When Clive awakes, it's to a weight on the bed next to him - a weight which, upon further inspection, turns out to be Luke. He's fallen asleep sat on his chair with his top half leaned across the bed, in a position that looks less than comfortable. He appears to have managed just fine so far, though, so Clive isn't inclined to wake him him straight away. Now that he's awake himself, he finds himself trying to remember what Luke had told him last night. There's a part of it that he knows he should remember, that he knows is important, but for the life of him, he can't place what exactly it is. He remembers a promise, but the contents of it - or whether it was even a promise to him, or a promise from him - are beyond him.

He's distracted from his attempt to remember when Luke stirs, though, and Clive is suddenly very hard-pressed to look as if he's still asleep. He's not sure he wants to explain why he didn't attempt to wake the boy sprawled across his bed. No matter that the reason is entirely innocent (as far as Clive can remember, anyway).

"You en't very good at actin," comes a quiet voice after a few moments, and Clive can't help the slight snort. Indignation and amusement all in one.

"I'll have you know I got an A in Drama," he tells Luke in the most indignant tones he can manage, and the little brat just laughs. Despite himself, though, Clive joins in, and it quickly turns into comfortable conversation, as if they've been friends for years rather than two people who met when one of them pretended to be the other, and haven't seen each other in about two years. They're only silenced when Luke glances at the clock, yelps and exclaims that he was supposed to have been gone half an hour ago.

Clive finds himself feeling unbearably lonely once Luke's gone, all the color and noise drained out of the room so that it's just Clive, alone and half-wishing Gavin had managed to finish the goddamned job.

ooo

There's no more sign of Luke for the few more days that Clive remains in the hospital ward, and he returns to the main body of the prison without another visit.

"Your cell arrangements have been changed," he's told on the way there, "After what Gavin did to you, it was... deemed best that you share with someone who's due for parole soon."

It's an interesting idea, Clive decides once he deciphers the logic. Stick him in a cell with someone who's due for parole, because wanting out of the prison will help encourage them to protect him. Helping prevent the injury of your fellow inmates is bound to look good to the parole board, obviously. It's definitely an interesting idea, yes.

It definitely didn't come from within prison walls.

If the staff had even bothered to change his cell arrangement after Gavin's attempt on his life - and it isn't as if they'd been roomed together, not since the solitary cell - they wouldn't have picked someone on the basis that they were up for parole. The logic is simple, but clever, and Clive isn't so naive as to expect clevernessfrom the same staff who allow the inmates to abuse each other as they see fit. No, had it been their decision, they would have placed him with one of the top players within the prison, on the basis that they'd have the status to protect him, and nobody would mess with them just to get at Clive. Never mind the fact that the 'top players' are, by Clive's estimation, all inmates who have had their use of him at some time or another.

So it begs the question - who the hell is manipulating things for him in this way?

ooo

Despite the rooming arrangements, it doesn't take long for Clive to run into Gavin again, cornered in the halls while the staff are busy dealing with a fight. He doesn't say anything at first, just backs Clive up towards the wall and lets him draw his own conclusions, the silence working to scare Clive despite himself. He won't be scared by Gavin, it's not like Gavin can do anything to him that Clive hasn't wanted, but somehow there's something about it that still bothers him, still terrifies him.

"Did you know that there are rumors circulating the general populace about you?" Gavin hisses into his ear once he has Clive pressed to the wall, breath cold against Clive's skin. "They say that someone outside orchestrated your cell transfer."

Clive isn't stupid. He knows there aren't rumors, and he knows that Gavin knows too. It's Gavin that's noticed this, not the rest, but they'll both play along and Clive will act as if he has the answers, even though both of them know that they're as clueless as one another. Together they might come to some conclusion though, and if playing parts is what it takes to hold Gavin's interest for a while and give Clive some idea of what the hell is going on with his own life, then so be it.

"I have friends on the outside, Gavin," he sneers, pushing Gavin off a little (which he can'tdo, except that it's part of Gavin's part to let himself be pushed back), "Like your brother, perhaps? Although Klavier certainly hasn't kept you from being stuck in with the rest of us, has he?"

His face changing, Gavin pushes Clive back against the wall, and though Clive can't see it from here he knows that the devil must be there, or will be soon.

"They say that perhaps you won't be here very much longer." This time, the tone is growling, and it's not all that clear exactly what he means by it.

"And why's that? Does someone intend to break me out, do they say, or is it more that someone has designs on my life? I do believe that you of all people should know that the staff are quicker than they look when it comes to preventing the inmates from killing one another."

Despite Clive's forced smugness and disaffected air, Gavin simply eyes him for a few moments, then turns and starts to walk away down the hall, calling back behind himself once he's a little way away.

"They haven't decided yet."

ooo

After a few days, Clive's name gets called along with the others come visiting time.

He can't prevent the relief that shows on his face when he gets through to the visiting area and sees Luke. He'd half-suspected that Layton's influence had prevented Luke from seeing him, or from wanting to see him. The fact that Luke is here is... good.

"I didn't think you were going to come back," he admits, watching as Luke frowns and bites his lip.

"Me an' the Professor 'ave been pretty busy, since 'e's gotta talk to all the prison lot," Luke says, and there's something careful about the tone, something oddly calculating about it that he'd never have expected from Luke.

"The Professor has been talking to the prison... staff?" Clive asks, and when Luke nods he continues, "Why would he? It's not as if he's shown any signs of actually caring what happens to me prior to this. If this is just you having guilt-tripped him into pretending to give a damn for the duration of your trip then you can tell him where to-"

"The Professor cares, Clive!" Luke snaps out, interrupting. There are eyes on them, after that outburst, but it doesn't stop Luke. "The 'ole time you've been in 'ere 'e's been trying to get you out! 'e didn't want to tell you, in case it didn't work, but it'll work, I know it. You'll get out of 'ere and I'm comin' back to London for good in a couple years for uni and we can both live with the Professor and you can be 'is assistant just like me and... and..."

Luke trails off there, stopping to catch his breath, but he's said enough. The rest of the meeting is spent coaxing more information out of him, finding out that Layton has spent the past two years working to get Clive out of prison. Inspector Chelmey has been helping, too, albeit with difficulty considering his position, because helping Clive in this way means going against Bill Hawks, and for at least a few more weeks the man is still prime minister. A general election is coming up soon, though, and although Bill Hawks has stayed in power this long, it looks as if the opposition are more widely favored at the moment.

According to Luke, the leader of the opposition is an old friend of the Professor's. An old friend who has promised to (as one of his first acts in power, assuming he gets in) orchestrate a full pardon for Clive. He'll have to attend therapy for at least a year or two after his release, but he'll be out.

It's more than Clive ever expected, ever hoped for.

When visiting time is up, Clive grabs Luke's hand for a moment, gasping a little at the contact despite himself, and asks Luke to tell the Professor he wants to see him. Once Luke has agreed to it, Clive isn't even bothered by the way those who didn't get visitors leer at the rest of them when they return. He's getting out. Layton cares.

He feels one pair of eyes on him particularly strongly, though, and it doesn't take a genius to identify Gavin as their owner.