman and gentlemen were hardly ever speechless! He simply gave a nod of the head, the only thing he could do, and frowned somewhat worriedly.

It all made sense. The chest pain, the heavy breathing, the fever! They were all symptoms of the same inflammatory disease that could sometimes prove fatal.

"Luke must stay in bed since he is clearly in no state to be travelling," the doctor warned almost coldly "he seems to be exhausted and also has to rest."

Professor Layton nodded in understanding. Rest was definitely the number one thing needed but knowing how stubborn Luke was, this would be a challenge. That boy cared for him night and day for months and was such a courageous lad, an apprentice that made him always proud. He wanted to repay that golden-hearted boy so much and this was Professor Layton's chance, Luke needed to be taken care of!

It was then that the doctor brought up a question.

"What of the boy's parents?"

Professor Layton felt memories wash up as he knew that Luke's parents were a little too far to come immediately so it was up to him to tell them the hard news that their son was ill with a rough ailment. He knew that Luke's mother would smother him with motherly love that would likely embarrass any boy and Luke's father would try and comfort his son even though the last time Luke saw his father, they were sort of distant.

Luke wrote to his parents often even though they were currently overseas on a cruise though it was clearer than glass that the boy struggled with memories of the time his father often avoided him.

"They are on holiday right now." The Professor's voice was chilled and calm yet he looked as if he didn't want to bring them into this, considering the worry and strife he'd put them through once telling them.

The doctor once again tugged on his collar as he began to walk down the stairs to make his leave "Well, professor, I hope you do tell them and I hope you know what your doing." He peaked over his shoulder to send one last glare to the infamous top hat-wearing gentleman, his voice carrying a hint of hostile animosity "After all, this isn't a piece of old relics or a silly little puzzle..."

With that the man made his merry yet ominous way down the stairs and left a somewhat freaky air in his wake as the professor glared after him. He didn't know why but he really disliked that doctor even though it was rash and indecisive of him or any gentleman to loathe so soon. The professor decided to heed those words, though, as he slowly made his way back towards Luke's bedroom, reaching the open doorway within the blink of an eye despite the fact that he was walking in a slow and quiet pace.

He entered the room and knelt down once again beside Luke's bedside and placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. He couldn't explain it but when he done this action there appeared to have been a small light shining in Luke's eyes and this had ignited a flame of warmth within Hershel's heart, twisting his insides to create a friction of loving warmth inside him.

"Luke, my boy..." The Professor started with a small smile and his eyes were soft and genuine. He smiled wider when the boy turned his head towards his direction yet no words left his mouth despite his mouth gaping open a little "I will take care of you."

Professor Layton just hoped that he knew what he was doing as he looked at his lethargic young charge.

He just knew that a big trial awaited him now.

A/N: Awww, poor Luke. He has been struck down with peunomia it seems and now Professor Layton needs to take care of him, how tragic. I can't wait to see the turnout for this story!

I have been in hospital for awhile but I have also grown a liking for Professor Layton and Ace Attorney (in fact I have the cross over game) and I have some more stories being written. I have just lost my inspiration to write for awhile so I haven't been writing until now.

I'll have to hope you all like this story for now until I write more of it but its a hefty chapter and it's more than I am used to writing one chapter.

Thanks guys! Please review, any suggestions are welcome!

-Chloemcg