For the sake of this story, pretend that the Prof is 26 and Lucy is 24.

Disclaimer: I do not own Layton Brothers® Mystery Room. Level-5 Inc. does.

As Lucy Baker pushed him out of the office and onto the street, Alfendi Layton, or "Potty Prof," as she dubbed the persona, stumbled forward. Regaining his balance before his face met the sidewalk, he turned to glare at Lucy.

The detective constable was unfazed, having been exposed to the glare before. "Prof, you needed a walk. When was the last time you went outside of the Mystery Room?"

Potty Prof snarkily replied, "Since I went home to my apartment last night, Baker."

Rolling her eyes, Lucy grabbed him by the hand and skipped along. Internally, he sighed and gave up, trying his best to ignore the warmth of her hand and the softness of her skin. There was no use in trying to get Lucy to let him go back, so he walked on beside her.

Despite his internal grumbles, Potty Prof couldn't complain too much, since it was a nice day out. There was a nice breeze flowing, and the chatter of the townsfolk and the mouthwatering smell of bread baking wafted from the café.

It was so tempting, in fact, that Lucy stopped her skipping.

The Prof, shifting to his nicer persona after such a relaxing walk, didn't need his detecting skills to know that Lucy was getting hungry. He turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like to get something to eat?"

He regretted his words as soon as he blurted them out. It sounded like he was asking her on a date!

He didn't need to worry, though. Lucy, oblivious to his meaning, beamed and said, "Ta, prof. I skipped breakfast this morning."

In the rush to get to work, no doubt. Potty Prof said sarcastically, since the detective constable had arrived late.

They entered and settled at a small booth. They had come in just before lunch hour, so luckily for them, it wasn't too busy. Soon, the waitress, wearing a name tag that said "Fran," came up to them. She asked, "What can I get you two?"

Having glanced at the menu, Alfendi replied, "A turkey on rye and a bottled water, please."

The waitress nodded and turned to Lucy. "A ham and cheese and a hot chocolate. Thanks."

Fran collected their menus and left to place their order. The two engaged in small talk, since they hadn't really been around each other outside of the workplace. They talked about the weather and Scotland Yard. They even talked about how homely the café seemed.

After a while, feeling the awkwardness in the atmosphere, Lucy excused herself to go to the ladies' room. While she was gone, Fran came back with their order. After placing their plates on the table, she turned to the Prof, and said, "If you don't mind me saying, I think you two make a nice couple."

Potty Prof was thankful that Lucy wasn't here at the moment. He would never live it down if she found out that he had blushed. "We are NOT a couple! We are just coworkers having an early lunch!"

Fran raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She had seen her share of couples who dined in this café, and these two customers were acting like one, although the relationship seemed fairly new. "Well, you'd better ask her on a date soon. With looks like that, some other guy could come in and sweep her off her feet."

The Prof barely kept his other side at bay. Potty Prof was snarling at the thought of Lucy with someone other than himself. With a controlled expression, the Prof forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your advice."

With a nod and a smile, the waitress disappeared, just in time for Lucy to come back. Her eyes scanned Alfendi's face, and she frowned. "Is there something wrong, Prof?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong." He gave an innocent smile.

Lucy seemed unsure, but she let the subject drop. The two ate in silence. The Prof didn't know what Lucy was thinking, but he was debating about what Fran had said.

Unlike Potty Prof, he didn't deny that he felt an attraction to Lucy, one that went beyond the bond between coworkers. But what could he do about it? If he did confess his feelings and Lucy shared his feelings, then it could go one of two ways. On one hand, there were fraternization rules prohibiting coworkers from dating each other, but on the other hand, not a lot of people came down to the Mystery Room, and those who did would keep it a secret, out of fear of Potty Prof or out of friendship with either Lucy or the Prof.

Another factor to consider: He and Lucy worked together pretty well, which felt different than the time he spent with Hilda. In fact, everything about Lucy contrasted with Hilda−clothes, posture, personality, but somehow, he still felt attracted to her.

In fact, the only thing that Hilda and Lucy shared in common was their stubbornness and determination to stick by his side.

Maybe that was a good thing, reflected Alfendi, considering that his and Hilda's relationship had died a long time ago and his feelings for her had disappeared.

However, he wondered if he could stop his other side from harming Lucy. On one of their previous cases, Potty Prof had apparently threatened to cut her tongue out, but it must have been an empty threat. He wouldn't harm his assistant, would he? Especially one that defended him not so long ago?

Alfendi couldn't take that chance. And yet…

With a start, he realized they had finished eating. He signaled Fran for the bill. Lucy reached for her wallet, but he stopped her. When she protested, he said, "My father raised me to be a gentleman. Please don't let his efforts go to waste."

Who could argue with that? Lucy sighed and put her wallet away, although she smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Ta, prof."

As the Prof finished and put the tip on the table, he turned to Lucy and said, "Should we get back to the Mystery Room and finish that last case report?"

Lucy was glad that she was able to get him out of the office for some time. He seemed less stressed after his time out. "We probably should," she agreed, and off they went.

They had a pleasant walk back to the Mystery Room. They chatted about what to write in the case files and reports, and joked about getting writer's block and hand cramps. However, both were oblivious to the fact that it was the calm before the storm.

At a distance, a figure followed them, hidden in the shadows.

What do you guys think? Should I continue with this story?

Read and review, but no flames, please!